Silvergate: How Bitcoin investors can behave now

The Bitcoin price experienced a drastic downward movement in the early morning hours of March 3, causing it to drop to around $22,000 in a very short time.

This confirmed one forecast in particular: namely the forecast that the Bitcoin course was about to make a directional decision. The cryptocurrency has trended about 4 percent weaker over the past 24 hours of trading, marking the biggest bitcoin sell-off so far this year. An event that many investors could not count on.

While this should hardly change anything in the strategy for professional investors, it is somewhat different for new investors: For new investors in the crypto market, Bitcoin shares are recommended for entry instead of investing larger amounts of money with whole Bitcoins.

Brief overview of the latest developments

  • Over $62 million in long BTC positions were liquidated in a matter of hours.

  • This was the third liquidation cascade within the last 12 months: after the Terra crash and the FTX bankruptcy in 2022.

How to proceed now? Forecasts are extremely difficult. Some talk of a clear oversell, which should level off again. On the other hand: Negative funding rates currently give the buyer camp a high incentive for a new entry into Bitcoin.

A temporary price recovery is expected by many investors and the positive signs on the US stock market shortly after this Bitcoin crash underline this scenario.

Overall, the situation for the Bitcoin course will remain uncertain in the coming weeks and months. Analysts see both positives and negatives that can affect price. Investors should therefore follow developments closely and adjust their investment decisions accordingly.

Correction with a short shock?

Despite the recent price correction and negative headlines, the fundamentals of the Bitcoin network remain stable. Network activity shows that the hash rate, which measures the total computing power on the proof-of-work network, continues to rise.

The hash rate has almost doubled since November 2021, although the price has fallen significantly over the same period of time. The number of active addresses on the Bitcoin network has also increased despite the current market situation, indicating growing demand and usage.

Fundamental data as the most important variable? The positive fundamental metrics of the bitcoin network could soon push the price higher again. Also, the negative impact of the Silvergate issues may be limited as the crypto bank is rather small and its impact on the overall market should be limited.

The bitcoin options market has also calmed down somewhat, meaning there is less risk of panic selling or massive liquidations.

In addition, there are other signs that Bitcoin could rise again soon. An important factor is the high demand for Bitcoin ETFs, which has been growing steadily since their launch in October 2021. Institutional investors are also showing increased interest in Bitcoin, which is reflected in the increasing volumes in the futures markets.

How can Bitcoin investors behave in phases of unpredictable developments?

Below are some approaches that investors can pursue in such phases.

Diversification: Bitcoin investors should diversify their portfolio to protect against unpredictable developments in the cryptocurrency market. Diversification can be achieved by buying different cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, as well as stocks and other asset classes.

A stop-loss order can help minimize the risk of loss by automatically triggering the sale of bitcoins whenever the price falls below a certain value. However, a stop-loss order cannot guarantee that the sale will occur at the desired price – at least in the case of strong market movements or high volatility.

Those who use technical analysis can also spot patterns and make decisions: Thorough technical analysis can help identify market sentiment and make informed decisions about buying and selling bitcoins. Key support and resistance levels are important.

Overall, risk management is particularly appropriate: Bitcoin investors should have a clear understanding of how much risk they are willing to take and how much they are willing to lose.

If investors adjust to events like Silvergate, FTX and similar “crises”, these will not be able to change the long-term strategy and the successes of investors.

The post Silvergate: How Bitcoin investors can behave now appeared first on CoinJournal.

The GameFi Industry is Ready to Explode in 2023: Here are the 12 Best GameFi Crypto Tokens to Invest in Now

2023 could be the year that GameFi really starts to take off. More and more exciting GameFi projects are joining the space as the traditional gaming industry looks destined to change forever.

The best GameFi projects deliver integrated financial rewards to players across various genres. For anyone looking to invest in blockchain gaming for the long term, here are 12 of the very best projects that the sector has to offer:

  • Metacade (MCADE)
  • Stepn (GMT)
  • Illuvium (ILV)
  • ApeCoin (APE)
  • Decentraland (MANA)
  • Axie Infinity (AXS)
  • Yield Guild Games (YGG
  • The Sandbox (SAND)
  • My Neighbour Alice (ALICE)
  • Game of Silks (SILKS)
  • Splinterlands (SPS)
  • AltSignals (ASI)

1. Metacade (MCADE)

What is MCADE?

