Bitcoin rally could endure if US manages a soft landing

Bitcoin rally could endure if US manages a soft landing
But further tightening by the Fed could put a swift end to the crypto rally.
AUG 02, 2023

The crypto market rebound this year could have room to run if the US economy manages to achieve a soft landing.

That’s the view of Zach Pandl, the recently appointed managing director of research at crypto fund provider Grayscale Investments LLC, who previously worked as a strategist at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. 

A scenario of low inflation and steady growth would likely aid risk assets, including crypto, by allowing the Federal Reserve to lower real interest rates, Pandl wrote in a note. But “if the central bank decides to raise real interest rates further, or if its monetary tightening to date tips the economy into recession, the crypto recovery may pause over the near term,” he said.

Many investors think the Fed’s most aggressive tightening campaign since the 1980s is close to an end as price pressures cool. That prospect helped to fuel a crypto revival earlier this year, as did optimism that the US may allow its first spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds, but the rally has since stalled.

Ongoing regulatory uncertainty over the status of digital assets in the US and stresses in decentralized finance — or DeFi — have also hit sentiment. DeFi relies on blockchain-based software known as smart contracts, rather than Wall Street-style middlemen, to facilitate activities like trading or lending.

Pressure on the native token of key DeFi exchange Curve Finance has stoked concerns about cascading liquidations of positions throughout the embryonic sector. The coin, CRV, fell as much as 8.1% on Wednesday.

Bitcoin added just over 1% to reach $29,600 as of 8:33 a.m. in London on Wednesday, leaving its 2023 rebound from last year’s rout at 79%. The largest digital asset remains about $39,000 off its 2021 peak of almost $69,000.

MicroStrategy Inc., the largest publicly-traded holder of Bitcoin, said Tuesday it may raise as much as $750 million via share sales and use some of the proceeds to buy more of the token. 

Latest News

Ex-broker in Florida gets more than six years for stealing $2 million from senior
Ex-broker in Florida gets more than six years for stealing $2 million from senior

Eric J. Stone was fired by Fidelity in 2021 after facing claims he took loans from clients.

Vistria takes majority stake in Curi Capital in fresh RIA deal
Vistria takes majority stake in Curi Capital in fresh RIA deal

Chicago-based Curi Capital gets new majority owner as $14 billion RIA eyes acquisitions and expanded family office services

WealthReach, VastAdvisor tie-up takes aim at advisors' cold outreach problem
WealthReach, VastAdvisor tie-up takes aim at advisors' cold outreach problem

Partnership pairs organic lead detection with paid ad targeting to help end "spray-and-pray" marketing for growth-seeking advisory firms.

LPL taps Wells Fargo vet as new chief technology and information officer
LPL taps Wells Fargo vet as new chief technology and information officer

Jonathan Lewis joins the wealth management giant as it proceeds with a $2 billion AI and technology push for advisors.

Buffer ETFs can turn volatility into a better client conversation
Buffer ETFs can turn volatility into a better client conversation

Once focused on retirees, pre-retirees and risk-conscious investors, the category has widened into a wider toolkit to help reassure clients in choppy markets.

SPONSORED Direct indexing webinar targets tax-loss harvesting amid market swings

Northern Trust’s Ken Lassner shows advisors how to convert volatility into after-tax portfolio gains

SPONSORED Who builds the income when the pension disappears?

Dan Biagini of American Equity says the steady decline of pensions, longer lifespans and a reset in interest rates are rewriting how advisors build retirement income