Bitcoin and Ethereum Surge as ETF Inflows Return; Dash, IP, Pepe Lead Altcoin Rally

I. Crypto Market Overview

Key Takeaways

Macro Environment

The US Senate's CLARITY Act draft aims to clarify crypto asset classification and strengthen AML rules, supporting institutional confidence. The EU's MiCA regulation now mandates machine-readable crypto disclosures, raising compliance costs and enhancing investor protection. Thailand enforces strict crypto travel rules, increasing transparency and aligning with global AML standards.

Crypto Market

The crypto market rallied in the past 12 hours, led by Bitcoin up 3.37% to $95,014 and Ethereum up 6.72% to $3,334, driven by renewed ETF inflows and positive risk sentiment. Altcoins outperformed, with DASH surging 33.47%, Story (IP) up 28.56%, and PEPE gaining 14.77%, fueled by ecosystem integrations, speculative flows, and strong community activity.

Today's Outlook

Key events today include the release of US December PPI data, offering insights into wholesale inflation, and a Supreme Court ruling on Trump-era tariffs, both of which could drive significant volatility in crypto markets.

Fear and Greed Index

0.00% Annual Percentile

41 Neutral

Total Crypto Market Cap

$3.25T

4.47%

Total Market Trading Volume

$140.81B

34.32%

Altcoin Season Index

54.55%

Quarterly Percentile

30 / 100

Total Futures Market Open Interest

3.24B

4.13%

Futures

604.00B

9.23%

Perpetuals

II. Industry Updates

Macro-economic Policies

ANZ Bank forecasts the Federal Reserve will cut rates by 25bps in March and June 2026, potentially lowering the federal funds rate to 3.00%-3.25%. Easing US inflation and reduced tariff impacts may boost crypto market liquidity and risk appetite.

US CPI data for December 2025 shows inflation steady at 2.7% year-on-year, with core CPI at 2.6%. Persistent inflation above the Fed's 2% target may delay aggressive rate cuts, sustaining moderate volatility in BTC and DeFi markets.

The US Supreme Court is set to rule today on the legality of Trump-era tariffs. A decision against the tariffs could trigger substantial refunds, impacting global trade flows and potentially increasing volatility in crypto assets sensitive to macroeconomic shocks.

Federal Reserve officials, including Governor Mullan and Presidents Kocherlakota and Harker, are scheduled to speak today on the economic outlook. Their comments may influence market expectations for monetary policy, affecting BTC price trends and DeFi funding rates.

China's trade surplus reached a record $1.2 trillion in 2025 despite ongoing US trade tensions. Strong Chinese exports support global risk sentiment, which may underpin capital inflows into digital assets and sustain NFT and altcoin trading activity.

Cryptocurrency Regulatory Trends

The US Senate Banking Committee has published the draft CLARITY Act, aiming to clarify crypto asset classification, enhance disclosure, and impose stricter anti-money laundering rules, which could boost institutional confidence and market stability.

The European Union's MiCA regulation now requires crypto white papers to be filed in machine-readable iXBRL format, enabling automated risk monitoring and increasing compliance costs, favoring established issuers and enhancing investor protection.

Thailand's government has mandated strict enforcement of the crypto travel rule, requiring exchanges to share customer data for large transactions, targeting gray money flows and aligning with global anti-money laundering standards, which may increase compliance costs and market transparency.

Dubai Financial Services Authority has enacted an updated crypto token regulatory framework, shifting suitability assessments to firms and introducing enhanced investor safeguards, requiring firms to review internal controls and potentially raising compliance standards in the DIFC.

France has reminded crypto companies of the MiCA licensing deadline, warning that unlicensed firms must cease operations by July, which could lead to market consolidation and increased regulatory certainty for investors.

DASH (DASH): DASH surged 35% in 24h to $62.08, driven by Alchemy Pay integration enabling fiat on-ramps in 173+ countries and a 436% spike in trading volume.

Story (IP): Story (IP) rose 29.9% in 24h to $3.91, with no major news or events identified; price action likely reflects speculative flows amid broader altcoin volatility.

PEPE (PEPE): PEPE gained 14.7% in 24h to $0.00000671, fueled by a strong technical reversal from multi-month lows, surging trading volume, and renewed meme coin community activity.

Smart Money Movements

Strive acquired 123 BTC between January 1 and 12, 2026, at an average price of $91,561, raising its total Bitcoin holdings to 7,749.8 BTC, valued at approximately $874 million.

Ethereum ETFs saw a net inflow of $129.72 million on January 13, led by BlackRock's $ETHA with $53.03 million, and Grayscale's $ETH mini adding $35.42 million.

A crypto whale reported $67.24 million in unrealized January gains, with 200,000 ETH and 1,000 BTC among top holdings, and SOL doubling in value.

Standard Chartered announced plans to launch a crypto prime brokerage for institutions, aiming to integrate trading, custody, and risk management for digital assets.

Bank of America advised clients to allocate up to 4% of portfolios to Bitcoin and crypto, citing diversification and growth potential for traditional investors.

Events to Watch

Jan 14 (Wed)

US December PPI data will be released, providing key insights into wholesale inflation; Supreme Court to rule on Trump-era tariffs, with potential market impact.

Jan 15 (Thu)

Senate Banking Committee will hold a markup meeting on stablecoin rewards legislation; StarkNet, Sei Network, and Connex Social will unlock major token supplies, affecting market liquidity.

Jan 17 (Sat)

deBridge (DBR) will unlock approximately 618 million tokens, valued at $11.6 million, potentially impacting token price and market sentiment.

Jan 18 (Sun)

Ondo (ONDO) will unlock about 57% of its circulating supply, with up to $1.19 billion in tokens released, likely influencing ONDO's price and liquidity.

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