nasdaq

Valkyrie Funds to liquidate Bitcoin-related ETF by late October

Despite delisting VBB, Valkyrie still continues to manage the Bitcoin Strategy ETF and its Bitcoin futures ETF and the Valkyrie Bitcoin Miners ETF.

Valkyrie Funds, a major cryptocurrency fund manager in the United States, will soon be liquidating one of its Bitcoin (BTC)-related exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

The firm announced on Oct. 11 plans to close the Valkyrie Balance Sheet Opportunities ETF, a crypto investment product offering indirect exposure to BTC.

The fund will be delisted from the Nasdaq Exchange as Valkyrie plans to liquidate the ETF on Oct. 31, 2022.

According to the announcement, shareholders will be able to sell shares up until the end of the trading day on Oct. 28, 2022. Any investors still holding the fund shares at liquidation will receive a cash distribution equal to the net asset value of their shares, the announcement notes.

The firm also said that it will satisfy expenses related to the liquidation and potential distribution of cash proceeds, aside from brokerage expenses.

Valkyrie noted that the decision to liquidate the fund has been taken as part of an ongoing review of products as the firm aims to “best meet client demand,” stating:

“This action was taken after thorough consultation with the Firm’s Board of Directors and comes after it was determined that discontinuing the fund was the best course of action for all involved.”

Valkyrie Funds is one of the major companies in the U.S. issuing cryptocurrency ETFs. The company is known for launching one of the first Bitcoin futures ETFs in the U.S. in October last year following approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The ETF product is called the Valkyrie Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BTF).

The soon-to-be-delisted Valkyrie Balance Sheet Opportunities was launched in December 2021, offering exposure to securities of U.S. companies with Bitcoin on their balance sheets. Listed under the ticker VBB, the ETF tracks companies like crypto custodians, exchanges and trading firms.

Related: SEC rejects WisdomTree’s application for a spot Bitcoin ETF… again

Despite delisting VBB, Valkyrie still continues to manage funds, including the BTF and the Valkyrie Bitcoin Miners ETF (WGMI). The latter was launched in February 2022, with 80% of assets tracking securities of companies that derive their revenue or profits from BTC mining.

The firm did not immediately respond to Cointelegraph’s request for comment. This article will be updated pending new information.

Middle East gets physical Bitcoin ETP listed on Nasdaq Dubai

The Middle East, one of the world’s fastest-growing crypto markets, now offers a new opportunity for direct investment in Bitcoin through the 21Shares Bitcoin ETP.

21Shares, a major global provider of cryptocurrency exchange-trading products (ETP), is debuting a physical Bitcoin (BTC) ETP in the United Arab Emirates.

The new 21Shares Bitcoin ETP has started trading on the international financial exchange Nasdaq Dubai under the ticker ABTC, the firm announced on Oct. 12.

The newly launched crypto product is physically backed, which means that it’s fully collateralized by the underlying Bitcoin assets they track with 1:1 leverage, 21Shares co-founder and CEO Hany Rashwan told Cointelegraph. The ETP’s underlying crypto assets are deposited in an offline wallet to ensure better security, he noted.

21Shares’ expansion into the UAE is a major milestone in the company’s international growth. Including Nasdaq Dubai, 21Shares’ ETPs are listed across 12 exchanges, including SIX Swiss Exchange, Deutsche Börse, EuroNext, BXSwiss, Wiener Börse, Quotrix, Gettex, Börse Stuttgart, Börse München, Börse Düsseldorf and Nasdaq.

According to Rashwan, Germany and Switzerland are currently the two of the biggest markets for 21Shares’ crypto ETPs in Europe.

“In terms of MENA, we expect strong interest given the crypto-friendly nature of the region,” Rashwan said, adding that the UAE received more cryptocurrency than any other Arab country in 2021.

The CEO also mentioned that the MENA region has become a hub for crypto companies and major exchanges like FTX, Kraken and Blockchain.com, attracting even more investors following India’s decision to tax crypto earnings at 30%. “The Middle East’s level of interest and crypto-friendliness made it a prime market for expansion for 21Shares,” Rashwan stated.

21Shares is not the only firm that has listed crypto investment products on Nasdaq Dubai. Last year, Canadian investment fund manager 3iQ listed a Bitcoin ETP on Nasdaq Dubai as well. The product is trading under the ticker QBTC and offers indirect exposure to Bitcoin. “The 3iQ Bitcoin Fund is not physically-backed,” the 21Shares CEO stressed.

