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Crypto pumps after Fed rate hike, Zuckerberg pins hopes on Metaverse making hundreds of billions and Tesla posts $64M BTC gain: Hodler’s Digest, July 24-30

Coming every Saturday, Hodler’s Digest will help you track every single important news story that happened this week. The best (and worst) quotes, adoption and regulation highlights, leading coins, predictions and much more — a week on Cointelegraph in one link.

Top Stories This Week

 

‘Bullish rate hike’ — Why crypto spiked in the face of bad news

Despite the U.S. Federal Reserve announcing a 75-basis-point interest rate hike on Wednesday, the crypto markets pumped significantly on the same day with the momentum continuing through the week. Quantum Economics founder and CEO Mati Greenspan jokingly called it a “bullish rate hike” and stated that investors were clearly expecting far worse. Analysts such as Swyftx’s Pav Hundal suggested the recent rally may be due to an easing of inflationary pressures around gas and goods such as corn and wheat.

 

Ethereum dev confirms Goerli merger date, the final update before the Merge

On Thursday, lead Ethereum developer Tim Beiko revealed that the final Goerli testnet merger ahead of Ethereum’s long-awaited Merge and switch to proof-of-stake will occur between Aug. 6-12. In what has been a long and much-delayed roadmap since late 2020, the Ethereum network is now in the final stages of completing its largest upgrade to date. The official Merge is slated for Sept. 19 but could be subject to further delays if there are issues with the Goerli testnet.


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Historically accurate Bitcoin metric exits buy zone in 'unprecedented' 2022 bear market

Bitcoin has historically profited from Puell Multiple lift-offs, but unique macro conditions mean what happens next is uncertain.

Historically accurate Bitcoin metric exits buy zone in 'unprecedented' 2022 bear market

Bitcoin (BTC) is enjoying what some are calling a "bear market rally" and has gained 20% in July, but price action is still confusing analysts.

As the July monthly close approaches, the Puell Multiple has left its bottom zone, leading to hopes that the worst of the losses may be in the past.

Puell Multiple attempts to cement breakout

The Puell Multiple one of the best-known on-chain Bitcoin metrics. It measures the value of mined bitcoins on a given day compared to the value of those mined in the past 365 days.

The resulting multiple is used to determine whether a day's mined coins is particularly high or low relative to the year's average. From that, miner profitability can be inferred, along with more general conclusions about how overbought or oversold the market is.

After hitting levels which traditionally accompany macro price bottoms, the Puell Multiple is now aiming higher — something traditionally seen at the start of macro price uptrends.

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Bitcoin price eyes $24K July close as sentiment exits 'fear' zone

The relatively good times could continue next month, one prediction says after July manages to reverse the worst of the 2022 crypto downturn.

Bitcoin price eyes $24K July close as sentiment exits 'fear' zone

Bitcoin (BTC) dropped volatility on the last weekend of July as the monthly close drew near.

BTC/USD 1-hour candle chart (Bitstamp). Source: TradingView

200-week moving average in focus for July close

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD retaining $24,000 as resistance into July 30.

The pair had benefitted from macro tailwinds across risk assets in the second half of the week, these including a flush finish for United States equities. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite Index gained 4.1% and 4.6% over the week, respectively.

With off-speak trading apt to spark volatile conditions into weekly and monthly closes thanks to thinner liquidity, however, analysts warned that anything could happen between now and July 31.

“Just gonna sit back and watch the market up until the weekly close like always,” Josh Rager summarized.

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Uniswap's 80% gains in July are in danger with UNI price painting a classic bearish pattern

Uniswap (UNI) looks ready to post its best monthly performance in more than a year as it rallied approximately 80% in July, but signs of an extended pullback in the near term are emerging. 

Uniswap price nearly doubles in July

UNI's price is having one of its best months ever, reaching nearly $9 on July 30 versus nearly $5 at the beginning of the month, best returns since January 2021's 250% price rally. 

UNI/USD monthly price chart. Source: TradingView

Merge FOMO an UNI "fee switch" proposal

Uniswap's gains primarily surfaced due to similar upside moves in a broader crypto market. But they turned out to be relatively massive due to an ongoing euphoria surrounding "the Merge."

Notably, the Ethereum blockchain's potential transition from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake in September has triggered a buying hysteria among related toke.

Additionally, UNI may also have been drawing its gains from a so-called "fee switch" proposal.

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Uniswap's 80% gains in July are in danger with UNI price painting a classic bearish pattern

Uniswap (UNI) looks ready to post its best monthly performance in more than a year as it rallied approximately 80% in July, but signs of an extended pullback in the near term are emerging. 

Uniswap price nearly doubles in July

UNI's price is having one of its best months ever, reaching nearly $9 on July 30 versus nearly $5 at the beginning of the month, best returns since January 2021's 250% price rally. 

UNI/USD monthly price chart. Source: TradingView

Merge FOMO an UNI "fee switch" proposal

Uniswap's gains primarily surfaced due to similar upside moves in a broader crypto market. But they turned out to be relatively massive due to an ongoing euphoria surrounding "the Merge."

Notably, the Ethereum blockchain's potential transition from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake in September has triggered a buying hysteria among related toke.

