Sir Joef Joeden

 A bipartisan Senate duo has finalized its approach to the contentious ethics provision in the crypto Clarity Act, CoinDesk reported, citing people briefed on the effort. Senators Thom Tillis and Ruben Gallego say the initial work is done to revamp the section that would limit government officials from direct ties to cryptocurrency projects, though details have not yet emerged. The provision squarely targets President Donald Trump's crypto business empire, seeking to bar senior officials from direct industry ties.The refurbished language would still need White House approval and buy-in from many Democrats before the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act can advance to a US Senate vote, CoinDesk said. Time is tight, with roughly seven days left before the Senate's August recess. Majority Leader John Thune said a vote on the bill is likely but may hinge on shifting Democratic sentiment. Remaining sticking points include illicit-finance protections affecting DeFi and the allowance of stablecoin rewards programs. Many in the industry are quietly shifting their hopes to September.

Bloomberg reported that the US paused its almost two-week run of strikes against Iran for a second night as skirmishes between Yemen's Houthi militants and Saudi Arabia ratcheted up tensions near a global energy chokepoint in the southern Red Sea.

The Iran-backed Houthis fired missiles and drones at facilities linked to Saudi Aramco in the port towns of Jizan and Yanbu on Saturday. Saudi authorities briefly issued emergency warnings before saying the danger had passed. A Saudi-led coalition responded by striking Houthi military positions later Saturday.

After attacking Iran for 13 days, the US has apparently held off since Friday night without explanation or announcement, raising questions over President Donald Trump's war strategy. Iran's media and government have not reported any incoming attacks either.

Iranian and Omani officials met over the weekend to discuss navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, the flashpoint that caused the collapse of a ceasefire agreed in mid-June. Islamic Republic Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the talks were constructive and some progress was made.

The Red Sea escalation compounds a severe squeeze on regional energy flows caused by the near-total stoppage of traffic via Hormuz, previously the conduit for a fifth of global crude supplies. Brent crude has soared around 27% in the past two weeks, closing Friday at $96.78 a barrel.

Trump said late Friday the US is "locked and loaded" for major strikes on Iran but has not made a decision on whether to go ahead. White House spokesman Steven Cheung said Trump prefers a diplomatic solution but continues to retain all options.

One ally described the president as being in revenge mode against Iran, while others said he is looking to exact a cost from Tehran for the war, which has driven up energy prices and put Republicans in a tough spot politically ahead of November midterms.

