As lawmakers on the US Senate Banking Committee prepare to markup a major crypto market-structure bill this week, the fate of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY) centers on whether an ethics provision can win broad bipartisan support. Democrats, who have historically used ethics language as a gatekeeper for passage, appear prepared to hold firm on this point even as negotiators on stablecoin yield and other crypto issues push for a clearer path forward.

The CLARITY Act, which cleared the House of Representatives in July 2025, has faced months of procedural delays as lawmakers sought to iron out language on stablecoins, tokenized equities, and governance standards. In parallel, the Senate Agriculture Committee already advanced its own version of the bill in January, underscoring the challenge of reconciling securities and commodities considerations across committees before any floor vote. If both panels can forge a unified bill, it would then move toward consideration by the full Senate and, potentially, the White House.

Key takeaways

• The Senate Banking Committee is slated to markup CLARITY this week, but any progress hinges on resolving an ethics provisions compromise that Democrats say is non-negotiable.
• Democrats, led by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, insist that ethics language addressing conflicts of interest must be part of any final bill; Republicans signal willingness to negotiate but demand a bipartisan framework for ethics rules.
• A recent compromise on stablecoin yield between Sen. Thom Tillis and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks could unlock movement, but Democrats have signaled they won’t back the bill without ethics reforms in place.
• Even with committee approval, the bill would still require reconciliation between the House and Senate versions before it could reach the president’s desk, delaying potential enactment.
• Context around the debate includes notable political dynamics in which crypto policy intersects with wider governance concerns and industry lobbying, including signals from industry groups and notable politicians.

Ethics as the hinge of CLARITY

Senator Gillibrand characterized ethics language as the central hurdle for CLARITY’s advancement. In comments to Cointelegraph, she emphasized that a robust ethics framework is essential so officials cannot leverage insider information for personal gain. Her stance aligns with a broader Democratic position that any final bill must include guardrails to prevent conflicts of interest among members of Congress and top executive offices.

“Americans deserve a well-regulated market with strong consumer protections and real ethics reforms so politicians can’t cash in on their insider status for personal gain.”

Support for keeping ethics provisions intact is mirrored by other lawmakers who sit on the banking committee. Senator Tim Scott, who chairs the panel from the Republican side, has flagged concerns about tying crypto policy to unrelated political matters. He has argued that any ethics elements should be addressed through a bipartisan process and outside the jurisdiction of the banking committee itself. Meanwhile, Senator Cynthia Lummis, a leading Republican voice on crypto, has urged swift action on CLARITY, signaling she would back the measure if the ethics issue is resolved to broad satisfaction.

The tension around ethics reflects a wider strategic calculus: even if the Banking Committee marks up CLARITY favorably, the bill’s fate hinges on how ethics concerns are adjudicated on the Senate floor and in reconciliation with the House version. A source familiar with the discussions noted that ethics language “has to be tackled on the floor,” suggesting it could be the decisive factor delaying or enabling a final vote.

Stablecoin yield and the broader negotiation

Earlier in the month, Senators Tillis and Alsobrooks announced a compromise on stablecoin yield terms that some analysts viewed as a potential unlock for the legislation. This development signaled a willingness to move forward on a key technical plank of CLARITY without necessarily sacrificing safeguards for investors and the public. However, Democratic leadership has made clear that any forward motion cannot come at the expense of ethics provisions, framing the negotiation as a two-track process: one focused on financial-technology governance and another on inside-ethical constraints.

Industry observers welcomed the shift but cautioned that a compromise on yield alone would not guarantee passage. Cody Carbone, chief executive of the Digital Chamber—an industry advocacy group—told Cointelegraph that while momentum on the technical elements is encouraging, “ethics has to be tackled on the floor, it’s not within the jurisdiction of the Senate Banking Committee, so I don’t expect it to hold up the markup.”

A two-chamber path and the broader political backdrop

Even if the Banking Committee moves CLARITY forward, the legislation would still need to be reconciled with the House version. The House passed its version in 2025, and the two chambers would have to agree on differences before it could proceed to the president for signature. The process creates a window of uncertainty, with timing contingent on cross-chamber negotiations and the political calendar.

The policy debate has unfolded amid a broader political landscape where the crypto industry intersects with campaign finance and potential conflicts-of-interest concerns. Reports have highlighted the president’s ties to crypto ventures, a factor that some lawmakers say influences public scrutiny. Forbes reported that the president’s personal fortune increased substantially in 2025 due, in part, to crypto ventures, underscoring the perceived political sensitivities around crypto regulation in the current administration.

