Top Stories of The Week
Trader who made $190M shorting crash also apparently bet on CZ’s pardon
The anonymous crypto trader who reportedly made millions shorting the crypto market before US President Donald Trump’s tariff announcement appears to have profited again by betting that Trump would pardon the founder of Binance.
Onchain sleuth Euan highlighted Etherscan data showing a connection between this trader and a Polymarket account. The crypto wallet allegedly made $56,522 on Polymarket by betting that Trump would pardon Changpeng “CZ” Zhao sometime in 2025.
This trader had already been suspected within crypto circles of having access to insider knowledge, after their tightly timed Bitcoin and Ethereum shorts just hours before Trump’s tariff announcement sent prices tumbling.
Rumble partners with Tether to add Bitcoin tips for content creators
Video-sharing platform Rumble is preparing to roll out Bitcoin tipping for its more than 51 million monthly active users, announced CEO Chris Pavlovski on Friday.
Rumble has teamed up with stablecoin issuer Tether to enable Bitcoin tipping, Pavlovski said onstage at the Plan ₿ Forum in Lugano, Switzerland. “Right now, we’re in the testing phase [but] we’re going to start rolling that out alongside Tether here in the coming weeks,” he added.
Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, also onstage, expects a full rollout by early to mid-December once small bugs are fixed and the user experience is polished.
‘Crazy stuff’ needed for Bitcoin to reach $250K this year: Novogratz
Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz said that for Bitcoin to reach $250,000 by the end of the year, the planets would almost need to align perfectly.
Several crypto executives have recently reaffirmed their $250,000 Bitcoin price predictions for year-end. “The end of the year is only two and a half months away,” Novogratz said during a CNBC interview, adding: “There would have to be a heck of a lot of crazy stuff to really get that kind of momentum.”
Arthur Hayes calls for $1M Bitcoin as new Japan PM orders economic stimulus
Japan’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, announced a package of economic stimulus measures on Tuesday aimed at easing inflation’s impact on households.
Some crypto observers believe these measures may drive more capital into Bitcoin. The stimulus includes subsidies for electricity and gas charges, as well as regional grants to ease price pressures and encourage small to medium-sized businesses to raise wages.
BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes interpreted this as a precursor to more fiat money printing by Japan’s central bank, which he says may propel Bitcoin’s rise to $1 million. “Translation: let’s print money to hand out to folks to help with food and energy costs,” Hayes commented on X, adding this dynamic might trigger a rise in both Bitcoin and the Japanese yen.
Prediction markets hit new high as Polymarket enters Sam Altman’s World
World co-founder and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s digital identity project, previously known as Worldcoin, is expanding into prediction markets by integrating Polymarket.
The World App, a mobile app combining a digital wallet with World’s decentralized identity tool, World ID, has integrated the Polymarket App, the company announced Tuesday.
“World App users can download and access the new Mini App today in countries where Polymarket’s services are permitted,” the announcement said.
Winners and Losers
At week’s end, Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at $111,265, Ether (ETH) at $3,932, and XRP at $2.60. The total crypto market capitalization stands at $3.61 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.
Among the top 100 cryptocurrencies, the biggest altcoin gainers of the week are:
- Humanity Protocol (H) – 224.39%
- Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL) – 80.72%
- ZCash (ZEC) – 28.45%
The top three altcoin losers of the week are:
- Plasma (XPL) – 7.93%
- PancakeSwap (CAKE) – 5.91%
- TRON (TRX) – 5.03%
For more on crypto prices, be sure to read Cointelegraph’s detailed market analysis.
Most Memorable Quotations
“If Congress does not stop this kind of corruption, it owns it.” – Elizabeth Warren, US senator
“So the most likely outlook is we’re rangy between 100 and 120 or 125, unless we take out the top side.” – Mike Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital
“Bitcoin is forming a rare broadening top on the charts. This pattern is famous for tops.” – Peter Brandt, veteran trader
“Sometimes we’re literally selling 50 million an hour or 100 million an hour and buying the $100 million of Bitcoin the same hour.” – Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy
“So what happens there is the AI analyzes where you are, looks at the geography of what retailer [is nearby] and determines that that’s the one, and then uses a blockchain to actually do a digital payment system for the tall low-fat latte.” – Kevin O’Leary, multimillionaire
“I’ve been saying for the past two years that the influence of @paradigm within Ethereum could become a relevant tail risk for the ecosystem. I believe this will become increasingly clear to everyone in the months ahead.” – Federico Carrone, Ethereum developer
Top Prediction of The Week
XRP price eyes rally to $3.45 after Ripple CEO tells investors to ‘lock in’
XRP is flashing signs of a potential 35% breakout as bullish technicals align with fresh fundamentals, including Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse’s renewed push for the blockchain company’s “internet of value” vision.
Technical analysis indicates that XRP has bounced off the lower trendline of its prevailing ascending triangle pattern—a support that has historically preceded powerful rebound moves, including 70-80% jumps earlier in 2025.
Top FUD of The Week
Spot Ether ETFs see outflows for second consecutive week amid ‘cooling demand’
Spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have experienced two straight weeks of outflows amid cooling investor sentiment after months of strong inflows.
According to SoSoValue data, Ether products posted $243.9 million in net redemptions for the week ending Friday, following the previous week’s $311 million outflow.
This brings cumulative inflows across all Ether spot ETFs to $14.35 billion, with total net assets at $26.39 billion—approximately 5.55% of Ethereum’s market cap.
On Friday, the funds saw $93.6 million in outflows. BlackRock’s ETHA ETF led withdrawals with $100.99 million outflows, while Grayscale’s ETHE and Bitwise’s ETHW posted minor inflows.
Young Australians’ biggest financial regret: Ignoring Bitcoin at $400
Over 40% of Australian Gen Z and Millennials regret not investing in cryptocurrency a decade ago, a new survey from crypto broker Swyftx reveals.
The study, conducted by YouGov and released Thursday, surveyed 3,009 people. Nearly half of those under 35 expressed regret for missing out on crypto, followed by regrets over not buying property or shares in big tech companies like Apple and Amazon.
The fear of missing out (FOMO) is likely fueled by institutional buying of Bitcoin and Ether by corporations, sovereign entities, and US pension funds, according to Swyftx.
Bitcoin chart is echoing the 1970s soybean bubble: Peter Brandt
Veteran trader Peter Brandt warns that Bitcoin’s price chart is starting to resemble the soybean market of the 1970s, which topped before plunging 50% amid excess global supply.
“Bitcoin is forming a rare broadening top on the charts. This pattern is famous for tops,” Brandt told Cointelegraph. “In the 1970s, Soybeans formed such a top, then declined 50% in value.”
However, some Bitcoin analysts remain confident that the charts signal further upside ahead.
Top Magazine Stories of The Week
Mysterious Mr Nakamoto author: Finding Satoshi would hurt Bitcoin
The author of The Mysterious Mr Nakamoto chased suspects worldwide and is now open to the idea that Satoshi Nakamoto might be an ex-cypherpunk working for the NSA.
Most wealthy Hong Kong investors plan to buy crypto, Japan’s Bitcoin plan: Asia Express
Hong Kong’s wealthy investors are planning to enter the crypto market this year, South Korea is poised to ban stablecoin yields, and more regional updates.
Cliff bought 2 homes with Bitcoin mortgages: Clever or insane?
Buying a house on credit while holding Bitcoin sounds intriguing. Bitcoin-backed mortgages offer interesting benefits, but what are the drawbacks? We explore this trend in the latest feature.