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TL;DR
- Steve Aoki exits SHIB: DJ fully liquidated his four-year Shiba Inu position on Gemini, signaling a shift away from the 2020s meme coin hype.
- ETH overtakes XRP: Institutional inflows into XRP dropped 84% this week, while Ethereum saw a massive $196.5 million comeback.
- BTC support levels: Bitcoin holds above $70,000 despite geopolitical tensions, analyst DonAlt predicts a push to new highs.
- Crypto Market Outlook: Upcoming U.S. PPI data could trigger volatility. A break below $70,000 may test the $68,500 support.
DJ Steve Aoki fully exits SHIB coin after four years: Is era of crypto influencers coming to an end?
According to data from blockchain analytics platform Arkham, one of the most visible supporters of crypto and NFTs, DJ Steve Aoki, has fully liquidated his positions in the meme token Shiba Inu. The event was recorded via blockchain monitoring at the start of the week and effectively draws a line under the musician's four-year investment in the dog-themed meme token.
Wallets allegedly belonging to Aoki conducted several transactions, selling the remaining SHIB and Ethereum worth approximately $30,000. All funds were transferred to centralized U.S. exchange Gemini. Aoki held the majority of his SHIB tokens for more than four years, going through the 2021 peak and the subsequent decline.
The musician still holds seven tokens from the Bored Ape Yacht Club, although their market value has dropped even more significantly than his SHIB investment. While in 2021, Aoki paid over $800,000 for his apes, their average price now stands at just $13,800 per NFT.
Aoki's exit from SHIB is an important event in the context of the meme coin. It reflects broader disappointment among high-profile holders in the risks of speculative crypto assets from the previous cycle and likely signals a fading belief in speculative memes of the 2020s, with SHIB serving as a showcase of that era.
Dogecoin remains, but DOGE emerged outside of hype cycles and is more deeply tied to internet and meme culture than SHIB.
XRP yields to Ethereum in weekly ETF inflows
At the same time, details emerged on how the crypto ETF market performed last week, and it ended with a noticeable shift in the landscape of crypto-focused investment products. According to the latest data from CoinShares, institutional investors redirected their attention, with XRP losing 84% of weekly inflows to Ethereum.
Looking deeper, after a quiet period, Ethereum posted a strong comeback with inflows of $196.5 million for the week. This sharply contrasts with the previous week, when the asset recorded outflows of $52.8 million.
At the same time, despite dominating the week prior with inflows of $119.6 million, XRP attracted only $19.3 million this week. That effectively means current inflows into XRP amount to just 16% of the previous week's figure.
Ethereum has effectively absorbed most of the market impulse that XRP held at the beginning of April. The likely explanation is a catch-up play by ETH after multiple weeks of outflows. Tokenization and stablecoins remain dominant themes, and Ether holds a front position in both.
Additionally, the Ethereum Foundation staking 70,000 ETH at the beginning of April contributed to the sentiment. When the largest nonprofit entity in the ecosystem commits to staking rather than selling, it reinforces confidence among funds and ETF investors.
Despite this, XRP maintains strong fundamentals with $88 million since the beginning of April, while Ethereum is still recovering after deeper corrections. The latter has taken the lead in short-term institutional preference, but across 2026, the former still stands as the stronger asset in terms of capital retention.
Traders expect "final push" upward for Bitcoin after prolonged chop
From early-week observations, a new outlook on Bitcoin has been presented by industry trader DonAlt. According to him, Bitcoin is not broken, and despite escalating geopolitical tensions and ongoing conflicts between East and West, the asset continues to hold key support levels.
However, the negative aspect is that political irrationality at the highest levels may persist longer than market participants can remain solvent. As shown on his chart, every move above the $73,000 zone is interrupted by news of escalation or failed diplomatic efforts. This creates a hammer-like effect hitting the market at critical breakout moments.
Investors are now forced to price in unpredictable geopolitical risks. DonAlt highlights what he describes as unprecedentedly destructive decisions affecting global markets.
Despite this, he believes the prolonged consolidation will ultimately resolve upward. Once tensions stabilize, accumulated pressure may push Bitcoin toward new yearly highs.
Crypto Market Outlook: Will BTC drop after April 14 PPI data?
At the start of the new week, the crypto market remains in a state of high volatility. Bitcoin is already trading below $71,000 but is still above the key psychological level of $70,000.
Key points this week include:
- The return of the U.S. Senate to session, and particularly the Senate Banking Committee resuming work on the Clarity Act.
- On April 14, U.S. PPI data for March will be released. This is one of the main macro indicators for the Federal Reserve, alongside CPI, in determining interest rate decisions later this month. Current expectations point to an increase to 1.25, driven by high oil prices. Data above expectations could undermine hopes for rate cuts in the summer, strengthening the dollar and putting pressure on Bitcoin.
- For BTC, current support at $70,000 is holding. A break below could open the path toward testing $68,500 and lower. To resume movement toward yearly highs, Bitcoin needs to secure a position above $72,500.
The coming days will act as a test of the market's fragility in mid-April. If Bitcoin holds key support levels despite geopolitical disruptions and restrictive signals from the Federal Reserve, it may confirm its transition into a safe-haven asset in the current global environment.
Dan Burgin
U.Today Editorial Team
