Posted on

Analyst Reveals Bitcoin’s Bull Market Breakthrough: Here’s What You Need To Know

In a recent tweet, well-known crypto analyst Rekt Capital delved into the potential timeline for the next Bitcoin market peak, emphasizing the Halving cycle’s significant impact on building BTC’s market path.

As the Bitcoin Halving is set to occur between today and tomorrow, April 20, Bitcoin has shown less significant market movement. At the time of writing, the asset has a market price of $64,578.

Analyst: ‘When Could Bitcoin Peak In This Bull Market?’

According to Rekt Capital’s analysis, Bitcoin typically reaches its bull market peak between 518 and 546 days following a Halving event. Applying this historical timeline, the next anticipated bull market peak could fall between mid-September and mid-October 2025.

Bitcoin chart shared by RektCapital on X

However, as disclosed by Rekt Capital, recent market trends suggest a possible acceleration in Bitcoin’s ongoing cycle compared to historical patterns, demonstrated by the cryptocurrency achieving new record levels approximately 260 days ahead of the typical schedule.

Despite this apparent acceleration, Rekt Capital noted:

Bitcoin has been experiencing a Pre-Halving Retrace for the past month or so As a result, Bitcoin has been slowing down and decelerating the cycle by 30 days thus far and counting So while Bitcoin may have been accelerating by ~260 days last month… Today this acceleration is now more close to ~230 days due to the current Pre-Halving Retrace.

Additionally, Rekt Capital introduced an alternative viewpoint termed the “Accelerated Perspective,” which factors in the duration from when Bitcoin exceeds its previous peak to the projected culmination of the bull market.

Given Bitcoin’s recent attainment of new all-time highs in March, this perspective implies that the subsequent bull market peak could happen between December 2024 and February 2025.

BTC Price Dynamics Amidst Market Fluctuations

Meanwhile, amidst recent market fluctuations, BTC is undergoing a slight recovery. At the time of writing, it had increased marginally by 1.4%, bringing its market price to above $64,000. This recovery follows a week-long decline during which Bitcoin experienced nearly a 10% downturn.

Bitcoin (BTC) price chart on TradingView

In light of these developments, crypto expert Michaël van de Poppe has shared insights into the potential implications of the impending BTC Halving event. Van de Poppe suggests a shift in focus away from Bitcoin once the halving occurs, speculating on potential changes in market narratives.

While he did not specify the exact narrative shift, Van de Poppe previously outlined expectations for the crypto market, including an anticipated emphasis on Ethereum (ETH) and projects focused on Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN) and Real World Assets (RWA) post-Halving.

Featured image from Unsplash, Chart from TradingView

Posted on

Bitcoin’s Next Move Revealed: Trading Guru Reveals This Cryptic Chart Pattern, Here’s What It Says

Legendary trader Peter Brandt has recently shared notable insights into the potential future trajectory of Bitcoin price, suggesting the possibility of a significant market move for the crypto asset.

This insight comes as Bitcoin appears to be recovering slightly from its week-long decline. The asset is up nearly 5% over the past 24 hours, with a current trading price of $64,968 at the time of writing.

Bitcoin Next Move According To This Chart Pattern

Brandt’s analysis, presented through a series of charts, outlines a distinctive pattern in Bitcoin’s historical price behavior, characterized by three distinct phases.: the Hump-Slump, Bump-Rump, and Pump-Dump cycles.

As per Brandt’s observation, while Bitcoin has completed the initial two phases of the cycle, the third phase, marked by the “pump” component, remains unfulfilled, hinting at potential bullish momentum ahead.

Meanwhile, amid heightened market volatility and uncertainty, Bitcoin has faced notable price fluctuations, experiencing a nearly 10% decline over the past week.

However, recent bullish momentum has seen the cryptocurrency surging by 3.7% in the past 24 hours, with its price briefly climbing above $65,000 after hitting a 24-hour low of $60,000.

Bitcoin (BTC) price chart on TradingView

This upward movement aligns with Brandt’s suggestion of a pending bullish phase in Bitcoin’s price cycle, adding weight to the anticipation of a potential market “pump.”

Insights From Industry Leaders And Analysts

In addition to Brandt’s analysis, industry leaders and analysts have offered their perspectives on Bitcoin’s future trajectory.

Anthony Scaramucci, founder and managing partner of Skybridge Capital, has recently projected a bullish outlook for Bitcoin, forecasting a potential price surge to $200,000 following the upcoming halving event.

Scaramucci cited various factors, including the influence of new financial products like spot ETFs and increasing institutional interest, as key drivers behind Bitcoin’s anticipated price appreciation.

However, amidst optimistic forecasts, CryptoQuant, a prominent crypto analytics platform, has cautioned that Bitcoin could face a significant downturn to $52,000 if its price breaches the critical $60,000 support level.

A CryptoQuant analyst particularly noted:

If the price breaks below $60,000, we might witness a decline to $52,000 before a subsequent rise. However, given the significant dominance of institutional ETFs, I wouldn’t be surprised if they accumulate excess supply from liquidations near the short-term support level of $60,000.

Featured image from Unsplash, Chart from TradingView

Posted on

Ripple CEO Walks Back $5 Trillion Crypto Marker Prediction, Unveils New Target

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ripple, Brad Garlinghouse, has revised his earlier ambitious prediction on the crypto industry’s future market capitalization, acknowledging that he had underestimated the market’s potential surge. 

Ripple CEO Underpredicts Crypto Market Cap

Appearing in a recent interview with Fox Business, Garlinghouse shed light on the growth potential of the cryptocurrency market as well as its performance since the beginning of the year. 

The Ripple CEO was questioned about his previous optimistic forecast for the crypto industry’s market capitalization, in which he projected that the market cap would double to approximately $5 trillion by the end of the year. According to CoinMarketCap, the current global cryptocurrency market capitalization stands at roughly around $2.25 trillion. 

