Forex Trading Expert Advisors (EA or automated trading system) and Custom Indicators (CI) for MetaTrader Platform.

The brokerage company NordFX has summarized the trading performance of its clients for June 2023. Additionally, the social trading services, CopyTrading and PAMM, were evaluated, along with the profits generated by the company's IB partners.

- The trader from South Asia, with account No.1658XXX, emerged as the leader for the month, achieving a profit of 66,634 USD. This impressive performance was accomplished through transactions involving gold (XAU/USD), British pound (GBP/USD), and euro (EUR/USD)
- A representative from Western Asia secured the second place, with account No.1692XXX and a result of 36,544 USD. This individual utilized identical trading instruments: gold, the British pound, and the euro. In all pairs, the US dollar also served as the quoted currency.
- Securing the third spot on the podium was another trader from Western Asia, with account No.1553XXX. This trader earned a total of 30,904 USD in June, primarily from trades involving the same instruments, gold and the British pound.

The situation unfolded as follows in NordFX passive investment services:

In CopyTrading, we continue to track the fate of the veteran signal KennyFXPRO - Prismo 2K. For over seven months, it has been recovering from the shock of November 14, 2022 (when its drawdown exceeded 67%). However, the signal experienced a new shock between June 20-23, and to prevent the account from being wiped out, the signal author decided to close the loss-making positions. As a result, the profit returned to the November 2022 level and currently stands at 221% over 788 days of operation.

Another signal, Trade2win, received a fantastic profit of 5,343% in the spring with an equally fantastic drawdown of less than 15%. However, as we warned in our previous review of this signal, trading in financial markets is risky and past results do not guarantee their repetition in the future. This is exactly what happened with Trade2win: no transactions were made based on this signal in June, and all indicators remained at May's level.

From the startups, the signal SM04 caught our attention this time. In its 53 days of existence, it has generated almost 80% profit with a relatively moderate drawdown of about 22%.

On the PAMM service showcase, there remain two accounts that we have mentioned repeatedly in previous reviews. These are KennyFXPRO-The Multi 3000 EA and TranquilityFX-The Genesis v3. On November 14, 2022, similar to their colleague from CopyTrading, they suffered significant losses: their drawdown approached 43%. However, the PAMM managers decided not to give up, and as of June 30, 2023, the profit on the first of these accounts exceeded 103%, and on the second, 68%. The growth over the last month was insignificant, but both of these accounts managed to avoid the shock that KennyFXPRO - Prismo 2K experienced in June.

Additionally, we continue to monitor the Trade and earn account. It was opened over a year ago but was in a state of hibernation, awakening only in November. As a result, over the past 8 months, the return on it has reached 145% with a very small drawdown of less than 10%.

Among NordFX's IB partners, the top three stand as follows:
- For the second consecutive month, the top spot is held by a partner from Western Asia, with account No.1645XXX. While in May he was awarded a commission of 10,370 USD, it amounted to 10,005 USD in June.
- In second place is a partner from South Asia, with account No.1597XXX, who received a commission of 6,142 USD.
- And rounding out the top three is a partner from Eastern Asia, with account No.1169XXX, who earned 5,436 USD in June.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

CryptoNews of the Week



– Numerous Twitter users, including many cryptocurrency traders and investors, have voiced complaints against Elon Musk. The discontent was tied to the billionaire and new owner of the social network implementing a series of restrictions. Starting from July 1, 2023, verified users are able to view up to 6,000 posts per day, while unverified users are limited to only 600. At the same time, this limit is further reduced to 300 posts for new accounts.
According to several experts, these new restrictions may have a negative impact on the crypto market. Many industry participants have been receiving a large amount of important information via Twitter. However, it has now become significantly more difficult to obtain current data and news.
Musk himself assured that this measure is temporary and is necessary in order to reduce the load on the system's internal servers. He said that the limits will later increase to 8,000, 800, and 400 posts, respectively.

– The rapid fall in the price of the leading cryptocurrency is only a matter of time. This was asserted by the president of Euro Pacific Capital, "gold bug" Peter Schiff, adding that he had underestimated the "bubble potential of Bitcoin." In his view, most investors do not believe in the first cryptocurrency, they merely hope that someone will buy it at a high price.
The businessman believes that stories about people losing money on cryptocurrency will overshadow those about people getting rich from it. "The peak we saw in 2021, around $70,000, that's it, and ultimately bitcoin will burst," he predicted.

– "The adoption of spot bitcoin ETFs is a major event for the crypto industry," stated Michael Saylor, co-founder of MicroStrategy. "It's an important milestone on the path to institutional acceptance. I believe it's important, but I don't think bitcoin will rise overnight to $5 million."
"The approval of spot bitcoin ETF applications will make investors realize that the first cryptocurrency is a legitimate asset," the billionaire explained. "If the SEC approves applications for this asset, a user can press a button and purchase $10 million of BTC within 30 seconds." (The SEC is currently reviewing several applications for the launch of spot cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds. However, the Commission maintains that these applications are not sufficiently clear and comprehensive.)
For reference: MicroStrategy additionally purchased 12,333 BTC amounting to a total of $347 million between April 29 and June 27. Saylor's company now owns a total of 152,333 BTC, valued at over $4.6 billion, which were acquired at an average rate of $29,668.

– A survey revealed that 92% of Earth's inhabitants have heard of cryptocurrencies at least once. The study involved 15,158 individuals aged between 18 and 65 years from 15 countries across America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
37% of the respondents consider this asset class as part of the monetary system. However, only 15% of Britons and 17% of Germans agree with this statement. Nigerians (65%) and Argentinians (56%) are the most interested in holding digital assets, seeing them as an effective means of preserving value. Analysts attributed this to the instability of local financial systems and state currencies. 26% of those surveyed consider crypto assets to be a scam. Primarily, Americans and Britons associate cryptocurrencies with fraudulent schemes.

– Most cryptocurrency exchanges do not allow minors to trade digital assets, but parents can open accounts on their behalf and allow them to participate in trading. Youth readily engage in this activity, and there are numerous stories of children investing in Bitcoin since its inception. For instance, Erik F. received $1,000 to invest in BTC when he was 12 years old, and by the time he turned 18, he had become a millionaire thanks to it.
According to data published last year by the platform Gohenry, 1.33 million children in the UK invested money in cryptocurrency. Moreover, a study titled "Parents, Kids, and Money," conducted by T. Rowe Price, showed that 57% of children aged 8-14 are familiar with digital currencies. They are better informed about cryptocurrencies than their parents, with only 47% of parents familiar with the technology - 10% less than their kids.

– Market participants should exercise more caution when trading cryptocurrency, warned CoinDesk researchers. The fact is that starting from Q4 2022, global fiat liquidity indicators have been rapidly declining, and the rise in BTC quotes in such conditions is an anomaly. The BTC rate hit a local price bottom of $15,500 in November last year and has since doubled in price to $31,000. Moreover, just since June 15, its value has spiked by over 20%. This occurred against the backdrop of news that major companies had once again submitted applications for the launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs.
According to Lewis Harland, portfolio manager at Decentral Park Capital, the situation remains complex. He confirmed that lately, tracked fiat indicators, such as the Fed's net liquidity and global net liquidity level, have significantly dropped. "This is the main reason why we are cautious about BTC, despite the market's optimistic consensus. We think that investors are overlooking this," Harland added.
The global net liquidity indicator, which takes into account the supply of fiat in several major countries, has decreased to $26.5 trillion - the lowest level since November 2022. Such data was provided by the platforms TradingView and Decentral Park Capital.

– Crypto strategist and trader known as Bluntz, who accurately pinpointed the bottom of bitcoin's bear market in 2018, believes that ethereum is showing all the signs of a powerful rally that could occur in the coming months. According to his words, the remaining part of 2023 may set ethereum on parabolic growth, allowing the leading smart contract platform to significantly outperform BTC.
Bluntz is considered an experienced practitioner of technical analysis and, in particular, Elliott Wave Theory, which allows forecasting price behaviour following the psychology of the crowd that tends to manifest in waves.
According to this theory, a bullish asset shows a five-wave rally, with the third wave signalling the steepest rise. Bluntz suggests that ethereum is already in the early stages of the third wave's surge, which could lead to ETH approaching $4,000 by the end of 2023.

– Crypto trader Altcoin Sherpa is confident that the leading cryptocurrency may rise to $32,000 first and then to the new 2023 high of $40,000. However, he's not certain about the latter. This should be followed by a significant downward correction.
Addressing the ETH/BTC pair, Altcoin Sherpa noted that ethereum is likely to fall relative to the flagship crypto asset and target the minimum range around 0.053 BTC, or $1,614.

– Well-known crypto analyst Benjamin Cowen made a forecast about the likely price trajectory of Bitcoin and altcoins. In his opinion, compared to current levels, bitcoin could grow approximately by 14% and reach a maximum of $35,000 in 2023. "In the short term, it's really hard to say whether bitcoin can rise a bit again. For myself, I set a target of $35,000," the expert said.
Cowen also talked about what will happen to other coins if the BTC price does reach this goal. He believes this will be insignificant news for the altcoin market, as it will most likely continue to crash in pairs with Bitcoin. "Upon reaching $35,000, Bitcoin at some point must go down," argues Cowen. "I think it will have to repeat some of these movements, as usually happens in the year preceding the halving. And at this point, the altcoin market will drop a little bit more, and the dominance of Bitcoin will continue to grow. Liquidity is drying up, so people see relative safety in Bitcoin compared to the altcoin market. But this does not mean that Bitcoin cannot fall, it means that it is somewhat safer."

– Marathon Digital CEO Fred Thiel reported that the global financial market is demonstrating a decrease in correlation between two assets that investors traditionally view as effective hedges against market volatility. While the price of Bitcoin is showing explosive growth, the price of gold is gradually decreasing. Fred Thiel suggested that this not only indicates a shift in priorities in favor of digital assets but also demonstrates the widening accessibility of bitcoin to a broader circle of investors.
In April, analytical company Kaiko cited data on the correlation between BTC and XAU within 50%. At the time, according to Kaiko analyst Dessislava Aubert, this represented the strongest link between the two assets in more than a year.

– According to technical analysis data, the main cryptocurrency's rate on the BTC/USD chart may form a new "bullish flag". This opinion was expressed by experts from Fairlead Strategies. "Bitcoin is digesting its gains during the consolidation phase," they said. "A new bullish flag might be forming, which will emerge when breaking above the weekly Ichimoku cloud around $31,900."
The experts explained that this figure consists of a pole and a flag. According to them, its pole represents the initial price rally, and the flag represents the subsequent consolidation, caused by a "temporary exhaustion of bullish sentiments" and the absence of strong pressure from sellers. According to the theory of technical analysis, once an asset breaks the price above the contour of the flag, it tends to grow by an amount approximately equal to the length of the pole.
In the case of bitcoin, the upward movement from the June 15, 2023, low at $24,790 to the June 23 high at $31,388 represents the pole, and the subsequent consolidation formed the flag. According to analysts, a potential BTC breakout will allow the cryptocurrency's cost to reach the next key resistance level at $35,900.

– Venture capitalist Tim Draper has revised the timeframe within which the price of the main cryptocurrency is supposed to grow to $250,000. "I think we'll have to wait a little longer," the billionaire wrote, adding that his forecast will come true by the end of June 2025 with a 100% probability.
Draper had previously predicted that the price of bitcoin would reach $250,000 by the end of 2022. When his forecast didn't come true, he extended the timeline for its realization by another six months to mid-2023. Now he has made a new "correction", adding that the BTC price will exceed his assumptions due to the adoption of cryptocurrency by women.
However, Draper expressed concern about the regulation of digital assets. "Law enforcement regulation is killing our economy," he wrote on June 20. "I think we have a real problem because the SEC is sowing fear, and all innovators are leaving the country... This forced regulation doesn't make sense."


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

CryptoNews of the Week



– As of the end of June, the primary cryptocurrency holdings belonging to Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the nephew of the 35th US president and a current electoral candidate, reached $250,000. This was revealed by a financial report discovered by CNBC. Kennedy's representatives confirmed that the funds are personally his.
Interestingly, during the Bitcoin-2023 conference, this presidential candidate called digital assets "a symbol of democracy and freedom," yet denied his investments in cryptocurrency. "I'm not an investor, and I'm not here to give investment advice," stated this electoral race participant at the time.

– Standard Chartered bank specialists predicted in April that bitcoin would reach $100,000 by the end of 2024. The figures from the July forecast look slightly higher. According to analysts, the price of bitcoin could exceed $50,000 this year, and by the end of next year, it might reach $120,000. "Increased miner profitability per mined BTC means they can sell less, preserving the inflow of funds, which reduces the net supply of the asset and leads to a price increase," explained Geoff Kendrick, the bank's analyst.

– The involvement of major investment firms in the race to launch spot bitcoin ETFs suggests that the leading cryptocurrency is no longer a "passing fad," stated Michael Sonnenshein, the CEO of Grayscale Investments. According to him, market participants are "responding positively to the inclusion of traditional financial institutions in bitcoin." "Recent news [...] underscores the resilience of this asset class in a broader sense, and many investors view [digital gold] as a unique investment opportunity," Sonnenshein added.

– Meta's new network Threads, often referred to as a Twitter clone, was launched on July 5. The user base of the new platform is approaching 100 million, largely due to Instagram users, though it is still far from matching Twitter's 450 million users.
It was previously reported that in the spring, eight popular cryptocurrency accounts on Twitter were hacked, resulting in the hackers acquiring nearly $1 million. It now seems that fraudsters have also turned their attention to the new network. Developers from the decentralized finance platform Wombex Finance reported the appearance of a counterfeit duplicate account on Threads, suggesting that extortionists may be operating there. Leonidas, one of the popular NFT bloggers, reported a similar case.

– Michael Van De Poppe, the founder of venture company Eight, believes that bitcoin is preparing for a surge to $41,000. The popular analyst bases his opinion on the recent rise in the price of the leading cryptocurrency and Fibonacci levels. According to him, "the previous annual high for BTC was overcome in April. And now we are seeing increasingly higher highs, as traders build upward momentum and positions." "To continue the upward trend that we call a bull cycle, bitcoin needs to reach a new and clearer high," explains Michael Van De Poppe. "There are several points that can help determine the potential for further growth using Fibonacci levels. And right now, I would say we're facing a rally up to $41,000."
"There are two scenarios - growth above the current high, followed by some consolidation and retracement before a new rise. Or consolidation at current levels, followed by accelerated growth over the next few months. For bitcoin, this is pretty standard behaviour. And then we'll move towards $41,000 or even $42,500," predicts the analyst.

– Robert Kiyosaki, an economist and the author of the well-known book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad," has made another bold statement. He asserts that by 2024, bitcoin will reach a value of $120,000 per coin. Kiyosaki bases his forecast on the belief that BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) will soon adopt the gold standard and release their own gold-backed cryptocurrency. This could undermine the dominance of the US dollar in the global economy and lead to its devaluation. He also warns that many traditional financial institutions may go bankrupt in the near future due to their imprudent decisions and corruption.
In light of this, Kiyosaki recommends protecting one's funds from inflation by purchasing physical and digital gold. He also believes that bitcoin is one of the best ways not only to preserve but also to increase capital amid the instability of the financial system.
(For reference: On July 11, the Russian Parliament passed a law establishing legal norms for the introduction of the digital rouble.)

– Markus Thielen, Head of Research at crypto financial service Matrixport, forecasts a similar figure, albeit not at the start but by the end of 2024. He stated in an interview with CoinDesk that the quotations of the premier cryptocurrency could exceed the $125,000 mark by the end of next year. "On June 22, bitcoin reached a new annual high. Historically, this signal indicated the end of bearish and the beginning of bullish markets," he explained.
According to Thielen, the price of bitcoin could skyrocket by 123% over 12 months and by 310% over a year and a half. With such growth, the asset's price would rise to $65,539 and $125,731 respectively. The expert's forecast is based on the average returns of similar signals in the past: in August 2012, December 2015, May 2019, and August 2020. Thielen deliberately ignores the first case with a growth of 5,285% over 18 months, describing it as "epic" and "disproportional."

– Guy Turner, the host of the popular cryptocurrency channel Coin Bureau on YouTube, believes that in the medium term, there are two factors in favor of a massive growth of ethereum. The main one is the EIP-4844 update, which is expected to introduce a preliminary sharding (segmentation) mechanism for the network of the main altcoin. This update will be extremely important as it could, theoretically, give Ethereum the ability to scale on par with centralized systems.
The show host also noted that the issue of privacy remains very important. According to him, the developers of the second-largest cryptocurrency remain extremely concerned about this issue. "The huge focus on privacy and security is not surprising if you think about institutional investors. For them, it's a cornerstone," Turner highlighted. He recalled that Vitalik Buterin has raised this issue repeatedly, calling it "one of the three problems that need to be solved, otherwise ethereum will collapse.".

– Analyst and trader Michael Pizzino believes that a fall in the US dollar could lead to price increases for cryptocurrencies such as BTC, ETH, SOL, MATIC, XRP, Gala, and Render. In his opinion, the dollar is ready for a sharp devaluation. However, the expert does not consider an apocalyptic scenario of the collapse of the main global currency, since the dynamics of its exchange rate are slower than for other classes of financial assets.
Still, Pizzino predicts a steady downward trend for USD in the foreseeable period and a redistribution of funds in favor of digital assets. The macrographic chart suggests their upward trend, and considering the correlation between USD and BTC, a decline in the former could contribute to an increase in the value of the latter, which would then be followed by an increase in the value of other crypto assets.

– Lightning Labs, a company specializing in software development, has unveiled its latest product: a plugin for ChatGPT that allows sending Bitcoin payments. Lightning Labs also presented a set of tools for developers that allow AI models like GPT to carry out bitcoin transactions on the Lightning Network. This step aims to bring AI technologies closer to the world of cryptocurrency, paves the way for new innovations, and promotes the development of this field.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

EUR/USD: Falling Inflation Has Crushed the Dollar

So, we can either congratulate (or, conversely, upset) everyone with the onset of a global process of dedollarization. As Bloomberg reports, after the inflation rate in the US approached 3.0%, which is not far off the Federal Reserve's target of 2.0%, it seems like a turning point is approaching for the US economy.

Last week, the dollar faced the most significant pressure from national macroeconomic statistics in over a year. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) published on Wednesday, July 12, showed a 0.2% increase in June, falling short of the forecasted 0.3%. The annual indicator dropped from 4.0% to 3.0%, reaching the lowest level since March 2021. Core inflation also fell from 5.3% in May to 4.8% in June, against a forecast of 5.0%.

Against the backdrop of such steady deceleration in inflation, market participants began to factor into the quotations both a refusal of the second Federal Reserve rate hike, as well as an imminent turnaround in monetary policy. According to CME Group FedWatch data, the likelihood that the regulator will raise the rate again after a 25-basis point hike in July has fallen from 33% to 20%. As a result, most financial instruments have made a successful onslaught on the dollar. Meanwhile, the market completely ignored statements by Neel Kashkari, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, his Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond colleague Thomas Barkin, and Federal Reserve Board member Christopher Waller that inflation is still above the target level and hence the Federal Reserve is ready to continue tightening its policy (QT).

The story of the dollar's decline did not end there. EUR/USD continued its rally after the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Thursday, July 13, that the Producer Price Index (PPI) had grown by just 0.1% in annual terms in June (forecast was 0.4%, May value was 0.9%). As a result, the DXY Dollar Index broke the 100.00 support level and fell to the values of April 2022, and EUR/USD reached its highest level since February 2022, marking a high at 1.1244.

Many market participants decided that the best times for the US currency are over. The US economy will slow down, inflation will reach target values, and the Federal Reserve will begin a campaign to soften its monetary policy. As a result, the second half of 2023 and 2024 will become a period of strengthening for other currencies against the dollar. The result of such expectations was the fall of the Spot USD Index to a 15-month low, and hedge funds exclusively engaged in selling the US currency for the first time since March.

After a crushing week for the dollar, EUR/USD finished at 1.1228. As for near-term prospects, at the time of writing this overview, on the evening of July 14, 30% of analysts voted for the pair's further growth, 55% for its decline, and the remaining 15% took a neutral stance. Among trend indicators and oscillators on D1, 100% are on the side of the greens, although a third of oscillators signal the pair is overbought.

The nearest support for the pair is located around 1.1200, then at 1.1170, 1.1090-1.1110, 1.1045, 1.0995-1.1010, and 1.0895-1.0925. Bulls will meet resistance around 1.1245, 1.1290-1.1310, 1.1355, 1.1475, and 1.1715.

The blackout period leading up to the next Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, which is set for July 26, will begin on July 15. Therefore, it's not worth expecting any statements from Federal Reserve officials in the coming week. The quotations will only be influenced by the macroeconomic data hitting the market. On Tuesday, July 18, data on US retail sales will be released. On Wednesday, July 19, we will find out what is happening with inflation (CPI) in the Eurozone. Then on Thursday, July 20, data on unemployment, manufacturing activity, and the housing market in the United States will come in.

GBP/USD: The Potential for Growth Remains

Back at the end of June, we speculated that GBP/USD might cover the remaining distance to 1.3000 in just a few weeks or even days. And we were right. In the current situation, the British pound did not miss an opportunity for growth: the peak of the week was recorded at the height of 1.3141, which corresponds to the levels of the end of March - beginning of April 2022. The final note of the five-day period sounded at the mark of 1.3092.

In addition to a weakening dollar, another driver of the pound's growth was the semi-annual report on the assessment of the UK's financial system. It demonstrated the resilience of the national economy against the backdrop of a prolonged cycle of raising the key interest rate. Unlike several US banks, major UK banks maintain high capitalization, and their profits are growing. This suggests that they can withstand several more rate hikes this year. It is expected that at its next meeting on August 3, the Bank of England (BoE) will raise the rate by another 50 basis points (bps) to 5.50%. And it will do so regardless of potential economic problems, as the fight against rising prices is more important. Consumer inflation (CPI) in the country in May was 8.7% (for comparison, over the same period in Germany it was 6.1%, in France 4.5%, in Japan 3.2%, and in the USA 4.0% in May and 3.0% in June).

The UK's labour market is also pushing inflation upwards. Even despite the increase in the interest rate, the latest report noted an acceleration in wage growth to 6.9% YoY. Excluding the turbulence during the Covid-19 pandemic, this is the fastest pace since 2001. And although unemployment is rising alongside wages, its current level of 4.0% is still historically low. Yes, in August of last year it was lower - 3.5%, but what is a growth of only 0.5% almost over a year? It's nothing! (Or almost nothing).

In general, in the foreseeable future, there are no major obstacles that would prevent the Bank of England from continuing to tighten monetary policy. Thus, the prospect of further rate hikes will continue to fill the sails of the British currency with a tailwind. And, according to a number of analysts, GBP/USD, having broken through the 1.3000 resistance, may now aim for an assault on the 1.3500 level.

However, this does not mean that such growth will happen right now. "In a sense, the pound has already experienced overvaluation against the backdrop of a hawkish Bank of England and is unlikely to show strong results against the current bearish phase of the dollar. However, traders will now be targeting 1.3300 on GBP/USD assuming we can close the week above 1.3000," believe strategists from the largest banking group in the Netherlands, ING.

The possibility of the pound's consolidation in the coming week is also suggested by Canada's Scotiabank, not ruling out pullbacks to 1.2900-1.3000 and further growth to the area of 1.3300. The bullish sentiment is also supported by Singapore's United Overseas Bank. Its economists believe that "the strong growth momentum suggests that GBP/USD is unlikely to pull back. On the contrary, it is more likely to continue moving towards the upper boundary of the weekly exponential moving average. This key resistance level is currently at 1.3335."

When it comes to the median forecast for the near future, at the moment only 25% of experts have spoken out for further growth of the pair. The opposite position was taken by 50%, the remaining 25% maintained neutrality. As for technical analysis, all 100% of trend indicators and oscillators are pointing upwards, although a quarter of the latter are in the overbought zone. If the pair moves south, it will encounter support levels and zones – 1.3050-1.3060, then 1.2980-1.3000, 1.2940, 1.2850-1.2875, 1.2740-1.2755, 1.2675-1.2695, 1.2570, 1.2435-1.2450, 1.2300-1.2330. In the case of the pair's rise, it will meet resistance at levels 1.3125-1.3140, 1.3185-1.3210, 1.3300-1.3335, 1.3425, 1.3605.

The events of the upcoming week worth noting in the calendar are Wednesday, July 19, when the value of such an important inflation indicator as the United Kingdom's Consumer Price Index (CPI) will become known. Towards the end of the working week, on Friday, July 21, data on retail sales in the country will also be published. These figures can have a significant impact on the exchange rate, as they provide insights into consumer spending and overall economic activity, which are key factors in the Bank of England's decisions on interest rates.

USD/JPY: The Yen Pleased Investors Once Again

For the second week in a row, yen investors have been rewarded for their patience. USD/JPY continued its descent from the Moon to Earth, marking a local minimum at 137.23. Thus, since June 30th, in just two weeks, the Japanese currency has gained more than 780 points against the US dollar.

Compared to other currencies included in the DXY basket, the yen appears to be the primary beneficiary. The main ace up this safe-haven currency's sleeve is investor fears about a recession in the US and narrowing yield differentials on US government bonds. The correlation between Treasuries and USD/JPY is no secret to anyone. If the yield on US Treasury bills falls, the yen shows growth against the dollar. Last week, following the publication of CPI data, the yield on 10-year US papers slipped from 3.95% to 3.85%, and on 2-year papers – from 4.85% to 4.70%.

Speculation that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) may finally adjust its ultra-loose monetary policy towards tightening in the coming months also continues to favor the yen. We are talking about speculation here, as no clear signals have been given by the country's Government or the BoJ leadership on this matter.

Let's recall that at the French Societe Generale, it's expected that the yield on 5-year US bonds will fall to 2.66% in a year's time, which will allow USD/JPY to break below 130.00. If, at the same time, the yield on Japanese government bonds (JGBs) remains at its current level, the pair could even drop to 125.00. Economists at Danske Bank are forecasting a USD/JPY rate below 130.00 within a 6–12-month horizon. Similar forecasts are made by strategists at BNP Paribas: they are aiming for a level of 130.00 by the end of this year and 123.00 by the end of 2024. Against this backdrop, many hedge funds have begun active selling of dollars and buying of yen.

Last week, USD/JPY ended at 138.75 after a correction to the north. As of this review, 45% of analysts believe the pair will resume growth in the coming days. Only 15% support further fall, and 40% maintain a wait-and-see stance. The D1 indicators are as follows: 100% of oscillators are coloured red, but 10% signal oversold. The balance between green and red among trend indicators is 35% to 60%. The nearest support level is in the 138.05-138.30 zone, followed by 137.25-137.50, 135.95, 133.75-134.15, 132.80-133.00, 131.25, 130.60, 129.70, 128.10, and 127.20. The closest resistance is 1.3895-1.3905, then 139.85, 140.45-140.60, 141.40-141.60, 142.20, 143.75-144.00, 145.15-145.30, 146.85-147.15, 148.85, and finally the October 2022 high of 151.95.

No significant economic information related to the Japanese economy is expected in the upcoming week. However, traders may want to note that Monday, July 17th is a holiday in Japan: the country is observing Marine Day.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: Karl Marx and $120,000 for BTC



After the release of impressive consumer inflation data in the US last week, the markets became confident in the Fed's imminent abandonment of monetary restriction and a turn towards lowering the key rate. The dollar responded to this with a sharp fall, and risky financial instruments - with growth. The S&P500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq Composite stock indices went up, but not bitcoin. The BTC/USD pair continued to move sideways along the Pivot Point $30,600, trapped in a narrow range. It seems as if it has completely forgotten about its direct correlation with stocks and its inverse correlation with the dollar. On Thursday, July 13, after the release of the American PPI, bitcoin still tried to break through to the north, but unsuccessfully: the very next day it returned within the limits of the sideways channel.

Why did this happen? What prevented digital gold from soaring along with the stock market? There don't seem to be any super serious reasons for this. Although analysts do point to three factors that are weighing on the crypto market.

The first of these is the low profitability of mining. Due to the increasing computational complexity, it remains close to a historical minimum. Moreover, it is accompanied by the fear of a possible new price drop. This is pushing miners to sell not only freshly mined coins (about 900 BTC per day), but also accumulated reserves. According to Bitcoinmagazine data, miners have transferred a record volume of coins to exchanges in the last six years.

In addition to miners, the US Government is contributing to the increase in supply. On just one day, July 12, it transferred $300 million worth of coins to crypto exchanges. And this is the second negative factor. Finally, the third is the bankrupt Mt.Gox exchange, which must pay customers everything that remains in its accounts by the end of October. This equates to approximately 135,900 BTC, totalling roughly $4.8 billion. Payments will be made in cryptocurrency, which will then be available on the market for sale and exchange for fiat.

Of course, all of this does not add positivity, increasing the supply but not the demand. However, considering that the average trading volume of bitcoin exceeds $12 billion daily, the figures mentioned do not seem that apocalyptic. In our view, the main reason for the current sideways trend is a balance between positives and negatives. The positives are the applications to launch spot btc-ETFs from such giants as BlackRock, Invesco, Fidelity, and others. The negatives are the increasing regulatory pressure on the crypto market by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

It should be noted that the SEC has previously rejected all applications for spot BTC-ETFs and is not currently eager to give them the green light. Therefore, the struggle for these funds could be drawn out over many months. For instance, a final decision on BlackRock's application is not expected until mid-Q3 2023 at the earliest, and no later than mid-March 2024, just a month before the next BTC halving. The halving could be the trigger for not only the subsequent, but also the preceding growth of BTC.

According to economists at Standard Chartered Bank, the price of bitcoin may exceed $50,000 this year, and it could reach $120,000 by the end of the next year. In the view of bank analyst Geoff Kendrick, as the price rises, miners will return to a strategy of accumulation. As already mentioned, they are currently selling everything they mine. However, when bitcoin is trading at $50,000, their sales will decrease from the current 900 coins to 180-270 per day. Such a decrease in supply should lead to further growth in the value of the asset. In general, everything is in line with Karl Marx's economic theory of supply and demand.

In addition to miners, institutional investors are also expected to show interest in accumulating bitcoins, in anticipation not only of the launch of spot BTC-ETFs and the halving, but also of a shift in the Federal Reserve's monetary policy and a weakening of the dollar. As Grayscale Investments CEO Michael Sonnenshein recently stated, it has become clear that the first cryptocurrency is no longer a "passing fad". "Recent news [...] underscores the resilience of this asset class in a broader sense, and many investors view [digital gold] as a unique investment opportunity."

Analyst and trader Michael Pizzino also believes that the dollar is ready to significantly depreciate. However, he does not consider an apocalyptic scenario of a collapse of the world's main currency, as the dynamics of its exchange rate are slower than those of other classes of financial assets. However, Pizzino predicts a steady downward trend in USD in the foreseeable period and a redistribution of funds in favor of digital assets. The macrographic chart suggests their upward trend, and given the correlation between USD and BTC, a fall in the former could contribute to an increase in the value of the latter, followed by growth in other significant crypto assets.

Robert Kiyosaki, author of the famous book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad", claims that by 2024, bitcoin will reach the $120,000 mark. The economist bases his forecast on the fact that BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) will soon move to the gold standard and issue their own cryptocurrency backed by gold. This could undermine the dominance of the U.S. dollar in the world economy and cause its devaluation. He also warns that many traditional financial institutions may go bankrupt in the near future due to their imprudent decisions and corruption. In this regard, Kiyosaki recommends protecting your money from inflation by buying physical gold and bitcoin.

A similar figure, only not at the beginning, but by the end of 2024, was named by the head of research at the crypto-financial service Matrixport, Markus Thielen. He stated in an interview with CoinDesk that the quotes of the first cryptocurrency could overcome the $125,000 mark by the end of next year. "On June 22, bitcoin reached a new annual high. This signal historically indicated the end of bearish and the beginning of bullish markets," he explained.

According to Thielen, the price of bitcoin can soar by 123% over 12 months and by 310% over a year and a half. With such growth, the asset will rise to $65,539 and $125,731, respectively. The expert's forecast is based on the average profitability of similar signals in the past: in August 2012, December 2015, May 2019, and August 2020. (Thielen intentionally ignores the first case with growth of 5,285% over 18 months, calling it "epic" and "disproportionate".).

As for a more short-term forecast, Michael Van De Poppe, founder of venture company Eight, believes that bitcoin is preparing for a leap to $41,000. The popular analyst bases his opinion on the recent growth of the first cryptocurrency rate and Fibonacci levels. According to him, "the previous annual high for BTC was overcome in April. And now we are seeing increasingly higher highs as traders build up bullish momentum and positions." "To continue the uptrend, which we call a bull cycle, bitcoin needs to reach a new and clearer high," explains Michael Van De Poppe. "There are several points that allow determining the possibilities of further growth using Fibonacci levels. And now I would say that there is a rally to $41,000 ahead."

"There are two scenarios: a rise above the current maximum, followed by some consolidation and a rollback before a new growth. Or consolidation at current levels, and then accelerated growth in the coming months. For bitcoin, this is pretty standard behaviour. And then we will go to $41,000 or even $42,500," the analyst predicts.

As of writing this review on the evening of Friday, July 14, BTC/USD is trading around $30,180. The total market capitalization of the crypto market has slightly increased and stands at $1.198 trillion ($1.176 trillion a week ago). The Crypto Fear & Greed Index is in the Greed zone and stands at 60 points (55 points a week ago).


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Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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CryptoNews of the Week



– Mike Novogratz, the CEO of blockchain company Galaxy Digital, recommends buying bitcoin, pointing to the rising US national debt. In just the first week of July, the country's debt to creditors has increased by $1 trillion, reaching a total of $32.47 trillion. It is evident that this could destabilize the financial system, lead to another round of inflation, and result in a drop in the dollar's value. "This is madness... Buy bitcoin," Novogratz urged in response to a publication about the escalating debt of the United States.

– However, not everyone, like Mike Novogratz, foresees a bright future for BTC. According to the educational project 99bitcoins, bitcoin has been declared dead 474 times. The published "obituaries" spoke of the "insolvency and uselessness" of the primary cryptocurrency, asserting that the Bitcoin network is a "bubble," an "elaborate Ponzi scheme," and a "cryptocurrency dummy, with no real substantiated value."
Among the authors of these "posthumous messages" in 2023, there were quite a few well-known names in the financial world. These included Chamath Palihapitiya, the founder and CEO of venture company Social Capital; Robin Brooks, the chief economist of the Institute of International Finance (IIF); Harvey Jones from the British news agency Daily Express; Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JPMorgan Chase; TV host Jim Cramer; and John Reed Stark, a former official of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Vitalik Buterin has recently also criticized bitcoin. In the view of the creator of ethereum, the flagship cryptocurrency lacks scalable second-layer solutions to become more than just a payment network.

– Crypto market experts have drawn the results for Q2 2023. These three months proved to be turbulent, and the industry experienced a series of ups and downs. Most high-capitalization projects displayed negative dynamics during this period, primarily due to ongoing legal disputes between the SEC and major crypto exchanges Binance and Coinbase. This had a significant negative impact on many coins in the TOP-100, as the SEC classified them as securities.
However, amidst the turbulence, bitcoin, and some other digital currencies, such as BCH and LTC, demonstrated high performance. According to the CryptoRank report, their success was driven by news related to exchange-traded funds and institutional listings. Bitcoin, in particular, delivered an impressive return that outperformed traditional financial instruments, overshadowing the Nasdaq and S&P 500 indexes, as well as gold and silver, in the first half of 2023.
Undoubtedly, one of the most significant events was the application for a spot bitcoin ETF by BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager. This event particularly benefited BTC, which reached a new high for 2023. BlackRock's initiative started a chain of events where numerous asset managers also began either renewing or submitting new applications for spot bitcoin ETFs. It is important to note that the SEC has previously rejected all such applications. In this case, a final decision on BlackRock's application is expected no earlier than the middle of Q3 2023 and no later than mid-March 2024, just a month before the next BTC halving.

– The crypto market traditionally experiences a lull during the summer. Admittedly, trading volumes increased in June thanks to spot bitcoin ETF applications from BlackRock and other companies, but overall, Q2 witnessed a decrease in trading activity. According to CryptoRank, crypto exchanges recorded a decline in trading volume in Q2, reaching the lowest level in the last two years.

– The bitcoin halving in 2024 is tentatively set to take place on April 12. It has the potential to exert a fundamental influence on both the price of BTC and the overall cryptocurrency market, as it is a crucial mechanism in the primary cryptocurrency's protocol. Every 210,000 blocks, or once every four years, it halves the reward that miners receive for mining a block. This is done to create a deflationary environment and to support the value of BTC by reducing the rate of new coin issuance. (The total emission size is set at 21 million coins.)
Originally, from 2009, miners received 50 BTC for each generated block. In 2012, the reward decreased to 25 BTC, in 2016 – to 12.5 BTC, and after 2020 – to 6.25 BTC. When the 2024 halving occurs, the mining reward will be reduced to 3.125 coins.
Historical data suggest that after this event, the bitcoin exchange rate may once again sharply increase. After the 2012 halving, the BTC price rose from $11 in November 2012 to $1,100 in November 2013. Following the 2016 halving, the price increased from $640 in July to $20,000 in December 2017. The 2020 halving enabled the coin's price to rise from $9,000 in May 2020 to a peak of $69,000 in November 2021. However, despite this statistic, experts warn that past results do not guarantee their repetition in the future.

– After the 2024 halving and the halving of the reward for a mined block, miners will have to adapt to a new reality. They will need to acquire more powerful and energy-efficient equipment or upgrade their existing ones. According to forecasts, many small companies will most likely leave the market or be acquired by larger players. As a result, we should expect the mining market to become centralized, falling under the control of a few large pools. This would make the network more susceptible to manipulations and hacking attacks. However, a sharp increase in the price of bitcoin could at least partially offset these negative factors.

– Analysts asked ChatGPT to talk about some potential events that could have a significant impact on the cryptocurrency market. The Artificial Intelligence's response was as follows:
1. Regulation: Legislative or regulatory changes in key countries can greatly affect the cryptocurrency market. If important jurisdictions adopt laws that severely limit the use or trade of cryptocurrencies, it could strongly affect their prices and accessibility.
2. Large-scale hacking attacks: If large-scale hacking attacks occur on major cryptocurrency exchanges or wallets, it could cause panic in the market and lead to significant losses.
3.Technological breakthroughs: New technologies or improvements in blockchain and cryptocurrencies can also have a significant impact. This can include new consensus protocols, improved scalability, or enhanced privacy protection methods.
4. Large companies' investments: If major companies like Apple, Google, or Amazon start actively investing in cryptocurrencies or integrating them into their services, it could significantly increase the value of cryptocurrencies and overall interest in them.
5. Global economic events: Cryptocurrencies are often considered a "safe haven" during economic instability. So global economic crises or significant changes in inflation, interest rates, or currency exchange rates could also influence the crypto market.

– The former CEO of BitMEX cryptocurrency exchange, Arthur Hayes, has speculated that bitcoin might become the ideal currency for artificial intelligence (AI) systems. In his opinion, digital gold is superior to other assets in this respect, as it possesses characteristics such as decentralization, resistance to censorship, proven deficit, and dependence of intrinsic value on energy costs. "There is nothing today that can compare to bitcoin in these parameters," wrote Hayes.
He believes that in the future, investors may reevaluate the first cryptocurrency due to its "adoption" by artificial intelligence. According to Hayes, this will occur due to a desire to "avoid inflation in the fiat financial system" and to "capture part of the next phase of human and computer evolution." The former CEO of BitMEX added that by 2025-2026, the AI economy will account for up to 50% of global GDP, against which backdrop bitcoin will reach $760,000.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

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EUR/USD: Awaiting the Federal Reserve and ECB Meetings

When the DXY Dollar Index dropped to April 2022 levels (99.65) on July 14, many market participants concluded that the best days for the American currency were over. Inflation is nearing target levels, and in order not to suffocate the economy, the Federal Reserve will soon initiate a campaign to ease its monetary policy. However, things aren't that straightforward. After reaching a peak of 1.1275 on Tuesday, July 18, the EUR/USD pair reversed and started to decline.

In general, against the backdrop of weak macroeconomic reports coming from the United States, the dollar could have given up a few dozen or even a couple of hundred points to the euro. Industrial production in the country is falling for the second month in a row, with a 0.5% decrease in June. Retail sales, expected to grow by 0.5%, only increased by 0.2% (a 0.5% increase in May). The Philadelphia Federal Reserve's Manufacturing Activity Index continues to be in the negative territory (-13.5). The real estate market data also turned out worse than predicted. For instance, the number of new constructions in the U.S. fell by 8.0% in June, following a 15.7% increase in the previous month. The number of issued construction permits also dropped by 3.7% after a 5.6% rise in May. Sales in the secondary housing market were below the previous values (4.16M in June, 4.30M in May, forecast 4.20M). However, the labour market data turned out slightly better than expected - the number of initial jobless claims was 228K (previous value 237K, forecast 242K). Yet, this is a highly volatile indicator, and it may not reflect the actual situation, but the market was pleased with this bit of positivity.

Overall, the published macro-statistics vividly illustrate the cooling of the American economy. The worsening situation in the real estate market clearly signals the pressure that high-interest rates exert on this important sector. It's enough to recall the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-2008, which began with a mortgage crisis in the U.S.

In such a situation, the hawkish course of the Federal Reserve is likely nearing its end. Almost all Bloomberg experts anticipate that on July 26, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will raise the interest rate by 25 basis points to 5.5%. There's a possibility that the hike could be even less: not 25, but just 10 basis points. Afterwards, the regulator is expected to take a wait-and-see approach, which could last until the end of the year. The futures market estimates the probability of a rate increase to 5.75% in 2023 at 28%.

However, there's not just the American currency on the EUR/USD scale but also the pan-European one. Revised statistics show that in Q1, the Eurozone's GDP was almost at zero, the economy is stagnating, and its growth prospects appear rather weak. It is clear that the hike in the euro's key interest rate, which has grown from 0% to 4.00% in this tightening cycle, has had and continues to have a negative impact. The lagging effect of monetary tightening is becoming more and more palpable.

On the other hand, despite a 400 basis point increase in rates, inflation (CPI) in the Eurozone is declining quite slowly - in June, it was 5.5% year-on-year compared to 6.1% a month earlier. It is still very far from its target level of 2.0%.

Therefore, on one hand, we see significant price pressure, on the other – the difficulties the EU economy is experiencing. In such an ambiguous situation, the further steps of the European Central Bank officials also seem uncertain. More clarity regarding future monetary policy is expected to emerge at the upcoming European Central Bank Monetary Policy Committee meeting on Thursday, July 27. At least, that's what market participants are hoping for.

Even somewhat unclear data from the US labour market was enough to trigger a DXY correction northwards and send EUR/USD south. The final note of the working week was set at 1.1125. As for the near-term prospects, at the time of writing this review, the evening of July 21, only 20% of analysts voted for the pair's further rise, 50% for its fall, and the remaining 30% took a neutral stance. As for technical analysis, on D1, 75% of trend indicators point up, 25% point down. Of the oscillators, 85% recommend buying, while the remaining 15% take a neutral stance. The pair's nearest support is located around 1.1090-1.1110, 1.1045, 1.0995-1.1010, 1.0895-1.0925, 1.0845-1.0865, 1.0800, 1.0760, 1.0670, 1.0620-1.0635. Bulls will meet resistance around 1.1145, then 1.1170, 1.1230-1.1245, 1.1275-1.1290, 1.1355, 1.1475, and 1.1715.

Undoubtedly, the key events of the upcoming week will be the FED meeting on July 26 and the ECB meeting on July 27, along with the subsequent press conferences held by the leaders of these regulators. Additionally, on Monday, July 24, numerous preliminary business activity data (PMI) will come from Germany, the Eurozone, and the US. The next day, the Eurozone Bank Lending Survey will be published, and the value of the US Consumer Confidence Index will be known. On Thursday, data on durable goods orders will arrive from the United States, along with real estate and unemployment statistics. Finally, at the very end of the working week, on Friday, July 28, we will learn the preliminary data on inflation (CPI) in Germany, as well as personal consumption expenditure data in the US.

GBP/USD: 50 Basis Points or is it 25 After All?

The next meeting of the Bank of England (BoE) is set for August 3. Some market participants are inclined to believe that at this meeting, the regulator will raise the base rate for the pound by another 50 basis points (bps) to 5.50%. Economists from the French financial conglomerate Societe Generale have formulated three main reasons why the BoE will take this step.

Firstly, inflation in the service sector and wages may have peaked in June, but both indicators remain uncomfortably high. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), although it fell over the month from 8.7% to 7.9% (with a forecast of 8.2%), is still far from the target level of 2.0%.

Secondly, as Societe Generale believes, investors are avoiding UK bonds due to persistent inflation in the country. Such high and stable inflation means that investors require higher compensation for holding UK bonds compared to US Treasuries and German bonds. To reassure investors, it is necessary at this stage to continue a strict monetary policy.

Thirdly, in recent weeks the Bank of England and its governor Andrew Bailey have been heavily criticized for sticking to a soft monetary course for too long, thereby allowing a powerful surge in inflation. And now the BoE may overdo it in its desire to prove that its critics are wrong. This can lead to more aggressive actions, such as a significant rate hike. However, we must also consider the possibility that the BoE could choose a more conservative 25 basis point rate hike instead.

Indeed, not everyone agrees with the arguments put forth by the French economists. For instance, their colleagues at the German Commerzbank have noted that consumer prices (CPI) in the UK grew at a much slower rate in June than was expected. Therefore, the market's built-in expectations for a rate increase are too high and require a downward correction. This, in turn, will lead to a weakening of the pound. A similar viewpoint was expressed by strategists at the Netherlands' largest banking group, ING, who believe the rate will be increased by a maximum of 25 basis points.

The above-mentioned CPI data was published on Wednesday, July 19. However, in addition to this, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the UK also published retail trade data for the country on Friday, July 21. It turned out that in June, the volume of retail trade increased by 0.7% on a monthly basis, compared to the expected 0.2% and 0.1% previously. The main indicator of retail sales, excluding auto fuel sales, increased by 0.8% over the month compared to the forecasted 0.1% and 0% in May. The annual volume of retail sales in the UK fell by -1.0% in June against the forecasted -1.5% and May's decline of -2.3%, while the base volume of retail sales dropped by -0.9% against the expected -1.6% and the previous -1.9%.

After the release of these favorable data, the UK Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt stated that "we will start seeing results if we stick to our plan to halve inflation". The minister's words could be interpreted as support for further tightening of the BoE's hawkish policy. However, the markets practically ignored them, and the strengthening dollar continued to pressure GBP/USD, which ended the five-day trading period at the 1.2852 mark.

As for the pair's movement, it will, of course, depend on the decisions and statements of the Fed on July 26. Undoubtedly, the ECB's meeting on July 27 will also influence the pound through EUR/GBP. But all this is in the near future. As for the present, at the time of writing this review, the median forecast of experts for GBP/USD looks maximally neutral: a third of them voted for the pair's growth, a third - for its fall, and a third maintained neutrality. On D1 oscillators, 35% are coloured green, 25% - red, and the remaining 40% - neutral grey. Among trend indicators, 60% sided with the green, and 40% sided with the red. In case of the pair's movement south, it will meet support levels and zones at 1.2800-1.2815, then 1.2675-1.2695, 1.2570, 1.2435-1.2450, 1.2300-1.2330, 1.2190-1.2210. In case of the pair's growth, it will meet resistance at 1.2940, then 1.2980-1.3000, 1.3050-1.3060, 1.3125-1.3140, 1.3185-1.3210, 1.3300-1.3335, 1.3425, 1.3605.

Apart from the FED and ECB meetings, another notable event in the upcoming week's calendar is on Monday, July 24, when the preliminary business activity data (PMI) for various sectors of the UK economy will be published.

USD/JPY: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back



The Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin wrote a book in 1904 titled "One Step Forward, Two Steps Back". What happened to the yen over the past three weeks can be titled as "Two Steps Forward, One Step Back". For the first two weeks of July, the Japanese currency grew, and for the third, it gave back more than half of its gains. And while its peers - the euro and pound, retreated thanks to a stronger dollar, in the case of USD/JPY, a significant blow to the national currency was not dealt by the US, but by a fall in inflation in Japan.

It should be recalled that at the time of writing the previous forecast, the number of supporters of yen weakening was three times the number of those expecting its further strengthening (45% versus 15%). And the majority turned out to be correct. The Inflation Report published on Friday, July 21st, sent the Japanese currency into a knockdown. USD/JPY jumped by more than 1%. It turned out that despite the ultra-dovish policy of the BoJ and a negative interest rate of -0.1%, consumer price growth has decreased. Despite a forecast of 3.5%, in reality, inflation (CPI) in June was 3.3%. The consumer price index excluding food and energy fell to 4.2% compared to the previous value of 4.3%.

These data, if not completely, then at least for a long time, buried hopes for a tightening of the monetary policy of the Japanese Central Bank. Moreover, the Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who spoke the day before, supported the current monetary policy of the regulator. Therefore, with a high degree of probability, at its meeting on Friday, July 28, the Bank of Japan will leave the interest rate unchanged. And to maintain the course of the national currency, if necessary, as before, it will resort to currency interventions.

In the meantime, to stop the yen's fall, Japan's Chief Currency Diplomat Masato Kanda stepped in with a "verbal intervention". In particular, he stated that he "never felt a limit to the possibilities for currency interventions" and that when it comes to them, he takes various steps to avoid running out of "ammunition".

The situation has somewhat calmed down after the comments made by Masato Kanda, with USD/JPY ending the past week at a mark of 141.80. At the time of writing this review, 25% of analysts predict the pair will continue its upward movement in the upcoming days, 55% voted for a downward trend, and 20% took a neutral position. The readings of the D1 indicators are as follows: among the oscillators, 25% are coloured red, 50% green, and 25% grey. Trend indicators show a clear advantage for the greens at 90%, with only 10% on the opposite side. The nearest support level is located in the zone of 141.40, followed by 140.45-140.60, 139.85, 138.95-139.05, 138.05-138.30, then 137.25-137.50, 135.95, 133.75-134.15, 132.80-133.00, 131.25, 130.60, 129.70, 128.10, and 127.20. The nearest resistance is at 142.20, followed by 143.75-144.00, 145.05-145.30, 146.85-147.15, 148.85, and finally the peak of October 2022 at 151.95.

Besides the Bank of Japan's meeting, no significant economic information pertaining to the country's economy is anticipated in the upcoming week.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: Litecoin Halving - Rehearsal for Bitcoin Halving

Observers note that the peak of the Dollar Index DXY in 2023 almost coincided with bitcoin's trough. There's nothing surprising about this: BTC/USD is like a scale. If the dollar gets heavier, bitcoin becomes lighter. Last week, the rise of the American currency led to a weakening of the digital one. It's worth noting that bitcoin is desperately trying to hold onto the support zone at $29,850 and avoid a collapse to the June lows around $25,000.

The relationship between BTC and USD is logical and understandable. However, some crypto enthusiasts are trying to position bitcoin as the primary, leading asset, with the dollar trailing behind like a dog's tail. As an argument, they cite, for example, the fact that bitcoin entered a horizontal channel by the middle of last year, while the Dollar Index caught up with it a few weeks later. If you look closely, you can find many such moments on the charts. But in our opinion, one should not overestimate the significance of the main cryptocurrency.

At the moment, many experts and influencers continue to paint a bright future for bitcoin. Although the heights of target horizons differ by times, sometimes even by tens of times. For example, Standard Chartered economist Geoff Kendrick recently stated that his financial corporation has adopted a more optimistic forecast for bitcoin's market value, targeting the $120,000 level by the end of 2024.

In response, BBC World analyst Glen Goodman wrote that these $120,000 "seem more like a figure pulled out of thin air than a genuinely justified forecast." He believes that the authors of such predictions are siding with the bulls and are not considering a number of key factors. The most important of them is that the US financial regulators are ruthlessly cracking down on the crypto industry, inundating its participants with lawsuits and investigations. Moreover, Goodman refers to forecasts by American economists who expect a protracted recession next year, the consequences of which can seriously suppress activity in the financial markets, including the digital asset market.

Unlike Glen Goodman, Real Vision CEO and former Goldman Sachs top manager Raoul Pal believes that economic troubles, confusion in the banking sector, and the real estate market crisis are beneficial for bitcoin, which serves as a defensive asset against this backdrop. According to Raoul Pal, a bullish rally for digital gold is inevitable, and BTC can easily reach the $50,000 mark later this year.

Renowned analyst under the nickname PlanB, on the other hand, does not believe that a powerful pump of the flagship cryptocurrency can occur before the halving in April 2024. His forecast is based on using the MA-200 as an indicator. This line increases on average by $500 a month, so in nine months it will be at the $32,000 mark. According to PlanB, it is possible that the coin's price might even be about 50% above this mark, but even then, it would be only $48,000.

Michael Van De Poppe, the founder of venture firm Eight, has clarified his prediction from last week. He believes that the current trend is breaking the minimums, as a result of which bitcoin could drop to $29,500 and even $29,000. However, he thinks that such a price movement could precede a bullish rally, during which the main cryptocurrency will raise its rate first to $32,500, then to $34,000, followed by a surge to $38,000.

Shifting from short- and medium-term forecasts to long-term, one could mention the opinion of Catherine Wood, CEO of ARK Invest. It seems that she is not particularly interested in jumps to $38,000 and even to $120,000. Once again, she reaffirmed her forecast that in about seven years, against the backdrop of inflation and a banking crisis, bitcoin will trade at $1,500,000 per coin, or at least at $625,000.

Against the backdrop of Catherine Wood's boundless optimism, data from CryptoVantage, whose employees surveyed 1,000 crypto investors from the U.S., comes as a cold sobering shower. It turned out that only 23% of them believe that the Bitcoin rate will reach its historical maximum of $68,917 next year. 47% think that the coin's price will rise to this mark within five years. 78% are confident that BTC will eventually return to its all-time high, but in an uncertain future. And 9% believe that this will never happen again.

We've paid significant attention to the upcoming bitcoin halving in April 2023 in our previous reviews. Let's now remember that the Litecoin halving is due quite soon, on August 2nd of this year. The reward for mining a block will be reduced to 6.25 LTC. Given that Litecoin is a fork of bitcoin, and its total emission is capped at 84 million coins, it will be interesting to observe the changes in Litecoin's price and attempt to forecast bitcoin's performance after its future halving based on these observations.

At the time of writing this review, on the evening of Friday, July 21, BTC/USD is trading around $29,850. The total capitalization of the crypto market has barely changed and stands at $1.202 trillion ($1.198 trillion a week ago). The Crypto Fear & Greed Index is in the Neutral zone, at 50 points (down from 60 points a week ago).


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Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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CryptoNews of the Week



– Robert Kennedy Jr., a U.S. presidential candidate from the Democratic Party, advocates for the support of the U.S. dollar using hard assets such as gold, silver, platinum, and bitcoin. The politician believes that this move could stabilize the economy, curb inflation, and usher in a new era of financial stability and prosperity in America.
Market strategist Todd "Bubba" Horwitz responded to Robert Kennedy Jr.'s inclusion of bitcoin in the basket of hard assets. According to him, this will enable bitcoin to reach a price of $35,000, and then $40,000, within the next six months. Horwitz highly praised the growing recognition of BTC by regulatory bodies such as the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), which will also contribute to the growth of the leading cryptocurrency.

– The implementation of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) worldwide varies significantly: projects are divided into retail ones, intended for citizen use, and so-called wholesale ones, geared towards interbank transfers and large businesses. Currently, 125 central banks are working on launching national CBDCs, but only three countries, Nigeria, the Bahamas, and Jamaica, have already put their CBDCs into full operation. Meanwhile, Ecuador and Haiti have abandoned this idea due to the high cost of the projects and low demand from the population. Ecuador launched its project as early as 2014 but withdrew it as the number of users did not exceed 3% of the country's population.
Even a number of senators resist the development of a digital dollar in the U.S. In a pre-emptive move, the governors of Texas and Miami banned its circulation within their states in May of this year.

– Bloomberg Senior Analyst Eric Balchunas believes that the approval of applications to launch spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the U.S. will open up the bitcoin market to $30 trillion in capital. According to forecasts by analytics firm Fundstrat, the launch of a bitcoin ETF could increase daily demand for bitcoin by $100 million. In this case, even before the halving scheduled for April 2024, the price of BTC could rise by 521% from current levels and reach up to $180,000.

– Craig Steven Wright, an Australian computer scientist and businessman, has claimed since 2016 that he invented bitcoin. He filed a lawsuit against 13 BTC developers and several crypto companies, including Blockstream, Coinbase, and Block, alleging they infringe his copyright to the first cryptocurrency.
However, Wright lost the copyright lawsuit in February. The court deemed his arguments insufficient. Now, a UK court has satisfied an appeal that has granted Wright the right to claim copyright over bitcoin.
Whether Wright truly created bitcoin and hid under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto will be determined by the court during a trial in January 2024. "Copyright protection issues will be resolved during a full court hearing, but only if Dr. Wright demonstrates that he is Satoshi Nakamoto," the court statement said. Meanwhile, Wright's lawyers stated that he is "pleased" with the outcome of the case and acknowledged his high chances of winning.

– Experts at SlowMist reported the discovery of a phishing program in the App Store aimed at stealing user data and cryptocurrencies. It mimics legitimate applications and thereby ends up on the user's device. The victim is then asked to enter their Apple ID password. Once they have this information, the malicious actors add their phone numbers to the trusted list for Apple's two-factor authentication. This allows them to control account permissions and gain full access to its contents. To mask their activity, the hackers create additional Apple IDs and use the victim's resources through the family account access feature.

– Just like on traditional markets, changes in investor sentiment on the crypto market follow certain patterns. Considering the so-called "Wall Street Cheat Sheet," which describes the psychology of market cycles and the corresponding emotions of traders, after passing through the pessimistic phases of "panic," "capitulation," and "depression," bitcoin is moving towards the "hope" stage.
According to analyst CryptoYoddha's chart, the cryptocurrency is currently going through the "disbelief" or "sucker's rally" stage. The next step is the "hope" of price recovery, potentially to $50,000 and above by the end of 2023. The upward movement will correspond to the passage through the stages of "optimism," "belief," "thrill," and finally, "euphoria."

– An analyst known as Trader Tardigrade believes that bitcoin is replicating the same price structure as it did in the period from 2013 to 2018, when it followed the pattern of transitioning from the "previous peak" to the "top-1", which preceded "top-2" and the "retest" (the stage at which bitcoin currently stands). If this model holds true, the next step would be a price "boom" which could lead to bitcoin rising to $400,000 by 2026.

– According to another expert, Stockmoney Lizards, bitcoin has just emerged from its third historical cycle, during which it reached an all-time high of $68,900, and has entered its fourth price cycle. The culmination of this cycle could be a new record between $150,000 and $200,000 in Q2 or Q3 of 2025.

– Cody Buffington, the host of the Altcoin Buzz YouTube channel, holds the view that a surge in bitcoin's volatility will occur sooner than everyone anticipates. According to him, the upcoming volatility of the flagship cryptocurrency could rival its growth since January 2023.
Buffington noted that in July, the price of bitcoin oscillated in a narrow range around the $30,000 mark, which served as a kind of test for both bulls and bears. And more often than not, such flat trading occurs before major movements. As proof, he pointed to the Bollinger Bands and a visual display of the indicator, which shows that the bitcoin price chart is in its narrowest state since the start of 2023.

– Ripple recently released a review examining the impact of the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry on business and the financial sector. According to the document, more than 90% of global financial leaders believe that blockchain technology will significantly influence business and finance over the next three years, indicating a substantial increase in their confidence in virtual currencies. 79% of business leaders expressed interest and confidence in using cryptocurrencies in their business. When considering various areas of cryptocurrency application, 44% of financiers chose their use for cross-border payments. Moreover, over 76% of company leaders are interested in institutional DeFi as a strategy for implementing innovations.

– According to a survey of 29 analysts conducted by Finder.com, their median forecast is as follows. Experts expect that by the end of the year, BTC will rise to $38,488, while the potential peak of bitcoin in 2023 could reach $42,000. By the end of 2025, according to the averaged opinion of analysts, the coin's price could reach $100,000, and by the end of 2030 - $280,000.
Naturally, individual forecasts of experts varied. Overall, the majority of survey participants (59%) are optimistic about BTC and believe that now is a good time to enter the market, 34% simply advise holding the existing cryptocurrency, and 7% suggest selling it.

– At present, there is a certain hype around the artificial intelligence industry. Experts from the publication Finbold decided to ask Google Bard, a machine learning system, how much the flagship of the crypto market will cost after the long-awaited halving in 2024.
The AI noted that several factors could influence this, but bitcoin is very likely to reach a new all-time high. This will be facilitated not only by halving, but also by a more global implementation of BTC, as well as interest from institutional investors. Speaking of specific figures, Google Bard noted that after the halving, the coin could on a sharp impulse reach the $100,000 mark. On the other hand, Google Bard highlighted factors that could limit the growth of bitcoin. The AI also did not rule out the possibility that the crypto winter may continue in 2024.

– Sam Altman, founder and CEO of OpenAI, which created the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, has launched his own cryptocurrency, Worldcoin, based on a blockchain system that uses eye recognition for user authentication and distinguishes between humans and bots. On July 24, the Binance cryptocurrency exchange listed the Worldcoin (WLD) token and preliminary trading began in the newly added spot pairs WLD/BTC and WLD/USDT.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

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EUR/USD: From Hawks to Not-Yet Doves

The past week was filled with both events and the release of macroeconomic data. Regarding the Federal Reserve meeting on July 26 and the European Central Bank meeting on July 27, there were no surprises in terms of key interest rate hikes. In both cases, they were predictably increased by 25 basis points (bps): to 5.50% for the dollar and to 4.25% for the euro. Therefore, market participants' attention was drawn to the statements made by the heads of these regulators following the meetings.

Jerome Powell, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, announced during the press conference on July 26 that the US central bank's monetary policy has now become restrictive. As is usual, he deflected a direct answer on whether there will be an additional rate hike within this year. He didn't rule out the prospect of a further surge in the cost of federal fund borrowings but neither did he confirm it, even though it has already touched a 22-year peak.

It became apparent from Powell's remarks that the Federal Reserve no longer anticipates a recession. Instead, the central bank's policy will aim for a 'soft landing' – a state of moderate economic expansion coupled with a continued deceleration in inflation. This upbeat forecast for the stock market prompted further growth in the S&P500 and Dow Jones indices, whereas the yields on US Treasury bonds and the Dollar Index (DXY) dropped. Amidst this backdrop, the EUR/USD pair recorded its weekly high at 1.1149.

Everything changed radically the next day, on Thursday, July 27. Almost simultaneously, with a 15-minute interval, the European Central Bank's decision on interest rates and preliminary US GDP data were announced. 15 minutes later, a press conference led by the head of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, began.

The US economy, against a forecast of 1.8%, expanded by 2.4% in Q2, substantiating Powell's statements and removing the topic of recession from the current agenda. Against this backdrop, the Eurozone economy is clearly lagging behind (for instance, German GDP, after a drop of -0.3% in Q1, contracted further by -0.2% in Q2). The ECB's head lamented this weakness in her address. If a month ago it was said that the European regulator would bring rates to levels that would be sufficiently restrictive, on July 27 everything sounded different. It was now stated that the Governing Council of the Central Bank would maintain restrictive borrowing costs for as long as necessary. In other words, they would at least take a pause, or even cease further tightening of their policy.

Gediminas Šimkus, a member of the Bank's Governing Council, confirmed this, stating that the "economy is weaker in the short term than forecasted" and monetary authorities are "near the peak of rates or at it". As a result of these statements, the probability of a rate hike in September dropped below 50%, and EUR/USD plummeted. The pair bottomed for the week at the mark of 1.0943.

Towards the end of the work week, on Friday, July 28, the pair corrected into the 1.1000 zone. Following the publication of preliminary inflation (CPI) data in Germany and personal consumption expenditure data in the US, EUR/USD closed the five-day period at 1.1016.

As for the near-term prospects, at the time of writing this review on the evening of July 28, 30% of analysts voted for further growth of the pair, 55% foresaw a decline, and the remaining 15% held a neutral position. Among trend indicators on D1, 50% point upwards, 50% downwards. The oscillators present a more specific picture: only 15% recommend buying, 65% selling, and the remaining 20% are neutral. The nearest support for the pair is around 1.0985, followed by 1.0945-1.0955, 1.0895-1.0925, 1.0845-1.0865, 1.0780-1.0805, 1.0740, 1.0665-1.0680, and 1.0620-1.0635. Bulls will encounter resistance in the area of 1.1045, then 1.1085-1.1110, 1.1145, 1.1170, 1.1230-1.1245, 1.1275-1.1290, 1.1355, 1.1475, and 1.1715.

In the coming week, on Monday, July 31, we await data on retail sales in Germany and a whole raft of preliminary statistics for the Eurozone, including GDP and inflation (CPI) data. On Tuesday, business activity indicators (PMI) in Germany and the US will be revealed. The following day, August 2, we will receive data on the level of employment in the private sector of the United States. The labour market statistics will be supplemented on August 3 and 4, when we will learn the number of unemployment benefit claims and such important indicators as wage level, unemployment rate, and the number of new jobs created outside the agricultural sector (NFP) of the country.

GBP/USD: Awaiting the Bank of England's Meeting

The preliminary data released on Monday, July 24, showed a decline in business activity in the UK. According to the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS), the PMI in the manufacturing sector, which was forecasted at 46.1, actually fell from 46.5 to 45.0 points. The PMI in the service sector and the composite PMI, although they remained above 50, also showed a decline: from 53.7 to 51.5 and from 52.8 to 50.7 points, respectively.

The Bank of England (BoE) meeting will take place on Thursday, August 3, and the market has yet to come to a consistent opinion on how much the regulator will raise the base rate for the pound under current conditions. Will it be 50 basis points or, like the Fed and ECB, 25? We've previously mentioned arguments in favor of both numbers. We'll just repeat some of them.

Three main reasons for the BoE to decide on a 50 basis point increase were formulated by economists of the French financial conglomerate Societe Generale.

Firstly, service sector inflation and wages may have peaked in June, but both indicators remain uncomfortably high. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), although it decreased from 8.7% to 7.9% (forecasted at 8.2%) over the month, is still far from the target level of 2.0%.

Secondly, as Societe Generale believes, investors are avoiding British bonds due to the persistent inflation in the country. Such high and steady inflation means that investors require higher compensation for holding British bonds compared to US Treasuries and German bonds. To reassure investors, it is necessary at this stage to continue a tight monetary policy.

Thirdly, in recent weeks the Bank of England and its governor, Andrew Bailey, have been subjected to extensive criticism for maintaining a soft monetary policy for too long, thereby allowing inflation to rise significantly. Now the BoE may overdo it in an effort to prove its critics wrong.

However, not everyone agrees with the arguments of the French economists. For example, their colleagues from the German Commerzbank note that consumer prices (CPI) in the UK grew much slower in June than expected. Therefore, market expectations for a rate hike are too high and need to be adjusted downwards. This, in turn, will lead to a weakening of the pound. A similar view was expressed by strategists from the largest banking group in the Netherlands, ING, who believe that the rate will be increased by a maximum of 25 basis points.

It can be seen on the long-term chart that the British currency has recovered more than three-quarters after a sharp fall in the second half of 2021 and in 2022. And according to economists at Scotiabank, the pound is "likely to continue to receive support from positive yield spreads, even though a very tight monetary policy will threaten the prospects for UK economic growth next year." Scotiabank predicts that the pound will reach 1.3500 by the end of 2023 and 1.4000 by the end of 2024.

As for the current situation, the GBP/USD dynamics last week were similar to how EUR/USD moved - both pairs reacted to the results of the Fed and ECB meetings, to the statements of their leaders, and to macroeconomic statistics from the US. As a result, the week's maximum was recorded on July 27 at the height of 1.2995, the minimum - the next day at the level of 1.2762, and the final chord sounded at the mark of 1.2850.

The median forecast for GBP/USD in the near term tends to be bearish, with 70% supporting this view and the remaining 30% taking the opposite position. On the D1 oscillators, 15% are coloured green, 25% neutral-grey, and 60% red. For trend indicators, as in the case of EUR/USD, the ratio between green and red is 50% to 50%. If the pair moves south, it is expected to meet support levels and zones - 1.2800-1.2815, then 1.2740-1.2760, 1.2675-1.2695, 1.2575-1.2600, 1.2435-1.2450, 1.2300-1.2330. 1.2190-1.2210. In case of pair growth, it will encounter resistance at levels 1.2880, then 1.2940, 1.2980-1.3000, 1.3050-1.3060, 1.3125-1.3140, 1.3185-1.3210, 1.3300-1.3335, 1.3425, 1.3605.

In the calendar for the upcoming week, in addition to the Bank of England meeting and the subsequent press conference of its management, Tuesday, August 1 can be noted when the final data on business activity (PMI) in the manufacturing sector of the UK economy will be published.

USD/JPY: BoJ Delivers a Surprise

The second half of the past week turned out to be not just volatile, but insanely volatile for USD/JPY. Jumps of 100, 200, and even 300 points followed one after another. Not only did the yen react sharply to the meetings of the Fed and the ECB, but also its own Bank of Japan (BoJ) delivered a surprise. The fire was started by the Nikkei newspaper, which published an insider that the BoJ intends, on the one hand, to maintain control over the bond yield curve in the same range, but on the other hand - to allow the rates of the debt market to go beyond its limits.

The results of the regulator's meeting fully confirmed the journalists' information. As expected, the Japanese Central Bank kept the key rate at an ultra-low negative level of -0.1%. However, for the first time in many years, the new head of the bank, Kazuo Ueda, decided to turn strict targeting of the yield curve into flexible one. For some central banks, this is a common practice. But for the BoJ, it's a desperately bold, revolutionary step.

The target yield level of Japanese 10-year bonds remains 0%. The permissible range of yield changes of +/-0.5% is also maintained. But from now on, this limit should no longer be seen as a hard boundary but is more flexible. True, to certain limits - the Bank of Japan drew a "red line" at the level of 1.0% and will conduct daily purchase operations so that the yield does not rise above this mark.

Initially, this decision literally blew up the market, the yen's rate began to strengthen. USD/JPY dropped to the mark of 138.05. But then everything calmed down. Investors reasoned that, essentially, the BoJ policy remained ultra-soft. The review of the target range for long-term government bonds has purely symbolic significance so far, as it is unknown whether such a range will actually be used.

Especially since there were immediate critics of this decision. Thus, strategists from Commerzbank warned in advance that the possibility of a slight increase in rates could be devastating for the yen. They referred to the potential growth of inflation and the high level of public debt in the country. "With such half-hearted measures," they said, "the Bank of Japan is fuelling fears that the actual cessation of control over the yield curve could be undesirable or impractical. [...] Even if the yen currently benefits from the possibility of a slight increase in interest rates in the long run, this will be a catastrophic signal for it.".

"And in general, it is still unclear what and how will happen in this distant future," thought market participants, and as a result, the end of the week ended in favour of the dollar. The final point of the week was set at the level of 141.15.

At the time of writing the review, the forecast is maximally neutral: a third of analysts believe that in the coming days the pair will continue to grow, a third expect its fall, and a third have taken a wait-and-see position. The readings of the indicators on D1 look as follows. Among oscillators, 35% are coloured red, 25% are gray, and 40% are green (a quarter of them are in the overbought zone). Among trend indicators, green has a total advantage, such are 100%. The nearest support level is located in the zone of 140.60-140.75, then 139.85, 138.95-139.05, 138.05-138.30, 137.25-137.50, 135.95, 133.75-134.15, 132.80-133.00, 131.25, 130.60, 129.70, 128.10, and 127.20. The nearest resistance is 141.95-142.20, then 143.00, 143.75-144.00, 145.05-145.30, 146.85-147.15, 148.85, and finally, the maximum of October 2022, 151.95.

Part from the meeting of the Bank of Japan, no significant economic information related to the economy of this country is expected to arrive in the coming week.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: In Search of a Lost Trigger



The decisions of the Federal Reserve (and even more so the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan) have not had a significant impact on bitcoin quotes. After a decline on Monday, July 24, BTC/USD attempted to rise slightly in line with stock indices, but it did not manage to consolidate above $30,000.

Statistics show that after a price surge in June, blue whales (those holding more than 10,000 bitcoins) are locking in profits and selling bitcoin at record rates for 2023, offloading an average of 16,300 coins per day onto exchanges. During this period, the share of whale transactions in the overall inflow to these platforms reached 41%. This even surpasses crisis periods in 2022, such as the Terra project crash and the FTX bankruptcy (when whale proportions were 39% and 33%, respectively).

Conspiracy theorists attribute this sell-off to the whales possessing some kind of insider information. However, it's more likely that the sales are driven by increasing risks due to heightened regulatory pressure on the crypto market from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the legal pursuit of its prominent participants.

As for the smaller members of the whale family (those holding between 1,000 and 10,000 bitcoins), they have been actively replenishing their reserves over the past month. Other market participants behaved fairly passively, not exerting a significant impact on quotes.

The only positive development for the crypto market this summer has been the submission of applications to launch spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) by giants such as BlackRock, Invesco, Fidelity, and others. Thanks to these developments, BTC/USD managed to rise above $30,000 in mid-June.

Senior Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas believes that SEC approval of these applications will open up $30 trillion worth of capital to the bitcoin market. According to forecasts by the analytical company Fundstrat, the launch of a bitcoin ETF could increase the daily demand for bitcoin by $100 million. In this case, even before the halving scheduled for April 2024, the price of bitcoin could rise by 521% from its current levels, reaching up to $180,000.

However, clarity about the fate of these applications is still a long way off. For instance, the final decision on BlackRock's application is not expected until the middle of Q3 2023 and no later than mid-March 2024. And this decision does not necessarily have to be positive. As a result of this uncertainty, the joyful excitement among crypto enthusiasts in June has fizzled out, but fear of the SEC remains. This fear continues to put pressure on the market.

Two events could potentially serve as new triggers to initiate a bull rally. The first is a shift in the Federal Reserve's monetary policy towards easing (QE). In other words, it would involve not just an end to the tightening cycle (QT), but the actual start of easing. But so far, this isn't even being discussed. The interest rate will either be frozen at its current level or rise by another 25 b.p. However, based on recent statements, the Federal Reserve does not intend to lower it. In general, we are still far from the point where a significant amount of free money appears on the market, which investors would want to invest in digital assets.

The second trigger is the halving, which could cause not only the subsequent, but also preceding growth in bitcoin. As on traditional markets, shifts in investor sentiment on the crypto market follow certain patterns. Taking into account the so-called "Wall Street Cheat Sheet," which describes the psychology of market cycles, and the emotions traders typically experience, bitcoin is moving towards the "hope" phase after passing through pessimistic phases of "panic," "capitulation," and "depression."

According to the chart by analyst CryptoYoddha, the cryptocurrency is currently going through the "disbelief" or "sucker's rally" stage, with the next step being "hope" for a price recovery, possibly to $50,000 and higher by the end of 2023. The upward movement will correspond to the passage through the stages of "optimism," "belief," "thrill," and finally, "euphoria.".

Cody Buffington, the host of the Altcoin Buzz YouTube channel, holds the view that a surge in bitcoin's volatility will happen even sooner than everyone expects. In his opinion, the impending volatility of the flagship cryptocurrency could rival its growth since January 2023. Buffington noted that in July, the bitcoin price fluctuated in a narrow range around the $30,000 mark, which was a kind of test for both bulls and bears. More often than not, such a flat period occurs before large movements. As evidence, he referred to the Bollinger Bands and a visual display of the indicator, where it can be seen that the bitcoin price chart is in its narrowest state since the beginning of 2023.

A survey of 29 analysts conducted by Finder.com resulted in the following median forecast. Experts expect BTC to rise to $38,488 by the end of the year, with a potential peak for bitcoin in 2023 potentially reaching $42,000. By the end of 2025, according to the average opinion of those surveyed, the price of the coin could reach $100,000, and by the end of 2030 - $280,000.

