Bitcoin
Top 3 Crypto ETFs to Buy Now and Hold for the Long Term
Investors looking to diversify their cryptocurrency holdings now have a choice thanks to these three ETFs.
Launch of the new spot Bitcoin (Bitcoin 0.20%) ETFs in January were a game changer for the crypto industry. Arguably, it was the biggest new product launch on Wall Street in nearly 30 years. New ETFs have opened up crypto investing to the individual investor, making Bitcoin as easy to buy and sell as a technology stock.
In the process, these new spot Bitcoin ETFs opened up a discussion about the best ways to build and diversify a long-term crypto portfolio. In some cases, invest in a basket of companies or cryptocurrencies can be more effective than trying to pick a winner in a volatile industry. With that in mind, here’s a closer look at the top three crypto ETFs to buy and hold for the long term.
iShares Bitcoin Trust
There are almost a dozen new spot Bitcoin ETFs to choose from, but the clear leader now is the iShares Bitcoin Trust (I BITE -1.84%). It now has more than $17 billion in assets under management and has an expense ratio of just 0.25%. The ETF is Black stonethe largest asset manager in the world.
Admittedly, there is not much difference between the top-tier Bitcoin ETFs. They all hold just a single asset – Bitcoin – and they all try to do so as cheaply and efficiently as possible. From my perspective, the two main points of differentiation are size (assets under management) and fees.
On both counts, the iShares Bitcoin Trust is excellent. It’s the largest of the new spot Bitcoin ETFs, and its 0.25% expense ratio is now the industry standard (although you can find slightly cheaper fees with Ark Invest, which offers an expense ratio of 0.21 % for your ETF).
Bitwise 10 Crypto Index Fund
If you’re investing in crypto, you’ll probably want to diversify away from Bitcoin at some point, and one way to do that is with Bitwise 10 Crypto Index Fund (BITW -1.63%). This exchange-traded fund tracks a diverse mix of the top 10 cryptocurrencies, weighted by market cap and rebalanced monthly. It is one of the largest crypto-oriented ETFs, with approximately $1.1 billion in assets under management.
Given the emphasis this ETF places on market capitalization, Bitcoin represents an impressive 68% of the fund’s holdings. Ethereum (ETH -0.46%) represents another 23%. Solana (SUN -2.33%) and XRP (XRP -1.20%) together account for another 5.2%. All other cryptocurrencies have a weight of less than 1%.
Just keep in mind: if you already have a large position in Bitcoin, either directly or indirectly (such as through the iShares Bitcoin Trust), then you may not be getting anywhere near as much. diversification benefits that you think you might be getting. Yes, the fund has 10 cryptocurrencies. But Bitcoin easily accounts for the majority of the fund’s holdings.
Once the newly approved spot Ethereum ETFs begin trading, you could argue that it will be simpler and more cost-effective to just buy the Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs. It really depends on how much exposure you want to smaller, lesser-known cryptocurrencies that can help round out a diversified portfolio.
Amplify Transformational Data Sharing ETF
Finally, it’s worth thinking about how to gain exposure to companies in the blockchain and crypto sector. This includes exposure to Bitcoin mining companies, as well as cryptocurrency exchanges and blockchain payment companies.
A good choice here is the Amplify Transformational Data Sharing ETF (BLOCK -2.13%), which offers access to a wide range of 50+ blockchains and crypto assets. Right now, the fund’s largest holdings include Coinbase Global, Robinhood MarketsIt is Microstrategy. It also invests in Bitcoin mining companies like Marathon Digital Holdings and blockchain payment companies like Block.
While you could theoretically buy all of these crypto stocks individually, letting the ETF handle it for you is probably cheaper and more efficient. The expense ratio is just 0.76% and the fund’s holdings appear to be balanced among the best companies driving innovation in the crypto market. No company represents more than 5% of the fund’s holdings.
Diversifying with ETFs
Most likely, Wall Street is not yet done offering new ETFs to crypto investors. If the new spot Ethereum ETFs perform close to the performance of the new spot Bitcoin ETFs, it is highly likely that the process will continue with other single crypto ETF offerings.
By combining these single crypto ETF offerings with ETFs that offer broad exposure to the blockchain sector, you can achieve even greater diversification benefits. Just remember to take a look under the hood before you buy. If you like the fund’s holdings and are comfortable with the expense ratios charged, these crypto ETFs can be a fantastic way to diversify your portfolio and build wealth over the long term.
