Why crypto, stocks, and gold all moved together this week

Why crypto, stocks, and gold all moved together this week

The crypto market just delivered a compelling signal that regulatory clarity remains the most potent catalyst for digital asset valuation. Over the past 24 hours, the total market capitalisation climbed 3.49 per cent to reach US$2.36 trillion. This move was not random noise.

It reflected a coordinated response to a specific policy development. The anticipation surrounding the Clarity Act, which sources indicate President Trump confirmed as ready for signing in March, removed a significant regulatory overhang that has constrained institutional participation. This development matters because it addresses the fundamental uncertainty that has kept many traditional capital allocators on the sidelines. When policy frameworks become predictable, risk assessments shift, and capital follows.

The correlation data reinforces this interpretation. Crypto currently shows a 66 per cent correlation with the S&P 500 and a 53 per cent correlation with Gold. These numbers tell a story of assets moving in tandem under shared macroeconomic pressures rather than isolated speculative fervour. When liquidity conditions improve and geopolitical tensions ease, as they did following comments suggesting the Iran conflict could be resolved soon, capital rotates across risk assets simultaneously. This synchronised movement suggests that the crypto rally is part of a broader reflation trade rather than a disconnected digital-asset phenomenon. For observers who understand that decentralised systems thrive under clear rules rather than ambiguous enforcement, this regulatory progress represents a structural improvement in the market’s foundation.

Institutional accumulation provided the secondary engine for this advance. Michael Saylor’s Strategy acquired 17,994 BTC valued at US$1.28 billion while Tom Lee’s BitMine secured 60,976 ETH. These were not reactive trades. They represented strategic treasury deployments by entities that view digital assets as long-term balance sheet components. When sophisticated buyers treat market weakness as an opportunity to accumulate, they establish a price floor that technical analysts can identify and retail participants can trust. This behaviour contrasts sharply with the speculative churn that characterised earlier market cycles. Today’s institutional participants conduct rigorous due diligence, assess regulatory trajectories, and execute with multi-quarter time horizons. Their presence changes market dynamics by reducing volatility and increasing the credibility of price discovery.

The technical picture supports a constructive near-term outlook. The market cap currently tests the 38.2 per cent Fibonacci retracement level at US$2.36 trillion. The next bullish target sits in the US$2.4 trillion to US$2.46 trillion zone, which corresponds to the 23.6 per cent retracement and recent swing highs. Momentum indicators provide additional context. The 7-day RSI reads 53, which indicates room for further upside without entering overbought territory. Traders must watch the US$2.33 trillion level, representing the 50 per cent Fibonacci support. A failure to hold this zone on any pullback could signal a retest of recent lows. Technical levels matter because they represent the collective psychology of market participants. When price respects these levels, it reinforces confidence in the prevailing trend. When it breaks them, it forces a reassessment of the underlying narrative.

The broader equity market context provides an essential perspective. Major US indices staged a dramatic late session recovery as geopolitical tensions appeared to ease. The S&P 500 finished up 0.83 per cent at 6,795.99 after reversing earlier intraday losses. The Nasdaq Composite led the rebound with a 1.38 per cent gain to 22,695.95, boosted by technology shares. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.50 per cent to close at 47,740.80.

Notable movers included NVIDIA, which climbed 2.30 per cent to US$181.98, Apple, which rose 0.77 per cent to US$259.45, and Tesla, which ended up 0.32 per cent at US$398.00. This equity strength was not isolated. It coincided with a sharp reversal in energy markets. WTI crude fell as much as 10 per cent on Tuesday after surging near US$120 a barrel on Monday. The 10-year Treasury yield halted its 5-day climb, settling near 4.10 per cent as inflation fears sparked by high oil prices moderated. G7 finance ministers expressing readiness to release strategic oil reserves further cooled energy prices and supported the equity rebound.