According to CoinMarketCap data, the global cryptocurrency market cap now stands at $2.27T, up by 3.16% over the last 24 hours.Bitcoin (BTC) traded between $64,078 and $66,354 over the past 24 hours. As of 14:00 AM (UTC) today, BTC is trading at $66,900, up by 3.38%.Most major cryptocurrencies by market cap are trading mixed. Market outperformers include ERA, PORTO, and EPIC, up by 52%, 24%, and 24%, respectively.CLARITY Act Clears Its Last Hurdle — Bitcoin Hits $66K as Institutions, Whales, and Options Traders All Buy at OnceTrump agreed to the ethics provision blocking the CLARITY Act — Senate vote by early August. Bitcoin hit $66,382 the same day, with ETFs, whales, and options traders all buying simultaneously for the first time since the October ATH. The regulatory and demand signals are finally pointing the same direction. Big Tech earnings Wednesday will decide if the macro catches up.Trump Agrees to Ethics Provision, Removing Final Hurdle for Comprehensive Crypto LegislationThe ethics provision was the one condition that Senate Democrats had made non-negotiable — and Trump agreeing to it removes the last substantive obstacle to the most comprehensive federal crypto legislation ever passed. A Senate vote by early August would deliver regulatory clarity to an industry that has operated in legal ambiguity for more than a decade. The CLARITY Act's passage would define which assets are securities, which are commodities, and who regulates what — the foundational framework that institutional allocators have cited as a precondition for sustained large-scale crypto capital commitment.Fed to Hold Rates Unchanged July 29 — 104 Economists Unanimous, 78 Expect No Cuts Through End of 2026Unanimous hold consensus at July 29 is the least surprising element of the week — but 78 of 104 economists projecting no cuts through all of 2026 despite soft June data is the signal that the rate relief Bitcoin's recovery thesis depends on is not coming from the Fed in 2026. The recovery must instead be built on regulatory catalysts (CLARITY Act), structural demand (ETF inflows, whale accumulation), and supply-side signals (exchange supply at nine-year lows) — exactly the combination that is assembling this week, without needing a Fed pivot to sustain it.US Strategic Petroleum Reserve Hits Lowest Level Since 1983 at 311.4 Million Barrels — A 43-Year Low With Oil Already at $82The SPR at a 43-year low is the structural data point that makes the current Hormuz disruption categorically more dangerous for US inflation than the 2022 Russia-Ukraine oil shock. In 2022, the US released 180M barrels from a reserve of ~580M — enough to meaningfully cap gasoline prices. Today, 311.4M barrels at an already-elevated $82 Brent means the buffer is both smaller and more expensive to replenish. For Bitcoin, an oil shock without an SPR backstop means a longer and more persistent energy-driven inflation problem — exactly the scenario that keeps the Fed on hold through 2026 and makes the CLARITY Act's regulatory tailwind the most important near-term Bitcoin catalyst, since it doesn't require a macro pivot to be constructive.Asian Stocks Rise as Chipmakers Rebound; Oil FallsThe chipmaker rebound after four down days is a necessary but not yet sufficient recovery — the AI ROI question that crashed the KOSPI 25% from its June high has not been answered, only paused ahead of Wednesday's earnings. Tesla and Alphabet's AI commentary will be the first real-time data point on whether the spending commitment that drove semiconductor valuations to record highs is being maintained or questioned by the companies doing the spending. A strong AI earnings week combined with the CLARITY Act Senate vote would be the most bullish possible macro-legislative combination for Bitcoin since the ETF approvals in January 2024.Bitcoin Hits $66,382 as Institutions, Whales, and Options Traders All Buy Simultaneously — Five-Day ETF Streak Tops $700 MillionThree buyer cohorts activating simultaneously is the recovery signal that every bottom-framework had identified as the confirmation event — not one or two signals, but all three at once. The CLARITY Act agreement arriving on the same day converts a technical recovery into a fundamentally-anchored one: the regulatory uncertainty that has been cited as a structural overhang for institutional allocation is being removed in real time while the institutional bid is already present. The February 2025 precedent suggests this kind of convergence precedes sustained multi-week upside rather than a single-session squeeze.Market movers:NVDAB: $205.56 (+0.84%)MSFTB: $399.47 (+1.47%)TSMB: $417.65 (+3.12%)GOOGLB: $355.76 (+1.98%)METAB: $648.38 (+0.80%)AVGOB: $389.1 (+3.86%)SPCXB: $122.34 (-2.85%)TSLAB: $375.24 (-1.87%)MUB: $917.63 (+4.86%)AMDB: $525.92 (+4.86%)

