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Zcash sold off sharply yesterday alongside many other cryptocurrencies as growth concerns led to widespread risk aversion. The selling started late on Wednesday and then accelerated after The New York Times reported that the US and Israeli militaries had prepared detailed plans for potential strikes against Iran following the US midterm elections. The report also indicated that US was reinforcing its military presence in the region, with additional forces expected to be fully deployed by early November.The risk of another direct confrontation between the US and Iran, combined with growing concerns about economic growth and the Federal Reserve forced to keep a hawkish stance due to inflationary pressures, weighed heavily on the crypto market.  Today's US Flash PMIs will likely be another major catalyst. Soft readings could intensify growth concerns and trigger another selloff in Zcash, while better-than-expected data could ease growth fears in the near-term and lead to a relief rally. However, this will likely be just a temporary recovery as the data would not change the bearish backdrop. ZCASH TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – DAILY TIMEFRAMEOn the daily chart, we can see that Zcashtrimmed most of the weekly gains yesterday amid the widespread risk aversion. If we get another pullback into the 1,031 support, we can expect the buyers to step in, with a defined risk below the level, to position for a rally into the 2,000 level. The sellers, on the other hand, will look for a break lower to increase the bearish bets into the 800.00 level next.ZCASH TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – 4 HOUR TIMEFRAMEOn the 4 hour chart, we can see the price broke above the downward trendline and eventually rallied all the way up to the key 1,350 level before pulling back. If we get a recovery into the 1,350 level, we can expect the sellers to step in there, with a defined risk above the level, to position for a drop into the 1,031 support. The buyers, on the other hand will want to see the price breaking higher to increase the bullish bets into the 2,000 level next, with the 1,692 high as the first target.ZCASH TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – 1 HOUR TIMEFRAMEOn the 1 hour chart, we can see the price broke below the upward trendline that was defining the bullish momentum. The sellers piled in on the break to target a drop into the 1,031 level but the price started to consolidate near the trendline. If we get a break of the recent low around the 1,185 level, we can expect the sellers to increase the bearish bets into new lows. The buyers, on the other hand, will need the price to rise back above the trendline to start positioning for a recovery into the 1,350 resistance next. The red lines define the average daily range for today.UPCOMING CATALYSTSTodaywe conclude the week with the US Flash PMIs.  This article was written by Giuseppe Dellamotta at investinglive.com.

Bitcoin erased all the weekly gains in the past couple of days as widespread risk aversion weighed on the crypto market. The risk-off flows started late Wednesday following reports that the US military was reducing its troop presence at bases in the Middle East, while the State Department ordered staff cuts at diplomatic posts amid rising security risks and the possibility of renewed military action against Iran.The selling pressure then intensified after The New York Times reported that the US and Israeli militaries had developed detailed plans for potential strikes on Iran following the US midterm elections. The report also said that the US was building up its military presence which is expected to be fully deployed by early November.The prospects of another direct conflict between the US and Iran amid increasing growth concerns and a hawkish Fed are all strong bearish drivers for the crypto market.The focus today will be on the US Flash PMIs as it could be another major catalyst given the growth concerns.  Weaker-than-expected data could intensify growth fears, weigh further on risk sentiment and trigger another selloff in Bitcoin. Strong data, on the other hand, could alleviate fears in the near-term and lead to a relief rally, although it wouldn’t change the bigger picture. BITCOIN TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – DAILY TIMEFRAMEOn the daily chart, we can see that Bitcoin pulled back to the key 80,000 support. The buyers will likely continue to step in around the support, with a defined risk below it, to keep targeting a rally into the 98,000 level. The sellers, on the other hand, will want to see the price breaking lower to pile in for a drop into the 75,000 level next.BITCOIN TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – 4 HOUR TIMEFRAMEOn the 4 hour chart, we can see the price probed above the 84,000 resistance before erasing all the gains. If the price gets there again, we can expect the sellers to step in around the resistance, with a defined risk above it, to keep targeting a break below the support. The buyers, on the other hand, will look for a break higher to increase the bullish bets into the 87,400 level next.BITCOIN TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – 1 HOUR TIMEFRAMEOn the 1 hour chart, there’s not much we can add here as the buyers will have a better risk to reward setup around the support, while the sellers will need a break to open the door for new lows. The red lines define the average daily range for today.UPCOMING CATALYSTSToday we conclude the week with the US Flash PMIs. This article was written by Giuseppe Dellamotta at investinglive.com.

