MARKETS week ahead: April 12 – 18Crypto Total Market Cap, $CRYPTOCAP:TOTALXBTFXLast week in the news Markets showed some sentiment positivity last week, amid potential ceasefire in the Middle East, however the macro environment remains mixed, with inflation still above target levels, elevated bond yields, and slowing economic growth continuing to weigh on the outlook. Rising energy prices and ongoing geopolitical tensions are further increasing uncertainty, impacting both inflation expectations and overall market volatility. The US equity markets managed to erase some of the losses gained in March, with the S&P 500 closing the week at 6.816. Gold was traded in a mixed manner, supported by a drop in value of the US Dollar, closing the week at $4.746. The US 10Y benchmark continues to be traded in a volatile manner, currently without a clear trend. This week yields are closing at 4, 31% after they reached lower grounds. The crypto market shows some signs of modest recovery, with BTC closing this week above the $73K. The latest U.S. macro data painted a mixed but broadly steady inflation picture, reinforcing expectations that the Federal Reserve will maintain a “higher for longer” interest rate stance. The Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, the PCE Price Index, rose by 0.4% m/m in February and 2.8% y/y, with core PCE also increasing 0.4%, both in line with expectations. At the same period, personal income declined slightly by 0.1% m/m, while personal spending rose 0.5% m/m, indicating that consumption remains resilient despite softer income growth. The final Q4 GDP growth rate came in at 0.5% q/q, slightly below expectations, pointing to a gradual cooling in economic momentum. More recent inflation data for March showed a 0.9% monthly increase and 3.3% y/y, while core inflation stood at 0.2% m/m and 2.6% y/y, all broadly in line with forecasts, suggesting inflation is moderating but still above target levels. Overall, while inflation is gradually easing, the combination of ongoing elevated price levels, softening growth, and cautious consumers is keeping the Fed in a position where interest rates are expected to remain higher for longer than previously anticipated. Palantir Technologies was in focus this week as its shares experienced a significant drop of around 22%, driven by a combination of AI-sector competition concerns and broader software industry weakness, including fears that emerging AI models could challenge parts of its business model. Stocks remained pressured even after the US President praised the company for its defense related capabilities. However, a well-known investor Michael Burry reiterated his bearish stance on Palantir, confirming that he is still holding long-dated put options against the stock. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, together with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, recently convened a meeting with executives from major U.S. banks, including JPMorgan, Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo, to discuss elevated cyber security risks facing the financial system. Overall, the initiative reflects rising regulatory concern that AI-enabled cyber risks could pose a systemic threat to financial stability, prompting closer coordination between the Treasury, the Federal Reserve, and large U.S. lenders. CRYPTO MARKET The overall sentiment at the crypto market was a bit improved during the previous week in line with a drop in oil prices, implying potentially lower inflation in the coming period. Total crypto market capitalization was increased by 7% w/w, adding $160B to total crypto market cap. Daily trading volumes were also increased, moving around $155B on a daily basis. Total market capitalization since the beginning of this year currently stands in a negative territory of -17%, with a total outflow of -$487B. A rebound week is behind the crypto market, with broad-based gains across both major assets and altcoins. Renewed risk appetite and improved sentiment drove a notable upside move, with several assets posting significant double-digit returns and reversing the weakness seen in previous periods. BTC and ETH once again led the market higher. Bitcoin surged 8.5% on a weekly basis, while Ethereum outperformed slightly with a 9.3% w/w gain, confirming a clear return of bullish momentum among the largest cryptocurrencies. XRP also moved higher with a 2.6% increase, while BNB gained 2.3%. Solana advanced 5.2%, and Avalanche added 4.4%, supporting the broadly positive market environment. Among the standout performers, DASH delivered an exceptional 51.0% weekly surge, making it the strongest performer among major altcoins. Zcash followed closely with a 49.3% gain, while Hyperliquid advanced 16.8%. Additional strong performances were recorded by DOGE (+11.5%), SUI (+8.8%), Filecoin (+8.0%) and THETA (+8.1%), highlighting widespread upside momentum across the altcoin segment. One coin should be specially mentioned as the best weekly performer, which is RaveDAO, who stood out with an extraordinary 748% weekly surge. On the negative side, only a limited number of assets finished the week in red. Algorand recorded the largest decline, falling 9.1% w/w, while POL (prev MATIC) dropped 7.8% and IOTA declined 7.1%. Stellar also moved lower by 4.3%, indicating that downside pressure was relatively contained compared to previous weeks. Circulating supply changes remained moderate overall. Uniswap and Filecoin recorded the largest increases in supply at 0.7% and 0.3% respectively, while Solana also expanded supply by 0.3%. XRP, Cardano, Stellar, Zcash, POL and Algorand each saw 0.1% increases. Overall, supply-side dynamics remained stable and did not materially impact the strong price-driven rally observed during the week. CRYPTO FUTURES MARKET Bitcoin futures recorded a strong upward move this week, extending the recovery phase with broad-based gains across the curve. The April 2026 maturity increased by 9.46% w/w, settling at $73,485. Across the term structure, weekly gains ranged between 8.94% and 9.46%, reflecting a nearly parallel upward shift. Longer-dated maturities also advanced significantly, with the December 2027 contract closing at $80,230, up 9.36% on the week. Ether futures also posted strong gains, broadly in line with Bitcoin, though with slightly higher variability across maturities. The April 2026 contract settled at $2,260, rising 8.81% w/w. Weekly increases ranged from 8.72% to 9.73%, with the June 2026 maturity recording the strongest gain. Longer-dated futures remained well supported, with the December 2027 maturity closing at $2,488, up 9.60% on the week. Overall, the week was characterized by a robust recovery across crypto futures markets, with both Bitcoin and Ether curves shifting higher in a synchronized manner. The magnitude and consistency of gains across maturities point to a clear rebound in market sentiment, supported by renewed buying interest and a re-engagement of participants across the curve. Despite the sharp advance, both futures curves remain in contango, indicating that longer-term expectations continue to be priced at a premium relative to near-term levels.