Summary of this round of decline: market rate hike expectations intensify, tensions between the US and Iran flare up again, and the crypto market continues to "bleed" internally, making it difficult to regain a bullish momentum.
Bitcoin drops below $74k, ETH falls below $2,000, SOL stays above $80, HYPE and ZEC give back gains. Spot gold and silver decline, gold/silver prices drop below $4,400 and $73 respectively, stock futures and Japanese/Korean markets weaken, ETF continues to outflow. Waller appointed as Federal Reserve Chair, market predicts nearly 70% chance of another rate hike by 2026; tensions rise between the US, Iran, and the Middle East; Bankless founder Hoffman liquidates ETH but remains optimistic about ETH and Bankless; BTC spot trading volume plummeted 81% since October 2025, a clear bear market signal; crypto talent migrating to AI, open-source community monthly active users drop to about 23k, mainly losing newcomers and those involved in NFT/DeFi and other peripheral work.