Global equity markets extended their decline on May 9 and the S&P 500 fell to a new 52-week low. Bitcoin (BTC) dropped to a new year-to-date low and most major altcoins extended their decline as they tracked the weakness in the stock markets. Data from blockchain analytics firm Glassnode shows that Bitcoin inflows to centralized exchanges have risen to more than 1.7 million coins, the highest since February. This suggests that whales may be dumping their holdings as they anticipate an extended downtrend. Several analysts expect the crypto markets to enter a capitulation phase which generally marks a bottom. Analyst …

Development within the Polkadot (DOT) ecosystem has been slowly unfolding over the past year and a half, and the work put in by developers is finally starting to bear fruit as parachain auctions finish and the first chains launch on the mainnet. The next phase of interoperability within the ecosystem is set to kick off now that cross-chain functionality is about to go live. This next step will allow Polkadot-based parachains to communicate with each other and transfer assets between chains. After passing community vote, v0.9.19 has been enacted on Polkadot. This upgrade included a batch call upgrading Polkadot’s runtime …

Investors across the world are waiting for the outcome of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting on May 4. Although markets expect a 50 basis point rate hike and an announcement by the Fed to start shrinking its balance sheet from June, it is difficult to predict how the markets will react to this trigger. Billionaire investor Paul Tudor Jones, in an interview with CNBC, said that the United States was entering “uncharted territory” as rates were being raised when the Financial Conditions Index was tightening. Tudor Jones warned investors that it was “going to be a very, very negative …

Blockchain platform Polkadot has launched a new cross-chain communications protocol, saying it will do away with cumbersome bridging mechanisms that have cost the crypto industry billions in cyber attacks. The newly launched XCM messaging system is intended to promote Polkadot’s multichain ecosystem, which is being built on the premise of full interoperability. XCM channels are said to be secured at the same level as Polkadot’s central hub, dubbed Relay Chain, and are also available for use by parachains. In other words, XCM will enable communication between parachains themselves as well as smart contracts. Future iterations of XCM will allow messages …

The U.S. equity markets opened on a tentative note on May 2 but a minor positive is that the crypto markets led by Bitcoin (BTC) are holding above their immediate support levels. The price action over the next few days will be dictated by the outcome of the Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) on May 4. If the Fed springs a negative surprise, the markets could react with a knee-jerk reaction to the downside. On the other hand, if the policy meets market expectations, the equity and crypto markets could attempt a recovery. If history were to repeat itself, Bitcoin …

For years, cryptocurrency advocates have touted the world-changing capability of digital currency and blockchain technology. Yet with the passing of each market cycle, new projects come and go, and the promised utility of these “real-world use case” projects fails to satisfy. While a majority of tokens promise to solve real-world problems, only a few achieve this, and the others are mere speculative investments. Here’s a look at the three things cryptocurrency investors can actually “do” with their coins. Lending Perhaps the simplest use case offered to cryptocurrency holders is also one of the oldest monetary applications in finance: lending. Ever …

The U.S. dollar index (DXY) turned down from its 20-year high on April 29 but that has not changed the bearish price action seen in Bitcoin (BTC) and the U.S. equity markets. Equities remain under pressure and this week, Amazon stock saw its biggest intraday drop since 2014 after uncertainty over the U.S. Federal Reserve’s tightening measures placed investor sentiment back into choppy waters. If Bitcoin extends its correction, on-chain analysis platform Whalemap believes that the $25,000 to $27,000 zone may be the best place “to go all-in” on Bitcoin. Long-term investors do not appear to be panicking over the …

The U.S. dollar index (DXY) has risen above the highs created in March 2020 and may next challenge the multi-year highs set in January 2017. Bitcoin’s (BTC) price action is generally inversely connected to DXY. Therefore, unless the dollar reverses its sharp uptrend, a strong recovery in Bitcoin may be difficult. Although Bitcoin has not confirmed a bottom, institutional investors seem to have started their purchases at lower levels. Canada’s Purpose Bitcoin exchange-traded fund added 1,132 BTC to its holdings, according to data analytics platform Coinglass. Behavior analytics resource Santiment also suggested that the crowd’s interest in buying the dip …

Bitcoin (BTC) continues to trade below $40,000 as bears try to flip the level into resistance. The soaring U.S. dollar index (DXY), which is usually inversely related to Bitcoin, favors the sellers. However, it is not all gloom and doom because the Bitcoin bulls seem to be taking clues from the Nasdaq (NDX), which has been hovering close to positive territory. Although risky assets have been on the receiving end for the past few days, Bitcoin hodlers are focusing on the long-term bullish projections and ignoring the short-term weakness. Glassnode data shows that Bitcoin's supply that has not moved for …

Bitcoin (BTC) and several altcoins are trading in a tight range during the weekend, suggesting that investors are undecided about the next directional move. Traders may be waiting for Wall Street to open before placing large directional bets because Bitcoin has been tightly correlated with the S&P 500 in the past few days. The sharp fall in the United States equity markets on April 22 suggests that investors are increasingly nervous about the hawkish stance of central banks. The market expects a 250 basis points rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve in 2022. In addition, the European Central Bank …

Bitcoin (BTC) turned down sharply on April 21, maintaining its tight correlation with the U.S. equity markets, which reversed direction after U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell hinted that a 50 basis point rate hike was “on the table” in May. The selling has continued on April 22 as investors trim risky assets in expectation of an aggressive stance from central banks to curb surging inflation. Veteran trader Peter Brandt said in a tweet recently that the Nasdaq 100 (NDX) was showing a formation similar to the one it had made before plunging in the year 2000. If history repeats …

The U.S. dollar currency index (DXY) turned down sharply after rising above 101 on April 20 but this weakness in the dollar has not helped Bitcoin (BTC), possibly because the S&P 500 is struggling to build upon its strong rally on April 19. This indicates that Bitcoin remains tightly correlated with the U.S. equity markets. Irrespective of the lackluster price action, research projects several positives for Bitcoin this year. A report by Insider Intelligence shows that the number of adult crypto users in the U.S. could surge from 28.3 million in 2021 to 33.7 million in 2022. Along with the …