Naturally, individual forecasts of the experts varied. Overall, the majority of survey participants (59%) are optimistic about BTC and believe that now is a good time to enter the market, 34% simply advise holding existing cryptocurrency, and 7% recommend selling it.

Market strategist Todd "Bubba" Horwitz believes that within the next six months, the flagship cryptocurrency will rise to $35,000, and then to $40,000. Interestingly, "Bubba" has chosen neither the Federal Reserve nor the halving as the trigger, but… Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This Democratic presidential candidate stated that saving the country's economy and supporting the dollar could be facilitated by hard assets such as gold, silver, platinum, and... bitcoin.

Analyst under the pseudonym Trader Tardigrade believes that bitcoin is repeating the same price structure as in the period from 2013 to 2018 when it followed the model of transition from the "previous peak" to the "top-1", which preceded the "top-2" and the "retest" (the stage where bitcoin is now). If this model is correct, the next step will be a price "boom", which could lead to bitcoin's growth to $400,000 in 2026.

Another expert, Stockmoney Lizards, opines that bitcoin has just exited its third historical cycle, during which it reached a historical maximum of $68,900, and has entered its fourth price cycle, the culmination of which could be a new record between $150,000 and $200,000 Q2 or Q3 2025.

Artificial Intelligence also has an opinion on this matter (we couldn't possibly proceed without it!). The experts at Finbold decided to ask the Google Bard machine learning system how much the flagship of the crypto market will cost after the long-awaited halving in 2024. The AI noted that several factors could influence this, but it's highly likely that bitcoin will reach a new all-time high. This will be facilitated not only by halving but also by a more global integration of BTC and interest from institutional investors. Speaking in specific figures, Google Bard noted that after halving, the coin could spike to a $100,000 mark. On the other hand, the AI highlighted factors that could limit the growth of the main cryptocurrency and did not rule out the possibility that the crypto winter could continue in 2024.

As of the time this review was written, on the evening of Friday, July 28, bitcoin doesn't seem to be significantly affected. BTC/USD is being traded around $29,400. The total capitalization of the crypto market has slightly decreased and is at $1.183 trillion ($1.202 trillion a week ago). The Crypto Fear & Greed Index is currently in the Neutral zone, standing at 52 points (compared to 50 points a week ago)


NordFX Analytical Group


Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

NordFX, the brokerage firm, has summarized the performance of its clients' trading transactions for July 2023. The social trading services, PAMM and CopyTrading, have also been evaluated, as well as the profits gained by the company's IB partners.

- The highest profit in July was achieved by a trader from Western Asia, with account number 1692XXX, whose profit amounted to 192,396 USD. This substantial result was achieved through transactions involving gold (XAU/USD) and the British pound (GBP/USD).
- The second spot in the ranking of the most successful traders of the month was taken by a client from East Asia, account number 1663XXX, who earned 26,699 USD exclusively through transactions with the currency pair XAU/USD.
- Third place on July's honour podium went to a representative from South Asia (account number 1705XXX), whose result, 15,358 USD, was also primarily achieved through operations with gold (XAU/USD).

The situation unfolded as follows in the NordFX passive investment services:

- In CopyTrading, a fairly large number of interesting (at least at first glance) signals periodically appear among startups, combining high profitability with moderate maximum drawdown. Here are just a few of them: G@SDR (profit 126% / max drawdown 27% / lifespan 50 days), Leonard6789 (184%/27%/27), SURE PROFIT (328%/25%/14). However, looking at these impressive results, it should be understood that they have been achieved through quite aggressive trading. Therefore, when subscribing to them, risk factors must certainly be taken into account. One of the main factors in this case is the very short lifespan of these signals.

As for the long-livers, we continue to monitor the fate of the signal KennyFXPRO - Prismo 2K. It started working on May 2, 2021. During this time, the 'veteran' experienced two serious drawdowns: on November 14, 2022, and June 20-23, 2023. In both cases, to avoid account liquidation, its author took the difficult step of closing loss-making positions. However, as a result, the signal is still alive and has shown a profit of 231% over 819 days.

- On the PAMM service display, there are two accounts that we have mentioned several times in previous reviews. These are KennyFXPRO-The Multi 3000 EA and TranquilityFX-The Genesis v3. Just like their veteran colleague from CopyTrading, they suffered serious losses on November 14, 2022: the drawdown at that time approached 43%. However, the PAMM managers decided not to give up, and the profit on the first of these accounts exceeded 106% by July 31, 2023, and on the second - 70%.

We also continue to monitor the Trade and earn account. It was opened more than a year ago, on March 8, 2022, but was in a dormant state, awakening only in November. As a result, over the past 9 months, its profitability has exceeded 153% with a very small drawdown - less than 13%.

The top three among NordFX's IB partners are as follows:
- A partner from Western Asia, with account number 1645XXX, has claimed the top spot for the third consecutive month. They earned a reward of 13,891 USD in July, bringing their total earnings to nearly 35,000 USD over the three-month period.
- Next is a partner from East Asia, who received 5,565 USD.
- Finally, rounding out the top three is a partner from South Asia, account number 1672XXX, who received a reward of 5,435 USD.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

CryptoNews of the Week



– Michael Novogratz, the CEO of Galaxy Investment Partners, shared his investment advice in a recent Bloomberg interview. "For young investors who are comfortable with taking risks, I would advise buying Alibaba stocks and investing in silver, gold, bitcoin, and ethereum, which would make up my $100,000 portfolio," he said. For those who are more cautious, he recommends allocating only 30% of their investment to this portfolio, with the remaining balance to be invested in bonds and index funds.
Novogratz's confidence in the future of bitcoin has been bolstered after the largest investment company, BlackRock, filed for a spot bitcoin ETF. The businessman noted that Larry Fink, BlackRock's CEO, had never believed in bitcoin, but has now changed his opinion. "Now, he's saying that BTC will be a global currency, and people worldwide will trust it. He's taken the orange pill. He believes in bitcoin," said Michael Novogratz.

– Peter Brandt, a legendary trader and veteran of the financial industry, believes that over time, bitcoin, the first cryptocurrency, will "emerge from the shadow" of more traditional investment assets like stocks and gold, and in the future, it will be bitcoin that sets the tone in the financial market.
Brandt emphasized that U.S. regulators will certainly approve the launch of spot bitcoin ETFs. However, the analyst believes this approval, and even the halving, won't be news. Following these events, instead of rising, the price of BTC could decline. "In 48 years of speculation," Brandt writes, "I have always found that markets anticipate events before they happen." The Wall Street legend advises always adhering to the adage, "Buy on the rumour, sell on the facts."

– Robert Kiyosaki, the investor and author of the financial bestseller "Rich Dad Poor Dad", has stated that he still favours bitcoin, along with gold and silver. He has noted that the rise in the stock market won't save the U.S. economy as it occurred solely due to President Joe Biden raising the debt ceiling.

– Fernando Perez Algaba, a prominent crypto and forex influencer who disappeared on July 18, was found dead in Argentina, according to media reports. A group of children discovered the millionaire's mutilated body in a suitcase. His head was later found in a backpack, which had been shot three times.
Algaba, in the months prior to his death, had been sharing photos of his opulent lifestyle with his nearly 920,000 Instagram followers. He had also recounted a fairy tale-like story to the media about his rise from a simple pizza delivery man to a highly successful "Forex and crypto trader". However, it came to light at some point that Algaba was grappling with escalating debts, tax complications, and monetary demands from investors in a crypto scheme that he admitted had "spiralled out of control".
A threat to gouge out his eyes and cut off his hands was received by Algaba a week before his assassination. The New York Post reported that one suspect has already been apprehended by the police in relation to the murder of the crypto millionaire.

– Cryptocurrency traders lost digital assets amounting to $303 million due to hacking attacks in July, according to experts from CertiK. The latest major breach involved an attack on DEX Curve Finance's stablecoin pools, exploiting a vulnerability in the Vyper code. The exchange lost digital assets worth about $52 million. It's worth noting that, as per data from PeckShield, the crypto industry experienced at least 395 hacks from January to June 2023, resulting in a theft of approximately $480 million.

– Billionaire venture capitalist Tim Draper, in an interview with FOX Business, stated that the acceptance of the first cryptocurrency, bitcoin, by the world is simply a matter of time. "Retailers will eventually recognize the 2% savings they could make by accepting bitcoin, eliminating the need to pay banks and credit card companies," he explained.
Draper repeated his prediction in July that the value of bitcoin would ascend to $250,000, a milestone he expects will be reached by 2025. Notably, Draper had made the same price prediction back in 2018, although he then envisaged that bitcoin would hit this mark by 2022, a forecast that evidently did not materialize.

– An analyst under the pseudonym TechDev forecasts a slightly lower but still significant figure for BTC. To predict the price of BTC, he relies on the behaviour of traditional financial markets, such as the price of 10-year Chinese government bonds, the dynamics of the Dollar Index, as well as the balance sheets of Central Banks in major countries, and so on. According to him, the coin's price closely follows global liquidity indicators, and the current economic cycle should once again conclude with a substantial increase in the money supply. Therefore, bitcoin is gearing up for growth.
The analyst believes that the logarithmic growth curve indicator, which overlooks short-term asset fluctuations, suggests that by 2025, the leading cryptocurrency will reach a level of $140,000. "Note that this is a very rough approximation, based on specific parameters of the indicator and the steepness of the momentum," TechDev warned. He also noted that another indicator, Bollinger Bands, is in a very narrow range. The last time bitcoin exited such a range, a full-scale bull trend began.

– According to Crystal Blockchain, an analytics firm, Ukraine has received $225 million in cryptocurrencies since February 2022 to counteract the deployment of Russian troops. The bulk of these donations have been in USDT ($83 million), ethereum ($79 million), and bitcoin ($41 million), with additional contributions made in other cryptocurrencies. On the other hand, Russia has also solicited cryptocurrencies for military expenditure, though the total collected is significantly less, ranging between $2 million to $8 million.

– George Milling-Stanley, the Chief Gold Strategist at State Street Global Advisors, maintains that bitcoin cannot be considered a replacement for gold due to the risk of extensive losses. He emphasized that gold has a history spanning 6,000 years during which it has repeatedly proven its reliability and value, whereas bitcoin has only been around for a dozen years. "Bitcoin's volatility merely refutes claims that the primary cryptocurrency is a long-term strategic asset and can compete with gold. Gold is a hedge against inflation. Gold is insurance against a stock market fall. Gold is insurance against a weakening dollar," the strategist stated.
Notably, State Street Global Advisors manages the world's largest physically backed gold ETF. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that George Milling-Stanley is defending the positions of the precious metal.

– Arthur Hayes, the co-founder of BitMEX exchange, has published an article in which he predicts the flagship cryptocurrency will skyrocket to $760,000. In his view, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects into the bitcoin blockchain will significantly increase the coin's attractiveness as the base asset of the ecosystem.
Hayes believes that ethereum should exhibit a similar development model. If AI-based projects are integrated into this altcoin, the investment attractiveness of ETH, the primary transaction tool in the network, will greatly intensify. In this case, the altcoin could appreciate by 1,556%. Thus, the BitMEX co-founder doesn't rule out the possibility that ETH might soar to $31,063.
Another factor Hayes considers will stimulate the growth of ETH over the next five years is the expansion of the decentralized finance (DeFi) market. The majority of protocols in this ecosystem are based on ethereum, and their popularity continues to increase. The growth in the number of decentralized exchange (DEX) users will lead to a rise in ETH transaction volumes and, consequently, an increase in the altcoin's price.

– A CME Group report reveals that ETH/BTC exhibits almost zero correlation with changes in interest rates, gold futures, and crude oil. However, it is significantly influenced by factors such as the strength of the U.S. dollar, changes in bitcoin market supply, and the performance of tech company stocks. The research states that ETH is more vulnerable to USD, and the ETH/BTC pair is more influenced by changes in BTC supply than ETH. Simultaneously, ETH often grows relative to BTC on days when tech company stocks increase in value.
According to CME Group economists' predictions: 1) ETH/BTC will follow the price dynamics of bitcoin. This is due to the fact that ETH strongly correlates with BTC, yet it's more volatile than bitcoin. 2) Increased demand for BTC due to geopolitical factors will also strengthen ETH. 3) ETH will strengthen ahead of the bitcoin halving in 2024, assuming BTC's price increases. However, the analysts noted that the growth in demand for crypto assets, which was very strong during the first eight years of bitcoin's existence, has noticeably slowed down in the past five years. Therefore, there is no guarantee that the halving will lead to a price increase for both BTC and ETH.

– A survey conducted on the financial platform Finder has given insights into the future prospects of Ethereum. Industry experts who took part in the survey predict that Ethereum (ETH) will reach an average value of $2,400 by the end of 2023. Furthermore, they estimate that Ethereum's price will escalate to $5,845 by the end of 2025, and by 2030 it will rise to $16,414. It's important to highlight that 56% of these experts believe the present time is the most favourable for purchasing ETH. Approximately 41% recommend holding onto the cryptocurrency, while a meagre 4% suggest selling it.


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EUR/USD: Dollar Bulls Disappointed by NFP



Throughout the past week, leading up to Thursday, August 3, the dollar continued to strengthen its position and build on the offensive that began on July 18. It appears that markets, wary of the global economic condition, have once again turned to the American currency as a safe haven.

Interestingly, the dollar seemed to benefit from Fitch's first downgrade of the long-term US credit rating in 12 years. The agency reduced the rating by one notch from the highest AAA to AA+, a move that seems more of a reputational hit than a trigger for market collapse. However, in such situations, investors tend to shed the weakest and most risky assets in their portfolio, opting for more liquid US treasury bonds and the dollar instead. It's worth recalling 2011 when the US rating downgrade by Standard & Poor's triggered a stock market fall and multi-year dollar growth as it turned out that other countries were in even worse conditions. The shaky state of high-risk corporate bonds doesn't need to be mentioned, as it is self-evident.

A number of analysts do not rule out the possibility that a similar situation could repeat this time around. The key level of the DXY Dollar Index at 100.0 points could serve as a launching pad for further growth. (Round levels like 80.0 during the periods from 1990 to 1995 and in 2014, and 90.0 from 2017 to 2021 played a similar role.).

The macroeconomic data released last week for the United States proved to be rather mixed. On one hand, the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) in the country's manufacturing sector grew month-over-month from 46.0 to 46.4 points, but on the other hand, it fell short of the forecast of 46.8. Conversely, the PMI in the services sector declined from 53.9 to 52.7, against a forecast of 53.0. Despite the index remaining in the recovery zone (above 50), the figures suggest that this sector of the economy is also grappling with the consequences of the Federal Reserve's hawkish policy and decreasing consumer demand. The increase in initial jobless claims from 221K to 227K also put pressure on the dollar.

As for the Eurozone, preliminary data shows that inflation, albeit slowly, is beginning to recede. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) fell from 5.5% to 5.3%, which fully met market expectations. The rate of decline in retail sales volumes also slowed, moving from -2.4% to -1.4%, beating the forecast of -1.7%.

Following such statistics, everything was set to be decided on Friday, August 4. The market was awaiting fresh data from the US labour market, including indicators such as wage levels, unemployment rates, and Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP): the number of new jobs created outside the agricultural sector. These figures play a special role as the state of the labour market, alongside inflation, influences the Federal Reserve's decisions regarding future monetary policy.

In the end, the figures didn't change significantly. However, market participants decided that they were more indicative of a bearish than bullish sentiment for the dollar. The increase in average hourly earnings (month over month) remained at the previous level of 0.4%, the unemployment rate dropped slightly from 3.6% to 3.5% (forecast was 3.6%). The NFP figure also remained relatively unchanged, registering at 187K compared to 185K a month earlier. However, this number fell short of expectations of 200K.

The NFP is a key barometer of potential cooling in the US economy. A decline in NFP suggests that the 'screws' have been tightened too much, the economy is stagnating, and perhaps further tightening of monetary policy needs to be paused. At the very least. Or maybe it's time to end the cycle of monetary restriction altogether. This logic drove the DXY down and pushed EUR/USD up. As a result, the pair ended the five-day period at a mark of 1.1008.

As for the near-term prospects, at the time of writing this review on the evening of August 4, only 25% of analysts voted for the pair's growth and further dollar weakening, with 75% taking the opposite stance. The picture is similar among the oscillators on D1: 75% point south (15% are in the oversold zone), 15% point north, and 10% are in the neutral zone. The trend indicators present the opposite situation: 75% recommend buying, and the remaining 25% recommend selling.

The pair's nearest support is located around 1.0985, then 1.0945, 1.0895-1.0925, 1.0845-1.0865, 1.0780-1.0805, 1.0740, 1.0665-1.0680, and 1.0620-1.0635. The bulls will meet resistance around 1.1045, then 1.1090-1.1110, 1.1150-1.1170, 1.1230, 1.1275-1.1290, 1.1355, 1.1475, and 1.1715.

We've already mentioned that the state of the labour market and inflation are the defining factors for Central Banks' monetary policy formation. While we received plenty of statistics on the former last week, the coming week will bring data on the latter. On Monday, August 8, we'll find out what's happening with inflation in Germany, and on Thursday, August 10th, the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) values will be made public. Also, on this day, unemployment statistics in the US will be released. To round off the work week, on Friday, August 11, another important inflation indicator, the US Producer Price Index (PPI), will be revealed.

GBP/USD: Was the BoE Right or Wrong?

The intrigue regarding how much the Bank of England (BoE) would raise the key interest rate on August 3, by 50 or 25 basis points (bps), ended in favour of a more cautious step. The rate increased from 5.00% to 5.25%, returning the GBP/USD pair to the zone of five-week lows, with the local bottom found at the level of 1.2620.

Economists at Commerzbank commented on the decision by the British regulator as follows: "The Bank of England is trying to restore its authority," they write. "However, it is still unclear how successful it will be." Commerzbank believes that the BoE's decision to slow the pace of rate hikes, based only on the fact that June's inflation surprised with a smaller figure, does not necessarily indicate that the Central Bank has changed its overall approach. "If inflationary conditions in the UK continue to improve," the bank's economists believe, "the current rate decision may turn out to be adequate. But if the June inflation report turns out to be an isolated case, then the Bank of England will most likely seem too hesitant again, which will put pressure on the pound.".

In June, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the United Kingdom decreased from 8.7% to 7.9% (with a forecast of 8.2%). However, inflation in the country remains the highest among developed nations. Considering that it significantly exceeds the target benchmark of 2%, the British regulator, according to some experts, will still have to maintain a more active stance and continue raising the rate, despite the growing risks of recession.

After the fall of DXY due to disappointing labour market data in the US, GBP/USD ended the week at 1.2748. The median forecast of experts for the near future looks quite neutral. Bears were backed by 45%, bulls by 30%, and the remaining 25% preferred to abstain. Among the oscillators on D1, 10% are coloured green, 15% are neutral grey, and 75% are red (a quarter of them signal oversold). The ratio of green and red for trend indicators remains 50% to 50%, as a week ago. If the pair moves south, it will encounter support levels and zones at 1.2675-1.2695, 1.2575-1.2600, 1.2435-1.2450, 1.2300-1.2330. 1.2190-1.2210, 1.2085, 1.1960, and 1.1800. In case of the pair's growth, it will meet resistance at the levels of 1.2800-1.2815, then 1.2880, 1.2940, 1.2980-1.3000, 1.3050-1.3060, 1.3125-1.3140, 1.3185-1.3210, 1.3300-1.3335, 1.3425, 1.3605.

It's noteworthy that the UK's GDP data is set to be released on Friday, August 11, offering some insight into the country's economic health. However, you can expect more significant volatility in the exchange rate on Thursday, August 10, when the U.S. inflation (CPI) data will be published. These economic indicators wield a significant influence on the exchange rate, and will be closely scrutinized by traders and investors. The outcome could potentially influence the Bank of England's future monetary policy decisions and, in turn, impact the value of GBP/USD.

USD/JPY: Inflation Decides Everything

During the first half of the week, the yen, like other currencies in the DXY basket, retreated under the pressure of the dollar, and the USD/JPY pair reached a high of 143.88. However, then the Bank of Japan (BoJ) came to the aid of the national currency.

We reported in our last review that for the first time in many years, the new head of the Bank, Kazuo Ueda, decided to turn the rigid targeting of the yield curve into a flexible one. The target level of yield on Japanese 10-year government bonds (JGB) remained the same, 0%. The allowable yield fluctuation range of +/-0.5% was also maintained. But from now on, this limit was no longer to be seen as a rigid boundary but became more flexible. Of course, within certain limits – the Bank of Japan drew a "red line" at the 1.0% level and announced that it would conduct purchase operations to keep the yield from rising above this mark.

And now, less than a week after this revolutionary step for the BoJ, the yield on JGB reached nine-year highs near the 0.65% mark. As a result, the central bank hurried to intervene, and to avoid further growth, it conducted an intervention by buying these securities, thereby supporting the yen.

The Japanese currency received further support on Friday, August 4th, due to weak data on the NFP in the USA. As a result, the week's finish for USD/JPY was at the level of 141.73.

There is no doubt that inflation data will be crucial for central banks and, in turn, for currency markets. At the moment, there is much evidence that inflation in Japan will continue to rise. A few days ago, the country's government recommended a 4% increase in the minimum wage, and spring wage negotiations secured the highest wage growth in the last three decades. Against this backdrop, there is increasing evidence that businesses are ready to pass this growth on to consumers, leading to a rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This trend reflects a willingness among Japanese companies to respond to growing labour costs by increasing prices, potentially fuelling inflation. In turn, this may have an impact on the Bank of Japan's policy decisions and influence the value of the yen in currency markets. The situation clearly highlights the interconnectedness of labour markets, monetary policy, and currency value, and underscores the importance of closely monitoring economic indicators and central bank actions.

To combat rising prices, the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) counterparts in the U.S. and Europe are tightening monetary policy and raising interest rates. Analysts at the Dutch Rabobank are hoping that the BoJ will finally follow suit and gradually move away from its ultra-soft policy. As a result, they anticipate that the USD/JPY exchange rate could return to the 138.00 mark within a three-to-six-month period.

The view of strategists at Japan's MUFG Bank is less optimistic. They write, "Currently, we forecast the first rate hike by the Bank of Japan in the first half of next year. The shift towards tightening BoJ policy supports our forecast of yen strengthening in the coming year." As for the recent change in the yield curve control policy, MUFG believes that it alone is insufficient to cause a recovery of the Japanese currency.

Economists at Germany's Commerzbank and Finland's Nordea Bank agree that if the Japanese regulator manages to tame inflation, the yen's exchange rate should rise. However, changes in the Bank of Japan's policy will not happen quickly. Therefore, according to many specialists, significant shifts can only be expected around 2024.

The various views and forecasts presented highlight the complexity of the economic environment and the challenges of predicting monetary policy changes and currency movements. The situation in Japan is particularly nuanced, given the BoJ's long-standing struggle with deflation and its commitment to an extremely accommodative monetary stance. Market participants and policymakers will need to pay close attention to a range of economic indicators, central bank signals, and global economic trends to navigate the evolving landscape.

As for the analysts' short-term forecast, it offers no clear direction. A third of them believe the USD/JPY pair will move north in the coming days, a third expect it to move south, and the final third anticipate a sideways or "east" movement. The indicators on the D1 timeframe look as follows:

Oscillators: 75% are coloured green, and 25% are neutral grey. Trend indicators: The greens have a clear advantage, with 85%, and the reds account for only 15%.

The nearest support level is positioned at 141.40, followed by 140.60-140.75, 139.85, 138.95-139.05, 138.05-138.30, 137.25-137.50, 135.95, 133.75-134.15, 132.80-133.00, 131.25, 130.60, 129.70, 128.10, and 127.20. The nearest resistance stands at 141.20, then 142.90-143.05, 143.75-144.04, 145.05-145.30, 146.85-147.15, 148.85, and finally, the October 2022 high of 151.95.

Given the divergent opinions of analysts and the varying readings of the technical indicators, market participants should approach this currency pair with caution. A careful examination of upcoming economic data releases, central bank statements, and other fundamental factors could provide additional insights into the likely direction of USD/JPY.

No significant information concerning the Japanese economy is expected in the upcoming week. Traders should be aware that Friday, August 11, is a holiday in Japan, as the country observes Mountain Day.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: ETH/BTC - Who Will Win?

Last week's crypto review was titled "In Search of a Lost Trigger." Over the past week, the trigger has still not been found. After the decline on July 23-24, BTC/USD moved to another phase of sideways movement, vigorously resisting the strengthening dollar. The surge on August 1-2 to $30,000 looked very much like a bull trap and ended with the pair hesitating and returning to the Pivot Point around $29,200. Digital gold, unlike physical gold, hardly reacted to the publication of labour market data in the US on August 4.

Some analysts believe that the crisis in DeFi is putting additional pressure on Bitcoin, and even predict a significant decline for the leading cryptocurrency in the near future. However, in our view, what they call a "crisis" is not actually one. Everything comes down to the vulnerabilities in early versions of the Vyper programming language, which is used to write smart contracts on which decentralized exchanges (DEX) operate. On July 30, liquidity pools in four pairs (CRV/ETH, alETH/ETH, msETH/ETH, pETH/ETH) using early Vyper versions 0.2.15-0.3.0 were hacked on the Curve Finance exchange. Other pools, the total number of which exceeds two hundred, were unaffected. The total loss amounted to about $52 million.

According to CertiK experts, traders lost digital assets worth $303 million as a result of hacking attacks in July. According to PeckShield data, from January to June 2023, the crypto industry faced at least 395 hacks, resulting in the theft of about $480 million. So, the hacking of Curve Finance is certainly unpleasant, but nothing extraordinary. It's far from the scale of last year's crashes in Terra (LUNA) and FTX.

Perhaps in order to feel more or less at ease, one should not put all their eggs in one basket. This was the message from the CEO of Galaxy Investment Partners, Michael Novogratz, in an interview with Bloomberg. "If an investor was young and took risks calmly, I would advise him to buy Alibaba shares," the billionaire said. "I would also advise investing in silver, gold, bitcoin, and Ethereum. That would be my portfolio."

Novogratz's confidence in bitcoin's future was bolstered after the largest investment company, BlackRock, filed an application for a spot bitcoin ETF. The businessman noted that BlackRock's CEO, Larry Fink, never believed in bitcoin, but has now changed his mind. "Now he says that BTC will be a global currency, and people around the world will trust it. He took the orange pill. He believes in bitcoin," Michael Novogratz stated.

Peter Brandt, a legendary trader and veteran of the financial industry, has also "taken the orange pill." He believes that over time, the first cryptocurrency will "come out of the shadow" of more traditional investment assets, such as stocks and gold, and in the future, it will be bitcoin that sets the tone in the financial market.

Peter Brandt emphasized that U.S. regulators will surely approve the launch of spot bitcoin ETFs. However, in his opinion, this approval will not be news, just as the halving will not be an event. After them, the price of BTC may even go down instead of up. "In 48 years of speculation," Brandt writes, "I have always found that markets take into account events before they happen." Always follow the saying "Buy on the rumour, sell on the fact," advises the Wall Street legend.

Moderate pessimism regarding the consequences of the halving was also expressed by analysts at CME Group. They noted that the demand for crypto assets, which was very strong during the first eight years of bitcoin's existence, has noticeably slowed down over the past five years. Therefore, in their opinion, there is no guarantee that the halving will lead to an appreciation of either BTC or altcoins.

Despite the warnings, many influencers and crypto enthusiasts continue to compete in forecasting how much bitcoin will grow in the coming years. Here are some opinions, sorted in ascending order. An analyst going by the nickname TechDev forecasts the price of BTC by relying on the behaviour of traditional financial markets, including the price of 10-year Chinese bonds, the dynamics of the Dollar Index, as well as the balances of the central banks of major countries, etc. According to him, the coin's rate closely follows the indicators of global liquidity, and the current economic cycle should once again conclude with massive growth in the money supply. Therefore, bitcoin is preparing for growth. In the analyst's view, the logarithmic growth curve indicator, which ignores short-term asset fluctuations, indicates that the leading cryptocurrency will reach a level of $140,000 by 2025.

"I will note that this is a very rough approximation, based on specific parameters of the indicator and the steepness of the momentum," warned TechDev. The analyst also noted that such an indicator as Bollinger Bands is in a very narrow range. The last time bitcoin exited such a range, a full-scale bull trend began.

Next in our top 3 is venture capitalist and billionaire Tim Draper, who stated in an interview with FOX Business that sooner or later, the entire world will embrace the first cryptocurrency. "It's only a matter of time before retailers realize they can save 2% by accepting bitcoin. They don't have to pay banks and credit card manufacturers," he explained. Draper repeated his forecast for the first cryptocurrency's growth to $250,000, predicting this would happen by 2025. (It's worth noting that the investor had already mentioned this price back in 2018, though at that time he referred to 2022 as the "Hour X." As we can see, the billionaire was mistaken.)

And finally, the gold step of the podium of honor this time goes to BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes. He published an article in which he forecasted the flagship cryptocurrency's surge to $760,000. In his opinion, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects into the BTC blockchain will sharply increase the coin's appeal as a foundational asset of the ecosystem.

Hayes believes that ethereum should demonstrate a similar development model. If AI-based projects are integrated into this altcoin, the investment attractiveness of ETH, the main transaction instrument in the network, will sharply intensify. In this case, the altcoin may appreciate by 1,556%. In other words, the BitMEX co-founder does not rule out that ETH may soar to $31,063.

Another factor stimulating the growth of ETH over the next five years, according to Hayes, will be the expansion of the decentralized finance (DeFi) market. Most protocols of this ecosystem are based on ethereum, and their popularity continues to grow. An increase in the number of users of decentralized exchanges (DEX) will lead to a growth in transaction volumes with ETH and, consequently, to a rise in the price of the altcoin.

A survey was conducted among industry experts on the financial platform Finder to assess the future prospects of ethereum. The experts forecasted that ETH would be valued at an average of $2,400 by the end of 2023. They also predict that the price of ethereum will reach $5,845 by the end of 2025, and $16,414 by the end of 2030. It's worth noting that 56% of the experts believe that now is the most opportune time to buy ETH, while 41% advise holding the cryptocurrency, and a mere 4% recommend selling it.

PwC, the world's second-largest consulting firm, conducted a survey involving representatives from both cryptocurrency and traditional hedge funds. 93% of those surveyed believe that the market has already hit bottom, and they expect the cryptocurrency market to grow by the end of 2023. Among cryptocurrencies, they continue to favour bitcoin and ethereum. However, 72% think that ethereum has no chance of ever surpassing bitcoin in market capitalization. Of the remaining 28% who believe in the altcoin's victory, the majority expect that it will occur within the next 2 to 5 years.

A recent report from CME Group showed that ETH/BTC exhibits almost zero correlation with changes in interest rates, gold futures, and crude oil. However, it is significantly influenced by factors such as the strength of the dollar, changes in the market supply of bitcoin, and the dynamics of technology company stocks. The research indicates that ETH is more vulnerable to the strength of the USD, and changes in BTC supply have more influence on ETH/BTC than changes in ETH supply. At the same time, ETH often grows relative to BTC on days when technology company stocks (S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 Tech indices) are on the rise.

As of the time of writing this overview, on the evening of Friday, August 4, BTC/USD is trading around $28,950, ETH/USD is around $1,820, and ETH/BTC is at 0.0629. The total market capitalization of the crypto market continues to decline and stands at $1.157 trillion ($1.183 trillion a week ago). The Crypto Fear & Greed Index remains in the Neutral zone at a mark of 54 points (52 points a week ago).


NordFX Analytical Group


Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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CryptoNews of the Week



– Craig Wright, an Australian computer scientist and businessman who claims to be Satoshi Nakamoto, has now expressed his disillusionment. "As the creator of bitcoin, I am both fascinated and disappointed by how far the so-called cryptocurrency industry has deviated from bitcoin's original vision," he wrote. Wright insists that bitcoin was never intended to be an investment or a store of value. Yet, the focus has now shifted towards speculation, quick profits, and "pump and dump" strategies. "It's saddening to see so much attention given to the price, rather than the transformative power of the technology," laments the scientist.

– Adam Back, one of the leading figures in the crypto industry and CEO of Blockstream, has wagered a million satoshi (0.01 BTC) that the price of bitcoin will reach $100,000 before the next halving. The bet was the result of a wager made with a user of platform X (formerly Twitter) under the pseudonym Vikingo. Vikingo believes that the 'digital gold' will not achieve this price level until at least 2025. The head of Blockstream is confident it will happen by March 31, 2024, which is roughly a month before the halving. Blockstream's former Director of Strategy and now CEO of Jan3, Samson Mow, agreed with his former colleague. He also anticipates a new all-time high will be reached before the halving, not after.
At the time of writing, a bet of 1 million satoshi is approximately worth $290. Considering Adam Back's net worth is estimated to be between $100-300 million, the bet amount elicited a number of cheeky comments. Some users even offered to provide the entrepreneur with financial assistance.

– The popular analyst known as PlanB, who created the S2F (Stock-to-Flow) bitcoin forecasting model, believes that by the time of the next halving, BTC will be valued at around $55,000. The S2F model's signals indicate the likelihood of the coin moving to this price point.
Opinions gathered by the BeInCrypto editorial team vary from PlanB's prediction. For instance, analysts from Seeking Alpha believe that the cryptocurrency should be priced at about $98,000 for miners to remain profitable after the halving event.

– Mayor of Miami and U.S. presidential candidate, Francis Xavier Suarez, told CoinDesk TV in an interview that his election campaign is accepting donations in the leading cryptocurrency. Supporters of the politician can donate a minimum of 0.00034 BTC or an equivalent of $1.
"Nobody wants the federal government to know how much money you have and where you keep it," Suarez stated. "The biggest mistake made by this administration [under President Biden] is that they don't understand the crypto industry, so they've resorted to a heavy-handed regulatory approach instead of establishing basic rules.".

– Trader, analyst, and founder of the venture company Eight, Michael Van De Poppe, debunked investors' speculations about the first cryptocurrency's price plummeting to the $12,000 mark and reassured those talking about a total capitulation of altcoins.
"The bear market has been ongoing for over two years," he wrote, making it the longest market in cryptocurrency history. However, this is unsurprising against the backdrop of hacks, bankruptcies, and legal disputes in the crypto industry. From the analyst's observations, bearish sentiments are most often found among those who invested in digital assets for the first time in 2021. "For them, the slow loss of money feels extremely painful, and they only anticipate further portfolio value decline," noted the expert.
In his view, we are currently in the second stage of capitulation – the most boring period of the cycle where it seems like nothing is happening in the markets. "Be patient, take solace in the fact that you're still in the game, accumulate positions. [...] Major companies are entering the fray, and the wisest thing you can do is follow their lead," Van De Poppe advised.

– Founder of the charitable foundation The Bitcoin Foundation, Charles Shrem, believes that the issuance of stablecoins by PayPal (PYUSD) will lead to an increase in the price of bitcoin to at least $250,000 much faster than anticipated. In his view, ETH will surge at an accelerated pace to $18,000 since PYUSD is issued on the Ethereum blockchain. Consequently, the value of this altcoin may rise due to an increased number of network users brought by PayPal clients.
It remains a mystery why Shrem believes PYUSD will positively impact bitcoin's price. A crypto trader known by the pseudonym Smitty thinks that the issuance of stablecoins will, on the contrary, result in a decrease in BTC's value, as it will boost the investment appeal of its competitor, ETH.

– The primary digital asset has been held within a narrow trading range for two months, and network indicators point to accumulation in anticipation of a price breakout. According to the Blockware Intelligence newsletter, the volume of liquid and highly liquid supply is at its lowest level since 2018. Speculative traders swap a decreasing number of coins back and forth, while long-term holders consistently resort to cold storage, Blockware stated.

– Prominent trader, Tone Vays, noted that selling pressure is on the rise and the price of the foremost cryptocurrency could significantly decline. "Bitcoin continues to struggle, but I'd say there's a high probability of the BTC rate dropping to the next moving average. And if daily candles keep closing below the previous ones, I'd advise reducing the position by 50% because I can't pinpoint to what levels bitcoin might drop. It could potentially fall to $25,000. There are enough people in the market who, for some reason, keep selling their coins," the analyst writes.
Tone Vays is convinced: if bitcoin does drop to $25,000, there's a high likelihood of further long-term decline. From an expert's perspective, the primary cryptocurrency "stands on the edge of a cliff, and things are looking grim." "The price needs to rebound immediately, I mean, within this month. We can't afford to decline for another month; otherwise, panic will ensue in the market, and I wouldn't be surprised if BTC trades below $20,000. Moreover, miners might start offloading their reserves, which is highly risky," the specialist warns.
It's worth noting that in late May, Vays predicted a swift rise of the premier cryptocurrency above $30,000. The forecast turned out to be accurate; however, BTC couldn't sustain that level.

– The Arkham Intelligence platform has offered a $46,000 reward for credible information leading to the perpetrator behind the FTX exchange hack. It's worth noting that on November 11, 2022, FTX suffered a theft of crypto assets amounting to approximately $400 million. On the same day, the exchange filed for bankruptcy. To claim the reward, individuals are required not only to identify the hacker but also to provide indisputable evidence of the individual's guilt. Submissions for this bounty must be made by August 17.
Miguel Morel, CEO of Arkham, has expressed that the platform will persistently support such investigations in the future to deter potential offenders.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

EUR/USD: Inflation, GDP, and Prospects for Monetary Policy

Looking at the two-week flat trend on the EUR/USD chart, one is reminded that it's August, a vacation season. Even the US inflation data released on Thursday, August 10th, couldn't disrupt the relaxed demeanour of traders. And yet, they warrant close attention. The year-on-year Consumer Price Index (CPI) growth of 3.2% and core inflation at 4.7% came in below forecasts (3.3% and 4.8% respectively). The monthly CPI remained unchanged at 0.2%, marking the lowest figure in over two years. As for the GDP, previously released data confirmed a diminished risk of the national economy slipping into a recession. After a 2.0% year-on-year rise in the first quarter of 2023, the second quarter recorded a 2.4% growth, significantly surpassing market expectations of 1.8%.

Therefore, the US boasts a robust economy with a gradually cooling labour market and inflation steadily approaching the 2.0% target level. All of this suggests that the Federal Reserve's monetary policy has been bearing positive fruits. The regulator can now, at the very least, pause the tightening process. They might even conclude the current monetary restriction cycle. The likelihood of the dollar interest rate remaining at the current 5.50% level in September is estimated at 89%, whereas the odds of it increasing by 25 basis points (b.p.) by year's end stand at just 27%.

In such a situation, the dollar should have begun to relinquish its positions, but this did not occur. Of course, immediately after the inflation data release, EUR/USD spiked by approximately 50 points but soon reverted. Why did this happen? While the vacation season theory could be considered, there are two considerably more crucial reasons. The first is the disappointing results of the latest auction for the 30-year US Treasury bonds, which concluded with a yield of 4.199%, lower than rates in the secondary market. The second reason lies in the weakness of the dollar's European counterpart.

The best insight into how the Eurozone's economy is faring is provided by the "Economic Bulletin" published by the European Central Bank (ECB) on that same Thursday, August 10. Here are its key points:

"Inflation continues to decline, but it is expected to remain too high for an extended period." "The immediate economic outlook for the Eurozone has worsened, mainly due to weakening domestic demand. High inflation and tighter financing conditions are suppressing spending growth." "A modest production growth in the Eurozone is anticipated in the third quarter, largely driven by the services sector." "Upside risks for inflation include potential resurgence in energy and food prices, as well as risks associated with Russia's unilateral withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative." "The prospects for economic growth and inflation remain highly uncertain." According to a recent Reuters poll, such a bulletin from the ECB has left market participants guessing about their next moves.

Next week, Eurostat will present a report with revised GDP data for the Eurozone for Q2 2023, as well as figures for industrial production and inflation for July. The preliminary GDP estimate showed a growth of +0.3% (+0.6% year-on-year) after stagnant growth in Q4 2022 and a decline of -0.1% in Q1 2023. While inflation is on the decline (currently at 5.5%, compared to 10.6% in October 2022), it still exceeds the target level of 2.0%. If the ECB continues to maintain a strict monetary policy and energy prices rise, many economists believe this could lead to a 5.0% drop in the Eurozone's GDP in 2024.

The comparison of the provided data suggests that the US currency currently has a greater chance of prevailing. The dollar's role as a safe-haven asset also plays in its favour. Naturally, a lot hinges on the actions of the Fed and the ECB this fall. As for the past week, after the release of the US production inflation data (PPI), the dollar further strengthened its position, and the EUR/USD pair concluded the week at 1.0947.

At the time of writing this review, on the evening of August 11, 35% of analysts have voiced in favour of the pair's rise in the near term, 50% sided with the dollar and took the opposite stance, and the remaining 15% voted for the continuation of the sideways trend. Among the oscillators on D1, the majority, 80%, favor the US currency (with 15% in the oversold zone), 10% point northward, and 10% are in the neutral zone. Among the trend indicators, 65% recommend selling, and the remaining 35% suggest buying. The nearest support for the pair is located around 1.0895-1.0925, followed by 1.0845-1.0865, 1.0780-1.0805, 1.0740, 1.0665-1.0680, and 1.0620-1.0635. Bulls will encounter resistance around 1.0985, then at 1.1045, 1.1090-1.1110, 1.1150-1.1170, 1.1230, 1.1275-1.1290, 1.1355, 1.1475, and 1.1715.

For the upcoming week, notable events include the release of U.S. retail sales data on Tuesday, August 15. On Wednesday, August 16, the Eurozone's GDP figures will be revealed, and the minutes from the latest FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) meeting will also be published. Data on U.S. unemployment and manufacturing activity will be presented on Thursday. To cap off the week, on Friday, August 18, we'll get insights into the inflation (CPI) situation in the Eurozone.

GBP/USD: Day X – August 16

According to data released on Friday, August 11, by the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS), the country's economic growth for the second quarter was 0.2%, compared to a 0.1% increase in the first quarter (with a forecast of 0.0%). Year-on-year, while forecasts were at 0.2%, the actual GDP growth was 0.4% (with the previous figure being 0.2%). The total volume of industrial production in June also rose, registering a +1.8% compared to a forecast of +0.1% and a -0.6% decline in May. Overall, the upward momentum is evident. This reduces the risks of recession and heightens the likelihood that the Bank of England (BoE) will maintain its hawkish stance at least until the end of 2023. Especially given that the country's inflation remains relatively high, with the year-on-year CPI at 7.9%. To combat this, according to predictions, the BoE might increase the key interest rate in 2-3 steps from the current 5.25% to 6.00% this year, giving the British currency a distinct edge.

Strategists at the Netherlands' largest banking group, ING, believe that the positive GDP figures won't be the defining factor for the Bank of England. "The June GDP growth numbers for the UK surpassed expectations," they agree. "However, we believe that the implications for the Bank of England are likely to be quite limited, as the numbers aren't significantly different from its forecasts. The primary focus will be on next week's service sector inflation and wage growth figures, [...] which are crucial for the pound."

GBP/USD closed at the 1.2695 mark on Friday, August 11. The near-term forecast from experts is as follows: 60% are bearish on the pair, 20% are bullish, and the same percentage chose to remain neutral. On the D1 oscillators, bears have a unanimous 100% backing, with 15% of these indicating an oversold condition. Trend indicators display a 65% to 35% split in favour of the bears (red). Should the pair trend downwards, it will encounter support levels and zones at 1.2675, 1.2620-1.2635, 1.2575-1.2600, 1.2435-1.2450, 1.2300-1.2330, 1.2190-1.2210, 1.2085, 1.1960, and 1.1800. In the event of an upward movement, resistance can be expected at 1.2760, followed by 1.2800-1.2815, 1.2880, 1.2940, 1.2980-1.3000, 1.3050-1.3060, 1.3125-1.3140, 1.3185-1.3210, 1.3300-1.3335, 1.3425, and 1.3605.

As for the UK macroeconomic statistics, a flurry of data from the national labour market awaits us on Tuesday, August 15, including indicators such as wage growth and unemployment rates. The next day, on Wednesday, August 16, key inflation (CPI) figures for the United Kingdom will be released. Lastly, on Friday, August 18, we'll receive statistics on retail sales in the country.

USD/JPY: The Pair Returns to its Moonshot



While EUR/USD and GBP/USD spent the week trading sideways, USD/JPY once again soared into the stratosphere. On Friday, it reached a height of 144.995, almost touching the peak of June 30. It last traded at such levels over a year ago, in June 2022. The week concluded slightly lower, settling at 144.93. Neither the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) recent decision to shift from a rigid yield curve targeting for government bonds to a more flexible approach, nor the interventions conducted by the Japanese regulator, were able to support the yen.

Inflation data is crucial for most central banks. To combat rising prices, regulators in the US, EU, and the UK are tightening monetary policy and raising interest rates. However, the BoJ disregards such methods, even as inflation in the country continues to climb. Moreover, the country's government has recommended a 4% increase in the minimum wage, and spring wage negotiations have resulted in the highest wage growth in three decades. Against this backdrop, there's mounting evidence that businesses are ready to pass on these increases to consumers, which could lead to a rise in CPI.

At Japan's MUFG Bank, they forecast that the Bank of Japan might only decide on its first rate hike in the first half of the following year. Only then will there be a shift towards strengthening the yen. As for the recent change in the yield curve control policy, MUFG believes it's insufficient on its own to prompt a recovery of the Japanese currency.

Analysts at Germany's Commerzbank feel that the lack of clarity in the Bank of Japan's policy further depresses the yen and hinders its growth. Over the recent months, when all Central Banks, except the Japanese one, have raised their key rates, one thing has become clear: the monetary policy of the Bank of Japan will not be favourable for the yen in the foreseeable future, Commerzbank shares. They add that the yen is a complex currency to understand, possibly linked to the BoJ's monetary policy.

Strategists at Societe Generale opine that if the USD/JPY pair consolidates above 144.50-145.00, growth may continue to 146.10 (76.4% correction of the movement from last October) and then even higher to 147.90.

Analysts at Credit Suisse also maintain a bullish outlook on the pair and aim higher in their forecasts. "We continue to anticipate a retest of our interim target of 145.00-145.12," they write. "Although this mark is expected to hold again, our core forecast remains bullish, and we anticipate that it will ultimately be breached. This will lead the market to resistance at 146.54-146.66, and eventually, to a target of 148.57.".

Concerning the near-term perspective, the median forecast of experts greatly diverges from the aforementioned opinions. An overwhelming majority of them (80%) expect a correction of USD/JPY downwards. (One possible reason for the decline could be another currency intervention.) The remaining 20% chose to remain neutral. The number of those expecting further growth of the pair this time was zero. Both trend indicators and oscillators on D1 are 100% green, although a quarter of the latter signals overbought conditions. The nearest support level is located at 144.50, followed by 143.75-144.04, 142.90-143.05, 142.20, 141.40-141.75, 140.60-140.75, 139.85, 138.95-139.05, 138.05-138.30, 137.25-137.50. The closest resistance stands at 145.30, followed by 146.85-147.15, 148.85, and finally, the October 2022 high of 151.95.

Among the events of the upcoming week in the calendar, one can note Tuesday, August 15, when data on consumer spending, industrial production volumes, and Japan's GDP will be published. The next day, the value of the Reuters Tankan Business Confidence Index will be known, and on Friday, August 18, we will learn the values of the National Consumer Price Index (CPI).

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: The Search for a Trigger Continues

Two weeks ago, we titled our review "In Search of the Lost Trigger". Over the days that have passed since then, the trigger has still not been found. After the drop on July 23-24, BTC/USD moved to another phase of sideways movement, moving along the Pivot Point around $29,500. According to some analysts, market participants avoided sharp movements in anticipation of inflation data in the US, which was published on Thursday, August 10. Which, as a result, the crypto market completely ignored.

Bitcoin network indicators suggest accumulation in anticipation of a price breakthrough. According to the Blockware Intelligence newsletter, the volume of liquid and highly liquid supply has dropped to its lowest level since 2018. As noted in Blockware, speculative traders are exchanging a decreasing amount of coins back and forth, while long-term holders have tucked their reserves into cold wallets.

Opinions on which direction this breakthrough may take, as usual, are divided. For instance, trader, analyst, and founder of the venture firm Eight, Michael Van De Poppe, refuted suggestions about the first cryptocurrency's price dropping to the $12,000 mark and reassured those talking about a complete capitulation of altcoins.

"The bear market has been ongoing for more than two years," he wrote, making it the longest market in cryptocurrency history. However, this is not surprising given the hacks, bankruptcies, and litigations in the crypto industry. From the analyst's observations, the most bearish sentiments are often found among those who first invested in digital assets specifically in 2021. "For them, the slow loss of money feels extremely painful, and they only expect further portfolio value decreases," the expert noted.

In his opinion, the second stage of capitulation is now taking place: the most boring period of the cycle, during which it seems that nothing at all is happening in the markets. "Be patient, enjoy the realization that you are still in the market, accumulate positions. [...] Big companies are getting into the game, and the wisest thing you can do is to follow them," Van De Poppe advised.

A considerably less optimistic forecast was given by another renowned trader, Tone Vays. He noted that selling pressure is increasing and the price of the first cryptocurrency might significantly decline. "Bitcoin continues to struggle, but I'd say there's a high chance the BTC price could drop to the next moving average. And, if daily candles keep closing below the previous ones, I would advise reducing the position by 50% because I can't predict how low bitcoin might fall. It could easily drop to $25,000. There are enough people in the market who, for some reason, keep selling their coins," the analyst writes.

Tone Vays is convinced: if bitcoin does indeed drop to $25,000, there's a high likelihood of further long-term decline. From the expert's perspective, the first cryptocurrency is "on the edge of a cliff, and things look bad." "The price needs to turn around immediately, I mean - this month. We don't have the luxury to drop another month, otherwise, panic will spread in the market, and I won't be surprised if BTC trades below $20,000. Miners will also start liquidating their holdings, which is very dangerous," warns the specialist. (It's worth noting that at the end of May, Vays spoke about the imminent rise of the first cryptocurrency above $30,000. The forecast turned out to be correct, but BTC couldn't maintain that level.).

A potential trigger for the start of a bullish rally could have been the news of payment giant PayPal issuing its own stablecoin, PayPal USD (PYUSD). This was announced on Monday, August 7. The founder of the charity The Bitcoin Foundation, Charlie Shrem (Charles Shrem), quickly stated that this event would lead to a rise in bitcoin's price to at least $250,000. Moreover, this will happen much faster than expected. In his opinion, ETH will also appreciate at an accelerated pace to $18,000, as PYUSD is issued on the Ethereum blockchain. Consequently, the price of this altcoin may increase due to a rise in the number of network users from PayPal's clientele.

However, unlike Charlie Shrem, most experts reacted sceptically to the news, as the tool doesn't offer anything new or useful for users. It also remains a mystery why Shrem suddenly decided that PYUSD would positively affect the price of bitcoin. Logically, the issuance of stablecoins should, on the contrary, cause a decrease in BTC's value, as it would enhance the investment appeal of a competitor - ETH. Nonetheless, PYUSD did not act as a trigger for either bitcoin or Ethereum, which is evident from the BTC/USD and ETH/USD charts.

As a result, investors have three events in "reserve" that can potentially push the crypto market upward. These are: 1) a radical easing of the monetary policy of the US Federal Reserve, 2) the approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch spot bitcoin ETFs, and 3) the bitcoin halving.

It should be noted that the next halving is tentatively scheduled for April 12, 2024. Every 210,000 blocks or once every 4 years, it halves the reward that miners receive for mining a block. This is done to create a deflationary environment and support the value of BTC by reducing the rate of new coin issuance. (The total emission limit is set at 21 million coins). Initially, from 2009, miners received 50 BTC for each generated block. In 2012, the reward was reduced to 25 BTC, in 2016 to 12.5 BTC, and after 2020, to 6.25 BTC. When the 2024 halving occurs, the mining reward will decrease to 3.125 coins.

As a result of this event, miners will have to adapt to the new reality. They will need to acquire more powerful and energy-efficient equipment or upgrade existing ones. According to forecasts, many small companies will likely leave the market or be acquired by larger players. Consequently, a centralization of the mining market can be expected, which will be taken over by a few large pools. This will make the network more susceptible to manipulations and hacker attacks. However, a sharp increase in the price of BTC can at least partially offset these negative factors.

Many market participants expect that after this event, the bitcoin price might skyrocket once again, as evidenced by historical data. After the 2012 halving, the BTC price rose from $11 in November 2012 to $1,100 in November 2013. The 2016 halving: the price increased from $640 in July to $20,000 in December 2017. The 2020 halving allowed the coin's price to rise from $9,000 in May 2020 to a peak of $69,000 in November 2021. However, despite these statistics, experts warn that past results do not guarantee their repetition in the future.

One of the leading figures in the crypto industry and CEO of Blockstream, Adam Back, placed a bet of one million satoshi (0.01 BTC) that the price of bitcoin would reach $100,000 a month before the halving. The bet was made as a result of a wager with a user of platform X (formerly Twitter) under the nickname Vikingo, who believes that the digital gold quotes will not reach this height until 2025.

Back's former colleague at Blockstream, and now CEO of Jan3, Samson Mow, agreed with him. Experts from Seeking Alpha mention almost the same figure. They believe that the cryptocurrency should be worth about $98,000 for miners to stay afloat after the halving. However, a popular analyst known as PlanB, based on his S2F model, stated that by the time of the halving, BTC will be worth much less - only about $55,000.

As of the time of writing this review, on the evening of Friday, August 11, BTC/USD is trading around $29,400, ETH/USD is around $1,840. The total market capitalization of the crypto market has grown and is now $1.171 trillion ($1.157 trillion a week ago). The Crypto Fear & Greed Index remains in the Neutral zone at 51 points (54 points a week ago).


NordFX Analytical Group


Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

CryptoNews of the Week



– The digital gold market has reached a stage of extreme apathy and exhaustion, with volatility indicators at the beginning of the week hitting record low levels. This conclusion was drawn by Glassnode analysts. To support their statement, the experts pointed to the Bollinger Bands spread narrowing to 2.9%. Lower values were observed only twice in history: 1) in September 2016, when quotes were at $604 ahead of the bull market's onset, and 2) in January 2023, when the price traded between $52 and was at $16,800.
Such low volatility reflects a situation where the acquisition cost of most coins moving on the blockchain is very close to the spot price. For this reason, realized gains and losses are relatively small. "This suggests that all investors wanting to lock in profits or losses at this price range have done so. The market needs to take steps to incentivize new spending and break the investors' apathy," the specialists explained.

– Michael Van De Poppe, a trader, analyst, and founder of Eight Venture Company, posits that we're currently in the second phase of capitulation. This phase is often perceived as the most uneventful period in the cycle, making it feel as though the markets are stagnant. "Stay patient and find solace in the fact that you're still engaged in the market. Continue to accumulate positions," Van De Poppe suggests. He emphasizes that as major corporations make their moves, the smartest strategy is to follow their lead. He believes that for bitcoin to experience substantial growth, it needs to break the $29,700 barrier. Once this is achieved, its next significant milestone will be reaching $40,000.

– Kevin Kelly, the co-founder and head of research at Delphi Digital, has identified signs of an early bull rally. According to Kelly, a typical crypto cycle begins when bitcoin reaches an all-time high (ATH), followed by an 80% drop. Roughly two years later, it rebounds to its previous ATH and continues to ascend to a new peak. This pattern typically spans about four years.
Kelly believes this trend isn't arbitrary and aligns with a "broader business cycle." He observed that bitcoin's price peak often coincides with the ISM manufacturing index, which is currently in the final phase of a downtrend. This situation reminds Kelly of the market dynamics between 2015 and 2017.
He pointed out that the last two bitcoin halvings occurred approximately 18 months after the asset hit its lowest point and seven months before it broke its historical high. The next halving is anticipated in April 2024. Following that, Kelly estimates that about six months later, bitcoin might reach a new ATH. However, he cautioned that there's no certainty this scenario will play out as described. He also speculated on the possibility of a "false bottom" emerging.

– An analyst known as Ignas has also conducted a cyclical analysis and predicts a bitcoin bull market in 2024. He bases his projection on a recurrent sequence observed in the primary cryptocurrency over the years: 1. A descent of 80% from its all-time high (ATH), bottoming out a year later (4th quarter of 2022). 2. A two-year period to recover and reach its preceding peak (4th quarter of 2024). 3. An additional year of price appreciation leading to a new ATH (Q4 2025).
Ignas notes that in 2022, the cryptocurrency sector grappled with macroeconomic hurdles. However, current indications suggest an improving landscape. The anticipated bitcoin halving in April 2024 might align with a worldwide uptick in liquidity, potentially fuelling the expected bull run. Furthermore, emerging applications for bitcoin and the initiation of spot bitcoin ETFs, once greenlit by the SEC, are likely to have a consequential impact on its price.

– Based on a survey conducted by the popular blogger and analyst known as PlanB, 60% of respondents believe that a bull market will commence following the halving. PlanB himself estimates that by the time of this event, BTC will be valued at around $55,000. Indications for the coin's potential rise to this level are suggested by the Bitcoin forecasting model S2F, which was developed by him.

– Since November 2022, the Russian rouble has depreciated by approximately 65% (from 50 to 100 roubles per $1). This devaluation has allowed miners in Russia to earn substantially more since mining costs have remained constant. This has sparked a significant surge, despite international sanctions. Representatives from the company BitCluster have shared that orders for large batches of equipment (of 10, 20, or even 30 MW) are coming in almost daily. "The market simply can't construct new data centres fast enough to meet the demand. Major clients find themselves waiting for months," shared sources at BitCluster.
A significant portion of the demand comes from Chinese miners who are migrating from the US to Russia. However, there remain inherent risks in conducting this business in Russia due to the near absence of regulatory oversight.

– The author of the best-selling financial book "Rich Dad Poor Dad," Robert Kiyosaki, dubbed gold and silver as "God's money," while designating bitcoin as the "dollar of the people." "I have an affinity for bitcoin primarily because we both oppose the same entities - the US Federal Government, its Treasury, the Federal Reserve, and Wall Street. I hold no trust in them. If you trust them, then keep your savings in dollars; you'll essentially have an IOU," he expressed.
He further opined, "Bitcoin seems to be on a trajectory towards $100,000. The downside: if there's a crash in the stock and bond markets, we might see gold and silver prices soaring astronomically. Even grimmer, a collapse of the global economy could see bitcoin valued at a million, with gold potentially costing $75,000 and silver around $60,000. The magnitude of the national debt is alarming, putting everyone in a precarious position," Kiyosaki commented. He concluded with, "I sincerely hope I'm mistaken.".

– Goldman Sachs strategists anticipate that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) will cut its key interest rate in the second quarter of 2024. Such a move is expected to provide a boost to BTC's price. The motivation behind this rate cut could be the inflation reaching its target rate of 2.0%. However, Goldman Sachs acknowledges that the Fed's actions remain unpredictable, and the rate might linger at its peak level for an extended period.
For context: According to the CME FedWatch Tool, 68% of market participants expect that by May 2024, the rate will be reduced by at least 25 basis points.

– American political commentator Jon Stewart accused Wall Street, the global financial hub, of corruption and compared its operations to the schemes of Sam Bankman-Fried, the head of the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX. "His objective was to sow discord in certain parts of the financial system, namely the cryptocurrency sector. When I look at the intricate workings of Wall Street, it doesn't seem much different from what Bankman-Fried was up to," Stewart stated.

– Well-known trader and analyst, Dave_the_Wave, who has a reputation for accurate predictions, has cautioned that bitcoin might undergo a major correction by the end of 2023. He suggests that bitcoin could drop to the lower end of its Logarithmic Growth Curve (LGC), marking an approximate decline of 38% from its high this year. However, Dave_the_Wave also points out a silver lining: as bitcoin experiences heightened price stabilization from a macroeconomic standpoint, it's gradually shedding its volatility and evolving into a more stable investment asset.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

EUR/USD: What Strengthens the Dollar and What Can Weaken It

The US currency maintained its ascent last week. The minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC)'s July meeting of the US Federal Reserve were published on Wednesday, August 16, suggesting the possibility of further monetary policy tightening.

Before the minutes were unveiled, market players debated how long the central interest rate would linger at 5.5%. However, once the document's content was revealed, discussions shifted to how much more this rate could increase. Several FOMC members expressed in the minutes that the current economic landscape might not see as significant a decrease in inflation as hoped. This sentiment paves the way for the Fed to consider another rate hike. As a result, the likelihood that the interest rate could climb to 5.75% or even higher in 2023 has surged from 27% to 37%, reinforcing the dollar's position.

Other factors bolstering the US dollar include the favourable state of the securities market and the robust health of the US economy. Positive retail sales figures prompted the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta to revise its Q3 GDP forecast for the country, raising it from 5.0% to 5.8%. The real estate market is also showing promising signs: the monthly issued construction permits rose by 0.1%. Furthermore, the construction of new homes increased by 3.9%, reaching 1.452 million units, surpassing the projected 1.448 million. Retail sales statistics released on August 15th further supported the Dollar Index (DXY), with consumer activity in July expanding by 0.7%: outpacing the anticipated 0.4% and the prior 0.2% figure. Collectively, these data points underscore a diminishing risk of the US economy entering a recession, suggesting a likely continuation of the monetary restriction phase. Additionally, escalating oil prices might nudge the regulator towards subsequent rate hikes, potentially spurring another inflationary wave.

On the other hand, the situation in the US banking sector could pose challenges for the dollar. Neil Kashkari, the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, believes that the crisis that began in March, leading to the bankruptcy of several major banks, might not yet be over. He opines that if the Federal Reserve continues to raise interest rates, it will significantly complicate the operations of banks and could trigger a new wave of bankruptcies. This perspective is echoed by analysts at Fitch Ratings. Their projections even consider the possibility of downgrading the ratings of several US banks, including giants like JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Strategists at Goldman Sachs believe that the Federal Reserve might only consider reducing the key rate in Q2 2024. A potential trigger for this move could be the inflation rate stabilizing at the target level of 2.0%. However, Goldman Sachs acknowledges that the actions of the regulator remain unpredictable, which means the rate could stay at peak levels for a more extended period. Overall, according to the CME FedWatch Tool, 68% of market participants anticipate that by May 2024, the rate will be reduced by at least 25 basis points (b.p.).

Regarding the Eurozone's economy, data published on August 16th showed that it grew by 0.3% (quarter-on-quarter) for Q2 2023. This figure aligns perfectly with predictions and matches the growth rate of Q1. On an annual basis, the GDP growth stood at 0.6%, which is consistent with both forecasts and the previous quarter's numbers. The inflation figures released on Friday, August 18, were also unsurprising. They matched both market expectations and previous figures. In July, the Core Consumer Price Index (CPI) was recorded at 5.5% (year-on-year) and -0.1% (month-on-month).

Amid such consistently modest economic performance, the euro continues to face downward pressure. Factors contributing to this include the potential energy crisis in Europe this upcoming winter and uncertainties surrounding the monetary policy of the European Central Bank (ECB).

Starting the five-day trading period at 1.0947, EUR/USD closed at 1.0872. As of the evening of August 18, when this review was written, 50% of analysts predict a rise for the pair in the near future, 35% favour the dollar, and the remaining 15% maintain a neutral stance. Regarding oscillators on the D1 timeframe, 100% are leaning towards the US currency, but 25% of them indicate that the pair is oversold. Trend indicators show 85% pointing southward, while the remaining 15% look north. The nearest support levels for the pair lie in the range of 1.0845-1.0865, followed by 1.0780-1.0805, 1.0740, 1.0665-1.0680, 1.0620-1.0635, and 1.0525. Bulls will encounter resistance in the range of 1.0895-1.0925, then at 1.0985, 1.1045, 1.1090-1.1110, 1.1150-1.1170, 1.1230, 1.1275-1.1290, 1.1355, 1.1475, and 1.1715.

Next week, the spotlight will be on the symposium of heads of major central banks in Jackson Hole, taking place from August 24 to 26. If the Federal Reserve Chairman, Jerome Powell, even hints at the imminent conclusion of the current rate-hike cycle in his speech on August 25, the DXY (Dollar Index) might turn downward. However, it's evident that currency pair dynamics will also depend on what leaders of other central banks say, naturally including ECB President Christine Lagarde.

Other notable events for the week include the release of US labour market data on August 22 and 23. On Wednesday, August 23, business activity indicators (PMI) for the United States, Germany, and the Eurozone will be disclosed. Additionally, on Thursday, August 24, statistics on durable goods orders and unemployment in the US will be made available.

GBP/USD: BoE's Indecision - A Disaster for the Pound

GBP/USD has oscillated within the 1.2620-1.2800 range for the past two and a half weeks, with neither bulls nor bears establishing a clear upper hand. Despite the Bank of England (BoE) recently raising interest rates, bullish momentum for the pound remains elusive.

There's growing concern among market stakeholders that an aggressive monetary policy tightening could further destabilize the UK's already fragile economy, which teeters on the brink of recession. In July, the unemployment rate rose notably by 0.2%, settling at 4.2%. More worryingly, youth unemployment surged by 0.9%, moving from 11.4% to 12.3%. Additionally, there was an increase of 25K in those claiming unemployment benefits compared to the prior month. This rise in unemployment can be largely attributed to the wave of business bankruptcies that initiated in 2021. This trend saw a stark acceleration in early 2022, matching levels witnessed only during the late 1980s crisis and the 2008 financial meltdown.

As per the latest data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on August 18, retail sales in the UK for July declined by 1.2% on a monthly basis, a more significant drop than the 0.6% seen the previous month. On an annual basis, there was a 3.2% contraction, compared to the 1.6% decrease observed in June.

The inflation data (CPI) released on August 16 indicates that despite dropping from 7.9% to 6.8% year-on-year (YoY), inflation remains notably high. Moreover, the core rate remained steady at 6.9%. The rising cost of energy could potentially lead to a further inflationary surge.

The market firmly believes that the Bank of England must take appropriate action in response. The central bank might need to continue increasing rates not only this year but potentially into 2024. However, as economists from Commerzbank suggest, if in the coming weeks the market gets the impression that the BoE is wavering in its commitment to tackle inflationary risks for fear of hampering the economy too much, it could have catastrophic implications for the pound.

GBP/USD closed at 1.2735 n Friday, August 18. Experts' forecast for the near future is as follows: 60% lean bullish on the pound, 20% are bearish, and the remaining 20% prefer a neutral stance. On the D1 oscillators, 50% are coloured red, indicating a bearish trend, while the other 50% are in a neutral gray. For trend indicators, the ratio of red to green is 60% to 40%, favouring the bullish side.

Should the pair move downward, it will encounter support levels and zones at 1.2675-1.2690, 1.2620, 1.2575-1.2600, 1.2435-1.2450, 1.2300-1.2330, 1.2190-1.2210, 1.2085, 1.1960, and 1.1800. If the pair ascends, resistance will be met at 1.2800-1.2815, 1.2880, 1.2940, 1.2980-1.3000, 1.3050-1.3060, 1.3125-1.3140, 1.3185-1.3210, 1.3300-1.3335, 1.3425, and 1.3605.

In terms of macroeconomic data, Wednesday, August 23 will be the "PMI day" not only for Europe and the USA but also for the UK, as business activity indicators in various sectors of the British economy will be released. And, of course, one cannot forget about the annual symposium in Jackson Hole.

USD/JPY: Anticipating Currency Interventions

The release of the FOMC minutes and the rise in yields of 10-year U.S. Treasuries to levels not seen since 2008 propelled USD/JPY even higher, reaching 146.55. As noted by economists from Japan's MUFG Bank, "The dollar's strengthening has pushed USD/JPY into a danger zone where the risk of intervention to halt its upward movement is increasing." Colleagues from the Dutch banking group ING concur that the pair is now in the territory of currency interventions. "However," ING believes, "it likely lacks the necessary volatility to alarm Japanese officials."

Recall that the Ministry of Finance (MOF) had intervened in USD/JPY at levels above 145.90 last September. But currently, neither the Ministry of Finance nor the Bank of Japan (BoJ) are in a hurry to defend the domestic currency. Contrary to the U.S., Eurozone, and the UK, where inflation is on a decline (albeit at different rates), inflation in Japan is on the rise. On Friday, August 18, the country's Statistical Bureau published the National Consumer Price Index (CPI) for July, which stood at 3.3%, whereas a result of 2.5% (year-on-year) was anticipated.

Commerzbank analysts don't see much chance for the yen to appreciate again, even though the country's GDP is growing. (Preliminary data indicates growth in the second quarter was at 1.5% (year-on-year) compared to a forecast of 0.8% and a previous rate of 0.9%). On the contrary, there are concerns that under current conditions, the yen could weaken further if the Ministry of Finance doesn't take action to halt the decline. "Perhaps the Bank of Japan and the Ministry of Finance are hoping the situation will shift once U.S. interest rates begin to drop again," Commerzbank economists suggest. "We also anticipate a weakening of the dollar at that point. However, that moment is still some time away. The only thing the Ministry of Finance will achieve with its interventions up until then is to buy time. In our view, going against the prevailing winds cannot succeed in strengthening the yen. It might work temporarily, but that's not a certainty.".

However, market participants are growing increasingly concerned that a weak yen might at some point prompt action from Japanese officials. As suggested by ING, the oversold status of the Japanese currency coupled with the threat of interventions will likely exacerbate any bearish corrections in USD/JPY. It was following such a correction, albeit a modest one, that the pair concluded the past week at a level of 145.37.

Regarding the near-term outlook, the median forecast from experts is as follows: An overwhelming majority (60%) anticipates the dollar to strengthen and expects USD/JPY to continue its upward trajectory. The remaining 40% anticipate a bearish correction. On the D1 oscillators, a full 100% are colored green, although 20% indicate overbought conditions. For the trend indicators, 80% are in green while 20% are in red. The nearest support level is situated at the 144.50 zone, followed by 143.75-144.04, 142.90-143.05, 142.20, 141.40-141.75, 140.60-140.75, 139.85, 138.95-139.05, 138.05-138.30, and 137.25-137.50. Immediate resistance lies at 145.75-146.10, then 146.55, 146.90-147.15, 148.45, 150.00, and finally, the October 2022 high of 151.95.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the Tokyo region will be released on Friday, August 25. No other significant data releases pertaining to the state of the Japanese economy are scheduled for the upcoming week.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: How Elon Musk Crashed the "People's Dollar"



From July 14, the primary cryptocurrency, and the digital asset market as a whole, have been under the pressure of a strengthening dollar. Clearly, when the weight on the BTC/USD scale tips towards the dollar, bitcoin becomes lighter. In fact, from August 11 to 15, it seemed as if the market had completely forgotten about cryptocurrencies, with the BTC/USD pair's chart thinly stretching from west to east, hugging the Pivot Point of $29,400.

Glassnode analysts noted at the time that the digital gold market had reached a phase of extreme apathy and exhaustion. Volatility metrics at the beginning of the week hit record lows, with the Bollinger Bands spread narrowing to 2.9%. Such low levels were only seen twice in history: in September 2016 and January 2023. "The market needs to take steps to...break the investor apathy," concluded Glassnode specialists.

Such actions were taken, though not necessarily in the direction investors would have preferred. The first move occurred on the evening of August 16 when BTC/USD dropped to $28,533. This decline was likely triggered by the publication of the minutes from the Federal Reserve's July meeting, as mentioned earlier. But that modest setback wasn't the end of it. The next significant drop occurred on the night of August 17 to 18. It can be described as a plunge into the abyss, with bitcoin reaching a low of $24,296. The crash came after The Wall Street Journal, citing undisclosed documents, reported that Elon Musk's SpaceX had liquidated its BTC holdings, accounting for a $373 million markdown in cryptocurrency. However, the report did not specify when exactly SpaceX had sold these coins. Still, such details aren't necessary to ignite panic in the market.

Several other events also added pressure to the quotations. For instance, a U.S. Federal Court granted the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) appeal against Ripple, casting doubt on a partial decision made in favour of Ripple a month prior. The ongoing series of legal claims by U.S. authorities against major cryptocurrency exchanges remains another negative influence.

Bitcoin's nosedive dragged the entire crypto market down with it, leading to a mass liquidation of open margin positions. According to Coinglass, over a 24-hour span, positions of more than 175,000 market participants were liquidated, resulting in traders' losses surpassing $1 billion.

The situation could have been much graver had it not been for a report from Bloomberg stating that the SEC was preparing to authorize the creation of the first futures ETFs for Ethereum. As a result, BTC/USD and ETH/USD corrected upwards, returning to levels seen two months prior. As a reminder, the market soared on June 15 after BlackRock filed an application to establish a spot bitcoin ETF. However, after the recent plunge, those gains were virtually erased.

Should we expect further declines? Notably, a trader and analyst known by the pseudonym Dave_the_Wave, renowned for his accurate forecasts, had warned that by the end of 2023, bitcoin could drop to the lower boundary of its Logarithmic Growth Curve (LGC), implying a roughly 38% drop from this year's peak. In such a scenario, the bottom would be around $19,700.

Another well-known trader, Tone Vays, did not rule out a drop in BTC to $25,000 (which has already occurred). In this case, Vays believes there's a high likelihood of a further long-term decline. From his perspective, the premier cryptocurrency is "teetering on the edge, and things look bleak." "The price needs to reverse immediately, I mean – this month. We cannot afford another month of decline; otherwise, panic will set in the market. I wouldn't be surprised if BTC trades below $20,000. Miners might even begin offloading their holdings, which is highly precarious," Vays cautions.

We have previously mentioned another expert, Michael Van De Poppe, founder of the venture company Eight, who has refuted claims of BTC's price dropping to the $12,000 mark. However, in his view, for bitcoin to return to active growth, it needs to surpass the $29,700 level. The next significant target for the coin would be $40,000.

In contrast to Michael Van De Poppe, Kevin Kelly, co-founder, and head of research at Delphi Digital, has already spotted early signs of a bull rally. However, this observation was made before the slump on August 18. According to Kelly, a standard crypto cycle starts when bitcoin reaches an all-time high (ATH), followed by an 80% decline. Roughly two years later, it rebounds to its previous ATH and continues climbing to a new peak. This sequence typically spans around four years.

Kelly believes this pattern isn't random but aligns with a "broader business cycle." He noted that bitcoin's price peak often coincides with the ISM manufacturing index, which currently appears to be in the final phase of its downturn. The current situation reminds Kelly of the market dynamics between 2015 and 2017.

He highlighted that the last two bitcoin halvings occurred roughly 18 months after the asset bottomed out and about seven months before it broke its historical peak. The next halving is anticipated in April 2024. After which, about six months later by the expert's estimates, the digital gold might reach its ATH. However, Kelly warned that there are no guarantees of this scenario unfolding. He also speculated about the possibility of a "false bottom."

A similar cyclical analysis was conducted by an analyst known as Ignas, predicting a bitcoin bull market in 2024. His calculation is based on the pattern that the primary cryptocurrency has showcased for many years: 1. An 80% dip from ATH, lowest point a year later (Q4 2022). 2. Two years for recovery and reaching the previous peak (Q4 2024). 3. Another year of price growth leading to a new ATH (Q4 2025).

According to Ignas, the crypto industry faced macroeconomic challenges in 2022, but the situation is now improving. The bitcoin halving in April 2024 might align with a global liquidity surge, fuelling the anticipated bull rally. Additionally, new use cases for bitcoin and the launch of spot bitcoin ETFs, once approved by the SEC, will influence its price.

From a survey conducted by the popular blogger and analyst known as PlanB, 60% of respondents believe in a bull market's onset post-halving. PlanB himself theorizes that by the time of this event, BTC will be priced around $55,000. Signals from his bitcoin price prediction model, S2F, hint at the coin's potential movement towards this figure.

Robert Kiyosaki, investor, and author of the financial bestseller “Rich Dad Poor Dad” made another prediction. "Bitcoin is heading to $100,000," Kiyosaki believes. "The bad news: if the stock and bond market crashes, gold and silver prices will skyrocket. Worse, if the global economy collapses. Then bitcoin will be worth a million, gold can be bought for $75,000, and silver for $60,000. The national debt is too great. Everyone is in trouble," wrote Kiyosaki. But he added, just in case, "I hope I'm wrong."

