It isn’t a secret that millions, if not billions of dollars fled the crypto asset markets in 2018. Blockchain projects liquidated hundreds of millions worth of Ethereum (ETH) from the initial coin offerings, while common Joes and Jills, many of who caught FOMO in late-2018, liquidated their Bitcoin (BTC) holdings in search for greener pastures for investing.Simultaneously, many have anecdotally said that little to no fiat has entered this space, creating an environment where solely sell-offs are the market’s M.O. But, one investor argues that while buying pressure has evidently eased, there remain billions worth of fiat waiting to enter positions in Bitcoin, contrary to popular belief and community sentiment.There’s $6 Billion Ready To Get Siphoned Into BitcoinBitcoin bull Su Zhu, the chief executive officer of the Singapore-based Three Arrows Capital, recently took to Twitter to remark why investors should be more optimistic when looking at the state of the cryptocurrency market.He stated that while there are billions of dollars sequestered away on the sidelines, such funds are poised to rush into the cryptocurrency space once the time is right. In fact, citing data from his sources, Su noted that crypto hedge funds and holding companies likely have $2 billion in fiat on-hand. If Tether is truly backed by U.S. dollar deposits, it, alongside its more centralized counterparts (regulated stablecoins), would be valued at $2.5 billion.Theres an estimated $2B in cash sitting at crypto funds/holdcos. Theres another $2B+ sitting in stablecoins, and another $2B sitting at exchanges/silvergate/signature.This is $6B fiat already onboarded to crypto to buy your bags. Imagine thinking we need new money to hit $10k.— Su Zhu (@zhusu) February 18, 2019Lastly, the industry researcher noted that outstanding exchange and crypto bank balances amount to yet another $2 billion, meaning that there is more than $6 billion in fiat that is “already onboarded.” Thus, Su determined:“This is $6B fiat already onboarded to crypto to buy your bags. Imagine thinking we need new money to hit $10k.”Su didn’t make an explicit forecast as to when such money could find its way to physical cryptocurrencies, but his message was underscored with tacitly bullish tones.Related Reading: Tim Draper Paid $18 Million For His First Bitcoin Batch, What’s it Worth Now?Fiat To Crypto AmplifiersWhile some would argue that the math doesn’t add up, considering that the cryptocurrency market capitalization is hundreds of billions of dollars off its peak, many forget to take fiat amplifiers into account. As hinted at in a previous NewsBTC report, due to the shallow order books (low liquidity) that are a byproduct of nascent markets, U.S. dollars that enter this market have often had an amplified effect on the value of digital assets.Although this ecosystem has matured in recent months, with the growth in on-ramps, liquidity aggregators/providers, and other offerings, many argue that fiat amplifiers still play a large role in the cryptosphere.Per analysis compiled by Alex Kruger, a leading markets researcher, JP Morgan claims that for the crypto assets at large, a fiat amplifier of 117.5 is present, as a purported $2 billion in net inflow pushed Bitcoin’s market capitalization from $15 billion to $250 billion But, this isn’t the whole story. Citigroup purportedly estimated an amplifier of 50, while Chris Burniske of Placeholder Ventures calculated the figure out to somewhere between two and 25.And it would be near-impossibility to get an accurate reading of this figure, most analysts have come to a consensus that each dollar that gets siphoned into this space affects cryptocurrencies disproportionately to their nominal value.Thus, considering a low-end amplifier of 10 times, the ~$6.5 odd billion that Su speculates is sitting on the sidelines could propel the aggregate value of all BTC up by $65 billion, pushing the cryptocurrency to just shy of $8,000. This may be short of the Three Arrow Capital’s $10,000 pseudo-target, but the irrationality of markets may get to work where amplifiers slacked and fell short.Copious Upside PotentialBitcoin surmounting the $10,000 price point will evidently be a breath of fresh air for a majority of crypto investors, as 2018’s downturn put a sour taste in the mouth of many. Yet, some remain convinced that this is far from the end of Bitcoin’s story.Per a survey conducted by Bitwise Asset Management, 55% of investment advisors surveyed believed that BTC would appreciate in value in the next five years, with predictions averaging out to $17,570. Tom Lee, the head of research at Fundstrat Global Advisors, has also been optimistic, divulging to Fox Business that he believes $25,000 for Bitcoin is “fair.”But some have gone above and beyond the quintuple-digit range. Tim Draper, a prominent billionaire Bitcoin enthusiast, told TheStreet in September that he still believes that BTC will breach $250,000 a pop by 2022. Filb Filb, a leading crypto researcher, echoed the sentiment that copious upside is possible, using regression analysis, historical indicators, and hard numbers to explain that $333,000 for each BTC isn’t out of the realm of possibility.Long-term price predictions are evidently all across the map, but many have argued that Bitcoin’s upside potential easily outweighs how far it could fall. Morgan Creek’s Anthony Pompliano and Mark Yusko have even explained that cryptocurrencies are the epitome of an investment opportunity with an “asymmetric risk/return profile.”Featured Image from Shutterstock

