CRTS Heats Up—Price Nearly Doubles in 24 Hours

Hello and welcome to Crypto Intel, the twice-weekly newsletter covering the latest updates, breaking news, and exciting opportunities in the crypto world.

If you’re not looking for more emails from us, just click here to unsubscribe!

While traders scan charts for signals, the real tremors may be coming from elsewhere. Global policies are shifting. Power plays are escalating. And new narratives—some bold, others bizarre—are beginning to surface across markets, legislation, and prediction platforms.

What looks like noise may turn out to be a signal. From digital dollars to dollar-driven uncertainty, the foundations are being tested. As pressure mounts and bets rise, the real question might not be what just happened—but what happens if it sticks.

📈 Market-Moving News

Markets moved, but not just because of price action. Policy decisions, power struggles, and a fresh wave of economic anxiety are starting to redraw the lines between hype, hope, and hard reality. Something's shifting—and this time, it's not just the coins.

Market Trends

🌐 Trump's Tariffs Rattle Global Markets, Crypto Feels the Shockwaves

Markets were thrown into disarray on April 2 after President Trump signed a sweeping executive order introducing new "Liberation Day" tariffs. The policy imposes a minimum 10% reciprocal tariff on every country that taxes US goods—regardless of trading volume or relationship strength. Critics say the administration's math was opaque at best, with many speculating that the tariff list was based more on political theater than economic rationale. Even remote, uninhabite

d territories like the Heard and McDonald Islands made the cut.

The announcement triggered immediate losses across traditional and crypto markets alike. Bitcoin briefly touched $88,500 before dropping 2.6% to $83,000, while Ethereum fell from $1,934 to $1,797. Overall, the crypto market cap sank more than 5%, with nearly $200 billion in value wiped out. Despite the turbulence, some analysts remain bullish—suggesting the shock could be short-lived as the market recalibrates.

Arthur Hayes of BitMEX believes the tariffs may ultimately force the Fed to increase monetary intervention, injecting liquidity that could be bullish for Bitcoin. Meanwhile, others are more skeptical, warning that increased uncertainty could erode investor confidence and accelerate recessionary pressure. Prediction markets seem to agree—Kalshi and Polymarket both spiked recession odds to over 50% just one day after the announcement.

For miners, the impact could be more immediate and severe. Tariffs on imported ASIC mining rigs from Southeast Asia threaten to inflate costs and tighten supply, especially for firms without existing domestic inventory. Companies like Luxor are scrambling to airlift hardware before tariffs take effect. If demand spikes during a Bitcoin rally, analysts say rig prices could skyrocket 5–10x—just like they did in the 2021 bull cycle.

Regulation

🏛️ US Lawmakers Advance Anti-CBDC Bill Amid Growing Privacy Push

The US House Financial Services Committee voted 27-22 to advance the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act, a Republican-led bill aiming to block the Federal Reserve from issuing a digital dollar. Championed by Rep. Tom Emmer, the bill targets government-run digital currencies, warning that CBDCs could enable unchecked financial surveillance. The legislation bars both direct and indirect deployment of a digital dollar and prohibits its use for monetary policy.

Supporters of the bill argue that CBDCs represent "programmable money" that could be weaponized by the state to monitor and restrict individual spending. Emmer cited concerns over global prece

dents, such as China's digital yuan and Canada's freezing of protester bank accounts in 2022. He called the bill a necessary safeguard to preserve the cash-like privacy protections that decentralized crypto assets currently offer.

The move comes amid a larger shift in Washington, where a growing number of lawmakers are aligning themselves with the crypto industry in opposition to centralized digital currency initiatives. Meanwhile, Emmer's bill dovetails with broader Republican efforts to limit federal control over personal finance, especially as debates over surveillance, censorship, and digital sovereignty heat up. CBDCs, once considered inevitable, are increasingly being treated as politically radioactive.

The bill's advancement signals a strong foothold for anti-CBDC sentiment heading into the election cycle. Though passage into law remains uncertain, it highlights the rising influence of crypto-friendly lawmakers and privacy advocates in shaping digital asset policy. If the momentum continues, future CBDC pilot programs could face serious legal and legislative roadblocks.

Uranium Stocks (Sponsored)

On Behalf of Azincourt Energy Corp

America’s Uranium Crisis Could Create a Major Opportunity

Ninety percent of America’s uranium is imported. With the US scrambling to rebuild domestic supply, Canadian uranium companies are in prime position.

One small-cap stock could be set to benefit.

*Examples that we provide of share price increases pertaining to a particular Issuer from one referenced date to another represent an arbitrarily chosen time period and are no indication whatsoever of future stock prices for that Issuer and are of no predictive value. Our stock profiles are intended to highlight certain companies for YOUR further investigation; they are NOT stock recommendations or constitute an offer or sale of the referenced securities.