Fittingly for a writer, Kiyosaki metaphorically called gold and silver "God's money" and bitcoin the "people's dollar". "I like bitcoin because we have a common enemy - the US federal government, the treasury, the Federal Reserve, and Wall Street. I don't trust them. If you trust, then collect dollars, and you'll get an IOU," he said.

It's worth noting that, in contrast to Robert Kiyosaki's stance, many investors have recently been gravitating towards the US dollar instead of the "people's currency." They view the dollar as a more reliable safe-haven asset. This shift is evident when comparing the DXY and BTC charts. At the time of this review, on the evening of August 18, the market has shown some signs of stabilization, with the BTC/USD trading close to $26,100. The total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies took a significant hit, narrowly maintaining above the psychological threshold of $1 trillion, registering at $1.054 trillion, down from $1.171 trillion just a week prior. Not surprisingly, the Crypto Fear & Greed Index also saw a decline, moving from the Neutral category into the Fear territory, marking a score of 37, a drop from last week's 51 points.


NordFX Analytical Group


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CryptoNews of the Week



– The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) has called for the regulation of cryptocurrencies rather than their outright ban. According to the bank's experts, a ban that's hard to enforce might hamper innovation. BIS also pointed out that cryptocurrencies are especially popular in emerging markets due to the volatility of local fiat currencies and challenges in accessing banking institutions. However, they could trigger severe sudden shifts in capital flows, threatening the financial stability of these nations.
Additionally, the BIS assessed cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Analysts believe that the introduction of such investment products will also increase risks, as it provides market access to a broader audience lacking financial expertise.
It's worth noting that in June, several major investment firms, including BlackRock, submitted applications to launch spot bitcoin ETFs. However, according to some experts, the current regulatory body is likely not to approve them, and the process could be postponed until 2024. Analysts opine that if such products receive approval in the US, the cryptocurrency market could access up to $30 trillion in capital, and the price of bitcoin might exceed $150,000 per coin.

– The Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund has filed a petition on behalf of 12 Bitcoin Core developers in the High Court of the United Kingdom, seeking to dismiss a lawsuit from Craig Wright, who they regard as the self-proclaimed creator of the first cryptocurrency, and his company Tulip Trading. The case dates back to February 2021, where Wright demanded access to two wallets containing approximately 111,000 BTC (~$2.86 billion at the time of writing), allegedly stolen due to the fault of Bitcoin Core employees. One of the addresses is associated with the hacking of the crypto exchange Mt.Gox.
The fund's lawyers insist that Wright, mockingly referred to as "pseudosatoshi," must prove his ownership of the bitcoins before the court makes a final decision. The document states, "Dr. Wright has a long history of fraudulent schemes, forgeries, and dishonesty (including in legal cases within this jurisdiction and internationally). [...] These proceedings are an attempt by Wright, through Tulip Trading, to use British courts as an instrument of fraud."
Craig Wright claims that he purchased the bitcoins at the end of February 2011 from the Russian exchange WMIRK. However, he has been unable to provide any evidence of this transaction. Furthermore, the Bitcoin Legal Defense Fund emphasized that if Wright truly owns the address containing 79,957 BTC, it would be tantamount to complicity in the hacking of Mt.Gox.

– An analyst known by the pseudonym Tolberti has predicted a continuation of the bearish trend in the bitcoin market and a decline in the cryptocurrency's value to $10,000. This forecast is based on the BTC price falling below the 200-week and 20-month moving averages (MAs), and the formation of a bearish flag on the chart, signalling the persistence of the negative trend.
According to the expert, the price of bitcoin will oscillate within a downward channel until it reaches a bottom around $10,000 by the time of the halving in April 2024. During the bearish trend, two significant corrections will occur, providing opportunities to profit from short positions.
Tolberti also noted the low demand for BTC and the weakness of digital gold relative to physical gold. Since reaching its all-time high of $68,917 in the fall of 2021, bitcoin has depreciated by more than 2.6 times. In contrast, the price of the precious metal has increased during the same period, reaching a historic value of $2,080 on May 4.

– Trader, analyst, and founder of venture firm Eight, Michael Van De Poppe, noted that bitcoin's dominance is declining, increasing the likelihood of an altcoin rally. According to him, as soon as bitcoin's dominance tested the 200-week moving average (MA) and exponential moving average (EMA), BTC's market share started to decline, indicating a potential shift in market dynamics.
The downward trajectory described by the analyst may persist in the coming months and could signal a temporary diversification in the cryptocurrency market as investors turn to other fast-profit instruments. However, if the leading cryptocurrency rises above the 200-week MA and EMA, it will lead to a restoration of bitcoin's dominance and a growth in its price.

– In the opinion of many investors and traders, the Relative Strength Index (RSI), a classic indicator, serves as a valuable tool to gauge the condition of an asset. It fluctuates between 0 and 100, with values above 70 typically indicating overbought conditions, and values below 30 suggesting oversold conditions.
The current fall of bitcoin's daily RSI below the 20 mark (17.47 at its lowest) is comparable to the oversold conditions during the market crash in March 2020, when the entire financial landscape was gripped by fear and uncertainty.
Analysts and traders are now closely watching this RSI movement, as it could signal a potential bullish reversal in the BTC trend. Historically, extreme oversold values have often preceded significant price rebounds. However, this indicator must be approached with caution. RSI oversold levels can provide insights into potential price reversals, but they are not a guaranteed sign. Cryptocurrency markets are known for their unpredictability, and their direction can be influenced by a multitude of factors, among which political and macroeconomic factors play a huge role.

– Analyst Dave the Wave, who accurately predicted the cryptocurrency market crash in May 2021, believes that the current bear market for bitcoin will last at least until the end of the year. The expert used his own version of logarithmic growth curves, which allow for predicting bitcoin's macro-maximums and macro-minimums, filtering out medium-term volatility and noise. Currently, according to his calculations, bitcoin is trading at the lower boundary of the logarithmic growth curves but is still in the "buy zone." Dave the Wave does not rule out that bitcoin may decline a bit further, and by mid-2024 will rise to new highs above $69,000.

– According to popular analyst Benjamin Cowen, the current decline in the price of the first cryptocurrency may be far from final, and bitcoin will continue to fall. This bearish trend, in his opinion, aligns well with the current trend of the global economy.
Cowen also noted that a similar drop in bitcoin occurs every four years. "The fact is that every four years, in August or September, the year before the U.S. presidential elections, there's a correction in the American market. And bitcoin correlates with the indices of the U.S. stock market. If we look at 2023, we will see this as well. In 2019, bitcoin plummeted by 61%. In 2015, the decline was about 40%. In 2011, we saw a 'black swan' of 82.5%. So, every year before the halving and the American elections, we see a decline in bitcoin."

– Wall Street legend, analyst, and trader Peter Brandt already allowed for a drop in the bitcoin price back in May, as he identified a pattern on the price chart known as a "pennant" or "flag," indicative of "bearish consequences." Now, he has warned that bitcoin may break out of the upward trend that began in January 2023, as it approaches a critical price region. The expert clarified that a close below $24,800 will damage the daily and weekly charts and increase the likelihood that the bullish impulse in BTC will fail.

– Another analyst, publishing under the pseudonym Credible Crypto, noted that the current market scenario closely resembles what was observed in 2020. Back then, the leading digital currency rose in price from approximately $16,000 to $60,000 within a few months. The specialist stated that the market's flagship is now "taking a breather" after the price increase since the beginning of this year. According to the analyst, this is a normal correction. The current situation almost entirely reflects the price movement dynamics of bitcoin from March to August 2020. What's happening now, in his opinion, indicates that the goal is asset accumulation. Credible Crypto pointed out that bitcoin began a "parabolic rally" in 2020 precisely after such a phase. "The breakout from the accumulation range last time triggered the next step upward, causing BTC's price to soar." And according to the expert, this time bitcoin has twice as much time, or about 4 months, to do it again in 2023. Meanwhile, the analyst emphasized that his forecast will become invalid if the digital gold's quotations fall below $24,800. (This is the support level that Peter Brandt also identified as critical.)

– Since 2018, criminal groups from North Korea have conducted over 30 hacking attacks, stealing digital assets totaling around $2 billion, according to a report by TRM Labs. In just the first seven months of 2023, hackers from North Korea stole about $200 million in cryptocurrency. However, analysts note that criminal activity has significantly decreased compared to the previous year. At that time, according to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, the North Korean government-controlled group Lazarus carried out the largest hack in history, stealing $625 million from the crypto project Ronin Bridge.
The United Nations has repeatedly warned that North Korea continues to develop its nuclear program, and an important source of its funding is becoming the funds obtained from attacks on bitcoin exchanges.


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EUR/USD: Mr. Powell and Mrs. Lagarde - Much Talk, Little Substance



Last week's business activity data from both sides of the Atlantic proved to be exceptionally weak. The euro came under selling pressure due to a decline in Germany's Services PMI from 52.3 to 47.3, which in turn pulled down the Composite Business Activity Indexes not only for Germany but for the entire Eurozone. The former dropped from 48.5 to 44.7, while the latter declined from 48.6 to 47.0. The GDP data for Germany for Q2, released on Friday, August 25, further confirmed that the economy of the united Europe is stagnating. On a quarterly basis, this metric stood at 0%, and on an annual basis, it showed a decline of -0.6%.

American macroeconomic data also failed to please investors. Preliminary business activity data for the United States published on Wednesday, August 23, fell short of expectations. Specifically, the Manufacturing PMI dropped from 49.0 to 47.0, and for the Services sector, it decreased from 52.3 to 51.0. The Composite Index also weakened from 52.0 to 50.4. (Note that a score above 50.0 indicates an improving economic situation, while below 50.0 signifies deterioration.) The published data for U.S. durable goods orders also turned out to be fairly weak. While they had increased by 4.4% in June, they unexpectedly fell by -5.2% in July.

Despite the fact that both European and American statistics were considered dismal by several experts, the DXY Dollar Index continued its bullish rally initiated six weeks prior, while EUR/USD maintained its southerly course. Not even the hawkish rhetoric from Deutsche Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel could bolster the euro. Nagel advocated for the continuation of interest rate hikes to control inflation. In contrast, Nagel's Portuguese colleague, Mario Centeno, called for caution to avoid negatively impacting the Eurozone economy.

This discord among members of the ECB's Governing Council, set against a backdrop of persistently weak economies in Q1 and Q2 and the potential for GDP contraction in Q3 of 2023, has sown doubt among market participants. These circumstances have led to scepticism about whether the regulator will proceed with further rate hikes in September.

The positions of U.S. representatives, speaking on the sidelines of the global central bank symposium in Jackson Hole, appeared more unified. Boston Federal Reserve Bank President Susan Collins and Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank President Patrick Harker stated that the Fed could maintain interest rates at a stable level through the end of the year. However, they refrained from commenting on the timeline for a shift in monetary policy for the following year. Furthermore, according to Susan Collins, the resilience of the U.S. economy to aggressive monetary tightening suggests that the Fed may have to do more than it has already done. Her comments were interpreted as a clear hint towards further tightening of the American regulator's policy, leading market participants to speculate that Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell might also adopt a relatively hawkish stance.

Two pivotal speeches were scheduled for the evening of Friday, August 25, at the Jackson Hole global central bank symposium. These addresses held the potential to either disrupt or amplify existing financial trends. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell was set to speak first, followed by ECB President Christine Lagarde just two hours before the markets closed.

If Powell had confirmed that interest rates would remain unchanged through the year's end, it could have triggered selling pressure on the dollar. Conversely, the ongoing dollar rally might have accelerated if Powell had indicated the possibility of another rate hike. Data from the FedWatch Tool indicated a 39% likelihood of another 25-basis-point rate hike by the end of 2023 ahead of the speech.

In the previous year at Jackson Hole, Powell warned that any rate hikes would inflict "some pain" upon the U.S. economy, a statement that led to a rapid downturn in the U.S. stock market. This time, the U.S. equities market didn't wait for Powell's remarks. Major indices such as the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq saw sharp declines as early as August 24.

So, what did Jerome Powell say this time? Essentially the same message he delivered last year. Quote: "At last year's Jackson Hole symposium, my message was brief and direct. The substance of my remarks this year remains the same: The Federal Reserve's task is to bring inflation down to our 2% target, and we will achieve this," the Fed Chairman assured his audience. He then laid out two potential future scenarios: either maintaining the current rate or raising it. "While inflation has come down from its peak, which is a welcomed development, it remains too high," he said. "We are prepared to raise rates further if necessary and will maintain a restrictive policy stance until we are confident that inflation is sustainably moving toward our target level."

The head of the U.S. central bank also noted that core PCE (Personal Consumption Expenditures) inflation reached 4.3% in July, up from 4.1% the previous month. (July's PCE data will officially be released on August 31.) Overall, Powell's rhetoric was, as is often the case, fairly ambiguous: leaving both possible outcomes open for consideration.

Madam Lagarde's remarks were perhaps even more elusive. "Profound shifts in the functioning of the global economy [...] could lead to greater inflation volatility and more persistent price pressures," she stated. According to the ECB President, "at this stage, it is unclear whether all these various shifts will be permanent. [...] While these changes may still prove to be temporary, central banks need to be prepared for some of them to be more enduring."

In summary, while Powell presented two options, either maintaining or raising the interest rate, Madam Lagarde simply declared that interest rates will remain elevated for as long as necessary to combat inflation. As a result, the daily candle for EUR/USD, after some hesitation, returned to the central part of its range.

Starting the five-day trading week at 1.0872, EUR/USD closed it with an advantage for the dollar, settling at 1.0794. At the time of writing this analysis, on the evening of August 25th following the speeches at Jackson Hole by the heads of the Fed and the ECB, analysts were evenly split: 50% favoring a rise in the pair and 50% expecting a decline. Among the trend indicators and oscillators on the D1 chart, 100% are leaning towards the American currency and are coloured in red. However, 15% of these are signalling that the pair is oversold. Immediate support for the pair is located in the 1.0765-1.0775 range, followed by 1.0740, 1.0665-1.0680, 1.0620-1.0635, and 1.0525. Bulls will encounter resistance in the areas of 1.0845-1.0865, followed by 1.0895-1.0925, then 1.0985, 1.1045, 1.1090-1.1110, 1.1150-1.1170, 1.1230, and 1.1275-1.1290.

The upcoming week will see the release of a significant amount of diverse economic data. The week will kick off on Tuesday, August 29, with the U.S. Consumer Confidence Index and the job openings data. On Wednesday, August 30, preliminary Consumer Price Index (CPI) data from Germany will be released, along with U.S. labour market statistics and GDP figures. Thursday will bring preliminary CPI numbers for the Eurozone, retail sales data from Germany, as well as U.S. unemployment levels and the Core Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (Core PCE Price Index), a critical inflation indicator. On Friday, September 1, another substantial set of U.S. labour market information will be released, including the highly important Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP) data. The week will conclude with the release of the U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI).

GBP/USD: Will the Rate Finally Rise?

Inflationary pressure in the United Kingdom is easing, although it remains the highest among the G7 countries. We have previously noted that while the annual rate of price growth has decreased from 7.9% to 6.8% (the lowest since February 2022), inflation remains elevated. Furthermore, the core CPI metric has remained steady at 6.9% year-on-year, just 0.2% below the peak set two months prior. A surge in energy prices threatens another inflationary spike.

These data and prospects exert significant pressure on the British currency. According to some analysts, they will push the Bank of England (BoE) toward further interest rate hikes. This will likely occur despite rising unemployment rates and the threat of an economic recession. This possibility cannot be ruled out, as preliminary business activity data released on Wednesday, August 23, showed that the UK's Manufacturing PMI dropped from 45.3 to 42.5 within a month, the Services PMI fell from 51.5 to 48.7, and the Composite PMI declined from 50.8 to 47.9. Thus, all three indicators fell below 50.0, signalling a sharp deterioration in the economic landscape.

A number of experts believe that the key interest rate could peak around 6% (currently at 5.25%). Due to accelerating inflationary pressures, the BoE may be compelled to maintain this peak level for an extended period, even in the face of pressure from populist politicians. Should this occur, the pound would have an opportunity to improve its position relative to the dollar.

However, concerning near-term prospects, specialists at Scotiabank do not rule out a further decline of GBP/USD to 1.2400 after breaking the 1.2620 support level. They add that "a rebound above 1.2600 could provide short-term support for the pound, especially considering that the selloff appears to be overstretched." Experts at ING, the largest banking group in the Netherlands, believe that the pair could find support around 1.2500 if the dollar strengthens. Their colleagues at Singapore's United Overseas Bank anticipate that GBP/USD will trade in a range of 1.2580-1.2780. "Going forward," they write, "as long as the pound remains below the strong resistance level [of 1.2720], it is likely to weaken to 1.2530 and possibly even to 1.2480."

After the Jackson Hole speeches on Friday, August 25, GBP/USD settled at 1.2578. The near-term consensus among experts is divided as follows: 60% are in favour of a bullish trend, 20% lean bearish, and the remaining 20% are neutral. On the D1 timeframe, 60% of the oscillators are painted red, with a third of these suggesting the pair is oversold; the remaining 40% are in a neutral grey zone. As for trend indicators, 85% are coloured red, suggesting a bearish bias, compared to 15% in green.

If the pair trends downwards, it will likely find support at various levels and zones: 1.2540, 1.2500-1.2510, 1.2435-1.2450, 1.2300-1.2330, 1.2190-1.2210, 1.2085, 1.1960, and 1.1800. Conversely, if the pair moves upwards, it will encounter resistance at 1.2630, 1.2675-1.2690, 1.2760, 1.2800-1.2815, 1.2880, 1.2940, 1.2980-1.3000, 1.3050-1.3060, 1.3125-1.3140, and 1.3185-1.3210.

Regarding key economic data for the United Kingdom, no major releases are expected in the upcoming week. The focus will be on developments across the Atlantic. However, traders should note that Monday, August 28, is a bank holiday in the UK.

USD/JPY: Higher and Higher

The Governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ), Kazuo Ueda, is scheduled to speak in Jackson Hole on Saturday, August 26, by which time this review will already have been written. Frankly, we do not expect any groundbreaking statements from him. At this point, we can only rely on the comments from the country's Finance Minister, Shunichi Suzuki. On Friday, August 25, he stated that he is "closely monitoring the impact of the Jackson Hole discussions on the global economy." He added that he cannot offer any specific details regarding the formation of an additional budget to finance economic measures.

It's worth noting that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) recently took a "revolutionary" decision, at least by its own standards, and shifted from rigid yield curve targeting of Japanese Government Bonds (JGBs) to a more flexible approach. However, it set certain boundaries, drawing a "red line" at a yield of 1.0% and declaring that it would carry out purchases to ensure that yields do not exceed this level. Less than a week after this move, the yield on JGBs reached nine-year highs, approaching the 0.65% mark. Consequently, the central bank had to intervene by buying these securities to prevent further increases.

In the Japanese media, Nikkei Asia believes that the budgetary expenses for such operations are expected to rise. Unlike the Finance Minister, they provided a specific figure: 110 trillion yen (over 753 billion dollars) for the year 2024. According to the Nikkei Asia report, the budget request is expected to be submitted by the end of August, meaning within the coming week.

As previously mentioned, the change in yield curve regulation for securities is indeed an extraordinary move for the Bank of Japan (BoJ). However, according to Japan's MUFG Bank, this is insufficient to trigger a yen recovery. Regarding interest rate hikes, MUFG believes that the Bank of Japan may only decide on its first increase in the first half of next year. Only then is a shift towards strengthening the national currency expected.

The yen had an opportunity to slightly strengthen its position last week. Responding to weak economic activity data, U.S. Treasury yields dropped by more than 1.5%. As is well-known, there is an inverse correlation between their yields and the yen. That is, if Treasury yields fall, the Japanese currency rises, and USD/JPY forms a downward trend. This is exactly what we observed in the middle of the week, on August 23, the pair found a local low at the 144.53 level.

However, the joy for yen investors was short-lived, as the pair reached a new high of 146.62 on August 25. As for the close of the trading week, it settled at the 146.40 level. According to strategists at Credit Suisse, the pair will eventually climb higher and reach its primary and long-term target at 148.57.

Regarding the near-term outlook, the consensus among experts appears as follows: A significant majority (60%) anticipate a downward correction for the pair. Meanwhile, 20% expect USD/JPY to continue its upward movement, and another 20% opted to abstain from commenting. On the D1 time frame, all trend indicators are coloured green, while 90% of the oscillators are also green (with 10% in the overbought zone); the remaining oscillators maintain a neutral stance. The closest support level lies at 146.10, followed by 145.50-145.75, 144.90, 144.50, 143.75-144.05, 142.90-143.05, 142.20, 141.40-141.75, 140.60-140.75, 139.85, 138.95-139.05, 138.05-138.30, and 137.25-137.50. The immediate resistance is at 146.90-147.15, followed by 148.45-148.60, 150.00, and finally, the October 2022 high at 151.95.

There are no scheduled releases of any significant statistics concerning the state of the Japanese economy for the upcoming week.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: The Shock is Not Over Yet

It appears that the crypto market is still reeling from the shock of August 17, when bitcoin took a sharp nosedive, hitting a low of $24,296. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index, which had long been in the neutral zone, moved into the fear territory. The leading cryptocurrency dragged the entire crypto market down with it, shrinking it by 10% from $1.171 trillion to $1.054 trillion, barely holding above the psychological level of $1 trillion. On August 17 alone, traders collectively lost over $1 billion across all instruments, marking the biggest loss since the crash of the FTX exchange.

This is a brief description of the recent tragedy. Now let's delve into the causes. We already highlighted the main theories in our last review, and they turned out to be accurate, although they now merit a more comprehensive analysis. Two major news events triggered the downturn. The first was the publication of the July meeting minutes from the Federal Reserve, where the majority of the FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) members expressed the possibility of raising the key interest rate in 2023. A higher rate boosts the yield on the dollar and government bonds, resulting in capital flight from riskier assets.

The second catalyst was an article in The Wall Street Journal, citing documents stating that Elon Musk's SpaceX had sold off its BTC holdings, writing off $373 million in cryptocurrency. Notably, the report did not specify when SpaceX sold these coins. However, as the ensuing panic showed, such details weren't necessary.

In another context, these two pieces of news might not have provoked such a violent reaction. However, prolonged market consolidation, low trading volumes in the spot market, and a large number of derivative positions opened by traders using leverage all contributed negatively. The fall in prices triggered a domino effect, leading to the liquidation of more than 175,000 leveraged positions in 24 hours, according to Coinglass data. Subsequently, the leverage ratio dropped to levels last seen in April.

Now, a week later, following the speech by the Federal Reserve Chair at Jackson Hole, it turns out that a rate hike might or might not happen. In other words, the Federal Reserve may put an end to its monetary tightening cycle and freeze the rate at its current level. This eliminates the first reason for panic. As for the second reason, it turns out that SpaceX had written off its crypto assets back in 2021-2022, rendering this "news" inconsequential.

However, what's done is done. Short-term BTC holders took the biggest hit: 88.3% of them are now in a losing position. This is a concern because these speculators are typically not known for their patience and could begin offloading their remaining crypto holdings, exerting further downward pressure on prices. On the other hand, it's worth noting that long-term holders (those holding for more than 155 days) took advantage of the situation to buy more coins, seeing it as an opportune time to bolster their portfolios.

After the crash on August 17, the voices advocating for a swift bitcoin rebound have become increasingly subdued, while the pessimists have gained momentum. However, even within their forecasts, the term "halving" is frequently mentioned, a concept upon which many influencers place great hopes. For example, an analyst known by the pseudonym Tolberti predicts a continuation of the bearish trend until bitcoin hits a bottom around $10,000 by the time of the halving in April 2024. This prediction is based on BTC's price falling below its 200-week and 20-month moving averages (MAs). Additionally, Tolberti notes the formation of a bearish flag on the chart, indicating a continued negative trend.

According to popular analyst Benjamin Cowen, the current downturn in the leading cryptocurrency may not be its last, and bitcoin will likely continue to fall. He believes that such a bearish trend is consistent with the current global economic trajectory. Cowen also pointed out that similar bitcoin declines happen every four years. "The fact is, every four years in August or September, the year before the U.S. presidential elections, there is a correction in the American market. And bitcoin correlates with U.S. stock market indices. If we look at 2023, we see this as well. In 2019, bitcoin plummeted 61%. In 2015, the decline was about 40%. In 2011, we saw a 'black swan' of 82.5%. That is, every year before the halving and American elections, we see a bitcoin decline," explained Cowen.

Dave the Wave, an analyst who accurately predicted the crypto market crash in May 2021, believes that the current bear market for bitcoin will last at least until the end of the year. The expert used his own version of logarithmic growth curves, which help forecast bitcoin's macro highs and lows while filtering out medium-term volatility and noise. According to his calculations, BTC is currently trading at the lower boundary of these logarithmic growth curves but is still in a "buy zone." Dave the Wave does not rule out that BTC may decline a bit more but anticipates that by mid-2024, specifically after the April halving, it will rise to new highs above $69,000.

According to a number of investors and traders, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) serves as a valuable tool for assessing the condition of an asset. The RSI oscillates between 0 and 100, with values above 70 typically indicating an overbought condition and values below 30 signalling an oversold condition.

The drop in bitcoin's daily RSI from August 17 to 22 below the 20 mark (hitting a low of 17.47) is comparable to the oversold levels seen during the market crash in March 2020, when the entire financial landscape was gripped by fear and uncertainty due to COVID-19. Analysts and traders are now closely monitoring RSI readings, as they could signal a potential bullish reversal in BTC's trend, although they are not a guaranteed indicator. Cryptocurrency markets are known for their unpredictability, and their direction can be influenced by a multitude of factors, among which political and macroeconomic elements play a significant role.

Wall Street legend, analyst, and trader Peter Brandt had already speculated a decline in bitcoin's price back in May. He identified a chart pattern known as a "pennant" or "flag," indicative of bearish implications. He now warns that bitcoin could break from the ascending trend that started in January 2023, as it approaches a critical price zone. The expert clarified that a close below $24,800 would damage both the daily and weekly charts and increase the likelihood that BTC's mid-term bullish momentum will falter.

Another analyst, publishing under the pseudonym Credible Crypto, noted that the current market scenario closely resembles what was observed in 2020. Back then, the leading digital currency's price rose from approximately $16,000 to $60,000 within a few months. According to the specialist, the market leader is now taking a "breather" after price gains earlier this year. He describes this as a normal correction. The current position almost fully mirrors the price dynamics of bitcoin from March to August 2020. What is happening now, in his opinion, suggests that the objective is asset accumulation.

Credible Crypto noted that bitcoin began its "parabolic rally" in 2020 right after such a phase. "Breaking out of the accumulation range last time triggered the next upward move, causing BTC's price to soar," said the expert. According to him, this time around, bitcoin has twice as much time, or about four months, to do it again in 2023. He emphasized that his forecast would be invalidated if the digital gold's quotations fall below $24,800: the same critical support level identified by Peter Brandt.

For the past week, the flagship cryptocurrency has been trading within the $25,500-26,785 channel around a Pivot Point of $26,000, suggesting there is no compelling reason for either its rise or fall. As of the time of writing this overview, on the evening of Friday, August 25, BTC/USD is trading at approximately $26,050. The overall market capitalization of the cryptocurrency market stands at $1.047 trillion (compared to $1.054 trillion a week ago). The Bitcoin Fear & Greed Index remains in the "Fear" zone at a score of 39 points (compared to 37 points a week ago).


NordFX Analytical Group


Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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CryptoNews of the Week



– The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have introduced regulations for the taxation of cryptocurrencies. Officials anticipate that the new rules will "close the tax gap and ensure that everyone is playing by the same set of rules." According to the proposed guidelines, crypto brokers will be treated in the same manner as traditional brokers, such as stockbrokers.
Under the new regulations, the category of "brokers" includes cryptocurrency platforms, payment systems, and certain crypto wallets. The IRS and the Treasury Department emphasized that decentralized exchanges also fall under these rules. These entities are required to conduct customer identification and, starting in 2025, provide tax reporting. The U.S. Treasury expects that the cryptocurrency industry will generate $28 billion in tax revenue over the next 10 years.

– The analyst known as A Chain of Blocks believes that the BRICS nations' intention to move away from the U.S. dollar should draw attention to Ripple (XRP), the fifth-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization. According to him, the majority of the member countries view XRP as a viable global payment option capable of facilitating transactions between member states.
At the most recent summit of the group, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that BRICS countries would not use the U.S. dollar for transactions among themselves. However, India's Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, expressed during the same summit that the U.S. dollar would continue to dominate international trade. Puri noted that talk of de-dollarization is premature at this stage. His statement is corroborated by statistical data. Despite calls from BRICS authorities to use national currencies, the dollar's share of international transactions processed through the SWIFT system reached a record 46.5% in July.

– The crypto exchange HashKey Group has submitted an application to the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission for the issuance of cryptocurrency derivatives. If the regulator gives the green light, the exchange's clients will be able to trade futures on bitcoin and Ethereum.
To mitigate financial risks, novice traders will be restricted from executing certain trades. All clients will receive a warning if they invest more than 30% of their capital in cryptocurrencies, and their transaction limits will be reduced. Additionally, account balances can only be replenished using bank cards, creating challenges for residents of countries that have banned cryptocurrency trading.

– Tom Lee, co-founder and chief researcher at Fundstrat Global Advisors, predicts that due to the halving event, the bitcoin price will reach $100,000 per coin. In his view, halvings serve as catalysts for bitcoin price growth, as they reduce the supply of new coins and increase scarcity. Lee also considers factors such as rising demand for bitcoin from institutional investors, corporations, and retail buyers, as well as advancements in technological development and innovations within the bitcoin network. However, he acknowledges that bitcoin could experience significant price volatility on its path to reaching the targeted level.

– In contrast to Tom Lee, Nassim Taleb, a renowned writer, philosopher, and former trader, has a bearish outlook on bitcoin. He argues that bitcoin lacks intrinsic value and is purely a speculative asset, prone to extreme volatility and manipulation. He also criticizes bitcoin for not being an efficient medium of exchange, citing high transaction fees, slow transaction speeds, and low throughput. According to Taleb, bitcoin cannot compete with traditional currencies or other cryptocurrencies that possess superior technical attributes. He predicts that by the end of 2023, the price of bitcoin will drop to $0 per coin.

– British billionaire Jeremy Grantham, founder and chief strategist of GMO, one of the largest investment firms in the world, also has a bearish outlook on Ethereum and the cryptocurrency market overall. He believes that Ethereum is part of a global cryptocurrency bubble that will eventually burst. The billionaire compares cryptocurrencies to historical examples of bubbles, such as the Tulip Mania in the Netherlands in the 17th century, the South Sea Company in England in the 18th century, and the dot-com boom in the United States in the late 20th century. In his opinion, cryptocurrencies lack real value and are fueled by irrational enthusiasm and investor greed. Jeremy Grantham predicts that by the end of 2023, the price of Ethereum will drop to $100 per coin.

– Vitalik Buterin, co-founder and chief developer of Ethereum, has a contrasting view, believing that ETH could rise to $10,000 per coin. He bases his forecast on the idea that the leading altcoin will continue to develop and improve through new technological updates, the implementation of sharding, enhanced security and privacy, as well as the expansion of the DApps and smart contracts ecosystem. Buterin also believes that Ethereum will attract the attention of institutional investors who will use it as a means to diversify their portfolios and hedge against inflation.

– The Israeli government is shifting towards a more lenient approach to cryptocurrency regulation. To that end, a special research group has been created to study the regulation of DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations), which is also conducting public consultations on this matter until September 2023.
Currently, cryptocurrency in Israel is recognized as a financial asset, and any capital gains are taxed at a rate of 25%. If transactions involving cryptocurrency are classified as commercial, the tax rate could be much higher—up to 53%. Lawmakers appear to have recognized the severity of such regulations and are moving towards a more moderate approach: a bill exempting foreign residents from capital gains tax on the sale of cryptocurrency has already passed a preliminary reading in the Knesset, Israel's parliament.
As for mining, profits from this activity are subject to regular income tax (17%). Israeli mining company Kafkamining noted in its blog that conducting such a business in the country is entirely feasible.

– In August, PayPal launched its own stablecoin, PYPL, in partnership with Paxos on the Ethereum blockchain. This raised valid concerns about its demand for transactions due to Ethereum's high fees. Recently, analytics firm Nansen confirmed that PayPal's stablecoin has not yet gained traction among cryptocurrency users. Nansen speculated that the payment giant is likely targeting a different demographic altogether.

– According to Santiment data, only 5.8% of the total bitcoin volume is currently held on exchanges. This marks a historic low for the asset, a level not seen since December 17, 2017.
Analysts believe that several factors have influenced this trend, including a long-term holding strategy. Additionally, faith in bitcoin's potential as a reliable store of value is growing, while confidence in the safety of funds on cryptocurrency exchanges is diminishing. This shift is prompting individuals to opt for self-custody of their assets. Regulatory pressures on leading cryptocurrency exchange Binance, particularly issues with the SEC, have acted as a catalyst for this process. Due to regulatory scrutiny worldwide, bitcoin whales withdrew 5,000 BTC from the trading platform in just one minute.

– According to an analysis published on TradingView by TradingShot, bitcoin could reach the Fibonacci correction level of 0.86 at $50,000 by the end of 2023. The TradingShot analysis focuses on historical readings of the MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence) indicator. Additionally, the analysts point to a support level established based on the last bear cycle's lowest peak. This level has shown resilience, consistently closing all monthly candles above it, with the exception of the sudden crash triggered by the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.

– Despite BTC trading in a consolidated phase, demand for the leading cryptocurrency appears to be increasing. Over the past 12 months, Google Trends has shown a surge in searches for the keyword "buy bitcoin." Activity from bitcoin whales also corroborates this sustained interest in the primary cryptocurrency; transactions exceeding $100,000 are averaging around 57,400 transactions per week.


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EUR/USD: No to Rate Hike, Yes to Dollar Appreciation!

Market participants continue to scrutinize the macroeconomic backdrop in the United States, attempting to discern (or speculate) whether the Federal Reserve will proceed with further increases to the federal funds rate. Following disappointing consumer confidence reports, weak ADP labour market data, and a slowdown in economic growth in Q2, market chatter has shifted towards the spectre of recession and the potential for a dovish pivot by the American regulator. U.S. economic growth currently remains above expectations. However, the revised GDP assessment still disappointed markets, as it fell short of initial projections.

On the other hand, household expenditures increased by 0.8% month-over-month, the highest rate since January. The Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Index, the inflation indicator most closely watched by the Federal Reserve, added 0.2% month-over-month for the second consecutive month. While the growth is modest, it is growth, nonetheless. The core PCE rose by 4.2% year-over-year, aligning with forecasts but exceeding the previous month's figure of 4.1%.

The labour market situation has transitioned from "consistently strong" to "potentially challenging." The number of open job vacancies, as measured by the JOLTS report, dipped to 8.827 million in July for the first time in a long while. For over a year, it had mostly stayed above 10 million, a threshold figure for the Federal Reserve in assessing the strength of the labour market. Additionally, the number of initial unemployment claims increased by 228,000 last week.

The data released on Friday, September 1st, further muddled market forecasts. On Thursday, all signs pointed to a cooling labor market. However, contrary to expectations of 170K, the number of new jobs created in the non-farm sector (NFP) rose significantly from 157K to 187K. In other words, the news is good. On the flip side, the unemployment rate also increased, from 3.5% to 3.8% (with a forecast of 3.5%). So, the news is bad. Additionally, the U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) also increased, from a previous level of 46.4 and expectations of 47.0, to an actual figure of 47.6. Once again, the news is good. However, it's worth noting that a PMI above 50.0 indicates an improving economic situation, while below 50.0 suggests deterioration. So, is the news bad again?

Overall, these mixed indicators led to a divergent market reaction. On one hand, the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) began gradually improving its position from Wednesday, August 30th, sharply accelerating its gains on Friday. On the other hand, the likelihood of a rate hike at the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting on September 19-20 dropped to 12%. Contributing to the reduced rate hike expectations were the somewhat divergent statements from Federal Reserve officials. We have already covered what Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Susan Collins, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President Patrick Harker, and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said at the global central banks symposium in Jackson Hole in our previous review. Now, we add that Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic believes that rates are already at a restrictive level and that further hikes could inflict additional pain on the U.S. economy.

As for the Eurozone economy, the latest statistics indicate that inflation has ceased to decline, while the money supply contracted due to falling lending volumes. Contrary to Bloomberg experts' forecast of 5.1%, the year-over-year Consumer Price Index (CPI) remained stable at 5.3%. In Germany, the region's largest economy, the monthly CPI also remained static at 0.3%.

In such a situation, one would expect the European Central Bank (ECB) to continue tightening monetary policy. However, the threat of stagflation appears to concern the regulator more than rising prices. Even such a hawkish figure as ECB Executive Board Member Isabel Schnabel confirmed that the economic outlook for the Eurozone is more dire than initially thought, suggesting that the region could be on the brink of a deep or prolonged recession.

Her comments are supported by the state of the labour market. The overall unemployment rate in the Eurozone remains stubbornly high, holding steady at 6.4%. In Germany, the rate has been gradually increasing on a quarterly basis, slowly reverting to levels seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It appears that both regulators, the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank, are losing their appetite for further monetary tightening and are prepared to end their cycles of monetary restriction (or at least put rate hikes on hold). In such a scenario, it is logical that weaker economies stand to lose. Strategists at JP Morgan and Bank of America anticipate the euro to reach $1.0500 by the end of the current year, while BNP Paribas projects an even lower level of $1.0200.

Starting the five-day trading period at 1.0794, EUR/USD closed nearly where it began, settling at 1.0774. As of the time of writing this review, the evening of September 1, 50% of experts are bullish on the pair in the near term, 20% are bearish, and 30% have taken a neutral stance. Regarding technical analysis, nothing has changed over the past week. All trend indicators and oscillators on the D1 timeframe remain 100% in favour of the U.S. currency and are coloured red. Additionally, 15% still indicate that the pair is oversold. The nearest support levels for the pair are situated around 1.0765, followed by 1.0665-1.0680, 1.0620-1.0635, and 1.0515-1.0525. Bulls will encounter resistance at 1.0800, followed by 1.0835-1.0865, 1.0895-1.0925, 1.0985, 1.1045, 1.1090-1.1110, 1.1150-1.1170, 1.1230, and 1.1275-1.1290.

Among the events to watch for the upcoming week, attention should be paid to the speech by ECB President Christine Lagarde on Monday, September 4. On Wednesday, September 6, retail sales data for the Eurozone will be released, along with the U.S. Services PMI figures. On Thursday, September 7, revised Q2 GDP figures for the Eurozone will be published, as will the customary U.S. initial jobless claims numbers. And rounding out the workweek, on Friday, September 8, we will learn about the state of inflation (CPI) in Germany, the main engine of the European economy.

GBP/USD: Will the Rate Not Increase After All?

Earlier in the EUR/USD overview, we highlighted the central banks' main question: what's more important – defeating inflation or preventing the economy from sliding into a recession? Although the annual inflation rate in the United Kingdom has dropped from 7.9% to 6.8% (the lowest since February 2022), inflation remains the highest among the G7 countries. Moreover, the core CPI indicator remained at 6.9% YoY, just as it was a month earlier. This is only 0.2% below the peak set two months prior. Additionally, rising energy prices pose a threat for new inflationary surges.

Such data and outlooks, according to several analysts, should have compelled the Bank of England (BoE) to continue raising interest rates. However, there's another factor tipping the scales in the opposite direction. August marked a further deepening of the downturn in the UK's manufacturing sector. Manufacturers in the country reported a weakening economic backdrop, as demand suffers due to rising interest rates, a cost-of-living crisis, export sector losses, and market outlook concerns. According to S&P Global, intermediate goods producers are particularly hard-hit — the B2B sector is facing the steepest decline in production volumes. This affects both new orders and staffing levels, which are being cut back.

The final Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for August stood at just 43.0. The main PMI figure plummeted to a 39-month low, as production volumes and new orders contracted at rates rarely seen, except during major periods of economic stress, such as the global financial crisis of 2008-2009 and pandemic-related lockdown measures.

Against this bleak backdrop, survey results indicate that the country's policymakers will increasingly focus on concerns about the state of the economy rather than on the issue of raising interest rates. The Bank of England's Chief Economist, Huw Pill, stated that while there's no room for complacency regarding inflation, he himself would prefer to keep the rate steady for a more extended period. He announced that at the upcoming BoE meeting on September 21, he will vote to maintain the current rate at 5.25%. Following such a statement, the previously described rule comes into effect – if both regulators lose their appetite for further rate hikes, the weaker economy loses. In the case of the UK/US pair, the former turns out to be the weaker link.

We have previously mentioned that experts at Scotiabank do not rule out the possibility of GBP/USD falling further to 1.2400. Analysts at ING, the largest banking group in the Netherlands, believe that should the dollar strengthen, the pair may find support around 1.2500. Their colleagues at Singapore's United Overseas Bank anticipate that "as long as the pound remains below the strong resistance level of 1.2720, it is likely to weaken to 1.2530, and possibly even to 1.2480."

The pair closed last week at 1.2585. Looking at the near future, 40% of experts anticipate an upward correction, 20% foresee further dollar strengthening, and the remaining 40% expect sideways movement. Among the oscillators on the D1 timeframe, 90% are coloured red and 10% green. As for the trend indicators, the ratio between red and green is 85% to 15%, favouring red. If the pair moves south, it will encounter support levels and zones at 1.2560-1.2575, 1.2545, 1.2500-1.2510, 1.2435-1.2450, 1.2300-1.2330, 1.2190-1.2210, 1.2085, 1.1960, and 1.1800. In the event of an upward movement, the pair will face resistance at 1.2620-1.2635, 1.2690-1.2710, 1.2760, 1.2800-1.2815, 1.2880, 1.2940, 1.2980-1.3000, 1.3050-1.3060, 1.3125-1.3140, and 1.3185-1.3210.

As for significant events concerning the state of the United Kingdom's economy, particular attention should be paid to the Inflation Report hearings scheduled for Thursday, September 7.

USD/JPY: Awaiting Currency Interventions

Generally speaking, if we review the week's outcomes, it can be stated that the Dollar Index (DXY) reclaimed all three pairs, EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and USD/JPY, on Friday, September 01, nearly returning them to where they began the five-day period. This occurred despite significant volatility. For instance, starting at the 146.40 yen mark per dollar, the Japanese currency reached a peak of 147.36, then declined to 144.44, with the final note being played at the 146.21 level.

Fresh statistics indicate that industrial activity in Japan is experiencing a downturn. This is evident from the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) data for the manufacturing sector, which fell from 49.7 to 49.6 in a month, remaining below the threshold of 50 for the third consecutive month. The 50 mark separates expansion from contraction. Against this backdrop, USD/JPY maintains a bullish sentiment, although this could be disrupted by currency interventions from the Japanese authorities. Officials assure that they remain vigilant. For instance, Japan's Finance Minister, Sunaiti Suzuki, recently conducted another verbal (non-financial) intervention. On September 01, he stated that markets should determine currency exchange rates themselves, while emphasizing that sharp fluctuations are undesirable. He also mentioned closely monitoring currency movements. Whether such "incantations" will calm investors concerning the yen remains uncertain. It is plausible that concrete currency interventions, rather than verbal ones, might be required to provide evidence, much like what occurred last November.

In terms of the near-term outlook, much like the previous pairs, the majority of analysts believe that the DXY has gained sufficiently and that it might be time for it to retrace southward, at least temporarily. Regarding USD/JPY, 80% of analysts have voted in favour of such a trend reversal. The remaining 20% continue to hold faith in the dollar's potential for further pair growth. On the D1 timeframe, all 100% of trend indicators are painted in green. Among oscillators, 65% are in this state, while 10% are in red, and the remaining 25% have assumed a neutral position.

The nearest support level is situated in the range of 146.10, followed by 145.50-145.70, 144.90, 144.50, 143.75-144.05, 142.90-143.05, 142.20, 141.40-141.75, 140.60-140.75, 139.85, 138.95-139.05, 138.05-138.30, 137.25-137.50. The closest resistance lies at 146.50-146.60, followed by 146.90, 147.25-147.35, 148.45-148.85, 150.00, and finally, the October 2022 high of 151.90.

Friday, September 08, stands out in the economic calendar for the upcoming week as the day when the GDP figures for Japan's Q2 2023 will be released. There are no other significant statistical releases planned concerning the state of the Japanese economy for the upcoming week.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: Why Bitcoin Soared and Why It Fell Again



The beginning of the past week was exceptionally dull. Its continuation could have been just as uneventful if not for Grayscale. Currently, Grayscale is the world's largest investment firm managing cryptocurrency assets. And now, it has won an appeal against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The judges unanimously deemed the regulator's denial of converting the Bitcoin trust fund into a spot ETF "arbitrary and capricious." The legal battle lasted over a year, and unexpectedly on Tuesday, August 29, the court delivered such a definitive verdict. As a result, within three hours, Bitcoin surged from $26,060 to $28,122, a 7.9% increase, demonstrating the best growth rate in the last 12 months.

Perhaps, the explosive effect could have been even more impressive if not for the insiders. It turned out that someone did know about the court's decision in advance. Just before the court's announcement, this individual placed 30,000 Bitcoins, worth around $780 million, on the exchange. Selling such a volume of coins at the price peak is rather challenging due to low liquidity, thus causing a decline in their selling value. Consequently, the gains of BTC/USD gradually faded away, and it returned to where it started on August 29.

However, despite this decline, many analysts are confident that the current court decision will still have a positive impact on the market. Recall that this summer, eight major financial institutions have already filed applications with the SEC to enter the cryptocurrency market through spot Bitcoin ETFs. Among them are global asset managers like BlackRock, Invesco, and Fidelity. Earlier, the fact that the SEC had previously rejected all similar applications raised concerns. However, everything has changed now following the Grayscale case verdict.

Senior Bloomberg strategist, Eric Balchunas, has already raised his prediction to 95% for ETF approvals within 2024 and to 75% for the possibility of it happening in this year, 2023. According to various estimates, these new funds could attract between $5 billion to $10 billion of institutional investments within the first six months alone, undoubtedly pushing the quotations higher.

Co-founder of Fundstrat, Tom Lee, believes that if a spot Bitcoin ETF is approved, the price could rise to $185,000. On the other hand, Cathy Wood, the CEO of ARK Invest, forecasts a surge in the total cryptocurrency market capitalization to $25 trillion by 2030, representing an increase of over 2100%. Within this projection, ARK Invest's baseline scenario envisions BTC's price rising to $650,000 during this period, while the more optimistic scenario suggests roughly twice that.

The Artificial Intelligence ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, has proposed its optimistic scenario. It envisions the primary cryptocurrency growing to $150,000 by 2024, $500,000 by 2028, $1 million by 2032, and $5 million by 2050. ChatGPT, however, outlined certain conditions. This growth could only materialize if: the cryptocurrency becomes widely adopted, bitcoin becomes a popular store of value, and the coin is integrated into various financial systems. If these conditions are not met, according to the AI's calculations, by 2050, the coin could be valued anywhere from $20,000 to $500,000.

In general, even the latest figure sounds promising for long-term holders of BTC, whose numbers continue to grow. Research from Glassnode reveals that this figure recently reached a record high, indicating the popularity of the hodling concept, a presence of certain optimism, and potential resistance to market fluctuations.

On the flip side, short-term speculators are exiting the market. According to CryptoQuant, the trading volume of bitcoins has hit its lowest level in five years. "Trading volumes are decreasing amidst a bearish trend, as retail investors depart," explains Julio Moreno, Head of Research at CryptoQuant. "Overall, the market remains lacklustre," asserts Gautam Chhugani, an analyst at Bernstein. "This trend isn't necessarily bearish, but participants are still uninterested in trading, as the market awaits catalysts."

Raoul Pal, CEO of Real Vision Group, one of the world's leading financial media platforms, noted that btc's 30-day volatility has decreased to 20 points. However, based on his observations, historically, such low volatility within two to four months led to a robust surge in the first cryptocurrency. According to the analyst known as Credible Crypto, for a truly potent surge, the bulls need to push the first cryptocurrency's price above the key zone of $29,000-$30,000. For now, a significant portion of traders anticipates a decrease in BTC to more favourable buying levels. Yet, when the price surpasses $30,000, according to Credible Crypto, the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) phenomenon will come into play, propelling quotations upwards.

To what extent can the price of the flagship cryptocurrency fall in the current situation? September historically has not been favourable for bitcoin. From 2011 to 2022, BTC on average lost about 4.67% of its value during this period.

Analyst Justin Bennett believes that the bitcoin price could potentially drop to $14,000. This level acted as strong support from 2018 to 2020. Bennett supports his forecasts with a chart showing that the flagship crypto asset has exited an ascending channel that it had been in for about ten months. Bitcoin failed to overcome resistance in the range of $29,000-$33,000, which led to this breakout. Furthermore, a global economic recession could exacerbate the decline. According to Bennett, since the S&P 500 stock index couldn't replicate the 2022 record of 4,750 points, it could now potentially lose a substantial percentage of its value.

However, despite the aforementioned viewpoints, September could still prove favourable for long-term investments within the "buy on dips" strategy. Bloomberg's Senior Analyst, Mike McGlone, compared metrics of the first cryptocurrency to the stock market and concluded that even a drop to $10,000 wouldn't significantly shake the coin's positions. As an example, the expert cited corporate giant Amazon's stocks, which yielded over 7,000% returns in the last 20 years. Yet, BTC far surpasses this figure having grown around 26,000% since 2011. "Even a return to the $10,000 mark would maintain an unprecedented asset performance," notes McGlone. He emphasizes that bitcoin's trajectory of "mainstream migration" is also crucial, as exchange-traded funds and other instruments characteristic of the traditional market emerge.

In addition to the potential approval of spot bitcoin ETFs, the upcoming halving could also influence the coin's growth. Thanks to these factors, according to TradingShot analysts, BTC/USD could rise to the $50,000 mark by the end of this year. However, at the time of writing this review on the evening of Friday, September 1st, it's trading around $25,750. The overall cryptocurrency market capitalization stands at $1.048 trillion ($1.047 trillion a week ago). The Crypto Fear & Greed Index remains in the Fear zone at a reading of 40 (39 points a week ago).


NordFX Analytical Group


Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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NordFX Brokerage has summarized the trading performance of its clients for August 2023. The company has also evaluated its social trading services, CopyTrading and PAMM, as well as the profits earned by its IB partners.

- In August, a client from Western Asia, with account number 1692XXX, ascended to the top "golden" tier of the honour podium. This individual earned 85,598 USD through trades involving gold (XAU/USD) and the British pound (GBP/USD).

- Their compatriot, with account number 1683XXX, took second place, also trading in gold (XAU/USD) and earning 44,329 USD from these transactions.

- Completing the top three is a trader from South Asia, with account number 1691XXX, who earned a profit of 43,458 USD. Similar to the first two cases, this impressive result was achieved through trades involving XAU/USD.

The situation in NordFX's passive investment services is as follows:

- In August, the signal Ok my trade within the CopyTrading startups caught attention. In just 10 days, it delivered a 510% profit. What's more significant is that its maximum drawdown did not exceed 16%. Given the aggressive trading strategy, this can be considered an accomplishment. However, it's important to reiterate that aggressiveness and a short lifespan are key risk factors that require special caution when subscribing to such signals.

- In the PAMM service, we continue to monitor the Trade and Earn account. While it was opened over a year ago, it remained dormant until awakening in November. As a result, over the past 10 months, it has achieved a return of 175% with a relatively low maximum drawdown of less than 17%.

The top three IB partners of NordFX received the following rewards in August:

- The highest commission of 12,328 USD was awarded to a partner from Western Asia, with account number 1645XXX, who has led the top three for four consecutive months. Over this period, they have earned just under 45,000 USD in total;

- Following in second place is a partner from South Asia, with account number 1507XXX, who received 9,324 USD;

- Finally, rounding out the top three is another partner from South Asia, with account number 1531XXX, who received a reward of 5,512 USD.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

CryptoNews of the Week



– 9% of Nigeria's population is aware of the existence of digital assets, surpassing the United States, which has an awareness level of 95%. Of these, 76% have owned or currently own cryptocurrencies, with the most popular coins being bitcoin, Ethereum, Binance Coin, and Dogecoin. The instability of the national currency has driven Nigerians toward the acquisition of digital assets, according to a study by ConsenSys.
Among Nigerian respondents, 70% stated that they understand the fundamental concepts of blockchain technology. They are followed by citizens of South Korea (63%), South Africa (61%), Brazil (59%), and India (56%). Experts note that the level of awareness about this technology is much lower in Europe and the United States compared to African countries. Meanwhile, only half of the surveyed Americans are using digital assets.

– A People's Court in China has declared that cryptocurrency falls under the category of legally protected property. According to the verdict, virtual assets have economic characteristics and should therefore be classified as property that is legally protected.
In light of this, legal experts have put forward a set of measures aimed at combating criminal activities in the realm of cryptocurrency. They have also underscored the need to harmonize criminal and civil laws to address the challenges associated with asset confiscation.

– In a recent Twitter post titled "What's Happening with XRP," Ripple's Chief Technical Officer, David Schwartz, suggested that this particular altcoin could become the global reserve currency. According to Schwartz, a significant portion of the world has already moved away from the U.S. dollar as the reserve currency. Every nation would prefer its own currency to take this position and would not want a rival country's currency to do so. Schwartz believes that this situation could lead to the world transitioning to a digital currency like XRP, which is not controlled by geopolitical competitors.

– The artificial intelligence platform PricePredictions has calculated a projected bitcoin price of $26,228 for September 30. The forecast is based on several key technical indicators, including Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), Relative Strength Index (RSI), Bollinger Bands (BB), among others.

– In a TradingView publication, an analyst using the pseudonym Tolberti has indicated that the recent fluctuations in bitcoin's price could serve as the year's "bull trap." Tolberti notes that a "Head and Shoulders" pattern, typically a bearish indicator, appears to be forming on the current BTC chart.
Additionally, Tolberti cites several key metrics that bolster his bearish outlook. A particularly telling indicator is bitcoin trading below its 200-week moving average (MA), which is traditionally a sign of extended bearish sentiment. He suggests that bitcoin's value might plummet to $10,000, with a potential market turnaround perhaps occurring as late as March 2024.

– Alistair Milne, the Chief Investment Officer of the digital currency fund Altana, believes that the price of bitcoin could reach $100,000 without the approval of spot Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) in the United States. In his view, the ETF topic merely distracts market participants. It's worth noting that in June, when BlackRock and several traditional financial organizations submitted ETF applications to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the flagship cryptocurrency experienced its most significant growth in over a year, surpassing the $30,000 mark. However, this upward momentum was short-lived.
Milne is confident that issues in the U.S. banking sector, stabilization of risk assets following the completion of the Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes and increasing profitability in the crypto-mining sector will drive bitcoin's price upward.

– According to analysts at Cointelegraph, the value of "digital gold" could experience a significant drop in the coming weeks. This forecast is based on the bearish trends emerging in bitcoin derivatives. The BTC price chart leaves little doubt that investor sentiment has not improved following Grayscale's victory over the SEC on August 29, 2023. Consequently, experts anticipate that the leading cryptocurrency's value could decline to $22,000 in the near future.
Cointelegraph analysts believe that the delay in launching spot Bitcoin ETFs has left a negative impact on the market. Furthermore, many experts link market troubles to the U.S. regulatory actions against exchanges like Binance and Coinbase. Multiple sources suggest that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is likely to level charges against the world's largest trading platform and initiate a criminal investigation, focusing on allegations related to money laundering and violation of sanctions against Russian companies.
Currently, market participants are in a state of limbo, unsure of what to expect. This regulatory uncertainty is tipping the scales in favour of the bears. Fear and doubt reign in the derivatives market, creating favourable conditions for those betting on a decline.

– Renowned blogger and analyst Lark Davis has stated that the bitcoin halving scheduled for April 2024 could lead to a 500-600% increase in the cryptocurrency's price, potentially pushing it to around $150,000 or even $180,000. According to additional data from the expert, the launch of spot bitcoin ETFs could attract about $20-30 billion in "new money." Davis asserts that this influx of capital would allow investors to purchase nearly half of all circulating bitcoin on centralized global exchanges (CEX).
Lark Davis also shared a chart comparing the price trajectory of physical gold. He noted that when the first ETF for the precious metal was approved in the U.S. markets, its price initially dipped. However, it subsequently rallied, adding over 110% to its peak value. Davis opined that a similar scenario could unfold for bitcoin.

– At the end of August, the monthly chart for digital gold indicated an exit from the overbought zone according to the Stochastic Oscillator, signalling potential disappointment for bitcoin bulls. This observation was made by experts at Fairlead Strategies. According to the analysts, such a signal often indicates the passing of a local peak. They pointed out that similar scenarios occurred under comparable circumstances at the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2021.
"The decline in the Stochastic Oscillator suggests that the process of establishing a bottom could be prolonged, especially considering the looming Ichimoku cloud serving as resistance (~$31,900)," the report stated.

– Popular analyst and crypto-millionaire William Clemente has stated that interest in the crypto industry has significantly waned recently. According to his observations, the total trading volume of digital assets has dropped to its lowest levels since 2020. Additionally, based on Google search statistics, people are searching for information on bitcoin and cryptocurrencies far less frequently, reaching multi-year lows.
Clemente also highlighted another sign of market participants' apathy. According to him, indicators for realized and implied volatility, as well as the Bollinger Bands' divergence on a weekly timeframe, are near record lows.
Another well-known trader and analyst going by the pseudonym DonAlt concurred with Clemente. He noted that this is precisely what failure looks like but ironically emphasized that there's no turning back now.

– Trader, analyst, and founder of venture firm Eight, Michael Van De Poppe, noted that the markets appear unstable and are generating many doubts. Bitcoin's dominance level is starting to decline, and the majority of altcoins in trading pairs with BTC are beginning to regain their positions. This signifies interest in this asset class rather than a lack of it. Van De Poppe emphasized that this traditionally occurs 8-10 months before a BTC halving.

– Arthur Hayes, co-founder of the crypto exchange BitMEX, stated that bitcoin has been in a bullish trend since March 2023 and is expected to experience a new surge over the next 6-12 months. Hayes believes that the uptrend was triggered by the Federal Reserve's $25 billion banking sector stabilization program in light of the "rescue" of Silicon Valley Bank. According to Hayes, this situation has prompted traders to focus on assets with limited supply, like bitcoin. While this currently only involves a small portion of market participants, their numbers will continue to grow, he is convinced.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

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EUR/USD: September 13 and 14 - Key Days of the Week

For the eighth consecutive week, the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) is rising, while EUR/USD is declining. The currency pair has retreated to levels last seen three months ago, settling in the 1.0700 zone. It was only the dollar bulls starting to lock in accumulated gains on Friday, September 8, that prevented further declines.

The fundamental backdrop continues to favour the U.S. currency. Business activity, as measured by the Services PMI, shows consistent growth; it rose from 52.7 to 54.5 against a forecast of 52.5. Additionally, data released on September 8th indicated that the U.S. labour market is performing at least adequately. The number of initial jobless claims came in at 216K, lower than both the forecast of 234K and the previous figure of 229K.

On the same day, European statistics appeared decidedly weak. For instance, in Q2, the EU economy grew by a mere 0.1%, despite Q1 growth and market expectations being at 0.3%. In annual terms, with a forecast of 0.6%, the actual growth rate was also lower at 0.5%. Germany's industrial production volume decreased by -0.8% in July, compared to a forecast decline of -0.5%. Meanwhile, despite efforts to reduce it, inflation in Germany remains stable. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) published on Friday, September 8, stayed at 0.3% month-over-month (m/m) and 6.4% year-over-year (y/y).

According to many analysts, the European Central Bank (ECB) finds itself in a predicament. On one hand, to combat inflation, interest rates need to be raised; on the other hand, to assist the economy, they should be lowered. It is quite possible that in its meeting on Thursday, September 14, the regulator will take a pause and leave the key interest rate unchanged at 4.25%. Currently, the likelihood of such a decision is estimated at 35%.

As for the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve scheduled for September 20th, market participants are confident that the regulator will also leave interest rates unchanged. However, the reason in this case is different. While the Eurozone teeters on the edge of recession and stagflation, the U.S. is undergoing a "soft landing." As assured by John C. Williams, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, "monetary policy is in a good place." Of course, the balance could tip one way or the other after inflation data for the United States becomes available on Wednesday, September 13.

That said, a pause in September does not mean the end of the monetary tightening cycle. According to CME FedWatch, the odds of a 25 basis point (b.p.) rate hike in November are at 37%. Even if this hike doesn't materialize, it is unlikely to harm the dollar. Much of the negative sentiment is already priced into the USD, as markets have long been betting on a recession in the U.S. economy and a corresponding easing of the Federal Reserve's monetary policy. Now, it has become clear that a dovish shift is unlikely, and the key interest rate will, at a minimum, remain at the peak level of 5.5% for an extended period.

EUR/USD pair began its descent from a high of 1.1275 eight weeks ago, on July 18, ending the past trading week at 1.0699, shedding 576 points. As of the evening of September 8, when this review was written, 45% of experts predict a rise for the pair in the near term, another 45% foresee a decline, and 10% hold a neutral stance. Regarding technical analysis, nothing has changed over the past week. All trend indicators and oscillators on the D1 timeframe continue to be 100% in favor of the U.S. currency and are coloured red. However, already 30% of the most recent indicators signal the pair is oversold. Immediate support for the pair is located around 1.0680, followed by 1.0620-1.0635, 1.0515-1.0525, 1.0480, 1.0370, and 1.0255. Bulls will encounter resistance around 1.0730-1.0745, followed by 1.0780-1.0800, 1.0835-1.0865, 1.0895-1.0925, 1.0985, 1.1045, 1.1090-1.1110, 1.1150-1.1170, 1.1230, and 1.1275-1.1290.

It's essential to note Wednesday, September 13 in the calendar for the upcoming week, when consumer inflation data (CPI) for the U.S. will be released. On Thursday, September 14, the European Central Bank (ECB) will announce its decision on interest rates. Of course, the subsequent central bank leadership press conference will also be of great interest. On the same day, the number of initial jobless claims in the U.S. will traditionally be published, along with retail sales data and the Producer Price Index (PPI) for the country.

GBP/USD: Peak Rate Continues to Lower

At present, the central question for many central banks, including the Bank of England (BoE), is what takes precedence: taming inflation or preventing the economy from slipping into recession? Indeed, the British economy seems to be heading in the latter direction. The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for the country's manufacturing sector in August stood at a mere 43.0, with the headline PMI dropping to a 39-month low. According to recent data, the PMI in the services sector has declined to 49.5, dipping below the 50.0 threshold into contraction territory for the first time since January.

So, what about inflation? Although the annual inflation rate in the UK decreased from 7.9% to 6.8% (the lowest since February 2022), it remains the highest among G7 countries. Moreover, the core Consumer Price Index (CPI) remained at 6.9% year-over-year, only 0.2% below the peak set two months earlier.

According to the latest survey conducted by the Bank of England's Monthly Decision Maker Panel (DMP) on Thursday, September 7th, British businesses anticipate that the CPI will decline to 4.8% year-over-year within the next year. It is worth noting that the regulator itself aims to bring the CPI closer to 5.0% by the end of this year.

Surveys indicate that under the current circumstances, the country's leadership is prioritizing economic salvation over the battle against inflation. Huw Pill, the Bank of England's Chief Economist, stated that while there is no room for complacency concerning inflation, he would prefer to keep the interest rate stable for a longer period. He added that in the upcoming BoE meeting on September 21, he will vote to maintain the rate at its current level of 5.25%.

According to Reuters, markets are currently pricing in an 85% likelihood that the BoE's final interest rate, after one or two hikes by year's end, will be 5.75%. This projection is significantly lower than July's, when a peak rate of 6.5% was anticipated. It is worth noting that the future 5.75% for the pound is just 25 basis points higher than the current 5.50% for the dollar, a gap that clearly does not favour the British currency. Moreover, the U.S. Federal Reserve's rate could potentially rise by an additional 25-50 basis points.

GBP/USD closed last week at a rate of 1.2465. Economists from Singapore's United Overseas Bank Limited (UOB) anticipate that the pair may test strong support at the 1.2400 level over the next 1-3 weeks. However, they believe that short-term oversold conditions could decelerate the pace of further decline. Expert forecasts are evenly divided, much like those for EUR/USD: 45% predict a northward correction, 45% foresee a continued southward trend, and the remaining 10% point to an eastward move. Among the oscillators on the D1 chart, 100% are coloured in red, with 15% indicating oversold conditions. Trend indicators show a 90% to 10% ratio favouring red. If the pair trends downward, it will encounter support levels and zones at 1.2445, 1.2370-1.2390, 1.2300-1.2330, 1.2270, 1.2190-1.2210, 1.2085, 1.1960, and 1.1800. In case of upward movement, resistance can be expected at levels 1.2510, 1.2560-1.2575, 1.2600-1.2615, 1.2690-1.2710, 1.2760, 1.2800-1.2815, 1.2880, 1.2940, 1.2995-1.3010, 1.3060, and 1.3125-1.3140, as well as 1.3185-1.3210.

In terms of key economic data for the United Kingdom, the unemployment figures set to be released on Tuesday, September 12, are of particular interest. Additionally, the country's July GDP numbers, which will be disclosed on Wednesday, September 13, are also noteworthy.

USD/JPY: Bulls Wary as Bears Anticipate Currency Interventions



As for Japan, the question of "economy or inflation" is not up for debate; the answer is unequivocally the economy. On Wednesday, September 6, Kyodo News, citing anonymous sources, reported that the Japanese government apparently plans to roll out new economic stimulus measures in October. Reuters, quoting Japanese media outlets, identified the primary goals of the stimulus as "supporting wage increases within companies and mitigating electricity costs." "It is expected that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will task [the responsible parties] with preparing a draft […] to allocate additional budget resources for these measures," the report stated. Reuters also presented an analysis indicating that the country's debt burden will increase due to the announced stimulus measures. According to estimates, Japan's debt, which is already twice its GDP, will hit a record level of 112 trillion yen (760 billion dollars) in the next fiscal year.

It becomes clear that under such circumstances, inflation will continue to rise. Meanwhile, USD/JPY continues its upward movement, reaching a level of 147.86 on September 7, marking a 10-month high. On Friday, September 8, Japan's Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki reiterated once again that the country's authorities "are not ruling out any options to combat excessive currency fluctuations." However, no market participants believe in a rate hike anymore, given that it has been stuck at a negative level of -0.1% for many years. Concerns are growing among investors that the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Japan (BoJ) may finally resort not to verbal, but to actual currency interventions, as was the case last fall. According to the same Reuters report, Japan's chief currency diplomat, Masato Kanda, stated that Japanese banking authorities are considering the possibility of intervention to put an end to "speculative" movements.

Against the backdrop of the DXY Dollar Index holding around 105.00, its highest level since March, only currency interventions by the Bank of Japan could help the yen strengthen its position somewhat. However, according to some analysts, the main reason for the yen's weakness lies in the disagreements among the country's politicians regarding its monetary policy.

The final point of the past trading week was marked at 147.79. Strategists at UOB Group anticipate that the continuation of the upward momentum could push USD/JPY towards an assault on the 149.00 level in the coming weeks. As for the consensus forecast, only 20% of analysts still believe in the dollar's potential and the pair's further growth. Bears have gained the favour of 80%. (It's worth noting that even a 100% consensus does not guarantee the accuracy of the forecast, especially when it comes to the Japanese yen.) As for the trend indicators and oscillators on the D1 chart, all 100% are coloured green, although 40% of these are signalling overbought conditions. The nearest support level lies in the 146.85-147.00 zone, followed by 146.10, 145.55-145.70, 145.30, 144.90, 144.50, 143.75-144.05, 142.90-143.05, 142.20, 141.40-141.75, 140.60-140.75, 139.85, 138.95-139.05, 138.05-138.30, and 137.25-137.50. The nearest resistance stands at 148.45, followed by 148.85-149.10, 150.00, and finally, the October 2022 peak at 151.90.

No significant economic data concerning the state of the Japanese economy is scheduled for release in the upcoming week.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: Fear and Doubt in the Market

For the third week, the market has been in a state of apathy. According to observations by crypto-millionaire William Clemente, the total trading volume for digital assets has fallen to its lowest levels since 2020. The BTC/USD chart on the H1 and H4 timeframes mostly resembles an ant trail, where these insects move in a thin, unbroken line.

The situation was invigorated by a court decision in the Grayscale case. This world-leading investment firm in cryptocurrency asset management won an appeal against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). As a result, on August 29, bitcoin surged from $26,060 to $28,122 within three hours, showing its best growth rate in the last 12 months. However, the excitement was short-lived, as the SEC struck back by deciding to postpone until October the consideration of applications for spot bitcoin ETF registrations. Consequently, the flagship cryptocurrency returned to the support zone of $25,500.

Turning to technical analysis, this support corresponds to the Fibonacci level of 0.382. A break below this level could potentially lead to a fall to $21,700: the Fibonacci level of 0.618. Experts from Fairlead Strategies note that at the end of August, the digital gold's monthly chart confirmed an exit from the overbought zone on the stochastic oscillator, which could signal disappointment for bitcoin bulls. Analysts believe that this formed signal often indicates the passing of a local peak, as seen at the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2021. "The decline [in the stochastic oscillator] suggests that the bottom formation process may be prolonged. This is especially true when considering the Ichimoku cloud overhead, which serves as resistance (~$31,900)," said the report from Fairlead Strategies.

According to an analyst going by the nickname Tolberti, the BTC chart is forming a "head and shoulders" pattern, which threatens further price declines. Another argument supporting the bearish trend is that bitcoin is trading below its 200-week moving average (MA). As a result, Tolberti speculates that the leading cryptocurrency could fall to $10,000, with a possible reversal occurring in March 2024.

Negative forecasts are also coming from analysts at Cointelegraph. The fact is that bitcoin derivatives have started to show bearish tendencies. The BTC price chart leaves no doubt that investor sentiment has not improved following Grayscale's victory. Therefore, experts anticipate that the leading cryptocurrency's quotes could decline to $22,000 in the coming weeks.

Cointelegraph believes that not only the postponement of the launch of spot bitcoin ETFs is pressuring the market, but also U.S. regulatory actions against exchanges like Binance and Coinbase. Multiple sources claim that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is likely to charge the world's largest trading platform and initiate a criminal investigation. The allegations involve money laundering assistance and violation of sanctions against Russian companies.

Currently, market participants are in a state of limbo and are uncertain about what to expect. Regulatory uncertainty is favouring the bears. The derivatives market is ridden with fear and doubt, which benefits those betting on a decline, according to Cointelegraph.

We have previously noted that powerful catalysts for market growth in the medium and long term could be the launch of spot bitcoin ETFs and the bitcoin halving event scheduled for April 2024.

Recall that this summer, eight major financial institutions submitted applications to the SEC to enter the cryptocurrency market through spot bitcoin ETFs. Among them, in addition to BlackRock, are global asset managers like Invesco and Fidelity. According to some estimates, in the first six months after the ETF launch, new demand for the cryptocurrency could amount to $5-10 billion, and the value of BTC could rise to $50,000-120,000 per coin.

Despite the SEC's decision to postpone the review of applications until mid-autumn, the chances of approval are quite high. After all, BlackRock is not some small fish but a global investment giant, and it is in good standing with U.S. authorities. It's worth mentioning that when the Federal Reserve decided in 2020 to buy securities through ETFs to support the American economy, half of the volume went to BlackRock funds.

Interestingly, the company itself highly estimates the chances of application approval. This is evident from its purchasing of both bitcoin and shares of mining companies. In mid-August, it became known that BlackRock acquired shares of four major mining companies, spending a total of over $400 million. Larry Fink, BlackRock's CEO, has referred to bitcoin as digital gold and an international asset that potentially offers inflation protection.

Alistair Milne, the Chief Investment Officer of the Altana Digital Currency Fund, believes that the price of bitcoin could reach $100,000 even without the approval of spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). In his view, the ETF topic merely distracts market participants. Milne is confident that issues within the U.S. banking sector, the stabilization of risky assets following the end of the Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes and increasing profitability in the crypto-mining sector will drive the coin's price upward.

Arthur Hayes, the co-founder of the crypto exchange BitMEX, also thinks that due to issues in the banking sector, bitcoin is poised for substantial growth. According to him, the bull phase began after the Federal Reserve initiated a $25 billion program to stabilize the banking sector, notably including the "rescue" of Silicon Valley Bank. Hayes asserts that this situation has prompted traders to focus on assets with limited supply, such as bitcoin. While only a small fraction of market participants are currently taking this into account, he is convinced that their number will increase, and over the next 6-12 months, the leading cryptocurrency will experience a new surge.

As for the second driver, the halving, well-known blogger and analyst Lark Davis believes that this event could lead to a 500-600% increase in bitcoin's current price, potentially reaching around $150,000 to $180,000. However, with more than seven months to go before the halving, there are two upcoming events that could significantly influence investors' appetite for risky assets. These are the publication of U.S. inflation data on Wednesday, September 13, and the Federal Reserve meeting on September 20.

As of the time of writing this review, on the evening of Friday, September 8, BTC/USD is trading at around $25,890. The total market capitalization of the cryptocurrency market stands at $1.043 trillion, slightly down from $1.048 trillion a week ago. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index for bitcoin remains in the 'Fear' zone, registering at 46 points, up from 40 points a week earlier, though it is edging closer to the 'Neutral' zone.

In conclusion, another forecast comes from Artificial Intelligence. Utilizing several technical indicators, including Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), Relative Strength Index (RSI), Bollinger Bands (BB), and others, the AI on the PricePredictions platform has calculated that the price of bitcoin should reach $26,228 by September 30. We don't have long to wait to see whether such intelligence can be trusted.


NordFX Analytical Group


Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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CryptoNews of the Week



– Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Gary Gensler, addressed the United States Senate, stating that the vast majority of cryptocurrencies fall under the jurisdiction of his agency. Consequently, all market participants, including exchanges, brokers, dealers, and clearing agencies, must mandatorily register with the SEC.
Gensler drew parallels between the current crypto industry and the tumultuous years at the beginning of the 20th century when securities market legislation was still in development. During that era, the agency implemented a series of stringent enforcement actions to regulate the industry, and many cases ended up in court. Similar measures are needed today. They are not only intended to deter entrepreneurs but also to safeguard investors, as perceived by the head of the SEC.

– Starting from November 1, 2023, Sarah Breeden will assume the position of Deputy Governor at the Bank of England. According to her current statements, cryptocurrencies do not currently pose a significant risk to the country's financial stability. However, they could become problematic if closely integrated into the financial world, such as in the case of using stablecoins for payments.
In her perspective, "cryptocurrencies are assets without intrinsic value. Their price can potentially drop to zero, so investors should be prepared for the possibility of losing all their money. Nevertheless, blockchain technology can be valuable for the financial system." The official has pointed out that recent events have underscored the risks within the cryptocurrency sector. Consequently, the cryptocurrency market's downturn has adversely affected two major American banks, Silvergate and Signature, and has also led to the collapse of the stablecoin UST, along with the bankruptcy of several crypto-lending institutions. Given the global nature of the cryptocurrency market, collaborative efforts among regulatory authorities are crucial for devising comprehensive oversight measures for crypto assets, as highlighted by Breeden.

– On Monday, September 11, the BTC price dropped below $25,000 despite the weakening dollar and rising stock indices. This drop occurred amidst rumours that the controversial exchange FTX plans to sell digital assets as part of a bankruptcy procedure. On Tuesday, investors started buying again at the lower price points, causing the coin's value to rise above $26,500.
According to several analysts, there is no fundamental justification for these fluctuations in the price of bitcoin. Essentially, due to low liquidity and a declining market capitalization, the asset is shifting between different groups of players. In reality, investors are looking ahead to September 20 when the next Federal Reserve (FRS) meeting is scheduled.

