Since breaking through the critical psychological resistance at $20,000, Bitcoin (BTC) price has moved even higher. In the early trading hours, the top-ranked digital asset pushed as high as $23,800 before pulling back to $23,000 but the trend of investors purchasing each dip appears to still be in play.
Crypto market data daily view. Source:Coin360
Although Bitcoin is clearly in a bull phase, many investors are wary to buy at the current levels due to fears of a sharp reversal taking place. Therefore, they are on the lookout for other ‘less expensive’ tokens that are backed by strong fundamentals and also look attractive on the charts.
Let’s take a look at some of the smaller cap altcoins which have been making some strong move over the past week.
KSM/USD
Kusama (KSM) is the parallel network to Polkadot and the team plans to launch initial parachain offerings in the near future. This unique crowdfunding mechanism aims to be a better version of the initial coin offerings which were extremely popular in 2017.
A number of emerging projects are likely to compete with each other to secure a parachain slot on the Polkadot network. However, before this can occur, the projects may want to do some live pre-testing on the Kusama network before deploying them on Polkadot.
Some projects may even keep parachains on both networks, using Kusama to test new technologies and features before rolling them out on the Polkadot network. With limited slots available, there is likely to be a bidding war and Kusama tokens could be in demand.
KSM price has rallied from an intraday low at $43.151 on Dec. 11 to an intraday high at $63 today, a gain of 46% within a week. Currently, the bulls are attempting to push the price above the $65.537 overhead resistance.
KSM/USDT daily chart. Source: TradingView
The rising moving averages and the relative strength index (RSI) above 62 suggest that the advantage is with the bulls. If traders can propel the price above the overhead resistance, the next leg of the up-move to $80 could begin.
However, the bears are likely to have other plans as seen from the long wick on today’s candlestick. If the price turns down from the current level or the overhead resistance but rebounds off the 20-day exponential moving average ($50.90), it will indicate that bulls continue to buy on dips. This could increase the possibility of a break above $65.537.
This positive view will be invalidated if the price slips below the 20-day EMA. In such a case, the price may remain range-bound between $45 and $65 for a few days.
DCR/USD
In a bull market, trading activity increases across multiple exchanges and this boosts aggregate volume. Decred’s (DCR) recent launch of DCRDEX, a decentralized exchange that puts security, privacy, and zero trading fees at the forefront, could not have come at a better time.
The opportunity to trade without having to go through know-your-customer processes may have attracted several traders who prefer to stay anonymous. In separate news, two candidates in Brazil’s 2020 Municipal elections used Decred’s blockchain to timestamp and record political donations. This type of transparency is desperately needed in many countries and the successful use of Decred’s blockchain could possibly open up opportunities for future elections.
Over the past week, DCR price has risen over 39% from an intraday low at $23.246 on Dec. 11 to an intraday high at $32.40 on Dec. 16. The upsloping moving averages and the RSI in positive territory suggest that the path of least resistance is to the upside.
DCR/USDT daily chart. Source: TradingView
The bulls are currently facing resistance at the critical overhead level at $32. Previous attempts by the bulls to sustain the price above this resistance failed on Dec. 3 and Dec.10.
However, the long tail on today’s candlestick shows that the bulls are buying on intraday dips. They are likely to again attempt a break above the overhead resistance in the next few days. If the price sustains above $32, a move to $35 and then to $42 is possible.
The selling could intensify if the price turns down from the current levels and slips below the 20-day EMA at $26.50.
QTUM/USD
Decentralized finance (DeFi) has made serious inroads in 2020 and Qtum’s DeFi ambitions received a boost when it launched its own DEX called QiSwap a few days. QiSwap allows users to build DeFi applications and provide liquidity on top of the Qtum blockchain.
Qtum also aims to address the common issue of lagging transactions and high fees on decentralized blockchain platforms. The Qtum Improvement Proposal 26 plans to reduce block spacing to provide faster transactions.
QTUM has been an underperformer in the current bull run but it is trying to make amends. The price has risen from an intraday low at $2.315 on Dec. 11 to an intraday high at $2.844 today, a gain of 22% in the past week.
QTUM/USDT daily chart. Source: TradingView
The 20-day EMA ($2.58) has started to turn up and the RSI has risen above 57, which suggests that the bulls are making a comeback.
If buyers push the price above the $3.066 to $3.283 overhead resistance zone, the QTUM/USD pair could pick up momentum and rally to $3.777 and then to $4.
This bullish view will be invalidated if the price turns down from the overhead resistance zone and dips below the 50-day simple moving average ($2.37).
The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph. Every investment and trading move involves risk, you should conduct your own research when making a decision.
Following the Bitcoin all-time high on Sunday, December 27, Riot Blockchain stock registered 20% gains on Monday’s trading session. The stock has already appreciated by 13x this year. Apart from BTC, investors of Bitcoin mining companies are making a bomb in the market.
Bitcoin mining giant Riot Blockchain is making all the news in the market at the moment. On Monday, December 28, Riot Blockchain Inc (NASDAQ: RIOT) stock price surged a massive 20% surging past $15.5 levels. One of the biggest milestones with the Monday rally is that the Riot Blockchain has clocked a $1 billion market cap.
The latest price rally comes as Riot Blockchain hints at going aggressively on its Bitcoin mining business. Last week, the Riot Blockchain added new S19 Pro Antimers to its bitcoin mining arsenal. The company announced the purchase of an additional 15,000 Bitcoin (BTC) mining machines from Bitmain. The recent purchase also pushes Riot’s total fleet to 37,640 Next-Generation Bitmain Antminers.
Riot said that the fresh purchase of Antminers will help the mining company to attain a 65% jump in its mining hash-rate. RIOT stock has registered an unprecedented rally this year in 2020. RIOT stock has multiplied by 13x this year registering a 1200% surge so far.
