Bitcoin, Ethereum rise as crypto sentiment stays fearful

Leading cryptocurrencies gained overnight on Sunday while markets digested the continuing U.S.—Iran impasse over ending the war.

Cryptocurrency 24-Hour Gains +/- Price (Recorded at 9:25 p.m.

EDT) Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) +0.26% $63,119.16 Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) +0.73% $1,893.34 XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) -0.36% $0.9971 Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) -0.30% $75.11 Dogecoin (CRYPTO: DOGE) +0.56% $0.06996 Crypto Bulls Not Yet Sprinting Bitcoin wavered between $62,650 and $63,300 amid subdued price action, while trading volume rose 3% over the last 24 hours.

Ethereum gained momentum later in the evening, accompanied by a 30% surge in volume, but the $1,900 level remained out of reach.

Over $80 million was liquidated from the cryptocurrency market in the last 24 hours, with long position traders losing nearly $50 million, according to Coinglass data.

Bitcoin's open interest fell 0.29% over the last 24 hours.

Smart money sentiment, which refers to the collective outlook and capital allocation of institutional investors, turned "extremely bearish." "Fear" sentiment prevailed in the market, according to the Crypto Fear & Greed Index.

Top Gainers (24 Hours) Cryptocurrency (Market Cap>$100 M) Gains +/- Price (Recorded at 9:25 p.m.

EDT) Bitway (BTW) +28.29% $0.3914 Velvet (VELVET) +22.37% $1.02 Cap (CAP) +13.70% $0.07097 The global cryptocurrency market capitalization stood at $2.17 trillion, reflecting a marginal 0.01% decline over 24 hours.

Read Also: Ethereum, Solana Could Turn Scarcer Than Gold By 2031: Here's the Math to Prove It Dow Futures Slip Stock futures traded mixed overnight on Sunday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average Futures fell 24 points, or 0.04%, as of 8:45 p.m.

EDT.

Futures tied to the S&P 500 gained 0.06%, while Nasdaq 100 Futures added 0.17%.

Iranian officials have reportedly stated there has been "absolutely no progress" on reviving the interim peace deal with the U.S. as shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz came to a grinding halt.

President Donald Trump said earlier this month that the U.S. is "only semi-negotiating" with Tehran.

Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Friday the U.S. plans fresh measures "next week," calling them unmatched in the history of economic isolation.

This week, investors will focus on the Federal Reserve's minutes from its July policy meeting, due Wednesday, for clearer signals on the path of monetary policy.

End Stage of Bear Market? Michaël van de Poppe, popular chartist and cryptocurrency commentator, said Bitcoin and altcoins are in the "end stage of a bear market," marked by low liquidity and volume that could continue for 1-2 months. "For traders, the ranges are narrow, and the trading liquidity will likely come the moment the trend comes back into Bitcoin, just a matter of time," the analyst projected.

End stage of a bear market is often combined with the fact that there's low liquidity and low volume.

Those are both in the charts on #Bitcoin and many #Altcoins.

It could last 1-2 months, however, there are two important indications: 1.

For traders, the ranges are narrow and… — Michaël van de Poppe (@CryptoMichNL) August 16, 2026 Ali Martinez, a widely followed cryptocurrency analyst and trader, highlighted a sharp jump in Ethereum's network activity, with new daily addresses rising from 121,000 to 212,000 within a week. "Network growth is one of the strongest on-chain indicators of user adoption, and sustained increases have historically preceded major price rallies," Martinez stated.

ETHEREUM NETWORK GROWTH ACCELERATES New daily $ETH addresses have surged from 121,210 on August 8 to 212,560 today.

Network growth is one of the strongest on-chain indicators of user adoption, and sustained increases have historically preceded major price rallies. pic.twitter.com/o7nimJv6qs — Ali Charts (@alicharts) August 16, 2026 Read Also: Crypto Bear Market Shows 'Attributes of a Real Bottom' With Wall Street Behind It, Bitwise's Matt Hougan Says Photo Courtesy: vinnstock on Shutterstock.com