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Should you HODL Ethereum?
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Ethereum ETF could be “unlikely” if ETH deemed a security
Key points:
SEC may decline spot ETH ETF applications citing 'security' status.
Sentiments vary regarding a potential SEC rejection.
News - The U.S Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has remained silent regarding Ethereum's status and the approval of spot ETH ETF filings. However, recent developments suggest the agency may lean towards rejecting the ETF applications.
Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart bumped up the likelihood of the SEC's rejection, citing a recent notice on spot ETF filings. In doing so, he underlined the possibility of the SEC denying Ethereum ETFs by asserting that the altcoin is a security.
Experts chime in - There are others, however, like Nate Geraci from ETF Store, who questioned the rationale behind a potential rejection, considering factors like the removal of staking features and existing ETH Futures.
Geraci pointed out the lack of correlation between the spot and Futures market and questioned why the SEC would approve ETH Futures ETFs if ETH were deemed a security.
How was ETH affected? - Despite the uncertainty around the approval of Ethereum ETFs, the price of ETH remained unaffected. At the time of writing, ETH was trading at $3,004.76, with the altcoin appreciating by 2.73% in the last 24 hours. Its volumes surged by over 34% too.
Ethereum’s network growth also rose in tandem with its price, indicating sustained interest from new addresses.
Roaring Kitty fuels GME, AMC, memecoin price hikes
Key points:
Crypto-token related to Roaring Kitty surged alongside AMC.
Former SEC Chair Jay Clayton raised concerns about the ethical implications of market manipulation through social media.
News - On 14 May, while Bitcoin and other leading cryptocurrencies were bleeding, shares of GameStop and AMC Entertainment Holdings were surging. In fact, GME and AMC skyrocketed by 75% and 89%, respectively.
The reason for the surge in prices was Roaring Kitty’s latest tweet. For context, Roaring Kitty was one of the most influential figures in the WallStreetBets saga a few years ago.
This dramatic shift also triggered a memecoin frenzy, with several memecoins recording significant gains. For example, a memecoin related to Roaring Kitty - ROAR - surged by 125%.
Jay Clayton chimes in - This situation is very similar to when Elon Musk affected Dogecoin's price with his public remarks.
Former SEC Chair Jay Clayton expressed his discontent with the same in a recent CNBC discussion, stating, "It bothers me on many levels—it’s a lot closer to gambling than trading and it is certainly not investing."
He further questioned the dynamics at play, stating, "Is a tweet really investment advice? We’ve learned over the last five years that a tweet is not investment advice.”
Memecoins see green - Despite facing criticism, memecoins associated with Solana also recorded notable surges. Specifically, Dogwifhat, BONK, and POPCAT have all capitalized on the favorable trends.
Millennium Management reveals $2 billion in spot Bitcoin ETF shares
Key points:
International hedge fund Millennium Management reportedly holds $1.94 billion in BTC spot ETF shares.
Bullish sentiment around BTC is expected to climb as institutions accelerate their participation.
News - Millennium Management, an international hedge fund, disclosed its ownership of nearly $2 billion in spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the first quarter of 2024. According to its 13F filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Millennium held a total of $1.94 billion across five spot Bitcoin ETFs as of March 31.
The hedge fund diversified its holdings across various spot Bitcoin ETF products, including the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF, Bitwise Bitcoin ETF, Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, iShares Bitcoin Trust, and Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin ETF. Among these, BlackRock’s Bitcoin fund accounted for the largest allocation, with over $844 million invested, while Fidelity’s fund followed closely behind with just over $806 million worth of shares held by Millennium.
High on exposure - Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas dubbed Millennium as the dominant player in Bitcoin ETF holdings, emphasizing that the firm's exposure surpassed that of the average new ETF holder in the top 500 by a factor of 200.
Moreover, Balchunas highlighted that investment advisory firms now account for approximately 60% of the new spot Bitcoin ETF buyers, with hedge funds making up about 25% of the total.
How is BTC doing? At the time of writing, bullish sentiments had taken over the market again. BTC was trading close to $66,200, having appreciated by almost 6% in just 24 hours.
Robinhood introduces SOL staking to European markets
Key points:
Robinhood Crypto has opted for Europe as the initial market for its debut staking offering.
At launch, Robinhood is providing customers with Solana staking, offering a 5% yield.
News - As legal challenges in the United States continue, trading platform Robinhood has set its sights on European users to expand its crypto services. On 15 May, the company unveiled its inaugural crypto-staking offering, tailored exclusively for European customers.
Through the announcement, Robinhood revealed that its customers can now engage in Solana (SOL) staking via the app, with a promising 5% yield. Notably, competitors in the space such as Kraken and Binance boast yields of up to 5% and 8%, respectively.
State of Robinhood - In the first quarter of 2024, Robinhood registered a significant uptick in crypto trading activity, with a staggering 224% surge in crypto trading volumes that hit $36 billion. Impressively, approximately 40% of its revenue from transactions stemmed from crypto-related services, leading to the firm's second consecutive profitable quarter and a net income of $157 million.
More stories from the crypto ecosystem
Interesting facts
While El Salvador became the first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021, a small island nation in the Pacific, Kiribati, is exploring launching its own national digital currency built on blockchain technology.
In 2021, a digital artwork collage by an artist known as Beeple sold for a whopping $69 million at a Christie's auction. This event sparked a frenzy in the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs),
There are a growing no. of crypto-projects that focus on sustainability. The SolarCoin project, for instance, rewards individuals and organizations for generating solar energy using cryptocurrencies.
Top 3 coins of the day
PEPE (PEPE)
Key points:
PEPE’s trading volume declined significantly over the last 24 hours.
Social volume around the memecoin also fell materially.
What you should know - In the last 24 hours, PEPE’s price declined by 5.94% and was trading at $0.00001057, at the time of writing. Despite the significant decline in price, the token seemed to be doing relatively well though. Since 14 May, the price of PEPE has surged materially, displaying multiple higher highs and higher lows - Indicative of a bullish trend. The recent correction in price wasn’t significant enough for a trend reversal.
The RSI (Relative Strength Index) for PEPE had a reading of 58.41, indicating high bullish momentum for the memecoin.
Solana (SOL)
Key points:
SOL’s trading volume surged by 85.91% in the last 24 hours.
Weighted sentiment around the token declined too.
What you should know - The price of Solana appreciated by 13.23% in the last 24 hours. It managed to break past the previously established lower low of $161.28, signalling an end to its bearish trend. At press time, SOL was trading at $162.90. Even though the recent uptick in its price was bullish, the RSI (Relative Strength Index) for SOL grew to 74.82, indicating that SOL could be overbought.
SOL’s price may see a correction in the near future, before going on an upward trajectory on the charts.
Floki Inu (FLOKI)
Key points:
Network growth for FLOKI fell significantly.
Frequency with which FLOKI was being traded hiked though.
What you should know - Since the beginning of May, the price of FLOKI has climbed and hit higher highs and higher lows, showcasing positive growth and momentum. At the time of writing, FLOKI was trading at $0.0002129. The price seemed to be inching closer to the $0.00023076-level, which was previously claimed by the memecoin on 08 April.
Even though the price was moving north at press time, the CMF (Chaikin Money Flow) for FLOKI fell significantly, implying that the money flowing into the memecoin was declining. This may affect the odds of FLOKI hitting its previously-claimed price levels again.
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