Foreign exchange analysts at Rabobank have raised their exchange rate forecasts for the Euro versus the Pound Sterling.
Recent US tariff concerns have driven investors towards currencies backed by current account surpluses, benefiting the Euro (EUR).
“The Eurozone’s current account surplus appears to be a source of support for the EUR currently.”
The Euro’s resilience as a temporary safe haven reflects investors’ preference to hold cash amid market uncertainty.
“Investors appear to be sitting on cash in CHF, JPY and EURs while waiting for current fog of uncertainty to clear.”
The Pound Sterling (GBP) remains vulnerable due to the UK’s persistent current account deficit, especially when domestic fundamentals weaken.
“The UK’s current account deficit can leave GBP exposed when UK fundamentals turn sour and international investors look for the exits.”
Germany’s shift towards increased public spending, notably in defence and technology, further boosts the Euro’s attractiveness.
“Investors had already been looking for fresh opportunities in Europe, so sitting on cash in EURs may seem like a reasonable position.”
Consequently, Rabobank has raised its EUR/GBP forecast to 0.85 for the six-month horizon.
“We have adjusted our EUR/GBP forecasts higher and now see the currency pair at 0.85 on a 6 month vs. compared with a previous forecast of 0.83.”
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Standard Chartered projects XRP could reach $5.5 by end of 2025 and $12.5 by 2028
Ripple’s cross-border payment positioning cited as key catalyst for future growth
Recent acquisition of Hidden Road aims to accelerate transactions via XRPL
62.8% of XRP’s realized cap is now held by investors who entered in the last six months
Options market shows 4.5% chance of XRP reaching $4 by next month
Standard Chartered bank has released a bullish forecast for XRP, projecting the cryptocurrency could increase by 200% to reach $5.5 by the end of 2025. The bank’s report, dated April 8, further predicts XRP could cross above $10 in 2027 and extend its rise to $12.5 by the end of 2028.
This would represent a 600% increase from XRP’s current value of approximately $1.7, according to the bank’s analysis.
The forecast comes after XRP experienced similar returns following Donald Trump’s election victory in November 2024. Standard Chartered attributed that rally to expected regulatory shifts and the anticipated dismissal of the Ripple lawsuit under the Trump administration.
Geoffrey Kendrick, Standard Chartered’s head of digital asset research, highlighted Ripple’s unique market position as a key factor in their forecast.
“XRP is uniquely positioned at the heart of one of the fastest-growing use cases for digital assets – facilitation of cross-border and cross-currency payments,” Kendrick noted in the report.
He further compared XRPL (XRP Ledger) to the main use case for stablecoins like Tether, describing both as “blockchain-enabled financial transactions that have traditionally been done through traditional financial institutions.”
Strategic Acquisition
Ripple recently made a strategic move by acquiring Hidden Road, a traditional prime broker that handles $10 billion in daily trades. This acquisition aims to accelerate transactions via XRPL by leveraging XRP and Ripple’s stablecoin RLUSD.
Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple’s founder, explained the benefits: “Instead of waiting for <24 hours to settle trades through fiat rails, Hidden Road will be using XRPL for clearing a portion of trades, and using RLUSD as collateral across its prime brokerage services.”
For context, XRPL is Ripple’s blockchain designed to advance cross-border payments. The acquisition aligns with Kendrick’s bullish outlook, though XRP has faced short-term pressure from broader market uncertainty.
Despite Standard Chartered’s optimistic projections, the options market currently prices only a 4.5% chance of XRP reaching the $4 level by next month.
However, the $4 call option was the most traded in recent volume, suggesting some traders are speculating that the altcoin could hit a new all-time high by May.
Retail Investment Surge
On-chain analytics firm Glassnode recently highlighted a change in XRP’s investor composition. Their data shows that the cryptocurrency’s Realized Cap – which tracks the total capital invested in the asset – has doubled from around $30.1 billion to $64.2 billion in recent months.
This surge in capital has been driven primarily by newer investors. According to Glassnode, 62.8% of the entire capital currently invested in XRP has come from investors who entered the market within the last six months.
During #Ripple’s Feb surge, Realized Cap nearly doubled from $30.1B to $64.2B – a $30B inflow largely from new investors. This short-term capital spike points to retail-led momentum, which has since cooled off as inflows slowed post-February. pic.twitter.com/Oe40qujPcU
This represents a dramatic shift from the previous distribution, where new investors controlled just 23% of the cryptocurrency’s Realized Cap.
Glassnode described this influx as “retail-led momentum,” though they noted it appears to be cooling off recently as the metric is no longer growing as sharply.
