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Solana Steals the Spotlight as Fed Rate Cut Nears: Crypto Daybook Americas
Crypto Trends

Solana Steals the Spotlight as Fed Rate Cut Nears: Crypto Daybook Americas

by admin September 16, 2025



By Omkar Godbole (All times ET unless indicated otherwise)

Suddenly, it’s all about Ethereum rival Solana and its native token SOL as the broader market holds its breath ahead of Wednesday’s Federal Reserve rate decision.

Michael Novogratz, the founder and CEO of Galaxy Investment, says Solana could evolve to become a settlement infrastructure in global finance. Why? Because the blockchain can handle over 6 billion transactions a day, which is way higher than the 400 million-700 million trades global securities markets usually deal with, he said. Speed matters.

At BaseCamp 2025, Coinbase’s layer-2 network hinted at plans for a token launch that could accelerate decentralization and unveiled a Solana bridge to boost cross-chain connectivity. Pantera Capital’s Dan Morehead announced that Solana is their largest bet, valued at $1.1 billion, calling it the fastest and best-performing blockchain, which has outpaced even Bitcoin over the past four years.

If that’s not enough, Kyle Samani, chairman of Nasdaq-listed Solana treasury company Forward Industries, said over the weekend that the company plans to deploy funds to boost the Solana-native decentralized finance ecosystem.

All these signs suggest SOL could outperform bitcoin BTC$115,406.46, ether (ETH) and other major tokens if the Fed cuts rates by the 25 basis points this week, as expected. If it surprises with a 50-basis-point move, things could get wild. Keep your eyes on those SOL/BTC and SOL/ETH trading pairs.

Currently, SOL is trading around $235 after peaking near $250 over the weekend. Other major cryptocurrencies are stuck in neutral, trailing behind stocks, which continue to hit fresh highs.

On the stablecoin front, the Bank of England proposed limits on how the value of dollar-backed stablecoins an individual can hold, as low as 10,000 pounds ($13,600), citing systemic risks. Stani Kulechov, Aave’s CEO, called the move “absurd” and urged the crypto community to stand up against such regulations.

More countries, especially those with current account deficits, will likely consider similar measures to curb outflows that dodge traditional banks.

And as for the traditional markets, Monday’s mix of rising stocks and the VIX, Wall Street’s fear gauge, has some observers raising their eyebrows. History shows these moments often precede market corrections, so stay alert!

What to Watch

  • Crypto
    • Sept. 16, 12 p.m.: Solana Live event on X. Guests include Pump.fun co-founder Alon Cohen and Kyle Samani, chairman of Forward Industries (FORD) and the managing partner of Multicoin Capital.
  • Macro
    • Sept. 16, 8 a.m.: Brazil July unemployment rate Est. 5.7%.
    • Sept. 16, 8:30 a.m.: Canada August headline CPI YoY Est. 2%, MoM Est. 0%; core YoY Est. N/A (Prev. 2.6%), MoM Est. N/A (Prev. 0.1%).
    • Sept. 16, 8:30 a.m.: U.S. August retail sales YoY Est. N/A (Prev. 3.9%), MoM Est. 0.3%.
  • Earnings (Estimates based on FactSet data)

Token Events

  • Governance votes & calls
    • Curve DAO is voting to update donation-enabled Twocrypto contracts, refining donation vesting so unlocked portions persist after burns. Voting ends Sept. 16.
    • Sept. 16: Aster Network to host a community call.
    • Sept. 18, 6 a.m.: Mantle to host Mantle State of Mind, a monthly downhill series.
    • Sept. 16, 12 p.m.: Kava to host a community Ask Me Anything (AMA) session.
  • Unlocks
    • Sept. 16: Arbitrum ARB$0.4921 to unlock 2.03% of its circulating supply worth $45.92 million.
  • Token Launches
    • Sept. 16: Merlin (MRLN) to be listed on Binance Alpha, MEXC, BitMart, Gate.io, and others.

