Over 17 years ago, Satoshi Nakamoto designed Bitcoin on the back of a global financial crisis as an alternative to the global monetary system outside the control of central banks, governments and traditional intermediaries. This raises a key question: has Bitcoin really become independent of the macroeconomic forces it was built to challenge?

Ripple (XRP) trades largely in bearish hands on Friday near $1.40. Although the remittance token has stabilized after a sharp sell-off from weekly highs of $1.53 to lows around $1.32, the path of least resistance remains downward, unless buyers affirm a daily close above the pivotal $1.40 level.