Market Wrap: Bitcoin Hits $10.4K; Ether Balances on Exchanges Fall to 7-Month Low
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4 Monaten ago
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Bitcoin was trending upward before losing momentum; ether holders are moving their cryptocurrency off exchanges.
Bitcoin (BTC) trading around $10,284 as of 20:00 UTC (4 p.m. ET). Slipping 0.12% over the previous 24 hours.
Bitcoin’s 24-hour range: $10,174-$10,488
BTC below its 10-day but above 50-day moving averages, a sideway signal for market technicians.
Bitcoin trading on Coinbase since September 8.Source: TradingView
Bitcoin continued its upward momentum from Wednesday, with the world’s oldest cryptocurrency rising as high as $10,488 on spot exchanges such as Coinbase before losing some steam and now moving in a sideways pattern.
Constantin Kogan, partner at crypto fund of funds BitBull Capital, points to bitcoin’s relative strength index, or RSI, as an indicator of where the market might be headed. RSI measures price changes to indicate market conditions, such as “overbought” when there has been too much buying or “oversold” when there is too much selling.
Read More: Structural Issues May Be Causing BitMEX’s Low Bitcoin ‘Cash and Carry’
“The relative strength index has shifted in favor of growth after the price climbed to $10,355,” said Kogan. “There is a chance to return to the pivotal area of $10,756, but not everything is as rosy as we would like to see.”
Bitcoin trading on Coinbase since Sept. 1, 2020Source: TradingView
Kogan said bitcoin price action will depend on the global economy’s performance for the balance of 2020.
“Many analysts predict that BTC will continue to rise in price in the long term,” Kogan added. “However, this year a breakthrough is unlikely. It is expected next year if we won’t see a global recession escalation.”
Read More: Pandemic Will Speed Bitcoin Adoption, Says DBS Bank Economist
In bitcoin futures, open interest has been hanging around the $3.7 billion mark for the past week.
Open interest in the bitcoin futures market the past week. Source: Skew
“This represents a lot of indecision in the BTC market,” said Daniel Koehler, liquidity manager for cryptocurrency exchange OKCoin, regarding the stasis in bitcoin futures. “I think many larger players hedged at these high price levels and are waiting for momentum to clearly go in one direction.”
Henrik Kugelberg, a Swedish over-the-counter crypto trader, points to the longer-term outlook of bitcoin versus fiat’s performance. “The macro perspective is of course that all currencies will lose value and the only hedge in the currency market the coming months is bitcoin.”
Indeed, the U.S. Dollar Index, a measure of the American currency against a basket of other fiat, is still in the doldrums, down 0.30% Thursday.
The US dollar index since 1/1/18.Source: TradingView
Italy-based over-the-counter crypto trader Alessandro Andreotti said he isn’t sure the bitcoin price can keep heading upward but he remains bullish. “Opinion seems split on whether this is just a ‘bear trap’ or the beginning of a new bull market,” he told CoinDesk. “I’m buying either way. Personally, I’m optimistic for the short term.”
Ether balances on exchanges dropping
Ether (ETH), the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, was up Thursday, trading around $364 and climbing 2% in 24 hours as of 20:00 UTC (4:00 p.m. ET).
Read More: Ether Traders May Be Hedging Against DeFi Slowdown: Analyst
The balances of ether on centralized exchanges is at a seven-month low. On Wednesday, 17,158,739 ETH sat on exchanges, the lowest it had been since Feb. 9, according to data from aggregator Glassnode.
The amount of coins held in exchange addresses. Source: Glassnode
“My immediate thought is that many people have moved their ETH off exchanges to be able to participate in yield farming,” said Andrew Tu, an executive at quant trading firm Efficient Frontier. “A load of other traders likely moved their ETH to be able to provide liquidity to Uniswap pools. SushiSwap is a prime example of this.”
Read More: DeFi ‘Vampire’ SushiSwap Sucks $800M from Uniswap
Other markets
Digital assets on the CoinDesk 20 are mixed Thursday. Notable winners as of 20:00 UTC (4:00 p.m. ET):
Read More: 1,000 New Token Pairs Added to Uniswap in One Week; Buyers Beware
Notable losers as of 20:00 UTC (4:00 p.m. ET):
Read More: SushiSwap Migration Ushers in Era of ‘Protocol Politicians’
Read More: How to Watch INX’s IPO in Real Time on the Ethereum Blockchain
Oil is down 1.8%. Price per barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude: $37.06.
Gold is flat Thursday, in the red 0.10% and at $1,944 as of press time.
Read More: Uniswap September Volume Tops August’s $6.7B Record in 10 Days
U.S. Treasury bond yields all slipped Thursday. Yields, which move in the opposite direction as price, were down most on the two-year, in the red 5.3%.
Read More: Why Crypto Investments Are Less Vulnerable to US-China Tensions
The CoinDesk 20: The Assets That Matter Most to the Market
Disclosure
The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups.
Grayscale’s AUM Hits $19B, Up from $16.4B Announced Week Ago
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13 Minuten ago
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Dezember 29, 2020
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While it may be too early to project the possible performance of Grayscale in 2021, the spate of patronage the company recorded in the last two quarters of 2020 looks quite inspiring.