Related: Middle East and North Africa are fastest-growing crypto markets: Data

The news comes soon after 21.co, the new parent firm of 21Shares, appointed Sherif El-Haddad as head of the MENA in August. The former head of asset management at Dubai-based Al Mal Asset Management, El-Haddad previously attempted to launch a physically-backed crypto exchange-traded fund at Al Mal, but his proposal was not approved.

Nasdaq needs clear regulations before launching crypto exchange, says VP

Nasdaq said that the retail side of the crypto market is quite saturated at the moment, with many service providers looking to fulfill retail investors’ needs.

Nasdaq, the United States stock exchange, has no immediate plans to launch a crypto exchange until there’s better regulatory clarity from policymakers, said Tal Cohen, the company’s executive vice president.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Cohen said that the retail side of the crypto market is fairly saturated and there are enough crypto exchanges catering to the needs of retail investors. He added that his firm would continue its focus on crypto custody services that were launched on Sept. 20.

Cohen also shed some light on other crypto-related services that the exchange is working on, namely building execution capabilities on the platform to move and transfer assets.

The world’s second-largest stock exchange might be hesitant to launch a crypto exchange in the United States, but the firm partnered with Brazil’s leading brokerage service provider, XP, to launch a crypto exchange last year itself.

The crypto market has gone through another price cycle like clockwork, but policymakers in the United States are yet to offer a clear framework to bring crypto markets under the purview of the law.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, led by Gary Gensler, has been quite outspoken about the vulnerabilities that the nascent market posses. Yet, despite numerous calls for clearer regulations from Congress, the U.S. hasn’t made much headway on the regulatory front.

Related: CFTC can issue summons through Ooki DAO’s help chat box, says judge

The SEC continued its enforcement actions against crypto firms and expanded its crypto enforcement team earlier this year. As a result of growing enforcement actions despite a lack of regulatory clarity, Senator Bill Hagerty, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, introduced legislation seeking a safe harbor for cryptocurrency exchanges from “certain” SEC enforcement actions.

The lack of regulations isn’t just preventing established players like Nasdaq from entering the space, but even existing crypto platforms in the country have suffered from time to time due to enforcement actions and fines.

Crypto Biz: DID you see what Africa is doing with Web3?

Decentralized identity services could play a vital role in promoting Web3 payments in emerging markets like Africa. This week’s Crypto Biz has the latest.

If you’ve spent any time reading about blockchain and Web3, you know that this industry is filled with big buzzwords and half-baked concepts. But, concepts such as decentralized identity services, or DIDs, bring real meaning and utility to Web3. If you haven’t yet wrapped your mind around DID, it refers to a self-owned, independent identity that enables trusted data exchange. In other words, it puts digital identity management and administration directly in your hands instead of some third party’s. 

In this week’s Crypto Biz, we take a look at a Web3 partnership designed to bring DID-powered payment solutions to Africa. We also chronicle Maple Finance, the European Central Bank and Nasdaq.

Payments platform Fuse integrates ChromePay to bring DID services to Africa

Is Web3 even possible without decentralized identity services, or DIDs? It depends on who you ask. For Web3 payment solutions Fuse and ChromePay, DIDs will play an essential role in expanding access to the decentralized internet, especially in places like Africa. This week, the companies announced a new partnership to bring a suite of DID-powered Web3 payment products to the African continent. Specifically, ChromePay will integrate the Fuse blockchain, allowing users to access both traditional and blockchain-based payments directly on their mobile devices.

Maple Finance launches $300M lending pool for Bitcoin mining firms

Crypto lending platform Maple Finance is showing no signs of slowing down amid the bear market. The company announced this week that it would provide up to $300 million worth of secure debt financing to Bitcoin (BTC) mining firms. Why is this important? Well, for starters, the loan could help miners stay afloat during one of Bitcoin’s most severe downturns. The loan will be secured by physical and intellectual assets owned by the mining firms, including their BTC mining rigs.

European Central Bank chooses Amazon and 4 other firms to prototype digital euro app

The European Central Bank, or ECB, will prototype its digital euro app with five e-commerce and fintech companies led by Amazon. Nexi, EPI, Worldline and CaxaBank round out the list of partners the ECB has chosen to develop specific functions for the digital euro prototype. Although the ECB has been vague about its intent to release a central bank digital currency, the monetary authority appears to be laying the groundwork for its implementation. I’m no fan of CBDCs, so make of this what you will.

