Cryptoverse: Bored bitcoin seeks direction after big bang
Our regular analysis of cryptocurrencies
By Medha Singh and Lisa Pauline Mattackal
Oct 8 -Bitcoin has been distinctly listless in the past three months after starting the year with a bang.
The crypto leader has largely shuttled between $56,000 and $63,000 so far in the second half of the year - a contrast to the first six months when it jumped 45%, propelled by the launch of U.S. exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking its spot price.
Market players are now eyeing possible new crypto catalysts heading into year-end and early 2025, beyond broader market-moving events such as shifts in U.S. interest rates and the American presidential election.
Jake Ostrovskis, trader at UK-based crypto firm Wintermute, is anticipating the upcoming launch of options on BlackRock's spot bitcoin ETF, a new product he believes could attract more U.S. retail money after its approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission last month.
Because regulators view bitcoin as a commodity, though, such options may also need the green light from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which oversees commodity derivatives, said Youwei Yang, chief economist at BIT Mining BTCM.N.
"If successful ... (ETF options) could increase bitcoin's market sophistication and volatility, driving greater institutional and retail engagement," Yang added.
It's been quite a run for crypto as the anticipation and approval of U.S. ETFs helped drive bitcoin activity globally.
The total size of the cryptocurrency market has ballooned to $2.2 trillion as of Oct. 1 this year, from $8.3 billion at the start of 2023, according to CoinGecko data.
"We've observed a significant increase in institutional on-boarding and trading activity," this year said Ostrovskis, adding there was a strong demand for platforms and services for digital assets that resemble traditional financial structures.
Notoriously wild bitcoin's 90-day volatility has fallen to 42% this year from 67% in mid-2020, according to Deutsche Bank data. Market watchers cautioned that bitcoin still showed a strong correlation to other cryptocurrencies and was likely to be among the first assets dumped by investors retreating from uncertainty and risk; bitcoin slumped 5% on a new spike in hostilities in the Middle East last week, for example.
BIGGEST CRYPTO COUNTRIES?
Chainalysis' Global Adoption index, which tracks crypto use in 151 countries with measures including trading and payments, surpassed the 2021 crypto bull market between the fourth quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024.
Crypto adoption is particularly strong in lower-income countries which often have less developed and accessible mainstream financial systems, the report showed. India took top spot, followed by Nigeria in Chainalysis' rankings, while seven of the other top 20 countries were Asian emerging markets including Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Crypto fans often point to uses in countries with high inflation and rapid currency depreciation - such as Turkey and Argentina - as evidence of digital money's real world use.
Chainalysis also noted a significant increase in decentralized finance (DeFi) and stablecoin activity in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.
"The value proposition for bitcoin and stablecoins in Latin America are intact," said Mauricio Di Bartolomeo, co-founder of crypto loan provider Ledn.
"Most of the emerging world wants to bank in dollars, but they don't necessarily trust their banks."
The United States ranked fourth overall on the adoption ranking, while South Korea and China were 19th and 20th, respectively.
In terms of crypto transaction volumes, the U.S. is the world's biggest market followed by India, according to Deutsche Bank.
Cryptocurrency value received in Central & Southern Asia and Oceania https://reut.rs/3U2v0RN
Reporting by Lisa Mattackal and Medha Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Pravin Char
Activos relacionados
Últimas noticias
Descargo de responsabilidades: Cada una de las entidades de XM Group proporciona un servicio de solo ejecución y acceso a nuestra plataforma de trading online, permitiendo a una persona ver o usar el contenido disponible en o a través del sitio web, sin intención de cambiarlo ni ampliarlo. Dicho acceso y uso están sujetos en todo momento a: (i) Términos y Condiciones; (ii) Advertencias de riesgo; y (iii) Descargo completo de responsabilidades. Por lo tanto, dicho contenido se proporciona exclusivamente como información general. En particular, por favor tenga en cuenta que, los contenidos de nuestra plataforma de trading online no son ni solicitud ni una oferta para entrar a realizar transacciones en los mercados financieros. Operar en cualquier mercado financiero implica un nivel de riesgo significativo para su capital.
Todo el material publicado en nuestra plataforma de trading online tiene únicamente fines educativos/informativos y no contiene –y no debe considerarse que contenga– asesoramiento ni recomendaciones financieras, tributarias o de inversión, ni un registro de nuestros precios de trading, ni una oferta ni solicitud de transacción con instrumentos financieros ni promociones financieras no solicitadas.
Cualquier contenido de terceros, así como el contenido preparado por XM, como por ejemplo opiniones, noticias, investigaciones, análisis, precios, otras informaciones o enlaces a sitios de terceros que figuran en este sitio web se proporcionan “tal cual”, como comentarios generales del mercado y no constituyen un asesoramiento en materia de inversión. En la medida en que cualquier contenido se interprete como investigación de inversión, usted debe tener en cuenta y aceptar que dicho contenido no fue concebido ni elaborado de acuerdo con los requisitos legales diseñados para promover la independencia en materia de investigación de inversiones y, por tanto, se considera como una comunicación comercial en virtud de las leyes y regulaciones pertinentes. Por favor, asegúrese de haber leído y comprendido nuestro Aviso sobre investigación de inversión no independiente y advertencia de riesgo en relación con la información anterior, al que se puede acceder aquí.