In response to the inquiry, Garlinghouse expressed his belief that his previous predictions were not overly ambitious, emphasizing the market’s potential for further growth. He admitted to underpredicting the industry’s potential market capitalization by the end of 2024, citing factors such as the current supply and demand dynamics driving additional increases. 

Garlinghouse noted that the current market conditions are characterized by increased demand and reduced supply, with these dynamics playing a significant role in the performance of cryptocurrencies. 

He disclosed that the Spot Bitcoin ETF market and the overall sentiment regarding Bitcoin’s value have significantly boosted demand for the cryptocurrency. Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s supply is diminishing due to the increasing number of large-scale investors purchasing the cryptocurrency rapidly. Additionally, the impending Bitcoin halving event is expected to further decrease the cryptocurrency’s supply. 

Assessing the current state of the crypto market, Garlinghouse stated that since the last six months, Bitcoin has been up by more than 250%, with further increases anticipated. He also asserted that this overperformance was largely driven by the approval and launch of Spot Bitcoin ETFs as well as the upcoming Bitcoin halving. 

Regulations Are Vital For Market Development

Garlinghouse has disclosed that establishing proper regulatory frameworks for the cryptocurrency market would yield positive outcomes for the market in the future. 

He explained that one of the primary factors hindering the growth of this evolving market was the United State’s prevailing anti-crypto stance, suggesting that the country’s enforcement actions on the developing industry were “problematic.”

The Ripple CEO highlighted several countries, including Dubai, Singapore and the United Kingdom, which have been proactively embracing cryptocurrencies and implementing proper regulatory systems to foster further growth in the market. 

Garlinghouse has asserted that the US has significantly lagged in recognizing the transformative and innovative impact of the cryptocurrency market, attributing this setback to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and its current Chair, Gary Gensler.

Crypto total market cap from Tradingview.com (Ripple CEO)

Posted on

Litecoin (LTC) Breaks Records: 5 Million Long-Term Holders Signal Major Market Shift

Recently, reports from IntoTheBlock revealed that the Litecoin (LTC) network has exceeded five million long-term holders. This achievement represents approximately 62.5% of all LTC addresses with a balance, underscoring Litecoin’s widespread adoption and long-term viability within the crypto community.

Rising Long-Term Holder Trend Signals Optimism 

The surge in long-term holders has been particularly noticeable in recent months, underscoring a growing inclination towards holding LTC for quite a long time. In February’s closing days alone, the number of long-term holders soared by 170,000, signaling robust investor confidence in Litecoin’s long-term prospects.

In tandem with this surge in long-term holders, the number of individuals holding LTC for more than a year has steadily risen, now totaling 2.54 million addresses. Apart from the numerical growth, the profitability of holding LTC over the long term adds another dimension of interest.

According to on-chain data, roughly 67.67% of all LTC addresses currently stand in profit, collectively holding 49.76 million LTC. In contrast, approximately 26.8% of LTC holders, totaling 2.15 million addresses, are currently at a loss.

Meanwhile, a smaller segment, constituting 5.53% of holders, is situated at breakeven, which means they are neither in a loss nor a profit.

Addresses currently holding in Litecoin (LTC).

Bullish Sentiment Surrounds Litecoin Amidst Rumors of ETF Approval

So far, Litecoin has seen relatively stable movement, experiencing a minor increase of 0.3% over the past week, followed by a slight downturn of 0.1% in the last 24 hours. As of the current writing, LTC is trading at $96.72.

Litecoin (LTC) price chart on TradingView

Despite the altcoin’s current stability in price, analysts such as World of Charts anticipate a potential surge in the coming months, with projections suggesting a climb to $400. This bullish momentum is fuelled by growing institutional interest, particularly surrounding rumors of a potential LTC Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF).

Fox Business journalist Eleanor Terrett has hinted at institutional intrigue towards a Litecoin ETF, citing LTC’s functional similarities to Bitcoin as a potential factor in its approval by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Additionally, Coinbase Derivatives’ recent launch of futures contracts for Litecoin further contributes to the buzz surrounding the cryptocurrency.

Renowned crypto analyst Luke Martin echoes this sentiment, suggesting that the approval of an Ethereum ETF could pave the way for other “old altcoins” like Litecoin to gain regulatory approval. Martin emphasizes that LTC and Dogecoin may have a stronger case for not being classified as securities, particularly in comparison to Ethereum.

Featured image from Unsplash, Chart from TradingView

Posted on

Grayscale Drops Bombshell Report: Crypto Bull Run Progresses To ‘Middle’ Phase, Future Outlook Detailed

The cryptocurrency market has witnessed a significant surge after a prolonged bear market and the intensified crypto winter caused by the collapse of crypto exchanges and firms during 2022 and part of 2023. 

Notably, Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies have experienced substantial price surges, accompanied by renewed interest from institutional investors entering the market through recently approved spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). 

Adding to the industry’s positive outlook, asset manager and Bitcoin ETF issuer, Grayscale, believes that the current state of the market indicates that the industry is in the “middle” stages of a crypto bull run. 

Grayscale recently released a comprehensive report detailing their key findings and insights into what lies ahead. A closer analysis of the report by market expert Miles Deutscher sheds light on the factors contributing to this assessment.

On-Chain Metrics And Institutional Demand

Grayscale’s report starts by highlighting several key signals indicating that the market is currently in the middle of a bull run. These include Bitcoin’s price surpassing its all-time high before the Halving event, the total crypto market cap reaching its previous peak, and the growing attention from traditional finance (TradFi) towards meme coins.

To understand how long this rally might sustain, Grayscale emphasizes two specific price drivers: spot Bitcoin ETF inflows and strong on-chain fundamentals.

Grayscale notes that nearly $12 billion has flowed into Bitcoin ETFs in just three months, indicating significant “pent-up” retail demand. Moreover, ETF inflows have consistently exceeded BTC issuance, creating upward price pressure due to the demand-supply imbalance.

Grayscale’s research focuses on three critical on-chain metrics: stablecoin inflows, decentralized finance (DeFi) total value locked (TVL), and BTC outflows from exchanges.

