Why QCP Capital says BTC is a ‘stress barometer’

  • QCP sees Bitcoin as a ‘stress barometer’ amid macro, geopolitical risks.
  • BTC continues to eye $70,000 as support, with gains key to upside continuation.
  • Breakdown risks BTC retesting $63k lows, where prior dip-buying emerged.

Bitcoin (BTC) continues to show resilience near the critical $70,000 level after today’s US CPI data.

The bellwether digital asset had traded slightly off this mark earlier in the day.

According to analysts at Singapore-based trading firm QCP Capital, Bitcoin’s uptick from lows of $63,000 suggests stabilisation.

However, the continued fluctuation around the $70k mark signals that the market is yet to return to full risk-on sentiment.

QCP sees Bitcoin as a ‘stress barometer’ amid geopolitical risks

While bulls have been patient, the broader context of BTC’s next move combines factors around escalating Middle East risks and the US economic outlook.

QCP has highlighted this in its latest forecast for cryptocurrencies, noting that BTC acts as a “cleaner stress barometer” amid stagflationary pressures.

Bitcoin held relatively firm even as equities came under pressure amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, with the US-Israel conflict with Iran weighing on stocks and pushing Treasury yields higher.

The benchmark cryptocurrency also remained close to the $70,000 level as oil prices retreated after a sharp rally toward $120.

However, QCP Capital said the recent swings in crude oil have exposed fragile liquidity and positioning across macro markets, a dynamic that could keep digital assets on edge.

Derivatives markets reflect this cautious tone. Implied volatility has eased, but risk reversals remain negative, suggesting traders continue to favour short-dated downside protection rather than aggressive bullish positioning.

According to QCP, the current setup also underscores Bitcoin’s growing role as a “cleaner stress barometer” during periods of macro uncertainty.

Bitcoin’s outlook after the US CPI print

Data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics released on March 11, 2026, showed consumer price inflation rose broadly in line with expectations.

The US Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.3% on a seasonally adjusted monthly basis and 2.4% from a year earlier.

Core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose 0.2% for the month and 2.5% annually.

The figures were largely in line with consensus forecasts.

Bitcoin moved modestly higher following the release, climbing back above $70,000 to trade around $70,230 at the time of writing.

Meanwhile, US stock futures edged lower after the report as investors also reacted to news that Iran had attacked two ships in the Strait of Hormuz, adding to geopolitical uncertainty.

The February CPI reading reflects inflation conditions before the escalation of the Iran conflict and the recent surge in oil prices.

Analysts say upcoming macro data, next week’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, and developments in the Middle East will remain key drivers of near-term market sentiment.

From a technical perspective, Bitcoin needs to reclaim the 200-week exponential moving average (EMA), which continues to act as a significant supply zone despite recent attempts to move above it.

Immediate resistance is seen in the $72,000–$75,000 range, while support is located around $63,000–$64,000.

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Internet Computer token surges 12% to near $3: why did ICP price spike?

  • Internet Computer price jumped 12% to near $3 during Asian trading hours.
  • The ICP token hit the intraday highs amid news of listing support by Upbit.
  • If ICP breaks above $3, it could retest highs of $4.55.

The Internet Computer Protocol (ICP) token rose sharply early Wednesday, trading to $2.94 amid a two-fold spike in daily trading volume.

While the uptick comes amid a slight resurgence in broader cryptocurrency market volatility, what else might have catalysed ICP’s gains?

As of writing on March 11, 2026, the token’s price hovered around $2.76, and the key question is whether bulls can extend the upward move.

Why did the ICP price spike?

The gains for the Internet Computer token mirror those of the Artificial Superintelligence Alliance and Render tokens, both of which traded higher amid fresh AI sentiment.

Bitcoin’s tick up to near $71k also looks to have buoyed altcoins.

However, one specific reason the ICP price is up today could be news that Upbit, South Korea’s largest crypto exchange, will list ICP for spot trading.

The announcement on Mar 11 revealed pairs against the Korean won (KRW), Bitcoin (BTC), and Tether (USDT).

As with other such listings, Upbit’s move could open ICP to millions of new users.

Notably, support on Upbit significantly enhances liquidity and trading volume for ICP, with the exchange boasting a dominant market share in one of the world’s most active crypto regions.

The Internet Computer Protocol aims to provide native cloud computing capabilities that could replace traditional cloud services and IT infrastructure, positioning ICP as a foundational blockchain for Web3 applications.

Analysts anticipate this listing will catalyze further adoption, particularly as South Korean retail investors flock to innovative layer-1 projects amid rising interest in AI and decentralized tech.

