Nyheter
Bitcoin Survives Bear Trap
Bitcoin has witnessed some heavy price turbulence after breaking the $71K mark in early June. Since then, it lost almost 21% in value scraping the key level of $55K in the first week of July.
Figure 1 – Bitcoin Price
Source: Glassnode
However, since last Friday, Bitcoin has gained $7K and is now trading around the $64K mark. But why has it been such a turbulent time for Bitcoin?
Factors Contributing to the Selling Pressure
• Bitcoin Miner Activity
• German Government Sell-Offs
• Mt. Gox Repayment Program & Bitcoin Exchange Liquidity
Bitcoin Miner Activity
The BTC selling pressure was earmarked by miner activity, after selling 30K BTC in June. This sell-off marked miners’ BTC reserves at the lowest in a decade, just over 1.8K BTC.
Figure 2 – Bitcoin Miner Balance’
Source: Glassnode
Miners have however reduced their activity on-exchange, which should calm fears further. In June, miners were moving an average of around 50 BTC or just under $3M per day to exchanges, which has now slowed down, as shown below.
Figure 3 – Bitcoin Transfer Volume from Miners to Exchanges
Source: Glassnode
On top of that, on-chain data shows the 30-day moving average of Bitcoin’s hash rate is starting to close the gap with the 60-day moving average, for the first time since May. This indicates miners are experiencing lower income stress, which typically signals a market bottom.
Figure 4 – Bitcoin’s Hash Ribbon Indicator
Source: Glassnode
As a result, miner reserves have slowly started to pick back up, as shown in the first figure. This could indicate that the miner sell-offs post-halving, due to reduced profitability, have tapered off which is another reason to be cautiously positive.
German Government Sell-Offs
The German Goverment had been in the process of completing the sale of 50K BTC seized from a pirating website, Movie2k, which was worth approximately $3B when the sell-offs started.
Figure 5 – German Government Holdings
Source: @obchakevich on Dune Analytics
Bitcoin had a shaky June and July. However, in the week Germany sold almost 80% of their holdings, 40K BTC or $2.2B worth, Bitcoin’s price remained fairly resilient, a testament to its strength in adverse market conditions. That being said, according to data from Arkham Intelligence, the German Government engaged via OTC trades, to minimize potential slippage and market impact.
Figure 6 – Bitcoin Price (7 July – 14 July)
Source: Glassnode
Nevertheless, the conclusion of these sell-offs is positive for Bitcoin, as it removes a significant dark cloud from the market, and demonstrates the asset’s resilience.
Mt. Gox Repayment Program
However, Bitcoin faces selling pressure due to the upcoming Mt. Gox repayment program. Starting in July 2024, Mt. Gox began repaying approximately $9B worth of assets to its creditors, who have been waiting for over a decade since the exchange’s collapse in 2014.
Figure 7 – Mt. Gox Holdings
Source: @21co on Dune Analytics
Of the approximate 142K BTC held by Mt. Gox, 139K BTC is left to be reimbursed, equating to approximately 2% being paid back as of today, indicating a slow sale rate. However, yesterday Mt. Gox shuffled almost 96K BTC between their wallets, which contributed to the renewed FUD, as they prepare to distribute the reimbursements. While the repayment sum is very large, it is unlikely that these creditors will sell off their BTC immediately, given their long-term belief in the crypto industry given their involvement a decade ago, and the potential capital gains tax implications associated with the asset. The selling pressure is further diluted by the fact that reimbursements will likely occur on different days across different exchanges.
Bitcoin Exchange Liquidity
Despite, Bitcoin’s apparent survival. Let’s take a closer look at how the remaining BTC could affect the market. 139K BTC or $8.93B worth remains for Mt. Gox to restore to creditors, who may end up selling their assets. To gauge the market impact of this, it may help to look at Bitcoin’s liquidity on exchange. Presuming they aim to sell their BTC, the sell-offs will likely occur by trading with a fiat pair (BTC/USD) or a stablecoin pair (BTC/USDT or BTC/USDC). The top 5 most liquid exchanges are listed below, with their respective liquidity depths in dollar and BTC terms (assuming July’s average price of $59K).
Figure 8 – Centralized Exchange % Depth
Source: Coingecko
As to not mitigate the market impact, the sell-offs are likely to occur across several exchanges. The five most liquid exchanges need around $72M outflows, on a given day to have a 2% downward price swing. The potential sell-offs are contingent on creditors finally receiving their assets from Mt. Gox, which is happening very slowly. Furthermore, it is doubtful that once received, they will sell all their BTC immediately, and as such any price action is largely resulting from the negative market sentiment associated with this event.
