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The U.S. War on Crypto Isn’t Over

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In the wake of the appointment of a U.S. crypto czar and the announcement of comprehensive crypto legislation, many believe the era of “regulation by enforcement” in the U.S. is over. But while the SEC and CFTC now have crypto-friendly chairmen, both state regulators and Attorneys General are poised to take their place as aggressive crypto enforcers.

For years, the SEC’s aggressive “regulation by enforcement” approach stifled the growth of the crypto industry and caused many to call for a comprehensive regulatory framework that would put an end to the “war on crypto” once and for all. For this reason, many in the industry banded together to lend their support to pro-crypto candidates.

That strategy bore fruit. Donald Trump was elected as the first president to tout his support for the crypto industry, despite his somewhat antagonistic stance towards crypto during his previous term. Since taking office, Trump appointed David Sacks as the nation’s first “Crypto Czar,” established a President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets and appointed interim SEC and CFTC Chairs that have already been expressing their support for the crypto industry.

But those federal changes won’t end aggressive enforcement actions from state regulators who face public pressure to take action to reign in crypto. Many in the industry have already faced aggressive enforcement from regulators like the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), which recently obtained a $37 million settlement from a crypto lending platform. Regulators like NYDFS were aggressive even when the SEC engaged in aggressive tactics against crypto, so when the SEC scales back its efforts, you can expect them to fill in the void.

Other states are following New York’s lead. In late 2023, California enacted the Digital Financial Assets Law, which empowered its Department of Financial Protection and Innovation to license and regulate digital assets. And the Illinois legislature recently began to consider a new bill called the Digital Assets and Consumer Protection Act that would empower the state to regulate any company engaged in “digital asset business activity” with an Illinois resident.

State Attorneys General

It’s possible that new federal legislation could limit the ability of state regulators to bring their own enforcement matters. On Feb. 4, House and Senate Committee Chairs expressed confidence in the passage of comprehensive legislation that would create a regulatory framework for crypto within the next 100 days. Because federal law preempts state law, the new legislation could rein in some state regulatory activity.

But even if state regulators are hemmed in by new legislation, that legislation would not limit the ability of state Attorneys General to file lawsuits alleging fraud by crypto-related businesses. State AGs previously brought those lawsuits when the SEC’s “regulation by enforcement” crusade was in full swing. In 2023, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit alleging that a crypto trading platform falsely represented itself as an exchange. Later that year, the platform settled for $22 million and agreed not to do business with New Yorkers going forward.

To be sure, a national regulatory framework and having pro-crypto regulators in Washington will provide more certainty and predictability for the crypto industry. But anyone who believes that “regulation by enforcement” is at an end is naïve. You can still expect aggressive lawsuits and regulator activity in the years to come. The venue may move from the SEC to the states, but the impact on crypto businesses and their customers will remain.

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Strategy Bought $27M in Bitcoin at $123K Before Crypto Crash

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Strategy (MSTR), the world’s largest corporate owner of bitcoin (BTC), appeared to miss out on capitalizing on last week’s market rout to purchase the dip in prices.

According to Monday’s press release, the firm bought 220 BTC at an average price of $123,561. The company used the proceeds of selling its various preferred stocks (STRF, STRK, STRD), raising $27.3 million.

That purchase price was well above the prices the largest crypto changed hands in the second half of the week. Bitcoin nosedived from above $123,000 on Thursday to as low as $103,000 on late Friday during one, if not the worst crypto flash crash on record, liquidating over $19 billion in leveraged positions.

That move occurred as Trump said to impose a 100% increase in tariffs against Chinese goods as a retaliation for tightening rare earth metal exports, reigniting fears of a trade war between the two world powers.

At its lowest point on Friday, BTC traded nearly 16% lower than the average of Strategy’s recent purchase price. Even during the swift rebound over the weekend, the firm could have bought tokens between $110,000 and $115,000, at a 7%-10% discount compared to what it paid for.

With the latest purchase, the firm brought its total holdings to 640,250 BTC, at an average acquisition price of $73,000 since starting its bitcoin treasury plan in 2020.

MSTR, the firm’s common stock, was up 2.5% on Monday.

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HBAR Rises Past Key Resistance After Explosive Decline

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HBAR (Hedera Hashgraph) experienced pronounced volatility in the final hour of trading on Oct. 13, soaring from $0.187 to a peak of $0.191—a 2.14% intraday gain—before consolidating around $0.190.

