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Has the Ultra Sound Money Era Ended?

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Ethereum (ETH) which is addressed as ultra-sound money due to its deflationary supply method, now appears to be facing new challenges that have prompted some analysts to question whether this narrative still holds.

A prominent crypto analyst, Thor Hartvigsen, recently highlighted this issue in a detailed post on X, where he discussed the current state of Ethereum’s fee generation and supply dynamics.

Is ETH No longer Ultra-Sound money?

Hartvigsen pointed out that August 2024 is “on track to be the worst month in terms of fees generated on the Ethereum mainnet since early 2020.” This decline is largely attributed to the introduction of blobs in March, which allowed Layer 2 (L2) solutions to bypass paying significant fees to Ethereum and ETH holders.

Ethereum total fees on main net.
Ethereum total fees on mainnet. | Source: Thor Hartvigsen on X

As a result, much of the activity has shifted from the mainnet to these layer two (L2) solutions, with most of the value being captured at the execution layer by the L2s themselves.

Consequently, Ethereum has become net inflationary, with an annual inflation rate of approximately 0.7%, meaning that the issuance of new ETH currently outweighs the amount being burned through transaction fees.

Hartvigsen disclosed the impact of this on Non-Stakers and Stakers: According to the analyst, non-stakers primarily benefit from Ethereum’s burn mechanism, where base fees and blob fees are burned, reducing the overall supply of ETH.

However, with blob fees often at $0 and the base fee generation decreasing, non-stakers are seeing less benefit from these burns. At the same time, priority fees and Miner Extractable Value (MEV), which are not burned but rather distributed to validators and stakers, do not benefit non-stakers directly.

Ethereum economic as non-stakers
Ethereum economic as non-stakers. | Source: Thor Hartvigsen on X

Additionally, the ETH emissions that flow to validators/stakers have an inflationary effect on the supply, which negatively impacts non-stakers. As a result, the net flow for non-stakers has turned inflationary, especially after the introduction of blobs.

For stakers, the situation is somewhat different. Hartvigsen revealed that stakers capture all the fees, either through the burn or via staking yield, meaning that the net impact of ETH emissions is neutralized for them.

However, despite this advantage, stakers have also seen a significant drop in the fees flowing to them, down by more than 90% since earlier this year.

Ethereum economics as staker.
Ethereum economics as staker. | Source: Thor Hartvigsen on X

This decline raises questions about the sustainability of the ultra-sound money narrative for Ethereum. To answer that, Hartvigsen sated

Ethereum no longer carries the ultra sound money narrative which is probably for the better.

What’s Next For Ethereum?

So far, it is quite evident with the current trends that Ethereum’s ultra-sound money narrative may no longer be as compelling as it once was.

With fees decreasing and inflation slightly outpacing the burn, Ethereum is now more comparable to other Layer 1 (L1) blockchains like Solana and Avalanche, which also face similar inflationary pressures, says Hartvigsen.

Hartvigsen notes that while Ethereum’s current net inflation rate of 0.7% per year is still significantly lower than other L1s, the decreasing profitability of infrastructure layers like Ethereum may necessitate a new approach to maintaining the network’s value proposition.

One potential solution the analyst discussed is increasing the fees that L2s pay to Ethereum, though this could pose competitive challenges. Concluding the post, Hartvigsen noted:

Zooming out, infra-layers are in general unprofitable (study Celestia generating ~$100 in daily revenue), especially if viewing inflation as a cost. Ethereum is no longer an outlier with a net deflationary supply and, like other infra-layers, require another way to be valued.

Ethereum (ETH) price chart on TradingView
ETH price is moving sideways on the 2-hour chart. Source: ETH/USDT on TradingView.com

Featured image created with DALL-E, Chart from TradingView



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Ethereum

Ethereum Price Could Still Reclaim $4,000 Based On This Bullish Divergence

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Opeyemi is a proficient writer and enthusiast in the exciting and unique cryptocurrency realm. While the digital asset industry was not his first choice, he has remained absolutely drawn since making a foray into the space over two years. Now, Opeyemi takes pride in creating unique pieces unraveling the complexities of blockchain technology and sharing insights on the latest trends in the world of cryptocurrencies.

