Share this article

Vibe Check: The Sell-Off Continues: CoinDesk Indices' Todd Groth

Periodic observations and market musings from Todd Groth, Head of Research, CoinDesk Indices

Updated Mar 8, 2024, 8:26 p.m. Published Jan 24, 2024, 8:27 p.m.
Red arrows pointing down falling drop (Getty Images)
Red arrows pointing down falling drop (Getty Images)

The sell-off continues.

Bitcoin Trend Indicator (Jan 16: changed to light green. Jan 18: changed to yellow)

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Bitcoin Trend Indicator - Jan 16: changed to light green.  Jan 18: changed to yellow (CoinDesk)
Bitcoin Trend Indicator - Jan 16: changed to light green. Jan 18: changed to yellow (CoinDesk)

Since we turned neutral on the Bitcoin Trend Indicator (from significant uptrend, onJan. 18), and front-end US interest rates have risen 5bps, we’ve fallen lower about4.5% lower to 39.5k, and lie back in the middle of the bitcoin [BTC] price trend channel established at the crypto winter bottom in Dec 2022.

The Bitcoin Trend Indicator or BTI is an online tool, created by CoinDesk subsidiary CoinDesk Indices, to help investors determine where the price of bitcoin is going. The tool generates one of five possible values, each representing a particular direction and strength of bitcoin's price trend, ranging from significant downtrend to significant uptrend. The indicators are generated via historical data from the CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index (XBX), using a non-discretionary algorithm.

Bitcoin price trend channel (TradingView)
Bitcoin price trend channel (TradingView)

Down about 20% since the spot ETF launch peak suggests the market expected greater short term ETF inflows (over $1 billion net inflows over past seven days; H/T @EricBalchunas) and highlights why position sizing is so key in this emergent and volatile asset class we love so much. Sorry, recent TradFi joiners.

CoinDesk 20 Index, a benchmark that tracks top cryptocurrencies, saw its trading volumes growing. One week into the launch of CoinDesk 20 Index, we’ve seen significant daily traded volume on linked perpetual futures linked to crypto’s first multi-token tradable index (currently $44 million 24-hr volume).

CoinDesk 20 Index trading volume rising (CoinDesk)
CoinDesk 20 Index trading volume rising (CoinDesk)

While the CoinDesk 20 Index has been dragged lower with the broader market over the past week, over the past 3 months (i.e. since the Bitcoin Trend Indicator turned green) we’ve seen CoinDesk 20 significantly outperform bitcoin and ether by 1500 bps and 1200 bps, respectively.

CoinDesk 20 significantly outperform bitcoin (CoinDesk)
CoinDesk 20 significantly outperform bitcoin (CoinDesk)

This outperformance has been primarily driven by the CoinDesk 20 Index’s tilt towards smaller altcoins, notably Solana [SOL], Avalanche [AVAX] and Cardano [ADA], which all punched above their index weight relative to the established [BTC] and [ETH] majors.

Need more color on what's happening in the markets? Check out these stories:

More For You

BlackRock exec says 1% crypto allocation in Asia could unlock $2 trillion in new flows

BlackRock logo in front of a building (BlackRock/Modified by CoinDesk)

During a panel discussion at Consensus in Hong Kong, Peach pointed to massive capital pools in traditional finance as ETF adoption spreads across Asia.

What to know:

  • Even a 1% crypto allocation in standard portfolios across Asia could translate into nearly $2 trillion of inflows, highlighting how modest shifts in asset allocation could transform the digital asset market, according to the head of APAC iShares at BlackRock, Nicholas Peach.
  • BlackRock's iShares unit, whose U.S.-listed spot Bitcoin ETF IBIT has rapidly grown to about $53 billion in assets, is seeing strong demand from Asian investors as ETF adoption accelerates across the region.
  • Regulators in markets such as Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea are moving toward broader crypto ETF offerings, but industry leaders say investor education and portfolio strategy will be critical to channeling traditional finance capital into digital assets.