Friday, December 8, 2023

Markets rethink Fed rate cuts as Bitcoin circles $44K on US jobs data

Bitcoin traders are increasingly focusing on altcoins as BTC price action cools following the week’s vertical upside.

Bitcoin (BTC) tapped $44,000 after the Dec. 8 Wall Street open as United States employment data shrunk market bets on interest rate cuts.

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView covered the latest BTC price action as risk assets reacted to the latest U.S. inflation cues.

Nonfarm payrolls came in above expectations at 199,000 versus 190,000, while unemployment was lower than forecast at 3.7% versus 3.9%, per an official release from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Thursday, December 7, 2023

Jack Dorsey's Block Inc. launches self-custody Bitcoin wallet

Users who lose their Bitkey wallet don't need to input a seed phrase to recover funds, the company said.

Financial payment processor Block, co-founded by Jack Dorsey, has launched its self-custody Bitcoin (BTC) wallet.

Dubbed "Bitkey," developers said during the Dec. 7 announcement that the wallet, available as a mobile app or hardware storage, will be accessible in over 95 countries. Bitkey will feature a two-of-three multi-signature wallet consisting of a mobile key, a hardware key, and a server key, with a secure hardware device alongside recovery tools in the event of loss. It will require both the user's fingerprint and phone to approve transactions. The first global partners for Bitkey include Coinbase and Cash App.

"Bitkey uses three keys to secure Bitcoin, and any two keys working together are needed to move Bitcoin or approve other security-related actions like initiating recovery or modifying security settings," Block stated. "Because Bitkey only has access to one, not two or three keys in this 2-of-3 multi-signature wallet, Bitkey cannot access or move a customer's bitcoin without them." 

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'Early bull market' — Bitcoin price preps 1st ever weekly golden cross

Bitcoin is lining up a never-before-seen bull signal which could print on the Bitcoin chart by the start of 2024.

Bitcoin (BTC) is lining up an “early bull market” as a unique chart feature plays out for the first time in history.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Dec. 7, entrepreneur Alistair Milne drew attention to Bitcoin’s first ever weekly “golden cross.”

Recent BTC price upside has delivered considerable profits to various Bitcoin investor cohorts, but 165% year-to-date gains are now significant for another reason.

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Montenegrin official plans to extradite Do Kwon to the United States: Report

The Terraform Labs co-founder had been awaiting extradition to either the United States or South Korea after being arrested and charged in Montenegro.

Terraform Labs co-founder Do Kwon will reportedly be extradited to the United States rather than South Korea to face criminal charges.

According to a Dec. 7 Wall Street Journal report citing people familiar with the matter, Justice Minister Andrej Milovic in Montenegro plans to grant U.S. officials’ request for extradition. Kwon was arrested in Montenegro in March and sentenced to four months in prison for using falsified travel documents. He has also been charged in the U.S. and South Korea for his alleged role in the collapse of Terraform Labs.

Milovic reportedly said the announcement would be made public “in a timely manner.” If extradited to the United States, Kwon faces eight charges, including commodities fraud, securities fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to defraud and engage in market manipulation related to his time at Terra. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission also charged Kwon with “defrauding investors in crypto schemes” in February.

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Phoenix seals $380M deal with WhatsMiner for green Bitcoin mining

Phoenix Group is acquiring hydro cooling mining equipment from WhatsMiner worth over $136 million, with the option of an additional $246 million purchase.

United Arab Emirates firm Phoenix Group has disclosed a new purchase of hardware equipment from WhatsMiner, aimed at expanding its portfolio of hydro cooling rigs. According to an announcement on Dec. 7, the $380 million deal represents WhatsMiner’s largest order in two years.

Under the agreement, Phoenix received mining equipment valued at $136 million, with an additional option worth $246 million available. WhatsMiner's line of hydro cooling equipment was released in 2022, with current prices ranging from $1,008 to $2,484, according to the company's website.

WhatsMiner's hydro cooling hardware uses a closed-loop water system, preserving the volume and quality of water inside pipes. According to the company, the system offers more efficient heat transfer since water is a more effective heat conductor than air or oil. The benefits of this system include a reduction in operational costs and a minimized environmental impact, the company claims.

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Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Game studios quietly integrate blockchain without the buzzword

Blockchain technology is facing backlash from players and gaming developers, forcing some studios to avoid "buzzwords" tied with Web3.

Cointelegraph was on the ground during the second edition of the Madeira Blockchain 2023, held between Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. The event featured regional Web3 developments, as well as how the Portuguese islands are looking for startups and tech talent to grow their economy in the digital age.

During a roundtable discussion at the conference, studios working on blockchain features discussed the challenges associated with integrating the technology into games, including acceptance from game developers, players and publishers.

Redcatpig is a Web3 studio engaged in developing blockchain features, but the firm ran into obstacles integrating the technology into its pipeline. "One of the toughest challenges I faced was communicating with my internal team to help them understand that this [blockchain] technology can greatly benefit gamers and enhance games," noted Marco Bettencourt, CEO of Redcatpig.

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Binance suspends euro stablecoin after 200% price surge

"We will assist the AEUR project team to provide reasonable compensation to affected users" within 72 hours, the exchange said.

Crypto exchange Binance is reimbursing users and delisting the Anchored Coins Euro stablecoin (AEUR) after the token surged more than 200% in value after listing.

According to the Dec. 6 announcement, Binance will compensate users who purchased AEUR at an inflated valuation and failed to sell it after trading was halted earlier in the day. Affected users will receive a portion of the premium amount above the peg of 1 AEUR = 1.08 Tether (USDT) as a refund. The exchange wrote: 

The large price volatility also affected the pricing of various AEUR trading pairs, including Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and the euro, which also falls within the scope of the exchange's compensation plan. "To avoid potential losses for other investors, the resumption time of the above AEUR spot trading pairs will be notified separately," Binance said. The coin is currently suspended for trading on the exchange.

