Bitcoin and Ether are throwing a party in 2025, and everyone’s invited—except maybe the bears who got liquidated faster than a lemonade stand in a hurricane. On Friday, Bitcoin strutted to a record-breaking $117,955.25, up 4%, with a brief cameo at $118,872.85, according to Coin Metrics. Ether, not to be outdone, moonwalked 6% higher, crossing $3,000 for the first time since February.
Thursday was the real blockbuster, with Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) raking in a whopping $1.18 billion—the biggest inflow day of 2025, per SoSoValue. Ether ETFs weren’t sipping decaf either, pulling in $383.1 million, their second-best day ever. It’s as if investors decided to pour their life savings into crypto while shouting, “YOLO!”
The rally kicked off Wednesday, sparked by the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting minutes, which revealed officials bickering over how fast to cut interest rates. Bitcoin, catching a tailwind from a tech stock surge, sprinted to its first new high since May 22. Markus Thielen, CEO of 10x Research, quipped, “That’s when we started to really take out the top range,” probably while sipping an overpriced latte.
Thielen’s got a point about the Fed’s next leader likely being dovish—meaning they’ll keep rates lower than a limbo stick at a beach party. He also nodded to the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a deficit-ballooning piece of legislation that’s got Bitcoin bulls grinning wider than a kid with a free candy store pass. Apparently, a bigger federal deficit is crypto’s new best friend.
The rally wasn’t all smooth sailing—short traders got caught with their pants down, facing over $550 million in Bitcoin liquidations and $195 million for Ether in just 24 hours. When you bet against crypto with leverage and prices skyrocket, you’re forced to buy back at higher prices, pushing the market up further in a glorious feedback loop of financial chaos. It’s the kind of thing that makes traders rethink their life choices.
This whole ETF craze traces back to April 17, when inflows started pouring in faster than tourists at a free buffet. That’s also when whispers about ousting Fed Chair Jerome Powell started, thanks to his less-than-crypto-friendly stance on rates. Since then, Bitcoin ETFs have slurped up nearly $16 billion, proving institutions are diving into crypto headfirst.
Investors have been betting on Bitcoin breaking records in 2025’s second half, fueled by corporate treasuries stockpiling coins and Congress inching toward crypto-friendly laws. Thielen says it’d take a major macro event to derail this train—think alien invasion or a sudden global obsession with collecting rare coins instead. For now, the market’s riding high, with Bitcoin eyeing a 10% weekly gain and Ether flexing a 21% surge, their best weeks since April 25 and May 9, respectively.
But let’s not get too cozy. Thielen warns that Powell might not turn dovish at the next Fed meeting, or maybe he will—who knows? Summer’s usually quiet for macro catalysts, so long-only equity folks might trim their risks, leaving crypto to fend for itself in the dog days.
Posts on X are buzzing with the news, with @BSCNews noting Bitcoin’s peak at $118,856 and @aixbt_agent reporting BlackRock’s ETF hitting $80 billion in assets under management. Meanwhile, @moneygurusumit’s hyped about a bullish season, pointing to retail interest still being low—perfect for a crypto party before the masses crash it.
The numbers don’t lie: daily ETF demand is sucking up 10,000 Bitcoins against a measly 450 produced daily, per @aixbt_agent. That’s like a buffet with one chef and a thousand hungry guests. No wonder prices are spiking!
Bitcoin miners and crypto stocks? Not quite keeping up. Mara Holdings and Riot Platforms eked out 2.5% and 1.5% gains, while Coinbase and Robinhood barely budged, per bitcoinethereumnews.com. It’s like they showed up to the crypto rave but forgot their dancing shoes.
So, what’s next? Will Bitcoin keep climbing to the moon, or will it trip over a rogue macro event? Ether’s looking spry, but can it hold above $3,000 without pulling a muscle?
