New York, Jan 17, 2026, 12:50 EST — Market closed.
- Bitcoin climbed past $95,000 on Saturday following the U.S. Senate committee’s decision to delay discussion on a crypto market-structure bill.
- After two days of strong inflows, U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs saw about $395 million flow out on Friday.
- With U.S. markets closed Monday, traders face a shortened week ahead, eyeing key inflation data set for later in the week.
Bitcoin stayed above $95,000 on Saturday, climbing roughly 0.6% to $95,362, after a U.S. Senate committee postponed a key debate on crypto market regulations. The move capped a turbulent week marked by uneven ETF activity.
The Senate Banking Committee canceled its planned markup session just hours after Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong criticized the draft bill, saying it had “too many issues” and that the exchange couldn’t back it. Armstrong wrote, “We’d rather have no bill than a bad bill,” pointing specifically to restrictions on rewards involving stablecoins, cryptocurrencies pegged to the dollar. Reuters
This matters because the industry has pitched “clarity” as the key to unlocking more institutional demand, turning the listed ETF market into a daily scorecard. When political uncertainty hits, flows often shift—and bitcoin behaves like a high-beta play on looser financial conditions.
U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs drew $840.6 million on Jan. 14 and another $100.2 million the next day, before reversing course with a $394.7 million net outflow on Friday, according to Farside Investors data. Despite Friday’s pullback, the fund group ended the week with a net inflow around $1.4 billion, based on those daily numbers.
Friday’s macro news failed to move markets much. The dollar gained after President Donald Trump praised economic adviser Kevin Hassett and hinted he might keep him on, stirring talk about who could replace Jerome Powell as Fed chair. Bitcoin slipped 0.77% during the session. “We have seen some US dollar buying on this headline,” noted Adam Button, chief currency analyst at investingLive. Reuters
Treasury yields surged, pushing the 10-year rate to about 4.23% by Friday’s close. Rising yields tend to weigh on assets without yield by boosting returns on cash and government bonds.
The week ahead looks tricky for positioning. U.S. stock and bond markets close Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, putting a hold on trading in crypto-linked ETFs until Tuesday.
Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency, climbed 1.2% to $3,320.
But the situation works both ways. Another wave of ETF outflows or more delays in Washington might shake the bets hinging on Congress delivering a clearer rulebook. Should yields continue to rise, bitcoin could start moving in line with bond market trends once more.
Traders are set to focus on U.S. core PCE inflation for November and the final third-quarter GDP estimate on Jan. 22, with flash PMI surveys arriving the next day. That same week, China’s fourth-quarter GDP and the Bank of Japan’s policy meeting also take place, as markets watch for potential impacts on risk appetite.
In Washington, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman has laid out a new timeline for market-structure legislation, aiming to release the text by the close of business Jan. 21, with a committee markup scheduled for Jan. 27. These dates now stand as the next key headline risk for crypto traders once U.S. markets reopen.
