Ghost Writer

Changpeng Zhao aka @CZ has revealed that he sold his Shanghai apartment for roughly $900,000 to purchase Bitcoin $BTC during a major market downturn in 2014, despite not having a stable job at the time.
According to Zhao, his conviction in Bitcoin developed after first encountering the asset in 2013. He spent about six months studying the Bitcoin white paper and engaging with early community members before deciding to commit capital. However, by the time he felt fully convinced, Bitcoin had already surged from around $70 to above $1,000 in late 2013.

Shortly afterward, the market corrected. As Bitcoin fell toward $400 in early 2014, Zhao chose to sell his apartment and invest the proceeds in the asset. He described averaging purchases of around $600 before the deeper drop, ultimately increasing exposure as prices declined further.
Conviction Over Career Stability
At the time of the purchase, Zhao had already decided to leave his previous role and pursue opportunities within the Bitcoin industry. He later joined Blockchaindotinfo (now Blockchaindotcom) as one of its early team members before moving on to other exchange roles.
Zhao said the decision was driven by his belief that Bitcoin represented one of the biggest technological innovations of his lifetime, comparable to the early internet. He viewed the risk as asymmetric, limited downside relative to long-term potential upside.
From Early Risk to Global Exchange
The high-conviction bet came years before Zhao founded Binance in 2017. What began as early industry experimentation, including exchange infrastructure development and trading system architecture, eventually evolved into one of the world’s largest crypto trading platforms.
Zhao’s account addresses the risk tolerance and capital concentration that characterized many early Bitcoin adopters. While the long-term value of that purchase fluctuated through multiple market cycles, Zhao’s move remains one of the more notable examples of early executive-level conviction in Bitcoin’s formative years.
#CZAMAonBinanceSquare #CZ

PIPPIN surged more than 27% in the past 24 hours, rising to around $0.50, even as the broader cryptocurrency market remained flat. The strong move has placed PIPPIN among the top-performing tokens of the day.
The factors behind the rally are the rapid increase in online discussions and social media engagement, which has attracted fresh retail participation. Higher visibility often leads to increased buying activity in meme coins, and PIPPIN has seen a noticeable jump in mentions, engagement, and overall “mindshare” across social platforms.

PIPPIN is also positioned within the AI-agent and Solana ecosystem narratives, two sectors currently attracting growing investor attention, adding to the token’s momentum.
Volume Surge Supports Breakout
Trading volume climbed to nearly $70 million, helping the token break above the important resistance level near $0.436, which has now become an important support area around $0.45. The token has moved out of a previous downward trend, opening the possibility for further upside if buying pressure continues.
However, visible development updates, new product announcements, or major ecosystem activity around the token have been limited recently. This has led to speculation that the rally is being driven primarily by trading behavior, speculative demand, and chart momentum, rather than long-term technological progress.
One commentary claims that a well-capitalized investor or group may control a large portion of the token’s circulating supply, potentially allowing them to influence liquidity and price direction. 
Another wrote, “Feels like momentum is being engineered — push it up, attract FOMO, distribute into strength, take profit. I’m not chasing.”
What Comes Next?
Technically, PIPPIN has broken out, marking the big structural shift after a downtrend. 

Experts are now watching several key levels:
$0.45 — Immediate support$0.56 — First resistance$0.76 — Higher bullish target if momentum continues$0.15 region — Major long-term support if the rally fails
While the sharp rally has placed PIPPIN among the top-performing meme coins of the day, market data suggests the move may be driven more by leveraged trading activity than by strong long-term fundamentals.
$PIPPIN #Pippin

At 8:30 a.m. Eastern, the market received two stories wrapped inside one jobs report.

The first was immediate and straightforward: Nonfarm payrolls rose by 130,000 in January, unemployment held at 4.3%, and wages climbed 0.4% month over month to $37.17, up 3.7% year over year. That is not recessionary data. It is steady, firm, and just strong enough to keep inflation concerns alive.

The second story required scrolling.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics issued a substantial annual benchmark revision, cutting the March 2025 job count by 898,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis and lowering the entire 2025 trendline. In effect, the labor market of last year was not as strong as previously believed.

Bitcoin now sits precisely between those two narratives.
The First Reaction: Higher Yields, Lower BTC
Markets trade the present first.

