Bitcoin dips by 2% today as mining difficulty falls by 7.2%

  • Bitcoin is trading below $17k once again after losing roughly 2% of its value today.

  • Bitcoin mining difficulty is down 7.2%, the biggest drop in more than a year. 

  • The total crypto market cap is also down by nearly 2% in the last 24 hours.

Bitcoin mining difficulty dips by 7.2%

Bitcoin, the world’s leading cryptocurrency by market cap, has been underperforming over the last 24 hours. At press time, the price of Bitcoin stands at $16,900 and could dip lower before the end of the day.

This latest cryptocurrency news comes after BTC.com revealed that Bitcoin mining difficulty is down 7.2%, the biggest drop since July last year. The recent decline in Bitcoin mining difficulty is the biggest one since the 28% plunge recorded following China’s crackdown on mining in the summer of last year.

The broader cryptocurrency market has also been underperforming over the past 24 hours. At press time, the total cryptocurrency market cap stands at $851 billion, down by 1.9% so far today.

Ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, isn’t fairing any better. ETH is down by nearly 3% today and is now trading at $1,256 per coin.

Key levels to watch

The BTC/USD 4-hour chart remains bullish despite BTC underperforming over the past few hours. This is because BTC is still in the green zone when you look at its seven-day performance.

The MACD line remains above the neutral zone but has been declining and could enter the negative region if the bears remain in charge. The 14-day RSI of 50 shows that BTC could enter the oversold region in the near term unless the bulls regain control of the market.

With the bears now in control, BTC could test the first major support level at $16,368 before the end of the day. However, unless there is a massive bearish run, the bears could find it tough to drop BTC’s price below the $15,909 support level. 

Where to buy Bitcoin now

eToro

eToro is a global social investment brokerage company which offers over 75 cryptocurrencies to invest in. It offers crypto trading commission-free and users on the platform have the option to manually invest or socially invest. eToro even has a unique CopyTrader system which allows users to automatically copy the trades of popular investors.

Buy BTC with eToro today

OKX

OKX is a top cryptocurrency exchange which offers over 140 cryptocurrencies to invest in. OKX takes customer security very seriously, they store almost all of their clients‘ funds in cold storage, and the exchange is yet to be hacked. On top of this, the exchange offers very low fees and customers can even use their crypto as collateral for loans on the platform.

Buy BTC with OKX today

The post Bitcoin dips by 2% today as mining difficulty falls by 7.2% appeared first on CoinJournal.

A net flow of 200,000 bitcoins leaves exchanges following FTX collapse, as trust broken


Key Takeaways

  • Exchanges balances are lower by nearly 200,000 bitcoins compared to pre-FTX, as customers have lost all trust in exchanges
  • This trumps the Celsius insolvency of June, where 128,000 bitcoins were pulled from exchanges in the month following Celsius’ demise
  • Terra collapsed in May, but seeing as it was a DeFi protocol, trust in centralised entities had not yet broken at that point
  • Only time will tell how bad the contagion from the FTX bankruptcy is

Trust in cryptocurrency exchanges is at an all-time low. It is not difficult to figure out why, as the collapse of FTX has sent shockwaves through the industry. As of less than a month ago, FTX was considered among the safest exchanges out there. 

Customers pull bitcoins from FTX

The numbers back this up. We at CoinJournal.net looked on-chain, where we have seen Bitcoin flow out of exchanges at unprecedented speed in the aftermath of the FTX bankruptcy. 

In the 27 days since the FTX story started to break, a net figure of nearly 200,000 bitcoins has been pulled from exchanges. It appears thousands of Bitcoin holders are running for the hills with their Bitcoin, pulling to the safety of cold storage. 

“FTX was tier-1 royalty when it came to exchanges. Its collapse has spooked investors, as it should. The transparency of exchanges is incredibly low, and the reality is that it is almost impossible to know what is going on behind the scenes. The movement of Bitcoin off these exchanges shows that customers are realising this”, said Max Coupland, director of CoinJournal. 

Unfortunately, the FTX scandal is far from the only one that has rocked crypto this year. So, how does the reaction of customers differ this time round?

Celsius brought similar panic

When Celsius sent an email out to customers on Sunday, 12th June, 2022 that it was suspending withdrawals on its platform, it was a dagger to the heart of any investors who held assets on the platform. 

While those assets were obviously inaccessible, customers soon panicked that funds held on other lending platforms could soon come under threat, as contagion continued to ripple through the industry. 

The key difference here was that exchanges were not under pressure. Nonetheless, customers still panicked, as the graph below shows. Exchanges balances were reduced by 128,000 bitcoins over the next month, with over 100,000 flowing out in a 5-day period soon after Celsius were declared insolvent. 

