U.S. CPI: +2.9% YEAR-OVER-YEAR (EST. +2.9%); U.S. CORE CPI: +3.2% YEAR-OVER-YEAR (EST. +3.3%)

Feb 16 — Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong took to social media Wednesday to say: “Per our data, Coinbase retail customers have shown extremely strong resilience in the current market.” Key takeaways from the post: 1. **Buy the Dip**: Retail users have been adding to their Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) holdings. 2. **Diamond Hands**: Most customers held the same or larger positions in February as they did back in December 2025.

**Feb 16 Onchain Lens Monitoring Update** A whale has deposited 1 million USDC to Hyperliquid, opened a 20x-leveraged ETH long position, and still holds a 20x-leveraged SOL long position. The whale also boosted spot holdings, including: - 20,000 SOL (~$1.7 million) - 8.5 million FARTCOIN (~$1.69 million) - 30 million MON (~$717,000) - 6.73 million XPL (~$651,000) To date, the whale’s total cumulative contract trading losses exceed $11.877 million.

February 16th — The cryptocurrency industry is ramping up spending to prep for the upcoming U.S. midterm elections, following key 2024 wins and a massive cash haul, per The Hill. Fairshake, the crypto industry’s main super PAC network, had more than $193 million in cash on hand early in 2026. It’s already laid out key targets this cycle: backing Rep. Barry Moore (R-Ala.) in his Alabama Senate bid and working to oust Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) in his House race. The industry poured heavily into the last U.S. election, claiming wins in at least two high-profile races — moves that have delivered early wins in Congress and boosted crypto’s clout in Washington. Crypto’s 2024 impact was most notable: it dropped tens of millions of dollars to intervene in multiple primaries and hotly contested races. 2024 campaign finance filings show Fairshake’s super PAC network — which includes three affiliated groups — spent nearly $180 million in the last cycle.

On February 16, Strategy’s official post stated that even if the price of BTC falls to $8,000, the firm still holds sufficient assets to fully cover its debt. Subsequently, Strategy founder Michael Saylor noted that the company plans to securitize its convertible bonds into equity over the next three to six years.

This week (February 16–22), the global market is set for a "data barrage." ### Key Developments: - **Fed & US Economic Data**: The Federal Reserve will publish its January monetary policy meeting minutes at 3:00 AM ET on Thursday—markets are hunting for fresh clues on the 2026 rate-cut path. At 9:30 PM ET on Friday, the initial Q4 US GDP estimate and core PCE price index (the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge) will take center stage. A hotter-than-expected PCE reading could slow the pace of policy easing this year. - **Central Bank Actions**: Multiple Fed officials are scheduled to speak this week. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will release its meeting minutes, while the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) will announce its interest rate decision. Markets widely expect the RBNZ to hold rates steady; the RBA may highlight upside inflation risks. - **Asset Performance**: Gold prices dipped slightly on Monday. In oil markets, reports suggest OPEC+ may resume prod

A whale withdrew 640,000 UNI (valued at approximately $2.29 million) from OKX on February 16, per Onchain Lens monitoring data.