In the past 3 weeks, the valuation of the crypto market has increased by more than $22 billion from $111 billion to $123 billion.Source: Coinmarketcap.comThere is no shortage of technical charts, indicators, analysts and observers trying to predict where crypto markets and Bitcoin will go next. They are far more volatile than traditional stock or forex markets so many of these indicators may not be applicable in the same way. A lot is just guesswork so a combination of fundamentals and technicals may give us a better idea of what is going on.A Fundamentally Strong Environment for CryptoWhile most analysts agree that from a technical standpoint the bear market is not over yet, fundamentally things could not be better for Bitcoin and crypto. Late 2018 and so far this year the news has all been pretty good for Bitcoin and its brethren despite the opposite happening to prices.Now that the US government has been switched back on, progress can be made at the SEC and CFTC on regulatory approval for a number of highly anticipated crypto investment products. Huge names including the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) and Fidelity are in the holding pattern alongside others such as ErisX waiting to launch Ethereum futures. It is expected that one of these will be approved within the next month or two which could be a big driving factor for market momentum.I believe, a #Bitcoin #ETF serves the public interest via:
+ Increased liquidity using the ETF ecosystem
+ Lower counter-party risk
+ Better valuation & execution practices
+ Separation of duties: trading, custody, valuation
+ Transparent fees
+ Established compliance framework pic.twitter.com/OB0XUZeJ1O— Gabor Gurbacs (@gaborgurbacs) February 3, 2019Digital asset regulation is progressing in many nations in the Middle East and across Asia as doors slowly open to crypto. Two years ago the space was a daunting quagmire for many governments and only China seems to have slammed the door on it completely. Today more countries have welcomed the nascent industry than ever before.Big banks getting involved are unlikely to drive momentum for individual cryptos but things like the JPMCoin serve to increase overall awareness and acceptance of them. Digital currencies are here to stay and the fintech and internet giants need to be a part of it. Samsung’s next flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S10, will have crypto wallet functionality built in. Google and Facebook are actively recruiting blockchain teams and Rakuten, Japan’s equivalent of Amazon, is reportedly considering crypto payments.JPM coin isn’t supposed to compete with Bitcoin or SWIFT.Although it does nail the early use cases ripple pushed for (e.g. internal netting, pooling for corporates)Remember JPMC is a dominant global player in transaction banking. They can give huge value to existing clients— Simon Taylor (@sytaylor) February 18, 2019Lightning Network GrowthOn the technical side Bitcoin’s Lightning Network continues to grow in terms of unique channels which are now numbered at over 25,000. Ethereum is due for a network upgrade at the end of the month when Constantinople finally gets deployed and progress is being made with a lot of the major blockchain dApp platforms such as EOS, TRON, and NEO.Some crypto assets have already turned around and have started up trending since their lowest points of last year. Cryptos that have made over 100% since mid-December include Litecoin, EOS (on today’s rally), TRX, Binance Coin, and Ethereum is close with a recovery of 80%.Fundamentally things are looking good for the industry so if this current rally doesn’t last, don’t worry, the next one probably will.Image from Shutterstock

