House Democrats are pressing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent over World Liberty Financial’s push for a national trust bank charter, citing systemic risk.
Tether’s USDT supply fell to $183.7 billion in February, down 1.7% from January, marking its biggest monthly decline since the FTX collapse. The drop comes as redemptions outpace new issuances, influenced by Europe’s MiCA regulations, Bitcoin’s 23% decline this year, and investors moving to alternatives like USDC. Despite the supply contraction, USDT’s $1 peg remains stable, …
Tether’s USDT is nearing its largest monthly supply drop since the collapse of FTX, with whales and smart money traders continuing to reduce their USDT holdings.
Malaysian authorities arrested 12 police officers accused of forcing a Chinese national to transfer their cryptocurrency during a raid.
Spot Bitcoin ETFs are approaching a five-week outflow streak, with $2.7 billion in net redemptions year-to-date, as BTC posts one of its weakest starts to a year.
Bitcoin price climbs back above $68,000, registering a 1.8% gain today. On the surface, it appears to be another incremental move inside a broader consolidation range. But beneath the price action, the structural landscape is quietly shifting. After months of measured distribution near prior highs, large holders are rebuilding exposure. On-chain balance data shows that …
Two spot Sui ETFs began trading in US markets on Feb. 18. Canary's SUIS is listed on Nasdaq, while Grayscale's GSUI appeared on NYSE Arca. Both products offer staking-enabled exposure to Sui, the layer-1 blockchain positioned as a high-throughput alternative to Ethereum. By the end of the first trading session, GSUI had moved roughly 8,000 […]
The post Sui ETFs just launched — and the volume is collapsing because nobody’s showing up appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Your day-ahead look for Feb. 20, 2026
MYX Finance has emerged as one of the top-performing altcoins today, with the MYX Finance price jumping more than 33% to trade around $1.24. However, the sharp MYX price increase comes after a major funding announcement, strong derivatives activity, and growing investor interest ahead of the platform’s upcoming upgrade. MYX Finance Received Funding From Consensys …
Bitmine's aggressive ETH acquisition could intensify competition among treasury firms, potentially influencing Ethereum's market dynamics and staking.
The post Tom Lee’s Bitmine snaps up 45,000 ETH in rapid two-day accumulation: Onchain data appeared first on Crypto Briefing.
Altcoin breadth on Binance has deteriorated sharply, with a large majority of tokens now trading below a widely watched long-term trend level, an exhaustion signal that CryptoQuant contributor Darkfost frames as a liquidity problem as much as a price problem. In a post on X, Darkfost (@Darkfost_Coc) shared a CryptoQuant chart tracking the share of Binance-listed altcoins trading below their 50-week moving average alongside Bitcoin’s price. His headline claim: “LIQUIDITY CRUNCH PUSHES 83% OF ALTCOINS INTO BEAR TREND,” arguing that most investors exposed to non-Bitcoin, non-stablecoin assets are “now in significant difficulty,” particularly those still holding positions. Altcoin Breadth Breaks Down On Binance Darkfost’s chart, titled “Altcoins performance (Binance)”, shows the percentage of altcoins below the 50-week moving average rising back into historically stressed territory. In his latest read, 83% of Binance altcoins are below that threshold, a sign that weakness is not isolated to a handful of names but spread across the tape. He also pointed to an even more extreme episode earlier this month. “Since the end of the bear market in 2023, a new record was set on February 7, with more than 92% of altcoins on Binance trading below this key technical support,” he wrote, describing it as a post-2023-cycle high in downside participation. Related Reading: House Democrats Urge Treasury Probe Into Trump Family’s Crypto Venture That stands in stark contrast to the conditions seen during earlier upside phases. Darkfost noted that in March 2024 only 6% of Binance altcoins traded below the 50-week line, and in December 