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Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2022-12-06] BTC Price: 17089.50, BTC RSI: 48.94 Gold Price: 1769.30, Gold RSI: 59.14 Oil Price: 74.25, Oil RSI: 34.18 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin worth $3.3 billion found in a popcorn tin: The US Department of Justice seized 50,676 bitcoins fraudulently obtained from dark web site Silk Road (US DOJ) A huge stash of cryptocurrency has been discovered in a popcorn tin following a raid by the US Department of Justice. Over 50,676 bitcoins, worth around $3.36 billion at the time of discovery, were hidden on various devices found within the home of a hacker who had stolen them from the dark web marketplace Silk Road. James Zhong, 32, pled guilty last week to committing wire fraud in September 2012, having exploited a loophole in the website’s payment structure. Law enforcement agents found the stolen crypto nearly a decade later on hard drives and USB sticks in Mr Zhong’s home. According to a press release from the DOJ, the cryptocurrency was located “in an underground floor safe; and on a single-board computer that was submerged under blankets in a popcorn tin stored in a bathroom closet”. The DOJ said it was the second largest financial seizure in history. “For almost ten years, the whereabouts of this massive chunk of missing bitcoin had ballooned into an over $3.3 billion mystery,” said US Attorney Damian Williams. “Thanks to state-of-the-art cryptocurrency tracing and good old-fashioned police work, law enforcement located and recovered this impressive cache of criminal proceeds. “This case shows that we won’t stop following the money, no matter how expertly hidden, even to a circuit board in the bottom of a popcorn tin.” Mr Zhong has since voluntarily surrendered additional bitcoin obtained through Silk Road in 2012. Silk Road is no longer in operation, having been shut down in 2013 after rising in popularity to become the world’s largest online marketplace for illegal drugs and illicit goods. Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht is currently serving a life sentence in federal prison. Mr Zhong faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on 22 February, 2023. || GLOBAL MARKETS-Dollar gains, stocks slip as Fed officials talk tough on rates: (Adds U.S. market close) * Dollar regains strength on hawkish Fed speak * Data shows U.S. labor market still tight * Yield curve inversion points to recession By Herbert Lash and Marc Jones NEW YORK/LONDON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - The dollar rose and equity markets slid on Thursday after hawkish remarks from Federal Reserve officials reminded investors a less aggressive monetary policy is unlikely with U.S. employment data still showing a tight labor market. Nagging recession and higher interest rate worries also rattled European markets, and the pound tumbled as Britain hoped to put its disastrous recent fiscal experiment behind it with a more austere-looking budget. Markets fell in Eueope, as early optimism about Siemens' earnings waned and doubts arose that the European Central Bank might slow rate hikes soon. More talk from Fed officials that rates are not high enough to tame inflation pressured equities. "The narrative has quickly shifted to perhaps a more moderate path to inflation next year and what would happen if there's a meaningful slowdown in growth and a recession," said Subadra Rajappa, head of U.S. rates strategy at Societe Generale in New York. The Fed needs to continue raising rates by at least another full percentage point, as hikes so far "have had only limited effects on observed inflation," said James Bullard, president of the St. Louis Fed. Using even "dovish" assumptions, a basic monetary policy rule would require rates to rise to at least around 5%, while stricter assumptions would recommend rates above 7%, Bullard said at an economic event in Louisville, Kentucky. Market expectations for the Fed's peak terminal rate in May and June edged above 5%. But by the end of 2023 the market is pricing in a terminal rate that declines to 4.555% on expectations growth will slow with inflation. Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said rate hikes should continue until it is clear inflation has peaked. Story continues MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe shed 0.65% while the pan-European STOXX 600 index lost 0.42%, but was up 3.9% for the month due to better-than-feared earnings despite worries of a recession in the euro zone. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.02%, the S&P 500 lost 0.31% and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.35%, spurred by fears the Fed would over tighten. U.S. data showed unemployment benefits claims fell last week, indicating the labor market is still tight. Expectations of higher rates strengthened the dollar, which plunged 3.7% last week. The euro fell 0.26% to $1.0365, and the yen weakened 0.45% versus the dollar to 140.19. Sterling $1.1866, slid 0.35% on the day after the new British government delivered a new budget plan of 55 billion pounds ($64.93 billion) of tax rises and spending cuts. Concerns about the economic outlook deepened the inverted yield curve, suggesting investors are braced for recession but also anticipating lower rates on longer-dated securities, said Joe LaVorgna, chief U.S. economist at SMBC Nikko Securities in New York. "What the market seems to be telling us is that inflation is going to be a lot lower going forward, that's because economic growth is going to weaken and take pricing power down with it," he said. The yield on benchmark 10-year Treasuries has fallen more than 50 basis points since peaking at 4.338% a month ago. The two-year's yield has remained far higher. The spread between yields on two- and 10-year Treasury notes , often seen as a recession harbinger, deepened to -68.9 basis points, as the yield on 10-year notes rose 7.9 basis points to 3.773%. "The slope of the yield curve is telling us the Fed is going to make a policy pivot," LaVorgna said. Oil fell more than 3% as mounting COVID-19 cases in China and the likelihood of U.S. interest rate hikes weighed on demand. U.S. crude futures fell $3.95 to settle at $81.64 a barrel. Brent settled down $3.08 at $89.78. U.S. gold futures settled down 0.7% to $1,763 an ounce. Bitcoin fell 0.13% to $16,632.00. (Reporting by Herbert Lash, additional reporting by Marc Jones in London, Kevin Buckland in Tokyo; editing by Bernadette Baum, Kirsten Donovan, Deepa Babington and David Gregorio) || CleanSpark Releases November 2022 Bitcoin Mining Update: Company meets yearend hashrate guidance early with high of 5.5 EH/s, up over 320% from this time last year (November 2021) LAS VEGAS, Dec. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CleanSpark, Inc. (Nasdaq: CLSK) (the "Company" or "CleanSpark"), America’s Bitcoin Miner™, today released its unaudited bitcoin mining and operations update for the calendar year-to-date ending November 30, 2022. “Our teams have worked hard this month to maintain phenomenal uptime while racking new machines and identifying operational and power efficiencies. Our efforts ultimately resulted in material gains to our hashrate to where we once again have exceeded our yearend guidance,” said Zach Bradford, CEO. “Our teams and technology are continuing to make meaningful and innovative gains as we manage toward maximizing margins.” Bitcoin Mining Update (unaudited) Bitcoin mined in November: 535 Calendar year-to-date bitcoin mined: 4,157 Total BTC holdings as of November 30: 281 Total BTC converted for operations and growth in November: 544 Currently deployed fleet of about 55,000 latest-generation bitcoin miners with a hashrate of 5.5 EH/s as of November 30, up 8% from October 2022 The Company funded growth and operations through the sale of 544 bitcoins in November 2022 at an average of approximately $17,300 per BTC. Sales of BTC equated to proceeds of approximately $9.4 million. November daily BTC mined averaged 17.8 and reached a high of 19.4. Operational Updates Exceeds revised guidance. The Company exceeded its updated guidance of 5.5 EH/s in part due to efficiency gains, including record uptime and effective overclocking at its immersion-cooled campus in Norcross, Georgia. While continuing to explore opportunities for disciplined, measured growth, the management team does not anticipate another substantial increase to its hashrate before yearend, unless 30 MW of pending capacity at the Company’s Sandersville, GA, campus comes online earlier than expected. In the meantime, the Company is starting Phase 2 expansion of its Washington, GA, site. Design and procurement are already underway, and construction is expected to begin in January 2023, adding an additional 50MW to the campus. Power optimization. The Company expects to head into a period of active power optimization over the next few weeks as it balances its portfolio of power agreements with current Bitcoin prices and otherwise seeks to maximize its margins. In keeping with that focus, the Company continues to divest portions of its legacy energy business and has since reduced almost all related expenditures. Story continues About CleanSpark CleanSpark (NASDAQ: CLSK) is America’s Bitcoin Miner. Since 2014, we’ve helped people achieve energy independence for their homes and businesses. In 2020, we transitioned that expertise to develop sustainable infrastructure for Bitcoin, an essential tool for financial independence and inclusion. We strive to leave the planet better than we found it by sourcing and investing in low-carbon energy, like wind, solar, nuclear, and hydro. We cultivate trust and transparency among our employees, the communities we operate in, and the people around the world who depend on Bitcoin. CleanSpark is a Forbes 2022 America's Best Small Company and holds the 44th spot on the Financial Times' List of the 500 Fastest Growing Companies in the Americas. For more information about CleanSpark, please visit our website at www.cleanspark.com . Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding expectations for completion of the acquisition Mawson’s bitcoin mining facility, the resulting anticipated benefits to CleansSpark (including as to anticipated additions to CleanSpark’s hashrate and the timing thereof) and plans to expand the facility. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release may be forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “intends,” “targets,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “forecasts,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release, but are not limited to statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, industry and business trends, business strategy, expansion plans, market growth and our objectives for future operations. The forward-looking statements in this press release are only predictions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: the risk that the closing conditions are not satisfied and other risks that could affect the completion of the acquisition of Mawson’s bitcoin mining facility and the anticipated benefits of the acquisitions, including the risk that the electrical power available to the facility does not increase as expected; the success of its digital currency mining activities; the volatile and unpredictable cycles in the emerging and evolving industries in which we operate, increasing difficulty rates for bitcoin mining; bitcoin halving; new or additional governmental regulation; the anticipated delivery dates of new miners; the ability to successfully deploy new miners; the dependency on utility rate structures and government incentive programs; dependency on third-party power providers for expansion efforts; the expectations of future revenue growth may not be realized; the impact of global pandemics (including COVID-19) on logistics and shipping and the demand for our products and services; and other risks described in the Company's prior press releases and in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to us as of the date of this press release, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements. You should read this press release with the understanding that our actual future results, performance and achievements may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, whether as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise. Investor Relations Contact Matt Schultz [email protected] Media Contacts Isaac Holyoak [email protected] BlocksBridge Consulting Nishant Sharma [email protected] CONTACT: Isaac Holyoak CleanSpark Inc. 702-989-7694 [email protected] View comments || 7 Growth Stocks to Buy to Retire a Millionaire: Growth stocks to buy took quite a hit this year. That might deter investors from placing their bets on them for the long haul. However, growth stocks are tremendous investments for retirement, with the potential to generate massive returns. Making money becomes significantly easier if you have the nerve to invest and hold growth stocks over time. Growth stocks typically belong to companies growing significantly quicker than the market. Moreover, with growth stocks to buy, it is important to look for companies with strong fundamentals trading at a reasonable price. While there is no guarantee that these stocks will make you a millionaire by retirement, they are worth considering if you’re looking for ways to build wealth for the future. The earlier you start investing in growth stocks, the more time you have to enjoy compounding, and the higher your chances of making millions. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips ADSK Autodesk $228.80 DDOG Datadog $82.35 AMD Advanced Micro Devices $72.37 CRM Salesforce $157.73 SQ Block $71.66 CPNG Coupang $19.14 GOOG GOOGL Alphabet $96.73 Growth Stocks to Buy: Autodesk ( ADSK ) An Autodesk (ADSK) sign on an office in Toronto, Canada. Source: JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock.com Autodesk (NASDAQ: ADSK ) is a leading software company providing specialized products for building and construction markets. Its innovative technology makes the development and maintenance of buildings, roads, and factories more efficient. ADSK is a classic example of a growth stock generating over 17.5% average growth in the past five years. Despite the economic slowdown, ADSK has delivered incredible top-line and free-cash-flow performances of late. The firm operates in the construction and manufacturing markets, collectively accounting for $74 billion in its total addressable market. Moreover, with a strengthening moat, it seems that ADSK is likely to achieve its lofty margin expansion targets. Over the long term, it aims to generate 38% to 40% operating margins by 2026, a feat that seems achievable given its stellar track record. Story continues Datadog ( DDOG ) A hexagonal grid with different tech-related icons; Tech stocks illustration Source: whiteMocca / Shutterstock Datadog (NASDAQ: DDOG ) operates as a software-as-a-service monitoring and security platform, helping customers drive digital transformation, cloud migration, and collaboration among various teams. The company operates on land and expand strategy, expecting customers to increase the usage of its products over time. In addition, the platform provides several features that enable organizations to manage better their cloud applications, including custom dashboards, alerts, and notifications. As organizations continue to move towards digital transformation, Datadog’s platform will become a must-have for them to achieve their goals. It’s hard to deny its premium valuation, given how it’s grown its topline by over 78% over the past five years on average. Moreover, its sales growth hasn’t slowed down in the current economic climate, pointing to the significance of its platform to various organizations. It sees a whopping TAM of $56 billion by 2025. Its expected sales of over $1.5 billion in 2022 represent just 3% of the total opportunity expected to come in 2025. Growth Stocks to Buy: Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ) Close up of AMD sign in Markham, Ontario, Canada. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is an American multinational semiconductor company. Source: JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock.com Chip giant Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD ) has managed to solidify its market share in multiple segments of the CPU market. The firm has established its name as a leading producer, be it client processors, server processors, or gaming. Moreover, its acquisition of complimentary AMDs such as Xilinx has helped significantly grow its revenue base, positioning it for continued growth in the coming years. Recent results for AMD have trailed expectations due to weakening PC demand and lower crypto-related GPU sales. However, its management outlook for its upcoming quarter encapsulates these weaknesses, and the worst has been priced into its stock. Despite the challenges, it’s still growing its sales by double-digit margins and expects to continue posting strong growth for the foreseeable future. Salesforce ( CRM ) A man examines a digital screen with different icons for software. Source: Shutterstock Salesforce (NYSE: CRM ) is the market leader in customer relationship management applications ( CRM ), with its software being essential to multiple industries. In recent quarters though, its topline growth has been decelerating. CFO Amy Weaver attributed the slowdown to “ more measured buying behavior ” in the firm’s second-quarter conference call. Nevertheless, Salesforce’s long-term target of reaching $50 billion in revenue by fiscal 2026 is still intact. Moreover, its stock looks significantly cheap compared to yesteryear, with most of the weakness being priced in already. The company’s long-term bull case remains firmly intact as more companies are expected to migrate their CRM operations to the cloud over the next several years. Moreover, the firm’s incredible cash flow production will continue supporting its lofty shareholder rewards program. Block ( SQ ) A hand lingers over a bright blue tech wheel that says "fintech." Source: Wright Studio / Shutterstock.com Block (NYSE: SQ ), formerly known as Square, is a major name in the fintech space with an ecosystem of financial products. Founded by legendary Jack Dorsey (who also founded Twitter), it has grown its popular Cash App at a rapid pace. Its Cash App is a popular way to send and receive payments and offers a suite of other financial services, including banking, trading, and other powerful services. With its robust product ecosystem and growing user base, Block is in for sustained growth ahead. In the third quarter of 2022, the company beat top and bottom-line growth estimates by healthy margins. This was despite macroeconomic headwinds that negatively impacted Bitcoin prices. However, BTC only contributed $37 million to the $783 million it generated as gross profits during the third quarter. Despite the slowdown in its business, it is likely to grow by double-digit margins for the foreseeable future, in line with the rapid expansion of the fintech space. Coupang ( CPNG ) The Coupang (CPNG stock) campus in Silicon Valley, California. Source: Michael Vi / Shutterstock.com Founded in 2010, Coupang (NYSE: CPNG ) is an eCommerce juggernaut in South Korea. The company is known as the “ Amazon ” of the region, providing exceptional customer experience along the way. It has dominated the eCommerce market in the region, growing its market share from 7.4% in 2017 to over 30%. Moreover, its expansion into new markets, such as Japan and Singapore, has further increased its market share. Coupang operates in the fast-growing eCommerce market in South Korea, which is expected to grow by 20% over 2021-2025 . Its robust services have helped build a massive customer base of 17.9 million , which continues to increase with each quarter. Moreover, it recently posted its first profit since going public, which is a testament to the quality of its execution. Growth Stocks to Buy: Alphabet ( GOOG , GOOGL ) Alphabet Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL) and Google logos seen displayed on smartphones. The Google stock split is happening today. Source: IgorGolovniov / Shutterstock.com Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG , NASDAQ: GOOGL ) is the crème de la crème of the big tech machinery. Its massive ecosystem currently commands nearly 92% of the search engine market , which makes it one of the best growth stocks to buy. Recent turbulence in the macroeconomic environment has significantly weighed down advertising spending. Nevertheless, Google is likely to grow at a double-digit rate this year as well. It reported better-than-expected results and has the opportunity to chances to strengthen its position in the digital ads market, increasing video content and launching its monetization program for YouTube Shorts in 2023 . With multiple catalysts in play, its stock trades at a hefty bargain to its intrinsic value. Its shares offer an incredible entry point for new investors. On the date of publication, Muslim Farooque did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines . Muslim Farooque is a keen investor and an optimist at heart. A life-long gamer and tech enthusiast, he has a particular affinity for analyzing technology stocks. Muslim holds a bachelor’s of science degree in applied accounting from Oxford Brookes University. More From InvestorPlace Buy This $5 Stock BEFORE This Apple Project Goes Live The Best $1 Investment You Can Make Today Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” It doesn’t matter if you have $500 or $5 million. Do this now. The post 7 Growth Stocks to Buy to Retire a Millionaire appeared first on InvestorPlace . || Atlassian Gave Cautious Q2 Outlook Amid Uncertain Macro Environment, Analysts Cut Price Targets: • Atlassian Corp(NASDAQ:TEAM) reported first-quarter revenue growth of 31% year-on-year to $807.4 million,beating the consensus of $806.4 million. Subscription revenue rose 50% Y/Y to $651 million. • Non-GAAP operating margin was 18%. • EPS of $0.36 missed the consensus of $0.38. • Scott Farquhar, Atlassian's co-founder and co-CEO, said, "Despite the turbulent macroeconomic environment we find ourselves in, we have conviction about the incredible long-term opportunities in front of us and our ability to capitalize on them." • "We have the right products, the right leaders, and the right strategies in place to come out of this downturn in a much stronger market position." • Atlassian sees Q2 revenue of $835 million - $855 million, below the consensus of $879.2 million. • It sees a non-GAAP operating margin of 13%. • Piper Sandleranalyst James Fish downgraded Atlassianfrom Overweight to Neutral. • Mizuhoanalyst Gregg Moskowitz maintained a Buy and cut the price target from $320 to $255. • Goldman Sachsanalyst Kash Rangan maintained a Buy and cut the price target from $300 to $265. • Macquarieanalyst Frederick Havemeyer downgraded from Outperform to Neutral and lowered the price target from $287 to $147. • BMO Capitalanalyst Keith Bachman maintained a Market Perform and lowered the price target from $295 to $160. • Price Action:TEAM shares traded lower by 28.4% at $124.80 on the last check Friday. [{"Date": "Jan 2022", "Firm": "Cowen & Co.", "Action": "Maintains", "From": "", "To": "Market Perform"}, {"Date": "Jan 2022", "Firm": "Cowen & Co.", "Action": "Maintains", "From": "", "To": "Market Perform"}, {"Date": "Dec 2021", "Firm": "Goldman Sachs", "Action": "Initiates Coverage On", "From": "", "To": "Neutral"}] View More Analyst Ratings for TEAM View the Latest Analyst Ratings See more from Benzinga • Cinemark Clocks Positive Operating Income In Q3 As Recovery Kicks In; Registers 50% Revenue Growth • Telefonica Doubles FCF In Q3; Clocks €10.3B Revenue Aided By Strength In Brazil, Hispam • Is The Dogecoin Slump Just A 'Blip' Before A Rally? Here's What Experts Say - Bitcoin (BTC/USD), Dogecoi Don't miss real-time alerts on your stocks - joinBenzinga Profor free!Try the tool that will help you invest smarter, faster, and better. © 2022 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Cardano leads crypto fall as US inflation hits 40-year high: The price of Cardano (ADA) has fallen almost 9% in the past 24 hours. Photo illustration: Rafael Henrique/SOPA/LightRocket/Getty (SOPA Images via Getty Images) Cardano leads the pack of falling blue chip cryptocurrencies as investors turn cautious ahead of Thursday's release of the latest inflation data from the US. The crypto-ecosystem