Nasdaq reportedly preparing crypto custody services for institutions

The bear market might be a perfect opportunity for institutional investors to learn about crypto and, by extension, begin investing in the digital asset class. (Regulatory clarity will also help.) It was reported this week that financial services firm Nasdaq is preparing to offer digital asset custody services — a move that could make buying and holding BTC and other cryptocurrencies more palatable for institutional investors. In my view, it’s only a matter of time before banks, hedge funds and family offices begin dabbling in crypto. At this stage, not considering Bitcoin is a major career risk for investors. Ignore BTC at your peril!

Before you go: Why did the crypto market dump after the Ethereum Merge?

Ethereum’s highly anticipated Merge was completed successfully last week, but even that didn’t prevent crypto prices from crashing again. In this week’s Market Report, I sat down with Marcel Pechman, Benton Yaun and Ray Salmond to discuss the factors impacting crypto markets. I also shared my thoughts on when Bitcoin could reach its definitive cycle bottom. You can watch the full replay below.

Crypto Biz is your weekly pulse of the business behind blockchain and crypto delivered directly to your inbox every Thursday.

Bitcoin’s in a bear market, but there are plenty of good reasons to keep investing

Higher volatility, equity offerings and resistance to regulatory sanctions are just a few reasons why investors should keep an eye on BTC.

Let’s rewind the tape to the end of 2021 when Bitcoin (BTC) was trading near $47,000, which at the time was 32% lower than the all-time high. During that time, the tech-heavy Nasdaq stock market index held 15,650 points, just 3% below its highest-ever mark.

Comparing the Nasdaq’s 75% gain between 2021 and 2022 to Bitcoin’s 544% positive move, one could assume that an eventual correction caused by macroeconomic tensions or a major crisis, would lead to Bitcoin’s price being disproportionately impacted than stocks.

Eventually, these “macroeconomic tensions and crises” did occur and Bitcoin price plunging another 57% to $20,250. This shouldn’t be a surprise given that the Nasdaq is down 24.4% as of Sept. 2. Investors also must factor in that the index’s historical 120-day volatility is 40% annualized, versus Bitcoin’s 72%, which is roughly 80% higher.

That’s the core reason why investors should re-evaluate investing in Bitcoin. The risk-to-reward potential after the downward adjustment in risk assets possibly leaves more upside for the cryptocurrency considering three factors: higher volatility during a moderate recovery, equity offerings and resistance to regulatory sanctions.

The problem is the market is now in a drawn-out bear trend and there are no signs that point to a quick recovery because double-digit inflation in many countries continues to pressure the central banks to sustain a tighter stance. Notice below how both Bitcoin and the Nasdaq have struggled throughout 2022.

Nasdaq Composite Index (blue) vs Bitcoin (orange). Source: TradingView

The consequence of raising interest rates and removing debt assets stabilization programs is a recession-like environment. Whether or not a soft landing will be achieved is irrelevant because no sane investor will opt for credit-exposed and growth sectors when the cost of capital is increasing, and consumption is contracting.

Bitcoin can crush tech stocks even during moderate recoveries

Volatility is usually interpreted as negative, considering that the movements in price — either up or down — are accelerated. However, if the investor expects some form of recovery over the next 12 to 36 months, there is no reason to believe that Bitcoin will remain under pressure for that long.

Let’s assume a neutral case, such as Bitcoin recovering 25% of the $48,700 drop since the all-time high, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Index not only recovers the entire 24.4% losses year-to-date in 2022 but adds another 40% gains over that 1 to 3 year period.

That scenario would bring Bitcoin to $32,425, still 53% below its November 2021 all-time high. Thus, for those buying BTC on Sept. 2 at $20,250, that number would represent a 60% profit.

On the other hand, under this neutral market, the Nasdaq would reverse its losses and add 40%, reaching 19,563 points and totaling a 64.4% profit. To be clear: that would be 21.6% higher than the current all-time high.

Bull markets can create price ceilings for stocks

The top 7 companies on Nasdaq are Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Tesla, Google, Meta and Nvidia, all well-known tech giants. In stock markets, earnings figures are the most critical metric backing investors’ optimism, meaning that higher profits can either be redistributed to shareholders, used to buy back stock or reinvested in the business, itself.

The problem lies when earnings go up, the companies have enormous incentives for issuing more stock, otherwise known as follow-on offers. Moreover, a tech company must constantly acquire emerging niche competitors to secure its leading position. Thus, bull markets create issues of their own, as valuations become too rich and buybacks make little sense.

