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Rocky road lies ahead, but here’s 5 altcoins that still look bullish

The United States equities markets plunged on Aug. 26 following Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s speech where he reiterated the central bank’s hawkish stance. Continuing its correlation with the equities market, Bitcoin (BTC) and the cryptocurrency markets also witnessed a sharp selloff on Aug. 26.

Bitcoin has declined about 14% this month, making it the worst performance for August since 2015 when the price had dropped 18.67%. That may be bad news for investors because September has a dubious record of a 6% average loss since 2013, according to data from CoinGlass.

Crypto market data daily view. Source: Coin360

Although buying in a downtrending market is not a good strategy, traders can keep a close watch on cryptocurrencies that are outperforming the markets because, in case of any turnaround, these are likely to be the first off the block. In a bear market, traders should be patient because they are highly likely to find plenty of opportunities to buy after the market stabilizes.

What are the critical levels to watch on Bitcoin? If it stages a turnaround, what are the cryptocurrencies that may outperform in the short term? Let’s study 5 cryptocurrencies that are looking strong on the charts.

BTC/USDT

A weak rebound off a strong support indicates that bulls are hesitant to aggressively buy at the level. The bulls successfully defended the support line for several days but could not push the price above the 20-day exponential moving average ($21,806). This shows a lack of demand at higher levels.


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Bitcoin threatens 20-month low monthly close with BTC price under $20K

Bitcoin (BTC) looked set to equal its lowest monthly close since 2020 on Aug. 28 as bulls failed to take control.

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

Odds stack up for a deeper dive below $20,00

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD criss-crossing $20,000 with hours until the weekly candle completed.

The pair had been unable to make up for lost ground over the weekend, and just days from the end of the month, even $20,000 appeared vulnerable as support.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin traded near $19,900 — below June’s closing price.

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

“It didn't matter what kind of lines or squiggles you had on your charts,” on-chain monitoring resource Material Indicators summarized over the weekend alongside bid and ask data from the Binance order book.

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Bitcoin risks worst August since 2015 as hodlers brace for 'Septembear'

BItcoin (BTC) is on track to see its worst August performance since the 2015 bear market — and next month may be even worse.

Data from on-chain analytics resource Coinglass shows that BTC/USD has not had an August this bad for seven years.

September means average 5.9% BTC price losses

After two major BTC price comedowns in recent weeks, Bitcoin hodlers are understandably fearful — but historically, September has delivered even worse performance than August.

At $20,000, BTC/USD is down 14% this month, making this August the biggest loser since 2015, when the pair posted an 18.67% red monthly candle.

Subsequent years have proven that August can be a mixed bag when it comes to BTC price performance — in 2017, for example, the largest cryptocurrency gained over 65% in a bullish record.

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Bitcoin mining difficulty set for 8-month record gains despite BTC price dip

Bitcoin (BTC) may have hit six-week lows of under $20,000 but its network fundamentals are anything but bearish.

The latest on-chain data shows that, far from capitulating, hash rate and difficulty are making snap gains.

Data supports "doozy" difficulty jump

Despite being down around 7% in a week, BTC/USD is not putting off miners, who have recently exited their own multi-month capitulation phase.

Now, with hardware and competition returning to the network, fundamental indicators are firmly in "up only" mode as August draws to a close.

This is neatly captured by difficulty — an expression of, among other things, the scale of competition among miners for block subsidies — which is due to increase by an estimated 6.8% next week.

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Mt. Gox rumors panic Bitcoin Twitter as BTC price returns below $20K

Bitcoin (BTC) failed to keep $20,000 support on Aug. 27 as fears over a sell-off by users of defunct exchange Mt. Gox added to price pressures.

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

Mt. Gox rumors dismissed as "typical crypto"

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView followed BTC/USD as it headed to new six-week lows, reaching $19,766 on Bitstamp.

Thin weekend liquidity appeared to exacerbate already jittery markets, which reacted badly to unconfirmed rumors that Mt. Gox funds were due for release to creditors on Aug. 28.