– We have previously reported on the case of James Howells, a programmer who accidentally discarded a hard drive containing cryptocurrency during an office cleanup in August 2013. Consequently, the hard drive, which held 7500 BTC, ended up in a landfill in Newport, United Kingdom.
Over the course of ten years, Howells has been petitioning local authorities for permission to search for his lost wealth. Recently, his legal representatives sent an open letter to the municipality, requesting access to the landfill site by September 18th. In the event of refusal, the unsuccessful crypto investor intends to initiate a legal lawsuit against the city council, seeking compensation for the value of the lost bitcoins, which currently stands at approximately $250 million. Howells also plans to challenge the authorities' decision to deny him access to the landfill.
Howells stated, "I've tried everything I could over the past decade, but they have been unwilling to cooperate, so I am left with no choice but to pursue legal action. They have even refused to engage in serious discussions about the matter. Regardless of the type of asset, whether it's bitcoin, gold, or diamonds, not addressing this issue is simply imprudent.".

– Analysts from the cryptocurrency platform Matrixport have issued a warning that if Ethereum (ETH) were to fall to $1,500, it could pave the way for a further drop to $1,000. This lower level is considered justified based on their revenue forecasts for the Ethereum blockchain ecosystem. Matrixport highlights that ETH is not a "super-hard currency" capable of resisting inflation, as last week, the number of newly issued coins exceeded the amount burned by 4,000, deviating from the deflationary model that the blockchain transitioned to when switching from Proof of Work (PoW) to Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus algorithm.

– Analyst Benjamin Cowen has set an even lower target. He stated that Ethereum is on the brink of "extreme swings," which could result in its price dropping to a range of $800 to $400 by the end of the year. This potential decline is linked to the possible reduction in the profitability of blockchain platforms built on Ethereum's smart contract technology.
According to Cowen, both the Ethereum bulls and bears "have suffered setbacks and failed to execute their strategies." This will likely lead to both sides realizing losses by the end of 2023.

– The Twitter account of Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin was compromised as a result of a SIM card swap attack. Buterin had not enabled two-factor authentication, allowing the attacker to change the login password for his account by entering a code sent via SMS. Subsequently, the criminal posted a message on Buterin's behalf, falsely claiming a free NFT giveaway, and stole digital assets worth $691,000 from individuals who followed the provided link and linked their crypto wallets.

– David Marcus, co-founder of PayPal and CEO of Lightspark, a company specializing in integrating BTC payments using the Lightning Network, has made an unexpected statement. It turns out he himself doesn't believe that bitcoin will become a popular method of payment for purchases. Marcus explained that the currencies transmitted over the network will still remain fiat currencies that people are familiar with and use today. As for bitcoin, he likened it to a small data packet on the internet that is used to transfer values such as dollars, yen, or euros.

– Trader, analyst, and founder of the venture company Eight, Michael Van De Poppe, is predicting the last correction in the price of the leading cryptocurrency before an upcoming bull rally. In his view, if the bears manage to breach the exponential moving average line, which is positioned at $24,689, the worst-case scenario would see the coin drop to $23,000.
The specialist believes that this upcoming correction provides the final opportunity to buy bitcoins at a lower price. Institutional demand for digital assets is growing, so in the long term, the cryptocurrency's price will rise due to buying pressure.
However, it's worth noting that on August 17th, the BTC price broke below the ascending trendline that began in December 2022 and stayed below it. This suggests a high risk of a prolonged bearish trend.

– Dan Gambardello, the founder of Crypto Capital Venture, predicts that the next bull cycle could be the most impressive in the cryptocurrency market. The analyst has singled out ETH and XRP as cryptocurrencies to watch in the upcoming bull rally. His attention to these two altcoins is driven by Ripple's victory over the SEC in court and the approval of ETH ETF applications submitted by reputable fund managers.
At the same time, Gambardello has cautioned that the cryptocurrency market follows cycles, and it appears to be in an accumulation phase at the moment. Consequently, the analyst has warned that there is a possibility that the price of bitcoin could drop to $21,000 in the coming weeks. He attributes this potential drop to market manipulation by large players who may be suppressing prices and accumulating coins in anticipation of the next bull run.

– Prominent analyst known as CrypNuevo has analysed the current dynamics of bitcoin. According to this specialist, in the near future, the flagship cryptocurrency could reach the $27,000 mark. However, as the analyst emphasized, this is likely to be a false move. Furthermore, a subsequent drop is expected, potentially down to the $24,000 level.

– Mike McGlone, Senior Macroeconomic Strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, has cautioned investors that the near future could be challenging for the crypto sphere. In his view, digital assets gained popularity during an era of zero interest rates. However, monetary policy is currently undergoing changes, which could pose problems for the industry. This is evident in the decline in Bitcoin's price, despite positive news about the impending approval of spot ETFs in the United States.
"Cryptocurrencies flourished during an unprecedented period of zero interest rates, but this policy is rapidly changing, with consequences for prices. In Q3, bitcoin dropped by 15%, despite the potential approval of spot ETFs. Cryptocurrency, traded around the clock and without weekends, could become one of the most accurate indicators of an impending reset in the global economy. It has been overly inflated with liquidity, and now we're witnessing a liquidity unwind," believes the analyst.
McGlone pointed out that by November, according to futures, the yield on US government bonds is expected to reach 5.45%. This is significant, especially when considering that from 2011 to 2021, this figure was only 0.6% annually, precisely when bitcoin and other digital assets experienced substantial growth. Therefore, the liquidity outflow from cryptocurrencies is not surprising.
(Recall that back in June, Mike McGlone had already warned about the potential decline in bitcoin's price and turned out to be correct)


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

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EUR/USD: ECB Triggers Euro Collapse

The past week was marked by two significant events. The first was the release of Consumer Price Index (CPI) data in the United States on September 13. The second was the meeting of the European Central Bank's (ECB) Governing Council on September 14.

Regarding the first event, the annual CPI in the United States rose from 3.2% in July to 3.7% in August, surpassing market forecasts of 3.6%. On a monthly basis, the CPI increased from 0.2% to 0.6%, precisely in line with market expectations. Financial markets reacted relatively tepidly to this data. According to CME Group, there is a 78.5% likelihood that the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will maintain the key interest rate at its current level of 5.50% per annum during its meeting on September 20. However, the CPI statistics provide the regulator some room for manoeuvre in terms of tightening monetary policy in the future. If inflation in the United States continues to rise, there is a high probability that the Federal Reserve will increase the refinancing rate by another 25 basis points (bps). This is especially likely given that the U.S. economy is demonstrating stable growth and the national labor market remains robust. The published number of initial unemployment claims was 220K, which was lower than the forecasted 225K.

The second event triggered a considerably more volatile response. On Thursday, September 14, the ECB raised its key interest rate for the euro by 25 basis points (bps) for the tenth consecutive time, moving it from 4.25% to 4.50%. This is the highest it has reached since 2001. Experts had varying opinions on the move, labelling it as either hawkish or dovish. However, in theory, an interest rate increase should have supported the common European currency. Contrarily, EUR/USD fell below the 1.0700 mark, recording a local low at 1.0631. The last time it reached such depths was in the spring of 2023.

The decline in the euro was attributed to dovish comments made by the ECB's leadership. One could deduce from these that the central bank had already brought rates to levels that, if sustained over an extended period, should bring inflation within the Eurozone down to the target 2.0%. ECB President Christine Lagarde's statement, "I'm not saying we are at the peak of rates," failed to impress investors. They concluded that the current hike to 4.50% is likely the last step in this tightening cycle of monetary policy. As a result, with the backdrop that the Federal Reserve may still raise its rate to 5.75%, bears in EUR/USD have gained a noticeable advantage.

Bearish momentum increased even further following Thursday's release of data indicating that U.S. retail sales for August increased by 0.6% month-over-month (MoM), significantly exceeding the 0.2% forecast. At the same time, the Producer Price Index (PPI) for August rose by 0.7%, also surpassing expectations and the previous reading of 0.4%.

"We anticipate that the relative strength of the U.S. economy will continue to put pressure on EUR/USD in the coming months, as the growth differential will play a leading role. We maintain our forecast for the cross to be at the 1.0600-1.0300 range over the next 6-12 months," comment strategists at Danske Bank, one of Northern Europe's leading banks. They continue: "Given that it's hard to envision a sharp shift in the current U.S. dollar dynamics, and with commodity prices currently rising, we may reach our 6-month forecast for the cross earlier than expected."

HSBC strategists predict an even faster decline for the pair, anticipating that it will reach the 1.0200 level by the end of this year. According to specialists at ING, the pair could drop to the 1.0600-1.0650 area around the time of the Federal Reserve meeting in the upcoming week. "We believe that, at this stage, the EUR/USD rate will be increasingly influenced by the dollar," they write. "Markets have recognized that the ECB has most likely reached its peak interest rate, which means that Eurozone data should become less relevant. We might see EUR/USD rise again today [September 15], but a return to the 1.0600/1.0650 area around the date of the Federal Reserve meeting seems highly likely.".

As of the time of writing this review, on the evening of Friday, September 15, the pair indeed rose and ended the five-day trading period at the 1.0660 mark. 55% of experts are in favour of a continued upward correction, while 45% agree with ING economists' opinion and voted for a decline in the pair. As for technical analysis, almost nothing has changed over the past week. Among the trend indicators and oscillators on the D1 timeframe, 100% are still favouring the U.S. currency and are coloured in red. However, 25% of the latest indicators signal that the pair is oversold. Immediate support for the pair is located in the 1.0620-1.0630 area, followed by 1.0515-1.0525, 1.0480, 1.0370, and 1.0255. Bulls will encounter resistance in the 1.0680-1.0700 zone, then at 1.0745-1.0770, 1.0800, 1.0865, 1.0895-1.0925, 1.0985, and 1.1045.

The upcoming week will be quite eventful. On Tuesday, September 19, consumer inflation data (CPI) for the Eurozone will be released. Undoubtedly, the most significant day of the week, and perhaps even the upcoming months, will be Wednesday, September 20, when the FOMC meeting of the Federal Reserve will take place. In addition to the interest rate decision, investors expect to glean valuable information from the FOMC's long-term forecasts as well as during the press conference led by the Federal Reserve's management. On Thursday, September 21, the traditional initial jobless claims data will be published in the United States, along with the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's Manufacturing Activity Index. Friday promises a deluge of business activity statistics, with the release of PMI data for Germany, the Eurozone, and the United States.

GBP/USD: Awaiting the Bank of England Meeting

According to recent statistics, the UK economy is going through a challenging period. Some of the more emotional analysts even describe its condition as dire. GBP/USD continued to decline against the backdrop of disappointing GDP data for the country. According to the latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on Wednesday, September 13, the British economy contracted by -0.5% on a monthly basis, compared to an expected decline of -0.2%.

The day before, on Tuesday, the ONS published equally disheartening data concerning the labor market. The unemployment rate for the three months through July rose to 4.3%, compared to the previous figure of 4.2%. Employment decreased by 207,000 jobs, while the economy lost 66,000 jobs a month earlier. The market consensus forecast had been for a reduction of 185,000 jobs.

The Bank of England's (BoE) efforts to combat inflation appear to be rather modest. Although the annual rate of price growth in the UK has decreased from 7.9% to 6.8% (the lowest since February 2022), inflation remains the highest among the G7 countries. Moreover, the core Consumer Price Index (CPI) remained unchanged from the previous month at 6.9% year-on-year, only 0.2% below the peak set two months earlier.

Sarah Briden, the Deputy Governor of the BoE, believes that the "risks to inflation [...] are currently to the upside," and that it will only reach the target level of 2% two years from now. Meanwhile, according to quarterly survey data, only 21% of the country's population is satisfied with what the Bank of England is doing to control price growth. This marks a new record low.

Analysts at Canada's Scotiabank believe that the decline of GBP/USD could continue to 1.2100 in the coming weeks, and further to 1.2000. Economists at the French bank Societe Generale hold a similar view. According to them, while a fall to 1.1500 seems unlikely, the pair could very well reach 1.2000.

GBP/USD concluded the past week at a mark of 1.2382. The median forecast suggests that 50% of analysts expect the pair to correct upwards, 35% anticipate further movement downwards, and the remaining 15% point eastward. On the D1 chart, 100% of trend indicators and oscillators are coloured red, with 15% indicating that the pair is in oversold territory. If the pair continues to move south, it will encounter support levels and zones at 1.2300-1.2330, 1.2270, 1.2190-1.2210, 1.2085, 1.1960, and 1.1800. In the event of an upward correction, the pair will face resistance at 1.2440-1.2450, 1.2510, 1.2550-1.2575, 1.2600-1.2615, 1.2690-1.2710, 1.2760, and 1.2800-1.2815.

Among the key events related to the UK economy, the publication of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday, September 20, stands out. This inflation indicator will undoubtedly impact the Bank of England's decision on interest rates (forecasted to rise by 25 bps, from 5.25% to 5.50%). The BoE meeting will take place on Thursday, September 21. Additionally, toward the end of the workweek, data on retail sales and the UK's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) will be released.

USD/JPY: No Surprises Expected from the Bank of Japan Yet

Since the beginning of this year, the yen has been gradually losing ground to the U.S. dollar, with USD/JPY returning to November 2022 levels. It's worth noting that it was a year ago at these heights that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) initiated active currency interventions. This year, however, the BoJ has so far engaged only in verbal interventions, although quite actively: high-ranking Japanese officials are frequently making public comments.

In a recent interview with Yomiuri newspaper, BoJ Governor Kazuo Ueda stated that the central bank might abandon its negative interest rate policy if it concludes that sustainable inflation targets of 2% have been achieved. According to Ueda, by year-end, the regulator will have sufficient data to assess whether conditions are ripe for a policy shift.

This verbal intervention had an impact: markets responded with a strengthening of the yen. However, the "magic" was short-lived, and USD/JPY soon resumed its upward trajectory, closing the five-day trading period at 147.84.

Economists at Danske Bank believe that the global environment favours the Japanese yen and forecast a decline in USD/JPY to 130.00 over a 6-12 month horizon. "We believe that yields in the U.S. are peaking or close to it, which is the primary argument for our bearish stance on USD/JPY," they state. "Additionally, under current global economic conditions, where growth and inflation rates are declining, history suggests that these are favourable conditions for the Japanese yen." Danske Bank also anticipates that a recession could begin in the United States within the next two quarters, prompting the Federal Reserve to cut dollar interest rates. Until the Federal Reserve concludes its easing cycle, the Bank of Japan is expected to maintain its monetary policy unchanged. Therefore, any action from the BoJ before the second half of 2024 is unlikely.

As for short-term forecasts, Societe Generale does not rule out the possibility that following the FOMC decision by the Federal Reserve on September 20, USD/JPY could move closer to the 150.00 mark. As for the Bank of Japan's meeting on Friday, September 22, no surprises are expected, and it will likely involve another round of verbal intervention. Meanwhile, the vast majority of surveyed experts (80%) believe that if the Federal Reserve rate remains unchanged, USD/JPY has a high likelihood of correcting downward. Only 10% expect the pair to continue its upward trajectory, while another 10% take a neutral stance. All trend indicators and oscillators on the D1 time frame are coloured green, although 10% of these are signalling overbought conditions.

The nearest support levels are located in the 146.85-147.00 zone, followed by 145.90-146.10, 145.30, 144.50, 143.75-144.05, 142.90-143.05, 142.20, 141.40-141.75, 140.60-140.75, 138.95-139.05, and 137.25-137.50. The nearest resistance is at 147.95-148.00, followed by 148.45, 148.85-149.10, 150.00, and finally, the October 2022 high of 151.90.

We have already mentioned the Bank of Japan's meeting on September 22. No significant economic data concerning the state of the Japanese economy is scheduled for release in the coming week. Traders should be aware, however, that Monday, September 18, is a public holiday in Japan as the country observes Respect for the Aged Day.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: Death Cross and Bitcoin Paradoxes



A "Death Cross," indicated by the intersection of the 50-day and 200-day moving averages, has appeared on bitcoin's daily chart. This pattern last emerged in mid-January 2022, and was followed by a nearly threefold decrease in bitcoin's price by November, which is cause for concern. Interestingly, a similar Death Cross was observed in July 2021, but did not result in a price decline, offering some reassurance.

The current week in the cryptocurrency market has been marked by high volatility, with trading volumes for the leading cryptocurrency reaching $15 billion. Such levels of activity are typically only seen around major macroeconomic events. In this case, they include the release of U.S. inflation data on Wednesday, September 13, and the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting on September 20.

The BTC/USD weekly chart showed the following trends. On Monday, September 11, the price of bitcoin fell below $25,000, despite a weakening dollar and rising stock indices. This decline was fueled by rumors that the controversial FTX exchange was planning to sell digital assets as part of a bankruptcy proceeding. On Tuesday, investors resumed buying at lower levels, pushing the coin's price above $26,500. On Thursday, following the ECB's decision on interest rates, bitcoin continued to strengthen its position, reaching a high of $26,838. This occurred even as the dollar was strengthening.

In fact, the recent price dynamics are quite paradoxical. Imagine BTC/USD as a set of scales. When one side becomes heavier, it goes down while the other goes up. Yet, we witnessed both sides simultaneously descending and ascending. According to some analysts, there was no fundamental rationale behind these bitcoin movements. With low liquidity and falling market capitalization, the asset was merely being "shifted" from one group of speculators to another.

Even the testimony of Gary Gensler, the Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), before the U.S. Senate did not spook market participants. He stated that the overwhelming majority of cryptocurrencies fall under the jurisdiction of his agency. Consequently, all intermediaries in the market, exchanges, brokers, dealers, and clearing agencies, are required to register with the SEC.

Gensler compared the current state of the crypto industry to the "wild west" years of the early 20th century, when securities market legislation was still being developed. During those years, the agency took a series of strict enforcement actions to rein in the industry, and many cases ended up in court. Similar measures are needed today, not only to serve as a deterrent to businesses but also to protect investors, the SEC Chairman stated. (It's worth noting that, according to Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, the SEC is to blame for the U.S. becoming one of the "worst places" to launch cryptocurrency projects.)

But aside from the SEC, there are other regulators, such as the Federal Reserve. It's clear that the Fed's decisions and forecasts, which will be announced on September 20, will impact the dynamics of risky assets, including cryptocurrencies. Mike McGlone, Senior Macro Strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, has already warned investors that the near future for the crypto sector looks challenging. According to him, digital assets gained popularity during a period of near-zero interest rates. However, as monetary policy shifts, challenges could arise for the industry. McGlone pointed out that the yield on U.S. Treasury bonds is expected to reach 5.45% by November, based on futures contracts. In contrast, from 2011 to 2021, this yield was only about 0.6% annually, a period during which bitcoin and other digital assets saw significant growth. Therefore, a liquidity outflow from cryptocurrencies would not be surprising.

Once again, many analysts are offering positive medium- and long-term forecasts but negative short-term outlooks. Michael Van De Poppe, founder of venture firm Eight, predicts a final price correction for the leading cryptocurrency before an impending bull rally. According to him, if bears manage to breach the exponential moving average line, currently at $24,689, the coin could drop to as low as $23,000 in a worst-case scenario. Van De Poppe believes this upcoming correction represents the last chance to buy bitcoin at a low price.

Dan Gambardello, founder of Crypto Capital Venture, predicts that the next bull cycle could be the most impressive in the cryptocurrency market. However, he also reminds investors that the crypto market follows cycles and appears to be in an accumulation phase. Given this, Gambardello warns that there's a possibility that bitcoin's price could drop to $21,000 in the coming weeks. He attributes this potential decline to market manipulation by major players who may be driving down prices to accumulate coins in anticipation of the next bull run.

According to a popular expert known as CrypNuevo, the flagship cryptocurrency could soon reach a $27,000 mark. However, the analyst emphasized that this is likely to be a false move, and a dip down to around $24,000 should be expected thereafter. (It's worth noting that on August 17, the BTC price broke through the ascending trend line that started in December 2022 and settled below it, indicating a high risk of a prolonged bearish trend.)

As for the short-term prospects of the leading altcoin, they also appear to be less than optimistic. Analysts at Matrixport have warned that if ETH drops to $1,500, the path to $1,000 would be open: a level the experts consider justifiable based on their revenue projections for the Ethereum blockchain ecosystem. Matrixport notes that ETH is not a "super sound money" capable of resisting inflation, as the number of coins minted last week exceeded the amount burned by 4,000. This represents a deviation from the deflationary model that the blockchain adopted with the consensus algorithm transition from Proof of Work (PoW) to Proof of Stake (PoS).

Analyst Benjamin Cowen sets an even lower target. He claims that Ethereum is on the brink of "extreme volatility," potentially plummeting to a range between $800 and $400 by the end of the year. The reason remains the same: a possible decline in the profitability of blockchain platforms built on ETH smart contract technologies. According to Cowen, both ETH bulls and bears "have crashed and failed to execute their strategies," which will result in both parties locking in their losses by the end of 2023.

With three and a half months remaining until the end of the year, the current state of the market at the time of writing this review, Friday evening, September 15, shows ETH/USD trading around $1,620 and BTC/USD at $26,415. The total market capitalization of the crypto market stands at $1.052 trillion, up from $1.043 trillion a week ago. The leading cryptocurrency accounts for 48.34% of the market, while the primary altcoin makes up 18.84%. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index for bitcoin remains in the 'Fear' zone at 45 points, albeit inching closer to the 'Neutral' zone (it was 46 points a week ago).


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Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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CryptoNews of the Week



– Bitcoin is grappling with the $27,000 level ahead of the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision, set to be announced on September 20. John Bollinger, the creator of the Bollinger Bands volatility indicator, believes that the leading crypto asset is poised for a breakout. The indicator employs standard deviation from a simple moving average to identify asset volatility and potential price ranges. Currently, the BTC/USD pair is forming daily candles that touch the upper band, which may suggest a reversal back to the central band or, conversely, an increase in volatility and an upward movement. The narrow Bollinger Bands on the charts indicate that the latter scenario is more likely. However, Bollinger himself is cautious in his commentary, stating that it's too early to draw any definitive conclusions.

– Many participants in the crypto community are confident that bitcoin will continue to grow. For instance, an analyst going by the pseudonym Yoddha believes that bitcoin has a chance to reach a new local high and target $50,000 by the end of the year. Following that, a correction to $30,000 could occur in early 2024, ahead of the halving event.
Crypto blogger Crypto Rover argues that troubles in the U.S. economy will serve as a catalyst for bitcoin's growth. Should a confident breakout occur around the $27,000 resistance level, a price movement to $32,000 could be anticipated.
Analyst DonAlt, who accurately predicted the cryptocurrency rally earlier this year, posits that bitcoin has a chance for another significant rally and could set a new high for 2023. "If we rise and overcome the resistance we're currently battling," he writes, "the target could be around $36,000. [...] I don’t rule out missing a good entry at $30,000 because if the price takes off, it may rise too quickly. [However] there are substantial reasons for a downward move as well. In the worst case, I'll take a minor hit if it dips into the $19,000 to $20,000 range."

– Prominent analyst known by the pseudonym PlanB has reaffirmed his forecast made earlier this year. He noted that the November 2022 low was the bottom for bitcoin, and its ascent will commence closer to the halving event. PlanB believes that the 2024 halving will propel the leading cryptocurrency to $66,000, and the subsequent bull market in 2025 could elevate its price beyond the $100,000 mark.

– According to CoinShares, investments in crypto funds decreased by $54 million last week, with bitcoin accounting for $45 million of the outflows and Ethereum making up $5 million. Investments in funds allowing for short positions on bitcoin decreased by $4 million. This marks the fifth consecutive week of capital outflows, which have occurred in 8 out of the last 9 weeks. The total outflows over the past two months amount to $455 million. Meanwhile, weekly trading volumes have increased to $1 billion, representing a 42% surge compared to the previous week.

– Chainalysis has compiled a ranking of 154 countries based on the proportion of citizens investing a significant share of their savings in crypto assets. India topped the list, followed by Nigeria and Vietnam. The top 20, in descending order, included the United States, Ukraine, the Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, Brazil, Thailand, China, Turkey, Russia, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Mexico, Bangladesh, Japan, Canada, and Morocco.
Analysts noted that the global cryptocurrency adoption index is far from the historical highs seen in 2021 and is showing a declining trend. Most countries occupying leading positions in the ranking are categorized by the World Bank as nations with below-average income per capita.

– A new wave of cryptocurrency scams impersonating Elon Musk has emerged on the social media platform TikTok, as reported by Bleeping Computer. According to the publication, videos are being uploaded hourly, featuring Musk purportedly giving interviews to major outlets and directing viewers to a website where a giveaway is taking place. Fraudsters have created hundreds of such websites, some of which pose as cryptocurrency exchanges.
Journalists from the publication tested one of the giveaways: they created an account on the platform and entered the promo code provided in the TikTok video. They were then promised a bitcoin deposit into their account. A balance of 0.34 BTC (~$9,000) allegedly appeared in their wallet. However, upon attempting to withdraw the funds, they were asked to activate their account by depositing 0.005 BTC (around $132).

– U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown has called for stricter disclosure requirements for companies in the digital assets industry. Brown sent letters to the U.S. Treasury Secretary, the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), emphasizing the significant financial losses suffered by cryptocurrency investors. According to his data, investors lost approximately $10 billion in 2022 due to fraud and hacking attacks.
Additionally, nine American lawmakers have endorsed a bill aimed at combating money laundering through cryptocurrencies, which has been reintroduced for consideration in the U.S. Congress.

– Analysts at Matrixport, a provider of cryptographic services, believe that the surge in applications for launching spot bitcoin ETFs is revitalizing the digital asset market and could act as a catalyst for the price growth of the flagship cryptocurrency. The company notes a substantial "potential buying pressure for bitcoin," particularly from investors interested in the offering of a spot exchange-traded fund. Against this backdrop, bitcoin's dominance level has risen to 50.2%, marking the highest level in a month and nearing the 26-month peak of 52%, reached at the end of June.

– According to data from Chainalysis, cybercriminals from North Korea stole $340 million in 2023, with a third of that amount coming from just two attacks. This figure is significantly less than the previous year's record of $1.65 billion stolen in 2022. However, the attack dynamics are causing concern among experts. In the last 10 days alone, the Lazarus Group has hacked the Stake platform for $40 million and the CoinEx exchange for $55 million.

– Investor and bestselling author of "Rich Dad Poor Dad," Robert Kiyosaki, believes that traditional fiat currency has no future, and the future of money lies in cryptocurrencies. According to the expert, the U.S. economy is on the brink of a serious crisis, and cryptocurrencies, especially bitcoin, offer investors a safe haven during these turbulent times. Kiyosaki forecasts that the price of bitcoin could soar to $120,000 next year, with the 2024 halving serving as a key catalyst for the rally.
The specialist also revealed that he personally owns 60 BTC, which he acquired at $6,000 per coin. As a result, his current profit from this transaction exceeds $1.25 million.

– Analyst Jason Pizzino believes that bitcoin's bullish market cycle began to form around January and this process is not yet complete, despite the recent price consolidation. According to the trader, bitcoin will confirm its bullish sentiment if it crosses a key level at $28,500.
"In this market, we've rarely seen levels below $25,000. I'm not saying it can't go down, but for the last six months, the weekly closes have been above these levels. So far, so good, but the bulls aren't here yet. They need to at least occasionally see closes above $26,550," states Pizzino. "The bulls still have a lot to accomplish. I'll start talking about them once we cross the white line again at the $28,500 level. That's one of the key levels for the beginning of bitcoin's upward movement, to then attempt to break through $32,000.".

– According to popular analyst and host of the DataDash channel Nicholas Merten, the crypto market may be in for another downturn, signalled by decreasing stablecoin liquidity. "It's a good indicator for identifying trends in the crypto market. For example, from April 2019 to July 2019, bitcoin rose from $3,500 to $12,000. During that same period, stablecoin liquidity increased by 119%. Then we see a period of consolidation where liquidity also remained stable. When bitcoin rose from $3,900 to $65,000 in 2021, stablecoin liquidity soared by 2,183%," shares the expert.
"Liquidity and price growth are linked. If liquidity is decreasing or consolidating, then the market is likely not going to grow. This holds true for both cryptocurrencies and financial markets. Market capitalization needs liquidity to grow, but we're seeing it constantly decrease, making a decline in cryptocurrency prices more likely," states Nicholas Merten.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

EUR/USD: Verbal Interventions by the Federal Reserve Support the Dollar

In previous reviews, we extensively discussed the verbal interventions made by Japanese officials who aim to bolster the yen through their public statements. This time, similar actions have been taken by FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) officials, led by the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell. At their meeting on September 20th, the FOMC decided to maintain the interest rate at 5.50%. This was largely expected, as futures markets had indicated a 99% probability of such an outcome. However, in the subsequent press conference, Mr. Powell indicated that the battle against inflation is far from over, and that the 2.0% target may not be achieved until 2026. Therefore, another rate hike of 25 basis points is very much in the cards. According to the Fed Chairman, there is no recession on the horizon, and the U.S. economy is sufficiently robust to sustain such high borrowing costs for an extended period. Furthermore, it was revealed that 12 out of 19 FOMC members anticipate a rate hike to 5.75% within this year. According to the Committee's economic forecast, this rate level is expected to persist for quite some time. Specifically, the updated forecast suggests that the rate could only be lowered to 5.1% a year from now (as opposed to the previously stated 4.6%), and a decrease to 3.9% is expected in a two-year outlook (revised from 3.4%).

Market participants have mixed beliefs about these prospects, but the fact remains that the hawkish assertions from officials have bolstered the dollar, despite the absence of tangible actions. It's possible that the Federal Reserve has learned from the mistakes of their European Central Bank (ECB) counterparts, who have led market players to believe that the monetary tightening cycle in the Eurozone has concluded. As a reminder, ECB President Christine Lagarde made it clear that she considers the current interest rate level to be acceptable, while the Governor of the Bank of Greece, Yannis Stournaras, stated that, in his opinion, interest rates have peaked, and the next move will likely be a reduction. A similar sentiment: that the September act of monetary tightening was the last, was also expressed by Stournaras's colleague, Boris Vujčić, the Governor of the National Bank of Croatia.

As a result of the Federal Reserve's verbal intervention, the Dollar Index (DXY) soared from 104.35 to 105.37 within just a few hours, while EUR/USD declined to a level of 1.0616. Economists at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) believe that, given the Fed's decision to retain flexibility concerning another rate hike, it is not advisable to anticipate a dovish turn in the foreseeable future.

Danske Bank strategists opine that "the Fed was as hawkish as it could be without actually raising rates." However, they contend that "despite the ongoing strengthening of the dollar, there may be some upside potential for EUR/USD in the near term." Danske Bank further states, "We believe that peak rates, improvements in the manufacturing sector compared to the service sector, and/or a reduction in pessimism towards China could support EUR/USD over the next month. However, in the longer term, we maintain our strategic position favouring a decline in EUR/USD, expecting a breakthrough below 1.0300 within the next 12 months."

Data on U.S. business activity released on Friday, September 22, presented a mixed picture. The Manufacturing PMI index rose to 48.9, while the Services PMI declined to 50.2. Consequently, the Composite PMI remained above the 50.0 threshold but showed a slight dip, moving from 50.2 to 50.1.

Following the PMI release, EUR/USD concluded the week at 1.0645. Seventy percent of experts favoured further strengthening of the dollar, while 30% voted for an uptrend in the currency pair. In terms of technical analysis, not much has changed over the nearly completed week. All trend indicators and oscillators on the D1 timeframe are still unanimously supporting the American currency and are coloured red. However, 15% of them are signalling the pair's oversold condition. The nearest support levels for the pair lie in the 1.0620-1.0630 range, followed by 1.0490-1.0525, 1.0370, and 1.0255. Resistance levels will be encountered in the 1.0670-1.0700 zone, then at 1.0745-1.0770, 1.0800, 1.0865, 1.0895-1.0925, 1.0985, and 1.1045.

As for the upcoming week's events, Tuesday, September 26 will see the release of U.S. real estate market data, followed by durable goods orders in the U.S. on Wednesday. Thursday, September 28 promises to be a busy day. Preliminary inflation (CPI) data from Germany as well as U.S. GDP figures for Q2 will be disclosed. Additionally, the customary U.S. labour market statistics will be released, and the day will conclude with remarks from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. On Friday, we can also expect a slew of significant macroeconomic data, including the Eurozone's preliminary Consumer Price Index (CPI) and information regarding personal consumption in the United States.

GBP/USD: BoE Withdraws Support for the Pound



The financial world doesn't revolve around the Federal Reserve's decisions alone. Last week, the Bank of England (BoE) also made its voice heard. On Thursday, September 21, the BoE's Monetary Policy Committee left the interest rate for the pound unchanged at 5.25%. While a similar decision by the Federal Reserve was expected, the BoE's move came as a surprise to market participants. They had anticipated a 25 basis point increase, which did not materialize. As a result, the strengthening dollar and weakening pound drove GBP/USD down to 1.2230.

The BoE's decision was likely influenced by encouraging inflation data for the United Kingdom published the day before. The annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) actually declined to 6.7%, compared to the previous 6.8% and a forecast of 7.1%. The core CPI also fell from 6.9% to 6.2%, against a forecast of 6.8%. Given such data, the decision to pause and not burden an already struggling economy appears reasonable. This rationale is further supported by the United Kingdom's preliminary Services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for September, which hit a 32-month low at 47.2, compared to 49.5 in August and a forecast of 49.2. The Manufacturing PMI was also reported at 44.2, significantly below the critical level of 50.0.

According to economists at S&P Global Market Intelligence, these "disheartening PMI results suggest that a recession in the United Kingdom is becoming increasingly likely. [...] The sharp decline in production volumes indicated by the PMI data corresponds to a GDP contraction of more than 0.4% on a quarterly basis, and the broad-based downturn is gaining momentum with no immediate prospects for improvement.".

Analysts at one of the largest banks in the United States, Wells Fargo, believe that the BoE's decision signals a loss of rate-based support for the British pound. According to their forecast, the current rate of 5.25% will mark the peak of the cycle, followed by a gradual decline to 3.25% by the end of 2024. Consequently, they argue that "in this context, a movement of the pound to 1.2000 or lower is not out of the question."

Their counterparts at Scotiabank share a similar sentiment. New lows and strong bearish signals on the oscillator for short-term, medium-term, and long-term trends indicate an elevated risk of the pound dropping to 1.2100-1.2200.

Economists at Germany's Commerzbank do not rule out the possibility of a slight recovery for the pound if inflation outlooks significantly improve. They believe that the Bank of England has left the door open for another rate hike. The vote for maintaining the current rate was surprisingly close at 5:4, meaning four members of the Monetary Policy Committee voted in favour of a 25 basis point increase. This underscores the high level of uncertainty. Nevertheless, due to the weakness in the UK economy, the outlook for the pound remains bearish.

GBP/USD closed the past week at 1.2237. Analyst opinions on the pair's immediate future are evenly split: 50% expect further downward movement, while the other 50% anticipate a correction to the upside. All trend indicators and oscillators on the D1 chart are coloured in red; moreover, 40% of these oscillators are in the oversold zone, which is a strong signal for a potential trend reversal.

If the pair continues its downward trajectory, it will encounter support levels and zones at 1.2190-1.2210, 1.2085, 1.1960, and 1.1800. On the other hand, if the pair rises, it will face resistance at 1.2325, 1.2440-1.2450, 1.2510, 1.2550-1.2575, 1.2600-1.2615, 1.2690-1.2710, 1.2760, and 1.2800-1.2815.

In terms of economic events impacting the United Kingdom for the upcoming week, the highlight will be the release of the country's GDP data for Q2, scheduled for Friday, September 29.

USD/JPY: Lacklustre Meeting at the Bank of Japan

Following their counterparts at the Federal Reserve and the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) held its meeting on Friday, September 22. "It was a lacklustre meeting," commented economists at TD Securities. "All members unanimously voted to keep policy unchanged. The statement was largely similar to the one issued in July, and no changes were made to the forward guidance." The key interest rate remained at the negative level of -0.1%.

The subsequent press conference led by BoJ Governor Kazuo Ueda also disappointed yen bulls. Ueda did not speak against the weakening of the national currency; instead, he reiterated that the exchange rate should reflect fundamental indicators and remain stable. The central bank's head also noted that the regulator "could consider the possibility of ending yield curve control and altering the negative interest rate policy when we are confident that achieving the 2% inflation target is near."

Japan's Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki's speech was also a typical form of verbal intervention for him. "We are closely monitoring currency exchange rates with a high sense of urgency and immediacy," the minister declared, "and we do not rule out any options for responding to excessive volatility." He added that last year's currency intervention had its intended effect but did not indicate whether similar steps could be expected in the near future.

Ten-year U.S. Treasury bonds and the USD/JPY currency pair are traditionally directly correlated. When the yield on the bonds rises, so does the dollar against the yen. This week, following hawkish statements from the Federal Reserve, rates on 10-year Treasuries soared to their highest peak since 2007. This propelled USD/JPY to a new high of 148.45. According to economists at TD Securities, considering the rise in U.S. yields, the pair could break above 150.00. Meanwhile, at the French bank Societe Generale, target levels of 149.20 and 150.30 are being cited.

The last note of the five-day trading session sounded at the 148.36 mark. A majority of surveyed experts (70%) agreed with the views of their colleagues at TD Securities and Societe Generale regarding the further rise of USD/JPY. A correction to the downside, and possibly a sharp drop due to currency interventions, is expected by 20% of analysts. The remaining 10% took a neutral stance. All 100% of trend indicators and oscillators on the D1 timeframe are coloured green, although 10% of the latter are signalling overbought conditions. The nearest support level is in the 146.85-147.00 zone, followed by 145.90-146.10, 145.30, 144.50, 143.75-144.05, 142.20, 140.60-140.75, 138.95-139.05, and 137.25-137.50. The nearest resistance is at 148.45, followed by 148.45, 148.85-149.20, 150.00, and finally, the October 2022 high of 151.90.

No significant economic data related to the state of the Japanese economy is scheduled for release in the upcoming week. However, traders may want to mark Friday, September 29 on their calendars, as consumer inflation data for the Tokyo region will be published on that day.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: Battle for $27,000

On Monday, September 18, the price of the leading cryptocurrency began to soar, pulling the entire digital asset market upward. Interestingly, the reason behind this surge was not directly related to bitcoin, but rather to the U.S. dollar. Specifically, it was tied to the Federal Reserve's decisions regarding interest rates. High dollar rates limit the flow of investments into riskier assets, including cryptocurrencies, as large investors prefer stable returns. In this case, ahead of the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting, market participants were confident that the regulator would not only refrain from raising rates but would also keep them unchanged until year-end. Riding on these expectations, BTC/USD surged, reaching a peak of $27,467 on August 19, adding more than 10% since September 11.

However, although the rate did indeed remain unchanged, it became clear following the meeting that the fight against inflation would continue. Therefore, any hopes of a shift away from the Fed's hawkish stance should be set aside for now. As a result, the price of bitcoin reversed course. After breaking through the support zone at $27,000, it returned to its starting positions.

Despite the recent pullback, many in the crypto community remain confident that the digital gold will continue to rise. For instance, an analyst going by the alias Yoddha believes that bitcoin has a chance to refresh its local high in the short term and reach $50,000 by year-end. After which, he suggests, a correction to $30,000 may occur in early 2024, ahead of the halving event. Blogger Crypto Rover also anticipates that troubles in the U.S. economy will fuel BTC's growth. If the pair manages to firmly establish itself above $27,000, he expects the price to move towards $32,000.

Analyst DonAlt is of the opinion that bitcoin stands a chance to stage a new impressive rally and update its 2023 high. "If we rise and overcome the resistance we are currently battling," he writes, "the target, I believe, could be $36,000. [...] I won't rule out missing a good entry at $30,000 because if the price takes off, it may rise too quickly. [But] we have enough compelling reasons to also move downward. In the worst case, I'll take a minor hit if it plunges into the $19,000 to $20,000 range.".

Trader and analyst Jason Pizzino believes that bitcoin's bullish market cycle began forming around January, and this process is still not complete despite the recent price consolidation. According to the expert, bitcoin will confirm its bullish sentiment if it crosses a key level at $28,500. "This market has seldom seen sub-$25,000 levels. I'm not saying it can't go down, but for six months now, the weekly closings have been above these levels. So far, so good, but we're not in bull territory yet. Bulls need to see closings above $26,550 at least occasionally," states Pizzino. "Bulls still have much to do. I'll start talking about them once we cross the white line at the $28,500 level again. This is one of the key levels for bitcoin to start moving upwards and then try to break $32,000.".

John Bollinger, the creator of the Bollinger Bands volatility indicator, does not rule out the possibility that the leading crypto asset is preparing for a breakout. The indicator uses the standard deviation from the simple moving average to determine volatility and potential price ranges for an asset. Currently, BTC/USD is forming daily candles that touch the upper band. This could indicate a reversal back to the central band or, conversely, an increase in volatility and upward movement. Narrow Bollinger Bands on the charts suggest that the latter scenario is more likely. However, Bollinger himself comments cautiously, believing that it is still too early to draw definitive conclusions.

PlanB, the well-known creator of the S2FX model, has reaffirmed his forecast made earlier this year. He noted that the November 2022 low was the bottom for bitcoin, and its ascent will begin closer to the halving event. PlanB believes that the 2024 halving will drive the leading cryptocurrency up to $66,000, and the subsequent bull market in 2025 could push its price above the $100,000 mark.

Investor and best-selling author of "Rich Dad Poor Dad," Robert Kiyosaki, has high hopes for the halving event as well. According to the expert, the U.S. economy is on the verge of a serious crisis, and cryptocurrencies, particularly bitcoin, offer investors a safe haven during these turbulent times. Kiyosaki predicts that the price of bitcoin could soar to $120,000 next year, and the 2024 halving will serve as a key catalyst for the rally.

In conclusion, to balance out the optimistic forecasts mentioned earlier, let's introduce some pessimism. According to popular analyst and host of the DataDash channel, Nicholas Merten, the crypto market could experience another downturn. He cites the declining liquidity of stablecoins as an indicator. "It's a good metric for identifying trends in the cryptocurrency market. For instance, from April 2019 to July 2019, bitcoin rose from $3,500 to $12,000. During the same period, the liquidity of stablecoins increased by 119%. Then we see a period of consolidation where liquidity also remained at a constant level. When bitcoin rose from $3,900 to $65,000 in 2021, the liquidity of stablecoins surged by 2,183%," the expert shares his observations.

"Liquidity and price growth are interconnected. If liquidity is declining or consolidating, the market is likely not going to grow. This is true for both cryptocurrencies and financial markets. For market capitalization to grow, you need liquidity, but what we are seeing is a constant decline in liquidity, which makes a price drop for cryptocurrencies more probable," Nicholas Merten states.

As of the time of writing this review, Friday evening, September 22, BTC/USD is trading around $26,525. The overall market capitalization of the crypto market has remained virtually unchanged, standing at $1.053 trillion (compared to $1.052 trillion a week ago). The Bitcoin Crypto Fear & Greed Index has dropped by 2 points, moving from 45 to 43, and remains in the 'Fear' zone.


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Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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CryptoNews of the Week



– Anthony Scaramucci, the founder of SkyBridge Capital, stated at the Messari Mainnet conference in New York that the worst is over in the current bear market for digital assets. "If you own bitcoin, I wouldn't sell it. You've weathered the storm. [...] The next 10-20 years will be extraordinarily bullish," he said.
The investor acknowledged that there are "headwinds" for bitcoin in the current macroeconomic environment, such as high interest rates, scepticism from SEC Chairman Gary Gensler, and negativity surrounding the acceptance of digital assets. However, he is confident that bitcoin offers more potential than gold. In his view, the proliferation of bitcoin ETFs will lead to the widespread adoption of digital assets.

– Mark Yusko, the CEO of consulting firm Morgan Creek Capital, believes that a positive decision on bitcoin ETF applications will trigger an inflow of $300 billion in investments. In such a scenario, the coin's market capitalization and value would see significant growth.

– Several other experts have predicted a decline in bitcoin's value leading up to the April 2024 halving. An analyst going by the pseudonym Rekt Capital compared the current market conditions to the BTC price dynamics in 2020 and speculated that the coin's price would decline within a descending triangle. However, in his opinion, the drop will be significantly less severe, as the coin will depreciate by 27% to $19,082.
Renowned trader Bluntz, who had previously predicted how far bitcoin's value would plunge during the 2018 bear trend, also foresees a continuation of the downward trajectory in the cryptocurrency market. He doubts that the asset's value has reached its bottom, as the descending triangle forming on the chart appears incomplete. For this reason, Bluntz anticipates that bitcoin will decrease in value to around $23,800, thereby completing the third corrective wave.

– Noted analyst Benjamin Cowen also believes that after several weeks of trading within a narrow range, the BTC price could fall to the $23,000 mark. Cowen bases his forecast on historical patterns, which indicate that the flagship cryptocurrency's price usually experiences a significant dip before a halving event. According to Cowen, data from past cycles suggest that BTC and other cryptocurrencies do not perform exceptionally well in the period leading up to such a pivotal event.

– Research firm Fundstrat speculates that, contrary to a bearish outlook, the price of BTC could actually surge more than 500% from its current value due to the halving, potentially reaching a level of $180,000. Meanwhile, financial corporation Standard Chartered estimates that the price of the oldest cryptocurrency could rise to $50,000 this year and to $120,000 by the end of 2024.
Current network activity suggests that investors are likely anticipating a new price surge, as bitcoin reserves on exchanges are approaching a six-year low.

– Over the years, the crypto community has been rife with bold speculations and conspiracy theories about who created bitcoin, how it was created, and why. One theory posits that it was conceived by the Communist Party of China, ostensibly for global domination. Others contend that it was the work of "good Samaritans" who aimed to aid societal progress. Some even believe the trail leads back to the CIA.
Within the bitcoin ecosystem, there is another persistent group that claims Satoshi Nakamoto was an employee of the National Security Agency (NSA). One of the most secretive U.S. intelligence agencies, according to this view, had an active role in creating the first cryptocurrency. Nic Carter, co-founder of research firm Coin Metrics, lends credence to this theory by pointing out that the Secure Hash Algorithm 256 (SHA-256) was created by mathematician Glenn M. Lilly. Lilly developed it under the supervision of the NSA and published the algorithm in 2001. He later served as the head of the NSA's mathematical research department.
Carter refers to his new theory as the "bitcoin lab leak hypothesis." He suggests that the bitcoin blockchain was initially an internal research project by the NSA aimed at collecting adversary information—a new "monetary weapon" for undermining third-country economies.
Matthew Pines, Director of Intelligence at Krebs Stamos, concurs with Carter's opinion. The cryptography analyst believes the creation of the BTC blockchain could be the result of collaboration between NSA cryptography experts and crypto enthusiasts. During the process, a communication breakdown occurred, and the anonymous developer inadvertently leaked proprietary information, thus making the project public property.
It is worth noting that the NSA was one of the first organizations to describe a system similar to bitcoin in a 1996 paper titled "How to Make a Mint: The Cryptography of Anonymous Electronic Cash." The paper proposed a system using open-source cryptography to allow users to make anonymous payments without revealing their identity.

– Dune Analytics is tracking 295 wallets that, according to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), belong to the North Korean hacking group Lazarus. According to the latest data, these wallets currently hold digital assets amounting to approximately $47 million, including $42.5 million in BTC, $1.9 million in ETH, $1.1 million in BNB, and $640,000 in stablecoins, primarily Binance USD. It's worth noting that this is the lowest estimated value of Lazarus Group's crypto assets.
Meanwhile, Lazarus' wallets continue to show high activity: the last transaction was recorded on September 20. Interestingly, the hackers do not hold reserves in privacy coins like Monero, Dash, or Zcash, which are much more difficult to trace.

– Michael Saylor, the CEO of MicroStrategy, has compared the rate of fiat currency devaluation to inflation dynamics. He demonstrated that individuals could lose their savings if held in traditional currencies, as funds in U.S. dollars would have lost about 99% of their value over the past 100 years.
Saylor believes that bitcoin mitigates these risks due to its inherent characteristics. According to him, the flagship cryptocurrency represents a revolutionary technology with numerous advantages, including a capped supply of 21 million coins. Consequently, BTC is the best way to preserve your reserves, the billionaire concludes.

– The analyst known as CryptoCon notes that currently, bitcoin may be reflecting a pattern reminiscent of the 2015 market cycle, potentially paving the way for a new all-time high. According to his analysis, bitcoin is most likely to reach such a peak in December 2025 and could trade between $90,000 and $130,000.

– The Shanghai Intermediate People's Court has recognized bitcoin as a unique digital currency, despite the existing ban on trading these assets in China. The court granted bitcoin this status for several reasons: 1. It possesses qualities inherent to money, such as being storable, usable as a means of payment, and a measure of value for goods and services; 2. It enjoys global popularity; 3. It is valuable due to its limited supply of coins.
The court's decision does not impact the circulation of bitcoin in China and does not legalize cryptocurrency trading. However, the recognition of BTC as a digital currency lends the coin legitimacy. It is likely that, moving forward, it will be treated as virtual property in legal proceedings.

– Trader DonAlt believes that Ethereum could experience a significant devaluation before reaching the bottom of its cycle. "The worst is yet to come," he writes. "I would say we are, at best, two weeks away from the bottom." According to DonAlt's calculations, the floor for ETH stands at 0.047 BTC or $1,232.

– Cryptocurrencies have come to the aid of Lebanese residents who have been impoverished due to hyperinflation and governmental missteps. The economic crisis in the country erupted in 2019, leading to a 95% collapse of the national currency against the U.S. dollar. Moreover, in March 2023, the inflation rate almost doubled, ranging from 252% to 269%. According to the United Nations, about 78% of the country's population now falls below the poverty line.
As a result, a shadow crypto economy has emerged. Lebanese citizens are using USDT stablecoins as a means of payment and are earning their wages in bitcoin. Bitcoin mining has become not only incredibly popular but also highly profitable. According to CoinGecko data, Lebanon has the lowest cost of mining 1 bitcoin, at just $266. In comparison, due to higher electricity costs in the United States, this figure reaches $46,280.

– Experts have once again turned to artificial intelligence, this time to forecast the price of the flagship cryptocurrency by Halloween (October 31). CoinCodex's AI posits that by the specified date, the price of bitcoin will rise to $29,703.
Interestingly, the crypto market even has a term called "Uptober." The idea is that every October, bitcoin experiences significant price gains. Considering data from 2021, bitcoin was valued around $61,300 on October 31, marking a more than 344% increase compared to 2020. This phenomenon held true even in the past year of 2022, despite the high-profile crash of the FTX exchange. On October 1, 2022, the asset traded at $19,300, but by October 31, it had reached $21,000.
On the flip side, there are currently no concrete reasons for expecting a serious bull run. The key factor exerting downward pressure on the crypto market continues to be the Federal Reserve's tight monetary policy. As of the end of September, the U.S. regulator chose not to raise the refinancing rate but did not rule out such a move in the near future. Moreover, there is a likelihood that the regulator will maintain its course of tight monetary policy into the next year. It's also unclear how the SEC will act concerning applications for spot bitcoin ETFs.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

Brokerage firm NordFX has summarized the trading performance of its clients for September 2023. The company also evaluated its social trading services and the profits earned by its IB partners.

Gold, specifically the XAU/USD pair, continues to be one of the most popular trading instruments, helping NordFX traders secure positions in the Top 3. Notably, this time all three podium spots were taken by compatriots from South Asia.

- The highest profit in the first month of autumn was earned by a client from South Asia, account number 1679XXX. Trading exclusively on the XAU/USD pair, the client managed to earn 46,138 USD.

- The second spot on the September podium went to their compatriot, with account number 1599XXX. A result of 21,598 USD was achieved through trading with gold (XAU/USD), as well as with the euro (EUR/USD) and the British pound (GBP/USD).

- The precious metal also assisted another representative from South Asia (account number 1702XXX) in entering the Top 3 for September with a profit of 18,766 USD. In addition to XAU/USD, this trader's portfolio included pairs such as EUR/USD, GBP/USD, GBP/JPY, and many others.

In the PAMM service, the "Trade and Earn" account continues to attract the attention of passive investors. Although it was opened 570 days ago, the account remained dormant until reactivating in November of last year. As a result, over the last 11 months, its yield reached 199% with a relatively small drawdown of less than 17%.

It's important to note that past performance does not guarantee future returns. Therefore, as always, we urge investors to exercise the utmost caution when investing their funds.

The Top 3 IB partners of NordFX for September are as follows:
- The highest commission amount of 14,042 USD was credited to a partner from Western Asia, account number 1645XXX. It's worth noting that this partner has led the Top 3 for five consecutive months. Over this period, they have earned just under 60,000 USD in total;
- Second place went to the holder of account number 1618XXX from South Asia, who received 9,923 USD;
- And finally, rounding out the Top 3 is a partner from Southeast Asia with account number 1361XXX, who received a commission of 7,127 USD.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

EUR/USD: Correction is Not a Trend Reversal Yet

The dynamics of the EUR/USD pair in the past week were atypical. In a standard scenario, combating inflation against the backdrop of a strong economy and a healthy labour market leads to an increase in the central bank's interest rate. This, in turn, attracts investors and strengthens the national currency. However, this time the situation unfolded quite differently.

U.S. macroeconomic data released on Thursday, September 28, indicated strong GDP growth in Q2 at 2.1%. The number of initial unemployment claims was 204K, slightly higher than the previous figure of 202K, but less than the expected 215K. Meanwhile, the total number of citizens receiving such benefits amounted to 1.67 million, falling short of the 1.675 million forecast.

This data suggests that the U.S. economy and labour market remain relatively stable, which should prompt the U.S. Federal Reserve to increase interest rates by 25 basis points (bps). It's worth noting that Neil Kashkari, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, recently confirmed his full support for such a move, as combating high inflation remains the central bank's primary objective. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan, went even further, stating that he does not rule out the possibility of rate hikes from the current 5.50% to as high as 7.00%.

However, these figures and forecasts failed to make an impression on market participants. Especially since the rhetoric from Fed officials proved to be quite contradictory. For instance, Thomas Barkin, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, does not believe that U.S. GDP will continue to grow in Q4. He also pointed out that there's a wide range of opinions regarding future rates and that it's unclear if additional changes in monetary policy are required. Austin Goolsbee, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, noted that overconfidence in the trade-off between inflation and unemployment carries the risk of policy mistakes.

Such statements have tempered bullish sentiment on the dollar. Amid this murky and contradictory backdrop, yields on U.S. Treasury bonds, which had been supporting the dollar, fell from multi-year highs. Uncertainty surrounding the U.S. federal budget and the threat of a government shutdown also weighed on the dollar. Furthermore, September 28 and 29 marked the last trading days of Q3, and after 11 weeks of gains, dollar bulls began closing long positions on the DXY index, locking in profits.

As for the Eurozone, inflation has clearly started to wane. Preliminary data indicates that the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) growth in Germany has slowed from 6.4% to 4.3%, reaching its lowest point since the onset of Russia's military invasion of Ukraine. The overall Eurozone CPI also fell—despite a previous rate of 5.3% and a forecast of 4.8%, it declined to 4.5%.

This reduction in CPI led to a rescheduling of the European Central Bank's (ECB) anticipated dovish policy shift from Q3 2024 to Q2 2024. Moreover, the likelihood of a new interest rate hike has significantly diminished. In theory, this should have weakened the euro. However, concerns over the fate of the dollar proved to be more impactful, and after bouncing off 1.0487, EUR/USD moved upward, reaching a high of 1.0609.

According to analysts at Germany's Commerzbank, some traders were simply very dissatisfied with levels below 1.0500, so neither macro data nor statements from Fed officials could exert any significant influence on this. However, the rebound does not indicate either a trend reversal or the complete end of the dollar rally. Commerzbank analysts believe that since the market has clearly bet on a soft landing for the U.S. economy, the dollar is likely to react particularly harshly to data that does not confirm this viewpoint.

Analysts at MUFG Bank also believe that the 1.0500 zone has finally become a strong level that served as a catalyst for the reversal. However, in the opinion of the bank's economists, the correction is primarily technical in nature and could soon fizzle out.

On Friday, September 29, traders awaited the release of the Personal Consumption Expenditures Index (PCE) in the U.S., which is a key indicator. Year-on-year, it registered at 3.9%, precisely matching forecasts (the previous figure was 4.3%). The market reacted with a minor increase in volatility, after which EUR/USD closed the trading week, month, and quarter at 1.0573. Strategists at Wells Fargo, part of the "big four" U.S. banks, believe that Europe's low metrics compared to the U.S. should exert further downward pressure on the euro. They also believe that the European Central Bank (ECB) has already concluded its current cycle of monetary tightening, as a result of which the pair may drop to the 1.0200 level by early 2024.

Shifting from the medium-term outlook to the near-term, as of the evening of September 29, expert opinions are evenly split into three categories: one-third foresee further dollar strengthening and a decline in EUR/USD; another third expect an upward correction; and the last third take a neutral stance. As for technical analysis, both among trend indicators and oscillators on the D1 chart, the majority, 90%, still favor the U.S. dollar and are coloured red. Only 10% side with the euro. The pair's nearest support levels are around 1.0560, followed by 1.0490-1.0525, 1.0375, 1.0255, 1.0130, and 1.0000. Bulls will encounter resistance in the area of 1.0620-1.0630, then 1.0670-1.0700, followed by 1.0745-1.0770, 1.0800, 1.0865, 1.0895-1.0925, 1.0985, and 1.1045.

Data releases pertaining to the U.S. labour market are anticipated throughout the week spanning from October 3 to October 6. The week will culminate on Friday, October 6, when key indicators, including the unemployment rate and the Non-Farm Payroll (NFP) figures, are set to be disclosed. Earlier in the week, specifically on Monday, October 2, insights into the U.S. manufacturing sector's business activity (PMI) will be unveiled. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is also scheduled to speak on this day. On Wednesday, October 4, information regarding the business activity in the U.S. services sector as well as Eurozone retail sales will be made public.

GBP/USD: No Drivers for Pound Growth

According to the latest data published by the UK's National Statistics Office, the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased by 0.6% year-over-year in Q2, exceeding expectations of 0.4% and up from 0.5% in the previous quarter. While this positive trend is certainly encouraging, the UK's 0.6% growth rate is 3.5 times lower than the comparable figure in the United States, which stands at 2.1%. Therefore, any commentary on which economy is stronger is unnecessary.

Strategists from ING, the largest banking group in the Netherlands, believe that GBP/USD rose in the second half of the past week solely due to a correction in the U.S. dollar. According to them, there are no tangible catalysts related to the United Kingdom that would justify a sustained increase in the British currency at this stage.

Analysts at UOB Group anticipate that GBP/USD could fluctuate within a fairly broad range of 1.2100-1.2380 over the next 1-3 weeks. However, Wells Fargo strategists expect the pair to continue its decline, reaching the 1.1600 zone in early 2024, where it last traded in November 2022. The likelihood of such a move is corroborated by signals from the Bank of England suggesting that the interest rate on the pound may have peaked.

GBP/USD closed the past week at the 1.2202 mark. Analyst opinions on the pair's near-term future are split, offering no clear direction: 40% are bullish on the pair, another 40% are bearish, and the remaining 20% have adopted a neutral stance. Among trend indicators and oscillators on the daily chart (D1), 90% are painted in red, while 10% are in green. Should the pair move downward, it will encounter support levels and zones at 1.2120-1.2145, 1.2085, 1.1960, and 1.1800. Conversely, if the pair rises, it will face resistance at 1.2270, 1.2330, 1.2440-1.2450, 1.2510, 1.2550-1.2575, 1.2600-1.2615, 1.2690-1.2710, 1.2760, and 1.2800-1.2815.

No significant events related to the United Kingdom's economy are anticipated for the upcoming week.

USD/JPY: Awaiting the Breach of 150.00

"Appropriate measures will be taken against excessive currency movements, not ruling out any options," "We are closely monitoring currency exchange rates." Do these phrases sound familiar? Indeed, they should: these are words from yet another verbal intervention conducted by Japan's Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki on Friday, September 29. He added that "the government has no specific target level for the Japanese yen that could serve as a trigger for currency intervention."

One can agree with the last statement, especially considering that USD/JPY reached the 149.70 level last week, a height it last achieved in October 2022. Moreover, amid large-scale global bond selloffs, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) took measures to curb the rising yields of 10-year JGBs and announced an unscheduled operation to purchase these bonds on September 29. In such a scenario, if not for the global dollar correction, it's highly likely that this operation could have propelled USD/JPY to break through the 150.00 mark.

As we've already noted above, according to many experts, the dollar's sell-off is most likely related to profit-taking in the final days of the week, month, and quarter. Therefore, this trend may soon dissipate, making the breach of the 150.00 level inevitable.

Could 150.00 be the "magic number" that triggers Japan's financial authorities to commence currency interventions? At the very least, market participants view this level as a potential catalyst for such intervention. This is all the more plausible given the current economic indicators. Industrial production remained unchanged in August compared to July, and core inflation in Japan's capital slowed for the third consecutive month in September. Under these conditions, economists at Mizuho Securities believe that although currency interventions may have limited impact, "the government would lose nothing politically by demonstrating to the Japanese public that it is taking the sharp rise in import prices seriously, caused by the weakening yen.".

The week concluded with USD/JPY trading at the 149.32 mark. A majority of surveyed experts (60%) anticipate a southern correction for the USD/JPY pair, possibly even a sharp yen strengthening due to currency intervention. Meanwhile, 20% predict the pair will confidently continue its northward trajectory, and another 20% have a neutral outlook. On the D1 timeframe, all trend indicators and oscillators are painted in green; however, 10% of the latter are signalling overbought conditions. The nearest support levels are situated at 149.15, followed by 148.45, 147.95-148.05, 146.85-147.25, 145.90-146.10, 145.30, 144.45, 143.75-144.05, 142.20, 140.60-140.75, 138.95-139.05, and 137.25-137.50. The closest resistance stands at 149.70-150.00, followed by 150.40, 151.90 (October 2022 high), and 153.15.

Apart from the release of the Tankan Large Manufacturers Index for Q3 on October 2, no other significant economic data concerning the state of the Japanese economy is scheduled for the upcoming week.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: Hopes on Halving and Halloween



In the first half of the week, BTC/USD trended downward, succumbing to the strengthening U.S. dollar. However, it managed to hold within the $26,000 zone, after which the dynamics shifted: The Dollar Index (DXY) began to weaken, giving the bulls an opportunity to push the pair back to the support/resistance area around $27,000.

It's clear that the stringent monetary policy of the Federal Reserve will continue to exert pressure on bitcoin, as well as the broader cryptocurrency market. While the U.S. regulator opted not to raise the refinancing rate at the end of September, it did not rule out such a move in the future. Adding to the market's uncertainty is the SEC's pending decisions on spot bitcoin ETF applications.

Mark Yusko, CEO of Morgan Creek Capital, believes that a favourable decision by the SEC on these applications could trigger an inflow of $300 billion in investments. In such a scenario, both the market capitalization and the coin's value would significantly increase.

However, the key word here is "if." Anthony Scaramucci, the founder of SkyBridge Capital, acknowledged at the Messari Mainnet Conference in New York the existence of "headwinds" for bitcoin in the form of high interest rates set by the Federal Reserve and the hostility of SEC Chairman Gary Gensler. Nevertheless, this investor and former White House official is confident that bitcoin offers greater prospects than gold. If the bitcoin ETF applications are eventually approved, it would lead to widespread adoption of digital assets. Scaramucci believes that the worst is already behind us in the current bear market. "If you have bitcoin, I wouldn't sell it. You've weathered the winter. [...] The next 10-20 years will be incredibly bullish," he stated. According to the financier, the younger generation will mainstream the first cryptocurrency, just as they did with the internet.

Amid uncertainties surrounding the actions of the Federal Reserve and the SEC, the primary hope for the growth of the crypto market lies in the forthcoming halving event scheduled for April 2024. This event is almost certain to occur. However, even here, opinions vary. A number of experts predict a decline in bitcoin's price before the halving.

An analyst known as Rekt Capital compared the current market situation to the BTC price dynamics in 2020 and speculated that the coin's price could fall within a descending triangle, potentially reaching as low as $19,082.

Well-known trader Bluntz, who accurately predicted the extent of bitcoin's fall during the 2018 bear trend, also foresees a continuing downward trajectory. He doubts that the asset has hit its bottom because the descending triangle pattern forming on the chart appears incomplete. Consequently, Bluntz anticipates that bitcoin could depreciate to around $23,800, thereby completing the third corrective wave.

Benjamin Cowen, another renowned analyst, is also bearish in his outlook. He believes that the BTC price could plummet to the $23,000 level. Cowen bases his prediction on historical patterns, which suggest that the price of the flagship cryptocurrency usually experiences a significant slump before a halving event. According to Cowen, past cycles indicate that BTC and other cryptocurrencies do not exhibit strong performance in the period leading up to this crucial event.

In the event of a downturn in digital asset prices, the upcoming halving could spell financial ruin for many miners, some of whom have already succumbed to the competitive pressures of 2021-2022. Currently, miners are operating on thin margins. At present, block rewards constitute 96% of their income, while transaction fees make up just 4%. The halving will cut the block mining rewards in half, and if this occurs without a corresponding increase in the coin's price, it could lead to financial catastrophe for many operators.

Some companies have started to connect their mining farms directly to nuclear power plants, bypassing distribution networks, while others are looking to renewable energy sources. However, not everyone has such options. According to Glassnode, the industry-average cost to mine one bitcoin currently stands at $24,000, although this varies significantly from country to country. CoinGecko data shows the lowest cost of mining in countries like Lebanon ($266), Iran ($532), and Syria ($1,330). In contrast, due to higher electricity costs, the U.S. sees costs soar to $46,280. If bitcoin's price or network fees do not significantly increase by the time of the halving, a wave of bankruptcies is likely.

Is this a bad or good development? Such bankruptcies would lead to a reduction in the mining of new coins, creating a supply deficit, and ultimately driving up their price. As it is, the crypto exchange reserves have already decreased to 2 million BTC, nearing a six-year low. Market participants are opting to hold their reserves in cold storage, anticipating a future surge in prices.

Research firm Fundstrat has speculated that against the backdrop of the halving, BTC prices could surge by more than 500% from current levels, reaching the $180,000 mark. Financial corporation Standard Chartered projects that the price of the flagship cryptocurrency could rise to $50,000 this year and to $120,000 by the end of 2024. The Bitcoin Rainbow Chart by the Blockchain Center also recommends buying; BTC/USD quotes on their chart are currently in the lower zone, suggesting a rebound is due.

According to Michael Saylor, the CEO of MicroStrategy, the inherent supply limitation of bitcoin capped at 21 million coins makes it the best asset for preserving and growing capital. The billionaire compared the depreciation rate of fiat currencies with the dynamics of inflation. He argued that individuals could see their savings erode if held in traditional currencies, citing that over the past 100 years, funds held in U.S. dollars would have lost about 99% of their value.

As of the time of writing this review, on the evening of Friday, September 29, BTC/USD has neither fallen to $19,000 nor risen to $180,000. It is currently trading at $26,850. The overall market capitalization of the cryptocurrency market stands at $1.075 trillion, up from $1.053 trillion a week ago. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index has increased by 5 points, moving from 43 to 48, transitioning from the 'Fear' zone to the 'Neutral' zone.

In conclusion, a forecast for the upcoming month. Experts have once again turned to artificial intelligence, this time to predict the price of the flagship cryptocurrency by Halloween (October 31). AI from CoinCodex posits that by the specified date, bitcoin will increase in price and reach a mark of $29,703.

Interestingly, there is even a term in the crypto market known as "Uptober." The idea is that every October, bitcoin sees significant price gains. Looking at the 2021 figures, bitcoin was trading near $61,300 on October 31, marking an increase of over 344% compared to 2020. This phenomenon remained relevant even in the past year, 2022, following the high-profile crash of the FTX exchange. On October 1, 2022, the asset was trading at $19,300, but by October 31, the coin had reached a mark of $21,000. Let's see what awaits us this time.


NordFX Analytical Group


Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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CryptoNews of the Week



– Bitcoin recorded its first green September since 2016, increasing from $26,012 to $26,992. According to TradingView data, the cryptocurrency market's market capitalization also experienced an uptick. It stood at approximately $1.029 trillion at the beginning of September and rose by 6.1% to $1.092 trillion by month-end.
Ran Neuner, a trader and the founder of Crypto Banter, emphasizes the significance of the positive September closing for the leading cryptocurrency. "The last time bitcoin saw a rise in September in a year preceding a halving, we had another rally of 70% in the final quarter. That was in 2015," he notes.
Analysts at Bitfinex share a similar sentiment. "The cryptocurrency market closed September in the green, which is rare but typically leads to a bullish trend in October," they write.
According to a report by Bitfinex Alpha, futures market indicators also confirm an optimistic outlook for October. The report includes network data, which shows that the current price is supported by dynamics between long-term and short-term holders. Indicators reveal that seasoned long-term investors are resolved to remain holders within the current price range. Bitcoins held for 6-12 months remain largely stagnant, and the supply of BTC that is more than three years old has been inactive since February 2023.

– According to data from network analytics firm Santiment, "whales" (wallets holding between 10 and 10,000 BTC) have been quietly accumulating bitcoin and Tether (USDT) over the past six weeks. Their holdings have now reached a 2023 peak of 13.03 million BTC, indicating a bullish long-term outlook for bitcoin.

– The rise in bitcoin during the early days of October has somewhat offset the negative close of Q3, which saw a 12% decline. However, analysts at QCP Capital have warned that the possibility of retesting the $25,000 level should not be ruled out, despite the positive seasonality often referred to as "Uptober." According to statistics, over the past eight years, bitcoin has only finished October in the red in 2018. In other years, the monthly gain ranged from 5.5% to 48.5%. This time, experts anticipate that the resistance level will be between $29,000 and $30,000.

– On Monday, October 2, bitcoin reached a local peak of around $28,562. However, by the evening of the same day, traders began to take profits, and the coin fell below $27,500. Bloomberg strategist Mike McGlone believes that such a pullback in bitcoin was inevitable. Pressure tends to build when the digital currency gains aggressively in value. Increased volatility is accompanied by heightened activity from sellers looking to profit from the asset's rise.
McGlone doubts that bitcoin will reach $30,000 in the near future. The primary factor hindering further BTC growth is the strict policy of U.S. authorities. Repressive actions by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are deterring institutional investors from entering the cryptocurrency space. Global recession risks are also dampening risk appetite. In such a scenario, equity markets won't be able to grow, emphasized the Bloomberg strategist, adding that digital currencies will also suffer.

– Donald Trump is considered a staunch opponent of bitcoin. However, former SEC employee John Reed Stark believes that Trump may change his stance on cryptocurrencies during the 2024 presidential elections to garner support from voters who use digital assets. This speculation is supported by two facts. First, last year Trump released and sold a collection of NFT Trump Digital Trading Cards. Second, he still owns $2.8 million worth of Ethereum. Stark suggests that if Trump returns to the presidential office, he will prompt the SEC to approve the issuance of bitcoin ETFs and will also ease regulatory pressure on the crypto industry.

– The SEC has asked the U.S. District Court in New York not to dismiss its lawsuit against Coinbase. In its statement dated October 3, the Commission responded to Coinbase's claims, reiterating its position that certain cryptocurrencies traded on the platform qualify as investment contracts and, therefore, must be registered with the SEC. The regulator noted that Coinbase "has always known" that the cryptocurrencies it offers are securities and claimed that the exchange has already acknowledged this in its documentation.

– Additionally, on October 3, the court rejected the SEC's motion for an interlocutory appeal in its case against Ripple. The agency wanted to appeal the court's decision that the sale of XRP on crypto exchanges does not constitute an investment contract. However, this plan by the officials fell through. Against this backdrop, XRP appreciated by 5% within 24 hours.

– In July, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against the crypto lending platform Celsius. The crux of the accusation is that Celsius attracted billions of dollars through the illegal and unregistered sale of "cryptocurrencies recognized as securities," repeatedly misled investors about its financial condition, and manipulated the price of its own token (CEL). The SEC has also levelled fraud charges against Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky, with a court hearing set for September 17, 2024. The platform plans to partially repay its debt to creditors this year, transferring to them bitcoin, Ethereum, and shares in a new organization, NewCo, totalling $2.03 billion.

– Trader under the alias Bluntz is confident that bitcoin has "officially" entered a bull market and that all predictions of a drop to the $24,000 level are unfounded. In his opinion, the coin's rise above $27,000 confirms that BTC is currently in a bull market. "I think it's time to let go of any bearish bias," wrote Bluntz.

– Last week, we reported that the Artificial Intelligence from CoinCodex predicted the flagship crypto asset's price to be around $29,703 by Halloween (October 31st). This time, another AI, the machine learning algorithm of the forecasting platform PricePredictions, gave a similar result. According to its analysis, the BTC price on October 31st will hover around the psychologically important mark of $30,403. The forecast was made using several key technical indicators, including the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), the Relative Strength Index (RSI), Bollinger Bands (BB), and others.

– In his forecast, trader, analyst, and founder of venture company Eight, Michael Van De Poppe, is optimistic about not only October but also Q4 of 2023. He attributes his positive outlook to the potential approval of spot bitcoin Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) and the halving effect. The expert anticipates that the growth in the last quarter could elevate the price to around $40,000.
It's worth noting that the historical performance of BTC in this period has been quite mixed. For instance, in 2018, the digital asset's value declined by nearly half over three months, but a year earlier it had surged 142.2%.

– The analyst known as dave the wave believes that Ethereum will continue to depreciate against bitcoin at least until the end of 2023. The expert published a chart depicting the price dynamics of ETH relative to BTC, which shows a descending triangle indicating a fall in the altcoin's price.
Dave the wave drew an analogy to the trend observed from 2017 to 2018, suggesting that Ethereum will significantly devalue against bitcoin due to a strong BTC market rally. The chance for ETH to appreciate could come during the "altcoin season," which would begin after BTC reaches its peak value.
The analyst also made a long-term forecast on the price changes of bitcoin using logarithmic growth curves. According to this forecast, over the next 10 years, the cryptocurrency will outperform stocks in terms of investment returns and will become a primary means of wealth accumulation due to a significant increase in value.

– Bestselling author of "Rich Dad Poor Dad" and entrepreneur Robert Kiyosaki urged people to invest in the first cryptocurrency before the launch of the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). "The Fed's CBDC is coming," he wrote. "Privacy is gone. Big Brother will be watching. When the CBDC hits the market, gold, silver, bitcoin, and cash will become invaluable. Start accumulating them now before it's too late." It's worth noting that in February, Kiyosaki predicted that bitcoin would rise to $500,000 by 2025 and called it the best hedge in turbulent times, while also cautioning about the asset's volatility.

– The total value of cryptocurrencies stolen by hackers since the beginning of 2023 has exceeded $1.15 billion, according to calculations by PeckShield. Nearly a third of all losses occurred in September, with damages from 22 crypto project hacks during that month amounting to almost $356 million. In contrast, only $17 million was stolen in the previous month, suggesting that even hackers take a vacation in August.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

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EUR/USD: Will the Pair Reach 1:1 Parity?

Throughout 2023, the U.S. economy has effectively withstood aggressive interest rate hikes. The market-anticipated recession has yet to materialize, allowing the Federal Reserve to maintain its hawkish monetary stance. This has led to a sharp increase in Treasury yields and significant strengthening of the U.S. dollar. The yield on 10-year Treasuries plummeted 46% since March 2020, doubling the previous decline witnessed in 1981 amid aggressive monetary tightening by the U.S. central bank. As for the Dollar Index (DXY), it has remained above the critical level of 100.00 throughout the year, while EUR/USD has dropped 6.5% from its July highs.

On Tuesday, March 3, the yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds reached 4.88%. Many market participants believe that a 5.0% yield could be a tipping point for the U.S. economy, forcing the Federal Reserve into a dovish pivot. However, these are merely expectations that may be far from reality. On the same Tuesday, Loretta J. Mester, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, stated that inflation is only expected to reach the target level of 2.0% by the end of 2025. She indicated that there are no immediate plans to lower interest rates and, furthermore, she is likely to support an interest rate increase at the next Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting if the current economic situation remains stable.

