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Bitcoin Leads a Fundamental Shift in the Crypto Market

The first quarter of 2025 was a reality check for digital assets. While the year began with optimism fueled by the election of a pro-crypto U.S. president and expectations of a friendlier regulatory environment, macroeconomic challenges quickly came to dominate the narrative. Bitcoin briefly reached a new all-time high of $109,356 before ending the quarter down 11.6%, its second-largest quarterly decline since Q2 2022. Altcoins fared worse, with indices more heavily weighted toward smaller-cap tokens such as the CoinDesk Memecoin Index (CDMEME) and the CoinDesk 80 (CD80) declining by 55.2% and 46.4%, respectively.
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Beneath the surface, a more fundamental shift is playing out. The gap between bitcoin and the rest of the market continues to widen, driven in large part by institutional behavior. As outlined in our latest Digital Assets Quarterly Report, institutions are playing an increasingly decisive role in shaping capital flows, preferring liquid and regulated large-cap assets. This shift is pushing the digital asset market toward more structured, benchmark-driven strategies.
One of the clearest signs of this realignment comes from bitcoin dominance, which expresses bitcoin’s total market capitalization as a percentage of the market capitalization for all cryptocurrencies combined. This figure rose to 62.2% in Q1, its highest level since February 2021. Notably, this increase occurred despite a 26.9% drop in bitcoin’s total market capitalization from its January peak. Our latest chart of the week highlights this trend, showing how capital rotated out of speculative assets and into bitcoin as macro volatility and geopolitical uncertainty mounted.
The CoinDesk 20 Index (CD20) has emerged as a useful lens for tracking this institutional shift. While the index fell 23.2% in Q1, it significantly outperformed most major digital assets. XRP was the only CD20 constituent to post a positive return, rising 0.4% in the quarter, driven by the dismissal of the SEC’s case against Ripple, as well as strong growth in its RLUSD stablecoin. RLUSD’s market cap surged 323% in Q1 to reach $245 million, while cumulative trading volumes exceeded $10 billion in just over three months.
By contrast, ether fell 45.3% — underperforming most major assets amid continued migration of user activity to Layer 2s and a lack of positive catalysts. U.S. spot ETH ETFs saw net outflows of $228 million in Q1, compared to net inflows of over $1 billion for bitcoin ETFs. The ETH/BTC ratio declined to 0.022, its lowest level since May 2020, reinforcing the shift in relative dominance this cycle.
Bitcoin’s broader role as a macro asset also continued to gain traction. In addition to strong ETF flows, public companies added nearly 100,000 BTC to their holdings in Q1, representing a 34.7% increase. This brought the total held by such companies to 689,059 BTC — equivalent to more than $56.4 billion at current prices. The launch of the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, along with the introduction of a broader Digital Asset Stockpile by the Treasury, further underscored bitcoin’s growing legitimacy within U.S. policy.
Looking to Q2, the tone in markets has improved following the recent pause in new tariff measures. Risk assets responded favorably, and altcoin ETF optimism remains high. Nearly 40 spot ETF applications for altcoins were submitted in Q1 alone, led by those for Solana and XRP, which each had eight filings. Other assets applying for spot ETFs included Litecoin, Dogecoin and Polkadot. With Solana futures now live on the CME, the precedent for institutional-grade altcoin exposure continues to build.
The first quarter offered a reminder that digital assets are no longer moving in isolation. As macro conditions evolve and policy shifts begin to reshape the regulatory environment, capital is consolidating into assets with deeper liquidity, stronger narratives and institutional relevance. Bitcoin’s rising dominance, shifting ETF flows and the fragmentation of altcoin performance all point to a market recalibrating around structural factors rather than sentiment alone.
For a deeper dive into these dynamics, including full index performance and constituent insights, you can access the full Digital Assets Quarterly Report here.
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Bitcoin Nears Golden Cross Weeks After ‘Trapping Bears’ as U.S. Debt Concerns Mount

