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Ripple Whales Are Holding Tight: Could Falling Binance Inflows Push XRP Back to $2?

Despite ongoing weakness across the broader cryptocurrency market, XRP’s largest holders appear to be showing increasing conviction. Recent on chain data suggests that whales are sending fewer tokens to exchanges, fueling speculation that reduced selling pressure could pave the way for a price recovery.

According to CryptoQuant analyst Pelinay, declining whale activity on Binance combined with a resurgence in demand could provide the momentum needed for XRP to revisit the $1.80 to $2.00 range.

Binance Sees a Drop in Whale Deposits

Pelinay’s analysis focused on transaction data from Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. Transfers involving more than one million XRP began to decline in 2025 and have continued trending lower ever since.

Prior to this shift, large transfers frequently dominated exchange inflow charts, reflecting substantial activity from whales and institutional investors. Between 2021 and 2025, these high value deposits remained elevated, suggesting that Binance was a preferred venue for major XRP holders.

However, after reaching a peak in 2025, inflows exceeding one million XRP started to cool. The decline pointed to a reduction in selling pressure from large investors who appeared less willing to move their holdings onto exchanges.

The slowdown became even more pronounced following the approval of spot XRP exchange traded funds in the United States. According to the analysis, this development may have strengthened investor confidence and reduced the urgency among whales to sell.

Reduced Selling Pressure but XRP Remains Under Pressure

Historical data shows that major spikes in Binance inflows from wallets transferring between 100,000 and one million XRP, as well as those exceeding one million XRP, have often preceded sharp market declines.

These surges typically signal increased selling activity from large holders, creating enough downward pressure to trigger significant price corrections.

Looking at the latest data, Pelinay noted that no similar spike is currently visible.

“At the far right of the chart, no such extraordinary surge is currently visible. As a result, on chain data does not point to aggressive whale selling or widespread profit taking at this stage,” the analyst explained.

Even so, XRP has struggled to maintain its previous highs. Although whale selling has eased since 2025, the token has still retreated from the $3 region. At the time of analysis, XRP was trading near $1.10, reflecting a weekly decline of 10 percent and a 24 hour loss of 5 percent.

Pelinay attributed the weakness to leverage driven liquidations and the broader bearish conditions affecting the cryptocurrency market.

What Could Drive XRP Higher?

According to the analyst, XRP’s path to recovery depends largely on two factors: strengthening demand and continued restraint from large holders.

If Binance inflows remain subdued while buying interest improves, the available supply on exchanges could continue shrinking. That imbalance between supply and demand could create the conditions needed for a sustained rally.

“As long as there is no renewed surge in the one million plus XRP inflow category, this constructive market structure may remain intact,” Pelinay concluded.

For now, the data suggests that XRP whales are choosing patience over profit taking. If that trend persists and market sentiment improves, the possibility of XRP reclaiming the $2 level could become increasingly realistic.#crypto#cryptonews https://coinsignals.net https://t.me/coinsignalpublic

XRP, ADA, and SOL Extend Losses as Bitcoin Slides to $61,000

SIREN has emerged as one of the market’s biggest losers, plunging more than 35% over the past 24 hours as a fresh wave of selling pressure swept across the cryptocurrency sector.

Bitcoin came under renewed pressure after failing to hold above the $64,000 level. The leading cryptocurrency fell sharply over the past 12 hours, dropping to just below $61,000. Growing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East appear to have contributed to the decline, sparking a broader risk off sentiment across financial markets.

Bitcoin Faces Another Setback

The previous trading week was marked by heightened volatility and steep losses for Bitcoin. The asset began the week trading around $73,000 before steadily surrendering major support levels. The selloff intensified on Friday.

After falling below $70,000, then $65,000 and $62,000, Bitcoin approached the $60,000 mark for the first time since early February. Unlike previous corrections, however, sellers maintained firm control and pushed the cryptocurrency beneath that threshold, sending it to a 19 month low of $59,100.