Conferences

Token Talk

By Oliver Knight

  • As the crypto market stays within a tight range after a brief peak and trough on Monday, one token is running its own race: IMX is up 15% in the past 24 hours with daily trading volume doubling to $144 million.
  • The rise lifted IMX, the native token of Web3 gaming platform Immutable, to a five-month high.
  • Bullish sentiment around Immutable can be attributed to an SEC probe that was dropped earlier this year and general optimism around the gaming sector. Gaming is estimated to reach $200 billion in revenue this year with further growth forecast in 2026 alongside the release of Rockstar Gaming’s Grand Theft Auto 6.
  • Immutable is well positioned to capitalize on that growth after teaming up with gaming giant Ubisoft on the next iteration of Might and Magic Fates in April.
  • Blockchain technology could have a key role to play in gaming if trends shift toward in-game ownership of items, which could see the implementation of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) within a game that could then be collected or sold on for crypto tokens.
  • IMX is currently trading at $0.736 having broken out of a key level of resistance. It will likely come back to test $0.70 as support before potentially moving higher, provided trading volume can sustain at these levels.

Derivatives Positioning

  • Most major cryptocurrencies, including BTC and ETH, continued to experience capital outflows from futures, leading to a decline in open interest.
  • AVAX stands out with OI rising over 14% as the token’s market cap looks to climb above $13 billion for the first time since Feb. 2.
  • Solana OI has reached a record high of over 70 million SOL, with positive funding rates pointing to bullish capital inflows.
  • On the CME, OI in solana futures pulled back to 7.63 million SOL from the record 8.12 million SOL on Sept. 12. Still, the three-month annualized premium holds well above 15%, offering an attractive yield for carry traders.
  • BTC CME OI continues to improve, but overall positioning remains light relative to ether and SOL futures.
  • On Deribit, the bias for BTC and ETH put options continues to ease across all tenors as traders anticipate Fed rate cuts. SOL and XRP options remain biased bullish.
  • On OTC network Paradigm, block flows featured BTC calendar spreads and shorting of call and put options.

Market Movements

  • BTC is unchanged from 4 p.m. ET Monday at $115,500.55 (24hrs: +0.54%)
  • ETH is unchanged at $4,513.45 (24hrs: -0.49%)
  • CoinDesk 20 is up 0.48% at 4,271.28 (24hrs: +0.71%)
  • Ether CESR Composite Staking Rate is up 5 bps at 2.87%
  • BTC funding rate is at 0.0059% (6.4616% annualized) on Binance
  • DXY is down 0.32% at 96.99
  • Gold futures are up 0.42% at $3,734.70
  • Silver futures are up 0.53% at $43.19
  • Nikkei 225 closed up 0.3% at 44,902.27
  • Hang Seng closed unchanged at 26,438.51
  • FTSE is down 0.22% at 9,256.41
  • Euro Stoxx 50 is unchanged at 5,437.55
  • DJIA closed on Monday up 0.11% at 45,883.45
  • S&P 500 closed up 0.47% at 6,615.28
  • Nasdaq Composite closed up 0.94% at 22,348.75
  • S&P/TSX Composite closed up 0.5% at 29,431.02
  • S&P 40 Latin America closed up 1.64% at 2,904.55
  • U.S. 10-Year Treasury rate is unchanged at 4.037%
  • E-mini S&P 500 futures are up 0.19% at 6,633.75
  • E-mini Nasdaq-100 futures are up 0.29% at 24,380.00
  • E-mini Dow Jones Industrial Average Index are unchanged at 45,902.00

Bitcoin Stats

  • BTC Dominance: 58.11% (unchanged)
  • Ether to bitcoin ratio: 0.03907 (-0.36%)
  • Hashrate (seven-day moving average): 1,025 EH/s
  • Hashprice (spot): $53.98
  • Total Fees: 4.41 BTC / $508,109
  • CME Futures Open Interest: 140,975 BTC
  • BTC priced in gold: 31.2 oz
  • BTC vs gold market cap: 8.82%

Technical Analysis

BTC is once again probing the 8-year bullish trendline trendline. (TradingView/CoinDesk)

  • The monthly chart shows that BTC is again probing the trendline connecting the previous bull market peaks.
  • Bulls failed to establish a foothold above that trendline in July and August.
  • A third straight failure could really embolden sellers, potentially yielding a deeper drop.

