Cardano’s retail base has flipped bearish after weeks of drawdowns, setting up conditions where whales could step in.

Data from Santiment shows ADA’s bullish-to-bearish commentary ratio slumped to 1.5:1 this week — the lowest in five months. The sentiment dip coincided with a 5% rebound, suggesting traders who sold into frustration may have helped mark a local bottom.

Historically, ADA rallies have tended to begin when retail sentiment is weakest. Santiment flagged a similar setup in mid-August, when a 2:1 ratio aligned with a surge. Conversely, euphoric spikes — like the 12.8:1 ratio earlier this summer — have preceded sharp pullbacks.

Sentiment extremes matter because crypto markets are unusually sensitive to retail psychology. When optimism peaks, the crowd often buys into tops. When pessimism sets in, larger players use the selling pressure to accumulate. That pattern has been visible across multiple assets this year, including bitcoin and XRP.

For Cardano, the shift suggests whales could use current weakness to build positions, especially if retail continues to capitulate.

The crowd-versus-price divergence remains one of crypto’s more reliable short-term trading signals. For now, ADA’s impatient traders may have just handed longer-term investors their entry point.

“Hey bitcoin, Do Something!”

The viral meme — starring a stick figure poking the ground and depicting a need for reaction — might just sum up the current scene at digital assets trading desks during the slow, early summer days.

Sure, bitcoin

just hit new fresh highs and is still trading above $100,000, but the P&L is diminishing daily for short-term volatility chasers.

“Bitcoin’s volatility has continued to trend lower, both in realized and implied measures, even as the asset reaches new all-time highs. This decline in volatility is particularly notable amid historically high price levels,” said NYDIG Research in a recent note shared with CoinDesk.

And despite macro and geopolitical headwinds hitting traditional assets hard, bitcoin has gone into a chill summer vibe.

“With the market now entering the typically quieter summer months, this downtrend may well persist in the near term,” NYDIG added.

Of course, this is perhaps a positive trend for bitcoin as it depicts a more maturing market and potentially speaks to its original promise of “store of value,” as the price reaches fresh new highs.

However, traders love volatility, as the greater the movement, the bigger the P&L opportunities are. While fresh record highs might be great for long-term HODLers, for short-term traders, those juicy breakouts are getting hard to make money on.

Why the calm?

So what’s driving these calm price actions?

NYDIG is chalking it up to increased demand from bitcoin treasury companies, which seem to be popping up everywhere, and a rise in sophisticated trading strategies, such as options overwriting, as well as other forms of volatility selling.

The market is getting more professional, and unless we see some true Black Swan events (FTX, anyone?) for crypto, prices will continue to remain calm.

The opportunity

But all is not lost — there are always opportunities to make money even when it’s not as lucrative as it seems.

“The decline in volatility has made both upside exposure through calls and downside protection via puts relatively inexpensive,” said NYDIG.

Translation: Hedging and catalyst-driven plays are where the money might be in this market. If one thinks something big is coming, this is perhaps the time to position with directional bets. And there are a few big ones coming.

“For traders anticipating market-moving catalysts, such as the SEC’s decision on the GDLC conversion (July 2), the conclusion of the 90-day tariff suspension (July 8), or the Crypto Working Group’s findings deadline (July 22), this presents a cost-effective opportunity to position for directional moves,” said NYDIG.

So bitcoin’s summer lull might not be a total dead zone; rather, it’s a setup for those who are willing to play the patience game and hedge accordingly to trade potential market-moving events.

Occidental Petroleum (OXY -1.74%) believes carbon capture and storage (CCS) will eventually become a massive market. The oil company estimates it could be a $3 trillion to $5 trillion global industry in the future. It’s not alone in that view. Oil giant ExxonMobil (XOM -1.68%) estimates that there could be a $4 trillion market for capturing and storing carbon dioxide by 2050.

Both oil companies are working toward capturing this potentially multitrillion-dollar market opportunity. Occidental recently signed a deal with a potential partner to develop what could be its next direct air capture (DAC) facility in Texas. The company’s early leadership in carbon capture and storage puts it in a strong position to capture a meaningful portion of what looks like a massive opportunity.

Image source: Getty Images.

