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Market Insight: Altcoin Season Signals Emerging—Here’s What to Watch The crypto market is showing early signs of an altcoin season. Bitcoin dominance has started to decline slightly after weeks of consolidation around the $65k–$70k range, signaling that investors may be reallocating profits into mid- and low-cap tokens. Key indicators include rising trading volume on altcoins like $SOL , $AVAX , and $INJ , which have outperformed BTC in the past 7 days. Also, many DeFi tokens and meme coins are gaining traction, suggesting increased retail activity. What to Watch: Keep an eye on total market cap excluding Bitcoin (TOTAL2) for further confirmation. Monitor gas fees on Ethereum and Base—higher activity often correlates with altcoin pumps. Track $BTC dominance (BTC.D) on TradingView; a breakdown below 50% could further validate altcoin momentum. Conclusion: If this trend continues, rotating some gains from BTC into strong altcoin projects with real utility and momentum could yield significant returns. As always, manage your risk—volatility remains high.

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Government data on Friday showed Japan’s core inflation jumped to 3.5% in April, its highest in more than 2 years. The rise is attributed to the country’s inclined prices as the central bank considers pausing its rate hike posture to assess the impact of U.S. tariffs. The country’s core inflation figures, which exclude food and energy prices, were higher than expectations of 3.4%. Japan’s inflation also rose from 3.2% in the previous month to 3.5%, marking the highest level since January 2023. Japan’s annual Consumer Price Index stood at 3.6% year-over-year in April, remaining unchanged compared to its previous reading of 3.6% in April 2024. It remains above the Bank of Japan’s 2% target. BOJ’s Governor Kazuo Ueda has signaled his position on intending to raise rates due to the price trends. He also cited the need to closely monitor the effects of U.S. tariffs. Japan has witnessed a rise in rice prices, which have doubled over the year. The country’s agriculture ministry said Monday the average price of rice sold at some 1,000 supermarkets across Japan hit another record high in the week through May 11. The ministry also noted that the average price per 5 kilograms increased by 54 yen from the previous week to 4,268 yen, the highest level on record dating back to March 2022. Japan had sold about 310,000 tons of stockpiled rice through auctions by April, but the distribution has remained static. According to the National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (Zen-Noh), which purchased most of the auctioned rice, it had completed shipments of roughly 80,000 tons to wholesalers as of Thursday, only 41% of the rice it bought in the auctions in March. Japan’s prime minister, Shigeru Ishiba, pledged Wednesday to lower rice prices below 4,000 yen ($28) per 5 kg bag, vowing to stake his job on achieving the target. Masato Koike, economist at Sompo Institute Plus, said the core inflation is expected to ease in the coming months due to lower crude oil prices and the yen’s appreciation. According to him, it was evident during Trump’s first administration that an oversupply of food stemming from the U.S. tariffs could lead to lower food prices. He believes that the resumption of government subsidies for electricity and gas bills in the summer will also create downward pressure on inflation. The Japanese yen on Friday inched up by 0.15% to 143.80 against the U.S. dollar following the release of inflation data. Topix equities rose 0.7%, while the benchmark Nikkei 225 index gained by 0.5%. Japan’s yields on 10-year government bonds shed 0.041 percentage points to 1.52%, while those on the 40-year bonds plummeted by 7 basis points to 3.624% after hitting record highs earlier in the week. Marcel Thieliant, head of Asia-Pacific at Capital Economics, argued that the persistent strength in inflation will convince the BOJ to increase interest rates again in October. He had predicted that a rise at the central bank’s October policy meeting appeared more realistic than at its July gathering. “While the BOJ is rightly taking a patient approach, the upshot is a lesser than expected tax cut, which maintains high inflation that could lower consumption and slow the economy.” -Krishna Bhimavarapu, Asia-Pacific Economist at State Street Global Advisors. Japan saw a rise in inflation in the wake of its 10% baseline tariff that the U.S. Donald Trump imposed on most trade partners. The country also faces a 24% reciprocal tariff, which is set to come into effect in July unless it manages to strike a deal with the U.S. The nation is also one of the hardest hit by Trump’s 25% levy on auto, steel, and aluminum products. Negotiations between the two trade partners seem to be in a standoff as Japanese senior officials have requested that Washington remove all tariffs on Japan. The Japanese officials emphasized that the country would not rush into any deal that would put Tokyo’s interests at risk. KEY Difference Wire helps crypto brands break through and dominate headlines fast

