Bitcoins - about to hit $5,000 per coin today!

[Griffith]

The Strategic ETH Reserve up half a billion USD since yesterday.

https://www.strategicethreserve.xyz/

[Griffith]

PayPal expanded its USD-backed PYUSD stablecoin to Arbitrum, a Layer 2 Ethereum network

PayPal has expanded its U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin, PYUSD, to the Arbitrum network, a leading Layer 2 scaling solution for Ethereum. This move is aimed at providing users with faster and more cost-effective transactions.

Ultimately, the move by PayPal indicates that the firm is keen on digital money. The inclusion of Arbitrum is empowering people with more options through PayPal.

The mission is obvious: turn digital payments into simple, inexpensive, and secure. This may introduce stablecoins to the lives of more people in the future.


https://www.ainvest.com/news/ethereum-news-today-paypal-expands-pyusd-stablecoin-arbitrum-network-faster-transactions-2507/

[Griffith]

SharpLink Gaming to raise $5 billion to buy more ETH.

https://www.mitrade.com/insights/crypto-analysis/eth/fxstreet-ETHUSD-202507180927

[Mayday]

Make of my targets what you will. No target has been set above 130k yet by my methods.

I think many think it’s over post July and expect a full rotation.

[Flexacon]

This is just a test pump. Real fireworks are in Q4

[Griffith]

Ethereum Surges to 16-Month High Through Record ETF Inflows

Ethereum ETH/USD has seized enormous momentum this week, trading at about $3,600 with gains reaching 7.7% in the preceding 24 hours. The cryptocurrency has gone up 23% in the past week, which is a lot more than Bitcoin’s 13% rise. This makes it one of the best performers in the current market cycle.

The rise comes at a time when institutional interest is at an all-time high. On Wednesday, US Ethereum spot ETFs saw their biggest single-day inflow ever, with $727 million coming in.

Reserve Status of the asset:

Because Ethereum is the most popular stablecoin, it has become the backbone of the digital dollar economy. Ethereum has become the main settlement layer for digital financial infrastructure because it issues more than 54% of all stablecoins.

Digital Oil:

Key players in Ethereum say that ETH is a useful, yield-bearing commodity that drives the on-chain economy. Ethereum is different from Bitcoin’s “digital gold” story because it mixes value storage with usefulness. It burns ETH as fuel for transactions while keeping it scarce by limiting issuance to 1.51% each year.

Staking Yield:

BlackRock’s request to add staking incentives to its Ethereum ETF could open up more institutional demand.

https://www.fxleaders.com/news/2025/07/18/ethereum-surges-to-16-month-high-through-record-etf-inflows/

[obsidian]

Because Ethereum is the most popular stablecoin, it has become the backbone of the digital dollar economy.

I had to laugh at this line. Ethereum is not a stablecoin - lmao! Stablecoins like USDC, USDT, DAI, etc., exist on Ethereum as ERC-20 tokens, which are created and managed by smart contracts. Ethereum (ETH) is a decentralized, programmable cryptocurrency that powers the Ethereum blockchain, used to pay for transactions and execute smart contracts—not a stablecoin.

More than 50% of the stablecoin supply is on Ethereum and it's L2s. Tron (TRX) is second and Solana (SOL), third. Fourth is Binance Smart Chain (BSC), with BNB as the token / ticker.

But there's been a joke going around that Ethereum is a stablecoin, due to the horrible price performance recently.

[obsidian]

Charles Schwab CEO says Bitcoin, Ethereum trading coming soon
Rick Wurster said in an interview that clients want to see all their assets in the same dashboard.

Charles Schwab CEO Rick Wurster confirmed the brokerage plans to add Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) trading for its customers during an interview with CNBC on July 18.

According to Wurster, the move comes amid heavy client demand to see all their asset exposure in the same dashboard.

He said:

“Our clients are invested in crypto today.”

He explained that the firm’s customers already hold more than 20% of all crypto exchange‑traded products (ETPs) in the US, worth roughly $25 billion. However, this number amounts to only roughly 0.2% of the firm’s $10.8 trillion in total client balances.

Wurster’s remarks confirm reports from early May about the firm’s interest in crypto trading services.

Clients seek one‑stop custody
Wurster framed the spot Bitcoin and Ethereum access as a consolidation tool rather than a venture into speculative trading.

He said many households already keep 98% of their wealth at Schwab but maintain a small “one or two percent” slice at specialist crypto platforms so they can hold coins directly.

