“`html
Cryptocurrency markets displayed mixed signals as investor caution mounted before major policy events, including a Federal Reserve rate decision and a White House crypto report. Market participants appeared hesitant to make significant moves while awaiting these key developments.
Large-cap crypto assets remained mostly unchanged over the past 24 hours, while the total crypto market cap dropped to approximately $3.92 trillion, representing a 4.1% decline on the day according to CoinGecko data. Exchange-wide trading volume fell to roughly $138 billion during the same period.
Bitcoin continues its sideways trading pattern this week, hovering just below $118,000 with minimal movement on both daily and weekly charts. The flagship cryptocurrency reached as high as $118,644 earlier in the session before pulling back to current levels.
The leading digital asset has stayed within a defined range over recent weeks, prompting analysts at Glassnode to suggest in yesterday’s report that a decisive break from this zone could fundamentally alter market dynamics. They noted that a confirmed breakout beyond this area could shift market focus toward the $141,000 region, though this level might spark aggressive profit-taking activity.
🚨Crypto on the Edge!
BTC stuck in a tight range — a breakout or breakdown incoming? 📉📈
All eyes on FOMC today 👀 Powell’s tone = market move.
Meanwhile, ETH ETFs saw $218.6M inflows — bulls loading up! 🐂💰Watch this sharp market update by Delta Exchange 🎯
🎥👇#Bitcoin… pic.twitter.com/U6f3ATcJdG— Delta Exchange (@Delta_Exchange) July 30, 2025
Ethereum marked its ten-year anniversary since launch while remaining relatively flat on the day, posting gains just under 1% to trade around $3,800. The largest altcoin has climbed almost 5% over the week and more than 50% during the past month.
Other major altcoins showed varied performance, with XRP maintaining its position above the $3 threshold but declining 5% over the past week, surrendering some of this month’s earlier gains. Solana traded near $179, down 1.5% for the day and nearly 7% for the week, continuing to reverse portions of its July advances. The token had broken above $200 last week for the first time since February.
Liquidation data revealed that approximately $217 million in leveraged crypto positions were eliminated over the past day, based on CoinGlass figures. Ethereum dominated 24-hour liquidations with $46.3 million, while other altcoins accounted for nearly $46 million of the total.
Bitcoin Searches for Direction
Coinbase highlighted in its monthly market positioning report for July that speculative positioning across large-cap tokens has grown more intense, supported by inflows into U.S.-listed spot crypto exchange-traded funds and increased short-term holder activity. However, resistance signals are beginning to emerge.
The exchange’s analysts observed that Ethereum faces significant upside resistance, noting that a July surge in ask liquidity 2-5% above mid-market levels coincided with its local peak and now creates a substantial sell wall. They contrasted this with Bitcoin’s more balanced order book, which appears to be waiting for fresh catalysts rather than facing entrenched order-book pressure.
Despite recent price weakness, Coinbase pointed to strengthening on-chain fundamentals. Transfer activity, transaction counts, and fee generation all show upward trends, helping drive their composite adoption index toward cycle peaks. Rising stablecoin balances also suggest that sidelined capital could return once market sentiment improves, according to their analysis.
ETF Activity Shows Mixed Patterns
ETF flows presented contrasting signals in recent trading sessions. Spot Bitcoin ETFs experienced a notable deceleration in net inflows, falling from $157 million on Monday to just under $80 million on Tuesday. Ethereum ETFs showed the opposite trend, rebounding to $218.64 million in inflows from the previous day’s $65.14 million, based on SoSoValue data.
This capital rotation occurred as a federal working group established by U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly issued a highly anticipated crypto policy report, urging regulators to provide clearer guidelines around digital asset trading and custody. The document calls on Congress to authorize the CFTC to oversee spot markets for non-security tokens and recommends expanded use of safe harbor provisions to encourage innovation, according to Bloomberg.
Looking ahead to the Federal Reserve’s meeting, markets widely anticipate officials will maintain interest rates at their current 4.25%-4.50% range, which would represent a fifth consecutive pause. However, internal disagreements appear to be developing, with Governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman reportedly considering dissenting votes in favor of a 25 basis-point reduction—an unusual move that could indicate growing uncertainty within the committee.
Konstantin Anissimov, CEO of trading platform Currency, characterized this moment as crucial for digital assets in commentary for The Defiant. He noted that Bitcoin’s rise past $117,000, driven by the U.S.-EU trade deal, the Fed’s July report promoting Bitcoin integration and infrastructure access, and supported by record ETF inflows, demonstrates increasing institutional confidence in crypto as a macro hedge. With traditional brokers exploring stablecoin issuance and Ethereum-native treasuries expanding DeFi’s reach, he emphasized that the convergence of regulation, infrastructure, and innovation continues to accelerate.
Market Sentiment Analysis
The combination of policy uncertainty, mixed ETF flows, and technical resistance levels suggests continued market volatility in the near term. Investor caution ahead of key Federal Reserve decisions and regulatory developments may keep major cryptocurrencies range-bound until clearer directional catalysts emerge.
“`
Leave a comment