Bitcoin is down to start the week, dropping to around $29,300, a decrease of 1.92% in the last 24 hours. The CoinDesk Market Index (CMI), which measures the performance of the broader digital asset market, is also in the red, down 2.38% at 1,266.87. BTC’s trading range is still relatively narrow, reflecting the cautious stance of investors. “Although market dynamics in summer months can tend toward volatility with lower trading flows, the recent period has been remarkably calm for top crypto assets in the market,” Simon Peters, a market analyst at eToro said. “The softening of the price we’re watching currently suggests investors are looking for positivity to cling to, but with little forthcoming for now it is very much wait and see.”
Bitcoin price down around 1.9% (CoinDesk)
Elon Musk is rebranding Twitter to X, prompting surges in scores of X tokens as traders jumped on the potential opportunity to eke out some small profits. One token, related to a project that shut in May, jumped as much as 1,200% while the new “AI-X” token opportunistically issued over the weekend following Musk’s announcement jumped 10-fold. “Meme coins are huge parts of the crypto trading landscape, whether we like it or not,” James Wo, founder at crypto fund DFG, told CoinDesk at the heights of one such meme obsession. “While the biggest currencies like bitcoin and ether have very low volatility, it’s only natural that traders will look for opportunities elsewhere.”
Worldcoin, the crypto project of ChatGPT founder Sam Altman, has gone live with its token WLD surging 62% to $2.60, according to data from CoinGecko. Crypto exchanges Binance, Huobi, Bybit and OKX have listed WLD, with spot trading of WLD/USDT, WLD/USDC and WLD/BTC available. The aim of the project, which raised $115 million in May, is to establish a decentralized digital identity system in order to preserve personal privacy. More than 2 million people were onboarded while the project was still in beta. WLD is not currently available in the U.S. owing to regulatory uncertainty.
A message from Kraken
Powerful. Customizable. Beautiful.
Meet the all-new Kraken Pro—the powerful, customizable, beautiful way to trade crypto. Packed with new trading and analytics tools, a polished UI and fully-customizable trading interface, it’s our most powerful and flexible trading platform—ever. Sign up in minutes and start trading like a pro.
Not investment advice. Some crypto products and markets are unregulated. The unpredictable nature of the cryptoasset markets can lead to loss of funds and profits may be subject to capital gains tax.
Market Insight: Bitcoin Traders Showing Caution
Bitcoin traders in the perpetual futures market are exercising caution, unwilling to take on high leverage, according to data tracked by Glassnode and Blockware Solutions.
The open interest in the BTC perpetual futures as a percentage of bitcoin’s market cap has been locked between 1.5% and 1.7% in the last four weeks, well below the 2.6% high of September last year.
“Open interest/market cap ratio remains relatively low, which means that spot will likely keep driving the price higher in the short to medium term as supply continues to slowly contract into the hands of long-term holders,” analysts at Blockware Solutions said in a newsletter on Friday.
Open interest refers to the dollar value locked in the number of active contracts. Leverage allows traders to open positions worth more than the money or coins deposited as a margin at the exchange and can magnify both profits and losses as well as exposing traders to liquidations. The higher the degree of leverage, the greater the probability that liquidations inject volatility into the market.
Disclaimer: This article was written and edited by CoinDesk journalists with the sole purpose of informing the reader with accurate information. If you click on a link from Glassnode, CoinDesk may earn a commission. For more, see our Ethics Policy.
The chart by Marex shows U.S. investors can express their bullish view on bitcoin either through long positions in Grayscale Bitcoin Trust Shares or via long BTC positions in the spot and futures markets.
The long position in GBTC is often paired with a short position in BTC spot/futures markets when traders bet on narrowing the GBTC discount relative to the trust’s net asset value. The so-called spread trade has recently become popular thanks to spot bitcoin-ETF optimism.
The short position of the spread trade puts downward pressure on BTC’s price, according to Marex. If and when the discount evaporates, the spread will be squared off, putting upward pressure on bitcoin’s price.
Disclaimer: The information presented in this message is intended as a news item that provides a brief summary of various events and developments that affect, or that might in the future affect, the value of one or more of the cryptocurrencies described above. The information contained in this message, and any information liked through the items contained herein, is not intended to provide sufficient information to form the basis for an investment decision. The information presented herein is accurate only as of its date, and it was not prepared by a research analyst or other investment professional. You should seek additional information regarding the merits and risks of investing in any cryptocurrency before deciding to purchase or sell any such instruments.
It is now more important than ever to set industry standards and align on practical short-term and long-term objectives through pointed conversations with the best legal minds and Washington D.C.’s most important decision makers.
Join us at State of Crypto: Policy and Regulation on October 24 in Washington D.C. for an unprecedented opportunity to evaluate, dissect and ultimately shape crypto regulatory frameworks that support a vibrant, secure and healthy future for the digital economy.
