Jan 20, 2025: Our weekly Institutional Insights explores the latest market developments — market performance, industry news, exchange-traded fund (ETF) flows, trending topics, upcoming events and token unlocks — to help you supercharge your crypto trading.

 explores the latest market developments — market performance, industry news, exchange-traded fund (ETF) flows, trending topics, upcoming events and token unlocks — to help you supercharge your crypto trading.

Weekly Highlight — Cooling CPI Relieves Market

Recent data indicated a stagnation or potential reversal in inflation progress, with a key measure of underlying price hikes — the core Consumer Price Index (CPI) — remaining unchanged for months. However, this trend shifted on Wednesday, as the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a slowdown in the core CPI for the first time in months.

The CPI, which tracks price changes for commonly purchased goods and services, showed an overall increase of 0.4% from November 2024, lifting the annual rate to 2.9%. This rise was primarily driven by surging gas and food prices, with energy costs alone contributing to 40% of the monthly increase. Food prices also remained high, impacted by weather conditions and disease affecting key staples like meat and eggs.

Excluding volatility for food and energy prices, the core CPI only rose 0.2% from November, easing to 3.2% after being stuck at 3.3% since September 2024. Market reactions were positive, as traders hoped the Federal Reserve would continue its rate-cutting campaign.

While inflation has slowed since peaking at 9.1% in June 2022, the journey back to normalcy has been bumpy. Everyday item prices are now 21% higher than in 2021, straining household budgets, particularly for lower-income Americans. Though wages have risen faster than inflation over the past 20 months, they still lag behind pre-pandemic levels.

This latest CPI report, the last before President Biden transitions power to president-elect Trump, underscores the ongoing challenges in managing inflation, particularly for essential goods and services.

Weekly Crypto Highlight — Crypto Cases Drop Before Trump’s Inauguration

Digital Currency Group and its subsidiary, Genesis Global Capital, reached a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Friday, indicative of a broader trend among cryptocurrency firms resolving regulatory issues as the Biden administration approaches its conclusion. Over the past week, multiple U.S. regulatory agencies — including the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Justice Department and the SEC — have announced various settlements and charges across at least six cases involving digital assets, signaling a renewed focus on enforcement as the administration winds down.

During Biden's term, more than 100 enforcement actions were filed against crypto companies, reflecting heightened scrutiny of the industry. However, with president-elect Donald Trump set to take office, there’s an expectation of a paradigm shift in regulatory approaches. Trump, once a critic of cryptocurrencies, has appointed crypto-friendly officials to key positions and intends to prioritize legislation that supports the industry.

For many crypto firms, settling with regulators is seen as a strategic move. Legal experts note that such settlements allow these companies to close contentious chapters and redirect their efforts in a potentially more favorable regulatory environment. Jonathan Groth, a partner at DGIM Law, commented on the implications of the incoming administration, suggesting that support for extensive enforcement actions may diminish.

Recent high-profile cases include a $5 million fine against Gemini for regulatory violations and a $100 million penalty for BitMEX due to failures in 

 measures. Additional actions have targeted fraudulent schemes, and individuals involved in illegal cryptocurrency activities. As the regulatory landscape shifts, firms settling with agencies may be positioning themselves for a fresh start under a more accommodating regime.

Advanced

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Weekly Institutional Insights: Cooling CPI Relieves Market; Bitcoin Regains $100K Ahead of Trump’s Inauguration

Dive into HeyAnon, an innovative protocol launched by experienced DeFi builder Daniele Sesta, and merging DeFi interactions with AI agents.

 (DeFi) protocol designed to simplify DeFi interactions. By integrating conversational artificial intelligence (AI) with real-time data aggregation, HeyAnon empowers users to manage DeFi operations seamlessly. From 

 to tracking project updates and analyzing trends, HeyAnon combines natural language processing and actionable insights to redefine the DeFi user experience.

This article explores the emergence of DeFAI (DeFi + AI), HeyAnon’s groundbreaking features and its role in shaping the future of DeFi.

DeFAI is the birth child of DeFi and AI. It represents a groundbreaking evolution in blockchain technology, whereby AI agents are integrated into DeFi. This emerging sector goes beyond traditional AI applications, focusing on automating on-chain activities through autonomous trading agents, abstraction layers and AI-driven DApps.

The term gained traction during the rise of the AI agent meta, beginning with projects like 

 (GOAT), an innovation born from Andy Ayrey’s Truth Terminal experiment. 