Despite the sharp decline, Bitcoin managed to stage a quick recovery. It reclaimed the $60,000 level by the end of the day and climbed back toward $61,000 and $62,000 over the weekend. At the start of the current trading week, BTC tested the $64,000 level twice.

Momentum shifted again after reports surfaced that Iran had downed a United States helicopter, prompting comments from the US president indicating that a response was necessary.

The escalating geopolitical uncertainty triggered immediate selling across both cryptocurrency markets and Wall Street. Bitcoin quickly retreated to just under $61,000 and is now struggling to regain that level. Its market capitalization has declined to approximately $1.225 trillion, while its dominance over the altcoin market has slipped to 56 percent.

Altcoins Continue to Bleed

The broader altcoin market has suffered even steeper losses.

Ethereum has fallen more than 3 percent and is trading near $1,600. BNB has declined by a similar margin to around $585, while Dogecoin has dropped to $0.084.

XRP has shed more than 5 percent and is once again testing a critical support zone. Solana has slipped well below $65, while Cardano continues its downward trend toward $0.16.

HYPE and ZEC posted some of the largest declines over the past day, both recording double digit losses. HYPE is now changing hands at around $56, while ZEC has fallen to $425.

Several smaller cryptocurrencies experienced even deeper corrections. SIREN plunged 37 percent, LAB declined 16 percent, and DEXE dropped 15 percent.

Not all assets ended the day in the red. BEAT emerged as one of the strongest performers with a 28 percent gain. WBT followed with a 13 percent increase, while STABLE advanced by 12 percent.

As a result of the widespread selloff, the total cryptocurrency market capitalization has lost more than $60 billion in just 24 hours and now stands below $2.2 trillion, according to CoinGecko.#crypto#cryptonews https://coinsignals.net https://t.me/coinsignalpublic

How a Security Researcher Used Claude Code to Uncover a Billion-Dollar Zcash Bug

A security researcher leveraging AI-assisted auditing tools uncovered a critical vulnerability in the Zcash protocol—one that could have enabled the creation of undetectable counterfeit ZEC within the network’s Orchard shielded pool.

Taylor Hornby, a researcher at Shielded Labs, identified the flaw on May 29, 2026, just one day after Anthropic released Claude Opus 4.8. The discovery ultimately wiped billions of dollars from Zcash’s market value as the market reacted to the severity of the issue.

The vulnerability affected Orchard, the shielded transaction system that powers Zcash’s privacy features. It was serious enough to trigger an emergency response throughout the ecosystem. News of the flaw sparked a sharp sell-off, sending ZEC tumbling by roughly 60% and erasing more than $4 billion in market capitalization.

At its core, the bug stemmed from a missing constraint in Orchard’s cryptographic circuit. This oversight could have allowed a malicious actor to spend the same shielded note multiple times while generating different nullifiers—effectively creating new ZEC without detection on the blockchain.

Even more alarming was the fact that the vulnerability had existed since Orchard launched in May 2022. That meant the network had potentially been exposed for nearly four years before the flaw was finally identified and patched.

AI Played a Key Role in the Discovery

What makes this story particularly remarkable is not just the vulnerability itself, but how it was uncovered.

Hornby revealed that he used a custom-built auditing framework called “zcash-full-stack-auditor” powered by Claude Opus 4.8. Configured to operate at maximum effort, the system analyzed Zcash’s Halo2 implementation, including the Orchard circuit, specifically searching for soundness flaws and weaknesses in its zero-knowledge security model.

At approximately 6 p.m. on May 29, one of the AI-driven audit agents flagged suspicious behavior that suggested Orchard notes could potentially be double-spent.

Hornby then turned to Claude for assistance in developing proof-of-concept code using a comparable circuit before validating the exploit against Orchard’s actual implementation.

From Theory to Proof

To confirm the vulnerability, Hornby constructed a full-scale test using Zcash’s local regtest environment. The exploit successfully doubled the value of an Orchard note repeatedly until the test wallet balance exceeded 10 million ZEC.

