Cryptocurrencies Dip Amid Political Uncertainty and Anticipation of Central Bank Meetings
Cryptocurrencies experienced a slight downturn at the start of the final week of July, as traders digested various political developments from the weekend and prepared for significant central bank meetings. Bitcoin fell more than 1% on Monday, trading under $67,000 after briefly exceeding $69,000. Similarly, Ether also pared gains, trading above $3,300.
Traders are closely monitoring the Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, and Bank of England, all of which have meetings scheduled this week. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s comments are particularly anticipated, with hopes that he will confirm an interest rate cut in September.
Over the weekend, former President Donald Trump delivered a much-anticipated speech at the Bitcoin Conference in Nashville. He criticized Democratic lawmakers, including Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler, and the Biden administration, for what he described as their detrimental impact on the cryptocurrency industry due to a lack of clear regulations. Trump announced his policy to retain all of the U.S. government’s current bitcoin holdings (approximately 210,000 bitcoins) as the start of a National Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. He also vowed to replace Gensler “on day one” if re-elected, a remark that received significant applause.
In a related development, Cynthia Lummis, the pro-bitcoin Republican senator from Wyoming, announced plans to introduce a bill that would establish a bitcoin reserve, implementing a program to purchase 1 million bitcoins over a set period to acquire roughly 5% of the total bitcoin supply.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times reported that advisors to Vice President Kamala Harris are reaching out to crypto companies to “reset” relations between the Democratic party and the cryptocurrency sector, which has emerged as a notable supporter of Trump. The Trump campaign is hoping to leverage the growing interest in crypto to bolster his chances in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, given some key Democrats’ perceived hostility towards the industry. However, there is increasing bipartisan support for crypto in Congress.
Over the weekend, more than a dozen House Democrats and several congressional candidates signed a letter to the Democratic National Committee, advocating for a “forward-looking approach” to crypto. They urged the inclusion of “pro-digital asset language” in the party’s platform and the selection of an SEC chair who would foster innovation in the crypto space.
Adding to the weekend’s events, a U.S. government wallet transferred $2 billion worth of bitcoin to an unidentified wallet on Monday, according to Arkham Intelligence data. The nearly 28,000 bitcoins, tied to funds previously confiscated from the now-defunct dark web market Silk Road, were split into two separate addresses, with 19,800 bitcoins (about $1.3 billion) allocated to one address and 10,000 bitcoins (about $670 million) to another. In April, a U.S. government crypto wallet sent nearly 2,000 BTC to a Coinbase Prime hot wallet, and the U.S. Marshals Service announced it is paying Coinbase $32.5 million for custodial services.
Despite these fluctuations, the U.S. government’s crypto portfolio still holds more than $12 billion in bitcoin, according to Arkham Intelligence. Trump also reiterated his willingness to commute Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht’s sentence if re-elected, adding another layer of intrigue to the unfolding political and economic landscape.
As the week progresses, the cryptocurrency market will be closely watching the outcomes of the central bank meetings and any further political developments, which could have significant implications for the industry’s future.
Digital Assets Desk
