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Benchmark analysts recently reaffirmed their "buy" rating on Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) and set a target price of $705, indicating an upside potential of about 430% from the current share price of approximately $130. Analysts believe that the company's strategic shift to the STRC preferred stock financing model is expected to become a core driver of Bitcoin reserve growth.At the Strategy World 2026 conference, the company's Executive Chairman Michael Saylor stated that the company will shift from its previous strategy of encouraging enterprises to incorporate Bitcoin into their balance sheets to focusing on promoting STRC perpetual preferred stock as the primary financing tool for future Bitcoin purchases. Benchmark analysts noted that STRC will become the "main engine" for Strategy to accumulate Bitcoin and is expected to accelerate the growth rate of the company's Bitcoin holdings per share.The STRC price fell to around $90 earlier this month but has since rebounded to near the $100 par value level. This preferred stock product offers an annualized yield of approximately 11%, pays dividends monthly, and has priority over common stockholders in the dividend distribution order.

The stablecoin issuer Circle's stock price briefly rose above $90, reaching a new high for the year, before retreating to around $87. This followed the company's fourth-quarter performance, which exceeded market expectations, driving the stock price up approximately 30% after the earnings report was released. Bernstein analysts maintained an "outperform" rating on Circle, setting a target price of $190, believing that the company's performance shows a growth trend that has "clearly distinguished itself from the crypto market."The report noted that Circle's expansion in the infrastructure sector is bringing in new revenue sources with higher profit margins, rather than relying solely on stablecoin reserve earnings. Analysts stated that Circle's transaction-related revenue continues to grow, including blockchain rewards earned as a super validator on the Canton network. Meanwhile, the proportion of USDC directly held on the Circle platform has risen to 17% of the total supply, up from 14% in the previous quarter. The company expects the circulation of USDC to maintain an annual growth rate of about 40% in the future and anticipates that other business revenues, excluding reserve income, will reach approximately $170 million by 2026, up from about $110 million in 2025.Bernstein is also optimistic about Circle's expansion into new product areas, including the Arc platform, Circle Payments Network, and "automated payment" capabilities aimed at AI agents. At the same time, Mizuho analysts pointed out that as stablecoins are increasingly applied in new scenarios such as prediction markets, like the Polymarket platform, Circle's revenue structure is expected to further diversify. Overall, market attention is gradually shifting to whether Circle can establish a more balanced revenue structure during the expansion of the stablecoin ecosystem.

According to Jinshi, Federal Reserve's Goolsbee stated that he is one of the most optimistic about interest rate cuts this year within the Federal Reserve.

According to Jinshi, Fed's Goolsbee expressed optimism about the possibility of further rate cuts this year, provided that inflation begins to return to target levels.

Bitmine today announced that the total value of its cryptocurrency holdings, cash, and "high-risk high-return investment projects" is currently reported at $9.6 billion. As of February 22, 2026, 6:00 PM Eastern Time, the company's crypto assets include:4,422,659 ETH193 Bitcoin$200 million in Beast Industries equity$17 million in Eightco Holdings equityTotal cash of $691 million.Bitmine's Executive Chairman Thomas "Tom" Lee stated that during this "mini crypto winter," we remain focused on methodically executing our financial strategy, steadily increasing our ETH holdings, and optimizing our portfolio returns. Despite the crypto prices hitting lows, the three major fundamental drivers for Ethereum continue to strengthen:Wall Street and its tokenization strategyAI and AI agents using smart blockchain to execute and collect paymentsThe emerging creator economy and its demand for blockchain verification.

According to Cointelegraph, cryptocurrency economist Timothy Peterson's latest analysis indicates that Bitcoin still has structural upside potential during the current bear market correction: 50% of the months in the past 24 months recorded positive returns, suggesting a higher probability of a positive return turning point in any 24-month period.Based on this, Peterson estimates that the probability of Bitcoin being above the current level in the next 10 months is 88%. He emphasizes that this statistical model shows the market may be approaching a turning point rather than continuing to decline.The current Bitcoin price is approximately $68,173, down nearly 25% from the year's high, erasing most of the gains after the 2024-2025 U.S. elections; the Crypto Fear & Greed Index has fallen to "Extreme Fear" at 9 points, and social media interest in Bitcoin predictions has dried up, with sentiment trending neutral.

According to Cointelegraph, macroeconomist Lyn Alden stated that Bitcoin's next surge may start when overheated AI stocks peak and funds begin to rotate back into BTC.

According to Jinshi, Federal Reserve official Logan stated that he is cautiously optimistic about the economy returning to the inflation target trajectory.

According to Crowdfund Insider, Joseph Lubin, founder and CEO of Consensys and co-founder of Ethereum, recently shared his views on the current state and future trajectory of the cryptocurrency market during an interview in Hong Kong. Lubin expressed a cautiously optimistic outlook. He emphasized that the digital asset economy is continuously evolving, driven by functional utility rather than pure speculative forces.When discussing Bitcoin, Lubin believes it should not be viewed as a traditional safe-haven asset at this stage. He described the broader crypto landscape as still resembling a "startup ecosystem," suggesting that positioning Bitcoin as a secure store of value amidst current developmental challenges may be premature. In contrast, he highlighted that Ethereum's native cryptocurrency, ETH, has a stronger functional demand.Lubin believes that the practicality of ETH in driving decentralized applications, smart contracts, and broader ecosystem activities gives it an advantage in real-world adoption compared to Bitcoin's main narrative. He emphasized Ethereum's enduring importance in the evolving financial infrastructure.He pointed out that institutional participation is deepening, with major banks, trading platforms, and financial networks increasingly building on Ethereum-based technologies and layer two scaling solutions. He stated that this momentum at the institutional level indicates that even amid market fluctuations, Ethereum is transitioning towards becoming the next-generation financial foundation.Overall, Lubin's remarks reflect confidence in Ethereum's long-term potential under short-term market pressures. He portrayed the ecosystem as resilient and innovative, with tools like Ethereum and MetaMask poised to drive meaningful progress in the digital economy.

