Plus: Study shows people bonding with AI

GM. Went Fruit Ninja on the headlines, and the peaches fought back. So, we’re sticky, confused, but still bullish.

☀️ Altcoin ETF Summer.

🍋 News drops: Bitcoin's controversial update, AI as a therapist + more

🍍 Market flavor today

Crypto Market Cap: $3.45T 0.6% (24H)
Name		Price	24H	7D
	Bitcoin BTC	$109,431.49	1.09%	4.97%
	Ethereum ETH	$2,818.94	2.98%	7.87%
	XRP XRP	$2.31	1.74%	3.87%
	BNB BNB	$664.97	1.02%	0.08%
	Solana SOL	$166.50	5.70%	7.29%

Things are looking solid today, and there's good reason for it.

Two major updates dropped today that have investors looking like this:

1/ US-China trade deal

The US and China have reached a trade agreement after two days of talks in London = less economic uncertainty = good for the market.

It still needs final approval from both presidents, but here's what's in it anyway:

• China will supply rare earth materials (like magnets and other valuable metals), which are super important for tech, defense, and energy industries;

• In return, the US will follow through on whatever was agreed to, which includes continuing to let Chinese students study at US universities;

• The US will apply a total of 55% in tariffs on Chinese goods, and China is charging 10% on US exports.

2/ Inflation came in cooler than expected

We also got May’s inflation data (CPI), and it showed that prices rose more slowly than economists had predicted:

• Year-over-year: 2.4% (vs. 2.5% expected);

• Month-over-month: 0.1% (vs. 0.2% expected).

This matters because everyone’s been watching to see if Trump's tariffs would cause prices to increase. And so far, not really.

So, does this open the door for a Fed rate cut? 🥰

... Mmmm, no.

Economists say the Fed should be relieved by this report, but they'll likely stick to their “wait and see” plan at next week’s meeting.

Or maybe not. We'll have to wait and see.

🥝 Memecoin harvest

Oh great, the cartoon tokens are outperforming actual companies again 🤠👍

Data as of 06:25 AM EST.

Check out these memecoins and plenty more here.

☀️ Altcoin ETF Summer

It’s been a bit over a year since the US SEC approved Ethereum ETFs.

And those ETFs have been doing pretty well lately, btw - 18 days in a row of net buying, which brought around $1B in inflows.

Definitely not too shabby 🤓

But here's the thing: since ETH got the approval, no other altcoin ETF has made it through.

And it's surely not for a lack of trying - asset managers have pitched tons of ETFs for everything from legit altcoins to memecoins.

However… that might be about to change soon 😏

Bloomberg's ETF analysts Eric Balchunas and James Seyffart say we might be heading into an Altcoin ETF Summer.

Here's their full ranking of which altcoins might be next in line:

Now, why should you even care about ETFs? Let's start from the basics.

An ETF (exchange-traded fund, if we're talking full government names) is a regulated product that trades on stock markets just like a regular stock. So, a spot ETH ETF holds real Ethereum, but wraps it in a familiar, SEC-approved package.

This format makes crypto assets accessible to mainstream and institutional investors - especially ones like retirement accounts, your mom's 401k, and other investment platforms that can’t (or won’t) hold raw crypto.

So naturally, the next question is: if a Solana ETF gets approved, will SOL moon like Bitcoin did when its ETF launched?

Hate to break it to ya, but… probably not.

Even Ethereum’s price didn’t go wild after its ETF debut.

Sure, ETH did outperform BTC for a few days before the approval (a “buy the rumor, sell the news” type situation), but the launch itself didn’t trigger a rally.

As Eric put it, “Nothing will compare to Bitcoin. The further away you get from BTC, the fewer assets there will be.”

That’s because Bitcoin is a macro asset. It’s the “digital gold”, a hedge, a store of value - and institutions treat it that way as well.

Altcoins, tho’? They're still the wild cousins at the family reunion. More speculative, more volatile, and less battle-tested - so most institutions are still side-eyeing them.

"So, in conclusion, altcoin ETFs are useless" - You, maybe.

Hold your horses. Even if they might not make the prices go parabolic, they still bring some major benefits:

✅ Regulatory clarity - getting ETF approval implies the asset is compliant enough to pass SEC scrutiny. Crucial for long-term ecosystem survival.

✅ Access - while pension funds might wait on the sidelines, wealth managers, smaller funds, and fintech platforms can start offering exposure once an ETF exists.

✅ Liquidity - ETF infrastructure brings more trading volume, tighter spreads, and better pricing - all good for market health.

Basically, it’s like getting a seat at the grown-ups' table.

And that's pretty valuable too. Even if it means you're now gonna have to listen to Aunt Linda talk about her third divorce.

🍋 News drops

👀 Crypto.com promises to make crypto easy for everyone - bold claim, right? We tested their platform inside and out to see if they actually deliver.

⚙️ Bitcoin's software update on October 30 is changing how much data you can stuff into transactions. People are split on whether this is good or a recipe for disaster.

👋 Cara Petersen quit her job as the CFPB's enforcement director and threw some shade at the Trump administration on her way out. Since the CFPB deals with crypto platform complaints, her exit could impact the crypto industry too.

⚖️ House lawmakers are pushing the CLARITY Act forward. The bill splits up duties between the SEC and CFTC so they stop stepping on each other's toes when it comes to overseeing digital assets.

🤖 Talk about Black Mirror becoming reality - a Waseda University study found that people are increasingly turning to AI for emotional support.

🍌 Juicy memes