Crypto Equities

  • Coinbase Global (COIN): closed on Monday at $327.02 (+1.23%), +0.27% at $327.91
  • Circle (CRCL): closed at $134.05 (+6.97%), unchanged in pre-market
  • Galaxy Digital (GLXY): closed at $30.77 (+3.6%), +0.58% at $30.95
  • Bullish (BLSH): closed at $51.08 (-1.47%), +0.59% at $51.38
  • MARA Holdings (MARA): closed at $16.24 (-0.43%), unchanged in pre-market
  • Riot Platforms (RIOT): closed at $16.68 (+4.97%), +1.08% at $16.86
  • Core Scientific (CORZ): closed at $16.32 (+2.9%), +0.37% at $16.38
  • CleanSpark (CLSK): closed at $10.29 (-0.58%), +0.1% at $10.30
  • CoinShares Valkyrie Bitcoin Miners ETF (WGMI): closed at $38.73 (+3.78%), +1.96% at $39.49
  • Exodus Movement (EXOD): closed at $27.88 (-1.69%), -1.94% at $27.34

Crypto Treasury Companies

  • Strategy (MSTR): closed at $327.79 (-1.1%), +0.34% at $328.89
  • Semler Scientific (SMLR): closed at $28.39 (-2.74%)
  • SharpLink Gaming (SBET): closed at $16.79 (-5.14%), +0.54% at $16.88
  • Upexi (UPXI): closed at $6.33 (-6.29%), +0.95% at $6.39
  • Lite Strategy (LITS): closed at $3.07 (+10.43%)

ETF Flows

Spot BTC ETFs

  • Daily net flows: $259.9 million
  • Cumulative net flows: $57.05 billion
  • Total BTC holdings ~1.31 million

Spot ETH ETFs

  • Daily net flows: $359.7 million
  • Cumulative net flows: $13.74 billion
  • Total ETH holdings ~6.53 million

Source: Farside Investors

While You Were Sleeping



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September 16, 2025 0 comments
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Crypto Trends

Here’s What History Says Will Happen a Month and Year After the Fed’s Rate Cut

by admin September 15, 2025



In brief

  • The odds of the U.S. Federal Reserve announcing a quarter-point rate cut have skyrocketed to 94.2%, according to the CME’s FedWatch tool.
  • Experts look to Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s speech and forward guidance to determine if Bitcoin rallies or triggers a sell-the-news reaction.
  • Bitcoin’s long-term outlook remains bullish, with experts forecasting up to $700,000 before 2035.

Cryptocurrency and tradfi investors are on tenterhooks ahead of this week’s rate cut decision from the U.S. Federal Reserve, which experts say could make or break the long-term bullish trend for risk-on assets such as Bitcoin.

The September 17 interest rate decision is key since it comes at a time when the S&P 500 index, Bitcoin, and gold are at or near all-time highs. The central banks’ dual mandate of price stability and maximum employment is conflicting with core inflation above 3.10% and a weakening labor market, with annual revisions revealing a drop of 911,000 from the initial estimate.

The odds of a 25 basis point rate cut currently hover around 94% per CME’s FedWatch tool. Users of prediction market Myriad, launched by Decrypt’s parent company DASTAN, place an 88% chance on a 25bps rate cut, at time of publication.

Short-term vs long-term impacts

Experts who spoke to Decrypt agreed that a quarter-point rate cut would likely have a long-term bullish impact on risk-on assets, including Bitcoin, but remained indecisive on the event’s imminent impact.

In the short-term, “What Powell says at the briefing will matter more for how the market reacts,” Peter Chung, head of research at Presto Research, told Decrypt.

Other analysts drew attention to the dot plot, a quarterly chart indicating Fed policymakers’ projections for the short-term interest rate. A rate cut without a meaningful downward revision of the median dot plot could trigger an altcoin pullback due to elevated open interest, Xu Han, director of Liquid Fund at HashKey Capital, told Decrypt. If the dot plot faces an aggressive downward revision, he expects a rally in large and mid-cap altcoins.

The markets anticipating a quarter-point rate cut have led to a resurgence in speculative activity, leading to “stretched valuations across multiple asset classes,” Derek Lim, head of research at crypto market-making and trading firm Caladan, cautioned Decrypt.

From a short-term perspective, a hawkish surprise from Powell could complicate the Fed’s price stability mandate, Lim added.

Bitcoin’s long-term valuation

While Bitcoin’s one-month returns post rate cut highlight the crypto’s unpredictable nature, Caladan’s three-month estimates reveal a bullish outcome 62% of the time with an average gain of 16.50%.

HashKey Capital estimates Bitcoin will hit $700,000 by the end of 2035, assuming a 10% CAGR in the gold price, pointing to a macro narrative that sees the top crypto playing catch-up with gold in the coming decade.

