Crypto Research

NO SHORTAGE OF UNCERTAINTY We generally refrain from overly frequent adjustments to our allocation strategy. However, recent developments have shifted the immediate-term risk/reward balance for our Core Strategy, necessitating a relatively more cautious approach. Based on our analysis below, we also have a good idea for when the market will find a more stable footing. The DXY has rallied significantly, and the long end of the yield curve has experienced...

WHAT BTC SHRUGGING OFF CPI SAYS ABOUT CURRENT FISCAL SITUATION The most significant piece of macro data this week was the CPI. Headline CPI registered at 3.5%, surpassing the anticipated 3.4%, while core CPI remained steady from last month at 3.8%, also above the expected 3.7%. This increase was largely attributed to rising costs in auto insurance and shelter. Consequently, interest rates saw a sharp rise, with the 10-year Treasury...

INFLOWS RESUME On Monday, market sentiments were rattled by a surprisingly strong manufacturing PMI figure, marking the first expansionary reading in 18 months. This led to a rise in rates, with risk assets across the board experiencing selloffs amid renewed inflation concerns and fears that the Federal Reserve might need to implement further measures to cool the economy. However, in our crypto comments video on Tuesday, we outlined a couple...

MARKET SHRUGS AT HOT CPI The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) data indicated a hotter inflationary environment than forecasted for February. Despite the surprise in the numbers, market participants appeared largely unmoved, suggesting that the potential impact had already been factored into their calculations prior to the release. This resilience reflects a broader sentiment that a rates-driven selloff, in response to the CPI figures, is not a significant near-term risk....

BY POPULAR DEMAND, WE ARE RE-SENDING THIS BITCOIN PRICE IMPACT OF SPOT ETF REPORT FROM JULY 24, 2023 The Bitcoin spot ETF was finally approved. And we are seeing the surge in price of Bitcoin because of attractive supply and demand dynamics.We received multiple requests to resend this report from July 24, 2023 which looked at supply and demand dynamics if a spot ETF was approved.In short, we believe a...

FLOWS BEGET MORE FLOWS We have recently discussed the potential return of crypto being correlated with equities due to the new category of market participants entering the fold. However, price action this week suggests that inflows into the BTC ETFs may be throwing water onto that theory. It seems apparent that, at least in the near-term, that the ETF flows narrative is gaining steam, and it is likely that the...

ETH GAINING RELATIVE MOMENTUM Given the success of Solana and Bitcoin's persistent dominance in this bull market, many have been quick to write off ETH. There is no doubt that ETH faces its own set of challenges, including a complex modular stack and potential cannibalization by Layer 2 solutions, which, while crucial to ETH's scaling roadmap, can sometimes fragment liquidity and users. Despite these issues, ETH continues to advance along...

BREAKING AWAY While we maintain that macro conditions are still the most critical factor in assessing the medium/long-term trajectory of BTC prices, daily returns of the leading cryptoasset continue to exhibit a lack of defined correlation with any major macro asset. To us, the biggest reason for this sustained lack of correlation is the advent of the spot BTC ETF. A prime example of how ETFs are influencing BTC's performance...

WEATHERING THE STORM Heading into Q1, the key risks identified were: (1) A potential QRA supply shock, as long-term interest rates could surge due to a possible shift in bond issuance towards longer-duration securities, (2) the repricing of interest rate cuts, as the Federal Reserve downplayed expectations regarding the timing and frequency of such cuts, and (3) concerns regarding the dynamics between the expiration of the Reverse Repurchase Agreement (RRP)...

QRA IN LINE WITH MARKET EXPECTATIONS _THE RESULTS_ The Treasury’s quarterly refunding announcement (QRA) was the first of two major macro events to transpire on Wednesday. Leading up to this, on Monday, there was an indication that the net borrowing for the current quarter would be $760 billion, which is $55 billion lower than the initial $815 billion estimate, and the total funding needs for Q2 would be just over...

THE GBTC PROBLEM We have been watching spot BTC ETF flows closely since their launch two weeks ago, and while overall net flows remain decidedly positive, the market seems hung up on GBTC outflows. As a reminder, the outflows we care the most about are those from entities that are not rotating into other spot BTC ETFs. This is comprised of some speculative capital that played the run-up into ETF...