According to Deutscher, the increase in stablecoin supply on centralized exchanges (CEXs) and decentralized exchanges (DEXs) by approximately 6% between February and March suggests enhanced liquidity, making more capital readily available for trading.

Crypto

Furthermore, for the analyst, the doubling of the total value locked into DeFi since 2023 represents growing user engagement, increased liquidity, and improved user experience within the DeFi ecosystem.

The outflows from exchanges, which currently account for about 12% of BTC’s circulating supply (the lowest in five years), indicate rising investor confidence in BTC’s value and a preference for holding rather than selling.

Based on these catalysts, Grayscale asserts that the market is in the “mid-phase” of the bull run, likening it to the “5th inning” in baseball. 

Promising Outlook For Crypto Industry

Several key metrics support Grayscale’s analysis, including the Net Unrealized Profit/Loss (NUPL) ratio, which indicates that investors who bought BTC at lower prices continue to hold despite rising prices. 

According to Deutscher, the Market Value Realized Value (MVRV) Z-Score, currently at 3, implies that there is still room for growth in this cycle. Additionally, the ColinTalksCrypto Bitcoin Bull Run Index (CBBI), which integrates multiple ratios, currently stands at 79/100, suggesting that the market is approaching historical cycle peaks with some upward momentum remaining. 

Furthermore, retail interest has yet to fully return this cycle, as evidenced by lower cryptocurrency YouTube subscription rates and reduced Google Trends interest for “crypto” compared to the previous cycle.

Crypto

Ultimately, Grayscale retains a “cautiously optimistic” stance regarding the future of this bull cycle, given the promising signals and analysis outlined in their report.

Crypto

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com 

Posted on

Altcoin Boom: Analyst Projects $10K Investment Could Rocket To $1M By 2025 With These 5 Picks

Crypto analyst Cyril-DeFi has projected a forthcoming altcoin season (alt season) that could deliver massive returns for investors. Cyril-DeFi forecasted returns ranging from 50x to 100x for those willing to venture into the altcoin market during this period.

The premise of such an optimistic outlook is rooted in the historical performance of altcoins during these seasons, where the broader market sees a significant upswing in value outside the dominion of Bitcoin.

Cyril’s analysis suggests that an investment of $10,000 could become a million dollars by 2025, assuming the investor navigates the altcoin market with the right narratives.

Emerging Narratives And Altcoin Picks

Notably, Cyril-DeFi’s projections are not without basis. He earmarks several key narratives that he believes will dominate the next alt season, pinpointing areas within the cryptocurrency sector that are ripe for growth. Among these, Artificial Intelligence (AI) stands out, spurred by the widespread adoption of AI applications like ChatGPT.

Cyril posits that blockchains offering solutions to AI-related challenges, including storage, data accessibility, and computational power, will likely grow substantially.

Furthermore, Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePin) are highlighted as another potential area, with incentives for users contributing to GPS maps, space weather tracking, and environmental monitoring poised to offer lucrative rewards.

Beyond the technical and infrastructural narratives, Cyril spotlighted memecoins, Real World Assets (RWA), and Game Finance (GameFi) as pivotal to the altcoin surge.

According to Cyril, while memecoins present a high-risk, high-reward scenario, often driven by viral trends rather than foundational technology, their allure lies in the potential for notable gains.

Conversely, Cyril highlighted that RWAs introduce a tangible aspect to the digital currency realm, with tokenization efforts to bridge real estate and business investments with the blockchain world.

Lastly, GameFi’s integration of gaming with blockchain technology, rewarding players in cryptocurrency, is expected to continue attracting interest and investment, signaling strong performance during the alt season, according to the analyst.

Market Insights And Predictions

It is worth noting that this optimistic outlook towards altcoins is not singular to Cyril-DeFi. Other analysts, like Xremlinalso, concur that the upcoming alt season could surpass the substantial gains observed in 2021.

Supporting this perspective, analytics firm Santiment reveals several altcoins currently residing in what they term the “Opportunity Zone.”

This classification is based on the Market Value to Realized Value (MVRV) metric, indicating that despite recent market downturns, certain altcoins present promising mid-term investment opportunities.

Altcoin market cap chart on TradingView

Santiment’s analysis provides a nuanced view of the market. It suggests that altcoins with subdued performance relative to their counterparts may offer a fertile ground for investors aiming to capitalize on the impending alt season.

Featured image from Shutterstock, Chart from TradingView

Posted on

7 Days Of Crypto: Key Events That You Should Keep An Eye On This Week

There are a couple of events to watch out for this week, as they could prove pivotal in determining the future trajectory of the crypto market. These events could provide some certainty to the market or cause investors to wait on the sidelines for more favorable market conditions. 

Events That Could Affect The Market This Week

Some Federal Reserve officials are scheduled to speak at different events this week. One of them is Governor Lisa Cook, who will give a lecture on March 25. Fed Chair Jerome Powell will also participate in a discussion at the Monetary Policy Conference on March 29. 

Their speeches are significant as they could provide valuable insights into the current state of the economy and what to expect from the Federal Reserve regarding interest rates in its fight against inflation. Macroeconomic factors like interest rates usually impact the crypto market and partly determine the sentiments among crypto traders.

The crypto market is usually bullish whenever the Federal Reserve adopts a dovish stance on whether or not to hike interest rates. Therefore, these officials sounding positive in their speeches could help boost investors’ confidence in the crypto market since they would be less worried about things on the macro side. 

Meanwhile, several economic data will be released this week, including the Consumer Confidence and Consumer Sentiment data and the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index. These releases offer insights into the economy’s strength and guide the Fed in deciding on future interest rate decisions. 

Crypto Needs A Big Win This Week

Stakeholders and investors in the industry will no doubt hope that the events lined up for this week will provide a momentum boost for the crypto market. Last week was one to forget as things cooled after weeks of seeing the flagship crypto, Bitcoin, and altcoins make significant runs. This downward trend is believed to have been due to some external factors.

