Bitcoin fell 1.5% over the past 24 hours to $62,613.8 by 08:55 ET (12:55 GMT). The token was now trending closer to the lower end of a $60,000 to $70,000 trading range established since mid-March.
DTCC revokes collateral for Bitcoin, crypto
The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), a major private financial markets clearing and settlement services provider, said it will no longer allocate collateral to exchange-traded funds or any other investment funds with exposure to Bitcoin and crypto.
The move will be effective from April 30, and dampens the appeal of crypto, which usually serves as a major vehicle for speculation.
The DTCC decision spurred extended losses in Bitcoin, which was already nursing losses over the past week. Fears of higher-for-longer U.S. interest rates were the biggest weight on Bitcoin in recent sessions, given that the token and the broader crypto space usually benefit from a low-rate, high-liquidity environment.
Hotter-than-expected PCE price index data- which is the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge- was the latest point of pressure for crypto markets. Sticky inflation has been the central bank’s biggest point of contention over cutting interest rates, with inflation readings for the past three months giving the Fed little confidence to cut rates.
Focus was now squarely on a Fed meeting later this week for more cues on rates. The central bank is widely expected to keep rates unchanged.
The Fed is now only expected to begin cutting rates by September or in the fourth quarter.
Major altcoins also tracked losses in Bitcoin, as sentiment towards crypto remained dour. World no.2 token Ethereum fell 3.6% to $$3,172.09, while XRP and Solana lost 2.1% and 4.3%, respectively.
Crypto prices took little support from gains in technology stocks, following stronger-than-expected earnings from U.S. tech titans Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Google parent Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL).
While crypto usually moves in tandem with U.S. tech, that correlation has somewhat changed in recent months, with crypto prices seeing limited upside from gains in tech stocks.
Instead, risk-off sentiment in tech was seen triggering extended declines in crypto in recent sessions.
In a recent research report, analysts at Bernstein said the slowdown in bitcoin ETF inflows is seen as a short-term pause, rather than a harbinger of a worrying trend.
Bernstein highlights that Bitcoin remains range-bound in price following the halving, with no clear momentum in either direction.
“There is a natural gestation time to bitcoin becoming an acceptable portfolio allocation recommendation and the platforms establishing the compliance framework to sell bitcoin ETF products,” analysts said.
The broker reiterated its forecast for a bitcoin cycle high of $150,000 by 2025, bolstered by “unprecedented ETF demand inflows.”
The report also notes that the bitcoin mining cycle is healthy post-halving, with leading players consolidating market shares and network fees stabilizing at a healthy 10% of miners’ revenues.
Source: Cryptocurrency - investing.com
