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☆ Beware of a bitcoin backslide to $50,000 as it enters historically worst month of the year
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-02 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Bitcoin slid 10.25% for its worst month since April, while ether dropped 23.66% in its third monthly drawdown and worst month since June 2022. "It's not a pretty picture across the crypto landscape at the moment," said Rob Ginsberg, chart analyst at Wolfe Research. "Bitcoin is still stuck in a descending trading range as price gradually deteriorates off the March high. Historically, September is the worst month for bitcoin — and other markets too, like U.S. stocks. Bitcoin has been stuck in a range between $50,000 and $70,000 since April and is likely to stay there for another a month at least.

Persons: Bitcoin, bitcoin, Rob Ginsberg, Ginsberg, bitcoin —, they've, Alex Thorn, Thorn, Trump, Harris, John Todaro, — CNBC's Michael Bloom, Nick Wells Organizations: Wolfe Research, bitcoin, Galaxy, U.S, Needham, Federal Locations: U.S, Germany, Gox

In a few days, bankrupt Tokyo-based bitcoin exchange Mt. Disbursements will be in a mix of bitcoin and bitcoin cash, an early offshoot of the original cryptocurrency. Gox — short for "Magic: The Gathering Online Exchange" — was once the largest spot bitcoin exchange globally, claiming to handle around 80% of all global dollar trades for bitcoin. Gox users would likely translate to huge sales in bitcoin as investors look to lock in gains. Vijay Ayyar, head of consumer growth for Asia-Pacific at crypto exchange Gemini, said that the overall impact of the Mt.

Persons: Omer Taha Cetin, that's, Disbursements, bitcoin, Gox, —, John Glover, Glover, James Butterfill, bitcoin's, Gemini, Lennix Lai, Butterfill, Bitcoin, Jacob Joseph, Joseph, Alex Thorn, Thorn, Vijay Ayyar, Gox disbursement, Ayyar Organizations: Anadolu, Getty, CNBC, bitcoin, Barclays, CoinShares, Gemini, JPMorgan, Arkham Intelligence, Analysts, U.S . Securities, Exchange, Federal Reserve Locations: Tokyo, Gox, Mt, bitcoin, Asia, Pacific

Users of collapsed bitcoin exchange Mt. At the height of its success, the platform was the largest spot bitcoin exchange in the world, claiming to handle around 80% of all global dollar trades for bitcoin. Gox creditors creates "downside risk" next month, though it would be short-lived. Gox creditors take place in July, [this] creates a trajectory where crypto prices come under further pressure in July, but start rebounding from August onwards," the analysts wrote. Gox creditors opted for in-kind reimbursement has to do with the tax implications.

Persons: Kiyoshi Ota, Gregory Greene, Greene, Bitcoin, Greene's, John Glover, Ledn, Glover, Gox, Alex Thorn, They'll, Roger Ver, Blockstream, Adam Back, Greg Maxwell, Bruce Fenton, Thorn, there's, There's, Luke Nolan, CoinShares, JPMorgan Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, Mt, CNBC, bitcoin, Online, Galaxy Digital, Bitcoin, Barclays, JPMorgan Chase, Gox Locations: Gox, Illinois, bitcoin, Mt

☆ SEC embrace of ether ETFs highlights cryptocurrency's shifting political fortunes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The newly opened door to ether ETFs is part of a larger story that dominated cryptocurrency markets last week: the industry's political tides appear to be shifting in its favor. Expectations of an approval were low as the week began, but flipped completely and suddenly last Monday — sending ether up 20% . Many are hailing FIT 21 as a landmark victory for the industry. "I'd be surprised if FIT 21 or something like it actually becomes law this year," said Thorn. It does portend a sweeping change in [the] Democratic leadership approach to this industry, and that can only help crypto."