The U.S. macroeconomic data released in the first half of the past week appeared somewhat lacklustre. The ADP report revealed the weakest employment growth in the private sector since January 2021, coming in at a mere 89K, against a forecast of 153K (and down from 180K the previous month). While business activity in the services sector did continue to grow for the ninth consecutive month, it decelerated in September, with the PMI index falling from 54.5 to 53.6. As for the manufacturing sector, business activity remained in contraction territory, with a PMI of 49.0. Although this was an improvement over the previous 47.6, it still fell below the 50.0 threshold, indicating economic contraction. As a result, Treasury yields declined, and stock indices (S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq) along with EUR/USD turned upwards. Traders opted to liquidate their short positions on the pair in anticipation of the U.S. September labour market report, traditionally scheduled to be published on the first Friday of the following month, which in this case was October 6. More on this below.

If the latest U.S. statistics appeared unimpressive, the Eurozone's figures were even worse. According to official data from Eurostat published on Wednesday, October 4, retail sales in August contracted by 1.2% month-on-month, compared to a 0.1% decline in July. The market consensus had projected a decrease of only 0.3%. On an annual basis, the volume of retail sales fell by 2.1%, exceeding both July's 1.0% decline and the market forecast of 1.2%. Monthly Producer Price Inflation (PPI) in the Eurozone rose from 0.5% in July to 0.6% in August.

Assessing the inflation outlook in the Eurozone, the European Central Bank (ECB)'s Chief Economist, Philip Lane, cautiously stated that "we will not reach our 2% inflation target as quickly as we would the 4% mark." ECB Governing Council member Peter Kazimir was slightly more optimistic. "Core Eurozone inflation confirms our expectations," the official noted. "We are on a downward trajectory. [However], deflating inflation is taking a bit more time." Kazimir believes that September's 25 basis point rate hike in the Euro was the last one.

We have previously noted that there is no consensus within the ECB's leadership regarding future monetary policy. This was further confirmed by ECB Governing Council member Isabel Schnabel, who countered Peter Kazimir by stating that further rate hikes may eventually be necessary. She added that although the ECB currently does not foresee a deep downturn, "we cannot rule out a recession" going forward.

If the prospect of higher Euro borrowing costs remains uncertain, a rate reduction at this stage is definitely not on the table. This was confirmed on Thursday, October 5th, by ECB Vice-President Luis de Guindos, who stated that discussions about rate cuts are premature. Since the Federal Reserve also has no plans to turn dovish from its hawkish stance, the current interest rate differential of 5.50% for the dollar and 4.50% for the Euro gives a certain advantage to the American currency. The Reuters expert consensus forecast expects EUR/USD to further decline to $1.0400 within October, with 1 out of 20 surveyed specialists anticipating a 1:1 parity. Nonetheless, analysts predict that EUR/USD will rise by approximately 6% over the next year.

The highlight of the past week was the U.S. employment report. Bloomberg experts had anticipated that the number of new non-farm payroll jobs (NFP) created in September would be lower than in August: 70K compared to 187K the previous month. In reality, the figure came in at 336K, almost twice as high as the forecast. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.8%.

Following the release of this data, which attests to the health of the American job market, EUR/USD initially declined but then quickly regained its footing and even advanced. As a result, the pair closed the trading week at the 1.0585 level. As of the evening of October 6th, when this overview was written, experts are equally divided on its near-term future, just like a week ago: a third are predicting further strengthening of the dollar and a decline in EUR/USD, another third anticipate an upward correction, and the final third are neutral.

As for technical analysis, among the trend indicators on the D1 chart, 65% favour the downside (red), and 35% are bullish (green). Most oscillators (60%) continue to side with the U.S. currency and are coloured red. Just 10% favour the euro, and half of those indicate overbought conditions. The remaining 30% hold a neutral stance.

Immediate support for the pair is found in the 1.0550-1.0560 area, followed by 1.0490, 1.0450, 1.0375, 1.0255, 1.0130, and 1.0000. Resistance for the bulls is situated around 1.0600-1.0615, followed by 1.0670-1.0700, 1.0745-1.0770, 1.0800, 1.0865, and 1.0895-1.0930.

In the upcoming week, on Wednesday, October 11, inflation data for Germany (CPI) and the U.S. (PPI) will be released. On the same day, the minutes from the last FOMC meeting will be published, offering investors insights into the committee members' views on future monetary policy. Thursday, October 12th, is likely to experience increased volatility, as consumer inflation data (CPI) for the United States will be announced. Additionally, the traditional weekly report on initial jobless claims in the U.S. will be released on Thursday. The week will wrap up with the publication of the University of Michigan's Consumer Confidence Index on October 13 Traders should also be aware that Monday, October 9th, is a public holiday in the U.S., in observance of Columbus Day.

GBP/USD: Worst Currency of September

The British pound emerged as the worst performing G10 currency in September. Fuelling speculation about its future, the Bank of England (BoE) released a report on Thursday, October 5, indicating a significant rise in wages in the country. Expectations for wage growth over the next year also increased compared to August.

Certainly, the recent moderation in inflation is a positive development. However, economists at Germany's Commerzbank suggest that the wage growth dynamics indicate that inflation may be more stubborn than the Bank of England anticipates.

Survey results, also released on October 5, suggest that many market participants believe the BoE is not taking sufficient measures to combat rising prices. On the other hand, strategists at Japan's MUFG Bank argue that the "Bank of England has already gone too far in tightening policy." They write, "We see the potential for lower rates compared to other leading developed economies." There are clearly differing opinions, but one thing both camps agree on is that the British currency will continue to remain under pressure. At least until there is compelling evidence of sustainable declines in the inflation rate.

GBP/USD began the past week at a level of 1.2202 and returned almost to the same point ahead of the release of the U.S. employment report on Friday, October 6. The robust Non-Farm Payroll (NFP) data temporarily strengthened the dollar. The week concluded with the European currency gaining the upper hand, closing the pair at 1.2237. However, the chart of the past two weeks still suggests a sideways trend. Analyst opinions on the pair's immediate future are as follows: 40% are bullish, another 40% are bearish, and the remaining 20% hold a neutral stance. Among trend indicators on the D1 chart, 65% are red, while 35% are green. As for the oscillators, 40% point to a decline in the pair, 10% point to an increase (all in the overbought zone), and the remaining 50% are neutral.

In a downward movement, the pair will find support levels and zones at 1.2195-1.2205, 1.2100-1.2115, 1.2140-1.2150, 1.2085, 1.2040, 1.1960, and 1.1800. If the pair rises, it will encounter resistance at levels of 1.2270, 1.2330, 1.2440-1.2450, 1.2510, 1.2550-1.2575, 1.2600-1.2615, 1.2690-1.2710, 1.2760, and 1.2800-1.2815.

Fresh GDP data for the United Kingdom is expected to be released on Thursday, October 12. After experiencing a decline of -0.5% in July, the indicator is anticipated to show a 0.2% growth on a monthly basis for August. No other significant economic events related to the country are expected for the upcoming week.

USD/JPY: Was There Really an Intervention?



We suggested in our previous review that the "magic" number of 150.00 would serve as a signal to Japanese financial authorities to initiate currency interventions. Indeed, after USD/JPY slightly crossed this threshold on Tuesday, October 3, reaching a high of 150.15, the long-anticipated event occurred, within a matter of minutes, the pair plummeted nearly 300 points, halting its freefall at 147.28.

The prevailing market sentiment is that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) has finally moved from verbal interventions to actual ones. Interestingly, the country's Finance Minister, Shunichi Suzuki, declined to comment on whether there was indeed a currency intervention. He merely obfuscated the issue by stating that "many factors determine whether movements in the currency market are excessive," and that "no changes have been made in how the government will address these issues." In short, interpret it as you will.

Of course, one cannot rule out the mass triggering of stop-orders upon breaching the key level of 150.00 (such "black swans" have been observed before). However, we believe that the episode was unlikely to have occurred without intervention from Japan's financial authorities.

After the sharp decline, the price has rebounded and is now approaching the ascending trend line from below. Whether the Bank of Japan's intervention (if it indeed occurred) has achieved its goal is difficult to say. Recalling similar scenarios from last autumn, the impact of such actions seemed to be only temporary, with market conditions reverting back to their previous state within a couple of months. However, could this latest move serve as a significant deterrent for USD/JPY bulls and allow the Japanese currency to regroup? The chances are there, particularly if the regulator actively intervenes to prevent the pair from rising back to the 150.00 level or higher.

The pair concluded the trading week at the 149.27 level. All 100% of the surveyed experts, invigorated by the events of October 10, voted for further yen strengthening and a downward movement for the pair. (It is worth noting here that even such unanimity offers no guarantees concerning the accuracy of the forecast.) Trend indicators on the D1 chart hold the opposite view—all 100% are still coloured in green. Among the oscillators, slightly fewer, 90%, remain in the green zone, with 10% having turned red. The nearest support level lies in the 149.15 area, followed by 148.80, 148.30-148.45, 147.95-148.05, 146.85-147.25, 145.90-146.10, 145.30, 144.45, 143.75-144.05, 142.20, 140.60-140.75, 138.95-139.05, and 137.25-137.50. Immediate resistance is at 149.70-150.15, followed by 150.40, 151.90 (the October 2022 high), and 153.15.

No significant economic data related to the state of the Japanese economy is scheduled for release in the upcoming week. Additionally, the country will be observing a public holiday on Monday, October 9, in celebration of National Sports Day.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: Uptober's Target is $30,000

As Q3 closed on September 30, the BTC/USD trading pair saw a 12% drop. Despite setbacks in July and August, bitcoin experienced its first profitable September since 2016, increasing from $26,012 to $26,992 within the month. TradingView data also highlighted a 6.1% rise in the market capitalization of the cryptocurrency sector, moving from approximately $1.029 trillion at the beginning of September to $1.092 trillion by month's end.

Ran Neuner, the founder of Crypto Banter and a seasoned trader, underscored the importance of bitcoin's positive performance in September. He noted that in a year prior to a halving event, such as in 2015, a profitable September has historically been followed by a 70% surge in Q4. Analysts at Bitfinex echoed this sentiment, suggesting that a green September often presages a bullish trend in October.

The Bitfinex Alpha report further substantiated an optimistic forecast for October, citing futures market indicators. The data revealed that the current price is being maintained by a balance between short-term and long-term holders, implying that experienced long-term investors are steadfast in holding their coins. Furthermore, bitcoins that have been held for 6 to 12 months are predominantly dormant, and the supply of BTC that is over three years old has remained inactive since February 2023.

Santiment, a network analytics firm, reported that larger wallets, known as whales and sharks, holding between 10 and 10,000 BTC, have been quietly stockpiling both bitcoin and Tether (USDT) for the last six weeks. Their collective holdings have now reached a 2023 high of 13.03 million BTC, pointing to a promising long-term outlook for bitcoin.

It's well known that October follows September, and many investors have high hopes for this month. According to statistics, in the last eight years, bitcoin has only ended the month of October in the red once, in 2018. In other years, the monthly gains ranged from 5.5% to 48.5%. If we consider the entire history of the leading cryptocurrency, October has been a profitable month in eight out of ten instances, with an average gain of 22%. This seasonal phenomenon has been dubbed "Uptober."

The early days of October provided hope that the tradition of "Uptober" would continue in 2023. On Monday, October 2, bitcoin reached a local peak of around $28,562. However, disappointment set in later that same day as traders began to lock in profits, causing the coin to drop to the $27,500 zone. Bloomberg strategist Mike McGlone believes that this pullback was inevitable. Pressure tends to build when the digital currency gains value aggressively. Increased volatility is accompanied by heightened seller activity, as they aim to capitalize on the asset's surge.

McGlone is sceptical that bitcoin will reach $30,000 in the near future. The main factor hindering further growth of bitcoin is the strict policies of U.S. authorities. The repressive actions of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are deterring institutional investors from entering the crypto space. Global recession risks are also dampening risk appetite. In such a scenario, stock markets will not be able to grow, emphasizes the Bloomberg strategist, adding that digital currencies will also suffer as a result.

Analysts at QCP Capital also believe that the resistance level for BTC/USD will be between $29,000 and $30,000. They warn that, despite the positive seasonality, the possibility of retesting the $25,000 level should not be ruled out.

However, not everyone agrees with this view. For example, a trader going by the handle "Bluntz" is confident that bitcoin has "officially" entered bullish territory and that all predictions of a drop to the $24,000 level are unfounded. In his opinion, the coin's rise above $27,000 confirms that bitcoin is currently in a bull market. "I think it's time to shed any bearish biases," wrote Bluntz.

Another well-known trader, analyst, and founder of the venture firm Eight, Michael Van De Poppe, is optimistic not only about October but also about Q4 2023 as a whole. The expert anticipates that growth in the final quarter could push the flagship cryptocurrency up to the $40,000 mark. However, it's worth noting that while historical data overwhelmingly favors October, the quarterly dynamics of bitcoin are not so clear-cut. For instance, the digital asset appreciated by 142.2% in 2017, but the following year it lost almost half its value over three months.

In our previous review, we reported that the Artificial Intelligence from CoinCodex had forecasted the flagship cryptocurrency to reach a value of $29,703 by Halloween (October 31). This time, another AI, the machine learning algorithm from the forecasting platform PricePredictions, has given a similar result. According to its analysis, the price of bitcoin will hover around the psychologically significant mark of $30,403 on October 31. This forecast was made using several key technical indicators, including the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), the Relative Strength Index (RSI), Bollinger Bands (BB), among others.

Concerning Ethereum, the primary competitor to bitcoin, an analyst known as Dave the Wave anticipates that Ethereum will sustain its depreciation against bitcoin at least through the end of 2023. Dave the Wave has published a trend chart for ETH/BTC, highlighting a descending triangle indicative of a price drop for the altcoin.

Drawing a comparison with trends from 2017 to 2018, Dave the Wave posits that Ethereum is poised for a significant devaluation relative to bitcoin, particularly due to a robust bitcoin rally. The potential for Ethereum to gain value appears limited to the so-called "altcoin season," which is projected to begin after bitcoin achieves its peak price.

As of the time of writing this review, on the evening of Friday, October 6, BTC/USD is trading in the area of $27,960, ETH/USD at $1,640, and ETH/BTC at 0.0588. The total market capitalization of the cryptocurrency market stands at $1.096 trillion, up from $1.075 trillion a week ago. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index for bitcoin has risen by 2 points over the week and currently sits squarely in the Neutral zone, at a score of 50.


NordFX Analytical Group


Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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CryptoNews of the Week



– The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has stated that nearly 200 accounts on the crypto exchange Binance were used by HAMAS militants. The CFTC emphasized that exchange staff were aware that their platform was facilitating potentially illegal activities yet turned a blind eye and even joked about it in internal chats. According to the regulator, as early as February 2019, Binance's former Compliance Director Samuel Lim had received information regarding the use of the exchange by representatives of the movement. However, as Lim explained to a colleague, HAMAS members typically transferred "small amounts" that would unlikely even suffice for purchasing an AK-47.

– Warren Buffett's partner and Vice Chairman of American holding company Berkshire Hathaway, Charlie Munger, stated that most investments in digital assets will ultimately become worthless. "Don't get me started on bitcoin. It's the dumbest investment I've ever seen," the 99-year-old investor expressed during the Zoomtopia online conference.
Munger also shared his views on artificial intelligence, noting that AI has actually been around for quite some time, tracing its roots back to the 1950s. "We've always had artificial intelligence. It's when software generates even more software," he said. However, in his opinion, the technology is "generating hype, probably more than it deserves."

– U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told Bitcoin Magazine in an interview that he intends to defend bitcoin if elected as the President of the United States. He also expressed scepticism towards Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs). According to Kennedy, national digital currencies could become a tool for governments to control individuals' financial transactions. "The freedom to transact is as important as freedom of speech," the politician stated.

– Sam Altman, the CEO of ChatGPT, described bitcoin as a "super logical step on the technology tree." The artificial intelligence creator appreciates the idea that humanity now has an international currency beyond the control of any single government. The OpenAI leader believes that corruption is a key impediment to societal progress, and that bitcoin is poised to overcome this obstacle.
Altman also expressed disappointment with the U.S. government's stance on the cryptocurrency industry: "I'm disheartened by many of the actions taken by the U.S. government recently. The war on cryptocurrencies seems to be never-ending, and authorities want to take everything under their control." Like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Altman believes that if the United States launches a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), it will become a state tool for surveillance over citizens.

– Analyst Benjamin Cowen believes that the crypto market is entering "one of its most brutal" phases in its cycle. According to the expert, bitcoin's dominance in the market capitalization of the crypto sector is increasing amidst a decline in the price of altcoins and diminishing investor interest in this asset class.
Using Fibonacci retracement levels, Cowen predicts that BTC dominance will likely peak at 60%, as it did in the previous cycle. The analyst emphasized that this metric is unlikely to rise to 65% or 70%, primarily due to the stablecoin market. (As of October 10, according to CoinMarketCap, bitcoin's share in the overall market capitalization of the crypto market was 49.92%.)

– Former BitMEX CEO Arthur Hayes has stated that the price of the leading cryptocurrency could reach $70,000 next year, and between $750,000 to $1 million by 2026. He justified his prediction based on factors such as the asset's limited supply, the potential approval of spot bitcoin ETFs, and geopolitical uncertainty. "I think this will be the biggest boom in financial markets in the history of mankind. Bitcoin will skyrocket to absurd levels, the Nasdaq will soar to absurd levels, and the S&P 500 will rise to absurd levels," Hayes declared.

– Analyst Nicholas Merten holds a diametrically opposite view. He believes that bitcoin could significantly crash due to actions taken by the Federal Reserve, potentially leading to a prolonged economic downturn in the U.S. If commodities such as oil, natural gas, and uranium begin to stabilize or decline in price, Merten sees this as a sign of an impending short-term recession. In that scenario, he suggests that stocks could fall by approximately 33%, similar to the correction that occurred in October 2022. In turn, bitcoin would react to this situation by dropping to the $15,000-$17,000 range.
Merten is convinced that a sustained bullish trend in the market is unlikely until the Federal Reserve begins to increase liquidity in the economy. "Bitcoin thrives when there's an increase in the money supply in the market and when investors are in a risk-on mood. However, at the moment, neither of these conditions is met," Nicholas Merten explained.

– A bitcoin mining farm called Lava Pool has been launched in El Salvador, utilizing renewable geothermal energy. The project is being developed by Volcano Energy and Luxor Technology, with 23% of the net income being allocated to the country's government. According to Volcano Energy's management, this move validates El Salvador's efforts to integrate bitcoin into its national energy infrastructure, providing rapid income and flexible load management options for the power grid.
The described initiative is part of a more ambitious project by Volcano Energy aimed at establishing a global bitcoin mining station powered by renewable solar and wind energy. Within the framework of this project, plans are underway to construct a renewable energy generation park with a capacity of 241 MW.

– Comparing the current dynamics of bitcoin to what transpired before and after the halvings in 2015 and 2019 indicates that the market is moving in the same direction as it did then. After its summer peak, the current coin price is undergoing a downward correction, but this is not surprising: typically, 200 days before a halving, the leading cryptocurrency could lose up to 60-65% of its value before resuming its growth trajectory.
Many experts are predicting significant price increases for bitcoin in 2024. For instance, analysts at JP Morgan suggest a price of $45,000, while those at Standard Chartered forecast $100,000. Writer and investor Robert Kiyosaki and cryptographer Adam Back also target the $100,000 mark. Fundstrat Research founder Tom Lee envisions BTC at $180,000. Venture capitalist Tim Draper expects $250,000, and billionaire Mike Novogratz, along with ARK Invest CEO Cathy Wood, project the coin to grow to $500,000 and $1 million next year, respectively.
The current optimism among investors can also be attributed to the present price dynamics of the digital gold: despite receding from its summer peak, investments in BTC have yielded a return of more than 60% since the beginning of the year.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

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EUR/USD: Inflation Drives Trends



At the beginning of last week, the Dollar Index (DXY) continued its decline that began on October 3, while global equity markets experienced growth. The dovish stance of Federal Reserve officials and the falling yields on U.S. Treasury bonds were driving factors. In recent days, the regulators have been actively persuading the market of the likelihood of a "soft landing" for the U.S. economy, suggesting a potentially prolonged pause in the cycle of monetary tightening. For instance, on Wednesday, October 11, Christopher Waller, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, stated that "tightening in financial markets is doing some of our work for us," allowing the central bank to maintain a wait-and-see approach.

On the same day, the minutes of the September meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) were released. The document, if not dovish, was certainly not hawkish. It is worth noting that the Committee left the interest rate unchanged in September. As for future prospects, the minutes indicated that Fed leaders acknowledge "high uncertainty" regarding the future of the U.S. economy and recognize the need to maintain a cautious approach to monetary policy.

Market sentiment began to gradually shift following the publication of the U.S. Producer Price Index (PPI). The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the PPI rose by 0.5% in September, exceeding the forecast of 0.3%. The core PPI (MoM) increased by 0.3%, compared to the expected 0.2%. On an annual basis, it reached 2.2%, surpassing the forecast of 1.6% and the previous figure of 2%. This unexpected surge in industrial inflation led to speculation that consumer inflation could also exceed expectations.

This indeed materialized. Data released on Thursday, October 12, showed that inflation in September increased by 0.4%, higher than the 0.3% forecast. On an annual basis, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) also exceeded expectations, coming in at 3.7% against a forecast of 3.6%. Market participants concluded that such inflationary growth could prompt Federal Reserve officials to shift from a dovish to a hawkish stance, potentially raising the interest rate by another 25 basis points (bps) to 5.75% in the upcoming FOMC meeting. Amidst such sentiment, the dollar, along with the yields on U.S. government bonds, sharply increased, while equity markets declined. The DXY reached a new local peak, hitting 106.35. Yields on 10-year Treasuries rose to 4.65%, and 2-year yields reached 5.05%. EUR/USD reversed course, dropping from a high of 1.0639 to 1.0525 in just a few hours.

Germany's CPI was also released on Wednesday, September 11, showing an annual consumer inflation of 4.3% and a monthly figure of 0.3%, both of which were fully in line with forecasts and previous data. Joachim Nagel, a member of the ECB's Governing Council and the head of Bundesbank, stated that inflation in Germany has reached its peak. By 2025, he projects that the tightening of monetary policy will steer inflation in the Eurozone down to 2.7%, according to his opinion. "Until we have defeated high inflation rates, we will not rest," he assured.

The minutes from the ECB's September meeting revealed that a solid majority of the Governing Council members supported a 25 basis point interest rate hike for the euro. In their view, any pause might signal that the tightening cycle has come to an end or that the Governing Council is more concerned about the state of the economy and a possible recession than about excessive inflation. These minutes were published on Thursday, October 12.

Some Council members advocate keeping the key rates at their current level, notably François Villeroy de Galhau, the President of the Bank of France. In his opinion, patience in monetary policy currently holds more importance than activity, stating that it would be much better to achieve the goal through a "soft landing" rather than a "hard one."

With a high degree of probability, the European Central Bank will raise the interest rate to 4.75% at its next meeting on October 26. Even after this increase, the rate will still remain below that of the Federal Reserve. Combined with the apparent weakness of the Eurozone economy, this will continue to exert pressure on the euro. The situation is further complicated by a potential spike in energy prices due to the ongoing military actions in Ukraine and the recent escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as winter approaches.

EUR/USD closed at a level of 1.0507 last week. As of the evening of October 13, when this review was written, experts were divided on its near-term prospects: 80% favoured a northward correction for the pair, while 20% took a neutral stance. The number of votes in favor of further dollar strengthening stood at 0%.

Regarding technical analysis, among the trend indicators on the D1 chart, 100% sided with the bears. A majority (60%) of oscillators continue to favor the U.S. currency and are coloured in red. 30% sided with the euro, with the remaining 10% taking a neutral stance.

Near-term support for the pair is located around 1.0450, followed by 1.0375, 1.0255, 1.0130, and 1.0000. Bulls will encounter resistance in the area of 1.0600-1.0620, then 1.0670-1.0700, 1.0740-1.0770, 1.0800, 1.0865, and 1.0895-1.0930.

The upcoming week's economic calendar highlights several key events. On Tuesday, October 17, data on U.S. retail sales will be released. The Eurozone's Consumer Price Index (CPI) is scheduled for publication on Wednesday. Thursday, October 19, will feature the release of the Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index and the customary data on initial jobless claims in the United States. A speech by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is also planned for the evening of that Thursday.

GBP/USD: It Was Tough, and It Will Be Tough

Overall, the GBP/USD chart closely resembled that of EUR/USD: rising until Thursday, followed by a reversal and decline after the release of consumer inflation data in the United States. In addition to the prospect of tighter U.S. monetary policy, the British pound faced additional pressure from UK industrial production data.

According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), published on Thursday, the country's industrial sector activity declined again in August. Manufacturing output fell by -0.8%, compared to a forecast of -0.4% and a -1.2% decline in July. The overall industrial production dropped by -0.7%, against expected -0.2% and -1.1% in the previous month. On an annual basis, although manufacturing output did increase by 2.8% in August, it fell short of the expected 3.4%. The overall volume of industrial production also missed expectations, increasing only by 1.3% instead of the anticipated 1.7%.

Despite the fact that the UK's GDP, after contracting by -0.6% in July, increased by 0.2% in August, the risks of economic growth deceleration have heightened. This is largely due to developments in Israel – escalating tensions in the Middle East could disrupt the global supply chain, and rising prices for natural energy resources, primarily oil, will increase inflationary pressures.

Moreover, British companies have not only slowed their production growth rate due to weakened demand but have also postponed their plans for capacity expansion due to higher interest rates on loans.

This situation poses a dilemma for officials at the Bank of England (BoE), who are caught between trying to tame inflation and preventing the economy from slipping into a deep recession. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Institute of International Finance in Morocco on Friday, October 13, BoE Governor Andrew Bailey stated that "the last decision was a difficult one" and that "future decisions will also be difficult." It's worth noting that the interest rate was left unchanged at 5.25% in September. The next BoE meeting is scheduled for November 2, and whether the regulator will opt to raise the rate even by a few basis points remains a significant question.

GBP/USD closed the past week at a mark of 1.2143. Analyst opinions on its near-term future were surprisingly unanimous, with 100% forecasting an increase for the pair. (It's appropriate to remind that even such unanimity offers no guarantees regarding the accuracy of the forecast). On the contrary, trend indicators on the D1 chart are entirely bearish: 100% of them point to a decline and are coloured in red. Oscillators indicate a fall for the pair at 50%, an increase at 40%, with the remaining 10% maintaining a neutral stance. Should the pair trend downwards, it will encounter support levels and zones at 1.2100-1.2115, 1.2030-1.2050, 1.1960, and 1.1800. If the pair rises, it will meet resistance at levels of 1.2205-1.2220, 1.2270, 1.2330, 1.2450, 1.2510, 1.2550-1.2575, 1.2690-1.2710, 1.2760, and 1.2800-1.2815.

Notable events for the upcoming week include Tuesday, October 17, when data on the state of the UK labour market will be released. On Wednesday, October 18, consumer price index (CPI) data will be published for both the Eurozone and the United Kingdom. (Particularly high volatility can be expected for EUR/GBP on this day). Also of interest is Friday, October 20, when retail sales data for the United Kingdom will be made available.

USD/JPY: Coming Full Circle

What's going on in Japan? Well, the situation remains largely as usual. After plummeting to a level of 147.24 on October 3, USD/JPY resumed its upward trajectory, marking the week's high at 149.82, just shy of the key 150.00 level. It has been noted multiple times that the divergence in monetary policies between the U.S. Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan (BoJ) will consistently push the pair upwards. Any currency interventions by Japanese financial authorities could only result in a temporary strengthening of the yen.

According to the Bank of Japan, producer inflation has been slowing for the ninth consecutive month. Producer prices, which rose by 3.3% in August with a September forecast of 2.3%, actually increased by a minimal 2.0% year-over-year, the lowest since March 2021. However, with regard to consumer inflation, the BoJ is considering raising the target for the core Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 2023/24 fiscal year from 2.5% to around 3%. This was reported on Tuesday, October 10, by the Kyodo news agency, citing informed sources.

Evaluating the state of Japan's economy and its monetary policy, S&P Global rating agency believes that "interest rates in Japan will start rising from 2024." However, the agency's view contradicts statements made by Bank of Japan (BoJ) officials. For instance, BoJ board member Asahi Noguchi stated on Thursday, October 13th, that "an interest rate hike would be triggered by achieving the target inflation rate of 2%," and that this target is still far from being reached. According to him, "there's no need to rush," and "there's no urgent need to adjust the Yield Curve Control (YCC) policy." From Noguchi's statements, one could infer that the Japanese regulator would not even be contemplating the topic of interest rates, keeping them at a negative level of -0.1%, were it not for the monetary policy of the Federal Reserve. Noguchi stated that rate hikes "don't necessarily reflect inflation expectations in Japan, but rather U.S. interest rates.".

USD/JPY ended the trading week at the level of 149.53. While the vast majority of experts predict a weakening of the dollar against the euro and pound, only 25% of those surveyed agreed with this view when it comes to the yen. A significant 75% forecast further weakening of the yen and strengthening of the U.S. currency. All 100% of trend indicators remain in the green. Among oscillators, slightly fewer, 80%, stay green, 10% have turned red, and the remaining 10% are in a neutral gray. The nearest support level is located at 149.15, followed by 148.15-148.40, 146.85-147.25, 145.90-146.10, 145.30, 144.45, 143.75-144.05, 142.20, 140.60-140.75, 138.95-139.05, and 137.25-137.50. The closest resistance is at 149.70-150.15, then 150.40, 151.90 (the October 2022 high), and 153.15.

No significant economic data pertaining to the state of the Japanese economy is scheduled for release in the upcoming week.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: Where Will Bitcoin Fly Next?

Last week, bitcoin began charting its own course, detaching itself from its "big brothers" and disregarding both direct and inverse correlations. Despite rising stock indices and a weakening dollar, the leading cryptocurrency fell and moved into a sideways trend when the dollar started to gain strength.

BTC/USD has been trading within a range of $24,300-$31,300 since mid-March. Over the last eight weeks, its upper boundary has dipped even further, settling into a $28,100-$28,500 zone. As this range has narrowed, short-term speculators and retail traders have become less active, causing the realized capitalization indicator to hover near zero. Long-term holders, also known as "hodlers," are adding to their BTC wallets rather than depleting them, purchasing around 50,000 coins per month.

Historically, such market stagnation has preceded significant price movements. Many investors are now speculating that triggers for another bull rally could include the upcoming 2024 halving event and the potential approval of spot bitcoin ETFs. MicroStrategy, an American technology company, has accumulated 158,245 BTC, which is worth approximately $4.24 billion. In addition, investment giant BlackRock submitted an application for a spot bitcoin ETF in June and acquired $400 million worth of shares in leading miners.

The Bull Run could potentially commence right now; however, Bloomberg strategist Mike McGlone believes that stringent U.S. policies, particularly those by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), are the main obstacles hindering bitcoin's growth. ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman also shares disappointment over the U.S. government's approach towards the crypto industry. "The war on cryptocurrencies seems endless, and the authorities appear keen on taking everything under their control," stated the Artificial Intelligence entrepreneur. Altman, along with U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., thinks that the government's hostility towards independent digital assets is partly due to their desire to introduce their own Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). Should this wish materialize, it would provide the state with another surveillance tool over its citizens.

Another pressure point on virtual assets comes from the monetary policy of the U.S. Federal Reserve. Analyst Nicholas Merten opines that bitcoin could take a significant hit due to the Fed's actions, potentially leading to a prolonged economic downturn in the United States. If commodity prices, such as oil, natural gas, and uranium, start to stabilize or decline, this could signal an impending short-term recession. In such a scenario, Merten believes, stock prices could drop by approximately 33%, similar to the correction that occurred in October 2022. Bitcoin, in response, would likely plummet to a range of $15,000-$17,000.

The analyst is convinced that a sustained bull trend in the market is unlikely until the Federal Reserve begins to inject more liquidity into the economy. "Bitcoin thrives when there is an increase in the money supply and when investors are risk tolerant. At present, neither of these conditions is met," explained Nicholas Merten.

The current dynamics of bitcoin seem to align with what was observed before and after the halvings in 2016 and 2020. Following its summer peak, the coin is experiencing a downward correction; however, this isn't surprising. Typically, around 200 days before a halving, the leading cryptocurrency could lose up to 60-65% of its value but then would resume its growth trajectory.

Many experts predict a significant surge in bitcoin prices in 2024. Investor optimism is also fuelled by the current price trend of this digital gold: despite the pullback from its summer high, investments in bitcoin have yielded more than 60% returns since the beginning of the year.

JP Morgan experts forecast a price rise to $45,000 in 2024, while Standard Chartered predicts it will reach $100,000. Author and investor Robert Kiyosaki and cryptographer Adam Back also target the $100,000 mark. Fundstrat Research founder Tom Lee envisions bitcoin at $180,000, while venture capitalist Tim Draper predicts a $250,000 valuation. Billionaire Mike Novogratz and ARK Invest CEO Cathy Wood project the coin's rise to $500,000 and $1 million, respectively, for the next year.

Former BitMEX CEO Arthur Hayes has set a "modest" target of $70,000 for bitcoin next year. As for the $750,000 to $1 million range, Hayes believes BTC/USD will only reach that level by 2026. He justifies his forecast based on the asset's limited supply, the prospect of spot bitcoin ETF approvals, and geopolitical uncertainty. "I think this will be the greatest financial markets boom in human history. Bitcoin will soar to absurd levels, Nasdaq will rise to absurd levels, and the S&P 500 will climb to absurd levels," stated Hayes.

Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett's partner and the Vice Chairman of American holding company Berkshire Hathaway, has predicted a dire future for digital assets. In his view, the majority of investments in these assets will eventually become worthless. "Don't get me started on bitcoin. It's the dumbest investment I've ever seen," the 99-year-old investor expressed during the Zoomtopia online conference.

As of the time of writing this review, on the evening of Friday, October 13, the total market capitalization of the crypto market stands at $1.046 trillion, down from $1.096 trillion a week ago. bitcoin's share in the overall market has increased from 39.18% at the beginning of the year to 49.92%. Analyst Benjamin Cowen believes the crypto market is entering "one of its most brutal" phases. According to the expert, bitcoin's dominance is rising amid falling altcoin prices and decreased investor interest in this asset class. Utilizing Fibonacci retracement levels, Cowen anticipates that this dominance figure will likely peak at 60%, as it did in the last cycle, but will probably not rise to 65% or 70% due to the stablecoin market. BTC/USD closed at $27,075 on October 13th. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index for bitcoin has dropped from 50 to 44 points over the week, moving back from the Neutral zone to the Fear zone.


NordFX Analytical Group


Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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CryptoNews of the Week



– On October 16, the bitcoin exchange rate soared to $30,102 before plummeting to $27,728. Following BTC, other digital assets also experienced a sharp increase in price, only to subsequently decline steeply. According to Coinglass data, the surge in prices led to the liquidation of over 33,000 trading positions, resulting in trader losses of $154 million. Of this amount, $92.0 million was attributed to bitcoin, $22.7 million to Ethereum, and $4.6 million to Solana.
The spike in prices occurred after Cointelegraph published a report stating that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had approved BlackRock's application for a spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). It later emerged that the news was false. Cointelegraph's editorial team apologized for disseminating inaccurate information. The publication explained that one of its staff members had seen the news about the approval of the BTC ETF on Platform X (formerly Twitter) and decided to publish it as quickly as possible, without conducting fact-checking or obtaining approval from the supervising editor. Representatives from the SEC also emphasized that "the SEC itself is the best source of information about the SEC," and advised users to "exercise caution regarding what they read online."
In response, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink clarified that he could not comment on the status of the application's review. The executive also believes that the bitcoin rally was not so much driven by rumours of the approval of a spot BTC ETF, but rather by people's desire to utilize quality assets. He included bitcoin, gold, and Treasury bonds in this category of quality assets.

– Opinions among crypto industry representatives are divided regarding what lies ahead for BTC. For example, trader, analyst, and founder of venture firm Eight, Michael Van De Poppe, believes that the false report will not hinder the cryptocurrency's growth. According to his observations, the coin has already entered a phase of positive movement. "The trend is already upward. The lows have been set for us to buy [cryptocurrency]. Sooner or later, a bitcoin ETF will enter the market; it just won't happen today," says the head of Eight.
The authors of the analytical channel Root on Platform X (formerly known as Twitter) also think that the false news did not exert significant pressure on the cryptocurrency. In their view, the coin's pump, despite the subsequent correction, has actually helped improve its position. However, there is also a substantial portion of the crypto community that holds a negative outlook, predicting that the coin could drop to the $19,000-$23,000 range.

– The founder of SkyBridge Capital and former White House Communications Director, Anthony Scaramucci, believes that the first cryptocurrency is "in many ways more valuable than gold" and could "easily" reach a market capitalization of $15 trillion. According to his calculations, at such a capitalization, the price of bitcoin would be approximately $700,000.
Scaramucci asserts that the current financial system is "broken." "Strange things could happen when you see countries that are hostile to the U.S. trading in bitcoin or other assets, distancing themselves from the dollar because the United States has used its currency to assert its personal geopolitical will," he said. However, Scaramucci clarified that bitcoin is unlikely to become the "universal standard of money," as some crypto maximalists desire.

– Italian car manufacturer Ferrari has added digital assets as a payment method in the U.S. According to Reuters, this feature will be extended to Europe in Q1 2024. Initially, the company is accepting bitcoin, Ethereum, and the stablecoin USDC.
Ferrari management stated that the decision was made in response to customer requests. "Some of these are young investors who have built their fortunes on digital assets. Others are more traditional investors looking to diversify their portfolios," company representatives explained.

– The market capitalization of the cryptocurrency sector could increase by $1 trillion if spot bitcoin ETFs are approved in the U.S., according to analysts at CryptoQuant. They believe that the chances of such an outcome have significantly increased following the legal victories of Ripple and Grayscale against the SEC. It should be noted that the deadline for the SEC's decisions on applications from BlackRock and other companies is set for March 2024.
Experts highlight that a positive decision would lead to a new wave of adoption of this asset class by institutional investors. Approximately $155 billion could flow into the bitcoin market, raising its capitalization from the current $543 billion to nearly $700 billion. In this scenario, the price of bitcoin could reach $100,000 or even $200,000, according to a study conducted by Finbold.
Finbold also consulted PricePredictions' artificial intelligence for forecasts. According to the AI calculations, after the approval of a bitcoin ETF, the flagship crypto asset could quickly reach the $100,000 mark. PricePredictions emphasized that additional factors such as the general acceptance of bitcoin, actions of institutional investors, regulatory activity, and overall macroeconomic conditions will play a significant role.
As for the short-term forecast, the AI predicts that by November 1, 2023, the coin will reach a value of approximately $29,576, which is about 4% higher than its current price.

– According to data from the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Government owns approximately 200,000 bitcoins, valued at over $5.65 billion. These assets were primarily confiscated from cybercriminals and participants in illegal darknet activities. An interesting fact is that, according to research by specialists at Morgan Creek Capital, the U.S. Government held only 69,640 BTC last year. This significant increase indicates that the U.S. has substantially ramped up its efforts to curb criminal activity and the illicit use of cryptocurrencies.

– Edward Snowden, a former employee of the CIA and the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States, is known for having stolen 1.7 million confidential files and leaking this classified information to The Guardian and The Washington Post newspapers in 2013. The data pertained to global mass surveillance conducted by American intelligence agencies. Following this, he fled and found asylum in Russia. According to Snowden, he used bitcoins 10 years ago to pay for the servers he used to leak the secret documents.
Now, speaking at a conference in Amsterdam, the former spy has stated that bitcoin lacks real anonymity, allowing governments to easily track the individuals behind certain transactions. Snowden spoke about government and regulatory bodies attempting to control bitcoin and the entire industry, noting that the creation of a bitcoin ETF is actually another attempt to "tame" BTC.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

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EUR/USD: No Interest Rate Hikes from the Fed and ECB in the Near Future?

Starting from the last days of September, the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) has been trading within a sideways channel. Macroeconomic data released last week did not provide a clear advantage to either the U.S. or the European currency. On Tuesday, October 17, U.S. retail sales data was published, showing a monthly increase of 0.7%. Although this figure was lower than the previous 0.8%, it substantially exceeded the market's average forecast of 0.3%. On the same day, the ZEW Economic Sentiment Index for the Eurozone was also released, outperforming expectations with a reading of 2.3, considerably better than the forecast of -8, and marking a full rebound from the previous negative figure of -8.9.

On Wednesday, October 18, revised data on consumer inflation in the Eurozone was released. The September Consumer Price Index (CPI) matched the forecast and was ultimately assessed at 4.3% year-on-year (YoY), compared to 5.2% the previous month. On Thursday, October 19, the number of initial jobless claims in the U.S. came in at 198K, surpassing expectations and falling below both the prior figure of 211K and the market forecast of 212K.

Taking a broader view of the U.S. economy, we generally observe strong employment and GDP growth rates, a deceleration in inflation, increased consumer activity, and a real estate market that remains relatively stable despite rising mortgage rates. All these factors point to the appropriateness of another rate hike, which should, in turn, push the DXY higher. However, based on statements from Federal Reserve officials, it seems unlikely that a rate hike will occur at the upcoming Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting on November 1.

Specifically, Patrick Harker, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, stated that economic pressure should not be created by increasing borrowing costs. Echoing Harker's sentiments, Lorie Logan, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, noted that although "desired progress is being observed in the fight against inflation, it is still too high." She added that "the economy continues to demonstrate strong performance, and labour markets remain tight," yet "the Fed still has some time to observe the economy and markets before making a decision on monetary policy.".

Jerome Powell's speech at the New York Economic Club on Thursday, November 19, did not meet the expectations of dollar hawks, leading EUR/USD to rise above 1.0615. According to economists at Rabobank, the Federal Reserve Chairman attempted to keep the door open for various options while maintaining a neutral stance. Rabobank believes that U.S. economic indicators are likely to sustain the possibility for further rate hikes. However, with less than a week and a half remaining until the next FOMC meeting, the current "neutral dynamics provide no basis to expect a rate hike on November 1st." Nonetheless, they note that "this option remains open for the December meeting." Despite that, economists at the bank still expect "the bond market to do the Fed's job, making further rate hikes redundant. However, if economic data remain strong, the FOMC will eventually have to resume the rate hike cycle at some point."

Analysts at the Netherlands' largest banking group, ING, opined that while the Fed Chairman's comments were perceived as dovish and led to some weakening of the U.S. currency, the dollar appears more inclined to rise than to further fall in the short term. Economists at Germany's Commerzbank characterized the mood among Fed officials as cautiously hawkish rather than dovish. They also see little chance for another rate hike in the current climate. "Indeed, it seems that the Fed has reached its peak, although Jerome Powell did not rule out the possibility of another rate hike depending on incoming data. However, monetary policy currently plays a secondary role for the market. Geopolitical risks have taken the forefront, and the dollar continues to be in demand as a safe haven," they commented. The bank's experts forecast that although it may be challenging for the dollar to continue rising in such a scenario, high oil prices will provide support.

At France's Societe Generale, it is believed that "the narrative about a higher rate over a longer term, both from the Fed and the ECB, points to a gradual decline of the euro." According to the bank's experts, "data from the Eurozone is not brilliant, and the divergence between growth forecasts in the U.S. and the Eurozone suggests that a slow movement toward parity [1.000], but not beyond it, appears likely.".

As of the time of writing this review, EUR/USD has evidently not reached parity and concluded the past week at 1.0593. Expert opinions on its near-term future are divided as follows: 50% voted for a stronger dollar, 35% foresee the pair trending upward, and 15% have adopted a neutral stance.

Turning to technical analysis, the outlook is also mixed. Among the trend indicators on the D1 chart, the ratio stands at 1:1: 50% in favour of reds (bearish) and 50% on the side of greens (bullish). Oscillators show 40% siding with the European currency, a mere 15% in favour of the dollar, with the remaining 45% taking a neutral position. The immediate support levels for the pair are situated around 1.0550, followed by 1.0485-1.0510, 1.0450, 1.0375, 1.0255, 1.0130, and 1.0000. Bulls will encounter resistance in the 1.0600-1.0620 zone, then at 1.0670-1.0700, 1.0740-1.0770, 1.0800, 1.0865, and 1.0945-1.0975.

The upcoming week promises to be highly eventful. On Tuesday, October 24, a slew of Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) data will be released across various sectors of the German, Eurozone, and U.S. economies. The following day, October 25, will bring U.S. housing market data, along with remarks from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. On Thursday, the European Central Bank (ECB) will hold its meeting where Governing Council members are expected to make a decision on the euro interest rate, which according to consensus forecasts, is likely to remain at its current level of 4.50%. Importantly, not only the decision itself but also subsequent statements and comments from the ECB leadership will be of significance. On the same day, the U.S. will release durable goods orders data as well as preliminary GDP figures for Q3 of the current year. The workweek will conclude on October 27 with the release of U.S. personal consumption expenditure data.

GBP/USD: Will the BoE Rate Remain Unchanged as Well?

At the beginning of this month, specifically on October 4, GBP/USD trended upwards, moving from a level of 1.2037 to reach 1.2337 within a week. However, resistance around the 1.2320 zone and a trendline clearly visible on the D1 and W1 timeframes halted the bullish momentum, sending the pair back downwards. As a result, the British currency has lost approximately 7.5% against the dollar since mid-July. The driving factors behind this are not merely technical analysis but also the prevailing economic and geopolitical landscape.

Amid tensions in the Middle East and the ongoing escalation of armed conflict between Israel and Hamas, investors are turning back to the dollar, viewing it as a safe-haven currency. Naturally, the rising cost of energy commodities is also affecting prices in the United Kingdom, which will undoubtedly put pressure on the country's economy and its currency, often considered by investors to be a riskier asset.

It's worth noting that at the beginning of the year, experts predicted that the United Kingdom would slide into a recession. So far, those forecasts have not materialized, although the economy is teetering on the edge, with the current annual GDP growth rate at 0.6% (compared to 2.1% in the United States). The situation could deteriorate by year-end, as high energy prices amid winter cold spells could further fuel inflation. It's already observable that the country's inflation slowdown has stalled, and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has been hovering around 6.8-6.7% year-on-year for the third consecutive month.

In such a scenario, the Bank of England (BoE) might very well opt to focus on supporting the economy over combating inflation. Although some representatives of the central bank have stated that the issue of raising interest rates remains open, the recent interview given by BoE Governor Andrew Bailey to the Belfast Telegraph appeared rather dovish, neutralizing the effect of Jerome Powell's similarly dovish comments. Mr. Bailey indicated that he expects "a noticeable decrease" in inflation in the coming month. "Looking at September's inflation data, we can say that core inflation has dropped a bit compared to our expectations, which is quite encouraging," added Bailey, sending GBP/USD into a minor knockdown.

Pressure on the pound was also exerted by the UK retail sales data released on Friday, October 20. According to the Office for National Statistics, retail sales declined by -0.9% month-on-month in September, significantly below the -0.1% forecast and the previous 0.4% value.

At the moment, the situation for the pound remains complicated. It's unclear how the BoE will react to the latest data. Most likely, until the upcoming meeting on November 2, the central bank will adopt a "close your eyes and hope for the best" approach. Meanwhile, analysts from Bank of America, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, and RBC are in agreement that the rate hike cycle in the United Kingdom has likely come to an end. At the very least, the probability of a rate hike in the upcoming BoE meeting is estimated to be below 50%.

The weekly low for GBP/USD was recorded at 1.2089, while the week closed at 1.2163. When polled about the near-term future of the pair, 40% of analysts voted for its rise. The majority (60%), however, believe that the pair will continue its move toward the 1.2000 target. On the D1 timeframe, trend indicators are unanimously (100%) pointing to a decline, displayed in red. Oscillators are less decisive: 65% indicate a decline, 15% point to a rise, and the remaining 20% are neutral.

In terms of support levels and zones, if the pair continues to move southward, it will encounter 1.2085-1.2130, 1.2040, 1.1960, and 1.1800. On the flip side, if the pair rises, it will face resistance at 1.2190-1.2215, 1.2270, 1.2330, 1.2450, 1.2510, 1.2550-1.2575, and 1.2690-1.2710 levels.

Tuesday, October 24 is noteworthy in the economic calendar for the upcoming week. Data on the UK labor market and business activity will be released on this day.

USD/JPY: Amidst Prolonged Uncertainty

Many times have we heard these reassuring statements from Japanese officials about everything and... nothing! Let's take, for example, some quotes from Friday, October 20. First, from Bank of Japan (BoJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda: "The Japanese economy is recovering at a moderate pace. […] Uncertainty regarding Japan's economy is very high. […] Inflation rates will likely slow down and then pick up again. [But] overall, Japan's financial system remains stable."

Next, from Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki: "It is important for currencies to move stably and reflect fundamental indicators. […] Exchange rates are influenced by various factors. will not comment on currency levels in the Forex market. [And] I will not comment on our response to the currency market situation."

And, as the cherry on top, a quote from the Bank of Japan's latest report, also published on October 20: "Although the country's financial system is generally stable, the 'stress period may be further prolonged due to the ongoing tightening of central banks' monetary policy and concerns about slowing economic growth rates in foreign countries." In summary, Japan, on one hand, is doing well, but on the other, is experiencing stress caused by other central banks that are tightening their monetary policy and raising interest rates.

As experts note, the BoJ continues to maintain an ultra-accommodative monetary policy, persistently ignoring the risks of rising inflationary pressures in the country. On Tuesday, October 17, Bloomberg reported that the Bank of Japan's new core CPI forecast for the 2023 fiscal year is likely to approach 3.0%, compared to 2.5% previously.

The fact that interest rates in Japan remain very low due to yield curve control policy should lead to a further decline in the yen against the dollar. This decline could cease under two conditions: if the dollar interest rates decline or if the Bank of Japan abandons its YCC (Yield Curve Control) policy. Both could potentially begin to happen as early as mid-2024, but certainly not now. (Although one should not forget the possibility of currency interventions by the Japanese Ministry of Finance).

According to strategists at Societe Generale, "if we see further increases in yields in the U.S. and no more than a change in the inflation forecast by the Bank of Japan at its meeting on October 31, then another surge [in USD/JPY] above 150.00 is practically inevitable." "The yen has every chance of becoming one of the most successful currencies in 2024," Societe Generale believes, "but predicting when USD/JPY will peak is as easy or difficult as determining when the yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds will peak."

Amid a prolonged atmosphere of uncertainty, USD/JPY ended the previous trading week at 149.85. When it comes to the pair's short-term outlook, a mere 15% of experts foresee a renewed push towards the 150.00 mark. An additional 20% predict a downward correction, while the majority, 65%, remain noncommittal. On the D1 timeframe, all trend indicators are unanimously signalling 'buy' with a green coloration. Likewise, 100% of oscillators are green, although 40% indicate that the pair may be overbought. Immediate support can be found in the 149.60 area, followed by zones at 148.30-148.65, 146.85-147.25, 145.90-146.10, 145.30, 144.45, 143.75-144.05, and finally 142.20. On the upside, resistance is present at 150.00-150.15, then at 150.40, followed by the October 2022 high of 151.90, and 153.15.

No significant economic data concerning the state of the Japanese economy is scheduled for release in the upcoming week. The only noteworthy item is the publication of the Tokyo Consumer Price Index on Friday, October 27.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: The Real Market Surge Triggered by Fake News About BTC-ETF

Undoubtedly, the most significant day of the past week was Monday, October 16. On this day, the bitcoin price soared to $30,102 before plummeting to $27,728. Following BTC, other digital assets also saw a sharp price increase, followed by a steep decline. According to Coinglass data, the price surge led to the liquidation of over 33,000 trading positions, with traders incurring losses totalling $154 million. Of this amount, bitcoin accounted for $92.0 million in losses, Ethereum for $22.7 million, and Solana for $4.6 million.

The surge in quotations occurred after Cointelegraph published news that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) had approved BlackRock's application for a spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). It was later revealed that the news was fake. Cointelegraph's editorial team apologized for publishing the false news. The publication clarified that one of their staff had seen the news about the SEC's approval of the BTC-ETF on Platform X (previously Twitter) and decided to publish it as quickly as possible without fact-checking or obtaining editorial approval. Representatives from the Commission also noted that "the best source of information about the SEC is the SEC itself" and advised users to "be cautious about what they read online.".

To understand this issue more deeply, it's helpful to look back to its origins in 2021. That year, a series of companies submitted applications to create such funds. Three years ago, Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan explained that cryptocurrency futures ETFs are not particularly suitable for long-term investors due to high ancillary costs. It is only when spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds become available that institutional investors will begin large-scale capital inflows.

For clarification: A spot BTC-ETF is a fund whose shares are traded on an exchange, and which tracks the market, or spot price, of bitcoin. The primary idea behind such ETFs is to give institutional investors access to bitcoin trading without physically owning the asset, through a regulated and financially familiar product.

All applications submitted to the SEC in 2021 were rejected, leading to a hiatus that was interrupted on June 15, 2023. On that day, the situation dramatically changed: the financial world was abuzz with the news that investment giant BlackRock had submitted its application for a spot bitcoin trust. In an interview with Bloomberg, Hougan heralded the dawn of a new era. He stated, "We now have BlackRock raising the flag and declaring that bitcoin matters: that it is an asset institutional investors want to invest in. I believe we have entered a new era in cryptocurrency, which I call the foundational era, and I expect a multi-year bull trend that is just beginning."

Under the banner raised by BlackRock, seven more leading financial institutions also submitted similar applications to the SEC. Among them were global asset managers like Invesco and Fidelity, who, experts believe, have the capacity to absorb trillions of dollars. The ninth on the list was the asset management company GlobalX. They, along with several other financial giants, had entered the ETF race back in 2021, but were then thwarted by the SEC. Now, in August 2023, GlobalX made another attempt.

Owing to the initiatives of these investment titans, bitcoin experienced a meteoric rise starting in the latter half of June. It shattered the $25,000 resistance barrier, soared beyond $30,000, and peaked at $31,388 on June 23. This resulted in a weekly gain exceeding 26%. Following bitcoin's lead, altcoins like Ethereum also saw significant upward movement, registering approximately a 19% increase during the same period. However, due to subsequent regulatory pressures from the SEC and actions by the U.S. Federal Reserve, along with other negative news, the BTC/USD trading pair began to decline. It reached a low point of $24,296 on August 17.

And now, two months later, we see another surge and subsequent drop. What's next? It's a pertinent question, as the approval of spot bitcoin ETFs is expected to unleash a significant wave of adoption of this asset class by institutional investors. According to analysts at CryptoQuant, this could quickly propel the market capitalization of the crypto space by $1 trillion. In their opinion, the odds of this happening have significantly increased following the legal victories of Ripple and Grayscale against the SEC. Bloomberg analysts currently estimate these odds at 90%.

It's worth noting that the deadline for the SEC's decisions on the applications from BlackRock and other companies will arrive in March 2024. However, Mike Novogratz, the CEO of Galaxy Investment, believes that spot bitcoin ETFs could become a reality as early as this year. Larry Fink, the head of BlackRock, declined to comment on the status of their application but added that the October 16 rally was driven not so much by rumours of its approval but rather by a desire among people to use quality assets, which he believes includes bitcoin, gold, and Treasury bonds.

Anthony Scaramucci, founder of SkyBridge Capital and former White House Communications Director, believes that the leading cryptocurrency is "in many ways even more valuable than gold," and could "easily" achieve a market capitalization of $15 trillion. According to his calculations, such a capitalization would propel the price of bitcoin to approximately $700,000.

Scaramucci asserts that the current financial system is "broken." "Strange things could happen when you see countries that are hostile to the U.S. trading in bitcoin or other assets to distance themselves from the dollar. This is because the United States has used its currency to assert its own geopolitical will," he said.

Opinions within the crypto industry regarding the near-term future of bitcoin (BTC) are divided. A study conducted by Finbold revealed that a substantial number of experts do not rule out the possibility of BTC/USD climbing to $100,000 or even $200,000. Finbold specialists also sought forecasts from the artificial intelligence PricePredictions. According to AI calculations, after the approval of a bitcoin ETF, the flagship crypto asset could swiftly reach the $100,000 range. PricePredictions noted that additional factors like mainstream bitcoin adoption, institutional investor actions, regulatory activity, and overall macroeconomic conditions will be significant.

Trader, analyst, and founder of venture firm Eight, Michael Van De Poppe, believes that the October 16th fake news will not hinder the cryptocurrency's growth. According to his observations, the coin has already entered a phase of positive momentum. "The trend is already upward. The lows we're seeing now offer a buying opportunity. A bitcoin ETF will eventually enter the market; it's just not happening today," said the Eight CEO.

Authors of the analytical channel Root in X (formerly known as "Twitter") also think that the fake news did not exert significant pressure on the cryptocurrency. In their opinion, the coin's pump, despite the subsequent correction, has actually helped improve its position. However, there is also a sizable portion of the crypto community that supports a bearish outlook, suggesting the coin could drop to the $19,000-$23,000 range.

On Friday, October 20, BTC/USD made another attempt to breach the $30,000 mark, reaching a high of $30,207 before retreating. At the time of writing this overview, it is trading at $29,570. The overall market capitalization of the crypto market stands at $1.120 trillion, up from $1.046 trillion a week ago. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index has risen over the week from 44 to 53 points, moving from the 'Fear' zone into the 'Neutral' zone.


NordFX Analytical Group


[I]Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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EUR/USD: Awaiting the Pair at 1.0200?



Having started the past week on a positive note, EUR/USD approached a significant support/resistance level at the 1.0700 zone on Tuesday, October 24, before reversing and sharply declining. According to several analysts, the correction of the DXY Dollar Index that began on October 3rd, which correspondingly drove EUR/USD northward, has come to an end.

The trigger for the trend reversal was disappointing data on business activity (PMI) in Germany and the Eurozone, which fell short of forecasts and dropped below the key 50.0-point mark, indicating a deteriorating economic climate. These figures, remaining at a five-year low, starkly contrasted with similar indicators from the United States, which were released on the same day and exceeded both forecasts and the 50.0-point level. (As noted by proponents of technical analysis, the decline was also facilitated by the fact that as EUR/USD approached 1.0700, it hit its 50-day MA.)

In addition to PMI, preliminary U.S. GDP data for Q3, released on Thursday, October 26, served as further evidence that the American economy is coping well with a year and a half of aggressive monetary tightening. The annualized figures were significantly higher than both previous values and forecasts. Economic growth reached 4.9% compared to 2.1% and 4.2%, respectively. (It's worth noting that despite this growth, experts from the Wall Street Journal predict a GDP slowdown to 0.9%, which has led to a drop in the yield of U.S. Treasury bonds and slightly stalled the rise of the DXY.).

Also on Thursday, October 26, a European Central Bank (ECB) meeting took place, where the Governing Council members were expected to decide on the Eurozone interest rate. According to the consensus forecast, the rate was expected to remain at the current level of 4.50%, which indeed occurred. Market participants were more interested in the statements and comments made by the European Central Bank's leadership. From ECB President Christine Lagarde's remarks, it was inferred that the ECB is conducting "effective monetary policy, particularly in the banking sector." Nevertheless, the situation in Europe is not ideal. "Interest rates have likely reached their peak, but the Governing Council does not rule out an increase," she stated. Now more than ever, a data-dependent policy should be adopted. Inaction is sometimes also an action.

Apart from raising rates and maintaining the status quo, there is a third option: lowering rates. Madam Lagarde dismissed this route, stating that discussing a rate cut at this time is premature. However, market sentiment suggests that the ECB will formally announce the end of the current rate-hiking cycle at one of its upcoming meetings. Furthermore, derivatives indicate that the easing of the European regulator's monetary policy could start as early as April, with the likelihood of this happening by June being close to 100%. All of this could lead to a long-term depreciation of the European currency.

Certainly, the U.S. dollar benefits from a higher current interest rate (5.50% vs. 4.50%), as well as different economic dynamics and resilience to stress between the U.S. and Eurozone economies. Furthermore, the dollar is attractive as a safe-haven asset. These factors, along with expectations that the European Central Bank (ECB) will turn dovish before the Federal Reserve does, lead experts to predict a continuing downtrend for EUR/USD. However, considering the likelihood of a significant slowdown in U.S. GDP growth, some analysts believe the pair may stabilize within a sideways channel in the short term. For instance, economists at Singapore's United Overseas Bank (UOB) anticipate that the pair will likely trade in the range of 1.0510-1.0690 over the next 1-3 weeks.

Looking at forecasts for the end of the year, strategists from the Japanese financial holding company Nomura identify several other catalysts driving down EUR/USD: 1) deteriorating global risk sentiment due to rising bond yields; 2) widening yield spreads between German and Italian bonds; 3) reduced political uncertainty in the U.S., as the likelihood of a government shutdown diminishes; and 4) geopolitical tensions in the Middle East serving as a potential trigger for rising crude oil prices. Nomura believes that recent positive news about China's economic growth is unlikely to sufficiently offset these factors, keeping market participants bearish on the euro. Based on these elements, and even assuming that the Federal Reserve keeps interest rates unchanged next week, Nomura forecasts that the EUR/USD rate will fall to 1.0200 by year's end.

Strategists from Wells Fargo, part of the "big four" U.S. banks, expect the pair to reach the 1.0200 level slightly later, at the beginning of 2024. A bearish sentiment is also maintained by economists from ING, the largest banking group in the Netherlands.

Following the release of data on U.S. personal consumption expenditure, which aligned perfectly with forecasts, EUR/USD closed the past week at a level of 1.0564. Expert opinions on its near-term outlook are mixed: 45% advocate for a strengthening dollar, 30% favour the euro, and 25% maintain a neutral position. In terms of technical analysis, the D1 chart oscillators provide no clear direction: 30% point downward, 20% upward, and 50% remain neutral. Trend indicators offer more clarity: 90% look downward, while only 10% point upward. Immediate support levels for the pair are around 1.0500-1.0530, followed by 1.0450, 1.0375, 1.0200-1.0255, 1.0130, and 1.0000. Resistance for the bulls lies in the ranges of 1.0600-1.0620, 1.0740-1.0770, 1.0800, 1.0865, and 1.0945-1.0975.

The upcoming week promises to be packed with significant events. On Monday, October 30, we'll receive GDP and inflation (CPI) data from Germany. On Tuesday, October 31, retail sales figures from this engine of the European economy will be released, along with preliminary data on Eurozone-wide GDP and CPI. On Wednesday, November 1, employment levels in the U.S. private sector and Manufacturing PMI data will be published. The day will also feature the most critical event: the FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) meeting, where an interest rate decision will be made. The consensus forecast suggests that rates will remain unchanged. Therefore, market participants will be particularly interested in statements and comments from the leaders of the U.S. Federal Reserve.

On Thursday, November 2, we'll find out the number of initial jobless claims in the U.S. The torrent of labour market data will continue on Friday, November 3. As is traditional on the first Friday of the month, we can expect another round of key macro statistics, including the unemployment rate and the number of new non-farm jobs created in the United States.

GBP/USD: Awaiting the Pair at 1.1600?

Last week's published data indicated that although the UK's unemployment rate fell from 4.3% to 4.2%, the number of jobless claims amounted to 20.4K. This figure is significantly higher than both the previous value of 9.0K and the forecast of 2.3K. The Confederation of British Industry's (CBI) October data on major retailers' retail sales revealed that the Retail Sales Index dropped from -14 to -36 points, marking its lowest level since March 2021. Furthermore, analysts fear that the situation could deteriorate in November as households face pressure from high prices, leading them to significantly cut back on spending.

According to ING's forecast, in the short-term, risks for the pound remain skewed towards a decline to the key support level of 1.2000. Transitioning to medium-term expectations, Wells Fargo economists believe that not just the European but also the British currency will trend downward. "Europe's poor performance compared to the U.S. should exert pressure on both currencies," they write. "The ECB and the Bank of England have signalled that interest rates have likely reached their peak, which weakens the currencies' support from interest rates. Against this backdrop, we expect the pound to weaken [...] in early 2024, targeting a minimum for GBP/USD around 1.1600."

The Bank of England (BoE) is scheduled to hold a meeting on Thursday, November 2, following the Federal Reserve meeting earlier in the week. According to forecasts, the British regulator is expected to leave its monetary policy parameters unchanged, maintaining the interest rate at 5.25%, similar to the actions taken by the ECB and the Fed. However, given the high inflation rates in the United Kingdom, which exceed those of its main economic competitors, the BoE's rhetoric could be more hawkish than that of Madame Lagarde. In such a case, the pound may find some support against the European currency, but this is unlikely to offer much help against the dollar.

GBP/USD closed the past week at a level of 1.2120. When polled about the pair's near-term future, 50% of analysts voted for its rise. Only 20% believe the pair will continue its movement towards the target of 1.2000, while the remaining 30% maintain a neutral stance. Trend indicators on the D1 chart are unanimously bearish, with 100% pointing to a decline and coloured in red. Oscillators are slightly less conclusive: 80% indicate a decline (of which 15% are in the oversold zone), 10% suggest a rise, and the remaining 10% are in a neutral grey colour. In terms of support levels and zones, should the pair move downward, it would encounter support at 1.2000-1.2040, 1.1960, and 1.1800-1.1840, followed by 1.1720, 1.1595-1.1625, and 1.1450-1.1475. If the pair rises, it will meet resistance at 1.2145-1.2175, 1.2190-1.2215, 1.2280, 1.2335, 1.2450, 1.2550-1.2575, and 1.2690-1.2710.

Aside from the aforementioned Bank of England meeting on November 2, no other significant events concerning the British economy are anticipated for the upcoming week.

USD/JPY: Awaiting the Pair at 152.80?

The Japanese yen remains the weakest among the currencies of developed nations. USD/JPY has been rising throughout the year, and on Thursday, October 26, it reached a new annual high of 150.77. The primary reason for this trend, as we have frequently emphasized in our reviews, is the disparity in monetary policies between the Bank of Japan (BoJ) and other leading central banks. The BoJ shows no signs of relinquishing its ultra-accommodative monetary policy, maintaining its interest rate at a negative -0.1%. With the Federal Reserve's rate standing at +5.50%, a simple carry-trade operation exchanging yen for dollars provides substantial returns due to this rate difference.

The yen is also not helped by the easing control over the yield curve of Japanese government bonds. Currently, the yield on 10-year bonds can deviate from zero by no more than 0.5%. At its July meeting, the BoJ decided that this range would be more of a guideline than a hard boundary. However, subsequent experience has shown that any notable deviation from this range triggers the BoJ to buy bonds, which again leads to yen weakening.

Even the currency interventions conducted on October 3, when USD/JPY exceeded the 150.00 mark, failed to support the yen. The pair was temporarily brought down to 147.26, but it quickly rebounded and is now once again approaching the 150.00 level.

Leaders of Japan's Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank continually attempt to bolster their currency with reassuring yet rather vague statements, asserting that Japan's overall financial system remains stable and that they are closely monitoring exchange rates. However, as evident, their words have had limited impact. On the past Friday, October 27, Hirokazu Matsuno, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, added to the ambiguity. According to him, he expects the Bank of Japan to conduct appropriate monetary policy in line with objectives for achieving stable and sustainable price levels. While this sounds very good, understanding its implications is also very challenging. What exactly constitutes "appropriate" policy? And where does this elusive "target price level" stand?

According to experts at Germany's Commerzbank, "not everything in Japan's monetary and foreign exchange policy is always logical." "The market is likely to continue testing higher levels in USD/JPY," forecast the bank's economists. "Then there are two possible scenarios: either the Ministry of Finance conducts another intervention, or the yen's depreciation accelerates as the market starts to price out the risk of intervention."

"In the medium to long term," Commerzbank analysts continue, "an intervention won't be able to prevent a depreciation of the currency, especially if the Bank of Japan keeps exerting pressure on the yen by maintaining its ultra-expansionary monetary policy. Therefore, the only logical response would be, at the very least, a gradual normalization of monetary policy, possibly through further easing of the yield curve control (YCC). However, there is no certainty that easing the YCC would be sufficient, nor is there any certainty that the Bank of Japan will change anything in its meeting on Tuesday [October 31]."

As a result, analysts at the French bank Societe Generale believe that current dynamics favour a continuation of the upward movement. The next potential hurdles, in their opinion, lie at the 151.25 level and in the zone of last year's highs of 152.00-152.80. A key support zone is at 149.30-148.85, but overcoming this area would be necessary to confirm a short-term decline.

USD/JPY closed the past trading week at a level of 149.63. When discussing its near-term prospects, analysts are evenly split: 50% predict the pair will rise, and 50% anticipate a decline. Trend indicators on the D1 chart show 65% in green, indicating bullishness, and 35% in red, signalling bearishness. Among oscillators, there is unanimous lack of sentiment for a downward move. 50% point north, and the remaining 50% indicate a sideways trend. The nearest support levels are situated in the zones of 148.30-148.70, followed by 146.85-147.30, 145.90-146.10, 145.30, 144.45, 143.75-144.05, and 142.20. The closest resistance lies at 150.00-150.15, then 150.40-150.80, followed by 151.90 (October 2022 high) and 152.80-153.15.

No significant economic data pertaining to the state of the Japanese economy is scheduled for release in the upcoming week. Naturally, attention should be paid to the Bank of Japan's meeting on Tuesday, October 31, although no major surprises are expected. Traders should also be aware that Friday, November 3, is a public holiday in Japan as the country observes Culture Day.

A bit of reassuring information for proponents of the Japanese currency comes from Wells Fargo. They anticipate that "if the Federal Reserve does indeed cut rates, and even if the Bank of Japan continues to gradually tighten monetary policy, the yield differential should shift in favour of the yen in the long term." Wells Fargo strategists forecast that "by the end of next year, USD/JPY could be heading toward 146.00."

This American bank's outlook may instil optimism in traders who opened short positions at 150.00. However, what course of action should be taken by those who pressed 'Sell' in January 2023 when the pair was trading at 127.00?

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: Start of a Bull Rally or Another Bull Trap?

Today's cryptocurrency market review is decidedly optimistic, and for good reason. On October 23-24, bitcoin surged to $35,188 for the first time since May 2022. The rise in the leading cryptocurrency occurred amid a mix of tangible events, speculative buzz, and fake news related to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

For instance, Reuters and Bloomberg reported that the SEC will not appeal a court ruling in favour of Grayscale Investments. Additionally, news emerged that the SEC is discontinuing its lawsuit against Ripple and its executives. Speculation also abounded regarding potential SEC approval of an Ethereum ETF and rumours of a spot BTC-ETF approval for BlackRock. Last week, BlackRock confirmed that the latter news was false. However, the short squeeze triggered by this fake news facilitated the coin's rise, shaking up the market. The initial local trend was amplified by a cascade of liquidations of short positions opened with significant leverage. According to Coinglass, a total of $161 million in such positions was liquidated.

While the news was fake, the saying goes, "Where there's smoke, there's fire." BlackRock's spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund, iShares Bitcoin Trust, appeared on the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) list. BlackRock itself informed the SEC about its plans to initiate a test seed round in October for its spot BTC-ETF, potentially already beginning its cryptocurrency purchasing. This too fuelled speculation and rumours that the approval of its ETF is inevitable.

Moreover, according to some experts, technical factors contributed to the rise in quotes. Technical analysis had long pointed to a possible bull rally following an exit from the sideways trend.

Some analysts believe that another trigger for bitcoin's surge was the decline of the Dollar Index (DXY) to monthly lows on October 23. However, this point is debatable. We have previously noted that bitcoin has recently lost both its inverse and direct correlations, becoming "decoupled" from both the U.S. currency and stock market indices. The chart shows that on October 24, the dollar reversed its trend and began to rise. Risk assets like the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq Composite indices responded to this with sharp declines. But not BTC/USD, which shifted to a sideways movement around the Pivot Point of $34,000.

While the S&P 500 has been in a bearish trend for 13 weeks, BTC has been rising since August 17 despite challenges. During this period, the leading cryptocurrency has gained approximately 40%. Looking at a more extended timeframe, over the last three years, bitcoin has grown by 147% (as of October 20, 2023), while the S&P 500 has increased by only 26%.

Last week, the average BTC holder returned to profitability. According to calculations by analytics agency Glassnode, the average acquisition cost for investors was $29,800. For short-term holders (coins with less than 6 months of inactivity), this figure stands at $28,000. As of the writing of this review, their profit is approximately 20%.

The situation is somewhat different for long-term hodlers. They rarely react to even significant market upheavals, aiming for substantial profits over a multi-year horizon. In 2023, over 30% of the coins they held were in a drawdown, but this did not deter them from continuing to accumulate. Currently, holdings for this investor category amount to a record 14.9 million BTC, equivalent to 75% of the total circulating supply. The most notable and largest among such "whales" is MicroStrategy Incorporated. The company purchased its first batch of bitcoin in September 2020 at a price of $11,600 per coin. Subsequent acquisitions occurred during both market upswings and downturns, and it now owns 158,245 BTC, having spent $4.7 billion on the asset. Therefore, MicroStrategy's unrealized profit stands at approximately $0.65 billion, or roughly 13.6%.

The anticipation of the imminent launch of spot BTC ETFs in the U.S. is fuelling institutional interest in cryptocurrency. However, due to regulatory hurdles posed by the SEC, this interest is mostly deferred, according to analysts at Ernst & Young. By some estimates, this pent-up demand amounts to around $15 trillion, which could potentially drive BTC/USD to $200,000 in the long term. What can be said for certain is that open interest in futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) has surpassed a record 100,000 BTC, and daily trading volume has reached $1.8 billion.

Another driver of increased activity, according to experts, is the inflationary concerns in the U.S. and geopolitical risks such as the escalating situation in the Middle East. Zach Pandl, Managing Director of Grayscale Investments, explained that many investors view bitcoin as "digital gold" and seek to minimize financial risks through it. According to CoinShares, investments in crypto funds increased by $66 million last week; this marks the fourth consecutive week of inflows.

According to experts at JPMorgan, a positive decision from the SEC on the registration of the first spot bitcoin ETFs can be expected "within months." The specialists noted the absence of an SEC appeal against the court decision in the Grayscale case. The regulator has been instructed not to obstruct the transformation of the bitcoin trust into an exchange-traded fund. "The timelines for approval remain uncertain, but it is likely to happen [...] by January 10, 2024, the final deadline for the ARK Invest and 21 Co. application. This is the earliest of various final deadlines by which the SEC must respond," noted the experts at JPMorgan. They also emphasized that the Commission, in the interest of maintaining fair competition, may approve all pending applications simultaneously.

The future price behaviour of bitcoin is a topic of divided opinion within the crypto community. Matrixport has published an analytical report discussing the rising FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) effect. Their analysts rely on proprietary indicators that enable them to make favourable predictions for digital assets. They believe that by year-end, bitcoin could reach $40,000 and may climb to $56,000 if a bitcoin ETF is approved.

Many market participants are confident that a positive news backdrop will continue to support further cryptocurrency growth. For instance, Will Clemente, co-founder of Reflexivity Research, believes that the coin's behaviour should unsettle bears planning to buy cheaper BTC. A trader and analyst known as Titan of Crypto predicts the coin to move towards $40,000 by November 2023. Optimism is also shared by Michael Van De Poppe, founder of venture company Eight, and Charles Edwards, founder of Capriole Fund.

However, there are those who believe that BTC will not make further gains. Analysts Trader_J and Doctor Profit, for example, are certain that after reaching a new local maximum, the coin will enter an extended correction. Their forecast does not rule out a decline of BTC/USD to $24,000-$26,000 by year-end. A trader known as Ninja supports this negative bitcoin outlook. According to him, the technical picture, which includes an analysis of gaps on CME (the space between the opening and closing prices of bitcoin futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange), suggests the likelihood of BTC falling to $20,000.

As of the time of writing this review, on Friday, October 27, BTC/USD is trading at $33,800. The overall market capitalization of the crypto market stands at $1.25 trillion, up from $1.12 trillion a week ago. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index has risen over the week from 53 points to 72, moving from the Neutral zone into the Greed zone. It recorded its 2023 peak before slightly retreating and currently stands at 70 points. It's worth noting that just a month ago, the Index was in the Fear zone. Similar explosive rises in market sentiment were previously recorded in mid-2020 and mid-2021, correlating with price increases.

