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TL;DR
- Shiba Inu (SHIB) ETF momentum: Following Canary Capital's PEPE filing, SHIB emerges as the top candidate. Key drivers: 1.5 million+ holders and Coinbase CFTC futures.
- Hyperliquid whale XRP maneuver: A major Hyperliquid entity shifted strategy, opening 10x leveraged longs on XRP and SOL while hedging with HYPE shorts.
- Bitcoin (BTC) price target: Technical "double rejection" from Bollinger Bands suggests a pullback to $64,900. Neutral PCE data ($2.8% headline) fails to spark a rally.
- Crypto market outlook: Q4, 2025, GDP growth cratered to 0.5% (vs. 2.8% exp). Bitcoin is decoupling as a "stagflation hedge," with $32 million inflows from Morgan Stanley.
Shiba Inu (SHIB) becomes next ETF candidate after Canary’s filing for PEPE
The recent S-1 registration by Canary Capital to launch a spot ETF has officially opened the door for meme tokens at the institutional level. It is possible that this event alone makes approval of a Shiba Inu (SHIB) ETF only a matter of time, given the fundamental advantage of the dog-themed token over the frog-themed one.
Despite the hype around Pepe, Shiba Inu coin continues to hold its position as the dominant meme token within the Ethereum ecosystem, supported by three key factors:
- SHIB remains a more stable and liquid asset, with a market capitalization of $3.5 billion compared to $1.5 billion for Pepe coin.
- According to Etherscan data, SHIB's holder base exceeds 1.5 million addresses, nearly three times that of Pepe.
- T-Rowe Price has already confirmed its intention to include Shiba Inu coin in its crypto products, creating a precedent for regulators.
Among other factors, Shiba Inu already has confirmed CFTC futures on Coinbase and is one of the few tokens to receive such approval from U.S. platforms. Another key difference and potential advantage for SHIB over PEPE in the eyes of the SEC may lie in its origin, as Pepe’s launch raised concerns about bundled distributions.
The story of Ryoshi, the anonymous creator of Shiba Inu coin, closely mirrors that of Satoshi with Bitcoin. His disappearance from the public space and the decentralization of the project bring Shiba’s structure closer to Bitcoin’s model, which strengthens the argument against it being classified as a security.
$90 million Hyperliquid whale shakes up market with unusual XRP long
At the same time, a series of unusual transactions was recorded on the Hyperliquid platform from a large holder of the HYPE token, with total assets exceeding $92 million. The whale’s actions sparked strong reactions in the community due to a sudden change in strategy and the opening of positions on major altcoins.
Following the sequence, the whale first unstaked 42 million HYPE, valued at about $93 million. Immediately after, two batch sell orders of 758 HYPE each were executed. Then, a series of 10x leveraged positions was opened, including a short on HYPE and long positions on XRP and SOL.
After completing these actions, the whale restaked all HYPE tokens, now valued at $92.3 million, while keeping open positions on XRP and SOL, and the short on HYPE.
These moves can be interpreted as market probing or a complex hedging strategy. At the same time, there is a symbolic tilt toward bullish positions on XRP and SOL. Some view this as a signal for retail participants despite the scale of capital involved.
Bitcoin under pressure: PCE meets expectations, but Bollinger Bands point to $64,900
Fresh macro data from the United States, particularly PCE figures, did not create an inflation shock, yet the technical setup for Bitcoin remains concerning. The asset continues to reflect a double rejection from the upper Bollinger Band, maintaining a trajectory toward testing a local bottom.
On the daily BTC/USD chart, the price has clearly faced strong resistance twice this week around the $70,000 area, aligned with the upper Bollinger Band. According to John Bollinger’s framework, after such failed attempts, the asset typically gravitates toward the lower band, with the nearest critical support slightly below $65,000.
The data itself matched expectations. Core PCE rose 3% year-over-year and 0.4% month-over-month, while headline PCE held at 2.8% without acceleration. Initial jobless claims increased to 219,000, slightly above forecasts, pointing to cooling labor conditions and potential recessionary weakness.
Despite neutral PCE data, the main volatility trigger remains the CPI report. The market continues to price in risk tied to elevated commodity and oil prices, which could push Bitcoin toward the psychological $64,000 level. This level continues to act as a magnet. A hotter-than-expected CPI would likely accelerate a move toward the lower Bollinger Band.
Crypto Market Outlook: Bitcoin reinforces its anti-dollar narrative
Alongside PCE data, the market also received U.S. GDP figures as its growth slowed from 4.4% to 0.5% in Q4, 2025, far below the expected 2.8%, confirming that the U.S. economy is entering a technical recession phase.
Key checkpoints:
- Bitcoin holds the $71,000 range, showing resilience against macro pressure and reinforcing the narrative following the launch of the Bitcoin ETF by Morgan Stanley, which attracted nearly $32 million in inflows on its first day.
- Inflation pressure remains elevated due to high oil prices linked to geopolitical logistics in the Middle East.
- When GDP drops to 0.5% while inflation remains well above the Federal Reserve’s target, markets begin to anticipate renewed monetary expansion.
In such an environment, Bitcoin transitions from a speculative asset into a fundamental tool for capital preservation under stagflation conditions. Whether this will reignite the "digital gold" narrative will become clear in the coming weeks. The key focus remains the Federal Reserve rate decision at the end of April.
Dan Burgin
U.Today Editorial Team
