Why Bitcoin Options Stay Expensive as Volatility Hits 2026 Lows

U.S. inflation cooled again in July, but Bitcoin barely moved as investors appeared to have already prepared for the softer economic data. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose just 0.1% in July after falling 0.4% in June. Annual inflation eased from 3.5% to 3.4%, while core inflation, which excludes food and energy, came in at 2.5% over the past year. For Bitcoin, the numbers were encouraging. The market reaction, however, was surprisingly calm. U.S. Inflation Continues to Cool Shelter costs rose only 0.1% during July but still accounted for roughly two-thirds of the overall monthly increase. Energy moved in the

Goldman Sachs is acquiring NEOS Investments, bringing a $1.1 billion Bitcoin ETF into one of Wall Street’s biggest and fastest-growing ETF platforms. Goldman Sachs is making a major Bitcoin move. The Wall Street giant has agreed to acquire NEOS Investments for up to $2.25 billion, gaining control of a rapidly growing ETF platform that includes the $1.1 billion NEOS Bitcoin High Income ETF (BTCI). The transaction is expected to close in early 2027, subject to regulatory approval. Goldman Goes Bigger on Bitcoin BTCI launched in October 2024 and crossed $1 billion in assets in less than two years. Rather than

Strategy (MSTR) raised $653.1 million from the sale of 6.59 million shares of common stock last week while separately selling 1,690 bitcoin for $108.6 million, according to a Monday regulatory filing. The company used the proceeds from the bitcoin sale to repurchase 1,152,020 shares of its variable-rate preferred stock, STRC, for $108.6 million. Strategy Sells 1,690 Bitcoin The 1,690 bitcoin were sold at an average price of $64,262, net of fees and expenses, reducing Strategy’s holdings to 840,447 BTC. The company acquired those holdings for a total of $63.36 billion at an average purchase price of $75,385 per bitcoin. Despite

From energy and mining to wallets, exchanges and hundreds of millions in frozen crypto, the campaign against Iran shows how Bitcoin has become part of modern economic power. Bitcoin was once dismissed as internet money. In 2026, governments are treating it as something considerably more important: strategic financial infrastructure. Iran provides one of the clearest examples. Years of international sanctions pushed Iran to explore alternative ways of moving value outside traditional banking channels. Bitcoin became part of that system, with Iran developing a significant underground mining industry, with some of the cheapest power in the world, combined with while crypto