The crypto market had its first down week in a while as massive inflows into Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) turned into outflows this week. The market has been driven simply by the flow of funds rather than fundaments, but that's where we are in this market, especially with altcoins.
According to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence, Aptos (APT -1.45%) jumped as much as 20.9% this week and is at its peak at 3:30 p.m. ET, while Stacks (STX -5.35%) gained 31.4% at its peak and is now up 20.7%.
But there were losers with Optimism (OP -3.74%) down as much as 13% and Polkadot (DOT -3.58%) falling 20.1%. The two cryptocurrencies are now down 10.8% and 18.8%, respectively.
Tech advances continue
Optimism announced that fault proofs, or proofs that are critical for securing blockchain transactions, will begin testing on the testnet. OP Labs CEO Karl Floersch expects fault proofs to reach the mainnet later this year, and that could help adoption with blockchains like Coinbase's Base using Optimism technology.
Ironically, this didn't help the Optimism token this week as it was one of the biggest declining altcoins.
Aptos has continued to develop its blockchain, recently partnering with Google Cloud to help developers build Web3 games. Developers introduced the "Aptos Game Stack" which could make it an attractive place to build games.
Stacks moved higher after the Nakamoto upgrade was approved by the community. But there were less than 400 accounts voting, which shows how concentrated the token's user base is.
The meme rules the day
Polkadot is getting attention in part because of the launch of memecoin PINK on the blockchain. The goal of the token is to drive deeper engagement on the Polkadot network and highlight the technology built there.
A browser game called PINKDROP was launched and earns tokens for engagement. It's an odd move on the surface, but blockchain development needs users, and tokens have been used as an incentive for users for years.
Volatility and fund flows remain in focus
The truth is that cryptocurrencies aren't going to be driven by earnings like stocks are. That increases the market's focus on fund flows, and Bitcoin has been the biggest driver so far in 2024. Bitcoin ETFs have brought billions of dollars into the industry, and there was speculation that more tokens would be approved for ETFs in the near future.
Both Bitcoin ETF fund inflows or outflows and the approval of other crypto ETFs will likely drive the market higher or lower over the next few months, which means more volatility ahead. And there's no clear indication which way the regulatory regime will go.
I think ultimately value is going to be driven by blockchain developments and usage, which is why Optimism's news is the most intriguing this week. The fundamental technology being used for Optimism is also driving the Base blockchain, which has rapidly become a growing blockchain for developers.
The crypto future is bright, but memes won't last forever. Investors looking for long-term value need to seek out technological differentiation, and Optimism and Aptos are the two blockchain platforms building that this week. If they're successful, the run higher could have legs.
