Cryptocurrency Market Faces Selling Pressure
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 3 hours ago
0mins
Should l Buy COIN?
Source: NASDAQ.COM
- Market Sell-Off Intensifies: At the beginning of 2026, the cryptocurrency market is experiencing severe selling pressure, with XRP's price dropping by 25% to a market cap of $82 billion, indicating a waning confidence among investors in crypto assets as they rotate into more stable opportunities.
- Liquidity Rotation Impact: As investment interest in the artificial intelligence sector rises, many investors are opting to shift funds from volatile cryptocurrencies to the multi-trillion dollar AI infrastructure supercycle, adversely affecting major crypto assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
- Macroeconomic Uncertainty: Rising geopolitical tensions and uncertainties surrounding Federal Reserve monetary policy are exacerbating the challenges for cryptocurrency investors, prompting a flight to safe-haven assets like gold, which further amplifies selling pressure in the crypto market.
- XRP Future Outlook: Analysts predict that if XRP's price continues to decline, it could fall to $1 or lower by the end of 2026, suggesting that investors should treat it as a utility or infrastructure investment rather than a speculative asset to navigate market volatility.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy COIN?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on COIN
Wall Street analysts forecast COIN stock price to rise
25 Analyst Rating
17 Buy
7 Hold
1 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 141.090
Low
230.00
Averages
361.63
High
440.00
Current: 141.090
Low
230.00
Averages
361.63
High
440.00
About COIN
Coinbase Global, Inc. is a holding company of Coinbase, Inc. and other subsidiaries. The Company provides a platform that serves as a compliant on-ramp to the onchain economy and enables users to engage in a variety of activities with their crypto assets in both proprietary and third-party product experiences enabled by access to decentralized applications. It offers consumers their primary financial account for the cryptoeconomy; institutions a full-service prime brokerage platform with access to deep pools of liquidity across the crypto marketplace, and developers a suite of products granting access to build onchain. Its platform helps people and institutions to engage with crypto assets, including trading, staking, safekeeping, spending, and global transfers. It offers products and services to various customer groups: individuals, businesses, institutions, and developers. Its transaction products consist of consumer trading, prime Trading, markets, base protocol and Coinbase wallet.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Coinbase Users Show Resilience Amid Market Downturn
- User Buying Trends: Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong noted that retail users displayed strong resilience during the market downturn, consistently purchasing Bitcoin and Ethereum during dips, indicating a firm confidence in crypto assets among customers.
- Holding Analysis: Armstrong emphasized that the majority of customers had native balances of Bitcoin and Ethereum in February equal to or greater than their December holdings, demonstrating a stable investment strategy amidst market volatility.
- Market Indicator Insights: Google search interest for Bitcoin reached a five-month high in February, reflecting increased market attention, while Binance retail traders showed strong Bitcoin optimism in derivatives, with a Long/Short ratio of 1.90.
- Financial Performance Overview: Coinbase's fourth-quarter revenue for 2025 hit $1.78 billion, missing analyst estimates, but EPS came in strong at $0.66, beating forecasts, with full-year revenue reaching $7.2 billion, a 9% increase from last year.
See More
U.S. Secretary of State Reaffirms Support for Europe at Munich Security Conference
- Reaffirmation of U.S.-Europe Relations: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized at the Munich Security Conference that “we want Europe to be strong,” indicating a commitment to repairing relations and enhancing cooperation on security and economic fronts.
- Inflation Data Decline: The U.S. consumer price index rose 2.4% year-on-year in January, down from 2.7% in December, with core CPI at 2.5%, the lowest since April 2021, suggesting that if this trend continues, it could pave the way for lower interest rates and positively impact markets.
- Japan's Economic Recovery: Japan's GDP grew by 0.1% in the fourth quarter, missing the expected 0.4% but reversing a 0.7% contraction in the previous quarter, indicating potential for economic recovery and avoiding a technical recession.
- Surge in Cryptocurrency Crime: Cryptocurrency payments linked to suspected human trafficking surged by 85% in 2025, highlighting the expansion of a criminal ecosystem in Southeast Asia, which may prompt regulatory scrutiny and responses.
See More
XRP Price Plummets 25%: Investor Strategies Amid Crypto Winter
- Market Turmoil Impact: At the start of 2026, XRP's price has plummeted by 25%, currently trading at $1.35 with a market cap of $82 billion, reflecting diminished investor confidence in cryptocurrencies amid rising macroeconomic uncertainties.
