Crypto crash live: Bitcoin back up above key milestone, but crypto market below $900B

BTC and other major cryptocurrencies see overnight gains

What are cryptocurrencies? | Decomplicated

After sinking below $18,000 on Saturday, Bitcoin has grown by over 8 per cent in the last day and is slightly above the $20,000 mark.

However, the global crypto market value is still below the $1 tn mark at about $880 bn.

Many analysts predicted that last week’s low may be the bottom of the cycle, but others have warned that more volatility may follow.

BTC remains over 70 per cent down from its all-time high in November 2021.

Since the crypto market crash earlier this month that brought the global market cap below $1 tn, leading tokens, Bitcoin and Ethereum have continued to sink, dropping in value by over 20 per cent in the last week.

The failure of two major cryptocurrency projects – Terra Luna and Celsius – both intended as ways of promoting the stability of digital finance, has been linked to market volatility.

Crypto exchange Coinbase also announced that it is culling over 1,000 employees after previously rescinding job offers, however Binance has announced it is hiring 2,000 more staff.

Key points

• Celsius collapse: Crypto plunges after withdrawals suspended
• Crypto exchange Binance blocks bitcoin withdrawals amid market collapse
• Bitcoin could be on the verge of a breakdown and a ‘crypto winter’ might be approaching,

[15 June 2022 15:00 · Adam Smith]

stETH has dropped to $4 billion from about $10 billion last month as holders sell while ether’s price crashes.

“In the short term, stETH will face tremendous selling pressure,” Huobi Research Institute’s report states. “Turbulence is expected in the near future.”

[15 June 2022 14:00 · Adam Smith]

Celsius holds 409,260 stETH tokens

Celsius, which froze withdrawals last weekend is also holding 409,260 stETH tokens.

Celsius took a loss of almost $71 million earlier from staking stETH on Stakehound because Stakehound misplaced the keys, according to Johnny Louey and Andy Hoo, analysts at Huobi Research Institute.

“What Celsius can do is sell its stETH in order to buy ETH on the market to satisfy client requests,” Noelle Acheson, head of market insights at crypto market maker Genesis, told CoinDesk

[15 June 2022 13:34 · Anthony Cuthbertson]

Bill Gates says NFTs are based on ‘greater fool theory'

Billionaire Bill Gates has once again spoken out about cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens, claiming they are “100 per cent based on greater fool theory - that somebody is going to pay more for it than I do”.

Speaking at TechCrunch talk, he joked: “Obviously digital images of monkeys are going to improve the world immensely, and that’s so incredible.”

As the biggest private owner of famland in the US, he added: “I’m used to asset classes like a farm where they have output or a company where they make products.”

Here’s the full story:

[15 June 2022 12:05 · Anthony Cuthbertson]

Bitcoin price teeters above 2017 peak

A further 10 per cent price slide on Wednesday morning has left bitcoin hovering just above $20,000.

Rewind nearly five years and this was the peak seen in 2017 after a record-breaking rally. If it fails to hold support at this key level, analysts fear that even more losses could be on the way. BTC is currently around 70 per cent down from its 2021 record, with major corrections in the past wiping upwards of 80 per cent from the cryptocurrency’s value.

You can read more about it here.

[15 June 2022 12:01 · Adam Smith]

Crypto needs safeguards against a liquidity crisis

Crypto lenders and exchanges need to leverage adult tools to safeguard against a liquidity crisis, according to Dr. Anna Becker, co-founder of AI trading platform EndoTech.

“In the same way trading platforms are growing up by incorporating volatility into their business strategy, for instance with the use of algorithmic trading as opposed to the old model of emotional buy and hold trading, crypto lenders and exchanges need to leverage adult tools to safeguard against a liquidity crisis like the one we’re seeing,” said Dr. Becker.

“It is unacceptable for lending institutions and currency exchanges to prevent customers from accessing their funds. I urge regulatory bodies to clamp down on cowboy crypto firms who are robbing innocent people, and help steer the market into maturity.”

[15 June 2022 11:30 · Adam Smith]

[15 June 2022 11:00 · Adam Smith]

Hedge fund tweet means more speculation

A tweet from crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital has caused more fear in the market. The hedge fund has been liquidating its crypto holdings admit the price drop.

“We are in the process of communicating with relevant parties and fully committed to working this out,” former Credit Suisse Group AG trader Zhu Su tweeted from his verified account, without providing further details.

Three Arrows started withdrawing a cryptocurrency called staked Ether, or stETH from decentralized platforms last month, Bloomberg reports.

[15 June 2022 08:32 · Adam Smith]

Crypto prices this morning

Today, BItcoin is down 6.13 per cent to $21.072. Ethereum is down 8.52 per cent to $1,114.08.

[15 June 2022 07:30 · Vishwam Sankaran]

MicroStrategy says it can withstand further volatility

US software developer MicroStrategy says it has not received a margin call against its bitcoin-backed loan, and could withstand more volatility in the crypto market.

“We can always contribute additional bitcoins to maintain the required loan-to-value ratio,” MicroStrategy said in a statement, according to Reuters.

“Even at current prices, we continue to maintain more than sufficient additional unpledged bitcoins to meet our requirements under the loan agreement,” the company reportedly said.

[15 June 2022 07:00 · Vishwam Sankaran]

Bitcoin could tank further if it slips below $20K, expert says

Arthur Hayes, former BitMEX chief, has said if bitcoin’s value dips below the $20,000 mark, a “massive sell pressure” may ensue, which could further drive down prices of the leading cryptocurrency.

Ethereum’s price could also be impacted in a similar way if it slips below $1000, he said.

“If these levels break, $20k $BTC & $1k $ETH, we can expect massive sell pressure in the spot markets as dealers hedge themselves,” Mr Hayes said.

“We can also expect that there will be some otc dealers and that will be unable to hedge properly and might go belly up,” he added.