BTC returns to $85,000! Is the crypto market heating up again?

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TuiTui X Daily: The market is deeply divided. Some are calculating how the US debt will be repaid, others are scrambling to buy memory chip stocks, and some are cheering for Bitcoin.

August 21, 2026 · Covering 394 KOLs and 2,129 tweets

Walmart poured cold water on consumer stocks with its first guidance cut in six years; on the same day, Micron was repeatedly highlighted by institutions as the "cheapest play in AI storage," yet semiconductor capital remained hesitant under the shadow of NVIDIA's five-day losing streak. Adding to the frenzy, at the White House crypto roundtable, Trump's remark that "the crypto war is over" sent Bitcoin back above $70,000. The market feels deeply divided: some are calculating how US debt will be repaid, others are scrambling for memory chip stocks, and still others are cheering for Bitcoin.

I. Trending Stocks on X

II. Market Main Themes | Divergence Between Consumer and Tech Stocks, Bitcoin Returns to $70,000

1. Walmart Drags Down Consumer Stocks： $Walmart (WMT.US)$The single-day drop was the largest in over four years, with same-store sales rising only 2.6%, far below the market expectation of 3.8%, marking the first full-year guidance cut in six years,@FinanceLancelotManagement also warned of incremental expenses from fuel costs in the coming quarters.@AlessioTMADA more direct interpretation is that this signals US consumers have maxed out their credit card limits. A few bullish voices came from @StockSavvyShay, pointing out that the AI shopping assistant Sparky drove a 40% increase in average order value and a 70% year-over-year rise in usage; management stated that AI will improve "almost every aspect of the business."

2. Capital Rotation in AI Storage and Computing Power： $Micron Technology (MU.US)$ CEO Sanjay Mehrotra has positioned the sector as transitioning "from a commodity to strategic infrastructure." AI-driven demand for HBM DRAM and SSDs is reshaping the entire storage industry chain (@StockSavvyShay），@growthrapidly others have directly labeled it "the cheapest AI stock on the market right now," trading at only about 5x forward P/E. However, on the same day $NVIDIA (NVDA.US)$ it fell for five consecutive trading sessions, marking the first such streak since August-September 2022 (@Mr_Derivatives，）；@ParadisLabs Citing data from major bank Prime, institutional holdings in semiconductor and cloud companies are actually still increasing, albeit below pre-July sell-off levels. The current decline is interpreted as a normal correction for high-beta positions rather than a trend reversal.

3. Heating Up of Space and IPO Narratives: Trump signed a new space launch policy directive, aiming for over 1,000 launches and re-entries annually by 2030, $SpaceX (SPCX.US)$ 、 $Rocket Lab (RKLB.US)$ 、 $AST SpaceMobile (ASTS.US)$ will benefit synchronously (@StockSavvyShay); on the same day, news emerged that $SPCX and $ASTS are angling for approximately $6 billion worth of 800MHz spectrum to advance their direct-to-mobile satellite business, with the FCC targeting completion of the allocation by November 5. Anthropic is reportedly set to file its IPO prospectus as early as the end of this month, with market expectations that the scale will "match or exceed" SpaceX's record-breaking IPO (@TrendSpider），@aleabitoreddit This brings to mind the overheated stock performance of Unitree and SpaceX post-listing, leading some to explicitly worry that an actual Anthropic IPO could replay a similar scenario.

4. Crypto sentiment unleashed: At the White House crypto roundtable, Trump stated that the U.S. has discussed plans to accumulate large-scale reserves of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, emphasizing the need to ensure America maintains "undisputed leadership" in Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, prediction markets, and artificial intelligence (@xiaomustock citing PANews). Buoyed by this, $BTC climbed back above $71,000–$72,000, marking its largest single-day gain since March and triggering approximately $1.4–$1.7 billion in short liquidations ($ETH also broke out of its recent consolidation range), $Coinbase (COIN.US)$ 、 $Strategy (MSTR.US)$ 、 $Circle (CRCL.US)$ while crypto-related stocks rose in tandem (@joinautopilot）。

III. Macro Themes | Long-end U.S. Treasury yields spiral out of control as fiscal and geopolitical risks intertwine

1. Treasury buybacks fail to curb yields: The Treasury Department announced it would double the scale of long-end U.S. Treasury buybacks from $2 billion to at least $4 billion, aiming to provide "liquidity support" for 10- to 30-year bonds, but @Geiger_Capital charts show that yields dipped briefly after the buyback announcement before fully recovering their losses.@PeterSchiff seized the opportunity to criticize Treasury Secretary Bessent for "correcting market pricing with government planner judgment," arguing that the Federal Reserve must eventually step in and restart QE to suppress yields. During the same period, the U.S. national debt officially surpassed $40 trillion, with per capita debt around $116,500 and a debt-to-GDP ratio of approximately 122.7% (@amitisinvesting summary).