Dominic Basulto has positions in Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana. The Motley Fool has positions and recommends Bitcoin, Block, Coinbase Global, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP. The motley fool has a disclosure policy.
Bitcoin
RIOT, MARA and CLSK shares at risk
Bitcoin (BTC) Mining stocks like Riot Platforms (RIOT), Marathon Digital (MARA) and CleanSpark (CLSK) retreated in pre-market trading as BTC retreated.
RIOT, MARA and CLSK all fell more than 2%, while other crypto-related stocks such as MicroStrategy (MSTR) and Coinbase (COIN) fell 1.5%.
Bitcoin sell-off continues
Crypto-linked stocks retreated as Bitcoin resumed its downtrend on Wednesday. After rising to $63,750 on Monday, BTC is hovering at $60,0000 and it is unclear whether it will recover.
More importantly, Bitcoin is dangerously close to the crucial support at $58,273, which is the 200-day Exponential Moving Average (EMA). The next support level for Bitcoin is $56,426, representing its lowest level in May.
Bitcoin Price Chart
If Bitcoin drops below this price, it will be a sign that the bears have prevailed, which could take it to the $50,000 level, if not below.
This decline happened after a whale deposited nearly 2,000 Bitcoins to Binance in two separate transactions. While this isn’t always the case, deposits to exchanges often happen when holders are exiting their positions.
The whales’ action coincided with a period in which the German government continues to sell off its Bitcoin holdings. It transferred $52 million worth of coins to exchanges on Tuesday.
As a result, data from CoinGlass shows that the volume of Bitcoin balances on exchanges has started to increase. The volume rose to 2.49 million on Tuesday, from last month’s low of 2.47 million.
Bitcoin balances on exchanges
Bitcoin Mining Companies at Risk
If the Bitcoin sell-off continues, it will put Bitcoin mining companies like Marathon, CleanSpark, and Riot Platforms at risk. These companies have tended to have a close correlation with Bitcoin in the past.
This drop is happening a few months after the halving event, reducing the amount of Bitcoins that miners receive.
To compensate for this drop, most of these companies have added their mining equipment. CleanSpark has reached a hash rate of 20 EH/swhich helped her mine 445 coins in June after mining 417 coins the previous month. She did this after purchasing 5 mining sites in Georgia.
Digital Marathon mined 590 coins in June, down 40% from the same month in 2023 and flat from May.
Riot Platforms, on the other hand, focused on acquiring Bitfarms, a company that mined 189 coins in June.
Bitcoin
Michael Saylor Issues Statement on Bitcoin Amid Crypto Market Sell-Off by U.Today
U.Today – Amid an ongoing sell-off in the cryptocurrency market, Michael Saylor, a prominent advocate and president of MicroStrategy, made a statement on X (Twitter) that reverberated across the crypto space: “Just Bitcoin.”
This two-word tweet comes as the cryptocurrency market faces significant sell-offs as the price of Bitcoin plummets.
Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market value, began its decline in Tuesday’s trading session, hitting $63,223 at one point before falling further.
Losses deepened on Wednesday as investors considered remarks from Fed Chair Jerome Powell, with Bitcoin hitting intraday lows of $59,509. At the time of writing, BTC is down 2.85% over the past 24 hours to $60,274.
According to data from CoinGlass, the sell-off has resulted in a significant amount of cryptocurrencies being liquidated in the past 24 hours, totaling over $166 million. However, this has not deterred Saylor’s confidence in Bitcoin, as he reiterates his longing for the crypto asset in his tweet.
Cryptocurrency market crashes
Cryptocurrencies fell on Tuesday after Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said the central bank needs to see more progress on inflation before cutting interest rates, which are now at 5.25%-5.50%. Powell revealed at a monetary symposium in Sintra, Portugal, that the United States is moving closer to a disinflationary path.
“We want to be more confident that inflation is moving sustainably downward toward 2% before we begin the process of tapering or easing policy,” Powell said.
Market losses deepened after Wednesday’s economic releases that indicated the labor market is cooling. Recent data showed weaker-than-expected private payroll growth in June, but weekly jobless claims were higher than economists had forecast. The latest figures come ahead of the highly anticipated June nonfarm payrolls report on Friday.
As the cryptocurrency market goes through a period of uncertainty, the coming days and weeks will be crucial in determining the direction of BTC’s price.
Bitcoin
Bitcoin and Ethereum in GTA 6? Still rumors — for now
Rumors that the long-awaited Grand Theft Auto 6 will use cryptocurrency that has been circulating for more than a year now—and they’re spinning again.
