Crypto Market Might Look Calm, But It’s ‘Swimming Like Mad’ Beneath the Surface: Analyst

Institutions are evenly split on crypto funds this week, according to the latest analysis from CoinShares. The firm’s latest report shows that the last seven days were marked by a meager $11.2 million in outflows,suggesting that neither bulls nor bears are in charge.

Digging a bit deeper, however, the larger picture reveals more insight. Trading volumes jumped 90% above the year-to-date average, skyrocketing to $2.8 billion over the same period.

“I liken it to a duck,” James Butterfill, head of research for CoinShares, told Decrypt. “On the surface, not much is happening, but underneath it’s swimming like mad.”

He said the numbers can be attributed to last week’s roller coaster of legal and emotional ups and downs in the crypto market.

Grayscale celebrated as the institution won its appeal against the SEC to convert its Bitcoin trust to an ETF. The party was short lived, however, after the regulatory agency delayed a number of spot Bitcoin ETF applications—including that of leading contender BlackRock.

Butterfill explained to Decrypt that this week’s rather low institutional flows “suggest opinions are quite equally polarized among investors.” He added, “Some believe the delay from the SEC is bad news and selling, while others see the price weakness as a buying opportunity.”

Bitcoin currently trades at $25,853, according to Coingecko—a trifling 1.1% drop on the week. 

Today’s CoinShares report indicated that large entities entered a seventh consecutive week of selling, totalling $342 million. 

Despite this short-term downtrend, 2023 has remained green. As Butterfill writes, the year has been driven by both the hopes and concerns over crypto regulations, with entities scooping up $165 million worth of digital assets. 

Bitcoin finally reversed direction, although the numbers aren’t outstanding. After a devastatingly negative August, the largest cryptocurrency saw inflows worth of $3.8 million in the last week.

Germany led the bears on the week, according to CoinShares, with $26.9 million in outflows, whereas its neighbor to the south, Switzerland, was a positive counterpart, marking $14.8 million worth of purchases. Other countries, such as the United States and Canada, posted negligible buying, with $1.9 million and $0.4 million respectively.

The vast majority of altcoins also saw outflows, wrote Butterfill, with Polygon and Ethereum leading the pack at $8.6 million and $3.2 million, respectively. 

As the summer doldrums dissipate, today’s numbers might trigger traders and investors to look forward to a fourth quarter with slightly more movement.