The crypto market saw intense volatility over the past 12 hours, resulting in massive liquidations totaling over $330 million. A staggering $254 million of these losses came from short positions — trades that bet against rising prices. This rapid shake-up suggests a sudden surge in buying momentum, catching many bearish traders off guard.

Such liquidations happen when traders use leveraged positions and the market moves against their prediction. In this case, a likely price pump in Bitcoin and other major assets forced short sellers to exit their trades, triggering a short squeeze — where prices accelerate upward as short positions get liquidated.

Bitcoin Surge Triggers Massive Short Losses

Bitcoin's price action seems to have played a key role in this liquidation wave. A sharp upward move can force traders holding short positions to cover their losses by buying back into the market, which in turn pushes prices even higher. This chain reaction creates a bullish loop, which seems to be what unfolded here.

While exact causes of the spike are still unclear, market analysts suggest factors such as growing ETF adoption, positive institutional news, or a response to macroeconomic data may have helped push prices up — blindsiding those expecting a dip.

What This Means for Traders

This event is a reminder of how quickly crypto markets can turn. Leveraged trading carries high risks, especially when large amounts of capital are involved. With $254 million in shorts liquidated, bearish traders were the biggest losers in this move, while long positions mostly escaped major damage.

Going forward, traders may look to reduce leverage or reassess strategies, especially when the market shows signs of volatility. As always, in crypto, timing and risk management are key.

Source: CryptoSlate

Will XRP Really Reach the $50 Target? Detailed Price Prediction and Outlook for 2025

XRP price prediction $50 target has become one of the most discussed topics among crypto traders. As Ripple expands its global partnerships and gains regulatory clarity, many investors are questioning whether XRP can realistically reach the $50 milestone by 2025. This analysis explores data, catalysts, and expert outlooks driving that possibility.

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Rattled by nearly $17 billion in foreign outflows this year, India is doubling down on financial sector reforms in a push to beef up capital buffers and lift investment in the country amid wider worries about the economic hit from U.S. tariffs.Several measures to anchor foreign participation and boost credit have already been announced by the central bank and market regulator in recent months. These include quicker pathways for companies to list and foreign funds and overseas lenders to enter and rules that allow corporates to borrow more easily and banks to finance mergers.

Other areas of regulatory easing in India's $260 billion financial sector are under discussion to be rolled out over the next six-to-12 months, said six regulatory and market sources with knowledge of the matter.The possible changes include bolstering capital market participation by mom-and-pop investors in smaller towns and further easing banking regulations, said the sources.The dismantling of decades-old restrictions comes as Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushes for greater economic self-reliance after concerns about the hit to India's growth from punitive U.S. tariffs unnerved foreign investors.

The central bank did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on new possible easing measures. A SEBI spokesperson, in response to Reuters queries, said it has introduced 11 "major reforms" for foreign investors to improve their access to India and enhance India's global competitiveness."There is an increased focus on ease of doing business and the regulatory cholesterol clogging up the financial sector is being cleared," said Srini Srinivasan, managing director, Kotak Alternate Asset Managers, which manages $20 billion in assets.

CREATING INVESTOR-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT

Foreign investors have net sold nearly $17 billion in Indian equities this year, compared with $124 million in inflows in 2024 and $20 billion in 2023. The sell-off has made India the worst-hit Asian market in terms of foreign portfolio withdrawals.

Thomson ReutersIndia regulations India

The gradual loosening in India coincides with the initiatives China has unveiled in recent months, including opening its stock option market to foreign investors and expanding foreign access to its bond repurchase market.India's economy is seen growing 6.8% in the fiscal year to March 31, 2026, according to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) estimates, compared to 6.5% in the previous year, but below the central bank's "aspirational" growth of about 8%.

The regulatory changes are intended to be pro-business and revive foreign investment and boost growth, the sources said.Vikas Pershad, a Singapore-based India portfolio manager in the Asia Pacific Equities team at M&G Investments, which manages $443 billion in client assets, said the regulatory easing and strong growth outlook are among reasons for investors to stay "constructive" on India."This year's concerted efforts to ease certain regulatory requirements ... have certainly not gone unnoticed," said Pershad."As long-term investors in India, we believe these steps are meaningful in creating a more accessible and investor-friendly environment."

FRESH THINKING, CLOSER COORDINATION

The shift comes less than a year after leadership changes at the RBI and SEBI.Sanjay Malhotra became RBI governor in December and Tuhin Kanta Pandey started as SEBI chief in March.Both previously worked together in the finance ministry and are focused on reversing years of tight regulation that followed a debt crisis between 2016 and 2018, analysts and insiders say.

In internal meetings this year, Malhotra argued crisis-era rules remained in force long after the shock, likening them to a plaster left on after a fracture healed, according to one source.Under those changes, banks can now fund acquisitions and lend more against listed debt and equity securities, the central bank announced this month.Capital buffer requirements for non-bank lenders funding infrastructure have been eased and additional provisions on banks lending to large corporates have been removed.

Long-standing rules limiting lower-rated borrowers from raising debt overseas have also been dismantled."The current governor is leaning more towards liberalisation and optimum regulation. Some of these changes are really needed," said HR Khan, former RBI deputy governor.SEBI's focus includes simplifying foreign investor access and encouraging investment from smaller urban areas, two sources said."Mutual funds have proven to be the right vehicle to get retail investors from smaller cities into capital markets," a SEBI spokesperson said, adding that the regulator is increasing access for more such funds.

While financial sector deregulation is positive, it will take deeper reforms to unleash market forces in the Indian economy, said Ian Simmons, Fiera Capital's London-based senior portfolio manager for global emerging markets strategy."The effort towards reviving animal spirits in the private sector comes back to some of the bigger bureaucratic, judicial and tax reforms, geared towards the ease of doing business," said Simmons, whose firm manages $117.6 billion in assets.

Source: TradingView

Trump’s Japan Visit Aims to Cement Strategic and Economic Ties

Negotiators set up a wide-ranging agreement for US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to finalize when they meet in South Korea later this week.

But early indications are that the trade deal offers more of a temporary ceasefire than a full armistice between the world's two biggest economies.

The "preliminary" consensus reached after two days of talks in Malaysia looks ready to resolve some of the flashpoints that have emerged in recent weeks.

Washington won't push ahead with staggering new tariffs, while Beijing is putting on ice rare earths export controls that threatened to roil global supply chains.

Stocks rallied as nervous investors exhaled.

But even as Trump teased a "complete deal" to reporters traveling with him to Asia, the early details suggest more of a short-term reset.

Neither Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent nor Chinese trade envoy Li Chenggang indicated they resolved more fundamental points of tension in the relationship, including the US blocking the trade of high-end semiconductor chips crucial to the developing AI industry.

China's resumption of soybean purchases will do little to dent the massive US trade deficit that Trump has vowed to address. Meanwhile, Beijing has only agreed to hold off restrictions on minerals critical to everything from jet engines to smartphones for a year.

And while Bessent said the two leaders plan to talk about global security, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there would be no discussion of changing US policy toward Taiwan — a lingering irritant for Beijing.

The result is a truce where neither side has much skin in the game, and little incentive to avoid another cycle of escalations or recriminations.

Still, for now, both sides seem happy to celebrate the progress in hand.

"They want to make a deal, and we want to make a deal," Trump said yesterday.

Source: Bloomberg Europe

Euro Zone Braces for Economic Truth: Tariff Fallout and Sluggish Growth

Source: Bloomberg