NEW YORK, Jan 16, 2026, 10:20 EST — Regular session
- Bitcoin dipped roughly 1% to near $95,400, while ether also edged down
- Coinbase’s CEO stated the exchange cannot support the Senate crypto market-structure bill as it stands now
- After a robust day on Jan. 14, U.S. spot bitcoin ETF inflows slowed down on Jan. 15
Bitcoin dipped 0.9% to $95,412 on Friday, after hitting an intraday peak of $96,975. Ether dropped 1.4%, closing at $3,303. Crypto-related stocks showed mixed moves: Coinbase edged up 0.1%, Strategy slipped 0.4%, and the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF barely moved.
The pullback comes as Washington’s push for clearer crypto regulations hits a roadblock, while a stronger dollar continues to weigh on risk assets. Globally, traders have scaled back expectations for Federal Reserve rate cuts; the chance of a March cut now sits around 20%, down from about 50% just a month ago, according to Reuters. Michael Brown, senior research strategist at Pepperstone, noted that conviction could wane ahead of Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday in the U.S.
The Senate Banking Committee delayed debate on the Clarity Act after Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong slammed the bill for having “too many issues.” He tweeted, “We’d rather have no bill than a bad bill,” warning the draft could limit stablecoin rewards and weaken the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s power. Summer Mersinger, CEO of the Blockchain Association, called it “a healthy part of policymaking.” Reuters
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott announced on Jan. 14 that the markup of the digital asset market structure bill would be delayed “as bipartisan negotiations continue.” “Everyone remains at the table working in good faith,” Scott said in a statement. Senate Banking Committee
Flows into U.S.-listed spot bitcoin ETFs, a key marker for institutional appetite, slowed down. Net inflows hit $840.6 million on Jan. 14 but dropped to just $100.2 million the next day, per data from Farside Investors. On Jan. 15, BlackRock’s IBIT was the top inflow driver, while Fidelity’s FBTC experienced outflows.
Rate expectations remained subdued. San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly described policy as “in a good place” and urged officials to be “deliberate” with their adjustments, according to comments she posted on LinkedIn and reported by Reuters. Keeping rates higher for longer usually bolsters the dollar but can dampen appetite for yield-free assets like bitcoin. Reuters
But the legislative effort itself might weigh on sentiment, with critics cautioning that a faulty framework could backfire. Former SEC chief accountant Lynn Turner described the Senate draft as “severely deficient” in a letter to lawmakers, warning it could open the door to “another FTX-type fraud,” according to a Thomson Reuters report. If the bill faces delays or passes without tougher investor protections, the sector could remain trapped in its usual cycle of headline-driven volatility. tax.thomsonreuters.com
Bitcoin never stops trading, yet U.S. policy news and ETF flow figures often trigger sharp swings during New York hours. With liquidity thin ahead of a three-day weekend, those moves can get even more pronounced.
Traders are eyeing the Fed’s January 27-28 meeting and the minutes due February 18. They’re also waiting on any Senate negotiators’ word on when the crypto bill committee will reconvene.
