A federal magistrate in Texas has recommended dismissal of YouTuber Logan Paul from a proposed class-action lawsuit concerning the failed NFT venture CryptoZoo

Bitcoin fell below $113,000 for the first time in two weeks, sparking $113 million in liquidations. While fears mount, historical patterns suggest this correction could be another setup for a rebound.Bitcoin’s Sudden ReversalBitcoin (BTC) plunged under $113,000 on Monday, just days after notching a record high of $124,176. The sharp sell-off triggered more than $113 million in leveraged long liquidations, shocking traders who had grown accustomed to Bitcoin’s strong momentum.The downturn reflects a mix of macro headwinds, regulatory scrutiny, and shaken investor confidence, but analysts note that the cryptocurrency’s long-term bull trend remains intact.Options Market Signals Extreme FearBitcoin derivatives markets turned sharply bearish as investors rushed to hedge downside risk.The 30-day options delta skew surged to 12%, its highest level in four months.Under normal conditions, the skew oscillates between -6% and +6%. Levels above 10% indicate extreme fear.The last comparable spike, on April 7, preceded a Bitcoin rebound of 40% within a month.This suggests that while panic is currently dominating sentiment, prior extremes have historically given way to significant rebounds.What Triggered the Sell-Off?1. SEC Investigation Into Trump-Linked FirmReports emerged that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating fraud and manipulation at Alt5 Sigma, a company tied to World Liberty Financial, co-founded by former President Donald Trump.Trump disclosed $57.4M in earnings from World Liberty earlier this year.The company raised $550M in token sales, while Trump’s son Eric is slated to join Alt5 Sigma’s board.The probe injected new political and regulatory uncertainty into crypto markets.2. Weakness in Tech and AI StocksA 1.5% drop in the Nasdaq 100 weighed on risk appetite after MIT NANDA research revealed that 95% of AI pilot projects across 150 companies failed to deliver meaningful revenue growth.This finding rattled confidence in corporate AI adoption — one of Wall Street’s biggest bullish narratives.3. U.S. Import Tariffs & Economic JittersThe U.S. imposed 50% tariffs on 407 new aluminum- and steel-based products, raising concerns over supply chains and consumer inflation.Economists warn of higher prices on everyday goods such as auto parts and plastics.Investor concerns about the Federal Reserve’s independence and ballooning U.S. deficits pushed demand for gold, with UBS lifting its forecast to $3,700 by 2026.Together, these factors stoked risk aversion across global markets, spilling into Bitcoin.Does This Mark the End of the Bull Market?Despite the turbulence, analysts argue the long-term bull trend remains intact:Fear-driven sell-offs have historically marked attractive entry points.Bitcoin could benefit from stock market outflows, especially as investors seek alternatives to equities and fiat exposure.Structural demand — from ETFs, corporate holdings, and institutional inflows — continues to underpin the market.“There is no evidence that Bitcoin’s bull run has ended. Traders’ fear often overshoots rational expectations,” one analyst noted.Bitcoin’s dip below $113K reflects short-term fear, not structural weakness.With extreme fear flashing in options markets, parallels to April’s correction suggest that $112K could mark a local bottom.If historical patterns repeat, Bitcoin may be positioned for a rebound — potentially catching bears off guard, according to Cointelegraph.

