Bitcoin holds above $70.7K

S&P Dow Jones Indices granted an official license for an S&P 500 perpetual to Trade[XYZ], with the licensing announcement dated March 18, 2026. (PR Newswire). Hyperliquid’s new S&P perpetual reached north of $100 million in daily on‑chain volume in the first days after launch, according to post‑launch trading reports. (CryptoBriefing). The perpetual format routes continuous funding‑rate mechanics and sub‑minute price updates that mimic crypto perps’ 24/7 microstructure, a design feature highlighted in recent research on perpetual funding dynamics. (arXiv). Platform analytics and industry notes show Hyperliquid moving into real‑world‑asset markets, with reports claiming RWA and non‑crypto derivatives accounted for as much as ~30% of some daily volume slices on the network. (HTX). U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded roughly $458 million in net inflows on March 2, 2026, a concentrated inflow day that coincided with heavy ETF trading volume across multiple issuers. (CoinPaprika). Exchange‑level metrics published in March show spot ETF buying added about 18,000 BTC to funds in early March while visible exchange reserves declined by near 500,000 BTC over the same window, tightening available spot supply. (LiveBitcoinNews). Market participants disagree on the buyer mix: coverage noted U.S. retail channels concentrated recent demand even as some on‑chain analytics firms flagged large investor cohorts as the marginal buyers in prior rallies, producing mixed evidence on retail’s exact contribution. (CryptoSlate; CryptoPotato). The combination of continuous equity index perps on a crypto venue, concentrated ETF flow dates, and high‑frequency funding ticks creates a clean natural experiment for minute‑level event studies—an approach researchers and quant teams have begun adapting from traditional event‑study literature to crypto markets. (Brattle; arXiv).