This movement has spurred the creation of numerous AI agents and frameworks, eventually pushing the AI agent market to a peak 

 (as of Jan 15, 2025). Despite its overlap with AI agent concepts, DeFAI has carved out a distinct niche valued at $1 billion, emphasizing deeper blockchain integration. 

Unlike early AI agents, which primarily operated as bots posting on social media with limited on-chain utility, DeFAI agents can participate in blockchain activities. This shift indicates the prioritization of tangible applications, such as automated trading, staking and 

 is an AI agent network built to simplify DeFi interactions while providing users with unparalleled access to real-time information. By combining conversational AI with robust data aggregation capabilities, HeyAnon creates a seamless interface for managing DeFi operations.

Designed with user experience in mind, HeyAnon leverages natural language processing (NLP) to allow users to execute complex DeFi tasks through simple conversations. From automating bridging, swapping, staking and borrowing to monitoring market trends, HeyAnon streamlines operations that typically require advanced technical knowledge.

HeyAnon’s strength lies in its ability to aggregate data from diverse sources, such as X (Twitter), Telegram, Discord, GitHub and GitBook. It provides insights into project updates, community sentiment, development activity and price fluctuations, enabling users to make informed decisions with ease.

Essentially, HeyAnon aims to bridge the gap between technical complexity and user accessibility, improving the way we experience DeFi.

, a renowned figure in DeFi and the crypto market. Sesta is widely recognized for his past projects, including Wonderland (TIME), a decentralized reserve currency protocol that made waves during the DeFi 2.0 era.

HeyAnon empowers users to streamline their DeFi experience with the following features, while remaining informed, efficient and in control.

By leveraging advanced natural language processing (NLP), HeyAnon enables conversational interactions for managing DeFi operations. Users can perform tasks such as staking, swapping tokens or borrowing simply by engaging in a natural conversation with the platform. This intuitive interface eliminates the steep learning curve often associated with DeFi, making it accessible to both newcomers and seasoned users.

HeyAnon excels at consolidating real-time data from diverse sources, including X (Twitter), Telegram, Discord, GitHub and GitBook. By aggregating project updates, community sentiment, development activity and market data, HeyAnon provides users with actionable insights at a glance. For instance, it can monitor GitHub commits or X (Twitter) sentiment to keep users informed about a project’s health and progress.

Automation lies at the core of HeyAnon’s utility, simplifying the following complex DeFi tasks.

, in which several innovative projects are also making their mark. Following is an overview of some key players.

 is a prominent competitor that focuses on leveraging AI to simplify on-chain interactions.

 specializes in providing crypto market intelligence and automating the process of tracking market trends and interpreting data. 

 is an AI agent that aims to transform the way users interact with DeFi. It’s developed by 

, a company that builds infrastructure merging AI and blockchain capabilities. Orbit is available on over 100 blockchains, including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana, and across thousands of DeFi protocols.

The ANON token is central to HeyAnon’s ecosystem, serving governance, community benefits and treasury purposes. As the governance token for the Anon DAO, ANON grants holders voting rights to shape HeyAnon’s development, influence agent skills and determine platform features. Holders enjoy free and/or discounted AI agent services, and can actively participate in shaping the project's road map and priorities.

, ensuring transparent fund use within the DAO’s treasury. Further details can be found in 

HeyAnon is one of the most promising projects in the emerging DeFAI market, combining advanced AI capabilities with actual utility. Its innovative features — automation, cross-chain interactions and data aggregation — could position it as a leader in DeFi and AI innovation.

With a strong team and an experienced DeFi founder in Daniele Sesta, HeyAnon’s road map is set to drive community-led development and enhanced DeFi solutions.

Intermediate

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HeyAnon (ANON): Daniele Sesta’s New DeFAI Platform

Swiss bank PostFinance has partnered with Sygnum to launch Ethereum staking, allowing customers to earn passive income via Ethereum blockchain integration into its e-finance platform.

