Kategorie: Crypto Markets

• Ripple token XRP’s price continues to face significant resistance.
• Bulls are constrained around the psychologically important $2.00 level.
• The token could spike above as the price is near $1.92.

XRP is struggling at this key level despite a remarkable streak of positive inflows into US-listed spot XRP exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

The pullback from its mid-year highs amid broader market volatility threatens the upside buoyed by institutional enthusiasm.

Spot price performances of top altcoins highlight this dynamic, but could Bitcoin’s bounce to $89,000 help XRP bulls?

XRP struggles near $2.00 after pullback

XRP has encountered persistent challenges in reclaiming and sustaining levels above $2.00 following a sharp correction earlier in the month.

After briefly surpassing this threshold in late November amid optimism surrounding ETF approvals, the token has retreated, reflecting broader cryptocurrency market pressures, including profit-taking and reduced risk appetite among retail traders.

Recent trading sessions have seen XRP repeatedly test support near $1.85–$1.90, with attempts at recovery faltering due to overhead resistance and waning momentum.

This pullback has been exacerbated by macroeconomic factors, such as shifting investor sentiment toward safer assets, and technical breakdowns below key moving averages.

The $2.00 mark, once viewed as a potential launchpad for further gains, now acts as a formidable hurdle, with multiple rejections underscoring seller dominance in the short term.

Market participants note that without a decisive catalyst, such as renewed buying volume or favorable regulatory developments, XRP risks further consolidation or downside pressure toward lower supports around $1.80.

XRP price outlook amid continued ETF inflows

Despite spot price weakness, Ripple’s cryptocurrency has posted a robust performance since the debut of US spot XRP ETFs.

According to data from tracking platform SoSoValue indicates that these funds have maintained a 25-trading-day streak of net positive inflows.

While inflows on December 19, 2025, fell to $13 million from over $30 million the previous day, XRP ETFs has not posted a net outflow day since their launch in mid-November.

Cumulative net inflows stood at over $1.07 billion as of December 19, with total net assets climbing to $1.21 billion.

The $13.21 million in net inflows on December 19 and over $30 million on December 18 reflect sustained institutional interest.

This inflow streak is notable given that Bitcoin and Ethereum have experienced outflows amid recent market conditions.

XRP price hovering near the psychological level is thus crucial for bulls.

From a technical perspective, key indicators offer mixed signals for the near-term outlook.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is off oversold territory and at 42 to suggest that selling pressure may be exhausting.

A look at the daily chart also shows the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) signals a bullish crossover.

Breakout from below $2.00 and reclaiming of support in the $2.20-$2.50 zone will charge the bulls.

However, a pullback to $1.80 could signal fresh weakness.

The post XRP price struggles near $2.00 hurdle despite ETFs streak appeared first on CoinJournal.

• Bitcoin price bounced to around $89,577 to recoup key support levels.
• With the upbeat reaction to recent selling, bulls are signaling a potential breakout.
• However, macroeconomic conditions point to Bitcoin facing a key resistance at $90,000-$95,000.

Bitcoin has staged a notable recovery in the early trading session on Monday, December 22, as the price climbed back above the $89,000 mark.

While overall sentiment hovers in the red, this rebound to highs of $89,577 could inject more momentum into the token.

Investors, who are anticipating the potential year-end surge commonly referred to as the “Santa rally”, hope that it might help push BTC price higher.

Altcoins are also similarly poised despite steep losses in the past month.

Bitcoin price gains to $89k

After experiencing significant downward pressure in recent weeks, Bitcoin has demonstrated notable resilience.

The digital asset dipped to lows around $80,000 in mid-November.

Driving this has been heightened volatility across the market, leveraged position unwinding, and broader macroeconomic uncertainties.

However, bullish forces regained slight control to push to highs of $94,136 on December 9, 2025, before profit-taking hit once again.

The fresh drawdown allowed sellers to crash to around $84,400 a week later.

Prices have edged up in the last three days.

The number of entities holding at least 1,000 BTC, commonly known as whales, has begun to rise again following a sharp decline on December 17.

This indicator, which tracks large holders, suggests that major investors are leaning toward accumulation rather than selling.

Since December 20, the tally of these significant holders has been gradually increasing.

Although the figure remains slightly below six-month highs, the upward trend indicates cautious buying as Bitcoin prices stabilize.

On Dec. 22, buyers pushed the price above $89,577 amid a recovery that reflected increased buying interest.

Trading volumes picked up as market participants positioned for potential upside.

The move towards the key $90k level marks a critical reclamation of support for the benchmark cryptocurrency.

A shift in short-term sentiment from bearish deleveraging to cautious optimism looks poised to boost bulls.

BTC price forecast

Bitcoin’s trajectory into the new year has been punctuated by a series of dips.

Also, the cryptocurrency has largely underperformed most of the 2025 projections.

Forecasts targeting $200,000 to $250,000 for the year’s high have not materialized, despite BTC hitting the all-time high of $126,000 in October.

