Bitcoin ETF Sees $159M Inflow as Japan's Central Bank Raises Rates

Japan's central bank raised its benchmark rate to 1.25%, reaching the highest level since 1995. The decision, passed 7-2, reflected energy costs and inflation pressures, prompting global capital to reassess risk and safe-haven assets as gold surged past $4,370 per ounce and WTI oil dropped 5% intraday.

Cryptocurrency markets rose despite the rate hike, with Bitcoin up 1.45% at $77,504.73 and Ethereum climbing 1.89% to $2,485.23. Altcoins saw stronger gains: XRP +1.48%, BNB +3.93%, Solana +5.72%, Dogecoin +3.92%, and Hyperliquid +10.81%. Bitcoin's market share fell to 58.49% (-0.34 percentage points), while Ethereum's dropped to 11.40% (-0.02 points), indicating broader gains across smaller assets.

Total market cap stood at $2.66 trillion, with 24-hour trading volume reaching $79.95 billion. Derivatives volume decreased by 11.47% to $74.20 billion, suggesting a more selective buying pattern rather than overheated momentum. Total liquidations reached $187.96 million, with short-covering accounting for 81% ($152.24 million) - over four times the long liquidations.

Ethereum saw the largest individual liquidations at $47.29 million, followed by Bitcoin's $44.80 million. The Bitcoin ETF recorded net inflows of $159 million, while Ethereum ETF experienced outflows of $39.24 million. Solana announced an upgrade to reduce target slot time to 250 milliseconds, contributing to its price surge.

DeFi trading volume rose 8.36% to $13.38 billion, while stablecoin volume fell 10.76% to $82.74 billion, indicating active capital rotation within the market rather than new funds entering. Security issues persisted with a $3.5 million exploit in Starknet's loan protocol and malicious browser wallet extensions targeting users.