The Metaverse has become one of the biggest buzzwords of the year as a number of brands, companies and even countries begin to explore virtual worlds to conduct business. Even though Metaverse development is still underway, a recent report from the technology research and advisory firm Technavio found that the Metaverse will hit a market share value of $50.37 billion by the year 2026. Another report predicts that the growth of the Metaverse will be driven by e-commerce, which is expected to reach a market share of $60.47 billion by the year 2026. E-commerce across social media platforms is also …

On this week’s episode of “The Market Report,” Cointelegraph’s resident experts discuss the latest updates concerning the recent Solana (SOL) hack. To kick things off, we broke down the latest news in the markets this week: Bitcoin realized price bands form key resistance as bulls lose $24K, significant whale activity between $22,000 and $24,800 adds to the complexity of the current spot market setup. Bitcoin (BTC) consolidated lower on Aug. 9 after familiar resistance preserved a multi-month trading range. When will we finally break out of this price range and make the move towards $30K? Institutions flocking to Ethereum for …

Decentralized finance (DeFi) has massive potential to transform traditional financial services. Data from Emergen Research recently found that the global DeFi platform market size is expected to reach $507 billion by 2028. Moreover, the total value locked within DeFi currently exceeds $75 billion, demonstrating fast-paced growth compared to previous months this year. Yet, DeFi’s potential may still not be realized by business leaders unfamiliar with the blockchain ecosystem. This notion is highlighted in Alex Tapscott’s recent book, Digital Asset Revolution. Tapscott, co-founder of the Blockchain Research Institute and managing director at Ninepoint Digital Asset Group, told Cointelegraph that he believes …

In the fourth episode of Market Talks, we welcome YouTube media creator and crypto educator Crypto Wendy O. Wendy became interested in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology in November 2017. She has been into crypto full-time since the summer of 2018 and focuses on providing transparent marketing and media solutions for blockchain companies globally. Wendy also offers free education via YouTube and Twitter to her growing audience of over 170,000, giving her the largest following of any female crypto influencer in the world. Some of the topics up for discussion with Wendy are the new consumer price index numbers and how …

Natural disasters in the United States are becoming more prevalent, resulting in increasing costs, a lack of transparency between state and government organizations, and a slew of other issues impacting relief systems. The Pew Research Center found that the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) public assistance program spent 23% more on natural disasters between 2010 and 2019 than it did from 2000 to 2009. Data from Climate.gov further shows that 2021 was the third-costliest year in history for natural disasters in the U.S., totaling over $145 billion in damages from 20 weather-related incidents. But as disasters become more common and …

Bitcoin (BTC) wealth is being distributed from weak hands to strong hands due to ongoing capitulation from retail investors and miners, signaling that the bottom may be close. The latest ‘The Week On-Chain’ report from blockchain analysis firm Glassnode on Monday explains that market capitulations have been ongoing for about a month and that several other signals suggest bottom formations in Bitcoin prices. However, Glassnode analysts wrote that the bear market “still requires an element of duration” as long-term holders (LTH), who tend to have greater confidence in Bitcoin as a technology, increasingly bear the greatest unrealized losses: “For a …

Nonfungible tokens (NFTs) have taken the world by storm over the last year. Digital collectibles that were characterized solely as CryptoKitties in 2017 have since evolved into famous pieces of art, digitized music, high-end fashion for the Metaverse and a way for communities to connect with others across the globe. Even with the current crypto bear market, recent findings from the research firm Security.org found that NFT ownership has doubled over the last year, rising from an estimated 4.6 million people to 9.3 million people. The report also discovered that while the vast majority of Americans are not ready to …

Despite some touting crypto as a hedge against traditional markets, digital assets today share a similar risk profile to commodities such as oil and gas, and tech and pharmaceutical stocks, according to an analysis from Coinbase’s chief economist. The observation comes from a blog post from Coinbase chief economist Cesare Fracassi on Wednesday, noting that the “correlation between the stock and crypto-asset prices has risen significantly” since the 2020 pandemic. “While for the first decade of its existence, Bitcoin returns were on average uncorrelated with the performance of the stock market, the relationship increased quickly since the COVID pandemic started,” …

So-called “market tourists” are fleeing from Bitcoin (BTC), leaving only long-term investors holding and transacting in the top cryptocurrency, according to blockchain analytics firm Glassnode. In its July 4 Week Onchain report, Glassnode analysts said June saw Bitcoin have one of its worst-performing months in 11 years, with a loss of 37.9%. It added activity on the Bitcoin network is at levels concurrent with the deepest part of the bear market in 2018 and 2019, writing: “The Bitcoin network is approaching a state where almost all speculative entities, and market tourists have been completely purged from the asset.” However, despite …

Several factors have contributed to making the current crypto bear market the worst ever recorded as most Bitcoin (BTC) traders are underwater and continue to sell at a loss, according to Glassnode. Blockchain analysis firm Glassnode’s Saturday report titled “A Bear of Historic Proportions” outlines how Bitcoin’s current dip below the 200-day moving average (MA), negative deviation from realized price and net realized losses have conspired to make 2022 the worst in Bitcoin’s history: “In the midst of this, Bitcoin and Ethereum have both traded below their previous cycle ATHs which is a first in history.” The first and most …

The rapid surge in share of stablecoins like Tether (USDT) in the cryptocurrency market may point to an upcoming crypto upside, according to analysts at the American investment bank JPMorgan Chase. The percentage of stablecoins in the total crypto market value has been on the rise, reaching new historical highs in mid-June, JPMorgan strategists believe. Led by JPMorgan crypto market analyst Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, the analysts provided their industry insights in the bank's new investor note shared with Cointelegraph. Released on June 15, the investor note reads that the share of all stablecoins rose to above 14%, or a “new historical …

Ethereum's native token, Ether (ETH), underwent a sharp relief rally after falling to $880, its lowest level in eighteen months, on June 18. ETH price regains 30% in two days Ether's price reached above $1,150 this June 19, marking 30%-plus gains in just two days. However, at the beginning of the new weekly session this June 20, the ETH/USD pair hinted at giving up its weekend gains, with its price plunging by almost 9% from the $1,150 high. PostyXBT, an independent market analyst, told his 79,800 followers to be careful about the latest ETH price rally, noting that the move …