Crypto Market Rebounds: Bitcoin Surges, Altcoins Join the Rally

The crypto market experienced a recovery on Thursday, with Bitcoin surging above $69,000 after days of stagnation. This rally aligns with increased inflows into spot BTC ETFs, offsetting recent outflows. However, stocks faced pressure towards the closing bell, following comments from a Fed president suggesting a potential hold on interest rate cuts. Gold witnessed a downward trend after reaching a record high, while Bitcoin volatility remains high with analysts warning of potential market swings due to the upcoming halving and increased demand from institutions.

Crypto Market Rebounds: Bitcoin Surges, Alts Follow

The crypto market witnessed a significant recovery on Thursday, with Bitcoin (BTC) propelling back above $69,000 after hovering around $66,000 for the past three days. The rally is attributed to an uptick in spot BTC ETF inflows, which had experienced five consecutive days of outflows.

Stocks initially opened higher and maintained their positive momentum for much of the day. However, late afternoon saw a drop in stock prices after Neel Kashkari, President of the Minnesota Fed, suggested that the Fed might not reduce interest rates at all this year if inflation persists.

Investors are eagerly anticipating Friday's March jobs report for insights into the Fed's next move, as the report holds significant weight in the central bank's data-driven monetary policy.

By market close, the S&P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq had all declined by 1.23%, 1.35%, and 1.40%, respectively. The yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury note, which had spiked to 4.43% yesterday, fell 2.77% on Thursday, settling at 4.305%. Gold also trended lower, having reached a record high of $2,305.63 earlier in the trading session, but has since retreated from that peak, currently trading at $2,285, a 0.9% drop from the high.

Rising Bitcoin Volatility

TradingView data indicates that Bitcoin initiated the day with a dip to $65,070, but subsequently reversed course, climbing to a high of $69,370, reflecting a 6.62% turnaround. At the time of writing, BTC trades at $67,820, marking a 3.1% increase over the past 24 hours.

Market analyst Bloodgood cautions traders to be wary of another potential "fakeout" for Bitcoin. He observes that while Bitcoin's price surge on Thursday drew positive reactions, a higher low and lower high have formed on the daily timeframe, suggesting the formation of a symmetrical triangle. Bloodgood advises traders to wait for the weekly candle to close before reaching any firm conclusions.

With the Bitcoin halving approximately 16 days away, Bloodgood anticipates significant volatility and emphasizes the potential irrelevance of technical levels during such periods. He highlights the importance of holding the $68,000 level for continuation and expects bulls to fiercely defend it.

Bloodgood emphasizes the significance of conviction in navigating the crypto market, citing Multicoin Capital's recent annual investor letter as an example. The firm reported a 9,000% return for their crypto hedge fund since its inception in 2017, including a 500% gain in 2023 alone. However, their 91.4% drawdown in 2022 serves as a stark reminder of the inherent volatility of crypto.

Growing Interest in Bitcoin

Despite the recent lull in Bitcoin price and ETF inflows, Zach Bruch, founder and CEO of MyPrize, maintains that "Interest in Bitcoin is continuously growing – from institutions and asset managers entering the space to countries putting Bitcoin on their balance sheets." He anticipates that demand will surge further post-halving.

Bruch attributes the anticipated price increase after the halving to supply and demand dynamics. The reduction in mining rewards will decrease daily Bitcoin supply and alleviate sell pressure from miners. Consequently, combined with elevated demand from institutions and others entering the market, Bruch anticipates price appreciation, as has historically been observed following halvings. He also suggests that Bitcoin miner stocks may benefit during this market cycle.

Alts Back on the Uptrend

Altcoins generally experienced an uptrend on Thursday, with the majority of tokens in the top 200 posting gains. Aragon (ANT) emerged as the top performer, rising by 43.2%. Pendle (PENDLE) followed closely with a 37.6% gain, while Nervos Network (CKB) advanced by 15.4%. The newly introduced meme coin 'cat in a dogs world' (MEW) suffered the greatest loss, dropping by 19.7%. Wormhole (W) declined by 18.9%, and Core (CORE) fell by 17%.

The total cryptocurrency market capitalization currently stands at $2.57 trillion, with Bitcoin maintaining a dominance rate of 52.6%.