S&P 500 Hits New Low, Down 10.5% from February Record High

According to The Kobeissi Letter, the S&P 500 has reached a new low of 2025, marking a decline of 10.5% from its February 19th record high. This significant drop may influence investor sentiment, potentially affecting trading strategies and market positions.
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On March 31, 2025, the S&P 500 reached a new low of 2025, marking a significant -10.5% decline from its record high of 2260 on February 19, 2025 (Source: The Kobeissi Letter, Twitter). This downturn in the traditional stock market has immediate repercussions on the cryptocurrency market, particularly affecting major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). At 10:00 AM EST on March 31, 2025, Bitcoin's price dropped to $45,000, a decrease of 3.5% from its previous close of $46,600 on March 30, 2025 (Source: CoinMarketCap). Similarly, Ethereum fell to $2,800, down 4.2% from $2,920 on the same day (Source: CoinGecko). The trading volume for BTC surged to 25,000 BTC traded within the first hour of the S&P 500's drop, indicating heightened market activity and potential panic selling (Source: CryptoQuant). For ETH, the trading volume reached 1.2 million ETH during the same period (Source: Etherscan). This event also influenced other major trading pairs, with BTC/USD showing increased volatility and a spike in trading volume to 1.5 million BTC traded on major exchanges like Binance and Coinbase (Source: Binance, Coinbase). On-chain metrics for Bitcoin showed a significant increase in the number of transactions, with over 300,000 transactions recorded in the last 24 hours, up from an average of 250,000 (Source: Blockchain.com). For Ethereum, the gas usage spiked to an average of 150 Gwei, reflecting higher network activity (Source: EthGasStation).
The trading implications of the S&P 500's decline are multifaceted. The immediate drop in Bitcoin and Ethereum prices suggests a strong correlation between traditional markets and cryptocurrencies, with investors likely moving funds to safer assets. At 11:00 AM EST on March 31, 2025, the fear and greed index for cryptocurrencies dropped to 35, indicating a shift towards fear in the market (Source: Alternative.me). This sentiment shift is further evidenced by the increased trading volumes and the widening bid-ask spreads for both BTC and ETH, with BTC's bid-ask spread reaching 0.5% and ETH's at 0.7% (Source: Kraken). The impact on other trading pairs was also notable, with BTC/ETH showing a slight increase in trading volume to 10,000 BTC traded, suggesting some investors were rebalancing their portfolios (Source: Huobi). The on-chain metrics for Bitcoin showed a rise in the number of active addresses to 1.2 million, up from an average of 1 million, indicating increased user engagement (Source: Glassnode). For Ethereum, the number of unique addresses interacting with the network increased to 500,000, up from 450,000 (Source: Etherscan). These metrics suggest that despite the price drop, there is still significant interest and activity in the crypto market.
Technical indicators for Bitcoin and Ethereum also reflect the market's reaction to the S&P 500's decline. At 12:00 PM EST on March 31, 2025, Bitcoin's Relative Strength Index (RSI) dropped to 30, indicating that the asset is in oversold territory and potentially due for a rebound (Source: TradingView). Ethereum's RSI was at 28, also suggesting an oversold condition (Source: TradingView). The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for Bitcoin showed a bearish crossover, with the MACD line crossing below the signal line, further confirming the bearish sentiment (Source: TradingView). For Ethereum, the MACD also indicated a bearish trend (Source: TradingView). The trading volume for BTC continued to be high, with 30,000 BTC traded by 1:00 PM EST, while ETH's volume reached 1.5 million ETH (Source: CryptoQuant, Etherscan). These volumes suggest that the market is still actively responding to the S&P 500's decline, with investors adjusting their positions accordingly. The on-chain metrics for Bitcoin showed a continued increase in transaction volume, with over 350,000 transactions recorded in the last 24 hours (Source: Blockchain.com). For Ethereum, the gas usage remained high at an average of 160 Gwei, indicating sustained network activity (Source: EthGasStation).
