Original title: "Where are we in the current crypto cycle and where do we go from here?"
Author: Tom Dunleavy
Compiler: Joyce, BlockBeats
Editor's note: The impact of the German and American government currency sales and the Mentougou case on the market is gradually coming to an end, and community sentiment has bottomed out. Where should the crypto market go next? There are many factors to consider in this process. Tom Dunleavy, the author of this article, remains optimistic about the future market, believing that the current encryption market is standing at a historical turning point, Bitcoin has great potential, and market fluctuations are only temporary adjustments.
Different from general simple bullish statements, Tom Dunleavy gave specific reasons for bullishness from the aspects of technical indicators, macro liquidity and market structure, and made his own analysis of potential new crises in the crypto market. Readers with either bullish or bearish attitudes can get some inspiration from this article.
In this article, I will discuss:
Current Market State: We are standing at a turning point in history, Bitcoin has huge potential, and market volatility is a temporary adjustment.
Outlook for the next 18 months: Increased global liquidity and the influx of institutional funds will continue to drive the market, and the prospects are promising.
Investment Advice: It is crucial to choose promising areas and early-stage projects, invest with focus and prudence.
In short, you are not optimistic enough.
First, let’s review the current market conditions. In the fourth quarter of 2023, expectations for the imminent approval of a Bitcoin ETF in the United States sparked a wave of enthusiasm that marked the beginning of this cycle. In the first half of 2024, the market attracted approximately $15 billion in new capital inflows. In particular, the launch of the Ethereum ETF on May 23 caused the price to soar by more than 30%. Although there has been a correction in recent weeks, this is just a normal fluctuation in the cycle and there is no need to worry too much.
At the same time, we also experienced a massive deleveraging event. At the end of the second quarter, nearly $1 billion in assets were liquidated in a single weekend. While this may seem scary, it actually helps the market shed the burden of over-leverage, making it healthier and more stable.
Let’s take a look at a very important market indicator - MVRV, which is the ratio of market value to realized value. This ratio is an important reference for judging whether the market is overvalued or undervalued, and is also the most reliable indicator of short-selling or oversold conditions in BTC. Currently, BTC’s MVRV ratio is 1.5, indicating that the market is relatively undervalued.
With a lot of leverage being removed from the market, the current low MVRV values suggest the potential for further upside in the market. Historical data shows that when the ratio exceeds 4, it is often a signal to sell, while when it is below 1, it is a good time to buy. Therefore, from this perspective, Bitcoin still has a lot of room for growth in the future.
Global liquidity is an important driver of market cycles. Everyone knows that the stimulus policies of global central banks and governments have a profound impact on the market, especially the United States. As the world's largest economy, policy changes in the United States are crucial to the market. Currently, markets are expecting the Fed to cut interest rates twice this year, with Citibank even predicting eight rate cuts in the next 12 months. This will greatly increase market liquidity, which is undoubtedly good news for the cryptocurrency market.
Crossbordercap, a liquidity-focused institution, has called for increasing liquidity growth to 20% in the second half of 2024. In addition, Sweden and the European Central Bank also said they would begin to loosen monetary policy. Such policy changes will inject more funds into the market and drive up the prices of risky assets.
The impact of the election cycle on the market cannot be ignored either. Government spending tends to increase every election year, which is also a positive sign for markets. In particular, current governments typically ramp up direct and indirect spending during election campaigns, which often results in a strong start to the year, a slight lull in the summer, and then another rebound in the second half of the year. The 2024 election cycle is no exception, and markets are expected to perform well in the second half of the year.
We also have additional bullish catalysts, with $12 billion to $14 billion in FTX compensation claims expected to flow into the market in October and November 2024. This will inject a large amount of new money into the cryptocurrency market, further driving up market prices. For investors, this is undoubtedly very good news.