One of them is the net outflows that the Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded throughout last week, with many investors taking profits from the various funds. These Bitcoin ETFs had previously seen an impressive amount of inflows into them, which positively affected Bitcoin’s price. As such, a trend of outflows was also expected to influence Bitcoin’s price, although negatively. 

These Spot Bitcoin ETFs will again be in the spotlight this week, with the crypto community waiting to see if the sentiments among the ETF investors will change. A sustained trend of profit-taking this week could spark another decline in the crypto market. 

Crypto total market cap chart from Tradingview.com

Posted on

United States Dominates Global Crypto Market With Massive $9.3 Billion In Profits

In a recent report by market intelligence firm Chainalysis, it has been revealed that global crypto gains in 2023 amounted to a staggering $37.6 billion. This profit surge reflects improved asset prices and market sentiment compared to 2022. 

Although this figure falls short of the $159.7 billion gains witnessed during the 2021 bull market, it signifies a significant recovery from the estimated losses of $127.1 billion experienced in 2022.

Sharp Surge In Crypto Gains

The report suggests that despite similar growth rates in crypto asset prices in 2021 and 2023, the total gains for the latter year were lower. According to Chainalysis, this discrepancy could potentially be attributed to investors’ decreased inclination to convert their crypto assets into cash. 

The analysis further suggests that investors in 2023 seem to have anticipated further price increases, as crypto asset prices did not exceed previous all-time highs (ATHs) during the year, unlike in 2021.

Crypto

Cryptocurrency gains remained relatively consistent throughout 2023, except for two consecutive months of losses in August and September, as seen in the image above. However, gains surged sharply thereafter, with November and December eclipsing all previous months.

United States Leads

Leading the pack in cryptocurrency gains was the United States, with an estimated $9.36 billion in profits in 2023. The United Kingdom secured the second position with an estimated $1.39 billion in crypto gains. 

Notably, several upper and lower-middle-income countries, particularly in Asia, such as Vietnam, China, Indonesia, and India, achieved significant gains, each surpassing $1 billion and ranking within the top six countries worldwide. 

Crypto

Chainalysis had previously observed strong cryptocurrency adoption in these income categories, particularly in “lower-middle-income” countries, which demonstrated resilience even during the recent bear market. The gains estimates indicate that investors in these countries have reaped substantial benefits from embracing the asset class.

Ultimately, the Chainalysis report suggests that the positive trends observed in 2023 have carried over into 2024, with prominent cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) hitting all-time highs of $73,700 following the approval of Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and increased institutional adoption. 

If these trends persist, the firm believes that it is conceivable that gains in 2024 will align more closely with those witnessed in 2021. 

Crypto

As of this writing, the total crypto market cap valuation stands at $2.5 trillion, a sharp drop of over 4% in the last 24 hours alone, and down from Thursday’s two-year high of $2.7 trillion. Bitcoin, on the other hand, is trading at $68,400 after dropping as low as $65,500 but has quickly regained its current trading price, limiting losses to 4% over the past 24 hours.

Featured image from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView.com 

Posted on

Bitcoin Bulls On The Charge: Crypto Platform Forecasts $63K Surge By March

Prominent digital asset financial services platform Matrixport has recently issued a bullish projection indicating a potential surge in Bitcoin’s (BTC) value. According to their analysis, Bitcoin may surpass its previously established two-year peak and climb to $63,000 by next month.

This bold prediction stems from a confluence of factors poised to exert significant influence on the trajectory of Bitcoin’s price in the coming weeks and months.

Rationale Behind Matrixport’s Optimistic Projection

The primary driver behind Matrixport’s optimistic outlook is the live trading of Bitcoin spot Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). According to the report, these spot ETFs have opened the doors for more investors to engage in crypto trading through conventional financial channels.

Additionally, with the increasing demand for these spot ETFs and the daily trading volumes reaching noteworthy levels, signaling growing investor interest in Bitcoin as an asset class, this could help propel the flagship crypto to trade above $60,000 by next month, according to the report.

Furthermore, the impending Bitcoin halving event, scheduled for April 2024, is anticipated to catalyze further upward momentum in BTC prices. Bitcoin halvings result in a reduction in the rate of new BTC generation, and historically, this leads to a decrease in supply, typically driving up Bitcoin’s value.

Matrixport’s report also mentions the influence of macroeconomic factors on BTC’s price. The expectations of interest rate adjustments following the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) gatherings are anticipated to have a significant impact.

Furthermore, the forthcoming uncertainty surrounding the US presidential elections may instigate market fluctuations, leading investors to turn to alternative assets such as Bitcoin to safeguard against potential shifts in economic policies.

Bitcoin Price Action And Expert Sentiments

Meanwhile, despite Bitcoin experiencing a nearly 10% surge over the past 14 days, the asset has witnessed quite a retracement in the previous week, declining by 2.2%. It’s worth noting that despite this setback, the cryptocurrency’s market capitalization remains above the $1 trillion mark.

An analyst known as Mags has expressed an overwhelmingly bullish sentiment toward Bitcoin, noting that the asset has “never been this bullish.” Mags city’s historical patterns and bullish technical signals reveal that BTC has recently closed a weekly candle above the 0.618 Fibonacci level, a rare occurrence in the cryptocurrency’s four-year cycle.

However, Mike Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital, has cautioned against potential downside risks, speculating on the possibility of a regulatory setback or market sentiment shift that could lower BTC prices to the $45,000-$42,000 range.

Bitcoin (BTC) price chart on TradingView

Featured image from Unsplash, Chart from TradingView

Posted on

These Crypto Asset Classes Could Be Future Market Drivers: Santiment

According to analytics firm Santiment, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Real-World Assets (RWA) could be future drivers for the crypto market.

AI And RWA Crypto Tokens Have Seen High Interest Recently

As explained by Santiment in a new post on X, topics like AI and RWA have recently seen a surge in interest. The indicator of relevance here is the “Social Volume,” which keeps track of the amount of discussion related to any given topic or term occurring on social media platforms.