Opeyemi savors his attraction to the crypto market, which explains why he spends the better parts of his day looking through different price charts. “Looking” is a rather simple way to describe analyzing and interpreting various price patterns and chart formations. However, it appears that is not Opeyemi’s favorite part – in fact, far from it.

Being able to connect what happens on a price chart to on-chain movements and blockchain activities is what keeps Opeyemi ticking. “This emphasizes the intricacies of blockchain technology and the cryptocurrency market,” he would say. Most importantly, Opeyemi thinks of any market insights as the gospel, while recognizing that he is only a messenger.

When he is not clicking away at his keyboard, Opeyemi is most definitely listening to music, playing games, reading a book, or scrolling through X. He likes to think he is not loyal to a particular genre of music, which can be true on many days. However, the fast-rising Afrobeats genre is a staple in Opeyemi’s Spotify Daily Mix.

Meanwhile, Opeyemi is a voracious reader who enjoys a wide category of books – ranging from science fiction, fantasy, and historical, to even romance. He believes that authors like George R. R. Martin and J. K.
Rowling are the greatest of all time when it comes to putting pen to paper. Opeyemi believes his reading of the Harry Potter series twice is proof of that.

Indeed, Opeyemi enjoys spending most of his time within the four walls of his home. However, he also sometimes finds solace in the company of his friends at a bar, a restaurant, or even on a stroll. In essence, Opeyemi’s ambivert (haha! been searching for an opportunity to use the word to describe myself) nature makes him a social chameleon who is able to quickly adapt to different settings.

Opeyemi recognizes the need to constantly develop oneself in order to stay afloat in a competitive and ever-evolving market like crypto. For this reason, he is always in learning mode, ready to pick up the slightest lesson from every situation. Opeyemi is efficient and likes to deliver all that is required of him in time – he believes that “whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well.” Hence, you will always find him striving to be better.

Ultimately, Opeyemi is a good writer and an even better person who is trying to shed light on an exciting world phenomenon – cryptocurrency. He goes to bed every day with a smile of satisfaction on his face, knowing that he has done his bit of the holy assignment – spreading the crypto gospel to the rest of the world.



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Ethereum

Bitcoin Pepe set to reap big from its virality, fundamentals, and timing

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Bitcoin and Ether

The crypto market is subject to a neutral market sentiment even as the bulls remain in control. Subsequently, majors like Ripple and Ethereum are range-bound while their steady fundamentals support the prices. 

On the other hand, more savvy investors are shifting their focus to meme crypto projects with the potential to revolutionize the industry. One such entity is Bitcoin Pepe.

In fact, it is presented as the missing puzzle piece in the Bitcoin network. Through its mission of building “Solana on Bitcoin”, it is creating a platform defined by low fees, speedy transactions, and the ability to launch meme coins on the most steady crypto network. Notably, investors have an opportunity to rake in hefty returns within a relatively short period.

Ripple lacks enough momentum for a weekly gain despite steady fundamentals

Ripple price has held steady above the crucial support zone of $2.5000 even as it lacked enough buyers to lock in the second weekly gain in a row. On the one hand, a neutral market sentiment in the broader crypto sector has pushed buyers to the sidelines. Even so, the bulls remain in control as XRP ETFs and heightened global adoption is set to bolster the crypto to January levels.

In the near term, the bulls are striving to break the resistance at $2.7385. Past that level, the next target will be at $2.9100. On the lower side, a pullback past $2.5000 will still have the bulls in control as $2.3357 remains a steady support level. 

Ripple Price
Ripple Price

Bitcoin Pepe: The missing puzzle on Bitcoin’s network

Bitcoin, the leading cryptocurrency, began with no intrinsic value about 15 years ago and has since grown to a market cap of $1.9 trillion at $96,278. Bitcoin Pepe has emerged as a project whose mission is to revolutionize the BTC network by transforming it into a meme coin hub. 