On Wednesday, a pseudonymous Crypto Twitter influencer named Gordon — apparently named after Gordon Gekko from the iconic 1987 film “Wall Street” —shared to his nearly 500,000 followers that “GTA 6 will allow cryptocurrency payments” and that “so far only Bitcoin, EthereumIt is USDT [are] confirmed.”
But in reality, no cryptocurrency has been confirmed for Grand Theft Auto 6, despite ongoing chatter about the rumors. Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two have made no such announcements this week on the subject, nor have they made any prior announcements, and official trailers and announcements have made no mention of cryptocurrency being included.
However, the tweet — which also included a fake trailer for the game — quickly went viral, with over 500,000 views as of this writing in a matter of hours. When Twitter users asked Gordon for his sources, he would jokingly respond that his “uncle works there” or say that previous reports on the matter were “old” at this point.
But really, nothing has changed since then. DecipherGG’s reported in previous rumors in May 2023, not even since the first official trailer — which initially leaked with “BUY BTC” stamped on itApparently by the leaker in question—premiered last December.
DecipherGG reached out to Rockstar Games for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Could Grand Theft Auto 6 implement a crypto element when it releases in 2025? It’s certainly possible, and if so, it would be a transformative moment for cryptocurrency adoption by the traditional gaming industry.
Take-Two Interactive has explored the space before, acquiring casual gaming giant Zynga in early 2022, when Take-Two founder and CEO Strauss Zelnick suggested there were “Web3 opportunities” that they could explore better as a team. Zynga has launched its first blockchain game on Ethereum, called Sugartownbut Take-Two has yet to get involved with other brands.
Rockstar Games, on the other hand, prohibited the use of cryptocurrency or NFTs on player-run Grand Theft Auto 5 servers in late 2022, following a rise in the use of NFTs to represent unique player-owned assets on modded game servers.
And given Grand Theft Auto’s satirical tone, the game may be more likely to criticize cryptocurrency and poke fun at caricatures of crypto fans and NFTs, for example, rather than trying to launch its own on-chain currency. But that’s all speculation at this point, as there are relatively few official details about GTA 6.
For now, at least, don’t believe the hype. While Rockstar Games hasn’t officially closed the door on cryptocurrency usage in Grand Theft Auto 6, it hasn’t confirmed anything about it either. However, it’s sure to remain a hot topic in the long run leading up to release, which is currently scheduled for fall 2025.
Edited by Ryan Ozawa.
Bitcoin
Crypto President Trump’s ‘Lesser’ Regulation Will Bless Coinbase’s Bitcoin Leverage, Expert Says – Coinbase Glb (NASDAQ:COIN)
Chris SenyekChief Investment Strategist at Wolfe Researchrecently expressed his opinion on the potential impact of a Donald Trump win the 2024 elections in the cryptocurrency market.
What happened: Senyek suggested that a Trump presidency could ease cryptocurrency regulations, benefiting companies like Coinbase Global Inc. COIN due to its importance Bitcoin BTC/USD Leverage.
“Trump would be less harsh on crypto regulation, and Coinbase would be a big beneficiary of that given its influence on bitcoin,” Senyek said during CNBC’s “Last Call” on Tuesday.
See too: Enhance Your Retirement Portfolio: The Benefits of Adding Cryptocurrency
Why does this matter?:Senyek’s comments come in the context of the former president Donald Trump‘s reported plans to participate at the Bitcoin 2024 convention, which could reinforce his image as a “Crypto President”.
Trump’s potential participation in the Bitcoin 2024 convention, a major event on the cryptocurrency calendar, could have significant implications for the industry.
Pratik KalaHead of Research in DigitalX Limitedhe has predicted a Trump victory in the upcoming elections, but warns that immediate cryptocurrency-friendly regulations may not be a priority.
A recent report by 10x Search explore the recent rise in Bitcoin price and its potential connection to Trump’s strong position in the 2024 election race. The report, titled “Is the Bitcoin Trump Pump Sustainable?”, highlights a 4% spike in Bitcoin’s price following the news that the president Joe Biden will remain in the race despite a poor performance in the presidential debate.
Price Action: At the time of writing, Bitcoin was trading 2.10% lower at $60,860.66, according to Benzinga Pro.
Read next:
Image created using photos from Shutterstock
This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari
News and market data brought to you by Benzinga’s APIs
© 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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