Bitcoin’s BTC price chart is echoing a bullish pattern that foreshadowed the late 2024 price surge from $70,000 to $100,000 amid mounting concerns over the sustainability of the U.S. debt.
The leading cryptocurrency by market value appears on track to confirm a «golden cross» in the coming days, according to charting platform TradingView. The pattern occurs when the 50-day simple moving average (SMA) of prices crosses above the 200-day SMA to suggest that the short-term trend is outperforming the broader trend, with the potential to evolve into a major bull run.
The moving average-based golden cross has a mixed record of predicting price trends. The impending one, however, is worth noting because it’s about to occur weeks after its ominous-sounding opposite, the death cross, trapped bears on the wrong side of the market.
A similar pattern unfolded from August through September 2024, setting the stage for a convincing move above $70,000 in early November. Prices eventually set a record high above $109K in January this year.
The chart on the left shows that BTC bottomed out at around $50,000 in early August last year as the 50-day SMA moved below the 200-day SMA to confirm the death cross.
In other words, the death cross was a bear trap, much like the one in early April this year. Prices turned higher in subsequent weeks, eventually beginning a new uptrend after the appearance of the golden cross in late October 2024.
The bullish sequence is being repeated since early April, and prices could begin the next leg higher following the confirmation of the golden cross in the coming days.
Past performance does not guarantee future results, and technical patterns do not always deliver as expected. That said, macro factors seem aligned with the bullish technical setup.
Moody’s amplifies U.S. debt concerns
On Friday, credit rating agency Moody’s downgraded the U.S. sovereign credit rating from the highest ”Aaa” to ”Aa1”, citing concerns over the increasing national debt, which has now reached $36 trillion.
The bond market has been pricing fiscal concerns for some time. Last week, CoinDesk detailed how persistent elevated Treasury yields reflected expectations for continued fiscal splurge and sovereign risk premium, both bullish for bitcoin.
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XRP Price Surges After V-Shaped Recovery, Targets $3.40

Global economic tensions and regulatory developments continue to influence XRP’s price action, with the digital asset showing remarkable resilience despite recent volatility.
After experiencing a significant dip to $2.307 on high volume, XRP has established an upward trajectory with a series of higher lows, suggesting continued momentum as it approaches resistance levels.
Technical indicators point to a potential bullish breakout, with multiple analysts highlighting critical support at $2.35-$2.40 that must hold for upward continuation.
Technical Analysis Highlights
- Price experienced a 3.76% range ($2.307-$2.396) over 24 hours with a sharp sell-off at 16:00 dropping to $2.307 on high volume (77.9M).
- Strong support emerged at $2.32 level with buyers stepping in during high-volume periods, particularly during the 13:00-14:00 recovery.
- Asset established upward trajectory, forming higher lows from the bottom, with resistance around $2.39 tested during 07:00 session.
- In the last hour, XRP climbed from $2.358 to $2.368, representing a 0.42% gain with notable volume spikes at 01:52 and 01:55.
- Price surged past resistance at $2.36 to reach $2.366, later establishing new local highs at $2.369 during 02:03 session on substantial volume (539,987).
- Currently maintaining strength above $2.368 support level with decreasing volatility suggesting potential continuation of upward trajectory.
Disclaimer: This article was generated with AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy. This article may include information from external sources, which are listed below when applicable.
External References
- «XRP price path to $3.40 remains intact — Here is why«, Cointelegraph, published May 16, 2025.
- «XRP Price Watch: Bulls Eye $2.60 as Long-Term Trend Holds«, Bitcoin.com News, published May 17, 2025.
- «XRP Price Explosion To $5.9: Current Consolidation Won’t Stop XRP From Growing«, NewsBTC, published May 17, 2025.
Uncategorized
SUI Surges After Finding Strong Support at $3.75 Level

Global economic tensions and shifting trade policies continue to influence cryptocurrency markets, with SUI showing particular resilience.
The asset established a trading range of 4.46% between $3.70 and $3.86, finding strong volume support at the $3.755 level.
A notable bullish momentum emerged with price surging 1.9% on above-average volume, establishing resistance at $3.850.
The formation of higher lows throughout the latter part of the day suggests consolidation above the $3.775 support level.
Technical Analysis Highlights
- SUI established a 24-hour trading range of 0.165 (4.46%) between the low of 3.700 and high of 3.862.
- Strong volume support emerged at the 3.755 level during hours 17-18, with accumulation exceeding the 24-hour volume average by 45%.
- Notable bullish momentum occurred in the 20:00 hour with price surging 7.2 cents (1.9%) on above-average volume.
- Resistance established at 3.850 with higher lows forming throughout the latter part of the day.
- Decreasing volatility in the final hours suggests consolidation above the 3.775 support level.
- Significant buyer interest appeared between 01:27-01:30, forming a strong support zone at 3.756-3.760 with exceptionally high volume (over 300,000 units per minute).
- Decisive bullish reversal began at 01:42, establishing a series of higher lows and higher highs.
- Breakout above 3.780 occurred at 01:55, followed by consolidation near 3.785 with decreasing volume.
Disclaimer: This article was generated with AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk’s full AI Policy. This article may include information from external sources, which are listed below when applicable.
External References
- «Sui price up 5.16% intra-day: bullish structure remains strong«, crypto.news, published May 16, 2205.
- «SUI Set to Explode, But Don’t Sleep on XRP and Other Altcoins«, CoinPedia, May 16, 2025.
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