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USD Coin (USDC), a stablecoin issued by the U.S.-based Circle Financials Ltd, is taking the lead over its top rival, Tether (USDT), when it comes to institutional adoption, according to on-chain data.

USDC daily transfer volumes are higher

The market capitalization of USDC tokens in circulation comes to be around $44 billion versus USDT's $65.42 billion. However, USDC's daily transfer value on the Ethereum blockchain has been consistently higher than USDT throughout 2022, data from Glassnode shows.

For instance, as of Nov. 22, the USDC daily transfer was around $14 billion compared to USDT's $5 billion.

In other words, USDC users engage in relatively higher capital transfers compared to USDT users, suggesting that USDC is increasingly the stablecoin of choice among high net-worth entities including institutional whales, hedge funds, family offices, crypto exchanges, etc.

Related: 82% of Tether reserves held in ‘extremely liquid’ assets, according to attestation

Bitcoin (BTC) hodlers may need to triple their on-chain losses for BTC price to put in a macro low.

According to market research firm Baro Virtual, the 2022 bear market is not yet harsh enough to match historical downtrends.

Bitcoin losses “only” total $671 million

With analysts predicting a return to $14,000 or lower for BTC/USD, the question of where Bitcoin will bottom is one of the hottest topics in the space this month.

For Baro Virtual, which analyzed data from on-chain analytics platform Whalemap, it may be a matter of simple arithmetic.

Taking Whalemap’s moving profit and loss (MPL) figures for on-chain BTC transactions, it noted that in the past, macro BTC price bottoms occurred once those transactions’ losses were equal to or more than the equivalent profits in the bull run which preceded them.

Ether (ETH) price experienced an 11.9% decline from Nov. 20 to Nov. 22, bottoming at $1,074 — the lowest level seen since July. Currently, investors have reason to be concerned after crypto lending company Genesis reportedly faced difficulties raising money, triggering rumors of insolvency on Nov. 21. 

However, a spokesperson for Genesis told Cointelegraph that there were no plans for imminent bankruptcy because the company continues to hold discussions with its creditors.

Unease about the centralization of decentralized finance (DeFi) surfaced after Uniswap Labs changed the privacy policy on Nov. 17, revealing that it collects publicly-available blockchain data, users' browser information, operating systems data and interactions with its service providers.

Adding to the fracas, the hacker behind the FTX exchange theft of $447 million has been spotted moving their Ether funds. On Nov. 20, the attacker transferred 50,000 ETH to a separate wallet and converted it to Bitcoin using two renBTC bridges.

Traders fear that the hacker might be suppressing Ether's price to profit using leveraged short bets. The rumor was raised by @kundunsan on Nov. 15, even though the Twitter post did not gain exposure.

Bitcoin (BTC) headed higher into the Nov. 22 Wall Street open after setting another two-year low.

Thanksgiving buywall appears at $12,000

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView followed BTC/USD as it recrossed the $16,000 mark, having set lows of $15,480 on Bitstamp.

Momentum took the pair to $16,189 before consolidating, marking gains of 3.7% versus the day’s lows.

Talk among analysts remained tied to the Digital Currency Group family, including Grayscale, currently at the center of rumors over the fallout from the defunct exchange FTX.

For monitoring resource Material Indicators, a “guard rail” bid at $12,000 could ultimately be what protected the market should a major capitulation occur over the Thanksgiving holiday period.

Litecoin (LTC) has emerged as one of the rare winners in the ongoing cryptocurrency market meltdown led by the FTX exchange's collapse.

LTC price outperforms BTC, ET

The 2011-born altcoin rallied nearly 16% month-to-date (MTD) to reach $62.75 on Nov. 22, outperforming its top rivals, Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH), which lo approximately 25% and 30%, respectively, in the same period.

Furthermore, the LTC/BTC price also rallied to new heights, gaining 50% in November to establish a new yearly high of 0.003970 BTC on Nov. 22.

As Cointelegraph reported, Litecoin diverged from the broader cryptocurrency market downtrend earlier this month with its halving slated for August 2023. LTC has also received an endorsement from none other than Michael Saylor for being a Bitcoin-like "digital commodity." 

Nonetheless, signs of bullish exhaustion are emerging.

Bitcoin (BTC) firms’ shares are a major “buy” for asset manager ARK Invest in the midst of the FTX meltdown.

The latest data confirms that ARK continues to up its holdings of both exchange Coinbase (COIN) and the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC).

Cathie Wood buys the dip

With FTX contagion still rippling through the crypto industry, ARK’s decision to add exposure to two firms caught in the firing line stands out.

According to numbers supplied by CEO Cathie Wood’s dedicated tracking resource, Cathie’s Ark, the firm added 176,945 GBTC shares on Nov. 21.

These join a larger tranche of 273,327 shares from Nov. 15, that purchase completed just a week after FTX fell apart.

The total cryptocurrency market capitalization dropped by 5% between Nov. 14 and Nov. 21, reaching a notable $795 billion. However, the overall sentiment is far worse, considering that this valuation is the lowest seen since December 2020. 

