Increasing inflationary pressures

There are great fears of rising inflation driving both the stock and crypto markets down, dropping the total market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies below $1 trillion, crashed to $969 billion. This a drop of around 200% from its all-time high of approximately $3 trillion last November, during a market bull run that saw Bitcoin reach an all-time high of almost $69,000.

As U.S. inflation data and COVID-19 warning from Beijing roiled global markets, the increasing inflationary pressures are real, and recent earnings by U.S. companies have shown that it has become difficult to pass on that high inflationary pressure.

The fact sheet shows a downward trend impacting the value of cryptocurrencies. The global cryptocurrency market peaked at $2.9 trillion in November 2021, but has faltered this year, losing $1 trillion in value in the last two months alone, as investors ditched riskier assets in the face of high inflation fearing that the interest rate raised by central banks will hamper growth.

Ethereum, the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency, lost more than 16% in value over the day and is now trading at $1,190, while its market cap has dropped to $147 billion. Other major cryptocurrencies, including Solana, Dogecoin, Tron, and Avalanche, are suffering similar losses.

Almost every cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin, is now worth half or even less than their all-time highs. An expert says, as inflation proves to be an even trickier opponent to beat than expected, Bitcoin and Ether are continuing to get a severe bruising in the ring.

Countries around the globe continue to report high inflation numbers and what appears to be the immediate trigger for this crypto crash is a massive sell-off by investors amid heightened inflation fears.

S Mohini Ratna, Editor, VARINDIA