Bitcoin Rally Pauses

Hyperliquid's (HYPE) three U.S. spot ETFs held $502M in assets as of September 25, 2026, but saw a decline in inflows to $342M from a peak of $356.6M on September 4. The ETFs' growth was driven by HYPE's price appreciation, not new investments. Hyperliquid Strategies, a Nasdaq-listed entity, bought $45.8M worth of HYPE in 16 hours, exceeding the ETFs' weekly inflows. Binance listed HYPE on September 24 with a high-risk tag, and large holders moved coins to exchanges, causing a 4.5% price drop.

Bitcoin has risen above $80,000, with some institutions targeting $100,000 by year-end. Key factors include U.S. interest rates, ETF inflows, and regulatory developments. August saw $3.52B in Bitcoin ETF inflows, while the CLARITY Act's defeat in Congress had minimal impact on prices. Analysts cite regulatory easing and 'Uptober' optimism as supportive trends.

SEC clarified Ethereum staking rules, classifying liquid staking tokens as receipts. 1.68M ETH awaits staking, with 35.6% of ETH currently staked. Institutional demand drove $690M into Ethereum ETFs last week. SEC guidance is not official, and ETH price remains down 9.5% year-to-date.

XRP rose 7.7% on September 18 due to a Bitwise Asset Management filing, which was an amendment to an existing ETF, not a new approval. XRP traded between $1.30 and $1.53 during the period. The move highlights market sensitivity to regulatory paperwork, even when changes are incremental. Bitwise's NEAR Protocol ETF also saw progress, with a registration statement declared effective.

XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) has underperformed other altcoins this month, trading at $1.5485. XRP ETFs are nearing a $2 billion milestone, with $1.8 billion in cumulative inflows, led by the Bitwise XRP ETF (NYSE:XRP). XRP's fundamentals, including stablecoin growth and rising demand, are strong. Technical indicators suggest a potential price surge.

U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs saw $2.4 billion in net inflows last week, their largest since October 2025, turning their 2026 net flows positive. Ether ETFs also reversed prior outflows with $690 million in inflows. BlackRock's IBIT led with $1.2 billion in inflows, followed by Fidelity's FBTC with $701.7 million. Analysts attribute the surge to Treasury buybacks. Cumulative net inflows for bitcoin ETFs since launch now stand at $57.6 billion.