Someone just spent $236,000,000 on a painting. Here’s why it matters for your wallet.

The WSJ just reported the highest price ever paid for modern art at auction.

While equities, gold, bitcoin hover near highs, the art market is showing signs of early recovery after one of the longest downturns since the 1990s.

Here’s where it gets interesting→

Each investing environment is unique, but after the dot com crash, contemporary and post-war art grew ~24% a year for a decade, and after 2008, it grew ~11% annually for 12 years.*

Overall, the segment has outpaced the S&P by 15 percent with near-zero correlation from 1995 to 2025.

Now, Masterworks lets you invest in shares of artworks featuring legends like Banksy, Basquiat, and Picasso. Since 2019, investors have deployed $1.25 billion across 500+ artworks.

Masterworks has sold 25 works with net annualized returns like 14.6%, 17.6%, and 17.8%.

Shares can sell quickly, but my subscribers skip the waitlist:

Skip waitlist

_{*Per Masterworks data. Investing involves risk. Past performance not indicative of future returns. Important Reg A disclosures: masterworks.com/cd}

YOUR DOSE OF CRYPTO WISDOM AND ENTERTAINMENT

Hello from HODL FM 👋

Here’s your quick daily snapshot of the markets and crypto headlines that matter.

🏦 Japan explores crypto ETFs, decision still years away

Japan’s Financial Services Agency is reviewing rule changes that could allow crypto ETFs as early as 2028, according to Nikkei. Firms such as Nomura and SBI may prepare products, but regulators stressed no approval exists yet.

The move follows ETF launches in the U.S. and Hong Kong. Analysts estimate Japan’s market could reach ¥1 trillion ($6.4 billion) if approved.

📉 Bitcoin slides as macro risk-off spreads

Bitcoin dropped below $87,000 as markets reacted to rising fears of a U.S. government shutdown. Polymarket now prices shutdown odds at 75%.

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded roughly $1.33 billion in net outflows last week, the worst since February 2025. Traders now watch support between $86,000 and $88,000.

🥇 Gold stays resilient as investors seek safety

While crypto pulled back, gold remained comparatively stable as investors rotated toward traditional safe-haven assets. The divergence highlighted a familiar pattern during periods of political uncertainty, with capital reducing exposure to risk assets while holding defensive positions.

Analysts said gold’s steadier performance reflects persistent demand during macro stress, even as Bitcoin continues to trade with higher volatility.

⚡ Tezos activates its 20th protocol upgrade

Tezos successfully deployed the Tallinn upgrade on January 24, cutting Layer 1 block time to 6 seconds and reducing finality to 12 seconds.

The upgrade enables all bakers to attest every block once 50% adopt tz4 addresses and introduces an Address Indexing Registry that reduces storage requirements for Michelson apps by up to 100x.

🎨 Nifty Gateway to shut down in February

Nifty Gateway will close on February 23, 2026, and has entered withdrawal-only mode. Users have one month to move NFTs, ETH, or USD balances off the platform.

The Gemini-owned marketplace played a major role during the 2021 NFT boom, processing over $300 million in sales at its peak. The shutdown has sparked criticism from artists and collectors and reflects continued contraction across the NFT market.

That’s it for today. More signal, less noise.

Best regards,
HODL FM Team

TWEETS OF THE DAY

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Disclaimer: We're here to entertain, not to be your financial guru. This newsletter is purely for educational purposes and does not constitute financial advice or a magical fortune-telling session. So, grab your popcorn, enjoy the read, but remember to use your own wits and conduct thorough research before making any money moves. Stay curious, my friend!