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The cryptocurrency market experienced a mild pullback on Wednesday as traders moved to secure profits following a strong rally earlier in the week. After days of steady gains, momentum slowed, triggering a wave of short-term selling across major digital assets. This correction reflects a natural market response after rapid price appreciation rather than a sudden shift in overall sentiment. Bitcoin slipped below the $93,000 level, recording a daily loss of nearly 2%, while $ETH declined modestly by about 0.5% to trade near $3,156. Despite the pullback, Bitcoin continues to show resilience, remaining up roughly 6% so far in 2026. This performance suggests that the broader bullish structure is still intact, even as prices cool in the short term. The broader crypto market mirrored this movement, with total market capitalization falling by approximately 1% to $3.24 trillion. The decline followed last week’s 4.5% surge, a move that had already pushed prices into overextended territory. As a result, many traders chose to reduce exposure and rebalance positions, leading to a temporary dip across the market. Altcoins were not spared from the correction. $XRP saw one of the sharpest declines, falling more than 7% and erasing its earlier monthly gains. Solana and Dogecoin also traded lower as risk appetite weakened. The pullback in altcoins highlights how quickly sentiment can shift once momentum fades, particularly after strong short-term rallies. Additional pressure came from ETF flows and miner activity. Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded net outflows of $243 million on January 6, reflecting cautious positioning among institutional investors. BlackRock’s IBIT stood out as the only Bitcoin ETF to post inflows, while others saw capital exit. In contrast, Ethereum ETFs continued to attract interest, registering $115 million in inflows for the third consecutive day. Solana ETFs also posted inflows of $9.2 million despite the broader market decline, signaling selective confidence among investors. Miner-related selling further weighed on prices, as some mining firms increased liquidity to manage operational costs. This was compounded by the liquidation of 57 $BTC by the U.S. Department of Justice in connection with the Samourai Wallet case, adding to short-term sell-side pressure. From a technical standpoint, Bitcoin’s rejection near the $94,000 resistance level accelerated profit-taking and increased volatility. More than $64 million in Bitcoin positions were liquidated within 24 hours, while open interest dropped by nearly 24%. This sharp decline in leverage suggests traders are becoming more cautious, reducing risk as the market stabilizes. Technical indicators have now shifted toward neutral territory, signaling that the recent rally may have overheated. Despite the short-term weakness, the broader macroeconomic environment remains supportive. Recent Federal Reserve commentary has reinforced the view that current interest rates are restrictive, raising expectations that policy easing could be considered in the coming months. Softer U.S. labor market data has further fueled anticipation of potential rate cuts. Historically, lower interest rates have been favorable for digital assets, as improved liquidity often supports higher valuations for cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. This backdrop suggests that once the current wave of profit-taking subsides, the market could regain upward momentum. Overall, the current pullback appears to be a healthy consolidation phase rather than a trend reversal. Short-term selling, leverage resets, and miner activity are driving near-term price action, while continued inflows into Ethereum ETFs and selective interest in altcoins point to sustained long-term confidence. As the market settles into a neutral zone, traders remain focused on macroeconomic signals, ETF flows, and key technical levels to determine the next major move in the crypto market.

