May 23, 2024

๐Ÿฅ› D-Day for Ethereum ETFs: what to expect ๐Ÿ‘€

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GM. This is Milk Road, your crypto compass in the wild world of digital assets.

Hereโ€™s whatโ€™s on the map today:

  • $ETH D-Day: Awaiting 19b-4 decision ๐Ÿ‘€

  • Is the VC and CEX cartel real? ๐Ÿง

  • Grayscale launches 2 new trusts ๐Ÿช

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ETH D-DAY: AWAITING 19B-4 DECISION ๐Ÿ‘€

The crypto market is buzzing about todayโ€™s upcoming decision by the SEC on Form 19b-4.

And in case youโ€™re not up to date on the processes for an ETF approval, weโ€™ve got this tweet from Delphi Digital to lay it all out for you:

Word on the street is that an approval today for Form 19b-4 is all but guaranteedโ€ฆ

So letโ€™s look at what we can expect from the Ethereum ETF once itโ€™s launched (fingers crossed). ๐Ÿคž

If we think back to the Grayscale Trust Funds, Ethereum saw roughly 30% of the inflows that Bitcoin did.

Because of this, our Milk Road PRO team thinks weโ€™ll see similar results for the Ethereum ETF vs. the Bitcoin ETF.

BUT it could be even lessโ€ฆ

Eric Balchunas, Senior ETF Analyst for Bloomberg, predicts Ethereum ETFs will snag only 10-15% of the inflows that Bitcoin ETFs saw.

But, at the end of the day, weโ€™ll all just have to wait and see.

One exciting thing to watch out for though, is how the $ETH ETF is set up perfectly as an onboarding tool for institutions to move onchain.

The ETF will introduce them to the gains that weโ€™ve grown to know and love from $ETH, but the ETFs will likely be missing one crucial componentโ€ฆ That sweet, sweet onchain yield.

AND institutions love yield.

So, donโ€™t be surprised if we eventually see these investors moving onchain.

And once you go onchain, you donโ€™t go backโ€ฆ

What do you think, will the Form 19b-4 be approved today?

A/ Yes

B/ Noย 

Hit reply and let us know with your comments!ย 

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VC + CEX HAVE FORMED A CARTEL? ๐Ÿงย 

Letโ€™s focus on a hot topic thatโ€™s got Crypto Twitter yapping: the VC + CEX Cartel and the โ€œLow Float, High FDVโ€ debate.ย 

The VC + CEX cartel is a term being used to describe the alleged collaboration between venture capital firms and centralized exchanges (CEXs) in the crypto market.ย 

So, whatโ€™s the beef?

Critics claim this is a slick way for early investors, aka VCs, to dump on retail investors who end up holding the bag. Ouch!ย ๐Ÿ˜ฌ

We're talking about new crypto projects launching with sky-high Fully Diluted Valuations (FDV) but teeny-tiny circulating supplies.ย 

This simply means a minimal circulating supply at token launch (~10% or less), but the numbers show a slightly different story.

So are VCs/CEXs dumping on retail? Not so much for top-tier tokens due to 1+ year vesting periods, but those shady VCsโ€”they might still dump smaller tokens.

So, if weโ€™re not convinced that โ€œthe cartelโ€ is the cause, then what else could it be?

Here are a few other theories on why this is happening:

  1. Retail rage quitting for meme coins: A fun story, but no evidence. Meme coin volumes didnโ€™t spike when other tokens crashed.

  2. Too little supply for price discovery: Token supply averages 13%, similar to IPOs in traditional finance.

  3. Regulatory clarity: The SECโ€™s lack of regulatory clarity has moved projects away from doing initial coin offerings (ICOs) to the public.

While the cause is hard to pinpoint, there is indeed a problem here!

Whether itโ€™s due to VCs, regulators, retail behavior, or supply issues, this practice shakes trust in the crypto space, especially for retail.ย 

Just take a look at the chart below, 80% of tokens listed on Binance in the last 6 months have decreased in value since listing.

3 of the 4 in the green had NO tier 1 VC backingโ€ฆ

So, what can we do about it?

Instead of just talking about it like everyone else, Binance put forward a solution:

This past Monday, Binance released an announcement calling for project applicants of the smol-mid size.

It even mentions their recent full report titled โ€œLow Float & High FDV: How Did We Get Here?โ€.

๐Ÿฅ›ย Milk Road Take: The main catalyst for this unideal scenario is the SECโ€™s lack of regulatory clarity that has moved projects away from doing initial coin offerings (ICOs) to the public.

To make matters worse, projects have a necessity to vest the tokens sold to VCs to prevent dumping but it contributes to the inflated FDV issue we see.ย 

The Milk Man thinks we are in a shakeout phase of regulatory approaches to find a balance that supports both investor protection and healthy market dynamics.

Donโ€™t get caught up in hype trainsโ€ฆ Educate yourself, look at FDV, and keep an eye on those unlock schedules. Stay golden, Ponyboy!

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MetaMask to Add Bitcoin Support. The blockchain wallet is planning to support Bitcoin within the next month, expanding its functionality beyond the Ethereum ecosystem. Hold onto your wallets, folksโ€”this could get interesting!

Trump Campaign Starts Taking Cryptocurrency Donations.ย The Trump campaign will now accept crypto donations, aiming to build a 'crypto army' in a bid to attract younger, tech-savvy supporters. Looks like it's time to hodl for votes!

Grayscale Launches Two New Trusts for NEAR and STX.The newly introduced trusts exclusively for NEAR and STX, opens up new investment avenues for accredited investors.

Largest stablecoin issuers minted $1.25B on Ether ETF wave.ย The massive $30 billion year-to-date stablecoin surge signals skyrocketing demand for crypto exposure, likely from traders front-running the imminent SEC approval of spot Ethereum ETFs. โ€” DL News

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MILKY MEMES ๐Ÿคฃ

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RATE TODAYโ€™S EDITION ๐Ÿฅ›

ROADIE REVIEW OF THE DAY ๐Ÿฅ›

ROADIE REPLY OF THE DAY ๐Ÿฅ›

In yesterdayโ€™s daily we asked you to reply on whether or not you are putting your stable coins to workโ€ฆ well 60% of you voted YES!

And here is the reply of the day:

VITALIK PIC OF THE DAY ๐Ÿฅ›

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DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.

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