Bitcoin price outlook amid 9-day streak of ETF outflows

  • Bitcoin held near $73,000 but risks crashing lower as risks linger.
  • Spot Bitcoin ETFs saw net outflows of $229 million for a nine-day negative streak.
  • On-chain metrics show whale balances flat for months, signaling reduced accumulation.

Bitcoin traded near $73,200 on Thursday after failing to sustain a rebound amid broader cryptocurrency selling.

While BTC struggled, US stock futures edged slightly higher following reports of a potential US-Iran agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, easing some geopolitical risk and supporting broader risk assets outside the crypto market.

Bitcoin’s ETF outflows extend negative streak

Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds continued to see withdrawals, extending a record nine-day streak of net outflows.

US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net redemptions of $229 million on May 28, bringing weekly net outflows to roughly $1.3 billion.

According to SoSoValue data, this would mark the third consecutive week of capital leaving BTC investment products.

Notably, the sustained outflows have coincided with price pressure on Bitcoin, undermining short-term liquidity and market sentiment.

On-chain analytics add further nuance to the picture. CryptoQuant data indicates that major Bitcoin holders have halted accumulation.

Dolphin balances, representing mid-sized holders, have printed successive lower highs since September 2025, while whale balances have remained largely flat since February 2026.

Historically, when both cohorts simultaneously pause or reduce accumulation, the market often experiences prolonged weakness as demand at higher price levels fades.

What next for Bitcoin price?

Analysts continue pointing to a mix of technical, options-market, and on-chain signals to assess Bitcoin’s near-term direction.

Glassnode observed that Bitcoin recently retested the $75,000 “strike,” a high gamma zone where options positioning can amplify price moves. This contributed to the pullback below $73,000, with BTC briefly falling near $72,500.

According to Greeks.live, the selloff occurred ahead of a major options expiry.

Analysts continue pointing to a mix of technical, options-market, and on-chain signals to assess Bitcoin’s near-term direction.

Glassnode observed that Bitcoin recently retested the $75,000 “strike,” a high gamma zone where options positioning can amplify price moves. This contributed to the pullback below $73,000, with BTC briefly falling near $72,500.

According to Greeks.live, the selloff occurred ahead of a major options expiry.

The on-chain analytics provider noted that the decline failed to fully extend after at-the-money implied volatility (ATM IV) briefly spiked during the drop, while longer-dated implied volatilities eased. This suggests many market participants still view the move as contained rather than the beginning of a broader structural trend reversal.

Despite this, risks remain asymmetric. Options markets continue implying the potential for larger moves than spot markets have so far produced, leaving room for renewed volatility around expiries and macroeconomic developments.

“The market’s next focus is on whether capital will flow back in, and whether BTC can reclaim $75,000 and ETH can retake $2,100. The settlement appears more like a “bearish unwinding”—large positions have expired—but the fact that both BTC and ETH are trading below their key resistance levels indicates that the dominant force this week has not been chasing rallies, but rather risk aversion and a retreat by longs. The market’s bullish sentiment is currently very fragile,” analysts at Greeks.live noted.

Technically, analysts have identified $70,000 as a key downside level.

Bitcoin Price Chart
Bitcoin chart by TradingView

A break below that zone could trigger deeper weakness and accelerate outflows. Meanwhile, a sustained recovery above $80,000 would likely signal renewed conviction and could attract fresh inflows into both spot products and derivatives markets.

The post Bitcoin price outlook amid 9-day streak of ETF outflows appeared first on CoinJournal.

Can the Chainlink-Mastercard partnership reverse LINK’s bear trend?

  • Chainlink (LINK) trades near $8.92 with a 7-day drop of ~9.7%.
  • Mastercard deal boosts adoption, but the trend stays technically bearish.
  • The $9.02 resistance and $8.85 support define the next move.

Chainlink has remained in a persistent downtrend over recent weeks, falling roughly 9.7% over the past seven days and about 43.8% over the past year.

The token is currently trading near $8.92, holding within a tight 24-hour range between $8.81 and $9.06.

Although short-term price action shows a modest recovery of around 1% over the past 24 hours, the broader trend remains under pressure.

Against this backdrop, a new partnership with Mastercard has drawn attention from traders and institutional participants.

The partnership introduces a fiat-to-crypto gateway designed to route traditional card payments directly into on-chain protocols.

The system allows Mastercard’s global user base to purchase digital assets without relying on centralized exchanges as intermediaries.

Instead, transactions are processed through a compliance-focused routing engine that connects Mastercard’s payment rails with Chainlink’s infrastructure and a network of fintech providers.