The analytics firm expressed some caution about this concentration of new holders. “This rapid concentration in new holders reflects strong retail involvement – but also raises the risk of fragility, as many hold elevated cost bases,” they noted.
Glassnode pointed out that similar conditions led to market tops during the last two bull markets. With inflows slowing down as the price declines, they suggest a similar pattern may be forming for XRP.
Recent price action seems to support this view, as XRP has experienced a plunge of more than 8% in the last 24 hours, bringing its price back down to $1.78 and erasing its latest recovery.
Despite these short-term fluctuations, Standard Chartered’s long-term outlook remains positive, emphasizing Ripple’s established position in the growing field of blockchain-based cross-border payments as the foundation for their bullish forecast.
The light sweet crude oil market has initially gotten hammered, but as you can see, we have seen the market turn right back around and scream to the upside.
This makes a certain amount of sense considering that Donald Trump has removed tariffs for a bulk of the countries with the exception of China and the 10 % base tariffs that he was talking about throwing on everybody anyways.
That being said, a 10 % tariff isn’t as massive of a problem for the world.
There’s quite a few countries out there that have been tariffing the United States 20, 30, 40 % for decades. So really it does more or less kind of just somewhat even the playing field. It’s not aggressive. It’s something that producers of various goods around the world can absorb.
On a Move Above $60
That being said, it’s worth noting that we are above the $60 level, but we are giving back some of the gains. And I think the process here is going to be extraordinarily noisy. The $65 level above is a massive barrier. If we could break that, it would be a huge win for the bulls. But right now, I don’t think we’re anywhere near that. I think we’re probably closer to a situation where we’re trying to form some type of basing pattern that is higher than we hit overnight. But we also have to worry about China and their reaction to the now 125 % tariffs on their goods, because during the day Amazon, and I’m starting to hear a little bit of chatter from Walmart as well, are canceling orders from China. This is a big deal. This means things just got a little uglier. Chinese banks have been ordered not to buy US dollars. Good luck with that. There’s no way to pay international debts without them. So, things are going to get very interesting very quick.
With that being said, there is a certain amount of concern about the overall global demand. If China slips into a recession and the US slips into a recession, everybody feels it. So, I think this is still a market that you would want to at least think about being bearish on, but you might want to get out of the way of trying to short it. A range between $60 and $65 does make a certain amount of sense, but you need stability before you start putting money to work.
The British Pound has been all over the place against the US dollar as we continue to see a lot of noisy behavior.
With that being said, we are sitting right on the 1.2750 level, an area that should offer a lot of support.
We also have the 200 day EMA sitting there as well.
The resulting candlestick does look a lot like an inverted hammer, and this is an ugly sign for the British pound. During the day, Donald Trump announced that the tariffs would be paused for 90 days, at least the reciprocal tariffs, except for China. So, we’ve seen a rush back into the US dollar as a result. if the wait and see on this points out, but we had been selling off a bit anyway. So, I do think that the first crack in the ice, as far as Europe is concerned, might end up being the British pound. Well, at the wait and see, but if we were to break down below the 1.27 level, I think this is a market that drops precipitously again.
Headlines Continue to Be an Issue
The biggest problem you have is that the latest headline is what will drive massive amounts of money in and out of the market. So we’re not at normal time and you have to keep your position size reasonable as a result. After all, you could end up seeing a 70 pip move in a matter of seconds with the right headline.
That move could be in either direction. So, you have to keep that in mind as well. In general, I do think that this is a pair that drops, but I need to see a fresh new low to actually start shorting if we rally, then I would anticipate that the British pound probably sees a lot of resistance near the 1.29 level.
Farmers have begun harvesting the first green tea leaves of the year in the central Japanese prefecture of Shizuoka.
Harvesting of the Kondo-wase variety began on Wednesday in Shizuoka City’s Suruga Ward, about 10 days earlier than for other types. The leaves are cultivated on slopes at an elevation of around 150 meters.
About 30 people carefully hand-picked the leaves at a plantation managed by farmer Matsukawa Yohei.
Matsukawa said the warm weather since late March has helped to produce high-quality leaves this year. He also said the Kondo-wase variety has a distinct sweet aroma, and is very popular with women and children.
A woman in her 80s from Shizuoka City who helped to pick the leaves said they are soft and look tasty.
Japan’s agriculture ministry says Kagoshima Prefecture overtook Shizuoka Prefecture last year to become the country’s leading producer of aracha, or unrefined tea.
Matsukawa said Shizuoka still grows lots of excellent tea that can rival the products from Kagoshima. He hopes more people will enjoy Shizuoka tea, especially the first leaves of this season.
Institutional crypto investment firm Bitwise has doubled down on its big Bitcoin price prediction for this year despite escalating global trade tensions.
