Bitcoin, the world’s most popular cryptocurrency, is currently facing immense selling pressure as it continues to slide by over 20%. After two days of lower lows, Bitcoin not only failed to hold above the $63,000 mark but also dropped below the May 2024 lows. This significant drop has caused fear in the market, leading to a wave of liquidation.
One analyst, Ki Young Ju, the founder of CryptoQuant, a crypto analytics platform, believes that the recent crash was necessary for the Bitcoin market. According to Ju, the market has been heavily futures-driven for a long time, with leveraged speculators looking to profit from market volatility rather than utilizing the network’s solution. However, Ju notes that there has been a shift in market structure, with a decrease in reliance on futures contracts and a greater focus on holding Bitcoin for the long term.
Following the flash crash below $54,000, hundreds of millions of leveraged long positions were liquidated across various platforms. Coinglass reported that over $323 million worth of leveraged longs were closed, compared to only $121 million of shorts. Most of these positions were initiated on major exchanges like Binance and OKX, which support spot trading and perpetual futures.
Ju also points out that the shift from futures to spot trading could be attributed to the impact of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Approximately a quarter of all capital inflow into spot trading volume is now coming from ETF issuers, indicating a more mature market compared to before. This influx of institutional money is expected to provide more stability to the market, as these holders are likely to hold on during price dumps.
As Bitcoin continues to mature, more institutions and public companies are expected to follow the path of MicroStrategy and Tesla by allocating capital for Bitcoin purchases to diversify their portfolios. By early July, spot Bitcoin ETF issuers had already purchased billions of dollars worth of Bitcoin on behalf of their clients. Despite recent outflows due to the current state of price action, the overall trend towards institutional adoption of Bitcoin appears to be growing.
In conclusion, while the recent drop in Bitcoin’s price may be concerning for some investors, analysts like Ki Young Ju believe that it was a necessary correction to purge the market of leveraged speculators and pave the way for a more stable and mature market structure. As Bitcoin continues to evolve and attract institutional interest, the future outlook for the cryptocurrency remains positive.