New York, March 1, 2026, 15:00 EST — The market has closed.
- Coinbase shares finished the week in the red. U.S. markets were closed Sunday.
- Sentiment is shifting, with sticky inflation signals weighing and renewed geopolitical risk flaring up.
- Jobs numbers are in focus as investors look ahead to the Fed’s upcoming policy meeting.
Coinbase Global Inc (COIN.O) finished Friday’s session at $175.85, slipping 2.88% as investor caution crept back into crypto-related stocks. Trading volumes hit roughly 11.43 million shares, Investing.com data showed.
Why it matters now: Stronger-than-expected U.S. inflation data is dragging on high-beta stocks often linked to trading swings. January’s Producer Price Index climbed 0.5%, beating the 0.3% rise economists predicted. That’s adding pressure on the outlook for rate cuts, with more analysts now betting the Fed won’t make a move before its June 16-17 meeting. “Given still-buoyant core inflation and the recent firming of job gains, we expect the Fed to remain on pause during its upcoming March meeting,” said Ben Ayers, senior economist at Nationwide. Reuters
Bitcoin slipped roughly 1% to $65,915. Ether, on the other hand, hovered near $1,954, barely moving, market data showed.
Another complication from geopolitics. Safe-haven currencies climbed, with investors on alert for a possible oil surge once markets open, following U.S. and Israeli weekend strikes on Iran, according to Reuters.
Wall Street wrapped up Friday on the back foot. The Dow shed 1.05%, S&P 500 ticked 0.43% lower, and the Nasdaq dropped 0.92%, according to Reuters. “There are still some cracks out there,” said Carson Group strategist Ryan Detrick as the month drew to a close. Reuters
This week brings a wave of macro data with potential to hit crypto—and by default, Coinbase. Economists in Reuters’ “Take Five” expect February payrolls will slow to around 60,000 jobs, stepping down from January’s 130,000. Unemployment? The forecast sits steady at 4.3%. Reuters
The U.S. Labor Department has the February employment report set to drop Friday, March 6, with an 8:30 a.m. ET release time, according to its calendar.
The Fed has its next policy meeting slated for March 17-18, and a rate decision will come down on March 18, the central bank’s own calendar shows.
Coinbase is looking past crypto trading fees, rolling out stock and ETF trading to all U.S. users. The firm’s now touting 24/5 access, zero commissions, and a fresh deal with Yahoo Finance. The idea: let users jump straight from research into executing trades, all inside the Coinbase app.
That push follows a shaky stretch for trading-driven earnings. In February, Coinbase unexpectedly reported a quarterly loss—the first since Q3 2023—after sluggish trading volumes dragged down results during a selloff in digital assets, according to Reuters.
The setup isn’t one-way traffic. Should oil surge and stoke inflation, rate expectations could stiffen fast, and speculative assets might sell off in a hurry. Crypto could take a sharp hit, or volatility could sink further—either scenario threatens to sap the trading activity Coinbase depends on for its main revenue.
Investors are going into Monday waiting to see if the oil and geopolitics shock from the weekend spills over into crypto risk appetite. Beyond that, Friday’s payrolls data and the Fed’s March meeting are up next as major events; for COIN, action will probably hinge more on rates, bitcoin moves and trading flows, not so much on any company-specific news.
