Bitcoin (BTC) Price: Crypto Finally Gets Its Day in the Senate — But Is It Already Priced In?

TLDR

• The US Senate Banking Committee advanced the CLARITY Act in a 15–9 bipartisan vote, sparking a surge in bullish Bitcoin sentiment on social media.
• Crypto sentiment platform Santiment noted 1.55 bullish comments per bearish comment, but warned markets often move against crowd expectations.
• Bitcoin is trading around $79,000–$80,000, roughly 3% up since May 1, but down about 23% from a year ago.
• Rising US Treasury yields — the 10-year hitting above 4.55% — are pressuring Bitcoin alongside other risk assets.
• On May 15, US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $290.4 million in net outflows, according to CoinCentral.

Bitcoin’s price is hovering near the $80,000 mark as a mix of regulatory momentum and macro headwinds battle it out in the market.

The big news driving sentiment this week is the US Senate Banking Committee’s 15–9 vote to advance the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, widely known as the CLARITY Act. All 13 Republican senators on the committee voted yes, joined by two Democrats. Nine Democrats voted no.

Crypto sentiment platform Santiment described the reaction on social media as “a major spike of euphoria.” The platform noted that bullish comments on Bitcoin are now running at 1.55 for every one bearish comment.

White House crypto advisor Patrick Witt also tempered expectations. In his own X post, Witt said the committee vote was “a major step forward” but stressed that “there’s more work to be done before this legislation is ready for prime time.”

Santiment separately noted that if the bill passes, it could draw in institutional players who have been sitting on the sidelines due to regulatory uncertainty. But the platform also warned that prices for major cryptocurrencies could be “baked in” before the bill is officially signed into law.

Treasury Yields and ETF Outflows Add Pressure

On the macro side, the picture is more complicated. The US 10-year Treasury yield broke above 4.55% on Friday — its highest level since May 2025. The 30-year bond yield hit 5.12%, the highest since June 2007.

As yields rose, Bitcoin dropped back below $80,000 during the New York session, moving in tandem with US equities. The S&P 500 also gave back earlier weekly gains. Bitcoin’s 24-hour decline registered between 2.43% and 2.68% across major data sources.

ETF flow data added to the bearish picture for May 15. Bitcoin ETFs saw $290.4 million in net outflows on the day. Ethereum ETFs recorded $65.7 million in outflows, while Solana ETFs came in flat at zero net flows.

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index posted a score of 31 on Saturday, landing in “Fear” territory.

Analyst Says New All-Time Highs Still on the Table

Bitcoin’s 200-day exponential moving average sits at $82,941, a level that has produced multiple rejections during the recent recovery.

BTC remains roughly 30% below its all-time high set in October 2025. At time of publication, Bitcoin is trading at approximately $79,084, up 3.15% since May 1.

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