Nobel laureate Paul Krugman says the latest crypto slump differs from past cycles, invoking a "Fimbulwinter" and arguing that politics eroded the ideological base that once supported Bitcoin. He adds that Bitcoin has trailed gold and may not be a lasting asset. Bitcoin touched $60,255, a low since October 2024, before rebounding.

Bitwise advisor Jeff Park has argued that Bitcoin’s sharp fall to an intraday low of $60,255 was largely driven by institutional risk management and hedge fund deleveraging. He says multi-strategy funds holding Bitcoin ETFs were forced to unwind positions as volatility and margin pressures rose, triggering aggressive selling. Park adds that implied volatility reaching 75% marks a stress point but may ultimately clear leverage ahead of a potential rapid rebound.

On Thursday, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse responded to a sharp single-day XRP decline by sharing a Warren Buffett quote urging investors to be "greedy when others are fearful." XRP is now trading about 70% below its all-time high of $3.65 and is close to slipping behind Circle's USDC by market capitalization. The Crypto Fear and Greed Index dropped to 9 on Friday, a level seen only during the March 2020 crash and the 2018 and 2022 bear market lows.

Michael Burry, known for his "Big Short" bet, has argued that Bitcoin has failed as a safe-haven asset and outlined three price thresholds that could intensify stress across the crypto sector. He warns that drops below $70,000, $60,000 and $50,000 would respectively inflict heavy losses, trigger an existential crisis for Michael Saylor's firm Strategy, and potentially fracture the wider digital asset ecosystem. Bitcoin briefly fell to an intraday low of $73,111 on Tuesday before rebounding.

In February 2026, economist Nouriel Roubini, known as "Dr. Doom," predicted an impending "apocalypse" for the cryptocurrency sector and argued that a strongly pro-crypto administration has failed to rescue the market. He highlighted Bitcoin's 35% drop from its October high and its 6% decline during a period when gold prices jumped over 60%, claiming crypto offers little utility beyond crime and corruption and that stablecoins are its only notable application so far.

Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz said in a Bloomberg interview he does not think "quantum computing fears" explain Bitcoin's drop below $74,000, the first break since November 2024. He attributed the move to a "seller's virus" and noted prices are set at the margin, with more sellers than buyers.

On Tuesday, Fundstrat co-founder Tom Lee defended Ethereum-focused treasury firm BitMine (BMNR) after critics highlighted about $6.6 billion in unrealized losses from its ETH holdings. Lee argued that the drawdown reflects how an asset-tracking vehicle works and dismissed claims that BitMine served as "exit liquidity" for large Ethereum holders.

Ripple's U.S. dollar-pegged RLUSD is closing in on a $1.5 billion market cap after fresh liquidity, with total value around $1.39 billion. The RLUSD Treasury minted 28,200,000 tokens, and a January spot listing on Binance introduced pairs like RLUSD/USDT and XRP/RLUSD, pushing 24-hour volumes above $363 million.

Veteran chartist Peter Brandt warned Strategy shareholders on X as Bitcoin’s early‑2026 consolidation falters. Lookonchain data shows the firm’s 712,647 BTC stack is sitting on an unrealized loss of over $900 million, while Brandt’s chart projects a possible drop toward $54,059.60. MSTR shares are 72% below the $543 record set in November 2024.