Importantly, these transactions were never broadcast to either the mainnet or testnet. However, the results carried enormous significance because regtest enforces the same validation rules used on the live network. In theory, the exploit could have worked on mainnet under identical conditions.

According to the official disclosure, the complete proof-of-concept was developed in roughly six hours with Claude Code’s assistance. Hornby noted that the model required only minimal direction beyond a handful of prompts and clarifications.

A Glimpse Into the Future of Security Research

Despite the headlines, Hornby emphasized that this was not a case of AI independently “hacking” Zcash.

He is an experienced security specialist conducting a focused audit with purpose-built tools. Human expertise guided every stage of the investigation, from identifying suspicious outputs to validating the exploit and assessing its impact.

Nevertheless, the incident highlights a major shift in cybersecurity. Advanced AI models are increasingly becoming powerful collaborators, dramatically reducing the time required to analyze highly sophisticated systems and uncover vulnerabilities that might otherwise remain hidden for years.

As AI capabilities continue to evolve, their role in security research may prove just as transformative as their impact on software development itself.#crypto#crypto#cryptonews https://coinsignals.net https://t.me/coinsignalpublic

Retail Investors Are Giving Up on Ethereum And That Could Signal a Recovery: Santiment

Retail traders appear to be losing faith in Ethereum, but according to blockchain analytics firm Santiment, that widespread pessimism could actually improve the chances of a market rebound.

In a recent update, Santiment noted that “the crowd has written off Ethereum,” arguing that this level of negativity has historically increased the likelihood of a recovery. The firm observed that social sentiment surrounding ETH has slipped into what it describes as an “extreme fear zone,” driven by months of disappointing performance compared with Bitcoin and several major altcoins.

The recent decline has also been fueled by ongoing criticism directed at the Ethereum Foundation. Debates over the organization’s leadership, strategic priorities, and controversial remarks made by Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin have added to investor uncertainty and deepened bearish sentiment.

Extreme Fear Could Be a Contrarian Signal

Santiment reported that the ratio of positive to negative commentary surrounding Ethereum has fallen to one of its lowest points this year, indicating that pessimistic narratives now dominate crypto discussions across social media platforms.

A similar scenario unfolded in April 2025 when ETH plunged to comparable price levels. At the time, fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) reached extreme levels, with many market participants declaring that “Ethereum is dead.”

Yet the outcome proved very different. Within four months, Ethereum had tripled in value and climbed to a new all-time high.

According to Santiment, Ethereum has historically staged recoveries when social sentiment reaches extreme levels of fear. Markets often move against the consensus view, and when most traders become convinced that prices will continue falling, much of the selling pressure may have already been exhausted.

Profitability Metrics Highlight Market Weakness

On-chain data from Glassnode paints a picture of how significantly Ethereum’s profitability has deteriorated. The analytics firm revealed that the percentage of ETH supply held at gains exceeding three times the purchase price has fallen to just 11%—its lowest level since 2017.

Glassnode noted that Ethereum’s profitability profile has “fundamentally compressed” compared with previous market cycles, reflecting the broader challenges facing investors.

However, Ethereum is not alone in its struggles. The firm also reported that Bitcoin’s supply held at a loss has climbed to a new yearly high of 50%, suggesting that bearish conditions are affecting the broader cryptocurrency market.

ETH Price Outlook

In the near term, Ethereum remains under pressure. ETH slipped to an intraday low of $1,620 twice within the past 24 hours, highlighting the market’s continued weakness.

With few catalysts to spark renewed momentum, a further decline toward the $1,500 level appears increasingly possible. This price zone served as a major support area roughly 14 months ago, during another difficult period for Ethereum, and could once again become a critical level for traders to watch.#crypto#cryptonews https://coinsignals.net https://t.me/coinsignalpublic

XRP Activity Plunges as Investor Capitulation Intensifies: What It Means for Ripple

New on-chain data suggests that many XRP investors remain under significant pressure, while transaction activity continues to trail far behind the highs seen in previous market cycles.