2. Divergence between commodities and safe-haven narratives：@CommodMktInterprets the strength in commodity prices as a gap between "scarcity in the physical world" and "suppression in the financial world" (low yields), viewing this as a signal of currency depreciation. However, regarding Bitcoin,@PeterSchiffjudges the recent breakout above $72,000 to be a "false breakout rather than a genuine one," driven by an unexpected positive surprise from the Treasury's buyback announcement rather than a trend reversal, and advises "selling Bitcoin and buying gold."

3. Geopolitical and policy risks：@PeterSchiffBelieves that Trump's new round of economic sanctions on Iran will not only be ineffective but could also backfire on the US dollar and energy and food prices due to violations by other countries;@Geiger_CapitalThe 10-year yield chart directly aligns the starting point of this upward trend with the timing of the escalation in hostilities involving Iran.

4. Sentiment and external markets: The CNN Fear & Greed Index has fallen to 53 (Neutral), down from 66 (Greed) a week ago and up from 37 (Fear) a month ago, indicating significantly accelerated sentiment volatility. Asian markets strengthened in tandem, with South Korea's KOSPI index surging 5.83% to 6,848.62 points, approaching its 52-week high.

4. Individual Stock Forums

1、$Walmart (WMT.US)$| Largest single-day drop in four years, pointing to the first rate cut in six years

Post-earnings same-store sales missed expectations, compounded by a rare guidance cut, allowing bearish arguments to dominate. A minority of bulls pin their hopes on efficiency gains and higher average order values driven by AI shopping tools, suggesting the sell-off may have been excessive.

***Bullish

• @StockSavvyShay: Users of the AI shopping assistant Sparky have an average order value 40% higher, with usage up 70% year-over-year. Management stated that AI will improve "almost every aspect of the business."

***Bearish

• @FinanceLancelot: Warned of incremental expenses from fuel costs in the coming quarters post-earnings, leading to a 9% single-day drop in share price.

• @AlessioTMAD: The first guidance cut in six years was interpreted as a signal that U.S. consumers have exhausted their credit card limits.

• @StockSavvyShay: Same-store sales rose only 2.6%, far below the market expectation of 3.8%, marking the worst single-day performance since 2022.

***Neutral

• @TJ_Research: Cautioned against linearly extrapolating the narrative that "consumer spending is failing," noting that similar conclusions were previously disproven for assets like gold, Bitcoin, and Micron Technology (MU).

2、$Micron Technology (MU.US)$| Valuation gap theory for AI storage vs. sharp decline in the tech sector

The CEO's comments and valuation arguments based on a "5x forward P/E ratio" supported the bullish narrative, but the stock plunged alongside the semiconductor sector, with sentiment turning to panic intraday.

***Bullish

• @StockSavvyShay: CEO Sanjay Mehrotra stated that AI is transforming memory from a commodity into "strategic infrastructure," with demand for HBM DRAM and SSDs driving value enhancement across the entire supply chain.

• @growthrapidly: Currently trading at approximately 5x forward P/E, it is among the cheapest AI-related stocks right now.

***Bearish

• @FinanceLancelot: After a sharp intraday drop, all that was left to say was "It's over."

***Neutral

• @The_RockTrading: Along with $Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3x Shares ETF (SOXL.US)$ 、 $Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.US)$ and QQQ, plummeting sharply, asking "What on earth happened?"

3、$SpaceX (SPCX.US)$| Space policy tailwinds support the long-term narrative; keep a close eye on the $130 support level in the short term.

Trump's new space directive and news of spectrum auctions have reinforced the long-term growth story, but share prices are under short-term pressure, with traders focusing on key technical support levels.