Metacade will contain the broadest selection of blockchain gaming experiences in Web3, as the new GameFi project will be home to many different play-to-earn games. Unlike traditional online games, Metacade allows anyone to earn in-game rewards while having fun and competing online.

There is a wide variety of titles available in this metaverse arcade, combining casual and competitive gameplay. This is a truly comprehensive GameFi experience. By offering advanced incentive structures and displaying the latest trends in blockchain gaming, the project aims to become a central hub for Web3 users.

Metacade’s Create2Earn feature will reward content creators with MCADE tokens for their contributions to the community. This can include posting game reviews, sharing alpha and in game assets, and interacting with other members’ posts.

As well as this, Metacade will advertise open positions at some of Web3’s hottest start-ups. This allows crypto enthusiasts to kickstart a career in Web3, as Metacade’s Work2Earn feature is designed to expand the blockchain workforce, which can help to boost the overall level of innovation in the sector over time.

Metacade’s Metagrants program is also specially designed to help drive GameFi forwards. The community can vote to decide which new blockchain games are best before the project provides funding to the development team. This helps to ensure that the best GameFi projects can develop and reach the market.

Why consider buying MCADE?

The MCADE token has just launched during a presale event. The MCADE presale has been a huge success so far, as the project has raised $12.9m in 17 weeks since the beginning of the event.

MCADE’s presale success is a testament to its attractive offering, since blockchain gamers worldwide can access a broad platform that offers generous cryptocurrency rewards. Web3 games typically offer only one gameplay option, but Metacade offers many.

For now, the price of MCADE is just $0.02 and it’s in the final stage of the presale before listing on exchanges. Experts are forecasting significant gains for the new token, as its unique offering within Web3 could lead to it becoming one of the best GameFi projects in the space. 

>>> You can participate in the Metacade final stage presale here <<<

2. STEPN (GMT)

What is GMT?

STEPN is an innovative move-to-earn ecosystem that allows consumers to earn rewards for completing steps on the StepN platform. StepN’s innovative reward system does not require any monetary contribution from its users and requires only a few seconds of effort to complete each step.

STEPN’s revolutionary incentive model generated significant interest when the STEPN token was first launched in 2022. The platform benefits its users with real-time financial rewards for something they do every day.

Using STEPN, users can move faster and travel less than with traditional systems, allowing them to maximize their profits with minimal effort. StepN is quickly becoming the industry leader, altering blockchain gaming’s play to earn model to incorporate new social use cases.

Why buy GMT?

GMT is just one year old, yet it has already made a significant footprint in Web3. The STEPN platform is a unique and innovative modification of popular blockchain game mechanics, which could lead to it becoming one of the best GameFi projects in the crypto space.

After reaching its all-time high at $4 during the crypto winter of 2022, STEPN is now valued at just $0.40. Experts forecast over 10x gains for the new token as it reclaims its previous high and enters price discovery over the coming years.

3. Illuvium (ILV)

What is ILV?

Illuvium, or ILV, is a blockchain game built on the Ethereum platform. It is a fantasy world set in a vast open-world metaverse that allows players to freely explore the impressive virtual landscape. Illuvium combines photorealistic graphics with an in-depth plotline to keep players engaged, making it one of the most sought-after GameFi games around.

Players can collect rare creatures called Illuvials, as well as battle and trade them in the Illuvial arena to earn cryptocurrency rewards. By forming guilds and collaborative alliances, players can play directly with other blockchain gamers, which adds a cooperative element to the game.

Illuvium also allows players to trade collectible items as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), such as IlluviCrafts and IlluviShares. The addition of blockchain technology ensures that all gameplay is transparent and secure – allowing players to instantly receive rewards for their victories that have innate financial value.

Why consider buying ILV?

Illuvium has been described as a true AAA game on the blockchain thanks to its advanced graphics and vast open-world map. Fantasy gamers can enjoy a massive open world filled with new experiences while gaining the benefits of blockchain through player ownership over in game items and digital currency rewards.

As one of the best GameFi projects to be released in recent years, the progress made by the Illuvium team has been rapid. The ILV token climbed to an all-time high of almost $2000 during the 2021 bull market and now finds itself below $100. This could be a great entry point for one of the most promising GameFi tokens in 2023.

