Senate Agriculture Chair Considers Delaying Crypto Bill Vote amid Bipartisan Talks
According to sources, the goal is to garner bipartisan support before pushing the measure.
Cory Booker, the bill's Agriculture Committee chief Democratic negotiator, is the focus.
One source claimed Boozman and Booker met Thursday as staff resumed closed-door policy conversations.
Despite the potential of a delay, Boozman stated earlier this week that he would vote next week absent bipartisan support.
Sara Lasure, a Boozman spokesman, told the publication that the senator “remains committed to advancing a bipartisan bill,” adding that the markup timing has not changed.
New Benchmark from Nasdaq, CME Crypto Indexes
“This is not just a name change,” said CME Group executive director of equity and alternative products Giovanni Vicioso.
He said the index combines two market criteria to provide governance and diversification like existing asset classes.
The Nasdaq-CME Crypto Index tracks Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, Chainlink, Cardano, and Avalanche.
Bitcoin and Ether ETF Investors Withdraw as Altcoin Funds Rise
SoSoValue data reveals spot Bitcoin and Ether ETF net outflows of $749.6 million between January 6 and 9.
After four days of redemptions, bitcoin funds lost $681 million.
Bitcoin ETFs saw approximately $700 million in inflows on January 5, the only bullish session of the week, before falling.
Selling pressure increased midweek. The greatest single-day drawdown of the week was $486.1 million on January 7.
Bitcoin Network Difficulty Drops After 2026's First Change
To keep block creation near to the 10-minute target, Bitcoin's mining difficulty is adjusted every two weeks.
Average block timings were 9.88 minutes at the time of the change, slightly faster than the protocol aim.
As a result, the next recalibration should reverse. CoinWarz predicts a Jan. 22 adjustment that will raise difficulty to 148.2 trillion.
Bitcoin's mining difficulty remains high despite the recent drop. The measure rose steadily in 2025, reaching record levels before declining late.
