Bitcoin to Track Gold’s Rally With a 100-Day Delay Amid Liquidity Boom, Says Analyst

Today, over $3 billion worth of Bitcoin and Ethereum options expire. It will see over $2.5 billion worth of BTC and nearly $500 million worth of ETH contracts settled. How will the prices of both assets react?

These options’ expiry will take place at 8:00 UTC on Deribit, potentially inspiring volatility across the crypto market.

Bitcoin Faces $89,000 Max Pain in Today’s Options Expiry

Today, March 7, 29,005 Bitcoin contracts with a notional value of $2.54 billion are set to expire. According to Deribit data, Bitcoin’s put-to-call ratio is 0.67. The maximum pain point—the price at which the asset will cause financial losses to the greatest number of holders—is $89,000.

Additionally, Ethereum sees the expiration of 223,395 contracts with a notional value of $481.9 million. The maximum pain point for these contracts is $2,300, with a put-to-call ratio of 0.72. 

The maximum pain point in the crypto options market represents the price level that inflicts the most financial discomfort on option holders. At the same time, the put-to-call ratios, below 1 for both Bitcoin and Ethereum, indicate a higher prevalence of purchase options (calls) over sales options (puts).

Crypto options trading tool Greeks.live provided insights into the current market sentiment. They cited an overall bearish market sentiment, with traders expressing frustration over extreme volatility and choppy price action.

Bitcoin’s sharp intraday swings, such as recent moves of $6,000, have led to what traders describe as “scam both ways” conditions. According to analysts at Greeks.live, this makes it difficult to establish a clear directional trend.

“Most traders are watching the 87,000-89,000 range as key resistance, with 82,000 noted as a recent bottom, though there is significant disagreement on whether a sustainable bottom has been found,” wrote Greeks.live.

Further, the pronounced put skew reflects the broader pessimism, as traders continue to favor downside protection despite occasional upward moves. The analysts also observe that traders are adjusting their strategies amidst the high volatility.

“Several traders are selling calls at 89,000-90,000 range as a preferred strategy in this environment, with one trader reporting they’re at -260% on calls bought at lower levels,” Grreeks.live added.

The belief that the market is currently in a liquidity-driven phase has led to a focus on quick entries and exits. This level of caution comes as longer-term positions remain vulnerable to abrupt swings. External macro factors, such as shifting trade policies and tariff announcements, add to the uncertainty.

As a result, many traders are choosing to stay on the sidelines, waiting for clearer signals before committing to new positions.

“With markets on edge, where do you think price action will land? Above or below max pain?” Deribit posed in a post on X (Twitter).

Nonetheless, traders must remember that option expiration has a short-term impact on the underlying asset’s price. Generally, the market will return to its normal state shortly after and possibly even compensate for strong price deviations.

Traders should stay vigilant, analyzing technical indicators and market sentiment to navigate potential volatility effectively. Meanwhile, these developments come after US President Donald Trump signed the strategic Bitcoin reserve order.

Notably, the order was short of specific details, with many questions likely to be answered later during the White House Crypto Summit.

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Solayer (LAYER) is under intense pressure after a sudden 45% crash wiped out weeks of bullish momentum. Once up 460% since February, the token trades below $1.70 as traders scramble to understand what triggered the collapse.

The altcoin lost nearly $350 million in market cap in this crash. With volatility rising and the long/short ratio now at 1.45, the market appears divided between those expecting a rebound and those bracing for further downside.

Solayer Loses Nearly $350 Million Market Cap – What’s Behind the Drop?

LAYER has plunged roughly 35% in just 24 hours, falling from nearly $3.10 to $1.90, leaving the community scrambling for answers. This sharp drop comes despite Solayer’s strong fundamentals—it’s the first hardware-accelerated blockchain designed to offload operations onto programmable chips, aiming for over 1 million TPS and 100 Gbps bandwidth.

The project also offers real-world utility through its Solayer Emerald Card, which allows users to spend USDC seamlessly via Visa, with support for Apple Pay and Google Pay.

From February 18 to May 5, LAYER surged 460%, making it one of the best-performing altcoins of the year—until the sudden crash disrupted momentum.

Right now, confusion reigns. Some blame market makers for triggering a cascade of liquidations, others accuse the founders of shady practices, while a few point to the daily 110,600 LAYER token unlocks.

However, those daily unlocks account for just $219,000 in value—hardly enough to justify a $250 million+ loss in market cap. What’s more concerning is the upcoming major unlock on May 11, when 26.5 million LAYER (worth about $51 million) will be released.

If market sentiment doesn’t recover before then, this influx of supply could intensify selling pressure and potentially push the price even lower.

LAYER Crash Deepens: $3.2 Million in Long Liquidations Fuel Panic

LAYER’s long/short ratio sat at 0.78 over the past 24 hours, with 56.14% of traders positioned short—reflecting rising bearish sentiment.

Around $3.2 million in long liquidations were triggered, more than double the $1.5 million in short liquidations. This forced selling likely accelerated the drop from $3.10 to $1.90, as liquidation cascades compounded the pressure.

With the upcoming May 11 token unlock, the unwind of leveraged positions became a key driver of the crash.

While the long/short ratio has since flipped to 1.45—indicating that more traders are now positioning for a rebound—the lack of order book depth remains a concern. In such environments, price volatility can remain elevated regardless of whether sentiment shifts back to bullish.

