Inside the Chainlink ETF race: Bitwise’s no staking strategy vs Grayscale’s yield
**Key Takeaways**
**What does the Bitwise Chainlink ETF represent?**
The Bitwise Chainlink ETF is a proposed spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) designed to offer institutional investors exposure to Chainlink (LINK) without the need to directly hold the token.
**What do analysts say about LINK’s price outlook?**
Analysts suggest that if LINK’s price breaks above the $16 mark, it could trigger a bullish reversal. Conversely, failure to surpass this resistance may result in a decline toward the $11.60 level.
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The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) has recently listed Bitwise’s Spot Chainlink [LINK] ETF, registered under the ticker **CLNK**, in its “active and pre-launch” category. This listing represents a potential milestone in promoting institutional participation in Chainlink.
**Will this push the SEC to approve the LINK ETF?**
While the DTCC listing does not guarantee immediate approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), it is widely viewed as a positive signal that regulatory progress could be forthcoming.
Bitwise filed its S-1 statement in August, marking the first-ever proposal for a Chainlink Spot ETF. This filing opened the door for institutions to gain streamlined exposure to the oracle-based token. Following this, Grayscale submitted its own Chainlink ETF proposal in September, indicating increased competition among asset managers eager to capitalize on growing demand for crypto-linked financial products.
Notably, Bitwise’s filing does **not** include a staking mechanism for LINK tokens. In contrast, Grayscale’s proposal contemplates staking a portion of LINK holdings, which may generate additional yield for investors.
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### Other ETFs and Their Status
While final approval decisions rest with the U.S. SEC, recent trends show that certain crypto ETFs—such as those for Solana (SOL), Hedera (HBAR), and Litecoin (LTC)—have entered auto-effective status, allowing them to list and trade on exchanges swiftly.
Under particular circumstances, such as a government shutdown, the SEC’s review process can be bypassed. This allows an issuer’s S-1 filing to become automatically effective after 20 days without formal intervention. Such regulatory nuances could accelerate the approval timeline for the Chainlink ETF, depending on external factors.
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### LINK’s Market Performance and Technical Indicators
Despite the positive momentum surrounding ETF developments, LINK’s market performance has recently weakened. The price dropped 7% within 24 hours, falling from $16.50 to approximately $15.36, before partially rebounding to $15.50 at press time—a 3.9% daily decline.
According to CoinMarketCap, trading volume for LINK declined by nearly 24%, reaching $667.51 million, a sign of waning trader enthusiasm.
Data from Santiment reveals that LINK’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) slipped below the neutral zone, indicating that bearish sentiment currently dominates the market. Additionally, rising price volatility adds to the short-term uncertainty surrounding LINK, even as institutional interest builds through ETF initiatives.
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### What Are Analysts Saying?
AMBCrypto’s latest analysis suggests that LINK’s short-term outlook remains clouded due to weak price momentum. However, an increase in social sentiment and accumulation activity points to seasoned investors potentially positioning for a rebound.
Still, unless LINK reclaims the critical $16 resistance level, the risk of a further price dip toward $11.60 persists.
For now, the market appears to be in a cautious “wait-and-watch” phase, balancing optimism over institutional ETF involvement with technical pressures hanging over LINK’s price action.
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*Stay tuned for updates as the regulatory landscape and market conditions evolve for the Chainlink ETF and LINK token.*
https://ambcrypto.com/inside-the-chainlink-etf-race-bitwises-no-staking-strategy-vs-grayscales-yield