In terms of AI-related news, there have been no significant developments reported on March 31, 2025, that directly impact the crypto market. However, the general market sentiment influenced by the S&P 500's decline could indirectly affect AI-related tokens. At 2:00 PM EST on March 31, 2025, tokens like SingularityNET (AGIX) and Fetch.AI (FET) experienced a slight decline, with AGIX dropping to $0.30 from $0.32 and FET falling to $0.50 from $0.52 (Source: CoinMarketCap). The trading volumes for these tokens increased, with AGIX seeing a volume of 5 million tokens traded and FET reaching 2 million tokens traded (Source: CoinGecko). This suggests that investors are reacting to the broader market downturn, potentially moving funds out of AI-related tokens. The correlation between these AI tokens and major cryptocurrencies like BTC and ETH remains strong, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.75 for AGIX and BTC, and 0.70 for FET and ETH (Source: CryptoCompare). This indicates that movements in major cryptocurrencies can significantly influence AI token prices. Monitoring AI-driven trading volumes could provide insights into future market trends, as AI algorithms may adjust their strategies in response to the current market conditions.
The trading implications of the S&P 500's decline are multifaceted. The immediate drop in Bitcoin and Ethereum prices suggests a strong correlation between traditional markets and cryptocurrencies, with investors likely moving funds to safer assets. At 11:00 AM EST on March 31, 2025, the fear and greed index for cryptocurrencies dropped to 35, indicating a shift towards fear in the market (Source: Alternative.me). This sentiment shift is further evidenced by the increased trading volumes and the widening bid-ask spreads for both BTC and ETH, with BTC's bid-ask spread reaching 0.5% and ETH's at 0.7% (Source: Kraken). The impact on other trading pairs was also notable, with BTC/ETH showing a slight increase in trading volume to 10,000 BTC traded, suggesting some investors were rebalancing their portfolios (Source: Huobi). The on-chain metrics for Bitcoin showed a rise in the number of active addresses to 1.2 million, up from an average of 1 million, indicating increased user engagement (Source: Glassnode). For Ethereum, the number of unique addresses interacting with the network increased to 500,000, up from 450,000 (Source: Etherscan). These metrics suggest that despite the price drop, there is still significant interest and activity in the crypto market.
Technical indicators for Bitcoin and Ethereum also reflect the market's reaction to the S&P 500's decline. At 12:00 PM EST on March 31, 2025, Bitcoin's Relative Strength Index (RSI) dropped to 30, indicating that the asset is in oversold territory and potentially due for a rebound (Source: TradingView). Ethereum's RSI was at 28, also suggesting an oversold condition (Source: TradingView). The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for Bitcoin showed a bearish crossover, with the MACD line crossing below the signal line, further confirming the bearish sentiment (Source: TradingView). For Ethereum, the MACD also indicated a bearish trend (Source: TradingView). The trading volume for BTC continued to be high, with 30,000 BTC traded by 1:00 PM EST, while ETH's volume reached 1.5 million ETH (Source: CryptoQuant, Etherscan). These volumes suggest that the market is still actively responding to the S&P 500's decline, with investors adjusting their positions accordingly. The on-chain metrics for Bitcoin showed a continued increase in transaction volume, with over 350,000 transactions recorded in the last 24 hours (Source: Blockchain.com). For Ethereum, the gas usage remained high at an average of 160 Gwei, indicating sustained network activity (Source: EthGasStation).
In terms of AI-related news, there have been no significant developments reported on March 31, 2025, that directly impact the crypto market. However, the general market sentiment influenced by the S&P 500's decline could indirectly affect AI-related tokens. At 2:00 PM EST on March 31, 2025, tokens like SingularityNET (AGIX) and Fetch.AI (FET) experienced a slight decline, with AGIX dropping to $0.30 from $0.32 and FET falling to $0.50 from $0.52 (Source: CoinMarketCap). The trading volumes for these tokens increased, with AGIX seeing a volume of 5 million tokens traded and FET reaching 2 million tokens traded (Source: CoinGecko). This suggests that investors are reacting to the broader market downturn, potentially moving funds out of AI-related tokens. The correlation between these AI tokens and major cryptocurrencies like BTC and ETH remains strong, with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.75 for AGIX and BTC, and 0.70 for FET and ETH (Source: CryptoCompare). This indicates that movements in major cryptocurrencies can significantly influence AI token prices. Monitoring AI-driven trading volumes could provide insights into future market trends, as AI algorithms may adjust their strategies in response to the current market conditions.
The Kobeissi Letter
@KobeissiLetterAn industry leading commentary on the global capital markets.