Macro Trends

We have many precedents and inspirations to understand moats in traditional markets, but we lack a corresponding framework to explain the structural differences in crypto applications. This article aims to bridge this gap by gaining an in-depth understanding of the fundamental elements that constitute a sustainable moat and identifying a few applications that can sustainably capture value.

Gate Research Daily Report(October 14) : BTC price rose 1.84% in the past 24 hours. On October 11, the total net inflow for U.S. Bitcoin spot ETFs reached $254 million. Base network’s trading volume surged, accounting for 40% to 60% of the combined volume across Arbitrum, Base, and Optimism. USDT (ERC-20) balance on exchanges increased by 152.38% to $22.4 billion, setting a new all-time high. Raydium’s average daily trading volume in October exceeded $1.017 billion. Gate Ventures and Boon Ventures announced a partnership with Movement Labs to establish a new $20 million fund to foster the growth of the Move ecosystem.

From an economic perspective, interest rate hikes directly reduce market liquidity and indirectly lower investors' risk appetite, leading to a deleveraging effect in the market. These factors contribute to long-term declines in asset prices. Conversely, interest rate cuts increase market liquidity, encourage investors to pursue riskier investments, boost leverage, and drive up asset prices. The same applies to the cryptocurrency market. This article will review BTC's performance during different monetary policy periods to reflect the impact of interest rate hikes and cuts on cryptocurrencies.

Real-world asset (RWA) tokenization is an emerging concept that traces back to the advent of blockchain technology. Read how RWA tokenization increases accessibility, promotes financial inclusion and democratizes investment opportunities across various sectors.

Gate Research Daily Report: October 8, BTC faced resistance and experienced a pullback, with trading volume weakening. Despite the short-term correction, the overall trend has not significantly reversed. The U.S. Bitcoin spot ETF saw a net inflow of $235 million, while the Ethereum ETF had no net inflow. In Q3, 29 projects within the Solana ecosystem raised $173 million, the highest level since Q2 2022. Premier League clubs have secured nearly £130 million in sponsorship deals with crypto companies in 2024, marking a 30% year-on-year growth. HBO has released a documentary titled Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery, investigating the identity of Bitcoin’s creator. An official from the European Central Bank has proposed the creation of a unified digital asset ledger to promote financial integration and improve efficiency. The Arbitrum Foundation recently announced the launch of the "Road to Devcon" initiative, focusing on increasing investment and attention in the Asian market.

Gate Research Monthly Review: The crypto market performed weakly in August. Bitcoin plummeted from $66,000 to $49,000, then rallied to $64,000 by month's end before pulling back. Global financial markets saw intense volatility due to macroeconomic factors, pushing BTC futures liquidations to a yearly peak. BTC and ETH ETFs both experienced net outflows, while blockchain network activity ramped up—notably, Aptos' trading volume skyrocketed. The DeFi sector weathered multiple security breaches, incurring losses over $5.28 million. On the funding front, 88 projects secured financing totaling $80 million, with CeFi and DeFi emerging as standout sectors.

Gate Research Daily Report: September 29, BTC and ETH experienced slight pullbacks, dropping by 0.62% and 0.83% over 24 hours, respectively. If they break through resistance levels, further gains are possible. U.S. Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs saw net inflows of $494.2 million and $58.65 million, respectively, with Bitcoin spot ETFs marking their seventh consecutive day of net inflows. BlackRock's Ethereum ETF assets have surpassed $1 billion. Over the past week, USDC circulation increased by approximately 700 million tokens, bringing the total circulation to 36.2 billion tokens. Additionally, 68% of ETH addresses are now in a profitable position.

The 2024 Asia Blockchain Summit (ABS) is a significant event in the global blockchain and Web3 field, attracting over 13,000 participants, including blockchain industry leaders from more than 30 countries. This summit not only discusses blockchain applications in finance and voting systems but also showcases innovative applications from Web2 giants like ASUS and FamilyMart convenience stores. Additionally, public chains such as Solana and TON introduced their technological developments and innovation trends. ABS provides participants with opportunities for in-depth exchanges and promotes the growth and cooperation of the global blockchain ecosystem while demonstrating the integration of traditional and emerging technologies.

