Bitcoin Stalls Near $64,000 as $4 Billion USDT Drain Signals Crypto Weakness
Updated
Updated · CoinDesk · Aug 5
Bitcoin Stalls Near $64,000 as $4 Billion USDT Drain Signals Crypto Weakness
2 articles · Updated · CoinDesk · Aug 5
Summary
$64,000 bitcoin barely moved despite record highs in global equities, highlighting crypto-specific weakness as AI optimism and lower oil prices lifted risk assets elsewhere.
$4 billion has left Tether's market cap over 60 days—one of the steepest contractions on record—signaling money is exiting crypto, with a durable bottom unlikely until USDT supply starts rising again.
$5.4 billion in first-half net outflows from U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs reinforced that rotation, while bitcoin and ether derivatives stayed subdued and shorts still made up 51% of taker volume.
115% gains in PUMP and rising open interest in tokens such as XLM, ZEC and BNB showed traders are still taking aggressive altcoin bets even as activity in the two largest cryptocurrencies remains muted.
U.S. jobs data and the ISM services PMI are the next near-term catalysts, while Circle's $701 million quarterly revenue miss and Riot's reporting delay add to a cautious tone across crypto markets.