turned a sea of red on Thursday, marching in lockstep with falling equity markets after US inflation came in above expectations for September. The US consumer price index (CPI) stood at 8.2% last month, down from 8.3% in August but higher than economists had expected. Check: Crypto live prices Cardano ( ADA-USD ), which is number 8 in the cryptocurrency market cap rankings, has fallen almost 9% in the past 24 hours. The proof-of-stake blockchain platform is now priced at $0.36, down over 15% in the last seven days. Dogecoin ( DOGE-USD ) is not far behind, having started the day in freefall, down almost 5% to $0.057, a drop of over 10% in the last week. Market front runners such as bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) and ethereum ( ETH-USD ) fared a little better, with bitcoin holding its ground at $19,000, down 0.5% in the past day. Ethereum saw a fall of 1.4% in the past 24 hours to $1,277. Watch: The Crypto Mile - Cardano's Charles Hoskinson plans to 'radically' transform government services The US Federal Reserve is expected to stick with its hawkish interest rate hikes, leading to more retreats away from high-risk assets such as bitcoin and the rest of the crypto offerings. The market pessimism was reinforced by the release of Federal Open Market Committee, FOMC, minutes that reveal the Federal Reserve is still committed to raising interest rates. Read more: Sterling to bitcoin buys skyrocket as pound falls The meeting summary stated: "Inflation is showing little sign so far of abating and the Committee had raised their assessment of the path of the federal funds rate that would likely be needed to achieve the Committee’s goals.” US Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell: The US Federal Reserve is expected to stick with its hawkish interest rate hikes. Photo: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters (Kevin Lamarque / reuters) “Participants judged that the Committee needed to move to, and then maintain, a more restrictive policy stance in order to meet the Committee’s legislative mandate to promote maximum employment and price stability." Story continues Signs of risk-off sentiment from investors were explicitly felt after US equity markets extended their declines at the close of trade on Wednesday. US contracts fluctuated after a sixth consecutive decline for the S&P 500, which hit the lowest level since November 2020. The S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) fell 11.81 points to 3,577.03, down 0.33%. The Nasdaq ( ^IXIC ) fell 9.09 points to 10,417.10-9.09, 0.09%. European stocks also fell, down for a seventh day in the longest losing streak since February 2018, with the Stoxx Europe 600 ( ^STOXX ) down 0.4%. As equity markets struggle under tightening monetary conditions, bitcoin is still showing its tendency to march in lockstep with US stocks, such as the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) and Nasdaq ( ^IXIC ). Watch: It's too late' to use crypto as hedge against collapsing fiat currencies, says BitBoy Crypto | The Crypto Mile || Bitcoin Miner Iris Energy Faces Default Claim on $103M of Equipment Loans: Bitcoin mining firm Iris Energy (IREN) is facing claims from its lender alleging that it has defaulted on $103 million of equipment loans held by two special-purpose vehicles (SPV), the company said on Monday. The reason for the notice of default, which the lender sent to the miner on Nov. 4, is the company failed to engage in "good faith restructuring discussions" for the debt in question, according to a Monday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission . Because Iris failed to engage in such discussions, the lender is claiming it defaulted on payments originally scheduled for Oct. 25, the Monday filing said. As such, the filing continued, the lender looks to trigger an acceleration clause, meaning it is demanding immediate payment of the entire principal and accrued interest. Iris said it "disagrees" with the allegations made by the lender in the Nov. 4 notice. To review, on Nov. 2, Iris Energy said the bitcoin mining machines in question do not produce enough cash to cover the related debt obligations . The company said at that time that if discussions to restructure the debt fail to lead to an agreement by Nov. 8, it would not be able to meet the debt obligations held by the two SPVs. The two loans in question – which as of Sept. 30 had principal amounts of $32 million and $71 million – are secured by 1.6 exahash/second (EH/s) and 2.0 EH/s of mining machines, respectively, the company said. The debt is held by two wholly-owned, non-recourse SPVs, meaning in the event of default the lender will not be able to seize any Iris Energy assets other than the collateral. The loans appear to be from troubled lender NYDIG, based on past press releases . Iris Energy is one of several bitcoin mining firms struggling to repay their debt obligations during this bear market that has seen rewards dwindle alongside soaring energy costs. September saw the first Chapter 11 bankruptcy from a major player, Compute North , with other big firms including Core Scientific (CORZ) and Argo Blockchain (ARBK) seemingly teetering on the edge of solvency. In the Monday filing there's also a third loan for $1 million – also held by a wholly owned SPV and secured by 0.2 EH/s of miners – that received a different notice for another potential event of default from the lender. If an agreement for restructuring the debt is not reached by Tuesday, Iris Energy will not provide further financing support to the SPVs, said the company, likely leading to default and foreclosing of assets. Only 2.4 EH/s of the the company's machines are unaffected by the equipment loans. Story continues Iris shares are up marginally late on Monday morning, trading at $2.80 each. CORRECTION AND UPDATE (Nov. 7, 22:53 UTC): Corrects description in the fourth paragraph of non-recourse financing to say that in the event of default the lender will not be able to seize any assets other than the collateral; adds detail about NYDIG in the fifth paragraph. View comments || Putin May Be Absent But He Is Still on G-20 Leaders’ Minds: (Bloomberg) -- Vladimir Putin may be absent from the Group of 20 summit but he’ll still be at the center of attention among world leaders wrestling with the consequences of the Russian president’s floundering war in Ukraine. Most Read from Bloomberg FTX’s Balance Sheet Was Bad Musk Publicly Punishes Twitter Engineers Who Call Him Out Online World’s Biggest Crypto Fund Hits Record 42% Discount to Value of Bitcoin It Holds FTX Latest: Binance CEO Zhao Plans Recovery Fund Biden, Xi Chart Path to Warmer Ties With Blinken China Visit Putin opted to avoid potential confrontations with President Joe Biden and US allies at the summit starting Tuesday in Indonesia’s Bali. After repeated setbacks and climbdowns over Ukraine, the leader who has reveled in projecting a strong-man image may also have had to contend with even friendly leaders politely distancing themselves at the G-20. “If Putin had gone he wouldn’t have got meetings with Biden and other Western leaders,” said Oksana Antonenko, a director at Control Risks in London. “Equally, any meetings with the leaders of China and India would just have highlighted their lukewarm position on the war, which they want to see end as soon as possible.” Having sent Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in his place, the risk for Putin is that Russia gets remembered as the unwelcome guest at the party. There have been frictions over the organization of the traditional “family photo” at the summit and tensions over the wording on the war in a final joint communique. Lavrov, who had no public engagements in Bali on Monday, is expected to leave the G-20 a day early after meetings Tuesday with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, according to a person close to the Russian delegation. “He’s not Putin but it’s understood that whatever discussions are held with him will be relayed back to the Kremlin,” said Emily Ferris, a research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute in London. Story continues The Kremlin explained the president’s decision not to go to Bali by his need to deal with urgent questions at home. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in a briefing on Monday, however, that it was “a routine workday for the president” with his only public engagement being a discussion by videolink about the harvest with one of Russia’s regional governors. Still, the summit takes place only days after the humiliating retreat of Russian forces from Ukraine’s southern city of Kherson, the only regional capital they’d captured since Putin’s Feb. 24 invasion began. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the recaptured city Monday, hours after declaring “the beginning of the end of the war” in his nightly address to the nation. Putin has remained silent about the defeat, which came less than seven weeks after he declared Kherson and three other partially occupied Ukrainian regions to be Russian “forever.” It follows on the heels of other successes by Ukrainian counteroffensives that have pushed Russian forces back in the east and south of the country since September. Russia has also retreated repeatedly from attempts to escalate pressure on Ukraine’s allies. It walked back threats of a possible use of nuclear weapons after sharp rebukes from the US and its NATO allies as well as warning signals from Chinese President Xi Jinping. Biden and Xi met for about three hours in Bali on Monday in their first face-to-face talks, and agreed a series of measures intended to improve relations. Xi told Biden that China is “highly concerned” about the situation in Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said in a statement. The two leaders agreed that they oppose “the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine,” according to a White House statement. CIA Director Bill Burns warned of the consequences of Russia using nuclear weapons at a meeting with Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergei Naryshkin in Ankara on Monday, a White House spokesperson said. Why Russia’s Nuclear Threats Are Difficult to Dismiss: QuickTake Days after pulling out, Russia this month resumed involvement in a deal allowing vital exports of Ukrainian grain via a Black Sea security corridor when Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations continued shipments anyway. On Monday, the Kremlin said it was having “constructive” talks with the UN on extending the deal beyond a Nov. 19 deadline. Putin risked “humiliating situations” at the G-20 if he attended, Sergei Markov, a political consultant to the Kremlin, said on Telegram. By skipping the meeting in Bali and the ASEAN and APEC summits this month, the Russian leader has opted to stay “completely on the sidelines,” he said. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek How Apple Stores Went From Geek Paradise to Union Front Line Americans Have $5 Trillion in Cash, Thanks to Federal Stimulus One of Gaming’s Most Hated Execs Is Jumping Into the Metaverse The Golden Era of AI Chess Makes Things Tricky for Players Meta Investors Are in No Mood for Zuckerberg’s Metaverse Moonshot ©2022 Bloomberg L.P. || First Mover Asia: Why Bridges Are So Vulnerable to Exploit; Bitcoin Falls Under $19K: Good morning. Here’s what’s happening: Prices:Bitcoin dropped below its bottom support of $19K. Insights:Why have bridges been so vulnerable to exploits? Catch the latest episodes ofCoinDesk TVfor insightful interviews with crypto industry leaders and analysis. Andsign up for First Mover, our daily newsletter putting the latest moves in crypto markets in context. CoinDesk Market Index (CMI) 929.26 1.6 Bitcoin (BTC) $18,970 1.5 Ethereum (ETH) $1,273 2.4 S&P 500 daily close 3,695.16 0.7 Gold $1,633per troy ounce 1.0 Treasury Yield 10 Years 4.13daily close 0.1 Bitcoin, ether and gold prices are taken at approximately 4pm New York time. Bitcoin is the CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index (XBX); Ether is the CoinDesk Ether Price Index (ETX); Gold is the COMEX spot price. Information about CoinDesk Indices can be found atcoindesk.com/indices. Bitcoin Holds Over $19K By James Rubin Bitcoin and ether continued their recent stationary ways, albeit more to the red, while several decentralized finance (DeFi) tokens declined later in the day after rising early, as investors fretted anew over new housing data and ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty. Bitcoin (BTC)was recently trading just under $19,000, off 1.5% and just below the lower end of the $19,000 to $21,000 range that the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization has occupied for more than a month. Bitcoin continued to trail its 20-day moving average, clear evidence of the bear market’s resiliency. Ether’s (ETH)was recently changing hands at $1,273, down 2.4% from Tuesday, same time, and beneath its $1,300 bottom support for much of the past month. Ether has also continued its recent trend of trading below its 20-day average. Other altcoins were recently down with XRP, ADA and CRO all off well over 2% from a day earlier. Even UNI, which jumped 3.5% at one point and was up 9.5% over the past seven days, was in the red later in the day (U.S. ET). On Oct. 13, Uniswap, the decentralized exchange behind the token, announced that it had raised $165 million in a Series B funding round led by Polychain Capital. "The fresh round of funding will support expanding Uniswap's product lines, which might include NFT trading in the near future," noted Katie Talati, director of research at digital asset managerArca, in an email. The CoinDesk Market Index (CMI), a broad-based market index that measures the performance of a basket of cryptocurrencies, was relatively flat, recently falling 1.6%. Traditional financial marketsdeclined on Wednesday, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq, Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and S&P 500 each falling by a few fractions of a percentage point. In majormacroeconomic data, U.S.housing startsplunged 8.1% to 1.439 million in September, falling slightly short of the consensus estimate but reflecting a sagging of the once-torrid housing market. However, September housing permits, an indicator of future construction, rose by 1.4% over August. Global inflationcontinued to tick higher, with Great Britain (10.1%) and Canada (6.9%) each reporting higher increases in prices than expected. Both countries recently increased their key interest rates by 0.50% and 0.75%, respectively. Hotter-than-expected inflation increased the likelihood that both countries would raise interest rates aggressively, similar to the U.S., where the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) is expected to approve a fourth consecutive 75 basis point rate hike in November. In commodities, Brent crude oil, a measure of energy markets, was recently trading slightly down but still hovering well over $90 per barrel, up more than 15% from the start of the year. Safe-haven gold declined 1.4%. There are no gainers in CoinDesk 20 today. [{"Asset": "Gala", "Ticker": "GALA", "Returns": "\u22127.0%", "DACS Sector": "Entertainment"}, {"Asset": "Cosmos", "Ticker": "ATOM", "Returns": "\u22126.4%", "DACS Sector": "Smart Contract Platform"}, {"Asset": "Avalanche", "Ticker": "AVAX", "Returns": "\u22125.1%", "DACS Sector": "Smart Contract Platform"}] Why Bridges Are Crypto’s Sinking Titanic By Shaurya Malwa A key part of the crypto ecosystem has repeatedly received harsh criticism in the past several months because of their importance and yet fragile architecture, which has led to anestimated $2 billion in lossesthis year alone. Bridges, or blockchain-based tools that connect different networks, are essential for the movement of liquidity in the crypto ecosystem. Bridges allow users to transfer tokens and other digital assets, such as non-fungible tokens (NFT), between various chains – solving what was previously a difficult problem. But the security for bridges is still in developing mode. February saw Wormhole’s $375 million exploit, followed by a $625 million exploit of Ronin Bridge next month. Then in August, Nomad Bridge was attacked for $190 million. But what makes bridge attacks so common? Crypto developer Hart Lambur says that centralization and reliance on private key holders are to blame, rather than the inherent technology and logic behind the bridges themselves. “Multisig exploits clearly demonstrate why it’s essential for the ecosystem to have decentralized bridges that rely not on keyholders, but instead on dispute resolution in which anyone can dispute data or behavior that appears to be incorrect or malicious,” Lambur, the co-founder and CEO of Risk Labs, the foundation and team behind UMA, told CoinDesk in a recent interview. By controlling a majority of the votes, the attacker can approve any transfers. In the Ronin Network hack, for example, five of the bridge’s nine validators were compromised in this way. Insisting on decentralized bridges “It’s extremely dangerous to put control of those funds in the hands of a few people. Users should demand and insist on using decentralized bridges to protect their funds,” Lambur added. “Decentralized bridges are few and far between, but we are making progress and developing optimistic design patterns in bridges that reduce the risk of exploits. An optimistic design pattern means that transactions can proceed ‘optimistically’ unless someone – anyone – disputes a transaction or piece of data.” “Addressing the security of cross-chain bridges should also include regular tests or audits, due diligence on networks, and chain integrations,” Lambur said Lambur and others say security should be a constant process, rather than a set-it-and-forget-it system. “Builders should always take the time to consider edge cases where systems may fail, simulating and patching these issues to spot any weaknesses,” he explained. “Alongside this, you need robust systems in place for constant monitoring which ensures the team can act swiftly if needs be.” “Audits that check contracts for complexities or vulnerabilities are imperative to ensure your bridge has been sufficiently stress-tested,” he further stated. But is anyone listening? 8:30 a.m. HKT/SGT(12:30 a.m. UTC)Australia's Unemployment Rate September 7:00 a.m. HKT/SGT(11:00 p.m. UTC)Gfk Group Consumer Confidence (Oct) 7:30 a.m. HKT/SGT(11:30 p.m. UTC)Japan's National Consumer Price Index (YoY) (Sept) In case you missed it, here is the most recent episode of"First Mover"onCoinDesk TV: Bitcoin's Bounce in October Remains Elusive; Venture Capital Perspective on the Digital Economy What is the outlook for bitcoin, crypto markets and venture capital investments? "First Mover" continued its live coverage of CoinDesk's Investing in Digital Enterprises and Assets Summit (I.D.E.A.S.) in New York City with "Unchained" podcast host Laura Shin, Pantera Capital Partner Lauren Stephanian and Two Sigma Ventures Principal Andy Kangpan. JPMorgan Appoints Former Celsius Exec as Crypto Regulatory Policy Head, Bloomberg Reports:Aaron Iovine spent eight months earlier this year as head of policy and regulatory affairs for crypto lender Celsius Network. Will Censorship Fork Ethereum?:Disagreement around how to handle sanctions on Ethereum may soon force the chain to split into two: one chain censored, one not. French Lawmakers Approve New Boss for Finance Watchdog:Former bank lobbyist Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani’s hearings contained a warning for the likes of Binance andCrypto.comsetting up in the budding crypto hub. Brazil’s Largest Digital Lender Nubank to Roll Out Own Token to 70M Users in 2023:Named Nucoin, the new token will be used to offer discounts and perks to customers. Aptos Token Plunges in Trading Debut:FTX, Coinbase and Binance were among the first exchanges to list the buzzy new layer 1 token. || FTX Exploiter Converts Millions in Ether to Alameda-Linked Ren Bitcoin Tokens: Whoever was behind the $600 million exploit of crypto exchange FTX started exchanging millions of dollars worth of ether to Ren Bitcoin (renBTC), a token that represents bitcoin on other blockchains, early on Sunday. Funds stolen from FTX were steadily converted to ether over the past week, making the exploiter one of the largest holders of the token, asCoinDesk previously reported. The use of renBTC may surprise some in the crypto space: In 2021, Alameda Research – the Sam Bankman-Fried-owned trading arm at the center of amultibillion-dollar scandal– said Ren’s development teamwas “joining” Alamedaand would work on expanding Ren’s usage to several blockchains. At 7:27 UTC Sunday, the hacker moved over 5,000 ether to a new wallet,blockchain data shows. An additional 35,000 ether was then moved to that wallet over three separate transactions. On-chain analysis of thenew wallet showsthe exploiter subsequently started to convert ether to renBTC using the decentralized exchange aggregator 1inch. Thefirst of such transactionssaw 4,000 ether being converted to wrapped bitcoin (wBTC), another bitcoin representative token, and then to renBTC. The exploiter continued to convert ether to renBTC over several transactions, blockchain data shows. Data cited by security firm PeckShield shows the exploiter used the Ren bridge to transferout thousands of renBTC. Bridges are blockchain-based tools that allow users to exchange tokens between different networks. As per a studyby blockchain analysis firm Elliptic, the Ren bridge has been previously used to launder stolen funds to the tune of at least $540 million – as it may provide privacy to users, per the Elliptic report. UPDATE (Nov. 12, 2022, 14:03 UTC):Clarifies the possible usage of Ren for laundering money. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: down || Prices: 16848.13, 17233.47, 17133.15, 17128.72, 17104.19, 17206.44, 17781.32, 17815.65, 17364.87, 16647.48
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2016-10-17] BTC Price: 639.19, BTC RSI: 68.00 Gold Price: 1254.40, Gold RSI: 29.79 Oil Price: 49.94, Oil RSI: 59.99 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Your first trade for Friday, October 7: The " Fast Money " traders shared their first moves for the market open. Tim Seymour was a buyer of Total S.A. (Euronext Paris: FP-FR) . Brian Kelly was a seller of UnitedHealth (NYSE: UNH) . Dan Nathan was a buyer of Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) . Guy Adami was a buyer of CME Group (NASDAQ: CME) . Trader disclosure: On October 6, 2016, the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "Fast Money" traders: Tim Seymour is long ABX, APC, AVP, BAC, BBRY, CLF, DO, DVYE, EDC, EWZ, F, FB, FCX, FXI, GM, GOOGL, GE, INTC, LQD,MCD, MUR, OIH, PG, RACE, RAI, RH, RL, SINA, T, TWTR, VALE, VZ, XOM. short: SPY, XRT; Tim's firm is long ABX, BABA, BIDU, CBD, CLF, EWZ, F, KO, MCD, MPEL, NKE, PEP, PF, SAVE, SBUX, SINA, VALE, VIAB, WMT, WEN, X, YHOO, short EWG, HYG, IWM. Brian Kelly is long Bitcoin, DXJ, TLT, XOP, WTI, US Dollar UUP; he is short EUR=, JPY=, GBP=. Dan Nathan is long TWTR, long PYPL oct call, Long FEZ Nov put spread, long EEM Nov put spread, long XHB jan put spread, long XLK Jan put spread, long XLU Dec call spread, SMH Nov Put Spread. Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, GDX, INTC, Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. More From CNBC Top News and Analysis Latest News Video Personal Finance || Cable & Wireless partners with Ericsson and Cisco to enhance its Caribbean IP networks: • C&W Communications invests in new network that will serve as backbone for IPTV services, fixed operations and part of business-to-business services • Ericsson and Cisco will deliver an IP/MPLS network for C&W in three markets: the Bahamas, Jamaica and Barbados • An IP backbone network in the Bahamas will be upgraded to support traffic growth and improve performance on the fixed network MIAMI, FL - August 30, 2016Ericsson (ERIC) and Cisco (CSCO) today announced an agreement to supply and install IP networks forC&W Communications, which operates the retail brand Flow, in three Caribbean markets. The plans include an upgrade to the IP backbone network in the Bahamas to improve performance and support an increase of traffic, and a new business-to-business IP/MPLS network in Jamaica and Barbados. The partnership is part of C&W`s investment plan for the region to continue transforming its customer experience. As part of the partnership, Cisco will provide the necessary hardware while Ericsson will provide project management services. "We needed a powerful and intelligent solution to bring IP networking to both Jamaica and Barbados, while at the same time improving the IP network in the Bahamas," says Carlo Alloni, Executive Vice-president and CTIO, C&W. "This partnership will allow us to offer even more value-added services including our world class IPTV services as well as introduce more innovative solutions to our customers." "Our teams complemented each other with the right approach, from network analysis and planning to systems integration and customer support from Ericsson, to selecting the right routers and switches from Cisco, and finally ensuring the right flow along every step with Ericsson services," says Clayton Cruz, Vice President Ericsson Latin America and Caribbean. "The partnership has delivered real value to Cable & Wireless in terms of accelerating their IP transformation by combining end-to-end business transformation competence and experience with deep product and domain expertise." The deal includes Cisco® routers and switches (ASR9000, ASR900 and WR4500 families), supply and installation of NMS system (EPN-M), overall project management, and customer support. "Cisco and Ericsson working together have the combined breadth, depth and lifecycle engagement required to help operators like Cable & Wireless succeed in their transformation to an IP-centric network," says Jordi Botifoll, Cisco President Latin America & Senior Vice President in the Americas. "Working together on this project will lead Cable & Wireless to a standardized approach across other markets, so that all their business-to-business and IP fixed networks will be supported by IP/MPLS, helping them do things better and faster." Ericsson and Cisco - two industry leaders in the development and delivery of networking, mobility, and cloud - formed a global business and technology partnership in November 2015 to create the networks of the future. The partnership offers customers the best of both companies: routing, data center, networking, cloud, mobility, management and control, and global services capabilities. The next-generation strategic partnership will drive growth, accelerate innovation, and speed digital transformation demanded by customers across industries. The first product from the partnership, Ericsson Dynamic Service Manager, was announced in February 2016. To date, over 200 active customer engagements have now started to turn into won deals. Multiple deals, spread around the world, are in IP (routing and transport) and services. The companies announced deals with 3 Italy, Vodafone Portugal and Aster Dominican Republic earlier this year. The Cisco-Ericsson partnership has been cleared by Brazilian regulatory authorities and will be implemented there under local agreements. NOTES TO EDITORS Ericsson and Cisco team up for next generation Network Service Management For media kits, backgrounders and high-resolution photos, please visitwww.ericsson.com/press Ericsson is the driving force behind the Networked Society - a world leader in communications technology and services. Our long-term relationships with every major telecom operator in the world allow people, business and society to fulfill their potential and create a more sustainable future. Our services, software and infrastructure - especially in mobility, broadband and the cloud- are enabling the telecom industry and other sectors to do better business, increase efficiency, improve the user experience and capture new opportunities. With approximately 115,000 professionals and customers in 180 countries,we combine global scale with technology and services leadership. We support networks that connect more than 2.5 billion subscribers. Forty percent of the world`s mobile traffic is carried over Ericsson networks. And our investments in research and development ensure that our solutions - and our customers - stay in front. Founded in 1876, Ericsson has its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. Net sales in2015 were SEK 246.9 billion (USD 29.4 billion). Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX stock exchange in Stockholm and the NASDAQ in New York. www.ericsson.comwww.ericsson.com/newswww.twitter.com/ericssonpresswww.facebook.com/ericssonwww.youtube.com/ericsson About CiscoCisco (CSCO) is the worldwide technology leader that has been making the Internet work since 1984. Our people, products, and partners help society securely connect and seize tomorrow`s digital opportunity today. Discover more at newsroom.cisco.com and follow us on Twitter at @Cisco. Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco`s trademarks can be found atwww.cisco.com/go/trademarks. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT Ericsson Corporate CommunicationsPhone: +46 10 719 69 92E-mail:[email protected] Ericsson Investor RelationsPhone: +46 10 719 00 00E-mail:[email protected] Cisco PR ContactSara CiceroCisco Service Provider Public RelationsE-Mail:[email protected] CWC is a full service communications and entertainment provider and delivers market-leading video, broadband, telephony and mobile services to consumers in 18 countries. Through its business division, CWC provides data center hosting, domestic and international managed network services, and customized IT service solutions, utilizing cloud technology to serve business and government customers. CWC also operates a state-of-the-art submarine fiber network - the most extensive in the region - in over 30 markets. Learn more atwww.cwc.com, or follow C&W onLinkedIn,FacebookorTwitter. About Liberty Global Liberty Global is the world`s largest international TV and broadband company, with operations in more than 30 countries across Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. We invest in the infrastructure that empowers our customers to make the most of the digital revolution. Our scale and commitment to innovation enables us to develop market-leading products delivered through next-generation networks that connect our 29 million customers who subscribe to over 59 million television, broadband internet and telephony services. We also serve 11 million mobile subscribers and offer WiFi service across seven million access points. Liberty Global`s businesses are comprised of two stocks: the Liberty Global Group (NASDAQ: LBTYA, LBTYB and LBTYK) for our European operations, and the LiLAC Group (NASDAQ: LILA and LILAK, OTC Link: LILAB), which consists of our operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Liberty Global Group operates in 12 European countries under the consumer brands Virgin Media, Ziggo, Unitymedia, Telenet and UPC. The LiLAC Group operates in over 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean under the consumer brands VTR, Flow, Liberty, Mas Movil and BTC. In addition, the LiLAC Group operates a subsea fiber network throughout the region in over 30 markets. For more information, please visitwww.libertyglobal.com. C&W Communications Investor Relations:Kunal Patel+1 (786) 376 9294 Media Relations:Claudia Restrepo+1 (786) 218 0407 Ericsson-Cisco CW deal_Press Release_final This announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients.The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.Source: Ericsson via GlobeNewswireHUG#2038210 || PayPal's Biggest Threat Is Still Unknown, but It Is Out There: - By Nicholas Kitonyi PayPal ( PYPL ) is the world's largest online payments platform and its transition in the mobile payments market appears to be taking shape with user-friendly secure apps created for the main market drivers. At the end of May, I wrote a piece discussing how PayPal has been slimming up to optimize its operations around partnerships that provide a good case for sustainable growth. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 8 Warning Signs with MSFT. Click here to check it out. PYPL 15-Year Financial Data The intrinsic value of PYPL Peter Lynch Chart of PYPL It discontinued support for Blackberry 's ( BBRY ) OS with now only the mobile web version available on the ailing smartphone maker's devices. Microsoft 's ( MSFT ) Windows Phone OS and Amazon 's ( AMZN ) Fire Phone were also cut out as PayPal moved to focus on iOS and Android based platforms. This move appeared to make sense, and it still does. However, the company has also been making various changes to its user policy as it seeks to tighten security and increase restriction on who can and cannot use its online money transfer services. Currently, PayPal is only partially available in most of the emerging and developing countries. Its primary markets remain in North America and Western Europe, which at the moment offer a modest growth potential. Leading smartphone manufacturers Samsung Electronics (SSNLF) and Apple ( AAPL ) on the other hand, have realized there is a great opportunity up for the taking in these emerging markets and have moved to manufacture devices tailor-made for these markets. As such, PayPal should be ready to do the same if it is to maintain its global leadership in online payments in the foreseeable future. The company already faces competition from European-based players PaySafe Group (Skrill) ( PAYS.L ), Neteller, Worldpay Group ( WPG.L ) and several other localized platforms. This will make its presence in these countries difficult as most locals move to utilize the locally friendly alternatives. Story continues For instance, KIWI is currently a major threat in Australia and New Zealand, whereas Moneta.ru is the preferred choice for many in Russia. On the other hand, Ali Pay continues to dominate in China. That is not all, companies are now introducing alternatives which are backed by the emergence of cryptocurrencies in the financial markets. BitGold is a platform that allows people to store money in the form of gold bullion, but in this case, it has been made available to retail and individual investors. On the other hand, Bitcoin has also sparked the launch of several startups that seek to disrupt the payments industry. A good example is Paxful, which is a Bitcoin-based online payments platform that allows people to make payments online without the requirement of a bank account or credit card. Most of these platforms also support online gambling and financial trading, which give them the link to one of the world's largest marketplaces. In contrast, PayPal does not support payments for online gambling and financial trading platforms. This means that PayPal may not be able to access some users who prefer to put all their online payments business in one wallet. However, most users that prioritize on security might still end up putting PayPal ahead of the rest, which means that at the moment, it is hard to pinpoint a single alternative to PayPal that could be the online payments giant's main threat going forward. There are those who still think that Apple Pay and Alphabet 's ( GOOG ) ( GOOGL ) Google Wallet could spark the downfall of PayPal, especially given their massive user bases from other services they provide. However, these too are subject to stringent regulatory requirements which make it harder for them to provide their services in most countries. As such, with the U.S., the strictest nation when it comes to financial regulation accounting for just about 300 million worth of addressable market for online payments users, the larger cake is pretty much left for foreign players to cut their share. This means that while PayPal's main threat to its global domination is still unknown, we could safely say that it is out there. It could be Paxful, Skrill, Neteller or BitGold, among others. You never know, but it is out there. Conclusion In summary, PayPal's obstacles to maintaining its global domination of the online payments market are policy-based. All its users agree with the terms, but probably not everyone likes them. Tweaking the terms to accommodate the current outlier class could see the company lose most of its users, especially the ones that like the current terms. Therefore, the best card the company can play is to keep its services better than those of its rivals, but that can be replicated, especially given the fact we are currently in the age of "copy and paste" when it comes to innovation. Disclosure : I have no position in any stock mentioned in this article. Start a free 7-day trial of Premium Membership to GuruFocus. This