WOO, Conflux, KAVA prices lead gains as bank stocks plunge

Woo Network, Conflux, and Kava prices held quite well even as American stocks continued plunging. WOO jumped by over 11.3% in the past 24 hours as we wrote here while Conflux and Kava soared by over 6%. Bitcoin remained steady at $29,000 while Ethereum and BNB prices held at $1,890 and $325, respectively. 

US equities plunge

American stocks continued falling on Thursday as investors reacted to the latest interest rate decision by the Federal Reserve. In it, the bank decided to hike interest rates by 0.25%, bringing the headline rate to between 5.0% and 5.25%. That was the highest rate the US has been in more than a decade.

Analysts believe that the Federal Reserve will now pause rates as it observes the state of the financial market and inflation. The hope is that the elevated inflation will help to limit inflation. Data published last month showed that the headline consumer inflation dropped to 5.0% in March and analysts believe that the situation will continue as crude oil prices continue dropping.

Cryptocurrencies like WOO, CFX, and KAVA did well even as the banking crisis in the US escalated. PacWest stock price has plunged by more than 50% on Thursday while Western Alliance and Comerica slumped. In all, the SPDR Regional Bank ETF dropped by over 5% and has crashed by more than 30% in the past three months. 

Therefore, there is a likelihood that we will see more banks collapse this year. Already, companies like First Republic, Silicon Valley Bank, Signature, and Silvergate have all collapsed. And on Thursday, the Dow Jones, Nasdaq 100, and S&P 500 indices dropped by almost 1% each.

Bank collapses impact on crypto

Analysts believe that the collapse of these regional banks has a positive impact on cryptocurrencies for two main reasons. First, some analysts and investors see cryptocurrencies as safe havens which do well when there are elevated risks. They, especially Bitcoin, are now being seen as safe-haven assets.

Second, the collapse of these banks will lead to a slowdown of the American economy and force the Fed to intervene. In periods like these, the Fed tends to intervene by either reducing its quantitative tightening or by reducing rates.  A pivot of the Fed will likely be positive for WOO, Conflux, KAVA, and other cryptocurrencies as we saw during the pandemic.

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Report: Coinbase share price continues to fall, as regulators and crypto volumes worsen


Key Takeaways

  • Coinbase stock is down 87% from its IPO price, the company now worth $11 billion
  • Regulators are moving in on the industry in the US, creating an increasingly hostile environment
  • Share price reflects these developments, as well as plummeting volume in the crypto space, writes our Head of Research, Dan Ashmore 

Coinbase is at war. 

The exchange is the only publicly traded crypto platform in the US, an attribute that appeared a massive strength at the time of its IPO in April 2021. This was a time when Bitcoin was trading at $63,500, dinner tables were filled with questions such as “how high can it go?”, and everybody wanted a piece of the crypto pie.

Things are a little different today. Coinbase’s status as a public company may be helping it with regard to transparency in an increasingly opaque crypto industry, but it is also presenting its troubles for everybody to see. The stock is down 87% from the price it floated at.  

Coinbase faces a fight on multiple fronts

I wrote a deep dive on the prospects of the company last October, after it was revealed CEO Brian Armstrong had sold 2% of his stake. Seven months on, crypto prices have rebounded strongly but Coinbase’s future seems murkier than ever. 

The company faces challenges on multiple fronts. The first, obviously, is the state of the crypto industry. Prices, volumes and interest have evaporated at an alarming rate over the 18 months. The Federal Reserve’s transition to tight monetary policy in the face of rising inflation has sucked liquidity out of the economy and crushed assets residing on the far end of the risk spectrum. And make no mistake, crypto is most definitely out there on the risk curve. 

Bitcoin has careened down as low as $15,500 this cycle, a drawdown of 77% from its peak. It currently trades at $29,000 following a bumper first quarter of the year, but the issues with Coinbase go beyond merely crypto prices. 

