Crypto stays shaky after US regulator crackdown led to weekend sell-off
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Regulatory uncertainty over the classification of crypto tokens is adding to investor jitters.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SINGAPORE – Cryptocurrencies fell on Monday, though staying above their weekend lows, as last week’s regulatory crackdown by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) weighed on sentiment.
Bitcoin dropped 1.2 per cent to US$25,811 at noon in Singapore after tumbling as much as 3.9 per cent to US$25,411.64 on Saturday.
Solana’s SOL slipped 4.6 per cent, after sliding as much as 27 per cent on Saturday.
Binance Coin dropped 7 per cent and Cardano’s ADA fell 2.5 per cent.
The SEC launched lawsuits last week against market leaders
Sentiment remains shaky in the digital asset sector after the recent regulatory clampdowns in the United States, spurring market makers to pull out funds and adding to the wild swings amid thin volumes, said Mr Richard Galvin, co-founder at DACM, a Sydney-based hedge fund that invests in digital assets.
“There was some bounce-back after the overselling on the weekend, but markets are extremely fragile,” he said.
An index of the biggest 100 digital tokens declined 0.8 per cent.
The total crypto market cap slipped to US$1.09 trillion (S$1.46 trillion) on Monday, according to data from CoinGecko.
“Crypto specific factors are playing the main role given the recent SEC actions,” Mr Galvin said. “It seems like there is a resistance on the downside at US$1 trillion market cap.”
Regulatory uncertainty over the classification of crypto tokens is adding to investor jitters.
While US regulators view Bitcoin as a commodity, SEC chairman Gary Gensler has said most other tokens are subject to the agency’s investor protection laws and that trading platforms should register with the regulator.
Robinhood Markets’ decision on Friday to drop certain altcoins from its platform just days after the SEC brought enforcement actions against Binance and Coinbase also weighed on sentiment.
“There is some rotation of capital from altcoins into Bitcoin, given higher dominance of BTC (Bitcoin),” said Mr Stefan von Haenisch, head of sales trading at OSL in Singapore.
Still, “US$26,000 for Bitcoin looks like immediate short-term resistance”, he said. BLOOMBERG
