Tom Lee Ascribes Ethereum’s Pain to Market-Makers, Not the Fed | US Crypto News

Welcome to the US Crypto News Morning Briefing—your essential rundown of the most important developments in crypto for the day ahead.

Grab a coffee and settle in, because the latest crypto pullback may not be what it seems, at least according to BitMine chair Tom Lee. Beneath the headlines and market jitters, a far more unexpected force may be driving Ethereum’s slump, one that has little to do with the Fed, and everything to do with crypto’s own plumbing.

Crypto News of the Day: Tom Lee Warns of ‘Crypto QT’ as Ethereum Enters a Supercycle Setup

Ethereum may be suffering from one of its sharpest drawdowns of the year, but Fundstrat’s Tom Lee argues the real culprit is not the Federal Reserve (Fed). Rather, it is a sudden liquidity shock inside crypto itself.

Speaking in a new interview, Lee said the October 10 washout unleashed the largest liquidation event in crypto history, wiping out players and potentially crippling key market-makers, creating what he calls a form of “crypto QT.”

According to the BitMine chair, the market’s weakness stems from a combination of macro fear and internal structural stress.

“There was this big liquidation event on October 10. One that really was a larger liquidation event than anything seen in history,” he explained. At the same time, crypto’s sensitivity to the interest-rate outlook has kept traders skittish. “If you end up with a hawkish Fed, it gets crypto investors very nervous.”

However, for Ethereum specifically, Lee believes the more important factor is the quiet disappearance of crucial liquidity providers following the wipeout.

“It does have the signs of that maybe a market maker or two actually is unable to provide market liquidity, and as you know, as liquidity contracts, it’s the same thing as the central bank tightening. So it’s almost like Crypto Qt,” he said.

This internal liquidity drought, Lee argues, is why prices have lagged. “It does take a few weeks for the industry to sort of find its footing, and I think that’s why crypto prices have lagged here.”

Ethereum’s Supercycle Is Still Intact, Lee Says

Despite the stress, Lee remains adamant that Ethereum is in the early stages of a long-term Supercycle. Perhaps this is why BitMine continues to accumulate, as reported in a recent US Crypto News publication.  

He points to surging activity across stablecoins, RWA tokenization, prediction markets, and emerging digital identity rails, most of which depend on Ethereum or its Layer 2 ecosystems.

“Ethereum is a smart contract platform… It’s really the rails where I think a lot of things are going to be built,” he said. “Stablecoins… prediction markets… and now talk about tokenizing more than just dollars, but equities, real estate, and alternative assets… these are all rising.”

To Lee, those data points reinforce the thesis that it is a story that is still in the earliest stages and one of the reasons why BitMine considers it a super cycle. Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan echoed that view, calling the current environment a rare entry point.

“I think regardless of what happens on the economy in the next year, stable coins will grow tremendously… tokenization will maybe 10x in the next few years… prediction markets are going to be huge… decentralized identity and digital identity are going to be huge,” he said.

For investors looking long-term, he added, “it really is almost a gift.”

A Bitcoin Breakout Could Reset Sentiment

One open question remains whether Bitcoin has already peaked for the cycle. Lee said the answer will shape how investors interpret the next year.

“If Bitcoin makes a new high this year, then it really obviates the fact that there is a four-year cycle.”

He expects broader market strength to carry into year-end, helping push Bitcoin back to all-time highs. In other words, the pain may be real, but the cycle is far from over.

Chart of the Day

Ethereum Price Performance. Source:

Byte-Sized Alpha

Here’s a summary of more US crypto news to follow today:

• Think BlackRock is bullish on Bitcoin? Arthur Hayes says they’re not, here’s why.
• Grayscale and Bitwise Dogecoin ETFs could launch within days as the SEC review clock ticks.
• Bitcoin ETF outflows persist: Whales feast and retail vanishes.
• Largest corporate Solana holder transfers 1.8 million SOL to Coinbase—Is a sell-off coming?
• Crypto’s new normal: Another $1 billion liquidation day shakes the market.
• Markets stumble as December rate-cut odds collapse ahead of FOMC minutes.
• Is this week the turning point for Bitcoin? Tom Lee and Matt Hougan say a bottom is near.
• Why is the XRP price falling even after the successful launch of the XRP ETF?

Crypto Equities Pre-Market Overview

Company	At the Close of November 17	Pre-Market Overview
Strategy (MSTR)	$195.42	$194.06 (-0.70%)
Coinbase (COIN)	$263.95	$261.50 (-0.93%)
Galaxy Digital Holdings (GLXY)	$25.04	$24.80 (-0.96%)
MARA Holdings (MARA)	$11.51	$11.42 (-0.78%)
Riot Platforms (RIOT)	$13.88	$13.78 (-0.72%)
Core Scientific (CORZ)	$14.79	$14.60 (-1.28%)

Crypto equities market open race: