Bitcoin (BTC) made a sharp comeback and is trading near the $78,000 level. The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization tumbled below the psychological support of $80,000 after the US stock futures market opened sharply lower on April 6. The selling continued on April 7, and Bitcoin hit a new year-to-date low of $74,508, but lower levels attracted solid buying by the bulls.

The bearish macroeconomic picture sent the Fear & Greed Index of the US stock markets to just 4/100. Usually, such periods of panic selling form a bottom as most weak hands and leveraged players capitulate. Once that happens, the recovery is likely to be sharp.

Daily cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360

However, it is a good strategy to remain cautious and not overleverage on trades in the short term as the volatility may remain high. Even Michael Saylor’s firm Strategy, the world’s largest publicly listed corporate holder of Bitcoin, stalled its Bitcoin purchases last week.

Could Bitcoin sustain the recovery, or will higher levels attract sellers? How are the altcoins positioned? Let’s analyze the charts to find out.

Global financial markets continued to tumble on April 7, as US equities dropped more than 3%, wiping more than $2 trillion in value on market open. The pullback saw the S&P 500 drop 2.79%, with the index officially entering a bear market, following a 20% decline from its recent all-time highs.

However, the SPX momentarily rallied by 6% after a rumor began to spread on X that US President Donald Trump was contemplating a 90-day tariff pause. Bitcoin (BTC) price also rallied above $80,000, but after 30 minutes of positive price action, the White House confirmed that the rumor was not true.

Source: X

The S&P 500 is currently in positive territory for the day. Still, despite this uptick, the sustainability of the recovery remains uncertain as bearish undercurrents remain the same as before the tariff-pause rumor started to circulate.

In Asia trading sessions, where economies heavily depend on favorable global trade, stock markets plummeted. Hong Kong's equity index suffered a staggering 13% drop, marking its worst performance since the Asian financial crisis. Major indexes in Shanghai, Taipei, and Tokyo also saw sharp declines, ranging from 7% to 10%.

Former Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao has been appointed as an adviser to Pakistan’s Crypto Council, a newly formed regulatory body tasked with overseeing the country’s embrace of blockchain technology and digital assets. 

The appointment was confirmed by Pakistan’s finance ministry and reported by Bloomberg on April 7. Zhao will advise the regulatory body on cryptocurrency regulation, infrastructure and adoption, Bloomberg reported.

CZ is seen signing documents during his appointment by Pakistan’s Ministry of Finance. Source: Business Recorder

Zhao is one of the most recognizable names in crypto, having served as CEO of Binance between 2017 and 2023. He resigned as CEO of the exchange in November 2023 after pleading guilty to charges related to violating US money laundering laws. He was later sentenced to four months in prison. 

For Pakistan, Zhao is a high-profile appointment that could potentially help the country lure foreign investment in an industry that has taken on new strategic importance.

Metaplanet, a Japanese hotel manager turned Bitcoin treasury company, has fully repaid 2 billion yen ($13.5 million) worth of bonds ahead of schedule as it seeks to shore up its financial position.

Metaplanet conducted an early redemption of its 9th Series of Ordinary Bonds on April 4, more than five months before the maturity date, the company disclosed on April 7. 

The zero-interest bonds were issued in March through Metaplanet’s Evo Fund and used to acquire additional Bitcoin (BTC). Since the bonds carry zero interest, the repayment would not have a material impact on the company’s fiscal 2025 results, it said.

Source: Metaplanet

Metaplanet, which trades publicly on the Tokyo stock exchange, has made Bitcoin the center of its corporate strategy through a series of acquisitions. The company’s Bitcoin balance has swelled to 4,206 BTC, placing it among the top 10 publicly traded holders. 

Bitcoin holders are facing renewed pressure following US President Donald Trump's trade tariff announcement, which sent shockwaves through global financial markets, including cryptocurrencies.

Even with Bitcoin (BTC) hodlers under pressure, some community members, including BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes, are not missing a chance to buy BTC at a discount.

“Been nibbling on BTC all day, and shall continue,” Hayes wrote on X on April 7 as the Bitcoin price hovered around $75,000.

Source: Arthur Hayes

He also predicted that Bitcoin’s dominance in the broader crypto market could grow. He expects the current 60.5% share of the market to go toward 70%.

