Bitcoin (BTC) Stands Against the Other Cryptocurrencies

We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Cryptocurrencies to Buy Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Bitcoin (BTC) stands against the other cryptocurrencies.

Cryptocurrency is one of the most volatile markets as it mainly derives its value from Bitcoin (BTC), which is the biggest cryptocurrency. Bitcoin has almost 54% share of the crypto market with a market capitalization of $1.33 trillion, as of July 20. The market move depends on the overall movement of Bitcoin. Whereas, cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum (ETH) and XRP (XRP) are considered alternatives to Bitcoin and they sometimes tend to move opposite to Bitcoin. In addition, cryptos such as Ethereum and XRP have unique features and use cases. For instance, XRP’s money transfer network, Ripple, serves the financial services industry's needs. XRP’s Ripple has collaborations with Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE:SAN), Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (NYSE:CM), and Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited (NSE:KOTAKBANK), among others. These are some of the leading banks that use XRP’s RippleNet for swift, low transaction cost, and versatile exchange network transfer technology.

Around 13.7% of the population in the US owned cryptocurrencies in 2022, according to the US International Trade Commission. The US is one of the leading countries with the highest cryptocurrency adoption. In April 2023, there were almost 420 million global cryptocurrency users.

Crypto Market Overview

The cryptocurrency market capitalization stood at $2.40 trillion, as of July 20, 2024. The crypto market capitalization was less than half a year ago, around $1.20 trillion, as of July 20, 2023. On January 1, 2024, the market cap had surged to $1.66 trillion. The surge in the crypto market was because of the rise of Bitcoin, mainly driven by the approval of Bitcoin Spot Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) by the US SEC and the Bitcoin halving event. These major developments have injected a new bullish sentiment among investors. The difference can be seen with the increase in the trading volume of cryptocurrencies. As per Coinmarketcap, the trading volume of cryptocurrencies was around $84 billion on July 20, 2024, compared to $36 billion a year ago.

Bitcoin halving is an important event that reduces the rate of issuance of new BTC and the rewards for successful bitcoin miners are cut in half. Almost 21 million Bitcoins will ever be produced and halving reduces amount of new supply of BTC which impacts the rate of new BTC coins. On April 20, the fourth Bitcoin halving took place. The immediate impact of the halving is felt by miners, who experience the block rewards cut in half. According to an analyst, Megan Stals, “Bitcoin trading volume generally sees the most significant increase in the 60 days prior to halvings, as interest builds and prices gain momentum.”

Bitcoin and Ethereum have experienced a slight improvement in their market dominance. On January 1, 2024, Bitcoin and Ethereum had a dominance of 52.08% and 16.50%, respectively. On July 20, 2024, Bitcoin dominated with almost 54% and Ethereum dominated with a 17% share. The Coinmarketcap Crypto Fear and Greed index shows a score of 60.06 compared to 67.58 on January 1, 2024. The CMC Crypto Fear and Greed Index by Coinmarketcap indicates the market buying and selling sentiment. A score closer to 0 means an extreme market fear and shows investors have oversold irrationally, while a score closer to 100 means an extremely greedy market and indicates a potential market correction. The score of 60.06 signals a slightly greedy market, however, it is to be noted that it is below the score of 67.58, at the beginning of the year when the market started a bull run.

Mark Cuban recently pointed out that if the US dollar declines as the global reserve currency, Bitcoin could become a ‘safe-haven’ globally. Countries suffering from hyperinflation are already investing in Bitcoin. Ukraine and Vietnam are two of the leading countries that use crypto and bitcoin the most.

Ethereum’s Squeezed Supply

Over $3 billion worth of Ethereum (ETH) has been removed from centralized crypto exchanges since the approval of spot Ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the US on May 23. The Glassnode data shows that the supply of Ethereum held on exchanges is at its lowest level in years at around 10.6%. As per the CryptoQuant data, the total Ethereum on exchanges has plunged by almost 797,000 between May 23 and June 2, worth approximately $3.02 billion. The low supply of Ethereum on exchanges means that fewer ETH