Building a carbon removal powerhouse

Occidental Petroleum and its subsidiary 1PointFive signed an agreement with XRG, the investment company of Abu Dhabi’s ADNOC, to evaluate a joint venture to develop a DAC facility in South Texas. As part of the deal, XRG will consider investing up to $500 million into a facility that could capture 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.

The oil company noted that the announcement follows several significant milestones in developing DAC technology. That includes progress on constructing its first DAC facility in West Texas. The STRATOS facility is on track to begin commercial operations this year. That facility would also capture up to 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. It’s partnering with investment giant BlackRock, which agreed to invest $550 million into the project.

Occidental was also awarded up to $650 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to help support the development of its South Texas DAC hub. The initial 500,000-tonnes-per-year DAC facility would only be the beginning of this hub. The site has the potential to support up to 30 million metric tons of carbon dioxide removal each year through DAC facilities. Meanwhile, the site has about 165 square miles of acreage that has the potential to store up to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in underground saline formations.

Commercializing a nascent industry

Occidental Petroleum has also been working to commercialize its DAC technology to make money from its investments. A major aspect of its strategy has been selling carbon removal credits to companies seeking to reduce their carbon footprints. For example, it signed an agreement with Microsoft last July to sell 500,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide removal credits over six years to support the technology giant’s carbon removal strategy. That was the largest single purchase of carbon removal credits enabled by DAC technology. These credits will support Occidental’s STRATOS DAC facility. The oil company has signed agreements to sell carbon credits to several other companies, including AT&T, Amazon, and TD.

The oil company has also signed other commercial agreements related to carbon capture and storage. In 2022, the company signed an agreement with SK Trading International to supply it with up to 200,000 barrels of net-zero oil for five years. Occidental will inject about 100,000 tonnes of captured carbon dioxide into the ground, offsetting the entire lifecycle emissions of this crude oil — that is, extraction, transportation, shipping, refining, and use.

Occidental also recently signed a 25-year agreement with fertilizer maker CF Industries (CF -0.21%) to store 2.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year at its Pelican Sequestration Hub in Louisiana. This agreement will support a low-carbon ammonia production facility that CF Industries and its joint venture partners are building in Louisiana.

ExxonMobil signed two similar agreements with CF Industries in recent years. Last year, it agreed to transport and permanently store 500,000 metric tons per year of carbon dioxide captured at a complex in Mississippi, which will reduce the site’s emissions by 50%. In 2022, Exxon signed a landmark commercial agreement with CF Industries to store up to 2 million tonnes per year from a facility in Louisiana. CF Industries is one of six commercial customers Exxon has lined up in recent years, representing 16 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.

Occidental and Exxon believe these commercial agreements are only the beginning. Occidental thinks it could eventually make as much in earnings and cash flow from CCS as it currently does from oil and gas. Meanwhile, Exxon believes CCS could be a multibillion-dollar business for the company. Furthermore, given the long-term contracted nature of its CCS projects, the technology will help reduce its earnings volatility in the future.

Slowly taking steps toward capturing a potentially massive opportunity

Occidental Petroleum continues to make progress in growing its CCS platform. It’s working on lining up funding partners such as XRG and agreements to commercialize its DAC facilities and sequestration hubs. This strategy could create a lot of value for investors in the future if CCS grows as big as the company believes it will become. It makes Occidental a more compelling long-term investment opportunity in the oil patch.

By Pete Rizzo, The Bitcoin Historian

Back then, Bitcoin was the toast of the financial mainstream. Books were being written about the subject, Bloomberg hosted a “12 Days of Bitcoin” Christmas special (where the host got robbed on air), and every Silicon Valley thought leader had an opinion about its future.

Then, reality hit. The trough of disillusionment. Startups pivoted and failed. 

These were my formative years in the Bitcoin industry. I never stopped believing that the world envisioned by the technologists of the day was possible, but sky-high price projections felt far away. Bitcoin was embroiled in a civil war, there was a fight over what the infrastructure of blockchains would be and banks were even offering private versions of the technology.

Suffice to say, if you had asked me then to imagine what the world would be like when Bitcoin hit $100,000, I would have likely had the following answer – Bitcoin would be understood and accepted, the scientific experiment of the industry’s early days would be over, and its technology would be accepted and mainstream. 

