Bitcoin selloff continues as prices slide below $63,000 for the first time since February
The selloff has triggered demand for protective options plays, pushing the fear gauge higher.
What to know:
- Bitcoin fell to about $63,000, its lowest level since February, and is down more than 14% this week and 21% over the past four weeks.
- The sell-off has driven 30-day implied volatility to its highest level since early April and prompted 13 straight days of outflows from U.S.-listed spot bitcoin ETFs, signaling waning institutional demand.
- Analysts say a lack of fresh catalysts, rotation of liquidity into sectors like artificial intelligence and concerns over Mt. Gox-related selling could fuel further volatility, with key support watched around $60,000 and some eyeing $50,000 as a potential bottom.
Investors yanked another $50 million from U.S.-listed spot ETFs Wednesday, marking the 13th consecutive trading day of outflows from these vehicles, which are viewed as a proxy for institutional demand.
“A broad sell-off in crypto, which started with Strategy’s transfer triggering ETF outflows and is now fueled by speculative news about Mt. Gox liquidations, signals a potential continued sell-off. BTC at $50k is a level some are starting to talk about as a bottom this year,” Paul Howard, senior director at liquidity provider Wincent, said in an email.
“Whilst there is a long way to go, the absence of catalysts and the movement of liquidity into other tech sectors such as AI indicate we have further volatility ahead,” he added.
Some traders are closely watching levels around $60,000 as potential support. The February crash saw prices nearly test that level on some exchanges before the sell-off ran out of steam