Daily Top Performer — Morpho Protocol (MORPHO)

The S&P 500 dropped 0.21%, ending a three-day rise, with tech losses offset by gains in utilities, real estate, and industrials. Gold prices rose above $2,700, driven by weak US retail sales, rising jobless claims, and dovish comments from Fed Governor Waller, which fueled expectations of rate cuts. Falling bond yields further supported the uptrend, with gold targeting $2,750. Coindesk Indices, an index measuring broader cryptocurrency market performance was up by 2.10%, with Bitcoin rising by 0.69% and Ether dropping by 3.34%, in the past 24 hours. Trade these markets and more with up to 500x leverage on Bybit MT5 using this 

Today's top performer is MORPHO, which surged nearly 37.1% following the launch of Coinbase's seamless crypto-backed loans powered by Morpho infrastructure.

Morpho Protocol (MORPHO), founded in 2021, is a decentralized Ethereum-based lending platform with a P2P order matching system. It offers customizable markets and Morpho Vaults for various risk levels. Initially launched in 2022 for Aave and Compound, it introduced Morpho Blue in 2024 for flexible lending. Morpho Labs continues to develop Morpho while supporting the original Morpho Optimizers. 

, allowing users to borrow USDC against BTC via the Coinbase app. The product offers competitive rates, flexible terms, and a seamless experience. This move highlights the growing use of Morpho's infrastructure for onchain finance, with more institutions expected to follow suit.

Check Out the Latest Prices, Charts, and Data of 

 with Sygnum to launch Ethereum staking, allowing customers to earn passive income via Ethereum blockchain integration into its e-finance platform. Customers can start staking with a minimum deposit of 0.1 ETH, and rewards will be displayed alongside other crypto assets. The service is currently limited to Ethereum, with plans to expand to other cryptocurrencies in the future.

Yesterday, Bitcoin spot ETF flows totaled $98.2M, driven by $168.2M inflows from non-GBTC products, offset by a $70M outflow from GBTC.

. Wave 1 eligibility is now live, limited to specific Quai Discord roles, with more waves to follow. NFT holders might qualify for allocations, though it's not yet confirmed.

Beginner

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PostFinance Launches Ethereum Staking for Passive Income on E-Finance Platform

Top Hat is an AI-based token launchpad built on the Solana blockchain. Learn about how this project works in this article.

There’s currently a huge demand for token launchpads that allow everyday consumers to create their own 

 plans to meet this demand by pairing classic launchpad design with artificial intelligence (AI) technology. This exciting new product has the potential to make token creation more accessible and convenient than ever. If you're interested in learning more about Top Hat's design, check out this helpful guide.

Top Hat is an AI-based token launchpad built on the 

 blockchain. This user-friendly system requires no coding ability, and allows people to create personalized tokens and 

Not much is known about the team behind Top Hat. The project is a fairly new one, having just started in October 2024 and being made available to the public the next month. As of January 2025, its creators haven’t announced their identities. Instead, all of the communication from the Top Hat team 

 a Twitter/X account. Though this account hasn't revealed much about the creators' motivations or experience, it has disclosed that its team is focused on promoting AI and making Solana development fun and accessible.

Top Hat's goal is to provide the most user-friendly and low-effort experience possible. There’s a huge demand for launchpads, but many companies struggle to create one that can handle all of their potential users. By incorporating AI design, Top Hat hopes to reduce the burden of running a launchpad.

Top Hat’s other primary goal is to create a convenient space for people designing new cryptocurrencies and AI agents. Traditional web3 launches often require users to have advanced technical knowledge — such as the ability to code. Top Hat does away with such requirements, and instead guides users through a convenient interface. AI prompts, simple wording and clear menus make it much easier for the average person to create their own Solana-based token.

Top Hat runs on a Solana base integrated with Telegram, X and other social media sites. Solana is used to manage the cryptocurrency side of the website, generate tokens and keep track of individual transactions. 

Meanwhile, generative AI is used to create social media posts for each AI agent. This allows users' agents to develop their own personalities and socialize with each other. To guide users through the process of making AI agents, Top Hat employs the following mechanisms.

The manual build process allows people to create a customized, blockchain-based AI character. Simply link a Solana wallet, and follow the prompts from Top Hat as it asks for details about your desired personality, culture and goals for your character. A manual build also lets you create a new token and specify details such as token supply.

For those with a less defined concept, Top Hat also features a 

 setting. A user simply inputs their token contract address, and Top Hat's AI system will fill in all the details of the character for them. This can be useful for those who want to work with an AI agent but don't want to spend time designing the agent themselves.

Top Hat's creation options also include the ability to clone a public personality. Instead of defining a character themselves, users can simply enter the X account of a person, and the AI launchpad design will analyze and mimic that person's account. 