Blockchain analytics firm Glassnode has highlighted a notable decline in several key XRP network indicators, signaling weakening ecosystem activity and increasing strain on holders. Despite XRP still trading well above its 2024 price levels, both transaction demand and investor profitability have deteriorated considerably.

One of the clearest signs of this shift appears in Glassnode’s latest realized profit-and-loss metrics. The firm’s data shows that the 90-day simple moving average of XRP’s Realized Profit-to-Loss Ratio has fallen to 0.38. In practical terms, this means investors are realizing just 38 cents in profit for every dollar lost through on-chain transactions.

Profitability Metrics Reflect Growing Market Stress

The ratio remains well below the critical breakeven level of 1.0, which distinguishes periods of net profit-taking from phases dominated by losses. During strong bullish conditions, this metric can surge above 20 or even 50 as investors lock in substantial gains.

The current reading paints a starkly different picture. Loss realization is significantly outweighing profit-taking, a pattern Glassnode says is often associated with capitulation. Such periods typically occur when a large number of investors exit their positions at a loss, reflecting heightened market stress and weakened confidence.

At the same time, broader network activity has continued to slow. According to Glassnode, the 90-day simple moving average of total transaction fees paid on the XRP Ledger has collapsed from approximately 5,900 XRP in February 2025 to around 500 XRP today. This represents a decline of more than 91%, pointing to a sharp reduction in network usage and demand.

XRP Ecosystem Faces Continued Pressure

These latest figures reinforce concerns Glassnode raised in late 2025 regarding the financial health of XRP holders. In November of that year, the firm reported that only 58.5% of XRP’s circulating supply remained in profit.

The data echoed conditions seen during earlier periods of market weakness. It marked the lowest share of profitable supply since November 2024, when XRP traded near $0.53. Even with the token later changing hands around $2.15, roughly 41.5% of the circulating supply—equivalent to about 26.5 billion XRP—was still being held at a loss.

Taken together, the sharp decline in profitability and the slowdown in network activity suggest that the XRP ecosystem remains under considerable strain. The data indicates that a substantial number of holders are still underwater, while transaction demand continues to lag well below the peaks recorded in previous market cycles.#crypto#cryptonews https://coinsignals.net https://t.me/coinsignalpublic

DeFi Users Urged to Revoke Approvals Ahead of Anthropic’s Mythos AI Release

Crypto users in decentralized finance are being advised to review and revoke token approvals before Anthropic releases a public version of its Mythos AI model. According to crypto analyst The DeFi Investor, the launch could significantly raise security risks across DeFi protocols.

The concern stems from Mythos’ reported strength in detecting software vulnerabilities. If made widely available, such a tool could potentially accelerate the discovery and exploitation of weaknesses in smart contracts across the DeFi ecosystem.

Recommended Security Steps for Users

In a post shared on June 9 on X, The DeFi Investor encouraged users to revoke unused token approvals, interact only with well audited decentralized applications, and distribute assets across multiple wallets to reduce exposure to single points of failure.

Token approvals are permissions granted by users that allow smart contracts to spend tokens on their behalf. These permissions often remain active long after they are needed, creating hidden risk if any approved contract is later compromised.

The analyst warned that Mythos could significantly increase the speed and sophistication of vulnerability discovery. They referenced recent developments involving Anthropic’s Claude Opus model, which reportedly identified a critical flaw in Zcash, suggesting Mythos may be even more advanced.

They also cautioned that the DeFi sector may be entering a period of heightened security pressure, pointing to the Zcash incident as an example. In that case, a vulnerability in the Orchard shielded pool allowed the possibility of unlimited token minting, contributing to a more than 35 percent single day price drop and prompting BitMEX co founder Arthur Hayes to exit his ZEC position amid uncertainty over possible exploitation.

Mythos Access and Controlled Deployment

Reports indicate that Mythos has been limited since April to around 50 organizations, including major technology firms such as Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft. This restricted rollout is part of Anthropic’s Project Glasswing, which aims to use the model for defensive security research.