In conclusion of this generally optimistic overview, let's introduce a bit of pessimism from Peter Schiff, President of Euro Pacific Capital. This long-time critic of the leading cryptocurrency stated that bitcoin is "not an asset, it's nothing." He also likened bitcoin holders to a cult, saying, "No one needs bitcoin. People buy it only after someone else convinces them to do so. After acquiring [BTC], they immediately try to draw others into it. It's like a cult," wrote Schiff.

However, it's worth noting that this is a very large and rapidly growing "cult." If in 2016 the number of BTC holders was just 1.2 million, by May 2023, according to various sources, global ownership is estimated at 420 million, or 5.1% of the world's population.


NordFX Analytical Group


Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

NordFX brokerage company has summarized the trading performance of its clients for October 2023. Additionally, the social trading services and the profit earned by the company's IB partners were evaluated.

The past month proved highly fruitful for the company's clients. The undisputed leader was a trader from Western Asia, account #1691XXX, with a profit amounting to 185,095 USD. This remarkable result was achieved from trades involving gold (XAU/USD), the euro (EUR/USD), and the British pound (GBP/USD).

- Taking the second spot on the podium with an impressive profit of 129,150 USD was a representative from South Asia, account No.1720XXX. Their profit was derived from trading currency pairs GBP/USD, EUR/USD, and USD/JPY.

- Gold (XAU/USD) enabled another trader from Western Asia, account No.1696XXX, to earn 83,980 USD, securing a spot among the top three.

In the PAMM service, the "Trade and earn" account continues to attract the attention of passive investors. It was opened 601 days ago but remained dormant until it was revived in November 2022. Since then, the account's yield has exceeded 205% with a relatively small drawdown of less than 17%. It's worth noting that past performance does not guarantee similar returns in the future. As always, we urge investors to exercise utmost caution when investing their funds.

On the PAMM service showcase, two long-standing accounts remain, which we've frequently mentioned in previous reports. These are "KennyFXPRO-The Multi 3000 EA" and "TranquilityFX-The Genesis v3". Recall that on November 14, 2022, they faced significant losses, with drawdowns nearing 43%. However, the PAMM managers chose to persevere, and by October 31, 2023, the first account's profit surpassed 116%, and the second's reached 78%

The top 3 IB partners of NordFX for October are as follows:

- The highest commission of 13,469 USD was credited to a partner from South Asia, account No.1576XXX.
- Second place went to the holder of account No.1645XXX from Western Asia, who received 11,869 USD. Remarkably, this partner has been among the top three for six consecutive months. Over this period, thye accumulated earnings of approximately 70,000 USD.
- Lastly, rounding off the top 3 is another partner from South Asia with account No.1700XXX, who received a reward of 7,124 USD.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

CryptoNews of the Week



– October 31 is bitcoin's birthday. On this very day in 2008, an individual or group using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto published a document titled "bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System". However, it's worth noting that bitcoin only made its debut as a cryptocurrency in the market on January 3, 2009. On this day, a block was mined containing the date and a brief excerpt from The Times article: "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks".
On January 12, 2009, Nakamoto executed the first transaction on the network, sending cryptocurrency to developer Hal Finney. That same year, bitcoin was listed on the New Liberty Standard exchange. On this platform, one could purchase 1309 BTC for just $1 (worth nearly $55 million today).

– According to experts at CoinGecko, the "Uptober effect" is a reality, not merely an internet meme. (The term is derived from the combination of the words "up" and "October"). In eight out of the past ten years, the cryptocurrency market has shown growth in October compared to the preceding month. On average, the "Uptober effect" results in a 14% increase in the total market capitalization of digital assets – ranging from 7.3% in 2022 to 42.9% in 2021, as calculated by CoinGecko. The exceptions were in 2014 and 2018 when the market declined by 12.7% and 8.3% respectively over the month.
This year, starting from $27,000 on October 1st, bitcoin tested the $35,000 mark by October 24th, reflecting an approximately 30% growth. Even more significant rallies were shown by altcoins like Solana (SOL) and Chainlink (LINK).

– "Bitcoin is gold for the young," opined billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller, a former associate of George Soros at the Quantum Fund. "I'm 70 years old, and I have gold. I was taken aback when bitcoin started to emerge. But it's evident that the younger generation views it as a savings mechanism because it's much more convenient to handle," he observed. He believes that the foremost cryptocurrency has attained a brand stature akin to the precious metal, which has maintained its allure for 5,000 years. "I have an affinity for both. I don't possess bitcoin, but perhaps I should," Druckenmiller remarked.

– Peter Schiff, another "gold bug" and the head of Euro Pacific Capital, posits that the final nod from the SEC for spot bitcoin ETFs will spell the end for the bullish rally of the principal cryptocurrency. Currently, bitcoin is trading around $35,000, as speculators are banking on a favourable regulatory decision. This optimism might very well represent the zenith of the rally unless bitcoin sells off sooner. In Schiff's view, crypto traders might commence offloading coins, locking in profits even prior to any definitive decision from the SEC.

– A well-known bitcoin maximalist, TV host, and founder of Heisenberg Capital, Max Keiser, went on a tirade, dubbing Ethereum a "shitcoin" and its creator, Vitalik Buterin, a "terrorist". "Shitcoins like ETH, XRP, BNB, ADA, and thousands of others are crafted by financial terrorists and are indubitably employed to fund terrorism. Do your job and incarcerate everyone associated with these coins!" Keiser urged law enforcement. This former trader perceives bitcoin as distinct from other digital assets since it embodies a digital commodity designed to combat central banks and criminals vested with power. According to Keiser, in contrast, shitcoins were merely concocted to destabilize the financial system. Keiser's statement predictably drew a torrent of criticism. The blunter members of the crypto community labelled him a scammer, wishing him behind bars. The more courteous individuals advised the TV host to delve into the documentation of other cryptocurrencies to fathom their nuances.

– According to Guy Gotslak, co-founder and president of My Digital Money, Ethereum will reach $10,000 sooner than many expect. He believes that ETH has all the fundamentals required for significant growth, and it will be a walk to the top, not a giant leap.
During the recent cryptocurrency market rally, Ethereum increased by 21%, and the majority of the crypto industry participants believe that bitcoin's growth influenced ETH's rise. However, Gotslak thinks otherwise, being confident that the price movement of the main altcoin is independent of what happens with bitcoin.
The trading expert is optimistic about ETH's prospects, as he believes the market is looking for a safe haven. His confidence is also based on the numerous use cases of the Ethereum blockchain, which has been chosen by several Fortune 500 companies. Gotslak asserts that, with further technological advancements, this blockchain will become the most used, and ETH will become the most popular cryptocurrency.

– Michael Van De Poppe, founder of the venture company Eight and CEO of MN Trading, believes that bitcoin has officially entered a bullish market phase. The expert thinks the asset is ready for a rally to $50,000, after which a pullback will occur, followed by a new all-time high (ATH). Van De Poppe noted that BTC would face resistance at the $38,000 level but would likely continue to rise, reaching $45,000-50,000 by January 2024. However, he also mentions that a drop below $33,000 is still possible and sees it as an excellent opportunity for long positions.
Van De Poppe predicts that after the April halving, there will be a consolidation and sideways movement for an extended period before bitcoin begins to set new highs.
Look Into Bitcoin creators also believe that after BTC surpassed the $34,000 mark, it started the early phase of the bullish market. The next targets are $41,900 and $65,050.
A trader by the nickname Rekt Capital is less optimistic, expecting a significant drop by March 2024. After the halving, the expert anticipates a consolidation in the $24,000-30,000 range and then a parabolic growth to six-digit figures.

– In an interview with CNBC, renowned cryptocurrency enthusiast Anthony Pompliano expressed optimism about bitcoin's bullish trend. He emphasized that BTC's price rise is due to solid demand and supply. "Bitcoin is the most disciplined central bank in the world. [...] Bitcoin's supply is limited to 21 million coins, and this starkly contrasts with central banks that can issue an unlimited amount of money and bonds. Due to bitcoin's scarcity and its decentralized nature, it has become an attractive asset, especially during times of economic uncertainty," stated Pompliano.

– In the US, bitcoin mining is beginning to be used for heating saunas. Such a sauna has started operating in Brooklyn, New York. The heat generated by mining equipment is used as the source of water heating. As saunas become increasingly popular among Americans, this development benefits miners, as it adds another point to the discussion on the public benefit or significance of such entrepreneurial activity.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

EUR/USD: A Bad Week for the Dollar

Throughout the week, the Dollar Index DXY, along with EUR/USD, appeared to be riding the waves, moving up and down. At the beginning of the week, preliminary data for Europe was released. In terms of annual growth, the GDP of the Eurozone in the third quarter was only 0.1%, which fell short of both the forecast of 0.2% and the previous figure of 0.5%. In addition, inflation took a downward turn – in October, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) stood at 2.9% (year-on-year), missing the forecast of 3.1% and the previous month's 4.3%.

The European Central Bank meeting took place on October 26, during which the members of the Governing Council unsurprisingly left the interest rate unchanged at 4.50%. Now, market participants were eagerly anticipating the decision of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the Federal Reserve, scheduled for Wednesday, November 1. On the eve of the FOMC meeting, the dollar, regarded as a safe-haven asset, received support due to increased geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Additionally, strong macroeconomic data from the United States favoured the American currency. The country's GDP in the third quarter surged by 4.9%, significantly surpassing the previous figure of 2.1%. Another surprise came from the ADP private sector employment data: the change in the number of employed individuals in the private sector reached 113K, compared to 89K the previous month.

Market participants had a sense that in such a situation, the Federal Reserve (FOMC) might well continue tightening monetary policy, especially since inflation is still far from the target level of 2.0%. Against this backdrop, the yield on 10-year Treasury bonds once again approached the 5.0% level, and the Dollar Index (DXY) rose to 107.00.

However, November 1 brought complete disappointment to the dollar bulls. For the second consecutive month, the FOMC left the key interest rate unchanged at 5.50%. What's worse is that if after the September meeting, the market believed that the cost of borrowing would rise to 5.75% by the end of this year, the probability of such an increase has now plummeted to 14%. The Dollar also received no support from the rhetoric of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell during the press conference following the current meeting.

The situation could have been rectified by the data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), traditionally published on the first Friday of the month, which was on November 3. However, the number of non-farm payroll (NFP) employees in the country only increased by 150K in October. This figure turned out to be lower than both the market's expectations of 180K and the revised September growth, which was adjusted from 336K to 297K. The unemployment rate rose during the same period from 3.8% to 3.9%. The annual inflation, measured by the change in the average hourly wage, decreased from 4.3% to 4.1%. As a result of this disappointing data for Dollar bulls, the Dollar Index (DXY) plummeted to 105.09, while EUR/USD reached a six-week high at 1.0718.

Towards the end of the workweek, the publication of the ISM Services PMI index revealed that business activity in the U.S. services sector was growing at a slower pace in October. The PMI declined to 51.8 from 53.6 in September. This value was below the market's expectation of 53.0. More detailed data showed that the index of service prices (the inflation component) decreased slightly from 58.9 to 58.6, and the employment index dropped from 53.4 to 50.2. As a result, the Dollar continued its descent, and the final note of the week for the currency pair was heard at the level of 1.0730.

According to strategists at the Canadian Scotiabank, in the short term, EUR/USD could rise to 1.0750. In general, expert opinions regarding the near future of the currency pair are divided as follows: 45% voted for a stronger Dollar, while 60% sided with the Euro. As for technical analysis, 35% of the D1 oscillators are pointing south, while 65% are pointing north, although a third of them signal overbought conditions for the pair. Among trend indicators, priorities are clearer: 85% are looking north, with only 15% looking south. The nearest support for the pair is located around 1.0675-1.0700, followed by 1.0600-1.0620, 1.0500-1.0530, 1.0450, 1.0375, 1.0200-1.0255, 1.0130, and 1.0000. Bulls will encounter resistance around 1.0745-1.0770, then 1.0800, 1.0865, 1.0945-1.0975, and 1.1090-1.1110.

Unlike the past five days, the economic calendar for the upcoming week anticipates significantly fewer important events. On Wednesday, November 8, data on inflation (CPI) in Germany and retail sales in the Eurozone will be released. Additionally, on this day, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is scheduled to give a speech. He can also be heard again on Thursday, November 9. As is customary, Thursday will also bring data on the number of initial jobless claims in the United States.

GBP/USD: A Good Week for the Pound

Looking at the results of central bank meetings in many countries, there is a sense that the global trend of tightening monetary policy has come to an end. Both the ECB and the Fed left interest rates unchanged. The Bank of England (BoE) also did the same on November 2 at its meeting, leaving the key rate unchanged for the second consecutive time at 5.25%. According to the regulator, such a decision should support the recovery of the economy and employment levels in the United Kingdom. The short-term inflation forecast was revised upwards. However, the central bank leaders noted that inflation in the third quarter had decreased to 6.7%, which was better than expected in August, and its target level of 2.0% is likely to be reached by the end of 2025.

Despite the BoE keeping the rate unchanged, the market perceived this decision as hawkish because three out of nine members of the bank's leadership voted for an increase. Furthermore, the Governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, emphasized during a press conference that considering a rate cut would be premature. He stated, "Monetary policy is likely to remain restrictive for an extended period." Investors are aware that central banks use such forward guidance as a tool to influence the market, so it is unlikely that the regulator will switch to a soft monetary policy anytime soon. Of course, there are no guarantees that the BoE will stick to its promises if inflation does not move towards the target level. However, at the moment, the market believes Andrew Bailey, which has supported the British currency.

The pound received its strongest bullish impulse after the release of US labor market data on November 3. At that moment, GBP/USD surged upwards, continued its ascent, and closed the week at 1.2380. According to Scotiabank economists, the short-term trading model for the British currency looks promising. They note an increase in demand for the pound amid its weakening since mid-July and do not rule out a rise of GBP/USD to the 1.2450 level. As for the median forecast for the near future, 35% of analysts voted for the pair's rise, 50% believe that the pair will resume its movement towards the 1.2000 target, and the remaining 15% remain neutral. On the D1 timeframe, 75% of trend indicators point to a pair's rise and are coloured green, while the remaining 25% are red. Oscillators show the same readings: 75% point upwards (a quarter of them are in the overbought zone), and 25% voted for a decline. In case the pair moves south, it will encounter support levels and zones at 1.2330, 1.2210, 1.2145, 1.2040-1.2085, 1.1960, and 1.1800-1.1840, 1.1720, 1.1595-1.1625, 1.1450-1.1475. In the event of an upward movement, the pair will face resistance at levels 1.2390-1.2425, 1.2450-1.2520, 1.2575, 1.2690-1.2710, 1.2785-1.2820, 1.2940, and 1.3140.

The speech by the Governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, scheduled for November 8, and the release of preliminary GDP data for the country for Q3 on November 10 can be highlighted in the events of the upcoming week related to the United Kingdom's economy.

USD/JPY: A Middling Week for the Yen

If the ECB, the Federal Reserve, and the Bank of England have left interest rates unchanged, what could be expected from their Japanese counterparts? Of course, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) made the decision to maintain the parameters of its monetary policy during its meeting on Tuesday, October 31. They have been in this position for a very long time. The regulator not only retained the interest rate at a negative level of -0.1% but also kept the yield on 10-year government bonds (JGB) unchanged. Some market participants had hoped that after the inflation growth data, BoJ would raise their yield ceiling from 1% to at least 1.25%. (It's worth noting that the yield on similar US securities is close to 5.0%). However, instead, the Bank of Japan continued to ignore obvious signs of increasing inflationary pressure. Although in the Tokyo region, the CPI rose from 2.8% to 3.3% (YoY) in October. Additionally, despite assurances from high-ranking officials about the priority of industrial production growth, this indicator declined from -4.4% to -4.6% in annual terms.

All of this pushed USD/JPY to a high of 151.71. It would have likely remained there if not for the results of the Federal Reserve's meeting and US labor market data. As a result, it started the week at 149.63 and finished at 149.34. Considering the pair's high volatility, the outcome can be considered neutral.

Economists from the largest banking group in the Netherlands, ING, believe that the pair will end the year not far from 150.00. Regarding its near-term prospects, 65% of analysts expect the yen to strengthen, 35% take a neutral position, and there were no votes for it to rise above 151.00 at the time of writing this review. Technical analysis indicators appear quite mixed this time. On the D1 timeframe, 50% of trend indicators are in green, and the same percentage is in red. Among oscillators, one-third voted for the pair's rise, one-third for its fall, and one-third remained neutral-gray. The nearest support level is located in the range of 148.45-148.80, then 146.85-147.30, 145.90-146.10, 145.30, 144.45, 143.75-144.05, and 142.20. The closest resistance is 150.00-150.15, followed by 150.40-150.80, 151.90 (October 2022 high), and 152.80-153.15.

There is no significant economic data regarding the state of the Japanese economy scheduled for release in the coming week.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: Important Insights into the Past and Future



First, a few words about the past month. Firstly, on Tuesday, October 31, bitcoin celebrated its birthday. It was on this day in 2008 that someone using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto published (or it was published) a document titled "Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System." At the same time, it's worth noting that bitcoin itself emerged as a cryptocurrency on the market only on January 3, 2009. On that day, a block was mined, in which the date and a brief excerpt from an article in The Times were written: "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks." On January 12, 2009, Nakamoto made the first transaction on the network, sending cryptocurrency to developer Hal Finney. In the same year, bitcoin was listed on the New Liberty Standart exchange. On it, you could buy 1309 BTC for just $1 (which is nearly $55 million today).

The second significant event was not the last day of October but the entire month. We are talking about the "Uptober effect" (a term formed from the English words "up" and "October"). According to observations by CoinGecko experts, in eight of the last ten years, the cryptocurrency market has shown growth in October compared to the previous month. On average, the "Uptober effect" led to a 14% increase in the total capitalization of digital assets, ranging from 7.3% in 2022 to 42.9% in 2021. The exceptions were 2014 and 2018 when the market fell by 12.7% and 8.3% in one month, respectively.

This year, starting at $27,000 on October 1, bitcoin tested the $35,000 level on October 24, showing an increase of approximately 30%. The final note of October placed the flagship cryptocurrency at $34,545. Several altcoins like Solana (SOL) and Chainlink (LINK) also demonstrated significant rallies. All these cryptocurrencies, paired with USD, are available for trading on the NordFX broker.

We have already mentioned that lately bitcoin has lost its inverse and direct correlation and has "decoupled" from both the US dollar and major risk assets. This was the case in the past week as well. Digital gold rose along with the US dollar's ascent and didn't react to the rise of stock indices like the S&P500. As a result, BTC/USD showed modest growth over the course of seven days.

According to Michael Van De Poppe, the founder of the venture company Eight and CEO of MN Trading, bitcoin has officially entered a bull market phase. The expert believes that the asset is ready for a rally to $50,000, followed by a correction, and then a new all-time high (ATH). Van De Poppe noted that bitcoin might face resistance at $38,000 but is likely to continue its rise and reach $45,000-50,000 in January 2024. However, the specialist also points out that a drop below $33,000 is still possible, and he sees it as an excellent opportunity to open long positions. The creators of the information resource Look Into Bitcoin also believe that after surpassing the $34,000 price level, the early phase of a bull market has begun. The next targets are $41,900 and $65,050.

What events in the near and not-so-distant future could have a significant impact on the crypto market? Let's list the most important ones, noting that many of them are happening or will happen in the United States.

First, of course, is the monetary policy of the Federal Reserve (FRS). The "golden times" for digital gold were during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic when the regulator literally flooded the market with streams of cheap money to support the economy, some of which went to risky assets like cryptocurrencies. Starting at $6,500 in March 2020, a year later in April 2021, BTC/USD reached a high of $64,800, showing a 900% increase. Then, the American regulator shifted towards tightening its policy and raising interest rates, and by 2022, the pair was trading around $16,000. Now, crypto investors are waiting for the Federal Reserve to pivot towards easing again and hope that this will happen in the next year.

The US government regulatory bodies have lately been exerting significant negative pressure on the crypto industry. Perhaps something will change with the arrival of a new president in the White House in 2024. At least some of the candidates for this position promise support for the industry. For now, all the attention is focused on the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission). The head of the SEC, Gary Gensler, has repeatedly stated that he is willing to recognize only bitcoin as a commodity, and in his opinion, all altcoins should be regulated under securities laws. Under this pressure, Ethereum, for example, significantly lagged behind bitcoin in terms of price dynamics. This year, at the time of writing this review, ETH has gained about 52%, while BTC has grown by twice as much, around 102%.

Legal battles between the SEC and representatives of the crypto industry are also drawing attention. Recently, Reuters and Bloomberg reported that the Commission will not appeal a court decision in favor of Grayscale Investments. There is also information that the SEC is ending its legal process against Ripple and its executives. However, the cold war with major crypto exchange Binance and its leadership continues. As a result, Binance's share in the spot market has already fallen from 55% to 34% this year. If the US Department of Justice joins forces with more severe charges on the SEC's side, it could deal a significant blow to the crypto market.

The appearance of spot BTC-ETFs also depends on the SEC. According to JPMorgan bank experts, a positive decision by the SEC on registering the first such funds can be expected "within months." "The timing of approval [...] remains uncertain, but it is likely to happen [...] before January 10, 2024 - the final deadline for the applications of ARK Invest and 21 Co. This is the earliest of the various final deadlines that the SEC must respond to," note JPMorgan experts. At the same time, experts also emphasize that the Commission, by supporting fair competition, may approve all applications at once.

The anticipation of the imminent launch of spot BTC-ETFs in the US is fuelling institutional interest in cryptocurrency. According to some estimates, this interest is around $15 trillion, which could eventually lead to BTC/USD rising to $200,000. Skybridge Capital's strategists even mention a larger figure of $250,000. However, due to obstacles from the SEC, according to Ernst & Young analysts, institutional interest is mainly deferred.

Peter Schiff, the CEO of Euro Pacific Capital and a prominent gold bug, holds the opposite view. According to him, the final approval of spot bitcoin ETFs will mark the end of the bull run for the leading cryptocurrency. Currently, bitcoin is trading around $35,000 because speculators are driving up the price, betting on a positive regulator decision. When the decision is made, there will be no more room for such speculation, which could mark the peak of the rally if bitcoin doesn't crash before that. In Schiff's opinion, cryptocurrency traders may start selling their coins and taking profits even before the SEC makes any decision.

Something that doesn't depend on the regulator is the halving. Recall that in April 2024, the block reward will be halved, reducing from 6,250 BTC to 3,125 BTC, which is expected to lead to reduced issuance. According to some experts, this is a powerful deflationary factor that creates supply shortages and contributes to the rise in the value of bitcoin. Since the coin supply is limited, co-founder of Morgan Creek Digital, Anthony Pompliano, not only expresses optimism about a bull run for bitcoin but also calls it the "most disciplined central bank in the world." According to an optimistic forecast from Ark Invest, BTC could rise to $1.5 million by 2030.

However, the CEO of MN Trading, Van De Poppe, predicts that before bitcoin starts setting new highs, there will first be consolidation and sideways movement for an extended period after the April halving. Even more pessimism is added by a trader and analyst with the pseudonym Rekt Capital, who expects a sharp drop in BTC/USD by March 2024. After the halving, this specialist also anticipates consolidation, but in a very low range of $24,000-30,000, and only after that, in his opinion, the pair will enter a parabolic growth phase towards six-figure levels.

At the time of writing this review, on Friday, November 3, BTC/USD is trading at $34,590. The total market capitalization of the crypto market is $1.29 trillion ($1.25 trillion a week ago). The Crypto Fear & Greed Index remains in the Greed zone, though it has dropped from 72 to 65 points.

To conclude this review, in our irregular crypto life hacks section, we have an interesting tip. Where can you use the heat generated from cryptocurrency mining? The answer is in a sauna. A sauna in Brooklyn, New York, has started using the heat generated by mining equipment as a source of water heating. Saunas are becoming increasingly popular among Americans, and this twist benefits miners as it provides an additional argument in discussions about the public utility or significance of such entrepreneurial activities. And this is in New York, near the 40th parallel. Just imagine how useful this life hack could be in northern countries like Norway!


NordFX Analytical Group


Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

Starting from 2017, the brokerage firm NordFX has received numerous awards for achievements and innovations in the field of cryptocurrency trading. These awards were given by both authoritative professional juries and through open voting by traders. This time, based on the results of voting by visitors to the AllForexRating portal, NordFX has once again achieved a resounding victory in the category of Best Crypto Broker. Receiving this award for the second year in a row underscores the high level and safety of the financial services that the company's clients receive.

The recent years have been quite challenging for the crypto industry. Factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, a series of bankruptcies among major industry players, pressure from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the monetary policies of the Federal Reserve (FRS), and central banks of other leading countries have all had a significant impact on the cryptocurrency market capitalization, volatility, and digital asset quotes. In these conditions, NordFX clients have highly appreciated the reliability of the services offered, the opportunity to profit not only from the rise but also from the decline of cryptocurrencies, and the advantages of margin trading that allow for substantial profits even with a relatively small starting capital. For example, traders only need $150 to open a position of 1 Bitcoin, $15 to open a position of 1 Ethereum, $0.3 to open a position of 1 EOS, $0.02 to open a position of 1 Ripple, and $0.001 to open a position of 1 Doge.

The NordFX Savings Account has also gained significant popularity among traders and investors. It is a unique innovation based on DeFi technology. The benefits of DeFi allow account holders not only to earn passive income of up to 35% annually but also to increase their profits through independent trading on financial markets. You can easily take an instant trading loan at just 3% against the funds held in the Savings Account. The account balance can be in USD, BTC, ETH, USDT, DAI, BUSD, or other stablecoins.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

CryptoNews of the Week



– Former Ethereum platform consultant Steven Nerayoff has accused Vitalik Buterin and Joseph Lubin of fraudulent activities. He believes that the co-founders of ETH have misled the crypto community by using social media. Furthermore, according to the lawyer, Buterin and Lubin are involved in manoeuvres that are a thousand times larger in scale than the crimes committed by FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.
"Statements by Buterin that he attempted to create a decentralized currency are fake. It was centralized from the beginning, and today, it is likely even more concentrated," Nerayoff wrote. In particular, the lawyer suggests the possibility of a secret agreement between the Ethereum network administration and high-ranking U.S. officials, such as SEC Chairman Gary Gensler and former SEC Chairman Jay Clayton, at the early stages of altcoin initial placements.
"A small circle of ETH investors controls about 75% of all protocol assets. So now it's easy to manipulate the price or even set its lower or upper limit. Most of the trading you see on exchanges is fake or fictitious to create the illusion of liquidity," Nerayoff expanded on his accusations.
Previously, this lawyer speculated that the full-scale attack on Ripple by U.S. regulatory bodies could have been sponsored by influential ETH holders. In his view, Ripple's detractors may include individuals associated with the SEC, the Department of Justice, the FBI, and even some Ripple employees.

– Crypto investigator Truth Labs believes that it is not the U.S. but the Chinese conglomerate Wangxian Group that has decisive influence over the Ethereum network, and organizations close to the Communist Party of China (CPC) control almost 80% of mined ETH. Truth Labs also claims that Wangxian was one of the original sponsors of the Ethereum network in 2015. The group is also attributed with creating original wallets for Buterin.

– Co-founder of Estonian LHV Bank Rain Lõhmus lost the password to a wallet containing 250,000 ETH. The businessman acquired the coins during an ICO in July 2015, and they remained dormant since then. At that time, the purchase cost him $75,000. On November 10, 2021, when the Ethereum price reached an all-time high of around $4,800, Lõhmus's holdings grew to $1.22 billion. However, even now, they amount to approximately $470 million. Now, the businessman intends to recover the password using artificial intelligence. "My plan," he stated, "is to create Rain Lõhmus as an AI and see if he can retrieve his memories." The possibility of losing access to his funds, the businessman called a "weak point" of blockchain. "It makes you think that this perfect decentralization carries risks that you don't usually consider," Lõhmus shared his conclusions.

– The approval of spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) based on Bitcoin may not benefit either the main cryptocurrency or the people who use it. This is the opinion expressed by the former CEO of BitMEX, Arthur Hayes. He referred to investment giants like BlackRock as "agents of the state." "The state needs its citizens to 'sit in the paper banking system' to tax them with inflationary taxes to repay constantly growing debts. This makes sense for institutional entities that are inherently subject to the state," he said.
According to Hayes, institutional interest in the asset poses a situation that "ultimately may not be to our liking." "Yes, it's good, an ETF emerges, the price rises to a level it can reach. But what is the ultimate benefit of one institution owning all of this cryptocurrency?" he questioned.

– The first cryptocurrency may reach the $47,000 mark by the end of November 2023, according to Rachel Lin, CEO of the decentralized derivatives exchange SynFutures. 'The past weeks have solidified October's reputation as 'Uptober,' with bitcoin gaining nearly 29%. What's even more interesting is that historically, November outperforms October with an average bitcoin return of over 35%. If this November delivers a similar profit, the asset will reach approximately $47,000,' she stated.
As an additional positive factor, Lin noted the growth in the number of users and transactions. In her view, the surge in spot trading volume with a noticeable increase in transfers exceeding $100,000 is particularly noteworthy. 'This is a clear indicator of heightened institutional interest,' the specialist believes. 'Major players are consolidating positions in digital assets, especially in BTC. If we look at the inflow last week, we can see a massive increase: about $325 million entered the sector, with almost $300 million going into bitcoin. Options data also reflect bullish market sentiment.”

– As highlighted by Markus Thielen, the head of research at Matrixport, recent macroeconomic shifts, especially in the Federal Reserve's policies, suggest a potential rally in the market of cryptocurrencies. He reminded us that after the conclusion of the Federal Reserve's policy tightening cycle in January 2019, digital gold (referring to bitcoin) appreciated fivefold. Thielen cautioned against expecting a repetition of such dynamics while explaining that the first cryptocurrency could 'make significant advances' in 2023 and 2024. According to the expert's calculations, bitcoin tends to grow by an average of 23% during the pre-Christmas period of November and December this year.

– Analyst using the alias "Doctor Profit" has shared a rather conservative forecast. He believes that the period leading up to the BTC halving will range between $26,000 and $41,000. In his opinion, investors should be prepared for possible corrections. The expert also does not rule out the possibility of "black swan" events, similar to the one that pushed BTC to local lows before the halving in May 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

– In an interview with CNBC, the founder of MicroStrategy, Michael Saylor, listed the factors that he believes will lead to a tenfold increase in the price of bitcoin in the medium term. First, he mentioned the upcoming halving, which is expected to increase demand for the cryptocurrency and create a shortage in the market. Another source of buyer pressure will be spot-based ETFs based on the first cryptocurrency.
The third factor will be the soon-to-be-implemented new fair value accounting rules for bitcoin reserves of companies in the United States. Saylor believes that this will open the door for corporations to adopt bitcoin as a treasury asset and create shareholder value. The entrepreneur also pointed out the positive effect of regulatory and law enforcement actions by authorities, including the lawsuit against the former CEO of the collapsed FTX exchange. According to Saylor, "all these early crypto cowboys, tokens that are unregistered securities, unreliable custodians" were liabilities for bitcoin. To take the crypto industry to a new level, it needs "parental supervision." The founder of MicroStrategy also believes that the industry needs to "move away from the 100,000 tokens" that are simply used for speculation and focus on bitcoin. "When the industry shifts its focus away from the small shiny tokens that distract and destroy shareholder value, I think it will move to the next level, and we will see a tenfold increase from where we are now," Saylor concluded.

– The founder of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, has been found guilty of the alleged violations worth billions of dollars. On November 2, the jury delivered a guilty verdict in the case, convicting Bankman-Fried of seven episodes of fraud, money laundering, and criminal conspiracy. According to the law, the controversial businessman faces a minimum of 110 years in prison, essentially a life sentence. However, the judge has the discretion to impose a less severe punishment.

– CEO of ARK Investment Management, Catherine Wood, was asked which of the three asset classes she would prefer to hold for 10 years – cash, gold, or bitcoin. Without hesitation, she replied, "Without a doubt, bitcoin. It is capable of safeguarding savings from both inflation and deflation... It's digital gold." Wood noted that she expects cross-pollination between industries like AI and cryptocurrencies, believing that the first cryptocurrency will only benefit from innovation. As a reminder, according to her predictions, in the next decade, the price of BTC will exceed $1 million.

– While for Catherine Wood, bitcoin is "digital gold," for billionaire Charlie Munger, it's the "dumbest investment," "rat poison," and a "venereal disease." In a recent interview, this associate of Warren Buffett once again criticized digital gold. "When people start creating artificial currency, it's like adding spoiled product to a traditional recipe that has been around for a very long time and used by many people," the investor said. According to him, one of the effective ways to advance civilization is to have a strong currency. It could be shells, corn kernels, gold coins, or debt obligations - the key is that this currency is issued by a central bank.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

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EUR/USD: How Mr. Powell Aided the Dollar

The past week witnessed few significant events, which reflected in EUR/USD pair's fluctuations around 1.0700. Notably, there was a slight increase in the Dollar Index (DXY), starting at 105.05 and reaching a peak of 105.97 by Friday, November 10. This growth was primarily attributed to the "hawkish" comments made by the Chair of the Federal Reserve.

On Thursday, November 09, Jerome Powell, participating in a discussion on monetary policy organized by the International Monetary Fund, affirmed that decisions at each Federal Reserve meeting are made "based on the totality of incoming data and its impact on the outlook for economic activity and inflation." Powell expressed uncertainty about the Fed's success in implementing sufficiently restrictive policies to gradually reduce inflation to 2%. Additionally, he noted the rapid growth of the U.S. GDP, suggesting that further economic acceleration could undermine the progress achieved in stabilizing the labor market.

Powell's comments were validated by the data on initial claims for unemployment benefits for the week ending November 04, totaling 217K, slightly below the previous figure of 220K. While the decrease is modest, it signifies a decline rather than an increase in unemployment.

Market interpretation of Powell's remarks hinted at the regulator's intention to raise the key interest rate once again. Consequently, the yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds increased by almost 3%, surpassing the 4.6% mark, providing support to the dollar.

Downward pressure on EUR/USD was also exerted by macroeconomic statistics from the EU. In Germany, month-on-month inflation (CPI) showed a decrease from 0.3% to 0%. Retail sales volumes in the Eurozone as a whole declined by 0.3% in September after a 0.7% decrease in August. However, on an annual basis, this indicator dropped from -1.8% to -2.9%. Many analysts considered that such a decline in consumer activity ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays could indicate the onset of a technical recession in the Eurozone before the end of the current year.

According to CME Group FedWatch data, markets are still pricing in a 90% probability that the Federal Reserve will leave the interest rate unchanged in December 2023. Economists at Finland's Nordea Bank believe that the U.S. Central Bank will maintain the federal funds rate at the current level of 5.50% even in 2024.

However, it seems that the interest rate hike cycle for the Euro has likely come to an end. According to strategists at Wells Fargo, one of the largest banks in the U.S., the bleak growth prospects for the Eurozone suggest that the tightening of the ECB's monetary policy is likely over. The recent successes in reducing inflation strengthen their belief that the peak of rate hikes [4.50%] has already been reached.

Both Nordea and Wells Fargo agree that the ECB will likely be compelled to start reducing borrowing costs in the early summer of next year. "We do not anticipate the first ECB rate cut until the June 2024 meeting, although thereafter, it will consistently cut the deposit rate by 150 basis points to 2.50% from mid-2024 to early 2025. Overall, we believe the risk of rate cuts by the ECB will be higher than previously expected or more aggressive."

Factors such as improved global risk appetite and a slowdown in the U.S. economy could support the Euro. However, the divergence in monetary policy between the Federal Reserve and the ECB will continue to exert downward pressure on EUR/USD. This applies to the currencies of other major countries as well – if their central banks keep current interest rates unchanged or, more so, begin to lower them, the dollar may further strengthen its positions.

EUR/USD concluded the past week at the level of 1.0684. Currently, expert opinions regarding its immediate future are divided as follows: 25% voted for the strengthening of the dollar, 60% sided with the euro, and 15% maintained neutrality.

In terms of technical analysis, 85% of oscillators on the D1 chart are colored green, and 15% are neutral-gray. Among trend indicators, the ratio is 70% to 30% in favor of green.

The nearest support for the pair is located around 1.0620-1.0640, followed by 1.0480-1.0520, 1.0450, 1.0375, 1.0200-1.0255, 1.0130, and 1.0000. Bulls will encounter resistance around 1.0740, then 1.0800, 1.0865, 1.0945-1.0975, and 1.1065-1.1090, 1.1150, and 1.1260-1.1275.

Unlike the past, rather calm week, the upcoming one is expected to be more eventful. On Tuesday, November 14, data on Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the USA will be released, along with preliminary data on Eurozone GDP for Q3. The next day will bring statistics regarding retail sales volumes and Producer Price Index (PPI) in the United States. On Thursday, November 16, as usual, data on the number of initial claims for unemployment benefits in the U.S. will be reported. Finally, on Friday, a crucial inflationary indicator, Eurozone Consumer Price Index (CPI), will be disclosed.

GBP/USD: Dangerous Proximity to 1.2200

Recall that on November 3, the British currency received a strong bullish impulse following the release of U.S. labor market data. At that moment, GBP/USD literally surged upwards. On Monday, November 6, the pound rose again, reaching a height of 1.2427. However, it decided that it was time for the bulls to stop celebrating and that it was time for GBP/USD to return to the 1.2200 zone.

The trend reversal to the south was aided by statistics from the United Kingdom. In October, business activity in the country's construction sector increased only slightly, from 45.0 to 45.6. Meanwhile, orders in this sector have been declining for the fourth consecutive month, and they are already 20% lower than a year ago. The average mortgage rate now exceeds 8%, and the number of approved mortgage loans has been declining for the fourth consecutive month. Therefore, expecting a significant increase in business activity here is unlikely.

Although the GDP of the United Kingdom grew slightly in September, from 0.1% to 0.2%, it is likely to show a decline in the third quarter, from 0.2% to 0.0%, and remain at 0.6% on an annual basis. In such conditions, the Bank of England (BoE) is unlikely to raise interest rates in the near future. But it won't lower them either. BoE Chief Economist Hugh Pill recently stated that there is no need to raise rates to contain inflation but it is necessary to ensure the restrictive nature of monetary policy. In other words, the rate will remain the same, at 5.25%. As mentioned earlier, in such a situation, the advantage is likely to remain on the side of the dollar. This was clearly demonstrated by the market's reaction after the speech by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on November 9. As soon as he made a vague hint about rates, GBP/USD rapidly plummeted.

The past week concluded with the pair settling at the level of 1.2225. According to economists at Scotiabank, the 1.2200 zone may serve as a short-term support point; however, weakness below this level indicates the risk of continued losses and a retest of the 1.2000-1.2100 area. Regarding the median forecast for the near future, 60% of analysts voted for a new upward move of the pair, 20% voted for a downward movement, and 20% took a neutral position. Among the D1 oscillators, 50% indicate a southward direction, 15% indicate northward, and the remaining 35% indicate eastward. Among trend indicators, only 15% point upward, while the overwhelming majority (85%) signal a downward trend. In the event of a southward movement, the pair will encounter support levels and zones at 1.2040-1.2085, 1.1960, and 1.1800-1.1840, 1.1720, 1.1595-1.1625, 1.1450-1.1475. In the case of an upward movement, resistance levels will be at 1.2290-1.2335, 1.2430-1.2450, 1.2545-1.2575, 1.2690-1.2710, 1.2785-1.2820, 1.2940, and 1.3140.

Noteworthy in the upcoming week's economic calendar for the United Kingdom is Tuesday, November 14. On this day, a comprehensive set of data on the country's labor market will be released. Moving on to Wednesday, November 15, when the value of the British Consumer Price Index (CPI) for October will be disclosed. Finally, rounding off the week on Friday, November 17, we anticipate the announcement of retail sales volumes in the United Kingdom.

USD/JPY: Tough Times for the Yen Now, Good Times Ahead

The Bank of Japan (BoJ), in its meeting on October 31, decided to keep its monetary policy parameters unchanged, a stance it has maintained for a very long time. The regulator not only retained the negative interest rate at -0.1% but also kept the yield on 10-year government bonds (JGB) at the existing level. Some market participants were hopeful that, following inflation growth data, the BoJ would raise the yield ceiling from 1% to at least 1.25%. (It's worth noting that the yield on similar U.S. securities exceeded 4.6% on November 9.) However, instead of adjusting to clear signs of increasing inflationary pressure, the Bank of Japan continued to ignore them. This pushed USD/JPY to a peak of 151.71. It would have remained there if not for the U.S. labor market data on November 3, which brought it down to 149.34.

Many analysts believed that officials from the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Japan (BoJ), with their verbal interventions and incantations, would keep the USD/JPY pair at these levels. If real yen purchases by the authorities were to occur, the pair was expected to continue its decline. However, this did not happen, and on November 10, the pair once again rose to the height of 151.59, concluding the five-day period not far from it at 151.51.

"Hardly surprising is USD/JPY upward trend," commented strategists at Commerzbank. "At current exchange rates, investments in the Japanese yen are simply not particularly attractive for foreign (and domestic) investors. [...] As long as Japan's monetary policy does not undergo a radical change, USD/JPY is likely to test another high soon. The Ministry of Finance will probably react again with the threat of interventions. However, if the Bank of Japan cannot resist making 'dovish' comments, and if the Ministry of Finance indeed intervenes, it will likely only temporarily prevent the rise in currency rates."

According to Dutch Rabobank, the slow pace of Japan's monetary policy normalization suggests that USD/JPY may continue trading above the 150.00 level in the coming weeks. However, the fear of actual interventions from the Japanese Ministry of Finance may impede its upward movement, and the market is likely to be very reluctant to push the pair towards 152.00 and beyond.

Meanwhile, analysts at the Singaporean United Overseas Bank (UOB) believe that the risk of the pair breaking above last week's peak near 151.80 has increased. This level is not far from last year's peak around 151.95, and if the dollar can breach this resistance zone, it is likely to continue its ascent to the 152.50 level in the next 1-3 weeks.

Despite forecasts of growth, experts, echoing officials from the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Japan, persist in stating that the current weakness of the yen is unjust. "Any increase in rate hike speculation will allow USD/JPY to move lower next year," predicts Rabobank. "We believe," they write, "that in the second half of 2024, the pair could return below the 145.00 level." "Fair value, based on spreads, equity yields, and trading conditions [...] suggests that the dollar is significantly overvalued and should trade closer to 144.50," according to economists at Scotiabank.

However, the question of when this "fairness" will be restored remains open. Soon, according to Societe Generale. In their view, the yen will undoubtedly continue to disappoint for some time, but the downward reversal in USD/JPY is getting closer and closer.

In discussing the near-term prospects of the pair, 55% of analysts anticipate the strengthening of the yen, while 10% have taken a neutral stance. About 35% voted for the pair breaking above 152.00 at the time of the review. Technical analysis supports the latter group, with 100% of trend indicators and oscillators on D1 painted in green.

The closest support level is situated in the 150.00-150.15 zone, followed by 148.45-148.80, 146.85-147.30, 145.90-146.10, 145.30, 144.45, 143.75-144.05, and 142.20. The nearest resistance lies at 151.70-151.90 (October 2022 high), followed by 152.80-153.15 and 156.25.

Aside from the release of preliminary GDP data for Japan's Q3 on Wednesday, November 15, no other significant statistics regarding the state of the Japanese economy are scheduled for the upcoming week.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: Market Scandals and Records



The past week was marked by two events: the Ethereum scandal and the subsequent rise of bitcoin and the overall crypto market. Let's start with the scandal.

Former Ethereum platform consultant, lawyer Steven Nerayoff, accused Vitalik Buterin and Joseph Lubin of fraudulent activities. He believes that the ETH co-founders were involved in machinations that exceed the scale of crimes committed by FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (whom, by the way, the jury found guilty, facing up to 110 years in prison).

"Buterin's claims of attempting to create a decentralized currency are fake. It was centralized from the beginning, and today, this influence is even more concentrated," Nerayoff writes. "A small circle of ETH investors controls about 75% of all protocol assets. So now it's easy to manipulate the price or even set its upper or lower limit. Most of the trading you see on exchanges is fake or fictitious to create the appearance of liquidity," he continues with his revelations.

Nerayoff also suspects the existence of a secret agreement between the Ethereum network administration and high-ranking US officials, such as SEC Chairman Gary Gensler and former SEC Chairman Jay Clayton, which was concluded during the initial stages of the altcoin's launch. Earlier, the lawyer speculated that the full-scale attack on Ripple by US regulatory bodies could have been sponsored by influential ETH holders. In his opinion, Ripple's adversaries may include individuals connected to the SEC, the Department of Justice, the FBI, and even some Ripple employees.

Interestingly, crypto investigator Truth Labs made similar revelations. However, unlike Steven Nerayoff, they believe that it is not the US but the Chinese conglomerate Wangxian Group that has decisive influence over the Ethereum network, and organizations close to the Communist Party of China (CPC) control almost 80% of mined ETH. Truth Labs also claims that Wangxian was one of the early sponsors of the Ethereum network in 2015. This group is also credited with creating Buterin's original wallets.

Whether Nerayoff and Truth Labs can substantiate their accusations is a big question. For now, the price of ETH is rising and reached a maximum of $2,130. As for the leading cryptocurrency, on Thursday, November 9, BTC/USD broke through the $37,000 resistance and set a local high at $37,948: it last traded there in May 2022.

The development of the bullish trend in BTC has led to the updating of annual and historical indicators. The net capital inflow into the crypto market over the last 30 days reached $11 billion, a record for 2023. Institutions added $767 million to crypto funds over the last six weeks, surpassing last year's record of $736 million and reaching the level at the end of 2021. Open interest in bitcoin futures on the Chicago CME Exchange is also at the December 2021 level ($3.7 billion). Long-term holders continue to accumulate bitcoins, bringing their holdings to 14.9 million BTC (more than 70% of the total BTC issuance). The volume of their purchases exceeded 25,000 coins per month. Short-term investors and speculators have also become more active, influenced by the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) effect.

The list of records could go on, but what concerns everyone more is what comes next. If the current dynamics continue, demand for digital gold will keep growing, and supply will continue to decline. In that case, new local or even historical records and highs may be on the horizon.

We've repeatedly listed the factors contributing to the current BullRally. The key ones include the anticipated approval of SEC Bitcoin spot ETFs, the halving in April 2024, and the potential reversal of the Federal Reserve's monetary policy. Markus Thielen, Head of Research at Matrixport, reminded that after the end of the Fed's tightening cycle in January 2019, digital gold increased fivefold. However, Thielen cautioned against expecting a repeat of such dynamics but agreed that the leading cryptocurrency could "move significantly" in 2023 and 2024. According to his calculations, bitcoin tends to grow on average by 23% during the pre-Christmas period of November-December this year.

In addition to the growth drivers mentioned earlier, MicroStrategy founder Michael Saylor identified several factors that, in the medium term, could lead to a tenfold increase in the price of Bitcoin. According to Saylor, a positive development will be the soon-to-come new rules for accounting for Bitcoin reserves by companies in the United States. "In perspective, this will open the door for corporations to adopt Bitcoin as a treasury asset and create shareholder value," Saylor believes.

The entrepreneur also pointed to the positive effect of regulatory and law enforcement actions by authorities, including the trial of the former CEO of the collapsed FTX exchange. According to Saylor, "all these early crypto cowboys, tokens being unregistered securities, unreliable custodians" were passively benefiting bitcoin. To take the crypto industry to a new level, it needs "parental supervision." MicroStrategy's founder also thinks there is a need to "move away from the 100,000 tokens" that are merely used for speculation, back to bitcoin. "When the industry shifts its focus away from small shiny coins that distract attention and destroy shareholder value, I believe it will move to the next level, and we will get a 10x increase from the current level," Saylor concluded.

Note that this is not the most impressive forecast. CEO of ARK Investment, Catherine Wood, believes that in the next decade, the price of digital gold will exceed $1 million. (Note: Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett's longtime partner, recently criticized Bitcoin again, calling it a "tainted product" and adding to his previous descriptions like "the most foolish investment," "rat poison," and a "venereal disease.")

If we talk about the forecast for the near future, according to Rachel Lin, CEO of the SynFutures exchange, by the end of November, the first cryptocurrency could reach $47,000. "The past weeks have strengthened October's reputation as Uptober, with bitcoin gaining almost 29%. Even more interesting is that historically November outperforms October with an average bitcoin return of over 35%. If this November brings a similar profit, the asset will reach around $47,000," she calculated.

As an additional positive factor, Lin noted the growth in the number of users and transactions. In her opinion, the surge in spot trading volume with a noticeable increase in the number of payments over $100,000 is particularly noteworthy. "This is a clear indicator of increased institutional interest. Large players are consolidating positions in digital assets, especially in BTC," the specialist believes.

Despite the prevailing optimism, the analyst under the alias Doctor Profit believes that investors should be prepared for corrections and the emergence of "black swans," similar to those before the 2020 halving amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The expert does not exclude the possibility that bitcoin may drop to $26,000 before the upcoming April 2024 halving.

As of the writing of this review on Friday, November 10, BTC/USD is trading at $37,320. The total market capitalization of the crypto market is $1.42 trillion, compared to $1.29 trillion a week ago. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index has increased from 65 to 70 points and continues to remain in the Greed zone.

In conclusion of the review, let's delve into our irregular segment of crypto life hacks. So, what do you do if you've lost the password to your crypto wallet? The answer comes from Rain Lõhmus, co-founder of Estonian LHV Bank. During the ICO in July 2015, he acquired 250,000 ETH for $75,000. On November 10, 2021, when the price of Ethereum reached an all-time high of around $4,800, Lõhmus's holdings grew to $1.22 billion. Even now, they are valued at over $500 million. Throughout this time, the coins remained dormant. At some point, the businessman discovered that he had lost the wallet password and now intends to recover it using artificial intelligence. "My plan," he stated, "is to create an AI version of Rain Lõhmus and see if it can retrieve its memories." The banker shared his plans. (By the way, the artificial intelligence ChatGPT predicted that the value of Ethereum by the beginning of 2024 would range from $3,000 to $10,000. If this happens, Lõhmus could become a billionaire again—assuming he finds the wallet password.)


NordFX Analytical Group


Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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CryptoNews of the Week



– Thanks to the rise in the price of the main cryptocurrency, since the beginning of the year, the number of bitcoin-millionaires has tripled. As of November 12, their count stood at 88,628, compared to 28,084 on January 5. This surge represents a growth of 215%. When categorizing millionaires by capital size, those with a minimum of $1 million amounted to 81,962, while those with holdings of at least $10 million numbered 6,666. These figures are sourced from the Wayback Machine web archive.

– Changpeng Zhao, the CEO of the crypto exchange Binance, referred to the economic model of bitcoin as "the greatest business model ever invented in our world." He made this comment in response to data indicating that mining revenues reached new highs. According to media reports, on November 12 alone, BTC miners earned over $44 million in rewards and block fees. This marks the highest daily income in the past year, surpassing the record set in April 2022.

– Security blockchain company SlowMist specialists uncovered a counterfeit Skype application used by hackers in China to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in various cryptocurrencies. Exploiting the country's ban on international messengers, users are forced to download them from unofficial sources. In addition to the malicious pseudo-Skype, hackers used a phishing domain posing as Binance exchange. This allowed them to track messages with addresses resembling TRX and ETH formats. Subsequently, wallets were replaced with those owned by the hackers. The SlowMist team identified and blacklisted over 100 such fraudulent wallets. One of them alone received 110 transactions totalling over 192,856 USDT, stolen from users in China.

– Senator Cynthia Lummis defended the crypto industry and opposed claims that cryptocurrencies are actively used in illegal financial activities. She appealed to the U.S. Congress with a request not to succumb to speculative attacks and emphasized that illegal financial operations are a problem in any economic sector, not related to the asset class but rather to the opportunities for wrongdoers to commit such crimes. "Cryptocurrency is present in less than 1% of the total volume of all illegal financial activities. If we could create a regulatory structure allowing the crypto industry to operate in America, rather than in unregulated foreign markets, its share would be even smaller," said the senator. The reason for Cynthia Lummis's statement was several U.S. news agencies reporting that on the eve of the invasion of Israel, the military wing of HAMAS collected millions of dollars in cryptocurrency. Against this backdrop, Senator Elizabeth Warren, a long-time advocate for stricter crypto regulation, formed a coalition of more than 100 senators demanding the immediate adoption of new rules to combat terrorism financing and money laundering in cryptocurrency.

– Investor and bestselling author of "Rich Dad Poor Dad," Robert Kiyosaki, believes that central banks, such as the US Federal Reserve (FRS), are not designed to protect the average person. For this reason, the expert advised exercising wisdom and cited the example of the wealthy. According to him, millionaires do not work for "fake" money, such as the US dollar; instead, they invest in "real assets" like rental properties, gold, silver, and bitcoins, providing long-term financial security and freedom.

– Peter Schiff, the President of Euro Pacific Capital and known as the "gold bug" and a staunch critic of Bitcoin, conducted a poll on X (formerly Twitter) about when the crash of the main cryptocurrency would occur. The responses did not please him much, as the majority of respondents (68.1%) believe that the asset should be bought and held. 23% of those surveyed predicted the crash of the coin after the launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs. Only 8.9% voted for the crash to happen before the launch of these exchange-traded funds. Despite the results, Schiff was not deterred, and in his comments, as usual, he took an extremely negative position. "Based on the results obtained," the financier wrote, "I assume that Bitcoin will fall before the ETF launch. Therefore, people who bought into the rumours will not receive any real profit."

– In contrast to Peter Schiff, analysts from Bernstein predict that if spot Bitcoin ETFs are approved, the asset's price will reach $150,000 by 2025. Meanwhile, their colleagues from LookIntoBitcoin recommend taking profits when the coin appreciates to at least $110,000. To determine the peak height to which BTC will rise, LookIntoBitcoin specialists calculated the so-called Terminal Price of the coin. It is calculated considering various factors, including the time between BTC mining and spending, as well as the amount of coins in circulation. The calculations showed that bitcoin will reach the Terminal Price during the next bull run, expected to end in late 2025. After that, a dump will begin, and the BTC price, as usual, will rapidly decline.

– According to ARK Invest CEO Cathy Wood, in the next seven years, the total value of crypto assets could reach $25 trillion, driven by industry development and widespread adoption. She made this forecast while commenting on applications for exchange-traded BTC-ETFs. According to her, traditional markets demonstrate a "flight to quality," as Larry Fink, the head of BlackRock, stated, or a "flight to safety," as stated in ARK Invest. This happens because "Bitcoin does not carry counterparty risk." "Look at what happened during the regional banking crisis. Bitcoin rose from $19,000 to almost $30,000 because the KRE, the regional bank index, collapsed. If you look at this stock index today, it has again dropped to the level it was in March," she added. Wood is confident in the success of the flagship cryptocurrency because "most people understand that bitcoin is a monetary revolution. It is the first global, private, digitally based, rule-based monetary system in history." It's worth noting that Cathy Wood is not alone in her super-optimistic forecasts: Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz believes that within five years, digital gold will rise to $500,000.

– According to Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, local businesses in Argentina are massively transitioning to payments in bitcoins and USDT. Argentinians and tourists can now even buy products with the USDT stablecoin at the Central Market in Buenos Aires: one of the largest fruit and vegetable suppliers in Latin America. The adoption of cryptocurrency in the country is thriving due to hyperinflation and the devaluation of the paper peso. The inflation rate here rose to 108.8% (YoY) in April, remaining the highest since 1991. Six months ago, the Central Bank of Argentina raised the interest rate to 97%, but this stringent step turned out to be insufficient to curb price growth.

– Bitfinex exchange analysts warn that the price of Bitcoin has reached a local maximum and may correct soon. Currently, according to their report, the average short-term holder realized price (STH RP) of BTC is $30,380, and the difference between this figure and the current asset price is the highest since April 2022. Historically, this indicates that the coin's price has reached a local maximum and may correct to the STH RP level, i.e., drop to the range of $30,000–$31,000. Analyst Doctor Profit also expects a correction, believing that the next correction following positive dynamics will bring BTC back to around $34,000. "The market is overheated right now. Correction is a matter of time," he wrote on his microblog.

– Trader, analyst, and founder of the venture company Eight, Michael Van De Poppe, analysed the current price of Ethereum. In his opinion, overcoming the altcoin resistance at $2,150 will signify the end of the bear market and push the cryptocurrency above the $3,000 threshold, where it may stabilize in the range of $3,100-$3,600. (It's worth noting that the price of Ethereum is above the 200-day SMA, and the coin showed 22 green days in the previous month).

– Matrixport analysts believe that a confident breakthrough above $36,000 will propel the price of the first cryptocurrency to the $40,000 resistance. After that, it will open the way to the $45,000 height, which can be reached by the end of 2023. "Given the steady growth in the number of buyers during US trading hours, we can expect price increases by the end of the month (and year). The Santa Claus rally could start at any moment," the specialists emphasized. As for 2024, Matrixport named six possible drivers that will contribute to positive dynamics: 1) SEC approval of Bitcoin ETF with trading beginning in February-March 2024; 2) IPO of Circle, the issuer of USDC; 3) court approval to restart FTX exchange in December 2023, with actual resumption of work in May-June; 4) bitcoin halving; 5) implementation of EIP-4844 following the Dencun hard fork in the Ethereum blockchain in the first quarter of 2024; 6) possible start of the easing of the US Federal Reserve's monetary policy by mid-2024.

– Many participants in the crypto community supported Matrixport's positive forecast. Analyst CrediBULL Crypto believes that BTC will soon realize an impulse that will send the coin to $40,000. Trader CryptoCon also joined the optimists. According to his calculations, BTC has a "cushion" up to $47,000. The level, as he believes, can be reached in the summer of 2024, after which a correction to around $31,000 is possible. CryptoCon is confident that the active growth phase, against the backdrop of the halving, will occur at the end of 2024 – the beginning of 2025.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

EUR/USD: November 14 - a Dark Day for the Dollar



In the previous review, the overwhelming majority of experts expressed opinions favouring further weakening of the American currency. This prediction came to fruition. The Consumer Inflation report in the United States, published on Tuesday, November 14, toppled the Dollar Index (DXY) from 105.75 to 103.84. According to Bank of America, this marked the most significant dollar sell-off since the beginning of the year. Naturally, this had an impact, including on the dynamics of EUR/USD, which marked this day with an impressive bullish candle, rising nearly 200 points.

It is noteworthy that exactly a year ago, after the release of data on October inflation, U.S. bond yields plummeted, stock indices soared, and the dollar significantly declined against major world currencies. And history repeated itself. This time, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the U.S. for October decreased from 0.4% to 0% (m/m), and on an annual basis, it dropped from 3.7% to 3.2%. The Core CPI for the same period decreased from 4.1% to 4.0%: the lowest level since September 2021.

In reality, a 0.1% drop in inflation is not that significant. However, the market's strong reaction demonstrated how overbought the dollar was. As analysts at ING (Internationale Nederlanden Groep) write, a powerful bullish trend in Q3 this year led to a 4.9% increase in the dollar. Keeping the dollar strong was easy due to the high interest rates and increased yields of U.S. Treasury bonds.

But everything comes to an end at some point. The data released on November 14 confirmed the weakening of inflationary pressure and convinced the market that the Federal Reserve (FRS) would no longer raise the key interest rate. Moreover, market participants now do not rule out that the regulator may shift to easing its monetary policy not in the middle of next summer but as early as the spring of the following year. ING economists believe that the onset of a recession in the U.S. will compel the FRS to cut the rate by 150 basis points in Q2 2024. According to MUFG Bank, the probability of a rate cut in May 2024 is now 80%, in March – 30%. Such a reduction will halt the dollar's bullish rally, support so-called commodity currencies, and, as MUFG believes, EUR/USD could reach the height of 1.1500 over the next year.

As for the near-term outlook, according to Societe Generale economists, regardless of the outcomes of the Federal Reserve meeting on December 13 and the ECB on December 14, seasonal trends for the euro in the last month of 2023 are bullish. However, the dollar may be supported by weak growth rates in the Eurozone. Germany's economy is in a state of stagnation, preliminary GDP data for the Eurozone showed a decline of -0.1% in Q3, and the European Commission lowered the economic growth forecast for 2023 from 0.8% to 0.6%. Therefore, the euro may also come under pressure from speculation about a cut in the ECB interest rate.

EUR/USD finished the past week at the level of 1.0913. Currently, experts' opinions on its immediate future are divided as follows: 60% voted for the strengthening of the dollar, 25% sided with the euro, and 15% remained neutral. As for technical analysis, 100% of trend indicators and oscillators on D1 are coloured green, but 25% of the latter are in overbought territory. The nearest support for the pair is located around 1.0830, then 1.0740, 1.0620-1.0640, 1.0480-1.0520, 1.0450, 1.0375, 1.0200-1.0255, 1.0130, 1.0000. Bulls will encounter resistance in the area, then 1.0945-1.0975 and 1.1065-1.1090, 1.1150, 1.1260-1.1275.

Next week, on Wednesday, November 22, the minutes of the last meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will be published. On Thursday, November 23, preliminary data on business activity (PMI) in Germany and the Eurozone will be released, and the following day will bring similar indicators from the U.S. Additionally, traders should take into account that on Friday in the United States, markets will close early as the country observes Thanksgiving Day.

GBP/USD: Surprise from UK CPI

The strengthening of the pound on U.S. inflation data turned out to be even greater than that of the euro. On November 14, GBP/USD rose by 240 points, from 1.2265 to 1.2505. This is good news for the British currency. However, there is also bad news: inflation in the United Kingdom is on the decline.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) in October decreased from 0.5% to 0% (m/m) and fell from 6.7% to 4.6% on an annual basis. The Core CPI for the same period decreased from 6.1% to 5.7%. All these figures turned out to be below expectations and were a surprise not only for the market but also for British officials.

Megan Greene, a member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, stated in an interview with Bloomberg TV on November 16 that despite the current decline in inflation, wage growth in the UK remains incredibly high, and labour productivity is low. These two factors complicate the movement toward the target CPI level of 2.0% and make one wonder whether the Bank of England's policy is restrictive enough. According to Megan Greene, BoE might have to stick to a restrictive policy longer than anticipated.

If inflation does not bring new surprises, it is unlikely that the Bank of England will continue to raise interest rates in the coming months. But even if it continues to keep it at the current level of 5.25%, while the Federal Reserve starts lowering rates, it will benefit the pound. However, at the moment, making any forecasts is quite challenging.

"We remain cautious for now," write economists at German Commerzbank. "One surprise does not mean everything is settled. And given the remarkable instability of inflation in the UK, there is a risk that the return to the target inflation level will be uneven. Wage data released on Tuesday also confirms this view. At the moment, the Bank of England can breathe a sigh of relief, but caution is still necessary."

GBP/USD ended the past week at the level of 1.2462. As for the median forecast of analysts for the near future, here their voices were divided equally: a third of them pointed north, a third to the south, and a third to the east. For D1 trend indicators, 90% point north, 10% to the south. All 100% of oscillators are looking up, with 15% of them signalling overbought conditions. In the event of the pair moving south, it will encounter support levels and zones at 1.2390-1.2420, 1.2330, 1.2210, 1.2040-1.2085, 1.1960, and 1.1800-1.1840, 1.1720, 1.1595-1.1625, 1.1450-1.1475. In the case of the pair rising, it will face resistance at levels 1.2500-1.2510, then 1.2545-1.2575, 1.2690-1.2710, 1.2785-1.2820, 1.2940, and 1.3140.

Events of the upcoming week in the calendar include a speech by Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey on Tuesday, November 21. The following day will see the release of the Inflation Report and discussion of the country's budget, and on Thursday, November 23, preliminary data on business activity (PMI) in various sectors of the UK economy will be released.

USD/JPY: U.S. Treasuries Expected to Rescue the Yen

On November 13, USD/JPY reached a height of 151.90, updating a multi-month high and returning to where it traded in October 2022. However, on U.S. inflation data, the yen staged a comeback.

Unlike the U.S. CPI, macro statistics from Japan had minimal impact on the yen, though there were notable points to consider. For instance, the country's GDP in the third quarter showed a decline of -0.5% after a 1.2% growth in the previous period and a forecast of -0.1%. Against this backdrop, the head of the Bank of Japan (BoJ), Kadsuo Ueda, made a surprising statement on Friday, November 17, stating that the country's economy is recovering and is likely to continue doing so, albeit at a moderate pace.

Ueda is not certain that the weak yen negatively affects the Japanese economy. On the contrary, this weakness has a positive impact on exports and the profits of Japanese companies operating in the global market. Therefore, the head of the regulator is unsure about the order and extent to which the Bank of Japan will change its monetary policy. "We will consider ending the YCC policy and negative rates if we can expect our inflation target to be reached on a stable and sustainable basis," vaguely stated Kadsuo Ueda.

Meanwhile, Japan's Finance Minister, Sin'iti Sudzuki, stated that he is ready to take necessary measures in case of increased speculative pressure on the national currency. Deputy Minister Ryosei Akazawa supported his chief and reiterated that the government would intervene in the foreign exchange market to curb excessive volatility. The words of both officials somewhat strengthened the national currency, and on Friday, November 17, it found a local bottom at the level of 149.19. The final chord sounded slightly higher – at 149.56.

Hopes that the BoJ will eventually tighten its monetary policy continue to linger among market participants. Strategists at Danske Bank, for example, predict a decline in USD/JPY below the 140.00 mark within 6-12 months. In their view, this is primarily due to the fact that the yield of long-term U.S. bonds has peaked. "We expect that in the coming year, the yield differential will contribute to the strengthening of the Japanese yen," they write. "In addition, historical data suggest that global conditions characterized by slowing growth and inflation favor the strengthening of the Japanese yen."

Speaking of the near-term prospects for the pair, 65% of analysts expect further strengthening of the yen, while 35% anticipate a new advance of the dollar. As for the technical analysis on D1, the forecast here is maximally neutral. Both among trend indicators and oscillators, the ratio between red and green is 50-50. The nearest support level is in the zone of 149.20, then 148.40-148.70, 146.85-147.30, 145.90-146.10, 145.30, 144.45, 143.75-144.05, 142.20. The nearest resistance is 150.00-150.15, then 151.70-151.90 (October 2022 maximum), further 152.80-153.15, and 156.25.

There is no planned release of any other significant statistics regarding the state of the Japanese economy in the upcoming week.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: When Will You Become a Bitcoin Millionaire?

According to the Wayback Machine web archive, the surge in the value of the main cryptocurrency has led to a threefold increase in bitcoin millionaires since the beginning of the year. As of November 12, their count reached 88,628, a significant jump from the 28,084 recorded on January 5. Notably, bitcoin's price rose from $16,500 to $37,000 during this period.

Now, envision the potential scenario envisioned by Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz, where digital gold could soar to $500,000 within the next five years. Could the number of millionaires surpass a million? Moreover, when the BTC rate exceeds $1 million, as forecasted by ARK Investment CEO Catherine Wood, could we also join the ranks of those possessing this coveted wealth? It's highly desired that these aspirations materialize. Now, let's delve into why they could become reality and why they might crumble into fragments.

The experts at Matrixport have identified six drivers that, in their opinion, will contribute to the emergence of a BullRally in the coming months. These are: 1) SEC approval of spot bitcoin ETFs with trading expected to commence in February-March 2024; 2) the IPO of Circle, the issuer of USDC; 3) court approval for the relaunch of the FTX exchange in December 2023, with actual resumption of operations in May-June; 4) the bitcoin network halving; 5) the implementation of EIP-4844 following the Dencun hard fork in the Ethereum blockchain in Q1 2024; 6) the potential onset of easing in the monetary policy of the US Federal Reserve by mid-2024.

Diving deeper into two of these factors, the first and the fourth: they currently play a crucial role in accelerating the accumulation of BTC by hodlers, surpassing the issuance of new coins by 2.2 times. Notably, over 57% of coins from the circulating supply have been dormant in wallets for over two years. Simultaneously, the supply from short-term holders and speculators is sharply decreasing. This dynamic creates a significant deficit in the digital gold market, propelling prices upward. Many experts anticipate that this trend will intensify significantly after the approval of spot ETFs and the 2024 halving.

According to the analytics agency Glassnode, since mid-2022, due to the decline in crypto asset prices, miners have been compelled to sell nearly all the coins they mined to cover operational expenses and payments on debts, amounting to approximately $1 billion per month. After the halving and a 50% reduction in rewards, this volume is expected to decrease to $0.5 billion. Some companies may struggle to sustain mining operations altogether. The influx of new coins is projected to drop from 81,000 to 40,500 per quarter, further amplifying the supply shortage and driving prices upward. Historical data indicates that, in the year following halvings, BTC prices surged by 460% to 7745%.

Regarding the potential influx of institutional capital upon approval of a Bitcoin spot ETF by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), much has already been discussed. Let's delve into a few more forecasts. According to analysts at CryptoQuant, the overall cryptocurrency market capitalization would rapidly increase by $1 trillion in this scenario. Approximately ~1% of assets under management (AUM) from managing companies would enter the bitcoin market, potentially raising the market capitalization of digital gold by $450-900 billion. In terms of price, this suggests a short-term increase for the BTC/USD pair to $50,000-73,000.

Analysts from Bernstein predict that, in the event of bitcoin ETF approval, the asset's price could reach $150,000 by 2025. Meanwhile, their counterparts at LookIntoBitcoin advise profit-taking when the coin appreciates to at least $110,000. To determine the peak height to which BTC will rise, LookIntoBitcoin specialists calculated the so-called Terminal Price. This is computed considering various factors, including the time between bitcoin mining and spending, as well as the quantity of coins in circulation. Calculations indicate that bitcoin will reach the Terminal Price during the next bull rally, expected to conclude by the end of 2025. Looking at a longer horizon, one can explore the forecasts of Mike Novogratz and Catherine Wood for the next five to seven years (see above).

And now, a bucket of cold water poured on the hot heads of crypto optimists by analysts at JPMorgan, one of the world's largest banks. They recently released a sceptical report that scrutinizes investor expectations. The main theses are as follows: 1) The introduction of spot ETFs will only lead to a capital shift from existing investment products (such as Grayscale Bitcoin Trust) but will not generate new demand; 2) Lost SEC cases [against Ripple and Grayscale] will not increase loyalty in crypto regulation, and as the regulatory framework takes shape, the situation will only become more stringent; 3) The impact of the halving is unpredictable, as the reward reduction is already factored into the price.

So, what awaits the leading cryptocurrency? This is the question posed by Peter Schiff, the president of Euro Pacific Capital, known as the "gold bug" and a fervent critic of bitcoin. This billionaire conducted a poll on X (formerly Twitter) on the topic of when the crash of the leading cryptocurrency will occur. The majority of respondents (68.1%) believe that the asset should be bought and held. 23% of those surveyed predicted the coin's crash after the launch of spot bitcoin ETFs. Only 8.9% voted for the crash to happen before the launch of these exchange-traded funds.

Now about the current situation. Bitfinex exchange analysts warn that the price of bitcoin has reached a local maximum and may correct in the near future. According to their report, the average purchase price of BTC by short-term holders (Short-Term Holder Realized Price – STH RP) is currently at $30,380, and the difference between this figure and the current price of the asset is the highest since April 2022. Historically, this indicates that the coin's price has reached a local maximum and may correct to the STH RP level, dropping to the $30,000–$31,000 range.

Doctor Profit, an analyst, also anticipates a correction and believes that the next correction following the positive trend will bring BTC back to around $34,000. "The market is overheated right now. Correction is a matter of time," he wrote on his microblog.

On the contrary, Matrixport analysts believe that a confident breakthrough above $36,000 will push the price of the leading cryptocurrency towards the $40,000 resistance. After that, it may open the way to the $45,000 height, which could be reached by the end of 2023. "Considering the steady growth in the number of buyers during US trading hours, we can see price growth by the end of the month (and year). Santa Claus rally can start at any moment," emphasized the specialists.

Many members of the crypto community supported Matrixport's positive forecast. Analyst CrediBULL Crypto believes that BTC will soon realize an impulse that will send the coin to $40,000. Trader CryptoCon also joined the optimists. According to his calculations, BTC has room to reach $47,000. However, he believes that this level may only be reached in the summer of 2024, after which a correction to around $31,000 is possible. The active growth phase due to the halving, according to CryptoCon, is expected by the end of 2024 – the beginning of 2025.

As of the writing of this review on Friday, November 17, BTC/USD is trading at $36,380. The total market capitalization of the crypto market is $1.38 trillion ($1.42 trillion a week ago). The Crypto Fear and Greed Index has dropped from 70 to 63 points but still remains in the Greed zone.


NordFX Analytical Group


Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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CryptoNews of the Week



– The largest crypto exchange, Binance, has announced that it has reached a global agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network in connection with their investigations into issues related to registration, compliance, and violations of anti-Russian sanctions.
As part of the agreement, Changpeng Zhao (CZ) stepped down from the position of CEO of the exchange as of November 21, 2023. Additionally, under the terms of the agreement, Binance will pay regulators and law enforcement authorities substantial amounts (approximately $7 billion) in fines and compensations to resolve charges and claims against them.
In addition to the financial settlement, Binance has agreed to completely withdraw from U.S. markets and will "adhere to a set of stringent sanctions compliance commitments." Furthermore, the exchange will be under the five-year observation of the U.S. Tresrey service with open access to its financial records, records, and systems.
While such a significant fine will heavily impact the company, experts view this decision unequivocally positively, considering the exchange's leading role. Representatives of Binance also stated their firm belief in both the crypto industry and the bright future of their company.

– Bittrex Global, another crypto exchange based in Liechtenstein, will cease all operations and halt trading on December 4th. The exchange's management strongly advises all customers to log into their accounts and withdraw their assets as soon as possible. Bittrex Global has already frozen its referral program and halted advertising campaigns.

– Scammers recently conducted another fake cryptocurrency giveaway impersonating Elon Musk. The campaign included live video streams on YouTube featuring a deepfake of Musk. The individual in the video spoke with a generated voice. Participants were initially required to send cryptocurrency to specified addresses to take part in the giveaway. They were promised to receive the cryptocurrency back to their wallets, but with a 200% bonus. According to experts from BitOK, even several well-known news outlets fell into the trap, sharing links to the fake broadcasts.

– Javier Milei, a libertarian and implicit supporter of bitcoin, emerged victorious in the second round of the presidential elections in Argentina. He will assume the presidency of the country on December 10.
Due to the economic crisis, the Argentine peso is rapidly depreciating, with inflation exceeding 140% over the last 12 months. Milei blames the central bank for the troubles affecting the state's residents, branding the agency's employees as fraudsters. He believes they devised a mechanism to deceive citizens through an inflation tax.
During the electoral campaign, Javier adeptly manipulated his positive statements about bitcoin, stating that, thanks to this cryptocurrency, "money will return to its creator – the private sector of the economy." However, the new head of Argentina has not yet declared his intention to recognize bitcoin as legal tender, following the example of President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador. Furthermore, he has advocated for a dollarization policy, entailing the replacement of the Argentine peso with the US dollar.

– Can we expect a new significant downward correction from bitcoin? According to the well-known analyst Willy Woo, this is unlikely. He examined blockchain data reflecting the average purchase price of BTC by investors, based on which he concluded that the main cryptocurrency probably won't fall below $30,000 again.
Woo shared with readers a chart showing a dense gray band, indicating the price around which a significant portion of the bitcoin supply fluctuated at that time. According to Woo, this reflects "strong consensus value." The analyst claims that since the creation of bitcoin, this band has acted as reliable price support. Woo's chart shows that such bands have formed eight times throughout the entire existence of bitcoin and have always supported its price.
However, not everyone trusts Woo's calculations. For instance, an analyst using the pseudonym TXMC reminded that in 2021, Woo made a similar forecast, stating that bitcoin would never drop below $40,000. Yet, the following year saw precisely that happening.

– According to the calculations of several experts, the fundamental indicators of the cryptocurrency have never looked better. For instance, 70% of the existing supply of BTC has not moved from one wallet to another during this year, marking a record in bitcoin's history. Such withdrawal rates are extraordinary for a financial asset, as summarized by a group of analysts led by Gautam Chhugani.
Another positive factor is the upcoming halving, which could reduce the monthly selling pressure from miners from $1 billion to $500 million (at today's BTC rate of $37,000).
Additionally, the potential approval of bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the U.S. is seen as a positive catalyst. This approval would facilitate large investors' access to the cryptocurrency. According to experts from Bernstein, against this backdrop, the price of the leading cryptocurrency could rise to $150,000 by the beginning of 2025.

