Bitcoin surged past $49,000 on Monday, fueled by robust inflows into spot bitcoin ETFs last week and signs of institutional accumulation. The cryptocurrency exhibited a sudden spike from around $48,000 to $49,100 during the U.S. trading session. As of the latest update, Bitcoin was trading just above $48,900, marking a nearly 2% gain over the past 24 hours. This performance outpaced the minor 0.2% decline in the CoinDesk 20 Index (CD20), reflecting broader market movements.
The strong price action is attributed to last week’s substantial inflows into spot bitcoin ETFs, attracting over $1.1 billion in net fresh funds. Notably, this occurred as outflows from established funds like Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) and ProShares’ futures-based ETF slowed down, as reported by asset management firm CoinShares on Monday.
Despite the positive momentum, potential selling pressure looms on the horizon. Genesis, a crypto lender currently under bankruptcy protection, is anticipated to liquidate its $1.6 billion worth of GBTC holdings. This move has the potential to impact ETF net inflows and prices in the coming months.
Macro analyst Noelle Acheson highlighted that Bitcoin’s current uptrend is primarily driven by increased accumulation, fueled by expectations of capital injection in China to address its stock market challenges and the anticipation of future currency depreciation even in developed countries.
In the absence of a clear catalyst explaining Bitcoin’s recent movements, Acheson suggests that the surge may be a result of heightened accumulation due to the reasons mentioned, coupled with the ongoing efforts of ETF marketing campaigns spreading awareness about Bitcoin.
In summary, Bitcoin’s ascent to over $49,000 is underpinned by strong ETF inflows and institutional accumulation. However, the potential impact of Genesis’ GBTC liquidation on ETFs and prices adds an element of uncertainty to the outlook. Accumulation driven by global economic factors and ETF marketing initiatives is considered a significant contributing factor to the recent positive price trend.