According to Bloomberg, Anthropic is preparing to expand access to an additional 150 organizations across 15 countries.

However, reports from TFTC and journalist Alex Heath suggest that the upcoming public release will include strict safeguards and will be significantly more restricted than the version available to Project Glasswing participants.

Ongoing Debate Over DeFi Security

The warnings from The DeFi Investor arrive amid a broader debate about whether decentralized finance systems can remain secure in an era of increasingly powerful artificial intelligence tools.

In late May, OpenZeppelin co founder Manuel Aráoz argued that “all of DeFi is unsafe” and advised users to withdraw funds from major protocols such as Aave, MakerDAO, and Compound. His position is that AI has shifted the advantage toward attackers, making smart contract security harder to guarantee.

The crypto industry has also seen multiple high profile exploits in recent months, including attacks on KelpDAO and Drift Protocol in April that collectively resulted in losses exceeding $570 million. More recently, reports suggested that at least $30 million was drained from Humanity Protocol wallets across 17 accounts.

Not all experts share this level of concern. Aave Chan Initiative founder Marc Zeller has argued that fears surrounding AI driven attacks are exaggerated, noting that fewer than 10 percent of DeFi security incidents over the past year were caused by code level vulnerabilities.

Anthropic itself has stated, according to Bloomberg, that while artificial intelligence will ultimately strengthen defensive capabilities, the transition period is likely to be marked by elevated risk.#crypto#cryptonews https://coinsignals.net https://t.me/coinsignalpublic

Sahara AI Token Falls Over 60% as Team Rejects Security Breach Claims

Sahara AI’s SAHARA token experienced a sharp decline of about 60 percent on June 9, leading to more than $23 million in liquidations across the market. The drop sparked widespread speculation, particularly as it came shortly after another incident involving the Humanity protocol, which reportedly lost $30 million in a breach that caused its H token to plunge nearly 90 percent.

Project Response and On Chain Activity

Following the sudden price drop from approximately $0.034 to $0.014 according to CoinGecko data, the Sahara AI team acknowledged unusual volatility in a post on X. They stated that no vulnerabilities had been found in the token’s smart contracts or platform products and added that they were continuing an internal investigation while providing further updates as needed.

Concerns intensified after on chain analysts pointed to a transfer of around 600 million SAHARA tokens, suggesting it could have triggered the price movement. The team later clarified that this transfer was a planned deployment linked to a Chainlink CCIP bridge contract. According to their explanation, the transaction was intended to supply liquidity for a newly launched cross chain bridge rather than represent any form of sell pressure.

The team also emphasized that neither investor nor internal treasury allocations had been moved. They stated explicitly that no tokens belonging to the team or investors were sold or transferred. To support their claim, they shared an Etherscan address for public verification and reiterated that the investigation into the price crash was still ongoing, separate from the bridge related activity.

Despite these assurances, market skepticism remains. Data from CoinGlass shows that over the past 12 hours, approximately $22.9 million in long positions were liquidated compared with just $354,000 in shorts, indicating that most losses were concentrated among traders positioned for upside.

Sharp Decline From All Time High

SAHARA was listed on Binance in June 2025 and later reached an all time high of $0.1605 in July. Since then, the token has fallen nearly 90 percent from its peak. At the time of writing, it is down more than 50 percent over the past week and about 54 percent over the past month.

The recent collapse comes shortly after another major token event involving EDGE, the native asset of a decentralized exchange, which dropped by 71 percent to a new all time low. Similar to Sahara AI, its team denied any security breach and attributed the decline to external manipulation, a claim that on chain analyst ZachXBT publicly challenged. Later reports from edgeX suggested that some centralized exchanges pointed to thin liquidity conditions as a contributing factor rather than coordinated selling from the team.#crypto#cryptonews https://coinsignals.net https://t.me/coinsignalpublic

Over 535,000 Wallets Hold LINK as Chainlink Sees Steady Accumulation Despite Market Weakness

Chainlink has recorded a notable increase in network participation, with more than 535,000 wallets now holding at least one LINK token. This marks the highest level of non micro holder addresses since December 2022, even though the asset is still trading well below its previous cycle highs.

