The crypto market is in trouble during this May 2020, 2026 midweek trading session, with Bitcoin price struggling to reclaim $78,000 after a $5,000 drop from $82,000 last week. ETH USD is in a similar position, down -0.2% on the day but trading at $2,120, with analysts warning that a loss of $2,000 could be disastrous.
Bitcoin’s fall below $80,000 continues the slide that began last week and is linked to large ETF outflows. The main catalyst is outflows of over $1.3 billion over the last three trading sessions, while Ethereum’s bearish price action of late can be linked to a seven-day streak of negative ETF flows, which saw around $400 million exit from the various ETH ETF funds.
On the other hand, Solana and Ripple ETF flows are flashing green, signaling a shift of investors from the two major digital assets to beta plays such as SOL and XRP, although the USD amounts are significantly lower than those of Ethereum and Bitcoin ETFs.
Separately, the asset continues to struggle as Saylor and his strategy firm stop buying, with the BTC treasury company having not announced a purchase since May 18, when it purchased an additional 24,869 BTC for approximately $2.01 billion at an average price of $80,985.
Crypto News Today: ETF Flows Continue to Drive Crypto Price Action
(SOURCE: CoinGlass)
The main crypto story right now is about ETF flows between various digital assets, namely BTC, ETH, XRP, and SOL. Bitcoin is the main culprit, with more than $2.1 billion flowing out of multiple ETF funds over the past six trading sessions.
BlackRock’s IBIT fund is responsible for much of these negative flows, with the world’s largest asset manager dumping more than $1 billion in BTC in recent days.
The story is similar for Ethereum, which led ETH to fall to $2,100 and be dangerously close to losing $2,000 again. Selling pressure from ETFs also led BTC to lose $80,000 and is now struggling to gain momentum, trading at around $77,400.
XRP, on the other hand, saw nine days of positive flows in its ETF offerings, with SOL experiencing a similar trend, although neither asset continued to slide -6% and -10% for the week, respectively.
May 20, 2026 Fear and Greed Index Falls Back Toward Extreme Fear – Polymarket Supports Bearish Sentiment
(SOURCE: Fear and Greed Index)
In other crypto news today, the Fear and Greed Index has almost halved over the past week, after hitting 42/100 this time last week, down to just 27/100 today, just 2 points away from returning to “extreme fear” territory.
The Fear & Greed Index highlights investor sentiment in the crypto market, and its sharp decline over the past week signals traders’ uncertainty amid the Iran-US saga, which continues to scare crypto.
Polymarket echoes this, with the prediction market platform having a 56% chance of Bitcoin falling below $75,000 in May and a 13% chance of it falling below $70,000.
On the other hand, Polymarket has a 10% chance that Bitcoin will reach $85,000 before the end of this month, prompting several analysts to call for a decline towards $60,000 in the second quarter.
(SOURCE: Polymarché)
Why Truth Social Discontinued Its Bitcoin ETF: What This News Means for Retail Investors
In crypto ETF news, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), the parent company of Truth Social, has officially withdrawn its application for a branded spot Bitcoin ETF, filing a formal withdrawal with the SEC on May 20, 2026.
The company’s advisor, Yorkville America, called the move strategic, citing plans for new demand under a more effective securities framework.
Here’s the central tension this article uncovers: a top media brand with millions of users and a politically powerful identity couldn’t clear the regulatory bar to launch a Bitcoin ETF, and understanding exactly why reveals something every retail investor should know before putting their trust in a new crypto fund.
Read the full story here.
What is the “amber standard”? The US Bitcoin Strategic Reserve Explained
A bill currently underway in Washington would make Bitcoin an official U.S. government reserve asset for the first time in history. Introduced on March 30, 2026, the Mined in America Act would require the U.S. Treasury to accumulate up to one million Bitcoins over 20 years.
It would mark a policy shift so significant that its supporters gave it a name borrowed from the country’s monetary history and its relationship with gold: the Orange Standard.
Read the full story here.
Cardano Price Analysis: ADA Whales Struggle to Reverse Downtrend
Cardano is trying to find its footing amid a bloody market downturn. ADA is currently trading at around $0.248, down -1.4% over the past 24 hours, after posting five straight days of losses that have dragged the asset deep into bearish territory.
Recovery feels more like exhaustion than conviction. The on-chain data tells an interesting story: whales are quietly buying the dip, but price refuses to follow their lead, raising an uncomfortable question for ADA holders.
Read the full article here.
XRP News: The truth behind the rumors about XRP and JPMorgan
In the latest XRP news Today, a viral claim circulated on crypto social media: JPMorgan and Ripple are heading towards a massive settlement or strategic partnership that could send the price of XRP skyrocketing.
JPMorgan’s Kinexys infrastructure interacted with the XRP Ledger in a real, documented transaction involving Ripple, Mastercard, and Ondo Finance. But it’s when we move from “interacted with” to “partnered with” that the facts fall apart.
Read the full article here.
The article Crypto News Today (May 20): Bitcoin Struggling Below $80,000, SOL and XRP ETFs Green as ETH and BTC ETFs Bleed appeared first on 99Bitcoins.