Opinion by: Alvin Kan, chief operating officer of Bitget Wallet

Here we go again: A top centralized crypto exchange (CEX) was hacked, this time likely for the largest sum in humanity’s history. We were lucky to avoid the worst — platform collapse and devastating consequences for the industry. The incident reminded us again that even the strongest market players are not invincible. 

CEXs’ freedom to manage customer funds comes with risks, reminding users that good old non-custodial storage is still the safest. With recent advances in security features, wallets safeguard coins and help users safely make the most of their crypto.

Golden rules never rust

After the $1.5 billion Bybit hack, things settled down quite quickly. If the platform didn’t keep reserves of 1:1 for client funds, however, the hack could have dire consequences for the entire industry. When FTX’s liquidity problems surfaced in 2022, a bank run killed the platform in days, and billions of repayments are only just starting.

Historically, CEXs have been a primary target for hackers. Between 2012 and 2023, centralized exchanges fell victim to 118 hacks, losing almost $11 billion. This is 11 times more than money directly stolen from blockchain networks and cryptocurrency wallets. Again and again, we see how vulnerable crypto market titans can be. The golden “not your keys, not your Bitcoin” rule remains highly relevant.

Making a centralized crypto exchange deposit means delegating the storage of your money. CEXs keep all private keys and hence have complete control over customers’ funds. Besides a smooth trading experience, this entails a few unpleasant consequences. 

Bitcoin (BTC) fell below $75,000 on April 6, pressured by traditional markets as S&P 500 futures hit their lowest levels since January 2024. The initial panic also caused WTI oil futures to drop below $60 for the first time in four years. However, markets later recovered some losses, allowing Bitcoin to reclaim the $78,000 level.

Bitcoin's high correlation with traditional markets tends to be short-lived

While some analysts argue that Bitcoin has entered a bear market following a 30% price correction from its cycle peak, historical data offers numerous examples of even stronger recoveries. Notably, Bitcoin's high correlation with traditional markets tends to be short-lived. Several indicators suggest traders are simply waiting for better entry opportunities.

40-day correlation: S&P 500 futures vs. Bitcoin/USD. Source: TradingView / Cointelegraph

Bitcoin's recent performance has been closely tied to the S&P 500, but this correlation fluctuates significantly over time. For example, the correlation turned negative in June 2024 as the two asset classes moved in opposite directions for nearly 50 days. Furthermore, while the correlation metric exceeded the 60% threshold for 272 days over two years—roughly 38% of the period—this figure is statistically inconclusive.

The recent Bitcoin price drop to $74,440 reflects heightened uncertainty in traditional markets. While periods of unusually high correlation between Bitcoin and traditional assets have occurred in the past, they rarely last long. Furthermore, most major tech stocks are currently trading down by 30% or more from their all-time highs.

Bitcoin (BTC) sought a relief rally into the April 7 Wall Street open as US stocks rebounded from a 4%+ loss.

BTC/USD 1-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingView

Bitcoin joins US stocks in relief rally

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed the area around $80,000 forming a focus for BTC/USD after the pair hit five-month lows.

The fallout from US trade tariffs continued to ricochet across global markets, with Asia stocks closing the day with considerable losses.

At the same time, reports of a potential 90-day pause in the tariffs going live, against a background of negotiations with over 50 US trading partners, helped pare losses in futures markets ahead of the open and allowed the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite Index to avert a ”Black Monday” 1987-style implosion.

More than 90% of the voting creditors of the Indian crypto exchange WazirX voted in favor of the platform’s post-hack restructuring plan.

According to an April 7 announcement, 93.1% of voting creditors who hold 94.6% of the value voted in favor of the plan. All creditors who held crypto balances on the platform were eligible to vote on the Kroll Issuer Services platform from March 19 until March 28.

WazirX co-founder and CEO Nischal Shetty told Cointelegraph that with the plan approved, stolen asset recovery is “a primary focus.” Still, he pointed to profit sharing as a further measure that the firm hopes to use to compensate its users.

The news follows early February reports that WazirX had warned that repayments from the $235 million hack against it could be delayed until 2030 if creditors didn’t approve its proposed restructuring plan. At the time, the platform said that creditors might need to endure “unclear and potentially extended timelines” if the plan wasn’t approved.

WazirX said creditors could face repayment delays if they voted against the restructuring plan. Source: WazirX

Michael Saylor’s firm Strategy, the world’s largest publicly listed corporate holder of Bitcoin, did not add to its BTC holdings last week as the cryptocurrency’s price dropped below $87,000.