Following yesterday’s positive start to the week crypto markets have continued to rally adding another $8 billion to total market capitalization. Ethereum started the run but EOS is today’s moon shot as it surges 30%.EOS Top Performer in Top 100EOS has been a train over the past 24 hours pumping from $2.90 to an intraday high of $3.80 resulting in a 30% gain in a single day. It has since pulled back a little but is still the best performing altcoin in the top one hundred at the time of writing.Daily volume has also surged from $950 million to over $2.2 billion as fomo fervor grips day traders. It is the highest volume since June 2017 when the token traded at over $10. According to Coinmarketcap.com the Bit-Z exchange has had the most EOS trade with almost 20% of the total in BTC and USDT pairs.Today’s big pump pushes EOS to a 2019 high and the highest price it has traded at since late November when things started to dump hard across all crypto markets. Market cap for EOS is now around $3.3 billion which has allowed it to barrel past Litecoin and retake its place as the fourth largest cryptocurrency in the world. LTC has only managed to gain 7% which takes its market cap to $2.8 billion.FOMO RulezThe two day crypto rally was initiated yesterday by Ethereum which surged 12% outperforming all of the coins around it. Looking into the EOS Reddit there does not appear to be any major factor driving momentum at the moment aside from fomo. A whole bunch of comments there shines very little light on why EOS is outperforming the rest at the moment;“Seriously. Literally every coin in the top 50 from CMC is up except for the stablecoins. EOS going up has nothing to do with EOS,” added one poster.There is equally little on the Block.one twitter feed in terms of latest news or updates from the project that could be the cause of such a surge in price. The same can be said for the EOS.io Medium site. Looking at Dappradar shows both EOS and Tron dominating the top ten dApps by user volume which is a good sign of growth for both networks.The bigger question should be; can this rally be sustained and will it grow into a longer term uptrend for EOS and all crypto assets. Some analysts seem to think so but for now all we can do is enjoy it while it lasts.Image from Shutterstock

Market WrapCrypto markets still rallying; EOS and BCH running away with it, Cardano, Dash and ETC performing well.The big crypto rally which began with Ethereum yesterday has continued today where a different top performer has emerged. Total market capitalization reached a high of $134 billion as a further $9 billion was added to yesterday’s pump.Daily volume has not been over $34 billion since late April 2018 according to Coinmarketcap. This marks a huge 9 month milestone in crypto trading volumes and some analysts have predicted the beginning of what they term as ‘altcoin season’ where market cap for them alone reaches a pivotal resistance point on the long down trend line.Bitcoin has approached key resistance at $4,000 before pulling back to current levels around $3,920. This represents a 5% gain on yesterday’s levels where BTC reached $3,750. Bitcoin has run out of steam in previous recent two-day rallies so it is not expected to break resistance.Ethereum has extended its lead over XRP by adding another 7% on the day to reach $147. The gap between the two is now just over $2 billion as Ripple’s token faces possible competition from JP Morgan’s new stablecoin. XRP added 5% on the day to reach $0.324.Today’s top ten champion is EOS which surged 30% before pulling back to current levels around $3.60. It has raced past Litecoin and retaken fourth place with a clear margin of nearly $400 million. EOS volume pumped to over $2.3 billion pushing the token to a three month high. Bitcoin Cash is also performing well during the day’s Asian trading session as it adds double digits and approaches $150.The top twenty is showing a more balanced round of gains with Cardano, Dash and Ethereum Classic leading the group here making over 8% since the same time yesterday. The rest are showing solid improvements from low levels over the past 30 days.Aside from EOS and BCH, big fomo is also going to Mixin at the moment pumping 17%. Holo is also getting a big hit with a 15% jump on the day. EOS is the top one hundred’s top performer though. Predictably yesterday’s pump is dumping today as WAX sheds 16% and Quant is not far behind dropping 9%.Total crypto market capitalization has increased by 6.4% on the day and is currently just below $133 billion. The $8 billion injection is significant but the increase in daily volume to a nine month high of $34 billion could be signs of a continuation of this rally and possible trend reversal.Market Wrap is a section that takes a daily look at the top 20 cryptocurrencies during the current trading session and analyses the best-performing ones, looking for trends and possible fundamentals