In what confirms the continued embrace of Bitcoin (BTC) and altcoins by institutional investors and the big-money clients, Grayscale’s total Assets Under Management (AUM) has been reported to top $19 billion, a significant uplift from the $16.4 billion reported a week ago. According to a report by CoinDesk, Grayscale hit this AUM milestone on December 28, and Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust holds by far the largest chunk of the total assets at $16.3 billion.
The recent rally of Bitcoin to new highs as recorded in the past days started as a chain reaction that took its precedent months ago when Wall Street firms and institutional investors began betting big on Bitcoin. The investment made by the likes of MicroStrategy Incorporated (NASDAQ: MSTR), Square Inc (NYSE: SQ), and PayPal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: PYPL) did not just help put Bitcoin in the limelight through mainstream media, it also prompted the embrace of the digital assets by other firms.
With this chain reaction, the price of Bitcoin continued to soar in response to boosted demand for the coin, and institutions like Grayscale that serves institutional investors benefited from this new demand, and hence, the continued increase in the firm’s AUM. Besides BTC, Grayscale’s Ethereum (ETH) AUM is now worth $2.1 billion, while the bulk of smaller holdings in Litecoin (LTC), XRP, and ZCash amongst others helped Grayscale’s total AUM to reach the new milestone.
Grayscale’s AUM May See More Boost in 2021
While it may be too early to project the possible performance of Grayscale in the coming year 2021, the spate of patronage the company recorded in the last two quarters of 2020 makes the case for improved performance provided the tempo is sustained.
Just as has been noted earlier, the continued embrace of cryptocurrency assets by highly liquid companies will continue to have a positive reaction on the price of Bitcoin, and by extension, this will even make more people pick interest in BTC. As a relatively young asset class, Bitcoin and altcoins have tremendous room to grow as the adoption rate is still not optimized owing to certain regulatory provisions in most countries, Grayscale and other hedge funds have enough room to compete for new clients entering the space.
With Grayscale been among the institutions at the forefront of helping to drive the acceptance of BTC, ETH, and other digital currencies, enjoying the dividends of its works through impressed AUM figures does not come as much of a surprise.
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Benjamin Godfrey is a blockchain enthusiast and journalists who relish writing about the real life applications of blockchain technology and innovations to drive general acceptance and worldwide integration of the emerging technology. His desires to educate people about cryptocurrencies inspires his contributions to renowned blockchain based media and sites. Benjamin Godfrey is a lover of sports and agriculture.
Altcoin Rally Dimming Bitcoin’s Shine, Polkadot Gains 34% in One Week
Published
2 Stunden ago
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Dezember 29, 2020
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Polkadot (DOT) saw daily gains of 22.5% wrapping up an impressive week with an almost 34% rise in its value.
Bitcoin bullish run looks to have come to a halt amidst an altcoin rally which has seen relatively lower coins put up impressive performances in the past few weeks. Bitcoin dominance is gradually fading as many experts believe the biggest digital coin is backing down as some top altcoin are showing strong “moves” or signals.
Bitcoin hit an all-time high over the weekend, the third time its price has done so in just over 2 months. The price of the biggest digital coin touched $28,400 on December 27, before a lightning drop took it to $27,000 just hours of that incredible feat.
Bitcoin failed to hold onto the $27,000 mark as its price further dropped to $26,000 a day after and is now testing lower levels centered on $26,000 as immediate support. Reports from crypto exchanges revealed BTC/USD trading at lows of $25,830 during the early hours of December 29.
While Bitcoin has seen red over a couple of days, some altcoins are putting up impressive numbers, giving off signals of a strong altcoin rally. Despite XRP’s current issues, the altcoin market is showing glimpses of its glory days as some digital coins are poised to see major gains over the next couple of weeks. Ethereum (ETH) is at the forefront of the rally, with its price climbing above $700for the first time since May 2018.
Polkadot (DOT) also saw daily gains of 22.5% wrapping up an impressive week with an almost 34% rise in its value. The coin is now the seventh-largest token by market cap. Kusama (KSM), a cousin of Polkadot, also saw its price gain 46% last week, pushing its price from $43.1 to $63. The digital token is currently trading at $56 but experts are adamant a breakout above $65 is possible as the token has rebounded off the 20-day exponential moving average ($50.90)
Speaking on the possibility of a long term altcoin rally, analyst Van de Poppe stated that altcoins are next in line to see greens. He added that the next “impulse wave” on Bitcoin next year should be able to take the market to $40,000 or $50,000, but until then, the possibility of a continuance altcoin rally is very much likely.
Although many factors could be in play with regards to the latest Bitcoin price dip, it’s recent fallout with Ripple’s XRP leads the way. Ripple was hit with a lawsuit from the United States Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and subsequently suffered drops that left its price in a pit. XRP, the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, is now trading at $0.20 as news broke that Coinbase, a major US cryptocurrency exchange has decided to suspend its trading from next month.
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Crypto fanatic, writer and researcher. Thinks that Blockchain is second to a digital camera on the list of greatest inventions.