Four new cryptocurrency-related bills were introduced in the Michigan legislature this week, covering public pension investments in crypto, mining, income tax exemptions, and restrictions on CBDC support. As of May 23, four new proposed legislations, House Bills 4510, 4511, 4512, and 4513, have been introduced in the Michigan legislature, marking a coordinated push to define the state’s approach to cryptocurrency. House Bill 4510, introduced by Representative Bill Schuette, seeks to amend Michigan’s Public Employee Retirement System Investment Act to allow the state treasurer to invest in cryptocurrencies. The bill restricts eligibility to digital assets with an average market capitalization of at least $250 billion over the past calendar year. Currently, only Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) meet this threshold. These investments must be made through exchange-traded products issued by a registered investment company. House Bill 4511 , sponsored by Representative Bryan Posthumus, proposes prohibiting the state and its subdivisions from banning the holding of digital assets or imposing licensing, permitting, or discriminatory tax requirements based solely on digital asset usage. It also bars state agencies from advocating for or supporting any federal CBDC by issuing memoranda or official endorsements. Additionally, the bill protects blockchain participants by preventing restrictions on node operations, asset transfers, and staking, while shielding validators and node operators from civil liability. Meanwhile, House Bill 4512 , introduced by a bipartisan group led by Representative Mike McFall, outlines a Bitcoin mining partnership programme targeting abandoned oil and gas wells. Under the proposed programme, participants would receive temporary rights to use the wells for energy generation in return for assuming responsibility for plugging, site restoration, and response activity. The bill requires the supervisor of wells to identify eligible sites, publish detailed assessments, and manage a competitive bidding process. Selected participants must provide financial assurances, submit environmental and production data, and report annually. Mining rights are contingent on adherence to these obligations and capped plugging costs. McFall also led the introduction of House Bill 4513 , which would amend Michigan’s Income Tax Act to exempt income earned through the proposed Bitcoin mining programme from state income tax. The amendment defines the scope of exempt income and aligns it with the programme framework established under HB 4512, providing clarity for both individual and corporate taxpayers participating in the initiative. In addition to these four bills, Michigan is also considering the creation of a strategic cryptocurrency reserve. Introduced on Feb. 13 as House Bill 4087, this earlier proposal, backed by Representatives Posthumus and Ron Robinson, would authorize the state treasurer to allocate up to 10% of the general fund and Budget Stabilization Fund for crypto investments.

Bitget Wallet is a popular, non-custodial Web3 multi-chain crypto wallet with over 80 million users worldwide. Here are some key features and recommendations: *Key Features:* - *Multi-chain support*: Manage assets on over 100 blockchains, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and more - *Decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregator*: Swap tokens across chains with deep liquidity aggregation and minimal slippage - *Security*: Advanced encryption, smart contract verification, approval checkers, and a $300 million protection fund - *dApp explorer*: Access over 20,000 decentralized applications, including DeFi, NFT marketplaces, and more - *GetGas*: Pay gas fees with mainstream tokens, simplifying transactions - *Market insights*: Track top gainers, traded assets, and trending tokens - *Smart money*: Track profitable wallets and whales, and receive notifications *Recommendations:* - *Use for DeFi and Web3 interactions*: Ideal for users who want to explore DeFi, NFTs, and other Web3 applications - *Multi-chain asset management*: Suitable for users with assets on multiple blockchains - *Cross-chain swaps*: Useful for users who need to swap tokens across different chains - *Security-conscious users*: Bitget Wallet's advanced security features, such as smart contract verification and approval checkers, make it a good choice for users prioritizing security