Weekly Highlights | Federal Reserve Cuts Interest Rates by 25 Basis Points Again, Crypto Market Rebounds; Multiple Industry Experts Judge the Four-Year Cycle Invalid

PA News Editor’s Note: PA News has selected top-quality content from the past week to help everyone fill in the gaps over the weekend. Click on the titles to read.

2025 Review and 2026 Outlook

a16z predicts four major trends for 2026, first announced

a16z’s four investment teams provide key insights into 2026 from the dimensions of infrastructure, growth, healthcare, and interactive worlds.

Seven major future trends for 2026: from application chain revival to AI-driven crypto networks

From the revival of application chains to AI-powered encrypted networks, we are about to enter a more mature crypto world.

Bitwise CIO: The crypto market in 2026 will be strong, but the driving forces have changed

We are now just at the entrance to the next huge growth cycle.

Four keywords to play the 2025 Crypto Four Seasons

The “Trump Effect,” DAT, stock tokenization, “TACO” trading, all accompanied a year of crypto mainstreaming.

For more related content, please visit the special topic—Seeing Through the Fog: 2025 Review and 2026 Outlook

Macro Perspective

Dialogue with cycle research expert: Bitcoin is finding a bottom and will enter its most bullish seasonal period

Bitcoin is seeking its bottom, gold will consolidate sideways, and the dollar may rebound. The “bubble of everything” may burst in 2026, with MOVE index as a key warning signal.

“Beast in a trap”: Crypto treasury companies are losing their ability to bottom-fish

Behind the collective silence is not simply because “ammunition” is exhausted at high points or panic, but due to highly dependent premium financing mechanisms experiencing systemic paralysis during downturns, with “money can’t be used.”

Why might the crypto market bottom already be past?

The real reason behind the crypto crash in December.

Federal Reserve cuts rates again: internal divisions become apparent, three votes against for the first time in six years

This decision highlights unusual divisions within the Fed, marking the first three-vote opposition since 2019.

Munger’s “Error List”: Bitcoin is poop, Jack Ma is too arrogant, Elon Musk is crazy

Charlie Munger has commented on Bitcoin and Musk. Looking back, some comments may be correct, some mistaken, and his reflections on errors may also be flawed (e.g., he failed in investing in Alibaba, blaming it on being a damn retailer).

AI Boom

Pantera leads investment, Coinbase Ventures follows, what makes Surf AI stand out?

Cyber co-founder ventures anew.

x402 V2 version launched: what major upgrades does the new protocol bring?

x402 V2 supports multiple chains by default and is compatible with traditional payment channels.

OpenMind partners with Circle to enable robots to achieve thousands of real-time payments per second via x402 protocol

As a major narrative for AI Agent payments, x402 protocol has become a hot commodity among various parties.

DeAI’s true Holy Grail: Talus’ “full on-chain” solution

Talus found a feasible path in the DeAI sector’s dilemma, filling some gaps in decentralized AI infrastructure, but the decentralization path of AI Agents remains arduous.

Seizing Opportunities

Market turns bearish, review of 7 recent hot new projects

Includes participation guides and details.

Under expectations of global easing, ETH enters the “hit zone” of value

In scenarios of relatively loose US-China policies, suppressed asset volatility, extreme panic, and incomplete recovery of funds and sentiment, ETH remains in a favorable “hit zone” for buying.

High leverage stablecoin arbitrage tool? Detailed analysis of Fluid’s 39x leverage strategy and its dual nature of “low liquidation penalties”

Fluid is an interesting, complex, and controversial DeFi protocol.

Market “discount season,” what are whales stocking up?

During Bitcoin’s oscillation, whales quietly increase positions in XRP, ADA, UNI, AAVE, etc., laying out plans in payments, Layer 1, DeFi, Meme, AI, and storage sectors, capturing the rebound window for early positioning.

Web3 Developments

“Tether’s darling” messes up the start, can stablecoins stage a comeback?

Tether-backed stablecoin public chain Stable’s price once plummeted over 60%, sinking into trust crisis of front-running, despite optimizing payment with USDT as Gas, its tokenomics and fierce competition cast doubt on its prospects.

Latin America’s leading crypto market player Brazil—an underestimated “top student”

As a top ten global economy with a unique geographic position, Brazil is also trying to extend its national dream into the crypto world and has become a main battleground for Latin America’s digital assets.

UAE, the “New Switzerland” for crypto giants

From ubiquitous crypto payments on the streets, to national sovereign funds stepping in, to clear and transparent regulatory frameworks, UAE has rapidly become a crypto hub connecting East and West. Especially Abu Dhabi, where Binance, Tether, Circle, Ripple and other giants have recently gathered, is becoming a new global crypto stronghold.

Hyperliquid whale saga: some turn around overnight, others die from obsession

Deep on-chain data reveals diverse whale behaviors: some with heavy holdings repeatedly fail, acting as “contrarian indicators”; some lurking for half a year just to strike; others use algorithms to harvest retail investors every second, as “cold-blooded machines.”

Aevo co-founder: I wasted 8 years in the crypto industry

Ken Chan, co-founder of Aevo, reflects on wasting 8 years in crypto, claiming the industry has become the largest casino in human history, diverging from the original purpose of decentralized finance, exposing issues of lost faith and collapsing values.

120 seconds to change trading perception: why retail intraday trading is just gambling

Making money in trading, many believe it’s not that hard; the real challenge is how to preserve the profits.

Beyond SWIFT: Russia and the hidden economy of crypto

By measuring mining, on-chain transaction volume, stablecoin inflows, and trade settlement reliance, Russia is a crypto power center that cannot be ignored globally.

Beyond SWIFT (Part 2): Moscow’s underground ledgers

In this network, USDT is the blood, PSB’s ruble deposits are the skeleton, Garantex / Cryptex are capillaries, and A7A5 is a newly grown heart valve—its existence keeps this cycle beating outside SWIFT.

Montenegro crypto survey: wild growth amid regulatory vacuum

Crypto trading in Montenegro falls into a “grey area” due to regulatory gaps, with cash trades via Telegram groups and intermediaries reaching millions of euros annually, risking money laundering. Legislation has started but proceeds slowly.

From Finney to Saga to Xiaomi, Web3 phones move towards a “user experience-driven” mass market

After years of niche experiments, are Web3 phones truly ready to enter mainstream view?

USDT rating controversy: S&P’s “stability measure,” Tether’s “market debate,” and the “shadow central bank” transition

ME and CoinFound analyze the USDT rating controversy from event review, historical structural changes to market trends.

Key Information

CZ: Crypto market may enter a “super cycle”; Bitcoin’s “four-year cycle” may no longer apply

Bloomberg analyst: BTC may fall below $84,000 by year-end; “Santa Claus rally” may not happen

Binance: Employee misconduct for personal gain confirmed; suspended and pursuing legal responsibility

Bitget Wallet’s former founder reveals funding at $2 billion valuation

He Yi: Will distribute BNB airdrops to users suffering losses from WeChat theft

Binance announces global operations moving to Abu Dhabi’s market, with full local regulatory approval

Strategy submits formal opposition to MSCI’s proposal to exclude “digital asset financial companies”

Tom Lee: Ethereum has bottomed, so BitMine is actively buying

Keel launches $500 million plan to promote RWA development on Solana

HASHKEY discloses IPO details: plans to raise up to HKD 1.67 billion, expected to list on December 17

Circle will launch USDCx stablecoin supporting “bank-grade privacy,” deployed on Aleo blockchain

SEC chair: U.S. financial markets could go on-chain within two years

Federal Reserve cuts interest rates by 25 basis points, expects only one rate cut in 2026