ROLLUP: Bull Market? | Inflation Cools, War Heats | Robinhood Flips Base | ETH’s Fee Problem

Crypto markets currently hover near the end of a bear cycle, with historical four-year patterns suggesting a potential bottom within months. The rapid ascent of Robinhood Chain has disrupted the Layer 2 landscape, forcing a strategic pivot for Coinbase’s Base as it shifts focus from social-centric applications to financial primitives. This competitive shift highlights a fundamental tension within Ethereum: whether to prioritize fee-generating revenue or solidify ETH as a store-of-value asset. While some argue that L2s should contribute more to L1 security, others contend that fee revenue is secondary to ETH’s monetary utility. Meanwhile, the "buy and burn" token model remains a dominant trend among high-growth projects like Hyperliquid and JITO, signaling a shift toward prioritizing token holder value through direct capital returns.