For Bitcoin, having more miners, investors or infrastructure does not translate to a higher offering because the production schedule has been set from Day 1. The supply is fixed regardless of how the price fluctuates.

Bitcoin was designed to survive regulation and centralization

Nvidia, a major computer chip and graphics card manufacturer, reached a 68-week low on Sept. 2 after U.S. officials imposed a new license requirement for the company’s artificial intelligence chip exports to China and Russia. Meanwhile, in mid-2021, China cracked down on mining facilities in the region, causing Bitcoin’s hash rate to drop 50% in 2 months.

The main difference in both cases is Bitcoin’s automated difficulty adjustment, which reduces the pressure on miners when there’s less activity. While the U.S. regulation will likely impact Nvidia’s exports, nothing is stopping Taiwanese TSMC chipmaker, South Korean Samsung or Chinese Huawei from growing and exporting products.

Bitcoin is a digital peer-to-peer electronic cash system, so it doesn’t need centralized exchanges to survive. If governments opt to ban crypto trading completely, that would only emphasize the importance and strength of this decentralized network. Multiple countries have tried to suppress foreign currency from circulating, only to create a shadow market, with facilitators acting as illegal intermediaries.

Under the 3 different scenarios, varying from total blockage to a generalized bull market, odds favor Bitcoin against tech stocks at the current prices. Consequently, adjusted for its volatility, the risk reward strongly favors the cryptocurrency.

The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph. Every investment and trading move involves risk. You should conduct your own research when making a decision.

Crypto ATM firm Bitcoin Depot aims to go public in 2023 via $885M SPAC deal

One of the largest crypto ATM providers in North America, Bitcoin Depot, plans to list its stock on Nasdaq in the first quarter of 2023.

Bitcoin Depot, a major cryptocurrency ATM provider in the United States, is planning to go public through a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC).

Atlanta-based Bitcoin Depot has reached a definitive agreement to merge with the SPAC GSR II Meteora (GSRM) in an $885 million deal to go public, the firm officially announced on Thursday.

The business combination would result in Bitcoin Depot becoming a publicly listed company as the combined company — to be dubbed Bitcoin Depot Inc. — will trade on the Nasdaq under the new ticker symbol BTM.

The merger has been unanimously approved by the leadership team of Bitcoin Depot and the board of directors of GSRM and is expected to close by the first quarter of 2023. The business combination is subject to regulatory and stakeholder approvals, and other customary closing conditions.

The GSR II Meteora SPAC reportedly has about $320 million that Bitcoin Depot could use to grow, though SPAC investors are able to withdraw their money before the merger is done. Bitcoin Depot could proceed with a funding round that would close at the same time as the merger deal.

Gus Garcia, GSRM co-CEO and a former SPAC banker at Bank of America, said he is confident in Bitcoin Depot’s financing options because of the company’s steady growth. 

“With its significant BTM footprint, key strategic relationships, and feature-rich mobile app, we believe Bitcoin Depot is well positioned to take advantage of the highly fragmented BTM market both domestically and overseas,” he noted.

Related: Galaxy Digital terminates BitGo acquisition, citing breach of contract

Founded in 2016, Bitcoin Depot is one of the largest crypto ATM providers in North America, operating over 7,000 kiosk locations. According to CEO Brandon Mintz, the company has continued growing despite the ongoing cryptocurrency bear market, which highlights a growing number of use cases for crypto-like payments and transferring money globally.

“We’re actually doing fantastic right now regardless of the market,” he said. Mintz also noted Bitcoin Depot plans to pursue acquisitions after going public.

Brazil brokerage giant with 3.6M clients launches BTC and ETH trading

XP Inc has become the latest Brazilian fintech player to offer crypto trading services, following Nubank and MercadoLibre.

Brazilian brokerage giant XP Inc has officially launched its crypto trading platform XTAGE in Brazil, bringing a potential 3.6 million users to the crypto markets. 

The news was broke in a Monday post by the Nasdaq Exchange Twitter account, noting that XP had rung the exchange’s “Opening Bell” to celebrate the launch of the XTAGE digital assets trading platform.

Initially, XP Inc’s 3.6 million clients will have access to Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) trading, but the broker told Cointelegraph back in May that there were plans to “support other digital assets and investment products based on crypto assets in the future.”

