Monad crypto is up 25% since launching less than 24 hours ago, after a rocky start that included a significant sell-off that sent MON to $0.022. Early drama sparked significant speculation about the project after Coinbase temporarily disabled the sell button and withdrawals, prompting many to speculate that the exchange could be about to orchestrate a gigantic pump for MON. Monad is an EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) Layer-1 network that raised over $430M across six separate funding rounds, including a pu ...

Market Overview - The crypto market is recovering after a significant sell-off, with BTC trading around $111,000 and ETH above $4,000 [1][2] - Last week's liquidation resulted in a temporary loss of $500 billion in the crypto market, but sentiment is improving [2] Derivatives Positioning - BTC options positioning remains bullish, with a put-call open-interest ratio of 0.66 and over $2.4 billion in notional call exposure at the $140K strike [4] - Total open interest on bitcoin Deribit options has reached a yearly high of 427,746 contracts, indicating strong bullish sentiment [4] - ETH options show similar bullish positioning, particularly around the $4K–$4.5K strikes, with rising open interest into late December expiries [4] Altcoin Market - There is a slight recovery in the altcoin market, with LINK rising by 14% and FLOKI gaining 27% in the past 24 hours [1][4] - Despite some gains, several altcoins remain significantly lower than a week ago, with Synthetix down by 30% and others like FET, ASTER, and BNB facing losses between 15% and 25% [4] Market Sentiment - Bitcoin dominance has increased to 58.8%, up from 57.2% last month, indicating a preference for BTC over altcoins [4] - The average crypto relative strength index (RSI) is at 54.2, suggesting the market is in a state of limbo, distancing from key support levels while not yet challenging major resistance levels [4]

Core Insights - Gold is currently experiencing significant price increases, trading at over $4,300 per ounce, marking near all-time highs and surpassing a market valuation of $30 trillion [1][2] - The surge in gold prices positions it as a more valuable asset compared to Bitcoin, Nvidia, and Microsoft, reinforcing its status as a reliable store of value during economic uncertainty [2][5] Demand Factors - Geopolitical tensions, particularly between the U.S. and China, have heightened the demand for gold as a safe haven asset [5] - Central banks, including those in China and Russia, are reportedly making record gold purchases, accumulating over 1,000 tons in 2025 alone as they diversify away from the U.S. dollar [6] - Concerns over potential Federal Reserve rate cuts and rising inflation are driving demand for gold, as it is seen as a hedge against purchasing power erosion [7]

Core Insights - The crypto market is undergoing a significant stress test with over $21 billion in Bitcoin and Ethereum options set to expire, marking the largest quarter-end expiry of Q3 [1][2] - Traders are anticipating increased volatility due to the convergence of max pain levels, macroeconomic uncertainty, and shifting liquidity [1][2] Bitcoin Options - Bitcoin options dominate the expiry with a notional value of $16 billion and an open interest of 146,224 contracts, indicating a bullish sentiment with a put-to-call ratio of 0.71 [3] - The max pain level for Bitcoin is set at $111,000, which is significantly above the current price of $109,526, suggesting traders may aim to stabilize prices near this level as expiry approaches [4] Ethereum Options - Ethereum options account for $5.08 billion in notional value, with 1.28 million contracts outstanding and a put-to-call ratio of 0.86, indicating a more cautious market outlook compared to Bitcoin [5] - The max pain level for Ethereum is $3,800, which is close to its current price of $3,963, raising concerns about potential downside pressure following a recent sell-off [5][6] Market Sentiment and Risks - Analysts have noted a fragile state for Ethereum, particularly after a significant price drop below $4,000, which has breached multiple technical indicators and shifted market sentiment [7] - Implied volatility in the options market has shown little change, but there is a notable shift towards puts, indicating an increased expectation of downside risk [8]