Capital markets commentary The Kobeissi Letter highlighted risk-on assets’ bullish outlook in the long term, stating that the S&P 500 index has ended up higher a year later when the Fed cuts rates within 2% of the index’s all-time highs, in a Saturday tweet.

“This time around, we expect a similar outcome,” the tweet thread noted, indicating a potential for “immediate-term volatility, but long-term asset owners will party,” supported by interest rate cuts amid rising inflation and the AI Revolution.

The straight-line higher price action seen in gold and Bitcoin reflects the markets pricing in what’s coming, The Kobeissi Letter argued.

While Chung and Han expect at least three quarter-point rate cuts before the end of the year, Lim said a “second 25 basis point cut remains possible, but would require either a material deterioration in labor markets or convincing evidence that inflation is sustainably converging to 2%.”

Bitcoin is down 0.8% over the past 24 hours and is currently trading at just under $115,000, per CoinGecko data.

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September 15, 2025 0 comments
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What's Next for BTC, ETH as Downside Fears Ease Significantly Ahead of Fed Rate Cut?
Crypto Trends

What’s Next for BTC, ETH as Downside Fears Ease Significantly Ahead of Fed Rate Cut?

by admin September 15, 2025



Fears of a downside for bitcoin BTC$116,264.09 and ether (ETH) have eased substantially, according to the latest options market data. However, the pace of the next upward move in these cryptocurrencies will largely hinge on the magnitude of the anticipated Fed rate cut scheduled for Sept. 17.

BTC’s seven-day call/put skew, which measures how implied volatility is distributed across calls versus puts expiring in a week, has recovered to nearly zero from the bearish 4% a week ago, according to data source Amberdata.

The 30- and 60-day option skews, though still slightly negative, have rebounded from last week’s lows, signaling a notable easing of downside fears. Ether’s options skew is exhibiting a similar pattern at the time of writing.

The skew shows the market’s directional bias, or the extent to which traders are more concerned about prices rising or falling. A positive skew suggests a bias towards calls or bullish option plays, while a negative reading indicates relatively higher demand for put options or downside protection.

The reset in options comes as bitcoin and ether prices see a renewed upswing in the lead-up to Wednesday’s Fed rate decision, where the central bank is widely expected to cut rates and lay the groundwork for additional easing over the coming months. BTC has gained over 4% to over $116,000 in seven days, with ether rising nearly 8% to $4,650, according to CoinDesk data.

What happens next largely depends on the size of the impending Fed rate cut. According to CME’s Fed funds futures, traders have priced in over 90% probability that the central bank will cut rates by 25 basis points (bps) to 4%-4.25%. But there is also a slight possibility of a jumbo 50 bps move.

BTC could go berserk in case the Fed delivers the surprise 50 bps move.

“A surprise 50 bps rate cut would be a massive +gamma BUY signal for ETH, SOL and BTC,” Greg Magadini, director of derivatives at Amberdata, said in an email. “Gold will go absolutely nuts as well.”

Note that the Deribit-listed SOL options already exhibit a strong bullish sentiment, with calls trading at 4-5 volatility premium to puts.

Magadini explained that if the decision comes in line with expectations for a 25 bps cut, then a continued calm “grind higher” for BTC looks likely. ETH, meanwhile, may take another week or so to retest all-time highs and convincingly trade above $5,000, he added.



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September 15, 2025 0 comments
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Sentiment signals could spark the next rally
Crypto Trends

Will the Federal Reserve interest rate cut boost Bitcoin?

by admin September 15, 2025



Bitcoin rallied and moved above $115,000 last week as expectations of Federal Reserve interest rate cuts rose and as exchange-traded inflows jumped by over $2.3 billion. 

At last check on Sunday, Sept. 14, the top cryptocurrency was down 0.5% for the day. See below.

Source: CoinGecko

Summary

  • Bitcoin price has rallied ahead of the Federal Reserve interest rate decision.
  • Economists expect the bank to cut interest rates by 0.25%.
  • While BTC price may jump, the rising wedge pattern points to a dive.

Federal Reserve to cut interest rates

The most significant macro tailwind this week will be the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) interest rate decision on Wednesday. 

Kalshi and Polymarket odds of a 25 basis point cut stand at almost 100%. Similarly, the CME FedWatch Tool confirms this view.

In theory, the start of the Federal Reserve interest rate cuts should be bullish for Bitcoin (BTC) and the crypto market. Historically, these assets have thrived in the era of easy money policies but struggle when the Fed tightens. 

