The Kobeissi Letter Profile picture
Feb 5 12 tweets 5 min read Read on X
What is happening in crypto?

Since October 10th, crypto markets are now down -50%, erasing $2.2 TRILLION worth of market cap.

Bitcoin has officially erased ALL of its post-election rally, now down -10% since Trump's election.

Why is it crashing? Let us explain.

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As of 8:00 AM ET today, Bitcoin has officially erased its post-election rally.

Yet, over the last 60 days, the fundamental picture for crypto is actually vastly unchanged.

This is why many investors are confused.

Why is crypto crashing if the fundamental picture is unchanged? Image
The answer to this question requires going back to October 10th.

The most recent TOP in crypto came on October 6th, just 4 days before the -$19.5 billion record liquidation.

Something structural appears to have shifted on October 10th.

And, markets never truly recovered. Image
Then, between Nov. 15th and Jan. 15th, Bitcoin was entirely rangebound.

However, we would see brief periods of liquidations with "gaps" in both directions.

This was yet another sign of the structural collapse in crypto.

Finally, the range broke to the downside on Jan. 16th. Image
As price action deteriorated, so did sentiment.

If previous crypto cycles have taught us anything, it's the sentiment is ALL that matters.

As seen below, sentiment has traded in a near straight-line lower since October 10th.

Even relief rallies failed to shift sentiment. Image
The result is a massive virtuous cycle, shifting from liquidations to sentiment deterioration, and back.

Since January 24th, we have seen $10 billion worth of levered positions liquidated.

That's ~55% of the record amount seen on October 10th.

It's a structural decline. Image
Further evidence of this being a structural decline is the spread of selling pressure into other asset classes.

Large cap tech stocks are dropping sharply, despite stronger earnings and little fundamental change.

Liquidation gaps in crypto are carrying over into equities. Image
Even more evidence that this is liquidity-induced and structural in nature is market depth.

Bitcoin’s market depth, the capital available to absorb large orders, is still more than 30% below its October peak.

Last time this happened was after the FTX collapse in 2022. Image
Today's decline was particularly noteworthy as Bitcoin fell over -$9,000 and selling pressure was constant.

At times, Bitcoin would fall $2,000+ in a matter of minutes.

It seems that a large player, perhaps an institutional investor, sold/liquidated during today's session. Image
So, the question becomes, when will crypto bottom?

The answer to this question is when structural liquidity is restored.

This will be a combination of both capitulation in price and leverage, as well as maximum bearish sentiment.

We seem to be somewhat near that point. Image
Extreme volatility is here to stay as uncertainty has elevated yet again.

The macroeconomy is shifting and stocks, commodities, bonds, and crypto will move.

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Ultimately, Bitcoin and broader crypto are not new to massive 50%+ drawdowns.

If you zoom out far enough, every bear market and crash becomes a rounding error.

We think Bitcoin remains promising long-term.

Follow us @KobeissiLetter for real time analysis as this develops. Image

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More from @KobeissiLetter

Jan 20
This is unprecedented:

If President Trump acquires Greenland and "controls" Venezuela, the US would gain control of 1.2 MILLION square miles of land.

This is ~42% larger than the Louisiana Purchase, the largest US acquisition ever.

What's next? Let us explain.

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It was an incredibly busy weekend.

On Saturday, Trump announced new 10% tariffs on eight European countries amid his push for Greenland.

Trump says these tariffs rise to 25% on June 1st.

They will remain until a deal is reached for "complete and total purchase of Greenland.” Image
The result was a series of escalations on the trade front and the EU threatening to retaliate.

Now, the EU Parliament is looking to end the 2025 US-EU trade deal.

Trump proceeded to double down, saying US acquiring Greenland is "imperative for national and world security." Image
Read 12 tweets
Jan 7
Trump is going after the US housing market:

President Trump just announced he is BANNING single-family home purchases by institutional investors.