Future Outlook for Top Cryptos (2026 & Beyond) 1. Bitcoin (BTC) – “Digital Gold” Bullish Indicators (Upside Potential): Many models project Bitcoin could surge past $150,000 in 2026, with some optimistic scenarios even above $175,000, driven by institutional investors and ETF inflows. Major fund issuers like Bitwise expect Bitcoin to reach new all-time highs in 2026 due to clearer regulations and wider adoption. Bearish/Neutral Risks: Short-term volatility continues — prices may struggle or pull back some before a major breakout. Barron's 2. Ethereum (ETH) – “The Smart Contract Leader” Bullish Indicators: Analysts say ETH may trending upward through 2026, potentially averaging between roughly $4,000 and $7,000 — and possibly higher during breakout phases driven by DeFi, NFTs, and scalability improvements. Bitwise also sees Ethereum hitting new highs with stronger regulation and more institutional use. Bearish/Neutral Risks: If Bitcoin slows, Ethereum could lag initially (ETH often follows BTC strength). Wide range forecasts show potential for downside if the bullish momentum fades. 3. XRP (Ripple) – “Global Payments Token” Bullish Indicators: Some forecasting models (AI-based) suggest XRP could rally significantly, possibly reaching prices above $3–$5 or even higher by 2026 if new spot XRP ETFs and partnerships come to market. Market sentiment is improving after legal clarity and regulatory progress. Bearish/Neutral Risks: XRP remains susceptible to broader crypto market trends and may stay range-bound or weak if big catalysts don’t arrive. Bitcoin Sistemi Prediction markets show mixed probabilities — upside exists but isn’t guaranteed. 4. Solana (SOL) – “Fastest Smart Contract Blockchain” Bullish Indicators: AI forecasts project huge upside potential for Solana — including targets anywhere from ~$300 to $400+ in 2026 under optimistic institutional adoption scenarios. Bitwise and other analysts anticipate Solana could also hit new all-time highs if regulation increases and institutional networks expand. Bearish/Neutral Risks: Forecast ranges are wide — bearish cases see Solana dipping below key support levels if momentum slows. Solana’s price has historically been more volatile than BTC or ETH, so price swings are larger. Trend Summary Crypto Likely Trend 2026 Key Drivers Risk Level Bitcoin (BTC) 📈 Bullish overall ETF demand, institutional adoption, store-of-value narrative Medium Ethereum (ETH) 📈 Bullish DeFi & L2 growth, industry backbone use Medium XRP (XRP) ⚖️ Mixed but optimistic ETF possibility, payment use cases High Solana (SOL) 📈 Strong potential

Justin Bons Criticizes Ethereum’s ZK-EVM Direction, Warning of Rising Centralization Risks Crypto fund manager Justin Bons has raised strong concerns about Ethereum’s increasing reliance on ZK-EVM technology, arguing that the shift could cause lasting harm to the network. In a detailed commentary, Bons said zero-knowledge proof generation is highly resource-intensive, with hardware demands that scale poorly as network activity grows. According to him, producing ZK-EVM proofs already requires clusters of high-end GPUs, and at current Ethereum throughput, builders would need dozens of premium cards simply to remain competitive. He estimates hardware costs start around $80,000 and can exceed $200,000 as performance requirements increase. Bons described ZK-EVM as a critical flaw in Ethereum’s roadmap, claiming it imposes severe constraints on scalability while introducing excessive infrastructure barriers. He characterized the approach as over-engineered, warning that it undermines Ethereum’s decentralization goals. A major focus of his criticism is Ethereum’s adoption of Proposer Builder Separation (PBS) alongside ZK proofs. Bons argued this combination shifts influence away from validators and concentrates it among a small number of builders who can afford specialized hardware. As ZK costs increase roughly in proportion to speed and capacity, he believes Ethereum faces a difficult choice: limit performance to preserve decentralization, or improve throughput at the expense of validator accessibility. Bons also compared Ethereum’s ZK-EVM performance to competing networks. Even with extensive GPU resources, he noted that ZK-EVM block production typically takes 8 to 12 seconds, while networks like Solana achieve sub-second block times with significantly lower relative hardware costs. He suggested this performance gap explains why Ethereum does not attempt to compete on raw speed, despite latency being critical for high-frequency trading and derivatives markets. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has recently reiterated that Ethereum was designed to prioritize censorship resistance and long-term resilience over efficiency or convenience. Ethereum’s reliability and role as a settlement layer for large-scale DeFi activity remain central to that philosophy. Bons countered that heavy reliance on ZK-based scaling risks introducing implicit centralization while still failing to deliver competitive throughput. He criticized Ethereum’s 2026 upgrade plans focused on gas limit increases and ZK proofs as insufficient and delayed, arguing they do not resolve the underlying speed limitations. Responding to questions about Ethereum’s long-term prospects, Bons said the network can continue to exist but its growth is uncertain, noting claims that Ethereum currently operates at a fraction of Solana’s capacity and speed. He also dismissed arguments that future upgrades will significantly reduce ZK hardware requirements, stating that current benchmarks show no clear path forward without major cryptographic breakthroughs.

Wall Street giant Morgan Stanley is seeking regulatory ‍approval to launch exchange-traded funds tied to the price of cryptocurrency tokens, according to ‌filings with the ‌U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley is looking to launch ETFs tied ​to the price of cryptocurrencies bitcoin ‍and solana, ​according to the ​filings. $SOL $BTC #taha14