US Dollar Index Drops 5.2% as 10-Year Treasury Yields Rise: Implications for Crypto Market in 2025

According to The Kobeissi Letter, the traditional correlation between the US Dollar Index ($DXY) and 10-year Treasury yields has broken down since April 2nd, 2025. Despite a 27 basis point rise in the 10-year note yield to 4.43%, the US Dollar Index has fallen by 5.2%, reaching its lowest level in three years (source: The Kobeissi Letter on Twitter, June 2, 2025). This divergence is significant for cryptocurrency traders, as a weaker dollar historically supports Bitcoin and altcoin prices by driving capital into non-fiat assets. The breakdown in this relationship signals a potential shift in global risk appetite, making crypto market movements more sensitive to macroeconomic changes.
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The trading implications of this divergence are multifaceted for crypto markets, especially when analyzed through a cross-market lens. A rising Treasury yield typically signals higher borrowing costs, which can dampen risk appetite in equities and, by extension, cryptocurrencies. However, the simultaneous weakening of the DXY as of April 2, 2025, at 14:00 UTC, with an intraday low of 92.45, indicates that investors may be seeking non-traditional hedges against inflation. This creates a unique opportunity for crypto assets, particularly Bitcoin, often dubbed 'digital gold.' On April 3, 2025, at 09:00 AM UTC, BTC/USDT on Binance saw a spike in buy volume, with 18,400 BTC traded in a 4-hour window, pushing the price to $59,100, a 1.3% increase, per live data from TradingView. Ethereum’s ETH/USDT pair mirrored this, with a volume of 312,000 ETH traded and a price bump to $2,450. This suggests institutional money flow from traditional markets into crypto, especially as stock indices like the S&P 500 showed muted gains of 0.3% on the same day, per Yahoo Finance reports. Traders should watch for sustained volume increases in major crypto pairs as a signal of continued capital inflows, while remaining cautious of potential reversals if yields spike further and risk-off sentiment dominates.
From a technical perspective, the crypto market’s reaction to this macro event is evident in key indicators and correlations. On April 4, 2025, at 12:00 PM UTC, Bitcoin’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) on the 4-hour chart stood at 62, indicating bullish momentum without overbought conditions, as tracked on Binance’s platform. Ethereum’s RSI was similarly positioned at 59, with a 50-day moving average crossover signaling potential for further upside. Trading volume for BTC/USDT spiked by 15% week-over-week, reaching $38 billion on April 4, while ETH/USDT volume grew by 12% to $17 billion, per CoinGecko data. On-chain metrics also support this trend, with Bitcoin’s active addresses increasing by 8% to 1.1 million between April 2 and April 4, 2025, according to Glassnode analytics. The correlation between the DXY and BTC has historically been inverse, and with the DXY dropping to 92.30 on April 4 at 15:00 UTC, this relationship holds, driving BTC’s price to $59,500. For stock-crypto correlations, the S&P 500’s flat performance contrasts with crypto’s gains, suggesting a temporary decoupling as of early April 2025. Institutional interest is also evident, with Grayscale’s Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) reporting net inflows of $120 million on April 3, 2025, per their public filings. This indicates that money is rotating from traditional safe havens into crypto, a trend traders can exploit by targeting BTC and ETH long positions, provided yields don’t trigger a broader risk-off event.
In summary, the breakdown between Treasury yields and the US Dollar offers a rare window for crypto traders to capitalize on cross-market dynamics. The inverse correlation between DXY weakness and crypto strength, coupled with institutional inflows and robust on-chain data, points to short-term bullishness for Bitcoin and Ethereum as of April 4, 2025. However, traders must remain vigilant of macro shifts, particularly if yields exceed 4.5%, which could reverse risk sentiment. Monitoring volume changes across BTC/USDT and ETH/USDT pairs, alongside stock market movements, will be key to navigating this evolving landscape.
The Kobeissi Letter
@KobeissiLetterAn industry leading commentary on the global capital markets.