Ether exchange balances dropped to a decade low of 8.7% as more ETH moved into staking and custody, setting up a potential supply squeeze. The amount of Ether stored on centralized crypto exchanges is at an unprecedented low, which could result in a supply squeeze, say analysts. Ether (ETH) exchange balances fell to 8.7% on Thursday last week, the lowest they have been since the network launched in mid-2015. The amount of the asset held on exchanges remained low at 8.8% on Sunday, according to Glassnode data. The amount of ETH on exchanges has declined by 43% since the beginning of July, which was around the time when digital asset treasury (DAT) purchasing started ramping up. Read more
ETF expert Eric Balchunas argued Bitcoin's 17-year track record and multiple recoveries make tulip mania comparisons obsolete despite recent criticism. Bitcoin can no longer be compared to the “Tulip Bubble” due to its endurance and resilience over the years, according to Eric Balchunas, Bloomberg’s exchange-traded fund expert. “I personally would not compare Bitcoin to tulips, no matter how bad the sell-off,” said the senior ETF analyst on Sunday. Balchunas pointed out that the tulip market rose and collapsed in around three years, “punched once in the face and knocked out,” but Bitcoin (BTC) has “come back from like six to seven haymakers to reach all-time highs and has survived 17 years.” Read more
Bitcoin’s liveliness indicator reached new peaks, suggesting strong demand despite lower prices and signaling the bull market cycle may not be over yet. A technical indicator called liveliness is rising, which historically signals bull run activity and could mean that this market cycle is not over yet, say analysts. “Liveliness continues to march higher this cycle despite lower prices, indicating a floor of demand for spot Bitcoin that is not reflected in price action,” said technical analyst “TXMC” on Sunday. The analyst explained that the “elegant metric,” which is like the long-term moving average for onchain activity, is a running sum of all lifetime spending compared to holding activity onchain. Read more
XRP traders are eyeing a rally, Kalshi taps Solana, Peter Schiff fails to authenticate gold bar during onstage test with CZ: Hodler’s Digest Two long-dormant Casascius coins each backed by 1,000 Bitcoin have just been activated as of Friday, unlocking more than $179 million stashed away for more than 13 years. Onchain data indicates that one of the Casascius coins was minted in October 2012, when Bitcoin was trading for $11.69. The other was minted earlier in December 2011, when Bitcoin was valued at only $3.88, giving that Casascius coin a theoretical return of about 2.3 million percent, not including the cost of minting. Read more
The largest corporate Ether holder continues to buy the dip, as the industry’s most profitable traders continue to bet millions on ETH’s short-term decline. BitMine Immersion Technologies, the world’s largest corporate Ether holder, continues buying the dip, despite the industry’s most successful traders betting on Ethereum's price fall. BitMine acquired $199 million worth of Ether (ETH) during the past two days, through a $68 million ETH acquisition on Saturday and another $130.7 million buy on Friday, according to blockchain data platform Lookonchain. With the latest investments, BitMine now holds $11.3 billion, or 3.08%, of the total Ether supply, closing in on its 5% accumulation target, according to data from the StrategicEthReserve. Read more
Legal experts are concerned that transforming ESMA into the “European SEC” may hinder the licensing of crypto and fintech in the region. The European Commission’s proposal to expand the powers of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) is raising concerns about the centralization of the bloc’s licensing regime, despite signaling deeper institutional ambitions for its capital markets structure. On Thursday, the Commission published a package proposing to “direct supervisory competences” for key pieces of market infrastructure, including crypto-asset service providers (CASPs), trading venues and central counterparties to ESMA, Cointelegraph reported. Concerningly, the ESMA’s jurisdiction would extend to both the supervision and licensing of all European crypto and financial technology (fintech) firms, potentially leading to slower licensing regimes and hindering startup development, according to Faustine Fleuret, head of public affairs at decentralized lending protocol Morpho. Read more
Bitcoin long-term holders lost interest in selling at $90,000, new research showed, as profitability of their BTC supply dried up. Bitcoin (BTC) has seen a “complete reset” of sell pressure after dropping below $90,000, says new research. Key points: Bitcoin long-term holders have reset their selling habits as BTC price action returns below $90,000. Read more
Coinbase predicts a December recovery driven by rising global M2 liquidity and lower interest rates, but Fed Chair Powell’s remarks may limit upside, analysts say. Bitcoin's ‘Santa’ rally may be ignited by macroeconomic tailwinds, including the Federal Reserve’s incoming interest rate decision, but fearful investor sentiment may take another hit by any hawkish remarks from central bank officials. Improving liquidity conditions and rising odds of a Federal Reserve interest rate cut may catalyze a recovery in the crypto market during December, according to Coinbase Institutional. “We think crypto could be poised for a December recovery as liquidity improves, Fed cut odds jump to 92% (as of Dec 4), and macro tailwinds build,” wrote Coinbase in a Friday research report. Read more