Persons: Biden, Donald Trump, Rachel Lin, Oppenheimer, Owen Lau, Lau, Alex Thorn, didn't, Kirsten Gillibrand, Cynthia Lummis, I'd Organizations: Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Representatives, SAB, Innovation, Technology, Futures Trading Commission, CNBC, Galaxy Digital, Senate, Gillibrand, Democratic

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSpot ether ETFs could be part of a political shift tied to crypto: Galaxy Digital's Alex ThornAlex Thorn, head of research at Galaxy Digital, reacts to the House passing a crypto regulatory framework bill. He also provides his expectations ahead of a decision from the SEC on spot ether ETFs.

Persons: Alex Thorn Alex Thorn Organizations: Galaxy Digital, SEC

☆ What's next after the House passed bill outlining a crypto regulatory framework: CNBC Crypto World
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWhat's next after the House passed bill outlining a crypto regulatory framework: CNBC Crypto WorldCNBC Crypto World features the latest news and daily trading updates from the digital currency markets and provides viewers with a look at what's ahead with high-profile interviews, explainers, and unique stories from the ever-changing crypto industry. On today's show, Alex Thorn, head of research at Galaxy, reacts to the House passing a crypto regulatory framework bill. Plus, he gives his expectations ahead of a decision from the SEC on spot ether ETFs.

Persons: What's, explainers, Alex Thorn Organizations: CNBC Crypto, CNBC, Galaxy, SEC

☆ Bitcoin jumps 7%, retakes $70,000 to start the week
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

MicroStrategy , which trades as a proxy for the price of bitcoin, surged 20%, while Coinbase advanced 9%. The mining sector got a lift from bitcoin, too, with Marathon Digital and Riot Platforms up 4% and 9%, respectively. Bitcoin had been in correction mode for the past week, after it hit an all-time high of $73,797.68 on March 14. Sam Callahan, lead analyst at bitcoin services firm Swan Bitcoin, said it's likely tied to the messaging coming from the Federal Reserve last week. Despite its pullbacks, bitcoin is on pace to finish March on a winning note.

Persons: CleanSpark, cryptocurrency, cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin, Alex Thorn, Thorn, Genesis, Sam Callahan, Swan Bitcoin, it's Organizations: Marathon, Mining, Metrics, Galaxy Digital, Federal Reserve, Fed

☆ Bitcoin rockets to an all-time high above $69,000, surpassing 2021 record
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"Bitcoin reclaiming its all-time high yet again shows it is never going away," said Alex Thorn, head of research at Galaxy Digital. Catalysts driving the surge in the cryptocurrency include the U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs that started trading earlier this year, along with the tightening bitcoin supply ahead of the late April "halving." "The odds have always been against bitcoin," Thorn said, citing naysayers who have referred to it as "a bubble" and compared it to the "tulip mania" in Holland during the 1600s. "Retail interest is oftentimes momentum driven, and all-time high levels are a pivotal momentum driver for even more investment," he told CNBC. Nevertheless, U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs have brought legitimacy to it and been hugely popular, with BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) passing $10 billion in assets under management last week.

Persons: Jaap Arriens, FTX, crypto's Lehman, Alex Thorn, bitcoin, Clara Medalie, Thorn, naysayers, Needham, John Todaro, Crypto, BlackRock's Organizations: NurPhoto, Getty, Metrics, Galaxy, CNBC, Securities and Exchange Commission Locations: U.S, Holland

Over 50 cryptocurrencies worth over $100 billion in total and making up about 10% of the overall market, are now viewed by the SEC watchdog as securities, according to CCData. Among major players, for example, solana , polygon and cardano have sunk between 23% and 32%. Bitcoin and ether weren't named in the SEC's lawsuit, nor were stablecoins such as tether and USC Coin. By contrast, bitcoin investors who have held their coins for more than five months appeared relatively calm and accounted for just 1.9% of deposit volume. Investment products tracking altcoins have seen positive - albeit small - net inflows this year, in contrast to bitcoin and ether, Coinshares data showed on Monday.

