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SEC Approves first Spot ETH ETFs SEC approves spot ETH ETFs: After months of speculation, the SEC formally approved the first spot ether ETFs on Thursday. The development sets the stage for institutional investors to pour billions into the space. Grayscale CEO departs: Grayscale CEO Michael Sonnenshein announced Monday he was leaving his role after three years running the crypto investment giant. A Goldman Sachs veteran is expected to take his place in August. White House opposes crypto legislation: The White House announced Wednesday its opposition to FIT21, a bill that would give the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) power to regulate the crypto market. But the White House doesn't plan to veto. Gala Games experiences a major issue: It led to the minting of 5 billion tokens worth $206M and caused a nearly 15% drop in the GALA token price. Major banks reveal significant Bitcoin Trust Holdings in Q1: Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, and UBS have shown a growing interest in digital assets within wealth management. Venezuelan government will disconnect crypto mining farms from the national grid: They made the move to stabilize the electrical supply after enduring routine blackouts for the past five years. 🧑‍💻 Topic of the Week: What is a Crypto Exchange 👉 Read more here
GEMINI:ETHUSD
by Gemini
State of Wisconsin Invests in Spot BTC ETFs BTC, ETH jump after inflation eases: The Consumer Price Index jumped 0.3% in April, ending three consecutive months of elevated inflation readings and lifting hopes of a rate cut later this year. Bitcoin and ether prices rallied 7.6% and 5.3% Wednesday. Roaring Kitty returns, sending meme coin soaring: Vince Gill, the meme stock leader who rose to fame in 2021 under the pseudonym “Roaring Kitty,” announced his return on Twitter/X on Monday. Shares of Gamestop and AMC soared the next two days before retreating. But one meme coin reaped the benefits. US Senate overrules SEC: The US Senate voted 60-38 on Thursday to override an SEC rule that requires crypto custodians to treat customer assets as liabilities. But President Joe Biden is expected to veto the measure, and the US House has work to do to get the two-thirds majority needed to override the veto. Wisconsin becomes BTC Bull: The State of Wisconsin Investment Board revealed in a filing Tuesday that it had amassed roughly $162 million worth of shares in spot BTC ETFs with BlackRock and Grayscale. It marked the first time a state pension fund publicly declared an ownership stake in spot BTC ETFs. US Senators upset over crypto mixer treatment: US Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) have sent a letter to the US (DOJ) contesting a recent decision from FinCEN that said it would treat crypto mixers as money transmitters, opening up software developers to potential charges. New Vanguard CEO not rushing into crypto ETFs: Vanguard named Salim Ramji as its new CEO on Tuesday, raising speculation that the former BlackRock executive would introduce a Vanguard spot BTC ETF after Ramji oversaw the launch of iShares Bitcoin Trust at BlackRock. However, Ramji cast doubt on launching a Vanguard spot BTC ETF in an interview with Barron’s. 🎮 Topic of the Week: What is a short squeeze? The GameStop saga 👉 Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
FTX To Return Money To Former Customers FTX customers to get money back: Lawyers for bankrupt crypto exchange FTX said customers will receive the funds lost when FTX went bankrupt in November 2022, plus interest. The payout will likely take months and still requires approval from a bankruptcy judge. Regulator cracks down on Robinhood: The SEC has issued a Wells Notice informing the crypto arm of Robinhood that it will face upcoming enforcement action. Robinhood maintained the crypto token assets in question are not securities and expressed readiness to contest any charges. Grayscale's Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) reverses four-month outflow trend, BTC remains stable: The ETF saw significant new inflows and contributed to a positive shift in the overall spot Bitcoin ETF market. Meanwhile, the price of BTC remained stable over the past week as investors settle into what analyst described as “post-halving boredom.” Binance CEO Richard Teng calls for release of Tigran Gambaryan: Nigerian authorities have detained the crypto exchange’s compliance officer on charges related to illegal transaction. Hacker responsible for stealing $125M from Poloniex in November moves $35.3M worth of Ethereum and Bitcoin: Some of the funds were moved to the sanctioned mixer Tornado Cash, in attempts to obscure the origins of the stolen funds. 🤑 Topic of the Week: Anti-Money Laundering (AML) 👉 Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
Crypto Slides Amid Stagflation Concerns & Gloomy Economic DataThe cryptocurrency market has retreated under the shadow of renewed concerns about US stagflation. Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell left the benchmark federal interest rate at between 5.25% and 5.5% at the latest FOMC meeting Wednesday, citing sticky inflationary pressures and a lack of recent progress toward their 2% inflation target. However, Powell downplayed the idea of needing additional rate hikes. “It’s unlikely that our next policy move would be a rate hike,” Powell said. Economic data revealed a slowdown in US GDP growth to 1.6% this quarter and a 3.4% increase in the PCE index – the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation metric. However, Powell also downplayed the notion that stagflation had arrived. “I don’t really understand where that’s coming from,” Powell said. “I don’t see the stag or the flation.” After BTC had reached an almost two-month low at roughly $57,000 on Wednesday, the price rallied to $59,269.80 as of press time Thursday. ➗Topic of the Week: How do Interest Rates Work? ➡️ Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