Major factors such as persistent volatility, forced liquidations, and challenging macroeconomic conditions contributed to the sharp retreat from those peaks.

Nevertheless, the current rebound has sparked discussions of the “Santa rally,” a seasonal phenomenon where risk assets often experience gains during the holiday period.

If bullish momentum sustains, Bitcoin could aim for a retest of $95,000-$100,000 in the near term.

Supported by institutional inflows and reduced selling pressure, there’s potential for upside action to the $105,000-$110,000 in the coming months.

Citi predicts BTC to reach $143,000 in 2026.

Macroeconomic conditions and renewed demand via exchange-traded funds could be key catalysts.

However, failure to maintain upward traction amid ETF outflows may expose the asset to renewed downside risks.

A potential revisiting of the sub-$80,000 territory remains if bearish forces prevail.

The post Bitcoin price rebounds above $89k; Is BTC poised for more gains? appeared first on CoinJournal.

• Bubblemaps flagged coordinated early Ava AI purchases as suspicious activity.
• 23 wallets, allegedly tied to the Ava AI deployer, bought 40% of tokens at launch.
• AVA price has fallen 96% from its January 2025 all-time high.

The Solana-based AI token Ava AI (AVA) has come under scrutiny after blockchain analytics firm Bubblemaps revealed that nearly half of the token’s initial supply may have been acquired by a small cluster of wallets tied to the project’s deployer.

The findings suggest potential insider coordination during the token’s launch, raising questions about the fairness and decentralisation of its initial distribution.

Coordinated buying at launch

According to Bubblemaps, 23 wallets, including the deployer, were freshly funded just before AVA’s debut on the memecoin launch platform Pump.fun.

These wallets, funded through Bitget and Binance in tight time windows, received similar amounts of Solana (SOL) and showed no prior blockchain activity before acquiring AVA.

Bubblemaps described this as a classic example of “sniping,” where crypto trading bots purchase tokens immediately upon public release to gain a price advantage over ordinary investors.

Further analysis revealed that these wallets were connected to other accounts that also bought AVA early.

The similarity in funding sources, timing, and purchase amounts strongly suggests coordination across multiple wallet clusters.

Bubblemaps highlighted that much of this activity went unnoticed at the time, emphasising the need for ongoing monitoring of early token distribution to detect suspicious behaviour.

Implications for investors

The news of early wallet coordination has sparked discussions among investors and analysts.

Some, like the Twitter user ScoutOnchain, argue that speculative buying and FOMO are intrinsic to new crypto trends, while others emphasise the need for more accessible analytics tools to help investors detect suspicious activity.

The concentration of nearly 40% of AVA’s supply in a small number of wallets has significant implications for retail investors.

A large supply held by few entities can increase the risk of price manipulation or a rug pull, where insiders dump their holdings and cause the token’s value to collapse.

AVA’s price trajectory appears to reflect these risks.

After reaching an all-time high of $0.3318 on January 15, 2025, the token has fallen by approximately 96% from that peak, currently trading around $0.01062 with a market capitalisation of $10.6 million.

Its 24-hour trading range currently sits between $0.01043 and $0.01143, while the seven-day range has swung between $0.008029 and $0.01371.

And despite the decline from its peak, the token’s circulating supply remains nearly identical to its total supply of approximately 999 million AVA, with a maximum supply capped at 1 billion.

Bubblemaps has pledged to continue monitoring early token movements and provide insights to the community, signalling an ongoing effort to bring transparency to new launches.

The post Solana AI token Ava AI (AVA) allegedly bundled 40% at launch appeared first on CoinJournal.

• Coinbase argues the Commodity Exchange Act gives the CFTC exclusive authority over event contracts.
• Earlier cases involving Kalshi show courts have yet to settle the issue decisively.
• The rulings could shape how prediction markets and related financial products develop nationwide.

Coinbase has taken its dispute with US regulators to court as it expands into prediction markets, filing lawsuits against authorities in Connecticut, Illinois, and Michigan.

The legal challenge centres on a fundamental question facing financial markets in the United States: whether prediction markets should be regulated at the federal level as financial derivatives or treated by states as gambling products.

Coinbase argues that the answer has already been set out in federal law.

State regulators disagree, setting up a clash that could redefine oversight for event-based markets tied to finance, politics, and real-world outcomes.

A jurisdictional battle takes shape

The exchange’s case is built around the Commodity Exchange Act, which grants the Commodity Futures Trading Commission authority over derivatives, including event contracts.

Coinbase maintains that prediction markets listed on CFTC-supervised platforms fall squarely within this framework.

From the company’s perspective, state efforts to apply local gambling laws amount to regulatory overreach.

Paul Grewal, Coinbase’s Chief Legal Officer, has positioned the lawsuits as a response to what the company sees as a direct conflict between federal authority and state enforcement.

Coinbase argues that allowing individual states to intervene risks creating a fragmented regulatory system that undermines national consistency. In that scenario, stricter jurisdictions could effectively block federally approved products across the country.

