November 18, 2025

Trading Desk Insights

Risk appetite is looking shaky this week. Bears are in control, and the tone across markets feels defensive. Bitcoin briefly slipped under 90k, a quick reminder that investors are trimming risk. The drop also spooked equity traders since plenty of tech money is still tied up in crypto. The Nasdaq looks set to end its seven-month winning streak, and the S&P 500 is down about 2.5% for November after six straight green months.

The macro backdrop isn’t helping. Traders have started to doubt whether the Fed will actually deliver a third rate cut in December. Fed funds futures now show a 50% chance, compared to 94% a month ago. That repricing has weighed on growth names, as markets had been leaning on easy policy to justify stretched equity multiples.

This week’s watchlist is straightforward: Fed October minutes and Nvidia earnings on Wednesday, followed by the delayed September payrolls report on Thursday. All three could set the tone into year-end.

On the crypto side, ETH broke below 3k while SOL bounced off 130 and is now outperforming BTC and ETH by roughly 7% and 6% today. Alts stayed soft overall, though DeFi names like HYPE, UNI, and ASTER held up better.

Whale behavior is showing a shift. Addresses holding more than 10,000 BTC have stopped their heavy selling, with activity around neutral. Mid-tier wallets in the 1,000 to 10,000 range are starting to add modestly, while smaller holders remain the most aggressive accumulators. The pattern suggests growing conviction that BTC looks cheap at current levels.

ETF flows tell the other side of the story. BlackRock’s IBIT has posted record outflows this month, about $1.26 billion, contributing to a total of $2.6 billion pulled from the 11 U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs. Derivatives markets reflect the stress too, with the 250-day put-call skew at a seven-month high of 3.1%, showing puts are the priciest they’ve been relative to calls since April.

Still, not everyone is backing off. El Salvador just added 1,090 BTC for roughly $100 million, showing they’re sticking to their accumulation plan despite the broader pullback.

Meanwhile, Cloudflare dealt with infrastructure issues this morning, creating minor service disruptions across parts of the web such as X, AWS, openAI, Uber, Spotify and others.

Crypto Charts

ETF Flow

Disclaimer

This research is for informational use only. This is not investment advice. Other than disclosures relating to Secure Digital Markets this research is based on current public information that we consider reliable, but we do not represent it is accurate or complete, and it should not be relied on as such. The information, opinions, estimates, and forecasts contained herein are as of the date hereof and are subject to change without prior notification. We seek to update our research as appropriate.

Any forecasts contained herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be relied upon as advice or interpreted as a recommendation. The price of crypto assets may rise or fall because of changes in the broad market or changes in a company's financial condition, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Past performance is not a guide to future performance, future returns are not guaranteed, and a loss of original capital may occur. Fluctuations in exchange rates could have adverse effects on the value or price of, or income derived from, certain investments. We and our affiliates, officers, directors, and employees, excluding equity and credit analysts, will from time to time have long or short positions in, act as principal in, and buy or sell, the securities or derivatives, if any, referred to in this research.

The information on which the analysis is based has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable such as, for example, the company’s financial statements filed with a regulator, company website, company white paper, pitchbook and any other sources. While Secure Digital Markets has obtained data, statistics, and information from sources it believes to be reliable, it does not perform an audit or seek independent verification of any of the data, statistics, and information it receives.

Unless otherwise provided in a separate agreement, Secure Digital Markets does not represent that the report contents meet all of the presentation and/or disclosure standards applicable in the jurisdiction the recipient is located. Secure Digital Markets and their officers, directors and employees shall not be responsible or liable for any trading decisions, damages or other losses resulting from, or related to, the information, data, analyses, or opinions within the report.

Crypto and/or digital currencies involve substantial risk, are speculative in nature and may not perform as expected. Many digital currency platforms are not subject to regulatory supervision, unlike regulated exchanges. Some platforms may commingle customer assets in shared accounts and provide inadequate custody, which may affect whether or how investors can withdraw their currency and/or subject them to money laundering. Digital currencies may be vulnerable to hacks and cyber fraud as well as significant volatility and price swings.

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