Crypto Slump and Geopolitical Deals: Bitcoin Drops to Two-Month Low, Traders Pivot to Metals, and Family Offices Defy 'Sell America' Trade

The cryptocurrency market experienced a tumultuous week as Bitcoin, the largest token by market capitalization, plunged to a two-month low, with investors pulling billions from exchange-traded funds. Simultaneously, traders forsook the token, once revered as "digital gold," in favor of surging metals, leaving the "digital gold" narrative in tatters (Sources 1, 2, 3). Meanwhile, in the United States, lobbying groups and executives representing the banking and crypto industries gathered at the White House to hash out the contentious piece of digital-asset legislation, as tempers flared (Source 5). The UK's Advertising Standards Authority upheld complaints against Coinbase's ads, which were perceived to trivialize the risks of investing in cryptocurrency (Source 4). In the realm of traditional finance, bond investors expressed concern over France's budget relief, fearing that the risk of fiscal deterioration had merely been pushed down the road (Source 6). Family offices, however, defied the 'Sell America' trade, splashing out on a range of assets, including crypto firms and granola, in the US (Source 7). Elsewhere, the Philippines indefinitely suspended the entire passenger fleet of Aleson Shipping Lines following a deadly ferry sinking off the southern coast, which killed more than a dozen people (Source 8). In a career spanning decades, Sir Mark Tully, the BBC's 'voice of India,' covered some of the defining moments in India's history before passing away at the age of 90 (Source 9). Sources: 1. Bitcoin Slumps to Two-Month Low as US Funds Shed Billions 2. Crypto’s ‘Digital Gold’ Myth Exposed as Traders Pivot to Metals 3. Bitcoin Believers Are Looking to Stocks and Gold 4. UK bans Coinbase ads implying crypto can ease cost of living concerns 5. White House Summons Coinbase, Banks to Hash Out Crypto Bill 6. Bond Investors Fret That France’s Budget Relief Is Just a Blip 7. Family Offices Defy ‘Sell America’ Trade With Deal Spree in US 8. Philippines Suspends Ferry Operator’s Fleet After Deadly Sinking 9. Sir Mark Tully, the BBC's 'voice of India', dies aged 90.