This macro backdrop matters for crypto because digital assets no longer trade in a vacuum. They respond to the same liquidity signals, shifts in risk sentiment, and policy expectations that drive traditional markets. The upcoming US CPI data on March 11 will test the strength of these correlations. If inflation prints come in cooler than expected, the relief rally could extend across all risk assets. If they surprise to the upside, the narrative could shift quickly. Market participants who understand this interconnectedness position themselves accordingly. They watch Treasury yields, oil prices, and geopolitical headlines with the same attention they give to on-chain metrics and exchange flows.

This moment highlights a critical evolution in how markets price regulatory risk. For years, the crypto sector operated under a cloud of enforcement uncertainty that discouraged institutional participation and distorted price discovery. The potential signing of the Clarity Act represents more than a policy update. It signals a maturation of the regulatory approach that recognises the distinct characteristics of decentralised systems. Traditional financial tests were designed for centralised entities with clear control structures. Applying them to permissionless networks creates friction that stifles innovation without enhancing investor protection. A framework that acknowledges this distinction allows capital to flow to its most productive uses while maintaining appropriate safeguards.

The path forward contains both opportunity and caution. If the Clarity Act milestone is reached, the rally could extend toward the US$2.4 trillion to US$2.46 trillion resistance zone. This move would reflect not just speculative enthusiasm but a fundamental reassessment of risk premia for digital assets. Markets rarely move in straight lines. Profit taking at key technical levels or unexpected macro data could trigger a pullback. The US$2.33 trillion support level becomes critical in that scenario. Holding above it would indicate underlying strength. Breaking below it would suggest the rally lacked conviction.

Looking beyond the immediate price action, this episode reinforces a broader thesis. The convergence of regulatory clarity, institutional adoption, and macro liquidity creates a powerful foundation for sustainable growth in digital asset markets. This is not about short-term trading opportunities. It is about the gradual integration of decentralised financial infrastructure into the global economy. Participants who understand this long-term trajectory position themselves to benefit from the structural shifts underway.

 

Source: https://e27.co/why-crypto-stocks-and-gold-all-moved-together-this-week-20260310/

Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.

Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.

An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.

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What Bitcoin’s US$70,000 support zone means for traders after this week’s volatility

What Bitcoin’s US$70,000 support zone means for traders after this week’s volatility

The cryptocurrency market just witnessed a powerful reminder of how leverage and sentiment can collide to create violent price moves. A sharp Bitcoin-led rally forced over-leveraged short sellers to cover, triggering around US$471 million in crypto derivatives liquidations across major exchanges within 24 hours. About US$471 million of futures positions were wiped out, with roughly US$348 million from shorts and US$123 million from longs as BTC pushed toward US$74,000.

This was not random noise. It was a classic short squeeze, fuelled by crowded bearish positioning, negative funding, rising open interest, and strong ETF inflows into BTC and ETH. I have seen this pattern repeat across cycles, and each iteration teaches the same lesson. When leverage builds on one side of the market, the reversal does not just correct the price; it resets positioning with force.

The scale of the flush matters because it reveals where the real risk lives. Data from derivatives trackers shows roughly US$471 million in crypto futures liquidations over 24 hours, with shorts taking the majority of the hit at about US$348 million versus US$123 million in longs, as Bitcoin and Ethereum ripped higher toward key resistance near US$74,000. This pattern matches reporting that a BTC surge to the mid-70,000s erased over US$500 million in leveraged positions, with the largest daily wipeout of shorts since late February in some samples.

The pain concentrated in major coins such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other large caps, where leverage runs deepest. That tells us the move was big enough to reset a lot of leveraged positioning, not just a minor intraday shakeout. When the largest shorts get squeezed in the most liquid names, the signal travels fast through the entire derivatives complex.

Behind the numbers sat a textbook setup. After recent macro and geopolitical volatility, many traders rebuilt short exposure, with funding rates turning negative and open interest climbing as BTC dipped into the mid-60,000s. When spot prices reversed higher amid renewed ETF inflows and easing macro fears, exchanges’ risk engines began liquidating underwater shorts into a rising market, forcing additional buy orders and accelerating the upside.