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Lawmakers’ fear and doubt drives proposed crypto regulations in US

If the Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act were to become law, many cryptocurrency providers would have to learn how to comply with the same regulations as traditional financial institutions.

Real bipartisan legislative efforts are rare in Washington, DC, these days, but Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Joe Manchin and Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Roger Marshall have managed to come together to co-sponsor a bill focused on crypto crime. 

According to the senators, the Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2023 aims to close loopholes in the nations Anti-Money Laundering rules. The bill would amend the Bank Secrecy Act and would designate a diverse range of digital asset providers as financial institutions. 

The Bank Secrecy Act establishes program, recordkeeping and reporting requirements for national banks, federal savings associations, federal branches and agencies of foreign banks. Digital asset providers would be required to adhere to many of the same regulations as traditional banks.

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Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Jury in Terraform Labs case shouldn’t decide whether crypto is a security — SEC

According to the SEC, tokens at issue in its civil case against Terraform Labs should be a “legal question” for a court, “not a factual question for the jury.”

Lawyers representing the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requested the judge in its civil case against Terraform Labs and co-founder Do Kwon determine whether certain crypto assets are securities rather than a jury.

In a Dec. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the SEC argued that the matter of cryptocurrencies as securities under the commission’s guidelines was a “legal question to be determined [by] the Court, not a factual question for the jury.” According to the SEC, sending the question of whether certain cryptocurrencies in the Terraform Labs case qualified as securities under the Howey test — the commission’s standard for determining what is a security — opened the matter up for discussion.

“[T]here is no genuine dispute of material fact that Defendants’ crypto asset offerings involved an investment of money, in a common enterprise, with an expectation of profit to be derived from Defendants’ efforts,” said the SEC.

Source: Courtlistener

Related: SEC faces sanctions threat as Judge questions DEBT Box case accuracy

The SEC has taken it upon itself to label different cryptocurrencies as securities in various lawsuits, including enforcement actions against Binance and Coinbase. In the commission’s case against Ripple, a federal judge ruled in July that the XRP token did not necessarily qualify as a security, potentially leading to the SEC dropping charges against CEO Brad Garlinghouse and executive chair Chris Larsen.

The question of which cryptocurrencies qualify as securities or commodities in the United States has been an ongoing debate among lawmakers and regulators, as is the role the SEC should play in regulating digital assets. Many experts are also speculating the SEC may soon decide on whether to approve a spot crypto exchange-traded product for the first time.

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Expect ‘records broken’ by Bitcoin ETF: Brett Harrison (ex-FTX US), X Hall of Flame

Brett Harrision (ex-FTX US) dishes the dirt on the “insecure, prideful” SBF and tips a spot Bitcoin ETF will shatter the futures ETF’s records

The former president of FTX US dishes the dirt on his falling out with former Jane Street colleague Sam Bankman-Fried and predicts the spot Bitcoin ETF will far outshine the record-breaking success of the Bitcoin Futures ETF.

Who is this guy anyway?

The ex-president of FTX US, Brett Harrison, tells Magazine that he didnt say a single word to Sam Bankman-Fried during the two-month notice period after he resigned, which was only months before the whole exchange blew up. Even getting a message to SBF to say he was resigning in the first place was hard work.

I had to talk to other people in the company to formally resign. I wrote one text to Sam and I got back a single heart emoji. That was the last I heard from him, Harrison declares.

Harrison and Bankman-Fried had been colleagues years earlier at quantitative trading firm Jane Street, where Harrison saw his potential while teaching SBF in a course on programming for traders. But things went south real quick between them at FTX.

Harrison claims it was due to Bankman-Frieds inflated ego and his reluctance to accept any feedback or advice.

Sam hated criticism and, as a result, refused to communicate with me. It drove my decision to quit even further, he says.

Yet, Harrison says he had no clue of the storm about to engulf the company with FTX declaring bankruptcy only a few months after he bailed from the U.S. arm of exchange.

The rest of us, especially in the U.S., were blindsighted. We were working with regulators, top lawyers, and to have the whole organization fail because of one persons greed, will stay with us for the rest of our life.

However, he feels justice was done in the recent fraud trial against his former boss.

I do feel the result was absolutely just, and I’m glad that justice was served quickly; I think it was essential that Sam was held accountable for his actions, he declares.

Meanwhile, Harrison wasted no time diving into a new project.

He co-founded Architect.xyz, a DeFi platform that focuses on bridging all the different opportunities in the digital asset space for both institutional and retail investors.

Read also
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Crypto critics: Can FUD ever be useful?

Features

Working with the Hydra: Providing Services to Decentralized Organizations

Harrison is a bit of a brainiac and has a computer science degree focused on artificial intelligence (AI) from Harvard University. So, who better to ask about the potential for AI to take over the world?

I do not think AI is a threat to humanity, he declares, pointing out that AI has been in development for much longer than people think:

Lots of people are now seeing AI for the first time, they don’t appreciate the decades of progress that has gone into it.

Harrison is more concerned about humans using AI to pull off scams and swipe identities more effortlessly.

It truly is just linear algebra,” he says. “The idea that linear algebra is some existential threat to our survival just feels somewhat fanciful to people who have been practitioners in the field for a long time.

What led to Twitter Fame?

Harrison is a smart guy who drops interesting stuff on social media that people seem to dig.

But let’s not dance around the fact that the FTX connection is what blew up his follower numbers, with his count hitting its highest weekly peak when FTX took a nosedive in November 2022, when he gained 2,140 followers, according to data from Social Blade.

