Crypto News
What Happened in Crypto: February 9-15, 2026
A newsletter for people who don’t speak “blockchain”
The Big Picture: Prices Are Down (But Not Out!)
If you checked your crypto wallet this week, you might have felt a little queasy. Bitcoin bounced back above $70,000 after dropping near $60,000, while Ethereum is hovering around $2,100. Think of it like a rollercoaster that went down a big hill but is slowly climbing back up.
What does this mean in plain English?
- Bitcoin hit an all-time high of about $126,000 back in October 2025
- It’s now down roughly 45% from that peak
- But it’s recovering from an even bigger dip earlier in February
Why did prices drop? A mix of things: people selling to pay taxes, institutions pulling money out, and general market jitters. But cooler inflation numbers helped things recover a bit this week.
⛏️ Bitcoin Mining: The Biggest Shake-Up Since 2021
Here’s where things get interesting. Bitcoin’s mining difficulty fell 11.16% to 125.86 trillion, which is the biggest drop since China banned crypto mining back in 2021.
Wait, what’s mining difficulty? Think of Bitcoin mining like a global math competition. “Difficulty” is how hard the math problems are. When difficulty drops, it means fewer people are competing, so the problems get easier.
Why did this happen?
- Winter storms in Texas knocked out a lot of mining operations (Texas is a huge mining hub)
- Falling Bitcoin prices made mining less profitable, so some miners unplugged their machines
- Some mining companies shifted their computers to AI work instead, since that’s more profitable right now
What does this mean for you? For regular crypto holders, not much changes day-to-day. But historically, when mining difficulty drops this much, it can signal that we’re near a market bottom—which could mean better times ahead.
Ethereum: The Struggle Is Real
Ethereum had a rough week. A major holder deposited $543 million worth of ETH to Binance, which usually means they’re planning to sell. Not great for the price!
The good news: Ethereum is working on major upgrades in 2026 that could make it faster and cheaper to use. Think of it like your phone getting a software update that makes it run better.
Key Ethereum updates coming:
- Glamsterdam Upgrade (first half of 2026): Will let Ethereum process multiple transactions at once (like a checkout lane that can ring up several customers simultaneously)
- Hegota Upgrade (second half of 2026): Will make it easier and cheaper to run an Ethereum node (basically a computer that helps run the network)
What Are The Big Institutions Doing?
Remember those Bitcoin ETFs (think of them as stock market funds that hold Bitcoin)? They’ve been seeing outflows, with investors pulling out over $1.5 billion.
Translation: Big money players are taking a break from crypto right now. But not everyone is worried—some investors are staying loyal despite the volatility.
What’s Coming Next?
Short term (rest of February):
- Most analysts expect Bitcoin to trade between $64,000 and $75,000
- Ethereum might see further drops to around $1,600, though there’s a lot of uncertainty
Medium term (2026): The outlook is mixed. Some see this as a healthy “reset” after 2025’s big rally. Others think we might be in for a longer downturn. The truth? Nobody really knows—crypto is unpredictable!
Other Wild Stuff This Week
The $100,000 Bet
Arthur Hayes challenged Kyle Samani to a $100,000 charity bet about which cryptocurrency will perform best. It’s like fantasy football, but for crypto bros with deep pockets.
MicroStrategy Is Fine (Probably)
You know that company that buys tons of Bitcoin? Their CEO said Bitcoin would need to drop to $8,000 and stay there for 5-6 years before they’d have real problems. Since Bitcoin is around $70,000, they’re sleeping fine at night.
Ethereum Leadership Shuffle
Tomasz Stańczak is stepping down as co-executive director of the Ethereum Foundation at the end of February, with Bastian Aue taking over. Think of it as a changing of the guard at Ethereum headquarters.
Bottom Line: What Should You Do?
If you’re new to crypto: This volatility is totally normal. Crypto markets can swing wildly. Only invest what you can afford to lose.
If you’re already in: The current dip might feel scary, but it’s happened before. Many long-term investors see dips as buying opportunities (though nobody can guarantee future returns).
If you’re on the sidelines: This might actually be a good time to learn more about crypto without the FOMO (fear of missing out) that comes during price rallies.
Crypto Terms Explained
Hash rate: The total computing power being used to mine and process Bitcoin transactions
Difficulty adjustment: Bitcoin’s way of keeping block creation time at roughly 10 minutes, regardless of how many miners there are
Petahash: A measure of computing power (1 petahash = 1 quadrillion calculations per second)
Liquidation: When someone borrows money to buy crypto and prices fall so much that their position gets automatically sold
ETF: Exchange-Traded Fund—basically a stock you can buy that represents ownership of something else (in this case, Bitcoin or Ethereum)
The Ultimate Takeaway
Crypto had a bumpy week, but the underlying technology keeps developing. Bitcoin’s mining network proved it can self-correct when things get tough. Ethereum is building major upgrades. And despite the price drops, institutional interest hasn’t disappeared completely.
Is this the bottom? Is it going lower? Will it moon next month? Anyone who tells you they know for sure is either lying or trying to sell you something.
Stay curious, stay cautious, and never invest more than you can afford to lose!
Disclaimer: This newsletter is for educational purposes only and is not financial advice. Crypto is risky. Do your own research before making any investment decisions.
Next week: We’ll cover whether the recovery continues or if we’re in for more turbulence. Subscribe to stay informed!