U.S. Natural Gas experiences a sudden 3.6% pullback, triggering the largest long liquidation of 1.85 million in on-chain NATGAS positions

On March 18, CoinPost reported that amid stalled progress on U.S. cryptocurrency market structure legislation, Citigroup has revised its price forecasts for Bitcoin and Ethereum as follows: Citi cut its 12-month "base case" price target for Bitcoin from $143,000 to $112,000, and reduced its Ethereum target from $4,304 to $3,175. It also released scenario-based predictions: 1. **Bearish Scenario**: In an economic downturn, Bitcoin could drop to $58,000, while Ethereum could fall to $1,198; 2. **Bullish Scenario**: Driven by strong retail demand via channels like ETFs, Bitcoin could rise to $165,000, and Ethereum could hit $4,488. Alex Saunders, head of Citigroup’s research, noted: "While regulatory framework improvements are expected to boost Bitcoin adoption and inflows, the probability of the U.S. passing relevant legislation this year is fading."

On March 18, per Onchain Lens data, a whale withdrew 3,156 ETH from Binance, valued at roughly $7.34 million. Currently, the whale holds 4,697 ETH, worth approximately $10.91 million.

On March 18, blockchain analytics firm Look Into Chain reported that thomasg.eth spent 6.08 million USDC to purchase 2,582 ETH just two hours ago. Over the past three days, the address has allocated a total of 14.08 million USDC to acquire 6,204 ETH, with an average entry price of $2,269.

On March 18, South Korea’s financial regulator announced it will expand its 100-trillion-won market stabilization plan if necessary. (IG)

The Federal Reserve will announce its interest rate decision at 2am Beijing Time tomorrow (March 18). Markets widely expect the central bank to hold rates steady, shifting focus to Chair Jerome Powell’s post-meeting monetary policy press conference. Key institutional outlooks follow: 1. **Bloomberg**: Further rate cuts have limited room; expects the Fed to deliver the cycle’s final 25-basis-point cut at the June meeting. 2. **Goldman Sachs**: Forecasts 25-basis-point cuts in September and December; earlier cuts possible if the labor market softens more sharply than anticipated. 3. **Deutsche Bank**: Expects rates to stay unchanged this week; rising geopolitical uncertainty and oil-driven inflation are shrinking the scope for cuts. 4. **Nomura Credit**: Sees rates on hold through year-end; some FOMC members may argue to overlook short-term energy-fueled inflation, but most are more cautious. 5. **ING Bank**: The Fed is likely to maintain a wait-and-see stance under Powell;

On March 18, Binance founder CZ took to social media to say: "I will join the DC Blockchain Summit virtually at 9:25 a.m. Eastern Time today (9:25 p.m. Beijing Time). At that time, I’ll share my thoughts on the state of the U.S. crypto industry, where the sector heads next, and some behind-the-scenes personal anecdotes."