Back in January, his long rant about his departure from X got nearly 3 million eyeballs. He said he wasn’t canned from the FTX gig; it just wasnt his dream job, and SBF was an insecure, prideful manager.

Content people can expect

If you scroll through Harrisons timeline over the years, you’ll notice his glam lifestyle has toned down considerably since the FTX days. 

Back then, he was often seen hanging out with celebs and former prime ministers.

Nowadays, its way more low-key. Besides throwing in some market talk, Harrison’s been sharing snippets about his family life lately. 

He’s even flexing about saving toys from the FTX US office that somehow dodged the whole bankruptcy drama.

What type of content does he like?

Harrison loves the blend of genius and goofiness on Crypto X getting a daily fix of humor and high intellect.

One of the things I love about Crypto Twitter  is the perfect mix of highly intellectual cerebral, either Market structure or political commentary, and degenerate memes.

However, when we asked about the accounts he’s into, hes not that forthcoming. 

After doing some light digging, it turns out hes following 2,100 accounts, and guess who’s in the mix? None other than Bankman-Fried’s pal Tiffany Fong.

Bitcoin predictions?

Harrison used to avoid making predictions, saying hed never have predicted the events that happened to him. But that was when things were going too smoothly, and that’s all changed. 

Harrison declares there is a very high probability that a spot Bitcoin ETF will get approved in the first quarter of 2024.

As for price predictions? Harrison isn’t tossing out any six-figure numbers right away.

In Q1 assuming there is an ETF that’s approved. I think something in the $50,000 to $55,000 range feels pretty probable, he states.

Read also
Features

Working with the Hydra: Providing Services to Decentralized Organizations

Features

Rogue states dodge economic sanctions, but is crypto in the wrong?

He doesnt see Bitcoin hitting six figures until toward the end of 2024 or early 2025 at the earliest.

He points to the first day of Bitcoin Futures ETF as just a little hint of how optimistic he is about the spot Bitcoin ETF:

If you remember the day when a Bitcoin Futures ETF was listed the inflows were some of the highest ever seen in the history of ETFs. I think we’re going to see even more records broken for a spot Bitcoin ETF.



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Monday, December 4, 2023

BTC price levels to watch as Bitcoin whales ‘lure’ market to $42K

Bitcoin analysis is getting more and more suspicious of the “up only” BTC price action in recent days.

Bitcoin (BTC) faces sharp volatility as the new week begins with BTC price action focusing on $42,000 — can it endure?

The largest cryptocurrency, fresh from weekend gains that topped 10%, is still keeping traders guessing over its next move.

While a trip to $40,000 was well anticipated, the question now is whether or not the latest move represents the beginning of a new trend or, conversely, a new bull trap.

Appraisals currently vary widely, with bullish and bearish perspectives battling for vindication.

Cointelegraph takes a look at the most important support and resistance levels now in play after recent BTC price performance reshapes the market landscape.

BTC/USD is currently trading at around $41,600, per data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView, having hit 19-month highs of $42,160 earlier on the day.

BTC/USD 1-hour chart.

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Sunday, December 3, 2023

Bitcoin price surge toward $40K boosts sentiment in KAS, RUNE, MNT and RNDR

Bitcoin’s recent rally toward $40,000 could further fuel traders' bullish sentiment for KAS, RUNE, MNT and RNDR.

Bitcoin (BTC) finally broke above the formidable resistance of $38,000 in the past week and marched closer to $40,000.

The major tailwind for Bitcoin is the expectation that the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will approve a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund as early as January. Swan Bitcoin CEO Cory Klippsten said in an interview with Bloomberg that the window for the approval for the spot Bitcoin ETF “seems to have been narrowed to January 8th, 9th, or 10th.”

Crypto market data daily view. Source: Coin360

Several analysts expect Bitcoin’s price to soar after one or more spot Bitcoin ETFs are greenlighted.

Could Bitcoin's rise near $40,000 boost buying in altcoins? Let’s look at the charts of the top 5 cryptocurrencies that may attract investors.

Bitcoin price analysis

Bitcoin rose and closed above the overhead resistance of $37,980 on Dec.

BTC/USDT daily chart.

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Arbitrum DAO passes $23M extra budget to fund all grant applicants

The Arbitrum community is expanding its grant program budget to over $70 million, supporting a total of 56 projects.

The Arbitrum DAO has confirmed the disbursement of millions in extra tokens to fund all projects approved on its latest Short-Term Incentive Program (STIP), boosting its budget by $23.4 million.

The proposal, voted by the Arbitrum community between Nov.

The supplementary capital was approved by 216.7 million votes in favor to 73.1 million against, bringing STIP's total budget to 71.4 million ARB tokens.

ARB holders approved the addition of 21.1 million tokens for funding grant applications. Source: Tally/Arbitrum

Arbitrum is a layer-2 networking designed to scale transactions on the Ethereum blockchain, allowing funds to be transferred more quickly and at a lower cost.

DefiLlama data shows that Arbitrum generated over $180,165 in fees and $43,342 in revenue just on Dec.

Layer-2 Arbitrum generated over $57 million in cumulative transaction fees. Source: DefiLlama

The new budget includes funding for Gains Network (4.5 million ARB), Wormhole (1.8 million ARB), and Stargate Finance (2 million ARB).

The approval of additional funding was not without controversy.

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Crypto Biz: UAE’s regulatory structure draws crypto firms, Canaan’s revenue slumps, and more

The United Arab Emirates increasingly attracts Web3 companies to its jurisdictions, becoming the center of global crypto innovation.

Behind the wave of companies moving or deploying initiatives in the UAE is regulation. The country has introduced regulatory frameworks for decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), virtual asset providers, metaverses and other Web3-related entities.