HSBC has started rolling out RedCoin, its Hong Kong dollar-backed stablecoin, to more than 3.3 million users of its PayMe payments app, according to the South China Morning Post. The phased launch began on Friday, 23 October, starting with transfers between users and payments to merchants. Three weeks ago, investingLive flagged that RedCoin had a name but no launch date. That question now has an answer. Two others do not: which blockchain RedCoin runs on, and whether it can ever leave HSBC’s own apps.What happenedAccording to the SCMP, PayMe users can activate a RedCoin wallet with no minimum balance and no extra account-opening steps. Once they update the app, they can select the wallet and send money instantly, through an interface similar to the existing PayMe experience. Full availability is expected before the weekend.Lawrence Li, head of PayMe, told the paper the first phase is about keeping the service stable, avoiding extra hassle for customers and earning their trust. That is a deliberately cautious start for a bank-issued token.The SCMP also reported that HSBC plans to add RedCoin to its Hong Kong mobile banking app by year-end. That would allow instant subscriptions to tokenised money market funds from HK$100, with tokenised gold and third-party funds to follow.HSBC is one of only two firms licensed to issue stablecoins in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority granted the first issuer licences on 10 April to HSBC and to Anchorpoint Financial, a joint venture of Standard Chartered Hong Kong, HKT and Animoca Brands. Anchorpoint began a phased rollout of its own HKDAP stablecoin in August.Why this stablecoin is differentA stablecoin is a digital token designed to hold a steady value, usually backed one-for-one by a traditional currency and reserve assets. HSBC says RedCoin will be redeemable one-for-one for Hong Kong dollars and backed by segregated assets.The best-known stablecoins, such as USDT and USDC, are issued by crypto companies and move freely between wallets and exchanges. RedCoin is issued by a licensed bank and, for now, can only be used inside HSBC’s own apps.That difference matters. If RedCoin stays inside PayMe and the HSBC app, users may notice little change from today’s PayMe balances: the difference is mostly in the plumbing underneath. If it later becomes transferable to outside wallets, it would be much closer to a crypto-style stablecoin, with a major bank standing behind it.What we flagged in September, and where it standsLaunch date: answered. RedCoin is live in phases from 23 October.Blockchain: still not disclosed in reporting so far.External wallets: still not addressed.Scale: the 3.3 million figure, which we earlier traced to an unnamed outlet, is now reported by the SCMP as PayMe’s user base. That is the number of people who can use RedCoin, not the number who will.Why it matters, and what it doesn’t changeThe launch is an early test of whether regulated, bank-issued stablecoins can win everyday use, and of Hong Kong’s push to become a regulated hub for digital assets. The planned link to tokenised funds from HK$100 is the more significant step for investors. It would give ordinary retail customers a route into tokenised assets, which is where stablecoins connect to the wider tokenisation trend.It does not directly affect Bitcoin or Ether, and RedCoin is not a token traders can buy on an exchange. As we noted in September, the HKMA has warned about fraudulent tokens. Anything trading under the RedCoin or HSBC name on a crypto exchange is not the bank’s product.What could change the interpretationThe story strengthens if HSBC discloses the blockchain, opens RedCoin to outside wallets, reports solid activation numbers or delivers the tokenised fund link on schedule. It weakens if uptake is slow, the first phase runs into technical problems, or RedCoin remains a closed system that adds little to what PayMe already does.What to watch nextActivation figures. How many of the 3.3 million eligible users actually switch on a RedCoin wallet.Blockchain and wallet access. These are the two disclosures that decide what kind of stablecoin RedCoin really is.The year-end app integration. Watch whether tokenised money market funds from HK$100 arrive on time.HKDAP comparison. Anchorpoint’s rollout is the only like-for-like benchmark in Hong Kong.The practical takeaway: RedCoin is now real, but for the moment it is a payments upgrade inside HSBC’s apps rather than a new crypto asset. The disclosures still to come will show whether it becomes more than that. This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.

When you send Bitcoin, Ether or SOL, the transaction shows up almost immediately. That doesn’t mean it is permanent. Every blockchain has a point after which a transaction can no longer be reversed, called finality, and the time it takes to get there ranges from under a second to around an hour depending on the network. Solana’s Alpenglow upgrade this week cut its finality time from about 12.8 seconds to a target of roughly 150 milliseconds, which makes this a good moment to explain what finality is and why traders should care.What finality meansA blockchain is a shared record kept by thousands of computers that must agree on which transactions happened and in what order. Agreement takes time. Until enough of the network has signed off, there is a small chance a transaction could be dropped or replaced if part of the network had a different view of events.Finality is the point where that chance is gone, or so small it can be ignored. Before it, a transaction is pending, however confident the screen looks. After it, the transaction is settled.Bitcoin: finality by accumulationBitcoin never declares a transaction final. Instead, each new block added on top makes it harder to reverse, because rewriting history would mean redoing all the computing work in those later blocks. New blocks arrive about every 10 minutes on average.This is called probabilistic finality. The longer you wait, the safer the transaction becomes. A common convention is to wait for six confirmations, roughly an hour, before treating a large payment as settled, though many exchanges credit deposits after fewer. The trade-off is clear: Bitcoin is slow to settle, but reversing a transaction buried under several blocks would require enormous computing power.Ethereum: finality by checkpointSince its move to proof-of-stake, Ethereum has had a definite finality point. Validators, who lock up ETH to take part, vote on checkpoints. Once two-thirds of staked ETH has backed a checkpoint in two consecutive rounds, everything before it is finalized. Reversing a finalized block would mean a large share of validators losing their staked ETH.In practice that takes about 15 minutes, according to ethereum.org. In a pleasing coincidence, the theoretical minimum is 12.8 minutes, the same figure as Solana’s old finality time, just in minutes rather than