Claims varied widely at the time of writing, with some believing that a tranche of 137,000 BTC was set for release in one go. Others said that funds would be sent piecemeal, but that payouts would nonetheless begin this weekend.

A point of consensus came in the form of creditors allegedly wanting to sell BTC owed to them, this having been out of reach since 2014, when BTC/USD traded at under $500. The unrealized 40X returns, they feared, would prove too enticing for creditors to become willing hodlers.

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Bitcoin price briefly loses $20K on 'bunch of nothing' Powell speech

Bitcoin (BTC) analysts were keen to draw fresh price targets on Aug. 27 after the largest cryptocurrency briefly fell below $20,000.

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

Sub-$20,000 BTC price targets stay in place

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD hitting $19,945 on Bitstamp the night after hawkish comments from the United States Federal Reserve. 

Intraday losses for the pair neared 9% and United States equities cratered over the outlook for inflation policy, which looks to increasingly abandon the "soft landing" narrative.

"Restoring price stability will take some time and requires using our tools forcefully to bring demand and supply into better balance. Reducing inflation is likely to require a sustained period of below-trend growth," Fed Chair, Jerome Powell, said in a speech at the annual Jackson Hole economic symposium.

"Moreover, there will very likely be some softening of labor market conditions. While higher interest rates, slower growth, and softer labor market conditions will bring down inflation, they will also bring some pain to households and businesses. These are the unfortunate costs of reducing inflation. But a failure to restore price stability would mean far greater pain."

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US stocks lose $1.25T in a day — more than entire crypto market cap

Bitcoin (BTC) and altcoins lost big on Aug. 26 after the United States Federal Reserve delivered hawkish remarks on economic policy.

Across the board, risk assets took a major hit — U.S. equities shed around $1.25 trillion in a single session.

Analyst: Powell retiring "soft landing" rhetoric

As comments by Fed Chair, Jerome Powell, suggested that larger rate hikes were still firmly on the table despite recent data hinting that inflation was already slowing, investors rushed to cut risk.

"Restoring price stability will likely require maintaining a restrictive policy stance for some time. The historical record cautions strongly against prematurely loosening policy," Powell said at the annual Jackson Hole economic symposium.

The S&P 500 closed down 3.4% on the day, hitting its lowest levels since late July. The Nasdaq Composite Index copied the move and extended losses, shedding 4%.

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Hawkish Fed comments and Bitcoin derivatives data point to further BTC downside

A $750 pump on Aug. 26 took Bitcoin (BTC) from $21,120 to $21,870 in less than two hours. However, the movement was completely erased after comments from U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell reiterated the bank’s commitment to contain inflation by tightening the economy. Following Powell’s speech, BTC price dropped as low as $20,700. 

Bitcoin/USD 30-min price. Source: TradingView

At Jackson Hole, Powell specifically mentioned that "the historical record cautions strongly against prematurely loosening policy." Right after those remarks, the U.S. stock market indexes reacted negatively, with the S&P 500 dropping 2.2% within the hour.

On the Bitcoin chart, the affable “Bart candle,” a reference to the shape of Bart Simpson’s head, and a descriptor of BTC’s up and down price action, surfaced. Outside of these unpredictable technical analysis indicators, there are other indicators that pointed to Bitcon’s broader neutral-to-bearish sentiment.

Regulators up the pace on crypto legislation

Newsflow for cryptocurrencies has been negative for quite some time and this is also weighing on investor sentiment. On Aug. 24, the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) issued cease and desist letters to five companies for allegedly making false representations about deposit insurance related to cryptocurrencies, including FTX US.

On Aug. 25, India-based crypto exchange CoinSwitch had its premises searched by Anti-Money Laundering agents over alleged violations of forex laws. Launched in India in 2020, CoinSwitch successfully raised capital from Coinbase Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia and Tiger Global.


