Bitcoin traded just over $111,000 on Monday, maintaining its range from the past week, even as traders continue to assess macro signals for cues on crypto market positioning.
Ether (ETH) traded around $4,293, XRP rose 2.5% to $2.90, Solana’s SOL added 2.6% to $208, and dogecoin outperformed with a 7% jump to 23 cents. Market capitalization across majors rose modestly, though volumes remain lighter than August peaks.
Searching for a catalyst
Traders continue to watch U.S. data prints for any upcoming catalysts for the digital assets market, with producer and consumer inflation reports due midweek.
“Cryptocurrencies have been trading at a subdued level as the Fed is conflicted over cutting rates in the midst of inflation that has stubbornly refused to go away,” said Jeff Mei, COO at BTSE.
“Higher than expected numbers would cause Bitcoin and Ethereum to decline, while lower numbers could cause a rally.”
The macro data is more relevant now for traders, given that flows in spot bitcoin ETFs have cooled. With sub-$100 million daily inflows compared with summer’s run-up, the market is reliant on macro catalysts.
A new BTC buyer
Corporate adoption stories, however, are adding a new layer.
Johannesburg-based Altvest Capital announced Monday that it will raise $210 million to purchase bitcoin and rebrand as Africa Bitcoin Corp., becoming the first listed African firm to incorporate BTC as a core treasury asset.
CEO Warren Wheatley said the plan allows pension funds and unit trusts that cannot directly hold bitcoin to gain regulated exposure through equity.
Altvest’s market cap sits near $3 million, making the scale modest; however, the strategy mimics that of Japan’s Metaplanet and U.S. firm MicroStrategy, which utilize equity issuance to fund long-term bitcoin reserves. Bitcoin has nearly doubled over the past year, validating the approach for smaller firms seeking to tap equity investors to accumulate crypto.
Japan’s macro risk
Meanwhile, Japanese government bonds added fresh macro uncertainty.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s resignation triggered a selloff in long-dated paper, with 30-year yields touching 3.285% and curve steepening to levels unseen in other major markets.
Japan’s shifting market may impact the yen, which tends to influence bitcoin and crypto prices given its positioning as a safe macro hedge.
Periods of relative stability have often preceded large directional moves, with traders split on whether $111,000 will hold as a floor into September — historically the weakest month of the year for the market.
For now, the market seems to be in a bit of a limbo as the split screen defines the trade.
Bitcoin is supported by treasury adoption in Africa and steady ETF flows in the U.S., while macro headwinds from Japan to Washington keep volatility close at hand. This leaves the week’s US inflation data to decide which narrative drives the next leg.