For example, Bitcoin price jumped to a record high during the pandemic as the Fed slashed rates and then crashed to below $16,000 as the bank hiked in 2022. 

Fueling the bullish case is that the rate cut is coming towards the fourth quarter, which is usually its best-performing ones. CoinGlass data shows that the average Bitcoin return in Q4 since 2013 is over 84%.

However, there is a risk that the Fed cut will not boost Bitcoin for two main reasons. First, the rate cut has already been priced in, which would make it a sell-the-news opportunity. This risk will be elevated if the Fed delivers a hawkish cut.

Bitcoin price has formed a risky pattern

BTC price chart | Source: crypto.news

The other main risk is that the Bitcoin price has formed a nearly-perfect rising wedge pattern on the weekly chart. This pattern consists of two ascending and converging trendlines. With this convergence happening, there is a risk that a breakdown will happen soon. 

The other technical risk is that oscillators like the Relative Strength Index and the MACD have formed a bearish divergence pattern. This pattern occurs when the asset price has a downward trajectory despite being rising. 

As such, while the Fed cut is highly bullish for Bitcoin and the crypto market, there is also a risk of a potential pullback when it happens.



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September 15, 2025 0 comments
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Opendoor Board Chair Thinks the Company Should Cut Its Workforce by 85 Percent
Product Reviews

Opendoor Board Chair Thinks the Company Should Cut Its Workforce by 85 Percent

by admin September 14, 2025


If you work for Opendoor, the online real estate platform, you might consider polishing up your resume. The chair of the company’s board recently let it slip that he thinks the firm could stand to lose almost all of its employees.

During a recent appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street,” Keith Rabois, a former member of the PayPal Mafia, told a reporter that he felt that the majority of the people at his company were expendable. “There’s 1,400 employees at Opendoor. I don’t know what most of them do. We don’t need more than 200 of them,” Rabois remarked. He added that “the advent of AI and other technologies” made the workforce reduction a “simple problem” to solve.

Rabois’ apparent disinterest in maintaining a majority of Opendoor’s workforce is somewhat humorous given how well the company’s been doing lately. Indeed, the company’s stock is up 500 percent this year. That said, the stock performance appears to largely be the result of a wave of retail investors becoming interested in the firm due to online advice spread by a hedge fund manager. As a result, the company has been dubbed a “meme stock,” which Rabois disputes.

It’s unclear whether Rabois’s ruthless comment was just an effort to inspire confidence in the profitability of the company. After all, if you fire almost everybody at a firm, there’s a much bigger chance you’ll turn a profit.

The stock soared this week, but other developments also helped buoy investor confidence—namely, the appointment of former Shopify executive Kaz Nejatian as its new CEO. CNBC notes that “investor” pressure had spurred the exit of former Opendoor CEO Carrie Wheeler. On Thursday, the company’s stock rose a whopping 78 percent, before dipping down 13 percent on Friday, the outlet notes.

Rabois had more to say about his efforts to transform the online real estate platform: “The culture was broken,” he said, of the firm’s previous management. “These people were working remotely. That doesn’t work. This company was founded on the principle of innovation and working together in person. We’re going to return to our roots.”

Rabois also took the opportunity to dunk on the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, noting that, under its previous leadership, the firm had gone “down this DEI path,” and that Rabois intended to “fix all that.” Gizmodo reached out to Opendoor for more information about its apparent plan to upend its workforce.



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September 14, 2025 0 comments
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(CoinDesk Data)
Crypto Trends

Polymarket’s Top Trader Bets on a 50bps Fed Rate Cut Next Week

by admin September 10, 2025



A leading trader on decentralized betting platform Polymarket, who goes by the name JustWakingUp, is wagering that the Federal Reserve (Fed) will cut interest rates by 50 basis points (bps) next week.

According to X handle Polymarket Whales, JustWakingUp is the platform’s most prolific trader, boasting nearly $400 million in total trading volume to date and profits exceeding $2 million.

The trader has placed a $15,000 bet that the Fed will reduce rates by 50 bps to 3.75% next week and is already showing a 3% gain on the position as of writing. The trader stands to make roughly $226,000 if the Fed does cut rates by 5 bps.

The market, however, largely expects the Fed to deliver a 25 basis point cut next week, with the CME’s FedWatch Tool assigning a 91% probability to such an outcome.

That said, the odds of a jumbo 50 bps cut have surged to nearly 10% following Friday’s disappointing August jobs report, reflecting growing expectations of more aggressive easing. BlackRock and StanChart have called for a 50 bps cut.