By offering regulatory clarity and a clear path to compliance — amid a crackdown in the United States — the UAE is moving closer to fulfilling what it wants to be: an international financial hub for digital assets.

While predictions about how it will affect the future of the UAE or the crypto space itself vary, history shows how countries have used regulatory gaps to build new industries or curb existing ones.

This week’s Crypto Biz also explores Canaan’s revenue challenges, Wormhole’s massive fundraising and Banco Santander’s crypto moves.

Iota launches $100 million Abu Dhabi foundation for Middle East expansion

Open-source blockchain developer Iota announced the launch of the Iota Ecosystem DLT Foundation in Abu Dhabi, which is dedicated to expanding its distributed ledger technology (DLT) in the Middle East.

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How blockchain improves daily healthcare routine, explained

Blockchain enhances daily healthcare by securing patient data, streamlining coordination and minimizing errors for efficient care delivery.

The significance of blockchain in the daily healthcare routine

Blockchain has the potential to revolutionize healthcare by preserving data integrity, fostering better teamwork, and increasing patient care — even in the face of ongoing difficulties with scale and integration.

Blockchain technology has the potential to completely transform healthcare practices.

Blockchain makes it easier to create a decentralized ledger that safely keeps patient data private and permits authorized access.

Additionally, the technology can strengthen clinical trial integrity, guaranteeing the reliability of outcomes and advancing medical research.

How can blockchain prevent the counterfeiting of drugs in the pharmaceutical supply chain?

Blockchain technology’s intrinsic transparency and immutability are vital in the fight against drug counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical supply chain. 

Blockchain follows the movement of pharmaceuticals from production to distribution, providing an immutable record of every stage along the way by generating an unchangeable ledger of transactions.

Every drug batch is registered as a distinct block on the chain, holding important data, including quality certifications, shipment information and production details.

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Saturday, December 2, 2023

Coinbase market share grows outside US trading hours amid Binance saga: Report

According to Kaiko Research, Bybit experienced a rise in market share around the clock, whereas Coinbase witnessed significant growth outside of the United States trading hours.

Following cryptocurrency exchange Binance reaching a substantial multi-billion-dollar settlement with United States regulators last week, an on-chain data analytics firm reported a surge in Coinbase's market share.

On November 21, Binance and the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) reached a settlement of $4.3 billion, settling allegations related to anti-money laundering.

However, the legal challenges have led to other crypto exchanges seeing an increase in market share, according to research firm Kaiko Research.

The firm recently published a report that indicates that Coinbase has seen an uptick in its trading volume, during the European trading day, outside the regular United States trading hours:

“Coinbase’s share grew the most outside of U.S. trading hours (14-22 UTC), instead surging in the middle of the trading day in Europe and the beginning of the trading day in eastern Asia.”

Meanwhile, Bybit is reportedly seeing significant changes across the entire day.

“Bybit is the immediate standout winner, gaining market share in every single hour and growing by more than 20% in 16 out of 24 hours," the report stated.

Percentage change in BTC market share.

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North Korean hackers have pilfered $3B of crypto over past six years: Report

In 2022, North Korean hackers swiped crypto worth ten times more than the country earned from exports in 2021, according to US cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.

According to United States cybersecurity firm Recorded Future, North Korean hackers have stolen around $3 billion in cryptocurrency since 2017, with more than half of that amount stolen in the past year alone.

Recorded Future indicated in a recent report that the amount of stolen crypto equates to approximately half of North Korea’s entire military expenses for the year:

"North Korean threat actors were accused of stealing an estimated $1.7 billion worth of cryptocurrency in 2022 alone, a sum equivalent to approximately 5% of North Korea’s economy or 45% of its military budget.”

Furthermore, the stolen amount surpasses the total annual income from exports for the nation by a considerable margin.

“This amount is also almost 10 times more than the value of North Korea's exports in 2021, which sat at $182 million,” the report stated.

Meanwhile, it explained that North Korean hackers initially targeted South Korea for its crypto, before expanding their focus to the rest of the world: 

“North Korean cyber operators shifted their targeting from traditional finance to this new digital financial technology by first targeting the South Korean cryptocurrency market before significantly expanding their reach globally.”

It was noted that support from the North Korean government has led to a significant expansion in the scale of the illicit operation. 

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What is market manipulation in cryptocurrency?

Market manipulation in cryptocurrency involves artificially influencing prices or trading volume to deceive investors.

Market manipulation in the crypto sphere, explained

In the cryptocurrency space, market manipulation refers to the deliberate use of different deceptive strategies to artificially inflate or deflate the price of cryptocurrencies. 

One of the signs of market manipulation includes sudden, unusual price increases or decreases that have nothing to do with important news or trends.

Moreover, persistent anomalies in the market or opaque trading methods may indicate manipulative activity, raising doubts about the market’s integrity among investors and authorities. Also, pump-and-dump schemes are prevalent in the crypto sphere, where a group deliberately inflates the price of a cryptocurrency by disseminating false information to entice buyers, who subsequently sell their holdings at a profit. 

Additionally, whale manipulation is a market manipulation technique used by large holders, or whales, to purposefully buy or sell huge sums of a cryptocurrency to manipulate its price. Moreover, spoofing — the practice of placing huge buy or sell orders and then canceling them before they are executed to simulate a false sense of market demand — aims to manipulate the crypto market. 

Crypto markets are also impacted by insider trading, which is the practice of people making trades based on secret knowledge.

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Friday, December 1, 2023

Price analysis 12/1: BTC, ETH, BNB, XRP, SOL, ADA, DOGE, TON, LINK, AVAX

Bitcoin price hit a new 2023 high on Dec.1 and multiple altcoins are following suit. Is the crypto market preparing for a Santa Claus rally?