This explains why an overwhelming number of savvy investors are rushing to amass BPEP tokens ahead of its listing in Q2’25. Besides, President Trump has made clear his intentions to foster a pro-crypto environment. 

Subsequently, Bitcoin Pepe has become so popular that within the first 24 hours of its presale launch, it raised over $1 million. 11 days later, it has already reached stage 5 of the total 30 stages; raising over $2.8 million. 

With 25 more stages before it hits the public shelves, early adopters have an apt opportunity to buy BPEP tokens at the current price of $0.0255 and watch their investment yield hefty returns. By the end of the presale, the token price is set to have increased by a total of 311.4% to $0.0864. Read more on how to buy Bitcoin Pepe.

Ethereum price analysis: Neutral outlook with a bullish bias  

Ethereum Price
Ethereum Price

Ethereum price recorded its second week of gains after plunging to a 5-month low earlier in February. Even so, it continues to trade below the 25 and 50-day EMAs. In the absence of a key immediate-term bullish catalyst, the crypto may remain under pressure for a while longer. 

At its current level, the range between $2,543 and $2,804 is still worth watching. If successful at breaking the resistance along the range’s upper limit, the bulls will have a chance to retest the crucial support-turn-resistance zone of 2,950. However, a decline past $2,500 will invalidate this thesis.

 



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Ethereum

Grayscale’s Ethereum ETF On The Brink Of Major Change With NYSE’s Staking Proposal

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The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) has submitted a proposed rule change aimed at allowing the Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETHE) and the Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust (EZET) to stake their ETH holdings. 

This proposal is particularly noteworthy because it seeks to enable the trusts to earn rewards on their staked ETH while ensuring that the assets remain under the custody of their current custodian.

Grayscale Advocates For Staking In Crypto ETFs

Staking, a process integral to Ethereum’s proof-of-stake (PoS) model, allows holders to earn yield on their assets. By staking through trusted providers, ETHE and EZET could potentially bolster their returns, making these investment vehicles more attractive to institutional investors who are increasingly seeking opportunities that offer staking benefits. 

Unlike traditional staking-as-a-service models, which have drawn scrutiny from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Grayscale claims that its approach is designed exclusively for the benefit of fund shareholders. This means that the assets will not be pooled with those of third parties, which could mitigate some regulatory concerns.

Industry advocates, including organizations such as Jito Labs and Multicoin Capital, have been vocal in their support for integrating staking features into exchange-traded funds (ETFs). 

They argue that doing so would not only benefit investors but also more accurately reflect the advantages of native network assets. Furthermore, incorporating staking into ETFs could empower issuers to contribute to the security of the networks on which these assets operate.

Ethereum Surpasses Bitcoin In ETF Inflows

The proposed rule change comes at a crucial time for Grayscale, especially as its ETHE product has faced substantial outflows—nearly $4 billion—making it the largest loser among Ethereum investment products since the approval of spot Ethereum ETFs. 

In contrast, the EZET has struggled to gain market traction, attracting only $650 million in inflows, which is minimal compared to its competitors. 

Other Ethereum spot ETFs, notably those managed by BlackRock and Fidelity, have seen significant inflows, largely due to their lower fees and strong institutional backing.

The Ethereum ETF market’s dynamics are shifting, with Ethereum now gaining momentum in terms of ETF flows, even surpassing Bitcoin in inflows for the first week of February, as reported by CoinShares. 

If the NYSE Arca proposal is approved, it could significantly enhance the appeal of ETHE and EZET, providing a much-needed boost to their performance and potentially curbing outflows.

Grayscale
The 1-hour chart shows ETH’s price drop. Source: ETHUSDT on TradingView.com

At the time of writing, ETH is trading at $2,645, recording a 20% loss in the monthly time frame for the market’s second largest cryptocurrency. 

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com



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