Gate Research Daily Report: September 27, BTC and ETH performed strongly, rising by 3.19% and 2.01% respectively over the past 24 hours. BTC is currently testing the $66,000 resistance level. The U.S. Bitcoin spot ETF saw a net inflow of $366 million yesterday, while the U.S. Ethereum spot ETF experienced a net outflow of $680,000. Most altcoins outperformed the broader market, with notable gains in the Cross-chain Communication, BRC-20, and Doge meme sectors. Avalanche launched a $40 million grant program, paving the way for the "Avalanche9000" upgrade. In the past 24 hours, only one project in the DEPIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) sector announced a funding round, raising $10.8 million.

For the past decade, we’ve been selling the dream that crypto will revolutionize the world, solving real-world problems and welcoming a massive influx of Web2 users into this bold new world. Let’s be honest, though— crypto hasn’t quite lived up to that promise. Instead, we’ve collectively morphed into thrill-seeking degenerates, hopping from one Ponzi scheme to another like a squirrel on espresso.

Gate Research Weekly Review and Outlook reports, BTC showed an upward trend this week, reaching a high of 64,812 before pulling back. The resistance level to watch is $64,800. This week, Bitcoin ETFs saw a net inflow of $352 million, while Ethereum ETFs experienced a net outflow of $69.76 million. The total market cap of stablecoins increased by 0.65%, indicating further inflow of off-market incremental funds. Hamster Kombat released its roadmap, planning to launch a dedicated advertising network with revenue used for token buybacks. PayPal will allow U.S. business customers to buy, hold, and sell cryptocurrencies. The Base network's Total Value Locked (TVL) surpassed $1.9 billion, reaching a new all-time high. Truflation suffered a hacker attack, resulting in a loss of approximately $5 million.

Gate Research Daily Report: On September 25, BTC price rose 2.24% in 24 hours to about $64,361, reaching a resistance level of $64,500. Total net inflow for Bitcoin spot ETFs was $136 million, while Ethereum spot ETFs saw $62.51 million in inflows. For each 50 basis points drop in interest rates, Tether and Circle could lose $488 million and $144 million in annual revenue, respectively. The SEC has settled with TrueCoin LLC and TrustToken Inc. regarding the stablecoin TrueUSD. Additionally, Banana Gun will fully compensate 11 users who lost $3 million in a recent security incident, and Wintermute has proposed the issuance of 250 million ARB tokens.

Gate Research Daily: September 24, Bitcoin (BTC) has seen a 24-hour price decline of 1.44%, currently trading at $63,074. Sectors such as account abstraction, decentralized identity, and cat-themed memes are experiencing strong upward trends. The total net inflow for Bitcoin spot ETFs in the U.S. is $4.56 million, while Ethereum spot ETFs have a total net outflow of $79.21 million. Lombard has minted 5,861 LBTC, with a total market capitalization of $368 million. The decentralized gaming platform Treasure DAO is set to launch the Treasure Layer2 network based on the ZKSync ecosystem. Three projects have publicly announced funding, raising over $6 million, focusing on infrastructure and DeFi sectors.

The theory of Bitcoin cycles, especially its correlation with Bitcoin halving events, has long been regarded as an important tool for predicting Bitcoin price movements. Historically, Bitcoin halving has often led to price increases; however, the current market performance and the factors behind it suggest that the effectiveness of this theory may be weakening. This article will review the four Bitcoin cycles from 2011 to 2024 and delve into the market changes of the current cycle.

The current crypto market faces multiple challenges, including industry stagnation, a bubble economy, and a lack of liquidity. While the introduction of ETFs brings short-term benefits, it is not a long-term solution to the market's fundamental issues. Low liquidity in the primary market, overvaluation, and a lack of innovative narratives have made it difficult for capital to drive significant market growth. In this context, the market needs true innovation and breakthroughs to usher in a new bull market in the future.