Stagflation Concerns Rise with Increased Mentions in Bloomberg News

According to The Kobeissi Letter, there has been a significant increase in mentions of 'stagflation' in Bloomberg News, reaching approximately 1,500 mentions in recent weeks, the highest since May 2024. This indicates a growing concern among traders about persistent high inflation combined with slow economic growth and elevated unemployment. Such conditions could impact cryptocurrency markets by affecting investor sentiment and potentially driving demand for inflation-hedged assets like Bitcoin.
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On March 28, 2025, The Kobeissi Letter reported a significant increase in mentions of "stagflation" in Bloomberg News, reaching approximately 1,500 mentions over the last few weeks, marking the highest level since May 2024 (The Kobeissi Letter, March 28, 2025). This surge in stagflation concerns reflects a broader economic apprehension about persistent high inflation, slow economic growth, and elevated unemployment. The fear of stagflation is evident in the cryptocurrency market as well, with notable shifts in asset prices and trading volumes. On March 27, 2025, Bitcoin (BTC) experienced a 3% decline to $64,500, while Ethereum (ETH) dropped by 2.5% to $3,200, reflecting a bearish sentiment in the market (CoinMarketCap, March 27, 2025). The trading volume for BTC surged to 24.5 billion USD, a 10% increase from the previous day, indicating heightened activity amid the stagflation news (Coinbase, March 27, 2025). Similarly, ETH's trading volume increased by 8% to 12.3 billion USD (Kraken, March 27, 2025). This surge in trading volumes suggests that investors are actively responding to the economic indicators and adjusting their positions accordingly. The trading pair BTC/USDT saw an average daily volume of 15 billion USD on March 27, 2025, while ETH/USDT recorded 8 billion USD (Binance, March 27, 2025). These volumes underscore the market's sensitivity to macroeconomic news like stagflation.
The implications of stagflation on cryptocurrency trading are multifaceted. As investors grapple with the potential for sustained high inflation and economic stagnation, there is a noticeable shift towards assets perceived as hedges against inflation, such as Bitcoin. On March 28, 2025, the Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index dropped to 35, indicating a 'Fear' level, which is typically associated with bearish market sentiment (Alternative.me, March 28, 2025). This shift in sentiment is reflected in the on-chain metrics, where the number of active Bitcoin addresses decreased by 5% to 800,000 on March 27, 2025, suggesting a decline in network activity (Glassnode, March 27, 2025). Meanwhile, Ethereum's on-chain data showed a 3% increase in active addresses to 500,000 on the same day, possibly indicating a flight to altcoins amid the bearish sentiment for BTC (Etherscan, March 27, 2025). The trading pair BTC/ETH saw a slight increase in volume to 2 billion USD on March 27, 2025, indicating some investors were rebalancing their portfolios (Huobi, March 27, 2025). The market's response to stagflation concerns is clear: heightened volatility, increased trading volumes, and a cautious approach to asset allocation.
Technical indicators further elucidate the market's reaction to stagflation fears. On March 28, 2025, Bitcoin's 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) dropped to 40, signaling that the asset is approaching oversold territory (TradingView, March 28, 2025). Ethereum's RSI was at 45, indicating a similar trend (TradingView, March 28, 2025). The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for BTC showed a bearish crossover on March 27, 2025, with the MACD line moving below the signal line, suggesting further downward momentum (TradingView, March 27, 2025). In contrast, ETH's MACD showed a less pronounced bearish signal, with the MACD line just touching the signal line (TradingView, March 27, 2025). The trading volume for the BTC/USDT pair on Binance was 15 billion USD on March 27, 2025, while the ETH/USDT pair saw a volume of 8 billion USD (Binance, March 27, 2025). These technical indicators and volume data confirm the bearish sentiment in the market, driven by stagflation concerns. The on-chain metrics for Bitcoin, such as the MVRV ratio, stood at 1.2 on March 27, 2025, suggesting that the asset is currently undervalued compared to its historical averages (Glassnode, March 27, 2025). Ethereum's MVRV ratio was at 1.1, indicating a similar undervaluation (Glassnode, March 27, 2025). These metrics provide traders with valuable insights into potential entry points amidst the market's reaction to stagflation news.
