Crypto Majors Ease Off Highs as ETH Leads Downside; SOL Bucks Trend With 9.2% Weekly Advance

Bitcoin closed Thursday at $64,122, down 1.0% on the session, as ether led major-asset declines with a 2.4% drop to $1,872.50. Solana bucked the softness, holding a 9.2% weekly gain despite a 1.9% intraday pullback, in a session that appeared to reflect measured profit-taking rather than a broader risk unwind.

Market Overview

Crypto majors gave back ground Thursday in a session marked by mild, broad-based selling rather than any single catalyst. Bitcoin closed at $64,122, off -1.0% ↓ on the day and -0.6% ↓ on the week, though still +13.7% ↑ over 30 days. Ether was the notable laggard at $1,872.50 (-2.4% ↓), while Solana at $75.82 pulled back 1.9% but held onto a +9.2% ↑ weekly gain. The divergence — SOL still green on the week, ETH the softest — is consistent with rotation within the majors rather than a coordinated risk-off move.

Asset Price Analysis

Bitcoin's session action kept the $64K handle intact, with the tape trading heavier through the afternoon but avoiding a test of last week's lows. The 30-day picture remains constructive at +13.7% ↑, so Thursday's slippage sits well within the range of a mid-uptrend pause.

Ether was the day's underperformer. A 2.4% single-session drop, layered on top of a -3.7% ↓ weekly print, leaves ETH the only major asset red on both timeframes. The 30-day gain of just +3.7% ↑ also lags meaningfully behind BTC and SOL, a relative-performance gap that has widened rather than closed through July.

Solana continues to trade as the standout. Even after Thursday's 1.9% fade, SOL sits +9.2% ↑ on the week and +15.6% ↑ on the month — the strongest 30-day print of the four majors. XRP at $1.10 slipped 1.4% intraday but preserved a +8.4% ↑ monthly gain, keeping it in the second-strongest performance bucket alongside BTC.

Stablecoin Flows

Dry-powder signals were mixed. USDC supply edged higher by roughly $2.2M on the day to $73.2B, per InflowScan data. USDT went the other way, contracting -$132.5M ↓ to $184.1B — the more meaningful print of the two given USDT's scale. A single-day USDT contraction of that size is small in percentage terms but points to modest offshore redemption rather than fresh capital staging.

ETF Flows Context

Issuer data for Thursday's session has not yet settled and will print in Friday's pre-market brief. The most recent settled session, Wednesday, July 15, showed spot crypto ETFs absorbing a combined +$157.6M ↑ in net inflows, according to InflowScan data. BlackRock's IBIT led with +$80.4M ↑, followed by ETHA at +$44.2M ↑ and Fidelity's FBTC at +$16.9M ↑. The only meaningful outflow was Grayscale's GSOL at -$1.2M ↓. Wednesday's bid provided the flow backdrop that carried into Thursday's tape; whether Thursday's price softness triggered any redemption response will be visible tomorrow. XRP fund coverage was partial for the settled session — 8 of 9 funds reported, with XRPK still settling.

Outlook

Friday's pre-market brief will carry the first read on whether Thursday's price pullback prompted any ETF flow reversal, particularly on the ETH side where ETHA has been the dominant inflow vehicle this week. Levels to watch: BTC's $64K handle, which held through Thursday's close, and ETH's $1,850 zone, which sits just below current spot after this session's decline. Also worth tracking: whether Solana's relative-strength gap versus ETH persists into the weekend, and whether the modest USDT contraction extends or reverses.