Circle's Stock Price Halved in 45 Days, Is Circle Actually the "DeFi Barometer"?
In 45 days, Circle's stock price has been halved, dropping to around $63, with its stablecoin USDC's circulation falling by approximately $70 billion from its peak to 73.6 billion. In contrast, USDT's circulation saw a much smaller decline. This aligns with analyst Ed Engel's view that Circle acts as a barometer for DeFi activity, as 75% of USDC circulates within crypto exchanges and DeFi protocols rather than everyday payments.
Data shows high concentration of USDC holdings in DeFi contracts and addresses, unlike USDT which has broader real-world use cases. The decline in Circle's stock and USDC circulation appears correlated with a drop in DeFi's Total Value Locked (TVL) following security incidents like the Kelp DAO attack.
To boost adoption, Circle has partnered with platforms like Hyperliquid, offering incentives to make USDC a settlement asset. While USDC sees significant institutional use for compliant transfers, its growth in circulation remains heavily tied to DeFi activity. For Circle's prospects to improve, it must either reduce its reliance on the volatile DeFi sector or demonstrate that real-world usage can substantially drive USDC issuance growth.
Foresight News06/29 09:34
