CLARITY Advances, ETF Flows Return

Weekly Market Review

The week opened on a weaker footing. On Tuesday, 14 July, bitcoin traded at $62,337 (-2.3%) and ether at $1,777 (-1.7%), with the Fear & Greed Index sitting at 22.

A softer-than-expected CPI print flipped the tone. On Wednesday and Thursday both bitcoin and ether pushed higher, and ether rallied 7% in five sessions — prompting Fundstrat strategist Sean Farrell to describe ether as an "increasingly attractive" way to express a market recovery.

On Thursday, 16 July, bitcoin opened at $64,720 and briefly tested $65,000. The rally proved short-lived: a sixth consecutive US airstrike against Iran drained risk appetite into Friday, 17 July, pushing bitcoin down to $63,130 and ether to $1,832.

The de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz sent oil sharply higher and rippled straight into crypto markets.

Monday's Recovery

On Monday, 20 July, bitcoin found support around $63,000 and reclaimed the $64,000 level, briefly retesting $65,000. The daily close came in at $64,722, with ether at $1,872.

Oil was up nearly 16% on the week on Middle East escalation, while gold and silver softened for a second straight week. The traditional safe-haven hierarchy is once again breaking down.

ETF Flows Flip Back Positive

After Thursday's $425 million in net redemptions on 13 July, bitcoin ETFs saw net inflows return on Friday, 17 July: $132.3 million, of which BlackRock's IBIT captured $136.5 million. Institutional demand came back precisely as price was retesting the weekly lows. (CoinDesk)

Robinhood Chain Challenges, Base Responds With Its Own Model

Base lead Jesse Pollak commented on X that Robinhood Chain's launch of tokenized equities in an EVM environment is a step in the right direction. Base is behind in this race but is collaborating with Coinbase on the topic.

According to Pollak, Base intends to offer tokenized equities backed 1:1 by the underlying stock — a contrast to Robinhood's derivative-based approach. (The Block)

Other Notable Moves

Small-cap tokens saw outsized moves throughout the week, while majors stayed comparatively contained.

Zcash rose 3.5% to $559, outperforming both bitcoin and ether on the week. Bonk, by contrast, fell nearly 6% after 800 billion additional tokens were dumped onto the market from a wallet seized following a DAO exploit. (CoinDesk)

Strategy Grows Its Bitcoin Treasury

Strategy CFO Chaitanya Jain disclosed that the company's bitcoin treasury alone would cover dividends for approximately 31 years, while its dollar reserves would last around 1.8 years.

Founder Michael Saylor confirmed that as of 19 July, Strategy held 843,775 BTC and had grown its dollar reserve by $225 million to $3.2 billion. (Bloomberg)

Polymarket Tightens Insider Surveillance

Polymarket said it has strengthened its insider-trading surveillance and reported nearly one hundred suspicious wallets to authorities.

According to Bloomberg's analysis of Polysights data, roughly $200 million of platform trades in the first half of 2026 were flagged as bearing patterns consistent with potential insider knowledge — largely in geopolitical markets covering Iran and Venezuela. (Bloomberg)

CLARITY Act Advances: Trump Signs Off on Ethics Provision

The most significant regulatory story of the week landed late, per The Block: President Trump has signed off on the ethics provision inside the CLARITY Act, removing the last major obstacle to a Senate floor vote.

The provision would limit the ability of the president, vice president, members of Congress and other federal officials to benefit financially from digital assets during their tenure. Text is expected within days, and the Senate faces a deadline in the first week of August.

If the Senate passes it, the bill returns to the House before heading to Trump's desk. This is a clear turn from the start of the week, when the bill was stalled precisely over this ethics dispute.

GENIUS Act Stablecoin Rules Slip

At the same time, final stablecoin rules under the GENIUS Act remained past their 18 July deadline, leaving issuers and exchanges in limbo ahead of the supervisory regime that begins in January 2027. (Reuters)

Looking Ahead

Attention now shifts to the late-July FOMC meeting (28–29 July) and whether the CLARITY Act can reach a Senate vote before the August deadline.

The combination of a softer inflation print, returning ETF flows and progressing regulation is a constructive medium-term backdrop for bitcoin and ether, even as geopolitical risk keeps short-term volatility elevated.

For the broader framework, see our complete guide to crypto investing and keep allocation aligned with your own risk tolerance.

Keep stacking — with discipline.