I was sure it would be a far cry from what things were like when I started – with Bitcoin users having to wire money through strange Russian payment intermediaries to transact (or else needing to buy it, in person, from strangers on the street).

While that part certainly has changed, I would have been wrong about rest.

Today, that just makes me even more optimistic about Bitcoin’s future price appreciation. 

Going mainstream

Of course, I’m willing to admit the obvious. In 2025, Bitcoin is mainstream. The President of the United States doesn’t just own it, it’s a major part of his policy platform. Major pop stars like Drake don’t just trade it, their rap nemeses name-check it on their diss tracks. 

Yet there’s still widespread confusion about both what Bitcoin is and how future financial infrastructure will look as a result of its proliferation. Already, it’s a fact that the new administration has had to confront with its policies.

As the debate around the U.S. Digital Asset Market Structure bill shows, there isn’t yet consensus on what cryptoassets are, even within the industry. Some (like me) see Bitcoin as a differentiated digital gold, one that will likely scale to be the world’s settlement network. Others see cryptocurrencies as an asset class, competing monies with different properties. 

Sure, many Americans own Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, but they aren’t using crypto for everyday financial transactions. For most it’s a long-term savings or speculative vehicle, one that’s only a small part of their financial planning. Polls show they’re open to alternatives to traditional finance, but that they don’t quite take digital assets – even bitcoin – seriously.

Even those who invest in it don’t understand it, according to polls.

Certainly this disconnect makes for a thriving market. Every day now there are thousands of digital assets being launched, and Coinmarketcap already tracks 15.1 million of them. But are these really just memes? 

The Bitcoin movement started out with the intent to revolutionize finance. Many of the builders I know are still working on the effort.

Doubtless, eventually the market will have to have a clear and widespread agreement on the difference between Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. There may have been a time when there were hundreds of internet competitors, and businesses may have had to question whether to build a website on AOL or EarthLink. Today, I doubt you’re reading this article on either.

The case for $1,000,000 Bitcoin

Unfortunately, those who have entered the industry of late may have a similar reaction as I had in 2013, hearing the sky-high projections for Bitcoin’s price and assuming they missed the boat.

If you’re one of these newcomers, I’d ask you to take a step back. Has Bitcoin reached its full potential? Sixteen years after its launch, Bitcoin remains a unique entry on the global monetary scene – if you look at a list of the world’s top currencies, it’s the only one that’s:

1. Not issued by a corporation or government
2. Has a finite money supply
3. Has a transparent and auditable monetary policy

Add in the fact that top-level layers like the Lightning Network make it possible for Bitcoin to compete in global payments, and hopefully you get the picture, Bitcoin is money reimagined as a network, one that unshackles money from its current form – databases owned and operated by centralized entities within distinct geographical areas. 

Consider the trends – public companies and nation states are buying Bitcoin, as are Wall Street investment firms via vehicles like ETFs.

Then there’s the sheer scale of the computer network that operates Bitcoin – it’s already over 7 times the size of Google and growing. Now imagine the network when all the aforementioned trends reach maturity. Doesn’t sound like we’re quite close to the dream does it? 

Slowly, immutably, toward acceptance 

What is Bitcoin? Well, today that’s a question that still might make your friend send you a 30-minute documentary. There’s a famous TV clip that summarizes the phenomenon – one from 1994 in which the hosts of “The Today Show” debate the internet. None knew how to describe it.

Today, Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are an “internet superhighway,” “an internet of money,” the kind of technology that is capable of great things, but limited by our ability to describe it. 

My feeling now is that this best sums up what the transition to a Bitcoin and crypto-powered world will be like, this gap closing between the aspiration of language and reality.

By the time Bitcoin is at $1,000,000, no one will need exotic analogies to describe it. If we do, buckle up, because we just might just be headed far higher prices still.

It’s no secret that the stock market took a massive nosedive after President Donald Trump revealed his “reciprocal tariff” plans, but there are some areas of the market that took the news worse than others.

In fact, the Russell 2000, which is widely considered to be the most comprehensive index of small-cap stocks, has now officially fallen into bear market territory. The day after the tariff announcement, the index fell to a level that is 22% below its recent high, and the futures markets indicate that it could be substantially lower by the time you’re reading this.