With just 2.2 million ILV tokens in circulation, it is one of the most scarce GameFi cryptos in Web3. As demand for Illuvium grows, investors can be confident that ILV, the in game  currency, will reclaim much of its previous value as it aims to breach the $1000 mark.

4. ApeCoin (APE)

What is APE?

ApeCoin (APE) is a newly-released token that represents the APE Foundation. While not strictly a GameFi project, ApeCoin aims to usher in a new era for the internet by encouraging the development of metaverse-based communities. This has led to the APE Foundation backing several top game finance projects, including Otherside.

Otherside is a major open-world metaverse widely considered one of the best GameFi projects currently being developed. The game is a virtual reality world filled with exciting quests and stunning scenery, allowing players to earn cryptocurrency rewards for their game progress.

APE Foundation, inspired by Yuga Labs’ Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT collection, is the decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that helps govern the development of Otherside and other projects within the APE Ecosystem. This gives it an important role in driving progress for GameFi companies in Web3.

Why buy APE?

APE is one of the most popular governance tokens in Web3. All holders gain voting rights in the ApeCoin DAO, which determines how the APE Foundation acts. Given the team’s previous successes behind the project, this is a strong use case for a cryptocurrency token.

APE is expected to rise significantly in value before the release of Otherside, a hotly anticipated GameFi project. The contributions made by the APE Foundation could revolutionize the traditional gaming industry over time, as the blockchain gaming ecosystem looks set to grow thanks to the ability to earn in-game assets while exploring virtual worlds.

For now, the APE token is valued at $5. Since the token launched in 2022, it has major potential for future returns as it has yet to fully enter price discovery during a crypto bull market. As a result, the APE token could be a great option for anyone looking to invest in the future of metaverse-based gaming.

5. Decentraland (MANA)

What is MANA?

Decentraland (MANA) is a virtual world on the Ethereum blockchain. It enables users to create, experience, and monetize content and applications within a virtual environment. This unique offering is a key reason why Decentraland has become one of the leading GameFi projects in Web3, as anyone can build fully-customizable creations on top of purchased land.

Decentraland leverages gaming NFTs to provide ownership rights over in-game assets, including land parcels and other ownable items such as buildings, artwork, clothing, and accessories created by Decentraland’s users.

MANA is the native token for Decentraland, which can be used for transactions within the universe or converted into assets. Unlike traditional video games, Decentraland allows anyone to buy, sell, and trade entire map sections. This gives players more world-building power than ever before.

Why consider buying MANA?

MANA is one of the top GameFi projects due to its unique offering, which could expand to include additional services over time. The Decentraland platform has many different GameFi projects and custom experiences, including Las Vegas-style gambling and play-to-earn assault courses.

Decentraland has the potential to grow over time as the browser-based platform is completely driven by its users. Anyone can purchase land in Decentraland using MANA tokens, which gives MANA innate utility and the ability to experience constantly increasing demand.

For now, MANA is priced at $0.60 after falling 90% from its all-time high. It faces strong resistance as it tries to reclaim this previous price level, but many experts suggest it will form new highs over time. This makes it one of the best GameFi cryptos to buy right now.

6. Axie Infinity (AXS)

What is AXS?

Axie Infinity (AXS) is a blockchain-based collectible game where players can purchase, breed, and battle fantasy creatures called Axies in a virtual environment. Axies have unique traits that can be unlocked by performing various tasks and challenges.

As gamers play Axie Infinity, they can maximize their Axies’ power level by collecting and trading additional NFTs. This can give players an edge in battle and help them to earn in game rewards in the form of AXS tokens.

AXS, as well as being used to reward gamers for their progress, serves as the main currency for transactions inside the Axie Infinity marketplace. AXS makes it easier for users to collect and trade rare Axies as they seek to build the best collection capable of beating all the competition.

Why buy AXS?

Axie Infinity became the most widely-used GameFi platform in Web3 during the 2021 bull run. It began to attract almost 2 million daily active users, which is a testament to it being one of the best GameFi projects in terms of how addictive it is to play.

However, the AXS price has recently suffered after the Ronin Bridge – a unique GameFi protocol built specifically to support the game – was hacked. It was the largest hack in the history of Web3, as over $600 million of user funds were lost. After being worth $160 per token, AXS is now just $10.

The Axie Infinity team has already improved the security protocol for the platform, and the game continues to attract a significant player base. Many investors have suggested that AXS will recover over time, making the $10 price level a great long-term entry point.