***Bullish

• @StockSavvyShay: Trump signed a new space directive aiming for over 1,000 launches annually by 2030, benefiting $SPCX along with $RKLB and $ASTS.

• @StockSavvyShay: Reports indicate that $SPCX and $ASTS are vying for approximately $6 billion worth of 800MHz spectrum to advance their direct-to-cell satellite business, with the FCC targeting completion of the allocation by November 5.

***Neutral

• @pdicarlotrader: Technically, $130 is a key support level for short-term buy zones; if broken, the structure weakens, suggesting waiting to go long again at $120, with stop-losses set below the closing price of $130.

• @aleabitoredditRecalling the overheated stock performance of Unitree and SpaceX after their listings, there are concerns that Anthropic could follow a similar script if it goes public.

***Bearish

• None at the moment.

4. $NVIDIA (NVDA.US)$| Five consecutive days of declines; bulls and bears place bets on next week's earnings report

While consecutive technical declines are rare, options positioning and institutional fund flow data suggest capital has not truly exited. The focus for both bulls and bears has shifted to whether next week's earnings will serve as a turning point.

***Bullish

• @Banana3StocksOppenheimer issued an Outperform rating ahead of the earnings report, with a target price of $265.

• @Banana3StocksTechnically, the pattern could evolve into an 'island reversal' structure.

***Bearish

• @Mr_DerivativesThe stock fell for five consecutive trading sessions, marking the first such streak since August-September 2022.

***Neutral

• @ParadisLabsThe current decline is interpreted as a normal correction as institutions hedge high-beta positions, with expectations that Jensen Huang's comments next week will put AI trades back on track.

5. $Meta Platforms (META.US)$| The only green performer among the Mag7; valuation gap coexists with litigation risks

As the only decliner among the Mag7 this year, bulls view it as a valuation bargain, while bears focus more on the structural risks potentially arising from the California child safety lawsuit.

***Bullish

• @oguzerkanRanked as the most attractive Mag7 stock currently, with a projected 2027 P/E ratio of 15.6x and a consensus target price implying 38% upside potential.

• @growthrapidly: Also listed as the "cheapest Mag7" stock, with the view that legal concerns have suppressed valuation while fundamentals remain strong.

***Bearish

• @kimsbinvesting: The potential compensation for California child safety lawsuits could reach up to $1.4 trillion and may include mandates for algorithmic reforms. Coupled with two losses in court this year and over 2,000 similar cases pending, the risk structure is more complex and fragmented than Google's Chrome antitrust case back then.

***Neutral

• @Barchart: Data shows that among the six major Mag7 stocks (excluding Tesla), Meta is the only one to record a decline year-to-date.

6、 $Moderna (MRNA.US)$ | Melanoma vaccine rally continues to heat up; short squeeze narrative still gaining traction

The 175% surge yesterday, driven by early success in Phase III trials, remains the focal point of discussion. Today, traders are divided on whether the rally will continue or gradually pull back.

***Bullish

• None (bullish arguments are centered on yesterday's event itself; no new bullish voices emerged today).

***Bearish

• @ZeeContrarian1: Analysis suggests the actual incremental NPV is around $2-3 billion, but the majority of the $32.5 billion market cap surge stems from short covering—short interest stands at approximately 14%, far above the S&P 500 average of 5%. We judge this "farce" will subside as the squeeze ends, maintaining a medium-to-long-term bearish outlook.

• @RichardMoglen: Pressed the company on when it would announce a secondary offering, hinting at dilution risks accompanying the share price rise.

***Neutral

• @pdicarlotrader: Marked the technical levels where yesterday's rebound faced resistance, for future tracking.

7、$Tesla (TSLA.US)$| Options volume leads the pack; traders engaging in selling high and buying low

Daily options volume ranked first across the entire market, but lacked a clear directional narrative, with most activity driven by short-term traders employing range-bound strategies.

***Bullish

• @ProblemSniper: Buy $350 strike call options directly at the open as a "weekly lottery trade"; do not enter if the opening price is below $343.

***Bearish

• None at the moment.

***Neutral

• @The_RockTrading: The strategy is to "sell high and buy low, repeatedly trading until reaching $370."

8、 $Ross Stores (ROST.US)$) Q2 results double-beat expectations, and full-year guidance was raised

With earnings significantly beating expectations and full-year guidance raised, this was one of the few tickers on the day to achieve a clear consensus bullish sentiment.

