The cryptocurrency market found a reason to be optimistic again, and this time not from thin-air narratives or ETF paperwork but from a surprisingly loud rumor about a fresh batch of so-called “helicopter money” hitting American households, which instantly pushed Bitcoin from $101,000 to $104,000 in a matter of hours and sent Dogecoin up almost 5% before the move faded.
Billy Markus stepped in here — the Dogecoin creator himself — noting that the reaction was exactly what one should expect since “everyone knows it’ll be used stupidly.”
The whole story started after financial newsletters claimed that Americans making under $100,000 per year might soon receive $2,000 tariff-linked payouts — not classic monetary emission but still enough to spark speculation that a chunk of this money would flow straight into crypto.
The numbers
Such expectations are not baseless: on Binance, BTC spot volume jumped from $8.3 billion to $11.1 billion, funding rates across majors slipped negative for almost half a day and a cascade of forced buybacks helped Bitcoin reclaim about $3,000 from recent lows without any major news attached.
However, the excitement evaporated almost as quickly as it appeared. Bitcoin continues to trade inside a tight $98,900-$106,200 range, well below its late-October high near $118,000, while Dogecoin — even with the rumor-driven bump — remains 22% under its recent peak.
Derivatives liquidations stayed moderate at $58 million — hardly the sign of real trend reversal — and stablecoin inflows to exchanges barely moved, climbing just 0.7% for the week.