Bitcoin price surged and broke the $3,720 and $3,880 resistance levels against the US Dollar.The price traded close to the $4,000 resistance level and a new weekly high was formed at $3,955.There is a connecting bullish trend line formed with support at $3,800 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair (data feed from Kraken).The pair corrected lower, but dips remain well supported above $3,800 and $3,720.Bitcoin price rallied above the key $3,800 resistance against the US Dollar. BTC could move into a medium term uptrend if there is a successful daily close above $4,000 and $4,200.Bitcoin Price AnalysisIn the last couple of analysis, we discussed the chances of bitcoin price hitting the $4,000 level against the US Dollar. The BTC/USD pair did gain bullish momentum recently and broke the $3,650 and $3,720 resistance levels. There was a clear bullish break noted above the $3,800 resistance and the 100 hourly simple moving average. The main driving force was Ethereum, which rallied recently towards the $150 resistance level. It helped BTC to climb towards the $4,000 resistance area. A high was formed at $3,955 and later the price started a downside correction.It declined below the $3,900 support and the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the last wave from the $3,553 low to $3,732 high. Sellers pushed the price towards the $3,840 level (the previous swing low), where buyers emerged. On the downside, there are many supports near the $3,800 level. More importantly, there is a connecting bullish trend line formed with support at $3,800 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair. Besides, the 50% Fib retracement level of the last wave from the $3,553 low to $3,732 high is near the $3,819 level.If there is a downside break below the $3,800 support, the price could test the $3,720 support level. An intermediate support is $3,750 and the 76.4% Fib retracement level of the last wave from the $3,553 low to $3,732 high. Therefore, dips remain well supported as long as the price stays above the $3,720 pivot level.Looking at the chart, bitcoin price is placed nicely in an uptrend above $3,800. On the upside, an initial resistance is at $3,950 and $4,000. However, the main resistance is at $4,200, where sellers could emerge. On the positive note, if there is a successful daily close above $4,000 and $4,200, the price is likely to start a medium term uptrend.Technical indicatorsHourly MACD – The MACD is slowly gaining pace in the bearish zone, but with limited strength.Hourly RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI for BTC/USD corrected lower, but it is still above the 60 level.Major Support Level – $3,820 followed by $3,800.Major Resistance Level – $3,950 and 4,000.

The total crypto market cap added more than $10.0B recently and broke the $130.0B resistance.Litecoin (LTC) price gained momentum and broke the $45 and $47 resistance levels.Bitcoin cash price rallied close to 15% and tested the $150 resistance area.Tron (TRX) price managed to climb back above the $0.0250 resistance zone.Stellar (XLM) price is slowly correcting higher towards the $0.0880 and $0.0920 levels.The crypto market extended gains, with bullish moves in bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). Besides, litecoin, ripple, bitcoin cash, tron (TRX), stellar (XLM) and other altcoins also gained traction.Bitcoin Cash Price AnalysisBitcoin cash price started a solid upward move recently and broke the $130 resistance against the US Dollar. The BCH/USD pair gained traction and surpassed the $140 and $145 resistance levels. The price is up close to 15% and it recently tested the $150 resistance level.At the moment, the price is correcting lower towards the $146 and $145 support levels. The mains support on the downside is at $142 and the key resistance on the upside is at $150 and $155. In the short term, there could be a downside correction before a fresh wave towards $155.Litecoin (LTC), Tron (TRX) and Stellar (XLM) Price AnalysisLitecoin price also moved higher and broke the $45 resistance area. LTC is up around 7% and it recently broke the $47 resistance. It seems like the current price action is positive, with chances of more upsides above the $48 and $50 resistance levels. On the downside, the key supports are visible near $46 and $45.Tron price formed a support base near the $0.0240 level and later started an upside correction. TRX price moved above the $0.0250 resistance, opening the doors for a decent recovery. The next major hurdles for buyers are $0.0255 and $0.0262 in the near term.Stellar price also started an upside correction and moved above the $0.0800 resistance. XLM price is currently trading above $0.0840 and it could soon test the $0.0880 resistance level. The main resistance is at $0.0920, above which it could test the $0.1000 resistance zone.Looking at the total cryptocurrency market cap hourly chart, buyers gained control above the $120.0B and $121.0B resistance levels. The market cap rallied and broke the $125.0B and $130.0B resistance levels. A high was formed near $131.0B and it is currently correcting lower. However, there is a strong support formed near the $126.0B level and a bullish trend line on the same chart. On the upside, the main resistances are $130.0B and $132.0B, followed by $135.0B. Therefore, dips remain supported in bitcoin, Ethereum, EOS, litecoin, ripple, XLM, BCH, BNB, TRX and other altcoins in the coming sessions.

