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Bitcoin, Ether Did Better Than You Think in 2022
CoinDesk research shows that per unit of risk, bitcoin and ether performed significantly better than bonds and had similar results to equities in 2022.
Updated Mar 6, 2023, 3:04 p.m. Published Dec 29, 2022, 7:19 p.m.
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Although the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market value, bitcoin , saw a roughly 64% decline in value year-to-date, CoinDesk research shows that bitcoin and ether returns in 2022 per unit of risk were about the same as equities and significantly better than bonds.
“We want to underscore this is not too different from what you would see in traditional markets, especially stock markets,” said Andrew Baehr, CoinDesk Indices managing director, on First Mover CoinDeskTV.
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“Look at some of the darlings that people were really excited about 18 months ago in stocks, they’ve lost 80-90% of their value as well.”
Bitcoin and ether appeared to be affected by the same forces that made stock investing a challenge over the past year, including high inflation and the looming threat of recession. According to CoinDesk data, stocks were nearly twice as risky in 2022 as 2021.
When looking at what caused this, Baehr said in a research report, that liquidity has to be the number one candidate. “When you look back at the negative events in the cryptocurrency industry it’s not too hard to draw an arrow to quickly deteriorating liquidity conditions as a partial cause,” said Baehr.
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KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
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Silver nears $1 billion in volume on Hyperliquid as bitcoin remains frozen: Asia Morning Briefing
Silver perps have more volume on Hyperliquid than SOL or XRP.
What to know:
- Silver futures on the Hyperliquid crypto derivatives exchange have surged to become one of its most active markets, ranking just behind bitcoin and ether in trading volume.
- The SILVER-USDC contract’s high volume, sizable open interest and slightly negative funding suggest traders are using crypto infrastructure for volatility and hedging in macro commodities rather than for directional crypto bets.
- Bitcoin is holding near $88,000 in a "defensive equilibrium" with cooling ETF inflows, uneven derivatives positioning and rising demand for downside protection, while ether lags and capital rotates toward hard assets like gold and silver.
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