 

Terra death spiral was different

The third shocking variable to rock crypto markets this year was the Terra death spiral in May. In fact, this was where everything started. Celsius fell to the ensuing contagion (something I was caught up in too) – alongside Three Arrows Capital,Voyager Digital and a whole load of other firms. 

Notably, this was also when trading firm Alameda Research suffered large losses which led to Bankman-Fried allegedly sending customer deposits from FTX to shore up liquidity at the firm. So in one way, it all stemmed from Terra. 

But Terra was different in that this was not a centralised firm and proved insolvent. This was a decentralised finance protocol with a flawed model. The reaction from customers was therefore vastly different. 

We can see this by looking at the flow of Bitcoins to and from exchanges in the below chart. 

Note that the first few days show a massive influx of Bitcoins to exchanges. This was the warchest that the Luna Foundation Guard held, sent to exchanges to be redeemed as Terra desperately floundered to defend the peg.

After that, the activity is quite normal, with no discernible pattern between bitcoins flowing to and from exchanges. 

2022 Summary

Trust in exchanges has not been this low since the Mt Gox collapse of 2014. But in looking through the entire year of exchange activity, it is clear that two incidents cratered this trust more than any other: Celsius and FTX. 

Regarding the future, only time will tell how badly crypto’s reputation has been dented in the long-term. 

If you use our data, then we would appreciate a link back to https://coinjournal.net. Crediting our work with a link helps us to keep providing you with data analysis research. 

Research Methodology

Data taken from on-chain. Wallets correspond to known public exchange wallets. 

The post A net flow of 200,000 bitcoins leaves exchanges following FTX collapse, as trust broken appeared first on CoinJournal.

The Sandbox adds a weekly 14%. Is the cryptocurrency now bullish?

  • The Sandbox token gained an intraday 7% and 14% in a week

  • The cryptocurrency has been hit hard by a slowdown in metaverse activity

  • SAND faces rejection at the descending trendline

The Sandbox price (SAND) rose by more than 7% on Monday, extending the weekly gains to nearly 14%. The recovery came amid a prolonged bear market and limited activity in the metaverse. But how far can the Sandbox token sustain the recovery?

SAND trades at $0.62, a significant drop from its all-time high of $8.5 in November 2021. The decline has been fueled by a prolonged crypto development and a slowdown in metaverse activity. As the crypto sector recovers and more firms enter the nascent virtuality reality space, SAND will be back to a rally. But that is in the longer term. The short-term shows that the Sandbox token could continue rising, but bulls will face a major test at the descending trendline.

SAND price analysis and outlook as momentum improves

From the chart below, SAND has been trading on a system of lower lows and lower highs. That has resulted in the formation of a descending trendline. 

SAND/USD Chart by TradingView

The RSI has shifted above the midpoint for the first time since November 9. A bullish MACD crossover was initiated recently, in line with the improving momentum. However, the MACD remains below the neutral point.

What next for SAND?

The short-term rally in the Sandbox token is likely to be sustained in the short term. To confirm a sustained surge, the token must overcome the descending trendline. If considering buying SAND now, beware of a potential rejection at or near the descending trendline.

On the flipside, if SAND rises above the descending trendline, the next potential level to watch would be $0.93. 

Where to buy SAND

eToro

eToro is a global social investment brokerage company which offers over 75 cryptocurrencies to invest in. It offers crypto trading commission-free and users on the platform have the option to manually invest or socially invest. eToro even has a unique CopyTrader system which allows users to automatically copy the trades of popular investors.

Buy SAND with eToro today

OKX

OKX is a top cryptocurrency exchange which offers over 140 cryptocurrencies to invest in. OKX takes customer security very seriously, they store almost all of their clients‘ funds in cold storage, and the exchange is yet to be hacked. On top of this, the exchange offers very low fees and customers can even use their crypto as collateral for loans on the platform.

Buy SAND with OKX today

The post The Sandbox adds a weekly 14%. Is the cryptocurrency now bullish? appeared first on CoinJournal.

This analyst relies on on-chain metrics to support a Bitcoin rally. Is BTC a buy now?

  • Bitcoin rose to $17,000 on Monday.

  • InvestAnswers thinks BTC is about to become bullish based on realised value.

  • The token faces resistance at $19,000 and 50-day MA.

Bitcoin price (BTC/USD) was up marginally on Monday as most cryptocurrencies made slight recoveries. BTC was back to $17,000 even as data by crypto derivatives exchange Deribit showed that sentiment had shifted in favour of the cryptocurrency. But as this happens, a popular crypto analyst is projecting a rally.

InvestAnswers, a popular crypto analyst, says that on-chain signals suggest BTC is overdue for a rally. The pseudonymous analyst examines Bitcoin’s realised price or RP metrics in making the argument. Normally, RP posts the value of all BTC at the price the tokens were bought and then divides it by the number in circulation. InvestAnswers says that BTC never stays below the RP for long. 