Bitcoin Halving Shakes up Market Bitcoin miners see rewards cut, Dorsey jumps in: Bitcoin miners collected more than $100 million in revenue for the halving on April 20, the highest total ever recorded in a single day. But now miners face a drop in mining rewards that could reshape the industry. And one familiar name is jumping in. Speculators hopeful upcoming Fed meeting will leave rates unchanged: US inflation rates have eased slightly in April in conjunction with weakening demand in both manufacturing and service sectors. Investors hope the latest data will spur a more bullish tone on future rate cuts. Bitcoin halving brings fresh interest to spot ETFs: After a period of net outflows prior to BTC’s halving event, spot BTC ETFs in the US have started to rebound. Ripple calls for SEC to reduce fine: Ripple has strongly opposed the SEC's proposed SEED_TVCODER77_ETHBTCDATA:2B fine, while a contingent of crypto lobbyists moves to sue the regulator. Tether claims it will freeze addresses linked to OFAC-sanctioned entities: The move follows reports that Venezuela's state oil company, PDVSA, used the USDT stablecoin to bypass US sanctions and continue its oil exports. 🤷 Topic of the Week: What is Ethereum? ➡️ Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
Unpacking Arguments Over the Bitcoin Halving Iran’s weekend attack on Israel prompts crypto selloff: Iran fired more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel over the weekend, heightening market fears that a wider conflict in the Middle East could break out. Crypto markets reacted initially with the price of BTC dropping from $67,800 to $61,300. Fed chair sounds hawkish on rate cuts: Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell on Tuesday cast doubt on carrying out previously expected interest rate cuts later in 2024. The price of BTC dipped the following day, briefly dropping below $60K, before mounting a small rally. Hong Kong approves first Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs: The move could help further establish Hong Kong as a key Asian hub for cryptocurrency trading. Markets are now watching closely to see if they receive more interest than Hong Kong’s previously launched BTC and ETH futures ETFs. ETH price falls to three-year low against BTC: ETH’s value against BTC has reached a three-year low, despite recent ETH spot ETF approvals and post-Merge price increases, with high transaction fees posing ongoing challenges. US senators move to advance stablecoin regulation: US Senators Cynthia Lummis and Kirsten Gillibrand introduced a bipartisan bill on Wednesday to regulate stablecoins that would require issuers to obtain federal licenses and maintain full reserves as a way to safely integrate them into the US financial system alongside the dollar. Solana-based DEX ‘Drift’ set to airdrop 10% of its token supply: The 100 million DRIFT token airdrop has been stirring excitement about the platform’s potential growth in the coming months. 🗣️Topic of the Week: Unpacking arguments over the Bitcoin halving 🫱 Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
1
Chinese Asset Managers Ready to Adopt Spot Bitcoin ETF Bad news for investors hoping the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates aggressively: The CPI jumped 3.5% in March year-over-year, an increase from February's 3.2% YOY jump and above expectations of 3.4%. Bitcoin (BTC) initially dipped below $67,500 after the CPI release, before clawing back losses to end the day positive and appearing ready to retest the $70K level again. BTC price see-saws as halving event approaches: BTC price action remains choppy as we approach the Bitcoin halving, which is estimated to take place April 20th. Some investors believe there is too much optimism priced into Bitcoin, and we could see a correction in the days before and after the halving. Chinese asset managers ready to adopt spot BTC ETFs: Spot BTC ETFs are likely set to launch in Hong Kong later this month, with the first approvals potentially coming as early as next week. Among the applicants are some of China's largest asset managers. These will mark the first spot BTC ETFs in Asia. DeFi crypto company says SEC is suing them: Uniswap Labs said in a blog post Wednesday that the SEC has notified them it will pursue legal action against the company. Uniswap is a DeFi platform that allows users to trade cryptocurrencies peer-to-peer without a centralized exchange. TON Price Surges After Distribution Announcement: Toncoin (TON) broke into the top 10 cryptos by market cap this week for the first time after reaching a new all-time high above $7. The surge comes on the heels of a big announcement from the Ton Society, a group of engineers and developers dedicated to growing the TON network. ⏳ Topic of the Week: What happens after the Bitcoin halving? 👉 Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