Bitcoin (BTC) rallied about 9% in November, with $38,000 proving to be a difficult obstacle to cross. Coinglass data shows that in the past five years, Bitcoin rose only in 2020, but the extent of the rise at 46.92% was impressive.

Entering into the new year, several analysts are bullish on Bitcoin. 28 research note, Standard Chartered said that the possibility of the earlier-than-expected approval of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds could boost the price of Bitcoin to $100,000 before end-2024.

Daily cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360

Galaxy Digital CEO Mike Novogratz also sounded upbeat about Bitcoin while speaking to Bloomberg on Nov. Additionally, the Federal Reserve cutting rates may act as a further trigger that could send Bitcoin’s price near the all-time high by this time next year.

Could Bitcoin sustain above $38,000 and clear the path for a rally to $40,000, or will bears again play spoilsport?

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Bitcoin price hits $39K as Powell stirs bets Fed rate hikes are over

Bitcoin reaches levels not seen since May 2022 amid an excited market reaction to the latest Fed inflation commentary.

Bitcoin (BTC) hit $39,000 for the first time since mid-2022 on Dec.

BTC/USD 1-hour chart. Source: TradingView

Powell: Calling end to hikes would be “premature”

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView confirmed a new 19-month BTC price high of $39,000 on Bitstamp.

Bitcoin bulls, already in a strong position, beat out resistance as Fed Chair Jerome Powell took to the stage at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia for a scheduled appearance.

“The FOMC is strongly committed to bringing inflation down to 2% over time and to keeping policy restrictive until we’re confident that inflation is on a path to that objective,” he said in prepared remarks.

“It would be premature to conclude with confidence that we have achieved a sufficiently restrictive stance, or to speculate on when policy might ease.”

While keeping his tone cautious, Powell appeared to boost risk asset sentiment with his comments on the current state of the U.S.

Reacting, financial commentary resource The Kobeissi Letter was among those with a more sober take on what the Fed might do in the future.

“Their narrative has not changed since last year, but markets continue to call for a Fed pivot,” it wrote in part of a post on X (formerly Twitter).

“As we have stated before, the Fed would rather spark a mild recession than risk a resurgence of inflation.

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Why is the crypto market up today?

The crypto market is up today thanks to MicroStrategy's relentless Bitcoin purchases ahead of the key ETF decisions.

The cryptocurrency market is up today with its net valuation reaching $1.427 trillion for the first time since May 2022.

Bitcoin (BTC), which controls more than half of the market share, contributed the most to the crypto sector's growth on Dec. Ether (ETH), the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, jumped 2.8% over $2,100. 

Crypto market capitalization weekly performance chart. Source: TradingView

Why is crypto market going up today?

Crypto market gains in the last 24 hours coincide with MicroStrategy's announcement that it had purchased nearly $600 million worth of Bitcoin at an average price of $36,785 per BTC. This acquisition brings the company's total BTC holdings to over $6 billion.

Interestingly, MicroStrategy's BTC investment comes a month ahead of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's potential approval of all Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications.

Binance VIP traders got sneak peak of US settlement: Report

At an exclusive dinner in Singapore, certain Binance executives reportedly told traders about the pending settlement with U.S. officials, allowing the exchange to stay in business.

Executives of cryptocurrency exchange Binance reportedly gave a heads-up to its top market makers regarding a potential $4.3-billion settlement with authorities in the United States.

According to a Dec. 1 Bloomberg report, Binance traders at an exclusive September dinner in Singapore were informed about a tentative deal the crypto exchange had with U.S. Some Binance executives reportedly told certain traders at the event that the exchange could easily afford the $4.3-billion penalty to stay in business.

Then Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao was reportedly not in attendance at the event, but Richard Teng, who succeeded Zhao following the settlement, was mingling with guests.

According to Teng’s posts on X (formerly Twitter) from September, the then head of regional markets was in Singapore for the Token2049 conference, the Milken Institute Asia Summit, the Singapore Grand Prix for Formula 1 and “plenty of side events.” Cointelegraph will release an exclusive interview with the Binance CEO at 6:00 pm UTC on Dec.

Related: Binance operating without license in Philippines, regulator says

As part of its settlement, Binance must pay $4.3 billion to various U.S. at the time of publication, as a court considered his request to return to the United Arab Emirates before sentencing in February.

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Thursday, November 30, 2023

Brazilians may soon need to stump up taxes on crypto held abroad

The new rules would make crypto income from exchanges outside Brazil taxable at the same rate as local income.

Brazilians may soon be required to pay up to 15% tax on income derived from cryptocurrencies held on exchanges outside the country after new income tax rules were approved by the Federal Senate of Brazil on Nov.

The bill has already passed in the Chamber of Deputies and is expected to be approved by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, as his administration initiated the income tax rule changes, Cointelegraph Brazil reports.

Under the bill, any Brazilian who earns more than 6,000 Brazilian reals ($1,200) on exchanges based outside Brazil would be subject to the tax, effective Jan. The change makes those funds taxable at the same rate as funds held domestically.

The bill also affects “exclusive funds” — investment funds with a single shareholder — and foreign companies active on the Brazilian financial market.

“The government is creating a tax because it is a poor manager.” 

Related: OKX launches crypto exchange, wallet services in Brazil

In September, the governor of the Banco Central do Brazil, Roberto Campos Neto, announced plans to tighten regulations on cryptocurrency in connection with a sharp rise in its popularity in the country. At the time, he said he suspected crypto was being used for tax evasion

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Bitcoin eyes best November since 2020 as PCE fails to move BTC price

Bitcoin remains on track to seal its highest monthly close since May 2022, but BTC’s price is stubbornly rangebound.

Bitcoin (BTC) brushed off fresh United States macro data into the Nov. 30 Wall Street open as traders focused on the monthly close.