The development has raised questions about whether it could improve long-term sentiment around LINK, particularly as technical indicators continue pointing to weakness.

Institutional integration meets early accumulation signals

Although price action has remained weak, on-chain and institutional data present a more nuanced picture.

Wallet data from Santiment shows that addresses holding at least 100,000 LINK have risen to 805, marking an 8.2% increase over seven weeks.

The steady growth suggests that larger holders have continued accumulating during the downturn rather than reducing exposure.

At the same time, ETF-related flows have added another layer of interest, with approximately $984,000 in inflows recorded on July 28.

While the figure is not large enough to materially shift price direction on its own, it suggests institutional participation has not fully disappeared during the broader decline.

Another structural factor is the Chainlink Reserve, which recently accumulated 132,002.92 LINK valued at more than $1.1 million.

That brought total reserve holdings to roughly 3.91 million LINK.

The reserve is funded through a combination of enterprise revenue and on-chain service usage, creating a recurring mechanism that gradually absorbs supply over time.

Taken together, these developments suggest that while the broader market trend remains bearish, accumulation is occurring across multiple channels.

Technical structure still controlled by sellers

Despite improving institutional and ecosystem narratives, technical indicators continue reflecting a dominant downtrend.

According to market analysis from Coinlore, Chainlink currently shows 13 sell signals, 3 buy signals, and 7 neutral readings across 23 indicators.

Moving averages also remain firmly bearish, with all major daily exponential moving averages (EMAs) — including the 10, 20, 50, 100, and 200-day EMAs — positioned above the current price.

That alignment indicates the broader trend has not yet shifted in favor of buyers.

Chainlink price analysis

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) stands near 38.41, remaining in neutral territory rather than deeply oversold conditions.

This suggests selling pressure has eased somewhat, but momentum behind a sustained reversal remains limited.

Price structure also highlights several key technical levels.

Initial resistance is positioned near $9.02, followed by $9.19. A stronger resistance zone sits around $9.82, which aligns with a key Fibonacci retracement level.

On the downside, support is located near $8.85, followed by a lower structural level around $8.79. A break below that range would likely extend the current downtrend.

Can the Mastercard partnership change the trend?

The Mastercard integration represents a structural shift in how users interact with blockchain networks.

By enabling direct fiat-to-on-chain routing, the system reduces friction between traditional payment infrastructure and decentralized applications.

Mastercard’s global reach, combined with Chainlink’s interoperability layer, creates a pathway for broader onboarding without depending on centralized exchanges.

However, the market impact is unlikely to be immediate.

LINK continues trading below all major moving averages, and the broader technical structure remains bearish.

For a more meaningful reversal to develop, the token would likely need to reclaim the $9.02 level on a sustained basis before attempting a move toward $9.19 with stronger volume confirmation.

Without that technical confirmation, the partnership is more likely to function as a long-term adoption catalyst rather than an immediate trigger for trend reversal.

The post Can the Chainlink-Mastercard partnership reverse LINK’s bear trend? appeared first on CoinJournal.

Litecoin price outlook: LTC bounce driven by Nexus Wallet update and LitVM speculation

  • Litecoin price has bounced as RSI nears oversold conditions.
  • Nexus Wallet added gift card payments and privacy upgrades for LTC use.
  • LitVM speculation and $53.30 resistance shape near-term price direction.

Litecoin (LTC) traded around $51.54 on Friday morning, posting a roughly 2% gain over 24 hours, according to CoinGecko.

The modest advance came while Bitcoin remained mostly flat, making Litecoin one of the better-performing large-cap cryptocurrencies in the short term.

However, despite the daily rebound, the broader trend remains under pressure, with LTC still down nearly 47% over the past year.

Recent Litecoin price action has been influenced by a combination of technical positioning and renewed attention around ecosystem developments, particularly the Nexus Wallet upgrade and ongoing speculation surrounding LitVM.

Nexus Wallet update strengthens payment narrative

Recent developments in the Litecoin ecosystem, particularly the Nexus Wallet update linked to the Litecoin Foundation, have drawn increased market attention.

The update introduces a more integrated spending experience for Litecoin holders, most notably through direct in-app gift card purchases using LTC.

This removes the need for external platforms or additional conversion steps, streamlining real-world crypto payments.

The wallet also builds on existing payment infrastructure, including integrations with Flexa, which enables in-store crypto payments across supported merchants.

Together, these features position Nexus Wallet as a broader spending tool rather than simply a storage solution.

