Welcome to the US Morning Crypto News Briefing—your essential rundown of the most important developments in crypto for the day ahead.

Grab a coffee to see how financial markets are performing in what could be the start of a broader global risk-off shift, particularly as monetary tightening returns to center stage in Asia and the West.

Japan’s 30-Year Bond Yield Surges to Multi-Decade Highs

Japan’s 30-year bond yield has surged to the highest level in 20 years, trending as the top US crypto news today. Specifically, it has increased by 12 basis points (bps) to 2.345%, the highest level since 2004. This signals deepening stress in global fixed-income markets.

It is bearish on Bitcoin (BTC) and risk-on assets. Agne Linge, director of growth at decentralized on-chain bank WeFi, agrees that growing bond yields threaten crypto in the short term.

In an email to BeInCrypto, Linge said a major shift might be in the pipeline for risk assets. She cited macroeconomic trends in Japan as they pertain to the current surge in the 30-year bond yield.

“With the bond yield jumping 2.345% to its highest level in 30 years, more risk-averse institutional investors might shun Bitcoin and other speculative assets,” Linge stated.

As Japan’s long-term bond yields surge, pressure is mounting on the Bank of Japan (BoJ) to respond with a possible interest rate hike. Analysts say this could happen as early as the end of April.

If the BoJ tightens policy, it would mark a significant shift for a central bank that has maintained ultra-loose monetary conditions for decades.

 “If this forecast plays out as expected, it might lead to dried-up liquidity in the traditional financial market. Since crypto thrives more on excess monetary liquidity, this could also influence the performance of the asset shortly,” she added.

Linge cited the yen carry trade as one of the risk mechanisms. In this strategy, global investors borrow yen at low interest rates to invest in higher-yielding assets abroad. Trade thrives when Japanese rates are low and the international risk appetite is strong.

What Does It Mean for Bitcoin?

As Japanese yields rise and the prospect of a BoJ rate hike grows, the incentive to borrow yen diminishes. This could lead to an unwinding of the carry trade, potentially draining liquidity from global markets.

Such an outcome would amplify downside risk for crypto and other risk assets, which aligns with BeInCrypto’s recent report that Bitcoin’s price is at risk as the reverse yen carry trade unwinds.

“The problem today is that those borrowing costs are starting to get more expensive. Traders who were able to access virtually free capital for years are now finding themselves sitting on costly margin positions that they’re potentially being forced to unwind,” 5x Dow & Founders award winner and portfolio manager Michael A. Gayed said recently.

Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve (Fed) is facing increasing pressure to cut interest rates. Consumer inflation data from the US CPI and PPI (Consumer Price Index and Producer Price Index, respectively) support this push. Lge observes that dovish signals in the US could partially offset this emerging hawkish stance from Japan.

“Since the US is a bigger market, the world may respond more toward the country’s monetary policies than Japan,” Linge added.

The Fed’s move to ease monetary conditions while Japan tightens could create a mixed global liquidity environment. Ts could spur volatility as investors reassess cross-border capital flows.

Nonetheless, the yen carry trade remains especially vulnerable to the BoJ’s decisively hawkish shift. This could trigger a repricing of risk globally, curbing speculative flows and weakening the liquidity backdrop that crypto markets have benefited from in recent years.

Amidst these concerns, however, traders and analysts remain optimistic. Analysts at Deribit recently observed that markets switched from capitulation to aggressive bounce.

“Protective/Bear play BTC 75-78k Puts were dumped, and 85-100k Calls were lifted as BTC surged from 75-85k,” they wrote.

Deribit data corroborates this observation, showing the $100,000 call strike price was the most popular call option as of this writing, recording the highest open interest T s suggests bets that Bitcoin could draw toward this psychological milestone.

Chart of the Day

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Crypto Equities Pre-Market Overview

Shaw, the founder of AI16Z, announced on X that Auto.fun, a new token launchpad platform, is set to launch this week. 

In a market witnessing fierce competition between major platforms such as Pump.fun (Solana), SunPump (Tron), and Launchlabs (Raydium), how will Auto.fun hold up?

