As 2022 gets underway, the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector of the cryptocurrency ecosystem appears to be gaining momentum in what could be an echo of the bullish market seen in seen in early 2021. Data from crypto market intelligence firm Messari shows that over the past 30 days, 5 out of the top 10 DeFi protocols have seen their tokens post double-digit gains. This is in spite of the struggles that Bitcoin has faced, a dynamic which usually places bearish pressure on the wider crypto market. A deeper dive into the data shows that AAVE, Curve (CRV) and Spell Token …

Bitcoin (BTC) and most major altcoins are stuck in a tight range with bulls buying near the support and bears selling at resistance levels. Usually, such tight ranges are followed by an expansion in volatility. Although a few analysts have not ruled out a quick drop to low $40,000s, most traders expect Bitcoin to rebound sharply and move up to $60,000. Goldman Sachs said in a note to investors that if Bitcoin continues to increase its market share over gold as a store of value and crosses the 50% mark, then it could rally to $100,000 over the next five …

Internet Computer (ICP) has entered 2022 with a bang. The ICP price rose by over 56% in the first five days of the new year, reaching a 30-day high of $38 on Jan. 5. Its massive upside move accompanied a spike in trading volumes, underscoring a strong and healthy bullish sentiment for now. At the center of ICP's recent price rally was a flurry of optimistic news. That includes Binance's decision this Tuesday to list a financial instrument that would enable traders to directly swap ICP to/from Ethereum's native token Ether (ETH) and the launch of Terabethia, a cross-blockchain bridge, …

The cryptocurrency community has raised concerns about Maricoin, a new token supposedly related to the LGBT+ community, with some people even suspecting the project to be a scam. Launched in December 2021, Maricoin promises to enable a “social, ethical, transparent and transversal means of payment” targeting the global “pink economy,” which is estimated to amount to trillions of dollars. One might question Maricoin’s ethics though, as its name is a portmanteau that plays on a Spanish slur for homosexuals. According to the project’s website, Maricoin runs on the Algorand blockchain, with creators planning to list the token on several crypto …

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky tweeted a poll on Monday asking his roughly 400,000 followers what they wanted from the rental platform in 2022. Chesky has today revealed that the majority of respondents want to be able to pay with Bitcoin (BTC) or other popular digital currencies when renting their next house or apartment on Airbnb. Other requests included clear pricing displays, a loyalty program for visitors, up-to-date cleaning charges, and enhanced customer service. Got 4,000 suggestions. Here are the top 6: 1 - Crypto payments (top suggestion) 2 - Clear pricing displays 3 - Guest loyalty program 4 - Updated …

The prospects of Ren (REN) continuing its ongoing rebound to fresh highs appear slim as a classic bearish reversal pattern begins to emerge. Dubbed head and shoulders, the setup appears when the price forms three peaks, with the middle peak (called the head) longer than the other two peaks described as the left and right shoulders. The bottoms of these peaks are supported by a neckline. The pattern comes into play primarily when the price breaks below the neckline in a correction that follows the formation of the right shoulder. That prompts traders to open short entries below the neckline, …

Bitcoin (BTC) witnessed a roller coaster ride in 2021 and even though BTC has corrected sharply from its all-time high at $69,000, the digital asset is still up by 60% year-to-date. During the same period, gold has dropped more than 5%. With inflation soaring in the United States and several other parts of the world, Bitcoin’s outperformance over gold shows that investors may be considering it to be a better hedge against inflation when compared to gold. During the year, the total crypto market capitalization surged to about $3 trillion, but Bitcoin’s dominance fell from about 70% at the start …

Decentralized finance (DeFi) was one of the breakout sectors of the cryptocurrency market in 2021 and stands poised to continue to facilitate the mass adoption of cryptocurre in 2022. This comes as institutional and retail investors embrace the emergence of Finance 2.0. One DeFi project that has kicked off the year with a bullish start is Ribbon Finance (RBN), a protocol that utilizes financial engineering to create structured products such as automated options strategies. These are designed to provide users with sustainable yields over time. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that since trading at a low of …

The mood across the cryptocurrency is one of growing anticipation as the price of Bitcoin (BTC) continues to trade just below $47,000. The sideways price action has analysts warning that an “explosive volatility period” is rapidly approaching but few have been willing to predict the direction of the breakout. While Bitcoin price compresses, the altcoin market has come alive and multiple tokens are posting notable gains, especially in the DeFi cohort. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that the biggest gainers over the past 24-hours were Everest (ID), PAC Protocol (PAC) and Ravencoin. Everest expands its interoperability Everest …

The government of Kosovo has ceased crypto mining in the country owing to power constraints during the winter season. Kosovo's minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli, has decided to stop crypto mining following a recommendation from the Technical Committee on "Emergency Measures for Energy Supply," according to a report by local outlet Gazeta Express. The report notes that the government made the decision after Kosovo's power supply fell below the stipulated level, and it began to impose electricity cuts during peak usage periods. According to Rizvanolli, the government decided to establish a technical committee to evaluate emergency energy supply strategies in …

Bitcoin (BTC) is in line for "explosive" price action as derivatives markets return to form in 2022, a new forecast states. In a tweet on Jan. 4, Vetle Lunde, an analyst at Arcane Research, confirmed that BTC denominated open interest (OI) had returned to all-time highs seen in November. Open interest demands "fireworks" within weeks Bitcoin futures and options have taken a beating during the end-of-year BTC/USD retracement, but as the holiday period ended, consensus began to form around a major comeback. Institutional traders should become the major force on Bitcoin markets, some say, and derivatives are already showing signs …

Fantom (FTM) looks poised to hit a new record high in the coming sessions after its 125% price rebound from $1.23 on Dec. 14, 2021, to $2.84 on Jan. 3, 2022 triggered a classic bullish reversal setup. Dubbed inverse head and shoulders (IH&S), the setup appears when an asset forms three troughs below a so-called neckline resistance, with the middle trough (the head) deeper than the left and right shoulder. The price of FTM has recently undergone a similar price trajectory, as shown in the chart below. As a result, FTM has a common resistance in the range defined by …