The crypto market showed mixed sentiments today as major coins experienced price fluctuations. The Crypto Fear & Greed Index rose from 37 to 41, signaling a slight improvement but still lingering in the 'Fear' zone. Bitcoin (BTC) remained volatile this week, influenced by increasing tensions in the Middle East and investors' growing focus on traditional safe-haven assets like gold.   Crypto heat map, October 4 | Source: Coin360   Additionally, market participants are closely watching the upcoming US Non-Farm Payroll (NFP) data due on Friday. Recent US economic indicators, such as the ISM Services Index reaching an 18-month high, caused a brief rebound in the S&P and Nasdaq before closing lower due to concerns over potential Israeli attacks on Iran's oil industry. Amidst this uncertainty, BTC has managed a slight uptick, while the ETH/BTC ratio continues to decline.   Trending Tokens of the Day Top 24-Hour Performers     Trading Pair    24H Change ⬆️ ANALOS/USDT +50.38% ⬆️ SAROS/USDT +23.78% ⬆️ BIIS/USDT  +21.21%   Trade now on KuCoin   Quick Market Updates Prices (UTC+8 8:00): BTC: $61,292 (+0.96%); ETH: $2,375 (+0.95%) 24-Hour Long/Short Ratio: 49.5%/50.5% Fear and Greed Index: 41 (Up from 37, still in 'Fear' territory) Industry Highlights for October 4, 2024 Fed’s Rate Cut Expectations: Federal Reserve official Austan Goolsbee suggested that cutting rates by 25 or 50 basis points is less urgent than a more substantial reduction to neutral levels over the next year. Current market sentiment indicates a 62.5% probability of a 25-basis-point rate cut in November. Ethereum Developments: Co-founder Vitalik Buterin proposed increasing bandwidth requirements and lowering the minimum staking threshold to 16 or 24 ETH, reflecting the ongoing evolution of the Ethereum ecosystem. Ripple Expansion: Ripple launched its high-speed payment solution, Ripple Payments, in Brazil, extending its international reach and reinforcing its role in cross-border payments. Crypto Inflows Surge: $1.2 Billion Amid Rate Cut Hopes Last week saw significant inflows into crypto investment products, totaling $1.2 billion – the highest in 10 weeks. Bitcoin led with over $1 billion in inflows, while Ethereum broke its five-week losing streak, gaining $87 million. This surge in inflows is driven by hopes of interest rate cuts in the U.S., enhancing the market's outlook.   Read More: Crypto Inflows Surge: $1.2 Billion in a Week Amid Rate Cut Hopes   XRP Dips 9% as SEC Reignites Legal Battle XRP dropped by 9% after the SEC filed an appeal against a previous court ruling that had determined XRP was not a security when sold to retail investors. Ripple's CEO Brad Garlinghouse and CLO Stuart Alderoty expressed disappointment but hinted at a possible cross-appeal. Despite this setback, Ripple’s XRP Ledger continues to play a vital role in cross-border payments.   Bitcoin's Dominance Climbed Near a Three-Year High Bitcoin dominance spikes to 58% | Source: TradingView    While XRP faced challenges, Bitcoin saw a modest 1% increase, pushing its price close to $61,000. Meanwhile, Ethereum slipped by over 1% to around $2,350, reflecting the broader market's volatility. Bitcoin's dominance climbed near a three-year high, standing at 58%.   Read more: Bitcoin Market Holds Strong Amid $60K Threat: Traders Remain Optimistic   Notable Movers: Aptos Surges, SUI Declines APT/USDT price chart | Source: KuCoin    Aptos (APT) outperformed the market with a 7% gain following the news of Franklin Templeton expanding its tokenized money market fund to the Aptos blockchain. Conversely, SUI dropped after a month-long rally, as some traders rotated profits into Aptos.   U.S. Dollar Strengthening DXY rises above 101 | Source: TradingView   The crypto market's mixed performance coincided with the U.S. dollar surging to its highest level since mid-August due to strong economic data and ongoing geopolitical concerns in the Middle East. A spike in the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) has also raised concerns over potential liquidity stress, drawing parallels to the repo crisis of 2019.   What to Watch Next Markets now await Friday's U.S. jobs report, which could serve as a catalyst. A mix of expected rate cuts and strong labor data may drive renewed optimism in risk assets, including cryptocurrencies.   