Bitwise's BHYP posted $4.31 million in debut-day trading volume on May 15, the biggest opening among 2026 US spot altcoin ETF launches. Alongside 21Shares' THYP, which began trading on May 12 with $1.80 million in debut volume, the pair totaled $6.11 million in first-day activity. THYP has recorded $10.6 million in cumulative inflows over its first four sessions, while BHYP inflow data has not yet appeared.

Following the $292 million KelpDAO exploit on April 18, 2026, DeFi activity weakened across major protocols. DeFiLlama data indicates Aave's total value locked fell 44% over 30 days to about $14.77 billion, a roughly $11.605 billion reduction, while 31 of the top 50 protocols posted TVL declines in the same period.

Michael Saylor posted a new "orange dot" chart on Sunday, reviving expectations that MicroStrategy may soon disclose another Bitcoin purchase via an SEC 8-K filing. The company is said to hold 818,869 BTC, while Bitcoin is trading around $78,000 and investors are watching for Monday details on the amount bought and the average price.

Coinbase expanded its role on Hyperliquid after being granted USDH treasury deployer rights, and HYPE rose 17% in 24 hours to a yearly high of $46.93. Strategy reported record trading volume of $1.53 billion in its STRC preferred stock, highlighting the market’s focus on its bitcoin-funding setup. In Washington on May 14, Kevin Warsh was confirmed as Fed chair and the Senate Banking Committee voted 15-9 to advance the CLARITY Act.

Merlijn The Trader argued on May 17, 2026 that Bitcoin could revisit $33,000 if its midterm-election-year drawdown pattern repeats. He pointed to prior declines of 61% (2014), 65% (2018), and 66% (2022), while offering a less-bearish alternative range of $45,000–$59,000 that hinges on whether BTC holds $78,000 support.

Centralized crypto exchanges posted a net Bitcoin outflow of 5,740.82 BTC over the past 24 hours, indicating more BTC was withdrawn than deposited in that period. The reading suggests exchange-held balances declined, a data point traders often watch alongside price and volume to gauge near-term positioning.

Harvard Endowment has fully sold its $86.8 million stake in BlackRock’s spot Ethereum (ETH) ETF, after first disclosing the position in Q4 2025. ETH has slid nearly 8% this week and is watching $2,000 and $1,700 as key downside levels, while the article notes large holders increasingly taking short positions.

US spot Bitcoin ETFs posted a sharp reversal, recording about $1 billion in net outflows over the past five trading days after a prior week saw over $620 million in inflows. Spot Ethereum ETFs also stayed negative all week, totaling just over $255 million in net withdrawals, while ETH slipped from a $2,400 rejection to below $2,200. Over the same period, ETFs tracking SOL and XRP finished the week without any red days.