The industry has been under siege from regulators this year, with the SEC in particular clamping down on a space that conceived multiple scandals last year – most notably the spectacular collapse of not-so-stable stablecoin UST and crypto exchange FTX. 

Coinbase is bracing itself for action after it received a Wells notice earlier this year. A Wells notice is a formal warning from the SEC that evidence of proof of lawbreaking has been found, and legal action will likely be recommended. 

The SEC claims Coinbase’s staking service, Prime and Wallet products, as well as its general listing process, may all be in violation of federal securities law.

The exchange is fighting. It has accused the SEC of levelling legal accusations “on the fly” and contended that legal action against Coinbase would pose “major programmatic risks” and would “fail on the merits”. 

The exchange has repeatedly criticised the lack of regulatory clarity for crypto. SEC chair Gary Gensler has contended that “Crypto markets suffer from a lack of regulatory compliance. It’s not a lack of regulatory clarity”. 

But like it or loathe it, the SEC is calling the shots, and this is all very bad news for Coinbase. The fear is very real that the US environment is simply becoming too hostile for crypto. Coinbase knows this, even if it disagrees with why it is happening. 

This week, it announced the launch of the Coinbase International Exchange (CIE), an institutional platform for international derivatives trading. But the fear can really be seen in the share price. While we mentioned the fact the crypto industry has been ravaged, Coinbase has underperformed even Bitcoin significantly over the last year. 

Perhaps the two best benchmarks for Coinbase’s performance are Bitcoin and the Nasdaq. The below chart shows how wide the chasm has been.

Even this year, as prices have rebounded across the crypto industry, the exchange has failed to keep up. Its stock may be up 44% year-to-date, but Bitcoin is up 68%. 

The bottom line is that Coinbase has two huge problems. The first is that the industry it operates is has melted down compared to the lofty highs during the pandemic, and the second is that regulators are very much threatening its existence as a US company. 

Neither of those problems have easy fixes. And the share price reflects that. 

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Fed’s decision had no impact on the crypto market – yet

  • Federal Reserve raised the funds rate by another 25bp
  • Jerome Powell hinted at the end of the tightening cycle
  • The US dollar did not move following the Fed’s decision

The Federal Reserve of the United States (Fed) delivered its interest rate decision yesterday. It was, by far, one of the most important Fed meetings because of the tough job lying ahead of Chair Powell.

It was all about communication. On the one hand, the Fed tightened financial conditions again by raising the funds rate by 25bp.

On the other hand, it wanted to say that it was time to pause the rate hikes without the market understanding that rate cuts would follow. The market, however, priced in several rate cuts until the end of the trading year – something that Powell dismissed completely.

However, it would not be the first time when the market forced the Fed to do something it did not plan to. Therefore, there is always a struggle to find the right balance between the appropriate monetary policy decision and the right way to deliver it.

Bitcoin chart by TradingView

The crypto market did not move following Powell’s press conference

The rate hike was largely priced in way before the Fed’s statement. However, the press conference was supposed to move markets.

But it did not. The US dollar traded in a tight range, which was also obvious in the cryptocurrency market.

Bitcoin, for example, moves in a tight range for the industry’s standards and is still trading at levels seen at the start of April.

Part of the reason for the lack of activity might be attributed to Jerome Powell. He delivered a great press conference that left no doubts about the Fed’s intentions. Hence, both bulls and bears were content, and now the focus shifts to the jobs report on Friday.

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AltSignals is 63% sold out as the hunt for new tokens takes SUI tokens to new heights

  • AltSignals presale is now 63% complete as investors camp on new tokens

  • $ASI, the native token, will power ActualizeAI, an AI-based signal service

  • $ASI could rise by 1,000% after listing on exchanges as more investors access the token

AltSignals upcoming token $ASI, currently in the first phase of the presale, is 63.85% sold out. The quick sell-off of the token that will power an AI trading signal service by AltSignals underlines investors’ growing appetite for new tokens. $ASI will be the first of its own for a reputable trading service provider, explaining why investors are anxious. Investors can join the presale here.