seconds. Faster finality is on Ethereum’s research roadmap, but there is no confirmed date.Solana: finality in a fraction of a secondSolana also uses staked validators, but it is designed for speed. Under its previous system, TowerBFT, transactions were quickly marked “confirmed”, but full finality took about 12.8 seconds. Alpenglow, live on mainnet since 21 October, merges those stages into one and targets finality of about 150 milliseconds. Early dashboard readings have been somewhat above that target, so the real-world figure is worth watching as the network beds in. Why traders should careFinality affects how quickly you can use your money. Exchanges usually wait for a transaction to settle before crediting a deposit, so slower finality means a longer wait before funds can be traded. For anyone moving coins between exchanges to take advantage of a price difference, that delay is a real cost, because the opportunity can disappear while the transfer settles.It also matters for payments and decentralised finance. A merchant or lending app that acts on a transaction before it is final takes on a small risk that it gets reversed. Faster finality shrinks that window.Speed is not the same as qualityIt is tempting to read finality times as a league table, with Solana top and Bitcoin bottom. That misses the trade-offs. Bitcoin’s slower process is part of what makes its history so hard to rewrite. Ethereum’s longer window comes with a very large, widely distributed validator set. Solana’s speed relies on high-performance validators, and the network has a history of outages, so its new system still has to prove itself under real conditions over time.The right question is not which network is fastest, but whether its settlement speed and security suit what you are doing. An hour is fine for moving savings into cold storage. It is not fine for a shop counter.What to watch nextExchange deposit times for SOL. If major exchanges cut their waiting periods, Alpenglow’s speed is reaching users.Solana’s live finality. Watch whether it settles near the 150 millisecond target under heavy load.Ethereum’s roadmap. Any firm timeline for faster finality would narrow the gap with faster networks.Your own exchange’s policy. Check how many confirmations it needs for each coin before you move funds in a hurry.The practical takeaway: a transaction on screen is not the same as a settled one. Knowing how long finality takes on each network tells you how long your money is really in transit. This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.

Solana switched on its Alpenglow upgrade on Wednesday, 21 October, replacing the consensus system the network has run since its 2020 launch. The headline change is speed. Transactions now reach finality, the point where they can no longer be reversed, in a fraction of a second instead of roughly 12.8 seconds. That is a real improvement for exchanges, payment apps and traders using the network. Whether it creates more demand for SOL itself is a separate question, and the early price action suggests the market sees it that way.What happenedAnza, the firm behind Agave, Solana’s main validator software, scheduled the switch for about 14:50 UTC. The feature activated at the start of epoch 1064. The old system, TowerBFT, kept running for another 5,000 slots, roughly 18 minutes, before handing over to Alpenglow at slot 459,653,000. The network did not restart. Anza described it as swapping consensus engines on a live network.Validators approved the upgrade in September 2025, with about 98% voting in favour. Alpenglow went live on Solana’s testnet on 24 September this year and on devnet a day later. Before the mainnet date was set, Anza ran a bug bounty of more than 25,000 SOL, drew on work from 115 security researchers, and simulated the network across 1,500 nodes. An earlier September target came and went, with developers saying publicly they would not rush it.Why finality mattersA blockchain confirms transactions in stages. On Solana, users could already see a transaction as “confirmed” quickly. Full finality, the guarantee it cannot be rolled back, took about 12.8 seconds. Many exchanges wait for finality before crediting deposits, and businesses accepting payments care about the same point.Alpenglow targets finality of about 150 milliseconds, and it merges “confirmed” and “finalized” into one state. It gets there partly by moving validator votes off the chain. Votes are now sent as signed messages and combined into a single certificate, which frees up block space. Anza says the design stays safe with up to 20% of stake acting maliciously plus another 20% offline. A reading trap: transaction counts will dropValidator votes used to be recorded as on-chain transactions, and they made up about 63% of all transactions on the network. They no longer appear in blocks. Any dashboard that counted them will show a sharp fall in transactions per second. That is a change in accounting, not a collapse in usage. Readers comparing Solana activity before and after 21 October should keep this in mind.Faster settlement is not the same as demand for SOLThe upgrade makes Solana more useful. It does not, on its own, mean more SOL will be bought or held. Demand for the token depends on network activity, fees, staking and the wider crypto market. A faster network can support all of those over time, but that link has to show up in the data.The short-term price action makes the point. According to market reports, SOL gained in the 24 hours before activation, then gave back the move as Bitcoin weakened and risk appetite faded. A well-telegraphed upgrade is often priced in before it arrives, and in the short run, broader market direction tends to outweigh network news.What could change the interpretationThe bullish case strengthens if exchanges shorten their SOL deposit times and payment firms build on the faster settlement. That would be evidence that the upgrade is turning into real usage. The case weakens if the network suffers instability in the weeks after the switch, given Solana’s history of outages. Client concentration is another risk to track. Alpenglow currently runs on Anza’s Agave client, and a compatible version of Jump Crypto’s Firedancer client has not been announced.What to watch nextExchange deposit policies. The clearest sign the upgrade matters to users is exchanges crediting SOL deposits faster.Live finality versus the target. Watch whether finality settles near 150 milliseconds under real load, not just at quiet times.Network stability. The first few weeks under a new consensus system are the main test.Client diversity. Any news on a Firedancer build that supports Alpenglow would reduce reliance on a single client.Agave 4.5. The next upgrade, targeted for December, would let a single transaction reference more accounts, which the Solana Foundation says could enable more efficient swap routes. This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.

