BTC Outperforms the Stock Market for the First Time in a Long Time
As of August 17, BTC showed stronger performance than the S&P 500 index. Nevertheless, over the past three months, the cryptocurrency outperformed stocks on only one out of every three trading days. Analysts at Glassnode described this as the longest period of BTC underperformance relative to the S&P 500 in the past six years.
At the time of publication, BTC was trading at around $64.3K, up just over 1% over 24 hours, while the S&P 500 had declined by 0.5%. Experts emphasize that it is still too early to conclude that a new trend is taking shape.
The derivatives market remains relatively stable: the Leverage Pressure Zone indicator is in neutral territory, indicating that there is no excessive use of leverage. At the same time, BTC funding rates reached their highest level since the beginning of the year, setting a 20-month high.
BTC Breaks Above $69K Amid Record Liquidations
Bitcoin broke above the $69,000 mark amid a wave of mass position liquidations. Ethereum also rose, holding above $2,100. Both assets reached their highest levels since the beginning of summer, gaining more than 10% over 24 hours.
The sharp price movement triggered large-scale forced position closures on crypto exchanges. Over the past 24 hours, positions worth around $1.6 billion were liquidated, including $1.4 billion in short positions. A significant share of the losses, around $1.3 billion, came from BTC and ETH positions.
The total cryptocurrency market capitalization exceeded $2.3 trillion.
Payment Giants and Crypto Companies Join Forces to Develop AI Payments
Visa and Mastercard, together with companies from the crypto and fintech sectors, have launched the Agentic Payments Alliance (APA). The new initiative aims to lay the groundwork for standardizing transactions initiated by autonomous artificial intelligence systems. The alliance includes players from the stablecoin, blockchain infrastructure and related technology sectors. Its key objectives are to develop identification and authorization protocols for AI agents, pilot new solutions and establish dialogue with regulators.
The initiative’s founders emphasize that the AI-agent market is developing faster than the underlying payment infrastructure. The alliance aims to prevent fragmentation by developing common industry standards. The development of such payment systems is seen as a strategic direction for the crypto industry: in the future, autonomous systems could independently make payments for goods, services and digital content using stablecoins and other digital assets.
AI Helped Bybit Prevent Potential Losses of $700 Million
Bybit avoided potential losses of $700 million thanks to the implementation of artificial intelligence technologies. During the first six months of the year, its algorithms rejected more than 30,000 suspicious withdrawal requests and helped protect around 20,000 user accounts.
The average processing time for transaction reviews was 4.7 minutes, while 95% of requests were handled in less than 10 minutes. In addition, using AI and blockchain analysis, the exchange identified $212 million worth of assets potentially linked to fraudulent activity and blocked more than 10,000 suspicious wallets.
Artificial intelligence has also significantly accelerated the process of identifying security vulnerabilities. According to the company, automated testing detects critical issues three to five times faster than manual analysis: tasks that previously took weeks can now be completed within hours.
Nevertheless, final decisions on complex security incidents remain the responsibility of human specialists. Bybit emphasizes that AI is primarily used to detect threats more quickly and improve the overall efficiency of its security systems.
Bitcoin Could Rise to $500K in the Coming Years
After BTC surged from $62K to nearly $80K, experts have once again begun discussing its potential for further upside. According to several analysts, the number of negative factors weighing on the market is declining, while reduced speculative activity has created favorable conditions for a new inflow of buyers.
In the long term, some forecasts point to substantial price growth. Potential targets include $100K in the near term and, if historical patterns repeat, $300K–$500K over the next several years.
In the short term, however, the outlook remains uncertain. For the uptrend to continue, BTC needs to hold above $76K–$77K and maintain steady demand. If investors begin taking profits, the price could retreat to $74K–$75K, while stronger selling pressure could push it toward $72K–$73K.
BTC and ETH Hit New Highs Amid Mass Trader Liquidations
Amid a sharp rise in the prices of major digital assets, crypto exchanges recorded large-scale forced position closures. BTC broke above $66.5K, while ETH climbed above $2K for the first time since early summer. Over the past 24 hours, total cryptocurrency market capitalization rose above $2.26 trillion, while BTC and ETH gained 3% and 5%, respectively.
Liquidations surged alongside prices: traders lost around $400 million in just one hour, while the total volume of forced closures over 24 hours reached approximately $635 million. More than $524 million of the losses came from short positions opened by traders expecting prices to fall.
Bitcoin and Ethereum accounted for the largest share of liquidated positions, with more than $460 million in losses combined. Most of these trades involved perpetual futures, which require leverage and can significantly amplify risks for market participants.
