- Bitcoin’s volatility is steadily decreasing, indicating a maturing market amidst recent macroeconomic updates.
- Despite fluctuations last week, Bitcoin’s 60-day historical volatility has remained below 50% since early 2023, contrasting sharply with previous years, and significant shifts in market structure are shaping its relatively stable price action.
Bitcoin, historically renowned for its dramatic price swings, is showing signs of maturing as its volatility steadily declines. According to a research report by Kaiko Research, the original cryptocurrency’s volatility is expected to continue its downward trend as the market evolves.
Recent Fluctuations Amid Macroeconomic Updates
Despite its overall trend towards stability, Bitcoin experienced notable fluctuations last week due to macroeconomic updates in the US. Prices swung from $66,000 on Wednesday morning to nearly $70,000 later that day, before settling just above $66,600 by the end of the week, based on the Kaiko BTC Benchmark Reference Rate. This amounted to a dip of just over 4%, with selling outpacing buying on almost all exchanges. The net cumulative volume delta (CVD) for top Bitcoin trading pairs reached $518 million between June 10-14, with Binance and Bybit witnessing the most selling activity, according to Kaiko analysts.
Signs of Maturity in 2024
Despite these short-term fluctuations, Bitcoin has shown significant signs of maturation throughout 2024. Kaiko’s research highlights that Bitcoin’s 60-day historical volatility has remained below 50% since early 2023, a stark contrast to the massive fluctuations of 2022 when volatility exceeded 100%. The cryptocurrency’s volatility even hit an all-time low of 40%, far below the peaks of over 106% seen in 2021.
Interestingly, even significant events such as the launch of spot Bitcoin ETFs in the US have not drastically impacted volatility. This could indicate that changes in Bitcoin’s market structure over the past year are contributing to its relatively ‘boring’ price action. The research points out that the US market close now commands a higher share of trading volumes, concentrating BTC liquidity around the East Coast trading window. This suggests that Bitcoin ETF demand trends play a crucial role in price movements.
The reversal of inflows in US Bitcoin ETFs last week likely added to the selling pressure, alongside macroeconomic news. As is typical with emerging asset classes, new capital flows often lead to higher volatility.
Kaiko also noted a significant shift in the industry: Blackrock has surpassed Grayscale’s Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (NYSE) in terms of assets under management. With $10 trillion in assets, Blackrock now holds the title of the world’s largest spot Bitcoin ETF, outpacing the crypto-native incumbent.
Overall, while Bitcoin still reacts to macroeconomic factors and market sentiment, its decreasing volatility signals a maturing asset class, providing more stability for investors navigating the often tumultuous cryptocurrency landscape.
