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Why is crypto market going down today? (March 6)

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Why is crypto market going down today? (March 6)

The crypto market pulled back on Friday following a strong rebound on Thursday.

Summary

  • The crypto market backpedalled on part of its recent gains after BTC faced rejection at $74K.
  • Concerns around a major options expiry event and capital rotation to traditional safe-haven assets have also suppressed demand for risk assets.

After rallying nearly 5.5% over the past day, the global crypto market capitalization once again retracted, dropping 2% to $2.48 trillion on Friday, March 6. Bitcoin (BTC) was down 1.8% in the daily timeframe, while Ethereum (ETH) posted losses of 1.3%. Other major cryptocurrencies, such as BNB (BNB), XRP (XRP), and Solana (SOL), also faced similar losses as the broader market cooled.

As crypto prices fell, it triggered the liquidation of traders with highly leveraged bullish positions across leveraged markets. Data from CoinGlass shows that nearly $167.5 million of the total $252 million liquidations that took place in the past 24 hours came from long positions.

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Amidst the market drop, the crypto fear and greed index fell by 4 points to 18, a sign that risk-on sentiment among investors seems to be evaporating.

The crypto market fell after Bitcoin faced rejection at $74,000 on Thursday after rallying over 16% in the past 5 days. This came as investors booked profits, which is quite common after an asset has rallied over multiple days.

Bitcoin’s rejection and successive drop caught highly leveraged traders off guard, triggering a cascade in liquidations which then rippled off to other altcoins in the leveraged markets.

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Multiple analysts note that the rejection has left BTC vulnerable to more downside and has dampened the short term outlook for the entire sector.

$2.68 billion options expiry today

Another key reason why the market slipped lower today is fears surrounding a $2.68 billion options expiry across the crypto market on the Deribit exchange at 8:00 a.m. UTC.

Notably, around 32,000 Bitcoin contracts with a notional value of $2.2 billion are set to expire with the max pain price at $69,000. Concurrently, Ethereum options worth $397 million will also settle today.

Such a massive options expiry event typically leads to significant price volatility as traders adjust or close out their positions. The open interest of the total crypto market has dropped 4.76% over the past 24 hours, suggesting traders seem to be unwinding their bets ahead of the potential price swings.

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Rising energy prices spark rotation to traditional safe-haven assets

The crypto market also tanked amid rising energy prices after Iran’s suspected attack on U.S. oil ships around the port of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted global supply chains.

Investors fear that rising crude oil and gas prices due to the conflict could reignite inflation. Consequently, they have turned risk-averse as they rotate capital towards traditional safe-haven assets such as gold, which has performed significantly better during these uncertain times.

Stalled crypto legislation

Investor sentiment was also hurt after progress on the CLARITY Act, a highly anticipated U.S. market structure bill, stalled once again.

While U.S. President Donald Trump has called for a swift implementation of the framework, the landmark bill hit a new impasse after leading banking groups rejected a White House compromise for the bill, citing risks to traditional institutions. 

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The delay has cast severe doubt on whether the CLARITY Act can pass before the 2026 summer recess, removing a major regulatory tailwind for the industry.

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.

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Crypto World

Morgan Stanley Sets Bitcoin ETF Fee at Ultra-Low 0.14%

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Morgan Stanley Sets Bitcoin ETF Fee at Ultra-Low 0.14%

Investment bank Morgan Stanley is seeking to launch its spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund at a 0.14% fee, which would make it the cheapest in the US market and potentially force rivals to cut fees to stay competitive.

The 0.14% fee, proposed in Morgan Stanley’s latest S-1 registration statement on Friday, would be one basis point below the Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust ETF (BTC), currently the cheapest in the US market, and 11 basis points below the BlackRock-issued iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT).

“Big move here. They are not messing around,” Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart said, predicting that the Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust (MSBT) is “likely to launch in early April.”

Source: James Seyffart

Fellow Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas said the low fee means that none of Morgan Stanley’s roughly 16,000 financial advisors — which manage $6.2 trillion in client assets — would feel conflicted in recommending the product to its clients.

Given that spot Bitcoin ETFs track the price movements of Bitcoin (BTC), Morgan Stanley’s ultra-low fee could spark a fresh fee war in the $83 billion market, putting immediate pressure on rivals to cut costs or risk losing assets.

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Regulatory approval would make Morgan Stanley the first bank to issue a spot Bitcoin ETF, expanding access to Bitcoin exposure for millions of its high-net-worth clients.

“They are the ultimate gatekeepers of rich boomer money,” Balchunas added.

Morgan Stanley previously selected Coinbase and Bank of New York Mellon as the proposed custodians for its Bitcoin ETF.

Morgan Stanley seeking suite of crypto ETFs, banking charter

Morgan Stanley, previously one of the more crypto-hesitant Wall Street firms, filed for the spot Bitcoin ETF in the first week of January, along with a Solana (SOL) ETF.

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Related: Bitcoin traders see 53% odds of sub-$66K BTC by April 24 

It then filed papers for a staked Ether (ETH) ETF later that week, and by the end of the month, the bank appointed one of Morgan Stanley’s longest-standing executives, Amy Oldenburg, to lead its digital asset team.

Source: James Seyffart

Morgan Stanley also applied for a national trust banking charter on Feb. 18, seeking to custody certain digital assets and execute purchases, sales and swaps for clients in addition to staking services.

In October, before the investment bank adopted its institutional crypto strategy, it recommended a 2% to 4% allocation to crypto portfolios for investors. It also allowed its financial advisors to recommend crypto funds to clients with individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and 401(k)s.

Magazine: Bitcoin may face hard fork over any attempt to freeze Satoshi’s coins

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