Strait of Hormuz Conditionally Opens, Bitcoin Spot ETF Sees Single-Day Net Inflow of $664 Million

BroadChain has learned that at 18:16 on April 18, according to PANews, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi announced that the Strait of Hormuz is fully open to commercial vessels for the remainder of the ceasefire period. However, Iranian media added that passage must meet three conditions: only commercial ships are allowed, they must use designated routes, and coordination with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy is required. U.S. President Trump warned that if a long-term agreement is not reached by April 22, the ceasefire may be terminated and the blockade reinstated. In the market, Bitcoin spot ETFs saw a net inflow of $664 million yesterday, marking four consecutive days of net inflows; Ethereum spot ETFs recorded a net inflow of $127 million on the same day, extending their streak to seven consecutive days of net inflows. The three major U.S. stock indices closed higher, with cryptocurrency-related stocks performing strongly: Coinbase rose 3.26%, and MicroStrategy surged 11.80%. In project developments, Rhea Finance disclosed that its lending market was attacked, resulting in losses of approximately $18.4 million, with some funds already recovered; World upgraded its World ID system and expanded integrations with platforms like Tinder and Zoom; MicroStrategy proposed changing the dividend frequency of its STRC preferred stock from monthly to biweekly. Key data shows that Ethereum network transaction volume exceeded 200 million in the first quarter, setting a new historical record; Morgan Stanley recently increased its Bitcoin holdings by 177.76 BTC, bringing its total holdings to over $100 million in value; ARK Invest sold over $2.5 million worth of Circle and Bullish stocks on April 17.