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Could Kamala Harris Be Better for Bitcoin Than Trump? VanEck Thinks So

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Many Bitcoiners have their fingers crossed that crypto-friendly Donald Trump will win the U.S. Presidential election in November. The former president has painted himself as the Bitcoin-loving candidate, after all. 

But what if Democratic candidate Kamala Harris is the better overall option for the orange coin? That’s an idea VanEck analysts floated in a report this week. 

Their reasoning is that a Harris presidency would continue the current economic policies that they believe would weaken the U.S. dollar and push Bitcoin adoption. 

The two analysts argued in July that major world economies could turn to Bitcoin as a result of noticing the “endemic flaws” of fiat currencies. The Democrat in the White House would be unlikely to cure the current financial problems, in their view.

“We would argue that a Kamala Harris presidency might be even better for Bitcoin than a second term for Trump because it would, in our view, accelerate many of the structural issues that drive Bitcoin adoption in the first place,” the Thursday report by Matthew Sigel and Patrick Bush argued

They added that “as inflation and currency devaluation continue challenging fiat monetary systems, Bitcoin can serve as a vital hedge.”

The two went on to say that Trump would be better for the digital asset ecosystem as a whole, not just Bitcoin on its own.

“Conversely, we believe a Trump presidency is generally bullish for the entire crypto ecosystem, as it would likely produce more deregulation and business-friendly policies—perhaps particularly so for crypto entrepreneurs, who regulators have increasingly scrutinized in the past four years,” the report read. 

Ex-President Donald Trump used to call the crypto space a “scam,” but has since embraced NFTs, Bitcoin, and has even launched his own upcoming decentralized finance (DeFi) project called World Liberty Financial.

Just Wednesday, the Republican candidate used Bitcoin to pay for burgers at the PubKey bar in New York City. “It’s the beginning of a new era,” he said after using the technology. 

Vice President Harris, on the other hand, has said very little about the crypto industry. Some bigwigs in the industry—like billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban—have hinted that her campaign is taking more of an interest in crypto, but the Democratic candidate has yet to make her views or plans public.

Edited by Andrew Hayward

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Loom Network, Ontology, Simon’s Cat lead as Bitcoin stalls

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Cryptocurrencies held steady on Saturday as the recent momentum among risky assets waned.

Bitcoin (BTC) retreated to $63,000 from this week’s high of $64,000 while the total market cap of all coins remained at $2.2 trillion. 

Other risk assets wavered, with the Dow Jones rising by 27 points and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 indices falling by 0.25% and 0.29%, respectively. As we wrote on Friday, this price action was likely because of the triple-witching event, where options worth over $5.1 trillion expired. 

Loom Network led gains as open interest rose

Loom Network (LOOM), recently delisted from Binance, was one of the best-performing altcoins as it jumped to $0.0668, its highest swing since July 22 and up by 61% from its lowest point this year.

Loom soared as its 24-hour volume jumped to over $174 million, higher than its market cap of $80 million. Its open interest in the futures market jumped to over $27 million, its highest level since March 27, and higher than this month’s low of $4.7 million.

Ontology Gas (ONG) was also one of the top tokens on Saturday. It soared for five consecutive days, reaching its July high of $0.387 with its market cap reaching $142 million. Like Loom Network, ONT’s open interest rose to $15.7 million, the highest level since June 7.

Fundamentally, Ontology’s ecosystem has not done well in the past few years as the total value locked in its DeFi ecosystem has dropped to $7.1 million from a record high of $374 million in 2021.

Simon’s Cat jumps to a record high

Simon’s Cat (CAT) was the other top-performing token, surging to a record high of $0.000040. According to Nansen, the token’s market cap has soared to over $297 million while its exchange volume rose to $168 million, its highest level since Sep. 12. 

Simon's Cat volume
Simon’s Cat price and volume | Source: Nansen

Simon’s Cat also jumped as the number of token holders rose to 217,680 in the last 24 hours while the number of tokens in exchanges dropped to 1.85 trillion from last week’s 1.87 trillion. A drop in the number of tokens in exchanges is a positive thing since it means that more people are storing them in wallets. 

The other top-performing cryptocurrencies were ARK, which rose by 23%; Powerledger, and Theta Fuel, which rose by 20% and 8%, respectively.

Mother Iggy, Neiro on ETH, Billy, and Cat In A Dogs World were the most notable laggards.



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Altcoins Outperform Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether ((ETH) Following Fed Meeting Due to Poor Liquidity, Higher Beta

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Total3, an index that tracks the market capitalization of the top 125 cryptocurrencies, excluding bitcoin and ether (ETH), was trading 5.68% higher since the central bank’s announcement that it would slash the Federal Funds rate by 50 basis points, according to data on TradingView. Bitcoin’s market cap, by contrast, rose only 4.4%.



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SEC Approves Options Trading on BlackRock’s Spot Bitcoin ETF IBIT

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The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has just granted approval for the listing and trading of options on BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF, the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT).

The approved options on the iShares Bitcoin Trust will be physically settled, meaning that when the option is exercised, Bitcoin will be delivered to fulfill the contract. These American-style options can be exercised at any time before the expiration date, providing flexibility for traders. According to the SEC, the listing will follow the same rules as options on other exchange-traded funds (ETFs), including position limits and margin requirements.

“I’m assuming others will be approved in short order,” said Bloomberg Senior ETF Analyst Eric Balchunas. “Huge win for the the bitcoin ETFs (as it will attract more liquidity which will in turn attract more big fish). This is nice surprise re timing but not a shocker as James Seyffart and I gave 70% odds of approval by end of May.”

The SEC highlighted that this approval would allow investors to hedge their positions on Bitcoin, using the options market to mitigate the inherent volatility of BTC. The iShares Bitcoin Trust has been the most liquid spot Bitcoin ETF, which helped meet the requirements for trading options. The SEC also emphasized that extensive surveillance mechanisms would be in place to monitor potential market manipulation and ensure orderly trading.

“IBIT is the most liquid spot Bitcoin ETF and the 11th most liquid ETF in the U.S. by average volume (34,825,921 shares) and 18th largest by average notional ($1,246,060,738),” stated the SEC. “As of May 22, 2023, IBIT had approximately 193,956 shareholders.”

This approval by the SEC continues the trend of expanding regulated financial products based on Bitcoin, pushing it closer to full integration within the global financial system. The ability to trade options on a spot Bitcoin ETF provides new opportunities for institutional investors who wish to engage with the Bitcoin market while maintaining a higher level of risk management.

“Important note: This is just one stage of approval, the OCC and CFTC has to approve as well before they officially list,” Balchunas continued. “The other two don’t have a ‘clock’ so not sure when they’ll be approved. A big step tho nonetheless that the SEC came around.”





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