Macro Pressure

📉 Recession Fears Surge as Tariffs Upend US Economic Outlook

Following President Trump's blanket tariff announcement, recession odds have surged across multiple prediction markets. Kalshi now pegs the chance of a US recession in 2025 at 56%, up from 43% just days prior. Polymarket shows a similar trend at 50%, while crypto-native Myriad Markets pegs the risk at 53.6%. Economists are warning that the tariffs, while politically popular with parts of the base, are likely to raise costs across the board without boosting domestic production.

The Nasdaq and S&P 500 both closed down sharply following the announcement, falling 6% and 5%, respectively. Analysts at Goldman Sachs referred to the tariffs as a potential "growth shock" that will hit US consumers hardest. The Economist went further, calling Trump's move "the most harmful economic error in the modern era." The March PMI shows inflationary pressure ramping up while factory activity continues to contract.

Bitcoin, altcoins, and the broader crypto market were also swept up in the panic. Over $200 billion in value was erased from the digital asset space, with red ink spilling across every major chart. Some traders expect a rebound once volatility cools, while others warn that capital flight from risky assets could intensify if macro conditions deteriorate further.

Despite the market turmoil, some remain optimistic about crypto's long-term prospects in a high-inflation, low-growth environment. Bitwise's Ryan Rasmussen reiterated his $200K Bitcoin price target for 2025, calling the tariff chaos a temporary headwind. "Once the market settles from this 'Liberation Day' chaos, we'll finally start seeing the pullback reverse," he said. For now, however, economic headwinds are firmly in focus.

Financial Revolution (Sponsored)

Elon’s Biggest Venture Yet? Here’s What Experts Say

Every investor in America is trying to figure out what Musk will do in Washington, D.C., in the coming weeks.

One Boston-based think tank – who has studied Elon’s work for decades – is stepping forward to share what they’ve found.

They believe his TRUE plan is far more radical than anyone realizes. It could change the way you live, work, get paid, and collect Social Security…

...AND could make more people rich than all of Elon's previous ventures – PUT TOGETHER.

Full story here.

⏩ Future Forward

Momentum is picking up—fresh token launches, airdrops on the horizon, and changing market currents could all play a role in what's coming next. There's more happening beneath the surface than it seems. 📅

Crypto Conferences:

💎 MIT Bitcoin Expo 2025 (Apr 5, 2025 - Apr 6, 2025)

💎 Opal Exchange (Apr 6, 2025 - Apr 8, 2025)

💎 Real Estate Investment Summit (Apr 6, 2025 - Apr 8, 2025)

Upcoming Airdrops:

🎁 Vulcan Forged (PYR) Airdrop (Apr 7, 2025)

🎁 IOST (IOST) Airdrop (Apr 9, 2025)

🎁 UXLINK (UXLINK) Airdrop (Apr 10, 2025)

Upcoming Token Launches:

🚀 Blink Game AI (BLINK) IDO on KingdomStarter (Apr 12, 2025)

🚀 Grafilab (GRAFI) IDO on Huostarter (Apr 24, 2025)

🚀 Resolv (RESOLV) IDO on Legion (Q2, 2025)

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

🧠 Crypto Know-How: What Is a Rug-Pull?

A rug pull is a type of crypto scam where developers suddenly drain a project's funds and disappear, leaving investors with worthless tokens. It usually happens in decentralized finance (DeFi) projects or with new tokens that quickly gain hype but have little transparency or oversight. The name comes from the idea of "pulling the rug out" from under investors.

These scams often start with slick websites, active social media, and promises of huge returns to attract buyers. Once enough money is locked into the project—often through a liquidity pool—the developers yank out the funds and vanish, crashing the token's value. Because anyone can create a token or DeFi project, rug pulls have become a common risk in the crypto space.

To avoid falling for a rug pull, it helps to research the team (if one exists), check whether the code is audited, and be cautious of projects with anonymous founders, unclear tokenomics, or aggressive marketing. In crypto, if something seems too good to be true—it usually is.

Everything Else

• Malta's financial watchdog has fined OKX $1.2 million for past AML violations despite the exchange's recent improvements under MiCA compliance.

• Unicoin co-founder Alex Konanykhin is urging the SEC to drop its enforcement case against the company, citing recent dismissals of high-profile crypto lawsuits under the Trump administration's softer regulatory stance.

• Babylon users unstaked over $21 million in BTC following the platform's 600M BABY token airdrop, triggering high fees and temporary volatility.

• Coinbase Institutional has filed to launch regulated XRP futures with the CFTC, targeting an April 21 trading debut under the ticker XRL.

• Illinois is set to drop its lawsuit against Coinbase's staking program, becoming the fourth state to step back as regulatory pressure eases.