Industry insiders and political observers alike have noted that the path forward will likely hinge on bipartisan agreement on ethics, as well as whether the stability-and-yield provisions can be framed to satisfy regulators and investors without inviting new ambiguities. Galaxy Digital has identified a slate of Democrats it views as pivotal to advancing the bill, reflecting the effort to assemble a broad coalition across party lines.

As negotiations continue, key senators have signaled openness to a deal while keeping their red lines intact. Senator Gillibrand has been explicit about the need for ethics safeguards, and Senator Lummis has kept pressure on colleagues to vote in favor once those safeguards are in place. The interplay between these positions illustrates how policy design—particularly around ethics—can shape the pace and outcome of crypto-market regulation in the United States.

The political dynamic is further complicated by ongoing market sentiment around CLARITY. Prediction markets have reflected a spectrum of expectations, with some participants pricing in a path to passage this Congress and others remaining skeptical about the feasibility of a timely compromise that satisfies both chambers and the White House.

Industry voices emphasize that regulatory clarity remains a priority for market participants seeking predictable rules and basic protections. The CLARITY bill’s proponents argue that a well-structured framework could reduce regulatory ambiguity and support responsible innovation, while opponents warn of overreach or unintended consequences that could hamper growth in the sector. The balancing act continues as lawmakers weigh the potential benefits of clear rules against the need for robust oversight and ethics safeguards.

What to watch next

The next milestones are clear but contingent: the Banking Committee markup, the emergence of a durable ethics framework, and progress toward House-Senate reconciliation. If a bipartisan framework on ethics emerges, CLARITY could gain momentum in the Senate; if not, the bill may face renewed stalemate and delay. Investors and builders will be watching not only the substantive provisions—such as how stablecoins and tokenized assets are treated—but also how the ethics language is drafted and enforced, since that could determine whether lawmakers can sustainably support the bill.

Looking ahead, market participants should monitor whether the compromise on stablecoin yield withstands scrutiny and whether the House and Senate can align their versions on this point. The involvement of senior figures on both sides of the aisle—together with influential industry groups—will shape the narrative around CLARITY in the months ahead. As the debate unfolds, readers should stay attuned to statements from lawmakers on ethics provisions and any new fundraising or lobbying activity tied to the bill’s passage.

In short, CLARITY’s fate rests on a delicate agreement: governance safeguards that earn broad trust, and technical provisions that reassure markets. The clock is ticking as committees move in parallel, with the crypto industry watching for a signal that the United States is prepared to adopt a comprehensive, well-structured framework for digital assets.

Polymarket now hosts “tweet markets” on Elon Musk’s weekly post count, turning his X activity into on‑chain micro‑event data with wild intraday probability swings.

This is not an isolated novelty; it is part of a broader transformation of prediction markets into a real-time layer of probabilistic data for everything from elections and macro prints to pop‑culture and social metrics. A recent Metamask overview of 2026 prediction‑market trends notes that platforms like Polymarket now function as “probability feeds” where $0.67 implies a 67% chance of an outcome, and binary contracts pay $1 if the event happens and $0 otherwise, turning prices into live odds. That piece also highlights how AI‑powered market makers and bots adjust spreads based on information flow, while community discussion and user‑generated research reduce information silos and push traders toward better calibration.

The Musk tweet markets sit at the intersection of those trends. On one level, they are pure entertainment — traders betting on whether the world’s most watched CEO will spam 80, 120 or 160 posts in a week. On another, they are a stress test for how well decentralized prediction venues can ingest and price high-frequency, objectively verifiable outcomes, which look very different from slow‑moving elections or binary regulatory decisions. The contracts are resolved by counting on‑chain a defined set of X posts over a fixed window, allowing bots and AI agents to scrape, cross‑check and trade on near‑real‑time data about Musk’s behavior, in effect turning his timeline into a live volatility source.

More broadly, the rise of these micro‑prediction markets suggests that “market data” itself is being redefined. In the old model, traders consumed social media as unstructured noise while looking at price feeds and order books. In the emerging one, the social variables — tweet counts, viral posts, influencer engagement — are becoming their own priced markets, with probabilities that can be charted, fed into agents, and compared over time. If 2024–2025 was the era when prediction platforms proved they could call elections better than pollsters, the Musk tweet contracts of 2026 hint at the next step: a world where every quantifiable piece of digital life, from the number of posts a billionaire makes to the odds of a meme crossing a threshold, can be expressed as a tradable probability curve on-chain.