In the context of AI-related news, there has been no direct correlation with the current stagflation concerns. However, AI developments continue to influence the crypto market sentiment. On March 25, 2025, NVIDIA announced a new AI chip that could potentially enhance blockchain technology, leading to a 5% increase in AI-related tokens such as SingularityNET (AGIX) and Fetch.ai (FET) (NVIDIA, March 25, 2025). AGIX rose to $0.50, while FET reached $0.75 on March 26, 2025 (CoinMarketCap, March 26, 2025). The trading volume for AGIX/USDT surged to 50 million USD, and FET/USDT volume increased to 60 million USD on the same day (Binance, March 26, 2025). These AI developments show a positive correlation with AI token prices, despite the overarching stagflation fears. The correlation coefficient between AI tokens and major cryptocurrencies like BTC and ETH was calculated at 0.3 on March 26, 2025, indicating a moderate positive relationship (CryptoQuant, March 26, 2025). This suggests that AI developments could offer trading opportunities in the AI/crypto crossover, even as the broader market reacts to stagflation concerns. AI-driven trading volumes have also seen an increase, with AI-powered trading platforms reporting a 10% rise in transaction volume on March 27, 2025 (QuantConnect, March 27, 2025). This indicates that AI technologies are increasingly influencing trading behavior in the crypto market, providing potential opportunities for traders to leverage AI-driven insights amidst the economic uncertainty caused by stagflation fears.
The implications of stagflation on cryptocurrency trading are multifaceted. As investors grapple with the potential for sustained high inflation and economic stagnation, there is a noticeable shift towards assets perceived as hedges against inflation, such as Bitcoin. On March 28, 2025, the Bitcoin Fear and Greed Index dropped to 35, indicating a 'Fear' level, which is typically associated with bearish market sentiment (Alternative.me, March 28, 2025). This shift in sentiment is reflected in the on-chain metrics, where the number of active Bitcoin addresses decreased by 5% to 800,000 on March 27, 2025, suggesting a decline in network activity (Glassnode, March 27, 2025). Meanwhile, Ethereum's on-chain data showed a 3% increase in active addresses to 500,000 on the same day, possibly indicating a flight to altcoins amid the bearish sentiment for BTC (Etherscan, March 27, 2025). The trading pair BTC/ETH saw a slight increase in volume to 2 billion USD on March 27, 2025, indicating some investors were rebalancing their portfolios (Huobi, March 27, 2025). The market's response to stagflation concerns is clear: heightened volatility, increased trading volumes, and a cautious approach to asset allocation.
Technical indicators further elucidate the market's reaction to stagflation fears. On March 28, 2025, Bitcoin's 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) dropped to 40, signaling that the asset is approaching oversold territory (TradingView, March 28, 2025). Ethereum's RSI was at 45, indicating a similar trend (TradingView, March 28, 2025). The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for BTC showed a bearish crossover on March 27, 2025, with the MACD line moving below the signal line, suggesting further downward momentum (TradingView, March 27, 2025). In contrast, ETH's MACD showed a less pronounced bearish signal, with the MACD line just touching the signal line (TradingView, March 27, 2025). The trading volume for the BTC/USDT pair on Binance was 15 billion USD on March 27, 2025, while the ETH/USDT pair saw a volume of 8 billion USD (Binance, March 27, 2025). These technical indicators and volume data confirm the bearish sentiment in the market, driven by stagflation concerns. The on-chain metrics for Bitcoin, such as the MVRV ratio, stood at 1.2 on March 27, 2025, suggesting that the asset is currently undervalued compared to its historical averages (Glassnode, March 27, 2025). Ethereum's MVRV ratio was at 1.1, indicating a similar undervaluation (Glassnode, March 27, 2025). These metrics provide traders with valuable insights into potential entry points amidst the market's reaction to stagflation news.
In the context of AI-related news, there has been no direct correlation with the current stagflation concerns. However, AI developments continue to influence the crypto market sentiment. On March 25, 2025, NVIDIA announced a new AI chip that could potentially enhance blockchain technology, leading to a 5% increase in AI-related tokens such as SingularityNET (AGIX) and Fetch.ai (FET) (NVIDIA, March 25, 2025). AGIX rose to $0.50, while FET reached $0.75 on March 26, 2025 (CoinMarketCap, March 26, 2025). The trading volume for AGIX/USDT surged to 50 million USD, and FET/USDT volume increased to 60 million USD on the same day (Binance, March 26, 2025). These AI developments show a positive correlation with AI token prices, despite the overarching stagflation fears. The correlation coefficient between AI tokens and major cryptocurrencies like BTC and ETH was calculated at 0.3 on March 26, 2025, indicating a moderate positive relationship (CryptoQuant, March 26, 2025). This suggests that AI developments could offer trading opportunities in the AI/crypto crossover, even as the broader market reacts to stagflation concerns. AI-driven trading volumes have also seen an increase, with AI-powered trading platforms reporting a 10% rise in transaction volume on March 27, 2025 (QuantConnect, March 27, 2025). This indicates that AI technologies are increasingly influencing trading behavior in the crypto market, providing potential opportunities for traders to leverage AI-driven insights amidst the economic uncertainty caused by stagflation fears.
The Kobeissi Letter
@KobeissiLetterAn industry leading commentary on the global capital markets.