The NCI closed Monday 10.6% below last week’s closing. The index’s performance was heavily influenced by Ethereum, down 13.3%, while Bitcoin fell 9.5%.

 

 

After a brief uptick during the weekend before last, the crypto market slipped back into a downtrend early last week. 

Continued uncertainty regarding the effects of the ongoing interest rate tightening cycle on the US economy and the SEC’s (Securities and Exchange Commission) rejection of Grayscale’s spot bitcoin ETF were the primary drivers during the last week of the first half of 2022, a six-month period in which the global crypto market cap shrank by 57%.

After several days with no major news concerning the credit contagion affecting crypto funds and CeFi (Centralized Finances) lenders, Bitcoin opened the week above $21,000, while Ethereum remained above $1,200. However, in the absence of positive headlines, prices began to wane as early as Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Fed Chairman Jerome Poweell admitted monetary policy could possibly go “too far” as the Fed attempts to rein in inflation. Powell readily admitted that restoring price stability had become the top priority and that an overcorrection that compromised growth was preferable to ineffective action on the inflation front. 

Powell’s tone during the European Central Bank Forum seemed to grow more pessimistic since his last public appearance, when investors were reassured by the fact that he spoke about a possible recovery for the US economy before year’s end.

While Powell emphasized his commitment to tackling inflation, the SEC rejected yet another spot Bitcoin ETF application. Grayscale planned to transform its $13.5 billion Bitcoin Trust into an exchange-traded fund—but the SEC had other plans. In its release, the regulatory authority sighted concerns regarding market manipulation, among other matters supposedly unaddressed by Grayscale’s application. 

The rejection was hardly a surprise, as the SEC has shot down several other spot Bitcoin proposals. Grayscale seemed unfazed by the rejection, immediately filing a lawsuit seeking to overturn the decisions in the US Court of Appeals while publicly reaffirming their unwavering commitment to the launch of a spot ETF. 

Unsurprising as the SEC’s rejection may have been, it effectively squashed any remaining hope that a positive driver could partially wind back the abysmal price action before the month’s closing. Powell’s reassurance of the Fed’s unwavering commitment to price stabilization and the SEC’s rejection closed out of the worst  months (-37.3%), quarters (-59.1%) and semester (-60%) for Bitcoin in over a decade, while Ethereum registered its worst month (69.3%) since its 2015 inception.

Circling back to credit crunch news, while Three Arrows Capital (3AC) filed for bankruptcy, another controversy brewed in the background. Genesis Global Trading Inc., a crypto exchange for professional investors, revealed to the Wall Street Journal that hedge funds are betting against Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin (market cap: $66 billion).

According to the WSJ’s reporting, growing interest in shorting the dollar-pegged crypto has resulted in “hundreds of millions” in short trades. Short sellers are hoping Tether’s value will stray from the US dollar, in a repeat of the TerraUSD (UST) implosion that occurred in early May. 

Differently from UST—which guarded its parity to the US dollar through an arbitrage mechanism involving the LUNA token, Terra blockchain's native token—Tether is not an algorithmic stablecoin, and its issuer claims its peg is 100% collateralized by US Treasury Bills and short-term commercial paper holdings. 

But short sellers believe Tether’s collateral has been compromised by Chinese property developers, an over-leveraged industry dealing with an enduring real estate crisis. 

Tether Chief Technology Officer Paolo Ardoino took to twitter to address concerns early last week hoping  to reassure holders that Tether’s portfolio “is stronger than ever.” Ardoino revealed that the stablecoin reduced its exposure to commercial paper holdings by roughly $45 billion. 

However, a Bloomberg article published Monday claims the stablecoin issuer “failed to calm jittery nerves,” citing as evidence the pervasive over representation of Tether in a liquidity pool that allows traders to swap between several stablecoins.