The update also includes privacy enhancements. The wallet supports MWEB (MimbleWimble Extension Block) transactions for optional private transfers, alongside Tor routing for additional network-level privacy.

This setup allows users to choose between transparent and private transactions based on preference.

Market participants have largely viewed these upgrades as incremental improvements to Litecoin’s payment utility rather than immediate price catalysts.

Still, the developments reinforce the broader narrative that Litecoin continues to position itself as a transactional asset rather than purely a speculative token.

LitVM speculation adds optimism

Alongside wallet-related utility improvements, speculation surrounding the upcoming Litecoin Virtual Machine (LitVM) has also supported sentiment.

LitVM is described as an EVM-compatible zero-knowledge Layer-2 system designed to expand Litecoin’s smart contract capabilities.

Although no official mainnet launch timeline has been confirmed, ongoing community discussions have kept the narrative active.

At this stage, LitVM’s impact remains more psychological than structural. It has not yet produced measurable on-chain changes, but it has helped sustain investor attention during a period of otherwise limited fundamental catalysts.

Technical analysis

Litecoin has been trading within a relatively tight range, with intraday price action fluctuating between $50.56 and $51.99.

The recent rebound was accompanied by increased trading activity, suggesting the move was not driven solely by low-volume volatility.

On the upside, traders are monitoring the $53.30 level as the next key resistance zone, a level highlighted by market commentator cryptoWZRD_.

A decisive move above that area would likely be needed to signal a transition from range-bound trading toward a stronger recovery phase.

On the downside, a break below $51.90 could expose LTC to further weakness toward the $50.34 region, which traders view as the next key liquidity zone.

Outlook: range-bound market awaiting confirmation

Litecoin’s current setup reflects a market balancing technical structure against narrative-driven catalysts.

The $51.90 level remains an important support threshold for maintaining the recent rebound, while resistance near $53.30 continues to represent the next major test for bullish continuation.

Until either level is decisively broken, Litecoin is likely to remain in a consolidation phase driven primarily by short-term trading flows.

While wallet utility improvements and ongoing LitVM speculation continue supporting sentiment, price direction remains dependent on technical confirmation rather than a major fundamental shift.

The post Litecoin price outlook: LTC bounce driven by Nexus Wallet update and LitVM speculation appeared first on CoinJournal.

Hedera price is up 10% today: Here’s why the HBAR price is rising

  • Hedera coin price has jumped past $0.091 on a 10.5% daily rally with rising volume.
  • Enterprise news and BrandBoost adoption are boosting Hedera demand.
  • The $0.10428 resistance is key for confirming further upside momentum.

The latest move in Hedera (HBAR) has drawn renewed attention to its short-term technical setup after the token climbed more than 10% in 24 hours, reaching an intraday high of $0.09506.

The rally was accompanied by a sharp increase in trading activity, with volume rising to more than $345 million over the same period.

The gains have pushed HBAR above recent consolidation levels, breaking out of the relatively narrow trading range that had contained price action in recent sessions and signalling a potential shift in short-term momentum.

Enterprise developments driving Hedera price momentum

One of the key catalysts behind the recent rally in Hedera (HBAR) has been reports surrounding a strategic development involving the Hedera Governing Council and the Hyperledger Fabric ecosystem.

According to industry reports, the initiative involves intellectual property associated with Hyperledger Fabric, originally backed by the Linux Foundation, with plans to make it available as open-source software for broader enterprise adoption.

Market participants have interpreted the development as a potential step toward expanding the use of Hedera Hashgraph in enterprise environments, particularly among organisations already operating permissioned blockchain systems.

The prospect of connecting established enterprise frameworks with Hedera’s distributed ledger technology has been a recurring theme in recent market sentiment.

At the same time, investor attention has been boosted by speculation around a potential ETF and ongoing enterprise relationships involving companies such as Accenture and FedEx.

Together, these developments have reinforced the narrative that Hedera is increasingly positioning itself as enterprise-focused infrastructure rather than a project driven primarily by retail cryptocurrency cycles.

BrandBoost loyalty platform launch

Another key development linked to sentiment around the HBAR price is the rollout of the BrandBoost Loyalty Platform by Hashgraph Group.

The platform is designed to support real-time customer engagement through gamified loyalty systems, token-based rewards, and AI-driven interaction layers.

BrandBoost is built to function on Hedera’s distributed ledger infrastructure, and it focuses on industries such as media, entertainment, telecom, and sports.

The system allows brands to issue digital rewards that can be earned and redeemed through user activity, which introduces a more interactive form of enterprise loyalty compared to traditional point-based systems.

