BizwavemediaPersonal Finance and Crypto Updates

Gold and silver fell sharply today, reversing from record highs as investors locked in profits following an extraordinary rally in precious metals.

Gold dropped nearly 5% to around $5,100 after topping $5,500 a day earlier, while silver slid about 10% to near $107 after surging to $120 in early trading.

The pullback wiped out an estimated $2.7 trillion in gold market value and roughly $800 billion in silver. Gold remains up about 20% over the past month, while silver has risen nearly 50%, underscoring how stretched the rally had become.

The move came alongside a broader selloff across global markets. The S&P 500 fell about 1%, while the Nasdaq dropped nearly 2% as technology stocks weakened. Bitcoin also slid roughly 5%, falling back to around $85K, a level last seen in mid-December.

Profit taking followed a period of intense demand for precious metals from both institutional and retail investors, including central banks and crypto-native capital. Analysts said the rally had pushed positioning to extremes, leaving prices vulnerable to a sharp correction.

Geopolitical tensions added to volatility after US President Donald Trump pressed Iran to negotiate a nuclear deal, prompting threats of retaliation from Tehran. Markets also reacted to monetary policy uncertainty after the Federal Reserve held interest rates steady.

Investors are awaiting Trump’s announcement of a replacement for Fed Chair Jerome Powell ahead of an expected rate cut later this year.

At press time, metals had recovered modestly, with gold trading near $5,250 and silver around $112. Traders said profit-taking remains a risk as markets digest the scale of recent gains.

SRx Health Solutions, an NYSE-listed digital healthcare company, announced today it has expanded its digital treasury holdings to $18 million across Bitcoin and Ethereum following an additional Bitcoin purchase.

The Toronto-based company said the investment was executed using internally developed models designed to preserve long-term optionality under volatile market conditions.

SRx said the crypto allocation is part of a broader capital strategy that deploys excess liquidity into assets, including publicly traded securities like Opendoor, digital assets, and commodities such as gold and silver that management considers undervalued.

SRx noted that it may adjust its holdings based on market conditions, valuations, and strategic considerations.

SRx announced its first $10 million allocation to digital assets, predominantly Bitcoin and Ethereum, on December 30.

A class action lawsuit challenging Ripple Labs’ sale of XRP tokens as unregistered securities will not proceed after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals this week upheld a lower court’s dismissal of the case. The court’s decision was first reported by Law360.

Filed in 2018, the lawsuit claims that Ripple Labs unlawfully sold XRP tokens as unregistered securities. Lead plaintiff Bradley Sostack argued that Ripple’s sales activity, including a large distribution of tokens in 2017, breached the Securities Act of 1933.

The case was dismissed in June 2024 when Judge Phyllis Hamilton found the claims untimely under federal law. The court said that XRP was first offered to the public in 2013, triggering a three-year deadline that expired well before Sostack filed his suit.

The court also found that the 2017 XRP release did not constitute a separate offering, so it did not extend the time limit for filing.

Sostack filed the notice of appeal in January 2025, seeking to overturn the district court’s summary judgment dismissal of class claims.

On appeal, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the lower court’s dismissal, agreeing that no material facts existed to challenge the statute of repose. The court rejected arguments that the later XRP distribution created a new offering or that the “economic reality” of XRP should change the timeline.

As a result, Sostack’s federal securities claims are time-barred, and Ripple’s early legal win is fully affirmed.

21Shares, a crypto exchange-traded product issuer, forecasts XRP trading around $2.45 by the end of 2026 under its base case scenario. The projection cites regulatory clarity and sustained investor demand as key factors reshaping the asset’s valuation framework.

The forecast follows the August 2025 resolution of XRP’s long-running SEC case, which removed a major overhang and reopened access for US-based institutions, regulated funds, and payment providers.

After the settlement, XRP surged to an all-time high near $3.66 before consolidating above the former $2 resistance level.