In just a few months, Top Hat has launched the public version of its site and acquired over 2,000 users. In 2025, Top Hat hopes to capitalize on its success by launching 

. This new and improved version of the site will include a full rebrand and more features for users to try out:

The HAT token plays a critical role in the Top Hat ecosystem. It's currently the native token for the site. Top Hat plans to add additional utilities in the future, such as fee payments and/or voting usage. The HAT token is 

, and the project’s owners plan to use the resulting revenue to buy back and burn 

There’s a maximum supply of 1 billion HAT tokens and a current total/circulating supply of just under 990 million. Because HAT is meant to be as accessible as possible, it features no predetermined distribution. Instead, anyone who wishes to acquire HAT can buy it directly from the market.

Looking to trade Top Hat tokens? Bybit now offers the HAT/USDT Spot trading pair. To get started, you’ll need to first create a Bybit account, fund it with cryptocurrency and navigate to the 

The Top Hat project is an exciting look at how crypto, AI and web3 technologies can be combined. It's grown rapidly, and has already acquired many users. This optimistic outlook is supported by HAT’s performance. Since its debut, its price has primarily stayed in the $0.05 to $0.10 range. There have been some notable price spikes, and a steady price increase that indicates opportunities for investors to profit. 

HAT certainly has some positive qualities, but keep in mind that this product is lacking in a lot of detail. Without knowing much about the team, or having a clearly defined idea of how the project’s technology runs, it's hard to say whether Top Hat is set up for long-term success. Therefore, it's a somewhat risky investment that investors need to approach cautiously. For best results, HAT should only be a small part of a diverse portfolio. Always 

 carefully before buying cryptocurrencies.

Through the power of AI, Top Hat makes it quick and easy to design custom, blockchain-based agents. These characters are capable of engaging with others on social media and managing complex plot lines. Thus, they have numerous applications for entertainment and meme coins. While Top Hat is still a new project that needs to fully prove its utility, it's already done a great job of appealing to a select group of web3 AI enthusiasts.

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Top Hat (HAT): Solana's First No-Code AI Agent Launchpad

Trading

Moving averages (MA) smooth out the price data of different subsets to give traders clarity of the start & finish market trend. Master how it works in under 10 minutes!

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Moving average is the most widely-used technical indicator in the world. It can help traders to gauge the 

. In financial trading, the price has a higher probability of continuing its movement toward the direction of a trend. The moving average plays a key role in identifying where the price may head.

 has become an essential tool because it helps traders ascertain price direction more precisely. Moreover, it’s easy for traders to access a wide range of technical indicators, the moving average being the major one. 

We’ll look at the nuts and bolts of moving averages in cryptocurrency trading in the following section. It might just help you to change your way of trading. 

 that shows the average price of a specified number of recent candles.

Moving average is a very effective indicator, as it helps traders find the trend without an information overflow. The basic concept is to discover what average traders are doing in the market. 

For example, if a crypto asset’s price is above the 50-day moving average, it indicates that its buyers are more active than its sellers. Therefore, if you want to trade that cryptocurrency, you can quickly eliminate selling opportunities and consider only buying opportunities.

In a price chart, the moving average is shown with the price in a dynamic line that changes its position over time, as shown in the image below:

However, making trades using moving averages requires a detailed understanding of the indicator, especially the method of calculating it.

Although the moving average considers the average price of a recent number of candles, there are other considerations when calculating the value. Based on the method of calculation, the most effective moving averages are: 

 The simple moving average (SMA) is a way to calculate the average price of a cryptocurrency for a predetermined set of data. The basic moving average shows the average price only, while the simple moving average shows all of the data in a dynamic line.

The simple moving average considers all prices equally so that investors can find the actual average price. Moreover, the SMA indicator changes its position as soon as a new candle appears. 

 EMAs are similar to SMAs, as they both track a trend’s direction. However, EMA involves a more complex calculation to place more weight on the most recent price changes. Therefore, the EMA provides more accurate price predictions in sudden price fluctuations and reversals.

EMAs are perfect for traders who engage in short-term trading. Moreover, the best method is to use SMA and EMA together to find both short- and long-term price directions at one time.

 The Weighted Moving Average (WMA) puts more weight on the most recent prices (data points) and less on the previous data. WMA multiplies each bar’s price by a weighting factor to focus on the most recent data. The sum of the weight will eventually equal 1 or 100%. WMA is supposed to be more descriptive with the frequency of the concurrency as compared to SMA. That is because all of the numbers on SMA are with equal weightage. 

