Crypto analytics firm Santiment reports that Bitcoin whales holding between 10 and 10,000 BTC have sold around 66% of the coins they accumulated between Feb. 23 and Mar. 3, after prices briefly touched $74,000 this week. While retail holders with less than 0.01 BTC have been buying the dip below $70,000, Santiment and other analysts warn the correction could continue, especially after a $348.9 million outflow day from US spot Bitcoin ETFs and a plunge in sentiment to "Extreme Fear."

Following the release of US President Donald Trump's National Cyber Strategy on Friday, crypto executives are dissecting the document for clues on future support for cryptocurrencies and blockchain. The strategy explicitly commits to supporting the security of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies, while language on uprooting criminal infrastructure is seen as potentially targeting mixers, privacy coins and unregulated off-ramps. Industry figures also noted the report's focus on post-quantum cryptography and AI security as signals that the government is treating quantum threats and artificial intelligence as key cybersecurity priorities.

Crypto executive Austin Campbell argued that community banks and the crypto sector should align on the US CLARITY Act or risk conceding advantages to large banks. Responding to community banking leader Christopher Williston, Campbell claimed stablecoins could help address technological and regulatory challenges for smaller lenders, while critics warn the bill could draw deposits away from traditional banks. Members of the Trump family also weighed in, with Eric Trump criticizing major banks and President Donald Trump urging the market-structure bill to be passed quickly.

Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan said in a Wednesday interview that the broad, euphoric altcoin seasons of past cycles are unlikely to return, and that future cycles will favor tokens with real-world traction and applications. He argued that instead of a uniform rally where capital rotates from Bitcoin to Ether and then to the wider altcoin market, the next phase will see more differentiated revaluations focused on assets tied to substantial businesses.

Macroeconomist Lyn Alden told the New Era Finance podcast on Wednesday that she would back Bitcoin to outperform gold over the next two to three years after gold's recent rally to an all-time high near $5,608 in January. She argued that market sentiment around gold is "somewhat euphoric" while Bitcoin, which is trading at $71,164 and 44% below its October peak of $126,000, faces "somewhat unfairly negative" sentiment.

Altcoin mentions on social media have fallen to their lowest level in two years, with Santiment's data showing altcoin social dominance at 33 for the week ended Feb. 27, far below the July 2025 peak of 750. Google Trends also shows the global search score for "altcoins" at 4 out of 100 near the end of February, while Bitcoin has rallied 7.51% in the past 24 hours and now commands more investor attention. Santiment views the depressed altcoin interest as a potential bullish signal, and trader Michaël van de Poppe expects altcoins to gain momentum once Bitcoin's rally slows.

In an international operation on March 3 and 4, law enforcement agencies led by the FBI and Europol dismantled LeakBase, a cybercrime forum with more than 142,000 registered members and over 215,000 messages. Authorities in 14 countries seized user accounts, payment details and IP logs, issued prevention notices and replaced the site with seizure banners. LeakBase's predecessor Raidforums, which was shut down in 2022, had previously hosted leaked personal data of roughly 272,000 users of Ledger's crypto wallet service.

At the Bitcoin Investor Week Conference in New York in February, former Trump crypto advisor David Bailey argued that the U.S. government must go further than simply supporting Bitcoin in words. He highlighted that, despite Trump signing an executive order for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve in March 2025 and the U.S. holding 378,372 BTC worth about $22.48 billion, meaningful policy action has lagged. Bailey added that Bitcoin will ultimately succeed with or without U.S. help, but real progress requires political capital and broader voter ownership of BTC.

Swyftx lead analyst Pav Hundal said on Thursday that Ether has already absorbed much of the short-term macro risk and industry news, making a period of subdued, sideways price action likely. He argued that confidence is still recovering from October's $19 billion liquidation cascade and that weak consumer sentiment, reflected in an "Extreme Fear" reading on the Crypto Fear & Greed Index, remains a key overhang even as large holders like BitMine Immersion Technologies keep adding to their Ether positions.