On-Chain Metrics
Despite the negativity surrounding the market, looking on-chain could help uncover dynamics that might make investors feel positive, and we propose 3 different indicators to look at.
The Market Value to Realized Value Ratio (MVRV) is a metric that assesses Bitcoin’s market valuation relative to its realized value, helping identify market tops and bottoms.
A high MVRV indicates overvaluation and a potential market top, while a low score indicates undervaluation and a potential market bottom.
Figure 9 – Bitcoin MVRV Score
Source: Glassnode
The current MVRV is around levels seen at the end of December 2020, just before Bitcoin rallied from $11K to around the $60K mark. This is also similar to the levels seen towards the end of last year, before the ETF craze which drove Bitcoin to a new all-time high of $75K in early March. Given these historical precedents, this MVRV level suggests a potential for significant upside, making it an opportune time for investors to consider entering the market.
Net Unrealized Profit/Loss (NUPL) indicates the difference between investors’ unrealized profits and losses to assess market sentiment, with positive values suggesting profit-dominant sentiment and negative values indicating loss-dominant sentiment.
This metric is another reason for positivity. Currently, Bitcoin’s NUPL is in the optimism/denial phase, indicating moderate unrealized profits among investors. This suggests that market sentiment is cautiously optimistic, after recent price stagnations led NUPL to drop, and belief to be wiped away. That being said, this is a healthy consolidation for the asset and potentially allows it to spur on.
Figure 10 – Bitcoin Net Unrealized Profit/Loss
Source: Glassnode
- Fear and Greed Index measures market sentiment, with values ranging from 0 (extreme fear) to 100 (extreme greed). It helps investors gauge whether the market is overly bearish or bullish, indicating potential buying or selling opportunities.
Figure 11 – Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index
Source: Glassnode
The Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index was often in the ‘Fear’ region during June and early July. However, this was a positive sign, as it was near levels we had not seen since September 2023, when the asset was trading at $26K, which preceded a historical price rally. Over the weekend, the Fear and Greed Index sprung to Greed levels, suggesting we might be on track for another parabolic run.
Conclusions
• Bitcoin’s turbulence has stemmed from significant selling pressures, particularly the Mt. Gox repayment program.
o The impact of these sell-offs is moderated by Bitcoin’s strong exchange liquidity and potential ETF inflows.
• The dark cloud of the German Government sell-offs is out of the way.
• On-chain metrics suggest the potential for a bullish reversal, indicating now might be an opportune time for investors to consider entering the market.
For investors looking to invest in Bitcoin via a regulated investment vehicle, the following ETPs are available on the European market:
Figure 12 – Top 10 European Bitcoin Products by Assets Under Management Product Ticker
Source: Bloomberg, Data as of July 16th, 2024.
Avg. Daily Spread 20D (bps): refers to the best daily average bid/ask spread over the last 20 days across European exchanges.
This Week’s Calendar
Source: Forex Factory, 21Shares
Research Newsletter
Each week the 21Shares Research team will publish our data-driven insights into the crypto asset world through this newsletter. Please direct any comments, questions, and words of feedback to research@21shares.com
Disclaimer
The information provided does not constitute a prospectus or other offering material and does not contain or constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction. Some of the information published herein may contain forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties and that actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. The information contained herein may not be considered as economic, legal, tax or other advice and users are cautioned to base investment decisions or other decisions solely on the content hereof.
Hashdex Nasdaq Crypto Index ETP, den största kryptoindexprodukten i Europa med över 500 miljoner USD i AUM, har nominerats till ETF Stream Awards 2024, i kategorin ”Digital Assets ETP Of The Year”!
Hashdex är glada över att se sitt engagemang för att tillhandahålla innovativ, reglerad tillgång till kryptotillgångsklassen erkänd. Detta erkännande belyser deras ledarskap när det gäller att utveckla kryptoinvesteringslösningar.
Hashdex Nasdaq Crypto Index ETP, den största kryptoindexprodukten i Europa med över 500 miljoner USD i AUM, har nominerats till ETF Stream Awards 2024, i kategorin ”Digital Assets ETP Of The Year”!
Detta erkännande belyser Hashdex engagemang för att tillhandahålla innovativa, robusta produkter som förenklar tillgången till kryptotillgångarnas värld. HDX1 erbjuder diversifierad exponering och tydlighet på en komplex marknad, vilket förkroppsligar Hashdex uppdrag att föra kryptons framtid in i nutiden av investeringar.
Prisutdelningen äger rum den 28 november i London, där Hashdex kommer att ansluta sig till branschens främsta ETF-spelare.
For years, India has been ramping up to contend with China as the region’s top technology leader. Pandemic-era supply chain issues hastened its successes in luring foreign tech firms. Now, equity investment flows are following suit. Dina Ting, Head of Global Index Portfolio Management at Franklin Templeton, highlights a few factors behind how the subcontinent is benefiting from rotational flows.