- Liquidity Rotation Trend: As AI infrastructure gains traction, investors are increasingly shifting funds towards more promising tech sectors, leading to selling pressure on crypto assets like XRP, which adversely affects its market performance.
- Utility vs. Valuation Pressure: While Ripple has successfully integrated XRP into its payment network and challenged SWIFT, the focus on its real-world utility diminishes during economic uncertainty, increasing valuation pressure that could further impact its market share.
- Future Price Forecast: Analysts predict that XRP's price could drop to $1 or lower by the end of 2026, suggesting that investors should treat it as a utility or infrastructure investment rather than a speculative asset to navigate ongoing market volatility.
See More
Cryptocurrency Market Faces Selling Pressure
- Market Sell-Off Intensifies: At the beginning of 2026, the cryptocurrency market is experiencing severe selling pressure, with XRP's price dropping by 25% to a market cap of $82 billion, indicating a waning confidence among investors in crypto assets as they rotate into more stable opportunities.
- Liquidity Rotation Impact: As investment interest in the artificial intelligence sector rises, many investors are opting to shift funds from volatile cryptocurrencies to the multi-trillion dollar AI infrastructure supercycle, adversely affecting major crypto assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
- Macroeconomic Uncertainty: Rising geopolitical tensions and uncertainties surrounding Federal Reserve monetary policy are exacerbating the challenges for cryptocurrency investors, prompting a flight to safe-haven assets like gold, which further amplifies selling pressure in the crypto market.
- XRP Future Outlook: Analysts predict that if XRP's price continues to decline, it could fall to $1 or lower by the end of 2026, suggesting that investors should treat it as a utility or infrastructure investment rather than a speculative asset to navigate market volatility.
See More
Cryptocurrency Sector Increases Political Spending Ahead of Midterms
- Increased Political Spending: The cryptocurrency sector is ramping up its political expenditures ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with Fairshake super PAC announcing it raised $191 million last month, highlighting the industry's focus on influencing policy.
- Funding Source Analysis: According to FEC filings, Fairshake raised $132.83 million in 2025, and combined with unused funds from the 2024 cycle, its total exceeds $190 million, indicating the financial strength of the industry in political activities.
- Competing PAC Status: The Bitcoin Freedom PAC entered 2026 with $78,667 in cash on hand, which, while relatively modest, still reflects the cryptocurrency sector's intent to engage in the political arena.
- Legislative Obstacles: The crypto market structure bill remains stalled in the Senate due to discord among top PAC backers, which could impact the industry's regulatory outlook and policy development.
See More
Cryptocurrency Market Faces Pressure as Stock Futures Rise
- Cryptocurrency Market Decline: Bitcoin slid into the $68,000 region with an 11% increase in trading volume over the past 24 hours, yet the market continues to face selling pressure, indicating a bearish sentiment among investors.
- Ethereum Trading Surge: Ethereum fell below $2,000 amid an 80% spike in 24-hour trading volume, reflecting strong selling pressure that could impact its short-term price trajectory.
- Market Liquidation Overview: Approximately $325 million was liquidated from the market in the last 24 hours, with $240 million in bullish long positions wiped out, highlighting investor sensitivity to market volatility.
- Stock Futures Rise: Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose by 37 points, or 0.07%, as consumer inflation eased to an 8-month low, suggesting a more optimistic outlook for the economy moving forward.
See More
Coinbase Users Show Resilience Amid Market Downturn
- User Buying Trends: Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong noted that retail users displayed strong resilience during the market downturn, consistently purchasing Bitcoin and Ethereum during dips, indicating a firm confidence in crypto assets among customers.
- Holding Analysis: Armstrong emphasized that the majority of customers had native balances of Bitcoin and Ethereum in February equal to or greater than their December holdings, demonstrating a stable investment strategy amidst market volatility.
- Market Indicator Insights: Google search interest for Bitcoin reached a five-month high in February, reflecting increased market attention, while Binance retail traders showed strong Bitcoin optimism in derivatives, with a Long/Short ratio of 1.90.
- Financial Performance Overview: Coinbase's fourth-quarter revenue for 2025 hit $1.78 billion, missing analyst estimates, but EPS came in strong at $0.66, beating forecasts, with full-year revenue reaching $7.2 billion, a 9% increase from last year.
See More
U.S. Secretary of State Reaffirms Support for Europe at Munich Security Conference
- Reaffirmation of U.S.-Europe Relations: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized at the Munich Security Conference that “we want Europe to be strong,” indicating a commitment to repairing relations and enhancing cooperation on security and economic fronts.
