Home Industry Finance Bitcoin, Ether extend crypto selloff as big Fed rate hike looms An Ether jump since mid-June that was spurred by hype around an upgrade of the Ethereum blockchain is rapidly unwinding by Bloomberg September 19, 2022 Cryptocurrencies extended a slide on Monday, hampered by a further drop in the second-largest token Ether as well as the prospect of a global wave of monetary tightening this week spanning the US to Europe. Ether fell as much as 5.6 per cent to a two-month low and was trading around $1,302 as of 10.35am in Singapore, while Bitcoin shed about 5 per cent to recede below $19,000. Tokens like XRP, Avalanche and Polkadot posted heavier losses. An Ether jump since mid-June that was spurred by hype around an upgrade of the Ethereum blockchain is rapidly unwinding now the revamp is done. Meanwhile, investors are bracing for volatility from the jumbo interest-rate hike expected this week from the Federal Reserve to fight price pressures. The Ethereum update – the Merge – to slash energy usage is a “ginormous shift” but “in this inflationary environment macro trumps everything,” Antoni Trenchev, managing partner at crypto lender Nexo, wrote in a note. That’s evident in the pressure on a range of assets: global stocks are closer to wiping out a climb since mid-June that for many was a bear-market rally. US equity futures were in the red Monday, while a dollar gauge pushed higher. Elsewhere, reports that Ripple Labs and the US Securities & Exchange Commission are seeking an immediate ruling in a court case over Ripple’s affiliated token XRP saw the latter shed as much as 12 per cent. The SEC argues Ripple was “reckless” in its claims that XRP isn’t a regulated security. Tags Bitcoin Blockchain Cryptocurrencies Ether Europe US 0 Comments You might also like Bitcoin surges above $42,000 for first time since April 2022 COP28: Who are the big name attendees? Daily Insider: Hard times for crypto as Zhao drama bites Binance’s $956m exodus: CZ exit sparks outflows