Charles Schwab’s CEO noted:

“They really want to bring it back to Schwab because they trust us.”

Furthermore, he said that customers prefer to view crypto alongside equities, bonds, and cash on a single dashboard.

Wurster expects the rollout to “accelerate our growth” because balances parked elsewhere would migrate once Schwab offers direct custody. He did not specify a launch date, saying only that the service will arrive “sometime soon.”

Direct rivalry with Coinbase
Asked whether the addition sets up a head‑to‑head contest with Coinbase, Wurster answered “absolutely.”

He said Schwab wants customers who currently buy coins at Coinbase to transfer those holdings back to Schwab, where the brokerage already provides round‑the‑clock service, research tools, and integrated portfolio reporting.

Schwab’s upcoming service will complement the crypto exposure it already supports through exchange‑traded products.

Wurster did not discuss fees, trade execution partners, or wallet architecture, but he emphasized that the firm will apply the same custody standards it uses for traditional securities.

https://cryptoslate.com/charles-schwab-ceo-says-bitcoin-ethereum-trading-coming-soon/

[Griffith]

I had to laugh at this line. Ethereum is not a stablecoin - lmao! Stablecoins like USDC, USDT, DAI, etc., exist on Ethereum as ERC-20 tokens, which are created and managed by smart contracts. Ethereum (ETH) is a decentralized, programmable cryptocurrency that powers the Ethereum blockchain, used to pay for transactions and execute smart contracts—not a stablecoin.

More than 50% of the stablecoin supply is on Ethereum and it's L2s. Tron (TRX) is second and Solana (SOL), third. Fourth is Binance Smart Chain (BSC), with BNB as the token / ticker.

But there's been a joke going around that Ethereum is a stablecoin, due to the horrible price performance recently.

They obviously mean most stablecoins are on Ethereum, as 'it issues more than 54% of all stablecoins'.

I know you don't view stablecoins as important for Ethereum's growth or the global financial system, but for someone with a background in economics, I do view it as extremely important. As does SBET, BMNR, BTBT, etc.

[French]

 

[GymnJuice]

Charles Schwab CEO says Bitcoin, Ethereum trading coming soon
Rick Wurster said in an interview that clients want to see all their assets in the same dashboard.

Charles Schwab CEO Rick Wurster confirmed the brokerage plans to add Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) trading for its customers during an interview with CNBC on July 18.

According to Wurster, the move comes amid heavy client demand to see all their asset exposure in the same dashboard.

He said:

“Our clients are invested in crypto today.”

He explained that the firm’s customers already hold more than 20% of all crypto exchange‑traded products (ETPs) in the US, worth roughly $25 billion. However, this number amounts to only roughly 0.2% of the firm’s $10.8 trillion in total client balances.

Wurster’s remarks confirm reports from early May about the firm’s interest in crypto trading services.

Clients seek one‑stop custody
Wurster framed the spot Bitcoin and Ethereum access as a consolidation tool rather than a venture into speculative trading.

He said many households already keep 98% of their wealth at Schwab but maintain a small “one or two percent” slice at specialist crypto platforms so they can hold coins directly.

Charles Schwab’s CEO noted:

“They really want to bring it back to Schwab because they trust us.”

Furthermore, he said that customers prefer to view crypto alongside equities, bonds, and cash on a single dashboard.

Wurster expects the rollout to “accelerate our growth” because balances parked elsewhere would migrate once Schwab offers direct custody. He did not specify a launch date, saying only that the service will arrive “sometime soon.”

Direct rivalry with Coinbase
Asked whether the addition sets up a head‑to‑head contest with Coinbase, Wurster answered “absolutely.”

He said Schwab wants customers who currently buy coins at Coinbase to transfer those holdings back to Schwab, where the brokerage already provides round‑the‑clock service, research tools, and integrated portfolio reporting.

Schwab’s upcoming service will complement the crypto exposure it already supports through exchange‑traded products.

Wurster did not discuss fees, trade execution partners, or wallet architecture, but he emphasized that the firm will apply the same custody standards it uses for traditional securities.

https://cryptoslate.com/charles-schwab-ceo-says-bitcoin-ethereum-trading-coming-soon/

I own IBIT through Schwab. It is a bitcoin ETF. It has an expense ratio of 0.25% which is high compared to most passive ETF / index funds. If I could own bitcoin directly through Schwab then presumably, I'd cut out that expense. I think most investors would also sell their bitcoin ETFs to own direct bitcoin through their brokerage if that was the case. Unless I'm missing something else?