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Ethereum outpaces bitcoin as markets falter

Ethereum outpaces bitcoin as markets falter

The second‑largest cryptocurrency is showing stronger momentum than the flagship, MN Trading founder Michaël van de Poppe observed.

He said the set‑up points to a revival in digital assets. However, to cement momentum, Ethereum must break above 0.03250 in the BTC pair.

A break of that level, he added, could usher in a sustained upswing.

At the time of writing, the leading altcoin trades around $2,000. Over the past 24 hours its price is down 1.9%, and 6.4% over the week.

Hourly chart of ETH/USDT on Binance. Source: TradingView.

Bitcoin is trading near $66,100. Over the past 24 hours it fell 2.1%, and 6.8% over seven days.

Hourly chart of BTC/USDT on Binance. Source: TradingView.

Van de Poppe described bitcoin’s overall trend as weak. He allowed that in the coming weeks the coin could take out the lows. At the same time, he said the current market phase can be viewed as the final stage of the bear trend.

Bitcoin could find a floor at $54,000

The realized price, which reflects the average acquisition cost of coins on‑chain, points to a bottom for the current market phase.

The DeFi Report founder Michael Nadeau noted that in bear phases bitcoin has traditionally traded below this level.

The realized price itself declines over time as earlier purchases are sold at lower prices. This makes the metric useful for estimating potential downside levels within the current cycle.

According to CryptoQuant analyst Axel Adler Jr., the indicator is now at $54,000. Hitting that mark would signal extreme oversold conditions that in past cycles often preceded a reversal.

Macro headwinds intensify

Amid record pressure on traditional markets linked to the conflict in the Middle East, bitcoin and other digital assets are showing resilience. The S&P 500 has posted its longest streak of daily declines since 2022, losing more than 7% over the past ten sessions. Over the same period, Nasdaq 100 fell by 5%.

Total crypto market capitalisation ($2.32 trillion) has been largely unchanged. Since the start of US and Israeli strikes on Iran, digital gold has traded in a $65,000–$73,000 range, sold on each escalation but not breaking structurally lower. Equities, by contrast, are forming a persistent downtrend.

However, Adler Jr. warned that bitcoin’s relative resilience does not mean it has fully decoupled from risk assets. Although the short‑term link between the coin and the S&P 500 has weakened, its performance relative to the index continues to deteriorate.

“The formal correlation between bitcoin and the S&P has now become a less reliable guide, but relative performance still indicates that the market views bitcoin as a higher‑risk asset with greater drawdown amplitude than the S&P 500,” he said.

The analyst believes it is too early to call a trend change until bitcoin’s ratio to the index stabilises and begins to recover. That means the coin’s current resilience may be temporary. Without an improvement in relative performance, a durable reversal higher is unlikely.

On March 30, digital gold fell to $65,112, setting a new low since late February.

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