Following the latest release, Treasury yields seem to move higher. The 10-year rose toward 4.20% from roughly 4.15%. CME FedWatch probabilities for a March rate cut collapsed from around 22% to near 6%. The repricing was immediate: cuts are less likely in the near term if labor and wages remain firm.

Bitcoin responded accordingly, slipping roughly 3% toward the $66,900 region.

This reaction is not emotional — it is mechanical.

Higher yields raise the discount rate applied to all risk assets. Bitcoin, now deeply embedded in macro portfolios, is no longer insulated from rate sensitivity. When the cost of money rises, liquidity tightens. When liquidity tightens, speculative positioning contracts first. Bitcoin tends to feel that compression early.

Wage growth is particularly relevant. At 3.7% year over year, earnings growth keeps inflation “sticky” in the conversation. A patient Federal Reserve becomes the base case. Patience means rates stay restrictive for longer. Restrictive conditions mean liquidity remains scarce relative to the easing cycle that traders have been anticipating.

That is timeline one.
Insight: A Slower Economy Beneath the Surface
The downward revision of almost 900,000 jobs for March 2025 significantly shifts the historical trajectory of the labor market. Investors base their forward-looking assessments on the strength of existing trends. If that trend was overstated, then the resilience narrative weakens.

Revisions are often more important than headlines. They change how investors interpret the durability of growth.

If 2025 job creation was softer than believed, then the economy may have been decelerating earlier than markets assumed. That opens the door to a future sequence where hiring cools more visibly in upcoming reports. If that cooling materializes, rate cuts re-enter the picture faster.

Bitcoin does not react only to today’s payroll print. It reacts to the evolving probability distribution of future liquidity.

This is where the tension lies: a firm January versus a softer 2025 baseline.
Macro Wiring: Why Bitcoin Cares So Much
Bitcoin’s macro sensitivity has matured than before

In earlier cycles, crypto industry was largely reflexive — driven by some main narratives, retail flows, and internal leverage dynamics. Today, it sits alongside equities and bonds in institutional portfolios. For example, ETFs, derivatives markets, and cross-asset allocation strategies have linked BTC directly to global liquidity conditions.

The transmission mechanism works like this:

1. Strong data → yields rise.
2. Yields rise → financial conditions tighten.
3. Tighter conditions → leverage reduces.
4. Reduced leverage → BTC feels pressure.

This week’s open interest data supports that mechanism. Bitcoin derivatives open interest has contracted to roughly $44.7 billion, down sharply from peaks above $80 billion. That decline signals deleveraging.

Spot flows of BTC reinforce the defensive posture. We can see that persistent net outflows across months, including a $122 million net outflow on February 11, suggest distribution rather than accumulation.

Liquidity is not flowing in aggressively. It is stepping back.
Technical Structure: Compression Under Resistance
Technically, Bitcoin is at a pivotal inflection. After price rejecting near the $97,970 swing high, BTC retraced deeply and found macro support near $60,104. The rebound from that level was meaningful, but structurally incomplete.

Price now trades below the 0.236 Fibonacci retracement at $69,040 — immediate resistance. This level acts as the first breakout trigger. A decisive reclaim of $69,000 would open a path toward $74,569 (0.382 retracement) and potentially $79,037 (0.5 retracement), which would signal broader structural repair.

Until that occurs, lower highs define the 4-hour structure.

The Donchian Channel shows price hugging the lower boundary — not aggressively bearish, but not strong. Meanwhile, the ADX, which previously signaled strong downtrend momentum, is cooling and momentum compression often precedes expansion.

The key is confirmation of the correction phase. Without volume expansion and renewed inflows, upside attempts may stall under resistance.
Three Plausible Paths Forward
From here, three macro-technical paths emerge.

1. Higher for Longer

Jobs remain steady and Wage growth persists. If Inflation cools slowly -> The Fed delays cuts.

In this environment, yields remain elevated. Bitcoin rallies struggle under big macro pressure. Range-bound or corrective behavior dominates until liquidity expectations shift.

2. Slowdown Materializes

Revisions prove to be the early signal of broader deceleration. Hiring softens. Inflation moderates more decisively. Cut expectations, move forward.

Under this path, Bitcoin benefits from improving liquidity outlook. A sustained reclaim of $69,000 could trigger relief rallies toward $74,500 and potentially $79,000 as positioning rebuilds.