Markets React to Rate Cut News ETF outflows and government movement of crypto assets push price of BTC down: As we have seen in recent weeks, the price of BTC declined alongside increasing ETF outflows, as Cathie Wood’s ARK 21Shares Bitcoin (BTC) ETF experienced its first outflows, dropping from above $70K to a low of $64.5K on Tuesday. Further headwinds included the movement of 30,175 BTC by the U.S. government, sparking concerns over whether the assets would be sold or held in custody. Equity and crypto markets impacted negatively by May rate cut doubts: U.S. equities and crypto markets dropped this week as the market ruled out a rate cut coming in May, with the expectation that the June meeting will deliver the first rate cut of the year rising to 62.3%. US manufacturing expanded in March, and the personal consumer expenditures price index accelerated in February from the previous month, suggesting the economy is continuing to grow while progress on inflation has stalled. Altcoins and memecoins decline in response to BTC drop: Altcoins saw a heavy pullback in the wake of BTC shifting downward. AI-related tokens in particular saw some of the largest declines, while memecoins also experienced a slight correction following their strong run up in the past couple of weeks. SBF sentenced to 25 years on seven counts of fraud and conspiracy: Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the founder and former CEO of the collapsed crypto exchange FTX, was sentenced to 25 years in prison last week for seven different fraud and conspiracy charges. The FTX exchange was once valued at FWB:32B at the height of the previous bull market before collapsing as it was discovered that over SEED_TVCODER77_ETHBTCDATA:8B of customer funds had been stolen. 🥩 Topic of the Week: What is Staking? 👉 Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
Market Update - March 28, 2024 LSE announces launch of new crypto ETNs as BTC ETFs reverse outflow trend: The London Stock Exchange announced this week that they plan to launch BTC and ETH ETNs by the end of May, signaling further ongoing interest in crypto-related products. Coupled with a reversal in BTC ETF outflows, these developments have helped to renew market optimism and push the price of BTC back above the $70K level, a +15% rise from the low of $61K only one week ago. BlackRock steps further into digital assets with launch of BUIDL: The BlackRock USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund, called BUIDL, will allow qualified investors to earn U.S. dollar yields paid out through blockchain technology, with the fund holding its assets in cash, U.S. Treasury bills, and repurchase agreements. Following BlackRock’s announcement, the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA) sector received increased attention, leading to outperformance this week. DOJ charges, CFTC enforcement action, lead to 15% outflows at Kucoin: KuCoin, one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges, saw a 15% drop in the exchange's assets following news that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) had charged KuCoin and two of its founders with violating U.S. Anti-Money Laundering (AML) laws. Also this week, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) also announced it filed a civil enforcement action against Kucoin. Merger news emerges among three of the biggest AI-related tokens in the space: On Wednesday, Bloomberg M&A announced that three of the biggest AI-related tokens in the space, SingularityNet, Fetch.ai, and Ocean Protocol, are in talks to merge their tokens into one single AltSignals (ASI) token in a bid to improve their efforts at developing a decentralized AI platform. Following the merger, the fully diluted value (FDV) would be ~$7.5B. 🇪🇺Topic of the Week: What is MiCA? 👉 Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
Market Update - March 22, 2024 BTC drops below $61K for the first time since the start of March: Investor confidence dwindled as the market saw the first consecutive negative outflow days for the Bitcoin ETFs this month, with Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) experiencing its biggest outflow since launch of $642.5M on Monday, followed by another sizeable $443.5M outflow on Tuesday. Fed keeps interest rates unchanged: The US Federal Reserve held interest rates at the May FOMC meeting, but is still anticipating three cuts by the end of the year. This was widely celebrated by markets as the S&P 500 and Nasdaq set a new all-time high and bitcoin reclaimed $67K. Hope for ETH ETF approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) dwindling: The price of Ether (ETH) experienced a fairly dramatic fall this week from $3.64K to as low as $3.06K on Wednesday morning. The fall was in response to a recent sentiment shift around the possible ETH ETF approval in the coming months. Recent SEC delays to proposals from VanEck, Ark, Hashdex and Grayscale, along with comments from prominent ETF analyst James Seyffart suggesting the SEC will decline these approvals, have lowered confidence among investors. SOL defies market downward trend and breaks above $200: For the first time in two years, Solana (SOL) broke above $200 this week, with analysts suggesting this could be linked to the large surge in activity on the Solana network, which has been driven by a frenzy for newly launched Solana-based memecoins. AI fascination continues as NVIDIA AI conference kicks off this week: The conference caused a short-lived rally in AI tokens, despite the overall downward market trend in the market this week, with Render (RNDR), Akash (AKT), Fetch.AI (FET) and Bittensor (TAO) all posted double-digit gains. 🌸 Topic of the Week: The Solana Blockchain 👉 Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
