The cryptocurrency has been rallying strongly. Despite a volatile first half of 2025, Bitcoin has gained 18% year to date. The fundamental drivers of digital currencies are expected to remain robust and support the anticipated stability.
Growing institutional adoption, forecasts of a weakening greenback and a favorable macroeconomic backdrop pave the way for a highly optimistic future for the digital asset, outweighing any concerns over tariff-induced volatility.
Per Reuters, Bitcoin surged to a record high of nearly $112,000 late this Wednesday, driven by growing risk appetite and sustained institutional demand. Increasing interest from institutional investors is sending a positive signal to the market, reflecting the confidence of the world’s largest institutions in digital currency.
According to CNBC, Bitcoin hitting the record high was also supported by a tech-driven equity rally led by Nvidia, which briefly became the first company to touch a $4-trillion market cap.
Cryptocurrency, an alternative to traditional currencies, tends to gain from a weaker greenback. The greenback is gradually losing its strength and trading near multi-year lows, marking its worst first-half performance since the 1970s, with both technical and fundamental factors working against the currency.
According to TradingView, the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) has fallen 1.4% over the past month and 10.65% over the past six months.
A Fed interest rate cut could boost investor risk appetite, potentially leading to increased exposure to digital currencies. Additionally, lower interest rates would leave investors with more capital, often leading to increased interest in cryptocurrency.
Investors have increased their bets on the pace of interest rate cuts by the Fed. Goldman Sachs now anticipates three quarter-point rate cuts this year, up from just one cut, per the previous expectation, citing softening labor market trends and limited inflationary impact from tariffs, as quoted on Reuters.
Per the CME FedWatch tool, markets are anticipating a 68.3% likelihood of a rate cut in September and an 89% likelihood of a rate cut in October.
Pro-crypto moves by the Trump administration have resulted in fresh capital inflows into the sector. Per CNBC, increased expectations of Congress passing crypto legislations has led to investors anticipating the momentum to continue into the second half of the year.
The U.S. House of Representatives is preparing to consider three key digital asset bills, potentially shaping the future of the crypto industry. The Genius Act, aiming to establish the first regulatory framework for stablecoins in U.S. history and the CLARITY Act, which seeks to bring regulatory clarity to digital assets by outlining the boundaries between the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
The passing of the GENIUS and CLARITY Act would signal a positive development for the digital currency, indicating a more supportive regulatory environment, offering much-needed certainty and direction (Read: Crypto Week Looms: A Look at Incoming Digital Asset Legislation).
Below, we have mentioned a few ETFs for investors to increase their portfolios’ exposure to digital currencies, taking advantage of the favorable macroeconomic landscape and the long-term optimistic outlook for digital assets.
However, investing in digital currencies does require increased risk appetite and it’s important for investors to stay alert and track the developments.
Investors can consider iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF IBIT, Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund FBTC, Grayscale Bitcoin Trust ETF GBTC, ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF ARKB and Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF BTC.
With a one-month average trading volume of 40.97 million shares, IBIT is the most liquid option, ideal for active trading strategies.
IBIT has also gathered an asset base of $76.31 billion, the largest among the other options. Performance-wise, IBIT outpaced other funds, gaining 11.42% over the past month and 54.86% over the past year.
Regarding annual fees, IBIT is the cheapest option, charging 0.12%, more suitable for long-term investing. BTC is a cheaper alternative to Grayscale Bitcoin Trust. BTC charges an annual fee of 0.15%.
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).