Auto.fun: The Promise of a Newcomer

Led by AI16Z’s Shaw, Auto.fun aims to create a decentralized platform. It allows content creators and communities to truly own their space. Slated for release this week, Auto.fun’s mission is to build a “transparent and decentralized” ecosystem.

It stands apart from traditional launchpads often criticized for opacity and control by small developer groups.

“Open source launchpad where creators claim the fees, community can coordinate and create content or CTO tokens from other platforms,” Shaw stated.

Auto.fun’s standout feature is its “anti-pump” and “ultra-fun” approach, as described by Shaw. Beyond merely issuing tokens, the platform seeks to foster a creative environment where communities and creators can collaboratively develop content and tokens sustainably.

The Launchpad Market: Decline and Fierce Competition

Auto.fun enters the market at a challenging time. The token launchpad sector is witnessing a decline among major players.

Pump.fun, a leading name, has faced significant hurdles recently. Its revenue has plummeted by 95%, with the platform transferring SOL to exchanges, possibly signaling mass capital withdrawal. In early 2025, Pump.fun’s daily revenue was $14 million.

Competition in the launchpad market is intensifying. Alongside Pump.fun, platforms like SunPump (Tron) and Launchlabs (Raydium) dominate with distinct strategies, making it a tough environment for newcomers.

Despite these obstacles, Auto.fun has a chance to make its mark by leveraging its unique strengths. First, its “decentralized and transparent” approach is a bright spot, as launchpads are often criticized for manipulation and lack of clarity.

Second, Auto.fun’s launch aligns with a market seeking fresh alternatives to struggling platforms like Pump.fun. The latter’s declining revenue and trust, coupled with competition from SunPump, Launchlabs or Hypurr.fun, create an opening for Auto.fun to shine—if it can deliver a superior user experience, lower costs, or innovative features. Pump.fun is also trying to introduce new features to its users.

In the volatile crypto market 2025, Auto.fun must swiftly prove its value to survive in the cutthroat launchpad race.

Layer-1 (L1) coin FLR has climbed 19% over the past 24 hours to rank as the top gainer in the crypto market today. 

This marks another strong day in what has become a week-long rally, pushing FLR’s price to a new weekly high of $0.018, a 57% increase over the past seven days.

Flare Bullish Rally Gains Steam

Since April 9, FLR has made new daily highs, indicating strong bullish momentum. The coin’s Relative Strength Index (RSI), which is in an upward trend and at 67.13 at press time, confirms this positive outlook.

The RSI indicator measures an asset’s overbought and oversold market conditions. It ranges between 0 and 100. Values above 70 suggest that the asset is overbought and due for a price decline, while values under 30 indicate that the asset is oversold and may witness a rebound.

At 67.13, FLR’s RSI indicates that the buying pressure significantly exceeds selling activity among its spot market participants. It suggests there is still room for further gains before the altcoin becomes overbought and due for a correction. 

Moreover, for the first time since January 26, the histogram bars that make up FLR’s Awesome Oscillator (AO) have flipped above the zero line and continue to grow taller. This reflects the strengthening bullish sentiment amongst FLR holders.

The AO indicator measures an asset’s market trends and potential reversals. It comprises a histogram bar chart that visually represents the difference between a short-term and long-term moving average. When the bars are below zero, it suggests that short-term momentum is weaker, indicating bearish pressure. 

On the other hand, as with FLR, when the AO bars flip above the zero line and continue trending upward, it signals that bullish momentum is not just present but also growing. This hints at further price gains for FLR if other market conditions align.

Bulls Push Through Resistance, But Profit-Taking Could Halt Gains

FLR’s double-digit rally over the past day has pushed its price above the key resistance formed at $0.016. Should this price point offer a strong support floor for FLR, it could extend its gains and climb to $0.021.

However, a resurgence in profit-taking activity will invalidate this bullish projection. In that case, the altcoin’s price could break below $0.016 and fall toward $0.010.