Within minutes, Blackstone's stock erased as much as -$17 BILLION today.

What happens next? Let us explain.

(a thread) Image
For years, investors have been upping purchases of single-family homes in the US.

At the start of the pandemic in 2020, investors saw purchases account for ~14% of transactions.

Now, that share is up to ~27% as the market has become increasingly unaffordable for buyers. Image
As a result, the median age of a first-time homebuyer in the US has surged to a record 40 years old.

This is up from a median age of 33 years old in 2021 and 29 in 1981.

But the question now becomes:

Is this the result of large institutional funds buying houses? Image
Read 12 tweets
Jan 4
The Venezuela plot thickens:

While Venezuela holds 303 BILLION barrels of oil reserves, much of this is HEAVY crude oil.

Texas and Louisiana also *happen* to have 6 of the LARGEST HEAVY crude oil refineries in the world.

What does this mean? Let us explain.

(a thread) Image
In the early 2000s, Venezuela was a MUCH larger oil producer than the US.

In fact, Venezuela produced 3 TIMES as much oil, at nearly 3.3 million barrels per day.

By 2020, Venezuela's production had declined to just 900K/day, while the US hit 5 million/day.

This is key. Image
First, Venezuela has been heavily sanctioned by the US for years.

This resulted in old infrastructure, hindering the ability to extract HEAVY crude oil.

Heavy oil is far more expensive to extract than light crude.

This requires advanced techniques like steam injection. Image
Read 12 tweets
Dec 27, 2025
The Silver Situation:

Silver prices are now up a MASSIVE +175% in 2025 and set to post an 8-month win streak for first time since 1980.

Gold and silver have added a combined +$16 TRILLION in market cap this year ALONE.

What is happening? Let us explain.

(a thread) Image
As you may know, our view for 2025 has been "own assets or be left behind."

This year, just about ALL assets have pushed higher.

But, as of late, gold and silver are leading the charge, now up 4 and 8 TIMES as much as the S&P 500 YTD.

It all started with a weaker US Dollar. Image
The US Dollar is currently down -9% YTD on track for its worst year since 2017.

As rate cuts kicked off, the US Dollar saw further weakness.

And, as President Trump's new Fed Chair is set to be announced, markets are pricing-in even more dovish Fed policy.

This is key. Image
Read 12 tweets
Dec 18, 2025
What just happened?

Core CPI inflation in the US just unexpectedly fell to 2.6%, its LOWEST level since March 2021.

3 months ago, inflation rose to a 6-month high, and last month, the October CPI inflation report was "cancelled."

What changed? Let us explain.

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At first glance, this looks like one of the best inflation reports in years.

The 40 bps drop in headline and core inflation is one of the largest YoY declines since 2023.

And, this comes as core inflation was expected to INCREASE.

It also comes at an interesting time. Image
Last month, the US cancelled the October CPI inflation report.

They cited "a lapse in appropriations" which prevented data from being collected during the government shutdown.

Why is this important?

It means the BLS had to make tons of assumptions for last month's data. Image
Read 12 tweets
Dec 8, 2025
The elephant in the room:

There have now been 1.2 MILLION job cuts announced in 2025. And, 60% of Americans say we are in a recession.

Yet, the S&P 500 has added +$17 TRILLION since April, nearing its 29th record high of 2025.

What's happening? Let us explain.

(a thread) Image
US layoffs currently set to match levels seen in the 2008 Financial Crisis.

US employers have announced 1,170,821 job cuts in 2025, the 2nd-highest total in 16 years.

In November, US employers announced 71,321 job cuts.

This is the 3rd HIGHEST monthly total ever recorded. Image
And, it's impacting ALL demographics.

Unemployed Americans with 4-year college degrees now make up a record 25.3% of total unemployment.

The percentage has doubled since the 2008 Crisis and is above 2020 levels.

The US labor market is weakening across all education levels. Image
Read 12 tweets

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