Adding to market expectations, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Tuesday that the economy added 911,000 fewer jobs in the 12 months ending March 2025 than previously estimated, marking the largest annual downward revision on record.

Traders are now closely watching Wednesday’s U.S. Producer Price Index and Thursday’s Consumer Price Index data releases. Softer-than-expected readings could add to expectations for a 50 bps cut, potentially sending bitcoin and stocks higher.



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September 10, 2025 0 comments
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Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants DLC feels like a brief, cut down version of the main game, but an enjoyable story carries you through
Game Reviews

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants DLC feels like a brief, cut down version of the main game, but an enjoyable story carries you through

by admin September 10, 2025


After about ten minutes of running around the Vatican brandishing a biscotti like it was my own holy grail and ultimately angering a fair few fascists in the process (which in turn lead to me heroically fleeing the scene in order to find some kind of weapon – in this case, a crutch – to fight them off) I finally rediscovered my Indiana Jones and the Great Circle sea legs. Several months after finishing the main game, I was now ready to go back for a second helping thanks to its newly-released Order of Giants DLC.

Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants

The Order of Giants kicks off when Indy opens the ‘A Mystery Begins’ Fieldwork quest and locates Father Ricci in the Great Circle’s Vatican area. The priest, along with his rather endearing parrot companion Pio, speaks of a “Nameless Crusader” believed to be a “giant” of a man who never removed his helmet. This legendary chap appears to have some connection with a secret chamber beneath the Vatican’s Casina and with Indy never being one to shy away from unravelling a good story rooted in history, he agrees to investigate for the duo (because, yes, the parrot is absolutely a team member, and I will not hear otherwise).

Looking further into this nameless and larger-than-life crusader takes Indy under the streets of Rome, as he uncovers a mystery which expands upon the lore of the Great Circle’s Nephilim order. Along with simply discovering more of the order’s story, though, Indy also takes on a number of puzzles and platforming-based excursions in the process. Oh, and of course there are also some skirmishes with yet more fascists as well as a smattering of red-robed cultists. Ooh.


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Before I go too much further, let me say this right off the mark. Order of Giants doesn’t really add much new beyond story and some extra collectables. It feels more like a condensed, Vatican-flavoured microcosm of the full Great Circle game, but with an infusion of Sukhothai’s boat exploration. This DLC really should be considered a general extension to the Great Circle’s core mechanics, rather than something that will suddenly revolutionise what developer MachineGames has done previously. There are two new adventure books, for example (at least that I found), but rather than adding new skills, these books are more about buffs. Of course these are a nice boon – especially I imagine if you have not yet completed the main game – but as said, they don’t hold anything revolutionary that will mix up your Order of Giants experience.

Image credit: Bethesda

Ok, back to it. Now while I really did enjoy the story being told in Order of Giants, in terms of gameplay progress I found it a tad predictable. The platforming sections only really relied on a few small mechanics such as whipping to ledges and pulling on chains to make your way through a predetermined route. Meanwhile, the puzzles themselves were more straightforward than I would have expected from an expansion released several months after the main game, with the likes of directing water through a specific channel, or pulling levers in the order they appeared on nearby images. They lacked a certain amount of creativity.

Then at one moment, probably about halfway through the DLC, I thought I was going to be presented with a mini boss battle. One bit in particular gave me flashbacks to one of my favourite fights against the Great Circle’s blind giant, which was so tense it had me holding my breath (along with Indy). While I wasn’t expecting a carbon copy of that exact moment, I just did not get that same sense of thrill in Order of Giants. Instead, I was soon interrupted by a cutscene that quite literally cut things short. The rest of the DLC then followed a similar formula until the final confrontation (which I will not spoil here, but in terms of story and cinematics, I will say this final showdown did make me gasp with an ‘oh daaaang!’).

Image credit: Bethesda/Eurogamer

Setting aside that disappointment with the action, the storytelling here is still a treat, and is really Order of Giants’ greatest strength. There were several moments during the DLC where I found myself genuinely laughing at the situation Indy had put himself in, with more than just an appreciative titter. I mean, who else could find themself stuck under a car like that and at that exact moment? As an extra optional chapter to the Great Circle’s main game, it was all certainly an enjoyable narrative experience.

