While the S&P 500 has been sluggish in the past year, cryptocurrencies are seeing thousands of percent increases over the past few months. That is despite the fact that cryptocurrencies have a speculative nature. Bitcoin, the most popular of all cryptocurrencies, has gained over 500 percent in the past year. However, the increase has been accompanied by a disturbing trend in crypto crimes. Researchers at CiperTrace found that the number of crimes committed with cryptocurrencies has increased over the last year.
Ethereum fell below $1,000
The Ethereum price dropped by 40% in one week, and some investors are wondering if buying at the current price point is a good idea. This is especially true considering the price drop in the entire crypto market. Since the collapse of TerraUSD and Luna, the entire market has been in free fall. When the coins lost their dollar peg, investors panic-sold. When the coin Celsius announced that it will stop withdrawals, the market went into free fall as well.
Ethereum’s price dipped below the psychological level of $1,000 yesterday, but has since recovered to trade above the psychological mark of $1,100. However, there is a possibility that Ethereum could fall below $1,000 once again.
Ether’s price breached $19,000
The price of Ether and bitcoin fell almost 10% on Saturday, resulting in the first time in two years that both cryptocurrencies fell below $19,000. Bitcoin is down by nearly 35% in the past week and Ethereum is down over 80% from its all-time high in November. Ether’s price has now fallen almost 11% in the last 24 hours to just under $1900. The price of ether has now plunged 70% from its all-time high of $19,511 and the Bitcoin price has been below $1,000 for 12 days in a row.
The sagging price of Bitcoin and Ether has caused a lot of uncertainty in the market, with speculation and short-term price action driving the price. As a result, bitcoin fell sharply last week, and many investors dumped risky assets such as crypto. This has led to a shaky mood in the crypto community, with rising interest rates and bad news cycles weighing on risky assets. The Federal Reserve recently increased interest rates by three quarters of a percentage point, and central bankers are signaling aggressive hikes in the coming year.
Dogecoin dropped below $1,000
The Dogecoin community has been trying to get back to its motto of “Do Good Everyday,” which was first outlined in December 2013. The founder of the Dogecoin community, Jackson Palmer, felt that the community had lost its spirit after it became too greedy. He described the community’s environment as “toxic” and “fuelled by greed.”
Cryptocurrency is a new technology and it is difficult to evaluate the fundamentals of crypto currencies. Unless you have decades worth of data, it’s impossible to measure the value of a digital currency. However, the community and memes that are currently attached to Dogecoin may still give it a long-term value.
Three Arrows Capital defaulted on its debt
Three Arrows Capital is in default on its debt. The crypto hedge fund owes over $658 million to Voyager Digital, which is based in London. Its debt is composed of $15,250 bitcoins, which are worth more than $300 million. The company also owes over $350 million in USDC, which is worth more than $340 million. Despite the default, the company is continuing to operate as usual, backed by additional capital from Alameda Ventures Ltd.
The fund has hired consultancy firm Teneo as liquidators. The firm will liquidate the funds of Three Arrows Capital, which is managed by ex-Credit Suisse traders Zhu Su and Kyle Davies. It has also received help from US-based crypto lenders BlockFi and Genesis. Three Arrows Capital has acknowledged heavy losses, but it has said it was communicating with relevant parties. Three Arrows Capital is the latest company to fall victim to the crypto market crash. Earlier this month, crypto bank Celsius also collapsed and was liquidated.
The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates three times this year
The Fed has raised interest rates three times this year, and it will probably raise them again in September. Traders currently assign a 53% probability of a rate hike this fall, which is also the next meeting of the Fed’s policymaking committee. This meeting takes place in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Traders also expect the Fed to start cutting rates by the summer of next year. However, FOMC committee projections show that it will not make a cut until 2024.
This rate hike comes at a time when the US economy is teetering on the edge of recession and inflation is near a four-decade high. As the Fed noted in a statement, it is highly attentive to inflation risks. Although recent job gains have been strong and the unemployment rate has remained low, inflation remains elevated and is largely related to supply and demand imbalances relating to the pandemic. Rising energy prices are also adding to price pressures.
Regulations on the crypto market
Cryptocurrency has been gaining popularity due to a lack of regulations. But the lack of regulation has resulted in a number of problems, including the loss of anonymity. Regulations will not only affect individual users, but also institutional investors. One example of an issue is KYC/AML, which requires users to prove their identity when registering.
A number of countries have begun to develop regulatory frameworks for the crypto market. Most recently, the G20 summit in Argentina has set a July deadline for member nations to submit their recommendations on how to regulate crypto. Although the crypto market is still considered a largely unregulated space, regulations are a necessary step to protect consumers and prevent bad actors from causing financial harm.