BTC/USD 1-hour chart. Source: TradingView

PCE keeps Fed pivot pressure alive

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC price movements sticking to a narrow intraday range below $38,000.

After a failed breakout the day prior, hopes were high that the Federal Reserve’s “preferred” inflation metric, the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Index, would help fuel volatility.

This, however, had not come to pass at the time of writing, with November’s final Wall Street open still to come.

PCE came in broadly in line with expectations — a boost for the Fed’s monetary tightening and reinforcement of declining inflation.

Querying whether interest rates might now begin to fall — the key takeaway for risk assets — financial commentary resource The Kobeissi Letter nonetheless stayed cautious.

“Another sign inflation is falling but still above the Fed’s 2% target. Can the Fed really pivot now?” it queried on X (formerly Twitter) after the PCE results.

Kobeissi once again alluded to words from Bill Ackman, founder and CEO of hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management, who earlier in the week predicted rate cuts beginning as soon as Q1, 2024.

“It’s important to note that the effects of monetary policy lag. However, does the Fed really want to risk jumping the gun and cutting rates too soon?” it continued.

“We believe calls for rate cuts in Q1 2024 are too ambitious.”
Fed target rate probabilities chart. Source: CME Group

PCE did not manage to dent market expectations of Fed policy, with data from CME Group’s FedWatch Tool still showing almost unanimous expectations of a rate hike pause continuing next month.

November BTC price gains near 10%

For Bitcoin market participants, however, the monthly close was of more interest.

Related: Bitcoin ETF will drive 165% BTC price gain in 2024 — Standard Chartered

BTC/USD was up nearly 10% in November at the time of writing, making it the first “green” 11th month of the year since 2020. Above $37,660, the close would become its highest since May 2022.

In November 2021 and 2022, Bitcoin fell 7.1% and 16.2%, respectively, per data from statistics resource CoinGlass.

BTC/USD monthly returns (screenshot). Source: CoinGlass

Analyzing the current chart setup, popular trader Jelle saw reasons to be bullish in Bitcoin’s relative strength index (RSI) readings.

“After spending the past month building up a giant hidden bullish divergence, Bitcoin has breached its RSI downtrend!” he told X subscribers earlier on the day.

An accompanying chart showed the required area for bulls to secure.

“If price can hold the grey box, I think this starts moving higher soon. All eyes on the monthly close,” Jelle added.

BTC/USD chart with RSI. Source: Jelle/X

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.



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Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Why JSON-LD matters for Web3

Web3 is confusing because it’s still in its formative stages. Nobody quite knows which inventions will shape it next.

When big innovations change the world, people tend to argue about them. Will Web3 finally democratize the internet? Is decentralization real? I’m a data guy. I don’t consider myself in a position to answer questions about Web3’s cultural impact. I can, however, point out that griping is nothing new. It predictably happens just when the biggest changes are coming. Consider this excerpt of an article written by automobile pioneer Alexander Winton, who sold his first car in 1897:

“…the great obstacle to the development of the automobile was the lack of public interest. To advocate replacing the horse, which had served man through centuries, marked one as an imbecile … in the ’90s, even though I had a successful bicycle business, and was building my first car in the privacy of the cellar in my home, I began to be pointed out as ‘the fool who is fiddling with a buggy that will run without being hitched to a horse.’”

In data architecture, we talk about layers. Web3, just like the cars of yore, is being built beneath a layer of scrutiny. Regardless of what we say about it, the machine-readable internet — Tim Berners-Lee original definition of Web 3.0 — is happening. From DAOs to Amazon’s Astro housekeeping robot, the use cases for machine intelligence are growing. 

Until recently, there was no way to package that data in a common language for people and machines. A wallflower of a protocol called JSON-LD is changing all that. It’s worth exploring this otherwise unsexy protocol, because it plays a formative role in Web3’s ever-growing architecture. Just as, say, the break lines in a car lay beneath notice, but really make a difference to your driving experience, JSON-LD is the connective tissue that is propelling Web3 closer to becoming the internet as we know it. 

The internet of data

What does it take to read, interpret and process data all over the internet with minimal human intervention? In Web 2.0 terms, it takes a whole bunch of API integrations with a whole bunch of databases. Data is poured into a data lake and then loaded into a data warehouse for interpretation. 

This cumbersome process is a primary motivator for the new architecture of Web3. Databases are handy for digitizing things formerly done by hand, like organizing one’s business contacts. They’re not good for feeding data to machines to come up with new lines of business and transform society. Only when data is trustworthy, secure and interoperable will it be able to live safely outside of databases and be accessible by machines. 

Many of the pieces already exist. Blockchain ensures trust and immutability. Microledgers safeguard security and privacy. Semantic standards — called W3C RDF standards — make all data machine-readable so that machines can link and leverage data from anywhere. Another word for this is interoperability, and until now, it has been one of Web3’s biggest challenges. 

Why JSON-LD is important

As you’ll recall from earlier in the article, Web3, otherwise known as the Internet of Data, requires that data lives anywhere, contains cryptographic proof of its own trustworthiness and describes itself in a common language that any human or machine can understand. It wasn’t clear how that common language would happen. Turns out that one of the internet’s most common — and easily ignored — protocols is changing all that. 

JSON is a protocol that transmits data to display it on a webpage. A dropdown list of options after you enter a search query is an example of how JSON works behind the scenes. A machine reads your entry and pulls suggestions from a database. A couple of years ago, a much more powerful version of JSON came out: JSON-LD  (linked data). Used in the same way as its predecessor, JSON-LD wraps data in RDF, a universal format that enables data to be interpreted and used outside of the database. 

