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Bitcoin and ethereum have dropped more than 10% over the last 24 hours, with bitcoin falling near $29,000 for the first time since December 2020 and ethereum trading near $2,200. And one expert warns bitcoin could drop even further.

Bitcoin could potentially get a mini-bounce at $35,000, but unless we break the trend line at approximately $37,000, Im calling for $29,000 in the coming weeks or week, says crypto expert Wendy O in a recent TikTok video.

Its been a shaky start to the week for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, largely driven by ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty. Bitcoin, the largest crypto, dipped below $36,000 Saturday and continued to nosedive throughout the weekend, hitting its lowest point in over a year Monday.

The crypto markets have been increasingly tracking the stock market, which has been trading in the red recently. Stocks fell sharply Monday, as the market sell-off continued after the Federal Reserve announced its biggest interest rate increase in over 20 years last week.

The overall market has noticed the high correlation to Bitcoin prices and the general equities markets, says Armando Aguilar, head of alternative strategies and research for Ledn, a digital asset savings and credit platform. The S&P 500 and NASDAQ have had the largest correlations to Bitcoin with 0.88% and 0.91%, respectively. A correlation of one means that they move equally one to the other.

For weeks, the crypto market like the stock market has also been under pressure as investors grapple with continued surging inflation, the ongoing swirl of economic events stemming increasingly from Russias invasion of Ukraine, and tighter U.S. monetary policy by the Fed.

The leading crypto continues to have a shaky week, trading at $29,500 Wednesday, down nearly 24% over the last week. This is Bitcoins lowest point since December 2020.

Bitcoin began to descend at the end of last week and continued to fall throughout the weekend, trading between a relative range of $33,000 and $37,000. Bitcoins big drop Monday is just the latest reminder for investors that crypto assets come with extra risk and volatility, especially in times of economic and political uncertainty like were in now.

Bitcoin is breaking below some key technical levels as the never-ending selloff on Wall Street continues. The institutional investor is paying close attention to bitcoin as many who got in last year are now losing money on their investment, Edward Moya, senior market analyst at foreign-exchange brokerage Oanda, wrote in a market analysis. If the USD 30,000 level breaks, that could trigger a flash crash environment if several whales unload.

But Bitcoins new low doesnt come as a surprise to Wendy O, who in April predicted Bitcoin would hit $33,000 sometime before July, based on her technical price charts.

I tweeted this April 17, 2022: I am getting 2021 April-May vibes, which means potential bearish until July. Things Im watching [include] price action, inability to effectively breakout, NFTs go off. O says.

Even with the big drops, Wendy O is still bullish on bitcoin in the long run.

Bitcoins high point of the year so far remains in the earliest days of January, when it nearly hit $48,000. In that same month, bitcoin also dipped below $34,000. Bitcoin has lost more than 50% of its value since its Nov. 10 all-time high above $68,000.

Ethereums price has been rapidly declining over the last few days, trading at $2,200 Wednesday. Ethereum is down 22% over the past week amid a big retreat in Bitcoin and the stock market.

Like all cryptocurrencies, Ethereum tends to follow Bitcoins lead. If Bitcoin is falling in price, ethereum is likely falling, too. But ethereum has also been grappling with anticipation for its massive software upgrade.

Over the next few months, ethereum is planning to move from proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS), also known as The Merge. Its a big deal because itll change how transactions on Ethereum are ordered, making it more efficient and sustainable for widespread use.

Ethereum developer Tim Beiko recently revealed that The Merge wont happen in June as previously forecast, though its set still to happen sometime before the end of 2022. No firm date yet, but were definitely in the final chapter of PoW on ethereum, Beiko tweeted on April 11.

That, along with several other macroeconomic factors, has made for a shaky start to the year for ethereum, which in January dropped below $2,200 the lowest ethereums price had been since July 2021. As of Monday, Ethereum is inching closer to its January low.

The prices of cryptocurrencies are extremely volatile. That means they are just as likely to fall down as they are to climb, and experts say thats something crypto investors will have to continue dealing with.

As long as youre only investing what youre OK with losing and have a long-term investment strategy in place, there shouldnt be cause for concern with bitcoin and ethereums recent drops.

Most financial experts recommend investing less than 5% of your total portfolio in crypto. You should also make sure youre prioritizing other aspects of your finances ahead of investing in crypto, such as saving for an emergency, putting money away in a retirement account, or paying off high-interest debt.

If it seems like the crypto market has been acting increasingly like the stock market lately, its because it has been. Increased institutional adoption of crypto has made its market more intertwined with the stock market, which in turn, has been largely impacted by the war in Ukraine, surging inflation, and the Feds tightening monetary policy, experts say.

In the short term, these macroeconomic factors have created some noise and extra volatility in the crypto and stock markets, but this is usual during times of uncertainty.

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Ethereum and Bitcoin Prices Are Tanking. Heres Why One Expert Thinks Bitcoin Could Drop Even Lower - NextAdvisor