Week of November 16, 2025
Welcome to another week where crypto proves it can't decide if it's going mainstream or going home. Bitcoin's having a moment (and not the good kind), Coinbase is trying to make ICOs respectable again, and Congress is actually doing something. Let's break it down.
🔻 Bitcoin's Bad Week: ETF Drama Edition
The numbers that hurt: Bitcoin dropped hard, and everyone's freaking out about ETF outflows. Depending on who you ask, November 14th saw anywhere from $492M to $870M flee spot Bitcoin ETFs. Over three weeks? We're talking $2.64 billion heading for the exits.
But here's the plot twist: Those ETF flows everyone's obsessing over? They're only about 7% of Bitcoin's total market cap. Most of the real action still happens on regular exchanges. Plus, U.S. Bitcoin ETFs are still up $24 billion for the year. One bad day doesn't erase months of gains.
What actually happened: This wasn't just ETF investors getting cold feet. Over $1 billion in derivatives got liquidated as Bitcoin tumbled. Add in some general "everything is scary" market vibes, and you get a selloff that had more to do with leverage than conviction.
The interesting part: While money fled Bitcoin ETFs, it ran straight into shiny new XRP and Solana ETFs. It's not panic—it's musical chairs with your portfolio.
Bottom line: Yes, outflows look scary. No, they don't mean Bitcoin is dead. They mean some traders took profits and crypto Twitter had a field day.
🚀 Coinbase's Bold Plan: ICOs, But Make Them Legal
Remember ICOs? Those glorious 2017 days when anyone with a whitepaper and a dream could raise millions? Well, Coinbase wants to bring them back—with adult supervision.
The pitch: They're calling it a "token sale platform," and the first project (Monad) is live. Think ICOs but with actual rules:
Algorithmic allocation — No more whales gobbling everything up in 30 seconds
USDC only — Pay with stablecoins, prove you're a real person (KYC required)
Six-month lockups — Insiders can't dump on you immediately
Public disclosure — Tokenomics, vesting schedules, the works
Exchange listing path — Coinbase plans to list these tokens after the sale
What could go wrong? (Oh, plenty)
Securities risk — The SEC might still call this a securities offering, fancy guardrails or not
Governance theater — Just because retail can buy tokens doesn't mean retail gets real power
Gaming the system — Algorithms can be gamed; just ask anyone who's tried to buy concert tickets
Launch day chaos — Instant Coinbase listing = instant volatility. Lockups prevent founder dumps, not retail FOMO
If you're thinking about playing:
Read the tokenomics like your money depends on it (because it does)
Don't assume you'll get your full allocation—it's probabilistic, not guaranteed
Budget $100-$100k for Monad; other projects may differ
Mark your calendar for when those six-month lockups expire—that's when things get spicy
The verdict: It's ICOs with training wheels. Better than 2017's Wild West, still riskier than buying index funds.
🏛️ Congress Actually Does Something: The CFTC Gets Crypto Powers
What's happening: The Senate Agriculture Committee dropped a discussion draft that would give the CFTC real authority over digital commodity markets. Yes, the same agency that regulates pork bellies might soon regulate your Ethereum.
Why this matters:
Right now, nobody's quite sure who's in charge of what in crypto. Is it a commodity? A security? A Beanie Baby? The SEC and CFTC have been fighting over jurisdiction like siblings arguing over the remote. This bill attempts to settle it.
The good stuff:
Clear rules for who regulates what
Consumer protections for retail traders
Funding for the CFTC to actually hire enough people to do the job
Room for innovation (self-custody and DeFi aren't banned)
The complicated stuff:
24/7 trading — Crypto never sleeps, but traditional risk management assumes everyone goes home at night. How do you handle margin calls at 3 AM on Sunday?
Perpetual futures — These things already exist, and regulators are still figuring out if they're fine or a ticking time bomb
Who watches the watchers — The CFTC needs money and staff to regulate 24/7 markets. Congress is proposing funding, but will it be enough?
What's next:
Senate Agriculture has to work with Senate Banking to merge their visions. Then it goes to the floor. Then... who knows? But at least it's movement.
Why you should care:
Without clear rules, U.S. crypto companies will keep threatening to move overseas. With clear rules, we might actually get the innovation everyone promises without the weekly blow-ups.
The Big Picture: Growing Pains
Crypto is having its awkward teenage years. Bitcoin's price swings remind us it's still volatile. Coinbase's regulated ICO platform shows the industry trying to clean up its act. And Congress slowly, painfully working toward actual legislation proves that crypto is too big to ignore.
For investors: Do your homework, don't bet more than you can lose, and maybe don't check prices every five minutes.
For the industry: Keep building, stop scamming, and try to work with regulators instead of around them.
For everyone else: Grab popcorn. 2025 is shaping up to be a wild ride.
This is not financial advice. This is entertainment that happens to involve numbers and the occasional mention of blockchain.