Bitcoin was trading steady around $80,000 on Friday as markets rallied on the back of a Democratic sweep. Ether jumped 4%, crypto exchange-traded funds drew fresh money, and Wall Street turned higher. Brent crude fell nearly 9%.
Ether outpaces Bitcoin
The 4% move in ether stood out against bitcoin's flat session. That's a wider gap than the two assets have posted in recent weeks. ETFs tied to crypto took in new capital, adding a second source of demand on top of spot buying.
Wall Street joins the rally
Equities turned higher alongside digital assets. The Democratic sweep gave investors a clearer picture of the policy path ahead, and risk appetite followed. Brent crude's near-9% drop fed into the same move, easing one input cost that has weighed on broader markets.
The ETF flows matter
Fresh money into crypto ETFs is the detail worth watching. Flows through listed funds are slower to reverse than spot positions, and they tend to show up in the following week's data. For now, the bid is holding bitcoin near $80,000 rather than pushing it through.
The next test is whether the ETF inflows persist once the initial post-election reaction fades. That data will start to show over the coming sessions.
