The cryptocurrency market posted modest gains on April 2, with total capitalization rising 0.5% to $2.44 trillion. Bitcoin (BTC) edged down 0.16% to $68,131, while Ethereum (ETH) climbed 1.31% to $2,133.97. Altcoins showed sharp divergences: StakeStone (STO) surged 114.92% to $0.4613 on $569 million volume, becoming the day's biggest winner. In contrast, Drift (DRIFT) tumbled 33.84% to $0.04498, with $33.4 million traded.
24-Hour Gainers & Losers
Ontology (ONT) jumped 46.28% to $0.1166, Algorand (ALGO) rose 6.19% to $0.1029, and Venice Token (VVV) gained 5.40% to $6.92. On the losing side, Dash (DASH) fell 2.99% to $31.78, Flare (FLR) dropped 2.72% to $0.007643, and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) shed 2.24% to $454.73. The DeFi sector added 0.6%, reaching a $50.45 billion market cap, representing 2.1% of the global crypto market. Stablecoin capitalization held steady at $309.8 billion.
Fear & Greed Index Stays Low
Alternative.me's Fear and Greed Index stood at 12, still in 'Extreme Fear' territory. The index was 10 last week and 14 a month ago, with yesterday at 8. Sentiment remains cautious as traders price in uncertainty and reduced risk appetite.
TON Mainnet Sub-Second Upgrade
TON Core began deploying its Sub-Second mainnet upgrade for faster confirmations. Validator updates completed first, consensus activated on April 2, with full rollout expected by April 7. The upgrade aims to improve transaction speed on the TON network.
Bitget Launches AI Trading Bot 'GetClaw'
Bitget introduced GetClaw, enabling AI Agents to execute spot and futures trades directly within Telegram. Independent sub-accounts enhance security by isolating orders, transfers, positions, and automated operations.
FTX Engineer Settles with CFTC
The CFTC settled with former FTX engineer Nishad Singh, ordering $3.7 million in disgorgement plus trading bans. Singh's cooperation in testifying against SBF spared him additional penalties.
Macro & Security Updates
U.S. private payrolls rose by 62,000 in March, beating the 40,000 forecast. February's figure was revised up to 66,000, indicating slightly stronger labor momentum. Google's threat team uncovered a supply chain attack on Axios, where malicious versions deployed a backdoor linked to North Korean actors, prompting urgent global audits. OpenEden launched HYBOND, offering qualified investors tokenized 1:1 exposure to BNY Mellon's short-duration high-yield bond strategy on Ethereum, with broader access expected by end-April.
The market presents short-term opportunities in trending altcoins and ecosystem-driven tokens, but extreme fear, weak BTC momentum, and macro uncertainty call for disciplined risk management.