ICP price analysis

ICP’s climb to near $2.90 follows a period of consolidation that saw prices fluctuate between $2.30 and $2.60.

The sharp rise on Wednesday allowed buyers to breach the resistance, with data indicating bulls did it on elevated trading volumes. Could ICP prices go higher?

From a technical perspective, the daily chart paints a potential short-term bullish picture.

The daily RSI has gained but is still below the overbought territory, while the MACD is signalling upside momentum with an expanding histogram.

Bulls have also pushed above the 50-day moving average (currently at $2.60).

ICP Price Chart
ICP price chart by TradingView

If upside momentum holds, a breach and successful retest of $3.00 could pave the way for gains to the 200-day moving average at $3.73.

A key support-turned-resistance zone hovers around $4.55.

However, market sentiment remains cautious as the Fear & Greed Index metric lingers in the “fear” territory.

As such, the positive trajectory for ICP holders could yet flip negative.

If prices fall below $2.50, the immediate demand reload zones could be $2.35 and then $2.20.

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Polkadot price outlook: bulls test key resistance near $1.50

  • Polkadot price fluctuated in a tight range near $1.50 on Tuesday.
  • Bulls could push to above $1.67 ahead of DOT emissions cut.
  • Sell-off pressure amid prevailing market conditions might derail this setup.

Polkadot is trading near $1.50 as bulls position amid a potential breakout, with eyes on the upcoming upgrade and overhaul of DOT’s tokenomics.

The cryptocurrency’s price is also off lows of $1.40 reached earlier in the week as investors ponder a potential boost to DOT from fresh institutional interest.

Bulls recently celebrated the launch of the first US spot Polkadot ETF.

DOT, ranked 33rd with a market capitalization of $2.54 billion, is bidding to extend gains amid overall upward movement for Bitcoin and top altcoins.

Polkadot (DOT) holds near $1.50 as upgrade nears

Polkadot’s price shows an intraday range of $1.49-1.54 in early trading during the US session on March 10.

The gains see buyers bid for a retest of recent highs, while holding the critical $1.50 level.

The backdrop to this price action is a scheduled reset of Polkadot’s tokenomics.

A new monetary framework will roll out on March 12, and analysts say anticipation could catalyze fresh momentum for DOT.

The uptick this past week coincided with notable buying as traders positioned ahead of the event.

Specifically, Polkadot’s tokenomics reset will involve the introduction of a 2.1 billion hard cap on DOT supply.

The upgrade targets a 53.6% cut in emissions as well as staking.

ETF buzz has also engulfed Polkadot over the past few days.

This follows the debut of 21Shares’ spot Polkadot ETF, the first US spot DOT ETF that went live on Nasdaq under the ticker TDOT.

The physically backed fund, seeded with $11 million, could strengthen the asset’s appeal as a longer‑term allocation within diversified crypto portfolios.

Polkadot technical analysis

From a technical perspective, DOT’s immediate focus is on converting the $1.50-$1.55 region from resistance into support.

Bulls are eyeing three consecutive green candles on the daily chart and look to have stemmed the downtrend from highs of $1.75 posted in late February.

RSI is neutral near 50, and an upturn could see buyers accelerate gains.

However, after a choppy start to the year, trading around this level means bulls may not be out of the woods yet.

Polkadot Price Chart
Polkadot price chart by TradingView

The token may thus trade sideways as consolidation picks pace.

For a breakout, DOT has to achieve an emphatic daily close above $1.55.

A successful breach of resistance at $1.67 amid a bullish retest could trigger follow-through buying.

If this happens, it could open the door to a short-term test of recent local highs around $2.30.

Conversely, failure to hold $1.50 will keep DOT confined within its descending channel. Major support lies around $1.22.

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Chainlink price technical analysis: LINK strengthens breakout setup

  • Chainlink trades above $9 and could see a breakout amid a bullish technical setup.
  • Market conditions and overall weakness may allow bears to eye support near $8.
  • If bulls take control, LINK could rally towards past year highs.

Chainlink price rose slightly on Tuesday as the latest gains pushed Bitcoin to above $70,000 and altcoins showed strength amid easing investor jitters around the Iran war.

While LINK price remains in a downtrend amid the crypto market’s overall sentiment, bulls are holding steady above $9 and could extend upwards as a key technical setup strengthens.

At the time of writing, LINK’s price hovered around $9.13, up 3.4% in the past 24 hours and 6% in the past week as buyers pushed prices off lows of $8.40 reached on Monday, March 9.

