Decentral Block Post

Iota, an open-source distributed ledger focused on the Internet of Things (IoT), saw its native IOTA token rally 43% on Nov. 29 after announcing the creation of the Iota Ecosystem DLT Foundation and its registration in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. This makes Iota the first distributed ledger technology foundation to be regulated by the Abu Dhabi Global Market.

According to a press release from the project, the foundation will be seeded with $100 million in IOTA tokens, which will be vested over a four-year period. Traders clearly perceived the announcement and funding plan as a short-term bullish catalyst.

Historically, ecosystem and developer incentives by blockchain and DeFi protocols tend to attract liquidity to the project and boost market participants’ sentiment.

In August 2021, Avalanche’s AVAX (AVAX) token went on a 1,400% tear after the announcement of the Avalanche Rush decentralized finance (DeFi) incentive program.

A similar outcome was seen with Trader Joe’s JOE token in the months following December 2022 after the DeFi protocol announced plans to establish a presence on Arbitrum.

Bitcoin (BTC) rallied about 9% in November, with $38,000 proving to be a difficult obstacle to cross. Buyers have repeatedly tried to maintain the price above $38,000, but the bears have held their ground. Historically, December has been a mixed month. Coinglass data shows that in the past five years, Bitcoin rose only in 2020, but the extent of the rise at 46.92% was impressive. The bulls will try to replicate at least a part of that performance this year.

Entering into the new year, several analysts are bullish on Bitcoin. In a Nov. 28 research note, Standard Chartered said that the possibility of the earlier-than-expected approval of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds could boost the price of Bitcoin to $100,000 before end-2024.

Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz also sounded upbeat about Bitcoin while speaking to Bloomberg on Nov. 29. He said that the marketing team of asset managers whose ETFs are approved will try to convince people to invest in Bitcoin, which could boost adoption. Additionally, the Federal Reserve cutting rates may act as a further trigger that could send Bitcoin’s price near the all-time high by this time next year.

Could Bitcoin sustain above $38,000 and clear the path for a rally to $40,000, or will bears again play spoilsport?

Let’s analyze the charts of the top 10 cryptocurrencies to find out.

Wallets linked to defunct crypto trading firms FTX and Alameda Research moved $10.8 million to accounts in Binance, Coinbase and Wintermute using eight cryptocurrencies.

Blockchain analysis firm Spot On Chain spotted the movement, estimating that the defunct entities have transferred $551 million since Oct. 24 using 59 different cryptocurrency tokens.

The latest transfer of $10.8 million was spread across eight tokens: $2.58 million in StepN’s GMT (GMT), $2.41 million in Uniswap’s UNI (UNI), $2.25 million in Synapse’s SYN, $1.64 million in Klaytn’s KLAY, $1.18 million in Fantom’s FTM (FTM), $644,000 in Shiba Inu (SHIB) and small amounts of Arbitrum’s ARB and Optimism’s OP.

On Oct. 24, the FTX and Alameda wallets transferred $10 million to a single wallet address, which was later redistributed to Binance and Coinbase accounts. On Nov. 1, a similar transaction occurred between the parties involving $13.1 million being moved to Binance and Coinbase accounts.

Related: Ex-FTX execs team up to build new crypto exchange 12 months after FTX collapse: Report

The cryptocurrency industry has now seen its most “damaging” month for crypto thievery, scams and exploits in 2023, with crypto criminals walking away with $363 million in November, according to a blockchain security firm.

Around $316.4 million came from exploits alone, flash loans inflicted $45.5 million in damage, and $1.1 million was lost to various exit scams, CertiK stated in a Nov. 30 X (formerly Twitter) post.

The largest exploits in November occurred on Poloniex and HTX/Heco Bridge, with losses of $131.4 million and $113.3 million, respectively.

The third largest exploit was inflicted on a single victim who lost $27 million from a phishing attack.

Meanwhile, the $45 million KyberSwap attack accounted for nearly all damage done for flash loan attacks in the month.

Bitcoin (BTC) finally broke above the formidable resistance of $38,000 in the past week and marched closer to $40,000. This move shows that Bitcoin’s trajectory remains up. The bulls will try to maintain the momentum and achieve a strong close to the year, while the bears will try to pull the price down.

