The equity markets in Europe and the United States are seeing a sea of red as traders continue to sell risky assets due to the geopolitical situation. Bitcoin (BTC) and several major cryptocurrencies are also witnessing profit-booking after the recent rise. Another reason that could be keeping investors on the edge is the upcoming Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting on March 16. A statement from Fed Chair Jerome Powell on March 2 highlighted that the central bank is likely to hike rates this month. Fitch Ratings chief economist Brian Coulton expects core inflation to remain high in 2022 and …

The speculation regarding the U.S. Federal Reserve’s tightening cycle and recent geopolitical developments may have resulted in panic selling by short-term traders. Analysis from Glassnode suggested that traders who had purchased Bitcoin (BTC) near the November 2021 high liquidated their positions in the past two and half months. This supply was absorbed by high conviction investors, which resulted in a redistribution from weak hands to strong hands. The crypto market, due to its resilience, continues to attract erstwhile naysayers to its fold. The latest popular figure to have a change of heart is Ken Griffin, founder of American multinational hedge …

Bitcoin (BTC) soared above $40,000 on Feb. 28 even though the S&P 500 remained soft. This suggests that the correlation between Bitcoin and the U.S. equity markets may be showing the first signs of decoupling. If bulls sustain the price above $38,500 till the end of the day, Bitcoin would avoid four successive months of decline. The volatility of the past few days does not seem to have shaken the resolve of the long-term investors planning to stick with their positions. Data from on-chain analytics firm Glassnode showed that the amount of Bitcoin supply that last moved between three to …

The U.S. equity markets and Bitcoin (BTC) have rebounded sharply from their Feb. 24 lows while gold has made a retreat from its recent highs. This indicates that investors may be buying risky assets and reducing exposure to assets perceived as a safe haven. Recent reports also suggest that Russian President Vladimir Putin may send a delegation to negotiate with Ukraine and this raises hope that the conflict could end sooner than analysts expect. Some analysts believe that the U.S. Federal Reserve may not raise rates aggressively in March due to the geopolitical situation. Allianz chief economic advisor Mohamed El-Erian …

Bitcoin (BTC) and several altcoins have bounced off their immediate support levels after buyers attempted to arrest the current decline. Bloomberg Senior Commodity Strategist Mike McGlone highlighted in a recent Tweet that Bitcoin was trading roughly 20% below its 50-week moving average and such discounted levels have “often resulted in good price support.” The bearish price action of the past few days does not seem to have deterred the institutional traders from accumulating at lower levels. According to CoinShares’ Feb. 22 “Digital Asset Fund Flows Weekly” report, institutional investors pumped about $89 million into Bitcoin funds between Feb. 14 and …

A former executive from the Securities and Exchange Commission believes the regulator has a good chance of losing its $1.3 billion lawsuit against Ripple “on the merits” of the case. Attorney Joseph Hall also voiced concerns over what the SEC’s endgame could be regarding the high-stakes case against Ripple (XRP), which will have ramifications for the entire industry. The lawsuit alleges that the company and its co-founders, Brad Garlinghouse and Christian Larsen, failed to notify the SEC about its sale of XRP beginning in 2013, and that the tokens are unregistered securities. The SEC is trying to prove that securities …

Bitcoin (BTC) dipped below $38,000 on Feb. 21 but the bulls are attempting to arrest the decline and start a recovery. The sustained weakness in 2022 seems to have toned down expectations of a strong rally. Huobi crypto exchange co-founder Du Jun said that if the Bitcoin halving cycle repeats, then the current weakness could be the start of a bear market. Jun believes that the next Bitcoin bull cycle is expected to begin either at the end of 2024 or at the beginning of 2025. In the short term, crypto markets are likely to be influenced by the geopolitical …

Bitcoin (BTC) sold off along with the U.S. equity markets on Feb. 17 on reports that Russia expelled Bart Gorman, the second highest-ranking American official from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and U.S. President Joe Biden cautioned that the threat of a Ukrainian invasion by Russia remains “very high.” Although the near-term correlation between Bitcoin and the U.S. equity markets remains high, Pantera Capital CEO Dan Morehead said in a recent newsletter that the “markets will decouple soon.” Morehead mentioned that the U.S. Federal Reserve’s rate hikes will be negative for bonds, stocks and real estate and cryptocurrencies may be …

Bitcoin (BTC) and the US equity markets are facing selling on Feb. 16 as traders seem to be trimming positions in assets perceived to be risky on the accusation by NATO that Russia continues to build troops near the Ukrainian border. This is contrary to claims by Moscow that Russian troops are returning to their permanent deployments after completion of the exercise. This geopolitical uncertainty could result in increased volatility in the near term. However, the longer-term fundamentals continue to strengthen. PwC Luxembourg, in a recent report, said that 61% of 123 Luxembourg-based financial players have either started or plan …

Ripple’s court battle with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission has recently seen new developments that, according to some observers, could foreshadow an impending resolution of this massively consequential case. Feb. 17 marks the deadline for Ripple to unseal a series of 2012 documents whose contents will likely sway the opinions of both the court and the public toward either one side or another. In another plot twist, the court’s decision to treat some of the SEC’s documents as open to discovery could set a groundbreaking precedent for similar cases involving U.S. executive agencies. Here is where things stand …

Bitcoin (BTC) has given back some of its recent gains, but on-chain data resource Ecoinometrics said that whales are accumulating because they believe the price is attractive from a long-term perspective. On the downside, analyst Willy Woo believes that $33,000 is a strong bottom for Bitcoin. Popular Twitter trader Credible Crypto citing data from PlanC said that the odds of Bitcoin declining below $30,000 are poor. Fidelity Digital Assets Head of Research Chris Kuiper believes that Bitcoin's downside risk could be minimal when compared to other digital assets, but it could rally substantially if it manages to replace gold as …

XRP price has continued to bounce back after falling by more than 70% in a correction between April 2021 and January 2022. Why the XRP/USD 50-week EMA is key On Feb. 13, XRP/USD reached as high as $0.916, above its 50-week exponential moving average (50-week EMA; the red wave) around $0.833. The upside move, albeit not decisive, opened possibilities for further bullish momentum, mainly owing to a historical buying sentiment around the said wave. For instance, traders had successfully reclaimed the 50-week EMA as support in the week ending July 27, 2020, more than a year after flipping the wave …