$USDC

is holding steady at $0.9998, with a $60.6B market cap, ranking #7 on CoinMarketCap. Circle minted $250M USDC on Solana May 12, boosting its 24-hour volume to $2.45B, per CoinDesk. Despite a 0.01% dip, X posts buzz about whale moves—$50.5M shorting BTC, ETH, and SOL, flipping $3.5M profit. The Pectra upgrade’s gas fee cuts indirectly aid USDC’s DeFi utility. Circle’s IPO filing, eyeing a $5B valuation, fuels optimism, though Q1 2025 profit fell to $156.9M. USDC’s transparency—monthly Deloitte audits and BlackRock-managed reserves—sets it apart from USDT. It’s live on 20 blockchains, with SBI VC Trade’s USDC/JPY pair gaining traction. Analysts see USDC hitting $1.05 if IPO hype holds, but tariff volatility could sway sentiment. Stable yet dynamic-USDC’s a crypto cornerstone.