Crypto roundup: Is Bitcoin entering a… crab market? FTSE developing crypto index
Coinhead
Coinhead
With the crypto market getting its cues and clues from macro forces, some analysts are predicting potential choppy sideways action and a clawing sense of uncertainty for Bitcoin in the next month or two.
At the time of writing, trading on the major US stock markets, as reflected by the S&P 500 market index, has opened without too much drama. In fact, the index is up more than one percentage point right now. A few more words from the US Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell this week, though, and who knows what could happen.
As for the crypto market, it’s down about two per cent from this time yesterday, but in better shape than it appeared at the start of the weekend just passed.
All coins in the top 10 by market cap, aside from Terra (LUNA), are within about a percentage point or so to the positive or negative compared with this time on Sunday. And the fact that Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) are both looking a fair bit healthier than a couple of days ago, at present, is cause for at least some temporary encouragement.
LUNA, by the way, having mooned past Dogecoin into the top 10, has pulled back a little bit – a bit of buyer exhaustion there, perhaps. It’s currently down 8.5% in the past 24 hours.
Perhaps hinting at the possibility this bull market ain’t done yet, there are the odd few double-digit gainers in the top 100 standing out today, including: OKB (OKB) +13.8%; PancakeSwap (CAKE) +11.5%; BitTorrent (BTT) +15%; Basic Attention Token (BAT) +11%; and Ecomi (OMI) +10%.
Some analysts, though, aren’t particularly sold on the idea that the crypto bull market will kick back into gear any time soon – at least not necessarily this month. There are, however, more crystal balls floating about Crypto Twitter than a fortune-teller convention. Copious grains of salt always required.
But here are some of the better known analysts predicting a bit of a crab (sideways) market for the meantime, including self-described possible cyborg, Kevin Svenson…
Expect multi-week sideways action#Bitcoin
— Kevin Svenson (@KevinSvenson_) December 5, 2021
The wunderkind on-chain data genius Will Clemente, meanwhile, added in an ultimately positive resolution to the chop…
The main thing that’s had me cautious lately was derivatives. Now that we’ve flushed out open interest, spot is in control. Still think we consolidate a bit before moving higher though.
— Will (@WClementeIII) December 6, 2021
… while his fellow on-chain guru, the Kiwi-born Willy Woo, believes the OG crypto is “trading at a decent discount”.
This model does a look back on previous times that #bitcoin had similar on-chain demand.
We're currently trading at a decent discount.
It's a model for investors, not traders who can easily be liquidated well before the model plays out. pic.twitter.com/w9byxBiX6M
— Willy Woo (@woonomic) December 6, 2021
Scott “the Wolf of All Streets” Melker believe’s Bitcoin could well “drive people nuts” for months, however, as it potentially ranges between its recent low of about US$42k and about the US$53k mark.
My general view.
>53K again resumes the bullish case
<42K again puts 28K back in playEverything between the 2 numbers now is ranging chop that will drive traders into a panic.
People will be extremely bullish at 53K and bearish at 42K, if either is reached.
— The Wolf Of All Streets (@scottmelker) December 6, 2021
My best guess is that we test both and drive people nuts for a few months?
— The Wolf Of All Streets (@scottmelker) December 6, 2021
And if that sideways action does actually take place, or even if things do take more of a tumble from here, you can probably put a decent bet on that certain usual über-bullish suspects will be buying the Bitcoin dip. Heavily.
Everyone is going to want #Bitcoin for Christmas.🎄
— Michael Saylor⚡️ (@saylor) December 5, 2021
One of those will surely be El Salvador’s backwards-cap-wearing president Nayib Bukele, who provided the tweet of the month so far in response to the usual stuff from US gold bug Peter Schiff…
None.
We’re already in the green from our last purchase, in less than 24 hours.
You know boomer, we have 44,106 oz of gold in our reserves.
Worth $79 million, down 0.37% from a year ago.
If we had sold it a year ago and bought #Bitcoin, it would now be valued at $204 million. https://t.co/e5z9cVsfjg
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) December 4, 2021
And lastly, for this section, a timely reminder from Benjamin “lengthening cycles, diminishing returns” Cowen about, well, a potential lengthening Bitcoin bull-market cycle…
just a reminder not to assume #Bitcoin has to repeat itself every 4 years. I warned about this a few weeks ago. Too many people expect a parabolic rally in Q4 2021 just because we had one in 2013 and 2017. https://t.co/gpKkSMk2Kj
— Benjamin Cowen (@intocryptoverse) December 6, 2021
FTSE Russell, the company behind the benchmark index of the London stock exchange (the FTSE 100), is making a crypto move. A big one. Reports suggest that the firm is developing a crypto index containing 43 digital assets, to apparently sit alongside the FTSE 100 and Russell 2000 indexes.
FTSE Russell reportedly estimates that crypto will have a global market cap greater than US$3 trillion by 2025. Seeing as it’s more than two thirds of the way there now, true believers will probably view that as a somewhat conservative estimate.
Exclusive: FTSE plots development of digital asset index
Kristen Mierzwa, head of ETF strategy at FTSE Russell, told @lilycsrj the crypto index will “sit alongside” the benchmark equities –> https://t.co/d2g4hy1k8J #FTSE100 #Crypto #FTSE #DigitalAsset #cryptocurrency pic.twitter.com/1t1K4AgXyt
— City A.M. (@CityAM) December 6, 2021