– Apple users have filed a collective lawsuit against the tech giant, accusing it of unfair competition due to restrictions on cryptocurrency payments. The document filed in the California district court claims that Apple entered into a "secret agreement" with Venmo, PayPal, and Cash App to limit users' use of decentralized cryptocurrency technology in payment applications.
The plaintiffs also allege that Apple employs "technological and contractual restrictions," including hardware exclusivity in the App Store and "constraints on web browser technology," to "exercise unlimited control over each application installed and launched on iPhone and iPad." As a result, users are forced to pay higher trading commissions.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time Apple has faced such lawsuits. The court ruling in the Epic Games lawsuit against Apple stated in April 2023 that software providers in the App Store are allowed to offer alternative payment options to avoid high commissions.

– Experts from the analytical company Glassnode highlight a continuous outflow of BTC coins from exchanges. The overall supply of the primary cryptocurrency is becoming increasingly scarce, and the circulating supply is currently at a historical minimum.
In a recent report by Glassnode, it is stated that 83.6% of all circulating bitcoins were acquired by current owners at a lower cost than the current market value. If this metric surpasses the 90% mark, it could indicate the beginning of the euphoria stage, where almost all market participants have unrealized profits.
According to analysts, statistically, these figures can help determine the current stage of the market. For instance, when less than 58% of all BTC coins are profitable, the market is considered to be in the bottom formation stage. Once the metric surpasses the 58% mark, the market transitions to the recovery stage, and above 90%, it enters the euphoria stage.
Glassnode believes that over the past ten months, the market has been in the second of these three stages, recovering from a series of negative events in 2022, such as the collapse of the Luna project and the bankruptcy of the FTX crypto exchange.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

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EUR/USD: Day of Thanksgiving and Week of Contradictions

Reminder that the American currency came under significant pressure on November 14 following the release of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report in the USA. In October, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) decreased from 0.4% to 0% (m/m), and on an annual basis, it dropped from 3.7% to 3.2%. The Core CPI for the same period decreased from 4.1% to 4.0%: reaching the lowest level since September 2021. These figures caused a tumble in the Dollar Index (DXY) from 105.75 to 103.84. According to Bank of America, this marked the most significant dollar sell-off since the beginning of the year. Naturally, this had an impact on the dynamics of the EUR/USD pair, which marked this day with an impressive bullish candle of almost 200 pips, reaching resistance in the 1.0900 zone.

DXY continued to consolidate near 103.80 last week, maintaining positions at the lows from the end of August to the beginning of September. Meanwhile, the EUR/USD pair, transforming 1.0900 from resistance to a pivot point, continued its movement along this line.

Market reassurance, besides Thanksgiving Day, was also influenced by the uncertainty regarding what to expect from the Federal Reserve (FRS) and the European Central Bank (ECB). Following the release of the inflation report, the majority of investors believed in the imminent conclusion of the hawkish monetary policy of the American central bank. Expectations that the regulator would raise interest rates at its meeting on December 14 plummeted to zero. Moreover, among market participants, the opinion circulated that the FRS might shift towards easing its monetary policy not in mid-summer but already in the spring of the following year.

However, the minutes of the latest Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting were published on November 21, and their content contradicted market expectations. The minutes indicated that the leadership of the regulator considered the possibility of additional tightening of monetary policy in case of inflation growth. Furthermore, FRS members concluded that it would be prudent to keep the rate high until inflation reaches the target.

The content of the minutes slightly supported the American currency: EUR/USD crossed the 1.0900 horizon from top to bottom, dropping from 1.0964 to 1.0852. However, overall, the market reaction was restrained since the formulations mentioned above were quite vague and lacked specificity regarding the future monetary policy of the United States.

If in the United States, market expectations clashed with the FRS protocols, in Europe, the ECB protocols contradicted the subsequent rhetoric of individual leaders of this regulator. In its latest protocol, the Governing Council of the European Central Bank left the door open for the resumption of the monetary restriction cycle and urged policymakers to avoid unwarranted easing of financial conditions. A similar sentiment was expressed by the ECB President, Christine Lagarde, in her speech on Friday, November 24, stating that the fight against inflation is not yet over. However, a little earlier, the head of the Bank of France, Francois Villeroy de Galhau, stated that interest rates would not be raised anymore.

So, the question of what the future monetary policy of the ECB will be remains open. In favour of hawks, it is noted that wage growth in the Eurozone accelerated in Q3 from 4.4% to 4.7%, and purchasing managers highlighted an increase in inflationary pressure. On the other hand, the Eurozone's economy continues to experience stagflation. Business activity (PMI) has been below the critical 50-point mark for the sixth consecutive month, indicating technical recession.

A glimmer of light in the darkness came from macro statistics from Germany, some indicators of which gradually improved. PMI dropped to a minimum of 38.8 points in July and then began to grow slowly. Preliminary data published on Thursday, November 23rd, showed that this index rose to 47.1 (though still below 50.0). The economic sentiment index from the ZEW Institute returned to the positive territory for the first time in half a year, sharply rising from -1.1 to 9.8. According to some economists, this growth is likely linked to a noticeable decrease in inflation (CPI) in Germany over the last two months: from 6.1% to 3.8%.

However, only desperate optimists can claim that the country's economy has rebounded and transitioned to recovery. Germany's recession is far from over. For the fourth consecutive quarter, GDP is not growing; worse yet, it is contracting: GDP for Q3 2023 decreased by 0.1% and compared to the same quarter of the previous year, it declined by 0.4%. According to Bloomberg, the budget crisis in Germany could lead to many infrastructure and environmental projects not receiving funding. As a result, economic growth may slow down by 0.5% next year.

In general, the prospects for both currencies, the dollar and the euro, are shrouded in the fog of uncertainty. As economists from the Japanese MUFG Bank note, "the window for the dollar to reach the highs set in October and/or beyond may already be closed. However, the growth prospects in the Eurozone also do not indicate significant opportunities for EUR/USD."

For the second consecutive week, EUR/USD concluded near the 1.0900 level, specifically at 1.0938. Currently, expert opinions regarding its near future are divided as follows: 40% voted for the strengthening of the dollar, 40% sided with the euro, and 20% remained neutral. In terms of technical analysis, all trend indicators and oscillators on the D1 timeframe are in green, but one-third of the latter are in overbought territory. The nearest support for the pair is located around 1.0900, followed by 1.0830-1.0840, 1.0740, 1.0620-1.0640, 1.0480-1.0520, 1.0450, 1.0375, 1.0200-1.0255, 1.0130, and 1.0000. Bulls will encounter resistance around 1.0965-1.0985, 1.1070-1.1090, 1.1150, 1.1260-1.1275, and 1.1475.

In the upcoming week, preliminary inflation (CPI) data for Germany and the GDP for the United States for Q3 will be released on Wednesday, November 29. The following day will reveal the CPI and retail sales volumes for the Eurozone as a whole, along with the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Index and the number of initial jobless claims in the United States. The workweek will conclude on Friday, December 1st, with the publication of the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for the manufacturing sector in the United States and a speech by the Federal Reserve Chair, Jerome Powell.

GBP/USD: First Came the Word. But Will There Be Deeds?

Recent macroeconomic data indicates that the UK's economy is on the mend, contributing to the strengthening of the British pound. Business activity in the country is rebounding, with the Services PMI and Composite PMI indices showing growth, although they remain in contraction territory after three months of decline. The Manufacturing PMI is also below the threshold value of 50.0, indicating contraction/growth, but it rose from 44.8 to 46.7, surpassing forecasts of 45.0. The growth in business activity is supported by a decrease in core inflation. According to the latest CPI data, it decreased from 6.7% to 4.6%, and despite this, the economy managed to avoid a recession, with GDP remaining at 0%.

Against this backdrop, according to several analysts, unlike the Federal Reserve (FRS) and the European Central Bank (ECB), there is a significant likelihood of another interest rate hike by the Bank of England (BoE). This conviction has been fuelled by recent hawkish comments from the regulator's head, Andrew Bailey, who emphasized that rates should be raised for a longer period, even if it may have a negative impact on the economy.

The Chief Economist of the BoE, Hugh Pill, also stated in an interview with the Financial Times on Friday, November 24, that the Central Bank would continue to combat inflation, and it cannot afford to weaken its tight monetary policy. According to Pill, key indicators, namely inflation in service prices and wage growth, remained persistently high throughout the summer. Therefore, even though "both of these measures have shown a slight – but welcome – sign of coming down, they remain at very high levels."

Such hawkish statements from Bank of England leaders contribute to bullish sentiments for the pound. However, according to economists at Commerzbank, despite Andrew Bailey's efforts to convey a hawkish stance with his comments, it is not necessarily guaranteed that real actions, such as an interest rate hike, will follow. "Even in the case of positive surprises from the real sector of the UK economy, the market always keeps in mind the rather indecisive approach of the Bank of England. In this case, the potential for sterling to rise in the near future will be limited," warns Commerzbank.

Despite Thanksgiving Day in the United States, some preliminary data on the state of the American economy was still released on Friday, November 24. The S&P Global PMI for the services sector increased from 50.6 to 50.8. The composite PMI remained unchanged in November at the previous level of 50.7. However, the manufacturing sector's PMI in the country showed a significant decline – despite the previous value of 50.0 and expectations of 49.8, the actual figure dropped to 49.4, reflecting a slowdown in growth. Against this backdrop, taking advantage of the low-liquidity market, pound bulls pushed the pair higher to a height of 1.2615.

As for technical analysis, over the past week, GBP/USD has surpassed both the 100-day and 200-day moving averages (DMA) and even breached the resistance at 1.2589 (50% correction level from the July-October decline), marking the highest level since early September. The week concluded with the pair reaching 1.2604.

Economists at Scotiabank believe that "in the short term, the pound will find support on minor dips (to the 1.2500 area) and looks technically poised for further gains." Regarding the median forecast of analysts in the near future, only 20% supported Scotiabank's projection for pound growth. The majority (60%) took the opposite position, while the remaining analysts maintained a neutral stance. All trend indicators and oscillators on the D1 timeframe point north, with 15% of the latter signalling overbought conditions. In the event of a southward movement, the pair will encounter support levels and zones at 1.2570, followed by 1.2500-1.2520, 1.2450, 1.2370, 1.2330, 1.2210, and 1.2040-1.2085. In the case of an upward movement, resistance awaits at levels such as 1.2615-1.2635, 1.2690-1.2710, 1.2785-1.2820, 1.2940, and 1.3140.

One notable event in the upcoming week's calendar is the scheduled speech by the Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey on Wednesday, November 29. As of now, there are no other significant events related to the United Kingdom's economy expected in the coming days.

USD/JPY: The Near Future of the Yen Lies in the Hands of the Fed

The momentum gained by USD/JPY after the release of the U.S. inflation report on November 14th proved to be so strong that it continued into the past week. On Tuesday, November 21, the pair found a local bottom at the level of 147.14. Once again, news from the other side of the Pacific, specifically the release of the Federal Reserve's minutes, served as a signal for a northward reversal.

As the primary catalyst for the yen revolves around speculations about changes in the Bank of Japan's (BoJ) policy, markets awaited the release of national inflation data on Friday, November 24th. It was anticipated that the core CPI would increase by 3.0% (year-on-year) compared to the previous value of 2.8%. However, it grew less than expected, reaching 2.9%. The rise in the overall national CPI was 3.3% (year-on-year), exceeding the previous figure of 3.0% but falling short of forecasts at 3.4%. As a result, this had little to no impact on the Japanese yen's exchange rate.

According to economists at Commerzbank, the inflation indicators suggest that the Bank of Japan is unlikely to aim for an exit from its ultra-easy monetary policy in the foreseeable future. The dynamics of USD/JPY in the coming weeks will likely depend almost entirely on the movement of the dollar.

This stance is probably acceptable to the Japanese central bank, reflecting the market's low expectations regarding a tightening of its passive and dovish policy. This sentiment was reaffirmed by Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who addressed Parliament on Wednesday, November 22nd. Kishida stated that the BoJ's monetary policy is not aimed at directing currency rates in a particular direction. From this, it can be inferred that the country's leadership has entrusted the Federal Reserve of the United States with this function.

The closing note of the week for USD/JPY settled at the level of 149.43, maintaining its position above the critical 100- and 200-day SMAs. This suggests that the broader trend still leans towards bullish sentiments, despite recent local victories for bears. Regarding the immediate prospects of the pair, only 20% of experts anticipate further strengthening of the dollar, another 20% side with the yen, while the majority (60%) refrain from making any forecasts. As for the technical analysis on the daily chart (D1), the forecast remains uncertain. Among trend indicators, the ratio is evenly split between red and green (50% each). Among oscillators, 60% favour red, 20% favour green, and 20% are neutral-grey. The nearest support level is located in the zone of 149.20, followed by 148.90, 148.10-148.40, 146.85-147.15, 145.90-146.10, 145.30, 144.45, 143.75-144.05, and 142.20. The nearest resistance is at 149.75, followed by 150.00-150.15, 151.70-151.90, then 152.80-153.15 and 156.25.

There is no planned release of any significant statistics regarding the state of the Japanese economy next week.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: "Modest" Fine of $7,000,000,000



From the events of the past week, one stands out. It has been reported that the largest crypto exchange, Binance, reached a global settlement with the US Department of Justice, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, related to their investigations into registration issues, compliance, and violations of anti-Russian sanctions.

As part of the agreement, on November 21, 2023, CZ (Changpeng Zhao) stepped down as the CEO of the exchange. Additionally, under the agreement, Binance will pay regulators and law enforcement substantial amounts (around $7 billion) in the form of fines and compensations to settle charges and claims against them. In addition to the financial settlement, Binance has agreed to completely withdraw from the US markets and will "comply with a set of stringent sanction requirements." Furthermore, the exchange will be under a five-year observation by the US Treasury with open access to its accounting books, records, and systems.

The $7 billion payouts are a substantial amount that will significantly impact the company. Can it survive this? After news of these fines, a wave of panic sentiments swept through the market. According to DeFiLlama data, Binance's reserves decreased by $1.5 billion in two days, with an outflow of $710 million during the same period. These are substantial losses. However, looking at history, such withdrawal rates are not extraordinary. In June, after the SEC filed a lawsuit, the outflow exceeded $1 billion in a day, and in January, amid the BUSD stablecoin scandal, the outflow reached a record $4.3 billion for 2023. So, there is likely no catastrophe, and the exchange will face local difficulties.

Representatives of Binance stated that they firmly believe in the crypto industry and the bright future of their company. Many experts view the exchange's agreement with US authorities as a positive event, considering Binance's leading role in the crypto industry. Confirmation of this was the bitcoin dynamics: in the first hours, BTC/USD dropped by 6%, but then rebounded: on Friday, November 24, it even broke through resistance in the $38,000 zone, reaching a high of $38,395.

According to several experts, the fundamental indicators of the leading cryptocurrency have never looked better. For example, 70% of the existing BTC supply has not moved from one wallet to another during this year. "This is a record level in bitcoin's history: such withdrawal rates are extraordinary for a financial asset," summarizes a group of analysts led by Gautam Chhugani.

Glassnode, an analytical company, also notes a consistent outflow of BTC coins from exchanges. The total supply of the leading cryptocurrency is becoming increasingly scarce, and the circulating supply is currently at an all-time low.

In a recent Glassnode report, it is stated that 83.6% of all circulating bitcoins were acquired by current owners at a lower cost than the current value. If this figure surpasses the 90% mark, it could indicate the beginning of the euphoria stage, where almost all market participants have unrealized profits.

According to analysts, statistical data can help determine the current market stage. For instance, when less than 58% of all BTC coins are profitable, the market is in the bottoming formation stage. Once the indicator surpasses the 58% mark, the market transitions into the recovery stage, and above 90%, it enters the euphoria stage.

Glassnode believes that over the last ten months, the market has been in the second of these three stages, recovering from a series of negative events in 2022, such as the collapse of the Luna project and the bankruptcy of the crypto exchange FTX.

So, the chances of entering the New Year 2024 on an upward trajectory are increasing. Positive expectations are reinforced by the upcoming halving in April. It may reduce the monthly selling pressure from miners from $1 billion to $500 million (at the current BTC rate). Additionally, the potential approval of bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the U.S. is a positive catalyst, easing access to cryptocurrency for major investors. According to experts at Bernstein, against this backdrop, by the beginning of 2025, the price of the first cryptocurrency could rise to $150,000.

Can one expect a significant downward correction from bitcoin in the near future? The crypto market is known for its unpredictability and volatility. However, according to renowned analyst Willy Woo, this is unlikely. He examined blockchain data reflecting the average purchase price of BTC by investors, concluding that the primary cryptocurrency is unlikely to drop below $30,000 again.

Woo shared a chart with readers, showing a dense grey band representing the price around which a significant portion of bitcoin's supply fluctuated. According to the expert, this reflects "strong consensus price." Woo claims that since the inception of bitcoin, this band has acted as a reliable price support. The chart demonstrates that such bands formed eight times throughout bitcoin's existence, always supporting its price.

However, it's important to acknowledge that not everyone trusts Woo's calculations. An analyst using the pseudonym TXMC reminded that Woo made a similar forecast in 2021, stating that bitcoin would never drop below $40,000. Yet, the next year saw exactly that happen: on November 20, 2022, BTC/USD reached a minimum in the $15,480 range.

Since that tragic date, bitcoin has appreciated by more than 2.4 times. As of the evening of Friday, November 24, BTC/USD is trading around $37,820. The total market capitalization of the crypto market is $1.44 trillion (compared to $1.38 trillion a week ago). The Crypto Fear and Greed Index has risen from 63 to 66 points and continues to be in the Greed zone.

As for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), it remains proactive. Following the resolution with Binance, it has now filed charges against the cryptocurrency trading platform Kraken. According to the SEC, the platform operated as an unregistered exchange for securities, broker, dealer, and clearing agency. The SEC lawsuit alleges that since September 2018, Kraken has earned hundreds of millions of dollars by unlawfully facilitating the buying and selling of securities in crypto assets. It remains to be seen how much it will cost Kraken to settle its issues with U.S. authorities.


NordFX Analytical Group


Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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CryptoNews of the Week



– The share of bitcoins potentially yielding profit has reached 83.7% of the total supply. This is the highest figure since November 2021, according to a report from Bitfinex analysts. Meanwhile, market activity is low. Experts have noted that coin owners are reluctant to sell, and buyers are not actively seeking them. "One reason for this is that the actual size of unrealized profits remains modest," added Bitfinex.
According to analysts, the ratio between short-term and long-term holders of digital gold is shifting in favor of the latter. The active supply of bitcoin has fallen to a five-year minimum: only 30% of coins have moved in the past year. Accordingly, approximately 70% of bitcoins, or "unprecedented" 16.3 million BTC, remained inactive throughout the year. At the same time, 60% of coins have remained motionless for two years. According to Bitfinex specialists, these indicators signify that the market is "in a relatively strong position" as coin owners see a positive return on their investments and are not in a hurry to liquidate assets.

– As a result of the resolution of the U.S. authorities' claims against Binance and its former CEO Changpeng Zhao, bitcoin is now poised to exceed $40,000 by the end of the year, according to statements from Matrixport. Various estimates suggested that Binance could face fines of up to $10 billion, with allegations of illegal misappropriation of user funds or market manipulation. However, on November 21, an agreement was reached, with the company agreeing to pay $4.3 billion to U.S. authorities. Changpeng Zhao stepped down as CEO and posted a bail of $175 million to remain free. This outcome is considered by Matrixport experts as a "turning point in the crypto industry," indicating that Binance will likely retain its position among the largest crypto exchanges for at least the next two to three years.
In light of this news, Bitcoin initially experienced a temporary correction but then rebounded from $36,000. This confirmed a strong trend, and according to Matrixport experts, a rise above $40,000 in December appears "inevitable." However, they assess the probability of this "inevitable" outcome not at 100%, but at 90%.

– During a speech before students in Frankfurt, Christine Lagarde, the President of the European Central Bank, shared that despite "numerous warnings," her son invested in cryptocurrencies. However, the investments turned out to be unsuccessful, and he lost approximately 60% of the invested funds. Nevertheless, according to the head of the ECB, the investment amount was not very significant.
"He ignored my recommendations. Of course, it's his right. But when we talked about it next time, he admitted that I was right. I have a very negative attitude towards cryptocurrencies. People can invest in anything and speculate on anything. But they don't need to enable participation in various criminal and sanction-evading schemes and businesses," concluded Ms. Lagarde.

– The TRON (TRX) blockchain, created by the head of the cryptocurrency exchange HTX and Poloniex, Justin Sun, has reportedly surpassed bitcoin in popularity among terrorists, according to experts interviewed by Reuters. They claim that this is due to the higher transaction speed and lower cost of transactions. The TRON company stated that they do not control the users of the blockchain, adding that theoretically, any technology can be used for criminal activities.
Reuters-analysed experts also stated that the dominant asset in the TRON network is the stablecoin USDT from the company Tether. Tether has previously faced accusations of aiding fundraising for terrorists from US legislators. The company has denied these allegations, emphasizing its active participation in freezing suspicious funds, including in collaboration with Israeli authorities. It's worth noting that the National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing in Israel froze 143 wallets on the TRON blockchain from July 2021 to October 2023.
However, journalists point out the difficulties in accurately assessing the amounts collected by terrorists in cryptocurrencies, and it is challenging to determine whether the assets in the frozen wallets were indeed intended for such groups.

– Specialists from the analytical company Santiment have noted an increase in the correlation between the cryptocurrency and stock markets. In November, bitcoin, Ethereum, and the S&P 500 index, on average, grew by 9.2%. The strengthening correlation was observed after bitcoin traded in a narrow price range in late October to early November, showing no significant fluctuations. According to historical data, if bitcoin continues to outpace stocks, it will once again disrupt the correlation, which is considered one of the factors for the formation of a bullish crypto market, according to Santiment.
On November 24, the price of the leading cryptocurrency reached $38,300 for the first time since May of the previous year, prompting bitcoin traders to start taking profits. This is indicated by the slowing growth of the number of wallets with a positive balance. From November 23 to 27, the indicator increased by only 0.25%, reaching 50.91 million wallets.

– The trader, analyst, and founder of the venture company Eight, Michael van de Poppe, predicts that a few weeks before the approval of the first spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF), the coin's price may rise to $48,000. The expert anticipates that the bitcoin ETF will be approved by the SEC in the next five to six weeks. Consequently, the price of BTC could increase in December as investors seek to profit from the potential rally.
However, after approval, the price of the leading cryptocurrency may experience a sharp decline. The potential retracement target is the 200-week exponential moving average (EMA), currently around $26,500. Van de Poppe suggests that this downward trend may persist even after the upcoming halving. The analyst suspects that it is during this period that traders will actively accumulate coins, triggering the next bullish rise with a target ranging from $300,000 to $400,000.

– Strategists at Standard Chartered Bank believe that BTC could reach $50,000 this year and $120,000 by the end of 2024. The bank's initial forecast hinted at a potential surge to $100,000 but was later revised upward. The price of $120,000 is nearly three times the current value. The optimism from Standard Chartered's experts is linked to the increased profitability of mining when selling a smaller quantity of tokens to maintain the same cash flow volume, ultimately leading to price growth.

– The term "Bitcoin Santa Rally" is gaining popularity on social media platforms, fuelled by the impressive growth of the leading cryptocurrency by approximately 10% in November and 130% since the beginning of the year. This phenomenon echoes the historical "Santa Claus Rally" in the stock market when stocks surge between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
In the crypto market, a similar rally first occurred in late November 2013 when the price of bitcoin was less than $1,000. Throughout December, the bitcoin price consistently rose, reaching a peak of $1,147 by December 23. The next significant surge happened during the holiday season in 2017. Bitcoin embarked on a steep upward trajectory, surpassing $19,000 by mid-December and touching $20,000 for the first time.
However, in 2021, Santa Claus didn't bring joy to crypto traders; the result was the opposite. On November 10, the asset reached an all-time high, approaching $69,000, but in December, the price was influenced by volatility and low trading volumes during the holiday season. By the end of the year, bitcoin was trading around $46,000.
Naturally, this year, members of the crypto community are hopeful for bitcoin's growth, as indicated by Google Trends data.

– Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano (ADA), criticized the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for not classifying bitcoin as a security, thereby granting it "complete freedom of action," unlike other cryptocurrencies. According to Hoskinson, BTC is not as decentralized as the SEC believes: more than 51% of the hashing power can be controlled simply by taking the three largest mining pools to court.
In response, Blockstream CEO Adam Back explained to Hoskinson that the main reason is that bitcoin did not conduct an initial coin offering (ICO). "Bitcoin did not conduct an ICO. Most people thought it had no value. It was mined from scratch, it is decentralized, the project has no CEO. ICOs are what led regulators to demand registration from crypto companies. So ADA, Ethereum, and other crypto assets are considered securities under the Howey Test. And bitcoin is considered a commodity," stated Adam Back.
Hoskinson countered by stating that Cardano also did not conduct an ICO. According to him, the project simply distributed coins, and then thousands of people, who had never met before, began trading ADA on crypto exchanges and using the Cardano blockchain for their projects.

– The National Police Agency of South Korea has issued a warning about an increase in activity from North Korean hackers. Experts noted that the criminals are resorting to new sophisticated schemes, often posing as government officials and well-known journalists.
In 2023, North Korean hacking activity has shown a significant escalation in both scale and aggression. Unlike the previous year, where the primary focus was on the spread of ransomware programs, this year there is a shift towards more aggressive phishing attacks. In 2023, South Korean authorities halted the operations of more than 40 fictitious websites associated with cybercriminals.

– Dan Tapiero, Managing Partner and CEO of 10T Holdings, is confident in the inevitable increase in the value of the world's first cryptocurrency. The businessman believes that bitcoin is becoming an increasingly attractive means of savings. "There are many things, such as real estate, that people often invest in. Art, paintings... And bitcoin really can become part of such asset lists."
According to Tapiero, the "next bull trend will come in 2025. And we will see bitcoin surpass $100,000." "I think that's a pretty conservative estimate," he added. The expert believes that negative interest rates on U.S. Treasury bonds will serve as a special "mega-bull signal" for BTC.

– Former CEO of the crypto exchange BitMEX, Arthur Hayes, intends to withdraw funds invested in U.S. Treasury bonds and put them into cryptocurrency before the "Chinese printing press starts its monetary intervention."
According to his forecast, China will significantly increase its investment volumes in external markets. This monetary and credit expansion, combined with the weakening of the U.S. dollar, has the potential to benefit the cryptocurrency market. "Such a scenario will have a positive impact on the value of many risky assets, including cryptocurrencies. The interchangeable nature of global fiat credit implies that capital from China may permeate adjacent financial markets and contribute to the increase in the value of digital assets such as bitcoin," explains the co-founder of BitMEX.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

Participation in the NordFX Super Lottery is a great opportunity to improve your financial situation by winning one or even several large cash prizes. The total prize pool is $100,000. 60 prizes of $250 and 15 prizes of $1000 to $5000 will be drawn on January 5.

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Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

NordFX Brokerage Company Summarizes Client Trading Performance for November 2023. Additionally, an evaluation was conducted on the social trading services – PAMM and CopyTrading, along with the profits generated by the company's IB partners.

- The client from Western Asia with account number 1691XXX secured the highest profit this month, reaching $351,521. This remarkable achievement was attained through trading in gold (XAU/USD), euro (EUR/USD), and the British pound (GBP/USD).

- Similarly, fellow countryman with account number 1692XXX claimed the second position on the podium of distinction, accruing a profit of $91,650. The same currency pairs – XAU/USD, EUR/USD, GBP/USD, along with USD/JPY, contributed to this impressive outcome.

- The third spot is occupied by the account holder with number 1733XXX from Southeast Asia. Utilizing the favoured NordFX trading instrument – gold (XAU/USD), they achieved a profit of $26,713.

In NordFX's passive investment services, the following situation has developed:

- In the PAMM service, the Trade and Earn account continues to attract attention. It was opened 631 days ago but remained dormant, awakening only in November 2022. Over 13 months, its profitability approached 210% with a relatively small maximum drawdown of less than 17%. Undoubtedly, the manager of this account can take pride in such performance.

Two long-standing accounts on the PAMM service's showcase have persevered, previously mentioned in our past reviews – KennyFXPRO-The Multi 3000 EA and TranquilityFX-The Genesis v3. Recall that on November 14, 2022, they suffered significant losses, with the drawdown at that moment approaching 43%. However, PAMM managers decided not to give up, and by November 30, 2023, the profit on the first of these accounts exceeded 118%, and on the second, 78%.

- In CopyTrading, noteworthy is the signal yahmat-forex, which, over 160 days, demonstrated a profitability of 190% with a maximum drawdown of 37%. Also catching attention is the startup with the original name $20 - ⟩ $1,000,000. One can reasonably guess that the provider of this signal intends to increase the deposit from $20 to $1 million. Currently, in its 37 days of existence, the profit stands at 101% with a moderate drawdown of less than 18%.

Undoubtedly, such profitability appears very attractive and far exceeds the returns on bank deposits. However, subscribers must always remember that past successes do not guarantee the same results in the future. Therefore, as usual, we urge investors to exercise maximum caution when investing their money.

Among the IB partners of the NordFX brokerage company, the top three are as follows:
- The largest commission reward once again was credited to a partner from Western Asia, account number 1645XXX. This time it amounted to $10,525.
- Next is their colleague from South Asia, account number 1675XXX, who earned $6,510 in November.
- Finally, another partner from South Asia, account number 1700XXX, closes the top three leaders, receiving $5,034 in commissions.

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Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

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EUR/USD: December – A Formidable Month for the Dollar

Who will start loosening the grip on their monetary policies earlier, the Federal Reserve (FRS) or the European Central Bank (ECB)? The discussion on this topic remains active, as clearly seen in the quotes' charts. The statistics from the past week did not allow EUR/USD to solidify above the significant level of 1.1000. It all began on Wednesday, November 29, with the publication of inflation data in Germany. The preliminary Consumer Price Index (CPI) in annual terms amounted to 3.2%, which is lower than both the forecast of 3.5% and the previous value of 3.8%. In monthly terms, the German CPI went even deeper into the negative territory, reaching -0.4% (against a forecast of -0.2% and 0.0% the previous month).

These data marked the beginning of the euro's retreat. EUR/USD continued its decline after the release of the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) for the Eurozone. Eurostat reported that, according to preliminary data, the HICP fell to the lowest level since June 2021, amounting to 2.4% (y/y), which is lower than both the 2.9% in October and the expected 2.7%. The monthly indicator was -0.5%, decreasing from 0.1% in the previous month.

All these data have shown that deflation in the Eurozone significantly outpaces the American one. As a result, many market participants, including strategists at the largest banking group in the Netherlands, ING, have started talking about the imminent victory of the ECB over inflation. They have concluded that the European Central Bank will be the first to ease its monetary policy, including lowering interest rates and engaging in monetary expansion. According to forecasts, this process may begin in April, and with a 50% probability, even a month earlier, in March. The likelihood that the key interest rate will be reduced by 125 basis points (bps) during 2024, from 4.50% to 3.25%, is estimated at 70%. Indirectly, the move towards a more dovish policy was recently confirmed by a member of the ECB's Executive Board and the head of the Bank of Italy, Fabio Panetta, who spoke about the "unnecessary harm" that can be caused by persistently high-interest rates.

As for the United States, FOMC officials speak not of harm but, on the contrary, of the benefits of high-interest rates. For instance, John C. Williams, the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, stated that it is appropriate to keep borrowing costs on a plateau for an extended period. According to him, this would allow for a complete restoration of the balance between demand and supply and bring inflation back to 2.0%. Williams predicts that the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Index will decrease to 2.25% by the end of 2024 and stabilize near the target level only in 2025.

Therefore, it is unlikely that we should expect the hawks of the Federal Reserve to turn into doves in the near future. Especially considering that the U.S. economy allows maintaining such a position: stock indices are rising, and the GDP data published on November 29 showed a growth of 5.2% in Q3, surpassing both market expectations of 5.0% and the previous value of 4.9%.

Given this situation, it's not surprising that EUR/USD experienced a decline.

On Friday afternoon, it reached a local low at the level of 1.0828 and would have continued to decline further if it were not for the head of the Federal Reserve. Jerome Powell spoke at the very end of the workweek and stated that he considers premature the discussion of when the U.S. central bank can begin to ease its monetary policy. He hinted that the Fed will keep the interest rate unchanged at the current level of 5.50% at the December meeting. Powell also noted that the core inflation in the U.S. is still significantly higher than the target of 2.0%, and the Federal Reserve is ready to continue tightening its policy if necessary. In general, he said the same things as John Williams. However, if the words of the President of the New York Fed strengthened the dollar, somehow similar words from the Fed Chair weakened it: during Powell's speech, the DXY Index lost about 0.12%. Market reactions are truly unpredictable! As a result, the final chord of the week sounded at the level of 1.0882.

What awaits us in December? Following the logic mentioned above, the dollar should continue its advance against the euro. However, a seasonal factor may intervene, indicating a bearish movement for the dollar in December against a range of currencies. According to economists at Societe Generale, the average decline of the Dollar Index (DXY) over the last 10 years in December is 0.8%. Seasonally, the euro (EUR), Swedish krona (SEK), British pound (GBP), and Swiss franc (CHF) tend to rise, while the movements of the Australian dollar (AUD), Canadian dollar (CAD), Japanese yen (JPY), and Mexican peso (MXN) can be considered mixed.

Specialists at the Japanese MUFG Bank also confirm bullish indicators for EUR/USD in the last month of the year. "The seasonal tendency in December," they write, "is quite convincing: over the last 20 years, December has seen EUR/USD rise 14 times, with an impressive average gain of 2.6% over these 14 years. If we exclude December 2008 (+10.1%), the average gain in the other 13 cases was still significant at +2.0%. Moreover, in 8 out of 11 cases when EUR/USD rose in November, it was followed by a rise in December" (and it rose indeed!). "But this does not mean," caution MUFG, "that we can ignore fundamental factors." It is relevant to remind here that based on such factors, the Federal Reserve (FRS) and the European Central Bank (ECB) will make decisions at their meetings on December 13 and 14, respectively.

At the moment, experts' opinions on the near future of EUR/USD are divided as follows: 50% voted for the strengthening of the dollar, 30% sided with the euro, and 20% remained neutral. Regarding technical analysis, 50% of oscillators on the D1 chart are coloured green, 30% are in a neutral grey, and only 20% are red. Interestingly, half of these 20% are already signalling oversold conditions. Among trend indicators, 65% favour the bullish side, while 35% point in the opposite direction.

The nearest support for the pair is located in the area of 1.0830-1.0840, followed by 1.0740, 1.0620-1.0640, 1.0480-1.0520, 1.0450, 1.0375, 1.0200-1.0255, 1.0130, and 1.0000. Bulls will encounter resistance around 1.0900, 1.0965-1.0985, 1.1070-1.1110, 1.1150, 1.1230-1.1275, 1.1350, and 1.1475.

A substantial flow of data is anticipated from the American labour market in the upcoming week of December 5 to 8. The highlight will be on Friday, December 8, when crucial indicators such as the unemployment rate and the number of new non-farm jobs (NFP) will be published. Additionally, on Tuesday, December 5, we will learn about business activity (PMI) in the U.S. service sector. Data on retail sales in the Eurozone will be available on Wednesday, December 6, and the following day, we will find out about GDP. Finally, on Friday, December 8, revised data on consumer inflation (CPI) in Germany will be released.

GBP/USD: Three Reasons in Favor of the Pound

The likelihood that the US Federal Reserve has likely concluded its cycle of monetary restriction and interest rates have plateaued has been mentioned earlier. Similar sentiments were expressed regarding the historical seasonal advantages of the British pound over the dollar in December.

Verbal support for the British currency was provided by the rhetoric of the Bank of England (BoE) leadership, which currently has no plans to adjust its current monetary policy trajectory. As known, this trajectory is aimed at tightening. Deputy Governor of the BoE, Dave Ramsden, stated that monetary policy should continue to be restrictive to curb inflation. A similar hawkish position was taken by BoE Governor Andrew Bailey, who emphasized that rates should rise for longer, even if it negatively affects the economy.

Currently, the key interest rate for the pound is at a 15-year high of 5.25%. Its last increase occurred on August 3, after which the Bank of England took a pause. However, this does not necessarily mean that they won't resume and increase the rate by 25 basis points at their December or January meeting.

Similar hawkish statements from the leaders of the Bank of England contribute to bullish sentiments for the pound. Even despite the dollar's rise in the second half of the past week, GBP/USD couldn't breach the support at 1.2600. According to economists from the Singaporean United Overseas Bank (UOB), as long as this strong level remains unbroken, there is a possibility for the pair to move slightly higher in the next 1-3 weeks before an increased risk of a pullback. UOB believes that, at the moment, the likelihood of the pound rising to the resistance level of 1.2795 is not substantial.

Following Jerome Powell's remarks, GBP/USD settled at the level of 1.2710 at the conclusion of the past week. Regarding its immediate future, 20% are in favour of further ascent, while the majority of surveyed analysts (55%) have taken the opposite position, and the remaining 25% remain neutral. On the D1 chart, all trend indicators and oscillators unanimously point north, with the latter indicating overbought conditions at 15%.

In the event of a southward movement, the pair will encounter support levels and zones at 1.2600-1.2635, followed by 1.2570, 1.2500-1.2520, 1.2450, 1.2370, 1.2330, 1.2210, and 1.2040-1.2085. In case of an upward movement, resistance awaits at levels 1.2735-1.2755, then 1.2800-1.2820, 1.2940, 1.3000, and 1.3140.

No significant economic events related to the United Kingdom are anticipated for the upcoming week.

USD/JPY: Caution, More Caution, and Even More Caution



We mentioned in the previous overview that the dynamics of USD/JPY in the coming weeks would be almost entirely dependent on the dollar's performance. Additionally, its volatility would be influenced by the oversold condition of the yen: in mid-November, the pair reached a peak at 151.90, a level not seen since October 2022, and before that, 33 years ago in 1990. The result of the synergy between these two factors was observed last week. Following the Dollar Index (DXY), the pair initially dropped by 300 points, from 149.67 to 146.67, then rose in two waves to 148.51. On December 1, it responded with a significant red candle to the statement from the head of the Federal Reserve, finishing at 146.79.

The influence of the United States on the dynamics of USD/JPY is consistently evident. However, will the Bank of Japan (BoJ) impact the strength of its national currency? Hopes for this are diminishing. BoJ board member Toyoaki Nakamura made comments on Thursday, November 30, expressing his opinion on the possibility of transitioning from an ultra-easy monetary policy. He stated that tightening it prematurely is risky, and for now, it is necessary to patiently maintain the current course. As for the timing of when this can be done, according to the official, it is currently challenging to determine. 'We can change our policy when the Japanese economy sees sustainable growth in wages and inflation,' Nakamura explained. 'Now is the time to exercise caution in our policy.'

One might think, was the Bank of Japan not cautious before this? Judging by its monetary policy, BoJ can confidently contend for the title of the 'Most Cautious Central Bank in the World.'.

According to economists at the Singaporean United Overseas Bank (UOB), in the next 1-3 weeks, USD/JPY is likely to trade in a range between 146.65 and 149.30, then start declining. Regarding the median forecast, in the near term, only 20% of experts anticipate further strengthening of the dollar, while 60% are in favour of the yen, and 20% have refrained from making any predictions. As for trend indicators on D1, 85% favour the yen, recommending buying the pair in only 15% of cases. All oscillators are in the red, with 100%, and a quarter of them are in the oversold zone. The nearest support level is located in the 146.65 zone, followed by 145.90-146.10, 145.30, 144.45, 143.75-144.05, and 142.20. The closest resistance is at 147.25, then 147.65-147.85, 148.40, 149.20, 149.80-150.00, 150.80, 151.60, 151.90-152.15, 152.80-153.15, and 156.25.

Among the events in the upcoming week's calendar, it is worth noting Tuesday, December 5, when data on consumer inflation in the Tokyo region will be released, and Friday, December 8, when the GDP volume of Japan for Q3 2023 will be announced.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: A Year Between a Bear Past and a Bull Future

December is upon us, making it a fitting time not only to review the week's outcomes but also to assess the entire passing year. Apparently, 2023 has the potential to serve as a transition between the bear 2022 and the bull 2023, supported by an impressive 11% growth in the leading cryptocurrency in November and a staggering 130% increase since the beginning of the year.

The share of potentially profitable bitcoins has reached 83.7% of the total supply, marking the highest level since November 2021. According to analysts at Bitfinex, the balance between short-term and long-term holders of digital gold is tilting in favour of the latter. The active supply of bitcoin has dropped to a five-year low, with only 30% of coins moving over the year. Consequently, approximately 70% of bitcoins, or an "unprecedented" 16.3 million BTC, remained stagnant throughout the year. Moreover, 60% of these coins have been motionless for two years. According to Bitfinex experts, these metrics indicate that the market is in a "relatively strong position" as coin holders are experiencing positive returns on their investments and are not rushing to liquidate assets in anticipation of even greater profits.

Positive sentiments have increased, especially among large investors (those with investments of $1 million or more). Over the first 11 months of 2023, they have increased their investments in crypto funds by 120%, bringing the total to $43.3 billion. Bitcoin remains the leader in this regard, with its volume growing to $32.3 billion, a 140% increase. Among altcoins, Solana has also attracted institutional interest. However, Ethereum had been showing negative dynamics for a while, although it has recently started to recover.

The rise in optimism in the market is attributed to: 1) the resolution of the issues between the U.S. authorities and the crypto exchange Binance, 2) the anticipation of the imminent launch of spot bitcoin ETFs, and 3) the upcoming bitcoin halving in April next year.

Regarding point 1, as a result of a settlement agreement between the U.S. authorities and Binance, bitcoin is now expected to exceed $40,000 by the end of the year, according to Matrixport. Various estimates suggested that Binance could face fines of up to $10 billion and might be accused of unauthorized appropriation of user funds or market manipulation. However, on November 21, an agreement was reached that Binance would pay a $4.3 billion fine, cease operations in the U.S., and its CEO, Changpeng Zhao, stepped down and posted a $175 million bail to remain free. This outcome is considered by Matrixport experts as a 'turning point in the crypto industry,' indicating that Binance will maintain its position among the largest crypto exchanges for at least the next two to three years.

In light of this news, bitcoin initially experienced a temporary correction but then bounced back from $36,000. This confirmed a strong trend, and according to Matrixport experts, a rise above $40,000 in December appears 'inevitable.' However, they assess the probability of this 'inevitable' outcome at 90%, acknowledging that unforeseen events could still impact the situation.

According to some experts, the "peaceful" withdrawal of Binance from the U.S. market should ease tensions and facilitate the approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of applications for the creation of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for spot bitcoin. In November, the SEC held a series of meetings with applicants to allow them to edit their submissions in accordance with the regulator's requirements. The presence of this dialogue was viewed as a positive factor. It is not ruled out that by January 10, 2024, the Commission will approve a significant portion, if not all, of the applications for launching bitcoin ETFs. This date marks the deadline for approving the joint application from ARK Invest and 21Shares. If the regulator makes a negative decision, it risks getting involved in legal proceedings again. The SEC has already lost a legal battle with an investment giant like Grayscale, with the court deeming the SEC's actions "arbitrary and capricious." So, is it worth stepping on the same rake again and risking similar humiliations?

Trader, analyst, and founder of the venture company Eight, Michael Van De Poppe, expects the first bitcoin ETFs to be approved by the SEC in the next five to six weeks. Consequently, the price of BTC could rise in December as investors try to profit from the potential rally. The expert forecasts its growth to $48,000. However, after approval, according to Van De Poppe, BTC/USD could sharply decline. The lower target of this potential pullback is the 200-week exponential moving average (EMA) line, which is currently around $26,500. This downward trend may continue even after the upcoming halving, Van De Poppe believes. The analyst suspects that it is then that traders will actively accumulate coins, triggering the next bullish rally with a target ranging from $300,000 to $400,000.

The strategists at Standard Chartered believe that BTC could reach $50,000 by the end of this year and $120,000 by the end of 2024. The bank's initial forecast indicated a possible rise to $100,000 but was later increased. The price of $120,000 is three times higher than the current level. This optimism from Standard Chartered experts is linked to the increased profitability of mining when selling a smaller quantity of tokens to maintain the same cash flow volume, leading to price growth.

The Managing Partner and CEO of 10T Holdings, Dan Tapiero, is confident in the inevitable growth of the first cryptocurrency and believes that bitcoin is becoming an increasingly attractive means of savings. However, in his opinion, the next bullish trend will not occur in 2024 but in 2025. "And we will see bitcoin surpass $100,000," predicts Tapiero, adding that this is a rather conservative estimate. The businessman believes that negative interest rates on US Treasury bonds will be a special "mega-bull signal" for BTC.

(Note that the former CEO of the crypto exchange BitMEX, Arthur Hayes, intends to withdraw the funds he invested in US Treasury bonds and invest them in cryptocurrency in the near future, without waiting until 2025.)

We have repeatedly noted earlier that the leading cryptocurrency has "decoupled" from both stock indices and the dollar exchange rate, disrupting direct and inverse correlations. However, now analysts at the Santiment analytical company are observing an increase in the correlation between the crypto and stock markets. In November, bitcoin, Ethereum, and the S&P 500 index grew on average by 9.2%. The strengthening connection was recorded after bitcoin traded in a narrow price range in late October to early November, showing no significant fluctuations. "If bitcoin continues to grow, surpassing stocks," say the analysts at Santiment, "this will once again disrupt the correlation, which, according to historical data, is one of the factors for the formation of a bullish crypto market.

BTC/USD set a new high for 2023 on Friday, reaching $38,950, aided by the surge in risk assets, including cryptocurrencies, mentioned in this review by the Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell in his speech. As of the evening of December 1, BTC/USD is trading around $38,765. The overall market capitalization of the crypto market is $1.45 trillion ($1.44 trillion a week ago). The Crypto Fear and Greed Index rose from 66 to 71 points and still remains in the Greed zone.

So, December has arrived, and many members of the crypto community are once again talking about the "Bitcoin Santa Rally." This phenomenon mirrors the historical "Santa Claus Rally" in the stock market when stocks rise between Thanksgiving and Christmas. On the crypto market, a similar rally first occurred at the end of November 2013 when the price of BTC was less than $1,000. Throughout December, the price of bitcoin steadily rose, reaching a peak of $1,147 by December 23. The next significant surge happened four years later during the holiday season of 2017. Bitcoin embarked on a steep upward trajectory, surpassing $19,000 by mid-December and touching $20,000 for the first time. However, in 2021, Santa Claus didn't bring joy to traders; the result was the opposite. On November 10, the asset reached an all-time high, approaching $69,000, but in December, the price was influenced by volatility and low trading volumes during the holiday days. By the end of the year, bitcoin was trading in the $46,000 range.

Naturally, this year, members of the crypto community are hoping for a convincing rise in digital gold. It remains to be seen whether Santa Claus will fulfil these hopes.


NordFX Analytical Group


Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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CryptoNews of the Week



– On the night of December 5 to 6, the flagship cryptocurrency reached a peak of $44,464. The last time BTC traded above $40,000 was in April 2022, before the collapse of the Terra ecosystem triggered a massive crypto market downturn. The current positive sentiments in the market are linked to the potential approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the United States. Bloomberg analyst James Seyffart stated that the approval of these fund launches is likely to occur between January 5 and 10. Among other reasons for the rise in BTC are the increasing network hash rate and investor optimism regarding the recovery of the U.S. economy. Investor hopes are also fuelled by upcoming changes in crypto industry regulations.

– Bitcoin's price is expected to surpass the $100,000 level even before the upcoming halving in April 2024, according to Blockstream CEO Adam Back. The cryptocurrency industry veteran noted that his forecast does not take into account a potential bullish impulse in the event of the SEC approving spot Bitcoin ETFs. Regarding the long-term movement of digital gold quotes, the entrepreneur agreed with the opinion of BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes, who predicts a range of $750,000 to $1 million by 2026.
For reference: Adam Back is a British businessman, a cryptography expert, and a cypherpunk. It is known that Back corresponded with Satoshi Nakamoto, and a reference to his publication is included in the description of the bitcoin system. Adam Back, who had not previously made public price forecasts for BTC, garnered significant attention from many members of the crypto community due to these statements.

– Ledger's CEO Pascal Gauthier, Lightspark's Chief Marcus David, and CoinDCX's top executive Vijay Ayyar also anticipate the bitcoin price to reach $100,000 in 2024. They shared this outlook in an interview with CNBC. "It seems that 2023 was a year of preparation for the upcoming growth. The sentiments towards 2024 and 2025 are very promising," stated Pascal Gauthier.
"A number of market participants expect bullish growth sometime after the halving, but considering the news about ETFs, we could very well start seeing growth before that," believes Vijay Ayyar. However, in his opinion, a "complete rejection of ETF could disrupt this process," and this is something that should always be kept in mind.

– Cardano's leader, Charles Hoskinson, ridiculed CoinDesk's annual list of "Most Influential Personalities in the World of Cryptocurrency." According to Hoskinson's calculations, "appearing on Coindesk's most influential list carries an 18 percent chance of a prison sentence." Since Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has topped this list four times, he has a very high chance of ending up behind bars.
Previously, leaders of crypto projects who now face legal issues were included in this prestigious list. This includes the founder of the collapsed Terra project, Do Kwon, and the former CEO of the bankrupt crypto exchange FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried. According to observations by Hoskinson and other prominent figures who appeared on the CoinDesk list multiple times, they have encountered legal problems.
Some members of the crypto community responded to Cardano's leader, suggesting that he might be envied for not being on this list. It's worth noting that last year, Hoskinson expressed displeasure with CoinDesk for not including him in the top 100 most influential figures in the cryptocurrency industry and for not mentioning him in surveys over the eight years.

– Jim Lee, Chief of Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS), has stated that investigations related to cryptocurrency occupy more than 50% of the agency's working hours. While almost 90% of cases were related to money laundering three years ago, last year, over half of various tax violations were related to failure to report income from capital gains in cryptocurrency or mining, as well as concealing ownership of crypto assets.
"The desire to evade cryptocurrency taxes spans a wide range of taxpayers, from individuals to various levels of corporate institutions intentionally not disclosing their cryptocurrency income. Therefore, the IRS Criminal Investigation Division is forced to initiate an increasing number of cases of tax crimes involving crypto assets every year," lamented the official.
Jim Lee reminded that cryptocurrency is subject to taxation, and failure to pay or report accurate information about crypto income to the authorities can result in both penalty sanctions and imprisonment for up to five years.

– According to the well-known bitcoin maximalist Max Keiser, bitcoin may soon surpass the $150,000 mark and continue to rise. Keiser shared that, according to unconfirmed rumours, the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Qatar is preparing to enter the crypto market with massive investments, intending to allocate up to $500 billion into the leading cryptocurrency. "This will be a seismic shift in the cryptocurrency landscape," believes Keiser.
He noted that, in his observations, many major financial institutions such as BlackRock, Fidelity, Ameritrade, Bakkt, JP Morgan, and others are gearing up to launch crypto products. These products could potentially encourage institutional investors, including hedge funds, pension funds, and sovereign wealth funds, to invest in digital assets.

– Not all influencers are confident in the optimistic prospects of BTC's value growth and strongly recommend exercising maximum caution when it comes to cryptocurrency investments. For instance, one of the prominent public crypto sceptics and advocate for physical gold, Peter Schiff, is certain that the speculative frenzy surrounding bitcoin ETFs will soon come to an end, and the collapse of bitcoin will be more impressive than its recent rallies.

– Renowned analyst Ali Martinez believes that if Ethereum closes above $2,150 for the week, this altcoin could pave the way for an upward movement with a target level of $2,600, and possibly even up to $3,500. These targets are determined by Martinez based on the analysis of graphic patterns.
Martinez also notes that approximately 5.85 million crypto wallets hold 43.8 million ETH acquired at prices ranging from $1,900 to $2,100. Therefore, this range could become a "significant support level for years to come."

– Military forces should prioritize the study of the underlying algorithm of bitcoin, Proof-of-Work (PoW), to ensure the defense capability of the country, according to U.S. Space Force Major and author of the book "Softwar," Jason Lowery. In an open letter to the Defense Innovation Board of the U.S. Department of Defense, he highlighted that the issue holds "national strategic significance." According to him, the blockchain of the first cryptocurrency is not only a "monetary system" but also provides the foundation for securing "all forms of data, messages, or command signals."

– Bloomberg Intelligence's Senior Macro Strategist, Mike McGlone, asserts that currently, bitcoin exhibits much greater strength than gold. The expert noted that on December 4th, the price of gold reached a record high, fuelled by investors' expectations of a potential interest rate cut by the U.S. Federal Reserve. Subsequently, gold declined by 5.1%, while bitcoin continued to rise, surpassing $44,000.
However, the analyst cautioned that bitcoin's volatility may hinder its ability to trade reliably, similar to physical gold, during periods of "risk aversion." According to McGlone, for bitcoin to compete with the precious metal as an alternative asset, it must establish key reliability indicators. These include achieving a negative correlation of BTC with the stock market and attaining a high deficit during periods of money supply growth.

– Alejandro Cao de Benos was detained at the Madrid railway station. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, in April 2019, Benos demonstrated to North Korean officials how a state could use cutting-edge technologies for money laundering and evading international sanctions. Before his arrest, the Spaniard had been on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) most-wanted list for over a year, hiding in Barcelona under a fictitious name.
As a supporter of the North Korean regime, in 2000, Benos founded the Korea Friendship Association and appeared in documentaries about North Korea. The U.S. Department of Justice claims that Benos began planning a blockchain conference in North Korea in 2018. Among its participants was former Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith, who was also arrested for involvement in the event. In 2022, Griffith was sentenced to five years in prison.
On Friday, December 1, Benos appeared before the High Court of Spain. He refuted the charges brought by the U.S. prosecution, deeming them false. The man faces up to 20 years of imprisonment in a U.S. prison, but extradition proceedings have not yet begun.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

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EUR/USD: Continuation of the Rate War

The labour market and inflation: these are the factors that Central Banks closely monitor when making decisions regarding monetary policy and interest rates. It is sufficient to recall the significant shift that occurred after the publication of October's inflation data in the United States. In November, the dollar weakened significantly, and the classical portfolio of stocks and bonds yielded the highest profit in 30 years! EUR/USD, starting at 1.0516, reached a monthly peak on November 29 at 1.1016.

Regarding the labour market, crucial indicators were released on Friday, December 8, including the unemployment rate and the number of new non-farm payrolls (NFP) in the United States. The first indicator revealed a decline in unemployment: in November, the rate dropped to 3.7%, surpassing both the forecast and the previous value of 3.9%. The second indicator showed an increase in the number of new jobs: 199K were created in a month, surpassing both the October figure of 150K and the market expectations of 180K. It cannot be said that such statistics significantly supported the dollar. However, at the very least, it did not harm it.

Two to three months ago, the market's reaction to such data would have been more intense, as there were still hopes for further increases in the Federal Reserve's interest rates in 2023. Now, those expectations are nearly reduced to zero. The discussions revolve not around how the key rate will rise, but rather how long it will be maintained at the current level of 5.50% and how actively the regulator will reduce it.

An economist survey conducted by Reuters revealed that just over half of the respondents (52 out of 102) believe that the rate will remain unchanged at least until July. The remaining 50 respondents expect the Federal Reserve to start cutting before that. 72 out of 100 respondents believe that by 2024, the rate will gradually be reduced by a maximum of 100 basis points (bps), possibly even less. Only 5 experts still hold hope for further rate increases, even if it's just by 25 bps. It's worth noting that Reuters' survey results do not align with the immediate market expectations, which forecast five rate cuts of 25 bps each starting from March.

A Citi economist, as part of the Reuters survey, noted that an increase in core inflation would disrupt the narrative of the Federal Reserve lowering interest rates and delay this process. The upcoming inflation data in the United States will be available on Tuesday, December 12, and Wednesday, December 13, with the release of the November Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Producer Price Index (PPI), respectively. Following this, on Wednesday, we can expect the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve, where decisions on interest rates will be made. Market participants will undoubtedly focus on the economic forecasts presented by the FOMC and the comments from the leadership of the Federal Reserve.

However, it's not only the Federal Reserve that influences the EUR/USD pair; the European Central Bank (ECB) also plays a significant role, and its meeting is scheduled for next week on Thursday, December 14. Currently, the base rate for the euro stands at 4.50%. Many market participants believe it is too high and could push the fragile economy of the region into recession.

Deflation in the Eurozone is considerably outpacing that in the United States. Last week, Eurostat reported that, according to preliminary data, the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) fell to its lowest level since June 2021, at 2.4% (y/y), which is lower than both October's 2.9% and the expected 2.7%. This is very close to the target level of 2.0%. Hence, to support the economy, the ECB may soon initiate the process of easing its monetary policy.

Market forecasts suggest that the first cut in the key rate could occur in April, with a 50% probability even a month earlier in March. There is a 70% probability that by 2024, the rate will be reduced by 125 bps. However, the consensus estimate among Reuters experts is more conservative, anticipating a decrease of only 100 bps.

So, the rate war between the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank will continue. While the one who previously prevailed was the one with faster advancing rates, now the advantage will be with the one whose retreat occurs more slowly. It is entirely possible that investors will receive some information regarding the regulators' plans after their meetings next week.

As for the past week, EUR/USD concluded at the level of 1.0760. Currently, expert opinions regarding the pair's immediate future are divided as follows: 75% voted for the strengthening of the dollar, while 25% sided with the euro. Among trend indicators on D1, the distribution is the same as with experts: 75% for the dollar and 25% for the euro. For oscillators, 75% favor the red side (with a quarter of them in the overbought zone), while 10% point in the opposite direction, and 15% remain neutral.

The nearest support for the pair is situated around 1.0725-1.0740, followed by 1.0620-1.0640, 1.0500-1.0520, 1.0450, 1.0375, 1.0200-1.0255, 1.0130, and 1.0000. Bulls will encounter resistance around 1.0800-1.0820, 1.0865, 1.0965-1.0985, 1.1020, 1.1070-1.1110, 1.1150, 1.1230-1.1275, 1.1350, and 1.1475.

In addition to the events mentioned earlier, the economic calendar highlights the release of the summary data on the U.S. retail market on Thursday, December 14th. On the same day, the number of initial claims for unemployment benefits will be traditionally published, and on December 15th, the preliminary values of the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) in the manufacturing and services sectors of the United States will be released. Additionally, on Friday, preliminary data on business activity in Germany and the Eurozone as a whole will be disclosed.

GBP/USD: Should We Expect a Surprise from the BoE?

The Bank of England (BoE) conducted its quarterly survey on December 8. It turns out that inflation expectations for the UK population in November 2024 are 3.3%, which is lower than the previous quarter's figure of 3.6%. Meanwhile, 35% of the country's population believes that they would personally benefit from a decrease in interest rates. In other words, the majority (65%) is not concerned about this indicator. However, it is a matter of concern for market participants.

The BoE meeting will also take place next week, on Thursday, December 14, shortly before the ECB meeting. What will be the decision on the interest rate? Lately, the hawkish rhetoric of the Bank of England's leadership has verbally supported the British currency. For instance, BoE Governor Andrew Bailey recently stated that rates should rise for longer, even if it may negatively impact the economy. However, experts predict that the regulator will likely maintain the status quo at the upcoming meeting, keeping the key interest rate at 5.25%, which is already the highest level in the last 15 years.

Expectations for the rate in 2024 imply an 80 bps decrease to 4.45%. If the Federal Reserve lowers its rate to 4.25%, it would give the pound some hope for strengthening. However, this is a matter of the relatively distant future. Last week, the dollar actively recouped November losses, resulting in the GBP/USD pair finishing the five-day period at 1.2548.

Speaking of its immediate future, 30% voted for the pair's rise, another 30% for its fall, and 40% remained indifferent. Among trend indicators on D1, 60% point north, while 40% point south. Among oscillators, only 15% are bullish, 50% bearish, and the remaining 35% remain neutral. In the event of the pair moving south, it will encounter support levels and zones at 1.2500-1.2520, 1.2450, 1.2370, 1.2330, 1.2210, 1.2070-1.2085, and 1.2035. In case of an upward movement, the pair will face resistance at levels 1.2575, then 1.2600-1.2625, 1.2695-1.2735, 1.2800-1.2820, 1.2940, 1.3000, and 1.3140.

Among the important events in the upcoming week, in addition to the Bank of England meeting, the release of a comprehensive set of data from the United Kingdom labour market is scheduled for Tuesday, December 12. Additionally, the country's GDP figures will be published on Wednesday, December 13.

USD/JPY: Is the Bank of Japan Losing Caution?

The strengthening of the Japanese currency has taken on a sustained character since the beginning of November. This occurred a couple of weeks after the peak in yields of U.S. ten-year Treasury bonds when the markets were convinced that their decline had become a trend. It's worth noting that there is traditionally an inverse correlation between these securities and the yen. If Treasury yields rise, the yen weakens against the dollar. Conversely, if bond yields fall, the yen strengthens its positions.

A significant moment for the Japanese currency was on Thursday, December 7, when it strengthened across the market spectrum, gaining approximately 225 points against the U.S. dollar and reaching a three-month peak. USD/JPY recorded its minimum at that moment at the level of 141.62.

The main reason for the yen's advance has been the growing expectations that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) will finally abandon its negative interest rate policy, and this is expected to happen sooner than anticipated. Rumours suggest that regional banks in the country are pressuring the regulator, advocating for a departure from the yield curve control policy.

As if to confirm these rumours, the BoJ conducted a special survey of market participants to discuss the consequences of abandoning the ultra-loose monetary policy and the side effects of such a move. Additionally, the visit of the BoJ Governor, Kadsuo Ueda, to the office of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, added fuel to the fire.

The yen is also benefiting from market confidence that the key interest rates of the Federal Reserve (FRS) and the European Central Bank (ECB) have reached a plateau, and further reductions are the only expectation. As a result of such a divergence, an accelerated narrowing of yield spreads between Japanese government bonds on one side and similar securities from the US and Eurozone on the other can be predicted. This is expected to redirect capital flows into the yen.

Furthermore, the Japanese currency might have been supported by the slowdown in the growth of stock markets over the past three weeks. The yen is often used as a funding currency for purchasing risky assets. Therefore, profit-taking on stock indices such as S&P500, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, and others has additionally pushed USD/JPY lower.

Graphical analysis indicates that in October 2022 and November 2023, the pair formed a double top, reaching a peak at 151.9. Therefore, from this perspective, its retracement downward is quite logical. However, some experts believe that a definitive reversal on the daily timeframe (D1) can only be discussed after it breaks through support in the 142.50 zone. However, at the time of writing this review, on the evening of Friday, December 8th, thanks to strong US labor market data, USD/JPY rebounded from a local low, moved upward, and concluded at 144.93.

In the immediate future, 45% of experts anticipate further strengthening of the yen, 30% side with the dollar, and 25% remain neutral. As for indicators on D1, the advantage is overwhelmingly in favour of the red colour. 85% of trend indicators are coloured red, 75% of oscillators are in the red, and only 25% are in the green.

The nearest support level is located in the 143.75-144.05 zone, followed by 141.60-142.20, 140.60, 138.75-139.05, 137.25-137.50, 135.90, 134.35, and 131.25. Resistances are positioned at the following levels and zones: 145.30, 146.55-146.90, 147.65-147.85, 148.40, 149.20, 149.80-150.00, 150.80, 151.60, and 151.90-152.15.

Except for the release of the Tankan Large Manufacturers' Index on December 13 for Q4, there is no anticipation of other significant macroeconomic statistics regarding the state of the Japanese economy.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: Rational Growth or Speculative Frenzy?



Late in the evening on December 8, the flagship cryptocurrency reached a peak of $44,694. The last time BTC traded above $40,000 was in April 2022, before the Terra ecosystem crash triggered a massive crypto market collapse. Among the reasons for the sharp rise in BTC, growing network hash rate, investor optimism about the U.S. economic recovery, and expectations of a Federal Reserve policy easing are mentioned. However, the main reason for the current bull rally is undoubtedly the potential approval of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S.

Twelve companies have submitted applications to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to create ETFs, collectively managing over $20 trillion in assets. For comparison, the entire market capitalization of bitcoin is $0.85 trillion. These companies will not only offer existing clients the opportunity to diversify their assets through cryptocurrency investments but also attract new investors, significantly boosting BTC capitalization. Franklin Templeton CEO Jenny Johnson, overseeing $1.4 trillion in assets, recently explained the increased institutional interest, stating, "The demand for bitcoin is evident, and a spot ETF is the best way to access it." Bloomberg analyst James Seyffart believes that the approval of these fund launches is 90% likely to occur from January 5 to 10.

According to Bitfinex experts, the current active supply of bitcoin has dropped to a five-year low: only 30% of the coins have moved in the past year. Consequently, approximately 70% of bitcoins, or "unprecedented" 16.3 million BTC, remained dormant over the year. At the same time, 60% of the coins have been in cold wallets for two years. Simultaneously, as noted by Glassnode, the average deposit amount on cryptocurrency exchanges has approached absolute highs, reaching $29,000. Considering that the number of transactions is continuously decreasing, this indicates the dominance of large investors.

Alongside the bitcoin rally, stock prices of related companies have also surged. In particular, shares of Coinbase, MicroStrategy, miners Riot Platforms, Marathon Digital, and others have seen an increase.

Senior Macro Strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, Mike McGlone, believes that bitcoin is currently demonstrating much greater strength than gold. He noted that on December 4, the price of gold reached a record high, after which it decreased by 5.1%, while bitcoin continued to rise, surpassing $44,000. However, the analyst warned that bitcoin's volatility could hinder it from being traded as reliably as physical gold during "risk-off" periods. According to McGlone, for bitcoin to compete with precious metals as an alternative asset, it must establish key reliability indicators. This includes a negative correlation of BTC with the stock market and achieving a high deficit during periods of monetary expansion.

McGlone's warning pales in comparison to the forecast of Peter Schiff, President of the brokerage firm Euro Pacific Capital. This well-known crypto sceptic and advocate for physical gold is confident that the speculative frenzy around BTC-ETF will soon come to an end. "This could be the swan song... The collapse of Bitcoin will be more impressive than its rally," he warns investors.

Former SEC official John Reed Stark echoes his sentiments. "Cryptocurrency prices are rising for two reasons," he explains. "First, due to regulatory gaps and possible market manipulation; second, due to the possibility of selling inflated, overvalued cryptocurrency to an even bigger fool [...] This also applies to speculation about a 90% probability of approving spot ETFs."

In the interest of fairness, it should be noted that the current surge is not solely the fault of spot BTC-ETFs. The excitement around them gradually started building up since late June when the first applications were submitted to the SEC. Bitcoin, on the other hand, began its upward movement from early January, growing more than 2.6 times during this period.

Several experts point out that the current situation remarkably mirrors previous BTC/USD cycles. Currently, the drawdown from the all-time high (ATH) is 37%, in the previous cycle for the same elapsed time, it was 39%, and in the 2013-17 cycle, it was 42%. If we measure from local bottoms instead of peaks, a similar pattern emerges. (The first rallies are an exception, as young Bitcoin grew significantly faster in the nascent market.)

According to Blockstream CEO Adam Back, the price of bitcoin will surpass the $100,000 level even before the upcoming halving in April 2024. The industry veteran noted that his forecast doesn't take into account a potential bullish impulse in the event of SEC approval of spot bitcoin ETFs. Regarding the long-term movement of digital gold quotes, the entrepreneur agreed with the opinion of BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes, forecasting a range of $750,000 to $1 million by 2026.

For reference: Adam Back is a British businessman, a cryptography expert, and a cypherpunk. It is known that Back corresponded with Satoshi Nakamoto, and a reference to his publication is included in the description of the bitcoin system. Previously, Adam Back did not make public price forecasts for BTC, so many members of the crypto community paid close attention to his words.

The CEO of Ledger, Pascal Gauthier, the head of Lightspark, David Marcus, and the top manager of the CoinDCX exchange, Vijay Ayyar, also anticipate the bitcoin exchange rate to reach $100,000 in 2024. They shared this information in an interview with CNBC. "It seems that 2023 was a year of preparation for the upcoming growth. Sentiments regarding 2024 and 2025 are very encouraging," said Pascal Gauthier. "Some market participants expect a bullish trend sometime after the halving, but considering the news about ETFs, we could very well start the rise before that," believes Vijay Ayyar. However, unlike Adam Back, in his opinion, "a complete rejection of ETFs could disrupt this process."

Renowned bitcoin maximalist, television host, and former trader Max Keiser shared unconfirmed rumors that the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar is preparing to enter the crypto market with massive investments and plans to allocate up to $500 billion in the leading cryptocurrency. "This will be a seismic shift in the cryptocurrency landscape, allowing bitcoin to potentially surpass the $150,000 mark in the near future and go even further," stated Keiser.

Unlike the television host, we will share not rumors but absolutely accurate facts. The first fact is that as of the review writing on the evening of December 8, BTC/USD is trading around $44,545. The second fact is that the total market capitalization of the crypto market is $1.64 trillion ($1.45 trillion a week ago). And finally, the third fact: the Crypto Fear and Greed Index has risen from 71 to 72 points and continues to be in the Greed zone.


NordFX Analytical Group


Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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CryptoNews of the Week



– On the morning of December 11, bitcoin fell sharply to $40,145. This abrupt decline lasted no more than five minutes. Multiple theories explain this event. One suggests that strong U.S. job market data released on December 8 triggered the drop. Alternatively, it could have been a result of someone's nerves giving way, a technical glitch, or a trading error in transaction size by a platform, trading robot, or trader, which led to cascade stop-loss execution in futures trading. Coinglass data indicates that over 24 hours, long positions amounting to more than $400 million were liquidated, including $85.5 million in bitcoin.
Since mid-August, the growth has been about 85%, and more than 160% since the start of the year. Thus, some analysts believe that a major player might have decided to secure profits ahead of the year's end. Two days before this event, the head of DecenTrader, known as FibFilb, warned, "We have grown significantly this year, and a correction is expected. […] It's been overdue," he declared on December 9.

– Trader and analyst Michael Van De Poppe, founder of Eight, encouraged the community not to worry, noting that corrections, particularly deep ones, are common in the illiquid altcoin market. After recent events, he updated his bitcoin forecast, identifying the key support zone at $36,500-$38,000. He believes bitcoin's momentum is waning and anticipates Ethereum will outperform in the upcoming quarter.
Crypto expert William Clemente also isn't concerned about the bitcoin price drop, viewing it as inevitable. He argues that such corrections set the stage for the next bullish trend by eliminating overleveraged long positions.

– EQI Bank's director, Eli Taranto, agrees with Van De Poppe's prediction and also foresees a decline in bitcoin's value. He noted that as traders secure profits and await decisions on ETF applications, bitcoin's price will continue to fluctuate, subject to the butterfly effect, where minor influences can have significant and unpredictable consequences. Taranto specifically suggested a potential fall in BTC's price to $39,000.

– In early December, El Salvador launched a program offering residency and a chance for citizenship for a $1 million investment via bitcoin or USDT. The "Salvadoran Freedom Visa," in partnership with Tether, is limited to 1,000 participants. If fully subscribed, it will bring $1 billion into the country, with plans to expand the program further.
El Salvador's offer is notably more expensive than similar programs in nearby Caribbean countries like Antigua, Barbuda, Dominica, and Saint Lucia, which start at $100,000. Alistair Milne, founder of Altana Digital Currency hedge fund, criticized the program as uncompetitive, highlighting that some EU countries offer citizenship for less, like Malta's €750,000 (~$810,000) option.
However, early interest is evident, as 153 individuals have already applied for the Salvadoran program despite Milne's scepticism.

– CryptoQuant experts suggest the possibility of bitcoin breaking the $50,000 mark in early 2024, as reported by The Block. This forecast is based on analysing the activity of digital gold holders and includes transaction volume dynamics, market capitalization, and Metcalfe's law in the context of cryptocurrencies. "Bitcoin could aim for the [$50,000-$53,000] range," the experts noted. However, CryptoQuant believes the market is nearing an "overheated bullish phase," historically followed by pauses and corrections. They highlighted that over 88% of coin supply is "in profit," indicating potential seller pressure and likely short-term corrections, often aligning with local peaks historically.

– The ongoing discussion revolves around a law proposed by U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren to tighten control over cryptocurrency transactions. In December 2022, Warren suggested equating crypto companies with financial institutions regulated under the Bank Secrecy Act, requiring digital asset entities to adhere to the same requirements as banks. Her drafted "Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act" mandates customer identification for crypto platforms. However, Alex Thorn of Galaxy Research argues this is impractical for decentralized platforms lacking user verification capabilities, potentially leading to an effective ban on bitcoin in the U.S. Neeraj Agrawal, CEO of Coin Center, criticizes the bill as an attack on technological progress and privacy, urging it not to proceed in the Senate. Many experts believe the bill has little chance of passing; during her 11-year career, only a small fraction of Warren's 330 drafted bills have been enacted, mostly as parts of other laws, with only one passing unchanged – a minor law concerning flag display rules on U.S. federal property.

¬– The governments of the U.S., South Korea, and Japan have started developing joint measures to combat North Korean hackers who attack cryptocurrency projects. These hackers use the stolen funds to finance weapons of mass destruction programs, including nuclear bombs and ballistic missiles, with damages amounting to billions of dollars. The largest incident in the industry's history was the $625 million hack of the Ronin sidechain of Axie Infinity by the Lazarus group. Additionally, the U.S. is investigating cryptocurrency use by terrorists, with calls in the Senate to hold companies like Binance and Tether accountable for facilitating transfers to illegal groups. Subsequently, Tether voluntarily froze all wallets on the sanction list.

– The $4.3 billion fine did not resolve Binance's issues. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continues to accuse Binance of illegal securities trading and other violations. U.S. Department of Justice officials intend to thoroughly scrutinize the trading platform's activities for compliance with legal norms. Binance is required to grant continuous access to its documents and records, including employee, agent, intermediary, consultant, partner, contractor, and trader information, to the Department of Justice, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and other financial regulators and law enforcement agencies. John Reed Stark, former head of the SEC, mockingly referred to this scrutiny as a "financial colonoscopy."

– Goldman Sachs investment banking experts released a report on the global economy, including the cryptocurrency market. They predict bitcoin prices may soon rise, driven by anticipated approvals of spot BTC-ETFs, the upcoming halving of mining rewards, and falling yields of U.S. 10-year treasury bonds. Importantly, in 2024, when the Federal Reserve begins a cycle of lowering interest rates, bitcoin could receive an additional bullish boost. The analysts explain that lower interest rates make borrowing cheaper, thereby encouraging risk-taking in both the economy and financial markets, including in the cryptocurrency sector. This outlook contrasts with the scenario of rapid rate increases seen in 2022.

– Analyst using the pseudonym Doctor Profit has thoroughly analysed bitcoin's growth cycles. In his view, digital gold goes through five key phases that illustrate the overall dynamics of the cryptocurrency market. Doctor Profit believes that the foundation of the new bull market was laid in the price range of $16,000 to $25,000. According to the analyst, at this stage, investor sentiment is changing, laying the groundwork for an upcoming upward trend, and the market is gradually preparing for dynamic changes.
The next phase covers the range from $25,000 to $38,500: this marks a period of market recovery. Bitcoin holders' activity and optimism are on the rise, paving the way for subsequent stages. As the market gains momentum, BTC enters the third phase, with its price fluctuating between $38,500 and $48,000. This trend is significant in shaping expectations for the future, as investors seek to capitalize on dynamic price changes, and the crypto market enters a period of increased activity.
According to Doctor Profit's analysis, the fourth, "golden" phase will commence within the price range of $48,000 to $69,000. It is at this stage that the market surges to its peak values, and investor euphoria reaches its zenith. Finally, the fifth phase arrives. The peak of the previous bull market, around $69,000, heralds the beginning of bitcoin's super-cycle, during which the price of the leading cryptocurrency will reach historic highs.
However, despite all the optimism, Doctor Profit cautions that before transitioning to the next phase, a significant correction of 20-30% awaits the leading cryptocurrency.

