U.S. inflation removed an immediate source of anxiety from cryptocurrency markets on Thursday, but it did not provide enough momentum for a broad advance. Bitcoin steadied near $63,800, Ether remained below $1,900 and altcoins produced sharply divided performances as traders waited for a stronger policy, regulatory or liquidity catalyst.
Bitcoin traded at $63,809.22 at approximately 10:04 a.m. UAE time, rising 0.16 percent over 24 hours while remaining 1.46 percent lower over seven days. Its market capitalization reached $1.28 trillion, and 24-hour trading volume stood at $22.97 billion.
The wider cryptocurrency market was valued at approximately $2.18 trillion, with about $54.13 billion changing hands over the preceding 24 hours. The subdued movement showed that investors regarded the latest U.S. inflation release as reassuring but insufficient to push capital decisively into digital assets.
Inflation brings calm
The official July CPI showed that U.S. consumer prices increased 0.1 percent monthly and 3.4 percent annually. Core inflation, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.2 percent during July and eased to 2.5 percent from a year earlier.
Those figures reduced the implied probability of a Federal Reserve interest-rate increase in September to approximately 38 percent from 46 percent before the announcement. Bitcoin initially advanced about 0.5 percent and Ether gained slightly more than 1 percent, but both surrendered part of their increases as an in-line result removed a risk without creating a powerful new catalyst.
Bitcoin has spent several weeks moving within a range of roughly $62,000 to $66,000. A recent market analysis said cryptocurrency trading volumes had fallen to their lowest level in three years, with demand from exchange-traded funds being counterbalanced by sales from miners and corporate holders.
Strategy adds pressure
Strategy contributed to that supply after selling 1,690 bitcoins for $108.6 million between August 3 and 9 at an average price of $64,262. The company used the proceeds to repurchase preferred shares, according to its SEC filing.
The transaction took Strategy’s bitcoin disposals over four weeks to 6,916 coins valued at $429.4 million. At the same time, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted $853.54 million during the five sessions through August 7, recording their strongest week since the middle of April. The opposing flows helped explain why stronger institutional fund demand had not produced a sustained breakout.
Major tokens split
Ether rose 0.33 percent over 24 hours to $1,893.63 but remained 0.73 percent lower for the week. Its market capitalization reached $228.82 billion, while daily volume stood at $8.17 billion. BNB added 0.31 percent to $613.40 and was 2.81 percent higher weekly. XRP declined 0.70 percent to $1.0124, extending its seven-day loss to 3.50 percent.
Solana gained 0.55 percent to $76.447 but remained 2.99 percent lower for the week. TRON advanced 0.42 percent to $0.337696, taking its weekly increase to 2.93 percent. Hyperliquid led the large-cap performers with a 4.41 percent rise to $57.2840, while Dogecoin dropped 1.44 percent to $0.070536.
UNUS SED LEO climbed 2.95 percent to $9.3788, and Zcash gained 3.56 percent to $494.63. Monero slipped 0.78 percent to $393.111 but retained an 8.38 percent weekly advance. Cardano fell 0.48 percent to $0.1845, while Chainlink rose 0.41 percent to $8.765 and remained 7.43 percent higher over seven days.
Stellar gained 0.71 percent to $0.16162, and Bitcoin Cash added 0.94 percent to $214.80. Litecoin declined 0.58 percent to $45.03, Hedera fell 0.40 percent to $0.06633 and Avalanche surged 4.80 percent to $6.54. Sui rose 0.19 percent to $0.6905, while Shiba Inu gained 0.46 percent to $0.00000448 but remained 7.30 percent lower weekly.
Smaller tokens diverge
Bittensor fell 1.48 percent to $199.61, Uniswap declined 1.62 percent to $3.5632 and Cronos eased 0.35 percent to $0.04670. Their seven-day performances were a 1.91 percent gain, a 12.28 percent decline and a 13.35 percent decline, respectively.
OKB delivered the session’s strongest major gain, surging 7.76 percent to $102.99 and extending its weekly advance to 20.31 percent. NEAR Protocol added 1.56 percent to $1.6702, Ondo gained 0.69 percent to $0.33620 and Mantle rallied 5.77 percent to $0.4611. Aave lost 0.25 percent to $88.90, Polkadot fell 1.65 percent to $0.775 and Sky edged 0.06 percent higher to $0.05294.
