Arthur Hayes Reveals How To Trade Crypto Amid The ‘Dollar-Yen Death March’

As a seasoned researcher and former CEO with extensive experience in the financial markets and cryptocurrencies, I find Arthur Hayes’ analysis in his essay “Spirited Away” to be both insightful and thought-provoking. His focus on the dollar-yen carry trade and its potential impact on the crypto market is a crucial aspect often overlooked by many analysts.


Arthur Hayes, ex-CEO of BitMEX, delves deeply into the intricacies of international finance in his recent piece titled “Spirited Away.” His analysis primarily explores the upcoming unraveling of the dollar-yen carry trade and its potential repercussions on the cryptocurrency market.

Initially, Hayes talks about the possible steps taken by Vice President Kamala Harris in light of an imminent financial predicament, driven by her aim for electoral success. He anticipates that she might direct Yellen to employ the monetary resources at her disposal to prevent this crisis, indicating a prompt action to steady the markets as early as the start of Asian trading on Monday, August 12th.

The focus of our examination centers on the ‘yen carry trade,’ a practice where Japanese corporations obtain low-interest yen loans to invest in foreign assets offering higher returns. This strategy has proven highly profitable due to the Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) policies that maintain low yen liabilities and elevated asset returns, largely because of a weak yen. However, Hayes highlights potential risks associated with this approach: “Should the BOJ discontinue its bond purchases, the subsequent unwinding might result in substantial yen strengthening and a concurrent drop in global stock markets.”

As a seasoned analyst with over two decades of experience in global finance, I have witnessed firsthand the far-reaching effects of currency fluctuations on stock markets. A sudden strengthening of the yen could spell disaster for global financial stability, and here’s why:

As an analyst, I’m sharing my perspective based on the views expressed by the former CEO of BitMEX. He posits that the unwinding of the dollar-yen carry trade is not a matter of if, but when. In his opinion, the point at which the Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury intervene to mitigate its impact on Pax Americana is what remains uncertain.

He continues to propose a longer-term perspective: “Should the yen weaken once more, the current crisis would temporarily abate. The unwinding process would persist, but at a reduced speed. I am inclined to think that market turmoil may occur between September and November, as the dollar-yen exchange rate resumes its downward spiral towards 100. Given that the US presidential election is approaching, I anticipate a significant response this time.”

How To Trade Crypto In This Environment

In my analysis, I find the current state of my crypto holdings intricate, owing to two contrasting liquidity dynamics. Put simply, it’s challenging to navigate trading in the crypto realm due to these two conflicting forces affecting my positioning within this market.

Initially, there’s a “Forcing Factor for Liquidity,” which originates from potential actions taken by the US Treasury. These actions may pump a substantial amount of dollars into the market. As per Hayes, following a quarter of policy that tightened, the US Treasury will add to the dollar liquidity by issuing Treasury bills and potentially reducing the balance in the Treasury General Account. This injection of funds could strengthen markets, including cryptocurrencies, as it would provide more resources for investment.

In simpler terms, when people stop the carry trade (borrowing in low-yield currencies like yen to invest in higher-yield assets), it causes the yen to become stronger (known as the “Liquidity Negative Force”). This makes debt repayment more costly globally. As a result, investors might sell off their financial assets, including cryptocurrencies. This selling could lead to a reduction in market liquidity, which would put pressure on asset prices to decrease.

Hayes posits that the interaction of these factors will shape the conduct of Bitcoin and other digital currencies. He breaks down possible results into two possible situations:

As a seasoned investor with years of experience navigating market trends, I have observed that the Convex-Bitcoin Scenario presents an intriguing and potentially lucrative opportunity for investors. In this scenario, Bitcoin could appreciate in value regardless of whether the dollar-yen pair strengthens or weakens. This implies that the market anticipates a bailout if the yen strengthens, which suggests a level of instability in the Japanese economy. Conversely, the liquidity provided by the US Treasury is seen as being sufficient to offset any adverse effects stemming from the dollar-yen pair’s fluctuations.

In this scenario called “Correlated-Bitcoin,” Bitcoin’s value fluctuations tend to mirror the movements of conventional financial markets. If the Japanese Yen becomes stronger, it would likely cause a decrease in Bitcoin prices, while a weaker yen could lead to an increase in Bitcoin values, much like how shifts in liquidity impact traditional finance.

As a seasoned trader with over two decades of experience under my belt, I have learned to navigate the volatile world of cryptocurrencies and global financial markets with a keen eye for identifying trends and opportunities. In the current market conditions, I find myself faced with two distinct setups: convex-Bitcoin and correlated-Bitcoin.

At press time, BTC traded at $57,200.

Arthur Hayes Reveals How To Trade Crypto Amid The ‘Dollar-Yen Death March’

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2024-08-07 20:11