SUI token surges 1,000% amid strong demand 

SUI, the token of the highly anticipated Sui Network, went up 1,000% on May 03, shortly after it went live. The price increase underlined investors’ demand for newly launched tokens powering novel use cases. 

Sui is a Layer-1 blockchain network that operates similarly to established protocols like Bitcoin and Ethereum. However, unlike its peers, Sui facilitates instant transactions through Move, a native programming language. Sui also enables parallel transaction processing by scaling horizontally. Enthusiasts see this feature as crucial in the overall scalability and throughput of the network. As such, SUI is expected to be powerful in retail payments as well as gaming. 

The case for SUI is a testament that investors are always searching for the next big thing in crypto, despite the prolonged bear market. AltSignals token $ASI is in no way different. $ASI is unique, and its success is pegged on investors’ belief that it caters to an unmet need in the market – AI-enabled trading. So far, as the presale has shown, investors are highly optimistic.

What is AltSignals and $ASI

AltSignals is a UK-based signal service company that was launched in 2017. Since then, it has grown popular for providing quality trading signals to its over 50,000 members on Telegram. The trading signal service has earned a 4.8/5 star rating on Trustpilot. 

The AltSignals team wants to upgrade its signal-generating service after its early success. It seeks to integrate artificial intelligence, natural language processing, machine learning, and advanced sentiment analysis in signal generation. 

The new AI-powered trading platform, dubbed ActualizeAI, will be powered by $ASI crypto tokens. The tokens will be the unit of membership in ActualizeAI, which holders will use to vote on governance. The idea of fully automated trading, available 24/7, makes ActualizeAI a step higher and why investors are buying $ASI.

Is $ASI a good investment?

Looking at AltSignals in general, $ASI could be a good investment for investors looking to grow earnings through trading digital assets, shares, and forex. The good thing about the signal service is that it has earned a reputation for the past years. Investors know they are dipping their fingers into an already trusted service and company.

$ASI is starting, and its price could skyrocket as more investors join ActualizeAI. It then makes sense to expect huge returns once the token completes the presale and starts to get listed on exchanges. 

Apart from speculating on the price of $ASI, investors can earn by staking the token and participating in trading tournaments. Investors also get early access to exclusive opportunities on the platform. As such, the token could be a good investment for investors seeking passive income. 

Will $ASI reach $1 in 2023?

$ASI is valued at $0.015 presently. To get to $1, the token must rise by over 6,500%. This could be an over-ambitious prediction for 2023, although we can’t rule out the price in the future. 

Our conservative prediction is $0.15 when the token is listed on major exchanges, which is expected to occur in the second quarter. As we already saw with SUI, newly launched tokens easily rise by over 1,000% when demand is strong. Thus, if $ASI rises by similar margins, given the current and expected demand, a 10x price is most likely. 

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Optimistic Tone Lifts Cryptocurrency Market. Metacade, Post Presale, Holds Strong as It Lists on Exchanges

While crypto investing can produce significant percentage gains over a long-term timeframe, investors seeking quick gains at the top of prolonged rallies often see negative returns. The cryptocurrency market tends to fluctuate between maximum fear and maximum greed, with widespread bullish sentiment occasionally producing the inverse effect on the market.

Crypto investing has been rewarding recently, with new projects such as Metacade seeing major success during their early stages. Many participating in crypto investing are wondering whether prices will continue to rise or whether a correction is imminent, and what this might mean for promising new projects such as Metacade.

Crypto investing becomes overbearingly bullish. What could this mean for Metacade?

Sentiment has remained bullish in the cryptocurrency market as Bitcoin (BTC) recently broke through a critical psychological resistance level at $30,000. Shortly after, Ethereum (ETH) broke $2,000 and kickstarted calls for an alt season following a multi-month Bitcoin rally.

Alt seasons can be prime times to buy as crypto investing often produces significant returns during this period. However, it remains to be seen whether 2023 will have a fully-fledged alt season, as some leading tokens in the cryptocurrency market have yet to retest support.