Similar dynamics played out on ETH, where more than US$100 million in shorts were liquidated in a day, compared with a much smaller amount of long liquidations. Bears leaning too hard into downside with high leverage can turn into forced buyers, amplifying rallies beyond what spot demand alone would justify. I view this as a structural feature of modern crypto markets, not a bug. Derivatives and ETF flows now act as powerful amplifiers, and anyone trading without watching funding rates and open interest is flying blind.

This squeeze did not happen in isolation. Global markets on 6 March 2026 were dominated by risk-off sentiment as the conflict among the US, Israel, and Iran drove a broad retreat in risk assets. While US stock futures showed some stability early in the day, Asian and European equities fell sharply, heading toward their steepest weekly losses in years. US major indices closed lower on Thursday due to soaring oil prices and geopolitical fears. The Dow Jones dropped 784.67 points to close at 47,954.74. The S&P 500 declined 0.56 per cent to 6,830.71. The Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.26 per cent to 22,748.99.

Overseas, the MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell 1.1 per cent on Friday, marking its worst week in six years. Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.66 per cent to 54,915 points. In Europe, major indices such as the FTSE 100, DAX, and CAC 40 declined by 1.5 per cent to 1.6 per cent amid ongoing energy disruption fears. Oil prices anchored the move, with WTI crude surging above US$80 per barrel following reports of an Iranian strike on an oil tanker and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Rising energy and labour costs fuelled fears that the Federal Reserve would maintain high interest rates to combat sticky inflation.

The US Dollar gained as a safe-haven, heading for its best week since 2024. Gold prices remained volatile, briefly hitting US$5,400 earlier in the week before settling near US$5,100 by Thursday. Investors awaited the US Non-Farm Payrolls and Retail Sales reports for February to gauge the health of the labour market. In that backdrop, Bitcoin’s initial surge toward US$74,000 stood out as a sharp counter-trend move before macro gravity reasserted itself.

Post-event, derivatives metrics suggest that some excess leverage on the short side has been cleared, with funding rates normalising and open interest stabilising slightly lower. Order book data still shows dense liquidity zones both above and below the current price, and prior episodes suggest that traders are quick to re-leverage once volatility cools.

For risk monitoring, the key signals are funding rates, especially if they flip extreme again, sharp jumps in open interest, and any renewed surge in ETF flows that could interact with crowded futures positioning. The immediate squeeze may be over, but this remains a high-leverage environment where sudden price moves and positioning shifts can still trigger large, fast liquidation cascades. I watch these signals closely because they often telegraph the next inflection before price confirms it.

Bitcoin now trades down 1.72 per cent to US$71,244.79 over the past 24 hours, underperforming a slightly weaker broader market, primarily driven by a risk-off shift amid escalating Middle East tensions. It shows a strong correlation of 0.86 with Gold, indicating a shared macro-driven move. The primary reason remains geopolitical risk from the US-Iran conflict, which spiked oil prices and triggered a flight from risk assets.

A secondary factor was technical rejection at the key US$74,000 resistance level, where selling pressure overwhelmed buyers. Near-term, if BTC holds above the US$70,000 to US$71,000 whale bid zone, it could retest US$74,000. A break below risks a move toward US$67,500. I see this range as the battlefield where macro narrative and derivatives positioning will duel for control.

What should readers take from this sequence?

  • First, the reported US$471 million liquidation wave resulted from an aggressive short buildup caught offside by a strong Bitcoin-led rebound, not from a structural failure in the market. It has cleared some speculative froth, and derivatives activity and ETF flows remain powerful amplifiers, so future positioning extremes could again translate into abrupt squeezes rather than smooth trend moves.
  • Second, in a world where oil can jump above US$80 on geopolitical headlines, and equities can post their worst week in years, crypto will continue to mirror macro risk while retaining its own leverage-driven volatility.
  • Third, independent analysis matters more than ever. Crowded narratives can flip fast when funding rates turn, open interest spikes, or ETF flows accelerate. I prefer to track the plumbing, not just the price.