___________________________________

_{The information contained herein (“Information”) may not be reproduced or redistributed in whole or in part, in any format, without the express written approval of Hashdex Asset Management Ltd. (“Hashdex”) and its affiliates and subsidiaries (“Hashdex Group”). By accepting this document, you acknowledge and agree that all of the Information contained in this document is proprietary to Hashdex Group. While not explicitly referenced within this piece, Hashdex Group manages the Hashdex Nasdaq Crypto Index ETF, Hashdex Nasdaq Ethereum ETF, Hashdex Nasdaq Bitcoin ETF, Hashdex DeFi Index Fund, Hashdex Smart Contract Platforms Index ETF and other investment vehicles focused on digital assets (collectively the “Fund” and each a “Fund”) which invests in digital tokens. The Information is not an offer to buy or sell, nor is it a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, interests in the Funds or any advisory services or any other security or to participate in any advisory services or trading strategy. If any offer and sale of securities is made, it will be pursuant to the confidential offering memorandum of the Fund (the Offering Memorandum). Any decision to make an investment in the Fund should be made after reviewing such Offering Memorandum, conducting such investigations as the investor deems necessary and consulting the investor’s own investment, legal, accounting and tax advisors in order to make an independent determination of the suitability and consequences of an investment.}

_{Each Fund seeks to track a relevant index. The performance of each Fund will vary from the performance of the relevant index that it seeks to track. The Information is being provided to you solely for discussion purposes and may not be used or relied on for any purpose (including, without limitation, as legal, tax or investment advice) without the express written approval of Hashdex Group. Certain statements reflect Hashdex Group’s views, estimates, opinions or predictions (which may be based on proprietary models and assumptions, including, in particular, Hashdex Group’s views on the current and future market for digital assets), and there is no guarantee that these views, estimates, opinions or predictions are currently accurate or that they will be ultimately realized. To the extent these assumptions or models are not correct or circumstances change, the actual performance of Hashdex Group and the Funds may vary substantially from, and be less than, the estimated performance. None of Hashdex Group, the Funds nor any of their respective affiliates, shareholders, partners, members, directors, officers, management, employees or representatives makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of any of the Information or any other information (whether communicated in written or oral form) transmitted or made available to you.} 

_{Each of the aforementioned parties expressly disclaims any and all liability relating to or resulting from the use of the Information or such other information. Except where otherwise indicated, the Information is based on matters as they exist as of the date of preparation and not as of any future date and will not be updated or otherwise revised to reflect information that subsequently becomes available, or circumstances existing or changes occurring after the date hereof. Investing in financial markets, the Funds and digital assets, including Bitcoin, DeFi tokens, and Ethereum, involves a substantial degree of risk. There can be no assurance that the investment objectives described herein will be achieved. Any investment in the Funds may result in a loss of the entire amount invested. Investment losses may occur, and investors could lose some or all of their investment. No guarantee or representation is made that Hashdex’s investment strategy, including, without limitation, its business and investment objectives, diversification strategies or risk monitoring goals, will be successful, and investment results may vary substantially over time. Nothing herein is intended to imply that the Hashdex Group’s investment methodology or that investing any of the protocols or tokens listed in the Information or the Funds may be considered “conservative,” “safe,” “risk free,” or “risk averse.” Neither historical returns nor economic, market or other performance is an indication of future results. Certain information contained herein (including financial information) has been obtained from published and non-published sources. Such information has not been independently verified by Hashdex Group, and Hashdex Group does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of such information. Hashdex Group does not provide tax, accounting or legal advice. Certain information contained herein constitutes forward-looking statements, which can be identified by the use of terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “estimate,” “intend,” “continue” or “believe” (or the negatives thereof) or other variations thereof. Due to various risks and uncertainties, including those discussed above, actual events or results, the ultimate business or activities of Hashdex Group or the Funds or the actual performance of Hashdex Group, the Funds, or digital tokens may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in such forward-looking statements. As a result, investors should not rely on such forward- looking statements in making their investment decisions. None of the Information has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, any securities administrator under any state securities laws or any other governmental or self-regulatory authority. No governmental authority has opined on the merits of the offering of any securities by the Funds or Hashdex, or the adequacy of the information contained herein.}