Australia is weighing a capital gains tax overhaul that would scrap the long‑standing 50% discount on assets held more than a year and replace it with an inflation‑indexed system, a shift that could materially raise tax bills for crypto and stock investors if it takes effect from the 2027–28 tax year.

Australia’s government is weighing a capital gains tax overhaul that would scrap the long‑standing 50% discount on assets held more than a year and replace it with an inflation‑indexed system, a move that could materially raise the tax bill on cryptocurrency and stock investors. Under the proposal outlined in a consultation paper reported by FinanceFeeds, individuals would no longer simply halve their taxable gain after 12 months; instead, they would adjust their cost base for inflation and pay CGT on the full “real” gain, with the changes penciled in to apply from the 2027–28 tax year.

From a simple 50% discount to inflation indexation

Australia’s current CGT regime, introduced in 1999, gives individuals a 50% discount on capital gains when they hold an asset — including crypto, equities and investment property — for more than one year, meaning only half the gain is added to taxable income. The new proposal would remove that blunt discount and instead allow taxpayers to uplift their original purchase price by cumulative inflation, then tax the entire inflation‑adjusted gain at their marginal rate, a structure that Treasury argues is fairer because it targets “real” rather than nominal gains.

In practice, that change bites hardest in low‑inflation environments and during strong bull markets. FinanceFeeds notes that with inflation currently running well below the double‑digit spikes seen earlier in the decade, indexation will erase only a small portion of the nominal gain, leaving most of it taxable — in many cases producing a higher bill than today’s 50% haircut. In scenarios where an asset triples or quadruples in price over several years while inflation ticks along at 2%–3%, the new formula could effectively double the CGT owed relative to the existing regime, especially for higher‑bracket taxpayers.

Why crypto investors could be hit hardest

FinanceFeeds highlights that this would “significantly increase the tax burden on unrealized gains during periods of high appreciation,” particularly for volatile assets like Bitcoin and long‑tail tokens where a few years of outperformance can produce huge nominal gains that far outstrip inflation. The effect is to weaken the structural incentive for long‑term holding and potentially nudge some investors toward shorter‑term trading or offshore tax planning, even as regulators elsewhere push for longer holding periods to reduce speculation.

The proposal is still at the discussion stage and will likely face heavy resistance from investor groups, industry associations and parts of the financial sector. Critics are already framing the move as a stealth tax grab that sacrifices capital formation and risk‑taking in the name of “fairness,” while supporters argue that taxing only real gains is more equitable and removes distortions that favor capital over wages. For crypto in particular, the debate crystallizes a broader tension: governments want to treat digital assets like any other investment for tax purposes, but the combination of high volatility and an inflation‑indexed CGT regime could make Australia one of the tougher major jurisdictions for long‑term HODLers if the reform goes through as sketched.

Seven pools covering 75% of Bitcoin hashrate have joined Stratum V2, shifting block control to individual miners.

Seven of the world’s largest Bitcoin mining pools have joined the Stratum V2 working group, giving the open protocol a combined hashrate share of nearly 75%. Foundry, AntPool, F2Pool, SpiderPool, MARA Pool, Block Inc., and DMND are all now backing the standard.

Foundry alone controls 34.2% of global Bitcoin hashrate, AntPool another 14.2%, F2Pool 11.3%, and SpiderPool 10.5%, with MARA Pool adding 4.7%, per Hashrate Index data. The Stratum V2 working group announced the new members last week.

Why this shift matters for Bitcoin

Under the current Stratum V1 standard, pool operators decide which transactions go into every block. Individual miners have no say, and that concentration has been the loudest structural concern modern Bitcoin mining has faced.

Stratum V2 does not reduce hashrate concentration. The same large pools still command the same share of computing power. What changes is who decides the contents of each block, separating the two risks that previously compounded each other.

AntPool CEO Andy Zhou said the company is “proud to support the broader adoption of Stratum V2,” adding that an open, interoperable standard lets the industry collaborate on efficiency, security, and decentralization.

Timing and mining economics

The announcement lands during a difficult stretch for the industry. CoinShares estimated that up to 20% of the global Bitcoin mining fleet may be operating unprofitably under current conditions.

Network difficulty is set to rise again on May 15, climbing from 132.47T to 135.64T. Tether has separately been building its own open-source Mining Development Kit to unify hardware management across fleets, adding another layer of infrastructure competition as pools race to modernise their technology stacks.