Persons: Vetle Lunde, Ryan Rasmussen, solana, Lucas Kiely, Alex Thorn, Noelle Acheson, James Butterfield, Lisa Mattackal, Medha Singh, Pravin Organizations: U.S, SEC, K33 Research, solana, Securities, Bitwise Asset Management, Reuters Global Markets, Cardano Foundation, Solana Foundation, Reuters, Polygon Labs, Reuters Graphics Reuters, USC, BTC, ETH, Firmwide Research, Galaxy Digital, Pravin Char, Thomson Locations: cardano, altcoins, Bengaluru

☆ Bitcoin slides after network congestion leads Binance to briefly halt withdrawals
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Monday's drop came after Binance tweeted Sunday that the Bitcoin network was "experiencing a congestion issue" and that it was temporarily closing bitcoin withdrawals as a result until the network stabilized. Some market participants have argued that the Bitcoin network is stable and Binance should have prepared for a high-fee environment on Bitcoin. Our team has also been working on enabling BTC Lightning Network withdrawals, which will help in such situations." "There is an increasing demand for BRC-20 tokens which include transferring digital collectibles on Bitcoin network," said Oppenheimer analyst Owen Lau. On May 1, about 50% of bitcoin transactions were BRC-20 mints, Thorn highlighted in a note Friday.

☆ Bitcoin pulls back to start May as First Republic Bank saga comes to an end
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Cryptocurrencies took a dip on Monday to start the week and new month as investors bet the takeover of First Republic Bank could put an end to the financial crisis, which has been the biggest driver of this year's bitcoin rally. Bitcoin fell about 4.2% to 28,137.76 to start the week and new month, according to Coin Metrics. Last week, the price of bitcoin rallied in the final week of April as troubles at the bank unfolded. "It's unclear whether the banking crisis narrative can continue to be a boon for bitcoin," said Alex Thorn, head of firmwide research at Galaxy. "Bitcoin and ether started 2023 inorganically cheap, allowing for plenty of room to move higher off a low-base effect," Thorn said.

☆ Bitcoin’s correlation with stocks is at its lowest since 2021 as investors grapple with the cryptocurrency's narrative shift
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The break became more noticeable in March, as investors rediscovered bitcoin's appeal as alternative banking system as the regional banking crisis unfolded. Bitcoin's correlation with the S & P 500 is now at its lowest since September 2021, after reaching its highest ever in 2022 , according to Coin Metrics. Meanwhile, bitcoin's correlation with gold, a traditionally "risk-off" asset, has risen. This break in correlation is perhaps a sign more investors are waking up to this fact." Bitcoin became more of an institutional asset at the start of 2021 as big investors, short term traders and macro funds jumped into the market.

☆ Bitcoin volatility fell to historic lows this week. Here’s why that might be bad news
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

"An uptick in bitcoin volatility would, rather than trigger concern, be greeted as a positive sign and would most likely be closely followed by a similar move in spot and derivative trading volumes." Sigel also pointed to bitcoin miners who may be selling covered calls in order to monetize profits as much as they can. Bitcoin miners have had a difficult time with the bitcoin price stuck at such low levels. "Each time volatility has been this low, historically, bitcoin prices have bottomed," said Alex Thorn, head of firmwide research at Galaxy Digital. Thorn said that while seeing lenders and exchanges collapse feels unstable, the crypto market will emerge from this period having significantly matured.

The Ethereum blockchain's mega-upgrade finally went live on Sept. 15, moving it to a less energy-intensive "proof of stake" (PoS) system with hardly a hiccup. Some crypto investors are now turning their attention to the next event that could shake up prices. It would allow validators, who have deposited ether tokens on the blockchain in exchange for a yield, to withdraw their staked coins, to hold or sell. Longer-term, though, the switch to PoS is expected to decrease the rate at which ether tokens are issued - potentially by up to 90% - which should drive up prices. Additionally, annual yields of 4.1% for staking ether tokens to validate transactions could prove tempting for investors.

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