Crypto is either dead in the water or about to notch new records as soon as next year - it depends on who you ask

Good morning. I'm senior editor, Max Adams. 

You don't have to be an avid follower of the media's comings and goings to know that yesterday was a momentous day for cable news. 

Specifically, two of the biggest US news personalities are out — Fox News said goodbye to Tucker Carlson while CNN showed Don Lemon the door. 

You can scroll a bit further down for the market's reaction to the stunning Tucker Carlson announcement, but for today, we're turning our attention to crypto. Let's get into it. 

If this was forwarded to you, sign up here. Download Insider's app here.

1. Crypto doesn't make headlines the way it used to. From a brutal fall from pandemic highs to the FTX debacle that did untold reputational damage to the space, there isn't the same breathless attention being paid to digital assets these days. 

If you ask Chamath Palihapitiya, that's because crypto crossed the wrong people and now it's dead, at least in the US. The wrong people in this case are "the establishment." Chamath says crypto companies messed up when they got over their skis and tried to create a parallel financial system untethered from more centralized interests.

"I just think that [crypto companies] were probably the ones that were the most threatening to the establishment, and they were the ones that, in fairness to regulators, did push the boundaries more than any other sector of the startup economy," the so-called SPAC King said on a recent podcast. "So yeah, now they're paying the price for that. The bill has come due for them."

He said that SEC chief Gary Gensler's comments in recent Congressional hearings linking crypto to the fall of Silicon Valley Bank in March was evidence that US authorities have "firmly pointed their guns at crypto."

While crypto may be "dead in America," bitcoin is still going to $100,000. That prediction comes from Standard Chartered, which said in a note to clients that the world's largest cryptocurrency actually has some strong tailwinds at its back right now. 

The bank cited this year's banking chaos, an upcoming bitcoin halving event, and an end in sight to the Fed's aggressive rate hiking campaign as reasons the token could soar more than 250% by the end of next year. 

"While sources of uncertainty remain, we think the pathway to USD 100,000 level is becoming clearer," the analysts wrote. That would be a stark departure from bitcoin's recent tribulations, which have seen it struggle to reclaim $30,000 after cratering from highs of $69,000 reached in November 2021. 

While Chamath sees Gensler's drawing a line between crypto and SVB as evidence of a coming crackdown, Standard Chartered says that the stunning collapse in March will awaken more people to the advantages of decentralized assets. Meanwhile, key bitcoin rivals are losing ground, paving the way for more gains ahead. 

What are your thoughts on how crypto will fare in the coming year? Is bitcoin heading to $100,000? Email me (madams@insider.com) to let me know.

In other news:

2. US stock futures fall early Tuesday, as investors await the next round of corporate earnings from Big Tech companies. Meanwhile, consumer confidence data for April is also due to be released later today. Here are the latest market moves.

3. On the docket: Alphabet, Microsoft, Bank of America, all reporting.

4. Buy this batch of 18 stocks that are set up to outperform for the rest of the year. Jefferies compiled a list of names it says will stage a big rebound after being beaten down in recent months. Check out the bank's list of recommendations here.

5. There are three ways the $800 billion AI boom will power Tesla stock higher. In a note to clients, Wedbush analysts picked out which mega-cap firms are set to benefit most from the "AI Game of Thrones" that's broken out. Here's how Elon Musk's EV company will reap the gains. 

6. A currency dispute is holding up Russia's sale of weapons to India. Russia is the top arms supplier to India, which uses the Su-30 fighter jet and T-90 tanks. Read why India is worried about paying in either dollars or rubles for its latest haul of weaponry. 

7. The housing market is close to bottoming and that could stave off a bad recession. That's according to Morgan Stanley, which wrote in a research note that housing is linked to broader business cycles. "[A] cycle bottom in housing provides an important cushion to our soft landing thesis."

8. A real estate investor who got started at 38 shared how he amassed a $2.7 million portfolio in four years. Dan Rivers didn't get into the real estate market until 2019, when he bought his first property. Read about how he came to own 16 properties and his tips for scaling rapidly. 

9. A top fund manager explains what he looks for in today's volatile market. Brian Ferguson has beaten 95% of competitors in the last two years by finding "tremendous opportunities" for returns amid the volatility. Here's what he looks for and how he's thinking about the next economic regime.

10. Fox Corporation shares fell after the company said Tucker Carlson was out at the network. The media company announced the split on Monday, and shares immediately fell as markets reacted to the exit of the conservative personality and one of TV's most-watched news hosts.

Curated by Max Adams in New York. Feedback or tips? Email madams@insider.com

Edited by Joe Ciolli in Chicago (jciolli@insider.com) and Hallam Bullock (@hallam_bullock) in London.