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Hamster Kombat (HMSTR) is going through a rough patch after losing 17% in under 24 hours. Several factors are contributing to the HMSTR price crash, including massive whale sell-offs and waning enthusiasm for the project. Hamster Kombat Loses 17% in a Single Day The Telegram-based Tap-to-Earn project Hamster Kombat has seen HMSTR tumble by over
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Bitcoin price forecast remains clouded by political tension, with BTC holding above $85,000 as traders weigh Fed independence and rate direction
Bitcoin price tethered near the $85,000 zone on Thursday despite bearish sentiment across global financial markets linked to the US-China trade war. While equity markets faced sharp drawdowns, the flagship cryptocurrency remained resilient following heightened political friction between the White House and the Federal Reserve.
President Donald Trump amplified criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, suggesting potential removal after Powell reaffirmed the Fed’s legal independence during a speech at the Economic Club of Chicago. Powell emphasized that the central bank’s autonomy is protected by statute, stating, “We’re not removable except for cause.”
The remarks followed a series of posts on Trump’s Truth Social account, where he labeled Powell’s policy direction “a complete mess,” accusing the Fed of missing timely opportunities to reduce interest rates despite falling inflation and commodity prices.
Trump pointed to the European Central Bank’s expected seventh rate cut as justification for immediate Fed action.
He claimed inflation was under control and called for lower rates to support economic growth.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is reportedly preparing to begin interviewing candidates to potentially replace Powell later this year, adding further uncertainty to the Fed’s policy outlook.
Interest rates play a pivotal role in shaping capital flows toward risk assets like Bitcoin. Lower interest rates typically drive investors to seek higher returns in alternative markets, including crypto, making any shift in Fed policy direction a crucial signal for Bitcoin’s trajectory.
If Trump successfully pressures the Fed into cutting rates sooner than anticipated, it could reinvigorate bullish momentum in Bitcoin and the broader crypto market.
Lower borrowing costs and increased liquidity may encourage institutional and retail investors to allocate more capital into digital assets, potentially driving Bitcoin toward fresh highs above the $90,000 level.
Such a move would also align with broader global easing trends, particularly if the ECB proceeds with further cuts.
On the other hand, if the ECB slashes rates while Powell opts for another pause, the divergence could create a temporary imbalance in capital flows.
This might strengthen the US dollar in the short term, applying downward pressure on Bitcoin and other dollar-denominated assets.
In this scenario, Bitcoin could face renewed volatility and range-bound trading, particularly if macroeconomic uncertainty persists around interest rates and inflation targets.
Bitcoin price forecast shows a tentative bullish stance losing momentum as BTC consolidates below the $88,454 resistance, a level defined by the upper Donchian Channel band.
While BTC price remains above the midline near $81,456, this recent rejection signals waning bullish strength. The narrowing channel range between $88,454 and $74,458 highlights tightening market conditions, a precursor often to breakout or breakdown moves.
The MACD histogram also shows fading bullish bars, while the MACD line, although above the signal line, flattens around 551—indicating momentum is stalling rather than strengthening. Should BTC lose $81,456, a move to test the lower channel support at $74,458 is likely, with further downside to $71,000 possible if selling intensifies.
However, a decisive daily close above $88,454 with strong MACD expansion could revive the bullish trend, targeting $92,000 short term. Until then, the bias leans bearish as momentum stalls and resistance caps further gains.
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Avalanche (AVAX) is carving a niche as a blockchain network with boundless scalability but one expert is highlighting its real-world use case in finance. Crypto expert Olivia Vande Woude says Avalanche will change the landscape for traditional finance as we know it.
According to an X post, business development expert Olivia Vande Woude remarks that Avalanche will improve current offerings for mainstream finance. Right out the bat, Woude notes that the lowest hanging fruit for AVAX will be changing outdated rails in legacy finance.
Woude argues that rather than a wholesale replacement, an Avalanche integration will improve legacy RTGS systems like SWIFT and Fedwire. Perhaps, the biggest area of improvement will be in conventional post-trade infrastructure bogged down by fragmented reconciliation. Woude notes that the network can introduce real-time finality and liquidity efficiency for post-trade infrastructure.
Large exchange infrastructure is tipped to record seismic changes following an Avalanche integration, says Woude. While CBOE and ICE grapple with execution latency, Woud was Avalanche’s decentralization can reduce slippage for legacy exchanges.
“Avalanche does for finance what fiber optics did for telecom,” said Woude. “It’s replacing outdated rails with real-time, high-throughput, low-latency execution.”
