In the first half of 2026, the total value of crypto ETF holdings managed by BlackRock fell to $4.898 billion from $7.836 billion, a decline of $2.938 billion (-37.5%). The notional value of its Bitcoin holdings dropped by $2.343 billion (-34.43%), even as the position size increased 1.94%. Ethereum saw a steeper pullback: holdings value slid $595 million (-57.71%) and the number of coins held decreased 11.82%. The sharpest decline came in Q1, when ETH was hit by both falling prices and reduced exposure. After gaining $2.391 billion in H1 2025, the shift to sizable net outflows in H1 2026 points to a temporary reversal in institutional allocation appetite.

BlockBeats reported on July 3 that weaker-than-expected U.S. employment data helped calm fears of additional Federal Reserve tightening, lifting appetite for risk assets. Kyle Rodda, Senior Market Analyst at Capital.com, said the release challenged the view that the U.S. labor market is re-accelerating. Rate markets continue to price in hikes this year, but the implied probability fell to 77% from about 85% before the data. The odds of a hike this month also slid to roughly 18% from around 30%. Flow data showed U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs posted $224 million of net inflows on Thursday, snapping a 10-day run of outflows. The move points to bargain hunting returning after about $2.4 billion in redemptions. QCP Capital said options-market strain has eased alongside the spot recovery. One-week at-the-money implied volatility dropped from the mid-40% range to the high-30% range, and the term structure shifted back to a positive spread after inverting during the selloff. QCP added that the jobs report is not uniformly dovish. While payroll growth missed expectations, faster wage gains, a lower unemployment rate and resilient consumer spending point to tighter labor supply rather than weaker demand, leaving the Fed room to keep a hawkish bias. QCP noted markets have pushed expected rate hikes back from September to December, but cross-asset moves have yet to confirm a true policy pivot. Investors are watching the July 14 CPI, July 15 PPI, and the month-end FOMC meeting.

Cryptocurrencies are ending the week on firmer footing. Bitcoin (BTC) was trading around $61,600, up 6.5% from Tuesday's nearly two-year low of $57,750. Friday's move was modest compared with Thursday's 2.6% jump, which followed soft U.S. jobs data that cooled expectations for a Federal Reserve interest-rate increase. That shift in the rate outlook carried into a second session as the U.S. headed into a long weekend with equity markets closed. Ether (ETH) extended its rebound for a third straight day, gaining 11.5% since Tuesday and 2.6% on Friday alone. Major altcoins also advanced, with ADA, zcash (ZEC) and dash (DASH) up roughly 2.2% to 3.1%. Despite the short-term bounce, market structure remains broadly bearish across most tokens after a series of lower highs and lower lows. Technical traders say bitcoin would need to reclaim $67,000 and then break above $81,000—the May local peak—to signal a reversal of the downtrend.

PRO's Large Order List shows the following activity in BTC and ETH over the past 24 hours. BTC recorded total turnover of $1.259 billion, including $691 million in buys and $568 million in sells, for net buying of $124 million. ETH posted $785 million in total volume, with $414 million in buys versus $372 million in sells, translating to net buying of $41.76 million. The latest read suggests large traders continue to place orders around key price levels. BTC's current net order book imbalance stands at $1.303 billion, while ETH's is $56.55 million. These large orders can be filled or canceled at any time and are not displayed in real time on non-PRO candlestick charts. PRO's "Large Order Tracking" indicator tracks changes to every large order in real time, helping users assess whether the apparent "wall" remains in place. A positive order book imbalance means large traders have more limit buy orders than limit sell orders, indicating bid-side support below the market price. A negative reading indicates the opposite, with sell-side pressure building above. This information is for reference only and does not constitute investment advice.

Spotify has asked prediction market platforms Kalshi and Polymarket to stop using its logo and to make clear that neither platform has any partnership with Spotify, Bloomberg reported on July 3, citing Huo Xing Cai Jing. The request follows an incident in which Spotify detected bot activity manipulating its song charts. Spotify said it identified and removed more than 500,000 anomalous plays that briefly pushed Malcolm Todd's "Earrings" to the top of Spotify's U.S. charts. The chart data was later used to settle a Kalshi contract tied to "the mostplayed song on Spotify in the U.S. in June," a market that had drawn roughly $3 million in trading volume.