By encoding meaning within a JSON document through the semantic standard — shared vocabulary — of RDF, JSON-LD lets data be organized, contextualized and connected anywhere. Machines can read and analyze data wherever it lives without human intervention. It becomes possible to re-use data regardless of application, freeing you from entering the same data multiple times into multiple databases. Tasks such as sharing, compliance reporting and re-operationalizing data into new applications becomes much easier. 

A few real-life examples might help clarify the value. You’ll be able to securely and selectively share your patient data between hospitals or transcripts between schools. Pathogen-borne illnesses and counterfeits in supply chains become easy to track. Meeting compliance requirements for data regulations like GDPR happens in a matter of hours instead of weeks. Manipulations like deep fakes become visible for what they are. The panorama of possibilities only grows when you put autonomous vehicles, robots and other smart machines into the mix.

JSON-LD could also help evolve Web3 out of its current confusion of disconnected blockchains. Let’s say someone wants to create a marketplace for NFTs and list every single NFT in existence. If every NFT developer creates their own data silo to store the data, then the anonymity of Web3 becomes a crutch. The marketplace operator would have to go to every single developer and decode the shared value of the NFT by asking: “What does this mean? What does that mean?” Interoperability provides the common vocabulary to solve that problem and allow data to link to other data, while retaining the best features of blockchains, namely privacy, trust and security. 

The driverless internet

Times have changed, and they are changing again. Web3 is confusing because it’s still in its formative stages. Nobody quite knows which inventions will shape it next. Every once in a while, though, you see things that could be able to endure the motors and wheels of Web3. JSON-LD configurations could be one of those important tools to consider to help ease Web3’s growing pains. 

Brian Platz is the co-founder and CEO of Fluree — a Web3 database platform that enables trusted and interoperable data management.


This article was published through Cointelegraph Innovation Circle, a vetted organization of senior executives and experts in the blockchain technology industry who are building the future through the power of connections, collaboration and thought leadership. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Cointelegraph.



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Wormhole raises $225M at $2.5B valuation

The protocol reached a total value locked of $3.8 billion at its peak.

Cross-chain protocol Wormhole has secured a $225-million investment at a valuation of $2.5 billion.

According to the Nov. 29 announcement, the investment round was led by Brevan Howard, Coinbase Ventures, Multicoin Capital, Jump Trading, ParaFi, Dialectic, Borderless Capital and Arrington Capital.

The Wormhole Foundation also announced the launch of Wormhole Labs, which the company said “is an independent technology company that specializes in building products, tools, and reference implementations that help grow cross-chain activity and development.” Currently, its blockchain-to-blockchain communications technology is used to bridge assets, power oracle data feeds, and transfer nonfungible tokens.

Wormhole was launched in 2021 and has since facilitated over $35 billion in transactions. Developers claim that the protocol processes over 2 million cross-chain messages across more than 30 chains every day.

In February 2022, Wormhole was hacked for more than $321 million via an unauthorized minting glitch on its Ethereum–Solana bridge. Shortly after the incident, venture capital firm Jump Crypto pledged to replenish more than $320 million in funds lost during the hack.

In May, investors of the former Terra ecosystem filed a lawsuit against Jump Trading, the high-frequency trading firm that owns Jump Crypto, alleging the firm and its CEO, Kanav Kariya, manipulated the price of TerraUSD to gain roughly $1.3 billion in profits. The allegations have not yet been proven in court.

Related: Jump Crypto replenishes funds from $320M Wormhole hack in largest-ever DeFi ‘bailout’



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Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Why is Dogecoin price down today?

Dogecoin is down today primarily due to technical factors as DOGE price now risks a deeper correction by as much as 70%.

The price of Dogecoin (DOGE) is down today, mirroring trends elsewhere in the cryptocurrency market.

Why is Dogecoin price down today?

On Nov. 28, DOGE's price dropped over 3.5% to $0.076, underperforming the crypto market, which fell by around 1.25% in the same period. The memecoin's price decline is part of a broader correction that has witnessed nearly a 12.5% retreat in over a week.

XRP/USD daily price chart. Source: TradingView

Let's take a closer look at the most likely reasons behind Dogecoin's latest pullback.

Bearish divergence

Dogecoin's drop today precedes a period of growing bearish divergence between its price and a key momentum indicator.

Notably, between Oct. 6 and Nov. 17, DOGE's price rallied, forming higher highs. But, in the same period, its daily relative strength index (RSI) dropped, forming lower highs.

DOGE/USD daily price chart. Source: TradingView

As a rule of technical analysis, a divergence between rising prices and falling RSI indicates weakness in the prevailing uptrend, prompting traders to secure profits at local price highs.

Rising Bitcoin dominance

Dogecoin's price drop today is part of the decline in the broader altcoin market weight versus Bitcoin (BTC).

Notably, the Bitcoin Dominance Index, which measures the top cryptocurrency's market share versus the combined weight of all altcoins, has risen 0.83% in the past 24 hours. In simple words, traders have rotated their capital from altcoins to Bitcoin.

BTC.D daily performance chart. Source: TradingView

In contrast, Dogecoin's market dominance versus the rest of the crypto market declined by over 1% on Nov. 28.

Psychological resistance

Dogecoin's price decline today appears to be a result of a bearish rejection by one of its strongest distribution areas.

Notably, DOGE's price reversed after retesting its 0.236 Fib line near $0.081 as resistance. Since May 2023, its attempt to close above this price level has failed, as illustrated below.

DOGE/USD daily price chart. Source: TradingView

As a result, DOGE's likelihood of continuing its pullback move is high in December 2023, with its 50-day exponential moving average (50-day EMA; the red wave) near $0.072 acting as the primary downside target.

DOGE whales sell

Dogecoin's price decline coincides with a reduction in the DOGE supply held by its richest investors.