Gambling labels under scrutiny

A central issue in the lawsuits is how prediction markets are defined.

State regulators have moved to classify them alongside sports betting and casino-style gambling.

Coinbase rejects this comparison, arguing that the mechanics are fundamentally different.

Prediction markets operate as marketplaces that match buyers and sellers who take opposing views on future events.

Prices are set by market demand rather than by a house that manages odds.

Coinbase says this structure aligns prediction markets with derivatives trading, not wagering, and places them within the scope of federal commodities law rather than state gaming statutes.

Federal oversight and compliance claims

Coinbase has also pointed to the regulatory obligations attached to CFTC-supervised markets.

These include monitoring for manipulation, position limits, and ongoing compliance requirements designed to protect market integrity.

According to the exchange, these safeguards already address many of the consumer protection concerns cited by state regulators.

Ryan VanGrack, Coinbase’s Vice President of Legal, has argued that state-level intervention risks duplicating or conflicting with federal oversight.

The company maintains that pulling prediction markets under local gambling rules ignores how federally regulated derivatives markets operate and threatens uniform supervision.

The post Who regulates prediction markets? Coinbase forces a US legal test appeared first on CoinJournal.

• Terraform Lab’s liquidator alleges Jump secretly propped up UST while misleading markets.
• Court filings claim Jump gained billions through discounted Luna deals and early exits.
• Jump denies wrongdoing as US courts revisit accountability beyond Do Kwon.

Terraform Labs’ bankruptcy estate has filed a sweeping lawsuit against market-making giant Jump Trading, accusing it and its executives of secretly manipulating the Terra ecosystem and profiting while the project unravelled.

The administrator overseeing Terraform’s liquidation is seeking $4 billion in damages, arguing that responsibility for one of crypto’s most destructive failures extends well beyond founder Do Kwon.

A collapse that reshaped crypto

The lawsuit revisits the dramatic implosion of TerraUSD and its sister token, LUNA, in 2022.

Terraform Labs built TerraUSD as an algorithmic stablecoin designed to maintain a one-dollar peg through trading incentives, rather than relying on reserves.

When that mechanism failed, confidence evaporated almost overnight.

Within days, LUNA entered a death spiral and more than $40 billion in market value was erased, sending shockwaves through the digital asset industry.

The fallout contributed to subsequent failures at major cryptocurrency lenders and hedge funds, ultimately deepening a crisis of trust across the sector.

Terraform Labs filed for bankruptcy in early 2024 and later agreed to pay roughly $4.5 billion to settle civil charges brought by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Do Kwon, the company’s co-founder, who pleaded guilty to criminal charges, was recently sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Secret deals behind the scenes

According to the bankruptcy estate, the story did not end with Kwon.

Todd Snyder, the court-appointed administrator managing Terraform’s liquidation, alleges that Jump Trading played a hidden and central role in propping up Terra long before its final collapse.

Court filings claim that Jump and Terraform entered undisclosed agreements as early as 2019.

Under those deals, Jump allegedly gained access to millions of Luna tokens at steep discounts.

One agreement cited in the complaint allowed the firm to buy LUNA for about $0.40 per token when the market price later exceeded $110.

The administrator claims these arrangements laid the groundwork for massive profits once Luna surged.

The lawsuit also points to an informal “gentlemen’s agreement” between Jump and Terraform.

According to Snyder, Jump secretly committed to supporting TerraUSD’s peg during periods of stress while Terraform publicly attributed any recovery to the strength of its algorithm.

The arrangement was allegedly concealed to avoid regulatory and market scrutiny.

The May 2021 warning signs

The lawsuit places particular emphasis on events in May 2021, when TerraUSD briefly lost its dollar peg.

At the time, Terraform said the stablecoin’s recovery proved the resilience of its design. The lawsuit now alleges a different reality.

Snyder claims that Jump intervened by purchasing large amounts of TerraUSD, masking fundamental weaknesses in the system.

Investors, he argues, were misled into believing the mechanism had worked as intended.

After that episode exposed flaws in Terra’s design, Jump allegedly negotiated to remove vesting and lockup provisions from its contracts.

Those changes allowed the firm to receive monthly Luna allocations and sell them immediately.

The administrator says this intensified selling pressure and positioned Jump to exit profitably as risks mounted.

Jump pushes back

Jump Trading has categorically rejected the allegations, and it intends to defend itself vigorously.

A company spokesperson has described the lawsuit as an attempt to shift blame away from Terraform Labs and Do Kwon.

Earlier in 2024, the SEC accused Jump’s crypto unit, Tai Mo Shan, of intervening during the May 2021 depeg and later profiting from unlocked LUNA sales.

Tai Mo Shan settled those claims for about $123 million without admitting wrongdoing.

During SEC questioning, both DiSomma and former Jump crypto president Kanav Kariya repeatedly invoked their Fifth Amendment rights.

For Snyder, the current lawsuit is about accountability. Even with Kwon behind bars, he argues that courts must still determine who knew what, who intervened, and who ultimately profited from Terra’s rise and fall.

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