Geopolitical Tensions are High, Liquidity is Low, and Bitcoin is a Reserve Asset
Key Takeaways
- Markets continue to experience turbulence in the face of growing geopolitical tensions and full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine.
- We examine recent growth in spreads on major exchanges, highlighting a persistent low-liquidity environment.
- Option volumes point to the likelihood that many investors are maintaining long positions while hedging risk with derivatives.
- The market is already questioning the ability of the Fed to raise rates as indicated by a decline in projected rate hikes.
- We discuss the Terra ($LUNA) blockchain’s adoption of bitcoin as a reserve asset and discuss the resulting implications on algorithmic stablecoins, regulation, and bitcoin as the ultimate reserve asset.
Bottom Line: Consistent with last week, we think it is wise to maintain long positions with time horizons beyond six months and be prepared to buy on dips. We believe that continued headline-driven volatility will likely present opportunities to add on long positions at favorable prices. We will continue to monitor the temperature surrounding rate increases as the Fed starts to gain justifiable reasons not to raise rates as much as initially anticipated.
Continued Turbulence
Last week, despite relatively robust price performance, we discussed a continued lack of p...Unlock this article by joining our Community!
An FSI Pro, or FSI Crypto subscription is required in order to access this content.
*Free trial available only on a monthly plan
Already a member?
We accept crypto via BitPay for yearly subscriptions.
Choose one of our yearly plans to save nearly 15%Webinars
We host over 12 LIVE webinars per year with our research team and high-profile special guests. Incredible value and market insights!
WEEKLY
COMING SOON
Fireside Chats
Weekly interviews with our research heads about market opportunities and important updates.
WEEKDAYS
Tom Lee's First Word
The best market research out there -- on a near-daily basis.
ON MARKET EVENTS
Tom Lee's Intraday Word
These are released periodically after crucial market developments.
DAILY
Daily Technical Strategy
Daily commentary on market trends and short term opportunities.
WEEKLY
Wall Street Whispers
Exclusive insights based on discussions with institutional clients.
WEEKLY
Quantitative Strategy
Quantitative market research utilizing industry-leading analytical methods.
WEEKLY
US Policy
Weekly update on developments in Washington DC and how they may impact Wall Street.
WEEKLY
Weekly Roadmap
Weekly summary of market events and updates on our key theses.
EARNINGS SEASON
Earnings Daily
A multi-faceted update of earnings developments.
UPDATED BI-WEEKLY
Signal From Noise
Highlights timely market themes and sectors with corresponding stocks, cutting through the day-to-day market “noise” for a distinct perspective.
UPDATED MONTHLY
FSI Sector Allocation
A sector allocation strategy that is designed to outperform the S&P 500 while taking minimal risk.
UPDATED MONTHLY
Factor Strategy
List of ETFs based on quantitative models that should outperform the S&P 500 on a monthly basis.
UPDATED MONTHLY
Newton's Upticks
Technically derived, intermediate-term picks of attractive risk/reward opportunities from the S&P 500.
FSI Academy
Thematic investment stock picks that aim to outperform the S&P 500.
Community Questions
We gather your inquiries and answer them in the most scalable way. Hear directly from our research principals!
Community Interviews
Get questions answered directly by our research heads and guest speakers.
Get access to all the macro research on FS Insight
First Month Free!
Webinars
Ongoing webinars exploring crypto opportunities, in depth research, and exclusive research offerings from our team of analysts and leading cryptocurrency firms.
WEEKLY
Crypto Comments
Digestible videos expanding on important market events and metrics that are shaping cryptocurrency markets.
DAILY
Crypto Market Update
Stay on top of the crypto markets with macro commentary, technical analysis, and the most relevant news.
INTRA MONTH
Crypto First Word from Tom Lee
Hear directly from Tom Lee about important cryptocurrency developments.
WEEKLY
Crypto Technical Strategy
From Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana to other coins, our Head of Technical Strategy highlights important price movement to help give you an edge.
WEEKLY
Crypto Strategy
A must-read summarizing our key thoughts about the crypto market, price action, and developing trends.
WEEKLY
Funding Fridays
Are you looking for investment opportunities in the crypto space? We explore early-stage crypto opportunities in this note about where the smart money is being invested!
WEEKLY
COMING SOON
Crypto Events
Never miss another conference, a high-impact software update, or an event that could be market-moving!
NTRA-MONTH
Deep Research Reports
Our consulting business delivers incredible deep research reports to highlight the economics and viability of exciting crypto projects.
WEEKLY
Crypto Strategy
Keep track of bitcoin sentiment to plan your digital assets strategy.
FSI Academy
Our main goal is to make you a better investor! This series will guide you through key financial concepts and topics in an understandable way.
Community Questions
We gather your inquiries and answer them in the most scalable way. Hear directly from our research principals!
Community Interviews
Get questions answered directly by our research heads and guest speakers.
Get access to all the Crypto research on FS Insight
First Month Free!
Webinars
We host over 12 LIVE webinars per year with our research team and high-profile special guests. Incredible value and market insights!
WEEKLY
COMING SOON
Fireside Chats
Weekly interviews with our research heads about market opportunities and important updates.
WEEKDAYS
Tom Lee's First Word
The best market research out there -- on a near-daily basis.
ON MARKET EVENTS
Tom Lee's Intraday Word
These are released periodically after crucial market developments.
DAILY
Daily Technical Strategy
Daily commentary on market trends and short term opportunities.
WEEKLY
Wall Street Whispers
Exclusive insights based on discussions with institutional clients.
WEEKLY
Quantitative Strategy
Quantitative market research utilizing industry-leading analytical methods.
WEEKLY
US Policy
Weekly update on developments in Washington DC and how they may impact Wall Street.
WEEKLY
Weekly Roadmap
Weekly summary of market events and updates on our key theses.
EARNINGS SEASON
Earnings Daily
A multi-faceted update of earnings developments.
UPDATED BI-WEEKLY
Signal From Noise
Highlights timely market themes and sectors with corresponding stocks, cutting through the day-to-day market “noise” for a distinct perspective.
UPDATED MONTHLY
FSI Sector Allocation
A sector allocation strategy that is designed to outperform the S&P 500 while taking minimal risk.
UPDATED MONTHLY
Factor Strategy
List of ETFs based on quantitative models that should outperform the S&P 500 on a monthly basis.
UPDATED MONTHLY
Newton's Upticks
Technically derived, intermediate-term picks of attractive risk/reward opportunities from the S&P 500.
FSI Academy
Thematic investment stock picks that aim to outperform the S&P 500.
Community Questions
We gather your inquiries and answer them in the most scalable way. Hear directly from our research principals!
Community Interviews
Get questions answered directly by our research heads and guest speakers.
Get access to all the macro research on FS Insight
First Month Free!
Webinars
Ongoing webinars exploring crypto opportunities, in depth research, and exclusive research offerings from our team of analysts and leading cryptocurrency firms.
WEEKLY
Crypto Comments
Digestible videos expanding on important market events and metrics that are shaping cryptocurrency markets.
DAILY
Crypto Market Update
Stay on top of the crypto markets with macro commentary, technical analysis, and the most relevant news.
INTRA MONTH
Crypto First Word from Tom Lee
Hear directly from Tom Lee about important cryptocurrency developments.
WEEKLY
Crypto Technical Strategy
From Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana to other coins, our Head of Technical Strategy highlights important price movement to help give you an edge.
WEEKLY
Crypto Strategy
A must-read summarizing our key thoughts about the crypto market, price action, and developing trends.
WEEKLY
Funding Fridays
Are you looking for investment opportunities in the crypto space? We explore early-stage crypto opportunities in this note about where the smart money is being invested!
WEEKLY
COMING SOON
Crypto Events
Never miss another conference, a high-impact software update, or an event that could be market-moving!
NTRA-MONTH
Deep Research Reports
Our consulting business delivers incredible deep research reports to highlight the economics and viability of exciting crypto projects.
WEEKLY
Crypto Strategy
Keep track of bitcoin sentiment to plan your digital assets strategy.
FSI Academy
Our main goal is to make you a better investor! This series will guide you through key financial concepts and topics in an understandable way.
Community Questions
We gather your inquiries and answer them in the most scalable way. Hear directly from our research principals!
Community Interviews
Get questions answered directly by our research heads and guest speakers.
Get access to all the Crypto research on FS Insight
First Month Free!
Reports you may have missed
OUR VERDICT: POWELL NAILED IT Yesterday, Powell did exactly what risk assets wanted him to do—their actions were dovish, with a 50-bps cut and guidance for two more by year-end, but their economic commentary remained reassuring. Many bears point to this as hawkish, and since it's hawkish, it's implicitly bad for risk assets (including crypto). In our view, if Powell had taken a significantly more dovish stance than he did,...
INITIAL THESIS – SENATE MORE IMPORTANT THAN MANY RECOGNIZE This week, we witnessed what was the first – and potentially final – presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Anticipation for this event was high, with the public initially favoring Trump, as reflected in prediction markets. This preference was largely attributed to Harris's lackluster debate track record. However, the dynamics shifted during the debate itself, with reactions in prediction...
Caution in the Near-term Still Warranted, Q4 Setup Remains Compelling (Core Strategy Rebalance)
THIS WEEK’S ECONOMIC DATA SKEWS TOWARD HARD-LANDING For this week’s note, we will begin by revisiting our market map for the near-term outlook on crypto. Over the past few months, the market has oscillated between expectations of a hard landing, soft landing, and no landing. However, since Powells’s speech at Jackson Hole, market outcomes have narrowed, leaving only the two scenarios furthest to the left—hard landing and soft landing. Both...
LOWER VOLUMES PERSIST Earlier this week, we witnessed approximately $2B in open interest being unwound within a matter of hours—a significant forced deleveraging event for an otherwise uneventful Tuesday, lacking a clear catalyst. In our view, the selloff was largely technical and indicative of the negative seasonality we've been discussing recently. To backtrack, Monday and Tuesday followed a dovish Fed pivot at Jackson Hole, sparking a sharp rally in soft-landing...