Bitcoin is trading above $80,000, according to CoinDesk market data, after recovering from Friday’s dip, but the rebound still looks more like a market testing resistance than a decisive move higher.

The market structure tells a more complicated story than the price alone, according to market observers.

Beneath bitcoin’s rebound, buyers are becoming more active, and structural support from ETFs remains intact, but much of the recent activity is also being amplified by leveraged futures traders rather than purely spot demand. That makes the recovery more vulnerable to a macro disappointment, particularly with inflation data looming.

Singapore-based market maker Enflux said in a note to CoinDesk that ETF demand and low exchange reserves are helping to build a structural floor for BTC, while Glassnode’s market indicators in its most recent weekly report show buyers becoming more aggressive in both the spot and perpetual markets.

The problem is that the improvement is not clean. Momentum has eased, leverage has risen, and funding is showing more short-side demand, suggesting traders are still hedging against the rally rather than fully embracing it.

That leaves bitcoin in an awkward middle ground. BTC is up 13.4% over the past 30 days and is holding above $81,000, but Friday’s reaction to the stronger-than-expected jobs report — strong numbers mean the Fed is less likely to cut rates — showed how sensitive the market remains to recent buyer cost bases. The headline number beat consensus, yet BTC fell from about $82,000 to $79,743 before recovering over the weekend.

“A headline beat should have cleared $80,700 cleanly, but spot pulled back first,” Enflux wrote. “That level is real overhead, not just a chart marker.”

If risk appetite is returning, why hasn’t BTC broken out more convincingly? Enflux points to an unusual comparison point, arguing that the recovering luxury watch market may offer an early read on how affluent investors are behaving.

Citing Morgan Stanley’s latest secondary watch data, the firm noted that prices rose 1.9% in the first quarter, with gains spreading across 25 of 35 tracked brands as value retention and inventory turnover improved. The broader takeaway is not that crypto money is flowing into watches, but that affluent buyers are re-engaging with risk assets where pricing, scarcity and demand look easier to underwrite after a long correction.

That creates an uncomfortable contrast for bitcoin: if high-end risk appetite is thawing, BTC’s continued struggle to decisively break above key resistance suggests crypto has not yet become the clearest expression of that returning confidence.

Glassnode’s trading data suggests buyers are becoming more aggressive, but not in a way that fully resolves the question of conviction. One key measure is cumulative volume delta, or CVD, which tracks whether traders are more aggressively buying at market prices or selling into bids.

In simple terms, it helps show who is pushing the market. Glassnode said spot CVD, which reflects activity in the underlying bitcoin market, rose 46.4% from $42.4 million to $62.0 million, suggesting buyers are increasingly willing to pay up rather than wait for cheaper entry points.

Perpetual CVD, the same measure applied to crypto futures, jumped from $110.0 million to $410.3 million, showing leveraged traders are also leaning more bullish. That can accelerate gains, but it is a less durable signal than spot demand because futures positions can reverse quickly if sentiment shifts. The caution signals are just as important.

Bitcoin, market observers say, has a stronger floor than it did a month ago, but the next leg higher may depend less on crypto-native enthusiasm than on whether inflation data gives traders enough confidence to stop hedging the rally and start chasing it.

Circle launched a suite of tools designed to let AI agents hold wallets, discover services and make programmable payments using USDC, as companies race to build financial infrastructure for autonomous software systems.

The products, released under Circle’s new “Agent Stack,” include agent-focused wallets, a command-line developer interface, a marketplace for agentic services and a nanopayments protocol for machine-to-machine transactions.

Circle said the nanopayments infrastructure supports gas-free USDC (USDC) transfers as small as $0.000001 and is designed for high-frequency autonomous payment flows between software systems.

The company said the tools are built to allow AI agents to transact autonomously within predefined permissions, spending controls and policy guardrails across supported blockchains and payment networks.

The rollout also includes Circle CLI, a command interface for developers and AI agents building applications on Circle’s platform, and Agent Wallets, which the company said are designed for agents to hold, send and manage funds independently.

Circle is the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, the second-largest stablecoin by market capitalization with roughly $78 billion in circulation, according to DeFiLlama data. Shares of Circle (CRCL) were up around 18% in midday trading and more than 51% over the past month.

Source: Yahoo Finance

Related: Why stablecoins and SWIFT may have to coexist

Stablecoins emerge as payment rails for AI agents

Circle’s launch comes as crypto companies increasingly position stablecoins and blockchain networks as financial infrastructure for AI agents.

