Crypto Hits Pause as Capital Waits, Miners Shift, and Macro Takes Control

Capital is moving into stablecoins, miners are selling Bitcoin to fund what comes next, and global headlines are driving short-term price moves.

This edition is about positioning, shifting incentives, and why the market is reacting to forces outside crypto more than ever.

Drivers Behind Gold (Sponsored)

Strange Events Likely to Send Gold Even Higher

With so many strange events happening across the economy (consumer confidence plummeting, credit-card delinquencies soaring, and more), it's no wonder the richest investors are loading up on gold.

But what you might not realize is that there's a much better way to profit from rising gold prices - WITHOUT ever touching an ETF, mining stock, or even bullion.

Get the full details here.

Market-Moving News

Three forces are shaping the crypto market right now: capital rotating into stablecoins, miners selling Bitcoin to fund a strategic pivot, and macro headlines from the Middle East driving short-term price swings.

One story is about positioning, one is about industry evolution, and one is about external pressure.

In the short term, Bitcoin is reacting to geopolitics, oil, and risk sentiment.

Underneath that, capital is staying inside the system, just shifting defensively, while operators are reallocating resources toward where returns look stronger.

The result is a market that isn’t exiting, but isn’t fully committing either. It’s pausing, repositioning, and waiting for its next clear signal.

Macro

Bitcoin Gives Back Gains as Oil Risk Eases and Markets Reset

Bitcoin slipped back toward the mid-$66K range after the latest Iran headlines cooled what had briefly turned into a risk-on bounce.

This time, the shift wasn’t driven by escalation but by the prospect that tensions could ease.

Reports that Iran is working with Oman to coordinate traffic through the Strait of Hormuz helped ally fears of a major supply disruption.

Oil, which had surged on war rhetoric, dropped sharply and risk assets followed.

Next, we saw stocks erasing early losses. Crypto has followed them lower over the past 24 hours, giving back part of the squeeze-driven move from earlier in the week.

From Headline Spike to Headline Fade

The difference we’re seeing now has roots in something  that’s often subtle but always powerful: tone.

Earlier moves were driven by fear of escalation and by the forced unwind of a positioning. This one is about de-risking that fear premium as markets reassess how far this actually goes.

That’s an important progression because it shows just how quickly sentiment is flipping.

One headline drives a squeeze higher, and the next minute we’re rolling back yet again. It’s a rollercoaster ride and right now, Bitcoin is moving right in the middle of it.

Still Trading the Same Playbook

Nothing structural has really changed when we take a step back.

Bitcoin is still trading as part of the broader macro complex, reacting to oil, geopolitics, and liquidity conditions rather than leading them.

That means short-term moves remain fragile.

Take: The market is still headline-driven, just in both directions now.

Until there is real clarity on the Strait of Hormuz and broader conflict risk, expect Bitcoin to keep reacting to macro shifts rather than setting its own path.

Stablecoins

Stablecoin Supply Hits $315B and Climbing as Capital Turns Defensive

Stablecoin supply climbed to a record $315 billion in Q1, adding roughly $8 billion even as the broader crypto market softened.

That might not sound like much to the casual observer but zoom out, and it tells you something important.

This is the slowest growth since late 2023, yet it is still growth during a period where risk assets pulled back. Capital is not leaving the system, but it is repositioning within it at a sizable rate.

Stablecoins accounted for 75% of total crypto trading volume during the quarter, the highest level on record. That is not just usage, it points to an emerging dominance that could change the game.

Not Risk-Off, Just Rotating

This is what defensive positioning looks like in crypto.

Instead of exiting entirely, investors are moving into stablecoins to preserve capital while staying ready to redeploy. It is the equivalent of sitting in cash, but without leaving the market.

Underneath that, the composition is shifting.

USDC is gaining ground, while USDT is seeing a relative decline. That points to a subtle but meaningful shift toward perceived transparency and regulatory alignment, especially as stablecoin rules tighten globally.

Take: Money isn’t leaving crypto. What we’re seeing here is a holding pattern.

When stablecoin supply rises while prices fall, it usually means capital is preparing for the next move rather than walking away.

Market Shift (Sponsored)

An Income Stream That Recently Opened to More Investors

While President Trump officially earns $400,000 per year, records show he’s collected up to $250,000 per month from another source.

Until recently, most Americans had no access to this type of investment.

But a new shift — tied to Executive Order 14330 — has started to open the door.

Now, investors interested in early-stage and disruptive opportunities are taking a closer look.

See How to Access It

Mining

Riot Sells 3,778 BTC as Miners Start Funding the Pivot

Riot Platforms sold 3,778 Bitcoin in Q1, generating $289.5 million at an average price of $76,626 per coin, while producing just 1,473 BTC over the same period, new data has revealed.