“In December, Bitwise predicted that Bitcoin would end the year at $200,000. I still think that’s in play,” Bitwise chief investment officer Matt Hougan said in an April 9 blog post.
He suggested that the fallout from US President Donald Trump’s global tariff push could be beneficial for Bitcoin BTCUSD and crypto because his administration “wants a weaker dollar, even if it means ending its role as the world’s reserve currency.”
Hougan cited an April 7 speech by Steve Miran, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, which criticized the dollar’s reserve status as causing “persistent currency distortions” and “unsustainable trade deficits” that have “decimated” US manufacturing.
Hougan said a weaker greenback could have both short-term and long-term implications for Bitcoin.
In the short term, dollar weakness historically correlates with Bitcoin strength, he added, citing the US Dollar Index (DXY).
“Dollar down equals Bitcoin up,” Hougan said. “I expect this pattern will continue.”
The DXY, which compares the value of the US dollar to a basket of six major currencies, has fallen more than 7% since the beginning of 2025, according to TradingView.
In the long term, Hougan said disruption to the global reserve currency system creates opportunities for alternative reserve assets, including Bitcoin and gold.
“Governments and companies turn to the dollar for international trade precisely because of its stability. When that stability comes into question, they have to look elsewhere.”
The Bitwise executive concluded that the world will move from a single reserve currency to a “more fractured reserve system, with hard money like Bitcoin and gold playing a bigger role than it does today.”
Earlier this week, VanEck said that China and Russia were reportedly settling some energy trades in Bitcoin as Trump’s trade war ramps up.
On April 9, Trump issued a 90-day pause on nearly all of his earlier announced “reciprocal tariffs,” keeping a baseline 10% tariff on all countries besides China, which he lumped with a 125% tariff.
Bitcoin will be the fastest horse
Crypto trader and analyst Will Clemente said on X that “Bitcoin will be the fastest horse” coming out of this drawdown.
“It’s a pure reflection of liquidity and no earnings, if anything, economic uncertainty/deglobalization are positive for Bitcoin,” he added.
BTC is up 7.5% over the past 24 hours to $81,700. It has seen a correction of around 32% from its Jan. 20 all-time high, in line with pullbacks in previous bull market cycles.
Goldman Sachs has slashed its oil prices forecasts again and now expects Brent Crude to average below $60 per barrel next year, at $58, amid recession risks, slowing demand, and more supply from the OPEC+ producers.
The investment bank had previously forecasted oil demand growth at 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) this year but now it sees the growth at half this figure, at 300,000 bpd.
Higher risks of recessions and higher-than-expected OPEC+ production prompted Goldman Sachs to slash again its oil price forecasts for 2026, days after it had already cut its price outlook in the wake of the U.S. tariffs announcement last week.
Goldman Sachs’s analysts issued a new note dated April 6, in which they slashed their 2026 oil price forecasts by $4 per barrel to $58 for Brent Crude prices and to $55 for the U.S. benchmark, WTI Crude.
On Friday, Goldman Sachs cut its oil price forecast for 2025 by 5.5 per cent for Brent crude and by 4.3 per cent for West Texas Intermediate, citing the OPEC+ decision to boost production in May and the tariff barrage that President Trump unleashed. The bank also revised down its 2026 Brent crude forecast by 9 per cent to $62 per barrel and its 2026 WTI forecast by 6.3 per cent to $59 per barrel.
Two days later, Goldman Sachs slashed the forecasts again and now expects Brent Crude to average below $60 per barrel next year, at $58, amid recession risks, slowing demand, and more supply from the OPEC+ producers.
The investment bank had previously forecasted oil demand growth at 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) this year. Now it sees the growth at half this figure, at 300,000 bpd.
There is a chance of oil prices rising from current levels if the U.S. backs down from the tariffs, according to the bank.
“Oil prices would likely exceed our forecast if the Administration were to reverse tariffs sharply and deliver a reassuring message to markets, consumers, and businesses, Goldman’s analysts wrote in the April 6 note carried by Reuters.
Goldman Sachs last week raised recession odds to 45 per cent over the next 12 months, up from a 35 per cent chance of a recession estimated previously. Goldman’s analysts cited “a sharp tightening in financial conditions, foreign consumer boycotts, and a continued spike in policy uncertainty that is likely to depress capital spending by more than we had previously assumed.”
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U.S. stock markets and cryptocurrencies saw a sharp rebound Thursday after former President Donald Trump announced a temporary 90-day pause on most international tariffs — a move that has been welcomed by investors as a potential turning point for market sentiment.