Notably, Chainlink is edging higher amid an 8% increase in daily trading volume.

LINK price today

Chainlink’s latest price movement indicates resilience despite overall uncertainty around macro and geopolitical headwinds.

However, the gains to intraday highs of $9.16 means bulls have a slight cushion after Monday’s dip.

Daily volume stands at over $721 million.

A notable aspect of LINK price over the past month or so is the resilience shown through inflows into spot exchange-traded fund products.

According to SoSoValue data, Chainlink spot ETFs saw inflows of $2 million on March 9, up from $935k on March 6 and $1.93 million a day earlier.

Cumulative inflows totaled $92.66 million, suggesting investor conviction. Prices may rebound hard amid further ETF action.

Chainlink price technical forecast

The daily chart shows Chainlink price poised near the upper boundary of a long-term descending channel.

Bulls’ gains in the past week have also pushed the token into a tightening consolidation pattern marked by a downtrend line from the highs of $27 hit in August 2025.

As the chart shows, LINK has traded within a tight range between $7.84 and $9.55 since bouncing from the lows on February 5.

The $8.10 level has acted as a key support level during this time.

However, more importantly, LINK is near the resistance mark of both the parallel channel and the downtrend line.

Chainlink Price Chart
Chainlink price chart by TradingView

While LINK price remains confined within the bearish structure, a breakout is likely to catapult prices to an initial supply zone around $12.

Buyers may also fancy a short-term push to highs of $14, another support-turned-resistance level from November and December 2025.

If a stronger uptick across crypto materializes, $19.85 would provide the next hurdle before bulls likely retest $27.

On the downside, bears could have fresh momentum at the $8.32–$8.50 zone.

But if bulls manage to hold above this area, LINK’s breakout structure will remain.

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Sei price prediction as L1’s financial stack accelerates

  • Sei token is trading up as bulls mirror broader crypto gains.
  • The layer-1 blockchain project has notable growth across treasuries, equities, and agentic tools.
  • Broader market conditions and the technical picture favour downward price action.

The Sei Network (SEI) price has increased by nearly 5% in the past 24 hours, gaining amid a broader uptick that sees several altcoins trading higher at elevated volumes.

The high-speed Layer-1 blockchain optimized for trading is experiencing a resurgence amid key milestones across several market segments, and the SEI price, which hovers near $0.065, could tap into these potential bullish catalysts to climb higher.

Sei price outlook

The SEI token hit an all-time high above $1.14 in March 2024, having rallied from lows of $0.0007 in August of the previous year.

The token has declined from $0.37 in August 2025 and is down about 67% over the past year amid a prolonged bearish trend.

Current market conditions suggest bulls may struggle to reclaim the recent peaks.

Technical indicators show the path of least resistance remains downward, even as the daily RSI signals an oversold bounce.

SEI’s current price is well below the key moving averages, including the 50-day and 100-day simple moving averages at $0.079 and $0.1005.

However, analysts are pointing to ecosystem growth and institutional adoption as potential catalysts that could combine with an anticipated uptick in altcoins to drive prices higher.

Sei Price Chart
Sei price chart by TradingView

Sei’s financial stack accelerates

Sei shared in an X post on Mar 10 that the project’s financial infrastructure has witnessed tremendous growth over the past two months.

This includes milestones such as daily active addresses (DAA) jumping to 1.7 million, reached as the L1 records seven consecutive quarters of expansion.

Among key developments in this period is Ondo Finance’s launch of tokenized US Treasuries across Sei lending markets.

The integration allows users to access yield-bearing assets seamlessly, bridging traditional finance with decentralized ecosystems and pushing the native token to the forefront of adoption.

The project has also attracted attention amid interest in equities trading, with Chainlink’s equities price feeds set to roll out on Sei through the oracle-backed platform Monaco Trading.

Meanwhile, Sei is recording traction in real-world utility with a stablecoin payroll solution, agentic consumer finance tools, and custody solutions.

Coinbase announced full SEI EVM integration, and Kraken went live with native SEI EVM deposits and withdrawals.

These are bullish factors, even as metrics such as total value locked tank and stablecoin usage on Sei flounder.

Notably, TVL has dropped from a high of $1.37 billion in July 2025 to under $80 million.

Stablecoin market capitalization is also down, dipping by 17% in the past week to about $119 million.

If market sentiment remains bearish, it could reflect in the token’s short-term price action.

However, if Sei’s financial stack maintains an upward trajectory, near-term projections include a breakout above the psychological 1 mark.

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