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XRP price pumps and dumps amid mysterious $51M whale transfers — What's next?

XRP price saw a major spike on Aug. 26, hinting at a possible effect from some big traders.

Large XRP transfers, Ripple Swell Global event

Notably, XRP's price jumped 6% to $0.37, a two-week high, during the early London hours. The token's upside move occurred hours after its network processed three massive transfers worth $51 million involving crypto exchanges Bitso and FTX, as highlighted by Whale Alert.

XRP/USD hourly price chart. Source: TradingView

XRP's gains also came as a part of a broader upside move that started on Aug. 25, a day after Ripple announced its flagship event, "Ripple Swell Global," to be held in London in November 2022. The market has seen similar reactions to the Swell event in the past.

Bearish reversal setup in play

XRP's intraday spike left behind a "Graveyard Doji," a bearish reversal candlestick with open, close and low prices near each other with a long upper wick. This candlestick suggests that the price rally witnessed at the beginning of the session was overwhelmed by bears by the end of it.

XRP/USD four-hour price chart. Source: TradingView

XRP now trades nearly 4% below its intraday high, testing a support confluence. The confluence comprises the upper trendline of XRP's previous "ascending triangle" (at $0.35) and the 50-4H exponential moving average (50-4H EMA; the red wave in the chart above) near $0.343.

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Bitcoin price gains 3.5% as US PCE data supports shrinking inflation

Bitcoin (BTC) rose rapidly later on Aug. 26 as fresh economic data from the United States furthered hopes of a pivot from the Federal Reserve.

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

Bitcoin bounces but preserves intraday trend

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView tracked a 3.55% rise for BTC/USD on the day, allowing the pair to match highs from earlier in the week.

The move marked a surprise about-turn for Bitcoin, which hours before had seen selling pressure as markets awaited cues from Fed Chair Jerome Powell's Jackson Hole symposium speech.

With that speech still to come at the time of writing, abullish catalyst came in the form of the latest Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCE) readout, which was lower than expected.

Analysts reacted positively, as the numbers added weight to the idea that U.S. inflation had already peaked — a narrative already supported by the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

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Why September is shaping up to be a potentially ugly month for Bitcoin price

Bitcoin (BTC) bulls should not get excited about the recovery from the June lows of $17,500 just yet as BTC heads into its riskiest month in the coming days.

The psychology behind the "September effect"

Historic data shows September being Bitcoin's most worst month between 2013 and 2021, except in 2015 and 2016. At the same time, the average Bitcoin price decline in the month is a modest -6%.

Bitcoin monthly returns. Source: CoinGlass

Interestingly, Bitcoin's poor track record across the previous September months coincides with similar downturns in the stock market. For instance, the average decline of the U.S. benchmark S&P 500 in September is 0.7% in the last 25 years.

S&P 500 performance in August and September since 1998. Source: Bloomberg

Traditional chart analysts have dubbed this annual drop-off as the "September effect."

Analysts argue that investors exit their market positions after returning from their summer vacations in September to lock gains, or even tax losses, ahead of the year's close.

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CME Bitcoin futures see record discount amid 'very bearish sentiment'

Bitcoin (BTC) futures are starting to see record discounts as sentiment among derivatives traders worsens. 

In its latest dedicated report issued Aug. 23, analysis firm Arcane Research painted a worrying picture of morale among BTC futures participants.

Futures basis revisits June lows

After an initial shock during June’s BTC price drop, which has since held as a macro bottom, Bitcoin derivatives have not been the same.

After an initial bounce, metrics are trending downwards, and this month are challenging records.

Futures basis — the difference between futures contract prices and the Bitcoin spot price — is already back at lows only seen during June’s dip to $17,600. The move came thanks to last week’s sudden sell-off on BTC/USD, which resulted in multiple visits below the $21,000 mark.

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Bitcoin price taps $21.3K ahead of Fed Chair Powell Jackson Hole speech

Bitcoin (BTC) fell to daily lows on Aug. 26 as market nerves heightened into new macro triggers.