Speaking of which, we cannot ignore the lessons of the past. Historically, cryptocurrency markets have tended to follow a four-year cycle centered around Bitcoin's halving. In the first year after the halving, the market will rise rapidly; in the second year, the increase will begin to slow down; in the third year, the price will remain roughly the same; in the fourth year, the price will drop sharply. Prices typically peak around 500 days after the halving. If the cycle follows the same pattern this time around, the market could peak around October 2025.
If we follow this "tradition", we are still in the early stages of the cycle. Before the rapid rise in the next 12 months, the market is expected to be relatively calm in July and August.
While we believe that the broader market will follow the previous cycle’s rise, there are indeed some nuances in the market this cycle.
The impact of institutional entry
In this cycle, we have seen some new factors. First, there is the growing influence of institutional products. Since the Bitcoin ETF was approved, the market has attracted more than $15 billion in inflows. And, only about 25% of U.S. financial advisors can currently recommend these products to clients, meaning there's plenty of room for growth ahead.
The gold ETF has experienced net inflows for five consecutive years after being approved, so we can expect that the Bitcoin ETF will also continue to attract capital inflows. This will help reduce market volatility and extend the duration of the cycle.
More Tokens with a Bigger Hair Backlog
Secondly, the number of tokens available for purchase has increased significantly. In 2021, there were approximately 400,000 tokens on the market, and today this number exceeds 3 million, with 100,000 new tokens being added every day. Additionally, there are a large number of tokens unlocked from previous issuances, with $350 million worth of tokens unlocked in July alone. Such an increase in supply would undoubtedly have an impact on the market.
There are also a large number of private projects on the market ready to be listed. These projects are expected to conduct token generation events in the fall. More than 1,000 projects funded in 2023 and early 2024 have yet to issue tokens, with the total supply expected to reach billions of dollars. The issuance of these new tokens could have a significant impact on the market.
Macroeconomic conditions
The macroeconomic conditions in the United States also have an important impact on the market. Currently, the U.S. unemployment rate remains low, inflation continues to decline, unemployment claims are flat, and wage growth is stagnant. These factors provide the Fed with a reason to cut interest rates. We are expected to see interest rate cuts in 2024 and 2025, which will lower the cost of capital for businesses, lower debt rates for consumers, and provide more funding for risk assets.
VC’s Reserve Fund
In 2021 and 2022, multiple $1 billion+ cryptocurrency-focused funds were successfully raised. These funds typically have a 3-4 year timeline for capital deployment. Due to the impact of FTX, many funds will invest cautiously in late 2022 and early 2023. However, the recent market rally has taken many venture capital firms by surprise, resulting in significant reserves sitting on the sidelines this cycle. Much of the reserve funds are being actively deployed in Q1 and Q2 of 2024.
A clearer regulatory environment
Finally, changes in the regulatory environment have also had an important impact on the market. While upcoming regulations may be controversial, clear rules can reduce market uncertainty. The EU’s MiCA has been launched, and there are several bills in the US regarding market structure, banking services and stablecoins. If Republicans win the presidency and the Senate, these bills could be introduced quickly in the first quarter of 2024.
Longer and less volatile
Overall, we believe this cycle is likely to be longer and less volatile than previous cycles. Large-cap assets will lead the rally, with large reserves from venture capital firms supporting a slew of new projects, but we will still need new net buyers to support more assets. Although we get many buyers through the ETF, these buyers are unlikely to be on-chain users supporting the valuation of other tokens.
Large-cap assets lead the rise, and the "altcoin season" is no longer
We expect that in this cycle, large-cap assets will lead the rise, while long-tail assets will be more volatile. Many top assets may be included in institutional-grade products. Compared to past cycles, many small or emerging protocols will be ground zero as competition for capital intensifies. In this cycle, there will be huge differences in the investment and performance of long-tail protocols.
Selection and focus are crucial
In this cycle, asset selection is more important than ever. The old method of "casting a net to catch fish" no longer works. As supply increases, attention is almost as important as fundamentals (or even more so in some verticals). Investors should focus on verticals and protocols at the Seed and Series A stages.
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