21Shares highlighted strong demand from US XRP spot ETFs as a key support. The funds attracted more than $1.3 billion in assets during their first month and recorded a record streak of consecutive inflows, signaling structural rather than speculative demand.

The firm also pointed to growing adoption of the XRP Ledger for stablecoins, tokenized assets, and decentralized finance as a longer-term catalyst. RLUSD, XRP’s native stablecoin, has expanded rapidly, while total value locked on the ledger has grown sharply from a low base.

Under its scenario analysis, 21Shares outlined a bull case of $2.69 tied to accelerating institutional adoption and supply constraints, and a bear case of $1.60 if demand weakens or adoption stalls.

With legal uncertainty resolved, 21Shares said XRP has entered a phase of market-driven price discovery, making continued adoption and capital inflows critical to sustaining higher valuations.

Flare has launched an FXRP/USDH spot market on Hyperliquid, expanding onchain trading access for XRP and deepening liquidity across the Hyperliquid ecosystem.

The rollout follows the launch of the FXRP/USDC market two weeks earlier and marks another step in Flare’s effort to scale XRP spot infrastructure beyond the XRP Ledger.

The new FXRP/USDH pair links XRP exposure with USDH, Hyperliquid’s native quote asset and settlement layer across HyperEVM. USDH, launched in September 2025, is fully backed one-to-one by US Treasuries and cash equivalents.

Hyperliquid said the use of USDH offers a capital-efficient venue for FXRP liquidity, supported by lower taker fees and higher maker rebates designed to accelerate spot market depth.

Flare said initial demand has been strong following the first FXRP launch, driven by growing interest in XRP exposure on Hyperliquid. The expansion highlights demand for seamless capital movement between the XRP Ledger, Flare, and HyperEVM.

Flare recently enabled direct FXRP bridging from Flare to HyperEVM. A dedicated FXRP bridge powered by Flare Smart Accounts is expected in the coming weeks, enabling one-click withdrawals from Hyperliquid back to the XRP Ledger.

Tether has launched USAT, a new US-regulated, dollar-backed stablecoin created for the federal stablecoin framework introduced by the GENIUS Act, the company said in a Tuesday statement.

The token is issued by Anchorage Digital Bank, the nation’s first federally regulated stablecoin issuer, and led by CEO Bo Hines.

According to Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, the stablecoin gives institutions an additional choice for a dollar-backed token produced in America, complementing USDT’s established reputation for reliability and transparency, and introducing a federally compliant solution specifically for American users.

“USDT has proven for more than a decade that digital dollars can deliver trust, transparency, and utility at a global scale,” Ardoino stated. “USAT extends that mission by providing a federally regulated product designed for the American market.”

The coin supports a scalable infrastructure, on-chain transparency, and institutional-grade compliance, with Cantor Fitzgerald overseeing reserves.

USAT is now available on exchanges such as Bybit, Crypto.com, Kraken, OKX, and MoonPay.

By providing a federally regulated option for American users, USAT reinforces the role of the US dollar in the digital economy and represents a step forward in regulated, utility-driven stablecoins for commerce and finance.

“Our focus is stability, transparency, and responsible governance, ensuring that the United States continues to lead in dollar innovation,” Hines stated.

Shares of Pinterest (PINS) dropped 9.5% intraday today after the company announced a board-approved global restructuring plan that will cut less than 15% of its workforce and reduce office space.

The San Francisco-based social media company expects to incur $35 million to $45 million in pre-tax restructuring charges, primarily cash-related expenditures, according to a new SEC filing.

Pinterest said the layoffs are part of a broader transformation strategy focused on AI. While reducing overall staffing levels in the near term, the company plans to reinvest in key development areas and strategic opportunities.

Pinterest intends to reallocate resources to AI-focused roles, prioritize AI-powered products and capabilities, and accelerate changes to its sales and go-to-market approach.

The company expects to complete restructuring by the end of its third quarter, subject to local law and consultation requirements.