Trading

Blockchain investigator ZachXBT said on Monday that Bitget allowed market makers to run supply-control manipulation that harmed retail traders, citing RAVE, RIVER, SIREN, and LAB. He also pointed to onchain activity around LAB, including 10 newly created wallets withdrawing 100M LAB tokens ($480M, 32% of supply) from Bitget within 12 hours after a sharp price move.

Bitcoin fell to $76,000 on May 18, unwinding a short-lived rebound and pushing its market capitalization down to $1.53 trillion. The roughly 2% drop was accompanied by $722 million in long liquidations across the crypto market, compared with nearly $94 million in shorts.

Bitcoin slid Sunday night after US President Donald Trump posted a warning to Iran on Truth Social, and by early Monday it was trading around $76,780, down about 1.55% over 24 hours. The move pushed BTC below key hourly EMAs (20-hour $77,580; 50-hour $78,120; 100-hour $78,767; 200-hour $79,350) while MACD readings stayed negative (line -359; signal -243; histogram -116).

XRP returned to traders' radar after spot XRP ETFs logged about $60.5 million in net inflows over the past week and XRP Ledger activity rose to levels last seen in March. Despite the improved demand signals, price action has struggled to clear nearby resistance, with market participants watching whether XRP can reclaim $2 or remain range-bound below it.

Bitcoin fell under $77,000 on Monday as market risk-off sentiment intensified, with on-chain indicators showing mounting capitulation pressure. Data shows 6–12 month holders have a realized cost basis near $110,851, and exchange inflows have risen since May 14 alongside short-term holders selling at a loss. The setup suggests a fast V-shaped rebound is less likely until the excess selling supply is absorbed and sentiment steadies.

On May 16, Iran's Ministry of Economy launched Hormuz Safe, a state-backed maritime insurance platform that settles premiums in Bitcoin for ships transiting the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. The system is designed to bypass SWIFT and Western banking channels and is framed as a potential $10 billion annual revenue mechanism. Bitcoin was trading at $76,921, up 0.2% over 30 days, after falling from about $82K earlier in May.

Goldman Sachs eliminated its U.S. spot XRP ETF exposure in Q1 2026, exiting a position valued at about $154 million that had been spread across issuers including Bitwise, Grayscale, Franklin Templeton and 21Shares. Over the past week, XRP ETF net inflows totaled $60.49 million and reached $176.3 million since early April, while total AUM hit $1.18 billion as XRP traded at $1.43. In the same quarter, the bank also reshuffled other crypto-linked holdings, adding 654,630 shares of Hyperliquid Strategies Inc. (PURR) worth $3.33 million.

Michael Saylor said on X that Strategy bought another tranche of Bitcoin at an average price of about $80,985, lifting the company's holdings to 843,738 BTC. Bitcoin, after dipping below $76,700 in the Asian session, rebounded to around $77,400–$77,500 following the disclosure. The firm's stack is listed at roughly $63.87 billion in total acquisition cost, with an average cost basis near $75,700 per BTC.

XRP fell to around $1.38 on May 18 and was down about 5% over the past week, with broader crypto weakness tied in part to heightened US-Iran tensions. Several market commentators argued the token is near a key technical area, with one projecting a move to just under $5 (a 240% increase), while others floated scenarios above $10 and even $15.

On May 18, U.S.-based Bitcoin ATM operator Bitcoin Depot began a voluntary Chapter 11 process as it moves toward winding down operations and selling assets. The same day, Capital B spent €13.0 million to add 192 BTC, lifting its holdings to 3,135 BTC, while Bitcoin retail activity fell to a record low.