Rising Wallet Counts Point to Gradual Accumulation

Data from Santiment shows that the steady rise in wallet numbers is typically interpreted as a sign of growing adoption and long term accumulation. The analytics firm noted that expanding holder bases are particularly significant during periods of market uncertainty, as they suggest increasing confidence among participants.

Santiment also emphasized that tracking wallets holding at least one LINK provides a clearer picture of genuine network engagement rather than short term trading activity. While price movements are often driven by sentiment and volatility, a rising number of holders can indicate strengthening long term interest in the ecosystem.

Despite this trend, LINK’s price performance has remained weak. Over the past month, the token has declined from above $10.40 in early May to around $7.90 at the time of writing. This divergence suggests that while adoption continues to grow, it has not yet translated into upward price momentum.

Expanding Ecosystem and Infrastructure Adoption

Even with price pressure persisting, Chainlink’s infrastructure has seen broader adoption in recent weeks. Following an April exploit involving systems powered by LayerZero, both KelpDAO and Solv Protocol announced plans to migrate parts of their cross chain operations to Chainlink’s Cross Chain Interoperability Protocol, known as CCIP.

KelpDAO intends to move its rsETH asset to CCIP to enhance security and reliability, while Solv Protocol is shifting more than $700 million in Bitcoin related assets to the same framework as part of a wider upgrade to its cross chain infrastructure.

Santiment commented on Chainlink’s positioning, stating that as the network continues to play a key role in oracle services, tokenized assets, and real world asset infrastructure, it could emerge as a strong performer when broader market conditions improve.

Growing Institutional and Policy Engagement

Chainlink Labs is also expanding its presence in the regulatory and institutional space. Together with Anchorage Digital, it helped establish the Blockchain Leadership Fund, a political action committee that has endorsed ten candidates for the 2026 election cycle who support crypto friendly and blockchain focused policies.

In addition, Chainlink technology was recently integrated into Fidelity International’s first tokenized fund, known as FILQ, further highlighting its growing role in traditional financial infrastructure.#crypto#cryptonews https://coinsignals.net https://t.me/coinsignalpublic

XRP at a Critical Turning Point: Break Above $1.40 or Risk Drop Toward $0.80

XRP is currently trading in what analyst EGRAG CRYPTO describes as a “macro decision zone,” where the next monthly candle close could define whether the asset establishes a double bottom pattern or continues its decline toward $0.80.

The token recently rebounded after falling to a 19 month low of $1.05 last week. However, it has yet to reclaim key price levels that would signal a strong bullish reversal.

Key Price Structure Levels

EGRAG CRYPTO noted that a monthly close above $1.40 would be the first major confirmation that the $1.05 low marked a bottom. A more convincing recovery, in their view, would only begin if XRP reclaims the $1.61 to $1.65 range, while a breakout above $1.70 would provide further confirmation of a trend shift.

At present, none of these bullish thresholds have been reached.

On the downside, the analyst warned that a loss of momentum could send XRP back toward $0.80. They did not identify strong intermediate support levels between the current price range and that deeper target, suggesting limited cushioning if bearish pressure returns.

EGRAG summarized the structure by stating that holding current levels could support a double bottom formation, while a breakdown would increase the likelihood of a move toward $0.80.

Previously, the analyst observed XRP moving up to $1.1860 and building momentum for another push, with short term expectations between $1.19 and $1.25. However, they cautioned that a drop below $1.14 could trigger a retest of $1.10.

Additional Technical Perspectives

Another analyst, CasiTrades, provided a complementary technical view, noting that XRP recently touched a major 0.786 macro Fibonacci support near $1.09 on Coinbase. From their perspective, $1.19 and $1.27 now act as key resistance levels, and failure to break them could lead to another decline toward $0.90.

