Dispatch #179: A Trillion Dollar Star

Feb 16 4 min read

Dispatch

In this patch of your weekly Dispatch:

ETF vibes for ETH 🙏
The (new) rise of NFTs 🖼️
The HODLers in profit 🏦

No Clouds in (Bitcoin) Space

The more vigilant Dispatch readers will have recognized оur attempts to present you with diversе Big Ideas each week. But, as the law of universal gravitation implies, we are once again drawn to Bitcoin. It’s just big.

Bitcoin at $50K? That’s gone off the markets for now, with Nexo Co-founder Antoni Trenchev sharing his insights to CNBC.

And as BTC neatly put its trillion-dollar market cap back, he may be on to something:

Bitcoin traders remain undeterred by potential price drops, posting bullish options bets all the way up to $75,000 levels. Past rallies have shown similar patterns, with high-strike calls indicating optimism.
Spot Bitcoin ETFs have been hailed as the most successful from over 5000 launched in the last 30 years. Just this week the $2.3B in inflows surpassed those from the first 20 days of trading. BlackRock and Fidelity lead with $4.2B and $3.5B in AUM, respectively.
Bitcoin Halving is evolving – that’s the main finding in a lengthy survey from US investment company Grayscale. It concludes that Bitcoin's future shines brightly post-Halving thanks to Ordinal inscriptions and positive market updates, which see the ETFs absorb market selling pressure and stabilize BTC’s price.

So, is there anything getting in the way of a new all-time high? The most recent inflation numbers reported by the world's largest economy, the USA, could but didn’t. Just this Tuesday, the US Consumer Price Index report showed inflation came in hotter than expected. Historically this has seen BTC react violently, more so when the numbers suggest that rate cuts – favorable for crypto – remain further away. Yet a mere 2% dip, followed by swift recovery was all that occurred. And for now, this stable warmth is just fine.

The Latest In…

ETH’s Own Path to the Top

Ethereum, arguably a separate star system from Bitcoin, has also made some celestial moves during the week:

ETH surged towards $2,800, marking its highest level since May 2022, as analysts anticipate the potential approval of a spot ETF could propel it towards $3,500.
Asset management giant Franklin Templeton joined Ark Invest, 21Shares, Grayscale Investments, and BlackRock with its own spot Ethereum ETF application.
The highly anticipated Dencun upgrade, potentially introducing more optimized transaction data storage and fees, has now been scheduled for March 13. This event is slated to make ETH much more competitive against other cryptocurrencies.

The Latest In…

DeFi Finds Friends… in the Fed?

With all the hype around BTC and ETH, you’d be forgiven for missing the DeFi multi-star system. But it’s there, shining its brightest in almost two years with a market cap of $90B. Now it's been recognized by the highest echelons in finance. Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller outlined the role of stablecoins in decentralized finance, suggesting they could strengthen the USD.

Waller highlighted that the vast majority of DeFi trading relies on stablecoins, with 99% pegged to the dollar. Yet DeFi couldn’t undermine the USD’s global dominance. “Recent developments that some have warned could threaten that status have, if anything, strengthened it, at least so far,” Waller noted.

The Latest In…

On-chain Whisky?

Those thinking NFTs have died down are potentially missing the latest trends in enhancing user experiences. The renowned Glenlivet distillery will debut on a blockchain-enabled marketplace, offering twelve bottles priced at €40,000 each. Each bottle represents one of The Glenlivet's essential elements, boasting unique AI-created labels.

Bottled to celebrate the distillery's 200th anniversary, the whisky will be available this summer. The Whisky Exchange, a prominent London retailer, spearheads the marketplace, providing buyers with transferable digital certificates for ownership proof. Owners can also enjoy 5cl samples at various ages. Cheers to that – it’s sure to bring back a little fun to owning NFTs.

The Latest In…

A Rockin’ Valentine’s Day

Those NFTs we talked about above, they’re not just for company anniversaries and trading, you know. You could also mark Valentine’s Day this year. Legendary auction house Sotheby’s kicked off a sealed auction of EtherRock NFTs on February 14, offering a unique Valentine’s Day gift opportunity.

The EtherRock collection, a pivotal part of NFT history, comprises 100 nearly identical cartoon JPEG images of rocks, each with minor color variations. Despite their simplistic nature, EtherRocks have remained a topic of discussion in the digital art world since their inception in 2017. These NFTs symbolize a unique era in the evolution of digital collectibles, attracting attention from both collectors and critics alike. Again – at Sotheby’s. For $700,000.

The Week’s Most Interesting Data Story

Who’s in Profit?

The last four years have seen both bull and bear markets take hold of Bitcoin. Yet, current supply and profit metrics highlight a fortunate-looking picture. A minimal amount of short-term holders are in loss, while a vast majority of long-term investors have found themselves ripping the benefits of HODLing.