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

Pre-Fed blues hit BTC markets

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD dipping to $21,332 on Bitstamp ahead of fresh commentary from Jerome Powell, Chair of the United States Federal Reserve.

Part of the Fed’s Jackson Hole annual symposium, Powell was set to deliver a speech on the day that spectators hoped would provide new cues on economic policy going forward.

With U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation slowing since June, interest remained high over the extent of key interest rate hikes in September.

Summarizing the current economic situation in the U.S., macro analyst David Hunter argued that the Fed would have no choice but to change course before the end of the year.

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3 reasons why Binance Chain (BNB) rallied 66% since the crypto market crashed

BNB, the native token of Binance’s BNB Chain , has bounced 66% from its $183 low in mid-June. The move consolidates its position as the third-ranked cryptocurrency (when stablecoin market caps are removed) and reflects a $50 billion market capitalization. BNB has outperformed the broader altcoin market capitalization after a devastating 73% correction that began in November 2021.

BNB token at FTX (blue) vs. Total market cap ex-BTC (orange). Source: TradingView

The above chart displays how this smart contract blockchain network suffered during the recent market collapse and how similar movements happened across the altcoin market. Now that BNB price has reached $300, let’s take a look at how the asset is positioned compared to July 2021 when it traded for the same price.

Is BNB’s market cap and valuation justified?

Back in July 2021, the altcoin market capitalization stood 21% higher at $740 billion. Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) had already established themselves as the market leaders, but the dispute for the third position was far from settled, at least in terms of the total value.

Top coins by market cap on July 4, 2021. Source: Coinmarketcap

Despite still being the third largest cryptocurrency, BNB’s market cap was $47 billion, while Cardano (ADA) held a $46 billion valuation. Currently, no altcoin remotely matches its dominance and the gap has widened by more than $30 billion.

Smart contracts form the foundation of all decentralized applications (DApps), including decentralized finance, gaming, marketplaces, social networks and many other use cases. So what other success metrics are there besides the number of active users using addresses as a proxy?

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Wen moon? Probably not soon: Why Bitcoin traders should make friends with the trend

The impact of Federal Reserve policy and Bitcoin’s higher timeframe market structure suggest that BTC price is not yet ready for a trend reversal. 

Bitcoin (BTC) price continues to chop below the $22,000 level and the wider narrative among traders and the mainstream media suggests that a risk-off sentiment is a dominant perspective ahead of this week’s Jackson Hole summit.

Over the three-day symposium, the Federal Reserve is expected to clarify its perspective on inflation, interest rate hikes and the overall health of the United States economy.

In the meantime, traders on Crypto Twitter continue to fantisize about a “Fed pivot” where interest hikes will be curtailed below 0.25 basis points and some form of monetary easing re-emerges, but the likelihood of the Fed adopting a dovish point-of-view in the short-term seems unrealistic, given the central bank’s 2% inflation target.

Regarding Bitcoin’s most recent price action, an old saying among traders is:

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DeFi vs. CeFi: Decentralization for the win?

“The collapse of crypto shadow banks like Celsius demonstrated just how problematic centralized, opaque finance can be,” says Sunny Aggarwal of Osmosis DEX.

Centralized finance platforms have taken a huge credibility hit due to poor risk controls, but decentralized finance protocols haven’t escaped unscathed either. So, is DeFi or CeFi likely to emerge stronger from this current period of turmoil, or is the future likely to see some sort of hybrid of the two?

In November 2021, Zhu Su, co-founder and chief investment officer of hedge fund Three Arrows Capital (3AC), was a big name within the CeFi industry. Having just closed a purchase of more than $400 million worth of Ether using the fund’s assets, together with his friend Kyle Davies, the two had become among the world’s largest crypto holders.

As a crypto bull market mesmerized the attention of return-hungry investors, funds poured into the Singaporean-based 3AC. After all, all investors had to do was to make a wire transfer, sit back, relax and enjoy the fat returns generated by the hands of “professionals,” right? 