Notably, the supply controlled by Dogecoin addresses with a balance between 100 million and 1 billion DOGE tokens (the green wave) has dropped nearly 1% in the past two weeks. Interestingly, the supply held by the next cohort — those holding over 1 billion DOGE (the black wave) — has jumped 0.5% in the same period.

DOGE supply holdings among addresses with 100 million-infinity token balance. Source: Santiment

The 1 billion-plus DOGE balance cohort may include addresses associated with crypto exchanges and over-the-counter trading desks, indicating whales have transferred their Dogecoin to such platforms for the purpose of selling.

Is Dogecoin bull market over?

From a technical perspective, DOGE needs to break above the upper trendline of its prevailing descending triangle setup. If this bullish scenario plays out, the price may reach $0.10, its September 2022 resistance, by the end of 2023.

DOGE/USD weekly price chart. Source: TradingView

The bears, however, will try to pull down DOGE/USD by 25% to $0.056 by the year's end, and perhaps even by 70% to $0.023 in Q1, 2024 if the price breaks below the triangle's lower trendline.

Related: Director YOLO’d $4M of Netflix budget into Dogecoin, made $27M: Report

A descending triangle forming in a downtrend is considered a bearish continuation setup. The pattern resolves when the price breaks below its lower trendline and falls by as much as the maximum distance between its upper and lower trendline.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.



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More foreign banks join China’s CBDC pilot trials

A total of four foreign banks have integrated China’s e-CNY CBDC thus far.

More foreign banks have joined China’s digital yuan central bank digital currency (CBDC), the e-CNY, following British bank Standard Chartered’s entry on Nov. 27, bringing its total to four.

According to local news reports, Hong Kong-based HSBC, Hang Seng Bank and Taiwanese bank Fubon Bank have also added e-CNY integrations to their platforms. All four foreign banks will allow their clients to transfer and withdraw e-CNY. Moreover, Hang Seng Bank has allowed personal banking customers to bind debit cards within the official e-CNY app and redeem digital renminbi. They can also top up the digital renminbi wallet through the Hang Seng China Mobile Banking App. HSBC has also added similar features for retail e-CNY use for its clients.

As for Fubon Bank, it has allowed users to recharge e-CNY via mobile banking and spend the CBDC using its bank card. The firm said it would continue to explore e-CNY CBDC applications in cross-border trade, smart contracts, cross-border payments and supply chain finance.

Song Yuesheng, vice chairman and president of Hang Seng China, said that the bank plans to use the ongoing e-CNY CBDC pilot to “create new consumption scenarios, enrich service systems, stimulate new consumption vitality, and provide business opportunities.” The day before, Standard Chartered stated that it is currently experimenting with the e-CNY CBDC in fields such as “cross-border merchant payments, trade financing, and supply chain financing.”

Last month, Cointelegraph reported that the Chinese digital yuan CBDC was used for the first time to settle a cross-border oil deal where PetroChina International purchased 1 million barrels of oil using the CBDC. In the first three quarters of 2023, the use of the yuan in cross-border settlements was up 35% year-on-year, reaching $1.39 trillion, China Daily reported.

Related: Standard Chartered joins China’s CBDC pilot testing



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‘Buy the rumor, sell the news’ — Bitcoin ETF may spark TradFi sell-off

Bitcoin retail investors may end up with a hot potato if the spot ETF go-ahead plays out like gold 20 years ago, analysis considers.

Bitcoin (BTC) may suffer when the first spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) is approved by the United States, a new warning says.

In a thread on X (formerly Twitter) on Nov. 28, Joshua Lim, head of derivatives at capital market firm Genesis Trading, predicted a volatile start to 2024 for BTC price action.

Bitcoin ETF approval: Retail may be left holding the buck

Bitcoin is already a target for traditional finance, or “TradFi,” which is betting on winning big out of the spot ETF approval, Lim said.

“We know tradfi guys / macro tourists are already long crypto ahead of ETF news, they’ve built the position over the last few months and are now paying handsomely to roll it,” the thread explained alongside data covering open interest on CME Group’s Bitcoin futures.

“Commitment of traders data showing asset managers increased length by about $1bn since end of Sep.”
CME Group Bitcoin futures open interest. Source: Joshua Lim/X

The signs are there in the performance of the first Bitcoin futures ETF (BITO), as well as stocks of crypto firms such as U.S. exchange Coinbase (COIN), the latter up 250% year-to-date.

While generating buzz and emboldening the institutional adoption narrative behind Bitcoin, the party could nonetheless quickly fizzle once the spot ETF is actually given the green light. This, Lim and others suggest, would be a classic “buy the rumor, sell the news” event.

“What does it all mean?” he queried.

“Tradfi is already long and probably thinking about when to exit this trade around etf announcement expect retail to pile in.. and expect tradfi guys to exit (2021 tops in basis were prior to COIN and BITO listings).”
Coinbase (COIN) vs. ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF (BITO) chart. Source: TradingView

A gold ETF rerun?

Lim is not alone in wondering if ETF approval day will ultimately leave lay investors disadvantaged.

Related: Bitcoin metric that ‘looks into future’ eyes $48K BTC price around ETF

Responding, James Straten, research and data analyst at crypto insights firm CryptoSlate, channeled history to support the concerns.

“When the Gold ETF (GLD) was introduced in November 2004, it opened around $45 and dropped to approximately $41 by May 2005. However, it saw an impressive 268% increase over the subsequent seven years,” he added in a CryptoSlate analysis on Nov. 28.

On a more optimistic interim note, popular trader Jelle remarked that institutional interest had not been dented by the week’s news stories, including the $4.3-billion settlement between the U.S. government and the largest global crypto exchange, Binance.

CME futures, he stressed, continue to trade at a premium over the Bitcoin spot price.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.



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