The Hashgraph Group has also integrated additional technologies such as decentralised identity tools and wallet infrastructure to support these systems.

Reports linked to early deployments, including pilot testing with a Latin American satellite TV provider, suggest that enterprise experimentation is already underway rather than purely theoretical.

This expansion of real-world use cases has strengthened market interest in Hedera’s long-term ecosystem development, especially as it ties into consumer-facing applications rather than backend-only infrastructure.

Technical breakout adds fuel to Hedera coin price movement

Beyond fundamental catalysts, the recent move in the Hedera coin price also reflects a clear technical breakout from a multi-week bearish pattern.

Hedera coin price analysis
HBAR price chart

Short-term support has formed around $0.08500, with another closely watched level at the 23.6 Fibonacci level retracement, $0.08744, after the January-February dip.

On the upside, the first major resistance sits at $0.09675, followed by a more significant level at $0.10428, which has repeatedly been identified as a breakout confirmation zone.

Notably, volume expansion during the breakout has been one of the key signals supporting the recent move, especially as the HBAR price pushed away from its recent range low.

The post Hedera price is up 10% today: Here’s why the HBAR price is rising appeared first on CoinJournal.

HYPE token price surges as NYSE parent ICE explores Hyperliquid partnership

  • HYPE up 38% in two weeks as ICE confirms talks with Hyperliquid.
  • Hyperliquid’s daily trading volume has surpassed $1 billion.
  • ICE’s CEO, Jeff Sprecher, said Hyperliquid is “bigger than Nasdaq.”

The price of Hyperliquid (HYPE) has continued its strong rally after fresh comments from Jeff Sprecher confirmed that Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), is in discussions with the Hyperliquid decentralised trading platform.

HYPE climbed to $62.62 on Friday, marking a 9.2% gain over the past 24 hours.

The token briefly traded as high as $63.25 during the session and remains close to its all-time high of $64.44 reached earlier this week on May 26.

Notably, the latest move extends a broader rally that has pushed HYPE up 38.3% over the past 14 days and 55.1% over the last month.

Over the past year, the token has surged more than 80%, making it one of the strongest-performing large-cap crypto assets in the derivatives sector.

ICE CEO acknowledges Hyperliquid’s rapid growth

The rally accelerated after Sprecher addressed Hyperliquid during the 42nd Annual Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference held on May 27.

The ICE Founder, Chairman and CEO acknowledged the platform’s rapid growth and said the company is actively studying the market.

“This Hyperliquid we’re referencing—for those who haven’t heard of it yet, it’s already bigger than Nasdaq,” Sprecher said during the conference. “We’re not intimidated by it at all. In fact, we’re in talks with them now and working to get a clearer understanding of this space.”

The remarks marked one of the clearest signs yet that major traditional exchange operators are paying close attention to decentralised derivatives platforms.

ICE and CME increase focus on decentralised derivatives

Hyperliquid has become one of the fastest-growing crypto trading platforms over the past year, largely due to strong activity in perpetual futures markets.

The platform has attracted traders looking for on-chain leverage trading without relying on centralised exchanges.

Recent figures from DefiLlama show the protocol now holds approximately $5.524 billion in total value locked, while daily trading volume has crossed $1 billion.

Its native token’s fully diluted valuation has also climbed to nearly $60 billion as investor interest in decentralised trading infrastructure continues to grow.

At the same time, ICE and CME Group have reportedly increased discussions with regulators regarding oversight of decentralised derivatives platforms, including Hyperliquid.

The concerns centre on commodity-linked perpetual contracts, anonymous trading activity, and the possibility that offshore decentralised markets could influence traditional benchmark pricing systems.

One area receiving attention is Hyperliquid’s oil-linked perpetual products.

Traditional exchange operators are reportedly concerned that growing liquidity in decentralised commodity contracts could eventually affect price discovery mechanisms that have historically remained under-regulated futures exchanges.

Despite those concerns, ICE’s latest comments suggest the company is not treating Hyperliquid purely as a competitor.

Instead, the ICE operator appears to be evaluating how decentralised trading infrastructure could fit into broader financial markets as tokenised assets and blockchain-based settlement systems continue to expand.

Earlier this week, CME Group also announced plans to launch futures products tied to GPU compute pricing in partnership with Silicon Data.

CME CEO Terry Duffy described compute power as “the new oil of the 21st century,” highlighting how traditional exchanges are increasingly looking beyond conventional commodities.

The post HYPE token price surges as NYSE parent ICE explores Hyperliquid partnership appeared first on CoinJournal.