Riot Blockchain has issued nearly 17 million shares since November 2020 with its total outstanding shares going to 67.5 million. It has been a phenomenal journey for Riot ever since it ventured into the Bitcoin mining business in October 2017. With valuations less than $50 million back then, Riot has grown more than 20x in size as of its latest stock price.
RIOT Stock and Shares of Other Bitcoin Mining Companies Profit from BTC Bull Run
The recent Bitcoin (BTC) price rally during Q4 2020 has also pushed the stocks of Bitcoin mining companies to new highs. Earlier on Sunday, December 28, the BTC price hit its all-time high of $28,000 in a massive bull run followed by huge institutional inflows.
Moreover, along with the BTC price rally, the Bitcoin hash-rate has jumped significantly since November 2020. Over the last two months, the BTC hash-rate has surged nearly 30% and is currently at 132 TH/s. The surge in the hash-rate suggests higher mining activity for Bitcoin.
As a result, Bitcoin mining companies have been making massive purchases of the BTC mining machines. In addition to Riot Blockchain, other giants like the Marathon Patent Group have made aggressive purchases over the last few months. Just like RIOT, the Marathon Patent Group (NASDAQ: MARA) has registered a phenomenal rally of 18% on Monday, December 28. MARA stock has multiplied investors’ wealth by 12x in 2020. It means the MARA stock has also given phenomenal 1100% returns year-to-date.
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Bhushan is a FinTech enthusiast and holds a good flair in understanding financial markets. His interest in economics and finance draw his attention towards the new emerging Blockchain Technology and Cryptocurrency markets. He is continuously in a learning process and keeps himself motivated by sharing his acquired knowledge. In free time he reads thriller fictions novels and sometimes explore his culinary skills.
How low could XRP go? Watch these price levels next
Published
7 Stunden ago
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Dezember 29, 2020
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XRP price dropped by 30% on Dec. 29 following Coinbase’s decision to suspend trading.
The market sentiment around XRP has become overwhelmingly negative due to the fear of more exchange delistings.
In the near term, XRP faces three key historical support levels at $0.224, $0.1743 and $0.1471.
Where will the XRP price go next?
The ongoing price trend of XRP is not cyclical nor reliant on technical analysis. It is due to investors selling XRP following the suspension of trading across major cryptocurrency exchanges.
On Dec. 29, Coinbase announced that it is suspending the XRP trading pairs on their platform. Paul Grewal, the chief legal officer at Coinbase, wrote:
“In light of the SEC’s lawsuit against Ripple Labs, Inc, we have made the decision to suspend the XRP trading pairs on our platform. Trading will move into limit only starting December 28, 2020 at 2:30 PM PST, and will be fully suspended on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 at 10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time*. We will provide additional updates, if any, through the Coinbase Support Twitter account, including if there are any changes to timing.”
Given the SEC’s recent action against Ripple, all XRP books have been moved to limit only and Coinbase plans to fully suspend trading in XRP on Tuesday, January 19, 2021, at 10 AM PST. Afterwards, users will continue to retain access to their XRP funds. https://t.co/izreZvgHNl
As Cointelegraph previously reported, analysts anticipated Coinbase to suspend XRP trading after the United States Securities and Exchange Commission filed its complaint.
Coinbase plans to undergo an initial public offering, and it is in the firm’s best interest to remain fully compliant with the regulators in the U.S.
Considering the regulatory uncertainty around XRP, traders have emphasized that technical analysis is of less importance in the short term. Scott Melker, a cryptocurrency trader, said:
“A few people have told me that there’s oversold bullish divergence on the $XRP chart. You are doing it wrong. Charts don’t matter here. You cannot trade in a vacuum. Jesus could come down with Biggie and Tupac and put on a concert for Brad Garlinghouse and I still wouldn’t buy.”
In the foreseeable future, XRP has several major support areas it could potentially recover from. However, these are deep support levels on the weekly chart, which shows that it lacks momentum for a major rebound.
The XRP price has fallen by over 60% in merely two weeks, recording one of its steepest two-week drops in history.
What happens next?
Adam Cochran, a partner at Cinneamhain Ventures, was one of the first to break the story that Coinbase had conversations about suspending XRP trading.
Cochran hinted that the SEC are probably looking into more projects and companies than people realize. He said:
“If you thought my scoop on Coinbase delisting/suspending $XRP was insightful, you’re going to love the next scoop I’m working on, this week. Looks like that SEC is far more active than we thought and sniffing around a number of projects and companies!”
In the initial exploit, the attacker liquidated over 11,700 coins on the 1inch decentralized exchange aggregator after inflating the token supply according to data from the Ethereum wallet explorer Nansen. In total, the rogue actor drained more than $5 million from the project as of press time.
Cover Protocol released addressed the incident in a message posted on its Discord group, stating:
“The Blacksmith farming contract has been exploited to mint infinite $COVER tokens. We have restricted minting access to the farming contract in order to stop the attacker. If you are providing liquidity for $COVER token (uniswap or sushiswap) please remove it immediately.”
According to the Cover Protocol team, the issue only affected the token supply with funds held in “claim/noclaim” pools still safe. The project says it is investigating the incident.
The attack caused a massive decline in the COVER token price, falling by more than 97% while also eliciting negative comments from a cross-section of the crypto community on social media. Back in November, Cover was one of the DeFi protocols to merge with Yearn.Finance.
Monday’s incident makes the Cover the latest DeFi project to suffer a malicious exploit in a year ridden with opportunistic profiteering attacks against numerous protocols.
As previously reported by Cointelegraph, the spate of DeFi hacks throughout the year stand out as one of the major disappointments in the crypto space for 2020 with data manipulation deemed as being easy to accomplish on many projects.