- Bitcoin and Ether plunged amid reports of an Israeli strike on Iran.
- Asian stock markets followed suit, with indices like Hang Seng, Nikkei 225, and TAIEX.
- A whale investor quickly responded, purchasing 3,253 ETH.
In the early hours of Friday, a whale investor in the cryptocurrency market swiftly acted in response to the news of geopolitical tensions between Israel and Iran.
According to data from Spotonchain, an on-chain data provider, a whale buyer invested $9.516 million USDT to purchase 3,253 ETH at approximately $2,925, strategically timing the purchase around the local bottom. This move resulted in the whale accumulating unrealized profits of $625K, marking a 6.57% increase.
Several digital assets experienced a market downturn on Friday following reports of an Israeli missile strike on Iran. Earlier that day, Bitcoin hit a 5.5% dip, trading at $59,961, while Ether dropped below the $3,000 mark to $2,895. Meanwhile, Ether, another major digital asset, dropped below the $3,000 mark to $2,895.
Asian stock markets also recorded significant declines, with major indices reflecting negative trends. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong dropped by 3.5%, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 experienced a decline of 6.5%. Similarly, Taiwan’s TAIEX saw a downturn of 5%.
U.S. stock futures followed suit, indicating a downward trend as MarketWatch reported an increase in crude oil prices during this period. This decline aligned with the broader flight from cryptocurrencies as investors sought safety in traditional assets such as oil, gold, and bonds.
As reported by Reuters, The Israeli attack on Iranian soil was in response to a prior drone strike by Iran on Israel. While initial reports of explosions in Iran rattled markets, subsequent clarification from Iranian sources attributed these explosions to air defense systems rather than direct attacks.
Moh Siong Sim, a currency strategist at the Bank of Singapore, opined that the current market stage is a “flight to safety” mode due to the uncertainty surrounding the geopolitical tension. “I think markets are at this stage in a flight to safety mode,” Sim stated. He further voiced, “Right now, we’re still in a situation where we know something has happened. But we need to understand the degree of the degree of retaliation.”
Despite the initial sell-off, Bitcoin partially recovered to $62,300 later today, registering a 2% decline. Ether also bounced back above the $3,000 level, signaling some stabilization in the cryptocurrency market following the initial shock. The decline in Bitcoin coincided with the anticipated “halving” event, a scheduled adjustment to reduce the rate of new Bitcoin creation.
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