7. Yield Guild Games (YGG)

What is YGG?

Yield Guild Games (YGG) supports blockchain-based games by focusing on bringing together players and crypto-economics. As a DAO, the project’s core aim is to collect in-game  NFTs with a view to optimizing them for in-game economies and making a profit for shareholders.

YGG purchases in-game assets, whether virtual land parcels, rare collectible items, and much more. The project then rents out these assets to gamers, who exchange the relevant GameFi project’s native token to use it.

The core idea behind Yield Guild Games is that, as the best GameFi projects become increasingly popular over time, the value of in-game assets increases due to rising scarcity and more demand. Yield Guild Games owns a massive collection of NFT collectible items across various GameFi platforms and has a unique goal for future growth.

Why buy YGG?

The YGG token peaked at $10 during the 2021 bull market and has since fallen to $0.30. This is largely due to a widespread crypto winter that has affected much of the market – including collectible NFTs and all GameFi cryptos.

Yield Guild Games’ price decline is a direct by-product of this, as the value of in-game assets impacts the DAO and its governance token. The DAO is predicated on the idea that in-game  NFTs will increase in value over time. While playing, NFTs might become cheaper to attract global users. Existing and scarce NFTs are highly likely to increase from early-2023 price levels.

Yield Guild Games is expected to rise from the $0.30 price, making it one of the best GameFi projects to buy now. The YGG token is directly influenced by the entire blockchain gaming sector’s success, making it an interesting investment opportunity.

8. The Sandbox (SAND)

What is SAND?

The Sandbox metaverse enables people to come together to create, own, and monetize their own video game experiences. The platform integrates blockchain, 3D gaming assets, and cryptocurrency rewards for unprecedented user control and ownership over content.

The native ERC-20 SAND token allows The Sandbox gamers to create, purchase, trade, and monetize custom games. This can include collectible items, world-building items, and even full games with customizable rulesets. The SAND ecosystem emphasizes empowerment in digital gaming, allowing creators to earn rewards when they share their gaming ideas with others.

The Sandbox encourages an equitable environment that promotes the free market exchange of creations, as The Sandbox ecosystem includes an integrated NFT marketplace where game developers can sell their creations. The SAND token is the platform’s medium of exchange, minimizing developers’ fees and rewarding users for their creativity.

Why buy SAND?

By prioritizing user-generated content (UGC) at the game’s foundation, The Sandbox has become one of the best GameFi projects in Web3. SAND is currently the most valuable GameFi crypto by market capitalization, demonstrating the game form’s popularity and uniqueness.

Many have described The Sandbox as similar to Minecraft, except with integrated financial benefits. Since Minecraft has global appeal, investors can also be confident that The Sandbox would have a similar level of demand over time.

For now, the SAND token is worth $0.70. As one of the top GameFi tokens, it is expected to reclaim its all-time high of $7.50 over the coming years. As a result, the $0.70 price level could be the perfect opportunity to get involved in the long term.

9. My Neighbour Alice (ALICE)

What is ALICE?

My Neighbour Alice (ALICE) is a new type of blockchain gaming platform that allows users to collaborate and create their own virtual worlds. Players can design avatars, customize properties, and farm assets, all with the help of NFTs.

ALICE has a unique economy powered by the ALICE token, allowing users to trade items or collaborate in cooperative projects. My Neighbour Alice uses an innovative combination of blockchain technology, digital asset management, and smart contracts to enable the entire gaming experience for its users.

This unique platform is open to gamers of all skill levels for endless adventures on the blockchain. It is designed to appeal to both traditional and blockchain gaming markets, as the game takes a popular genre and remodels it – allowing for in-game assets to be traded and financial rewards to be earned.

Why buy ALICE?

My Neighbour Alice became one of the best GameFi projects after experiencing rapid growth when it first launched in 2021. The game is still relatively new, yet it has already attracted a significant user base.

The GameFi project has been inspired by Animal Crossing, which millions of people worldwide have played. ALICE could rival its counterpart over time, as it combines the best gameplay elements with additional blockchain-based benefits.

ALICE is currently worth just $1.84 after falling over 90% from its all-time high. This gives it major upside potential, and it could grow substantially from the current price level as the game develops and attracts more users.

10. Game of Silks (SILK)

What is SILK?