Not only has the Russell 2000 dramatically underperformed the broader stock market, but small-cap stocks were already rather cheap, relative to their large-cap counterparts, entering 2025. Here’s where things stand with the small-cap benchmark right now, and why investing in the Russell 2000 right now could be a great way to set your portfolio up for years of market-beating returns.

VOO Total Return Price data by YCharts

A big valuation gap in small caps

Small-cap stocks are trading at the lowest valuations relative to the S&P 500 in decades, and the gap continues to widen.

At the beginning of 2024, Fundstrat analyst Tom Lee correctly pointed out that small caps were trading for their lowest price-to-book multiple relative to large caps since 1999. And since that time, the gap has widened considerably. Last year, the Russell 2000 underperformed the S&P 500 by about 14 percentage points, and it has underperformed by another 6 percentage points already this year.

The gap is a bit mind-boggling. The average S&P 500 component trades for a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.8, and for a price-to-book multiple of 4.8. On the other hand, the average component of the Russell 2000 trades for 17.5 times earnings and for a P/B ratio of just 1.9.

To be fair, large-cap stocks have grown their earnings at a somewhat faster rate in recent years (mainly due to the success of megacap technology stocks). But not by enough to justify a price-to-book valuation that’s about 150% greater.

Will small caps turn around?

Lee also pointed out that the last time the gap was so wide, small caps went on to outperform large caps for the next 12 years, and by a total of 113 percentage points above the S&P 500.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that the same thing will happen this time around. But there are good reasons to believe that small caps could be set up to outperform. For example, small-cap stocks tend to benefit more from interest rate cuts, due to typically higher dependence on borrowed money, as well as increased appetite for investor speculation as rates on risk-free investments fall.

Expectations for rate cuts increased significantly after the tariff announcements. In fact, the median expectation is now for a total of five quarter-point Federal Reserve rate cuts this year, up from an expected three just a month ago.

To be clear, there’s no way to know how long the current market turbulence will last, or when small caps could start to narrow the valuation gap. As the last 15 months have shown, just because small-cap stocks are relatively cheap doesn’t mean they can’t get even cheaper in the near term.

Having said all that, the Russell 2000 is one of my favorite investment opportunities for patient long-term investors right now. And you don’t need to do anything extraordinary to take advantage. A simple index fund like the iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM -4.46%) could be a great way to go.

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Bitcoin is facing intense selling pressure once again, with bears now eyeing a move below the critical $80,000 support level. After bulls briefly pushed BTC to $87,000, hopes for a sustained recovery were quickly dashed when the price failed to reclaim the key $90,000 resistance. Since then, momentum has shifted sharply in favor of the bears, dragging the market into deeper uncertainty.

Ongoing macroeconomic instability, fueled by escalating trade war fears and weakening global sentiment, continues to weigh heavily on financial markets — and the crypto space has been among the hardest hit. Risk appetite is fading fast, and Bitcoin’s failure to hold higher ground has only added to the pressure.

Despite the current weakness, some analysts see a potential buying opportunity on the horizon. Top analyst Ali Martinez shared insights on X, noting that the next prime Bitcoin accumulation zone could appear when the MVRV (Market Value to Realized Value) Ratio crosses above its 70-day moving average. Historically, such crossovers have marked attractive entry points for long-term investors.

Bitcoin Hovers Near $82K As Bulls Face Crucial Test

Bitcoin is now facing a key technical and psychological test around the $82,000 level after losing bullish momentum earlier this week. Bulls initially regained control with a push toward $87,000, but the rally stalled as BTC failed to reclaim the critical $90,000 resistance mark. Since then, selling pressure has resumed, erasing recent gains and dragging the price into lower support zones. What started as a minor upswing has now turned into a deeper struggle for bulls trying to stabilize the trend.

The renewed weakness comes amid persistent macroeconomic uncertainty and rising global tensions, which continue to shake financial markets. Risk appetite has faded across the board, and Bitcoin — like many crypto assets — remains highly sensitive to broader economic shifts. Price action has reflected this fragility, with bears now pressing to break below $82K and challenge deeper demand zones.

Despite the current downtrend, some analysts believe a meaningful buying opportunity could be approaching. Martinez shared on X that the next prime Bitcoin accumulation zone may emerge when the MVRV (Market Value to Realized Value) Ratio crosses above its 70-day moving average. Historically, this signal has aligned with market bottoms and early stages of recovery.

