Bitcoin hits a two-week high near $65,500 as the chip trade turns back into a tailwind

Bitcoin hits a two-week high near $65,500 as the chip trade turns back into a tailwindAsian semiconductor shares rebounded hard, a five-day ETF inflow streak passed $600 million, and oil pulled back on Middle East diplomacy.Bitcoin hits a two-week high near $65,500 as the chip trade turns back into a tailwind.(dujin yun/Pixabay)Bitcoin climbed to a two-week high around $65,500 as a rebound in Asian semiconductor stocks fueled a broader risk rally, with ether and several major tokens also advancing.The move has been supported by five straight days of inflows into U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs totaling more than $600 million, marking the strongest stretch of institutional buying since mid-July.Traders see the Federal Reserve’s late-July meeting as the key test for the rally, with low but fair crypto prices, subdued spot volumes and the prospect of further rate hikes all limiting conviction.Bitcoin climbed to about $65,500 on Tuesday, a two-week high, as the semiconductor selloff that dragged crypto lower last week reversed and Asian chip stocks led a broad risk rally.The largest cryptocurrency rose 1% on the day and 5% on the week, with roughly $33 billion changing hands. Ether was the stronger of the two majors again at $1,922, up 3% on the day and 8% over seven sessions. XRP added 3% to $1.13 and is up 6% on the week, Solana rose 2% to $78, BNB held at $574 and dogecoin was flat. Hyperliquid's HYPE gained 4% to $63 but remains the only major underwater over the week.The rebound started where last week's damage did. MSCI's Asia Pacific equities gauge climbed 2%, its first gain in four sessions, with Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor the biggest contributors. South Korea and Taiwan benchmarks each rose about 4%, and a tech-heavy mainland China gauge jumped almost 7% as state-linked institutions stepped in. Japan's Nikkei rose 3% after slipping into correction on Friday. The Chinese AI shock that hit chip stocks last week has, for now, given way to buyers returning to the same names.Two other supports lined up behind the move. U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs have now drawn inflows for five straight sessions totaling more than $600 million, the most sustained institutional buying since mid-July and a reversal of the eight-week outflow run that ran through late June. And oil, which had climbed for two days on the war, pulled back, with Brent falling 1% to about $88.58 as Iran said mediators were circulating proposals to ease hostilities, including a reported suggestion for a 10-day halt in strikes."Current bitcoin and ether prices are low but fair, given the macro uncertainties pervading markets," said Jeff Mei, chief operating officer at BTSE, who pointed to the Fed meeting as the event traders are positioned around. "Traders expect rates to hold steady but are looking for more signals as to what's to come later in the year,” Mei added.The read on that meeting is where the rally meets its limit. The Federal Reserve gathers July 28 and 29, and markets put the odds of a July rate increase at about 15%, though a September move is still live. Spot-market volume across crypto stayed subdued even as prices rose, the sign of a tape lifted by returning risk appetite rather than fresh conviction, and higher oil and Treasury yields remain the levers that could keep the Fed hawkish and cap risk assets.The same force that set the direction all month is simply pointing the other way now. Bitcoin fell last week because Asian chip stocks did, and it is at a two-week high this week because they bounced.12345678910