Crypto Markets Lose $50B in 2 Days as Bitcoin Slides Below $23K

CryptoPotatoPublished on 2022-08-02Last updated on 2022-08-02

Abstract

Polkadot is among the most substantial losers today and the total market cap is down to just over $1 trillion.

Following the recent local peaks, bitcoin reversed its trajectory and dipped below $23,000 for the first time in several days.

Most altcoins have followed suit, with Ethereum dropping beneath $1,600 and Polkadot dumping by double-digits.

Bitcoin Dips Below $23K

Ever since the US Federal Reserve last hiked the interest rates and President Biden refuted to admit that the country has entered into a recession, the price of bitcoin was riding high.

It jumped above $24,000 at the end of last week and spiked even further during the weekend. This culminated in a price surge above $24,500, which became the cryptocurrency’s highest level since June 13.

However, that didn’t last long and BTC retraced late on Sunday and yesterday. The past 24 hours brought some more pain for the bulls as bitcoin slipped below $23,000 for the first time since July 28. It currently trades there as well and its market cap has declined way below $450 billion.

Bitcoin News

Despite the current market downturn, Morgan Creek’s Mark Yusko believes the next massive bull run will come in two years.

Craig Wright – the self-proclaimed Satoshi Nakamoto – was awarded a whopping amount of 1 GBP for the defamation lawsuit against Peter McCormack.

Altcoins Bleed Out Too

Ethereum was on a roll until recently, charting a multi-week high of its own above $1,700 during the weekend. However, it stalled yesterday below that level and has lost over 6% in the past 24 hours. As a result, the largest altcoin now trades beneath $1,600.

BNB, Ripple, Cardano, Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, and Avalanche have declined by up to 5% in a day. More losses come from Solana and MATIC, both of which are down by 6%. Polkadot, on the other hand, has dumped by 12% and sits below $8.

With many other lower- and mid-caps in the red, the crypto market cap is down by $50 billion since Sunday to $1.050 trillion.

Industry News

Nomad Bridge is the latest to fall victim to a hack, even a weird one, and it lost nearly $200 million.

The SEC charged 11 individuals for participating in a crypto pyramid scheme called Forsage.

Ethereum inflation levels have skyrocketed lately as the EIP-1559 doesn’t seem to be working as intended during the bear market.

Related Reads

Are Altcoins Soaring? Is the Bull Market Back?

Recent days have seen significant volatility in altcoins while Bitcoin remained relatively stable. Some low-market-cap tokens, with circulations under $20 million, surged by several hundred percent within days—without fundamental improvements, ecosystem breakthroughs, or new institutional inflows. This is not a true altseason. The Altseason Index stands at 34, and Bitcoin dominance is at 58.5%, indicating the market is still in a "Bitcoin season." The altcoin market cap has shrunk by ~40% since its peak in December 2024, falling to around $700 billion. This severe decline has made it cheaper for large holders to accumulate significant portions of circulating supply, enabling price manipulation. A case in point is SIREN, where a single entity allegedly controlled up to 88% of the circulating supply. Such concentration allows a small group to dictate price movements. Additionally, deeply negative funding rates (as low as -0.3% every 8 hours, annualized to -328%) force short sellers to pay high fees, accelerating liquidations and further fueling upward price spikes. On-chain activity, like a 97% weekly increase in BSC DEX volume, suggests excitement, but it is largely driven by existing capital, not new inflows. Institutional flows into altcoin ETFs (like those for Solana and XRP) have been weak or negative, indicating caution rather than rotation into altcoins. This rally is a signal of structural fragility, not broad bullish momentum. Until Bitcoin dominance falls significantly and new capital enters the altcoin space, these pumps are echoes of manipulation—not the return of a true bull market.

marsbit31m ago

Are Altcoins Soaring? Is the Bull Market Back?

marsbit31m ago

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