The swings in bitcoin continue. The price is currently down nearly $3,000, trading near $81,000 after reaching a low of $80,836. Today’s high reached $84,294, below yesterday’s high at $84,774.Both highs stalled ahead of the next key upside swing level at $85,578. Buyers had their shot to extend the recovery, but they could not reach that hurdle. Today, sellers have taken back control.Bitcoin follows the risk-off flowsThe move lower has been helped by risk-off sentiment across the equity markets:Nasdaq Composite: Down 2.56%.Nasdaq 100: Down 2.82%.Bitcoin is following the equity market’s lead—at least today. When investors are reducing risk, bitcoin can get caught in the same selling flow. That is what the price action is showing in this session.The lower swing area is back in playTechnically, today’s decline has taken the price into a lower swing area between $80,100 and $81,183. That area has helped define the bottom of bitcoin’s consolidation range since September 18. Monday’s low at $80,595 also stalled within that zone.That gives traders a clear area to watch. Buyers need to defend support and push the price back above $81,183 to begin easing the immediate downside pressure. Holding support would give them a foothold, but they would still need to build on it.For sellers, the next step is a sustained break below the lower boundary. Call $80,000 the line in the sand. Get below and stay below, and the door opens for more downside momentum.What comes next on a break?Below the consolidation range, the 38.2% retracement of the move higher from the July low comes in at $76,052. That becomes the next major technical target if sellers can establish control below $80,000.The distinction is important: testing support is one thing. Breaking below it and staying below it is another. Sellers need that next shove to turn another swing within the range into a break out of the range.In the video above, I take a look at bitcoin’s latest swings, the support being tested, and what buyers and sellers need to do next. This article was written by Greg Michalowski at investinglive.com.

Solana came under renewed pressure as escalating Middle East tensions weighed on risk sentiment, with reports of US military preparations for potential strikes on Iran adding to concerns about another direct confrontation. The combination of rising oil prices, growing economic concerns and a hawkish Federal Reserve creates a very challenging backdrop for the crypto market. If the conflict escalates further, SOL could remain vulnerable to a broader risk-off move.Solana has also completed the Alpenglow upgrade which went live on mainnet on October 21, replacing TowerBFT and targeting transaction finality of around 150 milliseconds, down from approximately 12.8 seconds.Looking ahead, tomorrow's US Flash PMIs could trigger further volatility given the lingering growth concerns. Weaker than expected data could intensify growth fears, weigh further on risk sentiment and trigger another selloff in SOL. Stronger data, on the other hand, might ease the concerns and lead to a short-term relief rally, although it wouldn’t change the bigger picture as it would just reinforce the need for further Fed tightening, thus limiting the recovery. SOLANA TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – DAILY TIMEFRAMEOn the daily chart, we can see that Solanais back under pressure as renewed Middle East tensions weighed on risk sentiment. We have a key support zone around the 97.00 level. If the price gets there, we can expect the buyers to step in, with a defined risk below the support, to position for a rally into the 148.00 level. The sellers, on the other hand, will want to see the price breaking lower to increase the bearish bets into the major upward trendline next.  SOLANA TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – 4 HOUR TIMEFRAMEOn the 4 hour chart, we have a minor support zone around the 103.50 level. We can expect the dip-buyers to step in here, with a defined risk below the support, to keep targeting the resistance zone around the 113.00 level. The sellers, on the other hand, will want to see the price breaking lower to extend the drop into the 97.00 support. SOLANA TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – 1 HOUR TIMEFRAMEOn the 1 hour chart, we have a minor downward trendline defining the current bearish momentum. The sellers will likely continue to lean on the trendline, with a defined risk above it, to keep pushing into the 97.00 support. The buyers, on the other hand, will look for a break higher to pile in for a rally into the 113.00 level next. The red lines define the average daily range for today.UPCOMING CATALYSTSToday we get the latest US Jobless Claims figures, while tomorrow we conclude the week with the US Flash PMIs.  This article was written by Giuseppe Dellamotta at investinglive.com.

