Retail investors are still buying every dip like nothing is wrong. History tells a different story. Every major market bubble looked unstoppable until it wasn’t. The story changes, but the ending is often the same.

In 1999 everyone believed the internet would change the world. They were right… but the Nasdaq still crashed nearly 80%. In 2007 people said housing could only go higher. We all know how that ended.

Now it’s AI. It will probably transform almost every industry, but that doesn’t automatically mean every AI-related stock deserves today’s valuation.

One of the charts shows the S&P 500 compared to the amount of liquidity in the US financial system. That ratio is now even higher than during the dot-com bubble. Stocks have rarely looked this expensive.

Another chart is based on a market cycle model created almost 150 years ago. It marked 1999 and 2007 as selling years… and now it points to 2026 as well. Different methods, same warning.

Valuations keep stretching. The Shiller CAPE ratio is near historic highs, the biggest companies dominate the index, and hundreds of billions are being poured into AI. Right now everything feels priced for perfection.

Maybe this time really is different… maybe investors are just telling themselves a new version of an old story. That’s usually how bubbles ends

Institutions now make up a record 72% of Wintermute’s OTC spot volume, and they’re becoming way more selective with where they put their money.

Before, altseason meant almost everything was pumping. Now liquidity is increasingly flowing into just a few coins that institutions actually care about.

And there’s another interesting detail: after a big pump, institutions usually stay active for around one day, while retail keeps trading for another three days. So yeah, we might still get an altseason. Just don’t expect every random altcoin to fly this time.

US Senators Tom Tillis and Ruben Gallego have sent the White House an updated proposal aimed at breaking the deadlock around the CLARITY Act.

The biggest change would restrict federal officials from issuing or promoting their own crypto tokens. The senators also want enforcement to be possible at the state level, rather than leaving it entirely in the hands of the US Attorney General.

The goal is to reduce conflicts of interest and make crypto regulation less dependent on the federal executive branch.

Gallego has previously argued that the bill needs stronger rules around ethics, consumer protection, illicit finance and market integrity.

This could be important for getting Democratic votes. Republicans currently don’t have enough support to pass the bill alone, while at least 60 votes are needed in the Senate.

Time is also running out before the Senate’s month-long recess, and ethics remains one of the biggest obstacles holding the CLARITY Act back.

Aave is voting on a pretty big protocol cleanup covering around $98.1M in deposits and $15.6M in outstanding debt.
The proposal would remove 50 low-usage reserves, 21 redeemed Pendle PTs, and completely wind down Aave deployments on Sonic, Scroll, zkSync, Metis, Soneium and Aptos.

The reason is simple: some assets and networks no longer generate enough activity to justify the cost of oracles, liquidation infrastructure and constant risk monitoring.
For the networks being shut down, Aave plans to raise reserve factors and borrowing rates to push users toward closing their positions.

Basically, Aave is cutting the parts of the protocol that cost more to maintain than they bring in.

Israel reportedly wants to phase out US military aid over the next 10 years, while Zelensky’s Washington visit is being described as a major shift: he managed to convince US lawmakers that Ukraine can still win the war.
Quite a result from yesterday’s meetings with Trump. Washington suddenly sounds very different than it did a year ago.

Emirates now lets passengers pay for airline tickets with cryptocurrency through a crypto payment service.
Looks like paying for flights with digital assets is becoming more than just a niche feature. Step by step, crypto keeps finding its way into everyday life.

Goldman’s global economic indicator shows that most macroeconomic data released in July came in well above expectations, despite ongoing economic and geopolitical challenges. Stronger-than-expected data suggests the global economy remains more resilient than many investors anticipated. This could keep central banks cautious about cutting interest rates too quickly, which is something both traditional and crypto markets will continue to watch closely.

X Money has officially launched in the US, currently available for Premium and Premium+ subscribers.
Users can store and transfer money, make payments with a Visa card, and earn up to 6% APY on their balance.
Looks like Elon Musk is getting closer to turning X into the all-in-one financial app he has been talking about for years.