Ethereum Dumps Below $1,700 But Hits All-Time Highs In Users, Transactions: What Is Going On?

Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) recorded all-time highs in users, transactions and throughput during Q1, even as its market capitalization, trading activity and fee generation declined amid broader crypto market weakness.

Activity Surge, But Financial Metrics Dive

Ethereum’s network delivered record levels of usage during the quarter, with monthly active users, transaction counts and throughput reaching new highs, the Token Terminal Q1 ecosystem report stated on June 18.

ETH holder addresses rose 8.1% over prior quarter, while 25% from prior year quarter, suggesting ownership continued broadening despite the market downturn.

The growth came as ETH continued to cement its position as the leading…

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Bitcoin Plunges To $63,000 Ethereum, XRP, Dogecoin Retreat 5% The Day After Chair Warsh Takes Over

Bitcoin extended losses as markets reacted to a hawkish Federal Reserve stance under new Chair Kevin Warsh, boosting the U.S. dollar and weighing on risk assets.

Notable Statistics:

Coinglass data shows 136,366 traders were liquidated in the past 24 hours for $558.38 million.       

SoSoValue data shows net outflows of $82.2 million from spot Bitcoin ETFs on Wednesday. Spot Ethereum ET’Fs saw net outflows of $29.4 million.

In the past 24 hours, top losers include Lighter, SPX6900 and Aerodrome Finance.

Notable Developments:

Trader Notes:

CryptosBatman explained Bitcoin has retested the lower boundary of its long-term ascending channel, a support level that has marked major cycle…

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BlackRock Executive Calls Bitcoin “Too Big To Ignore”, Discusses New Bitcoin Premium Income ETF

BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager with more than $10 trillion under management, has launched a new Bitcoin exchange-traded product designed to generate monthly income for investors — a move the firm’s top ETF executive says is aimed at pulling in a wave of traditional investors who have kept their distance from the asset due to its volatility.

Jay Jacobs, BlackRock’s US Head of Equity ETFs, spoke to CoinTelegraph to discuss the launch of the iShares Bitcoin Premium Income ETF, ticker BITA, which began trading this week. The product represents a departure from conventional Bitcoin exposure by layering a covered-call strategy on top of the firm’s existing iShares…

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STRC Is Junk Credit In A Bitcoin Costume, And Retail Is Holding $8.8 Billion Of It

There is now $15 billion sitting in three securities being marketed to bitcoin holders as the safer, smarter way to access bitcoin exposure: Strategy’s preferred stack, STRC, and SATA. The pitch is identical across all three. Tax-favored. 11.5% income. Backed by bitcoin. Money-market risk. 82.7% of the buyer base is retail. Every word of that pitch is wrong, and the security those buyers actually own is built to fail in exactly the bitcoin environment it claims to harness.

The Pitch Is a Story. The Capital Structure Is the Truth

STRC is an unsecured, subordinated, perpetual preferred equity. No maturity date. No lien on a single satoshi of Strategy’s bitcoin treasury. The…

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Why Is Cipher Digital Stock Rising On Thursday? – Cipher Digital (NASDAQ:CIFR)

Cipher Digital Inc. (NASDAQ:CIFR) stock rose on Thursday as investors revalued the company toward a pure-play Artificial Intelligence (AI) and High-Performance Computing (HPC) hosting model.

The transition to a data center infrastructure model decoupled the equity from the broader cryptocurrency market downturn.

AI Pivot Versus Crypto Decline

While pure-play digital asset equities declined, CIFR increased as much as 10% on Thursday.

The total cryptocurrency market capitalization decreased 4.52% to $2.15 trillion, pressured in part by the Federal Open Market Committee decision led by Kevin Warsh on Wednesday.

Leadership Expansion and Grid Strategy

The gains followed Tuesday’s announcement that…

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Mexican Billionaire Keeps 70% Of Liquid Portfolio In Bitcoin: ‘As Soon As I Get Fiat, I Turn It Into BTC’

Mexican billionaire Ricardo Salinas says Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) remains his preferred financial asset, arguing that fiat currencies are being debased globally.

Investors should treat crypto more like long-term property than a short-term trade, according to the billionaire.

“I Turn Fiat Into Bitcoin“

In a CoinDesk interview on June 17, Salinas highlighted his exposure to Bitcoin has increased during the recent market pullback. Over the past year, BTC prices plunged around 40%.

“As soon as I get my hands on some fiat, I turn it into Bitcoin,” Salinas said.

The Grupo Salinas chairman clarified that earlier comments about his wealth being heavily allocated to Bitcoin referred to his liquid…

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Bitcoin Plunges To $62,500, Ethereum, XRP Lose 5%: What Is Going?

Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) dropped back below $63,000 on Thursday as the broader crypto market shed 4%.

Why Is Crypto Falling While AI Stocks Hit New Highs?

The divergence between crypto and AI-linked equities is widening sharply. 

Moreover, Kevin Warsh’s FOMC decision Wednesday is adding pressure. Warsh held rates but provided no forward guidance, leaving markets pricing only a 15% chance rates stay flat through December. 

Nine committee members already project a rate hike before year-end. The 2-year Treasury yield heading higher repeats the pattern seen before prior rate hike cycles, and a stronger dollar at current levels historically compresses crypto prices.

Why Are STRC And SATA Both At… Read more on Benzinga

Bitcoin Price Falls To $62,000 As Hawkish Fed Shift Raises Risk Of Deeper Pullback

Bitcoin price slipped below key support near $64,000 after a hawkish shift from the Federal Reserve erased gains tied to easing geopolitical tensions, placing the market at risk of a deeper pullback toward the $60,000 range.

The bitcoin price fell from a June 17 high of $66,315 to an intraday low near $62,000 during early June 18 trading, marking a 4% decline. Price action stabilized near $62,500, though momentum remains fragile as macro pressure builds.

The Federal Reserve held its benchmark rate steady at 3.50% to 3.75% but signaled a tighter policy path through updated projections. Policymakers reduced expectations for rate cuts and left open the possibility of further hikes….

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The 'Saylor Cloud' Looms Over Bitcoin—And These Two Altcoins Are The Beneficiaries

Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) remains under pressure, but FalconX Head of Trading Strategy Hassan Baseri says institutional traders are increasingly looking at Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) and Hyperliquid (CRYPTO: HYPE) as higher-conviction opportunities.

What Happened

Speaking on June 18 on the Milk Road Show, Baseri highlighted the dominant trade among institutional clients has been “short crypto, long AI,” as artificial intelligence stocks continue absorbing market attention and capital.

However, within crypto, Baseri said traders are watching Ethereum and Hyperliquid closely, while Bitcoin remains clouded by concerns around Michael Saylor's Strategy <a class="ticker-link" data-ticker="MSTR"…

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Federal Reserve Moves To Close Stablecoin Loopholes With New Customer ID Rules

The Federal Reserve proposed Thursday that payment stablecoin issuers maintain written customer identification programs, a move that signals Washington’s determination to bring digital asset markets under the same anti-money laundering discipline long applied to traditional banks — even as regulators race to finalize rules before a statutory deadline this coming January.

The proposal would require so-called permitted payment stablecoin issuers, or PPSIs, to collect from each new customer a legal name, date of birth or formation, physical address, and a government-issued identification number before opening an account. 

The Federal Reserve framework mirrors CIP obligations…

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