Solana Could Challenge Ethereum’s Dominance Solana vs. Ethereum price performance | Source: TradingView    Recent trends show financial institutions considering Solana for real-world asset tokenization and stablecoins. This shift could position Solana as a serious competitor to Ethereum over the long term, especially with Visa's recent integration of USDC on the Solana network.   Read more: Solana vs. Ethereum: Which Is Better in 2024?   PayPal's First Corporate Payment via PYUSD Stablecoin PayPal completed its first business transaction using its USD-pegged stablecoin, PYUSD, with Ernst & Young through SAP’s digital currency hub. This marks a significant milestone in using stablecoins for instant corporate payments.   Read more: All You Need to Know About PayPal USD (PYUSD) - PayPal’s Stablecoin   Conclusion The crypto market continues to showcase a mix of optimism and caution, driven by global economic developments, regulatory changes, and technological advancements. Bitcoin's resilience above the $60,000 mark, Ethereum's proposed updates, and Solana's potential challenge to Ethereum highlight the dynamic nature of the market. However, factors such as geopolitical tensions, U.S. economic data, and regulatory scrutiny, particularly the ongoing legal battles like the XRP case, add layers of uncertainty.   As always, investors should stay informed and be mindful of the market's inherent risks, understanding that volatility is a constant companion in the crypto space. It's crucial to conduct thorough research and consider risk tolerance before making any investment decisions.   Stay tuned to KuCoin News for more crypto market updates and insights.

Crypto investment products saw significant inflows of $1.2 billion last week, marking the highest inflows in 10 weeks. Bitcoin led the surge with over $1 billion, while Ethereum broke its five-week losing streak. Discover the factors driving this massive growth and the impact this has on the U.S. interest rate outlook.   Quick Take  Crypto investment products led an astonishing inflow of $1.2 billion last week, which set the record for the highest weekly total since July, extending a three-week streak of positive inflows driven by U.S. interest rate cuts. Bitcoin products alone accounted for over $1 billion in inflows, reflecting strong institutional interest, especially with the approval of physically settled options tied to BlackRock’s U.S. Bitcoin ETF. After a five-week losing streak, Ethereum gained $87 million in inflows, signaling a renewed confidence in Ethereum's long-term potential. Crypto Market Update  Source: Coin360    The global crypto market cap has declined to $2.13 trillion, down by 1.37% in the past 24 hours. Trading volume also saw a decrease of 20.45%, totaling $91.53 billion. DeFi accounts for $5.36 billion of this volume, while stablecoins make up 91.45%, amounting to $83.7 billion. Bitcoin’s dominance increased slightly to 56.82%.    Trending Cryptos of the Day  Market leader Bitcoin has faced considerable volatility in the wake of rising geopolitical tensions, slipping down under $61,000 but bouncing back above this key level at the time of writing. Notwithstanding the risk-off sentiment weighing on the king crypto, other leading projects have etched out small gains and are trending the market: TRON Network posted a record high revenue of $577 million in Q3 2024, bringing reason to cheer for TRX investors, while Hamster Kombat price sees a small bounce as the sell-offs following the airdrop ease. Meanwhile, EigenLayer’s newly unlocked token following the airdrop has seen considerable selling pressure, driving double-digit losses for the EIGEN crypto.    Cryptocurrency 24-h Change Hamster Kombat (HMSTR)  +1.% Sui (SUI) +0.95% TRON (TRX) +0.08% Bitcoin (BTC)  -0.67% EigenLayer (EIGEN)  –12.06%   Crypto Inflows Soar Amid U.S. Rate Cut Expectations Last week saw a major shift in the digital asset landscape with crypto investment products raking in a staggering $1.2 billion in net inflows. This marked the largest single-week inflow since mid-July, continuing a three week streak of positive market sentiment. The surge in investment was largely attributed to growing optimism around potential interest-rate cuts in the U.S. as investors shifted their portfolios in anticipation of a more favorable economic environment.   