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GM.
Despite our precious altcoins being absolutely massacred at this point, BTC is still hovering above the crucial $100k mark. Thatβs remarkable, especially considering yesterday brought the largest single-day drawdown in history, with Nvidia wiping out $600B from its market cap.
As markets open, all eyes remain onΒ NVDA, and we can definitely see at least a relief bounce from here. This would undoubtedly help BTC stay above $100k, although tomorrowβs FOMC meeting might carry more weight. WillΒ Trump really make the FedΒ cut rates? Polymarket disagrees, for now,Β pricing in a 91% chanceΒ of no rate cuts.
From a broader standpoint, the US liquidity situation isnβt looking good, and tightening continues. The last time this happened was the SVB bank crisis of 2023. The silver lining? This is precisely what marked the turning point in the markets, and asΒ Michael HowellΒ mentioned a few days ago, the Fed might need to start the easing cycle again soon.
This would also coincide with the February seasonality, which is usually one of the most bullish months of Q1. Considering that yesterday screamed capitulation; itβs not that hard to see a turnaround happen during next monthβall eyes on BTC monthly close and, again, the $100k mark.
Lastly, Trump is continuously buying more and more ETH onchain. What do they know? Is the Etherealize institutional marketing campaign starting to work behind closed doors? Canβt wait for February to provide us with some answers. Stay tuned.
If you havenβt alreadyβ¦ hit the subscribe button and get the coolest welcome email in crypto!

TAO/USDT 1D Binance
Maybe some PTSD shown above for TAO holders, given the infinite-chop ranging PA dating back to October β24. Time to wake up, though, because we have a major catalyst inbound in the form of the dTAO launch - on or just after February 10. This will fire up subnet competition, Bittensor DeFi, and subnet cross-pollination, with each subnet being able to launch its own token.
The price just wicked and bounced out of the weekly open retest on high volume. PA has shown H100-level strength relative to the rest of the market over the last week of ongoing choppy PA.
DeepSeek has likely helped, too, as we already have a couple ofΒ DeepSeek-powered subnets. Above and beyond that, open-source AI isΒ going to catch a bidΒ because the Chinese are demonstrating that they can compete with corporate, Microsoft-backed giants like OpenAIβeven with an open-source project trained on a shoestring.
Come by the Lucky Luke Discord channel for comments, to roast my picks or to pump your own bags. All banter is welcome any time!

TAO is leading the AI mindshare again.
Smart-money movement in and outflows for Solana.

Source: ChainEdge
Smart-money movement in and outflows for Ethereum.

Source: ChainEdge

Base season.
The base ecosystem seems to be one of the more lively ones, especially since yesterdayβs airdrop of Venice AIβs VVV token.
Venice is looking to become one of the most critical AI players, led by Erik Voorhees.
If you want a full rundown on Venice, including the bull case, hop in the Discord and check Lukeβs breakdown here. Thereβs also some drama brewing, along with accusations coming from Eric.eth.
That said, the Base ecosystem is enjoying a nice little jolt of volume right now, with leading tokens and memes likeΒ Keycat,Β Toshi,Β Mochi,Β Floppa,Β and others nicely awakening.
It might be a good time to hop on Dexscreener, filter by volume, and scout for some opportunities or new launches.
For more information, contact us through this form and weβll be in touch shortly!

AI corner.
VeniceAI TGE Yesterday
Erik Voorhees, Bitcoin OG & long-time crypto entrepreneur TGEβd his Venice AI token on Base yesterday after launching the project back in May β24. Thereβs a Quick Bite I put together in the Meal Deal section of the Blocmates Discord if you need a comprehensive tl;dr.Β
Market cap ran up hard immediately, but we have a big airdrop of 50 million tokens to work through that may bring some sell pressure. I would look for an entry around $500m FDV. Thatβs way lower than where we are currently ($1.28bn).
Sturdy FinanceΒ
Bittensor DeFAI Subnet Sturdy Finance has a chart that is looking decent for reversal here. TAO will likely run into the dTAO launch in early to mid-Feb, and this should be some good beta exposure. @563defi has given them the stamp of approval. They are well-positioned in terms of the dTAO launch.
Mode Network launches their Synth Bittensor Subnet
SynthΒ is AI Agent and DeFAI protocolΒ Mode Networkβs Bittensor subnet, which went live today. The chart isΒ extremely beat up, but thatβs where you buy it. Mode is a serious builder. The price will surely show strength as the agent space starts to get some love again. Read founderΒ James Rossβ thread on what theyβveΒ built on Bittensor here.
New content to study.
Weekly AI Edge #31 by Teng Yan
DeFAI: The Next Big Thing in Crypto? by Jedi blocmates
The Agentic Future: AI Agent Weekly Analysis by s4mmy
Where the AI Agent Space Stands Right Now by 0xJeff
New projects & updates.
DeepSeek officially announces another open-source AI model, Janus-Pro-7B
Nous Protocol (AI) - Announces Nous Psyche built on Solana

The important bits.
Sophon (Entertainment layer) - Noonβs public beta is now live on Sophon
Pendle (DeFi) - Jan. month has surpassed December in terms of rewards to vePENDLE lockers
Mode (L2) - Synth Bittensor Subnet (SN50) is live on mainnet
SwapX (DEX) - Announces BOBO as official ecosystem partner
Opensea (NFTs) - Announces Opensea V2 and airdrop
Berachain (L1) - Boyco is now live
Infrared (Berachain LST) - Announces Boyco markets with Kodiak
Monad (L1) - Announces 80 NFT ecosystem partners
Dinero (DeFi) - Partners with several Berachain DeFi projects to implement beraETH
Etherealize (ETH marketing) - Announces partnership with Ethereum Enterprise Alliance
Even more important bits.
Microsoft is in talks to acquire TikTok
Japanese firm Metaplanet secures $745M to invest in more BTC
Trump says heβll place tariffs on chips, metals and more
CFTC Acting Chair Caroline Pham is launching public roundtables on prediction markets & crypto
Charts and stats of the day.
Ethereum drops out of top 10 protocols by 24h fees
NVIDIA loses $600 billion in market cap, marking the largest single-day loss in US history

Life gets busy so hereβs what youβve missed.

What comes next after deepseek
Research
Resident analyst pangolin has penned a piece on DeepSeek, the past 24 hours, and what he believes it means for the market and us going forward.
Tao Talk: Deepseek on Bittensor
Podcast
This week, the lads dive into the wild market fluctuations.
They highlight various projects within the ecosystem, such as Rayon Labs' Chutes, WebGenie, and decentralized real estate valuation tool Subnet 48 and more.
Tune in onΒ SpotifyΒ |Β YouTubeΒ β

B3 (Gaming on Base)

To save you doom scrolling.
Alright, we might actually be fucked.

These are mentally very draining times. The market has been in schizo mode for basically a month straight, just after the whole time screamed for a generational bull run to come right after New Yearβs.
Remember, tough times donβt last; only tough people last.
stay safe homies,
Hix0n π«‘