Additionally, UNI may also have been drawing its gains from a so-called "fee switch" proposal.

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Dubai permits full operation to FTX subsidiary FZE via first MVP license

According to Dubai officials, the subsidiary’s operations will serve as a regulatory trial for future commercial services using virtual assets.

Argentinean soccer club welcomes first crypto signing amid economic downturn

Argentina’s economic restrictions have reached the sports industry, with the first signing of a local football player with cryptocurrencies hitting national headlines.

The transfer of midfielder Giuliano Galoppo from Banfield's Athletic Club to Sao Paulo Futebol Clube was made in USD Coin (USDC), exceeding $6 million and up to $8 million depending on the volatile exchange rate of the Argentine peso, according to local sources. The transfer was made possible through a collaboration with the Mexican crypto exchange Bitso.

“We are very proud to work with these two clubs for this historical signing of Sao Paulo with all the safety, transparency and flexibility that the crypto economy has to offer,” said Thales Freitas, Bitso’s director in Brazil.

The transfer happened amid a difficult economic situation for Argentinian sports clubs. The reported exchange gap between pesos and dollars keeps escalating, affecting the possibility for football players to get signed by international teams and inducing them to renegotiate their contracts to adjust their salaries to the volatile dollar price.

The country’s unstable economy has led to a major adoption of cryptocurrencies, especially stablecoins. The tendency toward stablecoins notoriously escalated after the shocking resignation of Argentina’s economy minister earlier this month.

Argentinean soccer club welcomes first crypto signing amid economic downturn

As the exchange rate gap between the US dollar and Argentinean pesos worsens, so does the possibility for Argentine footballers to get signed by international teams.

Will the Bitcoin mining industry collapse? Analysts explain why crisis is really opportunity

Bitcoin mining involves a delicate balance between multiple moving parts. Miners already have to face capital and operational costs, unexpected repairs, product shipping delays and unexpected regulation that can vary from country to country — and in the case of the United States, from state to state. On top of that, they also had to contend with Bitcoin’s precipitous drop from $69,000 to $17,600. 

Despite BTC price being 65% down from its all-time high, the general consensus among miners is to keep calm and carry on by just stacking sats, but that doesn't mean the market has reached a bottom just yet.

In an exclusive Bitcoin miners panel hosted by Cointelegraph, Luxor CEO Nick Hansen said, “There’s going to definitely be a capital crunch in publicly listed companies or at least not even just publicly listed companies. There’s probably close to $4 billion worth of new ASICs that need to be paid for as they come out, and that capital is no longer available.”

Hansen elaborated with:

“Hedge funds blow up very quickly. I think miners are going to take 3 to 6 months to blow up. So we’ll see who’s got good operations and who’s able to survive this low margin environment.”

Will the Bitcoin mining industry collapse? Analysts explain why crisis is really opportunity

Many BTC miners are in a tough spot and a few could collapse, but experts say the industry is here to stay.

Will the Bitcoin mining industry collapse? Analysts explain why crisis is really opportunity

Many BTC miners are in a tough spot and a few could collapse, but experts say the industry is here to stay.

Deposits at non-bank entities, including crypto firms, are not insured — FDIC

The government agency said that while deposits at insured banks were covered for up to $250,000, no such protections applied to those at crypto companies.

Chips Bill provides for blockchain specialist position in White House science office

The $280 billion bill, which aids the semiconductor industry, also incorporated Representative Darren Soto’s bill to create a position to advise the president on blockchain.

Price analysis 7/29: BTC, ETH, BNB, XRP, ADA, SOL, DOGE, DOT, MATIC, AVAX

Bitcoin (BTC) hit a six-week high above $24,000 on July 29, extending its rally that picked up momentum after the United States Federal Reserve hiked rates by 75 basis points on July 27. If the rally sustains for the next two days, Bitcoin could be on target to close the month of July with gains of more than 20%, according to data from Coinglass.

It is not only the crypto markets that have seen a post-FOMC rally. The U.S. equities markets are on track for big monthly gains in July. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite are up about 8.8% and 12% in July, on track to their best monthly gains since November 2020.

Daily cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360

The crypto and equities markets have risen expecting that the pace of rate hikes by the Fed will slow down in the future. Arthur Hayes, ex-CEO of derivatives platform BitMEX, believes that the Fed will not increase rates further and may eventually return to accommodative monetary policy and more neutral rates.

Could Bitcoin and altcoins extend their recovery over the next few days? Let’s study the charts of the top-10 cryptocurrencies to find out.

BTC/USDT

Bitcoin closed below the 20-day exponential moving average ($22,213) on July 25 but the bears could not sustain the lower levels. The bulls bought the dip below $21,000 and propelled the price back above the moving averages on July 27.

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Price analysis 7/29: BTC, ETH, BNB, XRP, ADA, SOL, DOGE, DOT, MATIC, AVAX

Bitcoin price has hit resistance at the $24,000 level, resulting in a slight pullback in select altcoins. Is the rally over?

Price analysis 7/29: BTC, ETH, BNB, XRP, ADA, SOL, DOGE, DOT, MATIC, AVAX

Bitcoin price has hit resistance at the $24,000 level, resulting in a slight pullback in select altcoins. Is the rally over?

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