Markets
Bitcoin surpasses US$ 72 thousand, Ether rises with optimism from Dencun update

Key Takeaways
- Bitcoin reached an all-time high above $69,000 last week and rose above $72,000 on Monday morning as spot bitcoin ETF activity remained high.
- MicroStrategy bought more bitcoin, boosting its shares, while Blackrock’s spot bitcoin ETF IBIT continues to see large inflows.
- After the SEC announced a deal with former cryptocurrency exchange ShapeShift, two of the agency’s commissioners questioned the lack of regulatory clarity for the industry in the U.S.
- At a congressional hearing, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell indicated that the central bank is far from implementing a central bank digital currency.
- This week, some of the attention may shift from Bitcoin to Ethereum as the alternative crypto network is set to have its Dencun upgrade.
What happened in the crypto markets last week?
Bitcoin (Bitcoin) passed yet another price milestone, surpassing $72,000 this morning, due to the price dynamics of the past week, where it reached two all-time highs. Meanwhile, Ether rose steadily, surpassing $4,000 amid optimism surrounding lower fees following the long-awaited Dencun upgrade to the Etherum network – which will help improve transaction processing speeds at scale – this Wednesday .
Meanwhile, two SEC commissioners explained their displeasure with the way the crypto industry has been regulated in the US, and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell made it clear that there are no immediate plans to launch a central bank digital currency (CBDC) to the US dollar.
Bitcoin reaches new all-time high thanks to ETFs
The launch of Spot bitcoin ETFs in the US, as well as the next reduce by half event, were credited for bitcoin’s recent rally to multiple all-time highs. Although after each of the highs, the largest cryptocurrency by market cap fell significantly before recovering some of those gains.
On Monday, bitcoin surpassed $72,000, possibly amid optimism surrounding the UK regulator’s softening stance on allowing the cryptocurrency exchange-traded notes (ETN) in the country.
“The Financial Conduct Authority will not oppose applications from recognized investment exchanges (RIEs) to create a UK-listed market segment for cryptocurrency-backed exchange-traded notes (cETNs). These products would be available to professional investors such as investment and credit companies, institutions authorized or regulated to operate only in financial markets,” the London Stock Exchange said in a statement.
Blackrock Bitcoin ETF and MircoStrategy are big buyers of Bitcoin
In recent months, Blackrock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (I BITE) became a major hub of bitcoin trading activity as its bitcoin supply grew temporarily larger than that of MicroStrategy (MSTR) last week. However, MicroStrategy announced the acquisition of an additional 12,000 bitcoins on Monday, bringing its current balance to 205,000.
Additionally, the nine new ETFs have grown to a combined size larger than the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), according to BitMEX Research. GBTC has seen more than $10 billion in outflows since converting to an ETF. Notably, Grayscale’s offering has much higher fees at 1.5% than the other nine spot bitcoin ETFs currently on the market.
Bitcoin Price Driving Gains for Some Crypto-Related Stocks
MicroStrategy’s bet on buying bitcoin is yielding spectacular results. MicroStrategy shares were up 16% to about $1,650 in early afternoon trading Monday. The stock is up more than 600% in the past year and is up about 140% since the start of 2024.
According to MircoStrategy’s executive chairman, Michael Saylor, the company’s shares are a good option for investors seeking exposure to bitcoin.
“If you are curious about bitcoin now and want to buy bitcoin at all-time highs, how can you take advantage of bitcoin with loss protection? MicroStrategy sold $800 million in debt and we have $12 to $13 billion worth of bitcoin on the balance sheet,” Saylor told CNBC in an interview on Monday. “If you’re a bitcoin maximalist and you love bitcoin and you want it to last forever, ETFs charge 25 basis points, MicroStrategy is accumulating – we’re giving you a yield on your shares in a tax-efficient way.”
Coinbase (COIN) is another stock that benefits from the rise in bitcoin. Despite crashes due to huge trading volumes In recent weeks, shares of the cryptocurrency exchange have risen more than 15% in the past five days and have gained about 70% year-to-date.
SEC Commissioners Criticize Agency’s Crypto Stance
O Security and Exchange CommissionThe SEC’s (SEC) action against former digital asset trading platform Shapeshift was criticized by the regulator’s own commissioners.
Although ShapeShift agreed to pay $275,000 for allegedly facilitating trades of unspecified digital assets considered securities, SEC Commissioners Hester Peirce and Mark Uyeda questioned the lack of clarity regarding which tokens were considered securities. They argued that the ambiguity makes it difficult for crypto companies to discern regulatory compliance, potentially stifling innovation.
“Cases like this do not protect investors; they intimidate innovators and entrepreneurs,” said Peirce and Uyeda. “We respectfully disagree.”
The commissioners’ statement echoes the frustrations of companies like Coin base It is Krakenwho were also sued by the SEC for operating unregistered securities exchanges.
Fed Chairman Powell says there is no reason to worry about CBDC
During congressional testimony last week, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell addressed concerns surrounding the potential development of a US CBDC.
“We are no closer to recommending or adopting any form of central bank digital currency,” Powell said.
Powell aimed to put to rest speculation that a CBDC could allow the Fed to compete directly with private banks or monitor personal financial transactions, emphasizing that any digital currency efforts would work through the existing banking system. His remarks come amid legislative efforts to prevent the Fed from issuing a CBDC without congressional approval, reflecting ongoing debates over privacy and the implications of central bank-backed digital currencies on the financial landscape.
What to expect from the Ether network upgrade
Ether (ETH) has now reached $4,000 for the first time since December 2021, as the network is set to undergo an upgrade, known as Deneb-Cancun or Dencun, this week. Ether rose more than 4% on Monday and has gained more than 70% year to date.
According to Fidelity Digital Assets, the upgrade is expected to drastically reduce fees on several layer-two network protocols that were built on top of the core Ethereum blockchain.
Markets
Crypto Markets Rebound as Spot Bitcoin ETFs Attract Massive Inflows