QCP Capital said on July 3 that Bitcoin briefly slipped below $58,000 on Wednesday before rebounding to around $60,000 after stronger-than-expected U.S. June nonfarm payrolls data. Ethereum also moved back above $1,700, recovering nearly 10% from its midweek low. In options markets, short-dated implied volatility eased, and July-expiry call options became the main focus of trading. QCP noted that firmer wage growth, a lower unemployment rate and resilient consumer spending give the Federal Reserve room to keep policy restrictive. Bitcoin spot ETFs posted net inflows of $224 million. QCP added that U.S. Treasuries and equities have yet to confirm a broader return of risk appetite, characterizing the move as a temporary crypto rebound. AI Analysis: The strong payrolls print reduced recession fears and offered near-term support for risk assets. Combined with wage gains and falling unemployment, the data points to a resilient labor market, reinforcing the Fed's tight-policy stance. With less urgency for rate cuts, upside for crypto may remain capped as markets continue to wrestle with tighter macro liquidity and persistently high interest rates weighing on asset price momentum.

Spotify has asked prediction-market platforms Kalshi and Polymarket to remove Spotify's logo and clearly disclose that there is no partnership between the companies, Bloomberg reported on July 3. The move follows Spotify's discovery that some users manipulated song rankings through bot activity, and that the resulting chart data was later used to resolve prediction-market contracts. Spotify said it identified and removed more than 500,000 anomalous plays that had briefly pushed Malcolm Todd's "Earrings" to No. 1 on Spotify's U.S. charts. That chart outcome was subsequently used to settle a Kalshi market tied to "the most played song on U.S. Spotify in June," which drew roughly $3 million in trading volume.

CoinMarketCap cited onchain data showing a user accidentally transferred about 1.342 million ANSEM tokens to the ANSEM token contract address rather than the intended wallet. At the time of the transaction, the tokens were valued at roughly $226,000 and are likely unrecoverable. Public transaction records indicate the transfer totaled 1,342,084 ANSEM. Instead of landing in another user's wallet, the tokens were sent directly to the token's contract address. Contract addresses are used to deploy and manage smart contracts and generally are not meant to function like standard receiving wallets. Unless the contract includes a built-in withdrawal function, tokens mistakenly sent to a contract address can become permanently locked. So far, the incident does not appear to involve a hack, phishing attempt, or protocol flaw. Available details point to an operational mistake, likely a copy-and-paste error in which the sender used the ANSEM contract address as the recipient address. Onchain analytics account Lookonchain also flagged the transaction and said the user lost the tokens after copying the wrong contract address. Key details: - Amount sent: 1,342,084 ANSEM - Estimated value at the time: approximately $226,256 - Recipient address type: ANSEM token contract address The mishap underscores a persistent risk in crypto transfers: once a transaction is confirmed onchain, it is typically irreversible. Unlike bank transfers, onchain transactions generally do not offer customer support-based reversals or chargeback mechanisms. Because wallet and contract addresses often look similar and are difficult to verify at a glance, even small input or copy-paste mistakes can result in immediate asset loss. Common risk-mitigation steps include sending a small test transfer first, checking the first and last few characters of the destination address, and confirming whether the recipient is a personal wallet or a smart contract address. For large transfers, a brief double-check can cost far less than the loss from a mistaken send.

CoinDesk reported that Bitcoin and Ethereum options are expiring in a large batch on July 3, with combined notional value topping $2 billion. Traders are watching for a pickup in near-term volatility, as prices can adjust after settlement. Bitcoin options account for the bulk of activity: 31,000 BTC options are expiring, representing about $1.9 billion in notional value. The put/call ratio stands at 0.70, signaling a greater share of call contracts. The "maximum pain" level is pegged at $61,000. Ethereum positioning looks more defensive. A total of 135,000 ETH options expire at the same time, with roughly $230 million in notional value. The put/call ratio is 1.29, indicating put contracts outnumber calls. The maximum pain price is $1,650.