Game of Silks is an NFT collectible game related to real-world thoroughbred horse racing. Gamers can purchase NFTs representing real horses and own stock in stables to rear new thoroughbreds.

The game is a digitized version of real-world horse breeding, where significant risks can damage a particular horse’s ability to win races. Players purchase horses as NFTs and gain real-time updates about their condition. However, many thoroughbred horses never make it to races, and most don’t win.

If a player purchases a race-winning NFT, the horse still may not be fit to breed. If a player buys a breeding NFT, then the NFT earns points and token rewards accordingly. Game of Silks is an innovative use case for blockchain gaming, as players can earn cryptocurrency rewards according to how well horses perform in the real world.

Why buy SILK?

SILK is a new token that will appeal to anyone looking to own their own racehorse. A key element of the game is that users can purchase horses as infants and watch them grow to become champion racers at some of the world’s biggest events.

If a player buys a successful horse, the rewards can be major – just as in the real world. By merging the digital and physical realms, Game of Silk is a unique and innovative use case for blockchain gaming that could revolutionize the sport of horseracing over time.

11. Splinterlands (SPS)

What is SPS?

Splinterlands is an NFT collectible card game that allows players to build a collection of cards before battling against other players online. The game is inspired by older collectible card games such as Yu-Gi-Oh! and Magic The Gathering, which has been a driving factor behind its early successes in the blockchain space.

The game combines aspects of traditional non-blockchain gaming and mixes them with the benefits of cryptocurrency. Users can earn automatic financial rewards with the SPS token, as blockchain provides a revolutionary new gaming experience for a classic gaming genre.

Splinterlands’ core mission is to create an entertaining and meaningful game that promotes blockchain technology education. The GameFi platform uses NFTs that can be bought, sold, or traded in Splinterlands’ marketplace, allowing anyone to profit while maximizing their battle performance.

Why buy SPS?

Splinterlands is one of the fastest-growing blockchain games. It is built on a consumer-friendly blockchain that can scale globally, and the platform has grown to become one of the most popular titles in the GameFi ecosystem in a short time.

After launching the SPS token in 2021, Splinterlands has expanded its blockchain offering. It recently cemented its position as one of the best GameFi projects in Web3, surpassing the major milestone of 2 billion total plays.

As a relatively new token and a highly successful blockchain gaming project, Splinterlands has significant upside potential. The current price is just $0.03, which could be a great entry point for anyone looking to buy a great GameFi project in its early stages.

12. AltSignals (ASI)

What is ASI?

AltSignals, while not strictly a GameFi company, remains one of the hottest investments on the market right now. The project incorporates cryptocurrency earning similarly to other GameFi platforms, but the core utility of AltSignals is unique.

Primarily, AltSignals is an online trading community that shares profitable buy or sell signals with its members. The platform released an algorithmic trading indicator called AltAlgo™,  which has consistently had a 90% success rate. Now, the ASI token is designed to bring more benefits to the community and supercharge a new AI-powered trading toolkit.

ActualizeAI is powered by artificial intelligence to deliver highly accurate trading signals. The toolkit is currently under development and is specially designed to improve upon AltAlgo™’s already-successful hit rate.

The new AI offering from AltSignals combines machine learning algorithms with natural language processing (NLP). This allows ActualizeAI to analyze vast and complex datasets instantly before providing an accurate buy or sell signal for crypto traders.

Why buy ASI?

The ASI token grants all holders access to ActualizeAI and AI Members Club. AI Members Club provides even more benefits to holders, including governance rights, beta testing privileges, and the chance to earn digital assets through participating in various features.

For now, ASI is a brand-new release. Since the token is one of those at the forefront of the AI revolution in blockchain, it could become extremely valuable over time. The ASI token presale is the perfect opportunity to get involved, as the token is unlikely to revisit these low price levels again. 

>>> You can participate in the AltSignals presale here <<<

Are GameFi cryptocurrencies a good investment?

The best GameFi projects are revolutionizing traditional gaming through expansive virtual worlds, ownable in-game assets, and integrated financial rewards. These additional user benefits are expected to generate even more demand over time, which makes GameFi cryptocurrencies a prime investment opportunity.

What is the best crypto to buy now?

One of the most exciting projects in the space right now is Metacade. The project recently launched, attracting significant attention thanks to its unique blockchain offering.