Ripple price followed Ethereum and bitcoin to move into a bullish zone above $0.3100 against the US dollar.Buyers gained traction above the $0.3100 and $0.3150 resistance levels before sellers appeared near $0.3290.There is a key bullish trend line formed with support near $0.3140 on the hourly chart of the XRP/USD pair (data source from Kraken).The price is currently correcting lower, but it remains supported above $0.3160 and $0.3140.Ripple price jumped above key resistance levels against the US Dollar and bitcoin. XRP/USD is now trading with a positive bias and it could continue to rise towards $0.3300 and $0.3400.Ripple Price AnalysisAfter a solid upward move in Ethereum and bitcoin, ripple price finally gained traction above $0.3050 against the US Dollar. The XRP/USD pair started a decent uptrend and broke the $0.3000 and $0.3060 resistance levels. The pair moved into a bullish zone above the $0.3100 resistance and the 100 hourly simple moving average. Buyers took control above the $0.3100 level, resulting in gains above the $0.3150 and $0.3200 resistance levels. The price traded close to the $0.3300 resistance and a new weekly high was formed at $0.3292.Later, there was a sharp downside correction below $0.3260 and $0.3240. Besides, there was a break below the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the last wave from the $0.3052 low to $0.3292 high. The decline was such that the price tested the $0.3160 support area. An immediate support is near the $0.3150-0.3160 zone. It represents the 50% Fib retracement level of the last wave from the $0.3052 low to $0.3292 high. More importantly, there is a key bullish trend line formed with support near $0.3140 on the hourly chart of the XRP/USD pair.Therefore, buyers are likely to take a stand near the $0.3160 and $0.3150 levels. If there are additional declines, the price could test the $0.3110 support. It coincides with the 76.4% Fib retracement level of the last wave from the $0.3052 low to $0.3292 high. The mains support is near the $0.3095-0.3100 zone (the previous resistance). To the topside, an initial resistance is at $0.3220, above which the price may rise towards $0.3260.Looking at the chart, ripple price clearly moved into a bullish zone above $0.3100. However, buyers need to protect declines below $0.3100. If they fail, the price might move back in a bearish zone to $0.3000. This week, buyers could target the $0.3400 and $0.3500 resistance levels as long as the price is above $0.3095.Technical IndicatorsHourly MACD – The MACD for XRP/USD just moved into the bearish zone.Hourly RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI for XRP/USD is correcting lower towards the 50 level.Major Support Level – $0.3100Major Resistance Level – $0.3260

ETH price extended the recent rally and traded above the $144 and $148 resistances against the US Dollar.The price traded close to the $150 level and later started consolidating gains above $145.There is a major bullish trend line in place with support at $142 on the hourly chart of ETH/USD (data feed via Kraken).There could be a short term downside correction, but buyers remain in action above $140.Ethereum price posted solid gains against the US Dollar and bitcoin. ETH/USD tested the $150 resistance area and it may now correct lower before a fresh bullish wave in the near term.Ethereum Price AnalysisYesterday, we saw a nasty upward move from the $125 swing low in ETH price against the US Dollar. The ETH/USD pair rallied above the $130 and $136 resistance levels to move into a bullish zone. Later, buyers gained traction and pushed the price above the $140 and $142 resistance levels. There was a bearish reaction noted near the $148 level and the price dipped towards the $140 support. Sellers failed to gain momentum, resulting in a fresh upward move above the $145 and $148 resistance levels. It traded close to the $150 resistance and settled well above the 100 hourly simple moving average.At present, the price is consolidating gains above $145, with a few bearish moves. It broke the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the recent wave from the $134 low to $150 swing high. The last hourly candle is suggesting an increase in selling pressure below $150. However, there are many supports on the downside near the $145, $142 and $140 levels. More importantly, there is a major bullish trend line in place with support at $142 on the hourly chart of ETH/USD.If there is a break below the trend line, the price could test the $140 support area. It coincides with the 61.8% Fib retracement level of the recent