2024 the figure was 7%. Outside of those multi-month windows, he added, at least half of altcoins remained under the threshold, behavior he characterized as meaningfully different from the prior cycle’s breadth dynamics. Darkfost framed the altcoin drawdown as inseparable from Bitcoin’s trend and the macro backdrop, suggesting that the market’s risk budget has tightened while altcoin supply has expanded. Related Reading: House Democrats Urge Treasury Probe Into Trump Family’s Crypto Venture “The market continues to be driven by BTC’s movements, which has been in a downtrend since October 2025 following an ATH at $126,000. At present, BTC’s momentum remains highly uncertain, with price still hovering at roughly 46% of its all time high. Rising geopolitical tensions, particularly between the US and Iran, alongside increasingly hawkish projections and tone from the Fed expressed in the latest FOMC minutes, are making the current environment especially challenging for highly volatile assets such as altcoins,” he wrote. The chart itself marks BTC near the mid-$60,000 range, underscoring his broader point: in a regime where Bitcoin direction is unclear and macro inputs are hostile to duration and volatility, breadth in higher-beta tokens can deteriorate quickly and then stay impaired. Why The 50-Week Line Matters Darkfost emphasized the 50-week moving average as a long-horizon filter used by market participants to separate corrective phases from structurally constructive ones. When a majority of tokens sit below it, rallies tend to be narrower, selection pressure rises, and “alt season” narratives become harder to sustain without a decisive shift in liquidity conditions. He attributed the current setup to “the increase in altcoin supply across the broader crypto market combined with still constrained liquidity conditions,” a combination that can mechanically dilute marginal flows. In that environment, he argued, outperforming becomes less about broad beta exposure and more about understanding how market structure has changed. At press time, the total crypto market cap excluding Bitcoin stood at $943.46 billion. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
A draft bill circulating in Washington signals that the crypto industry is heading toward its most decisive regulatory moment yet. The document, labeled as a Senate discussion draft for the 119th Congress, outlines a framework to regulate the offer and sale of digital commodities under the oversight of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. It is …
Analysts warned that weak ETF flows, constrained liquidity, and fragile accumulation are keeping bitcoin's price rangebound and indecisive.
Korean exchanges Upbit and Bithumb both added local currency pairs for the privacy-focused layer-2 token, triggering a sharp move in a thinly traded market.
The XRP price isn’t behaving like the rest of the market. While the broader crypto space has shed billions in this recent crash led largely by Bitcoin and Ethereum but still XRP, the third-largest crypto asset excluding stablecoins, has not logged the third-largest valuation drop. In fact, relative performance shows it holding up better than …
The latest discussion around the U.S. economy is revealing a sharp divide. On one side, policymakers and former officials argue that the economy is stronger than many believe and does not need immediate interest rate cuts. On the other, a top Federal Reserve official is openly dismissing crypto as “utterly useless,” raising fresh concerns for …
Bitcoin rebounded above $68,000 as ETF outflows hit $6.8 billion and funding flips positive. A break above $72,000 is needed to confirm a bullish shift.
Bitcoin price is moving back toward $68,000 after a volatile period, but overall market sentiment remains cautious. Rising geopolitical tensions, a stronger US dollar, and a hawkish signal from the Federal Reserve are limiting risk appetite, even as the price tries to stabilize. Current Crypto Market Sentiment The latest bounce in BTC price looks more …
Chaos Labs' Craig La Riche and Lido's Will Shannon said BlackRock's purchase of UNI marks a turning point for institutional DeFi adoption.
