Bitcoin News Today: Bitcoin Falls 2.77% as Crypto Market Stabilizes Ahead of Fed Signals

The cryptocurrency market extended its losses into Monday, with major tokens including Bitcoin and ether experiencing declines, while U.S. stock index futures remained stable ahead of a high-stakes meeting between European leaders and U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Ukraine’s future [1]. Investors are closely watching for signals from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell at the Jackson Hole symposium later this week, where some anticipate he may hint at potential rate cuts as early as September [1].

Bitcoin, trading at $115,087.69, fell by 2.77% from the previous session, with ether and other major tokens also underperforming. Chainlink’s LINK token, however, bucked the trend and held steady, while Solana achieved a significant milestone in transaction speeds [1]. Derivatives data shows increased open interest in Bitcoin futures, reaching 720,000 BTC—the highest since Aug. 2—alongside fading positive funding rates, suggesting growing bearish sentiment [1]. A similar trend was observed in ether, where open interest hit 14.34 million ETH, also the highest since Aug. 2.

On the options front, risk reversals on Deribit showed a clear bias toward put options, indicating heightened demand for downside protection as prices fell [1]. A notable trade involved a large short strangle in Bitcoin, where a trader collected $680,000 in premiums by betting on a price range between $4,040 and $5,020 [1]. Additionally, a trader purchased a September 25 expiry put option at $110,000, anticipating further price declines.

Solana saw significant on-chain activity during the market slump, with $37.4 million in liquidations occurring on the blockchain compared to $20.9 million on centralized exchanges [1]. Hyperliquid’s open interest in SOL hit a record $1.2 billion, and overall open interest on the platform has returned to nearly $5 billion, with large whale positions split between long and short positions [1]. Meanwhile, ecosystem fees on Solana have risen above $1 million per day as more users move capital into platforms like Jupiter, Jito, and Kamino.

Shiba Inu (SHIB) also saw notable movement, with a large whale transferring 3 trillion SHIB—valued at around $38 million—from Coinbase Institutional into cold storage on Aug. 15, signaling a shift from trading to long-term holding [1]. The move coincided with a sharp increase in the token’s burn rate, which jumped nearly 2,000% in 24 hours, further tightening its circulating supply [1].

Chainlink developers are preparing for cross-chain expansion, using CCIP to connect to Base and Solana, while also launching a new developer hub and decentralized exchange to enhance liquidity [1]. Despite the recent market downturn, LINK remains steady, trading near $0.000013 with technical indicators pointing to a gradual upward trend.

Overall, the market appears to be stabilizing ahead of key macroeconomic announcements and central bank guidance, with derivatives positioning and on-chain activity suggesting cautious bearishness among traders [1].

Source: [1] Markets Today: Crypto Declines as U.S. Index Futures Hold Steady (https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/08/18/markets-today-crypto-declines-as-u-s-index-futures-hold-steady)