Gold-backed tokens moved lower while retaining weekly gains. Tether Gold fell 0.53 percent to $4,365, and PAX Gold declined 0.68 percent to $4,373. Gram dipped 0.04 percent to $1.5127, Canton rose 0.01 percent to $0.099942, Aster slipped 0.02 percent to $0.6046 and MemeCore was unchanged at $1.18060.
Stablecoins stay firm
Stablecoins remained close to their intended pegs. Tether traded at $0.9994, USDC at $1.0009, Dai at $0.99967, Ethena USDe at $1.001 and Global Dollar at $1.000. World Liberty Financial USD1 stood at $1.0002, PayPal USD at $1.0011, Ripple USD at $1.00087, USDD at $1.0000 and United Stables at $1.0003. World Liberty Financial’s WLFI token was unchanged at $0.05050.
Inflation details matter
Shelter rose 0.1 percent and accounted for roughly two-thirds of July’s monthly advance, while food also increased 0.1 percent. Energy prices declined 1.5 percent, including a 2.9 percent drop in gasoline, but remained 14.7 percent higher annually, according to the official breakdown.
Core pressures were similarly measured. Services excluding energy services increased 0.2 percent in July and 3 percent annually. Shelter was 3.2 percent more expensive than a year earlier, while airline fares rose 2.2 percent during the month. The debate remains unresolved.
Fed decision approaches
The Federal Reserve kept its target at 3.5 percent to 3.75 percent on July 29. Nine policymakers supported the decision, while three preferred a quarter-point increase. The FOMC statement described economic activity as solid and said job gains had kept pace with workforce growth despite elevated uncertainty partly linked to the Middle East.
The next scheduled policy meeting will take place September 15–16 and include updated economic projections. Before then, investors will receive the August employment report on September 4 and August CPI on September 11, providing further evidence on whether softer hiring and moderating core inflation can keep rates unchanged.
Corporate holdings shift
Strategy retained 840,447 bitcoins after its latest disposal. It paid an aggregate $63.36 billion for those holdings, producing an average acquisition cost of $75,385 per coin. Its regulatory filing also showed that bitcoin-sale proceeds funded the repurchase of 1,152,020 Stretch preferred shares for $108.6 million.
Strategy separately raised $653.1 million by selling common stock, allocating $650 million to its U.S. dollar reserve and adding $3.1 million to cash. The reserve reached $4.65 billion on August 9 to support preferred-stock dividends and interest obligations, showing how corporate treasury needs can influence bitcoin supply independently of market sentiment.
ETF structure evolves
U.S. crypto funds now operate through a more mature structure than when spot products launched. In July 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission permitted authorized participants to create and redeem crypto ETP shares in kind. The SEC decision aligned bitcoin and Ether products more closely with other commodity-based funds and was intended to improve market efficiency.
The next policy discussion will arrive at the Jackson Hole symposium from August 27 to 29. Its 2026 theme addresses financial innovation and its implications for payments and policy. Traders will watch speeches and discussions for signals about innovation, liquidity and monetary conditions.
Regulatory path expands
The institutional channel changed materially in January 2024, when the SEC approved the listing and trading of several spot Bitcoin exchange-traded products. The approval order covered 11 products proposed for NYSE Arca, Nasdaq and Cboe BZX, allowing investors to obtain regulated, exchange-based exposure without holding bitcoin directly or managing private cryptographic keys themselves.
In May 2024, the SEC approved exchange rule changes covering spot Ether products, extending that framework to the second-largest cryptocurrency. The later introduction of in-kind transactions in July 2025 reduced operational differences between crypto ETPs and established commodity funds by allowing authorized participants to transfer underlying assets instead of relying exclusively on cash for creations and redemptions.
Congress added another layer in July 2025 when the GENIUS Act became law, creating the first federal framework specifically covering payment stablecoins. The House also passed the CLARITY Act, which addresses digital-asset market structure, although the measure remained under Senate consideration in 2026 and had not become law.
