Bitcoin Drops to $58K After U.S. CPI Print, BTC ETFs Record $81M Outflow

BY Coindesk | ECONOMIC | 08/15/24 03:39 AM EDT By Shaurya Malwa
  • Bitcoin fell over 4% to around $58,000, leading to a broader market drop where other major cryptocurrencies like Ether, Solana, Cardano, BNB Chain, and XRP fared slightly better, with losses ranging from 2.5% to 3.8%.
  • The decline came after by the release of U.S. CPI data, despite positive stock market reactions. U.S.-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs saw net outflows, with Grayscale's GBTC being the most affected, while Ether ETFs saw continued inflows, with BlackRock's (BLK) ETHA notably gaining.

Bitcoin {{BTC}} slipped more than 4% in the past 24 hours to trade near the $58,000 level in Asian afternoon hours Thursday, retracing nearly all gains from the past week.

BTC led losses as the slide led to a drop across major tokens. Ether {{ETH}} fell 3.8%, while Solana?s {{SOL}}, Cardano?s {{ADA}}, BNB Chain?s {{BNB}} and Ripple's XRP{{(XRP}} dropped a smaller 2.5%. The broad-based CoinDesk 20, a liquid fund tracking the largest tokens by capitalization, lost 3.5%.

Much of the drop came after the latest July U.S. consumer price index (CPI) figures were released late on Wednesday. July's CPI increased by 2.9% year-on-year, as expected, marking the first time since 2021 that it has fallen below 3%.

Despite the NASDAQ and S&P 500 reversing an early sell-off and ending the day in the green, BTC continued its sell-off after the CPI print. Crypto (CRCW) prices have been "highly sensitive" to U.S. economic data in recent months, as per K33 Research, and tend to move as investors prefer stability over riskier assets.

As such, some traders expect BTC prices to drop to as low as $55,000 in the near term, before a leg up, which could spell further losses for major tokens.

?A new sell-off momentum is still the prevailing scenario, with a potential pullback to $55K,? Alex Kuptsikevich, the FxPro senior market analyst, shared in a Thursday note. ?Data supporting the Fed's imminent easing of monetary policy may encourage the bulls to overcome the short-term downtrend and give the green light to rise to $66K.?

Elsewhere, U.S.-listed spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded $81 million in net outflows on Wednesday, ending a two-day positive streak. Grayscale?s GBTC registered $56 million in outflows, the most among counterparts, with Fidelity?s FBTC recording $18 million in outflows. Ark Invest?s ARKB and Bitwise?s BITB lost $6.7 million and $5.7 million respectively.

Franklin Templeton?s EZBC and BlackRock?s IBIT were the only products with net inflows of a cumulative $6 million.

Ether ETFs fared better with $10 million in net inflows, extending a streak to three days. BlackRock?s ETHA recorded $16 million in inflows, while Grayscale?s ETHE lost $16 million. Grayscale?s mini Ether trust ETH, Fidelity?s FETH and Bitwise?s ETHW took on a cumulative $11 million inflows.

In general the bond market is volatile, and fixed income securities carry interest rate risk. (As interest rates rise, bond prices usually fall, and vice versa. This effect is usually more pronounced for longer-term securities.) Fixed income securities also carry inflation risk and credit and default risks for both issuers and counterparties. Unlike individual bonds, most bond funds do not have a maturity date, so avoiding losses caused by price volatility by holding them until maturity is not possible.

Lower-quality debt securities generally offer higher yields, but also involve greater risk of default or price changes due to potential changes in the credit quality of the issuer. Any fixed income security sold or redeemed prior to maturity may be subject to loss.

Before investing, consider the funds' investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. Contact Fidelity for a prospectus or, if available, a summary prospectus containing this information. Read it carefully.

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