In a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on April 7, Strategy announced it made no Bitcoin (BTC) purchases during the week of March 31 to April 6.

The decision followed a week of heightened market volatility, with BTC surging to as high as $87,000 on April 2 after starting the week at around $82,000, according to data from CoinGecko.

Bitcoin price from March 31, 2025, to April 6, 2025. Source: CoinGecko

BTC fell below $80,000 on April 6, a significant discount from the average BTC price of Strategy’s previous 22,000 BTC purchase announced on March 31.

A wallet linked to the $40 million ZKasino scam lost more than $27 million after a leveraged position was liquidated, marking what some in the crypto community are calling a dose of karmic justice.

ZKasino launched in April 2024, luring investor capital by promising an airdrop of its native token to users who bridged Ether (ETH) to the platform.

However, instead of returning the funds, ZKasino transferred around $33 million in user ETH to the staking protocol Lido Finance.

Nearly a year later, the wallet behind the alleged exploit has been liquidated for $27.1 million after ETH’s price declined sharply, according to blockchain analytics platform Onchain Lens.

Source: Onchain Lens

US federal agencies are expected to disclose their cryptocurrency holdings to the Department of the Treasury by April 7, following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump earlier this year.

Citing an unidentified White House official, journalist Eleanor Terrett reported that the deadline for federal agencies to report their crypto holdings to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is April 7.

The disclosures will remain confidential for now. “Unclear as of now if and when the findings could be made public,” Terrett wrote.

Source: Eleanor Terret

Crypto disclosure follows Bitcoin Reserve establishment

The reporting requirement followed an executive order signed on March 7 that directed the creation of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a broader Digital Asset Stockpile. The Bitcoin (BTC) reserve will be seeded with BTC forfeited to federal agencies through civil or criminal asset seizures.

The Mantra blockchain network has launched a $108,888,888 ecosystem fund aimed at accelerating the growth of startups focused on real-world asset (RWA) tokenization and decentralized finance (DeFi), amid rising demand for stable, asset-backed digital products.

Mantra, a layer-1 (L1) blockchain built for tokenized RWAs, launched the Mantra Ecosystem Fund (MEF) to accelerate the growth and adoption of projects and startups building on its network, according to an April 7 announcement shared with Cointelegraph.

Mantra said it will deploy the capital over the next four years among “high-potential blockchain projects” worldwide, with investment opportunities sourced through Mantra’s network of partners. The fund’s backers include a wide range of institutional partners including Laser Digital, Shorooq, Brevan Howard Digital, Valor Capital, Three Point Capital and Amber Group.

Related: 0G Foundation launches $88M fund for AI-powered DeFi agents

Mantra CEO John Patrick Mullin said the fund will operate an “open-arms policy, welcoming projects at any developmental stage globally with a particular focus on RWA’s and DeFi.” Mullin told Cointelegraph:

Cryptocurrency exchange-traded products (ETPs) saw renewed outflows last week, with $240 million in investor capital pulled, according to an April 7 report from digital asset manager CoinShares.

The outflows reversed two consecutive weeks of inflows that totaled $870 million, leaving total digital asset ETP holdings at about $133 billion, CoinShares reported.

The new outflows likely reflect investor caution in response to global trade tariffs imposed by the United States and concerns over their potential threat to global economic growth, CoinShares head of research James Butterfill said.

Weekly crypto ETP flows since late 2024. Source: CoinShares

Bitcoin ETPs flip monthly total negative

Bitcoin (BTC) ETPs led the downturn, with $207 million in weekly outflows. As a result, monthly flows turned negative for the first time this year, with $138 million in net outflows in the past 30 days.

Hong Kong’s Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has introduced new guidelines for crypto exchanges offering staking services.

In an April 7 announcement, the SFC announced new guidelines for crypto exchanges offering staking services and locally authorized funds exposed to digital assets involved in staking. The announcement follows recent remarks from Christina Choi, the SFC’s executive director of investment products, who said during a speech at the Hong Kong Web3 Festival:

“The SFC is committed to supporting Hong Kong’s Web3 journey.”

In its announcement, the regulator said it “recognizes the potential benefits of staking in enhancing the security of blockchain networks and allowing investors to earn yields.” Consequently, the latest guidance allows crypto exchanges to provide staking service offerings.

