The precious metals market is currently navigating a period of intense volatility following a dramatic “liquidity event” on February 12. After a sharp cross-asset liquidation that saw gold drop over 3% and silver plunge nearly 11%, both metals are staging a cautious recovery as bargain hunters step in ahead of today’s critical US inflation data.

Standard Chartered has reduced its short-term and end-2026 price projections for major cryptocurrencies, warning that persistent spot Bitcoin ETF outflows and macroeconomic uncertainty could keep the market under pressure. The bank now sees Bitcoin potentially dropping toward $50,000 in the near term and finishing 2026 at $100,000, with Ethereum's outlook also lowered alongside revised targets for Solana, BNB and Avalanche.

The memecoin market, valued at $29.51 billion against a $2.3 trillion crypto market, is being examined as a potential early indicator for Bitcoin and altcoin trends. Recent analysis highlights a perfect positive correlation between FLOKI and Bitcoin, alongside rising memecoin trading volumes and a growing stablecoin supply of $306.1 billion, suggesting shifting risk appetite.

Crypto-focused super PAC Protect Progress plans to allocate $1.5 million to campaign against Representative Al Green in the upcoming Democratic primary in Texas, citing his opposition to key digital asset bills. Green will face Christian Menefee in the March 3 primary for the reshaped Houston-area district, where advocacy groups rate Green as strongly anti-crypto and Menefee as strongly pro-crypto.

In January, CFTC chair Mike Selig launched the Innovation Advisory Committee with 12 charter members, later expanding it to 35 members on Thursday. The enlarged panel is now majority composed of crypto-related executives, including CEOs from Coinbase, Ripple, Gemini, Solana Labs, Uniswap and several major financial market operators, who will advise on emerging products and platforms.

Shiba Inu rose about 5% amid heightened volatility, while Ethereum rebounded after dipping below $2,000 and is testing a local uptrend. Bitcoin saw a volume-driven bounce, including a roughly $50 million spike during the latest sell-off, leaving traders focused on whether it can stabilize by reclaiming nearby resistance.

The Federal Reserve is advancing a crypto-specific approach to margin setting for derivatives, with an emphasis on uncleared markets. According to a working paper released Wednesday by Fed researchers Anna Amirdjanova, David Lynch, and Anni Zheng, digital assets should form a distinct risk class, with separate treatment for floating tokens and stablecoins to better reflect volatility in initial margin calculations.

Crypto lender BlockFills temporarily paused client deposits and withdrawals last week amid market volatility and liquidity pressures. Trading on spot and derivatives markets remains available, while the freeze may affect around 2,000 institutional clients with at least $10 million in crypto assets. Management is working with investors and clients to restore platform liquidity.