Developed in partnership with major American stock exchange Nasdaq and crypto custody firm BitGo, XTAGE is fully integrated into the XP ecosystem, allowing users to make crypto trades on its existing app. 

However, XP director of financial products Lucas Rabechini told Reuters in a July interview only clients with an “adequate investment profile for such operations” will be allowed into the XTAGE platform.

Built on Nasdaq’s trading technology, XTAGE also has integration with MetaTrade 5, a forex and stock trading tool.

Crypto custody firm BitGo is set to act as custodian, storing most of XTAGE’s assets in cold wallets not connected to the internet.

Brazil competitors

XP Inc is just the latest Brazilian fintech player to offer crypto trading services, following in the footsteps of Nubank and MercadoLibre.

Related: Brazilian payment app PicPay launches crypto exchange with Paxos

Nubank, the largest digital bank in Brazil and Latin America, announced a partnership with Paxos in May of this year.

Following the announcement, customers were able to start buying, selling and storing cryptocurrencies directly through Nubank.

While MercadoPago, the fintech arm of MercadoLibre, announced their Brazilian customers could buy, sell and hold BTC, ETH and United States dollar-backed stablecoin Pax Dollar (USDP) in December 2021.

Galaxy Digital terminates BitGo acquisition, citing breach of contract

After announcing plans to acquire BitGo in May 2021, Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital has eventually dropped the deal but is still pursuing a listing in the United States.

After more than a year of efforts to acquire the digital asset custodian BitGo, Mike Novogratz’s cryptocurrency investment firm Galaxy Digital has decided to drop the acquisition.

Galaxy has terminated the BitGo acquisition, citing a breach of contract, the firm officially announced on Monday.

According to the statement, Galaxy exercised its right to terminate the deal in line with the acquisition agreement after BitGo failed to deliver audited financial statements for 2021 by July 31, 2022. Galaxy noted that no termination fee is payable in connection with the termination.

As previously reported, Galaxy originally announced plans to acquire BitGo in May 2021 as part of its plans to go public in the United States. Following multiple delays in the acquisition, Galaxy was expected to finalize the transaction by the end of 2022. In April, Galaxy said that it would undertake a $100 million fee in case it fails to acquire BitGo in “certain circumstances” by Dec. 31, 2022.

Despite winding down the BitGo acquisition, Galaxy still continues its path to the U.S. listing on Nasdaq, CEO Novogratz said, stating:

“Galaxy remains positioned for success and to take advantage of strategic opportunities to grow in a sustainable manner. We are committed to continuing our process to list in the United States.”

As part of the U.S. listing plans, Galaxy is working to reorganize its operations to become a Delaware-based company. The firm previously expected Delaware domestication to become effective between Q2 and Q4 of 2022, subject to a review process with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Related: Argo Blockchain keeps cashing out BTC to pay the debt to Galaxy Digital

Galaxy also remains focused on launching new products including its upcoming offering, Galaxy One Prime. Targeting institutional investors, Galaxy One Prime provides services like trading, lending and derivatives alongside access to qualified custody that integrates “qualified blue-chip custodians.”

MicroStrategy stock MSTR hits 3-month high after CEO’s exit

Poor earnings coupled with overvalued fundamental metrics pose long-term bearish risks for MSTR.

MicroStrategy (MSTR) stock opened higher on Aug. 3 as investors digested the news of its CEO Michael Saylor’s exit after a depressive quarterly earnings report.

Microstrategy stock up 142% since May lows 

On the daily chart, MSTR’s price surged by nearly 14.5% to $324.55 per share, the highest level since May 6.

The stock’s intraday gains came as a part of a broader recovery that started on May 12 at $134. Since then, MSTR has grown by 142% versus Nasdaq’s 26.81% gains in the same period.

MSTR daily price chart. Source: TradingView

Bad Q2, Saylor’s resignation

The Aug. 3 MSTR rally came a day after MicroStrategy reported a billion dollar loss in its second quarter (Q2) earnings call. Interestingly, the company’s major Bitcoin exposure was a large reason for its poor quarterly performance.

To recap: MicroStrategy is an information technology firm that provides business intelligence, mobile software and cloud-based services. But one of its primary corporate strategies is to invest in Bitcoin to hold it long-term.

Unfortunately, holding Bitcoin has cost MicroStrategy an impairment loss of $917.84 million from its 129,698 BTC holdings in Q2, primarily due to the crypto’s 50% year-to-date (YTD) price drop. In comparison, MSTR plunged 42% in the same period.

