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Demand for crypto ETFs is cooling off rapidly, with Bitcoin-focused funds experiencing their biggest weekly outflow since April. After a strong period of inflows, investors pulled money out for four of the five trading sessions last week. Total weekly net outflows reached $389.7 million. Fidelity's FBTC saw the largest single outflow at $153.2 million. Other major funds like Grayscale's GBTC ($88.3M), BlackRock's IBIT ($78.9M), ARK 21Shares' ARKB ($70.3M), and Bitwise's BITB ($31.6M) also recorded significant withdrawals. A rare bright spot was Grayscale's Bitcoin Mini Trust, which attracted nearly $76 million in new capital. Ether ETFs also ended the week with a small net outflow of approximately $2.26 million. In contrast, smaller altcoin ETFs showed more resilience. Solana ETFs led with $10.26 million in weekly inflows, while products tracking XRP and HYPE also saw positive flows, indicating selective investor interest persists in specific cryptocurrencies. The shift in sentiment occurred as macroeconomic data provided mixed signals. July's CPI and PPI figures largely met or came in below expectations, supporting hopes for interest rate cuts. However, Bitcoin ETFs, often used as a liquid tool for institutional crypto exposure, bore the brunt of the selling pressure as capital rotated away.

The story details a crypto investor who, while attempting to save their assets by moving $750,000 in Bitcoin from a Coldcard hardware wallet to a centralized exchange, had the funds stolen within 12 hours. The theft was attributed not to a blockchain or exchange flaw, but to a compromised Google account with cloud synchronization enabled for Google Authenticator. Following a 2023 update allowing automatic backup of 2FA codes to the cloud, this feature created a critical vulnerability. Once hackers gained control of the Google account, they accessed the synced authenticator codes, bypassing the exchange's security barriers. Experts note this effectively reduces two-factor authentication to a single, vulnerable point of failure. The article explains that such account compromises often occur via sophisticated phishing attacks or malware stealing session cookies, not brute force. The key lesson is that security cannot be compromised. Recommendations include disabling cloud sync in Google Authenticator for financial accounts, using offline hardware security keys, employing unique passwords, and isolating exchange accounts from everyday email. The incident underscores that a hardware wallet's security is nullified if the keys to a connected centralized exchange are left accessible via a single compromised cloud account.

Cryptocurrency analyst Benjamin Cowen provided a market outlook in a recent video, focusing on Bitcoin's current price stagnation. Bitcoin is trading in a low-volume sideways range around $62,000-$63,000. Cowen notes a significant drop in market interest, citing declines in social activity and crypto content views. He points out that Bitcoin's price is stuck between the 200-week moving average and a bear market resistance band, making a downward breakout similar to past cycles highly probable. The analyst highlights a divergence from traditional stock markets, as Bitcoin remains stagnant while U.S. equity indices hit new records—a pattern he says has historical precedents, like during the 2014 and 2018 U.S. midterm elections. Cowen asserts Bitcoin follows its own four-year cycle independently of stocks. Market volatility has fallen to historically low levels, with 60-day volatility at 1.47%. Cowen expects a significant volatility spike in the coming weeks, as sharp market moves typically follow such consolidation periods. He suggests a final downward wave could reset on-chain metrics, potentially marking the cycle bottom. Cowen optimistically views the current phase as month 10 of an expected 12-month bear market. He anticipates a new bull market may begin after the cycle bottom approaches. He concludes by advising the crypto industry to focus on fundamental development, moving beyond hype-driven memecoins and security vulnerabilities, rather than just capital attraction. *This is not investment advice.

Bitcoin surged back above $64,000 on Monday, reversing a dip below $63,000 that had threatened to revisit mid-August lows. The rally coincided with an announcement from MicroStrategy stating it had neither bought nor sold any Bitcoin over the past week. After falling to a daily low near $62,653, Bitcoin sharply reversed course, climbing approximately $1,000 in six hours to reach a daily high above $64,375. By early afternoon EST, it was trading above $64,200, marking a nearly 2% daily gain and turning its weekly performance positive. The price movement triggered significant liquidations in the derivatives market, with leveraged short positions losing $57.4 million over 24 hours, contributing to total crypto market liquidations nearing $220 million. While MicroStrategy paused its Bitcoin purchases, it increased its cash reserves to $4.8 billion using part of the proceeds from a recent common stock sale. The funds were also used for share buybacks and preferred dividend payments. Analysts suggest this focus on balance sheet strength helps mitigate near-term liquidation pressure, especially as Bitcoin's price remains about 15% below MicroStrategy's average acquisition cost of $75,385. However, critics argue the capital allocation disproportionately benefits preferred shareholders (STRC) over common stockholders (MSTR) and sidelines the company's core growth strategy of aggressive Bitcoin accumulation. Bitcoin initially appeared to react positively to reports of a potential 60-day ceasefire extension between the U.S. and Iran, but the rally's momentum faded after Iranian officials denied the reports. Consequently, Bitcoin currently lacks a clear macroeconomic catalyst to sustain a decisive bullish breakout.

Sean Farrell, head of digital asset strategy at Fundstrat, analyzes the current uncertain and volatile crypto market. He notes that while traditional tech stocks hit record highs, lagging crypto assets have created market apathy, which could be an early sign of a bottom forming. Farrell's base case suggests Bitcoin and the broader crypto market may experience one final sharp decline before initiating a sustained upward trend. It remains unclear if this drop will form a new deep low or test recent lows. He points out that global liquidity conditions and rising US 10-year Treasury yields continue to pressure liquidity-sensitive assets like cryptocurrencies in the short term. Farrell states that the tech sector's growth is driven by significant corporate profit increases, whereas the crypto market hasn't yet received the necessary monetary and fiscal liquidity. Although high US Treasury issuance and rising long-term bond yields are pressuring the market, he predicts a potential shift within the next 3-6 months. After risk appetite diminishes due to high interest rates, liquidity-boosting measures from regulators or central banks could trigger a new bull market. Additionally, Farrell believes that if a new governance proposal aimed at reducing inflation on the Solana network is adopted, it would lessen sell-side pressure and could act as a significant catalyst for the token's price.