Fast forward just eight months later, both Su and Davies are in hiding after the collapse of the firm blew up the CeFi sector and wiped hundreds of billions off the overall market cap. A court in the British Virgin Islands ordered 3AC’s liquidation with an estimated $2.8-billion hole in the balance sheet.

List of bounties on Immunefi | Source: Immunefi
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Bitcoin sits at range high as realized price sparks BTC 'macro signal'

Bitcoin (BTC) inched closer to $22,000 on Aug. 25 as realized price provided the next major hurdle for bulls.

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

Realized price inspires confidence

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD grinding higher overnight to come face to face with $21,700.

That level, coinciding with realized price, had marked the key flip zone to target for bullish continuation the day prior, but at the time of writing, Bitcoin had yet to push beyond it or convincingly turn it to support.

“At realized price again,” analyst Root summarized alongside a chart showing interaction between realized price and spot price during prior bear markets.

2022 had so far seen notably less time below realized price than either 2018 or 2014, Root noted.

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Monthly Ethereum options data suggests $2K will remain an elusive target

Since failing to close above the $2,000 mark, Ether (ETH) price has faced a steep 16.8% correction, but this was not enough to give bears an edge in the August $1.27 billion monthly options expiry.

Ether USD price index, 12-hour chart. Source: TradingView

Currently, there are mixed feelings about the network’s upcoming change to a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus network and analysts like @DWhitmanBTC believe the potential benefits of PoS do not supersede the absence of a supply cap and multiple changes in the monetary policy over time.

Regardless of the long-term impact, Ether price was positively impacted by the tentative Merge migration date announcement from a July 14 Ethereum developers call. Influencer and technical analyst Crypto Rover said that Ether would "drop so hard on the Merge day," as a result of traders unwinding their positions.

One thing is for sure, leveraged Ether buyers were not expecting the steep correction on Aug. 18 and data from Coinglass shows the move liquidated $208 million at derivatives exchanges.

Bears placed their bets below $1,600

The open interest for Ether's July monthly options expiry is $1.27 billion, but the actual figure will be lower since bears were overly-optimistic after ETH traded below $1,600 between Aug. 20 and 22. Breaking above that resistance surprised bears because only 17% of the put (sell) options for Aug. 26 have been placed above that price level.


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Bitcoin breakout possible as whales close in on sideways BTC price

Bitcoin (BTC) stayed strictly rangebound on Aug. 24 as buyers and sellers attempted to spark a breakout.

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

Spot price squeeze on the cards

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD hovering near $21,500 at the Wall Street open.

The pair had seen little action in the 24 hours prior, entering the fifth day of sideways movement within an increasingly tight range.

Data from the order book of major exchange Binance uploaded to social media by on-chain monitoring resource Material Indicators hinted that the status quo was frustrating exchange users, including whales.

At the time of writing, bids were inching higher towards spot price, while seller interest was building at $21,600.

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3 reasons why Chiliz is up 35% this week — And where is CHZ price heading next?

The price of Chiliz (CHZ) has surged by approximately 35% week-to-date (WTD) to reach $0.26 per token on Aug. 24. In doing so, the token has outperformed Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH), which have been wobbling between gains and losses in the same period.

CHZ/USD versus BTC/USD and ETH/USD daily price chart. Source: TradingView

Here are the key catalysts that could be behind Chiliz's breakaway rally.

CHZ 2.0

On Aug. 22, Chiliz founder Alexandre Dreyfus announced their intentions to stop utilizing the Ethereum blockchain to launch their fungible and nonfungible tokens and replace it with its own native chain, CHZ 2.0.

"We don't have to rely forever only on ERC20 or ERC721 equivalent," said Dreyfus, adding:

"At @chiliz we think we can bring some innovation on top of fungible token formats. As we work with 100+ of the biggest brands in the world, it is easier to deploy and scale."

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