article first appeared on GuruFocus . Warning! GuruFocus has detected 8 Warning Signs with MSFT. Click here to check it out. PYPL 15-Year Financial Data The intrinsic value of PYPL Peter Lynch Chart of PYPL || Bitcoin is money, U.S. judge says in case tied to JPMorgan hack: By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bitcoin qualifies as money, a federal judge ruled on Monday, in a decision linked to a criminal case over hacking attacks against JPMorgan Chase & Co and other companies. U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan rejected a bid by Anthony Murgio to dismiss two charges related to his alleged operation of Coin.mx, which prosecutors have called an unlicensed bitcoin exchange. Murgio had argued that bitcoin did not qualify as "funds" under the federal law prohibiting the operation of unlicensed money transmitting businesses. But the judge, like her colleague Jed Rakoff in an unrelated 2014 case, said the virtual currency met that definition. "Bitcoins are funds within the plain meaning of that term," Nathan wrote. "Bitcoins can be accepted as a payment for goods and services or bought directly from an exchange with a bank account. They therefore function as pecuniary resources and are used as a medium of exchange and a means of payment." The decision did not address six other criminal counts that Murgio faces, Nathan wrote. Lawyers for Murgio did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Prosecutors last year charged Murgio over the operation of Coin.mx, and in April charged his father Michael with participating in bribery aimed at supporting it. Authorities have said Coin.mx was owned by Gery Shalon, an Israeli man who, along with two others, was charged with running a sprawling computer hacking and fraud scheme targeting a dozen companies, including JPMorgan, and exposing personal data of more than 100 million people. That alleged scheme generated hundreds of millions of dollars of profit through pumping up stock prices, online casinos, money laundering and other illegal activity, prosecutors have said. Shalon has pleaded not guilty, and is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. He hired new lawyers last month and is seeking permission to replace lawyers who joined the case in June, a Monday court filing showed. The case is U.S. v Murgio et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 15-cr-00769. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by David Gregorio) || Dave Nadig's Deep Dive On New ETF Liquidity Rules: When the SEC published draft rules for mutual fund and ETF liquidity last year,I was less than complimentary. I pointed out that, for instance, virtually all corporate and high-yield bond ETFs would fail to meet the requirements on illiquid assets. That rule issailing through(with some small changes) for mutual funds, but the press is reporting that ETFs got a pass. That’s not quite true. Some BackgroundThe original proposal—and the current version—focused on all open-ended funds maintaining a liquidity risk management program with the intent to ensure that it could always meet shareholder redemptions in an orderly fashion. It was a clear response—or convenient timing at least—to the shenanigans that happened to Third Avenue’s mutual fund in the summer of 2015, when it closed for redemptions because it couldn’t sell its junk bonds fast enough. The original proposal received an enormous amount of industry commentary, and rather than publishing a revised rule for comment, the SEC simply published a final rule, which will go into effect for most funds in December 2018. The key components of the final rule are threefold: 1. Rules that ensure a fund always have highly liquid securities to meet redemptions 2. Rules that ensure a fund doesn’t have more than 15% of its investments in illiquid investment 3. A reporting regime that has funds classify all of their positions at least monthly and report each security as belonging to one of four liquidity buckets (the two above and two in the middle) Much of what the SEC requested was pretty noncontroversial; however, the ETF industry argued in its various comment letters that since ETFs meet redemptions generally by in-kind transfer of underlying securities, it should be exempt from large swaths of the program. They got a small slice of what they wanted, and it will have significant implications. What About The ETF Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card?The SEC has defined for the first time a class of ETFs it refers to as “In-kind ETFs.” In-kind ETFs are those that use only a de minimis amount of cash in any redemption activity. The commission goes out of its way to say that it really means this: If you regularly use cash redemptions, you’re not covered here. The second big issue is that, to qualify, you must publish your complete portfolio every single day—the same transparency standard the SEC has so far held actively managed ETFs to. If you’re an in-kind ETF by this definition, you cansort ofavoid two components of the program: You don’t have to hold a bunch of highly liquid investments to meet redemptions, and you don’t have to classify all your portfolio holdings. I say "sort of" because the wording of the final rule is, in my opinion, a bit different than the actual discussion of the rule in the SEC’s 400-page final rulemaking document. The actual rule simply says in-kind ETFs can consider the fact that they can redeem-out shares when drafting their liquidity risk management program. It doesn’t actually say in-kind ETFs are exempt from holding those highly liquid assets or that they don’t have to comply with the fairly onerous reporting process. I imagine that will get cleared up and clarified, but it’s frustrating when the final rule doesn’t match the stated intent. But let’s assume that ETFs get at least a little relief there. The Big Whammy: The 15% RuleSo what’s the big deal? The 15% illiquid cap is problematic. There’s an enormous amount of wiggle room in how to meet the assessment that a given position can be liquidated without significant impact in seven days, and all that wiggle room lands on the fund board to interpret. The SEC discussion clearly shows that the commission understands it could be upsetting the apple cart, going so far as to say some funds will have to consider closing: “In circumstances in which it appears unlikely that the fund will be able to reduce its illiquid investment holdings to or below 15% within a period of time commensurate with its redemption obligations, a fund’s periodic liquidity risk review could lead the fund to reconsider its continued operation as an open-end fund.” So Who Could Get Hit Hardest Here?There are two groups that have an immediate problem. The first is ETFs that invest in less liquid securities. Funds that invest primarily in high-yield debt or bank loans may be able to argue that they can unload their whole portfolios without impact, but ultimately fund boards will have to decide how much risk they want to take in defining liberal interpretations of “illiquid.” The second issue is large funds. Because there’s no scaling here, funds that are very large have a much higher burden than small funds. I can own 100 shares of the most illiquid microcap and probably claim correctly that I could find a buyer in week. Not so for a $100 billion fund trying to own a proportionally similar position in the same company. This second issue is a big one, particularly for Vanguard.Vanguard’s ETFsare share classes of mutual funds. My assumption is that the root fund is what will have to make the test, not each individual share class, so it won’t get the pass on the reporting or highly liquid requirements. And Vanguard will be hit harder on the 15% illiquid cap than it would if its ETFs were in fact separate funds. While most of Vanguard’s 70 ETFs are in highly liquid corners of the market, it’s possible that funds like theVanguard Small Cap Index Fund (VB)or theVanguard Short Term Corporate Bond Index Fund (VCSH)could face real hurdles. When I ran the volume numbers on VCSH holdings last year, I estimated that even swamping the market, it would take VCSH 16 days to trade out. So without market impact, that’s probably a multiple—clearly a fund that probably won’t be in compliance without a pretty liberal interpretation of how the short-term corporate markets can absorb big sales. Could Vanguard solve this problem? It would be tricky. It would need to spin the ETFs out and adopt full disclosure. That’s a lot of work to save a few funds. Then again, I’m not sure what the options are. In the end, it does seem like ETFs dodged a BB here, if not a bullet, but the ripples from this earthquake will be felt for quite some time. I’m not suggesting we’ll see a huge raft of fund closures, but at a minimum, it’s a good year to be a lawyer advising fund boards. At the time of writing, the author held no positions in the securities mentioned. Dave Nadig is the director of exchange-traded funds at FactSet Research Systems. You can reach him [email protected], or on Twitter @DaveNadig. Recommended Stories • Swedroe: Cross Trading Boosts Mutual Funds Returns • Dave Nadig's Deep Dive On New ETF Liquidity Rules • SEC Approves Fund Liquidity Rules, Goes Easy On ETFs • SEC Wants To Hear From You On Bitcoin ETF • 6 ETFs To Gain From Money Market Mutual Fund Reform Permalink| © Copyright 2016ETF.com.All rights reserved || Yahoo Says Hacker Stole Data on At Least 500 Million Users: Yahoo on Thursday confirmed a massive data breach, in which it said a “state-sponsored” hacker broke into the internet company’s systems and stole personal information on at least 500 million users — the biggest such theft of user data from a single entity to date. The user-account information may have included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, hashed passwords and in some cases encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers, according to Yahoo. The data was stolen from the company’s network in late 2014, Yahoo said, which did not provide an explanation for why it has taken two years to report the incident. It didn’t identify the country it believes was behind the attack. What the disclosure means for Verizon’s pending $4.8 billion deal to acquire the core web businesses of Yahoo is not immediately clear, but according to Verizon it was not apprised of the severity of the breach until this week. Verizon, in a statement, said it was notified of Yahoo’s security breach in the last two days. “We understand that Yahoo is conducting an active investigation of this matter, but we otherwise have limited information and understanding of the impact,” the telco said. “We will evaluate as the investigation continues through the lens of overall Verizon interests, including consumers, customers, shareholders and related communities. Until then, we are not in position to further comment.” The Yahoo announcement came after Vice’s Motherboard reported in August that a hacker known as “Peace,” who is believed to be a Russian cybercriminal, was advertising the sale of 200 million Yahoo user accounts in a black-market online forum for about $1,860 worth of Bitcoin. At the time, Yahoo said it was investigating the claims. Recode reported early Thursday that Yahoo was expected to confirm the data breach this week. Regardless of how it affects the outcome of Verizon’s planned acquisition, the enormous security breach will stand as a disastrous bookend to the tenure of CEO Marissa Mayer. Story continues Mayer, a former top Google exec hired four years ago to much fanfare, failed to turn around Yahoo’s core search and advertising business . Mayer and Yahoo’s board eventually bowed to investor pressure to sell its operating businesses (excluding its stakes in Alibaba Group and Yahoo Japan), and initiated an auction process earlier this year. Verizon emerged as the winning bidder in July and the telco has outlined plans to merge Yahoo’s web operations with AOL , which it acquired last year for $4.4 billion. In announcing the breach, Yahoo said it was working with law-enforcement officials on investigating the incident. According to the company, based on what it has learned so far, none of the stolen information included unprotected passwords, payment-card data, or bank-account information. “Yahoo is notifying potentially