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Bitcoin (BTC) and crypto markets fell heavily into Nov. 8 as contagion from the FTX debacle spilled over.

Analysts dismiss FTX insolvency fears

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD falling to $19,351 on Bitstamp — its lowest levels since Oct. 25.

The pair, along with altcoins large and small, had already begun to show weakness as moves by Binance to cancel exposure to FTX’s in-house FXT Token (FTT) token were confirmed by CEO Changpeng Zhao.

In a Twitter thread later on Nov. 7, Zhao defended the decision, while FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried attempted to reassure markets that his trading platform was solvent.

“There were questions about a large ($580m) FTT deposit to Binance, and we were transparent about the fact that we are closing our FTT position,” part of one of Zhao’s tweets read.

Recent developments in the Ripple vs Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) case appear to have bolstered investor confidence in XRP-tied investment products, according to investment data from CoinShares’ head of research James Butterfill. 

In its latest Digital Asset Fund Flows published on Nov. 7, Butterfill noted that XRP investment products have seen a third consecutive week of institutional inflows, clocking $1.1 million.

Butterfill said the figures imply "improving investor confidence as the SEC case against Ripple looks increasingly fragile."

The last few weeks have seen Ripple Labs gaining increasing support from heavy hitters in the crypto industry including Coinbase and the Blockchain Association. 

In a Nov. 4 post, General Counsel for Ripple Stuart Alderoty announced to his 89,000 followers that "A dozen independent voices - companies, developers, exchanges, public interest and trade assoc's, retail holders” had offered their help to explain how “dangerously wrong the SEC is."

147 days have passed since Bitcoin (BTC) closed above $25,000, and the result is that investors are less sure that the $20,000 support will hold. Backing these concerns are persistent global financial and macroeconomic tensions, which escalated on Nov. 7 after European Union officials expressed concerns over the $369 billion U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.

The extended tax, health and climate bill was approved in August and it also includes subsidies for electric cars and battery supply chains that are made in North America.

According to CNBC, this is not the first time that Europe has expressed its concerns, citing international trade rules and "discriminatory" policies.

There's additional uncertainty coming from the Nov. 8, U.S. midterm elections which will determine which party controls Congress. Currently, Democrats have a majority in the Lower House, but a change in this status could ease President Biden's future spending plans.

In other news, Apple announced a temporary reduction in iPhone 14 production due to Covid-19 restrictions in China. To put things in perspective, Apple's $2.2 trillion market capitalization has surpassed the sum of Alphabet (Google) and Amazon.