3. A Soft Landing with Noise

The US economy gradually cools without breaking itself. If that happens -> Cuts arrive, but later than markets initially hoped. Volatility remains elevated around each data release.

This environment favors, therefore, tactical trading rather than trend conviction. Bitcoin chops between macro support near $60,000 and resistance near $74,000 until clarity emerges.
The Liquidity Trap Question
There is a deeper structural concern embedded in this debate: liquidity traps.

If growth appears strong enough to delay easing but underlying conditions are weakening, financial markets can experience a squeeze. Liquidity expectations pull forward and backward rapidly, destabilizing positioning. Bitcoin’s high beta makes it sensitive to that instability.

The recent deleveraging in derivatives may be a preemptive adjustment to that risk.
What to Watch Next
Two calendar events matter most:

1. The upcoming CPI release.
2. The March 6 employment report.

If inflation cools while labor remains stable, risk assets can stabilize. If inflation reaccelerates alongside firm wages, rate cut odds will compress further, pressuring Bitcoin below current support bands.

On the downside, $65,000–$66,000 is the first demand zone. Below that, $60,104 remains the macro line. A decisive break under $60,000 could accelerate downside momentum.

On the upside scenario, $69,000 is the pivot point. BTC must flip from resistance to support to alter the short-term bias.

Insights - A Market Holding Two Truths

Bitcoin price today reflects a market holding two truths simultaneously.

The present labor data seems to support patience from the Federal Reserve. The revised past suggests underlying softness.

Bitcoin is not reacting to one headline. It is reacting to the probability that liquidity may remain constrained longer than expected — or loosen sooner than believed.

For now, price compresses beneath resistance while leverage contracts and spot flows hesitate. That combination suggests caution, not capitulation.

The next expansion move — higher or lower — will likely come not from crypto-native narratives, but from the evolving shape of yields and rate expectations.

Bitcoin remains a liquidity instrument.

And liquidity is still being debated.
#BTC #bearishmomentum

XRP has lost approximately 7% of its value this week, continuing to trend under bearish pressure. Although the cryptocurrency has significantly declined over the past six weeks, analysts remain optimistic about a potential rebound. 
With a current value of $1.36, target-focused XRP users get $1,360 for 1,000 XRP tokens. Most of these users are curious about how much those tokens will be worth by the end of Q1 2026. Meanwhile, it is worth noting that AI models appear more optimistic than human analysts, with most predicting higher short-term targets.
Derivatives and Spot Flows Signal Caution

XRP derivatives data reflects a completed leverage cycle. Open interest expanded sharply in late Q4 as price surged. Subsequently, declining open interest followed rising volatility. Hence, forced liquidations and position closures reduced speculative exposure. Despite occasional price stability, leverage conviction continued to fade.
Recently, open interest stabilized at lower levels. This shift suggests leverage excess has cleared. Consequently, the market now favors consolidation rather than aggressive directional bets.

Spot flow data supports this cautious tone. Net outflows dominated recent months, indicating ongoing distribution pressure. Moreover, red flow sessions intensified during price declines. Brief inflow spikes appeared occasionally. However, they failed to alter the broader trend. Hence, spot demand remains limited, reinforcing the bearish structure.
Q1 2026 XRP Price Forecast Scenarios
Most cryptocurrency analysts, including AI algorithms, have identified bullish, base, and bearish scenarios for XRP in Q1 2026. The bullish outcome would see XRP return above $3.0, assuming spot XRP ETF inflows continue to increase and the U.S. lawmakers pass the CLARITY Act. 
CryptoRank AI predicts an optimistic $4.40 target for XRP by the end of March 2026, implying that 1,000 XRP tokens will be worth $4,400 by that time. In the meantime, most human-based crypto analysis platforms, such as CoinDCX and LiteFinance, remain within the $2.40 to $2.60 XRP price range for Q1 2026. The basis for their prediction is on moderate institutional interest and the steady growth of Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin. For this category, holding 1,000 XRP tokens by the end of Q1 2026 will give between $2,400 and $2,600.
Meanwhile, less optimistic users remain cautious, noting that weakening ETF demand or persistent macroeconomic headwinds could increase pressure on XRP, causing it to trade within the $1.45-$1.52 price range, therefore equating 1,000 XRP to between $1,450 and $1,520.
Key Drivers for XRP Price in Q1 2026