Metacade could support many users over time by combining traditional gaming elements with blockchain-based features. It is the largest collection of P2E arcade games on the blockchain, with every title offering players automatic financial rewards.

Crypto FAQs

What is the future of GameFi?

GameFi is a broad term used to describe all blockchain projects that combine gaming with finance. Tokenization, and the blockchain’s distributed ledger, allow for automatic financial rewards while completing tasks and progressing through game levels, thanks to the versatility of smart contracts.

GameFi is widely considered a revolutionary new development for the wider gaming industry. Combining immersive metaverse worlds and integrated financial rewards could become a mainstay, leading to a constantly increasing total value.

Can you stake GameFi tokens?

Many GameFi platforms allow users to stake tokens directly on-site. This lets players generate passive income as a reward for providing liquidity and helping to secure the platform.

How do GameFi projects make money?

Many game finance platforms are free to play, so introducing in-game  NFTs helps generate liquidity. However, projects can earn revenue in many ways, including direct investment in the native token.

Since GameFi is predicated on earning while playing, projects must be careful to generate more revenue than they pay in cryptocurrency rewards. This helps ensure that GameFi projects are financially sustainable. As a result, multiple liquidity streams often exist for the best GameFi projects.

What is the Metaverse?

The term ‘Metaverse’ typically refers to virtual reality worlds integrated with blockchain technology. Users are immersed deeper than ever by bringing massively multiplayer open-world role-playing games (MMORPGs) into virtual reality. Blockchain’s ability to provide in game collectibles and real financial value in these games makes them extremely attractive to gamers.

You can participate in the Metacade final stage presale here.

You can participate in the AltSignals presale here.

The post The GameFi Industry is Ready to Explode in 2023: Here are the 12 Best GameFi Crypto Tokens to Invest in Now appeared first on CoinJournal.

LUNA falls sharply on Do Kwon’s arrest allegations

  • Terra LUNA crashed last year following the collapse of its Terra UST stablecoin project.
  • The crash was followed by a hard fork where the current Terra LUNA token was created.
  • There is news that Terra LUNA’s founder Do Kwon has been arrested.

Terra (LUNA) price has dropped by about 7% after news of the arrest of the founder of Terraform Labs, Do Kwon, surfaced. At press time, LUNA was trading at $1.31.

There are reports that Do Kwon was arrested in Montenegro; something that has been confirmed by Montenegro’s minister of interior Filip Adzic through a post on Twitter.

A translation of the tweet reads:

“Montenegrin police have detained a person suspected of being one of the most wanted fugitives, South Korean citizen Do Kwon, co-founder and CEO of Singapore-based Terraform Labs.”

According to Adzic, Do Kwon was arrested at the Podgorica airport with falsified documents. The minister however said that he was “still waiting for official confirmation of identity.”

Several authorities were looking for Do Kown

Do Kwon was the target of a number of investigation bodies around the globe and was even on Interpol’s red notice after the implosion of the TerraUSD (UST) stablecoin and the $40 billion Terra LUNA ecosystem last year.

The implosion of the Terra LUNA collapse sent shockwaves across the crypto market causing a number of other crypto projects to come down.

The post LUNA falls sharply on Do Kwon’s arrest allegations appeared first on CoinJournal.

Bitcoin slides off Fed meeting before bouncing back, but what next?


Key Takeaways

  • Federal Reserve hikes 25 bps, Bitcoin drops over 6%
  • Bounceback in prices follow, however, as market bets on rate cuts down the line
  • Bitcoin originally fell to $26,700 and is now back at $27,700
  • Tight monetary policy appears to be coming to a close, which is exactly what Bitcoin investors want to hear
  • The flipside is that Bitcoin’s reputation may have been tarnished by the chaos in the industry over the last year
  • Whether institutional money and Wall Street capital will trust crypto again remains to be seen

As has been the case over the last year now, Bitcoin continues to oscillate wildly based off interest rate expectations. 

The orange coin took a tumble Wednesday off the back of the latest FOMC meeting, as interest rates were hiked 25 bps despite some analysts calling for a pause following the banking turmoil of recent weeks. 

Why did Bitcoin fall?

Such has been the chaos in the banking markets, markets ahead of the meeting had priced in a genuine chance that rate hikes would be no more. 

Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) triggered the crisis, which last week spread to Europe before the spectacular demise of Credit Suisse, the Swiss institution founded in 1856. 

