The cryptocurrency market appears to have reached a point where investors look beyond Bitcoin. Up until recently, Bitcoin was the only game in town, responsible for the overall movements in other crypto coins.

However, things changed dramatically as Ethereum has recovered faster than Bitcoin from last month’s move lower. Investors may remember that Bitcoin dropped from over $60k to $47k in less than 24h, creating a similar move in most altcoins. However, it recovered but was not able to make a new high. Ethereum did and now trades above $4,000 for the first time in history.

Fears of Inflation Drive the Cryptocurrency Market Higher

Inflation in the United States is expected to rise in the months ahead. As such, commodity prices are close to record highs. Lumber, for example, rose over 500% in the last twelve months, and so are basic food commodities such as corn. Gold recovered from below $1,700 and now trades above $1,830, acting as a classic hedge against inflation.

But some investors diverted their attention also to new hedges against inflation. The digital assets are seen as such hedges, and this is why there is such a strong interest in the market.

Why would Ethereum outperform Bitcoin? Also, how about the interest in Dogecoin?

One explanation may come from the carbon footprint that mining Bitcoin has and the negative environmental effects of mining new coins. Natural gas, coal, and oil are still the main sources of electricity used at mining Bitcoin, and many investors want to move away from such investments. If you want, the process resembles, in a small way, sustainable investing.

It is not to say that the price of Bitcoin will not rise anymore or that it will correct from the current levels. This article only points out the fact that investors are willing to have a look at other digital assets in their wish to hedge against inflation.

Should the CPI later this week come out higher than expected, the cryptocurrency market may be the first one to react to such news. In the meantime, Ethereum continues to outperform Bitcoin, just like Dogecoin did in the past years.

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