Matrixport reported on February 17 that its Greed and Fear Index 21-day average for Bitcoin has dropped below zero, reaching one of its most pessimistic levels in recent years. The firm noted that such extreme fear has previously appeared near market bottoms, although further price declines remain possible. Bitcoin was trading around $68,000 with notable weekly and multi-month losses, while institutional products saw $380 million in outflows over the past seven days.

Harvard Management Company's 13F report dated December 31, 2025 indicates that BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) remains its largest disclosed crypto-related holding at roughly $265.8 million. The filing also notes a reduction of about 21% in IBIT shares during Q4 and the launch of an approximately $86.8 million allocation to the iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA), suggesting a broader institutional shift toward a multi-asset crypto approach.

On February 17, 2026, Paramount Skydance (PSKY) climbed 3.68% to $10.70 in premarket trading after a report that Warner Bros. Discovery is considering reopening acquisition talks. The move follows Paramount's amended bid, which includes covering a $2.8 billion breakup fee and up to $1.5 billion in debt refinancing costs, and comes as the stock continues to lag the broader market.

On February 17, 2026, European stock benchmarks climbed, with STOXX600 at 619.45 (+0.15%) and broad gains across the FTSE 100, DAX, CAC 40, SMI, IBEX 35, and PSI20. According to UK labor data, unemployment rose to 5.2%, pushing GBP/USD to 1.359 and helping lower gilt and euro‑area yields, while EU figures showed 0.3% Q4 2025 growth.

On February 6, Bitcoin dropped to $60,000, its lowest since October 2024, then rebounded to $72,000 before failing at $70,000 yesterday and slipping below $68,000. Pi Network's PI turned higher toward $0.18 and moved back into the top 50 by market cap. BTC's valuation is $1.355 trillion on CG, with dominance under 56.5%.

On 17 February 2026, data showed Binance had logged three consecutive months of net stablecoin outflows, with February's withdrawals nearing -$3B by mid-month. Since November, the exchange's stablecoin reserves have fallen from roughly $50.9B to about $41.8B, indicating reduced on-exchange liquidity and an extended de-risking phase. This sustained drain in stablecoin balances points to more cautious positioning among market participants.

Decentralized lending protocol ZeroLend will fully shut down after roughly three years of operation, with founder Ryker citing inactive and low‑liquidity blockchains and oracle providers dropping support as key reasons. The protocol, which focused on Ethereum layer‑2 networks, has seen its total value locked plunge from nearly $359 million in November 2024 to $6.6 million, while its ZERO token dropped 34% in the last 24 hours as users are urged to withdraw remaining funds.

On Tuesday, Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan argued that the current crypto bear market is far less severe than the downturns of 2018 and 2022, noting stronger fundamentals such as ETFs, DeFi infrastructure and improving tokenomics. Total crypto market capitalization has fallen about 49% from an October peak near $4.4 trillion to a low of $2.23 trillion on Feb. 6, compared with drawdowns of 88% in 2018 and roughly 73% in 2022. Despite recent volatility that pushed Bitcoin down to around $60,000 on Feb. 6 before recovering to about $68,000, on-chain data suggests many long-term holders remain in profit.