wave from the $134 low to $150 swing high. Any further losses could spark an extended downside correction below $138 and $136. To the topside, the $148 and $150 levels are strong barriers for buyers in the near term.Looking at the chart, ETH price seems to be facing heavy offers near $150. Therefore, there could be a couple of swing moves above $140 before a fresh upward move. Above $150, the next target for might be $154 and $155.ETH Technical IndicatorsHourly MACD – The MACD for ETH/USD is currently in the bearish zone, but with a few bullish signs.Hourly RSI – The RSI for ETH/USD is currently correcting lower towards the 60 level.Major Support Level – $140Major Resistance Level – $150

Following an extended period of sideways trading for Bitcoin (BTC), it finally made a large upwards move and is now facing some levels of resistance around its current price. Bitcoin’s upwards swing today has allowed the entire cryptocurrency market to surge and represents the market’s second upwards price swing in the past couple of weeks.Now, analysts believe that Bitcoin will continue its ascent until it reaches roughly $4,100, where it may find increased levels of resistance.Bitcoin (BTC) Surges Towards $4,000At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading up over 8% at its current price of $3,930. Yesterday, BTC drifted towards $3,600 before surging to its current levels. In addition to its price climbing, Bitcoin’s daily trading volume has surged to its current levels of approximately $10 billion, up significantly from its weekly lows of just under $6 billion.Luke Martin, a popular cryptocurrency analyst on Twitter, discussed BTC’s upwards price swing earlier today, noting that he is currently expecting $4,120 to be its next level of notable resistance.“Next $BTC daily resistance that I’m targeting is the 4120 area. This is previous range resistance from the area we traded in for most of Dec-January,” Martin explained.Next $BTC daily resistance that I’m targeting is the 4120 area. This is previous range resistance from the area we traded in for most of Dec-January. pic.twitter.com/SBfCyr2k5R— Luke Martin (@VentureCoinist) February 18, 2019Mr. Chief, another popular cryptocurrency analyst, shared a similarly bullish sentiment to Martin’s, noting that BTC holding above $3,900 for the rest of the day could lead it to “fly.”“If BTC can close above 3900, it will fly. Currently at channel trend resistance. I expect it to cool off here in the short term.”$BTC #bitcoinIf BTC can close above 3900, it will fly. Currently at channel trend resistance. I expect it to cool off here in the short term pic.twitter.com/MWHZ2W33tO— Mr Chief (@HaloCrypto) February 18, 2019Following the upwards move BTC experienced on February 8th, many analysts expected the cryptocurrency to form what is commonly referred to as a “Bart” formation, where Bitcoin – or any cryptocurrency – surges, trades sideways, and then goes right back down to its previous price levels.Despite this, Bitcoin’s ability to climb after its previous surge may signal that is has found a long-term bottom in the low-$3,000 region.Could the Bear Market Be Coming Towards an End? Although today’s upwards move is relatively small, and there still remains a long way before Bitcoin is even close to returning to its all-time-highs, its ability to hold the low-$3,000 region as a strong level of support is certainly positive from a technical perspective.Mayne, another popular analyst, spoke about the possibility of the markets beginning to climb from here on out in a recent tweet, importantly noting that technical biases can change rapidly.“We’ve had some bullish moves on $ETH, $BTC, and $alts over the last 2 weeks… Is the bear market over? Maybe, the fact of the matter is we are going up. Traders must see PA for what it is and can change bias quickly. If you have been stuck with a bearish lense you are missing out.”We’ve had some bullish moves on $ETH, $BTC, and $alts over the last 2 weeks.Is the bear market over? Maybe, the fact of the matter is we are going upTraders must see PA for what it is and can change bias quickly. If you have been stuck with a bearish lense you are missing out— Mayne (@Tradermayne) February 17, 2019If the markets continue to climb over the coming week, traders and investors alike may gain greater insight into whether or not the low-$3,000 level is truly a long-term bottom.Featured image from Shutterstock.

The current crypto winter and bear market has been brutal for Bitcoin investors who are now underwater, but it’s been even worse for many altcoin holders.