As of early evening on July 16, Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) fell 1.3% to $64,087.07, Ethereum (CRYPTO:ETH) fell 2.6% to $1,873.08, and Solana (CRYPTO:SOL) fell 2.0% to $75.80. The total crypto market cap fell 1.3% to $2.28 trillion.
What’s driving crypto markets
Wider risk-off sentiment pressured crypto prices today. Bitcoin retreated from the $65,000 mark as tech stocks and cryptocurrencies sold off amid a re-escalation of violence between the U.S. and Iran. Meanwhile, E*TRADE, Morgan Stanley’s trading platform, launched spot cryptocurrency trading for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana.
Crypto ETF snapshot
Spot Bitcoin ETF flows remained positive yesterday, with $107 million in total inflows. The iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF gained $81 million, and the Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund gained $17 million in assets under management (AUM). Institutional investors also bought Ethereum ETFs yesterday, with $45 million flowing into the iShares Ethereum Trust ETF. However, we may see a different picture when today’s data is finalized.
What this means for investors
Bitcoin gave up its gains today as conflict in the Middle East and uncertainty over artificial intelligence (AI) spending pressured tech stocks. Gold prices also fell as the rising geopolitical tensions outweighed this week’s positive inflation data. The concern is that a return to conflict would mean oil prices soar again, which would, in turn, increase inflation. That could cause the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.
The cryptocurrency sector will always be affected by interest rates, as they tend to weigh on riskier assets. But the impetus for long-term growth needs to come from crypto-specific progress. That could be regulatory, such as the U.S. Senate voting on the Clarity Act, or from further mainstream blockchain adoption.
Top 10 crypto performance
#NamePrice24h7d1Bitcoin (BTC)$64,121.00-1.3%+1.5%2Ethereum (ETH)$1,870.93-2.7%+6.9%3Tether (USDT)$0.9993+0.0%+0.0%4BNB (BNB)$574.52-1.0%+0.8%5USDC (USDC)$0.9999+0.0%+0.0%6XRP (XRP)$1.09-1.3%-0.0%7Solana (SOL)$75.69-1.9%-3.1%8TRON (TRX)$0.3229-0.5%-2.6%9Figure Heloc (FIGR_HELOC)$1.03-0.1%+0.2%10Hyperliquid (HYPE)$62.43-6.6%-6.7%
Ranked by market cap. Data: CoinGecko, as of July 16, 2026 20:16 UTC.
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Emma Newbery has positions in BNB, Ethereum, and Solana. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Ethereum, Hyperliquid, Solana, XRP, and iShares Bitcoin Trust. The Motley Fool recommends BNB and TRON. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
