Crypto markets mixed as traders digest DOJ action against Binance, CZ

cointelegraph.com:

Crypto markets were subjected to a heavy dose of volatility on Nov. 21 as the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and U.S. Treasury announced a $4.3-billion settlement with Binance and that former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao will plead guilty to one felony charge as part of a settlement over criminal and civil cases with the cryptocurrency exchange. 

United States Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the DOJ reached a $4.3 billion resolution with Binance and CZ. The agreement required CZ to plead guilty to willfully violating the Bank Secrecy Act.

In addition to the financial penalties, Garland stated,

At the time of publishing, price action within the crypto market continues to fluctuate, with Bitcoin (BTC) registering a 1.79% loss as it trades near $36,700 and altcoins reflect a slight recovery from their intraday losses.

The whipsaw price action within the market reflects market participants' attempt to digest the details of the Nov. 21 U.S. enforcement action against the cryptocurrency industry.

While the crypto market doesn’t have an opening bell like Wall Street, market participants and traders were broadly aware of the settlement, and prices had already reacted before the press conference by Garland, with Binance Coin (BNB) whipsawing to a 5-month high before retracing the majority of its gains and before the press conference even occurred.

Related: BNB price pops, then drops, following news of DOJ-Binance settlement

Despite the negative news regarding Binance, the exchanges’ users are not rushing to exit the platform or from centralized exchanges in general. According to Glassnode, the net Bitcoin position change on Binance is far below January and