The move was driven by a dramatic surge in trading activity, with a standout 15.65 million tokens exchanged at 13:31, signaling strong institutional participation. This decisive volume breakout propelled the asset beyond its prior resistance range of $0.190–$0.191, establishing a new technical footing amid bullish momentum.

The surge capped a broader 23-hour rally from Oct. 12 to 13, during which HBAR advanced roughly 9% within a $0.17–$0.19 bandwidth. This sustained upward trajectory was characterized by consistent volume inflows and a firm recovery from earlier lows near $0.17, underscoring robust market conviction. The asset’s ability to preserve support above $0.18 throughout the period reinforced confidence among traders eyeing continued bullish action.

Strong institutional engagement was evident as consecutive high-volume intervals extended through the breakout window, suggesting renewed accumulation and positioning for potential continuation. HBAR’s price structure now shows resilient support around $0.189–$0.190, signaling the possibility of further upside if momentum persists and broader market conditions remain favorable.

HBAR/USD (TradingView)

Technical Indicators Highlight Bullish Sentiment
  • HBAR operated within a $0.017 bandwidth (9%) spanning $0.174 and $0.191 throughout the previous 23-hour period from 12 October 15:00 to 13 October 14:00.
  • Substantial volume surges reaching 179.54 million and 182.77 million during 11:00 and 13:00 sessions on 13 October validated positive market sentiment.
  • Critical resistance materialized at $0.190-$0.191 thresholds where price movements encountered persistent selling activity.
  • The $0.183-$0.184 territory established dependable support through volume-supported bounces.
  • Extraordinary volume explosion at 13:31 registering 15.65 million units signaled decisive breakout event.
  • High-volume intervals surpassing 10 million units through 13:35 substantiated significant institutional engagement.
  • Asset preserved support above $0.189 despite moderate profit-taking activity.

Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy.

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Crypto Markets Today: Bitcoin and Altcoins Recover After $500B Crash

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The crypto market staged a recovery on Monday following the weekend’s $500 billion bloodbath that resulted in a $10 billion drop in open interest.

Bitcoin (BTC) rose by 1.4% while ether (ETH) outperformed with a 2.5% gain. Synthetix (SNX, meanwhile, stole the show with a 120% rally as traders anticipate «perpetual wars» between the decentralized trading venue and HyperLiquid.

Plasma (XPL) and aster (ASTER) both failed to benefit from Monday’s recovery, losing 4.2% and 2.5% respectively.

Derivatives Positioning

  • The BTC futures market has stabilized after a volatile period. Open interest, which had dropped from $33 billion to $23 billion over the weekend, has now settled at around $26 billion. Similarly, the 3-month annualized basis has rebounded to the 6-7% range, after dipping to 4-5% over the weekend, indicating that the bullish sentiment has largely returned. However, funding rates remain a key area of divergence; while Bybit and Hyperliquid have settled around 10%, Binance’s rate is negative.
  • The BTC options market is showing a renewed bullish lean. The 24-hour Put/Call Volume has shifted to be more in favor of calls, now at over 56%. Additionally, the 1-week 25 Delta Skew has risen to 2.5% after a period of flatness.
  • These metrics indicate a market with increasing demand for bullish exposure and upside protection, reflecting a shift away from the recent «cautious neutrality.»
  • Coinglass data shows $620 million in 24 hour liquidations, with a 34-66 split between longs and shorts. ETH ($218 million), BTC ($124 million) and SOL ($43 million) were the leaders in terms of notional liquidations. Binance liquidation heatmap indicates $116,620 as a core liquidation level to monitor, in case of a price rise.

Token Talk

By Oliver Knight

  • The crypto market kicked off Monday with a rebound in the wake of a sharp weekend leverage flush. According to data from CoinMarketCap, the total crypto market cap climbed roughly 5.7% in the past 24 hours, with volume jumping about 26.8%, suggesting those liquidated at the weekend are repurchasing their positions.
  • A total of $19 billion worth of derivatives positions were wiped out over the weekend with the vast majority being attributed to those holding long positions, in the past 24 hours, however, $626 billion was liquidated with $420 billion of that being on the short side, demonstrating a reversal in sentiment, according to CoinGlass.
  • The recovery has been tentative so far; the dominance of Bitcoin remains elevated at about 58.45%, down modestly from recent highs, which implies altcoins may still lag as capital piles back into safer large-cap names.
  • The big winner of Monday’s recovery was synthetix (SNX), which rose by more than 120% ahead of a crypto trading competition that will see it potentially start up «perpetual wars» with HyperLiquid.
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