With all that said, I expect volatility to remain elevated as markets digest geopolitical shocks, inflation data, and the ongoing tug-of-war between risk-on and risk-off flows. Bitcoin’s correlation with Gold at 0.86 reminds us that macro drivers can dominate in the short term, even for an asset built on decentralisation. The derivatives layer adds a crypto-native amplifier that can exaggerate moves in either direction. If funding rates flip extreme again or open interest jumps while price consolidates, prepare for another squeeze. 

 

Source: https://e27.co/what-bitcoins-us70000-support-zone-means-for-traders-after-this-weeks-volatility-20260306/

Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.

Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.

An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.

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The Great Infra Wars: How Web3 is Forging the Future of Decentralized AI | Taipei Blockchain Week 2025

The Great Infra Wars: How Web3 is Forging the Future of Decentralized AI | Taipei Blockchain Week 2025

Taipei, Taiwan – Sept 2025 – As artificial intelligence reshapes the digital landscape, a critical battle is unfolding beneath the surface: the fight to build the infrastructure capable of hosting truly decentralized AI. At Taipei Blockchain Week 2025, the panel “Infra Wars: The Battle to Host the AI-powered Web” cut through the hype, revealing the profound technical and philosophical challenges at the intersection of Web3 and AI. Moderated by Lee Ting Ting, Founder of FansNetwork, the session brought together infrastructure pioneers to dissect how blockchain can solve AI’s most pressing limitations, from computational bottlenecks to data sovereignty crises.

The Speed vs. Decentralization Dilemma: Rethinking Consensus

The panel opened with a fundamental tension: AI demands blistering speed, while blockchain prioritizes decentralization, often at the cost of performance. “We all know AI models have immense complexity, and users care about speed,” noted moderator Lee Ting Ting, framing the core conflict. “How are emerging consensus mechanisms being redesigned to handle AI’s computational demands?”

Jiahao Sun, CEO of Flock.io and a former financial infrastructure lead, argued that traditional blockchain architectures are fundamentally mismatched for AI workloads. “The public chain design predates the AI boom,” he explained. “Even if on-chain transaction speed is fast, a single consensus layer cannot solve the demands of AI.” Sun’s solution lies in modular consensus: “We’re using a multiple and modular consensus mechanism. We built single processors for decentralized storage and computing, but we align all different modules, data service, cloud service, and computation on top of a PoS system. This creates unlimited transaction possibilities and aligns computing with storage.”

Anthurine Xiang of Quarkchain added nuance, distinguishing between monolithic (e.g., Solana) and modular (e.g., Ethereum) chains: “For modular ecosystems, we need a shared data availability (DA) layer. Solutions like Celestia or EigenDA help store data on-chain forever, making it traceable and preventing losses like the infamous NFT storage failures.” Her point was stark: “When centralized storage fails, like when a team stops paying for AWS, your NFTs become broken links. For AI, this is unacceptable.”

JT Song of 0G Labs (ZG) took this further, announcing their new IFT standard (likely “Immutable File Token”): “For AI agents, all data must be stored on our decentralized service and trace the entire training process. This makes data verifiable and tradeable on-chain, a radical shift from traditional ERC-721.” Crucially, Song revealed ZG’s collaboration with China Mobile: “We ran decentralized training for a 100-billion-parameter model faster than centralized alternatives. Decentralized computing isn’t slower, it’s a different paradigm.”

Data Sovereignty: The Privacy Imperative

The conversation pivoted to AI’s data crisis: Big Tech’s monopolization of user data for training models. “How can infrastructure enable true user ownership while allowing decentralized training?” asked Lee.

