The crypto investment journey is shaped by volatility, even in a bull market. Significant longer-term returns are frequently accompanied by substantial short-term drawdowns.

The table below from our research team shows how many Bitcoin drawdowns of 10% or greater there have been since 2010. In this bull cycle, we anticipate similar short-term fluctuations as price discovery unfolds. However, as BTC continues to mature, these drawdowns may be less severe and volatility may continue to come down over time.

Source: Hashdex Research with data from Messari (from July 21, 2010 to December 31, 2024).

Market Highlights | Jan 06 2025 – Jan 12 2025

One-year anniversary US bitcoin ETFs

• Spot bitcoin ETFs recorded a total trading volume of $660 billion in the last 12 months, with $36.2 billion in total net inflows.

• The unprecedented success of these products underscores the important role of ETFs in institutional adoption and price action throughout 2024.

Hong Kong sets up blockchain “guide” for banks

• Hong Kong’s Monetary Authority set up a “supervisory incubator” to help banks manage risks with blockchain adoption and experimenting.

• This initiative highlights the growing importance of blockchain technology worldwide and Hong Kong’s plan to become a crypto hub.

UK crypto staking legislation

• The UK treasury amended legislation enabling crypto staking services to be exempt from the rules of governing collective investment scheme.

• This supports our perspective that more regulatory clarity for crypto investors will come in 2025, helping to accelerate adoption.

Market Metrics | The Nasdaq Crypto Index™

This week was marked by a drawdown for crypto assets, with the NCI™ falling 4.7%. Still, year to date, the index only lags gold (+2.3%) in performance, reinforcing the “debasement trade” theory we presented in the last Hash Insider.

Source: Hashdex Research with data from CF Benchmarks and Bloomberg (from December 31, 2024 to January 12, 2025).

It was a red week for all NCI™ components, with XRP (+6.1%) being the lone exception. Potential drivers of this negative performance include better-than-expected US payroll data, which might suggest higher inflation in the future, a traditionally bearish driver for short-term price action.

Source: Hashdex Research with data from Messari (from January 05, 2025 to January 12, 2025).

Market Metrics | Indices tracked by Hashdex

Source: Hashdex Research with data from CF Benchmarks and Vinter (from January 12, 2024 to January 12, 2025).