Daily Financial Update
Good morning, folks. It’s Tuesday, February 17, 2026. Let’s breeze past the fluff.
Market Pulse: Crypto exchange-traded products saw $173 M in outflows for a fourth consecutive week, while Bitcoin’s bull-bear cycle indicator plunged to its deepest trough since the FTX collapse, marking extreme fear that could set up a sharp move.
Key Movers: Bitcoin held near $68,400 and Ethereum stayed below $2,000 (“Bitcoin trades near $68,400…” – The Times of India; “Bitcoin Bull-Bear Cycle Indicator Drops…” – newsBTC), and Polygon’s daily fees flipped Ethereum amid a prediction-market surge.
Macro & Politics: Fundstrat warns U.S. stocks could bleed through most of 2026 if bond yields stay stubborn (“Fundstrat Technical Strategist Warns…” – The Daily Hodl), while a BofA survey shows dollar-bearish bets at decade highs, hinting at crypto’s non-sovereign hedge appeal.
What’s Next: Watch for any Fed comments or bond-yield shifts that might dictate whether risk assets calm or tumble further.
📈 Breaking Financial News
Bitcoin trades near $68,400, Ethereum below $2,000 as mild profit-taking follows weekend rally
Bitcoin trades around $68,355 after touching $70,000. Ethereum also saw a slight dip. Major altcoins like XRP and BNB showed gains, while Dogecoin fell. The crypto market cap is near $2.35 trillion. Bitcoin is consolidating, holding above key moving averages.…
Bitcoin Bull-Bear Cycle Indicator Drops To Deepest Level Since FTX Bottom
On-chain data shows CryptoQuant’s Bitcoin Bull-Bear Market Cycle Indicator has witnessed a deep plunge into the bearish territory recently. Bitcoin Bull-Bear Cycle Indicator Now Most Bearish Since 2022 Bottom In a new post on X, CryptoQuant community analyst …
Shiba Inu SOU Recovery System Goes Live After Shibarium Hack
Shiba Inu has put its long-trailed SOU recovery framework into production, opening claims for users affected by last year’s Shibarium bridge exploit and turning those claims into transferable, on-chain NFTs on Ethereum. The launch matters because it moves the…
CoinShares Announces Q4 2025 Update
17th February 2026 | SAINT HELIER, Jersey | CoinShares International Limited (“CoinShares”, “the Company” or “the Group”) (Nasdaq Stockholm: CS; US OTCQX: CNSRF), a global asset manager specialising in digital assets, has today published an update for the qu…
DeFi protocol ZeroLend shuts down after three years, citing inactive chains and hacks
The protocol is shutting down after three years, citing unsustainable economics, thin margins and rising security threats.
White House Insider Buck Sexton: “Trump’s Next Move Will Shock the World” It cou
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🔍 Market Analysis & Insights
Crypto Funds Bleed $173M As Outflows Extend To Fourth Week – Report
Crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs) have extended their negative streak to a fourth consecutive week after US market weakness pushed global funds to over $170 million in weekly outflows. Related Reading: Bitcoin Should Be Flying—Instead, Quantum Risk Keeps…
Steak ‘n Shake Says Bitcoin Has Lifted Sales ‘Dramatically’ in 9 Months
The fast-food chain says bitcoin payments have boosted sales, as it channels crypto receipts into a growing corporate reserve.
Polygon daily fees flip Ethereum amid prediction market boom
Polygon tops Ethereum in daily transaction fees over the weekend as a prediction market boom drove L2’s network surge.
BofA survey flags dollar bearish bets at over a decade high. Here’s what it means for bitcoin
BofA’s February survey shows investor positioning in the U.S. dollar has fallen to its most negative level since at least early 2012.
Fundstrat Technical Strategist Warns Stock Market Could Bleed for Most of 2026 – Here’s Why
Fundstrat’s head of technical strategy says 2026 could be a rougher year for the stock market. Mark Newton says in a new interview on Thoughtful Money that there are a couple of different negative factors heading deeper into 2026. “I think we’re setting up fo…
The Elon Musk “Mystery Metal” That Could Break China’s Grip Trump called America’s rare-ea
quietly engineered by Elon Musk… could end that crisis forever. And one tiny company is sitting at the center of it all. Musk is expected to make an announcement any day now. See more about this secret project here.
💰 Investment Opportunities
Prospective Sheffield Wednesday owner facing legal battle with former business partner
Prospective Sheffield Wednesday owner James Bord has become the subject of a major legal battle in the United States, according to The Times.The English businessman and former professional poker playe…
Gold has been on a tear, but can it last?
The yellow metal is trading near record high, yet it is far from clear the gains are sustainable
Dogecoin Sees Weekly Bearish Cross: Bottom Or Breakdown Next?
Dogecoin is flashing a rare weekly “bearish cross” just as traders debate whether last week’s $0.08 washout was the cycle’s reset or merely the first leg lower. The setup matters beyond DOGE itself because memecoin flows are increasingly being treated as a pr…
Crypto extreme fear suggests incoming inflection point: Matrixport
Fear and greed indexes are at multi-year lows, levels that often precede a market bounce, though the selling may not be over yet, says Matrixport.
Solana (SOL) Gears Up For Another Rally Attempt — Can Bulls Clear $92 Barrier?
Solana failed to stay above $90 and corrected gains. SOL price is still above $85 and might attempt another increase in the near term. SOL price started a downside correction below $90 against the US Dollar. The price is now trading above $85 and the 100-hour…
The Cross-Chain Giant Set for 1,000%+ Gains As crypto markets surge post-tariffs
Its transaction volume is skyrocketing across all major blockchains while its price remains suppressed as retail has yet to discover it – creating a coiled spring ready to release. Breaking: Access our urgent research on this cross-chain opportunity for just $3!
Market Commentary
What everyone’s missing is how the SOU recovery launch after the Shibarium hack (“Shiba Inu SOU Recovery System…” – Bitcoinist) isn’t just a stopgap—it signals regulators are circling bridge design, and that threat to DeFi plumbing gets scant attention despite being a massive hurdle.
Note the irony: ZeroLend’s shutdown (“DeFi protocol ZeroLend shuts down…” – CoinDesk) over marginal returns and hacks mirrors Polygon’s fee explosion (“Polygon daily fees flip Ethereum…” – Cointelegraph). It’s the same trap of chasing yield on strained networks until reality bites.
Actionable take-away: Dial back on obscure yield farms and layer-2 speculation. If you’re in altcoin rallies, tighten your exits and keep cash ready for genuine pullbacks—this rodeo is far from over.