Bitcoin Daily January 13, 2025

1. Bitcoin as an Inflation Hedge & Store of Value

• Bitcoin's Performance vs. the US Dollar: One source notes that Bitcoin's compound inflation of 7% since 2020 has been significantly offset by a 900% gain while the US Dollar declined by 20% in the same period. This highlights a crucial point in Bitcoin's narrative that it is performing well against fiat currencies experiencing inflation.
• Divergence from the Dollar: Bitcoin's resilience against the fluctuating U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) is also highlighted, suggesting a growing independence from dollar fluctuations. It was noted that: "While nominal price shifts capture headlines, the real intrigue lies in how Bitcoin's purchasing power, once tightly linked with a weakened dollar, has charted a different course amid recent dollar rallies."

2. Market Dynamics & Trading Behavior

• Retail Trader Influence: A significant finding is that "86% of Bitcoin’s sell-off driven by short-term retail traders." This highlights how vulnerable the market can be to the actions of this cohort and implies that price volatility could be driven by short-term trading sentiment.
• Liquidity Squeeze: Bitcoin's sell-side liquidity has hit its lowest level since 2018, which is described as "fueling BTC rally." This implies that a limited amount of Bitcoin being offered for sale is putting upward pressure on prices, although this article is six days old at time of writing.
• Market Sentiment and Liquidations: Bitcoin's sharp price swings are noted as resulting in "$418 million in liquidations" within a single week. The volatility of Bitcoin is therefore emphasized as a significant risk to short term speculators.
• Bitcoin ETF Activity: Spot Bitcoin ETFs are highlighted as reaching their first anniversary, with some ranking in the Top 20 in terms of Assets Under Management.
• Inflows to crypto assets: Crypto investment products are seeing inflows with Bitcoin and XRP leading with a modest $48 million inflow. This shows there is investment into the crypto space as a whole, although it is modest.

3. Regulatory & Institutional Developments

• DOJ Sells Bitcoin Seized from Silk Road: The Department of Justice received court approval to sell 69,370 BTC seized from the Silk Road marketplace. The actions of the DOJ show that governments are actively engaged in dealing with cases relating to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies and that the market has the capacity to handle the offloading of large amounts of Bitcoin.
• Bitcoin Mining in Russia: There's a reported surge in Bitcoin mining demand in Russia, with a tripling of demand due to "regulatory shifts and price rally."
• Strategic Reserves: New Hampshire is cited as an example of states exploring Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset.
• UK regulatory clarification: Ethereum and Solana staking are no longer classified as collective investment schemes in the UK, as part of the government's recent plans to foster crypto innovation. This shows there are some positive regulatory developments in some jurisdictions.

4. Technological Advancements & Development

• Alpen Labs' Strata: Alpen Labs is developing "Strata," which is open to public testing next month, and allows developers to build new applications on the Bitcoin network. This shows that Bitcoin is continuing to develop as a platform.
• Oh raises $4.5 million: Oh raised $4.5 million to empower creators through AI and Web3 fusion. This demonstrates the integration of AI, Web3, and new use cases for cryptocurrencies, although this