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Bitcoin is “transitioning out of its most stressed phase”

Many are hoping that the bill working its way through the Senate will mark “the beginning of the end of crypto’s regulatory limbo.”

Yaël Bizouati-Kennedy

The lower-than-expected CPI print and optimism around the amended Digital Asset Market Clarity Act seem to be buoying bitcoin this morning. Meanwhile, bitcoin ETFs started the week with modest inflows ($116.7 million), according to SoSoValue.

Timothy Misir, head of research at Blockhead Research Network, said that on-chain metrics suggest bitcoin is transitioning “out of its most stressed phase.”

“Price now sits above the Active Investors Mean ($87.7K) but remains well below the Short-Term Holder cost basis at $98.9K. This configuration implies reduced forced selling pressure, but also highlights the scale of overhead supply that must be absorbed for a sustained breakout,” Misir said.

One potential headwind for bitcoin is the trajectory of the probe of Fed Chair Jerome Powell, a situation Farzam Ehsani, CEO of VALR, called “paradoxical.”

While weakening confidence in dollar policy traditionally increases interest in decentralized assets as a hedge against political and currency risk, abrupt political maneuvers within the government are increasing instability, triggering short-term outflows from risky assets and high-volatility markets, Ehsani said.

He said investors should exercise “extreme caution” in the coming weeks, as the crypto market could react sharply to the conflict’s outcome.

“If the Fed holds firm, the market could return to its fundamental scenario. If the White House is able to push through a rate cut and launches stimulus measures, bitcoin and gold could surge higher,” Ehsani said.

Finally, “this week may mark the beginning of the end of crypto’s regulatory limbo,” Benchmark analysts wrote in a note, as the Senate committee will vote on Thursday on the amended Digital Asset Market Clarity Act.

“We believe a successful committee process culminating in floor consideration would represent a material de-risking event for crypto markets,” the analysts wrote. “That regulatory clarity is the key prerequisite for institutional adoption of both crypto tokens and crypto-related equities. In our view, such clarity would unlock a level of liquidity that only institutions could provide, and liquidity is the foundation upon which sustainable crypto valuations are built.”

Some are pessimistic that the bill will move forward. Nic Puckrin, cofounder of Coin Bureau, said he is “not holding his breath” for the bill to pass this month.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see further delays as committee members grapple with the implications of the proposed amendments. And any delays will weigh heavily on a digital asset market that has struggled with momentum for months,” Puckrin said.

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$62B

Bitcoin digital asset treasuries (DATs) have taken a big hit amid bitcoin’s tumble, shedding $62 billion in value since the asset’s October 6 all-time high, Artemis data shows, with their fully diluted market cap dropping to $72 billion from $134 billion in early October.

Meanwhile, bitcoin, which has fallen below $62,000 on Friday morning, is down 50% from its all-time high. DAT pioneer Strategy’s market cap stood at $102.2 billion on October 6, according to Macro Trends, and is now down to $45.6 billion, a 55% decline. Strategy has been in hot water since it sold 32 bitcoin earlier this week, and because its digital credit instrument, STRC, has been trading below its par value. Shares of Strategy are down 17% in the past week.

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“Sentiment for crypto is firmly in the gutter” as sector sinks, with tokens hitting multiyear lows

On Thursday, altcoins swept lower as bitcoin weakened. The tokens with the biggest losses in the last 24 hours are NEAR, ethena, and Zcash, each declining double digits in the period.

Other tokens have dropped to lows not seen in over a year in the past 24 hours:

  • Ethereum dropped 4.4% to under $1,780, a level not seen since April 2025.

  • XRP declined 4.5% to an 18-month low last hit in November 2024.

  • Solana decreased 6% to trade below the $70 mark, its lowest price since December 2023.

  • Dogecoin slid below $0.09, a 27-month low last seen in February 2024.

“Sentiment for crypto is firmly in the gutter as fears surrounding BTC/STRC and its potential overflow compound and overshadow anything that can be read as positive news (e.g. CLARITY movements),” according to Sean Dawson, head of research at crypto options platform Derive.xyz.

“[Altcoins] are high beta plays to BTC and are typically sold heavily in a downturn. Simply put, I’d be even more bearish on alts,” Dawson told Sherwood News.

“Further, liquidity has been drained into this year’s ‘superhot’ narrative of AI/data centers. In other words, there are just better, more exciting opportunities elsewhere,” Dawson added.

One cryptocurrency that has bucked the downtrend has been worldcoin, the native token for World, the digital identity project backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. While the broader crypto market has been pushing lower, WLD has jumped nearly 5% in the last 24 hours and 90% in the past seven days, data from CoinGecko shows.

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