The major tailwind for Bitcoin is the expectation that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will approve a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund as early as January. Swan Bitcoin CEO Cory Klippsten said in an interview with Bloomberg that the window for the approval for the spot Bitcoin ETF “seems to have been narrowed to January 8th, 9th, or 10th.”

Several analysts expect Bitcoin’s price to soar after one or more spot Bitcoin ETFs are greenlighted. However, traders need to look out for the sell-off after the initial knee-jerk reaction to the upside. The trend of selling into strength after the event has occurred is generally seen in legacy markets, leading to the popular adage “buy the rumor, sell the news.”

Could Bitcoin's rise near $40,000 boost buying in altcoins? Let’s look at the charts of the top 5 cryptocurrencies that may attract investors.

Bitcoin price analysis

Bitcoin rose and closed above the overhead resistance of $37,980 on Dec. 1, which completed the bullish ascending triangle pattern. This setup has a target objective of $41,160.

Chainlink (LINK) price has rebounded by over 240% from its yearly low of around $4.70 in June 2023. It may rise further still in the coming days and weeks, according to a slew of on-chain and technical indicators, as discussed below.

LINK price nears ascending triangle breakout

LINK's price has been consolidating inside what appears to be an ascending triangle pattern since November 2023.

Ascending triangles are bullish continuation patterns when formed during an uptrend. They resolve when the price breaks above the upper trendline and rises by as much as the maximum distance between the upper and lower trendlines. 

It appears LINK eyes a similar breakout scenario in December 2023, now treading around the triangle's upper trendline near $16. Suppose it rises decisively above the said resistance level. Then, its triangle breakout target will come to be over $19.50, up 20% from current price levels.

Thus, if it rises decisively above the said resistance level then its triangle breakout target will be over $19.50, up 20% from current price levels.

Circle, the stablecoin issuer behind USD Coin (USDC), is teaming up with Tokyo-based financial services firm SBI Holdings to boost the adoption of USDC and Web3 services in Japan.

Circle said it concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with SBI Holdings on Nov. 27, which will underpin the strategic expansion of USDC into Japan.

It comes as the Japanese government revised the Payment Services Act in June to establish regulations for stablecoins, which Circle believes will “stimulate the issuance and circulation of stablecoins in Japan and advance Japan’s transition towards a Web3 economy.”

To initiate the circulation of USDC into Japan, SBI Holdings is seeking registration as an electronic payment instruments service, which is subject to approval by Japanese authorities.

SBI Holdings CEO and President Yoshitaka Kitao hopes it will be a step toward mass stablecoin adoption in the country.

Bitcoin (BTC) rose above $38,000 on Nov. 24, but the bulls could not build upon this strength. This suggests hesitation to buy at higher levels. Bitcoin is on track to form a Doji candlestick pattern on the weekly chart for the second consecutive week. This signals indecision among the bulls and the bears about the next directional move.

With Bitcoin maintaining near its 18-month high, BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes retained his bullish stance. In a X (formerly Twitter) post, Hayes said that the United States dollar liquidity was increasing, which is likely to push Bitcoin higher.

Another bullish projection came from PlanB, creator of the stock-to-flow family of BTC price models, who said in a post on X that Bitcoin may not stay at the current levels for long. PlanB expects Bitcoin to maintain an average price of at least $100,000 between 2024 and 2028.

Analysts have turned increasingly bullish in the past few days, but traders should exercise caution because every uptrend is bound to have corrections.

Could Bitcoin soar above $38,000 or start a corrective phase? Let’s look at the charts of the top 5 cryptocurrencies that may outperform in the near term.

XRP (XRP) price may rally over 20% in the coming weeks thanks to a classic bullish continuation setup.

XRP price enters bull flag breakout stage

The so-called bull flag pattern develops when the price consolidates inside a parallel channel after a strong uptrend. It resolves after the price breaks above the upper trendline with convincing volumes and rises by as much as the previous uptrend's height.

As of Nov. 26, XRP was trading above its bull flag's upper trendline, albeit accompanying weaker volumes. That technically indicates a weaker conviction among traders about XRP's bullish continuation. 

The duration of traders' indecisiveness could have XRP price test the flag's upper trendline as support. That means a decline toward $0.59, coinciding with a historical support level and the 50-day exponential moving average (50-day EMA; the red wave), by November.

