Berachain (BERA) has suffered a steep decline over the past week, shedding 30% of its value as bearish sentiment plagues the general market.
In the past 24 hours alone, the token has slid another 6%, deepening concerns of further downside. With growing bearish bias against the altcoin, this might be the case in the near term.
BERA Faces Mounting Downside Risk
Berachain’s sharp decline has triggered a surge in short positions across its futures market. This rise in demand for shorts is evident in its funding rate, which has been negative since the token’s launch on February 6. At press time, this is at -0.11%.
The funding rate is a periodic fee exchanged between long and short traders in perpetual futures contracts to keep prices aligned with the spot market.
A negative funding rate means that short traders are paying long traders, indicating a stronger demand for short positions.
As with BERA, if an asset experiences an extended period of negative funding rates, it suggests sustained bearish sentiment. It indicates that the token’s traders consistently bet on further price declines. This prolonged negativity could increase BERA’s price volatility and extend its price fall.
In addition, BERA has noted significant fund outflows from its spot markets over the past few days. Per Coinglass, the altcoin has noted almost $2 million in spot market outflows today alone.
When an asset experiences spot outflows like this, it signals a surge in selling pressure. It indicates a bearish trend as investors reduce exposure or take profits, potentially leading to further price declines.
BERA at a Crossroads—Break Below $6.07 or Rally Toward $7.36?
Berachain trades at $6.14 at press time, resting slightly above support at $6.07. If the bearish bias against the altcoin strengthens, its price could break below this support floor, causing the token to trade at a low of $5.35.
If the bulls fail to defend this level, BERA could slip to its all-time low of $4.74.
Welcome to the US Morning Crypto News Briefing—your essential rundown of the most important developments in crypto for the day ahead.
Grab a coffee to see how Bitcoin (BTC) is faring against public companies, precious metals, and ETFs (exchange-traded funds) on metrics of total assets by market capitalization. The pioneer crypto is proving formidable, taking the stage as a tech stock proxy to ‘dynamic hedge’ against equities and US Treasury risk.
Bitcoin Surpassed Google in Market Cap
Amidst renewed optimism, Bitcoin has surpassed Google, effectively joining the top five assets on market cap metrics.
According to data on companiesmarketcap.com, which tracks over 10,436 firms, Bitcoin is now the fifth most valuable asset after GOLD, Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), and Nvidia (NVDA). As of this writing, it boasts a market cap of $1.86 trillion.
This growth comes as Bitcoin progressively gains attention as a hedge against traditional finance (TradFi) and US Treasury risk, which aligns with the most recent US Crypto News publication. As BeInCrypto reported, experts say Bitcoin’s number one purpose in a portfolio is to hedge against risks to the existing financial system.
In contrast, Gold is losing appeal after recently establishing a new all-time high (ATH). While President Trump’s tariffs catapulted Gold to new heights, there appears to be a capital rotation as investors’ appetite for risk grows.
“Bitcoin has surged past the prior $88,800 technical ceiling, clearing the psychological $90,000 mark to trade at an eye-watering $93,500. Meanwhile, Gold has slid 6 percent, reflecting a renewed appetite for risk and a clear rotation into digital assets,” QCP Capital analysts said.
According to analysts, institutions are no longer testing the waters of crypto. Instead, they are diving in headfirst. Based on this outlook, BeInCrypto contacted Standard Chartered Head of Digital Assets Research Geoff Kendrick, who forecasted a new ATH for Bitcoin price.
Standard Chartered Reiterates Next Bitcoin ATH
According to Kendrick, the increasing 10-year US Treasury term premium, now at a 12-year high, correlates with an increase in Bitcoin price. The term premium is the additional yield investors demand to hold a long-term bond instead of a series of shorter-term bonds.
“While correlations vary over time, the relationship between Bitcoin and the term premium is pretty solid, especially since the start of 2024. This relationship shows that Bitcoin has lagged the term premium increase in recent weeks,” Kendrick told BeInCrypto.
According to the analyst, this lag likely reflects the previous narrative that tariffs are hurting tech stocks and Bitcoin trading, such as Mag7 stocks.
“This could be what is needed for the next all-time high, and on that, I reiterate my current forecasts for Bitcoin, of 200k end-2025 and 500k end-2028,” he added.
As Bitcoin acts as a dynamic hedge, it remains to be seen whether it can flip Nvidia this quarter. Nevertheless, Kendrick does not rule it out, acknowledging that dominant narratives change and Bitcoin serves several purposes in portfolios.
