Top Crypto News Today 17 August – Washington Crypto Breakthrough, BTC ETFs, FOMC Minutes

The crypto market looks calm on the surface, but several forces that can decide Bitcoin’s next move are starting to pull in opposite directions.

Investors are becoming less worried about higher interest rates, while money is still leaving Bitcoin funds and Washington’s promised crypto rulebook has hit another delay.

We filtered through the noise. Here’s what you need to know today.

Bitcoin Is Rising Again, But the Market Is Not Convinced Yet

Bitcoin has started the week higher, but this is not a full return of confidence.

Bitcoin is trading around $63,300, up roughly 0.5% today, after reaching an intraday high above $63,600.

One reason is that investors are reducing bets on another U.S. interest rate increase. Lower rates usually make riskier investments such as Bitcoin more attractive because borrowing becomes cheaper and more money can flow into markets.

That view was strengthened by Friday’s U.S. retail sales report. Sales unexpectedly fell 0.6% in July, suggesting consumers may be starting to slow down.

The next major test comes Wednesday when the Federal Reserve releases minutes from its July meeting. Investors will be looking for clues about whether officials still see higher rates as necessary.

Bitcoin ETFs Have Now Lost Money for Three Straight Trading Days

There is one problem with Bitcoin’s rebound: some large investors are still heading for the exit.

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded another $56.2 million of net withdrawals on Friday, following $131.1 million on Thursday and $61.1 million on Wednesday, according to Farside Investors.

An ETF lets investors gain exposure to Bitcoin without directly owning the cryptocurrency.

These funds have become an important gateway for institutional money, so persistent withdrawals can reduce one of Bitcoin’s biggest sources of buying demand.

That makes today’s price increase particularly interesting. Bitcoin is rising even while ETF demand has weakened.

Washington’s Crypto Breakthrough Has Been Delayed Again

Crypto investors have also lost another potential catalyst.

The SEC cancelled a planned meeting on new crypto rules that could have made it easier for crypto startups to raise money under exemptions from traditional securities requirements.

The delay comes after the Senate went into recess without completing work on the Clarity Act, legislation designed to create clearer federal rules for digital assets.

Clear rules matter because banks, asset managers and other large institutions are generally more willing to invest when they know exactly what is legal and how assets will be regulated.

For now, one of crypto’s biggest hoped-for catalysts remains unfinished.

Bitcoin Is Waiting for Its Next Catalyst. But What Could Drive the Next Decade?

Right now, Bitcoin is caught between weaker ETF demand, changing interest-rate expectations and another delay in Washington.

Those forces could decide what happens over the next few weeks.

But the much bigger opportunities may come from shifts that play out over years, as trillions of dollars move into technologies capable of reshaping entire industries.

That’s why we’ve prepared The $5 Trillion Signal for you.

It’s a free, beginner-friendly briefing on five technologies we believe could reshape the global economy, including AI, robotics, energy, biotech and blockchain, plus the investment themes positioned to benefit.

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