***Bullish

• @wallstengine: Q2 revenue came in at $6.3 billion (vs. expected $6.15 billion), EPS at $2.66 (including a $0.60 contribution from tariff rebates), same-store sales +10%, net profit of $851 million (+68% YoY). FY26 EPS guidance was raised to $8.61–$8.77 (previously expected $7.78).

• @TrendSpider: Revenue and EPS both beat expectations, and full-year guidance was raised, leading to a 3.43% jump in after-hours trading.

***Neutral

• @MartyChargin: A reminder that this quarter's guidance beat was primarily driven by one-time tariff rebates, and the second half will face higher year-over-year base pressure.

***Bearish

• None at the moment.

9、$Coinbase (COIN.US)$ | Bitcoin returns to $70,000, driving a broad rally in crypto-related stocks

As Trump signaled that the 'war on crypto regulation is over' and Bitcoin climbed back above $70,000, exchanges and related stocks rebounded collectively, with market sentiment turning distinctly bullish.

***Bullish

• @joinautopilot: Following Trump's White House statement, $Coinbase (COIN.US)$ rose approximately 5% for the day, $MARA Holdings (MARA.US)$ 、 $Strategy (MSTR.US)$ 、 $Circle (CRCL.US)$ and others rose simultaneously.

• @TheLongInvest: CEO Brian Armstrong reiterated his price target expectation of Bitcoin reaching $300,000 by 2030.

***Neutral

• @jfsrev: The pre-market movers list was dominated by crypto-related stocks, with $COIN, $Robinhood (HOOD.US)$ , $MSTR, and other bundled targets making the list collectively.

***Bearish

• None at the moment.

10、 $Marvell Technology (MRVL.US)$ | A frequent underweight in institutional portfolios, moving with sector rotation rather than having an independent narrative

With no new company-specific news on the day, it was mainly mentioned against the backdrop of a broader pullback in the semiconductor sector. Traders viewed it more as a benchmark for capital rotation.

***Neutral

• @ParadisLabs: Pointing out that $MRVL and $Lam Research (LRCX.US)$ 、 $Qualcomm (QCOM.US)$ 、 $KLA Corp (KLAC.US)$ 、 $CrowdStrike (CRWD.US)$ Mutual funds have significantly underweighted the sector, but emphasize that semiconductor fundamentals remain robust. The current correction is more of a macro-level hedging move rather than a deterioration in fundamentals.

Bulls / Bears

• No clear directional sentiment at present.

5. Event Calendar

1. Announced

• Ross Stores ($ROST) Q2 earnings significantly beat expectations and raised full-year FY26 guidance, leading to a gap-up in after-hours trading (Source:@wallstengine、@TrendSpider）。

• Trump signed a new space launch policy directive, aiming for over 1,000 launches and re-entries annually by 2030 (Source:@StockSavvyShay）。

• At the White House cryptocurrency roundtable, Trump stated that plans to accumulate a large-scale Bitcoin reserve have been discussed (Source:@xiaomustock cited from PANews).

2. Today
• Earnings season continues, $Flowers Foods (FLO.US)$ 、 $KE Holdings (BEKE.US)$ 、 $BJ's Wholesale Club Holdings (BJ.US)$ 、 $Flux Power (FLUX.US)$ 、 $OSI Systems (OSIS.US)$ among other retail/consumer stocks reported earnings before the market open today (Source:@eWhispers）。

3. Looking further ahead

• Anthropic is reportedly set to file its IPO prospectus as early as the end of this month, with market expectations that the deal size will match or exceed SpaceX's record-breaking IPO (Source:@TrendSpider）。

• Goldman Sachs is reportedly preparing approximately $1.15 billion in junk bond financing for CoreWeave’s ($CRWV) Virginia data center lease, with pricing expected in September (Source:@amitisinvesting）。

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This report is compiled and distilled from posts by US stock-related KOL accounts on the public X (Twitter) platform over the past 24 hours. It reflects only community discussion trends and sentiment biases, and does not constitute investment advice. KOL viewpoints represent slice-of-life perspectives from professional traders and analysts, which are not equivalent to general retail investor sentiment. Please make independent decisions based on your own judgment.

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