The price of Bitcoin (BTC) dipped a mere 2.8% on the week, but investors have little to celebrate because the current $16,100 level represents a 66% drop year-to-date. Even if the FTX and Alameda Research collapse has been priced in, investor uncertainty is now focused on the Grayscale funds, including the $10.5 billion Grayscale Bitcoin Trust.

Genesis Trading, part of the Digital Currency Group (DCG) conglomerate, halted withdrawals on Nov. 16. In its latest quarterly report, the crypto derivatives and lending trading firm stated that it has $2.8 billion worth of active loans. The fund administrator, Grayscale, is a subsidiary of DCG, and Genesis acted as a liquidity provider.

The 5% weekly drop in total market capitalization was mostly impacted by Ether’s (ETH) 8.5% negative price move. Still, the bearish sentiment had a larger effect on altcoins, with nine of the top 80 coins losing 12% or more in the period.

Litecoin (LTC) gained 5.6% after dormant addresses in the network for one year surpassed 60 million coins.

The crypto market has witnessed a turbulent few weeks after the FTX collapse but Lido Finance, a liquid staking protocol, has been a bright spot amidst the chaos. According to Data from DeFiLlama, Lido protocol has earned $1 million or more in fees daily since October 26. 

Let’s analyze the on-chain fundamentals to see why this trend has continued.

What’s behind Lido Finance’s growth?

Lido’s growth started in May 2021, pre-FTX collapse. The fees reached an all-time high on Nov. 10 as fee revenue nearly topped $2.6 million. The protocol earns 10% of the total Ethereum (ETH) staking rewards generated from user deposits.

Data also shows a steady increase in deposits to Ethereum’s PoS consensus translates to an uptick in Lido’s fee capture.

Lido’s fee revenue moves in tandem with Ethereum Proof-of-stake (PoS) earnings since Lido sends received Ether to the staking protocol. After the FTX collapse, Ethereum activity has grown thanks to an uptick in decentralized exchange (DEX) activity. Ethereum fees and revenue also reached a 30-day peak on Nov. 8, posting $9.1 million in fees and $7.3 million in revenue.

Bitcoin (BTC) held steady at the Nov. 21 Wall Street open following a weekly close at levels not seen since late 2020.

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD hovering above $16,000 after dipping below the level overnight.

Sentiment remained on a knife edge as rumors over crypto business conglomerate, Digital Currency Group (DCG) continued to swirl.

Concerns focused on the $10.5 billion investment vehicle, the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), with unsubstantiated talk of possible liquidity problems surfacing across social media.

Coinbase, the GBTC custodian, reportedly confirmed its Bitcoin holdings — over 635,000 BTC — were safe and present on the day.

Serum, a "decentralized exchange" on the Solana blockchain, has performed exceptionally well in terms of its SRM token price, despite it ties to the defunct FTX exchange.

SRM price up 140% in one week

On the daily chart, the SRM/USD pair has gained 140% in the last seven days, hitting $0.319 on Nov. 21 versus $0.177 on Nov. 14.

This pushed the circulating market cap to about $73 million and "fully diluted market cap," the market cap if the maximum supply was in circulation, to nearly $2.8 billion.

"Closer to zero"

SRM price rallied despite the ongoing delisting of Serum trading pairs across major cryptocurrency exchanges, including Binance, OKEx, Gate.io, and Phemex, thus raising fears about an ongoing "exit pump."

Exit pumps are when large investors pump the token's price in a low-liquidity environment to attract new buyers, only to then dump their entire holdings on amateur investors as witnessed with numerous pump-and-dump schemes.

Bitcoin (BTC) starts a new week still replaying November 2020 after its lowest weekly close in two years.

The largest cryptocurrency, just like the rest of the crypto industry, remains highly susceptible to downside risk as it continues to deal with the fallout from the implosion of exchange FTX.

Contagion is the world on everyone’s lips as November grinds on — just like the Terra LUNA collapse earlier this year, fears are that new victims of FTX’s giant liquidity vortex will continue to surface.

The stakes are decidedly high — the initial shock may be over, but the consequences are only just beginning to surface.

These include issues beyond just financial losses, as lawmakers attempt to grapple with FTX and place renewed emphasis on urgent Bitcoin and crypto regulation.

The FTX collapse continues to stoke fears of a contagion in the cryptocurrency space as investors wait to hear about businesses that may face the heat. One of the marquee names to come under the circle of suspicion is the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), which has seen its discount to Bitcoin’s (BTC) price reach record levels of about 50%.

Traders hate uncertainty and shy away from investing during these periods. That could be one of the reasons for a lack of buying interest in Bitcoin even after the sharp fall in its price. The Stock-to-Flow (S2F) model, which had seen its popularity soar during the bull phase, is coming under increasing criticism after the deviation between Bitcoin’s price and its projected price hit levels never seen before.

Does this suggest that the pessimism has reached an extreme or is it just that the S2F model is flawed?

