Bitcoin (BTC) trading volumes in spot and derivatives markets have been surging since the digital asset rallied above the $10,000 level earlier this week. Bakkt reported record Bitcoin futures volume on July 28 and 29, which indicates that the traders who had been waiting for a trending move to start have established fresh positions. A similar volume increase was seen in the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and the other crypto exchanges that offer futures trading. A breakout that is followed by an increase in activity and higher open interest is usually a positive sign as it shows that the traders …

Altcoins got crushed in their respective BTC pairs as Bitcoin (BTC) price decided to break out of the two-month-old range and reach as high as $11,400. However, some altcoins did relatively well and a few top-10 cryptocurrencies showed strength while the price of Bitcoin was climbing. These included EOS (EOS), Litecoin (LTC) as well as XRP (XRP), which also showed strength by reaching a price level of $0.23. Crypto market daily performance. Source: Coin360 XRP breaks through 100-day and 200-day moving averages The USDT pair of XRP is showing substantial strength as it broke above the $0.20 level. Aside from …

Gold made a new lifetime high today, eclipsing the previous high made in 2011. This is possibly the result of investors buying the asset as a way to hedge against the possible debasing of fiat currencies due to the huge stimulus packages announced by various central banks around the world. To date, gold has rallied just over 26% under very favorable circumstances, while Bitcoin (BTC) is up about 50% even when it has been out of favor among investors. This shows that the relatively new asset is braving its first crisis since formation and outperforming traditional safe havens with ease. …

Bitcoin (BTC) has covered a considerable amount of ground over the past few years. Initially considered as an asset mostly used for unlawful activities, it has finally received the approval of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. This means banks in the U.S. will now be able to provide crypto custody services to their clients. This move could further encourage institutional investors to enter the crypto space because they are likely to trust their banks more than the other custody services on offer. However, funds are unlikely to start flowing immediately as institutions are known to tread cautiously. …

Since March central banks have been printing money aggressively in order to combat the economic downturn brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. Philip Lowe, the governor of the Australian Reserve Bank, has warned against the consequences of unlimited monetary expansion. Lowe said that “there is no free lunch,” and somebody always has to pay for the money printing “in one form or the other.” The European Union has also agreed on a massive recovery fund of about $857 billion to buoy the social and economic crisis caused due to the coronavirus pandemic. In response, gold again broke out to a …

Gold continues to trade near its nine-year highs as investors hedge their portfolio against a possible devaluation of the U.S. dollar due to the expansive monetary policy of the Federal Reserve. Bitcoin (BTC), which has long been forecast as digital gold, is not finding favor among investors as it remains highly correlated with the U.S. equity markets. However, Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao believes that over the long-term, the top-ranked asset on CoinMarketCap will again start behaving as a safe haven asset. Daily cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360 One possible reason for investors’ aversion to Bitcoin as a safe haven could …

Grayscale Investments recent Q2 report shows that the firm took in $905 million into Bitcoin (BTC) and other altcoins. In Q1 of this year, the inflow into various Grayscale products was $503.7 million. The sharp increase in investments indicates that the institutional investors are building positions when the price of the top-ranked asset on CoinMarketCap is stuck in a range as they expect it to rise in the future. Daily cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360 However, in the short-term, the U.S. Federal Reserve’s policy actions might dictate the next directional move. Although the economy is showing signs of recovery, several …

Bitcoin’s (BTC) volatility hitting its lowest since late 2018 has forced investors to turn to altcoins that could act as more lucrative investments in their portfolios. Cardano (ADA) has been one of the largest benefactors of this move. Its price has rallied around 400% in 2020; its market capitalization has almost quadrupled to surpass Bitcoin SV (BSV); and it has become the fifth-largest cryptocurrency in circulation by market capitalization. The recent price rally has demonstrated the faith the community and industry have in Cardano’s roadmap, its vision and its founder, Charles Hoskinson. The project, however, is still in its nascent …

The People’s Bank of China (PBoC) is rumored to be working with food delivery giant Meituan Dianping and ride-hailing application DiDi to test the digital yuan. Currently, Meituan Dianping is estimated to have more than 435 million users. Video streaming platform, Bilibili, could also be the next to join the project. Although the PBoC has not committed to a specific launch date, the coronavirus pandemic seems to have accelerated the project. Following China’s progress on the central bank digital currency, Japan has also expedited its efforts to launch a digital yen. The Japanese government could add the development of the …

The Nasdaq has regularly been making new highs for the past few days, which has resulted in a strong rally in a few technology companies. Along with this, a few stocks in the S&P 500 are also on a tear, pushing their valuations to astronomical levels. While the U.S. equity markets are on a strong footing, gold is not to be left behind. It has also risen to a nine-year high, which shows that assets that are perceived as risky and safe havens, both are rallying at the same time. Ultimately, this proves that an abundant money supply is finding …

Alternative cryptocurrencies, or altcoins, have started to record large gains across the board. Some small-cap coins have seen triple-digit percentage gains in recent weeks. But several larger-cap cryptocurrencies have also been posting serious gains such as VeChain (VET), Stellar (XLM), Cardano (ADA) and Chainlink (LINK). Cryptocurrency market performance in the past 7 days. Source: Coin360 Top ten top performers in the crypto market in the past week In the past week, VET, XLM, ADA, ALGO, LINK, BSV, ATOM, XRP, CRO and ETC outperformed the rest of the market including Bitcoin, which gained just 1.13% during the period. The chart below …

Veteran trader Peter Brandt believes that a new altcoin season is likely to start in the near future and he predicted that altcoins are likely to outperform Bitcoin (BTC) during this next run. In the short-term, altcoins could embark on a rally without the support of Bitcoin but in the long-term it is unlikely that altcoins will rally if Bitcoin struggles to move up. On July 9, the S&P 500 corrected and that resulted in a drop in Bitcoin, which shows that the correlation between the two remains intact. As Bitcoin broke below $9,200 level, it attracted profit booking from …