TokenPost.ai
Large outflows continued to hit Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) over the past several hours, while capital rotated heavily into stablecoins¡ªespecially Tether (USDT)¡ªand selectively into a handful of altcoins such as XRP (XRP) and Zcash (ZEC), underscoring a defensive, risk-managed posture across the crypto market.
Data compiled by Cryptometer as of May 18 at 02:55 a.m. UTC (10:55 p.m. ET on May 17) shows that, over the previous five hours, fiat inflows into crypto were led by the U.S. dollar at $7.5 million, followed by Brazil¡¯s real at roughly $899,000 and Turkey¡¯s lira at about $826,000. Most of the dollar-denominated inflow was routed toward a small cluster of assets¡ªincluding XRP (XRP), Zcash (ZEC), and USD Coin (USDC)¡ªrather than broadly distributed across majors.
Cryptometer¡¯s flow breakdown indicated that stablecoin allocations were spread across multiple crypto assets, with USDT seeing $5.42 million and USDC posting $2.30 million in dispersal to tokens and coins. On the inbound side, the largest recipients were XRP (XRP) at $3.29 million and Zcash (ZEC) at $2.80 million. Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) still drew modest inflows¡ª$2.19 million and $1.20 million, respectively¡ªalongside Uniswap (UNI) at $1.14 million and Solana (SOL) at approximately $828,000.
Despite those pockets of demand, the dominant market signal remained heavy selling pressure or de-risking from major assets. Over the same five-hour window, Bitcoin (BTC) recorded $34.99 million in outflows, while Ethereum (ETH) saw $31.03 million leave the asset. Additional outflows were recorded in Dogecoin (DOGE) at $3.79 million, PAX Gold (PAXG) at $2.77 million, BNB (BNB) at $1.63 million, and Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) at $1.44 million.
The destination of much of the exiting capital was clear: USDT absorbed $57.67 million, with USDC taking in $8.92 million, suggesting traders moved to 'stablecoin parking' rather than exiting the crypto ecosystem entirely. At the same time, some capital appeared to settle back into fiat rails, with $11.98 million flowing into U.S. dollars, $6.13 million into the Korean won, and $1.71 million into euros.
The pattern¡ªmajor-asset outflows paired with stablecoin concentration and selective altcoin inflows¡ªoften points to a market prioritizing 'liquidity preservation' and tactical positioning. If sustained, elevated stablecoin absorption can function as dry powder for future re-entry, but in the near term it also reflects heightened caution as investors reduce exposure to volatile beta while keeping capital readily deployable.