During a bear phase, the general trend is down but there are always pockets of strength that may offer trading opportunities to long-only investors. However, rallies during bear markets are short-lived, hence traders may consider booking profits near strong resistance levels.

Let’s look at the charts of five cryptocurrencies that may attempt a rally in the near term.

The largest Bitcoin (BTC) institutional investment vehicle is coming under suspicion as it trades at a record discount.

The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) is the latest Bitcoin industry entity to feel the heat from the debacle over defunct exchange FTX.

FTX woes see Coinbase pledge trust in GBTC owner

With contagion and fears over a deeper market rout everywhere in Bitcoin and altcoins at present, misgivings are impacting even the best-known — and trusted — crypto industry names.

In recent days, it was the turn of GBTC, the long-embattled Bitcoin investment fund, amid problems at a related crypto firm, Genesis Trading.

As Cointelegraph reported, parent company Digital Currency Group (DCG), as well as operator Grayscale itself, swiftly sought to reassure investors and the market that its flagship product was financially watertight.

Bitcoin (BTC) is now further than ever from its target price according to the Stock-to-Flow (S2F) model.

The latest data shows that BTC/USD has deviated from planned price growth to an extent never seen before.

Stock-to-Flow sets grim new record

With BTC price suppression ongoing in light of the FTX scandal, an already bearish trend has only strengthened.

This has implications for many core aspects of the Bitcoin network, notably miners, but some of its best-known metrics are also feeling the heat.

Among them is S2F, which is seeing its price forecasts come under increasing strain — and criticism.

The FIFA World Cup in Qatar is boosting the value of national soccer team fan tokens despite the cryptocurrency bear market.

World Cup Qatar hype boosts fan token prices

These digital fan tokens are currently rallying despite the cryptocurrency market downturn, securing up to 170% gains from the Nov. 10 lows. At the core of the massive uptrend is the World Cup, which will be held from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18 in Qatar.

Fan tokens are cryptocurrencies that enable fans to engage with and participate in their favorite team's decisions. Moreover, they create new sponsorship opportunities for sports clubs and national squads outside of traditional revenue sources.

Here's a brief overview of the top gainers in the fan token sector, alongside their technical outlook during the course of the World Cup.

Spain National Football Team Fan Token (SNFT)

The Spain National Football Team Fan Token (SNFT) emerged as the top gainer in the sports token section, rising 170% to a high of $0.54 on Nov. 19, nine days after bottoming out at $0.20.

2022 was a tough year for crypto, and November was especially hard on investors and traders alike. 

While it was incredibly painful for many, FTX’s blowup and the ensuing contagion that threatens to pull other centralized crypto exchanges down with it could be positive over the long run.

Allow me to explain.

What people learned, albeit in the hardest way possible, is that exchanges were running fractional reserve-like banks to fund their own speculative, leveraged investments in exchange for providing users with a “guaranteed” yield.

Somewhere, across the crypto Twitterverse, the phrase “If you don’t know where the yield comes from, you are the yield!” is floating around.

Bitcoin (BTC) price has tested the $16,000 resistance multiple times since the 25% crash that occurred between Nov. 7 and Nov. 9, and some critics will justify their bearish bias by incorrectly assuming that the failure of FTX exchange should trigger a much broader correction.

For example, Daniel Knowles, a correspondent at The Economist, says the 26th largest tradable asset in the world with a $322 billion market capitalization is "astonishingly useless and wasteful." Knowles also said that, "there is still no logical case for specifically Bitcoin. It's pure ponzi."

If you think it through, for outsiders, Bitcoin's price is the single most important indicator of success, regardless of its valuation surpassing secular companies such as Nestle (NESN.SW), Bank of America (BAC) and Coca-Cola (KO).

Most people's need for centralized authority of their money is so entrenched that cryptocurrency exchanges’ success and failure rate becomes the gatekeeper and success benchmark, when in fact, quite the opposite is true. Bitcoin was created as a peer-to-peer monetary transmission network, so exchanges are not synonyms for adoption.

It is worth highlighting that Bitcoin has been trying to break above $17,000 for the past seven days, so there is certainly a lack of appetite from buyers above that level. The most likely reason is that investors fear contagion risks, similar to what was seen with Genesis Block, the last FTX-related victim to halt service due to liquidity concerns. According to recent reports, the company announced plans to cease trading and shutter operations.

Bitcoin (BTC) saw a fresh rejection at $17,000 on Nov. 18 as nervous markets weathered more FTX fallout.

BTC gets a $12,000 price target

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD failing to flip $17,000 to support — a trend in place for almost a week.

The pair, like major altcoins, remained firmly tied down by cold feet over the FTX debacle and its knock-on effects for various crypto businesses.

For analysts, the outlook remained just as grim, with already dismal forecasts worsening in light of recent events.

“This underperformance of all crypto assets is here to stay until the bulk of uncertainly has cleared up — likely only near the turn of the new year,” trading firm QCP Capital wrote in its latest circular to Telegram channel subscribers on the day.