Bitcoin is hovering just above the $70,000 mark as the market digests major institutional news from BlackRock. While BTC remains in a consolidation phase, Ethereum is seeing renewed interest following the launch of a first-of-its-kind "Staked" ETF.
Combined spot and derivatives trading on centralized exchanges fell to $5.61T in February, the weakest month since October 2024
Bitcoin looks resilient, but don't ignore those $20,000 puts
Ultra-bearish forecasts are getting no love from industry observers, and rightly so, with bitcoin holding resilient amid global market chaos. Yet options flows hint there may be merit to the bears' dire warnings.
Implication: Bloomberg reiterated its prediction for the largest cryptocurrency to plunge to $10,000 — a level last seen in mid-2020. Industry observers dismissed it as silly. Yet on Deribit, the biggest crypto options exchange, nearly $800 million in open interest is piled into the $20,000 put, a wager that the price will slide to below that level. It's the fourth-most popular bearish bet on the platform.
BlackRock officially launched ETHB on Nasdaq today. Unlike previous spot ETFs, this fund stakes a portion of its Ethereum to pass native network yield directly to shareholders. BlackRock is waiving fees for the first $2.5B in assets to capture early market share.
Implication: This legitimizes Ethereum as a "yield-bearing commodity" for institutions. By making network rewards accessible through a brokerage account, BlackRock is creating massive "buy-and-hold" pressure that could lead to a supply crunch by year-end.
Ripple launches $750M share buyback at $50B valuation
Reports today confirm Ripple is initiating a major tender offer to repurchase up to $750M in shares from employees and early investors. This values the company at $50B, even as XRP remains range-bound under $1.40
Implication: This move signals extreme internal confidence and a pivot away from a near-term IPO. By using its massive cash reserves to buy back equity, Ripple is tightening its cap table and signaling that it views its current valuation as a floor rather than a ceiling.
A message from ProShares
The Crypto Market is Evolving. Is Your Strategy?
As the cryptocurrency market continues to evolve, investors are increasingly seeking diversified access beyond single‑asset exposure.* With the launch of the ProShares CoinDesk 20 Crypto ETF (KRYP), investors can gain exposure to 20 of the largest and most liquid cryptocurrencies—all in one ticker.
KRYP is the first U.S. ETF designed to track the CoinDesk 20 Index, which selects from the top 250 digital assets by market capitalization, applies liquidity and exchange‑listing requirements and excludes stablecoins, memecoins, privacy tokens, and other non-qualifying assets. The index is market‑cap weighted, subject to caps, and rebalanced quarterly.
*Diversification does not ensure a profit or guarantee against a loss.
Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. There is no guarantee that any ProShares ETF will achieve its investment objective.
This ETF invests in swap agreements and does not invest directly in crypto assets. Investors seeking exposure to crypto assets directly should consider an investment other than this ETF. Crypto assets are a relatively new asset class and the market for crypto assets is subject to rapid changes and uncertainty. Crypto assets are subject to unique and substantial risks, such as rapid price swings and lack of liquidity, including as a result of changes in their supply and demand, statements by influencers and the media, and other factors. Crypto assets are largely unregulated and may be more susceptible to fraud and manipulation than more regulated investments. The value of an investment in the ETF could decline significantly and without warning, including to zero. This ETF may not be suitable for all investors.
This ProShares ETF is a non-diversified investment company and entails certain risks, including risks associated with the use of derivatives (swap agreements, futures contracts and similar instruments), counterparty risk, imperfect benchmark correlation, and market price variance, all of which can increase volatility and decrease performance. While the ETF's index has 20 constituents, it may be heavily weighted in just a few crypto assets (e.g., Bitcoin, Ether, Binance Coin, Solana, XRP). As a result, their performance will have a much greater influence on the ETF's performance than the remaining crypto assets in the index. The composition of the index can change significantly over time and many or all of the constituents may be replaced at each quarterly reconstitution. Smaller crypto assets tend to carry higher risks, including greater volatility and increased vulnerability to fraud or manipulation. This ETF is new and may have a limited number of market makers. There can be no assurance the fund will be successful or that an active market for its shares will develop. Shares of any ETF are generally bought and sold at market price (not NAV) and are not individually redeemed from the fund. Your brokerage commissions will reduce returns.
Carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of ProShares before investing. This and other information can be found in the ETF's summary and full prospectuses. Read them carefully before investing. Obtain them from your financial professional or visit ProShares.com.
CoinDesk and CoinDesk 20 are registered trademarks of CoinDesk Indices, Inc., licensed for use by ProShares. CoinDesk Indices, Inc. does not make any representation as to the legality or suitability of ProShares, and does not sponsor, endorse, sell, or promote them. CoinDesk Indices, Inc and its affiliates make no warranties and bear no liability with respect to ProShares. THIS ENTITY AND ITS AFFILIATES MAKE NO WARRANTIES AND BEAR NO LIABILITY WITH RESPECT TO PROSHARES.
ProShares are distributed by SEI Investments Distribution Co., which is not affiliated with the funds' advisor or sponsor.
CoinDesk Disclosure: The information contained in this newsletter, and any information linked through the items contained herein, is not intended to provide sufficient information to form the basis for an investment decision. You should seek additional information regarding the merits and risks of investing in any cryptocurrency or digital assets.
L1.co Disclosure: This material is for informational purposes only, and the content contained herein should not be considered investment advice or a solicitation, offer, or recommendation to sell or buy any asset, strategy, or product. Investing in digital assets involves a high degree of risk, including the loss of principal.
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