Market Update - March 15 2024 BTC price hits new all-time high; surpassing silver’s market cap: Bitcoin (BTC) captured new all-time highs hitting $73.6K this week, making it the eighth largest asset by market capitalization globally. On March 12, spot BTC exchange-traded funds (ETFs) saw a record SEED_TVCODER77_ETHBTCDATA:1B of net inflows; with Blackrock’s IBIT taking in $849Mof inflows. Additionally, the London Stock Exchange indicated they will start to accept applications to list BTC and ether (ETH) exchange traded notes during the second quarter of this year. Ethereum completes biggest upgrade in almost a year; ETF odds lower: The highly anticipated Ethereum ‘Dencun’ upgrade was successfully implemented on Ethereum’s mainnet. The upgrade is designed to catalyze growth on layer-2 networks by lowering data fees and enhancing scalability. Meanwhile, Bloomberg analysts have significantly lowered the probability of a spot ETH ETF approval by the SEC to 30%, citing the agency's lack of engagement and concerns over ETH’s regulatory classification. Consumer prices rise more than expected as inflation persists: In February, prices in the United States for shelter and gas rose more than expected, likely impacting hopes for Fed rate cuts. With the February Consumer Price Index showing a 0.4% monthly increase and a 3.2% annual gain, markets are expecting the Federal Reserve will keep rates unchanged next week and start cutting rates in June, based on implied futures pricing. Memecoins and altcoins show strength: PEPE, WIF, and FLOKI led the way for memecoins with double digit percentage performance over the last 7 days. Other altcoins related to artificial intelligence, such as NEAR, RNDR, GRT, THETA, and FET, also posted double digit percentage gains over the same period. Layer one tokens such as AVAX, INJ, and RUNE posted double digital gains, and Solana registered an all-time high in daily new addresses, at over 691K. 🔒 Topic of the Week: Passkeys 👉 Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
Market Update - March 7, 2024 BTC ATH breaks historical four-year halving cycle trend: Bitcoin (BTC) broke above the $69,000 mark this week, setting a new all time high of $69,324 on Tuesday morning. Despite common consensus of a post-halving bull run in the cards, like others that occurred in past four-year cycles, the market appears to be responding positively to the upcoming BTC halving and moving earlier than anticipated. ETH holds firm despite sell off and ETH ETF delays: A sell-off following the BTC price run, as well as the SEC’s announcement to delay the decision deadlines on the spot Ethereum (ETH) ETF applications from Blackrock and Fidelity, had little impact on the price of ETH, with the market focusing on the anticipated launch of the network's Dencun upgrade, which is set to go live in the coming days. Michael Saylor's MicroStrategy is looking to raise $600M to buy more BTC: MicroStrategy (MSTR) has announced plans to raise $600M by selling convertible debt in a private offering, for the alleged purpose of acquiring more bitcoin, taking advantage of the recent price run, and adding to its 193,000 BTC stack. Meme coin mania is back: Momentum gathered for the six meme coins currently populating the top 100 list of cryptos by market cap, with multiple triple-digit percentage gains across the board, made up of DOGE, SHIB, PEPE, BONK, WIF, and FLOKI. Coinmarketcap data currently show the aggregate market cap of all meme coins standing at approximately $60B, with $30B in trading volume over the past 24 hours. The flurry of activity particularly across meme coins may suggest retail investors are beginning to return to the market or new retail participants are entering the market.. Soon, but not too soon for US interest rate cuts: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told House lawmakers on Wednesday that interest rate cuts are likely "at some point" in 2024, but not in the near future. ⏳ Topic of the Week: What is the Bitcoin halving? 👉Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
Market Update - March 1 2024 BTC Surges to 2-Year High: The price of bitcoin (BTC) has soared past $59,000 after weeks of consolidation, setting the stage for a potential challenge of its record high of $69,000, driven by institutional demand, anticipation of the upcoming halving, and other catalysts, with MicroStrategy adding 3,000 BTC to its holdings. ETH Surges, Outperforms Bitcoin Amid ETF Launch Optimism: The price of Ether (ETH) continues upward, outpacing BTC as it approached 0.06 on the ETHBTC pair but ultimately facied resistance. It remains elevated at around $3,350, amidst anticipation of a potential approval for a spot ETH ETF. UNI Price Soars on Governance Reform Proposal: Uniswap's (UNI) value surged dramatically after the Uniswap Foundation released a proposal for overhauling its governance system, with UNI token holders potentially receiving rewards, leading to a remarkable price increase of over 50% in a day, hitting $12.86, its highest point in more than two years. AR Gains +75% On Testnet News: On Tuesday, Arweave (AR) announced the release of the public testnet for Arweave AO. According to the Arweave team, this will be a scalable blockchain network, built upon the foundation of its existing data storage platform, promising substantial scalability enhancements compared to other blockchains. AR has emerged as one of the standout performers in the past seven days, trading up +75%. 🐂 Topic of the Week: What makes a bull market? 👉 Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