The cryptocurrency market is filled with new altcoin opportunities, including the emergence of Metacade – a comprehensive GameFi platform that brings extensive earning capabilities to its community. The MCADE token has just been launched on UniSwap and Bitmart, which has generated excitement among the Web3 community.

The MCADE token presale was a major success, raising $16.4 million worth of investment to develop the blockchain arcade. Metacade has been one of the most exciting new platforms in the cryptocurrency GameFi market during 2023, as investors have strongly backed its expansive, community-based and futuristic Game-Fi vision.

Could MCADE reach $4 in 2025?

Crypto investing during a bear market can potentially produce major long-term returns, especially when purchasing promising new tokens such as MCADE. Whether or not the recent rally in the cryptocurrency markets continues, the MCADE token is widely considered to have vast potential for the future.

MCADE is fresh from a successful presale and two popular exchange listings in April 2023. The token can now be purchased on both Uniswap and Bitmart, which could boost overall demand for the project in the coming months and years.

Crypto price analysts have highlighted MCADE’s innate utility and deflationary tokenomics as reasons to be bullish. Some put the 2025 MCADE price prediction at $3.50 – a significant price increase from its current price of $0.039.

What is Metacade?

Metacade will become the largest on-chain arcade in Web3, offering a vast selection of different play-to-earn (P2E) arcade games that each has integrated earning potential for players. The project is a community-driven initiative built by gamers for gamers, which can help usher in a new era of gaming on the blockchain.

A core aim of the Metacade project is to create a central hub for blockchain gamers to enjoy. To do this, the platform brings several variations of the classic P2E mechanic. Metacade’s earning capabilities go beyond gaming to include Create2Earn, Compete2Earn, and Work2Earn.

How does MCADE work?

The MCADE token is used to pay rewards in the metaverse arcade. As well as this, Metacade is developing various DeFi services for crypto investing, including staking to earn a passive yield and voting privileges for the project’s governance proposals.

The metaverse arcade will contain the most extensive collection of Play2Earn arcade games on the blockchain. Gamers can play solo while progressing through infinite levels and trying to beat their high score while earning MCADE token rewards for their in-game achievements.

Competitive gamers can join paid entry tournaments through the Compete2Earn feature. These tournaments will have major prize pools paid in MCADE, which allows players to go head-to-head and test their skills for the chance to gain ultimate victory.

The community hub will reward content creators through Create2Earn. Community members can contribute to the platform in several ways, including posting game reviews, sharing crypto investing alpha, and interacting with other users’ posts. In return, MCADE tokens will be paid out to encourage continued participation.

Finally, Metacade will help crypto enthusiasts kickstart a career in blockchain through the Work2Earn mechanic. One element of Work2Earn is the crypto jobs board, which will advertise open positions at some of the hottest start-ups in Web3. Another is beta testing, where gamers can play brand new P2E games and earn rewards for providing feedback.

Metacade could help drive progress for play to earn gaming

The project aims to usher in a new era for the gaming cryptocurrency market by helping support new projects during the early stages of development. The Metagrants program will involve a voting process from the Metacade community, where the most in-demand titles are provided with early stage funding to help bring the game into the Metaverse arcade when it’s built.

Metacade supports developers and community members directly and unlocks the true power of decentralization. With generous rewards for gamers, a variety of additional earning mechanics, and supporting innovation in the space, Metacade could be a true gamechanger for play to earn.

Is MCADE worth buying?

Price analysts have highlighted Metacade’s fundamental solid characteristics as a good reason to be bullish for the future. GameFi has vast disruptive potential for the wider gaming industry, which is why GameFi crypto investing has produced over 100x gains for several of the leading projects in the cryptocurrency market.

Metacade combines the best elements of play-to-earn gaming with a sprawling, decentralized community. To learn more about how to buy MCADE, head over to the project’s website. The MCADE token is currently valued at $0.039 and may be the ideal addition to a long-term GameFi portfolio.

You can find more information, including how to buy MCADE, here.

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