Ethereum came under renewed pressure as escalating Middle East tensions weighed on risk sentiment. The weakness began late yesterday following reports that the US military was reducing its troop presence at bases across the region, while the State Department ordered staffing cuts at diplomatic posts amid rising security risks and the possibility of renewed military action against Iran.The selling pressure intensified after The New York Times reported that the US and Israeli militaries had developed detailed plans for potential strikes on Iran following the US midterm elections. The report also said that the US was building up its military presence, with three aircraft carriers, thousands of Marines, fighter jets and special operations units expected to be fully deployed by early November.The prospects of another direct conflict amid increasing growth concerns and a hawkish Fed are all strong bearish drivers for the crypto market. Tomorrow’s US Flash PMIs could be another major catalyst given lingering growth concerns.Weaker-than-expected data could intensify growth fears, weigh further on risk sentiment and trigger a selloff in Ethereum. Strong data, on the other hand, could alleviate fears of an economic slowdown and lead to a short-term relief rally, but it wouldn’t change the bigger picture as it would just reinforce the need for rate hikes.  ETHEREUM TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – DAILY TIMEFRAMEOn the daily chart, we can see that Ethereumis pulling back a bit after the escalation in the Middle East tensions. If we get a pullback into the major trendline and the 2,360 support, we can expect the buyers to step in, with a defined risk below the trendline, to position for a rally into the 3,400 level. The sellers, on the other hand, will want to see the price breaking below the trendline to open the door for new lows and target the 1,900 level next.ETHEREUM TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – 4 HOUR TIMEFRAMEOn the 4 hour chart, we can see the price is breaking below the minor upward trendline that was defining the recent bullish momentum. We can expect the sellers to pile in on the break, with a defined risk above the trendline, to extend the pullback into the major trendline. The buyers, on the other hand, will be better off waiting for the price to fall into the major trendline to have a better risk to reward setup. ETHEREUM TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – 1 HOUR TIMEFRAMEOn the 1 hour chart, there’s not much we can add here, although we have a minor downward trendline that could act as resistance in case we get a slight pullback. The sellers will likely continue to lean on the trendline, with a defined risk above it, to keep pushing into new lows. Some aggressive buyers, on the other hand, might wait for a break higher to start positioning for a rally into the 2,577 level next. The red lines define the average daily range for today.UPCOMING CATALYSTSToday we get the latest US Jobless Claims figures, while tomorrow we conclude the week with the US Flash PMIs. This article was written by Giuseppe Dellamotta at investinglive.com.

The end of Bitmine’s buying removes a steady, price-insensitive source of ETH demand, but the bid has already faded to roughly a tenth of its May pace, so much of the adjustment is likely priced in. The bigger swing factor for ETH is whether spot ETF flows and broader risk appetite fill the gap left by treasury companies. A shift to selling staking rewards would add a small but persistent supply overhang. Bitmine shares now trade more on staking income and buybacks than on accumulation.---Earlier:Bitcoin shows some buying life as risk-on flows return and push the digital currency higherBitcoin rallies on US-Iran deal hopes amid increasingly positive reports. What's next?---Ether’s most reliable corporate buyer is about to stop, but the market has been weaning itself off Bitmine’s bid since May, so the real test is who steps in next.Summary:Tom Lee said at Token2049 that Bitmine will not hold more than 5% of Ether’s supply, turning a target into a hard capBitmine held about 6.03 million ETH as of 11 October, or 4.9% of a total supply of around 122.1 millionThat leaves the company roughly 76,000 ETH short, with recent buying pointing to the cap being reached around mid-to-late NovemberWeekly purchases have fallen from more than 111,000 ETH in May to around 12,500About 5.07 million ETH is staked, and staking rewards could push holdings above 5% without new purchasesLee argues the cap ends the need to raise capital and should help Bitmine shares outperform ETH in a rally Bitmine Immersion Technologies, the largest corporate holder of Ether, is within weeks of ending a buying programme that has added ETH to its treasury every week since June 2025, after chairman Tom Lee turned the company’s long-standing 5% supply target into a firm ceiling. Speaking at the Token2049 conference in Singapore on 7 October, Lee said Bitmine would not accumulate beyond 5% of Ether’s supply, Cointelegraph reported. That marks a shift from earlier comments in which he left the door open to holding more if Ethereum adoption kept growing.The company’s latest weekly update showed about 6.03 million ETH as of 11 October, or 4.9% of a total supply of roughly 122.1 million. That leaves it around 76,000 ETH short of the cap. At the pace of recent weeks, roughly 12,500 to 15,000 ETH a week, the target would be reached around mid-to-late November, though Bitmine holds more than $600 million in cash and marketable securities and could close the gap faster if it chose to.For more than a year, Bitmine has been one of the most consistent sources of demand for ETH, buying through a market in which the token fell about 10% over the first nine months of 2026. The bid has already shrunk sharply, however. Weekly purchases topped 111,000 ETH in May, against roughly 12,500 in the week to 11 October. Much of the effect of Bitmine stepping back may therefore already be in the price, making the end of buying more a formal full stop than a sudden loss of demand.Lee presents the cap as good news for shareholders, arguing that the company no longer needs to raise capital to buy ETH and that its shares should outperform the token in a rally. That is the company’s view rather than an established outcome, and the position was carrying an unrealised loss of around $4.5 billion near the time of the speech.Staking adds a complication. About 5.07 million of Bitmine’s ETH is staked, meaning it is locked up to help secure the Ethereum network in return for rewards paid in new ETH. Those rewards can push holdings above 5% without any purchases. Lee has said the company could sell staking income to stay under the cap, but has also said he sees little reason to sell ETH, with staking income covering dividends on its preferred shares.What to watch next: the weekly holdings updates, for the week Bitmine reports reaching 5% and stopping; whether it begins selling staking rewards, which would turn a steady buyer into a small, regular seller; and spot Ether ETF flows, to see whether other demand fills the gap. A marked slide in ETH once buying ends would suggest the treasury bid mattered more than its recent size implied, while a steady price would confirm the market had already moved on. Lee has revised his stance on the cap once already, so a strong rally could test it again.  This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.

