Bitcoin holds above $77K as ETF six-day loss streak weighs on DeFi confidence

Bitcoin's 0.90% gain to $77,582 came on the back of a macro tailwind: oil prices fell roughly 5%, which lifted Asian equity markets and nudged investors toward riskier assets, including crypto. That external lift was the clearest single catalyst for the day's positive tone at the top of the market. The more consequential story is the Bitcoin ETF loss streak. Spot Bitcoin ETFs — the funds that allow traditional investors to hold BTC without a crypto wallet — have now recorded outflows for six consecutive days, bringing 2026's cumulative ETF flows close to net negative. That sustained redemption pressure is a meaningful signal: institutional money that entered through ETFs earlier this year is pulling back, and the Fear & Greed index sitting at 30 (in "Fear" territory) reflects that caution. DeFi tokens felt the pressure most directly. Uniswap fell 2.13% as reduced ETF confidence rippled into higher-risk corners of the market. Zcash was the notable outlier among the top 15, rising 4.03% with no clear news catalyst — likely a technical move on thin volume. Ethereum was essentially flat at $2,118, down just 0.01%, which is less a sign of strength than a sign that neither buyers nor sellers had conviction. Most of the top 15 moved less than 1% in either direction, consistent with a market in a holding pattern.

• –Nasdaq will begin listing Bitcoin options — standardized contracts that let investors bet on or hedge against Bitcoin's price — marking a significant step toward deeper institutional market infrastructure.
• –Security researchers identified a malware campaign called TrapDoor targeting developer environments for Aptos, Sui, and Solana projects, raising supply-chain security concerns for those ecosystems.
• –Hyperliquid, a decentralized trading platform, is drawing attention from institutional broker FalconX as a credible challenger to both traditional crypto exchanges and prediction markets.