By Omkar Godbole (All times ET unless indicated otherwise)
Eric Trump was right when he reportedly said on Sept. 27 that the fourth quarter would be unbelievable for crypto holders. It has been so far … just not the way bulls would have hoped.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
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Bitcoin BTC$83,292.08 has plunged 28% to $82,000, with a drop of over 5% in the past 24 hours alone. Total crypto market capitalization has shrunk 27% to $2.8 trillion.
Regular readers of the Daybook are well aware of the catalysts: the Oct. 10 auto-deleveraging event that rattled market confidence, leaving arbitrageurs as marginal sellers in the spot market; the exhaustion of the digital-asset treasury narrative; a strengthening dollar; diminishing expectations for interest-rate cuts in the U.S.
On top of that, spot bitcoin and ether ETFs are seeing record redemptions. These investment vehicles are viewed as proxies for institutional capital, which we were told tends to be sticky and takes long-term positions.
If that’s the case, then these record outflows make me wonder: Are these redemptions and price declines a sign of institutions preparing for a bigger macroeconomic stress? After all, bitcoin and the wider crypto market are fundamentally liquidity-driven, risk-on/risk-off plays. Note that BTC peaked at least a month before stocks did in late 2021.
These may evolve into a bigger crisis. For now, the crypto market dip keeps giving, with BTC’s price chart showing next major support directly at around $75,000 alongside growing investor interest in deep out-of-the-money puts tied to BlackRock’s spot ETF. Stay alert!
Read more: For analysis of today’s activity in altcoins and derivatives, see Crypto Markets Today
What to Watch
For a more comprehensive list of events this week, see CoinDesk’s “Crypto Week Ahead“.
Crypto
Nothing scheduled.
Macro
Nov. 21, 8:45 a.m.: Fed Vice Chair Philip N. Jefferson speech on “Financial Stability.” Watch live.
Nov. 21, 9:45 a.m.: S&P Global U.S. Nov. PMI. Manufacturing Est. 52, Services Est. 54.6, Composite Est. 54.5.
Nov. 21, 10 a.m.: University of Michigan’s Final Nov. data. Consumer Sentiment Index Est. 50.5, 5-Year Inflation Expectations Est. 3.6%.
BTC Falls Toward Mid-$80Ks as Market Structure Weakens Into Year-End (CoinDesk): Market maker FlowDesk said coins from long-dormant wallets are flooding exchanges and overwhelming bids, leading to defensive positioning, thin liquidity and a rotation into lower-strike puts for downside protection.
Yen Slump Is Bullish for BTC and Risk Assets. Or Is It? (CoinDesk): Rising yields in Japan are no longer lifting the yen as mounting debt fears and monetary policy constraints undermine investor confidence and cloud its usefulness as a signal for crypto markets.
Bitcoin Heading for Worst Month Since Crypto Collapse of 2022 (Bloomberg): Bitcoin has shed about 23% this month, analysts say, as massive liquidations, spot ETF outflows and weak institutional demand deepen a correction in what could become the worst month since June 2022.
Japan Approves $135 Billion Stimulus Shot to Help Households, Economy (The Wall Street Journal): The liquidity injection signals a pivot to aggressive fiscal policy, lifting growth expectations but stoking fears of debt strain, further yen depreciation and reduced monetary policy flexibility.