The crypto market showed a modest rebound on March 16. Total market cap rose 2.2% to $2.54 trillion, with 24-hour trading volume reaching $76.9 billion. Bitcoin dominance stood at 56.9%, Ethereum at 10.3%.
BTC at $72,794, ETH Nears $2,200
Bitcoin traded at $72,794, up 2.54% in 24 hours, with a trading volume of $29.44 billion and a market cap of $1.45 trillion. Ethereum reached $2,188, gaining 4.72%, with $16.4 billion in volume. XRP rose 3.01% to $1.44.
Altcoin Standouts: RIVER Surges 12%, Zcash Up 8%
Top gainers: RIVER jumped 12.28% to $22.79 (volume $51.11M); LayerZero (ZRO) climbed 9.79% to $2.16; Zcash (ZEC) gained 8.2% to $229.70 (volume $414.68M). On the losing side, MemeCore dropped 2.55%, Render fell 2.1%, and Pump.fun slipped 1.69%.
DeFi & Stablecoins: Modest Growth, Active Trading
DeFi market cap rose 1.2% to $53.4 billion, with trading volume of $3.6 billion, representing 2.1% of the global market. Stablecoin market cap reached $311 billion, trading volume $56.2 billion, nearly flat (+0.1%).
Fear & Greed Index: Still Extreme Fear, but Improving
The index climbed to 23 (still extreme fear) from 15 yesterday, and from 8 last week and 9 last month. Despite numerical improvement, sentiment remains cautious.
Key Events: Venus Protocol Suffers $3.7M Flash Loan Attack
Venus Protocol was hit by a $3.7 million flash loan attack, losing BTC, CAKE, and BNB. Binance launched Skills Hub, an AI-powered trading tool that lets users connect APIs for automated strategies. Sky Protocol proposed deploying 70 million USDS to its Sky Agent network. Tokenomist estimates over 438 million tokens will unlock this week. Pantera Capital's Michael Selig called for stricter U.S. regulation to prevent another FTX-like crisis. Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) reiterated its plan to hold 1 million BTC by 2026, currently owning 738,731 BTC, requiring weekly purchases of roughly 6,158 BTC.