1
Market Update - February 22, 2024 Increase in demand for spot bitcoin ETFs pushes BTC price to its highest level since December 2021: A record $2.5B flowed into bitcoin (BTC) ETFs, with BlackRock's IBIT and Fidelity's FBTC attracting $1.6B and $648M over the past week respectively. These growing inflows suggest demand is heightening for spot-based ETFs, and if this trend continues, investors could be eyeing new all-time highs for BTC later this year. Ether hits a short lived $3K amidst market speculation on an incoming ETH ETF approval: Ether (ETH) rose through the $3K mark for the first time since April 2022 as traders bet on the possibility of a spot ETH exchange-traded fund (ETF) approval in the U.S., a move that could significantly boost institutional appeal. Despite the swift pull back to the $2.9K level, the medium term outlook for ETH looks promising amidst market speculation on an ETH ETF approval with Franklin Templeton, BlackRock, Fidelity, Ark and 21Shares, Grayscale, VanEck, Invesco and Galaxy, and Hashdex having all submitted applications for an ETH ETF. AI-based crypto projects trend higher as NVDA becomes the third-most-valuable publicly traded company: Nvidia (NVDA), a world leader in artificial intelligence computing, outperformed Amazon (AMZN) and Google parent Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) last week, making it the third-most-valuable publicly traded company in the world. NVDA also posted strong earnings results Wednesday. Related to this news, interest in AI-based crypto projects was high this week, with Render (RNDR) and Akash Network (AKT) trading at record highs. OpenAI launches Sora, spurring interest in WLD, which saw a near 250% increase in the trading of its token: OpenAI’s launch of Sora, a text-to-video tool, appears to have encouraged trading in Worldcoin (WLD), the controversial crypto project that is also spearheaded by Sam Altman. Following the launch of WLD in 2023, Kenya suspended enrollments, and Hong Kong and French officials opened investigations into the project over privacy concerns. Investors seemed undeterred, despite these concerns, with the token trading up almost 250% from the start of the month to an all-time high of $8 on Monday. China battles back against weakening economic growth with key rate cut: Despite a ban on crypto trading and mining in 2021, Chinese investors have historically made up a significant portion of the overall crypto market. China’s increasingly accommodative economic policies, including the recent reduction in the five-year loan prime rate this week, will be important to watch as it could impact local Chinese investors’ attitudes towards crypto. 🤖 Topic of the Week: The Convergence of AI and Crypto 👉 Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
Market Update - February 16, 2024 Bitcoin tops GETTEX:52K as ETF inflows build: Bitcoin ETF inflows accelerated this week, with close to $1.5B of inflows over the first three days of the week, and four of the ETFs (excluding Grayscale) now holding over SEED_TVCODER77_ETHBTCDATA:1B in AUM just one month after launching. Blackrock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) leads the pack with over SEED_TVCODER77_ETHBTCDATA:5B in AUM. As of Friday morning, BTC is currently trading around $52.1K, up 10% over the past week. Ether hits $2,800 as its own ETF conversation builds: This week Ethereum broke above the $2,800 level for the first time since May 2022, and investors are spying the $3,500 April 2022 peak should the recent bullish momentum continue. There are currently 9 ETF issuers that have submitted applications for an ether ETF. After experiencing the impact spot bitcoin ETF approvals had on the price of bitcoin and the large inflows that are coming in daily, investors could be expecting a similar move in ETH should an ether ETF be approved. Stacks outperforms, gaining over 45% this week: Stacks (STX), a project that aims to enable smart contracts and decentralized finance (DeFI) applications on the Bitcoin network, has been one of the biggest outperformers this week posting gains of 45% over the past seven days. The ability for Stacks to bring smart contract functionality to Bitcoin, has positioned the project well for increased attention alongside Bitcoin following the success of the spot ETFs. Interest rate cut expectations lowered as CPI comes in strong: The US consumer price index (CPI) released on Tuesday, showed consumer prices increasing more than expected in January, coming in at 0.3% on the month and 3.1% year on year, while 0.2% and 2.9% were expected. The market saw some readjustments to interest rate cut expectations following the release, now pricing in a 30% chance of a rate cut by the May FOMC meeting, down significantly from the near 100% chance priced in one month ago. 🗺️ Topic of the Week: Real-World Use Cases for Smart Contract and dApps 👉 Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
