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Bitcoin FOMO Is Back: $70K and Then New Record Highs in Sight, Says Analyst

A $10 billion surge in stablecoin minting over the past weeks has flooded the crypto market with liquidity, 10X Research's Markus Thielen noted.

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(David Mark/Pixabay)

Impressive gains since the U.S. Federal Reserve's mid-September rate cut and subsequent China stimulus plans have pushed bitcoin (BTC) out of its downtrend, according to a new research report.

"FOMO is Back: Are You Holding Enough Bitcoin and Altcoins to Ride the New Wave," is the title of 10X Research's Markus Thielen's latest analysis. "With bitcoin breaking above $65,000, we anticipate a swift move toward $70,000, followed by new all-time highs in the near term."

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Thielen took note of a sharp increase in stablecoin minting following the Fed's July meeting, at which it left rates unchanged but indicated a September easing was likely. Nearly $10 billion in stablecoin minting ensued in the subsequent weeks, said Thielen, flooding the crypto markets with liquidity and sharply surpassing spot ETF flows.

Of particular interest, said Thielen, Circle's USDC accounted for 40% of recent stablecoin inflows, a far higher share versus Tether's USDT than is typical. It's important, he said, as while USDT minting on TRON is typically associated with capital preservation, USDC minting could indicate a rise in DeFi activity.

Noting that 55% of currently mined bitcoins are coming from Chinese mining pools, Thielen said that country's massive monetary and fiscal stimulus measures – announced just after the Fed rate cut – could trigger large capital outflows from China and into cryptos.

"The likelihood of a Q4 rally is exceptionally high, with gains likely front-loaded," Thielen concluded. "A major surge could be on the horizon, sparking even more FOMO across the crypto space."

Bitcoin currently is higher by 2.3% over the past 24 hours and nearly 12% month-over-month to $66,300, its strongest level since late July.

Read more: Bitcoin Prices Show Positive 30-Day Correlation With China's Central Bank Balance Sheet


Stephen Alpher

Stephen is CoinDesk's managing editor for Markets. He previously served as managing editor at Seeking Alpha. A native of suburban Washington, D.C., Stephen went to the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, majoring in finance. He holds BTC above CoinDesk’s disclosure threshold of $1,000.

Stephen Alpher