While the short-term trend remains pressured, the approaching MVRV crossover could provide a critical turning point. Bulls now face the urgent task of defending $82K and pushing back above key resistance zones. If they succeed — and if accumulation quietly continues — Bitcoin could soon find the footing needed to begin a stronger recovery phase. Until then, volatility and caution are likely to dominate the market.

BTC Down 8% As Bulls Fight To Reclaim Key Moving Averages

Bitcoin has dropped 8% since March 24, with price action continuing to show weakness as bulls fail to push past key resistance. After briefly consolidating near $87,000, BTC lost momentum and slipped below both the 4-hour 200 moving average (MA) and the exponential moving average (EMA), which were clustered in the $87K–$85K range. These moving averages have acted as dynamic support throughout past uptrends, and the recent breakdown reinforces the growing bearish sentiment.

For any recovery phase to begin, bulls must reclaim this range and flip it back into support. A sustained move above $85,000 would signal strength and could set the stage for a push toward the $90K resistance level. However, the current rejection suggests that sellers remain firmly in control.

If Bitcoin fails to hold above the $82,000 level in the coming sessions, the market could face a more profound correction. A break below $82K would likely open the door to sub-$80K prices, placing Bitcoin back into lower demand zones and triggering renewed fear among investors.

With volatility increasing and macroeconomic uncertainty still weighing on the market, bulls are under pressure to act quickly before bearish momentum accelerates further.

Featured image from Dall-E, chart from TradingView 

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Crypto analyst Investing Scope has predicted that the Dogecoin price is set to reach the much-anticipated $1 level. The analyst also suggested that now is a great time to accumulate the foremost meme coin as a once-in-a-year buy opportunity returns. 

Dogecoin Coin Eyes Rally To $1 As Buy Opportunity Returns

The Dogecoin price is eyeing a rally to $1 as a buy opportunity returns. In a TradingView post, Investing Scope mentioned this $1 target while revealing that this once-in-a-year buy opportunity is aiming for the 1.618 Fibonacci extension on the higher high trendline. His accompanying chart showed that the projected rally for DOGE is already in play and that a deeper correction is unlikely. 

Commenting on the current Dogecoin price action, the analyst stated that DOGE is neutral on its 1-day technical outlook. He added that the foremost meme coin is recovering from its prior oversold state and testing the 1-week MA50 for the first time in three weeks. 

This current rebound is said to have been made after the Dogecoin price touched the 1-week MA200, which the analyst claimed is the new long-term bottom, similar to August 5th, 2024, and October 9th, 2023. 

Crypto analyst Master Kenobi also recently predicted that the Dogecoin price could reach $1 by June later this year. The analyst revealed that DOGE is mirroring a bullish pattern from the 2017 bull run, which is why he believes that the foremost meme coin could reach this price target. This projected rally to $1 will represent the second phase of Dogecoin’s bull run, just the same way there were two equal pumps in the 2017 market cycle. 

Key Levels To Watch For DOGE

In an X post, crypto analyst Ali Martinez revealed the key levels to watch for the Dogecoin price. He highlighted $0.177 and $0.207 as the major support and resistance levels for the foremost meme coin. He added that these levels are crucial for determining the next price movement. 

In an earlier post, Martinez stated that the SuperTrend indicator suggests that the Dogecoin price could enter a bullish phase upon breaking the $0.21 resistance level. Market participants are betting on a bullish reversal for DOGE as Martinez revealed that 76.65% of traders on Binance futures are long on the meme coin. 

Crypto analyst Trader Tardigrade is also predicting massive moves for the Dogecoin price. In one post, he stated that the meme coin’s macro chart follows the DOGE cycle. His accompanying chart showed that the foremost meme coin could rally to as high as $8 in this market cycle. 

At the time of writing, the Dogecoin price is trading at around $0.18, down over 6% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com

Editorial Process for bitcoinist is centered on delivering thoroughly researched, accurate, and unbiased content. We uphold strict sourcing standards, and each page undergoes diligent review by our team of top technology experts and seasoned editors. This process ensures the integrity, relevance, and value of our content for our readers.