I just wish there had been more gameplay variety, and more to explore above ground in Rome itself. Visually, the majority of the Order of Giants grabbed hold of a 50 shades of grey colour card and ran with it, save for some splashes of the labyrinthine underground’s murky greens and browns. Little beams of sunlight from the city above would periodically penetrate through Indy’s subdued surroundings, but when this happened I found myself looking up with a desire to see the fresh blue sky, rather than looking for clues or similar in the immediate and now more illuminated area. I spent a lot of my time during the Order of Giants feeling rather claustrophobic due to being underground and in relative darkness for such an extended period of time.

Speaking of the largely underground setting limitations, while I had so much fun picking up all sorts of makeshift weapons during my playthrough of the Great Circle, there wasn’t the same variety to be found beneath the streets of Rome. Other than a few scepter-like melee items, I mostly made my way through the DLC’s combat sections using just Indy’s whip and fists. This was fine, and at the end of the day an effective enough method, but it didn’t give me the same giddy, silly joy as whopping a baddy over the head with a fly swat. At one point during the Order of Giants, I actually used my gun. I don’t think I ever did that during my playthrough of the main game, because I was having so much fun launching mandolins and mops at my enemies at every opportunity.

Image credit: Bethesda/Eurogamer

As for how long the Order of Giants took me to complete, I would say I was playing for around four and a bit hours in total. I know I didn’t uncover every new artefact there was to find, but I did uncover the majority. In short, the DLC is short. It is certainly not as long as I was expecting, and felt more like an extended and quite straightforward sidequest rather than a full fat standalone expansion with new mechanics and ideas.

It all boils down to this: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants is more of Indy doing Indy things. For me as a huge Indiana Jones fan – both of the Great Circle and the franchise more generally – I had a perfectly enjoyable time back with Indy, and appreciated where the story took me. But I wouldn’t go so far as to say Order of Giants is unmissable. Alas, it just didn’t really add anything to my overall experience of the main game – and given that the Great Circle was overflowing with creativity, characters, grand set pieces and so much more, that just feels like a little bit of a shame.



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September 10, 2025 0 comments
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CoreWeave CEO Michael Intrator testifies before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 08, 2025 in Washington, DC. The tech leaders testified about the global artificial intelligence race and where the United States can remain competitive. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
GameFi Guides

Why is BNB Down Today? Price Rise Cut Short by Market Sell-Off After Israeli Strike in Qatar

by admin September 9, 2025



BNB swung sharply between gains and losses in a volatile 24-hour stretch. The token dropped to an $872 low earlier before rallying to $884 and then seeing a sharp reversal wipe out those gains.

The initial drop took BNB from around $880.50 to a low of $871.99. From there, the token staged a comeback, peaking near $884.60 before selling pressure brought it back down to its current level at $873.6.

That rebound came on a wave of trading activity, with volume spiking to nearly 60,000 tokens, particularly around $876, a level that acted as key support during the session, according to CoinDesk Research’s technical analysis model.

However, things quickly turned around for the token, which fell more than $5 in just minutes on a volume spike that coincided with a broader market sell-off. That drop came after reports that Israel launched an attack against Hamas’ leadership in Qatar.

While the broader crypto market fell, the price of gold saw a bump that saw futures near a new record at $3,700 an ounce, while gold-backed cryptocurrencies PAXG and XAUT hit highs of before dropping back.

Meanwhile, CoinDesk Data’s latest Exchange Review report revealed that Binance saw $2.63 trillion in futures trading volume last month, a new monthly record. Along with Bybit and Crypto.com, it was one of the largest exchanges by spot trading volume.

BNB can be used to pay for trading fees on Binance, allowing users to get a 25% trading discount on fees being paid. It’s also the native token of the BNB Chain.

Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy.



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September 9, 2025 0 comments
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Calm Ahead of Fed Rate Cut, Storm Later
GameFi Guides

Calm Ahead of Fed Rate Cut, Storm Later

by admin September 9, 2025



Risk assets may face stormier conditions if the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates, as expected, on Sept. 17. That’s the message from futures tied to the VIX index, a measure of expectations of volatility in the S&P 500 over the next 30 days.

The index, also called Wall Street’s fear gauge, is calculated in real time from prices of options on the S&P 500, and reflects how much investors expect the market to swing, with higher values indicating greater levels of uncertainty.

The spread between the October VIX futures contract (the next-month contract) and the September contract (the front-month contract), has widened to 2.2%, an extreme level by historical standards, according to data source TradingView. The September contract expires the same day as the Fed meeting.