- Inflation Data Decline: The U.S. consumer price index rose 2.4% year-on-year in January, down from 2.7% in December, with core CPI at 2.5%, the lowest since April 2021, suggesting that if this trend continues, it could pave the way for lower interest rates and positively impact markets.
- Japan's Economic Recovery: Japan's GDP grew by 0.1% in the fourth quarter, missing the expected 0.4% but reversing a 0.7% contraction in the previous quarter, indicating potential for economic recovery and avoiding a technical recession.
- Surge in Cryptocurrency Crime: Cryptocurrency payments linked to suspected human trafficking surged by 85% in 2025, highlighting the expansion of a criminal ecosystem in Southeast Asia, which may prompt regulatory scrutiny and responses.
See More
XRP Price Plummets 25%: Investor Strategies Amid Crypto Winter
- Market Turmoil Impact: At the start of 2026, XRP's price has plummeted by 25%, currently trading at $1.35 with a market cap of $82 billion, reflecting diminished investor confidence in cryptocurrencies amid rising macroeconomic uncertainties.
- Liquidity Rotation Trend: As AI infrastructure gains traction, investors are increasingly shifting funds towards more promising tech sectors, leading to selling pressure on crypto assets like XRP, which adversely affects its market performance.
- Utility vs. Valuation Pressure: While Ripple has successfully integrated XRP into its payment network and challenged SWIFT, the focus on its real-world utility diminishes during economic uncertainty, increasing valuation pressure that could further impact its market share.
- Future Price Forecast: Analysts predict that XRP's price could drop to $1 or lower by the end of 2026, suggesting that investors should treat it as a utility or infrastructure investment rather than a speculative asset to navigate ongoing market volatility.
See More
Cryptocurrency Market Faces Selling Pressure
- Market Sell-Off Intensifies: At the beginning of 2026, the cryptocurrency market is experiencing severe selling pressure, with XRP's price dropping by 25% to a market cap of $82 billion, indicating a waning confidence among investors in crypto assets as they rotate into more stable opportunities.
- Liquidity Rotation Impact: As investment interest in the artificial intelligence sector rises, many investors are opting to shift funds from volatile cryptocurrencies to the multi-trillion dollar AI infrastructure supercycle, adversely affecting major crypto assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
- Macroeconomic Uncertainty: Rising geopolitical tensions and uncertainties surrounding Federal Reserve monetary policy are exacerbating the challenges for cryptocurrency investors, prompting a flight to safe-haven assets like gold, which further amplifies selling pressure in the crypto market.
- XRP Future Outlook: Analysts predict that if XRP's price continues to decline, it could fall to $1 or lower by the end of 2026, suggesting that investors should treat it as a utility or infrastructure investment rather than a speculative asset to navigate market volatility.
See More
Cryptocurrency Sector Increases Political Spending Ahead of Midterms
- Increased Political Spending: The cryptocurrency sector is ramping up its political expenditures ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with Fairshake super PAC announcing it raised $191 million last month, highlighting the industry's focus on influencing policy.
- Funding Source Analysis: According to FEC filings, Fairshake raised $132.83 million in 2025, and combined with unused funds from the 2024 cycle, its total exceeds $190 million, indicating the financial strength of the industry in political activities.
- Competing PAC Status: The Bitcoin Freedom PAC entered 2026 with $78,667 in cash on hand, which, while relatively modest, still reflects the cryptocurrency sector's intent to engage in the political arena.
- Legislative Obstacles: The crypto market structure bill remains stalled in the Senate due to discord among top PAC backers, which could impact the industry's regulatory outlook and policy development.
See More
Cryptocurrency Market Faces Pressure as Stock Futures Rise
- Cryptocurrency Market Decline: Bitcoin slid into the $68,000 region with an 11% increase in trading volume over the past 24 hours, yet the market continues to face selling pressure, indicating a bearish sentiment among investors.
- Ethereum Trading Surge: Ethereum fell below $2,000 amid an 80% spike in 24-hour trading volume, reflecting strong selling pressure that could impact its short-term price trajectory.
- Market Liquidation Overview: Approximately $325 million was liquidated from the market in the last 24 hours, with $240 million in bullish long positions wiped out, highlighting investor sensitivity to market volatility.
- Stock Futures Rise: Dow Jones Industrial Average futures rose by 37 points, or 0.07%, as consumer inflation eased to an 8-month low, suggesting a more optimistic outlook for the economy moving forward.
See More
