Features Crypto News by Thebittimes.Com

Solana has drastically outperformed other major crypto assets, gaining nearly 200% in the last month. Solana (SOL) has reached new yearly highs, gaining more than 17% the day after ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood lauded the network for its efficiency and cost-effectiveness. In a Nov. 15 CNBC interview, Wood described the Solana network as a major infrastructure player in the wider blockchain ecosystem and added it had been doing a “really good job” in the recent market conditions. Wood praised the Solana network for being faster and more efficient than the Ethereum network. “Ether was faster and cheaper than Bitcoin in the day — that’s how we got Ether. Solana is even faster and cost-effective than Ether” Wood spoke of Ethereum and Solana as important additions to the blockchain ecosystem, describing them as crucial infrastructure layers — capable of more real-world applications than Bitcoin. While the broader crypto market is on an uptrend, Solana’s gains have significantly outpaced thos...

ETH rallied alongside Bitcoin as new spot ETF news emerged, and the altcoin could benefit from the failure of its layer-1 competitors. Ether (ETH) price has declined by 14.7% since its peak at $2,120 on April 16, 2023. However, two derivatives metrics indicate that investors have not felt this bullish in over a year. This discrepancy warrants an investigation into whether the recent optimism is a broader response to Bitcoin (BTC) breaking above $34,000 on Oct. 24. One possible reason for the surge in enthusiasm among investors using ETH derivatives is the overall market's excitement regarding the potential approval of a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the United States. According to analysts from Bloomberg, the ongoing amendments to the spot Bitcoin ETF proposals can be seen as a “good sign” of progress and impending approvals. This development is expected to drive the entire cryptocurrency market to higher price levels. Interestingly, comments issued by the U.S. SEC C...

Bitcoin and select altcoins are looking strong at the start of October, but will the flashpan bullish momentum last? The United States legislators in the House and Senate came to a temporary agreement on Sep. 30 and averted a government shutdown for 45 days. This news could have acted as a catalyst for Bitcoin’s (BTC) sharp rally on Oct. 1. Additionally, the historically strong performance of Bitcoin in October could have boosted sentiment further. The U.S. stock markets are also in a sweet spot in October. Data from the Stock Trader’s Almanac shows that the S&P 500 Index (SPX) has risen by an average of 0.9% in October, between 1950 and 2021. However, it does not mean that the bulls can be carefree because the stock market weathered one of its worst declines in the Black Monday crash in October 1987. Daily cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360 While a short-term up-move is possible in the cryptocurrency markets, it is unlikely to start a runaway rally. Higher levels ...

Bitcoin and altcoins lose more ground after comments from the Federal Reserve suggest that the regime of interest rate hikes could continue into 2024. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell spoke today and in his Jackson Hole speech he cautioned that inflation remains too high and that the central bank remains open to raising rates further if needed. The remarks by Powell strengthen the narrative that interest rates are likely to remain higher for longer.  However, a positive sign is that after a brief sell-off, the United States equities markets have recovered from their intraday lows. With the event having passed without any major price movement, traders are back to guessing as to what could move the markets next. Daily cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360 Pantera Capital believes that Bitcoin’s (BTC) price action will continue to follow its previous halving cycles. If that happens, Bitcoin could rise to $35,000 by April 2024 when the next halving is expected to occur. Af...

Ethereum price is down today and a growing list of challenges could continue to weigh on ETH price for the foreseeable future. Ether (ETH) price is down on Dec. 16 and the pre-FOMC rally to $1,350 was obliterated after Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell issued hawkish statements following a 0.50% hike in interest rates. The Ether sell-off follows a market-wide decline that has sent Ethereum network fees plummeting by 39.90% in the past 30-days. Daily Ethereum network fees and daily active users. Source: TokenTerminal The total value locked in Ethereum-based smart contracts also decreased by decentralized finance by 4.49% in 24-hours. Following the FTX exchange scandal, regulators are attempting to fast-track new regulations on the cryptocurrency sector. Total USD value locked on the Ethereum network. Source: DefiLlama While some analysts believe Ethereum still possesses multiple bullish catalysts that warrant investing in the asset, on-chain data paints a grim picture of its short-...

Expectations of stringent regulation and further contagion from FTX continue to weigh on ETH price, but derivatives are showing a modest improvement in sentiment. Ether (ETH) rallied 5.5% in the early hours of Nov. 29, reclaiming the critical $1,200 support. However, when analyzing a broader time frame, the 24% negative performance in the past 30 days significantly impacts investors' sentiment. Moreover, investors’ mood worsened after BlockFi filed for bankruptcy on Nov. 28. Newsflow remained negative after the United States Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced a settlement with Kraken exchange for "apparent violations of sanctions against Iran." In a Nov. 28 announcement, the OFAC said Kraken had agreed to pay more than $362,000 as part of a deal "to settle its potential civil liability." Moreover, on Nov. 28, institutional crypto financial services provider Silvergate Capital denied rumors of significant exposure to Blo...

Turmoil in China, concerns over the global economy and BlockFi’s bankruptcy filing are all weighing on crypto markets this week. China witnessed a spike in Covid cases and that has resulted in strict lockdown restrictions in several parts of the country. This triggered widespread protests in China and has possibly pulled the global stock Markets lower.  In addition to the turmoil in China, the cryptocurrency markets, which are already in a bear grip, are reeling under pressure from the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing by BlockFi and its subsidiaries. Bitcoin (BTC) is down 21% in November, on track to its worst November performance since 2018. Daily cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360 The sharp fall in Bitcoin’s price has drastically reduced the number of wallets holding more than $1 million worth of Bitcoin. There were 112,898 millionaire wallets on Nov. 8, 2021, but Glassnode data shows that as of Nov. 25, only 23,245 wallets boast of a Bitcoin balance worth $1 million or ...