Insider Newsletter - Investors Pull Out on Bitcoin and Tariff Trouble Hangs Around

A summary of this week's highlights: Institutional investors are retreating, with record outflows from Bitcoin ETFs highlighting a shift in sentiment. Meanwhile, macro uncertainty persists as the Fed stays cautious and Trump’s suspended tariffs continue to loom. The market faces a tense, watchful phase.

As for our weekly webinars, Ben and Roman explored another backtesting session, showcasing strategies within the smart money concept framework, while our Q&A webinar focused on Moving Averages.

We’ve also got an important announcement! We're packing our bags (and trading secrets) for The Better Traders Summit in Toronto on May 15th! Catch us live for a hands-on workshop where we’ll show you how to up your trading game using automated tools like Altrady.

Want in? Early bird tickets and all the juicy details are right here. 

WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK

• Weekly Webinars:  Live educational webinar with Ben & Cata, showing how to identify real trends, time entries with more confidence, and filter out the noise+our webinar with Ben & Roman centered around the PD array strategy, analyzing market structures based on high & low time frames.
• Breaking News of the Week: Bitcoin ETF Bloodbath! Investors Yank $812M in One Month
• Technical Analysis Highlight: OM Pulls a Luna! $5.5B Mantra Token Nosedives 90% in 60 Minutes
• Crypto Trading Strategies: The Safe Way to Go from Demo to Real Trading
• Tutorial: How to Keep Your Assets in Check with Altrady’s Portfolio Manager
• Macro-Economic Update: Shoppers Step Up, March Retail Sales See Biggest Jump in 2 Years
• Wallet Inflows & Outflows Report: Bitcoin Outflows Spike, Ethereum Finally Stabilizes
• Economic Trends Affecting Crypto Markets: Markets on Thin Ice, Crypto Feels the Heat from Wall Street and the Fed
• Key Macroeconomic Insights: Tariffs Heat Up, China Ships Out, and Money Heads to Emerging Markets

Weekly Live Educational Webinars—Smart Money Backtesting + Moving Averages

In this week’s Smart Money webinar series, Ben and Roman ran another backtest, this time taking a fresh look at strategies built around the smart money concept. They zeroed in on the PD array approach, breaking down market structure across both high and low time frames.

In case you missed it, you can watch the recording here 👇

Yesterday, Ben & Cata broke down the art and science of using moving averages effectively. They uncovered how to spot trends, confirm entries, and avoid false signals, sharing valuable insights for both day traders and swing traders.

For this one too, you can watch the recording here 👇

Breaking News

BITCOIN ETF BLOODBATH: $812M EXIT IN APRIL! 

Despite Bitcoin’s recent price recovery, investors are DUMPING ETFs at record pace in April!

Total BTC outflows have hit a staggering $812.3M this month — with BlackRock’s IBIT leading the bleed at $393.2M withdrawn!

• Grayscale GBTC: -$256.4M
• Fidelity FBTC: -$64.5M
• Bitwise BITB: -$42.3M

Only ONE day in April saw inflows. The rest? A brutal, nonstop selloff. 

What are institutions signaling? 

Tell us what you think on X!

Technical Analysis Highlight

OM just PULLED A LUNA?!

The MANTRA token nuked 90% in under an hour, wiping out $5.5 BILLION in market cap!
From $6.33 to less than $0.70 — just like that!

What happened? 

A mysterious wallet (allegedly linked to the team) dumped 3.9M OM on OKX
The team reportedly controls 80%+ of the token supply.

Panic. Sell-off. Chaos.

Now everyone’s asking: Was this a rug? Or just bad timing?

Either way... the vibes are VERY Terra LUNA right now!

Let us know your opinions on Discord!

Ditch the Demo and Trade Live – What You Need to Know

Thinking about making the leap from demo (paper trading) to real trading?

You’ve practiced. You’ve plotted. You’ve (virtually) conquered. But going live is a whole different beast, and it’s not just about clicking “buy” with real money.

What shifts when the training wheels come off? And how do you prepare for the emotional, strategic, and wallet-level changes ahead?

We’ve broken it all down in a blog post. 

👉 Tap here to read more about the benefits and challenges of going from demo to live trading.

Tutorial: Keep Track of Your Assets with Altrady’s Portfolio Manager

Juggling multiple crypto accounts like a part-time circus act?

Logging in here, checking balances there, missing trades everywhere, it’s chaos in tabs.

With Altrady’s Portfolio Manager, you can forget about multiple swaps. You get one login, one dashboard, zero stress.

Watch our quick video tutorial to see how to bring all your wallets and exchanges under one roof—and finally trade like a sane human.

Watch below how you can simplify your crypto life 👇

Macro-Economic Update

Shoppers Step Up, March Retail Sales See Biggest Jump in 2 Years

U.S. retail sales jumped 1.4% in March, the biggest monthly gain since early 2023 and slightly above forecasts. Shoppers spent big on cars (+5.3%), home improvement (+3.3%), and sports & hobby gear (+2.4%). Even restaurants saw a healthy bump (+1.8%).

A few soft spots: gas stations (-2.5%) and furniture stores (-0.7%) dipped.

Bottom line? Consumers are still spending,  especially on big-ticket and lifestyle items.

Event: Retail Sales m/m
Date: 16/04/2025

Wallet Inflows & Outflows Weekly Report

Top 2 Cryptocurrencies (BTC, ETH)

Flow Reversal: Bitcoin Faces Outflows, Ethereum Finds Relief

The second week of April brought a reversal in ETF flows for the two major cryptocurrencies.

Bitcoin, after two weeks of steady inflows, saw a sharp pivot with significant outflows totaling over $72 million. This marks a pause in bullish momentum as investor sentiment cools.

Meanwhile, Ethereum is showing signs of stabilization. After weeks of persistent outflows, ETH is finally seeing reduced sell pressure, hinting at a potential shift in sentiment.

The flow divergence this week flips the recent trend BTC cools off, while ETH starts to breathe.

Watch closely: these moves could shape near-term price action across the market.

Economic Trends Affecting Crypto Markets

Markets on Thin Ice, Crypto Feels the Heat from Wall Street and the Fed

Crypto stayed shaky this week. Bitcoin holds steady, but Ethereum keeps struggling, still nowhere near the light at the end of the tunnel, mirroring a broader tech sell-off that rattled risk assets across the board.

Markets are losing faith in a quick Fed pivot on interest rates, keeping pressure on crypto. 

Add to that a new push in Congress to tighten stablecoin regulation, and traders are playing defense.

The IMF flagged rising geopolitical risks in its latest outlook, another red flag for already jumpy markets.

Bottom line: uncertainty rules. Cryptos are stuck in a wait-and-see mode until the Fed signals a clear path.

Key Macroeconomic Insights

Tariffs Heat Up, China Ships Out, and Money Heads to Emerging Markets

Tariff Tensions Rising

Markets now expect rate cuts to start in June, as the Fed adopts a wait-and-see approach amid tariff uncertainty. Trump’s new China tariffs, with a 90-day pause for others, stirred market volatility. Businesses are rushing shipments ahead of enforcement.

China’s Surplus Surges and Capital Eyes Emerging Markets

China posted a $102.6B trade surplus in March, near record highs, as exports spiked ahead of expected U.S. tariffs. Investor flows are picking up in emerging markets, with Latin America and Southeast Asia seeing early-2025 gains.

Trade tensions, cautious central banks, and shifting capital flows are keeping markets on edge. Volatility is here to stay.

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DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is here to educate, not to tell you where to put your money. It’s not investment advice or a sales pitch—just solid info to help you think smarter. Always do your homework and research carefully!