Conversely, a strong breakout above those resistance zones would indicate that XRP may be transitioning into a new uptrend rather than preparing for another downturn.

Market Context and Sentiment

Some traders are also focusing on longer term indicators. Analyst ChartNerd highlighted that XRP recently closed below its 200 week simple moving average, a technical event that has historically appeared near cycle bottom formations.

At the time of writing, XRP, the sixth largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, was up just over 1 percent over the past 24 hours. The slight gain followed news that Japan’s SBI Bank launched a program allowing customers to convert deposit interest into Bitcoin, Ethereum, or XRP.

Despite the short term bounce, XRP remains down more than 8 percent over the past week, underperforming the broader crypto market, which declined about 5.4 percent over the same period. It is also down over 18 percent in the past month and nearly 49 percent year over year, trading roughly 68 percent below its all time high reached in July 2025.

However, some analysts view the weakness as a potential accumulation phase. On chain analytics platform Santiment, using its 30 day MVRV metric, placed XRP in a “fair buy” zone where long term investors may begin accumulating positions.#crypto#cryptonews https://coinsignals.net https://t.me/coinsignalpublic

Arthur Hayes Says AI Boom Is Limiting Bitcoin’s Upside as Liquidity Flows Shift

Bitcoin has remained under pressure, struggling to hold below the $63,000 level. According to BitMEX co founder Arthur Hayes, the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence investment may be one of the key reasons BTC has failed to rally more strongly despite increasing global liquidity.

In a recent blog post, Hayes revisited his long standing thesis that crypto prices are primarily driven by fiat money creation. However, he noted that he may have underestimated an important factor: how that liquidity is being allocated across different sectors.

Bitcoin Versus Artificial Intelligence

Hayes argued that Bitcoin should have performed better given the scale of monetary expansion over recent years. Instead, he said a large share of available capital has been directed toward AI related investments.

He pointed to the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 as the starting point of what he described as a major “AI boom.” During this period, Bitcoin recovered from post FTX lows near $15,000 and climbed to around $125,000 by October 2025. However, AI focused equities significantly outpaced crypto returns.

As an example, Hayes highlighted Nvidia, which rose roughly elevenfold compared to Bitcoin’s approximately sevenfold increase over a similar timeframe. He also observed that AI related assets began outperforming more aggressively from late 2024 onward, while Bitcoin later experienced a sharp correction from its peak.

Hayes explained that his earlier models mainly focused on the total amount of fiat liquidity being created, assuming that a meaningful portion would naturally flow into Bitcoin. What he did not fully account for, he said, was the enormous capital demand generated by the AI sector.

He described AI as an exceptionally capital intensive industry that requires massive spending on data centers, energy infrastructure, advanced chips, and supporting systems. The rapid buildout of this infrastructure, which accelerated in 2024 and 2025, has created sustained demand for large scale financing.

Citing estimates based on public disclosures, Hayes said AI related companies have issued around $1.5 trillion in debt since November 2022. He added that roughly $1.3 trillion of that total was raised from 2025 onward as infrastructure spending surged.

When compared with growth in US M2 money supply, which he estimated also increased by about $1.5 trillion during the same period, Hayes concluded that much of the new liquidity has effectively been absorbed by the AI sector. He summarized this view by saying that AI has “absorbed all newly created dollars.”

Outlook and Market Caution

Despite ongoing debate about macro drivers, some analysts remain cautious about Bitcoin’s short term trajectory. Market commentator Doctor Profit recently suggested that Bitcoin is currently in the fifth phase of a six stage bear market cycle, a period often marked by heightened volatility and investor stress.

He argued that the recent decline may not represent a final bottom but rather a continuation of broader market weakness. In his view, Bitcoin could still experience further downside pressure, with a potential cycle low forming between $40,000 and $48,000, possibly around September to October 2026.#crypto#cryptonews https://coinsignals.nethttps://t.me/coinsignalpublic