Macro Trends

In 2025, gold emerged as the year’s top-performing asset, posting gains of more than 50%, while Bitcoin managed only a 15% increase—marking a reversal where “digital gold” lost out to its physical counterpart. This article examines the safe-haven rationale driving central banks’ frenzied gold buying and a crisis of confidence in the U.S. dollar. It also discusses turbulent geopolitical conditions. It also notes Bitcoin’s transition from financial rebel to a member of the mainstream system. The ebb and flow between digital gold and physical gold reveals the evolving nature of wealth beliefs in our era.

Gate Research Daily Report: On October 24, BTC once again broke above the $110,000 mark; ETH showed a consolidating and choppy trend, rebounding slightly after finding support near $3,750; GT remained range-bound around $15.8. Most tokens continued their strong upward momentum, with market sentiment running high and trading activity notably increasing. Bitcoin’s return above $110,000 boosted optimism as market sentiment was lifted by policy and macroeconomic factors, while the awakening of a “Satoshi-era” wallet—dormant for 14 years and transferring 150 BTC—drew widespread attention.

The article delves into the reasons behind the surge in gold prices, highlighting that a key factor is the shift in asset allocation among major sovereign nations, particularly the weakening confidence in the U.S. dollar and the reassessment of risks associated with holding dollar-denominated assets.

Gate Research Weekly Report: BTC and ETH continued to trade sideways as market momentum weakened and overall sentiment turned cautious. Anza launched Jetstreamer, enabling Solana developers to achieve ultra-high-speed ledger data transmission. BlackRock’s BUIDL fund expanded its deployment on Aptos, advancing the development of the RWA tokenization ecosystem. Tesla reported an $80 million profit in Q3 from its Bitcoin holdings, with the total value of its digital assets rising to $1.3 billion. Meanwhile, Tempo announced a $500 million funding round on October 18 to accelerate the growth of its high-performance payment blockchain ecosystem.

In September, the cryptocurrency market remained volatile, with total market capitalization fluctuating between $3.8 trillion and $4.3 trillion. Early-month capital inflows pushed valuations to a peak of $4.25 trillion, before macroeconomic factors drove a pullback to around $4 trillion. Liquidity stayed stable, though the market lacked fresh momentum. On-chain activity was steady, led by Solana, while Arbitrum and Base saw mid-month surges. Base and Polygon also experienced brief spikes in gas fees. ArbitrumDAO’s DRIP incentive program attracted significant inflows, with $33.1 million in stablecoins entering the ecosystem within two days. Meanwhile, Plasma launched its mainnet and native token XPL, which peaked at $1.67, bringing its fully diluted valuation (FDV) to over $14 billion.

Gate Research Daily Report: On October 22, the crypto market experienced a volatile pullback, with major tokens under pressure. BTC fell 0.88%, consolidating near key support levels, while ETH dropped 1.63%, showing continued weakness. AI-related tokens moved against the trend — BLUAI surged 295%, driven by its listing on Gate and the “AI × Sui” narrative; COAI rose 39%, focusing on the AI Agent ecosystem; and LIGHT gained 26%, boosted by its whitepaper release and growing interest in the Bitcoin ecosystem. Meanwhile, overall market structure showed signs of stabilization. Bitcoin’s open interest declined 30% over the week, easing leverage risks, while Gate Perp DEX surpassed $1 billion in cumulative trading volume, leveraging the Gate Layer network and high-performance matching engine to emerge as a key growth driver in decentralized derivatives.

Gate Research Daily Report: Over the past day, the cryptocurrency market has seen a significant rebound, with total market capitalization returning to around $3.87 trillion. Bitcoin broke above the $111,000 mark, rising nearly 2% on the day, while Ethereum traded narrowly between $3,917 and $4,082, showing a mild upward trend overall. Bio Protocol completed a new funding round backed by prominent investors. Growing market interest in Merkle tree technology and Lightning Network scaling solutions drove gains in Treehouse. VanEck’s filing for a Lido Staked Ethereum ETF marks another step toward DeFi’s deeper integration with traditional finance. Meanwhile, a leading asset management firm opened Bitcoin and Ethereum ETPs to retail investors, and Greenlane announced plans to raise $110 million to launch its BERA Treasury Strategy.