Let’s see the calculator formula for the last 20 candles’ WMA:

Weighted moving average calculation formula.

It is essential to understand the difference between EMA, SMA, and WMA. This way, investors can get a better idea of which indicator they want to use and why. 

The table below highlights the main differences between EMA, SMA, and WMA. 

Moving average is not only the most-used indicator in the world, but it’s free on most trading platforms. Moreover, you can add multiple MAs together by changing the time period and calculation method. 

Let’s plot 50 EMA, 50 SMA, and 50 WMA together in a Bitcoin chart and see how they compare:

The above image shows that the 50 WMA is closer to the price than EMA and SMA. However, the 50 EMA works as the most effective dynamic support level in the bullish trend.

Now let’s move to chart-reading techniques using the MA. In this case, we’ll use two moving averages:

In a trending market, the MA works as a dynamic 

. Therefore, if the price comes toward the moving average and shows a rejection of the trend, we can immediately open a position. 

In the above image, we can see a clear uptrend where the price is trading above the 100 SMA, indicating that long-term buyers are active in the price. However, the price comes below the dynamic 20 EMA, where every bearish rejection from the 20 EMA pushes the price higher. Here the 20 EMA represents short-term traders’ activity, and in a bullish trend, every rejection from the 20 EMA indicates a possible buying point.

However, it’s hard to follow the trend in a volatile market because the price maintains no specific direction. 

Now, let’s apply these two moving averages in a volatile market:

Here we can see that the price moves down to the dynamic 20 EMA but fails to move higher, even if the price has shown a bullish candle close to the 20 EMA. The selling pressure below 20 EMA but above 100 SMA signifies that the price direction is indecisive, and traders need more confirmation while taking an entry. 

Another chart-reading technique is to identify the price reversal point using the MA and support/ resistance level. When the gap between the price and dynamic 20 EMA expands, they will try to come close due to a “gravitational force” known as mean reversion. 

The possibility of a mean reversion is high if the price reaches any vital support/resistance level. 

In the above image, we can see a horizontal resistance level where the price increases by expanding the gap between the price and dynamic 20 EMA. Later on, the price becomes volatile and moves down as a mean reversion. Moreover, a bearish candle close below the 20 EMA takes the price lower with strong bearish pressure. 

The above section explains how to make a trade using the moving average in volatile and nonvolatile market conditions with a reversal entry. However, make sure to use a strong risk-to-reward ratio to minimize the unavoidable risk.

What Happens During Moving Average Crossover?

The basic idea of moving average trading with multiple values is to identify the price direction using the higher-valued MA and to make trades using the lower-valued MA. But the market will not follow the same direction all the time. Sometimes the market will provide more profits when the price condition is favorable or provide losses in volatile conditions. 

When a short-term moving average crosses over the long-term moving average, it indicates that short-term traders have become more aggressive in the market. Therefore, making a trade after the crossover provides more profit.

One of the best examples of MA crossover is the 

. In the example below, a slower MA (50 EMA) crosses over the higher moving average (200 SMA) to indicate a possible impulsive bullish pressure in the price.

The 50 EMA crosses over the 200 SMA, signaling the beginning of a new uptrend in the chart above. Using this method, you have to wait for a correction after the crossover. Then, any sign of a trend continuation pattern from the lower-valued SMA would be the entry point of the buy trade. 

Moreover, after identifying the price direction using the golden cross, you can open a buying position from any near-term support or resistance levels.

The above section explains how the moving average helps traders to identify the market trend. Its reliability and effectiveness allow investors from all around the world to use it. However, there are some major drawbacks to this indicator that can cause it to provide incorrect signals: 

Therefore, investors are advised to use other technical tools, such as support/resistance levels, 

The cryptocurrency market is not a perfect example of efficiency. However, there are lots of opportunities to make money from 

. Before buying a crypto asset, it’s important to find the market trend because the trending market has the highest profitability. Moving average plays an important role in determining the market trend.

The blockchain industry is growing, and new use cases and applications are making further improvements in technical analysis. Still, there are no alternatives to indicators like moving average, oscillators, volumes, as they are highly profitable. However, the ultimate success comes from a trader implementing many trading tools together to anticipate price direction.

How to Use Moving Average to Trade Crypto Profitably

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