Author: CryptoVizArt, UkuriaOC, Glassnode
Compiled by: Ladyfinger, BlockBeats
Editor's Note: In this in-depth analysis, we focus on several key dynamics in the Bitcoin market, from the evolution of technical protocols to macro changes in market structure. It is particularly noteworthy that although the inflow of funds from US spot ETFs has brought vitality to the market, the market-neutral cash and carry trading strategy is balancing the buyer's momentum, resulting in a neutral price impact. In addition, the decline in the number of active addresses on the Bitcoin network is in sharp contrast to the surge in its trading volume, and the reasons behind this are thought-provoking. By analyzing the impact of emerging technologies such as the Runes protocol, we reveal its direct role in the decline in the number of active addresses. At the same time, we also observe that the number of Bitcoins held by major entities and the important role of Coinbase in the market have jointly shaped the current market landscape.
While U.S. ETF inflows have been impressive, the market-neutral basis trade (cash-and-carry trade) appears to be mitigating the buyer's push, with the market needing non-arbitrage demand to further drive prices higher. At the same time, we are also analyzing the significant difference between the decrease in the number of active addresses and the surge in transaction volume.
BlockBeats Note: Basis trading, also known as cash-and-carry trade, refers to buying (selling) spot bonds and selling (buying) bond futures at the same time. Basis trading strategies trade based on the price difference between an asset in two different markets (such as the price difference between the spot market and the futures market) and can reap rewards if executed correctly. Generally speaking, traders need to manage two different contracts at the same time when executing a basis trading strategy, which is a complicated and lengthy process.
Summary
With the advent of the Runes protocol, an unexpected divergence has emerged between the decrease in active addresses and the increase in the number of transactions.
Currently, major tokenized entities hold a staggering 4.23 million BTC, representing over 27% of the adjusted supply, with US spot ETFs now holding a balance of 862,000 BTC.
Basis trade structures appear to be a significant source of demand for ETF inflows, with ETFs being used as a vehicle to gain long spot exposure, while net short positions in Bitcoin have been accumulating in the CME futures market.
Activity Differences
On-chain activity metrics, including active addresses, transaction volume, and transaction value, are key tools for evaluating the development and performance of blockchain networks. In mid-2021, China imposed restrictions on Bitcoin mining, which led to a sharp drop in the number of active addresses on the Bitcoin network, with the average daily active addresses falling from over 1.1 million to just 800,000.
The Bitcoin network is currently experiencing a contraction in activity, and the motivations behind this are very different from those in the past. In the following chapters, we will delve into emerging concepts such as inscriptions, ordinals, BRC-20 tokens, and runes, and how they fundamentally change the way on-chain analysts understand and predict future trends in activity indicators.
Real-time data
While historically strong momentum in a market pair is often accompanied by growth in active addresses and daily trading volume, this trend is currently deviating.
Despite the apparent decline in the number of active addresses, the Bitcoin network is processing transactions close to all-time highs, with monthly averages now at 617,000 transactions per day, 31% higher than the annual average, indicating relatively high demand for Bitcoin block space.
Real-time data
Comparing the recent decline in active addresses with the share of inscriptions and BRC-20 token transactions, we can observe a strong correlation. It is particularly noteworthy that the number of inscriptions has also shown a sharp downward trend since mid-April.
This suggests that the decline in the number of active addresses is mainly due to the reduced use of inscriptions and ordinals. It is important to note that in this space, many wallets and protocols reuse the same address, and if an address has multiple activities in a day, it will not be counted multiple times. Therefore, even if an address generates ten transactions in a day, it will still only be counted as one active address in the statistics.
Real-time data
To explain the drop in inscription activity, we can look to the emergence of the Rune Protocol, which claims to be a more efficient way to introduce fungible tokens on Bitcoin. The Rune Protocol went live at the time of the block halving, which explains the drop in inscriptions in mid-April.
Runes use a different technical mechanism from inscriptions and BRC-20 tokens. They utilize the OP_RETURN field (80 bytes) to encode arbitrary data on the blockchain, thereby significantly reducing the demand for block space while maintaining data integrity.
Since its launch on April 20, 2024, at the time of Bitcoin’s halving, the Rune Protocol has quickly gained popularity in the market, with daily transaction demand increasing to 600,000 to 800,000 transactions, and the transaction volume has remained at a high level since then.
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Currently, rune-related transactions account for 57.2% of daily trading volume, significantly surpassing BRC-20 tokens, ordinal numbers, and inscriptions. This phenomenon suggests that users’ speculative interest may have shifted from inscriptions to the emerging rune market.
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Differences in ETF demand
One of the issues that has attracted particular attention in the market recently is the stagnant sideways price movement despite the huge inflows into US spot ETFs. To further analyze and assess the demand side of ETFs, we can compare the current holdings of ETFs (862k BTC) with the holdings of other major, tokenized entities in the market.
US spot ETFs hold 862,000 BTC, Mt. Gox creditors hold 141,000 BTC, the US government holds 207,000 BTC, all exchanges hold 2.3 million BTC, and miners (excluding Patoshi) hold 706,000 BTC. The total holdings of these major entities are about 4.23 million BTC, accounting for 27% of Bitcoin's adjusted circulating supply, which means that Bitcoin that has not been used for more than seven years is deducted from the total supply.
Real-time data
Coinbase, as a leading cryptocurrency platform, controls a large amount of exchange assets, while its custody service also manages the Bitcoin holdings of the US spot ETF. It is estimated that Coinbase Exchange and Coinbase Custody currently hold about 270,000 and 5.69 million BTC respectively.
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Coinbase has an increasing influence on the market price formation mechanism because it serves ETF customers and traditional on-chain asset holders. Observing the dynamics of large deposits in the Coinbase exchange wallet, the deposit transaction volume has increased significantly after the launch of the ETF.
Most of the deposited Bitcoin is closely related to the continued outflow from the GBTC address group, and this phenomenon has become a key reason for the excess supply of Bitcoin throughout the year.
Real-time data
In addition to the selling pressure brought by GBTC as the Bitcoin market hit a new all-time high, there is another factor that has recently had a dampening effect on demand for U.S. spot ETFs.
Looking at CME Group futures markets, open interest reached a record high of $11.5 billion in March 2024 and has since remained above $8 billion. This trend may reflect the increasing use of cash and carry arbitrage strategies by traditional market participants.
This arbitrage strategy takes a market-neutral stance and involves the simultaneous purchase of a long spot position and the sale (short) of a futures contract for the same asset, the latter being the subject of a trade due to the presence of a premium.
Real-time data
Observations show that investors classified as hedge funds are building an increasingly large net short position in Bitcoin.
This suggests that basis trade structures may be a key driver of ETF inflows, using ETFs as a route to long-term spot Bitcoin. The CME Group exchange has grown significantly in both open interest and market leadership since 2023, revealing it to be the platform of choice for hedge funds shorting futures.
Currently, hedge funds hold a net short position of $6.33 billion in the CME Bitcoin futures market and a net short position of $97 million in the Micro CME Bitcoin futures market.
CME COTs - THE BLOCK
Summarize
The differences between activity metrics have been significantly exacerbated by the popularity of the Rune protocol, which enables a single address to generate multiple transactions through address reuse. Meanwhile, cash and carry arbitrage between U.S. spot ETF products and futures short trades through CME Group exchanges effectively offset ETF inflows. This market phenomenon results in a neutral impact on prices, implying that the market requires non-arbitrage natural buying (i.e. real buyers) to drive prices up.