The analyst says BTC has been under RP for 170 days. In 2020, BTC stayed below the RP for 8 days, while in 2018, it was 115 days. In 2015, it stayed a little longer at 240 days and only 110 days in 2011. According to the analyst, the RP of BTC lies at $21,000. Using the analogy, he says that the Bitcoin price is about to soar.

Besides the RP, InvestAnswers says that the rising weakness in the US dollar index suggests a likely rally. The index is inversely correlated to the risk-on assets, meaning that if it goes lower, cryptocurrencies go the other way.

BTC price analysis and outlook amid slight recoveries

BTC/USD Chart by TradingView

BTC trades above the 20-day moving average. Bulls have been winning the war at $16,000, although the bears are still relentless. The RSI remains below the midpoint, and the bullish momentum looks somewhat weak but improving.

Bulls will have the next test at the 50-day MA and the $19,000 resistance.

Should you buy BTC?

BTC is still largely bearish. However, all indications are buyers looking for the next opportune moment. In the meantime, BTC’s eyes $19,000 and a recovery past the level could usher in more upsides.

Where to buy BTC

eToro

eToro is a global social investment brokerage company which offers over 75 cryptocurrencies to invest in. It offers crypto trading commission-free and users on the platform have the option to manually invest or socially invest. eToro even has a unique CopyTrader system which allows users to automatically copy the trades of popular investors.

Buy BTC with eToro today

OKX

OKX is a top cryptocurrency exchange which offers over 140 cryptocurrencies to invest in. OKX takes customer security very seriously, they store almost all of their clients‘ funds in cold storage, and the exchange is yet to be hacked. On top of this, the exchange offers very low fees and customers can even use their crypto as collateral for loans on the platform.

Buy BTC with OKX today

The post This analyst relies on on-chain metrics to support a Bitcoin rally. Is BTC a buy now? appeared first on CoinJournal.

Dogelon Mars. What’s up with the meme coin now attracting a huge following?

  • Dogelon Mars token rose by double digits on Monday

  • Fantasy sports platform Rage Fan announced a partnership with Dogelon

  • ELON could sustain gains if buyers defend crucial support at $0.0000003

Elon Musk-inspired Dogelon Mars (ELON/USD) is making shockwaves. The cryptocurrency gained by double digits on Monday, with investors showing great interest. Trading volumes on the little-known cryptocurrency had surged by 400% in the day.

The gains in the Dogelon Mars token were boosted by cryptocurrency news over the weekend. Fantasy sports platform Rage Fan announced a partnership with Dogelon. The partnership will see the introduction of blockchain gaming to individuals that hold ELON. Rage Fan said it was introducing a Free Call of Duty Tournament for ELON holders to celebrate the partnership.

Dogelon token is also growing a huge following. It already has a cool 454,000 followers on Twitter. Perhaps its name combination, Dogecoin+Elon, is helping aside from its partnership with Rage Fans. We all know of the growing speculations around the use of Twitter on digital payments by Elon Musk. Investors, therefore, could be looking at ELON as the next big thing in the meme space after Dogecoin. All these are speculations, but one thing is sure. Dogelon Mars is building a fanatic community, which could grow if the project finds more utility in the crypto space. Let’s look at its technical bits.

ELON corrects after an intra-day surge

ELON/USD Chart by TradingView

A daily chart technical outlook shows ELON correcting after breaking to $0.0000004. The 20-day and 50-day moving averages joined a support for the cryptocurrency. The RSI also remains above the midpoint, indicating the buyers’ strength.

Will ELON proceed higher?

A retest of the $0.0000003 support followed by bullish price action could attract bulls. Investors will again aim for the $0.0000004 resistance or higher up at $0.0000005. 

If seeking to buy ELON, you could consider a little bit of patience with bullish reversal signals. Developments around the project, as well as those of Dogecoin, could also be potential bullish triggers.

Where to buy ELON

OKX

OKX is a top cryptocurrency exchange which offers over 140 cryptocurrencies to invest in. OKX takes customer security very seriously, they store almost all of their clients‘ funds in cold storage, and the exchange is yet to be hacked. On top of this, the exchange offers very low fees and customers can even use their crypto as collateral for loans on the platform.

Buy ELON with OKX today

KuCoin

Kucoin is a cryptocurrency exchange which offers over 200 cryptocurrencies. Kucoin has a wide range of services, such as; a built-in peer-to-peer exchange, spot and margin trading, bank level security and a wide range of accepted payment methods. Users can benefit from a beginner-friendly interface and relatively low fees.

Buy ELON with KuCoin today

The post Dogelon Mars. What’s up with the meme coin now attracting a huge following? appeared first on CoinJournal.