Bitcoin drops, Ether sinks and there's little sign of support: Crypto daybook Americas

Over the past 24 hours, the crypto market has experienced notable weakness, consistent with the bearish post-Fed pricing in options and resilience in the dollar index.

Bitcoin (BTC) fell 2.6% to $112,700, while ether (ETH) slid more than 6%, CoinDesk data show. Broad market sentiment, seen in the CoinDesk 20 Index, dropped nearly 8% and the CoinDesk 80 Index lost 7.5%, underscoring widespread weakness.

U.S. crypto equities also showed pressure in pre-market trading. Bitcoin investor Strategy (MSTR) and digital asset exchange Coinbase Global (COIN) both lost 2.8% while futures tracking the benchmark S&P 500 dipped just 0.2%.

Some analysts framed the pullback as a healthy correction that helps clear excessive leverage from the market and sets the stage for a more sustained advance. The slide has triggered the liquidation of roughly $1.5 billion worth of leveraged crypto positions.

Others remain more cautious.

"Total inflows are not strong enough to push bitcoin materially higher," Markus Thielen, the founder of 10x Research, noted in a client note.

Year-to-date, crypto markets have attracted around $140.5 billion in inflows: $63.1 billion from stablecoins, $52.4 billion into bitcoin via ETFs, futures, and MicroStrategy (MSTR), and $24.9 billion through ether, Thielen said.

The recent ETF flows indicate a renewed preference for bitcoin over ether. This month alone, U.S.-listed bitcoin ETFs have raised over $3.48 billion, while ether ETFs have garnered just $406.87 million, according to SoSoValue data.

Matrixport also observed that demand from digital asset treasuries — led recently by Ethereum-focused companies — may be waning.

"In recent months, the primary buyers have been Ethereum treasury companies, but with net asset values shrinking, their capacity to deploy additional capital may be limited. From a technical standpoint, tighter risk management looks prudent," the firm said.

Meanwhile, Arthur Hayes' family office fund, Maelstrom, pointed to an upcoming supply test for the decentralized exchange Hyperliquid's HYPE token. Some 237.8 million HYPE tokens are scheduled to be unlocked over roughly 24 months, representing an average monthly supply increase of nearly $500 million.

Hayes reportedly sold 96,600 HYPE, worth $5.1 million, early Monday. The token's price fell to nearly $46, extending a three-day losing streak.

In traditional markets, gold extended its rally, driven by fiscal concerns that boosted demand for haven assets. The yen traded little changed against the dollar following comments from Yoshimasa Hayashi — one of five candidates to replace Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba — who attributed the weak yen to inflationary pressures. Stay alert!