The Bitcoin price action has taken a grim tone this month as trading rolls toward what may become a fifth straight red monthly candle. According to CoinGlass, BTC is down roughly 15% this month after closing the previous four months lower, a run not seen since 2018. Related Reading: XRP On The Spotlight As Arizona Advances Landmark Digital Asset Bill Reports note that similar multimonth selloffs in the past were sometimes followed by sudden, strong rebounds, but those outcomes were not automatic. Traders are watching support near recent lows while sentiment indicators show rising caution among both retail and institutional players. Historical Streaks And Reversals Reports from Milk Road point to a striking example: after a long losing streak in 2018/19, the market produced large gains in the months that followed. That episode is often referenced by bulls who argue that compressed prices can set the stage for big percentage moves to the upside. Yet context matters. Market cycles are messy, and raw percentage comparisons skip over differences in liquidity, participant mix, and macro settings. Source: CoinGlass Weekly And Quarterly Signals Weekly charts are shouting caution in some corners. Analyst Solana Sensei highlighted a run of red weekly candles that echoes parts of 2022, when extended selling drove BTC to the mid-$20,000s. At the same time, quarterly data from the 2022 drawdown shows losses can stack up for long stretches, and those patterns were painful for holders who expected quick turns. Some analysts have argued that the current cycle looks different because the monthly RSI never saw the same overbought expansion that preceded some prior bear phases; their view suggests rebounds might not follow the old script. $BTC is looking to log its 5th red month. Last time this happened was in 2018/19 when we saw 6 red months. Silver lining: it led to a reversal w/ 316% returns over the following 5 months. If history repeats – the reversal begins April 1st. Bookmark this. pic.twitter.com/IZwmdg0peV — Milk Road (@MilkRoad) February 18, 2026 Bitcoin Price Action The top crypto’s price movement has been mixed: thin sessions, sharp swings on headlines, muted volume between moves. The market has been both brittle and occasionally steady, depending on who is trading and where liquidity pools sit. Geopolitics And Market Mood Geopolitical flareups have acted as a volatility amplifier, and traders are pricing in headline risk more readily than before. Events tied to policies or public comments have dented confidence across risk assets. Related Reading: CEO Confirms Bitcoin Exposure, Says Bank Is Still Navigating US policy shifts and high-profile political statements — including ones linked to US President Donald Trump — are being watched for any spillover into dollar flows and investor risk tolerance. Thin market conditions can turn small news into big moves. That’s exactly what’s been happening on occasion over the last few weeks. Based on reports and the mix of indicators, a rebound in March or April is possible, but it cannot be counted on. Some traders will prepare for a quick bounce; others will keep dry powder and wait for clearer confirmation. Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView
Bitcoin mining difficulty jumped 14.7% to 144.4T in a record absolute increase as hashrate rebounded after U.S. winter storm curtailments.
Metaplanet CEO Simon Gerovich has directly addressed anonymous claims that the company hid Bitcoin purchases, failed at options trading, and kept borrowing details from shareholders. Bitcoin is down 45% from its October high and now trades around $68,000. Metaplanet shares have dropped roughly 85% from their 2025 peak. Gerovich posted a point-by-point response on X, …
U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis has called on the Treasury Department to consider using America’s gold reserves to buy Bitcoin. The move aims to create a strategic Bitcoin reserve that could help reduce national debt and strengthen long-term financial stability. Lummis Urges Treasury to Use Gold Reserves for Bitcoin Senator Lummis proposed that the U.S. Treasury …
Three engineers are accused of stealing sensitive mobile processor and cryptography files from Google and two other companies.
Bitcoin’s mining difficulty jumped roughly 15% to a new all‑time high of about 144.4 trillion, bouncing back from a recent steep decline after storms reduced global hashrate by up to 30%. The rebound reflects miners powering machines back on and total hashrate climbing close to 1 zettahash per second, helping keep block times near the …
CME Group has spent most of its life as the financial plumbing moving the gears behind wheat hedges, rate bets, equity futures, the quiet machinery that keeps risk moving. Now it is taking a very public step into crypto’s always-on world. On May 29, CME says it will launch 24/7 trading for its cryptocurrency futures […]
The post The Bitcoin CME gap is dead – and past gaps could close forever in May this year appeared first on CryptoSlate.