Market Update - February 9, 2024 Bitcoin crosses $47K as ETF inflows steadily outpace outflows: After remaining range bound between $42.5K-$43.5K for the past few weeks, bitcoin (BTC) jumped higher on Wednesday evening and once again broke through the $45K level for the first time since the launch of the spot bitcoin ETFs a month ago. On Friday, BTC rose past $47K. Continued demand for the spot bitcoin ETFs could be helping the move higher and they have been showing more strength this week with inflows outpacing outflows from Grayscale’s GBTC for the ninth consecutive day. Solana hovers above $100 despite five-hour outage: On Tuesday, the Solana network experienced a significant outage leaving the network offline for five hours, resurfacing the debate and criticism of Solana being too centralized. The price of SOL initially fell on the news, breaking below the $94 mark. However, the price fought back after the issues were resolved and moved above $100 on Wednesday evening. Ethereum Name Service partners with GoDaddy as altcoins perform well: Ethereum Name Service (ENS) saw its price gain over 20% over the past seven days following the announcement of a partnership with domain registrar GoDaddy on Monday that will allow Web3 users to link their .eth names to traditional Web2 domains at no additional cost. Other leading altcoins were also up this week, including Avalanche (AVAX) +3%, XRP +4%, Filecoin (FIL) +6%, and Immutable X (IMX) +8%.. Stocks break new records and interest rate debate continues: Stock prices continued to add to their strong start to the year with US stock indices posting new all time highs again this week. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 closed within touching distance of the 5,000 mark for the first time ever. The timing of interest rate cuts also continued to be debated this week. Market participants have tapered expectations slightly and are now pricing in five rate cuts for 2024, down from six at the start of the year. However, this is still higher than the baseline scenario put forward by the Fed, which is currently three rate cuts this year. 🥪 Topic of the Week: L2 Scaling Solutions 👉 Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
1
Market Update - February 2, 2024Weekly Market Update - February 2nd 📨 Fed Votes to Hold Interest Rates Causing Stocks to Tumble SEC Set to Approve Ethereum ETF by May Record Breaking Trading Volumes for Solana Dex in Wake of LSE:JUP Airdrop Ethereum ETF: According to a new report by British multinational bank Standard Chartered, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is set to approve Ethereum (ETH) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) by the final deadline for approval on May 23, potentially doubling the current price of ETH. The report expressed strong confidence in an approval, citing the fact that the regulator has not classified ETH as a security. $700M LSE:JUP Airdrop to Solana Wallets: One of the biggest token airdrops ever took place on the SOL blockchain this week, as the Jupiter network started distributing roughly $700 million worth of its JUP token to nearly a million SOL wallets. Token trading on Solana decentralized exchanges briefly surpassed trading on Ethereum-based exchanges in December, and with the latest JUP airdrop, it could very well flip in favor of Solana again. Stocks: Markets closed down -1.61% and -1.94% respectively, caused by the pushback of an interest rate cut, and amplified on the day due to a number of the tech giants showing underwhelming earnings on Tuesday evening and opening lower on Wednesday morning. 🏦 Topic of the Week: What is an ETF? Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
2
Market Update - January 26, 2024 Bitcoin hangs above $40k as ETF-led rally fizzles: After peaking at FWB:49K immediately after the launch of the ETFs, the price of bitcoin (BTC) has since dropped over 20% in the two weeks following, reaching a low of ~$38.5k on Tuesday. BTC is now trading back at the levels seen at the start of December, retracing the rally experienced in the build up to the anticipated launch of the ETFs. Ether dips against bitcoin as SEC delays ether ETF decision: Ether (ETH)’s rally higher against BTC lost steam this week after failing to break through the 0.06 level in the ETHBTC pair. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) also postponed its decision on BlackRock’s spot ether ETF until March, and last week it delayed Fidelity's spot ether ETF application. These delays were widely expected. Altcoins dip throughout the week, but pick up by Friday: Altcoins faced a difficult start to the week as bitcoin broke down and dipped below $40k briefly, but many retraced losses by Friday. Solana (SOL) was up ~5% over the past seven days after being down throughout the week, Avalanche (AVAX) was up 2%, Injective (INJ) was down just over 2%, and XRP down over 1%. There were some bright spots among altcoins, however, with Chiliz (CHZ) up ~30% on the week, Maker (MKR) up over 8%, and 0x (ZRX) up just under 25% over the same time period. US markets rally as tech stocks await earnings next week: The S&P 500 hit another record high on Wednesday, bolstered in part by stronger than expected Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth numbers released this week. GDP data showed 3.3% growth in the US economy for the fourth quarter of 2023, well above the 2% expected by Dow Jones-polled economists. Tech companies showed continued strength too, with Microsoft’s market capitalization hitting a new all time high above $3 trillion for the first time, and Netflix, Alphabet, and Meta also posting gains as market participants eagerly await earnings slated for next week. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑Topic of the Week: Double Spending Problem 👉 Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