Bitcoin buyers are making a play to the upside after sellers could not extend the price lower.The price is currently trading near $84,518, up around $1,700, or 2.11%. The rally gained momentum after breaking above the 100- and 200-hour moving averages near $82,100. Buyers have now pushed above last week’s swing high near $84,178, giving them another technical break in their favor.The buyers have taken back control in the short term. Now they need to hold it.Where is the risk for buyers?The closest risk-defining level is the broken swing high at $84,178. When the price breaks above resistance, traders want to see that level become support. Staying above it would keep the buyers firmly in control. Moving back below would take some of the momentum out of the breakout.For traders giving the move more room, $83,000 provides another reference point. Below that, the 100- and 200-hour moving averages near $82,100 become the more important support area. A move back below both would weaken the bullish technical picture.Those levels offer different amounts of breathing room, but more room also means more dollars at risk. Traders need to match their position size to the risk they choose.What comes next on the topside?The next upside target is $85,578, the lower boundary of an upper swing area within the broader range that has confined trading since September 18. Above that, the focus shifts to the range high at $87,374.Getting above $84,178 is progress. Getting above $85,578 would be another step. Ultimately, buyers need to break and stay above $87,374 to open the door beyond the broader trading range.The lesson is that a failed move in one direction can create an opportunity in the other. Sellers had their shot to extend lower. They missed. Buyers have responded by taking the price above the hourly moving averages and last week’s swing high.In the video above, I take a look at the bitcoin breakout, the levels buyers need to hold, and the next targets that will help determine whether this rally has more room to run. This article was written by Greg Michalowski at investinglive.com.

As most other cryptocurrencies, Zcash rallied yesterday after Al-Arabiya reported that Qatar and Pakistan presented a compromise proposal that could pave the way for a US-Iran agreement, but the momentum faded somewhat after a diplomat involved in the talks pushed back against reports that a deal was close.Markets seem to retain some hope of a breakthrough given the recent increase in positive headlines and the proximity to the US midterm elections. Trump might make more concessions to secure at least a short-term deal to bring oil prices and Treasury yields lower, while boosting the stock market. It goes without saying that a breakthrough would push Zcash to new highs as inflation and rate hike concerns would ease, and the risk sentiment would turn strongly positive. The positive crypto market reaction to yesterday’s headlines supports this view. A prolonged stalemate or a re-escalation, on the other hand, will likely continue to limit the upside. Traders should also keep an eye on the US Flash PMIs due on Friday given the recent growth concerns. A stronger than expected report could trigger a short-term relief rally for Zcash on improved risk sentiment, but it wouldn't change the bigger picture, as stronger economic data and persistent inflationary pressures would reinforce the need for further Fed rate hikes. A weak report, on the other hand, could intensify growth concerns and lead to widespread risk aversion, putting further pressure on the cryptocurrency. ZCASH TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – DAILY TIMEFRAMEOn the daily chart, we can see that Zcashextended the gains yesterday after the positive US-Iran headlines. If we do get another pullback into the 1,031 level, we can expect the buyers to step in, with a defined risk below the level, to position for a rally into the 2,000 level. The sellers, on the other hand, will look for a break lower to increase the bearish bets into the 800.00 level next.ZCASH TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – 4 HOUR TIMEFRAMEOn the 4 hour chart, we can see the price broke above the downward trendline that was defining the bearish structure. The buyers piled in on the break to target a rally into the 1,350 level. If the price gets there, we can expect the sellers to step in, with a defined risk above the level, to position for a drop into the 1,031 level. The buyers, on the other hand, will look for a break higher to increase the bullish bets into the 2,000 level next, with the 1,692 high as the first target.  ZCASH TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – 1 HOUR TIMEFRAMEOn the 1 hour chart, we have now a minor upward trendline defining the bullish momentum. If we get a pullback, we can expect the buyers to lean on the trendline, with a defined risk below it, to keep pushing into new highs. Thes sellers, on the other hand, will look for a break to pile in for a drop into the 1,031 level next. The red lines define the average daily range for today.UPCOMING CATALYSTSTomorrow we get the latest US Jobless Claims figures, while on Friday we conclude the week with the Flash US PMIs.  This article was written by Giuseppe Dellamotta at investinglive.com.