This metric makes this measurement by counting the number of unique posts/threads/messages that mention at least one topic in question. The indicator measures the number of posts rather than the number of mentions themselves because the latter can provide a skewed picture.

Consider a situation where many mentions are occurring on these platforms but are limited to only a few posts. Discussion around the topic is happening for sure. Still, the fact that only some users are engaging in it could imply that the average user may not have any interest in the topic.

A large number of posts being made around the topic, on the other hand, would imply discussion is happening across social media, and hence, there has to be some interest outside niche circles.

Now, here is a chart that shows the trend in the social volume of AI and RWA over the last few months:

AI And RWA Crypto

As displayed in the above graph, the Social Volume for these two topics has been at notable levels recently, implying that the crowd has been paying attention to them. Based on this increased interest, Santiment believes these topics are “projecting to be future crypto market drivers.”

“In the ever-changing climate of trader interests over the years, such as DeFi, NFT‘s, memecoins, or staking, these more recent topics have been a major focus, and many related tokens have taken turns benefiting from market decouplings,” notes the analytics firm.

Santiment has also listed some cryptos that connect with these topics. For the AI side, there is The Graph (GRT), Fetch.ai (FET), SingularityNET (AGIX), Ocean Protocol (OCEAN), and Bittensor (TAO).

Meanwhile, for RWA, the analytics firm has pointed out cryptos like Avalanche (AVAX), Chainlink (LINK), Internet Computer (ICP), and Maker (MKR). Given the high interest backing both these topics, it’s possible these assets could be ones to keep an eye on in the future.

Avalanche Price

Avalanche has observed a strong surge during the past week as the asset’s price has shot up almost 30%. Following this surge, the crypto has cleared the $35 level.

The chart below shows how AVAX has performed recently.

Avalanche Crypto Price Chart

Posted on

Brace For Crypto Market Waves: FTX And Celsius Are Sending MATIC, ETH, And WBTC To Binance

The crypto market might be about to experience a further downturn as a recent development suggests an imminent selloff is on the horizon. This comes following the recent market moves by Grayscale, which is believed to be responsible for the recent decline in Bitcoin’s price. 

Celsius And FTX Crypto Funds On The Move

On-chain data shows that defunct crypto lender Celsius Network recently transferred 34.08 million MATIC to the crypto exchange Binance. Meanwhile, a wallet address linked to Alameda Research, the sister company of defunct crypto exchange FTX, also recently sent 135 WBTC to Binance, 207 WBTC, and 1150 ETH to Wintermute.

These transactions are more significant, considering that Celsius and FTX are in a bankruptcy liquidation process as they look to repay their customers. As such, transferring these funds to trading platforms like Binance suggests that these tokens could be dumped on the market soon enough. 

Celsius, in particular, is known to have been making major moves in the market as of late. NewsBTC had recently reported how Celsisus had transferred $125 million worth of ETH last week to various crypto exchanges, something which could have possibly contributed to recent bloodbaths in the crypto market. 

On the other hand, selloffs by Alameda could form part of FTX’s repayment plan, which it filed back in December 2023. This is a huge possibility, considering the defunct trading firm was used as a tool by Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) to defraud FTX customers. 

Crypto total market cap chart from Tradingview.com

Another Whale Contributing To Recent Market Downturn

Grayscale is also believed to have contributed greatly to the recent downturn in the crypto market. The asset manager has had to offload some of its BTC holdings in a bid to fulfill redemptions from GBTC investors. These investors have been taking profits ever since GBTC was converted into a Spot Bitcoin ETF, with an outflow of over $2 billion from the fund since then. 

Crypto analytics platform Arkham Intelligence recently revealed that Grayscale had sent out another 12,870 BTC from their wallets. That figure brought the total number of BTC that the asset manager has deposited into Coinbase to 47,900 BTC, which is said to be worth around $1.97 billion based on current prices.

As noted by Arkham, these transactions likely represent redemptions of BTC shares. Interstingly, JP Morgan predicts that Grayscale’s GBTC could experience an outflow of up to $3 billion. If so, then the market could be in for more pain as the asset manager would have to offload more BTC to fulfill these redemptions. 

Posted on

By The Numbers: How Many Altcoins Died In The Past 10 Years, Report Shows

CoinGecko’s most recent report details the failure rate of cryptocurrencies in the last 10 years. Exhibiting the increasing number of “dead” altcoins over the years as projects deactivate, rebrand, lose trading activity, or are revealed to be scams.

Related Reading: These Altcoins Are Showing Most Bullish & Bearish Divergences: Santiment

An 11.01% Failure Rate For The Altcoin Sector

The first half of the ten-year period that CoinGecko studied showed 1,546 dead cryptocurrencies, 11.01%% of the total amount.

2014 saw the death of 37 cryptocurrencies, 2015 had a lower number with only 27, and 2016 closed this period with 32 dead coins. The 2014-2016 period saw the death of 96 cryptocurrencies in three years, accounting for less than 1% of the total of altcoins that have died over the last decade, as seen in the chart below.

Bitcoin Ethereum ETH ETHUSDT Altcoin Altcoins

During the 2017-2018 Bull run, Almost 1,500 of the launched projects have since shut down, as CoinGecko explained:

In comparison, 1,450 projects launched during the 2017 – 2018 bull run have since shut down. This is on the back of over 3,000 cryptocurrencies listed, resulting in a similar failure rate of ~70%.

An Increase In Failed Projects Over The Last Five Years

The report shows that over 88% of the failed cryptocurrencies come from the second half of the period analyzed. Just 2019 increased 2018 year’s number by 50, reaching 1,150 failed cryptocurrencies and closely matching the total number of dead coins of the previous half.

However, most dead cryptocurrencies came from the 2020-2021 bull run. “Over 11,000 cryptocurrencies were listed on CoinGecko during the previous bull run, with ~70% having shut down since,” they detailed. 7,530 cryptocurrencies from launched projects during 2020-2021 have failed, accounting for 53,6% of all dead coins alone.