BTC/USD daily price chart. Source: TradingView

Furthermore, MicroStrategy’s revenue fell 2.6% year-over-year to $122.07 million. The net quarterly losses prompted Saylor—who has strongly backed the Bitcoin investment strategy since August 2020—to quit as the firm’s CEO and become an executive chairman.

MSTR responded positively to Saylor’s resignation and the appointment of Phong Le, president of MicroStrategy, as his replacement, suggesting that investors are comfortable with the change in leadership.

What’s next for MSTR?

MSTR’s course for the remainder of 2022 depends largely on Bitcoin’s performance, given their consistently positive correlation in recent years. But several metrics are hinting at a correction ahead. 

The weekly correlation coefficient between MSTR and BTC/USD. Source: TradingView

For instance, MicroStrategy’s enterprise value-to-revenue (EV/R) ratio was at 10.76 on Aug. 3, or in “overvalued” territory.

Similarly, MSTR’s forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio has reached 54.95, more than double the market average of 20–25. In other words, the market expects MicroStrategy to show enormous future earnings growth despite its underperformance in recent quarters.

MicroStrategy also has amassed $2.4 billion in long-term debts with $46.6 million in interest expenses. Therefore, the company could find it unable to meet its debt obligations if it continues to suffer losses at the current pace.

MSTR long-term debt table. Source: S&P Capital IQ

In other words, MicroStrategy could pledge its nearly $2 billion worth of Bitcoin holdings as collateral or sell them to raise capital. 

Related: A brief history of Bitcoin crashes and bear markets: 2009–2022

“Nonetheless, crypto and MSTR bulls may remain invested,” noted Juxtaposed Ideas, a Seeking Alpha contributor, in its latest analysis, saying that most are willing to “gamble on Bitcoin’s eventual recovery to $40,000” or beyond by 2023 or 2024.

“That would be a positive catalyst for its future stock recovery, returning some much-needed capital to the highly volatile investment.”

The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph.com. Every investment and trading move involves risk, you should conduct your own research when making a decision.

Bitcoin price eyes $24K July close as sentiment exits ‘fear’ zone

The relatively good times could continue next month, one prediction says after July manages to reverse the worst of the 2022 crypto downturn.

Bitcoin (BTC) dropped volatility on the last weekend of July as the monthly close drew near.

BTC/USD 1-hour candle chart (Bitstamp). Source: TradingView

200-week moving average in focus for July close

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD retaining $24,000 as resistance into July 30.

The pair had benefitted from macro tailwinds across risk assets in the second half of the week, these including a flush finish for United States equities. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite Index gained 4.1% and 4.6% over the week, respectively.

With off-speak trading apt to spark volatile conditions into weekly and monthly closes thanks to thinner liquidity, however, analysts warned that anything could happen between now and July 31.

“Just gonna sit back and watch the market up until the weekly close like always,” Josh Rager summarized.

“Hard to get into any trades seriously though they may be a few outliers in current market condition that continue to perform well over the weekend.”

Others focused on the significance of current spot price levels, which lay above the key 200-week moving average (MA) at $22,800. Finishing the week above that trendline would be a first for Bitcoin since June.

Adopting a conservative short-term view, however, popular trader Roman called for a return to at least $23,000 thanks to “overbought” conditions.

Optimism continued to increase across crypto markets through the week, the Crypto Fear & Greed Index hitting its highest levels since April 6 after exiting its longest-ever period of “extreme fear.”

At 45/100, the Index was officially in “neutral” territory on the day.

Crypto Fear & Greed Index (screenshot). Source: Alternative.me

Bullish continuation slated for Au

Looking to next month, meanwhile, Cointelegraph contributor Michaël van de Poppe said that stocks performance would continue to provide fertile conditions for a crypto rebound.

Related: Bitcoin bear market over, metric hints as BTC exchange balances hit 4-year low

“Sounds like we’re going to get that continuation in August, including with crypto and Bitcoin,” part of a Twitter update on July 29 stated.

“Summer relief rally it is!”

August was set to be a quiet month for U.S. macro triggers, with the Federal Reserve not due to alter policy in a scheduled manner until September.

The risk of advancing inflation nonetheless remained, with the next Consumer Price Index (CPI) print due August 10. This week, the European Union reported its highest-ever monthly inflation estimate for the Eurozone at 8.9%.

The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph.com. Every investment and trading move involves risk, you should conduct your own research when making a decision.