With deposits fleeing banks and markets reverberating, things were breaking – as they tend to do when rates are hiked hastily. And this past cycle has been the most rapid form of tightening in recent memory. 

Bitcoin fell from $28,500 to $26,700 as the Fed announced a 25 bps hike, a fall of 6.3%. 

However, Bitcoin has since bounced back somewhat, trading at $27,600. This came as the market began digesting the discourse from Fed chair Jerome Powell around the future path of interest rates. 

While the hike did come yesterday, it feels increasingly certain that tight monetary policy is coming to a close. It is worth remembering that before SVB’s demise, this hike was virtually guaranteed to be 50 bps. 

And looking out to rates by the end of July, the market is forecasting cuts rather than hikes. So while the 25 bps hike may have been hawkish, the language afterwards and conclusion coming out of the meeting was very much the opposite. 

Will Bitcoin go up?

The question on everybody’s lips within crypto is then what does this mean for Bitcoin’s price? As always, it’s a difficult question to answer, but the future undoubtedly looks brighter for the coin today than it did a few months ago, that is for certain. 

Not only is further removed from the scandal of FTX and the wave of bankruptcies that followed the sordid collapse of the former tier-1 exchange, but the end appears nigh with regard to the tight monetary policy. 

Bitcoin was launched in 2009 and hence had never experienced anything other than a raging bull market in the wider economy. The S&P 500 increased seven-fold from the nadir of the GFC to its peak – and Bitcoin, alongside tech stocks, rode the wave of low interest rates, warm money printer and an all-around perfect climate. 

As inflation roared last year, however, this flipped entirely. With interest rates hiked aggressively, there was no way for Bitcoin to sustain its previous levels of buoyancy. Down it came, and down it came hard. 

Finally, it appears that the harsh monetary policy which has dragged it through the gutter is nearing an end. And while this doesn’t guarantee anything, it certainly removes the shackles so that there is at least a possibility that it raises. 

Has Bitcoin’s image been tarnished?

The flip side of the argument is that the scale of the damage over the last year has been so substantial that Bitcoin’s long-term trajectory has been dampened, and it won’t be able to get on the same track. 

Crypto winters have come and gone in the past, but this recent one coincided, like we said, with a rout in the wider economy for the first time ever. It also came while Bitcoin was a mainstream financial asset – something which wasn’t true in previous cycles. 

Collapses like FTX, LUNA and Celsius not only pillaged capital out of the space, but embarrassed crypto on the big stage, as unfair as that is to the good players in the industry. Will institutional funds and trad-fi money be happy to trust crypto again?

It’s an interesting debate, and only time will tell. 

The post Bitcoin slides off Fed meeting before bouncing back, but what next? appeared first on CoinJournal.

Arbitrum’s ARB token lists on several exchanges as Airdrop goes live

  • Arbitrum is transitioning into a DAO.
  • The network’s new ARB token airdrop is now live.
  • The new ARB token is Arbitrum’s governance token.

After a number of major cryptocurrency exchanges including Binance, Huobi, Coinbase, and MEXC  promised to list the new Arbitrum ARB token, the token has already been listed on several exchanges just a few hours after the ARB Airdrop went live.

The listing comes even as users face issues claiming the new tokens and multiple sites faking the Arbitrum airdrop and causing the chain to lag. However, those eligible for the token airdrop have until September 23, 2023, to claim their tokens.

About 625,000 wallet addresses are eligible for the Arbitrum airdrop which will see free distribution. 12.75% (1.275 billion tokens) of the ARB token supply will be distributed in the airdrop.

Arbitrum transition into a DAO

Arbitrum is a layer-2 solution for Ethereum and it has started its decentralization and transformation journey into a decentralized autonomous organization that will enable the holders of the new ARB token to take part in the development of the decentralized network.

The Arbitrum One Chain is expected to go live on reaching a block height of 16,890,400, which is some hours from now.

Arbitrum transaction surge

Prior to the ARB airdrop, the Arbitrum daily transaction count hit a record high.

Arbitrum uses Optimistic rollups technology to process transactions faster and cheaper and the daily transactions hit 1,312,052 on Wednesday which is way above the network’s previous peak of 1,103,398 reached on February 21.

At the press time, betting in the “I owe you” (IOU) markets tied to the new ARB token showed that the token would trade at around $6 after the airdrop. IOU tokens basically represent a debt between two parties.

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