This level is also around XRP's downside target on the weekly timeframe chart.  

Bitcoin (BTC) broke above the overhead resistance of $38,000 on Nov. 24, indicating that the sentiment is positive and bulls have kept up the pressure. Independent Reserve CEO Adrian Przelozny told Cointelegraph that the “next two years are going to be good,” and market activity is likely to pick up in early 2024.

The major catalysts for next year is the Bitcoin halving in April and applications for a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund, some of which have a deadline for a decision in January. With two main events on the horizon, Bitcoin is likely to find buyers on dips.

Analysts expect a retracement from $40,000 in the near term. That could be one of the reasons why Cathie Wood’s investment firm, ARK Invest, has been gradually selling into strength. The firm sold about 700,000 shares of the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) over the past month, but it is worth noting that ARK still holds more than 4.3 million GBTC shares.

Could crypto traders bulldoze their way through the overhead resistance levels in Bitcoin and major altcoins? What are the important levels to watch out for?

Let’s analyze the charts of the top 10 cryptocurrencies to find out.

Ether (ETH) price is trading slightly higher on Nov. 23, maintaining support above the $2,000 level after briefly retesting $1,930 on Nov. 21. Over the past week, Ether's price has increased by 2.5%, while the total market capitalization has grown by 0.5%. This uptrend can be attributed to improved decentralized applications (DApps) metrics, increased protocol fees, and Ethereum's dominance in the non-fungible token (NFT) market.

To assess whether Ether can sustain its $2,000 price point, one must consider the repercussions of Binance's recent regulatory challenges following its plea deal with the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ).

Investor fear drops as Ethereum network conditions improve

Binance leads in Ether spot trading volume, accounting for 30% of ETH futures contracts' open interest. The closure of Binance's $2.35 billion worth of ETH derivatives contracts within a short period could have significant consequences. Despite initial analyses showing minimal changes in spreads and liquidity, Binance witnessed net outflows of $1.53 billion between Nov. 21 and Nov. 23, as reported by DefiLlama.

The regulatory landscape presents risks and opportunities. Some view Binance's actions as evidence of sufficient reserves, while others are concerned about the $4.3 billion fine facing Binance and its former CEO, Changpeng "CZ" Zhao. Notably, Bitcoin advocate Luke Broyles advised followers to withdraw their coins from exchanges.

Even if Binance continues operations and safeguards all client assets, the long-term effects of full compliance and increased scrutiny remain uncertain. Additionally, the relationship between Binance and stablecoin issuers like Tether (USDT), TrueUSD (TUSD) and Binance USD (BUSD) raises further questions.

XRP (XRP) price has dropped 18.5% from its local high of $0.67 on Nov. 23. And, it appears the cryptocurrency will suffer more selloffs in the coming weeks.

XRP technicals hint at extended correction

XRP has failed to break above a descending trendline resistance since January 2018. And, it fell short of logging a breakout above in November 2023, as well, illustrating a psychological selling pressure around the line.

Each bearish rejection after testing the descending trendline resistance has historically resulted in a decline toward the ascending support trendline. 

The downside target appears around $0.50, interestingly closer to XRP's 50-week (the red wave) and 200-week (the blue wave) exponential moving averages (EMA). Thus, XRP's price risks declining by 20% before 2024, if this fractal plays out.

Potential XRP transfers to exchanges

XRP's bearish outlook picks more cues from the supply distribution data tracked its richest cohorts.

The director of Netflix’s sci-fi series Conquest reportedly used $4 million from the show’s budget to bet on Dogecoin (DOGE) and made $27 million in the process.

Now the director, Carl Erik Rinsch, wants another $14 million from Netflix, according to a Nov. 22 report in The New York Times citing a confidential arbitration proceeding.

The Times report details the behind-the-scenes drama of Rinsch’s sci-fi Netflix series Conquest, which the streaming giant doled out $55 million to make, but is yet to receive an episode.

In March 2020, 16 months after Netflix bought Rinsch’s idea and provided him with an initial budget of $44 million, the director asked for more funds. Netflix obliged and wired him $11 million on the condition he finished the show.

According to financial statements obtained by the Times Rinsch used $10.5 million from the fresh funding to gamble on the stock market and allegedly lost nearly $6 million in just a few weeks by placing options bets on pharmaceutical companies and the S&P 500,