The gap between sales and production volumes is a small detail, but it matters. It tells you this was not routine treasury management.

Riot sold more than double what it mined, shrinking its holdings year over year even as its operational capacity expanded.

Even more noteworthy is that this shift isn’t happening in isolation.

Other miners, including MARA and Nakamoto Holdings, have also been liquidating Bitcoin amid rising energy costs that are squeezing margins.

Oil-driven power price spikes are forcing operators to rethink how they fund growth.

Selling Bitcoin to Build Something Bigger

Even as it liquidates, Riot is scaling aggressively.

Hash rate climbed 26% year over year, power costs dropped 21%, and power credit revenue surged 171%. On paper, the operation is getting more efficient. But the real signal sits underneath that.

Riot is actively monetizing assets and selling Bitcoin to fund its expansion into high-performance computing and AI infrastructure.

This is not just about surviving mining economics. It is about repositioning the business model entirely.

Even Wall Street is starting to adjust, trimming price targets while still backing the long-term story.

Take: We’re seeing miners shift from holding Bitcoin to deploying it.

When companies start selling BTC to fund AI and data center expansion, it tells you where the better returns are right now.

Growth Under Pressure (Sponsored)

Surging Crude May Highlight Opportunity in These Companies

Rising geopolitical tensions have pushed oil sharply higher — and renewed focus on energy equities.

For investors, the key question is which companies could thrive if prices remain elevated.

Zacks’ latest report reviews three oil stocks worth attention in this environment.

[Access the report]

*The results listed above are not (or may not be) representative of the performance of all selections made by Zacks Investment Research's newsletter editors and may represent the partial close of a position. Access grants you a comprehensive list of all open and closed trades.
*This free resource is being sent by Zacks.com. We look for investment resources and inform you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms of Service".

Future Forward

Crypto conferences aren’t just networking. They’re where the next cycle starts to take shape.

When the same themes keep showing up on stage, you’re getting an early read on where attention, and eventually capital, is heading.

Airdrops follow a similar pattern. They’re not random rewards. They tend to go to users who show up early, use the product, move capital, and stay active before the snapshot locks in.

Token launches are where all of that gets tested. The first few days tell you whether demand is real, liquidity holds, and whether interest sticks when volatility kicks in.

Crypto Conferences:

💎 ETHGlobal Cannes 2026 (April 3-5)

💎 Brazil Ipe Village 2026 (Apr 6, 2026)

💎 Bucharest CEE Blockchain and Fintech Week 2026 (Apr 6, 2026)

Upcoming Airdrops:

🎁 Tradoor (TRADOOR) Airdrop (Apr 15, 2026)

🎁 SoSoValue (SOSO) Airdrop (May 2026)

Upcoming Token Launches:

🚀 EarnPark (PARK) Token Sale (Apr 13, 2026)

🚀 EarnBIT (EBT) TGE and Distribution (Q2 2026)

Which event are you most excited for? Let us know!

Crypto Know-How: Why Stablecoins Tell You More Than Price

When crypto markets pull back, most people watch price. The smarter signal is what stablecoins are doing.

Stablecoins are where capital sits when it’s not taking risk but isn’t leaving the market either. Think of them as dry powder.

When supply is rising, like it is now, it means money is still inside crypto. It hasn’t fled, it’s just waiting for a change to happen.

Because markets don't usually turn when money is gone, they turn when money is already there, ready to move.

Take: If you want to understand what comes next, don’t just watch Bitcoin. Watch where stablecoin capital is building.

Everything Else

• DeFi exploits totaled $168.6 million across 34 protocols in Q1, a sharp drop from $1.58 billion a year earlier, signaling improving security even as the ecosystem scales. Major incidents continue to hit private keys and smart contracts, showing the risk is falling, not disappearing.

• The IMF says tokenization could make finance faster and more transparent, especially for cross-border payments, but flagged risks related to volatility and the loss of monetary control. With up to $27.6 billion already tokenized, regulators are watching closely as efficiency gains come with new systemic risks.

• Naoris just launched a quantum-resistant blockchain designed to withstand future "Q-Day" attacks, as concerns grow that advances in quantum computing could eventually break the encryption used by Bitcoin and Ethereum, pushing security further up the priority list.

• US authorities have recovered over $600,000 in crypto tied to a phishing scam targeting a Ledger wallet user, highlighting how hardware wallet exploits are evolving beyond email into physical mail campaigns following past data breaches.

• LaLiga partnered with Polymarket to bring prediction markets into live sports coverage in North America, signaling growing mainstream adoption as crypto-native platforms push into entertainment.