Decentral Block Post

Bitcoin (BTC) hit daily lows on the July 5 Wall Street open as the U.S. dollar saw a violent surge higher. 

USD sets yet another 20-year record

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD retreating to $19,281 on Bitstamp as the Independence Day long weekend concluded with a bump.

The pair had seen last-minute gains the day prior, these fizzling as the return of Wall Street trading was accompanied by USD strength laying waste to gains across risk assets and safe havens.

Bitcoin traded down $1,000 on the day, while spot gold shed over 2% and U.S. equities markets also fell. The S&P 500 was down 2.2% at the time of writing, while the Nasdaq Composite Index lost 1.7%.

The U.S. dollar index (DXY), on the contrary, hit 106.59, a level not seen since December 2002 and above previous breakouts from Q2 this year.

The domino effect of the 2022 bear market, which saw the downfall of numerous crypto ecosystems and tokens over several months, caught up to GARI token as it tanked over 83% in value in a matter of hours on June 4. While GARI Network brushed off the development as a “market event,” investors suspect a rug pull event. 

GARI token was launched by Salman Khan, an A-list celebrity from Bollywood, with an aim to help Indian creators monetize their content over a short video application Chingari and its nonfungible token (NFT) marketplace. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and Trading View show that GARI maintained a fairly steady value, averaging out to roughly $0.6 over the past six months amid a shaky market.

GARI’s bearish movement began on June 20, however, its long-standing support gave away on June 4 when the token crashed 83.29% to its all-time lowest trading value of $0.13. Soon after, investors started comparing the situation to the Terra (LUNA) and TerraUSD (UST) collapse, with one of the members calling the actor “Salman Kwon.”

Taking control of the situation, GARI Network conducted an internal evaluation and found no evident hacks that could topple the token’s prices, stating:

“So far this looks like a market event. We assure our community that ALL tokens are safe in the respective reserves.”

The growth of Circle's native stablecoin USD Coin (USDC) in the last two months compared to its $66-billion rival giant Tether (USDT) is nothing short of spectacular.

USDT, USDC market cap ratio hits the lowest on record

Notably, USDC's market capitalization has grown by 8.27% since May, reaching its highest level of $55.9 billion on July 2. In contrast, USDT has suffered an over 19% drop in its market valuation, currently treading around $66.14 billion.

This is the closest USDC has come to challenging USDT's supremacy in the stablecoin sector based on the diminishing gap between their market caps.

In detail, the USDT to USDC market cap ratio was above "9" in August 2020. However, in July, it dropped to 1.20, the lowest on record, as shown in the chart below.

At the current rate — and with less than $10 billion now separating the two stablecoins — USDC can surpass USDT by market capitalization in a few months, if not weeks. 

The growth of Circle's native stablecoin USD Coin (USDC) in the last two months compared to its $66-billion rival giant Tether (USDT) is nothing short of spectacular.

USDT, USDC market cap ratio hits the lowest on record

Notably, USDC's market capitalization has grown by 8.27% since May, reaching its highest level of $55.9 billion on July 2. In contrast, USDT has suffered an over 19% drop in its market valuation, currently treading around $66.14 billion.

This is the closest USDC has come to challenging USDT's supremacy in the stablecoin sector based on the diminishing gap between their market caps.

In detail, the USDT to USDC market cap ratio was above "9" in August 2020. However, in July, it dropped to 1.20, the lowest on record, as shown in the chart below.

At the current rate — and with less than $10 billion now separating the two stablecoins — USDC can surpass USDT by market capitalization in a few months, if not weeks. 

Bitcoin (BTC) has a “neutral to positive” outlook despite staying below $20,000, according to ARK Investment Management.

In its latest "Bitcoin Monthly" report, the American asset management giant flagged signs that BTC price action is close to bottoming.

Wood: "We're waiting for more capitulation signals"

One of Bitcoin’s most vocal supporters, ARK and CEO, Cathie Wood, have stuck with BTC exposure as the market continues to fall from all-time highs.

The latest Bitcoin Monthly release confirms that conviction, with Wood, analysts and research associate David Puell suggesting that little ground remains to be covered before BTC/USD reverses.

“Down 70% from its all-time high, bitcoin is trading at or below some of its most important levels: its 200-week moving average, the general cost basis of the market (realized price), the cost bases of long-term (LTH) and short-term holders (STH), and its 2017 peak,” the report reads.

The crypto community is looking into three key dates this month that could profoundly impact the trajectory of the crypto market and the wider United States macroeconomic environment this year. 

On July 13, the monthly Consumer Price Index (CPI) and data relating to inflation will be released to the public. On July 26-27, a decision will be made as to whether to hike interest rates further, while on July 28, the United States Q2 2022 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimates will tell us whether the country is in a technical recession.

July 13: Inflation marker, CPI

Micahel van de Poppe, CEO and founder of crypto consultancy and educational platform EightGlobal, told his 614,300 Twitter followers on July 4 that it’s “all eyes on the CPI data next week,” adding bullish forecasts for Bitcoin should it flip above its $20,000 price point.

Co-founder of The Crypto Academy, known on Twitter as 'Wolves of Crypto', told his followers to keep an eye out for the date, adding that CPI going lower than expected “could be the catalyst for a dead cat bounce” for Bitcoin.

“All eyes on CPI numbers on July 13th. If CPI comes in lower, that will be the catalyst for a dead cat bounce.”