Pi Network’s open mainnet just turned one. From exchange listings and protocol upgrades to over 16 million migrated users, the past year reads like a highlight reel. But behind the milestones, a different story is playing out. A significant portion of the Pi community still can’t touch their coins. KYC remains incomplete for millions. Tokens …
While the broader crypto market remains range-bound and selective, SUI is stabilizing near $0.94, quietly compressing beneath resistance as a new institutional narrative unfolds in the background. The price action may look calm on the surface, yet structurally, both supply mechanics and technical positioning are beginning to align. Two U.S. listed SUI ETFs have entered …
Bitcoin’s slide into the $60,000–$70,000 zone has lit up the usual “bottom” dashboards: extreme fear, washed-out positioning, and a cluster of indicators many traders treat as capitulation signals. But CryptoQuant contributor Mignolet says the market is missing the only thing that ultimately matters: a visible bid from dominant buyers. “What I emphasized in the $80K–$90K range still remains the same,” he wrote on Feb. 18. “Many indicators that market participants follow are pointing to a bottom and extreme fear. However, we do not see dominant players (whales) actually using this situation.” Mignolet’s core argument is simple: a bottom is not a sentiment reading, it’s an event and he doesn’t see the kind of forced absorption that typically marks a durable turn. “No matter how many indicators suggest a bottom, if there is no real buying force stepping in, we cannot know where the true bottom will be,” he said. “That is why I do not make price predictions lightly.” Related Reading: Revealed: The Biggest Bitcoin Holders Of 2026, According To Arkham Data He contrasted the current tape with the 2024 bull cycle, when fear could still dominate headlines even as large allocators quietly took the other side. In that period, he argues, the market had a measurable backstop: institutional demand showing up through US spot Bitcoin ETFs, specifically BlackRock’s IBIT and Fidelity’s FBTC, which “clearly absorbed the selling pressure.” The “most important point,” in his framing, is that the same mechanics aren’t showing up now. Mignolet says the accumulation pattern FBTC sustained for roughly a year has “already broken down,” and IBIT, previously described as a buffer during heavy sell pressure, is “now trending downward, unlike last year.” That shift is why he keeps the bottom call “on ice,” even if price ultimately holds the current region. In his view, Bitcoin remains in a phase where traders should “be cautious about further shocks,” and even a successful defense would likely require time before it can be treated as confirmed. When Everyone Reads The Same Bitcoin Data Beyond flow, Mignolet is also warning about a structural change in how market narratives form. He argues the proliferation of on-chain analytics has made the space more information-dense, but not necessarily more insightful and in some cases, more hazardous. Related Reading: Bitcoin Doesn’t Get A Macro ‘Bailout’ This Time: Alden Warns Of Gradual QE “The problem is that everyone looks at the same data and often reaches similar conclusions,” he wrote. “In many cases, even the people producing the data do not fully understand it. When information becomes too common, it pushes expectations in one direction.” He describes today’s well-packaged on-chain dashboards as “clean and convincing, almost like an answer sheet,” which can harden conviction precisely when flexibility is required. The downstream risk, he suggests, is that widespread agreement around “obvious” bottoms can keep investors anchored through deeper drawdowns or longer grind periods. In the near term, Mignolet’s base case is not a clean trend reversal but “sideways movement without a clear direction,” with enough volatility to create opportunities for short-term traders. For his own positioning, he described the period as “waiting,” stepping back to watch “liquidity flows, supply and demand conditions, and overall market sentiment,” then “reset” his framework. The bigger picture, he says, is still bearish and potentially more drawn out than he expected last year. His closing warning is that this down cycle is “unlikely to end lightly,” with the plausible outcomes being a larger-than-expected drop, a longer-than-expected sideways phase, or both. At press time, Bitcoin traded at $67,889. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
Metaplanet’s Simon Gerovich addressed critics who accused the company of hiding losses and key details of its Bitcoin bets, as investor anger over leveraged Bitcoin treasuries spreads.