Bitcoin falls back under $102,000 as U.S. demand weakens and Fed signals division on rate cuts
Bitcoin slid sharply on Wednesday, dropping below $102,000 after a brief overnight rebound that pushed the asset back above $105,000. The renewed weakness once again emerged during U.S. trading hours, highlighting the ongoing soft spot in American investor appetite for digital assets.
The move downward was swift: in a two-hour span, BTC fell more than 3% as U.S. markets opened, while major altcoins mirrored the decline. Ether fell nearly 5% to under $3,400, Solana slipped to $154, and XRP, along with other large-cap tokens, posted similar red candles. Crypto-linked equities also took a hit, with Circle sliding nearly 10% after earnings and miners such as Bitfarms, Hut 8 and Cipher dropping between 5% and 10%.
U.S. interest fades as Coinbase premium turns deeply negative
One of the clearest indicators of declining American demand is the Coinbase Premium, a widely followed metric measuring the price difference between BTC on U.S. exchange Coinbase and global market leader Binance. A positive premium typically signals U.S. institutional buying; a negative one suggests the opposite.
Since late October, the premium has been underwater — its longest negative streak since the March–April correction, when bitcoin briefly plunged from above $100,000 to $75,000. Analysts say the persistent discount underlines a broader hesitancy among U.S. investors, who appear to be waiting for stronger macro clarity before re-entering the market in force.
A divided federal reserve fuels macro uncertainty
That macro clarity is unlikely to arrive immediately. Much of the current market hesitation stems from growing uncertainty around the Federal Reserve’s December policy decision. What once looked like a straightforward rate cut now appears deeply uncertain.
According to reporting from the Wall Street Journal, the Fed is experiencing an internal split over the biggest risk facing the economy: stubborn inflation or a weakening labor market. The recent U.S. government shutdown has further blurred the picture, delaying official data releases and forcing policymakers to rely on private indicators.
As a result, a December rate cut is now considered a “tossup” — and even if it happens, the Fed may simultaneously signal a higher threshold for further cuts. This ambiguity has contributed to over $1.8 billion in outflows from U.S.-listed spot bitcoin ETFs since late October, underscoring the broader chill across American crypto markets.
Source: Coindesk
Ripple issues new scam warning: what XRP holders need to know
Ripple’s developer arm, RippleX, has issued a fresh warning about rising scam activity targeting XRP holders. According to the company, no Ripple employee will ever ask users to send funds, share wallet credentials, or participate in investment-style “giveaway streams.” The notice comes as fraudulent campaigns surge across social platforms during periods of heightened interest in XRP.
Scams spike as XRP gains attention
As speculation around XRP and potential ETF approvals continues to grow, scammers are increasingly exploiting the renewed hype. Ripple executives have repeatedly emphasized that fraud activity tends to escalate whenever the asset gains media attention. According to recent security analyses, crypto-related scams and impersonation attacks have risen sharply in 2025, with losses across the industry already surpassing billions of dollars.
Most common tactics: fake giveaways and impersonations
The latest wave of scams mainly revolves around fabricated “XRP giveaways.” Victims are lured with claims such as “Send 10 XRP and receive 20 XRP back” — a classic fraud technique that still catches unsuspecting investors. These schemes often feature:
- Fake livestreams using edited or AI-generated footage of Ripple executives
- Impersonation accounts pretending to be Ripple, Brad Garlinghouse, or other well-known figures
- Deepfake audio or video urging viewers to send assets to a scam wallet
- Sponsored ads redirecting users to phishing websites that appear legitimate
These tactics have become significantly more convincing due to advances in generative AI, making it increasingly difficult for retail investors to distinguish real communication from fabricated content.
How XRP holders can protect themselves
Ripple advises users to take several precautions:
- Verify official accounts: Only follow announcements from Ripple’s official website and verified social channels.
- Never send XRP “to receive more back”: Ripple does not run giveaways, airdrops, or treasure hunts requiring deposits.
- Secure your wallet: Enable two-factor authentication and avoid clicking unknown links or QR codes.
- Be skeptical of livestreams or promotions: If a video features too-good-to-be-true promises, it is almost certainly fraudulent.
Conclusion
As XRP once again becomes a central topic in the crypto space, it is also attracting more attention from malicious actors. Ripple’s renewed warning underscores the importance of vigilance, especially as scams become more sophisticated with AI-driven tools. For XRP holders, the message is straightforward: trust only official channels, ignore giveaways, and stay alert.
Source: Tradingview
Biotech firm leaps into crypto: $50 million investment in Zcash backed by the Winklevoss Capital twins
Shares of Leap Therapeutics (Nasdaq: LPTX) soared more than 170 % after the company announced a dramatic shift in its strategy: rebranding as Cypherpunk Technologies (Nasdaq: CYPH) and forging a crypto-focused treasury strategy.
Key details:
- The company raised roughly US$58.9 million via a private placement led by Winklevoss Capital. Of that, US$50 million is being deployed to acquire 203,775 Zcash (ZEC) tokens at an average price of US$245.37 per token.
- Zcash is a privacy-oriented blockchain that launched in 2016 (as a fork of Bitcoin) and uses zero-knowledge proofs (zk-SNARKs) to hide sender, receiver and amount in transactions.
- Two new board members are joining Cypherpunk Technologies: (1) Khing Oei, CEO of a European bitcoin-treasury company, will be Chairman, and (2) Will McEvoy from Winklevoss Capital will act as Chief Investment Officer.
Market context & risks:
- ZEC has had a sharp rebound this year: rising from about US$48 in early September to more than US$640 within weeks, entering the top-20 cryptocurrencies by market cap.
- Some analysts consider ZEC “the most overbought on record,” with its Relative Strength Index (RSI) recently reaching 94.24 — past episodes of such high RSI readings have often preceded large price corrections (-45 % to -90 %).
- One crypto-industry figure, Arthur Hayes (co-founder of BitMEX), has predicted ZEC could reach US$1,000 in 2025; but he also cautioned holders to move tokens off centralized exchanges into self-custody for privacy.
Implications:
- The move signals a significant shift: a company originally in biotech is pivoting entirely into crypto/treasury assets. That underscores how institutional actors and legacy companies are viewing digital assets not just for trading or fundraising, but as balance-sheet components.
- But this also raises questions about risk management and governance: deploying tens of millions into a volatile asset like ZEC demands clear treasury policies, disclosure, and contingency planning.
- For investors in ZEC or the company, the upside is meaningful if the token continues to rise — yet the high RSI and recent historic corrections suggest a non-trivial downside risk.
- For the broader crypto ecosystem, this model (company with operating business + crypto-treasury) may become more common — meaning traditional firms adopt treasury + token holdings, not just sponsorship or adoption.
Conclusion:
In short: Leap Therapeutics (soon to be Cypherpunk Technologies) is making a bold bet on Zcash and privacy-oriented crypto, backed by the Winklevoss twins. While this could fuel further gains, the high valuations and compressed timeframes for ZEC’s rally suggest investors and stakeholders should temper enthusiasm with prudence.
Source: Cointelegraph