Amid the varying predictions and the potential outcomes for XRP, it is worth noting that the critical drivers behind the cryptocurrency’s price development include ETF momentum, supply squeeze, banking option, and macroeconomic developments. 
XRP ETFs have absorbed an impressive $1.23 billion in total inflows since launching in late 2025. Analysts believe the cryptocurrency will rally higher if spot XRP ETF products sustain a steady monthly inflow of $300 million. Meanwhile, most users believe a continued tightening of supply, similar to the 2025 scenario, when exchange balances dropped by 57%, will trigger a spike in XRP’s price.
In the meantime, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse projects the XRP blockchain will capture roughly 14% of SWIFT’s transaction volume within five years. Garlinghouse’s comment has boosted bullish sentiment around XRP, representing a major demand driver for the digital asset.
$XRP #xrp #TrendingTopic

Key points:
Bitcoin is trading in a key historical zone, but buyer pressure is too weak to break resistance.Analysis sees the current range resistance potentially lingering for months.February BTC price downside has almost beaten 2025.
Analysis: Bitcoin bulls too weak to crack $69,000
Data from TradingView put daily BTC price losses at nearly 3% after the $70,000 area again provided weak support.

Still facing bottom predictions of $50,000 or lower, BTC/USD offered traders little reason to flip bullish.
Keith Alan, co-founder of trading resource Material Indicators, noted the importance of the current narrow trading range.
“$BTC continues to show signs of weakness around $69k, however, if you look back to 202,4 you will notice that price spent an extraordinary amount of time consolidating in this range,” he wrote in one of his latest posts on X. 
“That 8 months of consolidation, coupled with the 2021 Top created structural strength at this level, and it's good to see the market acknowledging that.”

The significance of $69,000 means that it could act as a double-edged sword in the future.
“If a bullish catalyst emerges and triggers a recovery, we can conclude that the additional consolidation in this range, fortified structural support,” Alan continued. 
“Likewise, if the downtrend extends from here as history (and the charts) suggests, resistance at this range will be even stronger than it was in 2024. That doesn't mean it will be impenetrable, it just means that it's going to take a lot of momentum to break it. At this moment in time, we aren't seeing enough momentum to do that in a sustainable way.”
BTC price eyes biggest February loss since 2014
Mondays have been particularly lucrative for short positions since Bitcoin began breaking down from all-time highs in October 2025.

Data from monitoring resource CoinGlass shows that at -14.4%, Bitcoin’s February losses in 2026 are almost on par with last year’s performance. Still, since 2013, February has only ended in the red three times.

$BTC #BTC #TrendingTopic

Be Machi Big Brother:
- teenage years spent obsessed with hip-hop and American culture
- forms L.A. Boyz in 1991 with his brother and cousin
- becomes one of the first Mandarin rap groups ever
- sells hundreds of thousands of albums, tours Asia, appears in LA Times
late 90s:
- launches MACHI Entertainment under Warner Music
- produces for Jay Chou and Jolin Tsai
2000s: turns to tech
- founds TheOne Technology Group and merges it in a $60M deal
- by 2015 launches 17Live, Asia’s top live-stream app
- IPO plans in New York fail after investor disputes
- sells his shares and looks for the next
2017: discovers crypto
- launches Mithril (MITH), a “social mining” project that pays users in tokens
- raises $13M but price collapses 80% within months
- joins Formosa Financial as advisor, raises 44,000 ETH (~$37M)
- 22,000 ETH later disappear from the treasury, never recovered
2020: enters DeFi
- forks Compound and creates Cream Finance
- protocol suffers multiple exploits, $192M+ drained
- launches a wave of forks: Mith Cash, Wifey Finance, Typhoon Cash
- most die within weeks
2021-2023: goes all-in on NFTs
- becomes one of the biggest BAYC whales
- holds more than 200 apes, worth over $9M
- later dumps 1,000+ NFTs in two days, crashing floor prices
- community calls it “the Machi dump”
2022: ZachXBT publishes investigation
- accuses him of scamming 22,000 ETH and running over ten failed projects
- Machi sues for defamation in Texas
- the case ends quietly after edits to the article
2024: launches memecoin Boba Oppa on Solana
- raises over $40M from presale hype
- price falls 74% in a month
- blamed for another “soft rug”
2025: trades aggressively on Hyperliquid
- opens 15–25x longs on ETH, PUMP, and HYPE
- loses over $53M in a few months
#WhaleDeRiskETH #TrendingTopic