Bitcoin ignored the positive dynamics of US stock indices on Wednesday, further reducing the amplitude of its fluctuations. The first cryptocurrency has been moving in a $29.5-30.0K range since the start of active trading in New York. We caution that this reduction in volatility risks turning into an explosion in the near term, potentially setting off momentum for a few days or weeks.
A formal break of consolidation would be considered a consolidation beyond the previous local extremes, which are located at $30.2K and $29.3K. Going beyond those limits in a sharp move promises to trigger a wave of liquidation of positions that the bulls and bears have brought closer to the current price due to low volatility and bored speculators in recent days.
Outside of Bitcoin, the situation is more worrying. The total capitalisation of the crypto market, according to CoinMarketCap, has fallen 1.6% in the last 24 hours to $1.25 trillion. Bitcoin’s dominance index is 0.4 points to 45.1%.
Ethereum lost 3%, dropping to 1915, the lower end of a steady trading range for the past two weeks. The daily candlestick chart clearly shows a sequence of increasingly lower local highs. This dynamic is a sure sign of a sustained sell-off in crypto, temporarily covered by Bitcoin’s stability.
Bitcoin’s stability against such an external backdrop may be nothing more than a temporary consolidation of capital in the most liquid cryptocurrency and is supported by improved sentiment in stocks.
The cryptocurrency Fear and Greed Index was up 1 point to 12 by Thursday and remains in “extreme fear”. Ripple lawyer Stuart Alderoty criticised the stance of US Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler and the SEC’s desire to seize administrative control of the cryptocurrency market. Stellar will provide its technology to the Central Bank of Brazil to develop the digital currency.
