Market Recap: Crypto and Tech Jump as Investors Take Advantage of Low Prices

Crypto and stocks pushed higher today as investors look to take advantage of down markets
Tech stocks led the way today as the Nasdaq composite pushed up almost 3.3% later in the day with semiconductor stocks like NVDA and AMD jumping as much as 7%

Tech stocks rip higher

Tech stocks jumped significantly today — a relief to a sector that has been battered since the start of the new year.

In the last month, the Nasdaq 100 index shed over 9% while the QQQ ETF, an exchange-traded fund that tracks major companies in the technology sector, dropped by over 9.5% on the year. Some of the biggest tech losers in the new year include several of Cathie Wood's Ark Invest ETFs. The ARKK innovation ETF has fallen over 22% so far this year.

Investors seemed to take advantage of down markets today, especially within the tech sector. The Nasdaq increased by 3.29% by the end of the day. QQQ saw a jump of 3.2% and ARKK went up almost 9.5%. Semiconductor companies like Nvidia and AMD also saw huge increases with 7.21% and 8.56%, respectively.

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Crypto jump

Similar to tech stocks, bitcoin, etheruem — and the cryptocurrency industry in general — have experienced a significant drop in the new year. Bitcoin has dropped nearly 20% year-to-date while ether has fallen closer to 30%. The entire market capitalization of the cryptocurrency market has dropped by roughly $520 billion.

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Total cryptocurrency market capitalization year-to-date. Source: Coinmarketcap

Investors turned back to riskier assets like tech and crypto in an attempt to take advantage of lower entry points.

Bitcoin increased by 1.26% by the US market close and increased as much as 2.10% intraday. The more volatile ether rose by 2.95% toward the market close and increased by as much as 2.9% intraday.

Other more volatile altcoins like Solana saw jumps of 7% or more. Investors seem to be looking to increase positions in both tech and cryptocurrency after the intense drops at the start of 2022.

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Earnings season

Major earnings reports are scheduled for tomorrow among crypto-adjacent companies that could have some sway on markets.

Alphabet, which recently revealed that Google would be creating a blockchain unit and making a push into the industry, is set to have its earnings call post-market tomorrow. PayPal made a push into the cryptocurrency industry in the last year with crypto wallet support. Its earnings call is Tuesday after market close. MicroStrategy, a company that has become well-known for its massive bitcoin holdings, will also release earnings after hours on Tuesday.

Going forward

There is still a large amount of uncertainty in the near-term markets. An immense level of confidence has been placed on cryptocurrency, NFTs and the metaverse in a more broad and long-term sense, especially with the number of large brands and companies investing in the space. But fears regarding Covid-19, raging inflation and interest rate changes have increased volatility in the markets. Markets will likely remain this way until more clarity regarding policy changes is announced by the Federal Reserve.

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