2021 is when cryptocurrencies suffered the most, with 5,724 dead coins—resulting in the worst year for projects launched, with over 70% of the cryptocurrencies listed having died as of January 2024.

The report attributes the high number of failures over 2020-2021 to the “ease of deploying tokens and the rise in popularity of meme coins.” They noted that many memecoin projects launch without a product, and most are “abandoned over a short period of time.”

In 2022, the number of failed projects declined from the previous year, with 3,520 dying. A 60% rate out of the total listed cryptocurrencies.

Related Reading: Renowned Crypto Analyst Predicts The Top 5 Altcoins For 2024

Ultimately, the number of failed projects declined further in 2023, as only 289 cryptocurrencies, out of the over 4,000 listed on CoinGecko, died. This represents a failure rate of <10%.

However, although the number of dead cryptocurrencies declined in the last two years, perhaps suggesting a more positive trend, the precise percentage of failed projects launched in 2023 stood at 289. It remains to be seen if the trend will be sustained over the coming months or if the rise of a new bull phase will push the nascent sector back into a spike in altcoin failures.

Posted on

Bitcoin Spot ETF: SEC Mishap Triggers $220 Million In Crypto Liquidations

On Tuesday, the crypto market was taken by storm when a tweet emerged from the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) saying all Spot Bitcoin ETF applications had been approved. This had been initially followed by a surge in price but this was short-lived as the price would crash shortly after. The reason for this was because Gary Gensler, chairman of the Commission, revealed that the tweet was fake and the regulator’s social media account had been compromised.

SEC Hack Triggers $220 Million In Liquidations

In the wake of the wild Bitcoin price fluctuations that were triggered by the SEC’s hack, a large number of crypto traders found themselves with massive losses on their hands. According to data from CoinGlass, over $220 million have been liquidated in the last 24 hours, leading to the second-largest liquidation event so far in 2024.

The website also notes that over 70,000 traders were victims of this liquidation event as well. Also, given that the price of Bitcoin and other assets in the crypto market had seen price fluctuations in both directions, both long and short traders were affected.

Crypto liquidations Bitcoin

However, given that the crash to the downside has persisted for longer, long traders have come out as the group with the most liquidations during this time. Out of the more than $220 million in liquidations recorded, long trades made up 60.47% with $133.5 million, while the volume of short liquidations came out to $87.29 million for the same time period.

Bitcoin saw the largest single liquidation order during this time as well which took place on the ByBit exchange. A single trade worth $6 million was liquidated across the BTCUSD trading pair, with total liquidations on the crypto exchange coming out to $36.66 million. This falls behind market leader Binance with $83.88 million and OKX with $73.97 million.

Bitcoin price chart from Tradingview.com

Spot Bitcoin ETF Is A Sell The News Event?

The debate of whether the Spot Bitcoin ETF approval has already been priced in and if an announcement will lead to a decline in price has been waxing stronger over the last few weeks. Experts have chimed in to give their thoughts on what will follow an approval.

Crypto analyst Andrew Kang believes that approval would lead to a scramble among applicants to grab as much as possible from the $10 billion to $20 billion expected to come from fees. As such, they will all be at the forefront of marketing to push their ETFs.

On the flip side, renowned economist, Peter Schiff, believes that a spot ETF would actually not be good for the asset. Apparently, the advent of a spot Bitcoin ETF would mean that there is no longer any good news to trigger a price rally. As such, it would turn into a ‘sell the news’ event.

However, if the performance from Tuesday is anything to go by, it could mean that the ETF is already priced in given that there was a decline in price, even before the SEC dismissed the tweet from the hacked account.

Posted on

Coinbase Expects A Repeat Of 2018-2022 Bitcoin Cycle, What This Means For Crypto

Crypto exchange Coinbase, one of the largest exchanges in the world, has released its latest report on Bitcoin and the crypto market, highlighting its expectations for the Industry. The 44-page report launched by Coinbase Institutional in conjunction with Glassnode predicts a repeat of one of the most explosive bull markets in recorded crypto history; the 2018-2022 market cycle.

Coinbase Says Bitcoin Will Repeat 2018-2022 Cycle

In the report, Coinbase and Glassnode analysts take into account a number of indicators and metrics, such as total supply in profit, among others, to figure out which trend the next bull market is expected to follow. Now, after consideration and comparison to all of the previous bull cycles, the analysts settle on the 2018-2022 cycle being the most likely to be emulated this time around.

So far, Bitcoin and Ethereum are the cryptocurrencies that have shown the most correlation at the start of the 2018-2022 cycles, suggesting that a similar breakout could be in the cards. However, looking at the chart, it shows a sharp deviation from the previous cycles, especially as the bull market looks to be starting earlier than it did in 2020.

When it comes to the level of risk associated with assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, the report highlights the fact that crypto has deviated from traditional assets once again. This comes after the correlation between crypto and traditional finance markets rose to new all-time highs back in 2022. But as Coinbase explains, “2023 saw a reversion to historical norms, indicating that crypto can be a source of idiosyncratic risk.”

As another Bitcoin halving event draws near, Bitcoin has also seen a resumption in its surge, spurred forward by expectations of a Spot Bitcoin ETF. Coinbase notes that “As crypto has matured as an asset class and institutional participation has increased, volatility has trended steadily lower.”

Bitcoin price chart from Tradingview.com

What Happens If BTC Price Repeats 2018-2022 Cycle?

Looking back at the last bull cycle shows us what to expect if Bitcoin and the crypto market at large were to repeat the same trend. In this case, expectations would be that the BTC price would rise at least 3x higher than its previous all-time high price of $69,000.

In this case, Bitcoin would be looking at a value of at least $200,000 by the time the next bull market is in full swing. Following the 3.6x move that Bitcoin did to reach its new 2021 all-time high versus its 2018 all-time high, the BTC price would be looking at a cycle peak of almost $250,000.

As for Ethereum, following the same trend and doing a 3.2x from its previous all-time high to its new all-time high, it would put the ETH price above $15,000. In the same vein, the crypto market would also rise more than $10 trillion.

However, all of this is speculation as the crypto market has been known to deviate from expectations. Like the previous bull markets, the next one is expected to be novel, especially given the fact that institutional investors have fully come out to play. This could mean hundreds of billions of dollars in liquidity injections that could drive prices higher than expected.

Posted on

From Bullish To Bearish, Bitcoin Plunges More Than 6% Amid Matrixport’s Contradictory Reports

Matrixport, a crypto financial services platform, has recently made headlines with the release of two conflicting articles on January 2nd about the future of Bitcoin (BTC). The first publication, radiating optimism, projected that Bitcoin’s price could soar to $50,000 in January, spurred by the potential approval of Bitcoin spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

This bullish stance was further grounded by disclosing a possible announcement that could happen on January 8th, 9th, or 10th.

Matrixport’s Sudden Shift: A Bullish Sentiment And Then Bearish Counterpoint

Matrixport’s initial bullish report highlighted the transformative impact a Bitcoin spot ETF approval could have on the crypto market. The anticipated approval is seen as a “pivotal” moment that would “legitimize” Bitcoin in the eyes of institutional investors and potentially unlock a significant influx of capital into the crypto market.

This sentiment echoed the growing optimism within the crypto community, with many stakeholders eagerly awaiting regulatory endorsements that could catalyze Bitcoin’s ascent.

However, in a surprising twist, Matrixport released a second article later the same day titled “Why the SEC will REJECT Bitcoin Spot ETFs again.” This piece presented a starkly bearish perspective, contrasting their earlier optimistic forecast.

The article emphasized the political composition of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), noting that the current Democratic dominance and Chair Gary Gensler’s cautious stance towards crypto might “diminish the likelihood of a spot ETF approval.”

The report argued that such approval would validate Bitcoin as an alternative store of value, a move Gensler “might not be ready to make.”

The firm noted in the bearish article:

An ETF would certainly enable crypto overall to take off, and based on Gensler’s comments in December 2023, he still sees this industry in need of more stringent compliance. From a political perspective, there is no reason to approve a bitcoin spot ETF that would legitimize Bitcoin as an alternative store of value.

Bitcoin Plunge And Crypto Community Reaction

Matrixport’s bearish outlook had immediate repercussions in the crypto market. Bitcoin experienced a notable decline, shedding around 6% of its value and slipping below the $43,000 mark.

Bitcoin (BTC) price chart on TradingView

This downturn wasn’t isolated to Bitcoin alone; Ethereum and other altcoins also saw significant drops, with Solana plummeting by nearly 10%. Data from Coinalyze indicated over $400 million in altcoin liquidations, with long positions bearing the brunt of this market shift.

The publication of these contrasting articles by Matrixport ignited a wave of controversy within the crypto community. Some observers pointed to Matrixport’s founder, Jihan Wu, a prominent Bitcoin Cash supporter, leading to speculations about the firm’s intentions.

This revelation sparked heated discussion, with many saying that Matrixport’s actions were driven by market manipulation motives, especially in light of the market turbulence that followed the viral articles.

Despite the current market condition, as always, some are still bullish, while some even refuse to believe MatrixPort was the cause of this market downturn. Mike Alfred, an investor serving as a board member of BTC miner Iris Energy, already shared his bullish take, noting, “Big money isn’t buying this.”

Featured image from Unsplash, Chart from TradingView

Posted on

Top 5 Events That Shook Up The Crypto Industry In 2023

In the year 2023, the crypto industry witnessed a series of events that left a long-lasting impact on the crypto landscape. From the start of the Spot Bitcoin ETF mania to the increase in regulatory enforcement on major crypto organizations, 2023 was nothing short of a rollercoaster ride for crypto enthusiasts and institutional investors alike. So here are the top 5 events that shook the crypto industry to its core in 2023.

Blackrock Spot Bitcoin ETF Rocks Crypto

The world’s largest asset management company, BlackRock was the first major traditional investment firm to apply for a Spot Bitcoin Exchange Traded Fund (ETF). BlackRock submitted its application for a Spot Bitcoin ETF to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on June 15, 2023. 

Following the asset management firm’s application, various companies like Grayscale, Ark Invest, WisdomTree, VanEck, and others followed suit. Despite consistent approval delays by the US SEC, BlackRock utilized the time to revise its Spot Bitcoin ETF filing, incorporating cash redemptions to improve the fund’s approval odds. 

Sam Bankman-Fried Fraud Conviction

Founder and former CEO of failed crypto exchange, FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried was found guilty of all seven counts of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering on November 2, 2023. 

The 31-year-old billionaire was convicted unanimously by the jury for misappropriating billions of dollars of customer funds and defrauding lenders to subsidiary company, Alameda Research. Bankman-Fried could potentially face a maximum of 115 years in prison. His sentencing date is scheduled for March 28, 2024. 

CZ Resignation From Binance Causes A Stir In Crypto Community

One of the most shocking events of 2023, saw the founder of Binance, Changpeng Zhao officially stepping down from his role as the CEO of Binance on November 21, 2023. 

The former Binance CEO pleaded guilty to breaking US anti-money laundering laws and resigned as part of a $4.3 billion settlement by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ).

CZ has also been restricted from leaving the United States until his court case is over as the court believes his vast resources make him a potential flight risk. And returning to Dubai which does not share an extradition treaty with the US could make things problematic.

Crypto total market cap chart from Tradingview.com (Crypto events)

XRP Ruling In SEC Case

Coming as a major victory in a three-year-long legal battle between Ripple and the SEC, US District Judge Analisa Torres ruled in favor of Ripple on July 13, 2023. The ruling declared that programmatic sales of XRP did not qualify as a security. 