affected users and has taken steps to secure their accounts,” the company said. “These steps include invalidating unencrypted security questions and answers so that they cannot be used to access an account and asking potentially affected users to change their passwords. Yahoo is also recommending that users who haven’t changed their passwords since 2014 do so.” Security and legal experts said Yahoo’s costs associated with the attack could run into the tens of millions of dollars. The incident is likely to prompt class-action lawsuits and could even scuttle the Verizon acquisition. Given that the breach occurred in 2014 and Yahoo did not properly communicate or manage it, Verizon may seek to nullify or renegotiate the deal, said Corey Williams, senior director of products and marketing at security vendor Centrify. “This is less of a story about 500 million user accounts being stolen and more about how lax security and poor handling of incidents can impact the very existence of a company,” he said. Yahoo, which reaches some 1 billion users around the world, has posted a frequently asked questions document on its website about the breach. The company also is encouraging users to use Account Key , an authentication tool for its email app that associates a Yahoo account with a specific device to eliminate the need for a password. As part of responding to the incident, Yahoo has enlisted New York-based communications firm Joel Frank, which specializes in crisis PR. Related stories Verizon in Talks to Acquire Video Startup Vessel (Report) Snapchat Adds Verizon-Hearst's Complex to Discover Lineup Yahoo to Disclose Data Breach Affecting 200 Million or More Users (Report) Get more from Variety and Variety411 : Follow us on Twitter , Facebook , Newsletter || Bitcoin is money, U.S. judge says in case tied to JPMorgan hack: (Adds comments from Murgio's lawyer) By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Bitcoin qualifies as money, a federal judge ruled on Monday, in a decision linked to a criminal case over hacking attacks against JPMorgan Chase & Co and other companies. U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan rejected a bid by Anthony Murgio to dismiss two charges related to his alleged operation of Coin.mx, which prosecutors have called an unlicensed bitcoin exchange. Murgio had argued that bitcoin did not qualify as "funds" under the federal law prohibiting the operation of unlicensed money transmitting businesses. But the judge, like her colleague Jed Rakoff in an unrelated 2014 case, said the virtual currency met that definition. "Bitcoins are funds within the plain meaning of that term," Nathan wrote. "Bitcoins can be accepted as a payment for goods and services or bought directly from an exchange with a bank account. They therefore function as pecuniary resources and are used as a medium of exchange and a means of payment." The decision did not address six other criminal counts that Murgio faces, Nathan wrote. Brian Klein, a lawyer for Murgio, said he disagreed with the decision. "Anthony Murgio maintains his innocence and looks forward to clearing his name at his upcoming trial," he added. Prosecutors last year charged Murgio over the operation of Coin.mx, and in April charged his father Michael with participating in bribery aimed at supporting it. Authorities have said Coin.mx was owned by Gery Shalon, an Israeli man who, along with two others, was charged with running a sprawling computer hacking and fraud scheme targeting a dozen companies, including JPMorgan, and exposing personal data of more than 100 million people. That alleged scheme generated hundreds of millions of dollars of profit through pumping up stock prices, online casinos, money laundering and other illegal activity, prosecutors have said. Shalon has pleaded not guilty, and is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. He hired new lawyers last month and is seeking permission to replace lawyers who joined the case in June, a Monday court filing showed. The case is U.S. v Murgio et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 15-cr-00769. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by David Gregorio and Diane Craft) || Your first trade for Friday, August 26: The " Fast Money " traders gave their final trades of the day. Steve Grasso is a buyer of Dollar General (DG ( DG ) ). Karen Finerman is a buyer of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY (NYSE Arca: SPY) ). David Seaburg is a buyer of Bank of America (BAC (NYSE: BAC"A) ). Brian Kelly is a buyer of the Gold Miners ETF (GDX (NYSE Arca: GDX) ). Trader disclosure: On Thursday, August 25 the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "Fast Money" traders: STEVE GRASSO is long BA, CC, EVGN, KBH, MJNA, MU, OLN, PFE, PHM, T, TWTR, GDX Grasso's Kids Own EFA, EFG, EWJ, IJR, SPY No Shorts Stuart Frankel & Co Inc. and some of its Partners have a financial interest in LDP, WDR, AVP, CVX, FCX, ICE, KDUS, KO, MAT, MCD, MJNA, NE, NEM, OLN, OXY, RIG, STAG, TAXI, TEX, TITXF, URI, VALE, WDR, WYNN, ZNGA, CUBA, HSPO, ICE, AMZN, MJNA, TITXF, NXTD, SPY, QQQ, DIA, XLI, BGCP, VIRT, JCP, GE, AIR FP KAREN FINERMAN is long AAL, BAC, C, DAL, DRII, DRII calls, FB, FL, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, LYV, KORS, KORS, KORS puts, M, MA, SEDG, SPY puts, UAL, URI, WIFI long call spreads. Her firm is long ANTM, AAPL, BAC, C, C calls, DRII, DRII calls, FB, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, JPM calls, KORS, LYV, M, MOH, PLCE, SPY puts, URI, WIFI, her firm is short IWM, MDY. Karen Finerman is on the board of GrafTech International. Opinions expressed by David Seaburg are solely his own and do not reflect the views and opinions of Cowen Group, Inc. David Seaburg and Cowen have a financial interest in EDIT. BRIAN KELLY is long Bitcoin, CME, DXJ, GDX, KBE, SLV, TLT, VXX, XLF, XOP, US Dollar UUP; he is short EUR=, JPY= || Bitcoin is money, U.S. judge says in case tied to JPMorgan hack: By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bitcoin qualifies as money, a federal judge ruled on Monday, in a decision linked to a criminal case over hacking attacks against JPMorgan Chase & Co and other companies. U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan rejected a bid by Anthony Murgio to dismiss two charges related to his alleged operation of Coin.mx, which prosecutors have called an unlicensed bitcoin exchange. Murgio had argued that bitcoin did not qualify as "funds" under the federal law prohibiting the operation of unlicensed money transmitting businesses. But the judge, like her colleague Jed Rakoff in an unrelated 2014 case, said the virtual currency met that definition. "Bitcoins are funds within the plain meaning of that term," Nathan wrote. "Bitcoins can be accepted as a payment for goods and services or bought directly from an exchange with a bank account. They therefore function as pecuniary resources and are used as a medium of exchange and a means of payment." The decision did not address six other criminal counts that Murgio faces, Nathan wrote. Lawyers for Murgio did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Prosecutors last year charged Murgio over the operation of Coin.mx, and in April charged his father Michael with participating in bribery aimed at supporting it. Authorities have said Coin.mx was owned by Gery Shalon, an Israeli man who, along with two others, was charged with running a sprawling computer hacking and fraud scheme targeting a dozen companies, including JPMorgan, and exposing personal data of more than 100 million people. That alleged scheme generated hundreds of millions of dollars of profit through pumping up stock prices, online casinos, money laundering and other illegal activity, prosecutors have said. Shalon has pleaded not guilty, and is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. He hired new lawyers last month and is seeking permission to replace lawyers who joined the case in June, a Monday court filing showed. The case is U.S. v Murgio et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 15-cr-00769. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by David Gregorio) || Bitcoin is money, U.S. judge says in case tied to JPMorgan hack: (Adds comments from Murgio's lawyer) By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Bitcoin qualifies as money, a federal judge ruled on Monday, in a decision linked to a criminal case over hacking attacks against JPMorgan Chase & Co and other companies. U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan rejected a bid by Anthony Murgio to dismiss two charges related to his alleged operation of Coin.mx, which prosecutors have called an unlicensed bitcoin exchange. Murgio had argued that bitcoin did not qualify as "funds" under the federal law prohibiting the operation of unlicensed money transmitting businesses. But the judge, like her colleague Jed Rakoff in an unrelated 2014 case, said the virtual currency met that definition. "Bitcoins are funds within the plain meaning of that term," Nathan wrote. "Bitcoins can be accepted as a payment for goods and services or bought directly from an exchange with a bank account. They therefore function as pecuniary resources and are used as a medium of exchange and a means of payment." The decision did not address six other criminal counts that Murgio faces, Nathan wrote. Brian Klein, a lawyer for Murgio, said he disagreed with the decision. "Anthony Murgio maintains his innocence and looks forward to clearing his name at his upcoming trial," he added. Prosecutors last year charged Murgio over the operation of Coin.mx, and in April charged his father Michael with participating in bribery aimed at supporting it. Authorities have said Coin.mx was owned by Gery Shalon, an Israeli man who, along with two others, was charged with running a sprawling computer hacking and fraud scheme targeting a dozen companies, including JPMorgan, and exposing personal data of more than 100 million people. That alleged scheme generated hundreds of millions of dollars of profit through pumping up stock prices, online casinos, money laundering and other illegal activity, prosecutors have said. Shalon has pleaded not guilty, and is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. He hired new lawyers last month and is seeking permission to replace lawyers who joined the case in June, a Monday court filing showed. The case is U.S. v Murgio et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 15-cr-00769. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by David Gregorio and Diane Craft) [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] #MaryJane #MARYJ $0.001048 (0.14%) 0.00000182 BTC (0.00%) || #UFOCoin #UFO $0.000011 (0.08%) 0.00000002 BTC (-0.00%) || 1 KOBO = 0.00000251 BTC = 0.0000 USD = 0.0000 NGN = 0.0000 ZAR = 0.0000 KES #Kobocoin 2016-10-07 22:00 pic.twitter.com/0IbBYMdQVj || 現在の価格は 63866円(http://blockchain.info )です。前回比は0円(0.00%)です。http://konvert.in/currency/1-bitcoin-to-japanese-yen … #ビットコイン #bitcoin via @konvertin || Two Hour Lull Update: Current Winkdex Bitcoin price: $604.00 #bitcoin || Send 1.0 - 4.9 BTC today, get 20.00 - 98.00 BTC in 20 hours,Btc invest stock trade. http://ow.ly/v30a3045NKJ  || One Bitcoin now worth $602.61@bitstamp. High $604.90. Low $601.00. Market Cap $ 9.580 Billion #bitcoin pic.twitter.com/79IDE872Be || #Triangles #TRI $0.145058 (1.01%) 0.00023900 BTC (-0.00%) || Gana bitcoins, super facil!! , cada 20 minutos hasta 500 Satochis #Bitcoin https://cards.twitter.com/cards/18ce53yr6xi/1eiul … || 1 KOBO = 0.00000300 BTC = 0.0017 USD = 0.5168 NGN = 0.0246 ZAR = 0.1720 KES #Kobocoin 2016-09-02 19:00 pic.twitter.com/4WzeL12Ry5
Trend: up || Prices: 637.96, 630.52, 630.86, 632.83, 657.29, 657.07, 653.76, 657.59, 678.30, 688.31