Gate Research Daily Report: On October 20, BTC is trading above the MA30, indicating that short-term bullish momentum remains, though it faces notable resistance above; ETH’s short-term MA5 has crossed below MA10, forming a short-term bearish signal. Gate Layer on-chain addresses surpassed 100 million; Solana TVL hit a three-year high at 59.28 million SOL; Aave V4 will support diversified collateral assets, further expanding the financing scope in DeFi.

Gate Research Daily Report: On October 17, the crypto market came under pressure, with major assets broadly declining. BTC fell 1.87%, while ETH dropped 1.70%, both maintaining weak, range-bound structures. A few thematic tokens, however, bucked the trend — XPIN surged 133.33% driven by multi-chain collaboration and mainnet expectations; ZKC rose 56.23% on mainnet progress and real-time proof updates; and KGEN gained 43.22% following its token launch and ecosystem partnership news. Meanwhile, Ethereum remained the top ecosystem by developer count, Tokenized Gold hit a new market cap high, and Chainlink launched its real-time oracle integration, marking further innovation in DeFi infrastructure.

In September 2025, Solana and Base continued to dominate high-frequency on-chain activity, while Ethereum saw slight declines in transactions and active addresses but remained the leader in fee revenue, reinforcing its position in high-value scenarios. Arbitrum, boosted by the DRIP incentive program, recorded over $500 million in net inflows, with ecosystem activity rebounding and on-chain dynamics continuing to shift. Bitcoin consolidated at high levels, with weakening capital activity and reduced long-term holdings, though market pressure remained mild. Plasma gained traction rapidly with an integrated stablecoin architecture and aggressive incentives, surpassing $5.4 billion in TVL within its first week; MYX Finance surged on mechanism innovation and strong community momentum, emerging as a rising star in the derivatives sector.

Gate Research Weekly Report: Bitcoin has weakened after a brief rebound from last week’s liquidation-driven sell-off, falling 9.13% over the past week on increasing volume. Stablecoin inflows reached $74 billion, providing liquidity support amid the market downturn. JustLend DAO’s total value locked (TVL) surpassed $7.82 billion. Polymarket’s on-chain activity surged 192% in the past 30 days, with 56,000 daily active wallets. Aave’s RLUSD stablecoin supply reached a new all-time high of 448 million tokens. Over the past 24 hours, total market liquidations amounted to $441 million, including $290 million in long positions and $151 million in short positions.

The article provides a detailed analysis of the market performance of major asset classes, including gold, crude oil, U.S. equities, and Bitcoin. It also explores the macroeconomic factors underlying these market movements.

Gate Research Daily Report: On October 15, Bitcoin (BTC) experienced a strong upward move after a period of high-level consolidation; Ethereum (ETH), after a sharp decline, found support at lower levels and saw a short-term rebound; GateToken (GT) briefly touched the $17.5 mark; and BAS surged approximately 132.85% within 24 hours. Meanwhile, Base’s native token is set to launch soon, aiming to build an interconnected ecosystem on Ethereum. K33 Research Director Vetle Lunde noted in a recent report that the recent leverage flush in the market represents a “healthy adjustment.”

On October 13, BTC showed signs of a rebound after briefly dipping to around $102,000. ETH touched a low of $3,394 before quickly stabilizing and rebounding, showing strong short-term recovery momentum. GT found solid support near $14 after a sharp decline, then consolidated and began breaking out with rising volume. In addition, tokens such as SNX (+87.3%), DASH (+50%), and TAO (+40.1%) posted strong rebounds as capital rapidly flowed back into the Privacy and DeFi sectors, reigniting market momentum. The total global stablecoin supply surpassed $301.5 billion, reaching a new all-time high. Meanwhile, USST, a stablecoin launched by Tether co-founder Reeve Collins under the STBL project, has continued to depeg since its debut. Grayscale also filed a Form 10 with the SEC for its Bittensor Trust (TAO), marking a significant step toward full regulatory registration.

Gate Research Daily Report: On October 13, BTC showed signs of a rebound after briefly dipping to around $102,000. ETH touched a low of $3,394 before quickly stabilizing and rebounding, showing strong short-term recovery momentum. The total global stablecoin supply surpassed $301.5 billion, reaching a new all-time high. Meanwhile, USST, a stablecoin launched by Tether co-founder Reeve Collins under the STBL project, has continued to depeg since its debut. Grayscale also filed a Form 10 with the SEC for its Bittensor Trust (TAO), marking a significant step toward full regulatory registration.