This decision offered much-needed regulatory clarity for XRP, enabling the cryptocurrency to resume trading on major crypto exchanges that had delisted it during the SEC’s 2020 lawsuit.

Grayscale And Coinbase Rage Against The SEC

On August 29, 2023, world-leading crypto asset management company Grayscale won its lawsuit against the US SEC. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals gave a final ruling to the regulatory agency to terminate its rejection of the asset management’s Spot Bitcoin ETF application. 

On a similar note, Coinbase, one of the largest US crypto exchanges, filed a lawsuit against the SEC in April 2023 aiming to compel the regulator to provide regulatory clarity for the crypto industry. 

Subsequently, the SEC sued Coinbase on June 6, 2023, alleging that the crypto exchange had violated securities laws by operating as an unregistered broker. As a result, Coinbase formally requested the court to dismiss the SEC’s case against it. However, the case is still ongoing.

Posted on

Crypto Expert Shares Ultimate Crypto Portfolio Guide To Make It In 2024

The crypto industry is now set for a strong bullish run in 2024, with most analysts predicting assets to reach new all-time highs. As a result, investors are always on the lookout hoping to jump on cryptocurrencies that offer the potential for substantial returns.

A recent social media post by a crypto analyst known pseudonymously as Emperor Osmo listed the best cryptocurrencies to get on in 2024 across various trends and market niches.

Expert Shares Ultimate Crypto Portfolio Guide

The analyst’s crypto recommendations for the year were based on an analysis by CryptoKoryo Research on the Dune Analytics platform. Each recommendation was placed into an investing risk curve depending on the sentiment of the general population of market participants. 

Building the ultimate crypto portfolio for 2024 necessitates the selection of a mix of assets across the risk curves. Some more established blue chip cryptos provide stability and steady gains, while higher-risk assets have the potential for huge gains.

Recommendations on the left curve predominantly consisted of attention-grabbing cryptocurrencies. The cryptos included BONK, the first dog-themed coin on Solana, COQ, the first meme coin on Avalanche, CTXC, and PYR, the native token for Vulcan Forged, a blockchain game studio, and NFT marketplace. 

These cryptos went on astounding price surges in the last quarter of the year and mostly thrived on hype among investors. According to CryptoKoryo, the five cryptocurrencies made an increase of 1,571% in the past three months. If the hype continues in 2024, we could see them reach new highs, particularly in the first quarter.

Crypto total market cap chart from Tradingview.com

On the other hand, the mid-curve portfolio assets included less volatile layer-1 tokens, AI tokens, DeFi tokens, and layer-2 tokens. The 11 cryptocurrencies highlighted were AVAX, BCB, STEAK, GNX, ILV, KUJI, METIS, MPL, ORAI, PYR, and SOL, each going through a moderate price surge throughout 2023. According to CryptoKoryo, the five cryptocurrencies made an increase of 260% in the past three months.

Lastly, the right curve consisted of very stable assets with a higher potential for stable price growth in 2024. The cryptocurrencies highlighted were INST, JOE, LINK, METIS, ORAI, SKL, and SOL with a combined 253% performance in the past three months. 

Crypto guide

While the recommendations on the left and middle curves are very volatile and have a higher chance of dumping, the right curve cryptocurrencies have created a proven track record over the years, and many analysts project continued price growth throughout 2024. 

On the other hand, cryptocurrencies on the middle curve are a bit more volatile but still relatively safe as far as cryptos go, while those on the left curve have the highest volatility risk but could lead to massive returns if they take off.

Posted on

Renewed Hope For Crypto: 2023 Sets The Stage For A Monumental 2024

The crypto industry went through a period of evolution in 2023 to reiterate its position in the global market. This evolution was particularly spearheaded by Bitcoin’s dominance, with the crypto registering gains in the last quarter that were practically absent in the earlier parts of the year. 

All the signs are there; interest is picking up, big money from institutions is sniffing around again, several important technical and on-chain pricing models this year have been confirmed, and the dust seems to have finally settled from the prolonged bear market in 2022.  

Crypto total market cap chart from Tradingview.com

The Crypto Winter Thaws: Signs of Life in 2023

2023 was majorly a year of correction for the extended bear market in 2022 which saw Bitcoin fall 76% from its all-time high to trade at a bottom of $15,883. According to a report from Glassnode, major market structure shifts are now taking place within the crypto industry to reflect growing optimism. 

Bitcoin, for one, is showing a strong interest from its long-term holders, as the industry awaits the launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the US. One particular feature of the year that indicated a strong bullish momentum was the shallow depth of market correction, indicating the industry is maturing into a more stable market in terms of price volatility. 

Bitcoin’s deepest correction in 2023 closed just -20% below the local high, better than historical pullbacks of least -25% to -50%. 

Bitcoin

Ethereum also saw shallow corrections, with the deepest reaching -40% in early January. 

Ethereum

From an on-chain perspective, the realized cap in the 2022 bear market for both assets showed a net capital outflow of -18% for BTC and -30% for ETH. The momentum kickstarted in October, as the news of various applications of spot Bitcoin ETFs turned the crypto market on its heels. As a result, Bitcoin finally broke above the $30,000 level which it had traded below for the majority of the year. 

This cascaded into the altcoin market, with Solana, Cardano, and Ethereum all seeing renewed interest and growth in prices and DeFi TVL. According to Glassnode, the total value locked into Ethereum’s layer-2 blockchains increased by 60%, with over $12 billion now locked into bridges.

According to CoinShares, the bullish sentiment has also flowed into institutions. October’s rally sparked an 11-week run of inflows into digital asset investment funds. At the time of writing, the year-to-date inflows now sit at $1.86 billion.

The crypto industry, particularly Bitcoin, is primed for astounding growth in 2024, with various price catalysts like the SEC’s approval of spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs in the US, and the next Bitcoin halving. The altcoin market should also follow, spearheaded by Ethereum. 

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is up by 159% this year, outperforming other asset classes. On the other hand, Ethereum and Solana have dominated the altcoin market, up by 82% and 616% respectively.