Traditional Finance Alert: VIX Has Risen Over 3%

Is the Bitcoin price discovery power shifting to CME? Institutional funds reshaping BTC pricing logic and global macro linkage

February 24 News, the Bitcoin price discovery mechanism is undergoing structural changes, with trading focus gradually shifting towards regulated derivative markets such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME Group). As institutional participation continues to rise, Bitcoin prices are no longer solely driven by on-chain transactions and retail sentiment, but are increasingly influenced by open interest in futures contracts, institutional hedging needs, and macro risk appetite. Currently, Bitcoin is fluctuating around $63,000, indicating that the market remains in an institutional-led range-bound phase. Industry expert Karl Naim pointed out that traditional hedge funds and asset management firms prefer to allocate Bitcoin exposure through familiar compliant derivative instruments rather than relying on offshore markets with higher counterparty risk. The advancement of 24/7 derivative trading mechanisms is weakening the historical advantage of the crypto-native market’s “7×24 hours liquidity,” enabling institutions to continuously hedge risks and adjust positions, thereby compressing arbitrage opportunities between futures and perpetual contracts.

US SEC relaxes capital rules! Holding stablecoins now only requires a 2% discount—what are the benefits for brokerages?

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently announced that broker-dealers holding USD stablecoins can apply a 2% capital discount. This policy will reduce the capital pressure on broker-dealers and promote the integration of stablecoins into the mainstream financial system. The market capitalization of stablecoins is currently about $296.1 billion, gradually becoming an important extension of the US dollar in the digital asset market. However, some Federal Reserve officials remain skeptical about the actual value of stablecoins.

Citrini releases AI Doomsday Report: Software stocks are sold off, IBM plunges 13%

Research organization Citrini Research released the "Global Intelligence Crisis" report, which received over 22 million views on the X platform on February 23, 2026, and is considered one of the partial catalysts for the collective sell-off of software and payment stocks on that day. IBM plummeted 13.1% that day, marking its largest single-day decline in 25 years.

Dogecoin ETF Inflows Stall While DOGE Price Holds Under $0.10

Dogecoin spot ETFs have attracted only $6.67 million in inflows, with total assets below $10 million after nearly three months of trading. Grayscale leads the segment, but trading remains low and institutional interest is limited, reflecting muted adoption in the market.

AI panic impacts the crypto market: ETH, SOL, XRP all decline collectively, with increased downward pressure as BTC consolidates sideways

On February 24, news reports indicate that the crypto market came under pressure due to the intensification of the "Artificial Intelligence Panic Trading" and worsening macro risk sentiment. Ethereum, Solana, and Ripple experienced continued declines, with major cryptocurrencies generally recording an 8% to 11% correction over the week. Bitcoin briefly dropped to approximately $62,900, down about 2.1% for the day, with a weekly decline of 7.5%. Its price remains confined within the $60,000 to $70,000 range established after the early February surge, and the market is more inclined to view this as a consolidation zone rather than a clear bottom. Altcoins performed significantly weaker than Bitcoin. Ethereum's price fell to around $1,829, with a weekly decline of about 8%; XRP dropped over 10%, SOL declined more than 11%, and Dogecoin approached a double-digit correction. Mainstream altcoins weakened in tandem, reflecting a decline in market risk appetite, with insufficient buying interest outside of Bitcoin and more cautious capital allocation.

ETH short-term decline of 1.09%: whale repositioning and ETF capital flow weakening drive the market under pressure

Between February 24, 2026, 05:15 and 05:30 (UTC), ETH experienced a significant drop in price, with the K-line return recording -1.09%. During this 15-minute period, the price dipped from approximately $1819, indicating increased market volatility and heightened investor attention to short-term performance of cryptocurrencies. Mainstream coins also declined collectively, with trading volume expanding to $2.176 billion over 24 hours, and short-term trading activity becoming more active. The primary drivers of this abnormal movement were large whale rebalancing and leveraged capital activities. On-chain data shows that whale accounts such as “pension-usdt.eth” engaged in large-scale...