The crypto market is struggling during this midweek trading session in May 2020, 2026, with the Bitcoin price struggling to reclaim $78,000 after a $5,000 slump from $82,000 just last week. ETH USD is in a similar position, down -0.2% on the day but trading for $2,120, with analysts warning that a loss of $2,000 could spell disaster.
Bitcoin’s drop below $80,000 continues the slump that began last week, and it’s tied to heavy ETF outflows. The primary catalyst is over $1.3Bn in outflows across the last three trading sessions, while Ethereum’s bearish price action of late can be tied to a seven-day streak of negative ETF flows, which has seen around $400M exit the various ETH ETF funds.
On the other hand, Solana and Ripple ETF flows are flashing green, signaling an investor shift from the top two digital assets into beta plays such as SOL and XRP, though the USD amounts are significantly lower than in the Ethereum and Bitcoin ETFs.
In other Bitcoin news, the asset continues to struggle as Saylor and his Strategy firm cease buying, with the BTC treasury firm not having announced a buy since May 18, when it bought an additional 24,869 BTC for ~$2.01Bn at an average price of $80,985.
Crypto News Today: ETF Flows Continue to Dictate Crypto Price Action
(SOURCE: CoinGlass)
The main story in crypto right now is the ETF flows across various digital assets, namely BTC, ETH, XRP & SOL. Bitcoin is the main culprit, with over $2.1Bn exiting the multiple ETF funds over the past six trading sessions.
BlackRock’s IBIT fund has accounted for a large portion of these negative flows, with the world’s leading asset manager offloading more than $1Bn in BTC in recent days.
The story is similar for Ethereum, which has led ETH to fall to $2,100 and to be dangerously close to losing $2,000 once more. The sell pressure from ETFs has also led BTC to lose $80,000 and now struggle to gain momentum, trading at roughly $77,400.
XRP, on the other hand, has registered nine days of positive flows across its ETF offerings, with SOL experiencing a similar run, though neither asset has stopped sliding -6% and -10% on the week, respectively.
May 20, 2026 Fear & Greed Index Slides Back Toward Extreme Fear – Polymarket Backing the Bearish Sentiment
(SOURCE: Fear & Greed Index)
In other crypto news today, the Fear & Greed Index has nearly halved in the past week, after hitting 42/100 this time last week, 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 drop over the past week signals uncertainty among traders amid the Iran-US saga, which continues to spook crypto.
This is echoed by Polymarket, with the prediction market platform having a 56% chance of Bitcoin falling below $75,000 in May, and a 13% chance of it dropping under $70,000.
On the flip side, Polymarket has Bitcoin at a 10% chance of hitting $85,000 before this month is out, prompting multiple analysts to call for a drop back toward $60,000 in Q2.
(SOURCE: Polymarket)
Why Truth Social Scrapped 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 SEC withdrawal on May 20, 2026.
The company’s advisor, Yorkville America, described the move as strategic, citing plans to reapply under a more efficient securities framework.
Here is the central tension this article unpacks: a high-profile 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 needs to know before trusting any new crypto fund.
Read the full story here.
What is the ‘Orange Standard’? The US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Explained
A bill now moving through Washington would make Bitcoin a formal US government reserve asset for the first time in history. Introduced on March 30, 2026, the Mined in America Act would direct the US Treasury to accumulate up to one million Bitcoin over 20 years
This would mark a policy shift so significant that supporters have given it a name borrowed from the nation’s monetary history and relationship with Gold: the Orange Standard.
Read the full story here.
Cardano Price Analysis: ADA Whales Struggle to Reverse Bearish Trend
Cardano is trying to find its footing amid a bloody market downturn. ADA is currently trading for around $0.248, down -1.4% over the last 24 hours, after logging five consecutive days of losses that dragged the asset deep into bearish territory.
The recovery looks more like exhaustion than conviction. On-chain data tells an interesting story: whales are quietly buying the dip, yet the price refuses to follow their lead, which raises an uncomfortable question for ADA holders.
Read the full article here.
XRP News: The Truth Behind the XRP and JPMorgan Rumors
In the latest XRP news Today, a viral claim has been circulating across crypto social media: that JPMorgan and Ripple are headed toward a massive settlement or strategic partnership that could send XRP’s price soaring.
JPMorgan’s Kinexys infrastructure did interact with the XRP Ledger during a real, documented transaction involving Ripple, Mastercard, and Ondo Finance. But the leap from “interacted with” to “partnered with” is where the facts fall apart.
Read the full article here.
The post Crypto News Today (May 20): Bitcoin Struggling Below $80K, SOL & XRP ETFs Green as ETH and BTC ETFs Bleed appeared first on 99Bitcoins.
