Bitcoin trades above $106,000; Ethereum and Altcoins see mixed moves
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Bitcoin climbed above the $106,000 mark on Wednesday, buoyed by easing geopolitical tensions, institutional interest, and sustained whale activity.As of 11:17 am IST, the world's largest cryptocurrency was up 1% at $106,345, while Ethereum rose 0.6% to $2,435. The overall crypto market gained 0.6%, reaching a market capitalisation of $3.27 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap.Among major altcoins, BNB, Solana, Tron, and Chainlink posted gains of up to 1%. However, others like XRP, Cardano, Sui, Stellar, Avalanche, Toncoin, and Shiba Inu fell as much as 3%, indicating selective investor optimism across the broader market.Shivam Thakral, CEO of BuyUcoin, attributed Bitcoin's recent rally to improved geopolitical conditions. 'Bitcoin has seen a sharp rally following the announcement of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, recovering from a recent dip amid heightened geopolitical tensions,' he said. 'The crypto is stabilising between $104,800 and $106,700.'He also noted the influence of U.S. Federal Reserve policy. 'The Fed chief has reiterated a commitment to tackle inflation and is not in a hurry to cut interest rates, which could affect liquidity in the short to mid-term,' Thakral added.Riya Sehgal, Research Analyst at Delta Exchange, said Bitcoin is consolidating near $106,000 after breaking out of a mid-term descending structure. 'A move above $107,500 could push it toward $110,000–112,000. If $106,000 fails, key supports lie at $105,500 and $104,000,' she said, adding that current price action reflects a trend of higher highs and higher lows with whales accumulating and long-term holders staying firm.On Ethereum, Sehgal said, 'It has recovered from $2,160 and is now near $2,440. A breakout above $2,520 could target $2,650–2,800, while support lies at $2,320–2,360.' She also highlighted ETF inflows on 24/06, where $588.6 million worth of Bitcoin and $71.3 million in Ethereum were bought, suggesting continued institutional appetite.Edul Patel, Co-founder and CEO of Mudrex, said Bitcoin is extending its upward momentum as bulls regain control. 'On-chain data shows a spike in Taker Buy volume, indicating strong conviction from aggressive buyers,' he said. 'Dovish Fed commentary on recession and rate cuts has also lifted sentiment.'Patel sees the $104,400 level as strong support, with a possible breakout above $108,000 if buying continues.Himanshu Maradiya, Founder and Chairman of CIFDAQ, said that while Bitcoin and Ethereum have bounced back, the more significant action is happening in stablecoins. 'Circle's market cap briefly surpassed Coinbase's, and Tether—fresh off $13.7 billion in profits—is building a U.S.-native stablecoin while complying with the GENIUS Act,' he said.'Tether now holds over 100,000 BTC and is positioning itself as a global mining force. This signals a maturing digital economy where infrastructure—not just prices—will define long-term value,' Maradiya added.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of the Economic Times)
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Some are making extra profit from the shortage.'Kerala's coconut production follows a seasonal rhythm: peak harvest from December to June, followed by high demand from July to December when festivals like Onam drive consumption. This year, when demand has peaked for the festival season, supply has hit rock reports indicate coconut production has dropped by more than 40% this year, with the Coconut Development Board noting a 50% decline over the past decade, with climate change identified as the primary K Surendran, chairman of Kerafed, Kerala's apex coconut cooperative, explains the temperature impact: 'If temperature goes above a certain range when coconuts are forming, it affects yield,' says Surendran, whose organisation handles 14,000 tonnes of Kerala's coconut oil production annually. 'Climate change is slowly affecting every commodity, but coconut got hit first and hardest.'Meanwhile, in Tamil Nadu's copra-producing regions near Coimbatore, unprecedented rains ruined quality copra for the first time in six decades. 'Proper copra requires moisture content below 6%, which is impossible when traditional drying areas face unexpected deluges,' says nature only tells part of the story. Decades of farmer neglect created conditions for this crisis. When coconut prices were Rs 20-25 for years, well below the minimum support price of Rs 34, says Surendran, many farmers abandoned proper tree care. Pest control declined, nutrient management stopped, and manjappu (yellowing disease) spread through neglected palms show the cumulative effects of neglect only after five-six years. 