Bitcoin remains mostly rangebound amid uncertainty around US-Iran negotiations and growing concerns about the macroeconomic outlook. We got an upward spike yesterday after Al-Arabiya reported that Qatar and Pakistan presented a compromise proposal that could pave the way for an agreement, but the momentum faded after a diplomat involved in the talks subsequently pushed back against reports that a deal was close.Markets retain some hope of a breakthrough given the recent increase in positive headlines and the proximity to the US midterm elections. A deal would ease inflation and rate hike concerns and improve the risk sentiment, providing some short-term support for Bitcoin.Another potential catalyst could be Friday's US Flash PMIs. A stronger than expected report could trigger a short-term relief rally on improved risk sentiment. However, it wouldn't change the bigger picture, as stronger economic data and persistent inflationary pressures would reinforce the need for further Fed rate hikes. A weak report, on the other hand, could intensify growth concerns and lead to risk aversion, putting further pressure on the cryptocurrency. BITCOIN TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – DAILY TIMEFRAMEOn the daily chart, we can see that Bitcoinextended the gains this week after bouncing from the key 80,000 support. If we get another pullback into the support, we can expect the buyers to continue to step in around the support, with a defined risk below it, to keep targeting a rally into the 98,000 level. The sellers, on the other hand, will want to see the price breaking lower to pile in for a drop into the 75,000 level next.BITCOIN TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – 4 HOUR TIMEFRAMEOn the 4 hour chart, we have a minor resistance around the 84,000 level. If the price gets there, we can expect the sellers to step in around the resistance, with a defined risk above it, to keep targeting a break below the support. The buyers, on the other hand, will look for a break higher to increase the bullish bets into the 87,400 level next.BITCOIN TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – 1 HOUR TIMEFRAMEOn the 1 hour chart, there’s not much we can add here as the sellers will have a better risk to reward setup around the resistance, while the buyers will need a break to open the door for new highs. The red lines define the average daily range for today.UPCOMING CATALYSTSOn Thursday we get the latest US Jobless Claims figures, while on Friday we conclude the week with the Flash US PMIs. This article was written by Giuseppe Dellamotta at investinglive.com.

Switzerland approves its first Bitcoin ETF for retail investors: what has actually changedSwitzerland’s financial regulator, FINMA, has approved the country’s first exchange-traded fund that holds Bitcoin directly and is open to ordinary investors. The approval, announced on Tuesday 20 October, changes how Swiss retail investors can own Bitcoin, but it does not yet put any new money into the market. FINMA did not name the fund or its issuer, and no launch date has been given.What FINMA approvedThe product is an investment fund under Swiss law, classified as an “other fund for alternative investments” with special risk. That distinction is the real news. Swiss investors have been able to buy Bitcoin exchange-traded products for some time, but those are structured products, effectively debt instruments issued by a provider. The new ETF sits under Swiss fund law instead, with its own requirements on custody, risk management and investor disclosure.FINMA said it had seen growing interest in crypto investments, particularly Bitcoin, and that other fund providers have already submitted or announced applications for Bitcoin ETFs.Why Bitcoin got an exceptionFunds sold to the public are normally required to spread their money across many holdings. A fund holding a single asset breaks that rule by design, so FINMA granted an exemption from the diversification requirements. Its reasoning was that Bitcoin has a long trading history and a particularly high trading volume compared with other cryptocurrencies.In plain terms, the regulator is treating Bitcoin’s depth and track record as the condition that makes concentration in one asset acceptable for a retail fund. On my reading, that is a Bitcoin-specific judgment rather than a general green light for single-coin funds.The contrast with FINMA’s earlier crypto approval is useful. In 2021 it authorized a fund that invested mainly in a basket of cryptocurrencies, and that product was restricted to qualified investors. This is the first time Swiss retail investors get a regulated fund holding Bitcoin alone.The safeguards attachedFINMA paired the approval with several conditions. Supervised institutions must reduce operational and custody risks in line with supervisory guidance the regulator published in January 2026. Firms selling the fund must follow the conduct rules of the Swiss Financial Services Act at the point of sale, including clear warnings about volatility and the risk of losses, and checks on whether the product is appropriate or suitable for the buyer. The fund documents must also set out the risks clearly.FINMA argued that these rules give investors more protection than buying cryptocurrency directly. It also stressed that Bitcoin remains a high-risk investment even inside an approved ETF, that invested capital can lose a substantial part of its value, and that investors should keep this in mind when deciding how much to put in.What this does not meanAn approval is not a launch, and a launch is not demand. Until the fund is named, listed and trading, there are no flows to measure. Even then, early Swiss flows should not be read as evidence of broad institutional buying without data to support it.What to watch nextThe issuer and launch date. These will show how quickly the approval turns into a product investors can actually buy.Further approvals. FINMA has confirmed other applications are in the pipeline. Several launches would make this a competition story on fees and custody arrangements.Whether the exemption travels. FINMA’s reasoning rests on trading history and volume. Any future single-asset fund for another cryptocurrency, such as Ether, would need to clear the same bar.Early flows once trading starts. Modest initial flows would not change the broader Bitcoin picture. The more durable significance is structural: a fund-law route into Bitcoin for Swiss retail investors.What could change this reading: a delayed launch or a narrowly drawn exemption would make the approval look more like a one-off. A quick succession of launches from several providers would make it a template for regulated retail access in Europe.  This article was written by Eamonn Sheridan at investinglive.com.

