NEW YORK, May 16, 2026, 14:05 EDT
- Bitcoin was changing hands around $78,183 on Saturday, slipping below the $80,000 mark after a risk-off move on Friday.
- U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs had $290.4 million in net outflows on May 15. The funds, which hold bitcoin and trade on exchanges, saw money move out, according to .
- ETF flows, moves in Treasury yields, and what happens with the Clarity Act crypto bill in the Senate are in focus this week.
Bitcoin slipped in weekend trading, sticking around $78,183 after a spike in U.S. bond yields and oil prices sent risk assets tumbling Friday and pulled the largest cryptocurrency under $80,000. Crypto trades all weekend, but with U.S. stocks and bitcoin ETFs closed, traders faced the fallout from Friday’s selloff in a thinner market.
Bitcoin’s start to the week got a push from traders looking for more direction on U.S. crypto regulation, but those gains faded as capital rotated back into the dollar and government bonds offering higher yields. Bonds pay out a yield—what investors get for holding them. As those yields climb, risk assets like bitcoin can have trouble holding buyers.
Bitcoin funds saw outflows late in the week. Farside Investors said U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs lost $290.4 million on May 15, with $136.2 million coming from BlackRock’s IBIT. Net outflows from May 11 to May 15 were nearly $1 billion.
Pressure hit more than just bitcoin. Ether dropped around 2.3% to $2,179.13. CoinDesk said bitcoin’s fall toward $78,000 came with losses for Solana and XRP, and about $500 million in long liquidations, or forced exits from bullish leveraged trades.
Treasury yields jumped Friday. The 10-year US yield hit 4.599%, the highest since May 2025. The 30-year reached 5.131%. Rising oil prices stoked more inflation fears as Middle East supply worries continued. “The bond market was starting to price in longer-term inflation expectations,” Mike Sanders, head of fixed income at Madison Investments, told Reuters. Reuters
S&P 500 dropped 1.2% Friday, Dow off 1.1%, and Nasdaq down 1.5% as tech slid from highs. “The market had gotten way ahead of itself,” Kenny Polcari at Slatestone Wealth said. Crypto didn’t get a lift from Wall Street. AP News
Senate panel moves Clarity Act, but backers unsure on floor vote The U.S. Senate Banking Committee on Thursday pushed the Clarity Act to the full Senate, the first time the digital-asset market structure bill has cleared committee. The bill aims to define whether crypto tokens count as securities, commodities or something else. Two Democrats helped move it forward but said they may not back it in a full Senate vote.
The rally showed some signs of weakness but wasn’t over. Sean Farrell, who heads digital assets strategy at Fundstrat, said traders might want to take profits after the legislative news, but added he was “not rushing to make major adjustments.” Investopedia
Bitcoin opens the week near its weekend range, with the focus on whether it keeps those levels before U.S. ETFs trade again. Traders want to know if Friday’s outflows were a response just to rates and oil, or if bigger buyers are starting to exit in force.
Risk is the setup could worsen before it improves. If oil keeps moving up, Treasury yields climb again and ETF outflows don’t stop, bitcoin might get hit with another leg down even if crypto news stays quiet. A weaker dollar or quick yield drop could help, but that wasn’t the trade on Friday.
