In 2025, bitcoin reached historic highs but the expected “altseason” never 
materialized. Analysts point to institutional ETF inflows, diluted capital 
from thousands of new token launches, and investor preference for utility- 
driven projects as reasons for the collapse. Wintermute’s review shows altcoin 
rallies shrank to ~20 days versus 45–60 in prior years. A Paradigm Shift in 
[…]

The Death of the Altseason: Why the 2025 Cycle Never Happened

Bitcoin may be replaying a market structure that historically preceded one of 
its most powerful rallies. A high-timeframe trader has identified a fractal 
that closely mirrored Bitcoin’s behavior ahead of the 2021 bull run. He argues 
that the current cycle is unfolding in line with a well-established structural 
script observed across multiple market cycles spanning more than a decade. 
Bitcoin’s Fractal: Rooted In High-Timeframe Structure The fractal highlighted 
by the trader is based on a direct structural comparison between Bitcoin’s 
current cycle and the 2021 setup, illustrated in a chart he attached to his 
analysis. The chart aligns both periods to show how price advanced into a 
broad distribution range, rolled over into a sharp corrective phase, and then 
attempted to recover while capped by descending resistance. In both cases, 
Bitcoin retraced to the 0.382 Fibonacci level before stabilizing, marking a 
shared technical inflection point rather than a coincidental price overlap. 
Related Reading: XRP Price Is Approaching A Key Decision Zone, But Structure 
Is Still Firmly Bullish This structural symmetry extends beyond price levels 
into timing. According to the trader, the current cycle has tracked the rhythm 
of prior four-year cycles with notable consistency, allowing historical all- 
time highs and lows to be mapped objectively. Using that same framework, the 
data previously supported a high-probability short near the peak candle around 
$123,000, reinforcing his view that recurring market structure continues to 
guide directional risk. By comparing the two cycles directly, the trader 
argues that Bitcoin’s behavior is being evaluated through a recurring 
structural pattern that has remained intact for more than 12 years, rather 
than through subjective bias. $100,000 As A Structural And Psychological 
Ceiling Within the identified fractal, psychological resistance is a key 
determinant of Bitcoin’s upside potential. Looking back at 2021, Bitcoin 
failed to decisively reclaim the $50,000 level and instead front-ran it before 
reversing, establishing a behavioral precedent for how traders respond to 
significant round-number thresholds. Applying this pattern to the current 
cycle, $100,000 now functions as the analogous psychological ceiling. As a 
result, some participants may act preemptively, which could generate selling 
pressure from underwater holders and distribution by larger players. Related 
Reading: Pundit Reveals The Biggest Enemy Of XRP Investors As Price Struggles 
At $2 This potential resistance is reinforced by diagonal trendlines that 
mirror the caps observed in 2021, creating a structural limit on upside 
momentum. Within this context, short-term extensions into the $98,000–$99,000 
range remain plausible and are fully compatible with the fractal, as price can 
approach the psychological ceiling. Moreover, positioning data from the past 
six to eight months indicates that the median short-term buyer cost basis has 
clustered between $95,000 and $100,000, highlighting zones where profit-taking 
and defensive selling are likely to intensify. These elements suggest a 
scenario where price may test resistance, experience temporary stalls, and 
respect structural limits without invalidating the broader high-timeframe 
thesis. However, the trader notes that the framework is probabilistic: only a 
sustained move above $104,000–$105,000 would break the fractal pattern and 
necessitate a full reassessment of the high-timeframe trend. Featured image 
created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com

Bitcoin Flashes Near-Identical Fractal Before The 2021 Bull Run Started

Vitalik Buterin wants improved private payments, easier running of full nodes, 
decentralized apps that don’t rely on centralized services, and more on-chain 
privacy.

Sacrificing Ethereum’s values for mainstream adoption must stop now: Buterin

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase (COIN) recently retracted its support for the 
latest iteration of the crypto market structure bill, known as the CLARITY 
Act, just 24 hours before a crucial markup was scheduled. This signals 
significant concerns about the bill’s alignment with the interests of 
cryptocurrency firms compared to traditional banking institutions, not only 
for the exchange but also for broader market participants. Coinbase CEO’s 
Concerns Over Fair Competition On Friday, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong 
elaborated on the rationale behind the exchange&#8217;s withdrawal in an appearance 
on FOX Business, expressing his frustration with the notion that banks could 
use regulatory means to stifle competition in their favor. &#8220;It just felt 
deeply unfair to me that one industry [banks] would come in and get to do 
regulatory capture to ban their competition,&#8221; Armstrong stated. He also 
underscored the importance of a level playing field, asserting that 
competition should thrive without undue interference from powerful financial 
entities. Related Reading: Crypto Market Bill Draft Criticized For Allowing 
Continued Developer Prosecution Coinbase CEO emphasized that his concerns 
resonate with &#8220;much of the industry,&#8221; highlighting his obligation to advocate 
for customers who he believes are being shortchanged by the provisions of the 
proposed market legislation. &#8220;I declined to opine on the exact—whether the 
hearing, the markup should happen or not… But I did feel like I had to speak 
up on behalf of our customers and all Americans here,&#8221; he articulated. Debate 
Heats Over CLARITY Act Central to the ongoing debate surrounding the CLARITY 
Act is a critical disagreement between banks and crypto firms regarding the 
fate of stablecoin holders and whether they should be entitled to receive 
reward payments. Armstrong has previously raised alarms that the bill might 
prohibit tokenized equities, impose restrictions on decentralized finance 
(DeFi), and expand governmental access to financial data, thereby compromising 
individual privacy. Furthermore, he warned that the legislation could shift 
regulatory authority away from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) 
and towards the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), sidelining 
competition within the crypto space. Armstrong Critiques Banking Lobbying 
Tactics Armstrong noted the irony in the current situation, pointing out that 
while banks are indeed leveraging the advantages of cryptocurrency, their 
lobbying efforts seem aimed at restricting competing firms. &#8220;Many of these 
banks are actually very smart,&#8221; he acknowledged, referencing the commercial 
side of banking that is increasingly engaging with crypto. &#8220;They&#8217;re actually 
doing deals with Coinbase. We&#8217;re powering a lot of crypto and stablecoin 
infrastructure for them on the commercial side.&#8221; Related Reading: Bitcoin And 
Crypto ETFs Set To Attract $130 Billion-Plus Inflows This Year, JPMorgan 
Predicts Despite his criticisms of the banking sector&#8217;s lobbying tactics, 
Armstrong expressed optimism that legislators could ultimately resolve the 
outstanding issues within the crypto market structure bill: And then their 
lobbying arm comes to D.C. and thinks of it as very zero-sum and is trying to 
kill the competition. So, I suspect, like many things, if we get the 
principles in the room, we can actually get this figured out and make a good 
deal. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com

Coinbase CEO Claims Big Banks Are Aiming To ‘Kill Competition’ With Latest Crypto Market Bill Draft

Strive’s acquisition of Semler vaults the firm into the top tier of corporate 
bitcoin holders, amassing nearly 12,800 bitcoin as it accelerates an 
aggressive treasury strategy alongside a growing healthcare business. 
Strive–Semler Deal Creates 12,798 Bitcoin Balance Sheet, Signals Aggressive 
Treasury Expansion A major corporate transaction has reshaped a bitcoin- 
focused balance sheet. Strive Inc. (Nasdaq: […]

Cryptocurrency price in AED