Markets
Ether Stumbles After ETF Nod, Bitcoin Briefly Falls Below $68K
Key Takeaways
- Bitcoin and Ether fell on Tuesday after strong increases last week.
- Ether rose last week amid optimism over the SEC’s approval for a spot ether ETF.
- The regulator has set the stage for spot ether ETFs through a rule change that allows the listing of such products, but it could be months before a spot ether ETF is available for trading.
- The US House of Representatives has passed a bill that will provide more clarity and divide regulatory jurisdiction for cryptocurrencies. The project faces the Senate and does not have the support of President Joe Biden.
- Former US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his endorsement of crypto, claiming he will pardon the convicted founder of darknet marketplace Silk Road.
After brief but sharp price jumps last week, bitcoin (Bitcoin) and ether (ETH) fell on Tuesday.
Bitcoin briefly fell below $68,000 after trading above $70,000 early last week. Meanwhile, ether is up around 25% in 24 hours amid optimism surrounding the approval of spot ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs). However, the increase was short-term despite the regulatory green light for the product.
Other big news included increasing mentions of crypto by US presidential candidates as they seek to woo voters, a UK judge’s scathing opinion on why Craig Wright’s claim to be bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto doesn’t hold up, and a prison sentence for a former FTX executive.
Regulators Set the Stage for Spot Ether ETFs
On Thursday, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) unexpectedly opened the way for spot ether ETF listing on US stock exchanges. Ether, the cryptocurrency that powers the Ethereum network, is the second largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, behind only Bitcoin.
Although the SEC’s decision marked a significant regulatory changethe listing of these ETFs by companies like BlackRock (BLACK), Grayscale and Fidelity could still be months away. Products must first receive approval for their S-1 Log Fileswhich could take until July or August, according to Galaxy Digital.
If they receive final approval, a key question is whether ether ETFs will generate demand similar to the historic launch of spot bitcoin ETFs in the US, which have racked up around $13.5 billion in inflows, according to Farside Investors .
While some are optimistic about new listings attracting institutional and retail investors, others remain cautious, noting that the Ether market is smaller and less recognized than Bitcoin. Furthermore, the lack of access to staking for the ETF held in ETF presents a notable limitation for investors.
House changes on crypto regulation bill
The crypto industry scored a significant victory in Washington last week when the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor of the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act (FIT21).
The bill proposes to elevate the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as the primary overseer of digital assets, granting it sole authority over spot or spot markets for digital commodities, while the SEC would regulate digital assets with non-decentralized blockchains. . This clear division of regulatory responsibilities is what the crypto industry has long sought.
Despite the strong vote in the Chamber, by 279 votes to 136, the project faces a challenging path in the Senate, where approval is uncertain. President Joe Biden opposed FIT21, citing insufficient consumer and investor protections.
Former President Trump doubles down on crypto endorsement
In an attempt to appeal to libertarian voters and position himself as the pro-crypto candidate, Donald Trump called for a commutation of Ross Ulbrichtthe sentence. Ulbricht, the convicted operator of the Silk Road online marketplace, is serving a life sentence for running a platform where illegal drugs and other illicit items were purchased using bitcoin.
During a speech at the Libertarian party convention, Trump promised: “If you vote for me, on day one I will commute Ross Ulbricht’s sentence. He’s already served 11 years. We’re going to take him home.”
This move reflects Trump’s strategy to broaden his support base ahead of his rematch with President Joe Biden in November, seeking to neutralize the threat from third-party candidates such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Trump’s public embrace of crypto is a major departure from his previous comments when he defended his strong preference for the US dollar over bitcoin.
Judge rules Craig Wright is a fraud
According to WIRED, a UK Supreme Court judge ruled that the computer scientist Craig Wright lied extensively and committed large-scale forgeries in an attempt to prove that he was Satoshi Nakamoto.
In a detailed judgment published on May 20, Judge James Mellor concluded that Wright fabricated numerous documents to support his false claims and used the courts to perpetrate fraud.
“I am entirely convinced that Dr. Wright extensively and repeatedly lied to the Court,” Mellor wrote.
This ruling marks the end of a six-week trial initiated by the Crypto Open Patent Alliance (COPA), which sought a declaration that Wright is not the creator of Bitcoin to prevent him from pursuing multiple lawsuits against Bitcoin developers and others. parties.
Despite Wright’s intention to appeal, his credibility was significantly damaged.
What to expect from the markets this week
Regulators and cryptocurrency market watchers will be keeping an eye on the fate of the FIT21 bill as it heads to the Senate.
Additionally, another former executive at the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX was convicted. The exchange’s Bahamian entity’s former co-CEO, Ryan Salame, received 90 months in prison for violations of campaign finance laws and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitter.
Tuesday also saw a big deal brewing. Bitcoin infrastructure company Riot Platforms (REBELLION) said it wants to acquire bitcoin mining company Bitfarms in a part-cash, part-stock deal. Riot’s tender offer is $2.30 per Bitfarm share, a 24% premium over the stock’s one-month volume-weighted average price on May 24, for a total equity value of $950 million . Riot already owns a 9.25% stake in Bitfarms and claims the deal would result in “the world’s largest publicly listed bitcoin mining company.”
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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