Market Update - January 19 2024 Bitcoin consolidates around FWB:41K -$43k as ETF excitement settles: In the wake of the much anticipated approval of spot bitcoin ETFs last week, bitcoin (BTC) prices initially jumped to FWB:49K before suddenly dropping to FWB:42K as investors processed the news of approval and analyzed the data on the flows and volumes from the first day of trading. Since then, BTC prices have been muted, consolidating throughout the week, trading mostly in a tight range between FWB:41K -$43k since last Friday. Spot bitcoin ETFs see more than $10 billion trading volume in first three days: Newly launched ETFs saw over $10 billion in trading volume in the first three days. Over the same period, net inflows came in around 21,000 BTC (just under $900 million), with Blackrock iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) experiencing the largest inflows, reaching 16,362 BTC, and Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) seeing outflows of about 25,000 BTC. Ether remains strong against bitcoin: Ether (ETH) continued to gain on BTC since the approval of the first US-based spot bitcoin ETFs last week. The initial jump higher appeared to stem from the waning buzz around bitcoin ETFs and a shift of focus toward a potential spot ether ETF approval later this year. This was fueled further by Blackrock CEO Larry Fink stating “I see value in having an Ethereum ETF … these are just stepping stones towards tokenization,” in an interview last Friday. Solana builds off Saga phone success with new smartphone: This week, Solana announced the “Chapter 2” smartphone, available for preorder starting at $450. The launch of the new phone is at least a year away, and details around the hardware and design of the product have yet to be released. Excitement is also building around Jupiter’s JUP token, set to launch on Solana at the end of the month. Stocks flat as global interest rate outlook remains uncertain: US stock indices were flat this week as market participants adjusted their expectations on how early we may see the Federal Reserve start to cut interest rates. Retail data released this week showed that December spending accelerated at its fastest pace since September, raising doubts over how early rate cuts may come. The market is now pricing in a ~52% chance we see a cut in March, down from 70% a week ago. 🍐 Topic of the Week: Crypto Trading Pairs ➡️ Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
Market Update - January 12 2024 Spot bitcoin ETFs begin trading on US exchanges: On Wednesday, the SEC approved the launch of 11 spot bitcoin ETFs, and trading launched on Thursday. The approval of US-based spot bitcoin ETFs marked a historic day for bitcoin and crypto as a whole, opening the door to an entirely new set of retail and institutional investors. As trading started Thursday morning, BTC rose to FWB:49K before paring back gains to sit below $45k by Friday morning. Over $4.6 billion traded across all spot bitcoin ETFs on Thursday, likely setting a record for the highest day-one volume for a single type of ETF. Ether surges as focus shifts to potential ether ETF: Ether (ETH) had been struggling in comparison to BTC over the past few months as attention centered around the bitcoin ETF applications, with the ETHBTC pair hitting its lowest level since April 2021 at 0.04788. However, following Tuesday’s bitcoin ETF head fake, the pair jumped to 0.052 suggesting a rotation out of BTC and into ETH for a catch up play and an expectation that the narrative will shift toward a potential ether ETF approval later this year. This was further evident on the actual approval Wednesday, with the ETHBTC continuing to rally higher, currently trading near 0.06 as of Friday morning. Inflation ticks up as interest rate cuts expected in 2024: US equities rose steadily this week as investors awaited inflation data released on Thursday. Thursday’s data showed a mild 0.3% increase in the consumer price index (CPI) for December, reflecting a 3.4% yearly increase. Estimates had been for a 0.2% December increase and a 3.2% annualized increase. Altcoins perform well as total crypto market cap nears $1.8 trillion: Much of the wider crypto market saw price appreciation this week, with some leveraged ETH and BTC plays showing good returns. Ethereum Classic (ETC) is trading up more than 55% over the past seven days, while Lido DAO (LDO) added 20% over the same period. The total crypto market capitalization is now approaching the $1.8 trillion mark, its highest level since April 2022, prior to the Terra/LUNA collapse. Circle, USDC issuer, files for initial public offering (IPO): On Thursday, Circle announced that it had filed a confidential S-1 document with the SEC, as it seeks to launch an initial public offering (IPO). While the announcement was light on details, Circle had previously announced in 2021 that it planned to go public via a SPAC, with a $9 billion valuation as of February 2022. 🎭 Topic of the Week: Why was Bitcoin created? 👉 Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