U.S. based funds dominated the inflows, accounting for $1.17 billion of the total. The return of investor confidence is a clear indication that crypto remains resilient, despite ongoing volatility in global markets. The approval of new investment products and the anticipation of economic policy changes have bolstered market sentiment, creating an ample environment for inflows.   Crypto Assets Fund Flows (Source: CoinShares)   Bitcoin's Dominance: A Billion-Dollar Boost Bitcoin products led the way with over $1 billion in inflows, reaffirming its position as the top choice for crypto investors. The approval of physically settled options tied to BlackRock’s U.S. bitcoin ETF (IBIT), the largest spot Bitcoin fund by assets, was a key factor in driving these inflows. With regulatory approvals continuing to shape the market, Bitcoin's status as the premier digital asset has only strengthened.   Interestingly, while the approval of new options boosted market sentiment, trading volumes did not see a comparable increase, declining slightly by 3.1% week-over-week. Despite this, Bitcoin remains the go-to asset for institutions and retail investors alike, particularly in the U.S. market.   Read More: Best Spot Bitcoin ETFs to Buy in 2024   Ethereum's Resurgence: Breaking the Losing Streak Ethereum products also experienced a notable turnaround, attracting $87 million in net inflows after five consecutive weeks of losses. This marked the first measurable inflows for Ethereum since early August, signaling renewed investor confidence in Ethereum's long-term potential. The timing aligns with growing discussions around Ethereum’s scalability and the ecosystem's development, including advancements in staking and Layer 2 solutions.   Ethereum’s ability to attract capital after a difficult period is significant, suggesting that investors are regaining faith in the asset as both a store of value and a functional blockchain for decentralized applications.   Crypto Assets Weekly Flow (Source: CoinShares)   The above image shows that Bitcoin's recent surge to around $65,000 prompted an inflow of $8.8 million into short-Bitcoin products, as some investors anticipated a possible decline following the rally. Regional sentiment, however, varied significantly. The U.S. led with a substantial $1.2 billion in inflows, while Switzerland followed with $84 million. In contrast, Germany and Brazil saw outflows, with $21 million and $3 million, respectively, indicating mixed investor sentiment across global markets.   Read more: Best Ethereum ETFs to Watch in 2024   The U.S. Impact: Regulatory Approvals Drive Sentiment A major driver behind the recent inflows was the U.S. regulatory landscape. The approval of physically settled options for U.S.-based investment products, particularly tied to BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF, had a significant psychological impact on the market. While trading volumes did not spike as much as anticipated, the inflows indicate growing confidence in regulated crypto products, particularly in the U.S.   This regulatory backing is essential as it provides a sense of security for institutional investors who might have been hesitant to dive into the crypto space due to regulatory uncertainty. With clearer rules emerging and new products receiving approval, crypto is poised to capture an even larger share of the traditional investment market.   Conclusion: A Bullish Sign for Crypto Markets? It's a clear indication that investor sentiment is turning bullish. In fact, massive inflows of $1.2 billion into crypto investment products have been recorded. The crypto market seems to get back to momentum, led by Bitcoin and followed by Ethereum. Anticipation of rate cuts in the U.S. and regulatory approvals for new products in the near term will likely keep driving inflows higher.   Large-cap digital assets signaled mixed performances: Litecoin had inflows of USD 2 million, XRP had USD 0.8 million inflows, while Solana lost USD 4.8 million. This indeed shows positive investor interest in the first two assets. However, with Solana losing $4.8 million, this perhaps indicates mixed market sentiment whereby some large-cap altcoins are attracting capital while others-like Solana-are witnessing reduced investor confidence.   As always, the cryptocurrency market is very volatile, but the trend now suggests a growing confidence in digital assets as a viable avenue of investment. Again, Bitcoin and Ethereum are casting themselves as safe havens during times of uncertainty, with this perhaps just the beginning of yet another memorable rally.