By Reuters Feb 15, 2022 11:57:45 AM IST (Updated)
Can bitcoin be a safe-haven asset? And can Russia emerge as a crypto superpower? The answer to the first, for now at least, is no; while fortress gold has risen 2.3% over the past week, as Western warnings about Russian aggression have intensified, bitcoin has lost 3%. That was worse than the 0.9% decline of the Nasdaq Composite index.
Bristling tensions and looming laws in Europe could offer clues to two questions: Can bitcoin be a safe-haven asset? And can Russia emerge as a crypto superpower?
The answer to the first, for now at least, is no; while fortress gold has risen 2.3% over the past week, as Western warnings about Russian aggression have intensified, bitcoin has lost 3%. That was worse than the 0.9% decline of the Nasdaq Composite index.
"I don't see any evidence of bitcoin being a safe haven," said Chris Weston, head of research at Melbourne-based brokerage Pepperstone. "The Ukraine situation with Russia is a really hard one to price, so in that situation, you just buy crude futures."