This week saw $722 million worth of Bitcoin spot ETF inflows, including the largest daily inflow in a month.
Cryptocurrency markets rallied on Wednesday, driven by inflows into spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
The price of Bitcoin (BTC) is up 3% over the past 24 hours to last change hands at $65,200, according to CoinGecko. Ethereum (ETH) is up 2% and is trading at $3,471. Solana (SUN) and Polkadot (POINT) increased by 4%.
Bitcoin spot ETFs saw $422 million in daily inflows on Tuesday, the highest in the past 30 days, according to Far side data, . The all-time record for a single day was $1.05 billion on March 12.
Among Tuesday’s top contributors, BlackRock’s IBIT led with $260 million in inflows, followed by Fidelity’s FBTC with $61 million. This week has already seen more than $722 million in inflows.
Among the top 100 cryptocurrencies by market cap, Worldcoin (WLD) led with a 28% increase, followed by Helium (HNT) with 20% and Lido DAO (LDO) with 15%.
Worldcoin, a decentralized identity project led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, announced is extending the lockups for early investors and team members. This means that tokens will be gradually released through 2029, instead of the original 2027 plan. Token unlocks are generally seen as a negative because they increase supply and early investors can sell their tokens for profit.
Meanwhile, XRP, the token of the XRP Ledger network, jumped 8% after the CME and CF benchmarks introduced new indices and reference rates for XRP.
U.S. stocks faced a downturn on Wednesday. The S&P 500 fell 1%, while the Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average both fell 2%.
Markets
Altcoins on the cusp of a major breakout – WLD, AR, and INJ prices could surge by 20% in the coming days

Crypto markets appear to have been taken over by the bulls as major tokens have surged above their crucial resistance zone. Bitcoin surged above $65,000 while Ethereum was above $3,500, and XRP, which had remained passive for quite some time, surged over 40% in the past few days to hit $0.6. The uptrend has been captured in most altcoins, with Worldcoin (WLD), Arweave (AR), and Injective (INJ) leading the rally. Here’s what to expect for these tokens in the coming days.
Worldcoin (WLD) Price Analysis
O Worldcoin Price has been trading inside a descending wedge since it marked a new ATH near $12 in the final days of Q1 2024. The recent price action helped the price break out of the upper resistance of the wedge, breaking above the crucial resistance zone between $2.21 and $2.39. Market sentiments have changed, but technicals suggest that the bulls may remain passive for a while, which could offer some room for a bearish pullback.
The price broke out of the wedge with a significant increase in volume, but the current volume suggests that the bulls have taken a step back. Meanwhile, the RSI is about to reach the upper boundary, which could attract bearish forces. Additionally, the DMI has undergone a bullish crossover, but the decline in the ADX suggests that the rally may remain consolidated above the gains. Therefore, the WLD price is expected to maintain a horizontal consolidation between $3 and $3.3 and trigger a fresh rally to $4.4 during the next bullish rally.
Arweave (AR) Price Analysis
Arweave formed a strong base around $25, which helped the rally trigger a recovery during the bearish attack. Mt. Gox and German terror forced the price to fall below $20. However, the recent price action has brought the altcoin within the bullish range and raised expectations of maintaining a decent uptrend for a few more days.
AR price has hit one of the major resistances around $30 to $31.5, which could act as a strong base once overcome. The buying volume is slowly increasing, which could keep the bullish hopes for the rally high. Moreover, the supertrend has just flashed a buy signal, indicating a clean reversal of the trend. Therefore, AR price seems primed to maintain a healthy uptrend and rally above $40. However, if the bulls maintain a similar trend, making new highs above $50 may not be a tedious task for the bulls.
Price Analysis of Injective (INJ)
Injective price has been showing sharp strength since the beginning of the year and hence, the recent turnaround is expected to revive a good uptrend going forward. The bears engulfed the rally to a large extent, but the recent price action suggests that the bulls have regained their dominance. Therefore, INJ price is expected to maintain a strong uptrend with a bearish interference on the way down.
INJ price has surged above the lower support zone and has registered consecutive bullish candles. Although the volume is below the required levels, the OBV is maintaining a sharp uptrend. Furthermore, the Ichimoku cloud lead span B is heading towards the lead span A and a healthy crossover indicates the start of a new uptrend. However, INJ price may be out of the bears’ reach once it secures the resistance zone between $30.77 and $32.12, which seems to be on the horizon.
Markets
Ethereum at $3.5K, Exchange Supply Hits 34-Month High

