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Bitcoin Tumbles From Multi-Month High on DOJ Worry, Hawkish Fed
Earlier Wednesday the crypto had touched its highest point since before the FTX collapse.
Updated Jan 18, 2023, 5:45 p.m. Published Jan 18, 2023, 4:39 p.m.
Just two hours after surging to a four-month high of about $21,550, the price of bitcoin (BTC) has tumbled nearly $1,000, now down 2.6% to $20,600.
More than $107 million was liquidated across crypto derivatives markets during the quick plunge, according to Coinglass.
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Helping to spur the slump was the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) teasing the announcement of a major international crypto enforcement action coming at noon ET. There were also some hawkish comments from St. Louis Federal Reserve President Jim Bullard, who suggested the central bank should hike interest rates by 50 basis points at its next meeting in February versus market expectations for a 25 basis point move.
All three major U.S. stock market indices are also in the red, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average leading the downside with a 1% decline.
Ether (ETH) is off 4% to $1,511.
Among crypto-related stocks pulling back are Coinbase (COIN) down 4%, Marathon Digital (MARA) down 17%, and MicroStrategy (MSTR) down 11%.
UPDATE (Jan. 18, 17:40 UTC): The government has charged little-known crypto platform Bitzlato with laundering funds tied to illicit Russian finance and its founder has been arrested. With the "major" perhaps somewhat overhyped, bitcoin has bounced a bit, now trading just below $21,000.
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Bitcoin’s Deep Correction Sets Stage for December Rebound, Says K33 Research
K33 Research says market fear is outweighing fundamentals as bitcoin nears key levels. December could offer an entry point for bold investors.
What to know:
- K33 Research says bitcoin’s steep correction shows signs of bottoming, with December potentially marking a turning point.
- The firm has argued that the market is overreacting to long-term risks while ignoring near-term signals of strength, like low leverage and solid support levels.
- With likely policy shifts ahead and cautious positioning in futures, K33 sees more upside potential than risk of another major collapse.
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