Chen Wu, co-founder and CEO of Hong Kong-based and SFC-licensed crypto exchange Ex.io, told Cointelegraph that the firm appreciates the regulator “allowing licensed platforms to offer staking services under clear and responsible guidelines.” She said:

“The SFC’s announcement signals that more doors are opening — not just for staking, but for a wider range of Web3 products to take shape under a regulated and trusted framework.”

“Hong Kong is positioning itself not just as a compliant market, but as a real hub for Web3 adoption, where users’ interests are protected without slowing down progress,” Wu added.

An unidentified cryptocurrency whale injected millions of dollars in emergency capital to avoid a potential liquidation of more than $300 million in Ether as markets slumped amid renewed macroeconomic pressure.

The whale is reportedly close to liquidation on a 220,000 Ether (ETH) position on MakerDAO, a decentralized finance (DeFi) lending platform. To stave off liquidation, the investor deposited 10,000 ETH — worth more than $14.5 million — and 3.54 million Dai (DAI) to raise the position’s liquidation price, blockchain analytics firm Lookonchain said in an April 7 post on X.

“If $ETH drops to $1,119.3, the 220,000 $ETH($340M) will be liquidated.”

Source: Lookonchain

The development came hours after another Ether investor was liquidated for over $106 million on the decentralized finance (DeFi) lending platform Sky.

The whale lost more than 67,000 ETH when the asset crashed by around 14% on April 6. Sky’s system employs an overcollateralization ratio, typically 150% or higher, meaning that users need to deposit at least $150 worth of ETH to borrow 100 DAI.

Key takeaways

Render Network connects GPU owners with creators, allowing users to rent idle graphics power for AI training, 3D rendering and crypto-related projects.

The RNDR token powers the ecosystem, enabling fast, transparent and decentralized transactions between creators and node operators.

Decentralized rendering is more accessible and cost-effective than traditional centralized GPU services, solving issues such as pricing, scalability and vendor lock-in.

Proof-of-render ensures verified outputs, rewarding only completed, validated tasks while maintaining blockchain-level trust and transparency.

The hunger for powerful graphics processing units (GPUs) has skyrocketed. Whether it’s training complex AI models or rendering high-fidelity 3D graphics, the demand often outstrips supply.

Bitcoin (BTC) is turning back the clock this week as tariff mayhem drags BTC price action toward 2021.

Bitcoin is giving up bull market support lines left and right as a new “death cross” completes on the BTC/USD daily chart.

CPI week is firmly overshadowed by US trade tariffs and their increasingly global impact on stock markets.

Both crypto and TradFi market participants are drawing comparisons to “Black Monday” 1987 and the COVID-19 cross-market crash.

Bitcoin’s speculative investor base is firmly out of pocket and likely increasingly tempted to panic sell.

Opinion by: Ismael Hishon-Rezaizadeh, co-founder and CEO of Lagrange

Trade wars and proxy wars are underway in the current geopolitical power realignment, but the next phase won’t be fought with tariffs or drones. It will be decided by who leads in cryptography.

Just as past industrial and technological revolutions in its private sector yielded the US an edge in global power, the ability to secure and verify information through cryptographic breakthroughs, especially in zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs, will determine the balance of power in the digital age.

The US risks falling behind. While China and other nations invest aggressively in technological advancements, America lacks a national strategy to maintain leadership in this critical domain. It’s time to recognize cryptography as a foundational technological asset and a key to securing the country’s economic and national security future.

From industrial might

During the world wars of the previous century, the US maintained a dominant global position through industrial strength. The country supplied around 75% of the oil used by the Allies in WWI and around 85% of their oil in WWII. The US also manufactured approximately two-thirds of all military equipment used by the Allies in the latter, playing a pivotal role in the war’s outcome.

A crypto user has gone very long on Solana, staking a very small portion of the token for the next 3,000 years, according to blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence.

The unknown user staked $0.05 Solana (SOL) in 2023, and it will unlock in the year 5138, Arkham said in an April 5 post to X.

Speaking to Cointelegraph, Vincent Liu, chief investment officer at Kronos Research, said the move was likely a symbolic sign of showing conviction in Solana’s long-term ecosystem.

Source: Arkham Intelligence

“Legacy staking is more than locking assets it’s a mindset. The real edge in crypto isn’t in chasing short-term hype, but in holding long-term conviction assets through cycles,” he said.