Ethereum (ETH) supply on exchanges has hit a 34-month high as the asset’s price surpassed the $3,500 mark.
ETH has risen 2.3% over the past 24 hours and is trading at $3,490 at the time of writing. The second-largest cryptocurrency — with a market cap of $419 billion — briefly touched an intraday high of $3,517 earlier today.
ETH Price, Whale Activity, RSI, and Exchange Supply – July 17 | Source: Santiment
Ethereum’s daily trading volume also increased by 7.6% to reach $19.8 billion.
According to data provided by Santiment, the supply of Ethereum on exchanges has reached $19.52 million ETH. This level was last seen in September 2021, when the asset was trading around the same price.
On the other hand, data from the market intelligence platform shows that the number of whale transactions has fallen by 12% in the last day — falling from 8,730 to 7,629 unique transactions per day.
The move shows that the supply of Ethereum on exchanges has been increasing with small deposits rather than large transactions from whales.
Additionally, the ETH Relative Strength Index (RSI) is currently hovering at the 60-mark, per Santiment. The indicator shows that Ethereum is slightly overbought at this price point, but it may not be in a critical position due to its large market cap.
One of the main drivers of Ethereum price increase is ETH spot expectations ETFs in the US Investment products are scheduled to start trading on July 23rd.
Markets
Bits + Beeps: How to Play the ‘Trump Trade’ in Cryptocurrencies After the Assassination Attempt

Also, how much will the Fed cut rates (and when)? What will be the inflows into ETH ETFs? And what is the near future for Bitcoin?
Posted on July 17, 2024 at 12:00 PM EST.
Listen to the episode at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Capsules, Source, Podcast Addict, Pocket molds, Amazon Musicor on your favorite podcast platform.
In this episode of Bits + Bips, hosts James Seyffart, Alex Kruger and Joe McCann, joined by guest Jack Platts, dive into the market reaction to the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, analyzing how this event will influence the 2024 US presidential election and the cryptocurrency markets.
They also cover potential rate cuts: Could there be a cut in July? How big could the September rate cut be? Could the decision be influenced by the upcoming election?
They also give their predictions on what percentage of BTC ETF inflows the ETH ETFs will reach, and James talks about what he expects for Grayscale’s ETHE (hint: his outlook would be positive for ETH).
Finally, they delve into what’s next for Bitcoin as the German government runs out of BTC and Mt. Gox distributions begin. Just now?
Program Highlights:
- Whether Trump’s shooting decided the election and whether the event caused a “flight to safety”
- How election markets are becoming a place to watch election probabilities and whether cryptocurrencies “lean right”
- Whether rate cuts will occur in July or September and by how much they will cut: 25 bps or 50 bps
- How Joe sees the relationship between global liquidity cycles, rate cuts, and the potential rise of Bitcoin
- What are the new updates about Ethereum ETFs and their expected launch?
- Why Solana Hasn’t Performed Significantly Better Since Trump News
- What Market Breadth Indicates About the Current Market Rally and the Impact of Rates on Small Caps
- Everyone’s predictions on ETH ETF inflows and how much outflow we’ll see on Grayscale’s ETHE
- What’s Next for BTC After German Government Exits Bitcoin and Mt. Gox Giveaways Starting This Week
Hosts:
Guest:
- Jack PlattsCo-Founder and Managing Partner of Hypersphere Ventures
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