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Bitcoin is “transitioning out of its most stressed phase”

Many are hoping that the bill working its way through the Senate will mark “the beginning of the end of crypto’s regulatory limbo.”

Yaël Bizouati-Kennedy

The lower-than-expected CPI print and optimism around the amended Digital Asset Market Clarity Act seem to be buoying bitcoin this morning. Meanwhile, bitcoin ETFs started the week with modest inflows ($116.7 million), according to SoSoValue.

Timothy Misir, head of research at Blockhead Research Network, said that on-chain metrics suggest bitcoin is transitioning “out of its most stressed phase.”

“Price now sits above the Active Investors Mean ($87.7K) but remains well below the Short-Term Holder cost basis at $98.9K. This configuration implies reduced forced selling pressure, but also highlights the scale of overhead supply that must be absorbed for a sustained breakout,” Misir said.

One potential headwind for bitcoin is the trajectory of the probe of Fed Chair Jerome Powell, a situation Farzam Ehsani, CEO of VALR, called “paradoxical.”

While weakening confidence in dollar policy traditionally increases interest in decentralized assets as a hedge against political and currency risk, abrupt political maneuvers within the government are increasing instability, triggering short-term outflows from risky assets and high-volatility markets, Ehsani said.

He said investors should exercise “extreme caution” in the coming weeks, as the crypto market could react sharply to the conflict’s outcome.

“If the Fed holds firm, the market could return to its fundamental scenario. If the White House is able to push through a rate cut and launches stimulus measures, bitcoin and gold could surge higher,” Ehsani said.

Finally, “this week may mark the beginning of the end of crypto’s regulatory limbo,” Benchmark analysts wrote in a note, as the Senate committee will vote on Thursday on the amended Digital Asset Market Clarity Act.

“We believe a successful committee process culminating in floor consideration would represent a material de-risking event for crypto markets,” the analysts wrote. “That regulatory clarity is the key prerequisite for institutional adoption of both crypto tokens and crypto-related equities. In our view, such clarity would unlock a level of liquidity that only institutions could provide, and liquidity is the foundation upon which sustainable crypto valuations are built.”

Some are pessimistic that the bill will move forward. Nic Puckrin, cofounder of Coin Bureau, said he is “not holding his breath” for the bill to pass this month.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see further delays as committee members grapple with the implications of the proposed amendments. And any delays will weigh heavily on a digital asset market that has struggled with momentum for months,” Puckrin said.

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Ethereum struggles to hold market gains

After rallying from $1,830 to above $2,100 on Wednesday, ethereum struggled to hold on to its gains and dipped under $2,000, a round psychological price level, on Thursday. 

The seesaw price action helped liquidate $146 million worth of leveraged long and short positions on ethereum in the last 24 hours, data from CoinGlass shows.  

While ethereum was due for a relief rally after entering into oversold conditions as measured by its relative strength index, some are still maintaining a bearish sentiment, according to Delphi Digital analyst Simon Shockey.

With ethereum now trading under $2,000, Shockey called the rally “unconvincing.” He told Sherwood News that he doesn’t “think most crypto natives are compelled to really believe the lows are in,” adding that he could see ethereum fall further from here and make new lows in the second half of the year. 

The price action comes as cofounder Vitalik Buterin has sold $35 million worth of ethereum tokens since the start of February and the paper loss for the largest ethereum treasury firm, BitMine Immersion Technologies, has climbed to nearly $7.9 billion

On the positive side, ethereum developers introduced a new road map that involves seven hard fork upgrades by 2029 and several north stars, one of which aims to make ethereum a “post quantum” layer 1 network.

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Crypto industry sees relief bounce in midst of winter

Crypto assets and crypto-adjacent companies are catching a bid and rebounding off recent lows, with stablecoin issuer Circle soaring after reporting strong earnings before the bell. The company beat on revenue and reported that USDC in circulation has grown to $75.3 billion, up 72% year over year.

The total market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies has increased 4.5% in the last 24 hours, and both tokens and companies close to crypto are enjoying a boost:

(Robinhood Markets Inc. is the parent company of Sherwood Media, an independently operated media company subject to certain legal and regulatory restrictions.)

Despite the relief bounce, some are still uneasy. “The whole market still seems very heavy to me,” Glenn Rosenberg, managing partner at Persistent Trading, told Sherwood News. “Jokingly, BTC feels like it’s now 100% correlated to any asset or news that’s negative! I think we test 60,000 — that’s a big long-term channel and could push lower from there,” he said. “The whole [space] looks risky right now.”

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