According to Jinshi, Federal Reserve's Daly stated that businesses are seeing a buyer's market in the labor market. For American companies, the uncertainty of demand has recently shifted to cautious optimism.

The author of "Rich Dad Poor Dad," Robert Kiyosaki, stated in a social media post that he warned in his 2013 book "Rich Dad's Prophecy" about the impending arrival of the largest stock market crash in history, which is now imminent.Kiyosaki indicated that for those who are prepared, the upcoming crash will present significant wealth opportunities, while for those who are unprepared, it will be a nightmare. He emphasized that he holds physical gold, silver, Ethereum, and Bitcoin, and plans to continue increasing his holdings as Bitcoin prices decline. Kiyosaki specifically mentioned that the total supply of Bitcoin will always be limited to 21 million coins, and that nearly 21 million are already in circulation. He believes that a market crash is the best time to buy quality assets at a discount.

According to CoinDesk, based on the analysis by NYDIG's research director Greg Cipolaro, there is a divergence in sentiment between U.S. institutional investors and offshore traders in the Bitcoin market.Currently, the annualized basis of CME (Chicago Mercantile Exchange) Bitcoin futures is higher than that of the offshore exchange Deribit, indicating that U.S. hedge funds and other institutions still prefer to pay a premium to maintain long positions, while interest in leveraged long positions in the offshore market has significantly decreased.In response to previous market rumors that the "quantum computing threat" caused Bitcoin to drop to $60,000, NYDIG believes that the data does not support this logic. Recently, Bitcoin's movement has shown a positive correlation with quantum computing-related stocks such as IONQ and D-Wave, rather than a reverse divergence. If quantum computing indeed poses a targeted threat, related stocks should rise when Bitcoin falls. The current synchronized decline reflects a general decrease in market risk appetite for long-term growth assets.Additionally, Google Trends data shows that an increase in related search volume typically accompanies a rise in coin prices rather than a decline, indicating that the topic is more driven by market enthusiasm rather than panic selling.

According to CoinDesk, JPMorgan analysts are optimistic about the cryptocurrency market in their latest report, despite the significant market correction. The analysts believe that the inflow of institutional investor funds and regulatory clarity will support the next rally in the digital asset market.The report points out that the production cost of Bitcoin has decreased to around $77,000, although the current trading price is about $66,300, which is below this level. However, the bank believes that this dynamic will eventually self-correct.At the same time, Bitcoin's appeal relative to gold has increased, as gold has recently outperformed Bitcoin, but its volatility has significantly increased. JPMorgan expects that further U.S. crypto legislation (such as the Clarity Act) will provide the necessary clarity for institutional participation, thereby driving market recovery.

According to Jinshi News, Thomas Mathews, an analyst at Capital Economics, stated that the S&P 500 index may be supported by technology stocks this year, expecting it to rise to 8,000 points by the end of the year. Despite the turbulent performance at the beginning of the year, Mathews pointed out that the earnings outlook for tech companies remains "quite optimistic," and he holds a positive attitude towards the U.S. stock market.

According to a report by Reuters, Lee Chan-jin, the head of the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) of South Korea, stated that the recent incident where Bithumb accidentally issued over $40 billion worth of Bitcoin to customers reveals structural vulnerabilities in the cryptocurrency sector, highlighting the urgent need for enhanced regulation. Lee emphasized that users who sold the mistakenly issued tokens are legally obligated to return the assets.In addition, regarding "ghost tokens" (over-issued assets) and the launch of Bitcoin spot ETF products, the FSS expressed a cautious attitude and plans to further expand the regulatory scope through secondary legislation of the "Digital Asset Basic Act."Last Friday, Bithumb mistakenly issued 620,000 Bitcoins during a promotional reward distribution, triggering a sell-off on the platform. Currently, preliminary investigations by financial authorities show that 99.7% of the mistakenly issued Bitcoins have been recovered; of the 1,786 Bitcoins sold before the trading was suspended, 93% have also been recovered.

According to an announcement from the South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb, the exchange made an operational error during the distribution of activity rewards, resulting in a total of 620,000 bitcoins being incorrectly distributed to 695 users (instead of the previously speculated 2,000). Bithumb quickly froze the trading and withdrawal functions of the relevant accounts within 35 minutes of discovering the issue, and as of the time of publication, it has successfully recovered 618,212 bitcoins, accounting for 99.7% of the total erroneously distributed amount. The 1,788 bitcoins that had been sold have also been recovered at a rate of 93%.The announcement emphasized that there was no transfer of bitcoins to external wallets during this incident, and it did not involve any hacking or security vulnerabilities. The exchange has committed to using its own assets to make up for the unrecovered bitcoins and will redesign the asset distribution process, strengthening the internal control system to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

According to Jin10, Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Jefferson stated that he holds a "cautiously optimistic" view on the economic outlook.

According to market news, employees of the South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb mistakenly distributed 2000 BTC instead of the intended 2000 KRW as rewards, resulting in hundreds of users unexpectedly receiving the airdrop. As a result of this incident, the price of Bitcoin on the Bithumb platform temporarily dropped by 10% compared to other markets.