Woude points out in her statement that Avalanche’s tamper-proof infrastructure will improve the batch processing systems employed by traditional custodians. The derivatives markets will receive their fair share of changes, leaning on Avalanche’s collateral optimization and margin logic based on advanced smart contracts.
Amid soaring regulatory changes in the US, traditional financial institutions can unlock new revenue streams in tokenization via blockchain-based integrations.
Woude highlights the benefits of an integration in short-term funding markets by leaning on its dynamic discounting. Furthermore, the blockchain offers programmable yield analytics designed to revolutionize the operations of repo settlements and liquidity management in funding markets.
An EVM compatibility will allow institutions to still deploy Ethereum-based smart contracts, smoothening the curve for tokenized funds. As the US SEC approves options trading for Ethereum spot ETFs, Avalanche can offer financial institutions permission chains for compliance while offering on-chain derivatives mirroring ETF performance.
“Avalanche isn’t just modernizing financial infrastructure, it’s reprogramming it,” said Woude. “Institutions adopting Avalanche in turn gain a meaningful edge in speed, efficiency, and transparency.”
AVAX price has gained nearly 8% over the last day driven by a broader crypto market rebound and rising institutional adoption for Avalanche. AVAX is trading at $20 while daily trading volumes have spiked by 7% buoyed by bullish chatter around the network.
The post Expert Outlines Reasons Why Avalanche Will Revolutionize Traditional Finance appeared first on CoinGape.
XRP price climbed 2.3% on Wednesday, breaking past resistance levels as altcoin ETF speculation triggered renewed institutional buying pressure.
Ripple’s XRP token climbed 2.3% on Wednesday, crossing the $2.20 level for the first time in two weeks as ETF optimism gripped altcoin markets. The XRP price breakout follows a sustained consolidation below the $2.10 technical resistance zone that had capped gains since early April.
The broader crypto market witnessed moderate gains midweek, buoyed by expectations of a more favorable regulatory outlook following recent changes at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Notably, Ripple price outperformed rival altcoins like BNB and Tron (TRX) on Wednesday. This is attributed to recent comments from Bloomberg’s Chief ETF Analyst Eric Balchunas suggested that the SEC may be nearing decisions on 72 altcoin ETF applications—most notably for XRP, Litecoin (LTC), and Solana (SOL).
Betting activity on decentralized prediction market Polymarket indicates that crypto investors have priced in a 32% chance of ETF approval for key altcoins. This reflects a 10% increase following the official swearing-in of Paul Atkins—known for his pro-crypto stance—as the new SEC Chair under the Trump administration.
Atkins’ appointment has heightened expectations that the regulatory body will pivot toward a more friendly stance on altcoin etfs in reviews, especially those with established market depth like XRP.
However, the current market structure also carries risks. With such high expectations, traders should be cautious of potential “sell-the-news” dynamics. Strategic investors may seek to offload positions upon official ETF approval, dumping on retail buyers.
Technical analyst Oscar Ramos reaffirmed his long-term bullish outlook on XRP earlier this month, predicting the token could reach $5 by the end of 2025. In a video published on April 9, Ramos outlined an Elliott Wave scenario in which XRP completes a long-term bullish breakout, driven by institutional flows and regulatory clarity.
Since Ramos’ prediction, XRP has surged 33% from $1.72 to $2.25, reinforcing confidence in his medium-term thesis. The rally has coincided with heightened interest from ETF speculators and broader anticipation of increased altcoin legitimacy under the new SEC regime.
Should the ETF verdict fall in XRP’s favor and institutional allocations materialize, Ramos’ $5 target could shift from speculative to structurally plausible. However, any delays or unfavorable rulings would likely delay that timeline, reinforcing the caution as market trends remain volatile.
XRP price continues to trade within a cautiously bullish structure after gaining over 33% in the last two weeks, closing Wednesday at $2.2257. Price action on the daily chart suggests a breakout attempt from a tight consolidation range that held since April 10, with XRP briefly testing the upper Donchian Channel band at $2.3010. This level marks immediate resistance, and a daily close above it could validate bullish continuation toward the $2.50 zone.
The 14-day rally, measured from the recent $1.72 swing low, occurred on increasing volume (2.57B) and signals solid market participation, a key condition for sustainable upward momentum.
The RSI-based oscillator (RSiOMA) shows a strengthening trend, with the green RSI line crossing above its moving average and holding near 49, suggesting buyers remain in control, though not yet in overbought territory.
However, failure to breach the $2.30 resistance could expose XRP to a pullback toward the $1.95 midpoint support.
A decisive rejection here may fuel a short-term correction, particularly if broader market sentiment falters or traders sell the news following ETF verdict speculation. For now, the structure leans bullish with an eye on $2.30 as a make-or-break level.
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