opinion

Crypto SWOT: BlackRock CEO Larry Fink is calling Bitcoin an "international asset"

Kitco Media
By Frank E Holmes
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Strengths

  • Of the cryptocurrencies tracked by CoinMarketCap, the best performer for the week was Maker, rising 22.16%.

  • Galaxy Digital Holdings rose 13% to C$6.46, higher than any close since October 31, from C$5.73. Trading volume was 923,287 shares, 16% above the 20-day average while the stock has been up for a fifth straight day, according to Bloomberg.  

  • Bitcoin advanced to a fresh high after several giants of traditional finance sought permission to launch spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on the token in the U.S., fueling optimism about digital assets gaining more mass-market appeal, according to Bloomberg.

Weaknesses

  • Of the cryptocurrencies tracked by CoinMarketCap, the worst performer for the week was ApeCoin, down 17.51%.

  • Earnings from NFT royalties hit their lowest volume since 2021, according to crypto data firm Nansen.  

  • Binance's offices in Australia were searched by the country's financial markets regulator as governments around the world turn up the heat on the biggest cryptocurrency exchange, writes Bloomberg.

Opportunities

  • Since June 6, when the SEC accused the company of illegally operating an unregistered securities exchange, shares of Coinbase have soared 55% through Monday's close, writes Bloomberg.

  • Bitcoin's fortune is no longer tied to sentiment in the U.S. stock market. The 90-day rolling correlations of changes in Bitcoin's spot price to changes in the Nasdaq 100 has declined to near zero. That's the lowest in two years, writes Bloomberg.  

  • BlackRock CEO Larry Fink called Bitcoin an “international asset” and said he wants to use its heft to make it less expensive and easier to invest in, writes Bloomberg.

Threats

  • Denmark's financial watchdog ordered Saxo Bank to dispose of its own holdings of crypto assets, saying banks aren't allowed to conduct proprietary trading under current regulations, writes Bloomberg.  

  • Binance executives are exiting as regulatory heat on the exchange grows. Patrick Hillmann, Binance's chief strategy officer who joined in 2021, tweeted he was leaving “on good terms.” Steven Christie, senior vice president for compliance, and Hon Ng, general counsel, have also left, writes Bloomberg.  

  • A crypto service used to move tokens between blockchains suffered an unexplained outflow of assets worth more than $120 million and have been moved to an unknown address, writes Bloomberg.
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Frank E Holmes

Frank Holmes is CEO and chief investment officer of U.S. Global Investors, Inc., a boutique investment advisory firm based in San Antonio that manages domestic and offshore funds specializing in the natural resources and emerging markets sectors. The company’s no-load mutual funds include the Global Resources Fund (ticker PSPFX), the World Precious Minerals Fund (UNWPX) and the Gold Shares Fund (USERX).

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Frank Holmes
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