Crypto markets plummet after Binance, FTX deal frightens investors

Quick Take

  • FTX’s FTT token is down more than 80% since CZ tweeted his exchange’s intention to sell its holdings Sunday.
  • Bitcoin fell below $18,000, and ether dropped under $1,300 after Binance announced its acquisition of FTX.com
  • The global crypto market cap crashed below $1 trillion.

Crypto prices plummeted following Binance's deal to acquire FTX.com after a brief bump higher.

FTX's FTT token dropped 70% since popping immediately following the news around 11:15 a.m. ET. The token is more than 80% down since Sunday, when Binance's CEO Changpeng "CZ" Zhao said the exchange would sell its FTT tokens.

The news of Binance's acquisition also temporarily buoyed bitcoin, which is now down nearly 10%, according to data via TradingView. 

Ether fell 16% in the last hour. Despite the news, Binance's token BNB also sold off, albeit less dramatically, down 6%.

RELATED INDICES

The global crypto market cap crashed below $1 trillion following the sell-off.

Elsewhere, Coinbase shares have plummeted around 11% today as the world's largest exchange looks to become even more prominent. 

Just two weeks ago, volatility in crypto markets hit its lowest level since July 2020, according to The Block's annualized bitcoin volatility dashboard. Last week, Thomas Perfumo, Kraken's head of strategy, noted that bitcoin's volatility had fallen below the S&P 500. "Traders note that periods of consolidation with declining volatility and volume precede explosive price movement," he said. 


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About Author

Adam Morgan is a reporter covering cryptocurrency, financial markets, and economics – anything from price movements, earnings reports, and inflation to the U.S. Federal Reserve interest rate decisions and everything in between. Adam is based in London.

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