As China braces for renewed friction over President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff threats, investor flows may be following similar currents as those of regional supply chain shifts—that is to say, diversifying from China and toward opportunities in markets such as India and Japan.
After the People’s Bank of China revealed the most aggressive stimulus package it’s rolled out since the COVID-19 pandemic, China stock markets saw a short-lived rally at the end of September. A lack of detailed measures targeting consumption seems to have disappointed investors and led the bullish sentiment to deflate.
Adding to the country’s economic woes are societal changes like falling birthrates and a rapidly ageing population. Estimates by China’s National Health Commission suggest the country’s elderly population will grow to over 400 million by about 2035. To better cope with this crisis, China’s statutory retirement age will be extended, starting in January 2025, for the first time since the 1950s.
India investors, meanwhile, are finding the subcontinent—which has already overtaken China as the world’s most populous nation—appealing for its relative immunity to global risks, given its domestic-driven economy. Its younger labor force has also attracted a market pivot to this prime alternative to China manufacturing. For the 12-month period prior to China’s September 2024 stimulus announcement, US-listed India equity exchange traded funds (ETFs) garnered US$7.5 billion in flows—a sharp contrast to the US$6 billion in outflows experienced by China ETFs over the same period.1
Judging by India’s impressive initial public offering (IPO) environment, businesses there are feeling the optimism. The country’s 258 IPOs accounted for 30% of the global total by number by the end of September and 12% by the amount of money raised, in an economy that makes up just over 3% of global GDP.2
And investors in India are taking note. Aided by the improving digitalization of finance and increased internet access, India’s middle class is also an expanding retail investor class. By one measure, nationwide stock trading accounts nearly tripled from 2019 to 2023 to roughly 140 million.3
In dollar terms, total returns for Indian stocks have risen by 93% over the past five years, compared with about a 24% rise overall for emerging markets and drop of 5% for China stocks over the same period.
Many investors seeking to better diversify emerging market exposure or layer in targeted broad country allocation can tap single-country exchange-traded strategies.
Emerging markets in the Asia region are not the only beneficiaries of a potential US-China trade war. Earlier this year, investors were already driving up flows into Japan ETFs. Market watchers consider Japanese stocks to be indirect beneficiaries of Trump’s reflationary economic policy—which may keep interest rates high, thereby boosting the dollar and weakening the yen to the advantage of Japanese exporters.
The MSCI Japan Index is up nearly 21% in US dollar terms in the one-year period ending October 31, 2024. Consumer discretionary, financials and industrials holdings led gains during this time.
An element of uncertainty around the policies of a second Trump term, however, are still causing jitters around Asia, especially given the president-elect’s transactional approach to international relations.
Fortunately, Japan is seeing a renaissance in its semiconductor industry for which Tokyo is investing heavily (more than US$25 billion through 2025) and has established strong multilateral trade partnerships.
Japan has already elevated its role in global supply chain reorganization in recent years, and seeks to take advantage of its clout in joint free trade initiatives, such as the US’s Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity to strengthen its regional supply-chain leadership.
Hashdex kryptokorg nominerad till Digital Assets ETP Of The Year
China’s ETF outflows captured elsewhere in Asia
30IG ETF köper eurodenominerade företagsobligationer med förfall 2030
LAAA ETF – Europas första CLO ETF
AK8G ETF köper tyska statsobligationer med förfall 2027
Börshandlade fonder med månatlig utdelning
Vilka börshandlade fonder lockade mest i oktober 2024?
Post-election recap: Three takeaways for crypto investors
JEQP ETF spårar Nasdaq-100 och ger en månadsvis utdelning
JEIP ETF spårar amerikanska aktier och ger en månadsvis utdelning
-
Nyheter3 veckor sedanBörshandlade fonder med månatlig utdelning
-
Nyheter3 veckor sedanVilka börshandlade fonder lockade mest i oktober 2024?
-
Nyheter2 veckor sedanPost-election recap: Three takeaways for crypto investors
-
Nyheter2 veckor sedanJEQP ETF spårar Nasdaq-100 och ger en månadsvis utdelning
-
Nyheter2 veckor sedanJEIP ETF spårar amerikanska aktier och ger en månadsvis utdelning
-
Nyheter2 veckor sedanNya ETFer från J.P. Morgan ger tillgång till amerikanska företag i kombination med en överlagringsstrategi
-
Nyheter4 veckor sedanKryptokorgar: Automatisk diversifiering av kryptoinvesteringar
-
Nyheter4 dagar sedanNavigating the Landscape of Global App Stores
