March 11, 2022: -On Thursday, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies decreased as some of the initial excitement around U.S. President Joe Biden’s executive order on digital assets faded.
Bitcoin was down over 7% at $39,077.79 at 6:55 a.m. E.T. on Thursday, according to data from CoinDesk.
On Wednesday, bitcoin increased as high as $42,577 after starting the day trading at around $38,744. Other cryptocurrencies like ether and XRP were also trading lower.
Wednesday’s spike came as optimism nearly Biden’s executive order on cryptocurrencies mounted. The declaration focuses on six key areas: consumer protection, financial stability, illicit activity, U.S.competitiveness in the industry, financial inclusion, and responsible innovation.
Few high-profile cryptocurrency industry players praised the U.S. government’s move. Cameron Winklevoss, the co-founder of the Gemini cryptocurrency exchange, called it a “watershed moment.”
But not everyone was convinced. “The executive order is, over anything, defensive. The main goals of the E.O. are to protect the U.S.’U.S.’ financial position globally, make sure U.S. regulations are not circumvented using crypto, make sure crypto investors and users are protected legally, and that crypto as an industry is regulated in general,” said Guy Gotslak, co-founder of cryptocurrency investment platform My Digital Money.
“These are not bad; we all want a similar thing. We want to protect investors, the small ones. But the E.O.does does not direct the government to take proactive steps to nurture the growth of technology.”
Vijay Ayyar, vice president of corporate development and international at crypto exchange Luno, said the executive order was “overall more positive or neutral.”
“Hence while the market reacted positively to the statement, momentum wasn’t strong enough to surpass resistance” at $42,000, he said.
“What we can see is that Bitcoin is broadly range-bound, unable to make a strong move on either side, coupled with ongoing uncertainty regarding Ukraine,” Ayyar added.