Retail hype fades as Bitcoin and altcoins retrace, with analysts questioning whether last week’s spike was real.Global search interest for the term “alt season” has dropped more than 50% in just a week, according to Google Trends data, as enthusiasm for altcoins cools in tandem with a broader crypto market pullback.On Aug. 20, worldwide searches for “alt season” fell to a score of 45, down from a peak of 100 on Aug. 13 — just a day before Bitcoin reached a new all-time high of $124,128. That same week, Google searches for “altcoin” hit their highest level since 2021, while interest in Ethereum climbed to a two-year peak.Short-Lived Altcoin RallyThe surge in search activity coincided with notable gains in top altcoins. Dogecoin (DOGE) and XRP rallied nearly 19% in the two weeks leading up to Aug. 13. But both coins quickly reversed course, shedding around 11% each over the past week, per CoinMarketCap data.This reversal dampened the “alt season” narrative, raising questions about whether retail FOMO was truly building — or whether the spike in search traffic was artificially amplified.Was the Search Spike Real?Economist Alex Krüger openly questioned the sudden jump in “alt season” searches, writing on X (formerly Twitter):“I’m wondering if that data is correct, as the spike is dramatic and brief. Organic or manufactured via bots?”Crypto traders have long tracked Google Trends data as a proxy for retail market sentiment. A sharp spike in search interest is often seen as a contrarian indicator, suggesting that markets may be nearing a local top.Analysts Split on Relevance of Search DataNot everyone believes Google search trends are still reliable market signals. Cristian Chifoi, a crypto analyst, argued on X that the term “altseason” was recently amplified by major exchanges like Coinbase, which may have contributed to the spike.Coinbase Institutional’s global head of research, David Duong, echoed the altcoin momentum narrative in an August report, writing:“We think current market conditions now suggest a potential shift toward a full-scale altcoin season as we approach September.”Still, Chifoi and other traders remain skeptical, noting that institutional investment vehicles such as Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs and corporate crypto treasuries provide new on-ramps for investors that may reduce the relevance of search interest as a sentiment gauge.With “alt season” searches collapsing by more than half in a matter of days, enthusiasm for a broad altcoin rally appears to have fizzled — at least for now.Whether this signals a cooling market or simply a pause before fresh capital rotates into altcoins remains to be seen, according to Cointelegraph.

من المتوقع أن تفتح الأسواق الأوروبية على تراجع يوم الأربعاء مع تغير المزاج العام للأسواق العالمية. وبالتالي، من المتوقع أن يفتتح مؤشر FTSE البريطاني منخفضًا بنسبة 0. 18%. كما من المتوقع أن ينخفض مؤشر DAX الألماني بنسبة 0 source: https://www.twsiat.com/%d9%85%d9%86-%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%85%d8%aa%d9%88%d9%82%d8%b9-%d8%a3%d9%86-%d8%aa%d9%81%d8%aa%d8%ad-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d8%b3%d9%88%d8%a7%d9%82-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3%d9%88%d8%b1%d9%88%d8%a8%d9%8a%d8%a9-14/

According to Cointelegraph, the crypto-focused investment arm of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz has highlighted the potential of modern cryptographic techniques, such as zero-knowledge proofs (ZK-proofs), in safeguarding user privacy while enabling law enforcement to target illicit activities. In a recent report, a16z Crypto policy partner Aiden Slaven and regulatory counsel David Sverdlov emphasized that ZK-proofs can verify data authenticity without revealing private information, offering significant potential in tracing the origin of funds without compromising privacy. The report was released shortly after Roman Storm, co-founder of the crypto mixing service Tornado Cash, was convicted of conspiracy charges related to operating an unlicensed money business. Tornado Cash, known for masking the origin and destination of cryptocurrency, faced criticism from law enforcement for allegedly facilitating criminal activities by concealing illicit gains. Slaven and Sverdlov argue that ZK-proofs could provide assurances at cash-out points that cryptocurrency does not originate from criminal proceeds, while maintaining user privacy over on-chain transactions. Beyond financial applications, Slaven and Sverdlov suggest ZK-proofs can be utilized in everyday tasks, such as proving citizenship without disclosing sensitive documents like passports or birth certificates. This technology allows verification of facts without exposing additional information that could compromise privacy. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Commissioner Hester Peirce echoed similar sentiments at the Science of Blockchain Conference, advocating for the protection of privacy-enhancing technologies. Despite concerns about scalability, advancements in cryptographic privacy technology are making it more feasible for widespread adoption. Slaven and Sverdlov note that improvements in reducing computational overhead are enhancing the practicality of ZK-proofs for larger-scale implementation. They assert that cryptographers, engineers, and entrepreneurs are continuously refining the scalability and usability of these proofs, making them effective tools for law enforcement while preserving individual privacy. The U.S. government's July crypto report identified ZK-proofs as a method to protect user privacy while enabling compliance checks. JPMorgan's private blockchain, Nexus, employs this technology for tokenized cash settlements and interbank messaging. Slaven and Sverdlov also mention other cryptographic privacy technologies worth exploring, such as homomorphic encryption, multiparty computation, and differential privacy, which offer various methods to protect private data while enabling necessary computations. Slaven and Sverdlov conclude by acknowledging the historical anxieties surrounding privacy with new technologies, noting that blockchains are often misunderstood as either excessively transparent or as havens for crime. They emphasize the importance of understanding and leveraging privacy technologies to balance transparency and security in the digital age.

