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US Treasury Liquidity Expansion Drives Crypto Rally, but Pi Network Remains a Stubborn Laggard

Pi Network trades near $0.090 as the cryptocurrency market rallies on US Treasury buyback expansion, yet the token lags behind Bitcoin and other major assets despite a three-day recovery.

JM
by Jacob Marquez · Markets Desk
Published August 20, 2026 · 3 min read

US Treasury Liquidity Expansion Drives Crypto Rally, but Pi Network Remains a Stubborn Laggard

The cryptocurrency sector is experiencing a meaningful recovery fueled by expansionary monetary operations, though not all digital assets are participating equally. Pi Network, trading near $0.090 as of Thursday, exemplifies this uneven rally despite enjoying a modest three-day winning streak. The token has accumulated approximately 4% in gains over consecutive bullish closes, yet remains substantially distanced from the impressive performance displayed by Bitcoin, which has climbed above $71,000 and attracted strong momentum across the broader digital asset landscape.

The driver of this renewed market confidence stems from significant policy action at the US Treasury level. According to the Treasury’s announcement, the agency would substantially expand its securities buyback operations—a mechanism designed to support liquidity in financial markets. Specifically, the maximum size of certain liquidity-support buyback operations would at least double from $2 billion to $4 billion per transaction. The rationale centered on supporting the longer-dated Treasury market while addressing escalating concerns surrounding the cost of government borrowing.

Policy-Driven Sentiment Shifts Enable Risk Appetite

The Treasury’s expanded buyback program has catalyzed measurable improvements in bond market liquidity conditions. Simultaneously, pressure on long-term yields has eased, creating an environment where investors feel more comfortable deploying capital into riskier asset classes. Cryptocurrencies, traditionally occupying the speculative end of the investment spectrum, have benefited substantially from this sentiment recalibration.

Bitcoin’s surge above $71,000 demonstrates the sector-wide enthusiasm generated by improved macroeconomic conditions. Yet Pi Network’s relative weakness suggests that not all cryptocurrencies are capturing this renewed investor interest with equal effectiveness. Derivatives markets provide stark evidence: futures data tracked by CoinAnk shows that PI’s Open Interest—representing the total value of outstanding derivative contracts—increased to $9.30 million from $8.82 million on the previous trading day. While this daily movement represents modest progress, the current level trails substantially behind the July 15 peak of $12.14 million. This shortfall indicates that traders remain cautious about initiating new PI positions, even as improving macroeconomic conditions typically encourage risk-taking across the cryptocurrency sector.

Technical Analysis Suggests Guarded Optimism with Significant Hurdles

From a technical perspective, Pi Network’s recent price action demonstrates stabilization rather than decisive strength. The token successfully moved above the 78.6% Fibonacci retracement level calculated at $0.0839, measured from the earlier downswing between $0.1341 and $0.0703. This achievement preserves the possibility of extended recovery, yet formidable resistance awaits.

The psychological $0.1000 threshold represents the primary near-term barrier, coinciding closely with the 50% Fibonacci retracement at $0.1022. A definitive daily close above this range could trigger accelerated bullish participation and potentially attract retail investors who have largely sidelined themselves from PI positions.

Momentum indicators currently reflect cautious recovery rather than forceful reversal. The Relative Strength Index hovers near 50, the neutral midpoint, indicating that neither buyers nor sellers have achieved clear dominance. The Moving Average Convergence Divergence indicator remains slightly above its signal line with a gradually expanding bullish histogram—a configuration suggesting mild upside pressure that remains insufficient to signal major directional conviction. Failure to breach the $0.1000-to-$0.1022 resistance zone could confine PI to its current trading range and potentially invite renewed selling pressure.

The disconnect between broader crypto rallies and Pi Network’s lagging performance illustrates how macroeconomic policy shifts create uneven effects across the digital asset ecosystem, a dynamic that shapes the entire cryptocurrency sector’s exposure to traditional financial conditions.

Source: US Treasury, via the source. Not financial advice.

// DISCLAIMER: This article is for informational purposes only and is not financial, investment, or trading advice. Terminalcraft may earn a commission from affiliate links. Crypto is volatile and high-risk. Always do your own research.
JM

Jacob Marquez — Markets Desk

Jacob Marquez is the founder and editor of Terminalcraft, an independent XRP-first crypto news desk. An XRP holder and market watcher since 2016, he started Terminalcraft to deliver fast, factual crypto news without the hype.