Longs Pile In as LAYER Struggles Below $1.90

LAYER’s outlook remains highly uncertain as its price struggles to hold above $1.90 following a steep decline.

Traders and investors are still seeking clarity on the cause of the crash, while sentiment remains fragile ahead of the May 11 token unlock.

In this context, the current long/short ratio of 1.45 reveals an important shift—more traders are now betting on a rebound, with 59.2% of positions long versus 40.8% short.

This rising long bias may suggest that some believe the worst is over, especially after an aggressive selloff.

However, it also introduces new risk: if LAYER fails to recover and drops further, these newly opened long positions could be liquidated just like before—potentially setting off another wave of forced selling.

The post Solayer (LAYER) Crashes 45% In A Few Hours: What Happened? appeared first on BeInCrypto.

In 2025, AI agents became the newest obsession for crypto market participants. They were integrated into decentralized finance (DeFi), gaming, infrastructure, and even DAO governance, touted as the next evolution of Web3 intelligence.

With this in mind, BeInCrypto contacted OORT CEO Dr. Max Li for his perspective on whether these autonomous, machine-learning-driven software acting on behalf of users could reshape crypto. Li had some interesting insights, but warned that real-world adoption, security, and regulation are the biggest hurdles ahead.

The AI Agent Gold Rush: Disruption or Distraction?

Data from the AI Agents Directory indicates an average monthly increase of 33% in the number of AI agents.

However, despite the growing interest, Web3-based artificial intelligence solutions still account for a minimal fraction (3%) of the overall AI agent ecosystem.

According to Dr. Max Li, founder and CEO of decentralized cloud network OORT, the space is moving faster than its infrastructure can handle, pointing to models like ElizaOS (formerly ai16z).

Yet, in his opinion, the broader playing field is not ready. He says the core infrastructure, from decentralized storage to tokenized agent marketplaces, is still under construction.

The Real Bottleneck? Security, Not Speed

While scalability is often seen as crypto’s weakness, Max Li says security and compliance are bigger threats. This is especially true when tokenizing AI outputs like computing, decision-making, or real-time data.

Dr. Li added that tokenized AI raises difficult questions. Who owns the data that the agents generate? How can decentralized systems comply with global data laws like GDPR? And what happens when AI agents interact with sensitive personal or financial information on-chain?

“These may already be more significant barriers than scalability,” Dr. Li warned.

The OORT executive emphasized that without clear custodianship or compliance frameworks, the risks extend beyond crypto to regulators, investors, and end-users.

Enterprise Adoption Isn’t Coming Anytime Soon

The industry often claims AI agents will bring real-world industries on-chain. However, Dr. Li says it is still a fantasy, particularly in the public blockchain.

He explained that while enterprises like Walmart could benefit from AI for internal operations, there is little incentive to tokenize those agents. Traditional firms want efficiency and control, not decentralized tokens wrapped around their core systems.

“Most enterprises would prefer to keep that data within their own secured servers rather than exposing it on a public, decentralized network,” he said.

While private chains may offer a bridge, Max Li says the idea of tokenized agents powering real-world logistics or finance is, for now, a crypto-native dream.

A Market Fueled by Hype

AI agent tokens have exploded in 2025. Riding the momentum of both AI and crypto, they have attracted massive capital inflows. However, Dr. Li parallels the dot-com bubble, concluding that while innovation is real, the market is overheated.

Based on this, he does not believe the current rally is sustainable: “It’s fair to say there’s a bubble forming here.”

This sentiment echoes Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ), who recently warned that most AI token projects launch too early.

“Too many AI agent developers focus too much on their token and not enough on the agent’s usefulness. I recommend making a really good agent first,” wrote CZ in a post.

Zhao argued that only a tiny fraction of AI agents, say 0.05%, actually need tokens at this stage. Similarly, Hitesh Malviya, an analyst and popular figure on X, recently echoed this sentiment in a post.

“If you look outside the crypto echo chamber, you’ll find that we do have a solid ecosystem of free and better AI agents—and they don’t have tokens, nor might they ever need one. So, what we’re trading in the name of agents is nothing but memes—a value we created out of thin air, like we always do,” Hitesh observed.

Regulatory Turbulence Ahead

Perhaps the most underappreciated risk in the AI agent boom is regulation. The intersection of open AI systems, tokenized data, and borderless blockchains is a minefield for compliance.

Dr. Li warned of contradictions yet to be resolved: How can decentralized AI be transparent and private? Who is liable when agents act autonomously but cause financial losses?

“In the short term, regulatory intervention will likely create additional hurdles for innovation,” he concluded.

This is especially true where there is no global consensus. Until jurisdictions align on KYC (know-your-customer), AML (anti-money laundering) laws, and data governance, institutional adoption will remain cautious, if not frozen.

While the rise of AI agents is real, their integration into tokenized crypto ecosystems is still a high-risk, high-ambiguity frontier. Infrastructure remains fragile. Legal frameworks are missing, and real-world adoption is still speculative at best.

Dr. Max Li’s view is clear: crypto must shift its focus from hype to functionality—from token-first to agent-first design.

Only then will the next leap in AI-powered decentralization become more than just a market cycle.

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