OpenClaw Cracks Down

Welcome back to The Warmup.

Happy Monday! This is me hoping for a bullish reversal.

Here’s what we’re watching:

• Market Snapshot

• OpenClaw Cracks Down

• BTC Short Setup

• The Tariff Shock

• Calendar

Market: Crypto is pulling back while equities and gold stay strong, with volatility rising.

OpenClaw Cracks Down

What’s going on:

Open-source AI framework OpenClaw has banned all crypto mentions in its Discord, even technical references.

Violations can lead to removal.

The policy surfaced after a developer was blocked simply for citing Bitcoin block height in a benchmark.

Creator Peter Steinberger later confirmed the rule and offered to restore the user’s access.

The crackdown traces back to late January, when scammers hijacked Steinberger’s old accounts during a rebrand window and promoted a fake Solana token (CLAWD).

The token briefly hit $16M market cap before crashing over 90% once Steinberger denied involvement.

What it means:

OpenClaw is prioritizing reputation protection over open discussion after getting burned by token scammers.

It highlights a growing tension between AI communities and crypto speculation.

As AI projects gain traction, expect more teams to aggressively firewall themselves from token drama, at least in the short term.

BTC Short Setup

What’s going on:

BTC broke down and is retesting previous support now acting as resistance. Structure remains bearish while below the local supply zone.

Key levels we’re watching:

• Target: $64,890

• Resistance: $66.5K–$67K

• Invalidation: $67,550

Directional Bias: Bearish

What we’re waiting for:

Rejection at CMP and continuation toward $64.9K.

The Tariff Shock

What’s going on:

The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs exceeded his authority. Markets barely reacted at first, since traders had largely priced it in.

Then came the twist.

Within hours, Trump announced a new 15% global tariff using a different legal pathway.

That surprise move hit sentiment Sunday night.

The ruling wasn’t the shock. The policy pivot was.

What it means:

Two bullish paths are emerging.

Short term, tariff relief could lower inflation expectations and bring Fed cuts back into play.

Risk-on.

Longer term, weaker tariff revenue could widen deficits and pressure the dollar.

That strengthens Bitcoin’s hedge narrative.

One uncertainty is gone. The macro chess match is just getting started.

Key Events this Week

Mon (Feb 23):

• Markets React to Trump’s 15% Global Tariff: Trade policy shock → markets will be watching for risk sentiment shifts, sector rotation, and global growth implications.

Tue (Feb 24):

• February Consumer Confidence: Measures household sentiment → stronger confidence signals resilient spending; weakness may hint at demand slowdown.

Thu (Feb 26):

• Initial Jobless Claims: Weekly labor market pulse → rising claims suggest softening employment; stable/low claims confirm labor strength.

Fri (Feb 27):

• January PPI Inflation: Producer price pressures → leading indicator for CPI and Fed policy expectations. Higher PPI = upstream inflation risk.

Major Earnings Releases:

• Mon (Feb 23): Hims,

• Wed (Feb 25): Nvidia

• Thu (Feb 26): CoreWeave, Dell, Duolingo

• Hyperliquid web3 'SuperApp' Based raises $11.5M Series A led by Pantera

• Backpack to offer users access to equity representing 20% of the company via one-year token staking

• Global crypto ETP outflows stretch to fifth week as $4B exits funds

Crypto isn’t broken, it’s evolving into a much more competitive and fundamentals-driven market.

With retail largely absent and institutions still waiting on regulation, the current demand vacuum is creating one of the clearest accumulation windows we’ve seen in years.

Meanwhile, the biggest signal under the surface is that real protocols are growing revenue even while prices struggle, a dynamic we’ve rarely seen before.

The investors who do the work and position early now are the ones most likely to benefit when capital inevitably floods back in.

— The Warmup Team

Always do your own research. This newsletter is supplemental material to help educate readers as they make their own decisions. Projects mentioned here are provided to give a potential early-mover advantage.