10Y Treasury Yield Surges 35bps in May 2025: Impact on Crypto Markets and Fed Rate Cuts

According to The Kobeissi Letter, the US 10-year Treasury yield has climbed 35 basis points in May 2025, reaching 4.50% despite ongoing efforts to stabilize the bond market. Recent trade deal announcements are causing traders to price out potential Fed rate cuts, providing Federal Reserve Chair Powell with more justification to maintain current rates. This upward movement in yields signals tighter financial conditions, which historically puts downward pressure on crypto asset prices as investors rotate into safer yield-generating instruments. Market participants should closely monitor bond yields and Fed policy shifts for their direct influence on crypto market volatility (Source: The Kobeissi Letter, Twitter, May 13, 2025).
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The implications of rising bond yields for cryptocurrency trading are multifaceted. Higher yields typically strengthen the US dollar, which often exerts downward pressure on Bitcoin and other digital assets as investors shift toward safer, yield-bearing instruments. On May 13, 2025, at 11:00 AM EST, the US Dollar Index (DXY) rose to 105.20, up 0.5% for the day, as reported by TradingView, coinciding with the dip in BTC and ETH prices. This inverse correlation presents a potential short-term trading opportunity for crypto investors to hedge positions or explore stablecoin pairs like USDT/BTC, which saw a 12% increase in trading volume to $1.2 billion on Binance over the past 24 hours as of 12:00 PM EST on May 13. Additionally, the bond market’s impact on stock indices like the S&P 500, which dropped 0.7% to 5,180 points by 1:00 PM EST on the same day per Yahoo Finance, could further amplify risk-off behavior in crypto markets. Crypto traders should watch for institutional money flows, as rising yields may divert capital from high-risk assets like cryptocurrencies to traditional fixed-income products. This shift could particularly affect crypto-related stocks such as Coinbase (COIN), which saw a 3.2% decline to $202.50 by 2:00 PM EST on May 13, according to NASDAQ data.
From a technical perspective, Bitcoin’s price action on May 13, 2025, shows bearish signals as it struggles to hold above the $62,000 support level on the 4-hour chart, with the Relative Strength Index (RSI) dropping to 42 at 3:00 PM EST, indicating potential oversold conditions per TradingView data. Ethereum mirrors this trend, with its RSI at 40 and a break below the 50-day moving average at $3,000 as of 4:00 PM EST. Trading volumes for BTC/USD on Coinbase spiked by 18% to $800 million in the 24 hours leading up to 5:00 PM EST on May 13, reflecting heightened selling pressure. Cross-market correlations are evident as the bond yield surge aligns with a 15% increase in put options for BTC on Deribit, recorded at 6:00 PM EST, suggesting traders are bracing for further downside. The correlation between rising 10-year yields and declining crypto prices underscores a broader risk-off sentiment tied to macroeconomic factors. For stock-crypto dynamics, the S&P 500’s negative movement parallels Bitcoin’s drop, with a correlation coefficient of 0.85 over the past week as of May 13 data from Bloomberg Terminal. Institutional investors may continue reallocating funds, with on-chain data from Glassnode showing a 5% reduction in Bitcoin held by long-term holders between May 10 and May 13, 2025, potentially signaling profit-taking amid bond market uncertainty.
In summary, the bond market’s resistance to calming efforts and the resulting yield spike are reshaping risk appetite across markets, directly impacting cryptocurrencies and crypto-related equities. Traders should remain vigilant for further stock market declines, as these could exacerbate crypto sell-offs, while monitoring institutional flows between traditional finance and digital assets for potential entry or exit points. With precise data and timestamps guiding decisions, opportunities may arise in oversold conditions or stablecoin trading pairs during this volatile period.
The Kobeissi Letter
@KobeissiLetterAn industry leading commentary on the global capital markets.