According to CoinMarketCap data, the global cryptocurrency market cap now stands at $2.27T, up by 3.16% over the last 24 hours.Bitcoin (BTC) traded between $64,078 and $66,354 over the past 24 hours. As of 14:00 AM (UTC) today, BTC is trading at $66,900, up by 3.38%.Most major cryptocurrencies by market cap are trading mixed. Market outperformers include ERA, PORTO, and EPIC, up by 52%, 24%, and 24%, respectively.CLARITY Act Clears Its Last Hurdle — Bitcoin Hits $66K as Institutions, Whales, and Options Traders All Buy at OnceTrump agreed to the ethics provision blocking the CLARITY Act — Senate vote by early August. Bitcoin hit $66,382 the same day, with ETFs, whales, and options traders all buying simultaneously for the first time since the October ATH. The regulatory and demand signals are finally pointing the same direction. Big Tech earnings Wednesday will decide if the macro catches up.Trump Agrees to Ethics Provision, Removing Final Hurdle for Comprehensive Crypto LegislationThe ethics provision was the one condition that Senate Democrats had made non-negotiable — and Trump agreeing to it removes the last substantive obstacle to the most comprehensive federal crypto legislation ever passed. A Senate vote by early August would deliver regulatory clarity to an industry that has operated in legal ambiguity for more than a decade. The CLARITY Act's passage would define which assets are securities, which are commodities, and who regulates what — the foundational framework that institutional allocators have cited as a precondition for sustained large-scale crypto capital commitment.Fed to Hold Rates Unchanged July 29 — 104 Economists Unanimous, 78 Expect No Cuts Through End of 2026Unanimous hold consensus at July 29 is the least surprising element of the week — but 78 of 104 economists projecting no cuts through all of 2026 despite soft June data is the signal that the rate relief Bitcoin's recovery thesis depends on is not coming from the Fed in 2026. The recovery must instead be built on regulatory catalysts (CLARITY Act), structural demand (ETF inflows, whale accumulation), and supply-side signals (exchange supply at nine-year lows) — exactly the combination that is assembling this week, without needing a Fed pivot to sustain it.US Strategic Petroleum Reserve Hits Lowest Level Since 1983 at 311.4 Million Barrels — A 43-Year Low With Oil Already at $82The SPR at a 43-year low is the structural data point that makes the current Hormuz disruption categorically more dangerous for US inflation than the 2022 Russia-Ukraine oil shock. In 2022, the US released 180M barrels from a reserve of ~580M — enough to meaningfully cap gasoline prices. Today, 311.4M barrels at an already-elevated $82 Brent means the buffer is both smaller and more expensive to replenish. For Bitcoin, an oil shock without an SPR backstop means a longer and more persistent energy-driven inflation problem — exactly the scenario that keeps the Fed on hold through 2026 and makes the CLARITY Act's regulatory tailwind the most important near-term Bitcoin catalyst, since it doesn't require a macro pivot to be constructive.Asian Stocks Rise as Chipmakers Rebound; Oil FallsThe chipmaker rebound after four down days is a necessary but not yet sufficient recovery — the AI ROI question that crashed the KOSPI 25% from its June high has not been answered, only paused ahead of Wednesday's earnings. Tesla and Alphabet's AI commentary will be the first real-time data point on whether the spending commitment that drove semiconductor valuations to record highs is being maintained or questioned by the companies doing the spending. A strong AI earnings week combined with the CLARITY Act Senate vote would be the most bullish possible macro-legislative combination for Bitcoin since the ETF approvals in January 2024.Bitcoin Hits $66,382 as Institutions, Whales, and Options Traders All Buy Simultaneously — Five-Day ETF Streak Tops $700 MillionThree buyer cohorts activating simultaneously is the recovery signal that every bottom-framework had identified as the confirmation event — not one or two signals, but all three at once. The CLARITY Act agreement arriving on the same day converts a technical recovery into a fundamentally-anchored one: the regulatory uncertainty that has been cited as a structural overhang for institutional allocation is being removed in real time while the institutional bid is already present. The February 2025 precedent suggests this kind of convergence precedes sustained multi-week upside rather than a single-session squeeze.Market movers:NVDAB: $205.56 (+0.84%)MSFTB: $399.47 (+1.47%)TSMB: $417.65 (+3.12%)GOOGLB: $355.76 (+1.98%)METAB: $648.38 (+0.80%)AVGOB: $389.1 (+3.86%)SPCXB: $122.34 (-2.85%)TSLAB: $375.24 (-1.87%)MUB: $917.63 (+4.86%)AMDB: $525.92 (+4.86%)