Market Recap: Bitcoin, Ether Drop as US Deploys Troops to Eastern Europe

US troops deployed to Eastern Europe

President Biden has approved the deployment of around 3,000 American troops to Eastern Europe in an attempt to protect NATO allies in the event of further Russian aggression. Markets dropped steeply on the news, with bitcoin dropping as much as 5% and ether dropping as much as 5.7% on the day.

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Traditional markets reacted harshly to the news as well, with the S&P 500 dropping as much as 0.50% early in trading hours, only to climb back half a percent in the positive by the end of the day. The Nasdaq followed a similar trend by dropping by about 0.4% and climbing up 0.8% later.

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Eurozone inflation

Inflation around the world seems to be skyrocketing as figures come in for late 2021. Recent year-over-year inflation figures in the US show CPI (consumer price index) and PCE (personal consumption expenditure price index) rose to 7.1% and 5.8%, respectively.

The Eurozone's inflation numbers are showing a similar pattern, with consumer prices rising to 5.1% in January, a new record. The trend is likely the result of loosened monetary policy and increased economic stimulus in an attempt to fight the economic downturn caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

While bitcoin has been heralded as a hedge against inflation and has performed well in the inflationary period that has followed the pandemic, it's unclear how more intense inflation will affect the economy. If prices of goods and services continue to climb at a rate higher than the increase in wages, fewer people will be able to afford to invest after paying for necessities.

Top stories

Story: First Grayscale ETF Begins Trading With Aim of Tracking Digital Economy

• Top holdings in the index the new ETF tracks include Silvergate Capital, PayPal, Coinbase, Block and Robinhood.
• The ETF is available on NYSE Arca and carries an expense ratio of 70 basis points.

Story: El Salvador Turns to US Bitcoin Wallet to Revamp Chivo

• El Salvador has recruited US-based crypto wallet provider to address Chivo concerns.
• Since leaving, the co-founders had “technical breakthroughs” that Cheng says they wouldn’t have had if they stayed at Meta.

Story: DeFi Technologies Subsidiary Gets Nod to List Solana ETP on Frankfurt Exchange

• A new exchange traded product that tracks the price of Solana’s native crypto has begun trading on the German exchange Boerse Frankfurt Zertifikate AG.
• The ETP provides traditional investors exposure to the crypto within a regulated and “fully backed” environment.

Story: India to Introduce a 30% Crypto Tax, Push Out CBDC by 2022-23

• India’s finance minister announced Monday that the country is looking to tax income received from crypto transfers by 30%.
• The country also looks set to introduce a CBDC by 2022-2023 with the aim of streamlining India’s currency management system.

Earnings season

Meta (FB) is scheduled to release its earnings report today. The company has pushed further into the crypto industry over the last year, starting with its rebranding from Facebook to Meta and its commitment to the metaverse. The company fell by over 20% in after-market trading leading up to its earnings call.

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Going forward

While there has been positive news as of late, like India and Russia's decision not to ban cryptocurrency and loads of companies jumping onto the crypto and metaverse train, a heavy uncertainty still hangs over the markets. Many investors seem to be waiting on the Fed's next policy change to combat inflation.

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