What will be important this week for Bitcoin and crypto

Bitcoin is still in the same range as in recent weeks. Despite strong quarterly figures from Robinhood and Coinbase, the price of Bitcoin (BTC) remains virtually unchanged from last week. In contrast, the majority of the top-100 altcoins, especially U.S. projects such as Ripple (XRP), Litecoin (LTC), Solana (SOL) and Cardano (ADA), are seeing a recovery following positive news from the SEC and are posting partly double-digit price gains. This new trading week, investors look forward to the release of the US Federal Reserve's FOMC meeting minutes and US housing market data. This overview reveals which relevant economic data are in investors' interest in the coming days.

The week's key economic data: The third trading week in February begins with the release of the minutes of the US central bank's latest interest rate decision on Wednesday evening. The next day, investors focus on current unemployment figures from the U.S.. At the end of the week on Friday, the latest existing-home sales figures and survey data on US consumer confidence will follow. In addition, market participants will listen to statements from several U.S. central bankers during their speeches in the new trading week.

Companies such as Chinese Internet giant Alibaba and the world's largest retailer Walmart will announce their quarterly results at the opening of the stock market, as will Twitter founder Jack Dorsey's crypto company Block Inc. on Thursday night, which will also show their impact on stock prices.

FOMC minutes in the middle of the week: On Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025 at 8 p.m., the U.S. Federal Reserve will present the minutes of its latest interest rate decision on Jan. 29. Investors are hoping for more details on the central bank's future interest rate policy after Chairman Jerome Powell's again hawkish speech. Powell left open when the central bank will adjust interest rates again, given rising U.S. inflation data over the past week.

Applications for unemployment benefits on Thursday: On Thursday, February 20, 2025 at 14:30 (CET), investors look at weekly data on new applications for unemployment benefits in the US. After increasing in the first trading week of February, the figures were slightly better than analysts' prediction last week. The robustness of the US labor market remains a concern.

Real estate sales and U.S. consumer confidence at the end of the week: On Friday, February 21, 2025 at 16:00 (CET), the latest US existing-home sales figures for the past month will be presented. After three months of rising sales figures, experts expect a slight decline this month. This may reflect the deterrent effect of persistently high interest rates on mortgages and a strained housing market. At the same time, the University of Michigan presents final US consumer confidence figures for the current trading month of February.