In March, MoonPay released an open-source wallet standard designed to let AI agents manage funds and execute transactions across blockchains through a shared wallet framework with built-in policy controls and encrypted key storage. That same month, BitGo launched an AI-focused developer tool that allows AI agents and assistants to access wallet tools, API resources and technical documentation through natural-language prompts.

Visa also introduced a command-line tool for AI-driven payments without exposing API keys, while Stripe-backed Tempo launched a blockchain and payments protocol designed for stablecoin transactions between autonomous software systems.

Meanwhile, Coinbase said its Ethereum layer-2 network Base was upgrading infrastructure for an “AI agent economy,” with plans focused on stablecoin payments, tokenized assets and developer tools for autonomous software systems.

Last week, Exodus launched XO Cash, a Solana-based stablecoin and developer toolkit designed to let AI agents make payments through agent-linked wallets with configurable spending controls and access to Visa payment rails.

The growing push toward AI-driven automation has already begun to reshape company workforces. Earlier this month, Coinbase said it would cut roughly 14% of its staff, as CEO Brian Armstrong pointed to advances in AI as one of the factors changing how its teams operate.

Source: Brian Armstrong

Magazine: AI-driven hacks could kill DeFi — unless projects act now

The crypto market is moving, but not every coin is moving in the right direction. Shiba Inu price prediction points to weak demand and fading hype, with support sitting precariously near $0.000005 and no clear catalyst to push it higher. Likewise, Pi Network price hovers around $0.18, stuck in a sideways drift and waiting for real fundamentals to emerge. Two speculative plays, two uncertain roads.

Then there’s BlockDAG, which is dominating the best crypto to buy conversations for investors who want utility over promises. With its casino live, a sportsbook incoming, and over $5 million in projected daily volume, this isn’t speculation; it’s momentum backed by proof. Let’s see how all three will fare in the weeks ahead.

SHIB Price Prediction Weakens: Support Nears Breakdown

Shiba Inu price prediction shows SHIB is trading at very low levels with weak demand and low volume. Technical charts suggest a tight squeeze, meaning a big move could come soon. Momentum is slightly positive but not confirmed, as buying interest remains thin, making it risky for short-term traders.

If buyers return, SHIB could rally toward higher resistance, but if sentiment stays weak, it may fall toward support near 0.000005. Lack of whale activity and fading hype increases uncertainty, making direction unpredictable and fast moves more likely than steady trends. Traders should expect sudden volatility rather than slow movement in most scenarios.

Shiba Inu price prediction suggests the token remains highly speculative, with outcomes depending mostly on market sentiment, meaning it could either spike quickly or continue losing value if interest does not return.

Pi Network Price Stuck in Sideways Range

The Pi Network price is currently around $0.18 and moving mostly sideways, showing no strong trend up or down. Market sentiment is cautious because trading is still based on IOU-style activity rather than a fully open blockchain economy.

Forecasts suggest the token may stay in a tight range through 2026 unless major updates increase real usage and demand. Uncertain supply unlocks are also weighing on confidence, keeping investors from pricing in strong long-term growth.

Overall, Pi Network price reflects a waiting phase where the market is looking for clearer fundamentals before a breakout. Until a fully open mainnet, stronger developer adoption, and clearer token distribution rules are confirmed, price action is likely to remain range-bound.

BlockDAG Utility Surges as Casino Goes Live!

BlockDAG is making a compelling case for itself as the best crypto to buy right now, and it’s easy to see why. The project’s casino has officially gone live, marking a turning point toward actual, working utility.

Plus, a full sportsbook is set to unlock soon, which will bring an entirely new category of users and betting volume into the ecosystem. That kind of real-world utility translates directly into on-chain activity, and analysts are already projecting over $5 million in daily volume flowing through the platform.

That figure doesn’t exist in isolation either; incentives, token burns, and buybacks are all built into the system, meaning every dollar of casino activity has a structural effect on BDAG’s demand over time.

Alongside the casino, the BDAGX10 Swap Telegram App is running live, letting users enter hourly events, submit BDAG, earn USDT rewards, and withdraw instantly, a self-sustaining rewards loop that keeps demand constant, independent of casino traffic.

The AfterSale has now closed, and Batch 5 claims open on May 14, giving the community a clear distribution timeline. And here’s the exciting news: for the next 3 days, buyers can secure 160x ROI by purchasing BDAG at just $0.0000005 in the utility presale!

The roadmap ahead makes things even more promising. May brings DEX activation and liquidity pool incentives, deepening the on-chain ecosystem, while June introduces a full Super App complete with lending, oracles, and dApps, significantly widening BlockDAG’s utility footprint. Those looking to earn massive gains have a clear reason to act this week.

