Bitcoin (BTC) and other major cryptocurrencies showed muted gains on Tuesday as the European Union (EU) said it will issue bonds due to the ill effects of the war in Ukraine and sanctions imposed on Russia.
The proposal could be ready next week to finance EU members, with the proceeds said to be earmarked to finance spending on energy and defence.
Reports of the proposal pushed European equities higher. Germany’s DAX index rose 0.7% and the Stoxx Europe 600 index added 0.5%. S&P 500 futures opened 0.38% higher, while futures on silver continued Monday’s run to add 2.68%.
Bitcoin held above the $38,000 for a second day, remaining 12% below the levels it reached a week earlier. Ether lost 1.3% over the past 24 hours, while growth in other majors ranged to 3.1% on Binance Chain’s BNB from 1% on Terra’s LUNA. Avalanche’s AVAX and XRP saw 1% losses in the same time frame.
On Monday, Brent crude pushed past $122 a barrel on concern Russian sanctions would limit oil imports. Russia is a leading producer, and has said it will cut off natural gas supply to Germany should the country comply with sanctions imposed by other western states. The EU gets about 40% of its gas and 30% of its oil from Russia, according to the BBC.
The London Metal Exchange suspended trading in nickel after a purported short squeeze drove prices of the metal to a record $101,000 in early Asian hours.
“Those that had bet against the metal’s rise in value have now been forced to buy at a much higher price, creating a short squeeze,” explained Susannah Streeter, an investment analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, in an email to CoinDesk. “It’s likely a big margin call prompted the suspension of trading, with sharp gains forcing speculators to scramble for additional capital to put into accounts to cover the shortfall.”