– Thirteen years ago, on December 12, 2010, the creator of the first cryptocurrency under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto published his final post on the forum before disappearing from the public eye. The message gave no hint of the departure of this enigmatic figure (or figures). It contained a description of an update and code for elements of Denial-of-Service (DoS) control in protocol version 0.3.19. This was a time when digital gold was trading at $0.20, and as Satoshi himself and other users noted, the network "was not at all resistant to DoS attacks."
In the time leading up to his disappearance, Satoshi faced disagreements within the developer community, which escalated from forum discussions. He was often criticized for exerting excessive control over the project and making unilateral decisions. Apparently, the founder of the blockchain had planned to leave the team in advance. Therefore, before disappearing, he handed control of the protocol over to the community, with developer Gavin Andresen at the helm. (For reference: Gavin Andresen is currently the Chief Scientist of the Bitcoin Foundation. He has access to an alert key that allows him to broadcast messages about critical network issues to all clients.)
"Satoshi's contribution to decentralization and his fight against financial dictatorship are more than just a technological marvel. It is a movement for economic freedom and sovereignty. His disappearance is not just an act of self-preservation but also a reminder that not everything in life revolves around personal fame," wrote one of the users on the BitcoinTalk forum, remembering the last post of the creator of the first cryptocurrency.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

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EUR/USD: Dovish Fed Reversal



The fate of EUR/USD was determined by two events last week: the FOMC (Federal Open Market Committee) meeting of the US Federal Reserve and the meeting of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB), which took place a day later. As a result, the euro emerged victorious: for the first time since November 29, the pair rose above 1.1000.

The Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged at 5.5%. Meanwhile, the regulator's leadership acknowledged that it is discussing easing its monetary policy. The FOMC's forecast for the foreseeable future turned out to be significantly lower than market expectations. It is planned that by the end of 2024, the rate will be reduced at least three times: to 4.6% (instead of the expected 5.1%), and by the end of 2025, there are plans for four more stages of reduction, ultimately bringing the cost of borrowing down to 3.6% (expectations were 3.9%). In a three-year perspective, the rate will drop to 2.9%, after which in 2027 it will be 2.0-2.25%, while inflation will stabilize at the target level of 2.0%. Following the meeting, the market expects the Fed to take its first step towards easing as early as March. According to the FedWatch Tool, the likelihood of this scenario is currently estimated at 70%.

In addition to forecasts of a sharper rate cut, additional pressure on the dollar continues to be exerted by the declining yields of Treasuries, which also indicates an imminent change in the direction of monetary policy in the USA. Another confirmation of the dovish pivot was the reaction of the stock markets. Lower rates are good news for stocks. They lead to cheaper financing, and easier economic conditions stimulate domestic demand. As a result, last week the stock market indices S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq soared again.

It is known that ECB President Christine Lagarde was previously involved in synchronized swimming. This time, she acted in sync with the Fed: the pan-European regulator also left the interest rate unchanged, at the previous level of 4.50%. However, the ECB expects the Eurozone's GDP to grow by only 0.6% in 2023, compared to the previously forecasted 0.7%, and by 0.8% in 2024 instead of 1.0%. Inflation in 2024 is forecasted at 5.4%, in 2024 at 2.7%, and in 2025 it is expected to almost reach the target mark of 2.1% (two years earlier than in the US).

The desynchronization with the Fed occurred following the Governing Council's meeting. In their comments, the ECB leadership did not mention the timing of the start of rate cuts. Moreover, it was stated that the European Central Bank's goal is to suppress inflation, not to avoid a recession, so borrowing costs will be kept at peak values as long as necessary. This stance benefited the pan-European currency and strengthened the euro relative to the dollar.

Given the Fed's dovish rhetoric and the ECB's moderately hawkish stance, EUR/USD may retain potential for further growth. It's worth noting that this pivot by the Fed surprised not only the markets. According to an insider report from Financial Times, Jerome Powell's comments following the FOMC meeting also caught the ECB Governing Council off guard. As a result, during her speech, Madame Lagarde threw several stones into the garden of her American colleague.

Currently, it appears that the Fed will lead in easing monetary policy. If the market does not receive a contrary signal, the dollar will remain under pressure. However, it's important to consider that the reality of 2024 may not necessarily align with statements made in December 2023. Objectively, the ECB has significantly more reasons for loosening its financial grip. The European economy is poorly adapted to high rates, it appears weaker than the American economy, its GDP volume has already been revised downward, and the reduction in inflation in the Eurozone is occurring much more rapidly than in the USA. Based on this, economists from Fidelity International, JPMorgan, and HSBC do not rule out that everything may change, and other regulators such as the ECB and the Bank of England may be the first to embark on a path of easing. However, we will not receive signals about this today or tomorrow, but only in the next year.

Regarding the past week, after the release of disappointing business activity data (PMI) in Europe on December 15th and mixed results in the US, EUR/USD ended the week at 1.0894.

According to economists from MUFG Bank, a sharp further rise in EUR/USD is on shaky ground. "The situation in the Eurozone and globally does not seem favourable for a further sustainable rally in EUR/USD," they write. "Fundamental factors as a driving force over the next few weeks during the Christmas and New Year period are never reliable, but if this rally continues during this period, we expect a reversal as we move towards the first quarter of next year."

At present, expert opinions regarding the near future of the pair are divided as follows: 40% voted for a strengthening dollar, 30% sided with the euro, and 30% remained neutral. Among trend indicators on D1, 100% are voting for the euro and the pair's rise. With oscillators, 60% are in favour, 30% are looking south, and 10% are pointing east. The nearest support for the pair is located around 1.0800-1.0830, followed by 1.0770, 1.0725-1.0740, 1.0620-1.0640, 1.0500-1.0520, 1.0450, 1.0375, 1.0200-1.0255, 1.0130, and 1.0000. Bulls will encounter resistance around 1.0925, 1.0965-1.0985, 1.1020, 1.1070-1.1110, 1.1150, 1.1230-1.1275, 1.1350, and 1.1475.

Next week, both Europe and the United States will be summarizing the year and preparing for Christmas. Notable economic events include the release of inflation data (CPI) in the Eurozone on Tuesday, December 19. On Wednesday, December 20, the U.S. Consumer Confidence Index will be published. The following day, the U.S. GDP volume for the third quarter and the number of initial jobless claims will be announced. The work week concludes on Friday, December 22, with a comprehensive package of data on the U.S. consumer market.

GBP/USD: BoE Refrains from Feeding Doves

Just as with the Fed and the ECB, the situation with the Fed and the Bank of England (BoE) is completely aligned. A simple copy-paste of the earlier discussion applies here. In its meeting, the British regulator also left the interest rate unchanged at 5.25%. And like the ECB, it did not provide any reason that could spur dovish expectations for 2024. BoE Governor Andrew Bailey noted that the Bank of England still has a path to tread, and three out of the nine members of the Monetary Policy Committee even voted for a further increase in the rate.

The economic indicators for the United Kingdom are varied. According to statistics, the real wage growth, adjusted for inflation, continues to increase annually. However, while the economy was forecasted to grow by 0.1%, it actually contracted by 0.3%, following a growth of 0.2% the previous month. Additionally, industrial production volumes in October decreased by 0.8%, and the annual figure dropped from 1.5% to 0.4%, significantly worse than the market's expectation of 1.1%. Data released on Friday, December 15th, showed a significant improvement in service sector activity in December. The PMI index reached 52.7, exceeding expectations of 51.0 and marking the best figure in the last five months. However, on the other hand, manufacturing activity in November decreased to 46.4 from 47.2, even though markets were expecting it to rise to 47.5.

Meanwhile, "the inflation genie is still out of the bottle." Based on this, the Bank of England is unlikely to abandon its strict monetary policy, which remains the only barrier to further inflation growth. Experts agree on this point. The only open question is when the regulator will finally be able to reduce the rate.

The last chord of the past week for GBP/USD sounded at the level of 1.2681. According to economists at ING, the 1.2820-1.2850 area poses strong resistance for GBP/USD. If this is breached, they believe, the pair could reach the heights of 1.3000, which would be a huge Christmas gift for the bulls. However, the team at Japan's Nomura Bank is quite sceptical about the growth prospects of the pair, believing that in both Q1 and Q2 of 2024, the pair will trade around 1.2700 and 1.2800.

At the time of writing this forecast, the median forecast of analysts offers no clear guidance: 25% voted for the pair's rise, another 25% for its fall, and 50% simply shrugged their shoulders. Among trend indicators on D1, as in the case of the previous pair, 100% point north. Among the oscillators, 65% look up, 30% down, and the remaining 15% maintain neutrality. In the event of the pair moving south, it will encounter support levels and zones at 1.2600-1.2625, 1.2545-1.2575, 1.2500-1.2515, 1.2450, 1.2370, 1.2330, 1.2210, 1.2070-1.2085, 1.2035. In case of an increase, the pair will meet resistance at levels 1.2710-1.2535, then 1.2790-1.2820, 1.2940, 1.3000, and 1.3140.

The upcoming week's calendar highlights Wednesday, December 20, as a significant day, when the United Kingdom's Consumer Price Index (CPI) will be published. On Friday, December 22, the day will be shorter in the UK due to Christmas preparations. However, that morning will see the release of significant economic macrostatistics, including data on retail sales and GDP.

USD/JPY: Yen's Triumph Scheduled for 2024

On November 13, USD/JPY reached a high of 151.90. However, within a mere five weeks, the Japanese yen succeeded in regaining over 1000 points from the dollar. Thursday, December 7, marked a significant triumph for the yen, as it strengthened across the entire market, moving the dollar down by about 225 points. At that moment, the pair's minimum was recorded at 141.62. In the past week, it followed the lead of the Fed and the Dollar Index DXY, ending the five-day stretch at a level of 142.14.

The primary reason for this yen rally has been growing expectations that the Bank of Japan (BoJ) will finally abandon its negative interest rate policy, and this is anticipated to happen sooner than expected. Rumours suggest that regional banks in the country, lobbying for a departure from yield curve control policy, are pressuring the regulator. Seemingly to confirm these rumours, the BoJ conducted a special survey in early December among market participants to discuss the consequences of moving away from ultra-loose monetary policy and the side effects of such a step.

The yen is also being favoured by the outcomes of the recent meetings of the Fed and the ECB, which have reinforced market confidence that interest rates for the dollar and euro have plateaued and are only expected to decrease going forward. This divergence allows for the prediction that investors will unwind their carry trade strategies and reduce the yield spreads between Japanese government bonds and their counterparts in the US and Eurozone. Such developments should lead to a return of capital to the yen.

The Bank of Japan's (BoJ) final meeting of the year is scheduled for Tuesday, December 19. However, it is likely that the regulator will keep its monetary policy parameters unchanged at this meeting. Economists at Japan's MUFG Bank expect the BoJ to end its YCC (Yield Curve Control) and NIRP (Negative Interest Rate Policy) at its January meeting. This is partially already factored into the quotes, but the tone of the Bank of Japan at the December meeting could further fuel expectations for a tightening of policy in 2024. MUFG believes that the yen has the greatest potential for growth among G10 currencies next year. "The global inflationary shock is reversing direction, and this has the most significant implications for the JPY," say the bank's strategists.

In the near term, 30% of experts anticipate further strengthening of the yen, 10% favour the dollar, and a substantial majority (60%) hold a neutral position. Regarding trend indicators on D1, there's again an absolute dominance of the red color, 100%. Among the oscillators, the same 100% are colored red, but 25% of them signal oversold conditions. The nearest support level is located in the 141.35-141.60 zone, followed by 140.60-140.90, 138.75-139.05, 137.25-137.50, 135.90, 134.35, and 131.25. Resistance levels and zones are situated at 143.75-144.05, followed by 145.30, 146.55-146.90, 147.65-147.85, 148.40, 149.20, 149.80-150.00, 150.80, 151.60, and 151.90-152.15.

Apart from the Bank of Japan's meeting on December 19 and the subsequent press conference by its leadership, no other significant events concerning the Japanese economy are expected in the coming week.

CRYPTOCURRENCIES: Will Bitcoin ETFs Replace Binance?

By the end of Friday, December 8, the leading cryptocurrency, bitcoin, reached a height of $44,694. It last traded above $40,000 in April 2022. Just two days later, on the morning of December 11, surprised investors found bitcoin at the $40,145 mark, leading to immense disappointment.

The rapid price decline lasted no more than 5 minutes. Several theories explain this event. One theory is that the trigger was the strong U.S. labour market data released on December 8. Another possibility is that it was either a nervous reaction or a technical error in trade volume, possibly made by a trading bot or a trader, leading to a cascade of protective stop executions in the futures market. According to Coinglass, over 24 hours, more than $400 million in long positions were liquidated, including $85.5 million in bitcoin.

Our analysis suggests that the most realistic explanation is as follows: since mid-August, bitcoin had grown by about 85% and more than 160% since the beginning of the year. It appears that some major players, in anticipation of the year's end, decided to lock in profits. Notably, two days before this incident, DecenTrader's head, known as FibFilb, had warned: "We have grown significantly this year, and a correction is expected. [...] It has been long overdue," he stated on December 9.

The negative sentiment may have been amplified by news that a $4.3 billion fine had not resolved the issues the crypto exchange Binance is facing. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continues to press charges against the exchange for illegal trading of securities and other violations.

U.S. Department of Justice officials intend to thoroughly scrutinize the trading platform's operations to determine compliance with legislative standards. The exchange will be compelled to grant continuous access to all its documents and records, including information related to the company's employees, agents, intermediaries, consultants, partners, and contractors, as well as traders, to representatives of the Department of Justice, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and all other financial regulators and law enforcement agencies.

Last week, former SEC head John Reed Stark published an opinion on the potential demise of Binance, referencing the U.S. government's official demands to the platform. The list of these demands alone spanned 13 pages of typescript, including procedures that have never before been applied to companies. This led Stark to sardonically refer to the situation as a "financial colonoscopy."

It is noteworthy that attacks on Binance in 2023 led to a decline in its share of the spot market from 55% to 32%. In the derivatives market, its share is 47.7%, marking the worst performance since October 2020.

Discussing the intensification of regulatory pressure, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon stated that if he were the U.S. government, he would "damn well ban all digital currencies for aiding fraudsters and terrorists." Yet, the U.S. authorities haven't taken such measures. Why?

There's a famous saying attributed to the Italian thinker, politician, and philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli: "If you can't beat the crowd, lead it." He voiced it about 500 years ago, but it remains relevant today. For instance, despite all prohibitions, the Chinese continue to be a significant and active part of the crypto industry. The U.S. seems to have considered that instead of banning digital assets, cutting off the internet, and confiscating computers and smartphones, it's easier to lead and control this process. Hence, experts believe, the idea of exchange-traded spot bitcoin ETFs was born. Such funds will allow for monitoring crypto investors, studying their transactions, and not only collecting taxes from them but also determining the legality of these transactions. Therefore, the logic of the officials here is quite clear. And in this rare case, millions of small investors also applaud this process, hoping that their investments will significantly increase thanks to BTC-ETFs and regulatory pressure.

Returning to the events of December 11, trader, analyst, and founder of the venture company Eight, Michael Van De Poppe, urged the community "not to worry." He explained that corrections happen, especially deep ones in the illiquid altcoin market. In light of what occurred, the analyst made his forecast for the change in bitcoin's price. According to his analysis, the key support zone on higher time frames is currently in the $36,500-38,000 range. "Bitcoin's momentum is gradually coming to an end, and Ethereum will easily take the lead in the next quarter," he added.

Crypto expert William Clemente is also unworried about the decrease in bitcoin's price, deeming it inevitable. In his view, such a correction serves as a solid foundation for the start of the next bullish trend, as it eliminates long positions opened by greedy traders using leverage.

Eli Taranto, Director at EQI Bank, agrees with Van De Poppe's prediction and also foresees a decline in bitcoin's value. "As traders lock in profits and await decisions on ETF applications, bitcoin's price will continue to fluctuate, subject to the butterfly effect [a phenomenon where a small change in a system can have large and unpredictable consequences, even in a completely different location]. A drop in BTC price to $39,000 is clearly possible," noted Taranto.

Indeed, the Director of EQI Bank is correct: bitcoin did continue to "fluctuate in the wind," as evident from the BTC/USD chart before and after the last week's Fed meeting in the U.S. As a result, aided by a weakening dollar, the pair moved upwards again, reaching a high of $43,440 on Wednesday, December 13.

As of writing this review, on the evening of December 15, it is trading around $42,200. The total market capitalization of the crypto market stands at $1.61 trillion, down from $1.64 trillion a week ago. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index has dropped from 72 to 70 points and remains in the Greed zone.

Regarding the near future of digital gold, investment banking giant Goldman Sachs' experts recently published a new report suggesting that bitcoin's quotations could continue to rise in the near term. CryptoQuant analysts have entertained the possibility of bitcoin breaking the $50,000 level at the start of 2024. This forecast is based on an analysis of BTC holder activity and also takes into account the dynamics of transaction volume, market capitalization, and Metcalfe's Law in the context of cryptocurrencies. "Bitcoin could be targeting the $50,000-$53,000 range," the experts noted.

However, CryptoQuant believes that the market is currently approaching an "overheated bullish phase," which historically is accompanied by pauses and corrections. The analysts emphasized that the volume of "in the money" coin supply exceeds 88%. This indicates potential selling pressure and, therefore, probable short-term corrections. According to their observations, such high levels of unrealized profit "historically coincided with local peaks."

To conclude, let's reflect on another historic event – a time when digital gold was trading at $0.20. Thirteen years ago, on December 12, 2010, the creator of the first cryptocurrency, known by the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, published his last post on a forum before disappearing from the public eye. The message did not hint at the departure of this enigmatic figure. It contained a description of an update and code for Denial-of-Service (DoS) management elements. Some experts believe that the blockchain founder had planned to leave the team due to disputes and disagreements within the developer collective and criticism for excessive control over the project and unilateral decision-making.

Regardless, as one user on the BitcoinTalk forum noted while recalling the last post of the cryptocurrency's creator, "Satoshi's contribution to decentralization and his fight against financial dictatorship is more than just a technological marvel. It's a movement for economic freedom and sovereignty. [...] His disappearance is not just an act of self-preservation but also a reminder that not everything in life revolves around personal fame."


NordFX Analytical Group


Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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CryptoNews of the Week



– The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of the United States is expected to approve the first spot bitcoin ETFs around January 8-10. This opinion was expressed by Bloomberg analyst James Seyffart. In his view, the SEC has been strategically delaying applications for the instrument to approve most of them simultaneously, thereby not giving an advantage to any single issuer. This is why Seyffart is confident in the mass approval of requests in January. An additional argument in favour of approving bitcoin ETFs is Grayscale's court victory against the SEC in August. Seyffart stated that the Commission has been "cornered by the judges."

– The CEO of investment firm VanEck, Jan Van Eck, believes that the first cryptocurrency holds an advantage over other digital assets in its role as a store of value. In an interview with CNBC, he stated that bitcoin possesses unique properties that make it unmatched in the realm of internet finance and has already become a viable alternative to gold. Van Eck also dismissed the idea that bitcoin is a "bubble," arguing that an asset consistently surpassing its previous highs on each new upward trend cannot be considered "inflated."
According to the businessman, the coin is expected to reach a new all-time high within the next 12 months. Regarding the bitcoin ETFs for which 13 companies, including VanEck, have applied, he, like James Seyffart, speculated that the SEC will approve all ETFs simultaneously.

– Legendary trader and analyst Peter Brandt has identified a "rising wedge" technical pattern on the Ethereum price chart, traditionally seen as a precursor to a bearish trend reversal. According to this model, Brandt suggested that the price of the largest altcoin might decrease to $1,000 and possibly further to $650. He also revealed that he took a short position on this asset on December 15. Despite his forecast, Brandt stressed that price chart patterns are not infallible and may not always behave as predicted in theory.
Brandt previously expressed his view that Ethereum cannot rival Bitcoin as a store of value, questioning the rationale of holding ETH over BTC. He predicts that within ten years, the altcoin will no longer be traded on exchanges, citing the high transaction fees associated with ETH as a significant drawback.
(Background note: Brandt brings over four decades of experience in financial markets and is the creator of Factor Trading, a platform offering expert reports and asset price chart analysis.).

– Michael Saylor, founder of MicroStrategy, has described the leading cryptocurrency as an asset capable of transforming investment strategies globally. He believes that "bitcoin will either fall to zero or soar to $1 million." If the first cryptocurrency continues to gain the trust of financial institutions, its price is likely to rise rapidly. Saylor highlighted bitcoin's unique advantages as a digital asset: its decentralized nature, limited supply of 21 million coins, and increasing adoption worldwide.
Saylor acknowledged that his "zero or million" forecast underscores the volatility inherent in the cryptocurrency market. He noted that most institutions currently underestimate bitcoin. If it is on the path to becoming a primary asset in institutional portfolios, the current level of investment in bitcoin is insufficient. However, an increasing number of institutions are beginning to shift their investment strategies, aiming to increase their bitcoin holdings in anticipation of long-term growth.

– Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream and one of the early developers of bitcoin, compared the last few years to a biblical plague epidemic. He mentioned COVID-19, the quantitative easing of monetary policy by central banks, wars affecting the cost of electricity, and inflation leading to bankruptcies among individuals and companies.
Back observed that as 2023 comes to an end, the impacts of many of these events have subsided. "The bankruptcies of companies related to Three Arrows Capital, Celsius, BlockFi, and FTX... all of that is largely over. I don’t think we're in for many more big surprises," he stated. Back anticipates that 2024 will be a year of recovery for bitcoin, as the cryptocurrency is expected to react to the upcoming halving in April, potentially reaching a price of $100,000 even before the event.

– The shocking payment of a $4.3 billion fine imposed by the U.S. Department of Justice on the major cryptocurrency exchange Binance last month was not the end of its troubles. Two more cases have been opened against the platform.
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) of the U.S. accused Changpeng Zhao (commonly known as CZ) and Binance itself of illegal operations in the country. In this proceeding, the exchange agreed to pay another substantial fine of $2.7 billion, while former CEO CZ personally will have to pay $150 million. As a result, Binance has already been penalized by American authorities to the staggering amount of $7 billion. However, there's still a conflict to be resolved with the SEC, and it's unlikely that the amounts involved in this case will be smaller than those with the CFTC and the Department of Justice.

– In early December, Binance conducted a survey involving users from the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Latin America. U.S. citizens were understandably not surveyed. The survey found that 45% of the exchange's users consider cryptocurrencies a means of earning additional income. Over a third of the respondents (36%) engage in cryptocurrency transactions weekly. Of these, 58% use cryptocurrencies for online purchases, 12% for international transactions and money transfers, and another 12% pay for in-store purchases with cryptocurrencies. 59% of the respondents have been involved in cryptocurrencies for 1 to 5 years, 14% have been in the market for over five years, and only 12% have been dealing with crypto assets for less than six months.
Survey participants also shared the positive impact of cryptocurrencies on their lives. A majority of them – 76% – are confident that cryptocurrencies can provide financial equality in society.

– Charles Hoskinson, the founder of Cardano, has warned that deepfakes pose a serious and real threat to the crypto community. He cited an example of a YouTube video created using artificial intelligence, where a pseudo-Hoskinson discusses an upcoming giveaway in ADA. The AI skilfully replicates the real Hoskinson's intonations and speech manner, giving the impression of a live broadcast.
Cybersecurity experts say that deepfake technology has advanced to the point where it can be used online, allowing fraudsters to mimic someone's voice, image, and movements during a conversation or virtual meeting. They point out that this technology is widely available, relatively easy to use, and continually improving.
For reference: ADA is the native cryptocurrency of Cardano, named after Ada Lovelace, a 19th-century English mathematician recognized as one of the first computer programmers. She is particularly known for her work in 1842 on a computational machine.

– Chainalysis analysts have identified at least 1,013 addresses involved in targeted phishing scams. Phishing is a type of fraud where criminals send emails or SMS messages asking the recipient to click on a link or log into their account. Perpetrators often impersonate representatives of exchanges or digital wallets. In 2022, victims of phishing lost approximately $517 million, while in 2023, thefts totalling around $375 million have been recorded so far. The record for a single phishing incident is a theft of $44 million.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

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Traditionally, we publish currency forecasts from leading global financial institutions at the turn of the outgoing and incoming years. Having maintained this practice for several years, it enables us to not only peer into the future but also to reflect on past predictions by experts and evaluate their accuracy.


2022: The Beginning

Just as the world had adapted to living under coronavirus-induced quarantine conditions, war entered the planet's life. Russia's armed invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the ensuing anti-Russian sanctions exacerbated economic problems and spurred inflation growth in many countries, even those far from this region.

The proximity of EU countries to the conflict zone, their strong dependence on Russian natural energy resources, the nuclear threat, and the risks of the conflict spreading to their territories dealt a serious blow to the Eurozone economy. In such circumstances, the European Central Bank (ECB) had to act with utmost caution to avoid a complete collapse. The United States found itself in a significantly more advantageous position, which allowed the Federal Reserve, aiming to reduce inflationary pressure, to begin a cycle of interest rate hikes on March 16. This acted as a catalyst for the strengthening of the dollar, and on July 14, EUR/USD fell below the parity line of 1.0000 for the first time in 20 years, reaching a low of 0.9535 on September 28. In mid-July, the European Central Bank also began to gradually increase the euro rate. As a result, EUR/USD entered the new year, 2023, at a level of 1.0700.


2023: Whose Forecasts Proved More Accurate

The coronavirus pandemic began to subside, and on May 5, the WHO declared that COVID-19 was no longer a global emergency. Gradually, various countries started to relax quarantine restrictions. The military actions in Ukraine turned into a prolonged conflict. The fight against inflation slowly started showing signs of success, and the economy managed to adapt to rising interest rates and high energy prices. A global catastrophe was averted, and voices predicting a soft landing, especially for the U.S. economy and possibly the Eurozone, grew louder.

In 2022, the maximum range of fluctuations for EUR/USD exceeded 1,700 points, but in 2023, this figure was halved to 828 points. The pair reached its peak on July 18, climbing to 1.1275. It found its bottom at 1.0447 on October 3 and is ending December in the 1.0900-1.1000 range (as of the writing of this review), not far from the January values.

So, what forecasts did experts give for 2023? The furthest from reality was the forecast by Internationale Nederlanden Groep. ING was confident that all the pressure factors of 2022 would persist into 2023. High energy prices would continue to heavily burden the European economy. Additional pressure would come if the U.S. Federal Reserve halted its printing press before the ECB. According to analysts from this major Dutch banking group, a rate of 0.9500 euros per dollar was expected in Q1 2023, which could then rise, reaching parity at 1.0000 in Q4.

The Agency for Economic Forecasting's experts were accurate regarding the EUR/USD dynamics in Q1: they predicted a rise to 1.1160 (in reality, it rose to 1.1033). However, they expected the pair to then undergo a steady decline, reaching 1.0050 by the end of Q3 and finishing the year at 0.9790. Here, they were significantly mistaken.

But it wasn't just the bears who were wrong; the bulls on the euro/dollar pair also erred. For example, the French financial conglomerate Societe Generale voted for a weakening dollar and a rising pair. However, their forecast of a climb above 1.1500 by the end of Q1 was too radical. Strategists at Deutsche Bank allowed for fluctuations in the 1.0800-1.1500 range. However, in their view, the pair's rise to the upper limit was only possible if the Fed began to ease its monetary policy in the second half of 2023. (We now know that no easing occurred, but the rate was frozen at 5.50% from July onwards).

The most accurate predictions came from Bank of America and the German Commerzbank. According to Bank of America's base scenario, the U.S. dollar was expected to remain strong in early 2023 and then start to gradually weaken, leading the EUR/USD pair to rise to 1.1000 after the Fed's pause. Commerzbank supported this scenario, stating, "Considering the expected change in the Fed's interest rate and assuming that the ECB refrains from lowering interest rates [...], our target price for EUR/USD for 2023 is 1.1000," was the verdict of strategists from this banking conglomerate.


2024: What to Expect in the New Year

What awaits the euro and dollar in the upcoming year of 2024? It's important to note that forecasts vary significantly due to the numerous "surprises" life has presented recently and the many unresolved issues it has left for the future. Questions remain about the geopolitical situation, the direction and pace of the monetary policies of the Federal Reserve (Fed) and the European Central Bank (ECB), the state of the economy and labour markets, the extent to which inflation and energy prices can be controlled, who will be elected President of the United States in November, the outcomes of Russia's war in Ukraine and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, and the balance of power in the U.S.-China rivalry. The answers to these and other questions are yet to be discovered. With many factors of uncertainty, experts have not reached a consensus.

Recent dovish remarks by Fed Chair Jerome Powell and moderately hawkish statements by ECB President Christine Lagarde have led markets to believe that the Fed will lead in easing monetary policy and lowering interest rates in 2024. If the market does not receive a countersignal, the U.S. dollar will remain under pressure. Societe Generale believes the Dollar Index (DXY) could drop from the current 102.50 to below 100, possibly as low as 97 points. A Reuters poll of analysts also indicates that the U.S. dollar should weaken in the coming year. An Investing.com review suggests that EUR/USD could potentially reach 1.1500, subject to various geopolitical and macroeconomic conditions.

According to the base scenario outlined by UBS Wealth Management, a slowdown in U.S. economic growth, falling inflation, and expectations of lower interest rates should support stocks and bonds. Regarding the EUR/USD pair, UBS sees it at a level of 1.1200. German Commerzbank's forecasts also include a peak of 1.1200. Analysts there expect a temporary strengthening of the euro against the dollar before a subsequent weakening. They anticipate the rate will rise to 1.1200 by June 2024, then decrease to 1.0800 by March 2025.

ING economists calculate that in the second half of 2024, the EUR/USD rate will still be rising towards 1.1800. However, they caution that this forecast is based solely on the possible trajectory of Fed and ECB policies. They note, "The rate differential is not the only factor determining the EUR/USD course." Low growth rates in the Eurozone and political uncertainty regarding the reintroduction of the Stability and Growth Pact suggest that EUR/USD will end this year close to 1.0600, with its peak levels in 2024 closer to 1.1500 than to 1.1800.

Fidelity International, JPMorgan, and HSBC economists do not rule out a scenario where other regulators, such as the ECB and the Bank of England, might take the lead in easing ahead of the Fed.

Goldman Sachs strategists believe that while the dollar's prospects may worsen in 2024, the strong and stable U.S. economy will limit the fall of the currency. They write that the dollar is still highly valued, and investors lean towards it, which will remain "strong for a long time," and any decline will be insignificant. The U.S. economy is too strong to cause a rate cut of a full 150 basis points in 2024.

Danske Bank, Westpac, and HSBC also believe that by the end of 2024, the dollar will strengthen against the euro and the British pound. ABN Amro's forecast for the end of next year suggests a rate of 1.0500, and the Agency for Economic Forecasting predicts 1.0230.

***

The ancient Chinese military treatise "The Thirty-Six Stratagems" states, "He who tries to foresee everything loses vigilance." Indeed, it is impossible to foresee everything. But one thing can be said for sure: the upcoming twelve months, like the previous ones, will be full of unexpected surprises. So, remain vigilant, and fortune will be on your side.

Happy upcoming New Year 2024! It promises to be very interesting.


NordFX Analytical Group


Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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CryptoNews of the Week



– Brian Armstrong, the head of the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, published an article filled with numerous statistical data. Following a significant market correction this year, the value of cryptocurrencies increased by 90%, accompanied by a 60% increase in trading volume in the fourth quarter (Q4). Armstrong highlighted that currently, 425 million people worldwide own cryptocurrencies. Additionally, 83% of the G20 member countries and major financial centres have either implemented or are in the process of developing regulations for the industry.
He emphasized that over 100,000 merchants and payment systems worldwide now accept payments in cryptocurrencies, including companies like PayPal and Visa. Armstrong also referenced a report by Circle, according to which the volume of international settlements in stablecoins over the last year exceeded $7 trillion. This indicates that stablecoins are assisting fiat currencies like the US dollar to exist in digital form.
In countries with underdeveloped economies, such as Argentina, Brazil, and Nigeria, cryptocurrencies are becoming increasingly popular among the population. People living and working abroad use cryptocurrencies for money transfers. Crypto transfers are on average 96% cheaper than traditional methods and take 10 minutes instead of 10 days, as mentioned in Armstrong's article. Even major financial hubs, London, Switzerland, Hong Kong, and Singapore are transforming into crypto centres to expand employment opportunities in the blockchain and cryptocurrency sector.
Brian Armstrong underscored that cryptocurrencies provide people with economic freedom by giving them access to their own money and allowing them to fully participate in the economy, regardless of the limitations of powerful, but outdated, financial companies.

– Gary Gensler, the Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), published a post on X (formerly Twitter) on December 22, addressing the industry's non-compliance with regulations. "There are numerous violations in the cryptocurrency sphere," the post read. "It's a breach of trust resulting in many people being harmed. All they can do is wait for the court to declare them bankrupt."
The community instantly reacted to the SEC head's statement, emphasizing that they had long requested the regulator to clarify the specific rules they need to comply with. It is known that Coinbase, the largest American cryptocurrency exchange, has been striving for years to get clarity from the SEC on industry regulations.
Billy Markus, the founder of Dogecoin, stated that the SEC Chairman had not established real rules. Markus went on to describe Gensler as "useless in every respect." Brad Garlinghouse, the CEO of Ripple, also commented on Gensler's post. He characterized it as "staggering hypocrisy" and called Gensler "politically accountable" for undermining the integrity of the SEC's requirements.
On the same day, the SEC issued a new statement, expressing "deep regret" over some mistakes made by the Commission during enforcement proceedings. Paul Grewal, the Chief Legal Officer at Coinbase, pointed out that the SEC's "regrets" about its mistakes do not negate the fact that its chairman is "intimidating the entire American industry." From a legal standpoint, these regrets hold no significance for any taxpayer or judge.

– Jan van Eck, the head of the eponymous company that also applied to launch a spot BTC-ETF, gave an interview to CNBC. "I cannot imagine any other asset overtaking bitcoin," he stated. Jan van Eck views the first cryptocurrency as the best means of saving and expects BTC to reach a record high in the next 12 months. "Bitcoin has 50 million users. It's an obvious asset that is growing right before our eyes," he declared. The head of VanEck also dismissed the idea that bitcoin is a "bubble." The businessman explained that an asset that consistently surpasses its previous highs in each upward trend simply cannot be considered "inflated."

– Bitcoin will end the year as one of the most profitable assets, largely due to the excitement surrounding applications for bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The leading cryptocurrency, having grown by more than 163%, outperformed traditional assets, only falling behind semiconductor giant Nvidia, whose stocks more than doubled amid the artificial intelligence wave.
Kaiko Research analysts believe that this year's bitcoin price dynamics can be divided into three phases: an early rally from cyclical lows, a mid-year pause, and a year-end rally, indicating the development of a new bull market.
Kaiko points out that bitcoin has long been regarded as a hedge against inflation, a digital alternative to gold, or a completely new asset. However, for most of its history, its price was significantly tied to macroeconomic conditions, the strength of the dollar, and stocks. This year marked a change when bitcoin began losing its correlation with stock indices, including the Nasdaq 100. The most rapid decoupling occurred recently, when the asset surpassed the $40,000 mark, the analysts note.

– According to the forecast of Brandon Zemp, CEO of the consulting firm BlockHash, 2024 will be a favorable year for bitcoin, the launch of cryptocurrency ETFs, and the adoption of regulations for crypto-assets.
Zemp, the author of "The Future Economy: A Crypto Insider’s Guide to the Tech Dismantling Traditional Banking," mentioned the collapse of the FTX exchange, the bankruptcy of crypto lenders, and the downfall of some stablecoins. He believes that the failure of crypto projects was facilitated by investors themselves, who bought colourful JPEG-format NFTs and trusted developers creating useless software.
"The good news is that cryptocurrencies are here to stay, and wrongdoers are constantly being pushed out of the market. A bullish trend is again on the horizon, and it may be more stable as bad players have been removed from the scene," the head of BlockHash declared. He expressed hope that in 2024, U.S. legislators will be able to bring regulatory clarity to the crypto market. "I would not like everything to be decided in courts. I am hopeful that next year a cryptocurrency bill will be passed. Otherwise, regulators will continue to sink their teeth into the industry, and cryptocurrencies will continue to resist," added Zemp.

– Analysts at the analytical company IntoTheBlock reported that hodlers hold a record number of bitcoins and Ethereum. IntoTheBlock classifies as hodlers those who have kept digital assets for at least a year. According to their data, as of December 24, hodlers owned 70% of the circulating bitcoins and 74% of Ethereum. The chart suggests that hodlers began accumulating coins as early as 2022. In such a market situation, a supply shock could occur. In this case, an increase in the value of digital assets would be inevitable, even with a constant level of demand.
IntoTheBlock experts also noted that this year Ethereum lags behind bitcoin in terms of price growth. Since January 1, BTC has increased in price by 163%, while ETH has risen only by 90%. Considering the increasing number of Ethereum blockchain users, analysts believe that in 2024, this altcoin will appreciate more than bitcoin.

– The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that it has not changed its stance and continues to advocate for a complete ban on the use of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment and a tradable commodity. High-ranking government officials have indicated that the central bank sees no significant benefits in issuing licenses to cryptocurrency companies. According to central bank representatives, private cryptocurrencies threaten India's macroeconomic stability, violate the country's monetary sovereignty, expose consumers to risks, and facilitate illegal activities, including money laundering and financing terrorism. Officials assert that, at best, crypto assets should be viewed as gambling.
However, the RBI considers it prudent to launch its own digital currency, as a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) would be another tool to stimulate the rapid development of the digital economy. The Reserve Bank of India is confident that a digital rupee will provide consumer protection and serve as an alternative to private cryptocurrencies.

– Investor and bestselling author of "Rich Dad Poor Dad," Robert Kiyosaki, made three key forecasts for 2024. His first prediction is based on the actions of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), which are expected to introduce their own gold-backed cryptocurrency. This, he believes, will lead to the demise of the US dollar. According to Kiyosaki, bitcoin and precious metals may benefit from this, as investors shift their funds into these assets. "The US dollar will die. Trillions of dollars will return home. Inflation will skyrocket. Buy gold, silver. Next year bitcoin will shoot up to $120,000," Kiyosaki declared.
His second forecast suggests that traditional investors, who usually allocate 60% of their funds in bonds and 40% in stocks, will face significant losses in 2024. To safeguard themselves, he recommended reallocating 75% of their portfolio into gold, silver, and bitcoins, and investing the remaining 25% in real estate or oil stocks.
Finally, Kiyosaki's third and last prediction is a stark warning about the severity of the upcoming market crash. Rejecting the idea of a soft landing, he asserts that a crash landing is more likely, which could lead to a full-scale economic depression.

– American venture capitalist Tim Draper has speculated that the value of bitcoin might significantly surpass the $250,000 mark in the upcoming year. He believes the route to widespread adoption of this premier cryptocurrency will be paved through stablecoins. Draper explained his confidence in bitcoin's potential, recalling his belief in the cryptocurrency even when it was valued at $4,000. He attributed the slower-than-expected growth of bitcoin to the apprehensions of a rigid U.S. government, acknowledging his underestimation of the United States' conservative stance.
Draper, an avid supporter of smart contracts, envisions a future where all financial dealings, including investments, payments, salary disbursements, and tax transactions, could be conducted in bitcoin. He anticipates that stablecoins will act as a critical transitional tool, facilitating bitcoin's mass acceptance. "Stablecoins will remain functional as long as the dollar retains its viability. However, as the dollar's influence wanes, I foresee a shift where people will gravitate towards bitcoin," Draper predicted.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

#eurusd #gbpusd #usdjpy #btcusd #ethusd #ltcusd #xrpusd #forex #forex_example #signals #cryptocurrencies #bitcoin #stock_market

The main question, just a few years ago, was when the crypto bubble would burst. Over time, bitcoin gradually earned its place in the minds and portfolios of traders and investors. Competing actively with physical gold and other investment and defensive assets, digital gold emerged as a formidable contender.

In the past year, the merits and drawbacks of bitcoin have been a topic of frequent discussion, encompassing analysis of its rises and falls and presenting views from seasoned Wall Street experts and pseudonymous social network analysts. It's important to note that many predictions from both groups proved quite accurate, despite the ultra-high volatility of this flagship asset. Today's focus is on recalling the 2023 predictions for bitcoin, their forecasts for 2024 and beyond, with a particular emphasis on those specialists who offered specific figures rather than general, vague phrases.


2023: Those Who Hit the Mark or Came Close

Let's recall that the past year was undoubtedly successful for bitcoin. Despite all its highs and lows, BTC/USD, starting the year at $16,515, reached a peak of $44,694 on December 8, demonstrating a 2.7-fold increase. Among the reasons for the coin's bull rally, experts cite the growing network hash rate, anticipation of the Federal Reserve's policy easing, and, of course, the approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of the launch of spot bitcoin ETFs and the bitcoin halving in April 2024. It should be noted that all these events began to influence market sentiment only in the second half of 2023. Therefore, the forecasts made in the first half of the year are particularly interesting.

Alistair Milne, IT Director of Altana Digital Currency Fund, made a nearly bullseye prediction by stating, "By the end of 2023, we should see bitcoin at a minimum of $45,000," which he declared already in January.

Mark W. Yusko, the head of Morgan Creek, in February, precisely identified that the next bull market could start as early as the second quarter of 2023, due to favourable macroeconomic conditions. He noted that it was unlikely for the U.S. Federal Reserve to reduce the key interest rate during this period. However, a slowdown or pause in rate adjustments would be seen as a positive sign for risk assets, including cryptocurrencies. Yusko, emphasizing the upcoming halving, pointed out that the digital asset market's recovery usually starts nine months prior to such events, indicating that this rally should have commenced by the end of summer 2023.

Experts at Matrixport, comparing January's BTC quotes with historical data and anticipating a deceleration in the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) growth, accurately predicted that the flagship cryptocurrency's rate might reach $29,000 by summer and $45,000 by Christmas. This precise hit on the target was made evident by their analysis.

Trader, analyst, and founder of venture company Eight, Michael Van De Poppe, released a video review predicting the coin's rise to $40,000 by year-end, a forecast made at the start of March. Similarly, Mike Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital, projected a rise to $40,000, with the caveat that this level would be achieved only when the U.S. Federal Reserve started reducing the key interest rate. Dave the Wave, a trader known for several accurate predictions, voiced the same $40,000 target in May, emphasizing that this was his conservative estimate.

BTC/USD fell below $25,000 in the first half of June, and the market was yet to learn that in just a few days, major financial institutions would start submitting applications to the SEC for entering the cryptocurrency market through spot bitcoin ETFs. Among the contenders for launching these funds were global asset managers like BlackRock, Invesco, Fidelity, and others. At this point, Business Insider took an interest in expert predictions. Let's look at a few opinions gathered from their survey.

Jagdeep Sidhu, President of Syscoin Foundation, believed that despite several crypto storms, the ecosystem's resilience had become evident. The market had recovered from the ashes of FTX, and if inflation in the U.S. decreased, bitcoin could reach $38,000 by year-end, Sidhu stated. David Uhryniak, Director of Ecosystem Development at TRON, along with Benjamin Cowen, was confident that bitcoin would end the year above $35,000.

A consensus forecast from another survey conducted by Finder.com among 29 analysts pointed to a price of $38,488 by year-end, with bitcoin's peak values in 2023 expected to be around $42,000. Naturally, individual expert predictions varied. Overall, most survey participants (59%) were optimistic about BTC, considering summer a good time to enter the market, 34% advised holding existing cryptocurrency, and 7% recommended selling it.


2023: Above or Below the Target

Certainly, not all predictions were as close to the year's outcomes. Another frequently cited target in forecasts was the $50,000 mark, which, according to the analyst known as CryptoYoddha, experts at TradingShot, and former Goldman Sachs top manager and CEO of Real Vision Raoul Pal, BTC/USD was expected to reach. Legendary trader and analyst Peter Brandt, who accurately predicted BTC's 2018 correction, set his sights even higher this time. He believed the coin would reach its previous highs near $68,000 in the second half of 2023, followed by another correction and a new all-time high.

In late January 2023, the analyst under the pseudonym Plan B predicted that the flagship currency would rise to $100,000 by year-end. Moreover, he estimated that bitcoin could test the $42,000 level as early as March, citing the stock-to-flow (S2F) model he developed, which measured the relationship between an asset's available supply and its production rate. However, as we now know, the $42,000 test occurred only nine months later, in December, and $100,000 remained an unattainable height.

Felix Zulauf, founder of Zulauf Asset Management, speculated that bitcoin would enter a clear bull rally around late spring 2023 and did not rule out the possibility of the asset reaching $100,000 on a sharp upward trend. Credible Crypto experts also issued an optimistic forecast, suggesting that the flagship crypto asset had a good chance of renewing its historical maximum in the $69,000 zone. A CNBC survey among influential industry figures revealed expectations of retesting $69,000 by Tether's CTO Paolo Ardoino, while Marshall Beard, the Strategy Director of cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, pointed to $100,000. Investor and author of the famous book "Rich Dad Poor Dad," Robert Kiyosaki, named an even larger figure, claiming that by the beginning of 2024, bitcoin would reach $120,000.

The market isn't driven solely by bulls. Roaming its expanse, one can encounter bears and even "crypto-gravediggers." For instance, Bloomberg analyst Mike McGlone, in May, anticipated a bitcoin price collapse to a support level of $7,366. This was a stark contrast to his view at the end of the previous year, 2022, when McGlone predicted bitcoin would soar to $100,000.

Strategists from the British multinational financial conglomerate Standard Chartered expected that a liquidity crisis would lead to new bankruptcies of crypto exchanges and companies, resulting in BTC potentially plummeting to $5,000 in 2023. An analyst known as Grinding Poet even declared that "a retest of the 2018 lows is inevitable" and set a new target of $3,150.


2024: Optimism and Super Optimism

Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jamie Coutts has forecasted a rise in bitcoin's price to $50,000 before the halving in April 2024. Eric Balchunas, a senior analyst at Bloomberg, explained that the SEC's approval of BTC-ETF applications would open up bitcoin to a capital market of $30 trillion. Bloomberg anticipates that the approval will occur very soon, around January 8-10. According to predictions by the analytical firm Fundstrat, this could increase daily demand for bitcoin by $100 million. In this scenario, even before the planned halving, the price of BTC could reach up to $180,000.

Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream and one of the earliest developers of BTC, likened the past few years to a biblical plague epidemic. "There was COVID-19, central banks' quantitative easing, wars affecting energy costs, inflation driving people and companies to bankruptcy," he explained. As 2023 came to a close, the effects of many of these events had diminished, according to Back. "The bankruptcies linked to Three Arrows Capital, Celsius, BlockFi, and FTX... all of that is mostly over. I don't think we're in for many big surprises." Back believes 2024 will be a year of recovery for bitcoin, responding to the upcoming halving in April and potentially reaching $100,000 before the event.

Samson Mow, former colleague of Back at Blockstream and now CEO of Jan3, agreed with this assessment. Experts at Seeking Alpha also echoed a similar figure, suggesting that the cryptocurrency should be valued around $98,000 to keep miners afloat post-halving.

Standard Chartered experts, particularly Geoff Kendrick, speak of a similar outlook. According to the bank's economists, the current situation indicates the end of the "crypto winter." However, their forecast is slightly more conservative, with the main cryptocurrency reaching the $100,000 mark only by the end of 2024. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak also settled on this round figure. Pascal Gauthier, CEO of Ledger, David Marcus, head of Lightspark, and Vijay Ayyar, a top manager at CoinDCX, also anticipate bitcoin's price rise to $100,000.

Investor and bestselling author of "Rich Dad Poor Dad," Robert Kiyosaki, believes that the U.S. economy is on the brink of a serious crisis, and cryptocurrencies, particularly bitcoin, offer investors a safe haven in these turbulent times. Kiyosaki predicts that the halving will be a key event, potentially driving BTC's price to soar to $120,000. Markus Thielen, head of research at the crypto-financial service Matrixport, suggests a similar figure of $125,000. Renowned blogger and analyst Lark Davis believes that this event could lead to bitcoin's price rising to about $150,000, or even up to $180,000. Tom Lee, co-founder of Fundstrat, estimates a rise to $185,000.

According to calculations by Dave the Wave, BTC, post the April 2024 halving, will only rise slightly above its previous high of around $69,000 by mid-2024, but could escalate to $160,000 by year-end. Alistair Milne predicts that by the end of 2024, the BTC rate should reach $150,000-$300,000. However, he cautions, "this may well be the peak opportunity for bulls." Analysts from LookIntoBitcoin advise locking in profits when the coin appreciates to at least $110,000.

And finally, let's consider the fresh perspective of Artificial Intelligence (AI): an increasingly integral voice in such discussions. The experts at Finbold consulted Google Bard, a machine learning system, about the likely value of the flagship cryptocurrency after the much-anticipated 2024 halving. The AI predicted that bitcoin would likely reach a new all-time high, attributing this not only to the halving but also to broader BTC adoption and interest from institutional investors. Google Bard specifically noted that after the halving, bitcoin could surge to $100,000. However, the AI also highlighted factors that could limit the cryptocurrency's growth, not ruling out the possibility of a continued crypto winter in 2024.

In contrast, a scenario from Google Bard’s competitor, ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, appears more optimistic. It suggests that the main cryptocurrency could climb as high as $150,000. (Interestingly, the illustration accompanying this article was also created using AI, in this case, Microsoft Bing)


2024: Moderate Optimism and Moderate Pessimism

Consolidating all the aforementioned scenarios into a consensus forecast, with certain allowances, yields a range from $100,000 to $180,000. While this range is undoubtedly encouraging for investors, there are more conservative and even pessimistic predictions.

Analyst PlanB, having missed his target in 2023, significantly lowered his expectations. "Expect $32,000 for bitcoin before the halving," he writes, "rising to $55,000 during the halving, and then, by the end of the year, the main cryptocurrency might climb to $66,000." Arthur Hayes, former CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX, also stated that the first cryptocurrency's quotes would reach only a "modest" goal of $70,000.

A sobering perspective comes from the company CryptoVantage, whose employees surveyed 1,000 crypto investors in the USA. Only 23% of them believe that bitcoin will reach its historical maximum of $68,917 in the upcoming year. 47% think that the coin's price will rise to this mark within five years. 78% are confident that BTC will eventually return to its historical maximum, but at an undefined future date. However, 9% believe this will never happen again.

BBC World analyst Glen Goodman joined the chorus of sceptics. He commented that the $120,000 figure "seems more like a number plucked out of thin air than a realistically grounded prediction." Goodman argues that authors of such predictions favor market bulls and overlook several key factors. The most crucial, according to him, is that U.S. financial regulators are relentlessly targeting the crypto industry with lawsuits and investigations. Against this backdrop, experts from JP Morgan believe that in 2024 the main cryptocurrency will trade around $45,000, considering this price as an upper limit indicating the asset's limited potential.


2025 and Beyond: $1,000,000 to $10,000,000. Who Predicts Higher?

"Looking too far into the future is not far-sighted," a saying attributed to Sir Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during 1940-1945 and 1951-1955. While we might heed the advice of the esteemed British leader, some influencers still dare to make long-term predictions without fearing being seen as short-sighted.

An average result from a survey of 29 experts conducted by Finder.com indicates that BTC's price may reach $100,000 not in 2024, but only by the end of 2025, and could ascend to $280,000 by the end of 2030. An analyst known as Trader Tardigrade believes that bitcoin is following the same price structure as it did from 2013 to 2018. If his model is accurate, the beginning price "boom" could lead to bitcoin rising to $400,000 by 2026.

Venture capitalist Tim Draper, a third-generation venture capitalist and co-founder of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, is optimistic about 2025. He believes that the halving will significantly impact the main cryptocurrency's price, eventually reaching $250,000. Previously, he predicted that BTC would hit this mark by the end of 2022. When his prediction did not materialize, he extended the timeline to mid-2023. Now, Draper has revised his forecast again, stating with certainty that the main cryptocurrency will reach the targeted price by the end of June 2025. According to him, one of the growth drivers will be the adoption of BTC by women, suggesting that housewives using bitcoin for shopping could become a significant factor in the coin's widespread adoption.

Mike Novogratz, CEO of Galaxy Digital, believes that the demand for alternative financial instruments will continue to grow, with bitcoin being one of these instruments. He predicts that in the long term, bitcoin's price could reach $500,000. Doubling this estimate, Arthur Hayes, former CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange BitMEX, and Max Keiser, a former trader and TV host who is now an advisor to the president of El Salvador, have both cited a figure of $1 million per coin. Michael Saylor, the founder of MicroStrategy, has a more polarized view, stating that "bitcoin will either plummet to zero or skyrocket to $1 million."

Cathy Wood, CEO of ARK Invest, forecasts a significant increase in the total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies, reaching $25 trillion by 2030, which is an increase of more than 2100%. ARK Invest's baseline scenario envisages bitcoin's price rising to $650,000 during this period, while a more optimistic scenario projects a climb to $1,500,000. Yassine Elmandjra, an analyst at ARK Invest and a colleague of Wood, acknowledged that such a prediction for the coin's growth may seem improbable, but added that it is "quite reasonable" when considering the history of cryptocurrency development.

Larry Lepard, Managing Partner at the Boston-based investment company Equity Management Associates, has also provided a long-term forecast. He believes that over the next decade, the dollar will devalue, and people will increasingly invest in cryptocurrencies, gold, and real estate. Given bitcoin's limited supply, the digital asset will become a highly sought-after investment tool and will benefit from the collapse of fiat currency. "I believe the price of bitcoin will rise sharply. I think it will first reach $100,000, then $1 million, and eventually rise to $10 million per coin. I'm confident that my grandchildren will be shocked at how wealthy people who own just one bitcoin will become," Lepard stated.

The Artificial Intelligence ChatGPT offers a slightly more modest scenario. It suggests that the main cryptocurrency might rise to $500,000 by 2028, reach $1 million by 2032, and escalate to $5 million by 2050. However, this AI prediction comes with several conditions. Such growth is possible only if: cryptocurrency is widely adopted; bitcoin becomes a popular means for capital saving; and the coin is integrated into various financial systems. If these conditions are not met, then, according to AI calculations, by 2050, the value of the coin could range from $20,000 to $500,000.


Funeral Squad for Bitcoin: $0.0000. Who Predicts Lower?

According to Newton's Third Law, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Although this law was formulated in 1689, it seems to apply even to 21st-century cryptocurrencies. If there are those eager to drive up the value of bitcoin, there will inevitably be others prepared to bury it deeper.

Warren Buffett, the billionaire and stock market legend, famously described bitcoin as "rat poison squared." His steadfast partner, Charles Munger, Vice Chairman of the holding company Berkshire Hathaway, is equally critical. Despite turning 100 years old on January 1, 2024 (congratulations to him), he continues to actively oppose this digital "evil."

Munger has called on the U.S. authorities to destroy bitcoin, equating investment in it to gambling. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, he stated that the cryptocurrency industry undermines the stability of the global financial sector and argued that BTC cannot be considered an asset class as it holds no intrinsic value. He believes that it should be subject to such stringent regulatory measures that would ultimately suffocate the industry. "It's the dumbest investment I've ever seen," the renowned investor exclaimed. "I'm not proud of my country for allowing this nonsense. It's laughable that someone buys it. It's not good. It's insane. It's only harmful." The billionaire labelled everyone who disagrees with him as idiots and branded bitcoin a "spoiled product" and a "venereal disease."

Steve Hanke, a professor of economics at Johns Hopkins University, has also criticized bitcoin, asserting that the fundamental value of the first cryptocurrency is zero. He has labelled BTC as an extremely speculative asset with no economic value or utility.

Peter Schiff, President of Euro Pacific Capital and a gold enthusiast, believes that "there is nothing more inferior than cryptocurrencies" and that "bitcoin is nothing." He has compared holders of the asset to a cult. "Nobody needs bitcoin. People buy it only after being persuaded by others. Once they acquire [BTC], they immediately try to draw others into it. It's like a cult," Schiff wrote. Back in 2017, he predicted that the coin would soon become worthless. Despite the years that have passed, the entrepreneur has not changed his stance. He recently reiterated that "bitcoin's journey to zero just got a bit delayed. In the end, bitcoin will implode.".

Jamie Dimon, the head of the American banking giant JPMorgan, has also heavily criticized digital gold. During a CNBC broadcast, he expressed skepticism about the supposed 21 million coin limit of bitcoin's issuance. "How do you know? It might reach 21 million, and a picture of Satoshi [Nakamoto] might pop up and laugh at all of you," he speculated about the future.

Jim Cramer, host of CNBC's "Mad Money," also focused on the risks. He believes that no one really knows what the major players in the industry are hiding and that there are no guarantees of their honesty with their clients. According to him, any new scandal could cause a sharp decline in bitcoin's value, putting investor assets at risk. Referring to the opinion of Carley Garner, senior commodity strategist & broker at DeCarley Trading, he recommended staying away from virtual currencies.

Discussing the prospects of the flagship cryptocurrency, Dieter Wermuth, economist and partner at Wermuth Asset Management, stated that the economy would be better and simpler without bitcoin. In his view, it makes sense to abandon bitcoin altogether: it could be beneficial for overall prosperity, as investments in cryptocurrency are wasteful and divert funds from overall economic growth. Moreover, bitcoin creates social inequality, facilitates money laundering, tax evasion, and is highly energy-intensive due to mining. Dieter Wermuth even called bitcoin "the main killer of the climate."

Jenny Johnson, CEO of the investment firm Franklin Templeton, which manages assets worth $1.5 trillion, also expressed scepticism about the primary cryptocurrency. She claimed that bitcoin is the biggest distraction from real innovation. The head of Franklin Templeton is convinced that bitcoin can never become a global currency, as the U.S. government will not allow this to happen. "I can tell you that if bitcoin becomes so significant that it threatens the dollar as the reserve currency, the U.S. will limit its use," she stated.

Indeed, Mrs. Johnson's statement did not come out of nowhere. Over the past year, there has been a lot of discussion about regulatory pressure on the crypto industry, legal disputes, and astronomical fines. Gary Gensler, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) compared the current state of the crypto industry to the wild early 20th century. At that time, the agency undertook stringent measures, which he believes are necessary now to intimidate businessmen and keep the industry in check. John Reed Stark, a former SEC official, echoes Gensler's sentiments. "Cryptocurrency prices are rising for two reasons," he explains, "firstly, due to gaps in regulation and potential market manipulation; secondly, because of the possibility to sell inflated, overvalued cryptocurrency to an even bigger fool."

Such statements are not only made by U.S. authorities but also by many other government representatives worldwide. For instance, the European Central Bank declared in December 2022 that bitcoin had lost its relevance. However, the ECB later revised its assessment, noting that cryptocurrency could still serve as an alternative to fiat currency.

***

It's noteworthy that since the inception of bitcoin, its demise has been proclaimed 474 times. The death counter of the main cryptocurrency is maintained on the platform 99bitcoins. This information resource tallies what are known as "bitcoin obituaries" – statements from notable individuals, news portals, and other media outlets with significant readership, unequivocally asserting that the asset has depreciated or is about to depreciate. In 2021, there were 47 such "obituaries," in 2022 – 27, and in 2023, BTC was declared "dead" only seven times. This figure is the lowest in the last decade, indicating that bitcoin is not only alive but also continues to thrive, despite the scepticism of its detractors.

To conclude this extensive overview, let's look at some interesting statistics. According to research by DocumentingBTC, an investor who put $100 into real gold exactly 10 years ago would now have only $134 in their account. Investing in Google would have yielded $504, Facebook – $818, Amazon – $830, Netflix – $1,040, and Microsoft – $1,111. Apple investors could have seen their investment grow to $1,208. Tesla claims the third spot on the profitability podium with an increase from $100 to $4,475. NVIDIA shares rank second, growing to $8,599. However, had you invested your $100 in digital gold, bitcoin, you would now have an impressive $25,600! This is why bitcoin is often hailed as the best investment of the decade. The conclusion is yours to draw.

Happy New Year!


NordFX Analytical Group


Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.

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CryptoNews of the Week



– On Tuesday, January 2, the price of bitcoin rose above $45,860 as investors anticipated a statement from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding the approval of spot bitcoin ETFs. The last time BTC traded at this level was in April 2022.
Analysts at Matrixport suggest that the primary cryptocurrency could surpass $50,000 in the coming days. The main drivers of the digital gold's price increase will be the potential approval of spot BTC-ETFs, demand from financial institutions, and a shortage of coin supply in the market. "Institutional investors cannot afford to miss another potential rally. Therefore, they must buy immediately," the experts shared their forecast. In their view, regulators might announce the approval of new exchange-traded products "today or tomorrow, ahead of most investors' expectations." This will serve as a powerful factor in the price growth of the leading cryptocurrency.

– Wall Street investment giants BlackRock, Fidelity, and Invesco, along with Valkyrie and Bitwise, companies specializing in crypto asset operations, have announced in their press releases their readiness to launch spot ETFs on bitcoin. Bitwise and BlackRock, in particular, have formed initial capital for trading operations, amounting to $200 million and $10 million respectively. These companies have disclosed key details of their future trades, including trading chains, partnerships with key brokerage firms, and the commission rates their potential ETF partners will charge clients, pending the green light from the SEC.
Eric Balchunas, Bloomberg ETF analyst, opines that the investment corporations' proposals are largely similar. He anticipates that the competitive battle among BTC-ETF issuers will primarily revolve around fee structures, brand history, and customer preferences.
MicroStrategy founder Michael Saylor previously remarked that the approval of BTC-ETF, which the entire crypto industry is eagerly awaiting, could be the most significant event for the American stock market in the last three decades.

– Analysts at the platform Immunefi have calculated that, compared to 2022, when the total stolen funds amounted to $3.9 billion, this year's figures have more than halved – by 54.2%. In total, due to hacks and fraud, the crypto industry suffered losses of $1.8 billion in 2023. Researchers have tallied that $1.69 billion in losses were attributed to 219 hacking attacks, and about $103,000 was lost in 100 cases of fraud. The biggest losses were incurred in November ($343 million), September ($340 million), and July ($320 million).
It's worth noting that the Immunefi project manages a fund of $135 million for payments to "white hat" hackers who find vulnerabilities in decentralized financial platforms (DeFi).

– The new President of Argentina, Javier Milei, has proposed the legalization of digital asset circulation. He assured that once the bill is passed, citizens will be able to own and trade cryptocurrencies regardless of their origin and the actual location of coin storage. This digital currency legalization program is part of the economic reforms proposed by Javier Milei.
According to the new law, crypto assets that Argentine citizens voluntarily report by March 31 will be subject to a 5% tax rate. By November 30, the tax level will be increased to 15%. Subsequently, if the fiscal authorities discover undeclared cryptocurrency assets, the settlement of requirements may be accompanied by the imposition of an increased tax rate and additional penal sanctions.

– While the majority of crypto market participants view the approval of spot bitcoin ETFs as an exclusively positive event for BTC, some experts believe otherwise. Analysts at the platform CryptoQuant think that with the launch of this financial instrument, the main cryptocurrency's price could drop from its current levels to $32,000. CryptoQuant noted that the market is factoring in a 90% probability of these ETFs being approved in early January. This reflects investors' optimism about the instrument but at the same time creates a classic "buy the rumour, sell the news" scenario.
"The likelihood of the ETF approval becoming a catalyst for selling on the news is increasing, as market participants have a large unrealized profit. For short-term bitcoin holders, it's about 30%, which historically precedes a price correction," the company asserts.
Analysts also highlighted the influence of miners' behaviour. Due to the recent rise in BTC's price, they have shifted back to active selling and could significantly impact the dynamics of the main cryptocurrency's price.

– Cathy Wood, the CEO of ARK Invest, also anticipates the possibility of a short-term sell-off. However, she remains optimistic about the long-term prospects of bitcoin. "A sell-off upon the news wouldn't be a surprise. But I believe it will be a very short-term phenomenon," Wood concluded. The head of ARK also noted the significant impact on bitcoin's price that even modest institutional investments can have. Her opinion is based on the scarcity of BTC and the expected inflow of institutional funds into the asset following the approval of ETFs.

– Analysts at the crypto exchange BIT share a similar view. They believe that bitcoin will continue to grow despite the "buy the rumor, sell the news" mindset. Even if the launch of the ETF causes a short-term sell-off, the combination of buyer pressure and the reduction in supply following the halving will lay the foundation for an extremely bullish 2024, potentially leading to the establishment of a new all-time high (ATH).

– Nic Carter, a financing partner at Castle Island Ventures, aligns with Cathy Wood's perspective. He believes that the ETF will unlock new classes of capital, fostering structural flows that will benefit the BTC market. Carter also thinks that in the context of the ETF launch, even the halving event seems less significant.

– Bitcoin futures indicate a bullish trend for the spring of 2024. Data from Binance futures contracts, expiring on March 29th, show that the annualized price of bitcoin is currently exceeding 20%. When futures trade at a higher price than the spot price, this situation is referred to as "contango". This condition suggests that the market expects the price of the asset to rise by the time the contract expires. According to The Block’s Data Dashboard, the difference between the spot price and the future price of BTC has increased to a record high level.

– A special agent from the FBI office in Alabama, USA, informed FOX News journalists that in 2023, around 300 state residents who fell victim to fraudulent cryptocurrency operations lost an average of $170,000 each. Matt Tootle observed that the greatest danger was posed by schemes involving the theft of digital assets using methods of so-called social engineering.
"We see cases where fraudsters spend months developing seemingly decent relationships with their future victims. For example, they create fake internet resources, showing victims the balance of their assets and the profitability of investing in cryptocurrencies. In some cases, to encourage the aggrieved investors to continue funding or make a large money transfer, fraudsters allow the victim to witness the 'effectiveness' of the crypto project and even withdraw a portion of the funds," the special agent explained. As a result, victims realize that they have lost all their money only weeks or months after the initial 'investment'.

– Peter Schiff, President of Euro Pacific Capital and a gold enthusiast, shared his forecast for 2024 in a series of tweets. "Investors are convinced that the Federal Reserve has managed to restore price stability without causing a recession, achieving a miraculous soft landing," wrote Schiff. "The big surprise in 2024 will be not only that the economy falls into a recession, but also that high inflation returns with doubled force."
"More importantly," Schiff notes, "technical indicators are collapsing... The Fed plans to lower interest rates, which will not only accelerate the downturn but also exert new upward pressure on inflation." In his view, "this not only indicates a weak and troubled economy but also foretells a significant fall in the dollar exchange rate and a rise in prices for imported goods in 2024." According to the financier, this situation does not bode well for bitcoin. Recall that Schiff has previously stated that there is "nothing more low-quality than cryptocurrencies," and "bitcoin is nothing." He also compared asset holders to a cult. "No one needs bitcoin. People buy it only after others convince them to do so. After acquiring [BTC], they immediately try to attract others to it." In his words, "it's like a cult."


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

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CryptoNews of the Week



– The long-standing regulatory saga surrounding the launch of spot bitcoin ETFs finally concluded last week, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issuing the corresponding approval. Against this backdrop, the quotations momentarily surged to $49,000. However, the cryptocurrency subsequently depreciated by nearly 15%. Experts attribute this to an overbought condition or what is known as "market overheating," as reported by Cointelegraph. The SEC's positive decision had already been factored into the market price, and many investors now decided to realize profits rather than purchasing the more expensive asset.
Cointelegraph experts also noted that bitcoin ETFs have already attracted over $1.25 billion. On just the first day, the trading volume of these new financial market instruments reached $4.6 billion. However, the Bitcoin Dominance Index has been steadily declining. Over the past week, the index fell from 54.56% to 51.14%. Concurrently, many altcoins are exhibiting growth, indicating that investors are reallocating capital in favor of alternative coins.

– On the eve of the SEC's decision, some analysts had predicted a decline in bitcoin's price. For instance, analysts at CryptoQuant talked about a possible drop in quotations to $32,000. Other forecasts mentioned support levels at $42,000 and $40,000. "Bitcoin failed to overcome the $50,000 mark," Swissblock analysts write, raising the question of whether the leading cryptocurrency can regain the momentum it has lost.
Moreover, there is growing concern in the market due to the steady increase in the hash rate on the BTC network. This could lead to a scenario where miners start selling coins more actively. Recently, they have transferred bitcoins worth over $1 billion to centralized platforms, creating additional selling pressure and negatively impacting price dynamics.

– The international environmental organization Greenpeace criticized the SEC's decision regarding spot bitcoin ETFs. "Without significant changes in mining practices, this poses serious problems for our efforts to prevent the worst consequences of the climate crisis," the environmentalists stated. "As the price of bitcoin rises, so does its environmental impact. Miners consume more electricity […], which is predominantly generated from fossil fuels, leading to increased carbon dioxide emissions and water consumption," Greenpeace added.

– The entry of BlackRock, the world's largest asset management company in terms of managed assets, into the crypto market could bring significant changes. This financial giant has the potential to surpass MicroStrategy as the foremost holder of digital gold. BlackRock's bitcoin ETF remarkably attracted about $500 million, roughly equivalent to 12,000 BTC, in just two days. Continuing at this pace, BlackRock could become the largest holder of bitcoins by February 1.
For context, MicroStrategy is currently the top holder with 189,150 BTC, outpacing competitors like Marathon Digital and Tesla.

– Analysts at the investment bank Morgan Stanley have studied global market trends and concluded that the role of the US dollar as the cornerstone of the international financial system may be reevaluated. In their view, the growing interest in digital assets like bitcoin, the increasing circulation of stablecoins, and the real prospects of using Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) in cross-border transactions are changing the world.
"These innovations, though still in their infancy, open up possibilities for challenging the hegemony of the dollar. Macro-investors should consider how these digital assets, with their unique characteristics and increasing adoption, could alter the future dynamics of the dollar," Morgan Stanley strategists write.
Andrew Peel, Head of Digital Assets at Morgan Stanley, believes that the process of dedollarization in the global economy could significantly accelerate with the launch of spot bitcoin ETFs, as weekly inflows into these new products already exceed billions of dollars. The popularity of BTC has been consistently growing over the last 15 years, and currently, over 106 million people worldwide own the first cryptocurrency, Andrew Peel reminds us.

– Elizabeth Warren, a member of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, criticized the SEC for approving bitcoin ETFs. She believes that this decision could harm the country's financial system and investors.
Conversely, the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, took an opposing stance. In an interview with Yahoo Finance, she refuted concerns that bitcoin could potentially displace the US dollar. The IMF chief stated that cryptocurrencies are an asset class, not money, and it's essential to make this distinction.
Ms. Georgieva also disagrees with industry participants who think the recent approval of spot BTC-ETFs will lead to the mass adoption of the first cryptocurrency. In her view, that day is still far off, so such discussions are not very meaningful. "I'm not in a hurry to convert my dollars into another currency. It doesn't mean that one shouldn't diversify investments. But I wouldn't worry about bitcoin competing with the dollar," added the IMF director.

– Tom Lee, co-founder of the analytics firm Fundstrat, expressed his opinion in an interview with CNBC that the first cryptocurrency's quotations could reach $100,000 - $150,000 by the end of 2024 and $500,000 in the next five years. "In the next five years, we'll have a limited supply, but with the approval of spot bitcoin ETFs, we potentially have enormous demand, so I think something around $500,000 is quite achievable within five years," the expert stated. He also highlighted the upcoming halving in the spring of 2024 as an additional growth factor.

– Cathy Wood, CEO of ARK Invest, stated on CNBC that under a bullish scenario, the first cryptocurrency could reach a price of $1.5 million by 2030. Experts at her firm believe that even under a bearish scenario, the value of the digital gold will increase to $258,500.

– Anthony Scaramucci, founder of the hedge fund SkyBridge Capital and former White House Communications Director, provided another forecast. "If bitcoin is priced at $45,000 during the halving, then by mid-to-late 2025, it could be worth $170,000. Whatever the price [of bitcoin] is on the day of the halving in April, multiply it by four, and it will reach that figure in the next 18 months," said the SkyBridge founder in Davos, ahead of the World Economic Forum. Scaramucci also mentioned that it would likely take another eight to ten trading days to observe the impact of the new spot ETFs on the price of the first cryptocurrency.

– Prominent investor and founder of MN Trading Consultancy, Michael Van De Poppe, reported that his account on social network X (formerly Twitter) was hacked on January 16th. He addressed his 864,000 followers, emphasizing his hope that none of them followed the phishing links posted by the culprits. The investor is counting on the fact that trusting users have not lost their cryptocurrency funds.
Following this incident, Van De Poppe continued to publish market analysis as usual. He noted that "this will be the last 'easy' cycle for bitcoin and cryptocurrencies." According to him, the current phase will take a bit longer than before, but it will change the lives of many people on Earth. Regarding the current situation, the expert said that the price is stuck between several levels. Resistance is at $46,000, but the price is expected to test support in the range of $37,000 to $40,000.

– Economist David Rosenberg, founder of Rosenberg Research, views buying bitcoin more as gambling than investing. His distrust in BTC is partly due to its high volatility, as evidenced by its price movements following the SEC's decision to approve the first spot BTC-ETFs in the USA.
Rosenberg believes that traditional stocks, by contrast, represent future cash flows of any company; bonds and savings accounts yield interest, and commodities have industrial applications, and their demand can be modelled, unlike bitcoin.

"If you want to get rich believing in cryptocurrencies, then add lottery tickets to your assets," advises the economist. He adds, "This and other tokens are examples of the 'greater fool theory' in action – people buy them not because they are inherently valuable, but because they hope to sell them at a profit to someone even more foolish."

– Amid growing market speculation in anticipation of the imminent launch of a spot ETF for Ethereum, analysts at the investment bank TD Cowen have stated that, according to the information they have, it is unlikely that the SEC will begin to consider applications for approval of this investment instrument in the first half of 2024. "We believe that before approving an ETH-ETF, the SEC will want to gain practical experience with similar investment instruments in bitcoin," commented Jaret Seiberg, head of TD Cowen Washington Research Group. TD Cowen believes that the SEC will return to the discussion of ETFs on Ethereum only after the U.S. presidential elections, which are scheduled for November 2024.
Senior analyst at JP Morgan, Nikolaos Panagirtzoglou, also does not anticipate the swift approval of spot ETH-ETFs. According to Panagirtzoglou, for the SEC to make a decision, Ethereum needs to be classified as a commodity, not a security. However, in the near future, JP Morgan considers this event unlikely.

– Six AI-based chatbots have predicted the price of bitcoin at the end of 2024:
Claude Instant from Anthropic's Forecast: With increasing institutional adoption, regulatory clarity, and reduced supply post-halving, the price of bitcoin is expected to reach $85,000 by December 31, 2024.
Pi from Inflection's Forecast: The approval of 11 spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the USA certainly changes the game, and the upcoming halving adds more excitement. Considering the current price of bitcoin, it's predicted that the price could reach $75,000 by December 31, 2024.
Bard from Gemini's Forecast: The approval of 11 spot ETFs and the reduced supply due to the upcoming halving could trigger significant demand, potentially pushing the bitcoin price above $90,000 by December 31. However, unforeseen economic obstacles might restrain this growth, possibly capping the peak at around $70,000.
ChatGPT 3.5 from OpenAI's Forecast: Given the volatile nature of cryptocurrencies and the influence of various factors such as macroeconomic conditions, legislative changes, and market sentiment, making accurate predictions is challenging. Considering these factors, a bitcoin price within $75,000 to $85,000 by December 31, 2024, seems plausible but not guaranteed.
ChatGPT 4's Forecast: Conservatively, the price range could be between $40,000 and $60,000, considering potential market fluctuations and investor caution. On the other hand, the price could potentially vary between $60,000 and $80,000, aided by implementation and investments following ETF approvals and the halving.
Bing AI from Co-Pilot Creative's Forecast: Based on information gathered from various sources, the forecast for the price of bitcoin on December 31, 2024, is around $75,000.


Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.

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