Meanwhile, the front-month contract trades only at a slight premium to the cash index.

“Cash is fair compared to Sept. … but Sept. is extremely low compared to October futures,” Greg Magadini, director of derivatives at crypto derivatives data analytics firm Amberdata, wrote in the weekly newsletter.

In other words, traders are discounting risk ahead of the Fed meeting, wagering that the rate-cut expectation will keep markets steady as they approach the decision.

The U.S. central bank is expected to lower its target rate by at least 25 basis points when it meets next week, according to the CME’s FedWatch tool. Some market participants are even positioned for a 50 bps reduction.

The October futures, however, tell a different story, suggesting that investors are anticipating increased turbulence once the Fed’s decision is out of the way and rate cuts are priced in.

“The VIX futures for September have priced away risk while October could be ugly … A theme to keep in mind for risk assets in my opinion,” Magadini wrote.

October VIX futures trade at a significant premium to September futures. (TradingView)

Historically, the VIX has exhibited a strong negative correlation with stock prices, typically rising during bear markets and periods of market stress, while declining when stock prices advance. It means that the potential volatility boom after the Fed decision could be marked by a downswing in equities.

Bitcoin BTC$111,883.20 is known to closely track the mood on Wall Street, which means that a potential volatility explosion in stocks could quickly spill over into the cryptocurrency market. And like stocks, the turbulent period could be marked by bearish price action.

Since November last year, the correlation between bitcoin’s spot price and its 30-day implied volatility indices has turned negative. Additionally, Bitcoin’s volatility indices — BVIV and DVOL — have recently reached record high correlation levels with the VIX, highlighting bitcoin’s growing alignment with broader market volatility trends.



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September 9, 2025 0 comments
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MegaETH taps Ethena to launch USDm stablecoin and cut layer 2 fees
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MegaETH taps Ethena to launch USDm stablecoin and cut layer 2 fees

by admin September 9, 2025



MegaETH is creating a new economic core by launching the USDm stablecoin. The asset leverages yield from institutional-grade reserves to subsidize network operations, aiming to permanently decouple revenue from user fees.

Summary

  • MegaETH partnered with Ethena to launch USDm, a stablecoin designed to finance Layer 2 operations.
  • USDm uses reserve yields, mainly from BlackRock’s tokenized treasury fund, to subsidize network costs and lower fees.

In an announcement on September 8, MegaETH revealed that it is partnering with Ethena to roll out USDm, a native stablecoin designed to finance sequencer operations without relying on transaction markups.

Instead of passing costs on to users, USDm is designed to channel reserve yields into network expenses, allowing MegaETH to keep fees near cost while maintaining operational sustainability. The team said the reserves are primarily held in BlackRock’s tokenized treasury fund, BUIDL.

A new model for progressive blockchain economics

According to MegaETH, the asset is built to solve a fundamental flaw in layer-2 design: the misalignment between ecosystem growth and fee revenue. Most chains capture value by charging margins on sequencer fees, a model that grows more volatile as throughput scales and data costs compress. By contrast, USDm shifts the burden away from users and relies on reserve yields to finance network operations.

That structure is meant to make fees both stable and negligible, creating conditions for applications that cannot thrive when every action costs multiple cents.

“USDm means lower fees for users and a more expressive design space for applications. We are excited to work with Ethena to enable a win-win scenario for all stakeholders in our ecosystem,” co-founder Shuyao Kong, said.

MegaETH said USDm’s v1 reserves are primarily allocated to BlackRock’s tokenized U.S. Treasury fund through Securitize, providing institutional-grade backing and a predictable yield stream. While the stablecoin launches with a foundation in USDtb, its reserves can evolve to include other Ethena products like USDe as market conditions dictate, according to the announcement.

The choice of Ethena as a partner was strategic. Beyond its reputation for USDe, the third-largest USD-denominated crypto asset, Ethena brings its institutional-grade USDtb rails to the partnership.

Per the statement, USDtb boasts approximately $1.5 billion in circulation and represents a pioneering effort in regulatory compliance, developed in collaboration with Anchorage Digital Bank with the upcoming GENIUS Act in mind. Its reserves are predominantly held in BUIDL, with Ethena and Securitize enabling 24/7 atomic swaps between USDtb and the underlying treasuries, ensuring tight settlement and transparency.



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September 9, 2025 0 comments
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