Standard Chartered’s hypothetical ‘Mag 7B’ index, with bitcoin replacing Tesla, delivered higher returns than the original lineup.
Xapo Bank hopes to attract people back to a sector hit hard following the collapse of centralized lenders like Celsius and BlockFi in 2022.
"We estimate that Base (the dominant layer 2) has removed $50 billion of market cap from Ethereum alone," said Geoffrey Kendrick.
The continued growth of publicly listed bitcoin miners is expected as they push further into vertical integration, JPMorgan analysts said.
JPMorgan sees less than a 50% chance of a U.S. strategic crypto reserve gaining approval, citing congressional hurdles.
"Trump talks up crypto when he is before crypto investors. Yet we continue to believe this is not a personal priority," said TD Cowen.
Trump said Sunday that XRP, SOL, and ADA, along with BTC and ETH, will be included in the proposed crypto reserve.
With Solana futures set to launch on CME next month, the path for a spot SOL ETF approval could become clearer.
"Now that is a dip I would like to buy," Standard Chartered's Geoffrey Kendrick said of the $69,000–$76,500 range for bitcoin.
The following article is adapted from The Block’s newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons.
JPMorgan analysts say a lack of positive catalysts and fading momentum drive lower demand for bitcoin and ether futures.
"The 13F filings for Q4 show that process is underway," Kendrick said in an email to The Block on Tuesday. "It is happening."
The initiative comes as Hong Kong moves toward a regulated stablecoin framework as part of its broader digital asset strategy.
Negative headlines have caused bitcoin to lose value over the past 5 weekends in a row, but that trend may soon reverse.
Barclays has emerged as one of the top holders of BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF as of Dec 31, according to a Thursday 13F filing with the SEC.
The following article is adapted from The Block’s newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons.
JPMorgan analysts estimate that only 66%–83% of Tether's reserves comply with proposed U.S. stablecoin regulations, potentially requiring asset restructuring.
Analysts attribute ether's underperformance to growing competition from Solana and Layer 2s, and its lack of bitcoin's store-of-value appeal.
"Although the near-term remains choppy for Bitcoin the long-term is becoming clearer by the day," Kendrick said in an email to The Block.
CME Group, the world's largest operator of financial derivatives exchanges, announced it will introduce options on Bitcoin Friday Futures.
The correlation tends to peak during periods of strong tech market performance or sell-offs, JPMorgan analysts said.
"BTC remains strongly correlated to Nasdaq, much more so than it does to gold," said Standard Chartered's Geoffrey Kendrick.
Donald Trump's executive order on crypto signals support for the industry, but it was "easy stuff," according to TD Cowen.
Hester Peirce has been tasked with leading the SEC's crypto task force, but her term expiring in June is a key concern noted by TD Cowen.
Crypto VC funding is expected to rise in 2025 but likely won't reach the highs of 2021-2022, according to JPMorgan analysts.