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The long-awaited Polygon network upgrade is finally complete. The project has successfully transitioned from its MATIC token to the new POL token, marking one of the most significant milestones in its history. The upgrade, announced on September 3, unlocks a major new feature: native staking for POL directly on the Ethereum blockchain.

The Market Anticipated the News

In a classic case of “buy the rumor, sell the news,” the market showed intense excitement in the days leading up to the announcement.

• Trading Volume: Peaked at over $631 million on September 1.
• Price Action: POL’s price rallied to nearly $0.29 on September 2 as traders positioned themselves.
• Post-Announcement: The price consolidated steadily around $0.28, suggesting the positive news was already priced in.

How to natively stake POL on Ethereum in just three steps. pic.twitter.com/iukUwEHzS6

— Polygon (@0xPolygon) August 5, 2025

What the POL Upgrade Unlocks

The completion of the migration brings several key benefits and features to the Polygon ecosystem:

• Native Staking: POL holders can now stake their tokens directly on Ethereum to help secure the network, earning validator rewards and becoming eligible for future community airdrops.
• Expanded Utility: POL is designed to be the fuel for Polygon’s AggLayer, an interoperability solution aimed at creating a unified cross-chain ecosystem, moving beyond its role on a single chain.
• New Tokenomics: The upgrade introduced a new model with a 2% annual emission rate over ten years to fund network security and grants.

For any users who haven’t migrated yet, a MATIC migration tool remains available on the Polygon Portal.

Strong Fundamentals Back the Upgrade

The upgrade comes at a time of robust growth for the Polygon network, despite some internal changes.

• User Growth: Unique addresses have consistently risen, reaching 527 million.
• DeFi TVL: Total Value Locked hit $1.23 billion in August, a 43% increase year-to-date.
• Government Adoption: The network is being adopted for real-world use cases by the government of the Philippines for document verification and the state of Wyoming for its FRNT stablecoin.

The Bottom Line

The successful transition to POL is a testament to Polygon’s continued evolution and ambition. By enabling native staking and positioning POL as a cross-chain hub, the project is building a stronger, more utility-driven foundation for its future. While the market’s immediate reaction was a consolidation, the long-term implications for network security, user rewards, and ecosystem growth are profoundly positive.

Michael Saylor has dropped his classic hint—sharing Strategy’s (formerly MicroStrategy) Bitcoin portfolio tracker on X. This move typically signals an impending BTC purchase, potentially pushing the company’s holdings toward the historic 600,000 BTC mark.

Strategy’s Bitcoin Dominance

• Current holdings: 597,325 BTC ($64.57B)
• Just 2,675 BTC away from 600K milestone
• Last purchase: 4,980 BTC ($531M) – 12th straight weekly buy

Some weeks you just need to HODL. pic.twitter.com/rVcFQkFoG0

— Michael Saylor (@saylor) July 6, 2025

If Strategy buys again this week, it would:
✅ Break its 13-week buying streak record
✅ Potentially trigger a market rally (as past purchases have)

The Big Question: Will They Buy?

Despite the hint, Saylor’s caption—“Some weeks you just need to HODL”—has left some doubting. Other factors in play:
⚠️ Ongoing lawsuit over alleged undisclosed Q1 2025 Bitcoin losses
⚠️ Market watching closely for confirmation of purchase

Corporate Bitcoin Adoption Soars

Strategy isn’t alone in stacking BTC:

• 18 companies added 8,400 BTC last week
• Figma and others following Strategy’s lead
• Growing corporate interest could push BTC to new ATH (currently just 3% below peak)

What This Means for Bitcoin

📈 If Strategy buys: Likely bullish momentum toward $111,970+
📉 If they pause: Potential short-term uncertainty

Bitcoin falls 3% after US inflation data beats expectations. Analysts warn of a key support level that could trigger a major sell-off.

US Inflation Data Hits Bitcoin Hard

The latest US Consumer Price Index (CPI) report came in higher than expected, signaling that inflation remains a concern. Following the news, Bitcoin (BTC) dropped nearly 3% in just 15 minutes, hitting $94,100.

Altcoins followed suit, with Ethereum (ETH) slipping to $2,600 and Solana (SOL) falling to $191.

