Crypto Markets: A Sudden Turn Sends Investors Scrambling

(November 18 Edition)

Total Market Cap: $3.12T
24h Volume: $224.02B

BTC: $91,182
ETH: $3,032
SOL: $137
XRP: $2.16

BTC Dominance: ~58.4%

This past week, the market felt pressure from several angles at once. Confidence across the markets slipped as new data pointed to slower economic growth, which made investors more cautious and pulled money away from risk heavy assets. At the same time, traders had built up a large amount of leveraged long positions after the recent run up. When the first signs of weakness appeared, those positions began to unwind, triggering liquidations that amplified the drop. Bigger wallets also used the rally as an opportunity to take profit, adding more selling into a market that already had thinner liquidity. With all of these factors hitting at the same time, the pullback accelerated quickly and dragged BTC toward the 89K range.

The chances of a December rate cut fell from about 90 percent to roughly the 40 percent range. That drop signaled higher rates for longer, which pulled liquidity out of risk assets and pushed crypto prices lower.

On top of this, U.S. listed Bitcoin ETFs saw around $869 million leave in just one day and more than $2.6 billion over the past three weeks, which shows how many U.S. investors stepped back during the slide. Long term holders also sold roughly 815,000 BTC over the past month, adding even more pressure to a market that was already on shaky ground.

Over the past week, Chainlink has quietly moved from being a “crypto-oracle” tool to playing a real role in traditional finance, and that matters. On the one hand, it launched its new Chainlink Runtime Environment (CRE), which aims to let institutions run secure smart contracts without exposing all their private data. On the other hand, it’s already showing up in live use cases: for example a major fund operator used Chainlink’s tech to settle tokenized fund redemptions on-chain.

In plain English: Chainlink is stepping into the “blockchain meets Wall Street” lane, helping legacy players dip their toes into tokenized assets with less risk. That makes LINK less of a pure speculative token and more of a tool in motion. The market still has to believe the tool will scale up and actually pull in revenue.

SoFi has reached a milestone by becoming the first major U.S. bank to let everyday customers bank and trade crypto all in one place. What that means: if you’re a SoFi member, you’ll soon be able to use your checking or savings account AND buy, hold or sell popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana, without sending money off to other platforms. The company says this move comes at a time when more people say they’d rather manage their crypto through a licensed bank instead of a stand‐alone trading exchange.

In short: SoFi is trying to simplify and secure the crypto experience by bringing it into a familiar and regulated banking app instead of a separate “crypto only” platform.

Every child will get a one thousand dollar account that will go into the stock market, and if this proposal moves forward, it could completely change how the next generation thinks about money. Instead of starting from zero, every kid would grow up with a small stake in the market and a chance to watch it grow over time. That early exposure builds confidence and long term thinking in a way most people never get. It also overlaps with where younger investors are already looking.

Today’s teens and young adults have their eyes on crypto just as much as stocks, and they see both as part of the same financial world. Giving kids an early investment foundation makes it more likely they explore and understand both markets as they grow, which could create a more financially aware generation overall.

Hyperliquid just opened the door to something a lot bigger than trading charts. By teaming up with Polymarket, they are giving users a way to place small, straightforward bets on real world events the same way you might bet on a sports game with friends or guess the outcome of a big election at work. Instead of digging through complicated derivatives, this feels more like putting your money where your opinion is and watching it play out in real time.

The move blends Hyperliquid’s fast trading experience with Polymarket’s simple prediction format, creating a space where crypto and everyday curiosity meet. It is a step toward making markets feel more familiar and more interactive, especially for people who want to participate without getting lost in complex financial tools.

Crypto never sleeps, which is a blessing and a headache at the same time. While the stock market opens and closes on a set schedule, crypto keeps moving every hour of the day, including weekends and holidays. That nonstop pace means news or economic shifts can spark big moves while traditional markets are paused, giving traders more chances to react. It also means dips can feel sharper because there is no break in trading, no pause for sentiment to cool, and no set closing time to slow the momentum. Weeks like this one, where prices keep sliding, are especially rough for a 24/7 market because there is no natural bottom signal like a “closing bell” to reset the mood.

The constant motion creates a market that feels more alive and more accessible, but it also demands steady discipline so you do not get pulled into every swing. Still, even in the toughest stretches, this space has a way of reminding people that patience pays off in the long run.