BTC Bounces Back, X Goes Full Broker, and Truth Social Wants Its Own ETFs
February 14, 2026 β Your crypto briefing from CryptoPulse
π΄ Lead Story: Bitcoin Claws Back to $70K β But the Fear Is Real
Bitcoin is back above $70,000 after touching near $60,000 earlier this month. The 5% bounce in 24 hours looks great on a chart. Under the surface, it's more complicated.
What happened
The January CPI report came in at 2.4% year-over-year β just below the 2.5% consensus forecast. That was enough to reignite rate-cut hopes. Prediction markets moved: Kalshi now prices a 26% chance of a 25bps cut in April (up from 19%), while Polymarket jumped from 13% to 20%.
The broader CoinDesk 20 index rose 6.2% in the same window, suggesting this wasn't just a BTC move β the entire market caught a bid.
Why it's complicated
The Crypto Fear & Greed Index is sitting in "extreme fear" β levels we haven't seen since the FTX collapse in late 2022. It's been there since the start of February.
Here's the damage report from Bitwise's on-chain analysis:
- $8.7 billion in realized bitcoin losses last week β the second-largest capitulation event on record, behind only the 3AC collapse
- Bitcoin treasury firms were sitting on $21 billion in unrealized losses at the low (now down to $16.9B)
- Trading volumes are thin β this rally is partly seller exhaustion, not aggressive buying
Bitwise's team summed it up: "The rotation of supply from weaker hands to conviction investors has historically been associated with market stabilisation phases, though such redistribution requires time to fully unfold."
What to watch
Whether $70K holds through the weekend on low volume. The fear index suggests traders are treating every bounce as a chance to sell. If conviction buyers can absorb that selling pressure, this could be a real bottom. If not, the $60K test is still in play.
The CryptoPulse take: This has the fingerprints of a capitulation event β $8.7B in realized losses, extreme fear readings, supply rotating to strong hands. Historically, these are the conditions that precede recoveries. But "historically" is doing a lot of heavy lifting when the market's main driver is fear. We're cautiously constructive, but wouldn't blame anyone for sitting on their hands this weekend.
π Source: CoinDesk
π± X Is Launching Crypto and Stock Trading β For Real This Time
Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter) announced it will launch in-app crypto and stock trading within "a couple weeks." This isn't another vague promise β X's head of product Nikita Bier described specific features.
The details
- "Smart Cashtags" β tap a ticker symbol ($BTC, $TSLA, etc.) in any post and execute a trade without leaving the app
- X Money β the in-house payments system is live in internal testing, with external beta in 1-2 months
- Musk's vision: messaging, posting, payments, and investing all in one app β the "everything app" he's been pitching since the Twitter acquisition
Why this matters
X has 500M+ monthly active users. If even a fraction of them start trading crypto from their timeline, that's a distribution channel bigger than most exchanges. For comparison, Coinbase has ~110M verified users. Robinhood has ~23M funded accounts.
The Musk-crypto connection is deep: Tesla holds 11,509 BTC (down from 42,300 originally purchased in 2021). SpaceX holds ~8,285 BTC. Musk recently said SpaceX may "put DOGE on the moon" β literally.
The skeptic's case
We've heard "X payments" promises before. And running a brokerage inside a social media app brings massive regulatory complexity β money transmitter licenses, broker-dealer registration, KYC/AML compliance across jurisdictions. Nikita Bier is a product genius (he sold TBH to Facebook), but financial services infrastructure is a different beast.
The CryptoPulse take: The announcement is significant because it has specifics β Smart Cashtags, named features, a timeline. That's different from Musk's usual "soon" vibes. If they ship, the impact on retail crypto access could be enormous. Watch which assets they support at launch β that will tell you everything about their regulatory posture.
π Source: CoinDesk
ποΈ Truth Social Files for Bitcoin/Ether ETF and a Staking-Focused Cronos Fund
Yorkville America Equities β the asset manager behind Trump-branded ETFs β filed with the SEC for two new crypto products:
- Truth Social Bitcoin and Ether ETF β straightforward BTC + ETH exposure
- Truth Social Cronos Yield Maximizer ETF β invests in and stakes CRO tokens for yield
Why the Cronos fund is interesting
Most crypto ETFs are passive spot products. This one explicitly includes staking rewards β making it one of the first ETF filings to position itself as a yield-generating crypto product. Both funds would be custodied by Crypto.com and distributed through its affiliate Foris Capital US.
The political angle
President Trump is a primary owner of Trump Media & Technology Group (which owns Truth Social). His personal business ties to crypto are already one of the main sticking points in advancing the Senate's Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. More Trump-branded crypto products add fuel to that fire.
This isn't Yorkville's first attempt β they filed for a spot bitcoin ETF in June 2025 and a Blue Chip Digital Asset ETF in July 2025. Neither has launched yet.
The CryptoPulse take: Ignore the branding β the staking ETF mechanics are genuinely novel. If the SEC approves a yield-bearing crypto ETF, that opens a whole new category. But approval is far from guaranteed given the political entanglements. Worth monitoring the SEC timeline.
π Source: CoinDesk, SEC Filing
β‘ Also Worth Your Time
Ethereum Foundation: Another Leadership Shakeup
Co-executive director Tomasz StaΕczak is stepping down at the end of February, less than a year after taking the role. He replaced Aya Miyaguchi, who left amid community criticism that the EF wasn't doing enough. Bastian Aue will take over alongside co-ED Hsiao-Wei Wang. StaΕczak says the foundation is "in a healthy state" β the revolving door at the top suggests otherwise. Source
Stablecoin Yield: Crypto vs. Wall Street, Round 2
After Wall Street bankers demanded a total ban on stablecoin yield at a White House meeting, the Digital Chamber fired back with its own principles document. Their position: they'll give up interest on static stablecoin holdings (which looks too much like a bank account), but rewards for active transactions should stay. As Digital Chamber CEO Cody Carbone put it: "If they don't negotiate, then the status quo is that rewards continue as-is." This fight will shape what stablecoins can and can't do in the US. Source
Ark Invest Keeps Buying
Cathie Wood's Ark bought $18M in crypto stocks β including a 10th consecutive purchase of Bullish, plus $12M in Robinhood and $4M in Bitmine Immersion Technologies. When Ark buys, CT pays attention. Source
GENIUS Act Driving Institutional Demand
Sui executives say institutional demand has "never been higher," pointing to ETF flows, tokenization momentum, and major trading firms entering the space. Source
CryptoPulse is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. DYOR.