Crypto News Today: BTC Holds $67.5K at Extreme Fear, Nasdaq × Kraken Tokenised Stocks, CPI Wednesday, DOT Halving Friday

Written by AffMiss Editorial · Published: 10 March 2026 · 8 min read

BTC at $67,500 — Bear Market or Exhaustion Bottom?

Bitcoin trades near $67,500 on Monday, up 1.5% in 24 hours but down from last week’s $73,300 high. The Fear & Greed Index reads 12 — the deepest Extreme Fear since the February 2026 low at $60,000. BTC has been stuck below $70,000 resistance after a weekend pullback driven by continued Middle East tensions and a surging US dollar.

CK Zheng of ZX Squared Capital told CoinDesk that BTC is “firmly in deep bear market territory” and could fall another 30% in 2026 as the four-year cycle plays out. BTC topped at ~$126,000 in October 2025, roughly 18 months after the April 2024 halving — consistent with the 16–18 month post-halving peak pattern. The bear phase typically lasts about a year, which would place a potential cycle bottom in Q4 2026.

The counter-signal: the Binance estimated leverage ratio dropped to 0.146 in early March — its lowest reading since April 2025. Historically, this level of deleveraging marks the exhaustion phase before a reversal. With leverage washed out and Fear & Greed at 12, the market is positioned at one extreme. Whether that extreme precedes a bounce or a final capitulation depends on this week’s macro catalysts.

Nasdaq and Kraken Partner for Tokenised Stock Trading

Nasdaq plans to work with Kraken to distribute tokenised versions of public stocks globally. The partnership would allow investors to trade blockchain-based representations of traditional equities through Kraken’s platform, bridging traditional markets and crypto infrastructure.

This follows Coinbase’s existing tokenised stock offerings on Arbitrum and signals a race among major exchanges to capture the $36+ billion real-world asset (RWA) tokenisation market. For crypto traders, the implication is expanding utility beyond pure crypto speculation — tokenised equities, bonds, and commodities traded 24/7 on blockchain rails with crypto-native settlement.

US CPI Data Wednesday — The Week’s Biggest Catalyst

The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases February CPI data on Wednesday, March 11. This is the most important data point before the Fed’s March 18 rate decision. Last Friday’s jobs report (−92,000 vs +60,000 expected) already shifted rate cut expectations. CPI will determine whether that shift sticks.

CPI Scenario	Market Expectation	Crypto Impact
Lower than expected	Strengthens rate cut case for H1 2026	Bullish — BTC rallies toward $72K resistance. Risk-on rotation.
In line with expectations	Status quo — Fed holds, watches data	Neutral — BTC consolidates in $65K–$70K range.
Higher than expected (sticky inflation)	Rate cuts delayed further. Hawkish Fed.	Bearish — BTC retests $63K–$65K support. Risk-off pressure.

Rising energy costs from the Middle East conflict (oil above $80/bbl) create upside risk for CPI. If inflation proves sticky, the Fed will remain hawkish — bad for all risk assets including crypto. BTC’s 85.4% 7-day correlation with the Nasdaq-100 ETF (QQQ) means equity moves will drag crypto in the same direction.

Ethereum Network Upgrade v1.17.1 Today

A minor but essential Ethereum network upgrade (v1.17.1) is scheduled for March 10. Binance has announced a temporary suspension of ETH deposits and withdrawals during the upgrade. The update is part of the “Glamsterdam” scaling roadmap aimed at increasing transactions per second (TPS). ETH trades near $2,075, steady ahead of the event.

The larger Ethereum upgrades — Glamsterdam and Hegota — remain on the 2026 roadmap. Neither is expected this month, but the development pipeline gives ETH a fundamental narrative that most competitors lack. ETH’s 30-day implied volatility remains stable, indicating the market does not expect this minor upgrade to cause price disruption.

Polkadot “Halving” Arrives Friday — Inflation Drops from 6.8% to 3.1%

Polkadot’s tokenomics overhaul activates on March 14 (Friday). The upgrade introduces a hard supply cap of 2.1 billion DOT and cuts annual issuance from 120 million to 55 million DOT — reducing inflation from 6.8% to approximately 3.1%. This is being called Polkadot’s first “halving” event.

Metric	Before (Current)	After (March 14)
Total supply cap	Uncapped	2.1 billion DOT
Annual issuance	~120 million DOT	~55 million DOT
Inflation rate	~6.8%	~3.1%
Treasury burns	Active	Replaced by Dynamic Allocation Pool (DAP)

DOT trades near $1.47–$1.91 range. The 21Shares Polkadot ETF (TDOT) launched last week on Nasdaq with $11 million in seed capital. The combination of a supply shock and a new regulated ETF creates a setup reminiscent of BTC’s halving + ETF narrative in 2024 — though at a much smaller scale. Whether DOT follows through depends on sustained institutional inflows through TDOT and broader market recovery.

Week Ahead: March 10–14 Catalysts

Date	Event	Impact
March 10	Ethereum v1.17.1 upgrade	ETH deposit/withdrawal paused on Binance. Minor network improvement.
March 11	US CPI (February)	Key inflation data. Determines rate cut expectations for March 18 Fed meeting.
March 12	Polkadot economic upgrade rollout begins	DOT supply cap + emission cuts go live. Governance votes close (Arbitrum, CoW, WLFI).
March 14	Polkadot “Halving Day”	Inflation drops from 6.8% → 3.1%. First halving event in DOT history.
March 17–18	DC Blockchain Summit (Washington)	Government + industry leaders discuss regulation. Clarity Act signals expected.
March 18	Federal Reserve rate decision + FOMC statement	Hold expected. Forward guidance on rate cuts is the key variable.

Crypto News FAQ — 10 March 2026

Why is Bitcoin stuck below $70,000?

BTC faces resistance at $70,000–$73,000 from a combination of Middle East tensions, a strong US dollar, and high correlation with declining equities (85.4% with Nasdaq QQQ). Last week’s rally to $73,300 was driven by a short squeeze, not organic spot demand. Open interest rose 6% while price gained only 3.8% — a fragile, leverage-driven structure.

What is the Polkadot halving?

Polkadot’s first “halving” on March 14 introduces a hard supply cap of 2.1 billion DOT and cuts annual issuance from 120 million to 55 million DOT. Inflation drops from 6.8% to 3.1%. This mirrors Bitcoin’s scarcity narrative but applies to a smaller-cap asset ($1.7B market cap vs BTC’s $1.3T).

How will CPI affect crypto this week?

Lower-than-expected CPI strengthens the case for Fed rate cuts, which benefits risk assets including crypto. Higher CPI (especially driven by energy costs) keeps the Fed hawkish, pressuring BTC toward $63K–$65K support. The data releases Wednesday, March 11. Watch the initial reaction in Nasdaq futures for a leading signal on crypto direction.

What is the Binance leverage ratio and why does it matter?

The Binance estimated leverage ratio measures the ratio of open interest to exchange reserves. At 0.146, it sits at the lowest level since April 2025, indicating that leveraged traders have been flushed out. Historically, this exhaustion phase precedes the next major move — either a sustained bounce or a final capitulation. It signals that the market is de-risked and waiting for a catalyst.