According to a statement shared by the White House and reposted by Trump on Truth Social, the United States will suspend tariffs for the majority of countries, lowering rates to 10%. The only exception remains China, where tariff rates have been raised to 125%, signaling an aggressive stance amid ongoing trade tensions.
Market Reaction: A Sharp Reversal
Markets responded immediately. U.S. stocks staged one of their largest single-day rallies in recent months, bouncing back from what had been one of the worst weeks of the year. The temporary easing of tariffs appears to have triggered renewed investor optimism, especially following recent volatility driven by trade war concerns and monetary policy uncertainty.
Crypto Market Joins the Rally
The cryptocurrency market mirrored the stock market’s move, with Bitcoin rising to $82,000 and major altcoins following suit. The total global crypto market cap jumped over 8% in the last 24 hours, now standing at $2.59 trillion.
XRP saw one of the most impressive moves, climbing more than 12% to briefly touch $2. The token bounced from a key support level around $1.75 and now faces resistance at $2.14 to $2.15. A confirmed breakout above that range could open the door to further gains, with technical targets around $2.47 and $2.56 in play.
Despite the bullish momentum, there is still uncertainty. On higher time frames, XRP is still technically within a broader bearish trend, and a sustained breakout is required to confirm a full reversal.
Dogecoin (DOGE) price faces increasing pressure as significant whale sell-offs weigh on the price and technical support weakens.
In the past 48 hours, whales have sold over 1.32 billion DOGE, bringing the price close to critical levels.
As DOGE price tests these zones, a breakdown is becoming more likely, with the potential for further declines unless the market shows signs of reversal.
Whales Dump 1.32 Billion DOGE in 48 Hours
According to crypto analyst Ali, whale investors holding over 1 billion DOGE have offloaded more than 1.32 billion tokens within two days.
This sharp sell-off has caused a noticeable shift in market sentiment, often an indicator to further price declines.
Source: Ali Martinez, X
Charts reveal that as whale holdings dropped, Dogecoin price dropped from the $0.18–$0.20 range to approximately $0.14.
Each recovery attempt has been met with lower volume, signaling that demand is weakening in response to the increasing supply.
This distribution pattern leads to a worse situation as most traders find it hard to deal with large selling pressure.
The price is still hovering at $0.14, which could easily break if there isn’t any demand or an influx of buying pressure to support its price
Dogecoin Price Approaches Key Trendline at $0.13
Interestingly, Ali’s analysis identified a rising trendline, respected by the top meme coin since October 2023, intersecting with the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level at $0.13.
This makes it an important level to watch since it provides a strong technical support for DOGE.
Source: Ali Martinez, X
Historically, DOGE price has reversed trends from this trend line, thus, the $0.13 level exhibits structural support.
Yet, the recent trend is pushing DOGE precisely to this level, which contributes to volatility.
A failure of $0.13 would signify yet a higher low and thus increases the prospect of further declines.
Break Below $0.13 Could Trigger Panic Selling
Conversely, a drop below the $0.13 support level would invalidate the multi-month bullish structure that has characterized DOGE price action.
This could trigger a move toward deeper support levels, with the next significant zones being around $0.10 and $0.085, which were previously tested in 2023.
The Relative Strength Index (RSI) and the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) both indicate the presence of bearish pressure.
Recent price movement has been more oriented to the downside movements as volume weakens on the upward movements. This may signal a further sell off as the market breaks the $0.13 support level.
Dogecoin Price Needs Volume Surge and Trendline Recovery
For the market to move higher, Dogecoin price has to break above $0.15 with good support at $0.13.
This would only continue to signal that the sell-off has been absorbed and that further movement up is possible.
Conversely, about the recovery reversal, it would require a significant crossing above $0.18 to push Dogecoin towards the $0.22 range.
However, given the current volumes and the sustained presence of whales, a recovery will probably be driven by a shift of sentiment and demand from buying interest.
Wyckoff Accumulation Pattern
Additionally, Trader Tardigrade claimed that based on Dogecoin price action, the asset looks to be in the Wyckoff Accumulation phase, which points toward a bullish breakout.
Tardigrade believed that DOGE price recently tested the $0.142 support level, which greatly affects the further uptrend in DOGE.
Source: Trader Tardigrade, X
According to Tardigrade, DOGE price has now entered the phase D in the Wyckoff model, which is characterized by higher lows and Last Points of Support (LPS) before a subsequent rally.
If the price can break above the $0.178 resistance level, DOGE may get started on its way higher with $0.21 as its next target.
However, Tardigrade warned that failing to hold $0.142 support could undermine the bullish outlook, resulting in deeper retracements.
The coming days will be essential for determining whether Dogecoin price can hold the current support and initiate a fresh upward trend.
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