Mixed-martial arts (MMA) champion Conor McGregor launched a memecoin called “REAL” on April 5, which will reportedly feature staking rewards and voting rights for token holders.

Spokespeople for the project told Cointelegraph that the token was launched through a sealed-bid auction to eliminate snipers and bots hijacking the token launch. The project was developed in a collaboration with the Real World Gaming decentralized autonomous organization (DAO).

REAL token initial allocation breakdown. Source: Real World Gaming DAO

The auction will take place from April 5-6. In a statement shared with Cointelegraph, McGregor touted the launch as a fair memecoin offering:

“This is not some celebrity-endorsed bullshit token, it is a REAL game changer that will change the crypto ecosystem as well as make REAL change in the world. The sealed-bid auction is the new way of launching a token to prevent rug pulls and snipers.

“This is about transparency — we are showing the world how it is done with integrity,” McGregor continued.

Source: Conor McGregor

The memecoin narrative peaked following the launch of the TRUMP memecoin by US President Donald Trump. However, savvy traders continue hunting memecoins, keeping the market alive.

Related: Ghibli memecoins surge as internet flooded with Studio Ghibli-style AI images

Meme “supercycle” dead but savvy traders still in the game

Nansen research analyst Nicolai Sondergaard recently told Cointelegraph’s Chainreaction that “smart money” traders are still scouring for memecoin trades but are just as likely to rapidly exit those positions for quick gains.

Sondergaard attributed the recent activity in the memecoin market to savvy traders making a “fun play” while waiting for the macroeconomic outlook to settle and for markets to shake out.

US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs and the counter-tariff responses from trading partners create a difficult environment for risk-on assets, as investors flee riskier asset classes for safe havens.

Following the sweeping tariff order, US stocks shed $5 trillion in value. The catastrophic stock market loss within a single day totaled more than the total market capitalization of crypto.

The price of Bitcoin remains firm and rangebound compared to the total crypto market cap shown in blue. Source: TradingView

As fears of a prolonged global trade war spread and market analysts warn of a potential recession, the price of Bitcoin continues to remain anchored above the $80,000 level.

Bitcoin’s resilience during the current market downturn suggests that more investors are beginning to see the digital asset as a store of value as opposed to a risk-on asset.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

Magazine: Memecoins: Betrayal of crypto’s ideals… or its true purpose?

XRP (XRP) price has plunged more than 35% since reaching a multi-year high of $3.40 in January — and the downtrend may deepen in April as new bearish signals emerge.

Let’s examine these catalysts in detail.

XRP nears a classic technical breakdown

XRP’s recent price action is flashing a classic bearish reversal signal dubbed “inverse cup and handle formation.”

The inverse cup and handle is a bearish chart pattern that signals fading buyer momentum after an uptrend. It resembles an upside-down teacup, with the “cup” marking a rounded decline and the “handle” forming after a brief consolidation.

Inverse cup-and-handle pattern illustrated. Source: 5Paisa

A break below the handle’s support typically confirms the pattern, often leading to a drop equal to the cup’s height.

In XRP’s case, the rounded “cup” topped around March 19 and completed its curved decline by the end of the month. The ongoing sideways price movement between $2.05 and $2.20 forms the “handle.”

XRP/USD four-hour price chart. Source: TradingView

A breakdown below this horizontal consolidation range could validate the bearish structure, opening the door for a potential move toward the $1.58 support area — as suggested by the measured move projection shown on the chart above.

In other words, XRP can decline by over 25% in April if the inverse cup and handle setup plays out as intended.

Source: Peter Brandt

Adding to the sell-off risk is data from the volume profile visible range (VPVR) indicator, which shows the point of control (POC) around $2.10–$2.20 — a key support zone. A breakdown below this high-volume area could trigger a sharper drop, as lower volume levels below have offered little historical support in recent history.

XRP/USD four-hour price chart. Source: TradingView

Conversely, a strong close above the 50-period 4-hour EMA (red line) near $2.14 could invalidate the inverse cup-and-handle pattern. Such a breakout may shift momentum in favor of the bulls, potentially paving the way for a rally toward the 200-period 4-hour EMA (blue line) around $2.28.

Related: Investor demand for XRP falls as the bull market stalls — Will traders defend the $2 support?

XRP whale flow point to more sell pressure

As of April 5, CryptoQuant’s 90-day moving average whale flow chart was showing sustained net outflows from XRP’s largest holders since late 2024.

XRP whale flow 90-day moving average. Source: CryptoQuant

During XRP’s sharp price boom in Q4 2024, whale activity flipped deeply negative, indicating large entities were distributing into strength and selling the local tops. The trend has continued into 2025, with the total whale flow remaining firmly below zero.

This divergence between rising prices and declining whale support suggests weakening institutional conviction and raises concerns over XRP’s near-term price stability unless accumulation resumes.

US President Donald Trump’s global tariffs and the Federal Reserve’s slightly hawkish response to them have furthered dampened risk sentiment, which may weigh XRP and the broader crypto market down in the coming quarters.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

US President Donald Trump’s trade policies will create worldwide macroeconomic turmoil and short-term financial crises that will ultimately lead to greater adoption of Bitcoin (BTC) as a store of value asset, according to Bitwise analyst Jeff Park.

Economic instability from the trade war will cause governments to adopt inflationary fiscal and monetary policies, which will further debase currencies and lead to a worldwide flight to safety in alternative stores of value, like Bitcoin, Park argued.

This increased demand for BTC will drive prices much higher in the long term, the analyst concluded. In an X post on Feb. 2, Park predicted the immediate impact of a trade war:

“The tariff costs, most likely through higher inflation, will be shared by both the US and trading partners, but the relative impact will be much heavier on foreigners. These countries will then have to find a way to fend off their weak growth issues.”

Despite the Increased demand for Bitcoin as a store of value against rapidly depreciating fiat currencies driving BTC prices higher in the long term, global financial markets would feel the short-term pain and wealth destruction of the trade war, according to Park.

Bitcoin hit with short-term price shock due to Covid-19 in March 2020 before rallying to all-time highs during the 2020-2021 bull market. Source: TradingView

Related: Trump ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs create chaos in markets, recession concerns

Global markets feeling the short-term shock

Tariffs are “stagflationary for the world as a whole,” economist and hedge fund manager Ray Dalio wrote in an April 2 X post. Tariffs tend to be more deflationary for the levied goods producers and more inflationary for the importing country, Dalio added.

He concluded that the level of debt and trade imbalances will ultimately lead to a global financial shift that changes the established monetary order.

The US stock market experienced a dramatic sell-off in the wake of sweeping trade tariffs from the Trump admin. Source: TradingView

“If these trade tariffs do lead to a massive trade war, it is going to be very ugly for the whole world,” Coin Bureau founder and market analyst Nic Puckrin told Cointelegraph in an interview.

The analyst said the US economy has a 40% chance of a recession in 2025 amid fears of a lengthy trade war and the macroeconomic uncertainty brought on by protectionist trade policies.

No pain, no gain: Short-term shock to drive asset prices higher long-term?

Asset manager Anthony Pompliano recently speculated that the US president is deliberately crashing capital markets to force interest rate cuts and lower the costs of servicing the US national debt.

Interest rate on the 10-year US Treasury Bond has come down since the start of Trump’s second term. Source: TradingView

The interest rate on 10-year US Treasury bonds declined from approximately 4.66% in January to the current rate of 4.00%.

Pompliano also concluded that while the current US administration’s policies will create short-term pain, the effect of lower interest rates will encourage borrowing and drive risk-on asset prices higher in the long term.

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