Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin Fall Ahead Of Inflation Data: Why Crypto Prices May Not Return To 'Prosperous' Levels

Zinger Key Points
  • Cryptocurrency rally stalls ahead of inflation data release on Wednesday
  • Traders expect volatility but upbeat on the trend, community less certain as sell interest spikes
  • Ethereum call options dwarf put options in September, but demand for calls wanes after the Merge

The global cryptocurrency market cap fell 2.7% to $1.09 trillion on Tuesday evening as investors awaited key consumer price index data.

Price Performance Of Major Coins
Coin 24-hour 7-day Price
Bitcoin BTC/USD -3% 0.5% $23,113.15
Ethereum ETH/USD -4.5% 4.1% $1,698.57
Dogecoin DOGE/USD -1.1% 3.45% $0.07
Top 24-Hour Gainers (Data via CoinMarketCap)
Cryptocurrency 24-Hour % Change (+/-) Price
Celsius (CEL) +5.7% $0.95
Nexo (NEXO) +5.2% $0.82
UNUS SED LEO (LEO) +3.7% ​​$4.96

See Also: How To Get Free Crypto

Why It Matters: Bitcoin and Ethereum traded in the red at press time as the cryptocurrency rally cooled. Stock futures were flat at press time.

Cryptocurrencies have recently seen a correlation with tech stocks, and those exhibited weakness on Tuesday after a major chip firm delivered a revenue warning. Stock investors exercised caution ahead of Wednesday’s inflation number release.

“Bitcoin’s rally is stalling as crypto traders need to see what happens with tomorrow’s inflation report,” said Edward Moya, a senior market analyst, in a note seen by Benzinga.

“Inflation is what killed Bitcoin late last year and if pricing pressures are showing significant signs of easing, Bitcoin might be able to burst above its recent trading range.”

Cryptocurrency trader Michaël van de Poppe tweeted that Bitcoin’s trend is upwards but a correction is taking place due to CPI fears. If the coin holds above the $21,300 mark it could continue to trend and if it breaks above $24,500 it could continue on to $28,000.

The apex coin has flipped support as on Monday’s close at $23,450. Last time it did so in 2021, Bitcoin rallied 26%, said Justin Bennett. 

“​​Inflation data on Wednesday and Thursday, so expect volatility,” said the trader.

Trader projections aside, the community doesn’t believe that Bitcoin and other coins will continue rising back to “ prosperous levels” according to sell hashtag mentions on Twitter, Reddit and Discord, said Santiment

The on-chain and social analysis platform said the spike in sell interest has hit a 2-month high. 

Ahead of the Ethereum merge, scheduled for mid September, traders are long — as reflected through options activity for that month, however the situation changes thereafter, according to Glassnode. 

Ethereum Options Open Interest (Deribit) By Strike ETH — Courtesy Glassnode

“Both futures and options market are in backwardation after September, suggesting traders are expecting the Merge to be a 'buy the rumor, sell the news' style event, and have positioned accordingly,” said the on-chain analysis firm in a weekly blog post. Backwardation refers to a situation where the spot price of an asset is higher than its forward price.

Ethereum Options' Implied Volatility — Courtesy Glassnode

Glassnode noted that call options dwarf put options for size and traders are better on Ethereum prices above $2,200 with considerable open interest even at the $5,000 level. However, this changes in October and the dramatic decline is visible on the right tail, which suggests there is lower demand for ETH exposure through options after the Merge concludes.

Read Next: JP Mogan Says Crypto Markets 'Have Found A Floor': Why Bitcoin, Ethereum May Have Bottomed

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