Market Update - January 5 2024 Bitcoin gains 156% in 2023: Bitcoin (BTC) managed to close out 2023 with an impressive 156% gain, rising from ~$16k to over FWB:42K as the leading crypto asset regained credibility following numerous high profile collapses in the previous year. Throughout the second half of 2023, BTC prices generated strong momentum as confidence grew around the possible approval of a US-based spot Bitcoin ETF. Despite volatile start to 2024 and negative ETF report, bitcoin remains in the $43k-$44k range: Anticipation of the coming spot bitcoin ETF decision (expected by January 10) was palpable on Wednesday, as BTC abruptly fell more than 10% following dissemination of a Matrixport report suggesting that the SEC could reject all pending ETF applications. As the story developed, there was no source to suggest that a decision to reject the ETFs had been made, and with most evidence so far suggesting there will be an approval announcement before the deadline next week, BTC bounced back to the $44k level. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin shares a robust 2024 roadmap: Ethereum will continue its focus on its six main priorities: the Merge, the Surge, the Scourge, the Verge, the Purge and the Splurge. With the approval of a US-based spot bitcoin ETF potentially days away, some market participants are already eyeing up a potential ether ETF this summer as the next catalyst for the second most popular crypto. Interest rates expected to fall in 2024, but strong jobs report may delay rate cuts: Minutes from the Fed’s December meeting showed that rates are most likely at their peak with nearly all officials predicting lower rates in 2024. There appears to be disagreement, however, on how long rates will stay at the current elevated levels. On Friday, the final jobs report of 2023 showed that employers added 216,000 jobs in December, well above expectations, and potentially complicating the outlook for a rate cut early in 2024. Sei and Arbitrum outperform to start 2024: SEI, the Sei Network’s governance token, is trading up +25% over the past seven days and reached a new all time high above $0.80 as the network continues to see growing adoption. Arbitrum (ARB) was another outperformer this week, gaining +28% over the past seven days, with the token briefly crossing the $2 mark. ⚖️Topic of the Week: Blockchains and Scaling Solutions ⏭️ Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
Market Update - December 21, 2023 Bitcoin has another choppy week but finishes strong: Mirroring last week’s trend, the price of bitcoin (BTC) had a choppy week, with BTC testing the $40.5k level on Monday morning before bouncing back above $43k. Bitcoin finished the week strong climbing to around $44k by Thursday. BlackRock amends bitcoin ETF application to allow for cash creation and redemption model: It appeared that Blackrock bowed to the SEC this week, filing an amended S-1 on Monday that excluded the “in-kind” creation and redemptions for its Bitcon spot ETF, favoring the “cash creation and redemption” model. Other aspiring bitcoin ETF issuers followed suit, including Valkyrie, Invesco, and Galaxy Digital. Ether has mild week and loses ground on bitcoin as ETF decisions delayed: The price of Ether (ETH) remained subdued during the week, with the ETHBTC pair dropping to its lowest level in the past two weeks, moving below 0.051. The SEC also announced it would be delaying its decision on a number of Ethereum ETFs, as expected. ETH is sitting around $2,200 as of Thursday. Inflation data coming Friday may further cement likelihood of rate cuts in 2024: The Core Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) for November will be released on Friday and is expected to come in at 3.3%, down from 3.5% in October, reaching its lowest level since early 2021. This should add to recent positive inflation data and increase the likelihood of interest rate cuts in the coming year. 🎉 Topic of the Week: 2024 Trend Report ⏭️ Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini
Market Update - December 8th 2023 Multiple 2024 tailwinds drive bitcoin higher: Bitcoin reached new annual highs this week driven by multiple tailwinds, including potentially imminent ETF approvals, the upcoming Bitcoin halving, and a possibly lower interest rate environment. Notably, BTC broke above $40k for the first time in over a year on Monday, with no signs of slowing. BTC was hovering around $44k on Friday morning. Robust jobs data and upcoming Fed meeting may bring volatility: November nonfarm payroll numbers released on Friday pointed to continued strength in the job market with 199k new jobs added, above estimates of 190k. Market participants are also waiting on the outcome of the next FOMC meeting on December 13. Following Friday’s job numbers, investors continue to expect rates to remain unchanged until Q1 next year, but any deviation from those expectations could inject volatility ahead of the usual pre-holiday contraction. Dog memecoins hit new highs as Doge turns 10: Doge reached its 10th anniversary on Wednesday and celebrated by posting +18% gains over the past 7 days. Shiba Inu (SHIB) and Solana dog token BONK followed suit with gains of +20% and 225%, respectively. Expected ETF approvals lift bitcoin-linked altcoins: The market focus on BTC ahead of a potential bitcoin ETF approval has led several altcoins to move higher. Stacks (STX), which enables smart contracts and decentralized finance (DeFi) applications on the Bitcoin network, posted +40% gains this week. Ordinals (ORDI), a BRC-20 token focused on Bitcoin’s ordinals protocol, saw another huge run up this week, adding +140%. Societe Generale stablecoin EURCV lists on Bitstamp: SocGen’s crypto division developed the Ethereum-based Euro stablecoin, EURCV, to bridge the gap between traditional and digital assets and help onboard institutional market participants. The move may increase adoption of non-USD backed stablecoins. 🤖Topic of the Week: Trading APIs 🫱 Read more here
GEMINI:BTCUSD
by Gemini