Crypto Enters A Pivotal Week For Bitcoin, Ethereum, And Macro Events
Crypto heads into the second week of January jam-packed with essential occasions. Here’s what crypto holders must know:
#1 BTC: Bank Of America Opens The Advisory Spigot
Starting January 5, advisers throughout Bank of America Private Bank, Merrill, and Merrill Edge can advocate “a number of crypto exchange-traded merchandise (ETPs)” for consumer portfolios, eradicating prior asset thresholds and shifting advisers from execution-only to lively allocation steerage.
In an early-December notice tied to the rollout, Merrill’s Chris Hyzy framed the financial institution’s stance in portfolio-construction phrases: “For buyers with a powerful curiosity in thematic innovation and luxury with elevated volatility, a modest allocation of 1% to 4% in digital property may very well be applicable.”
The market relevance is much less about in the future of flows and extra about plumbing. Bank of America is without doubt one of the largest US wealth distribution networks; even a modest allocation over the long-term may have important worth affect.
#2 Ethereum Blob Capacity Steps Up Again
Ethereum’s newest scaling cadence continues on January 7 by way of the second “Blob Parameter Only” improve (BPO2), which will increase the per-block blob goal and most to 14 and 21, respectively, an incremental transfer designed to develop rollup knowledge throughput with out bundling the become a bigger named laborious fork. The Ethereum Foundation has positioned the BPO observe as a intentionally minimal, config-only mechanism to “safely enhance blob throughput” after Fusaka.
For L2 customers, the direct linkage is knowledge availability pricing. More blob provide, all else equal, can strain blob charges decrease, which is the element many rollups go by into end-user transaction prices. The nuance is that these good points are conditional: if demand for blobspace ramps as shortly as capability, charge aid will be muted, and operators nonetheless must validate stability as targets rise.
#3 Hyperliquid (HYPE) Token Unlock
Hyperliquid’s HYPE token has a scheduled provide occasion on January 6: Hyperliquid Labs staff members are set to obtain an preliminary 1.2 million HYPE allocation, valued at roughly $31.2 million. Core contributors maintain rights to roughly 237 million tokens below a structured launch plan, practically one quarter of the whole provide.
The setup for merchants is simple: token unlocks are reflexively modeled as potential promote strain, however the realized affect relies on recipient habits and any offsetting mechanics.
#4 Stellar’s Privacy Track Moves To Testnet
Stellar is scheduled to improve its testnet to Protocol 25, branded “Stellar X-Ray”, on January 7 at 21:00 UTC, with the mainnet vote slated for January 22. In its developer steerage, Stellar explicitly calls out the operational requirement: SDK and infrastructure operators ought to improve forward of the testnet date, with vacation timing cited as a purpose for the unusually lengthy runway between steady releases and activation.
On the product facet, Stellar frames X-Ray as foundational privateness infrastructure: “laying the groundwork for builders to construct configurable, compliance-forward privateness purposes utilizing zero-knowledge (ZK) cryptography,” whereas retaining the community’s transparency mannequin intact.
#5 Macro Outlook
Macro is doing crypto no favors by way of clear narratives. Over the weekend, US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a transfer that pushed Bitcoin and crypto costs greater. Oil initially jolted however then softened amid expectations that near-term provide disruption is proscribed.
Geopolitically, the spillover threat is in escalation slightly than the one occasion. US President Trump raised the potential for additional interventions within the area, together with language round Colombia. Overall, the weekly US market open will probably be essential for the week.
Rates politics are the opposite macro overhang. Trump has repeatedly mentioned he’ll identify his pick to succeed Fed Chair Jerome Powell “early subsequent yr,” with Powell’s management time period ending in May 2026; the method has became a reside market variable due to what it implies in regards to the White House’s most popular price path and perceived Fed independence. With prediction markets explicitly buying and selling on whether or not a nomination lands by January 9, some crypto desks will deal with the date as a volatility waypoint even when mainstream reporting stays looser on timing.
At press time, the whole crypto market cap stood at $3.12. trillion.