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2017-03-31] BTC Price: 1071.79, BTC RSI: 49.42 Gold Price: 1247.30, Gold RSI: 59.17 Oil Price: 50.60, Oil RSI: 54.17 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] U.S. investment firm plans launch of first ever ethereum classic private fund: By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. investment firm Grayscale Investments plans to launch the first-ever private fund focused on ethereum classic, a blockchain platform, according to Barry Silbert, founder of the company's parent Digital Currency Group. Ethereum classic's token is the seventh largest digital currency in terms of market capitalization, totaling $126.6 million. The coin powers a decentralized blockchain hub in which developers can create different applications that can dramatically enhance the transfer and sharing of information and value. Ethereum classic was built on the same fundamental principles as bitcoin: decentralization and immutability. On Monday, ethereum classic traded at $1.42 on digital asset exchanges. "As investors have grown more interested in digital currency as an asset class, we've also seen growing frustration with the difficulty in purchasing non-bitcoin digital currencies," Silbert told Reuters. "We're excited to launch a fund for ethereum classic to satisfy the growing interest we are seeing in ETC from more mainstream investors." The ethereum classic fund will be an open-ended trust that can raise an unlimited amount of capital, Silbert said. Digital Currency Group will be seeding it with its own capital and it will be offered initially to accredited investors, he added. This will be the second digital currency fund for Grayscale, which launched the Bitcoin Investment Trust in 2013, the only publicly-traded U.S. security in the over-the-counter market invested in bitcoin. Ethereum classic has had a rocky history. It came out of a split from the original ethereum blockchain platform created by Russian programmer Vitalik Buterin and launched in 2015. In April 2016, a blockchain solutions company called Slock.it announced the launch of The DAO on Ethereum. The DAO was designed as a decentralized crowdfunding model, in which anyone could contribute ethereum tokens to become a voting member and equity stakeholder in the organization. The DAO eventually raised $150 million as of late May last year. But on June 17,2016, an anonymous hacker funneled approximately $60 million in tokens into a separate account. The ethereum network decided to undertake a "hard fork", in which the community would create an entirely new version of the ethereum blockchain, erasing any record of the theft, and restoring the stolen funds to their owners. A new blockhain platform was then formed, keeping its ethereum name, and the original version was branded as ethereum classic. Both ethereum and ethereum classic trade on digital asset exchanges. The new ethereum has a larger market cap of $1.8 billion, with the token trading at $19.97 on Monday (This version of the story corrects the headline and first paragraph to show Grayscale plans to launch ethereum classic private fund, not that it has already launched the fund) (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Andrew Hay) || Tuesday Hot Reads: Dividends Pile Up With This High Yield ETF: Compiled by ETF.com Staff Dividends Pile Up With This High-Yield Dividend ETF (SeekingAlpha) The market is exceptionally expensive, but HDV should be on the watchlist for potential opportunities. Sector Rotation & The Momentum Factor (Newfound Research) Research indicates sector rotation strategies are just poorly executed versions of momentum investing. These Fed Officials Give The Best Policy Signal (Bloomberg) A useful infographic on which Fed officials accurately indicate policy changes, based on a poll of economists. 12b-1 Fees: It Is Time To Bid Them Farewell? (Kitces.com) A look at an added cost to mutual funds that has become even more controversial with the rise of ETFs and fee-based advisors. Schumer Warns Of Government Shutdown Over Trump’s Border Wall (Bloomberg) Senate Democrats warned Republicans Monday that attempts to take funding away from Planned Parenthood or pay for President Donald Trump’s border wall in a stopgap spending bill that must pass by late April would result in a government shutdown. Oil Market Is About To Get Ugly (CNBC) Could we retrace the entirety of the gains off the February 2016 low at $26.05? It's quite possible, writes John Kilduff. Learning From Wounds: What Lies Ahead For Other Bitcoin ETFs (The Cointelegraph) Considering the decision made on the Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF by the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday, March 10, it's not likely the other two bitcoin ETF applications would be approved. How Shale Is Reshaping The World: 3 New Wars (ZeroHedge) Quote: "The U.S. Shale revolution will accelerate the breakdown of the global order as we know it, reshaping global geopolitics, leading to three major conflicts: Russia vs. Europe, Iran vs. Saudi Arabia and an Asian tanker war." The XLV Levels To Watch These Next 3 Weeks (Schaeffer’s Investment Research) With the GOP health care reform plan in focus, XLV appears to be in the process of forming a triple top. Story continues Small-Cap Outperformance Since The Election & Shareholder Yield (MainStay Investments) Small- and midcap stocks have outperformed large-caps since the election. Can the upward move persist? Recommended Stories Monday Hot Reads: Avoid This Popular Dividend ETF Tuesday Hot Reads: Dividends Pile Up With This High Yield ETF Rebalancing Of Smart Beta ETFs Often Overlooked Tuesday Hot Reads: Top 5 Dividend ETFs For 2017 Swedroe: Investors’ Odd Affection For Dividends Permalink | © Copyright 2017 ETF.com. All rights reserved || U.S. regulators reject Bitcoin ETF, digital currency plunges: By Trevor Hunnicutt and Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday denied a request to list what would have been the first U.S. exchange-traded fund built to track bitcoin, the digital currency. Investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss have been trying for more than three years to convince the SEC to let it bring the Bitcoin ETF to market. CBOE Holdings Inc's Bats exchange had applied to list the ETF. The digital currency's price plunged, falling as much as 18 percent in trading immediately after the decision before rebounding slightly. It last traded down 7.8 percent to $1,098. Bitcoin had scaled to a record of nearly $1,300 this month, higher than the price of an ounce of gold, as investors speculated that an ETF holding the digital currency could woo more people into buying the asset. Bitcoin is a virtual currency that can be used to move money around the world quickly and with relative anonymity, without the need for a central authority, such as a bank or government. Yet bitcoin presents a new set of risks to investors given its limited adoption, a number of massive cybersecurity breaches affecting bitcoin owners and the lack of consistent treatment of the assets by governments. "Based on the record before it, the Commission believes that the significant markets for bitcoin are unregulated," the SEC said in a statement. "The commission notes that bitcoin is still in the relatively early stages of its development and that, over time, regulated bitcoin-related markets of significant size may develop." The regulators have questions and concerns about how the funds would work and whether they could be priced and trade effectively, according to a financial industry source familiar with the SEC's thinking. "We began this journey almost four years ago, and are determined to see it through," said Tyler Winklevoss, CFO of Digital Asset Services LLC. "We agree with the SEC that regulation and oversight are important to the health of any marketplace and the safety of all investors." The Winklevoss twins are best known for their feud with Facebook Inc founder Mark Zuckerberg over whether he stole the idea for what became the world's most popular social networking website from them. The former Olympic rowers ultimately settled their legal dispute, which was dramatized in the 2010 film "The Social Network." Since then they have become major investors in the digital currency, which relies on "mining" computers that validate blocks of transactions by competing to solve mathematical puzzles. The first to solve the puzzle and clear the transaction is rewarded with new bitcoins. Solutions to the puzzle come roughly every 10 minutes. Advocates of the currency and the technology it relies on to document transactions, blockchain, were dismayed by the ruling. "How do we develop well-capitalized and regulated markets in the U.S. and Europe if financial innovators aren't allowed to bring products to market that grow domestic demand for digital currencies like bitcoin?" asked Jerry Brito, executive director of Coin Center, an advocacy group. Spencer Bogart, head of research at Blockchain Capital, said bitcoin's price could fall as much as 20 percent but that its long-term adoption will continue. A Bats spokeswoman said the exchange is reviewing the SEC's statement and would have no further comment. There are two other bitcoin ETF applications awaiting a verdict from the SEC. Grayscale Investments LLC's Bitcoin Investment Trust, backed by early bitcoin advocate Barry Silbert and his Digital Currency Group, filed an application last year. SolidX Partners Inc, a U.S. technology company that provides blockchain services, also filed its ETF application last year. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Additional reporting by Sarah N. Lynch in Washington and John McCrank in New York; Editing by Sandra Maler and Jennifer Ablan) || Bitcoin Crash Creates Golden Opportunity: I’ve been wrong about my timing of the silver and gold trade twice now. Once to my followers in Momentum Trader and another time in a much more public way, on Bloomberg the end of last year. My fundamental investment thesis surrounding gold hasn’t been wrong just my timing. And now, with gold prices bouncing off $1,200 and last week’s Bitcoin debacle I’m taking another stab at it. The Bitcoin debacle I’m referring to is last week’s decision by the SEC to reject the Winklevoss Twins’ proposal for a Bitcoin ETF. An ETF would have helped to legitimize the cryptocurrency and expose it to an entire new market of potential investors. The SEC’s decision was based on the unregulated nature of the Bitcoin market itself. With no way of overseeing the underlying investment, there was no way the SEC could give it a stamp of approval. You could argue that Bitcoin and gold are both alternatives to global fiat currencies. Neither has a central bank which governs them nor do they pay interest. They are both a store of value and can be held anonymously. Gold and silver have a tendency to track with each other so I’m including it when I look for stock ideas. Of course there’s one giant difference between the two. Gold has been a historic store of value for ages and something you can physically possess. Bitcoin is a digital currency that was created from nothing a few years ago. There is still a huge amount of skepticism surrounding Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. A rash of high profile hacks, essentially digital bank robberies, have loomed like a cloud over Bitcoin for years. This ETF would have been something like a Bitcoin coming out party. However, that was not the case and Bitcoin’s value plunged in Friday trading. Nearly simultaneous there was a huge rally in gold prices with the metal bouncing from just under $1,200 an ounce, an obvious psychological support level. Gold still does have an inverse relationship with yields. As interest rates rise you tend to see pressure on gold prices. We all know the Fed is going to hike rates next week. That is a huge negative on gold pricing. But if the metal can rally even in the face of that hike, then there could be overpowering fundamentals at play. Story continues One way to play a potential continuation of silver and gold’s move higher is to look at the silver and gold miners. A lot of these companies got lean and mean in order to survive the plummet in prices and have emerged with much stronger balance sheets. They have found ways to minimize their acquisition costs and streamline their mining process. I’ve put together a list here of gold stocks that are Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stocks for you to investigate a little further. Alamos Gold (AGI) Alamos Gold Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and extraction of gold deposits in North America. It also explores for silver and precious metals. The company holds interests in the Young-Davidson mine, which includes contiguous mineral leases and claims totaling 11,000 acres located in Northern Ontario, