Crypto Research

Stocks and bonds have surged following a jobs report that came in below estimates. This suggests reduced inflation concerns, providing the Federal Reserve with more leeway to maintain or even decrease interest rates in upcoming sessions. The employment report showed fewer jobs added than anticipated (150,000 versus the 180,000 forecasted), a slight uptick in unemployment (3.9% compared to the anticipated 3.8%), and a smaller increase in average hourly wages (0.2%...

INTRODUCTION We believe Blockchain has massive potential to create new opportunities for growth in the gaming industry, but that potential has yet to materialize. Fully native Web3 games have largely been unsuccessful, with projects that gained the most traction in the last bull cycle (Axie Infinity, Stepn) becoming case studies for how unsustainable 'Play to Earn' (P2E) can be. This issue has been exacerbated since Web3 games are generally viewed...

In this week's Crypto Comments video, we discuss recent U.S Treasury actions surprising the bond market, continuing bullish capital flows, and the reasons we believe on-chain activity could see a resurgence in the near term. Click HERE for our full Crypto Strategy note. https://vimeo. com/880722276/708dce5267? share=copy

TREASURY REFUNDING AND ITS IMPACT ON ASSET PRICES The bond market has been experiencing notable volatility, predominantly due to a phenomenon known as a bear steepening. This situation arises when short-term interest rates remain stable, but long-term rates rise precipitously. We attribute this volatility largely to an increase in the supply of long-duration assets, propelled by a growing budget deficit and the expectation of ongoing Treasury issuances. While this bond...

INTRODUCTION Blockchain networks initially were more like closed-loop systems, meaning the value created and traded on-chain was confined to crypto native assets. As technology has developed, blockchains and the real world are becoming more intertwined. Crypto protocols and TradFi institutions alike are looking to tokenize real-world assets and benefit from transaction efficiencies, cost savings, interoperability, composability, and transparency. Protocols have already begun bringing assets like dollars and treasuries on-chain while...

Equity indices reacted positively to the release of the U.S. Treasury’s funding schedule this morning, with the SPY and QQQ both rising over 0.60%. The Federal Reserve Committee is set to meet today and announce a decision on interest rates at 2 pm EST. The market is not expecting any surprises as interest rates will likely be held at current levels. Crypto markets are mixed ahead of the Fed meeting,...

Major equity indexes are recovering after giving up some of yesterday's gains. Short-term rates are on the rise, causing an uptick in the DXY index, while long-term rates have edged lower, potentially in response to yesterday's Treasury refunding preview that suggested Q4 debt issuance might be less than initially expected. These developments precede a pivotal macroeconomic day tomorrow featuring PMI, JOLTs data, and an FOMC decision. Additional information on the...

This week is a busy one for macro events, with the BOJ, FOMC, and BOE all having monetary policy meetings, beginning with the BOJ tomorrow and the FOMC on Wednesday. It is expected that the FOMC will hold interest rates steady and signal that any further rate hikes will be contingent on financial conditions and economic data. As investors await, the SPY and QQQ have both gained approximately 0.80% today. Crypto...

WEEKLY RECAP Funding is following the market higher, jumping $29 million from last week to $141 million. This week also saw a jump in activity, with 25 deals closed compared to 13 last week. Infrastructure was by far the most popular category, with 14 deals announced. Deals were funded in numerous infrastructure verticals, including trading software, payments, and compliance, among others. From a deal stage perspective, raises remain concentrated on Seed...