Gold prices experienced a significant correction, dropping over 6% after reaching record highs near $4,400 an ounce, prompting a rush of buying from retail investors and record attendance at a major gold conference, amid ongoing concerns about overextension and market corrections in the gold bull market.
Ethereum, Dogecoin, and XRP prices have sharply declined due to the US Supreme Court's decision to keep Trump tariffs in place and ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Israel-Iran conflict, which together create a bearish outlook for these altcoins. However, potential rate cuts by the Federal Reserve could positively influence their prices in the future.
AI predicts that in a nuclear war scenario, Bitcoin's value could plummet by 10-80% due to the degradation of its network, with only about 1,000 nodes remaining active, risking protocol failure or complete collapse, especially in global nuclear escalation. Smaller conflicts might cause moderate dips, but total annihilation would likely render Bitcoin worthless, unless backup systems like satellites are in place. Currently, the probability of a nuclear war in 2025 remains low at 18%.
Bitcoin whales have withdrawn over 21,400 BTC from exchanges in a week, cashing out profits as the price surged past $73,000. This massive withdrawal, including a single-day record of $752 million worth of Bitcoin, has led to a supply shock and contributed to a 7% price crash. Long liquidations totaling $145.34 million and the emergence of 13 new whales with holdings of over 1,000 BTC have also impacted the market, with the Bitcoin price falling to $64,909.21 and experiencing a 13% plunge from its all-time high.
Gold experienced a significant pullback of approximately 6% just hours after economist Peter Schiff confidently stated that its rally was real, unlike Bitcoin's. Schiff had predicted a "spectacular crash" for Bitcoin, attributing its recent surge to a speculative frenzy around spot Bitcoin ETFs. However, while gold plummeted from its all-time high of over $2,100, Bitcoin maintained its position around 18-month highs. The initial rally in gold prices was driven by comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, while Bitcoin's surge was fueled by anticipation of a potential spot Bitcoin ETF approval by US regulators.
Coal prices have fallen significantly due to mild weather and falling natural gas prices, but they still remain more expensive than natural gas in the US. The drop in coal prices has to be even more significant for it to become price-competitive with natural gas. Last year, renewable energy surpassed coal-fired generation in the US electric power sector for the first time.