Solana continues to stay under pressure amid the negative macro backdrop as the geopolitical situation remains unchanged, with stalled US-Iran negotiations and the ongoing Saudi-Houthi conflict. Oil prices are back above $100, the Federal Reserve faces mounting inflation pressures that could force it to raise rates more than expected, and growth concerns are starting to take centre stage. That’s a bad mix for the crypto market.On the fundamental side, Solana continues to see growth in tokenized equities, stablecoins and institutional adoption. However, these developments are clouded by the broader macro-driven selling. The main Solana-specific event this week is the Alpenglow consensus upgrade, scheduled for tomorrow. The upgrade aims to reduce transaction finality to around 150 milliseconds by replacing the existing consensus mechanism. Beyond that, the most important event for the broader crypto market will likely be Friday’s US Flash PMIs, barring a surprising breakthrough in US-Iran negotiations.If the data disappoints, growth concerns could intensify and trigger another selloff in SOL. Better than expected data, on the other hand, might spark a short-term relief rally, but it wouldn’t change the bigger picture, as stronger activity alongside persistent inflation pressures would just reinforce the need for Fed tightening. SOLANA TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – DAILY TIMEFRAMElevel. If the price gets there, we can expect the buyers to step in, with a defined risk below the support, to position for a rally into the 148.00 level. The sellers, on the other hand, will want to see the price breaking lower to increase the bearish bets into the major upward trendline next.  SOLANA TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – 4 HOUR TIMEFRAMEOn the 4 hour chart, the price broke above the downward trendline that was defining the bearish structure. This might be a signal of a loss in the bearish momentum and a potential pullback into the 113.00 level. If the price gets there, we can expect the sellers to step in, with a defined risk above the 113.00 level, to position for a drop into the 97.00 level. The buyers, on the other hand, will look for a break higher to increase the bullish bets into the 148.00 level next. SOLANA TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – 1 HOUR TIMEFRAMEOn the 1 hour chart, we have a minor downward trendline defining the current bearish price action. The sellers will likely continue to lean on the trendline, with a defined risk above it, to keep pushing into the 97.00 support. The buyers, on the other hand, will look for a break higher to pile in for a rally into the 113.00 level next. The red lines define the average daily range for today.UPCOMING CATALYSTSOn Thursday we get the latest US Jobless Claims figures, while on Friday we conclude the week with the US Flash PMIs.  This article was written by Giuseppe Dellamotta at investinglive.com.

Ethereum has been consolidating around key technical levels as the negative macro backdrop continues to weigh on the crypto market. Meanwhile, the geopolitical situation remains unchanged amid stalled US-Iran negotiations and the ongoing Saudi-Houthi conflict. Oil prices are back above the $100 level, the Federal Reserve can only get more hawkish amid higher inflation and growth concerns are starting to take centre stage. That’s a bad mix for risk assets like Ethereum. This week, the most important event will likely be the release of the US Flash PMIs on Friday, barring a surprising breakthrough in US-Iran negotiations. If the data disappoints, growth concerns will likely increase, and we could see another selloff in Ethereum. Better than expected data, on the other hand, might lead to a relief rally in the short-term but it wouldn’t change the bigger picture as it would just reinforce the need for rate hikes.  ETHEREUM TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – DAILY TIMEFRAMEOn the daily chart, we can see that Ethereumis consolidating around the major 2,360 support and the trendline. The buyers will likely continue to step in around these levels, with a defined risk below the trendline, to keep targeting the 3,400 level. The sellers, on the other hand, will want to see the price breaking lower to open the door for new lows and target the 1,900 level next.ETHEREUM TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – 4 HOUR TIMEFRAMEOn the 4 hour chart, we have a downward trendline defining the bearish structure. We can expect the sellers to continue to lean on the trendline, with a defined risk above it, to keep targeting a break below the major upward trendline. The buyers, on the other hand, will want to see the price breaking higher to increase the bullish bets into new highs, with the 2,570 level as the first target. ETHEREUM TECHNICAL ANALYSIS – 1 HOUR TIMEFRAMEOn the 1 hour chart, there’s not much we can add here as the buyers will continue to step in around the support and the upward trendline or wait for a break above the downward one to position for new highs, while the sellers will need a break below the upward trendline to open the door for ne lows. The red lines define the average daily range for today.UPCOMING CATALYSTSOn Thursday we get the latest US Jobless Claims figures, while on Friday we conclude the week with the Flash US PMIs. This article was written by Giuseppe Dellamotta at investinglive.com.