As a result, markets have shifted their expectations for the next Federal Reserve rate cut from September to December. According to the CME FedWatch tool, investors now see a 97.5% chance that the Fed will keep rates steady in March.

📉 Key Takeaways:

🔹 Inflation fears delay Fed rate cut expectations to December

🔹 Market odds of a March rate hold: 97.5% (CME FedWatch)

🔹 #Powell signals no rush to cut rates unless inflation nears 2% target according to Yahoo Finance.

🔹 #Trump said, “Biden inflation up!” which indicates that his decision will improve that rate, hopefully!!

Litecoin’s price jumped 25% this week following Grayscale’s spot Litecoin ETF filing. This news has driven institutional demand, reinforcing Litecoin’s position as a top-performing cryptocurrency.

Investor Support Strengthens Litecoin’s Position

Long-term holders (LTHs) have played a crucial role in Litecoin’s stability. The MVRV Long/Short Difference indicator remains positive, showing LTHs are in profit. These investors typically hold rather than sell, minimizing drastic price drops.

By holding their assets, LTHs provide essential support, helping Litecoin sustain rallies even in volatile market conditions. Their commitment strengthens investor confidence and maintains momentum.

Bullish Sentiment Backed by Key Metrics

The IOMAP metric shows strong buying activity in the $128 to $135 range, with over 2 million LTC purchased, worth $256 million. If Litecoin turns $136 into a support level, sentiment will remain positive.

This concentration of profitable investors increases confidence in Litecoin’s upward trend. Breaking the $136 resistance could signal further gains, solidifying its growth potential.

LTC Price Prediction: Key Resistance at $136

Litecoin is currently trading at $128 after a 25% surge. The immediate challenge lies at the $136 resistance level. Flipping this level into support could unlock the $256 million in potential profits, pushing the price toward $147.

However, if Litecoin fails to break $136, it could retrace to $117 or even $105. A drop to these levels would erase recent gains and weaken the bullish outlook.

Conclusion

Litecoin’s recent surge has captured investor attention, fueled by ETF speculation and strong holder support. The next key milestone is breaking past $136, which could pave the way for further gains. Investors should watch this critical level closely to gauge Litecoin’s next move.

In a recent blog post, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin delves into the intricate relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and the cryptocurrency space, drawing parallels to a video game.

Buterin suggests that the most practical role for AI in the crypto realm is akin to a “player in a game.” He points to existing instances, such as trading bots engaged in arbitrage on decentralized exchanges (DEXs), as exemplars of this application.

Expanding his vision, Buterin envisions diverse roles for AI within crypto, encompassing its utilization in prediction markets and as an interface to demystify the complexities of the crypto world for users. Prediction markets, he argues, could leverage AI’s extensive knowledge base and willingness to bid on undervalued assets, potentially addressing liquidity challenges that these markets have faced.

AI’s role as an interface becomes evident in popular crypto wallets like MetaMask and Rabby wallet, where it warns users about malicious websites and simulates transaction consequences, acting as a safeguard against scams.

Acknowledging the associated risks, particularly in open-source crypto wallets, Buterin emphasizes the need to address potential vulnerabilities where malicious actors might exploit the code to undermine the AI defenses. Despite these challenges, he remains optimistic about AI’s transformative potential in the crypto industry. Buterin encourages developers to explore constructive use cases for AI across various crypto domains, aiming to identify applications that can genuinely scale effectively.

The CFTC has issued a warning to cryptocurrency investors, urging caution against relying on artificial intelligence (AI) trading bots that claim to deliver extraordinary profits.

Melanie Devoe, Director of the CFTC’s Office of Customer Education and Outreach, emphasized the need to be cautious about the hype surrounding AI, as it has become a new avenue for fraudulent actors targeting unsuspecting investors.

This advisory follows instances of alleged AI crypto scams, such as YieldTrust.ai, accused of running Ponzi schemes. Despite the increasing interest in AI applications for crypto trading, the CFTC emphasizes the persistent limitations of this technology. Investors are advised to conduct thorough research on providers before entrusting their funds to algorithms making bold yield claims, as AI cannot predict sudden market changes.

The CFTC reiterates its caution against AI trading bots that promise future profits in the crypto space.