'We stopped treating coconut farming seriously,' says Surendran. 'For too long, average prices were too low to justify intensive care. The cumulative effect comes later.'Urbanisation also accelerated the decline. Kerala's coconut-growing area shrank from 10 lakh hectares to 7.5 lakh hectares in two decades, according to the Coconut Development Board. 'Young people prefer five-cent plots for modern homes to maintaining 1-acre ancestral compounds with coconut palms,' Surendran shortage has spawned unexpected consequences. Real estate prices of coconut farms have skyrocketed as investors from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka scout for agricultural land in Kerala. Suddenly, almost-abandoned coconut groves have become investment newspapers report multiple thefts of the suddenly precious fruit. In Palakkad's Elappully panchayat, one of Kerala's largest coconut-farming regions, at least 30 farmers complained of theft in a single month. Thieves strike at dawn, breaking locks and stealing up to 200 coconuts at a time, not just taking harvested coconuts but climbing trees to pluck fresh districts like Kozhikode and Malappuram, farmers have formed vigilante committees against these agricultural pirates, pooling resources for CCTV cameras and coordinated sur- veillance. Farmers around Kuttiady— dubbed the state's coconut capital— have formed action committees monitoring the markets are compounding Kerala's pain. Increased demand from China has reportedly led to significant coconut exports from Tamil Nadu, reducing the supply available for Kerala's domestic processing needs. Virgin coconut oil exports to healthconscious American and European consumers, who have embraced coconut oil as a superfood, compete with domestic produces less than 2% of global coconut oil by volume, according to Surendran, but international demand still affects local supermarket chains, managers stock coconut oil like a luxury good rather than an everyday commodity. Oil companies like Keradhara report sales dropping by 50% as consumers stretch usage by buying 500 ml instead of 1 litre, or switch to alternatives like rice bran oil which, they sigh, rob the food of its traditional crisis exposes Kerala's coconut dependency. The state consumes 3 lakh tonnes of India's annual production of 5.5 lakh tonnes of coconut oil— more than half the national output is devoured by just 3% of the country's crisis extends beyond home kitchens. At Thiruvananthapuram's Pazhavangadi Ganapathy Temple, where thousands of coconuts are offered daily, coconut offerings have reportedly dropped by nearly 30%. Many temples have posted notices announcing fee hikes for coconut-breaking managements struggle to keep lamps burning. Vendors are refusing to supply coconut oil at earlier contract prices, forcing temples to pay premium rates. The timing couldn't be worse — the Karkidaka Pooja at Sabarimala has begun and pilgrims typically carry multiple coconuts as offerings.'This commodity has become more precious than gold,' says Surendran, noting that coconut oil prices rose 110% in six months while gold managed barely 15%.Relief may come by October, when fresh harvest traditionally stabilises supply. The July production has already shown marginal improvement, and industry players expect prices to moderate when Onam festival demand in August subsides and the new crop then, Kerala remains trapped in its coconut conundrum. The bitter irony runs deep for a state whose very name derives from 'kera,' the Malayalam word for coconut. The land that literally means 'the place of coconuts' now finds itself rationing its namesake fruit, watching helplessly as global markets and climate chaos conspire against what once seemed as reliable as the reversal of fortunes isn't lost on people like Surendran as they survey empty storage facilities. 'Farmers are the only ones really happy,' he notes. After decades of selling coconuts for Rs 25 and struggling to make ends meet, they are finally getting Rs 77 per world has indeed turned on its head: Malayalis are struggling to afford parotta and beef roasted in coconut oil even as Americans liberally drizzle it over their salads. What coconut! The writer is a Kerala-based journalist (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of