ALT5 Sigma has pushed back against reports linking the firm and one of its executives to a fresh SEC investigation. source: https://cryptonews.com/news/alt5-sigma-denies-sec-probe-rumors-amid-1-5b-trump-crypto-deal/

A16z Crypto’s comments come weeks after Roman Storm was found guilty of charges linked to his mixing service Tornado Cash, which masks the origin and destination of crypto. source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/zero-knowledge-proofs-blockchain-privacy-crypto-compliance?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound

Bitcoin retraced to a low of $112,600 as retail panic selling resulted in the most bearish social sentiment since June, but analysts see a buying opportunity ahead. source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/retail-flips-ultra-bearish-bitcoin-dips-113k-santiment?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound

Robinhood Derivatives has sued New Jersey and Nevada regulators to stop any potential regulatory action over its sports event contracts. source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/robinhood-sues-new-jersey-nevada-over-sports-contract-threats?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound

Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase Global Inc.  (NASDAQ:COIN), cheered the addition of XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) and Solana (CRYPTO: source: https://www.benzinga.com/crypto/cryptocurrency/25/08/47226939/brian-armstrong-hails-great-progress-as-coinbase-rolls-out-advanced-trading-for-popular-coins-solana-xrp?utm_source=cryptopanic.com&utm_campaign=partner_feed&utm_medium=partner_feed&utm_content=site

Bank of America's potential stablecoin entry could reshape cross-border payments amid regulatory developments. source: https://coincu.com/356079-bank-america-stablecoin-market

What is the current market situation and future outlook? Where is the bull market top? When should I take profits?

In the DeFi space, oracles are the backbone of the entire infrastructure. Chainlink and Python Network represent two different approaches to solving the “oracle problem.”

Bitcoin has retraced below $117,000 after reaching an all-time high last week, signaling a pause in upward momentum and growing caution among investors.

SEC Chair Paul Atkins said most crypto tokens should not be classed as securities, marking a shift from the stricter stance of his predecessor. He introduced “Project Crypto” to set clearer rules, with the focus moving from enforcement to guidance and support for innovation.

The shift toward later-stage funding reflects the maturing market as venture-backed companies achieve product-market fit.

Bitwise predicts that over the next 10 years, Bitcoin will become the world's best-performing major asset, with a compound annual growth rate of 28.3% and a steady decline in volatility.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Bowman said the Fed will push forward with new, less burdensome bank capital rules and reiterated its firm stance on interest rate cuts. She also called on banks and regulators to embrace new technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain.

The US financial market in 2025 is facing the dual challenges of corporate debt tightening and commercial real estate tightening. The Federal Reserve's possible interest rate cut signal reflects its recognition of economic weaknesses, but it cannot solve the deep structural problems.

Golden Finance has launched the 2791th issue of "Golden Morning 8", a morning newspaper for the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry, to provide you with the latest and fastest digital currency and blockchain industry news.