Jiahao Sun spotlighted federated learning – a Google-originated technique now supercharged by blockchain. “Your phone predicts your typing locally; raw data never leaves your device. But Google controls the aggregation – it’s still centralized. Blockchain changes this: none of the users’ raw data is ever submitted. Instead, we submit model gradients – changes to the AI itself – which merge into a larger model. Everything is transparent on-chain.” He emphasized the breakthrough: “You don’t have to trust a third party; you see the transactions.”

JT Song reinforced this with ZG’s vision: “We’re building full-chain data services. If an AI project uses our IFT standard, all training data is stored in a decentralized manner. Even if the operation team disappears, the AI agent and its data remain self-sovereign and verifiable.” This tackles the “black box” problem of open-source AI: “Models claim transparency, but the data and process remain hidden. Blockchain forces process transparency.”

Anndy Lian, Intergovernmental Blockchain Advisor, injected pragmatism: “Full decentralization remains a big challenge. Security must be managed effectively, no hacks, no losses. But I’ve discussed zero-data AI architecture with Southeast Asian governments. Blockchain can enforce rules and enable fair audits, creating a win-win for AI and Web3.”

The Killer App: Why Decentralized AI Isn’t Optional

The panel’s most heated debate centered on the “killer app” for decentralized AI: Why bother with Web3 when centralized AI works?

Jiahao Sun targeted enterprise pain points: “Privacy isn’t just ‘nice to have’, it’s necessary in banking, healthcare, and public sectors. But mass adoption needs retail applications. Imagine a virtual companion where conversations are secured on-chain. You know no one, not even the platform, can access your private chats. That’s a healing application blockchain enables.”

Anthurine Xiang pushed for Web3’s evolution beyond finance: “Ethereum aimed to be a ‘world computer,’ but most apps are still token-trading. We need diversified use cases: AI agents, decentralized content platforms. Our ‘supercomputer’ infrastructure must enable non-financial apps with mass appeal, faster speeds, more capacity, lower costs.”

JT Song unveiled ZG’s “Air Wars” AI agent marketplace (boasting 2.3 million testnet users): “Agents can evolve, be verified, and classified. This isn’t just about functionality, it’s about ownership. Users control their AI’s data and evolution.”

But Anndy Lian delivered the most provocative insight: “The best way to onboard people to AI + Web3? Teach them how to make money. AI agents that help users make smart trades or generate income will drive adoption faster than ideology. And let’s be honest: today’s ‘Web3’ isn’t truly decentralized. We need Web4, a more decentralized, less controlled, AI-driven future.”

The Road Ahead: Beyond the Hype

As the session concluded, a clear consensus emerged: The “infra wars” aren’t about which chain wins, but how Web3’s core innovations – decentralization, transparency, and user sovereignty – can solve AI’s existential flaws. Federated learning plus blockchain enables private AI training; modular data layers prevent catastrophic data loss; and new consensus models unlock scalable compute.

The panelists acknowledged the journey is nascent. “Papa, this will be a slow process,” admitted JT Song. Anndy Lian tempered expectations: “From a productivity standpoint, putting everything on-chain remains challenging. But give us time.”

The most profound takeaway? Decentralized AI isn’t a niche experiment, it’s the only path to an AI future where users own their data, models are transparent, and infrastructure serves people, not platforms. As Jiahao Sun succinctly stated: “We’re not just building faster chains. We’re rebuilding the entire operating system for decentralized AI.”

In the battle for AI’s soul, Taipei Blockchain Week 2025 made one thing clear: Web3’s infrastructure warriors aren’t just participants in the AI revolution, they’re building its foundation. The “infra wars” have just begun, but the stakes, a truly user-owned digital future, couldn’t be higher. As Lee Ting Ting closed the session: “This isn’t about technology alone. It’s about who controls the future.” With 2.3 million testnet users already engaging with decentralized AI agents, that future may arrive sooner than we think.

Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.

Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.

An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.

j j j