[News Brief] Apr 22, morning | U.S. Spot Bitcoin ETFs See $649 Million in Net Outflows in One Day

Bitcoin Drops 6% in the Short Term as Large ETF Outflows and Simultaneous Spot/Futures Selling Increase Pressure

Bitcoin fell about 6% in a short period, dropping from $82,000 to $76,800. Market participants pointed to spot ETF outflows, synchronized selling in spot and futures markets, and rising options hedging demand as factors increasing the risk of further downside.

According to PANews, CoinDesk reported that more than $1.5 billion has left U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs since May 7. Net outflows on Monday alone reached $648 million, the largest since January 29.

Glassnode data showed that the spot cumulative volume delta shifted from $16.9 million to -$126.2 million, while the perpetual futures cumulative volume delta fell to -$368.5 million. This suggests that selling pressure increased simultaneously across both spot and futures markets.

In the options market, the 25-delta skew rose from 10.9% to 14.4%, signaling stronger demand for downside protection. Vikram Subburaj, CEO of Indian exchange Giottus, identified Bitcoin’s first support level at $76,000, with the next support zone at $74,000–$75,000.

U.S. Spot Bitcoin ETFs Record $649 Million in Net Outflows in One Day

Odaily, citing SoSoValue data, reported that spot Bitcoin ETFs saw total net outflows of $649 million on the 18th (U.S. Eastern Time).

BlackRock’s IBIT recorded the largest outflow at $448 million, while ARK Invest and 21Shares’ ARKB saw net outflows of $110 million.

At the same time, total net assets of spot Bitcoin ETFs stood at $100.485 billion, accounting for 6.52% of Bitcoin’s market capitalization. Cumulative net inflows were $57.691 billion.

White House Official Says “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve” Announcement Coming Soon

According to Bitcoin Magazine, a White House official said an announcement regarding a strategic Bitcoin reserve would come “soon.”

The official said that meaningful progress had been made in putting legal procedures in place and creating the framework needed to properly safeguard the assets.

A strategic Bitcoin reserve would be tied to how the U.S. government holds and manages digital assets, and the market may interpret it as a signal of further institutional adoption of Bitcoin.

Echo Protocol Suffers Attack on Monad Chain, 1,000 eBTC Minted

Echo Protocol was attacked on the Monad chain, with the attacker reportedly minting 1,000 eBTC (about $76.7 million) and withdrawing part of the funds through Kuruvance.

Source: PANews. According to Onchain Lens, the attacker deposited 45 eBTC (about $3.45 million) into Kuruvance as collateral, borrowed 11.29 WBTC (about $867,700), then bridged it to Ethereum and swapped it for ETH.

The attacker later sent 385 ETH (about $818,000) to Tornado Cash and is believed to still hold a large portion of the minted eBTC. The exploit reportedly used a pathway that had been tested previously.

Trump Says Iran Attack Delayed by 2–3 Days, Signaling Progress in U.S.-Iran Talks

President Trump said a military strike on Iran had been delayed by two to three days at the request of Gulf allies. The development raised the possibility that military tensions could ease as negotiations between the U.S. and Iran show progress.

According to Odaily, Trump said at a White House event that some countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, had asked for a delay because a U.S.-Iran agreement was “very close.”

Trump said the U.S. had prepared a “very significant” strike on Iran on the 19th but decided to postpone it temporarily, adding that he hoped the delay would become permanent, though it could remain temporary.

He also said there had been “very positive progress” in discussions with Iran and added that Gulf allies could help facilitate an agreement.

Global Bond Yields Rise as Markets Price In Longer-Lasting Inflation

Global bond yields are climbing as markets reflect higher energy costs and concerns that inflation may remain elevated for longer.

According to Odaily, Columbia Threadneedle Investments senior economist Antony Willis said in a report that financial conditions had already tightened, which was being reflected in significantly higher yields across global bond markets.

Willis said rising energy costs had led markets to expect inflation to stay higher for longer, pushing up yields in major developed-market bonds.

He projected that the European Central Bank would move first with a rate hike at its June meeting, followed by the Bank of England in July. He also said market expectations for the U.S. Federal Reserve had shifted dramatically from aggressive rate cuts to the possibility of rate hikes within the next 12 to 18 months.

Japan’s 20-Year Government Bond Yield Hits 3.78%, Highest Since 1996

According to Odaily, the yield on Japan’s 20-year government bond rose 6.5 basis points to 3.78%, the highest level since August 1996.

The rise in long-term yields reflects concerns over Bank of Japan tightening and government bond supply pressures, which could weigh on sentiment toward global risk assets.

U.S. Republican Lawmakers Push for Permanent CBDC Ban in House Bill

U.S. Republican lawmakers are calling for language permanently banning a central bank digital currency (CBDC) to be included in a housing-related bill ahead of a House vote.

According to PANews, Representative Mike Flood said the revised House bill aims to reverse what he described as implicit approval of a CBDC and instead pursue a permanent ban. If passed by the House, the bill would return to the Senate for further revision.

Representative Warren Davidson said he supports a permanent prohibition, arguing that a sunset clause expiring in 2030 could effectively give time for CBDC development. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer also warned that adopting a CBDC in the U.S. could undermine privacy and economic freedom.

Finnish Pension Fund Varma Gains Indirect Bitcoin Exposure Through $7.5 Million MSTR Investment

Source @pete_rizzo_: Bitcoin historian Pete Rizzo said on X that Finnish pension fund Varma has gained about $7.5 million in indirect Bitcoin exposure through an investment in MicroStrategy (MSTR).

Varma is known as a Finnish pension fund managing about $70 billion. The move is being interpreted as another case of institutional pension capital gaining exposure to Bitcoin-related assets.

Circle Minted 2 Billion USDC on Solana Last Week

According to Odaily, Circle minted about 2 billion USDC on the Solana network last week.

USDC is a major dollar-pegged stablecoin, and the issuance is being interpreted as a move related to expanding transaction liquidity within the Solana ecosystem.