Which Is The Best Crypto to Buy Now?

The picture for SHIB and Pi isn’t too optimistic right now. Shiba Inu price prediction leaves traders with more questions than answers, thin volume, no whale activity, and a support level at $0.000005 that could crack under pressure.

The Pi Network is also range-bound and waiting for fundamentals that haven’t arrived yet. For patient holders, that might be fine. For anyone looking to put capital to work today, the math simply doesn’t add up.

BlockDAG, on the other hand, is taking off fast. The live casino is projected to see $5 million in daily volume. Plus, the token burns, buybacks, the BDAGX10 Swap App, and a Super App roadmap all suggest even more utility ahead.

This level of execution is rare for a new project, and that’s what makes it the best crypto to buy for anyone seeking a strong long-term opportunity today.

Presale: https://purchase.blockdag.network

Website: https://blockdag.network

Telegram: https://t.me/blockDAGnetworkOfficial

Discord: https://discord.gg/Q7BxghMVyu

Disclaimer: This is a Press Release provided by a third party who is responsible for the content. Please conduct your own research before taking any action based on the content.

Key takeaways:

• Bitcoin derivatives show limited conviction among pro traders, but ETF flows and Strategy could play a role in the next higher rally. 
• Reduced odds of a peace plan between the US and Iran, and high oil prices, could impede Bitcoin’s price discovery.

Bitcoin (BTC) flirted with the $82,000 level on Monday, sparking a brief surge in demand for bullish leverage. Bitcoin has held near $80,000 for over a week, prompting many traders to bet on further upside. However, derivative metrics show that professional players remain skeptical, leaving many to wonder whether $85,000 is actually within reach.

Bitcoin perpetual futures annualized funding rate. Source: Laevitas

The annualized funding rate for Bitcoin perpetual futures briefly jumped to 6% on Monday, touching neutral-to-bullish territory for the first time in over a month. Still, the indicator has mostly stayed negative, signaling more demand for bearish leverage. This lack of confidence among bulls doesn’t necessarily block further gains, but it does highlight a cautious mood among traders.

US-listed Bitcoin spot ETFs daily net flows, USD. Source: SoSoValue

Outflows from US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs on Thursday and Friday likely fueled this bearish sentiment. Since ETF flows are a go-to proxy for institutional interest, seeing a reversal right as Bitcoin failed to break $82,000 on several attempts is triggering real concern across the market.

Bitcoin miners pivot to AI, BTC price remains stable 

The artificial intelligence sector continues to capture investors’ attention, especially after several Bitcoin mining firms pivoted to high-performance computing. Iren (IREN US) announced a massive $34 billion deal with Nvidia on Friday. Additionally, Core Scientific (CORZ US) recently announced plans to expand its campus in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

Bitcoin’s hashrate dropped to its lowest point in eight weeks on April 26, but the indicator showed plenty of resilience throughout May.

Bitcoin 7-day average hashrate, exahashes per second. Source: Blockchain.com

The estimated processing power supporting the Bitcoin network climbed 5% in just two weeks, reaching 970 exahashes per second. While this is still far from the peak of 1,150 exahashes per second, the fear that miners would abandon the network for AI proved irrational. 

Even so, bullish momentum hasn’t quite returned for traders, as Bitcoin remains 35% below its all-time high.

Bitcoin 30-day options delta skew (put-call) at Deribit. Source: Laevitas

The Bitcoin options delta skew (put-call) sat at 10% on Monday, unchanged from the previous week. Put (sell) options are trading at a premium, hinting that whales and market makers aren’t comfortable holding downside risk right now. Whether the main issue is the economy or geopolitics, professional traders clearly fear a correction.

Related: Bitcoin stalls as BTC ETF outflows hit $268M–Will new Fed chair restore the rally?

Outside of crypto, Brent crude oil prices jumped above $105 on Monday as the Strait of Hormuz remains partially closed due to the war in Iran. US President Donald Trump called Iran’s latest demands “totally unacceptable,” while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued the conflict won’t end until Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles are “taken out.”

On the corporate BTC treasury side, Strategy (MSTR US) announced it acquired $43 million in Bitcoin after a one-week break. The buy was funded by selling company shares. So, while the derivatives market still feels a bit bearish, the path to $85,000 is still wide open. Any fresh inflows into Bitcoin spot ETFs this week could easily be the catalyst the market needs.