Bitcoin and Ethereum prices have both risen after the news that Hong Kong will allow licensed retail trading of both cryptocurrencies starting from June 1. According to a report from the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, qualified professional investors will be able to trade Bitcoin and Ethereum at licensed digital asset trading platforms. The news was expected, but it provides “confirmation” that is important in the current lackluster market, according to Noelle Acheson, author of the Crypto Is Macro Now newsletter. The timing coincides with the recent non-macro-related spot-based move. “This is not a total surprise – the ruling and the timing were largely expected. But confirmation matters more in a lackluster market with headwinds coming from other vectors,” Acheson said.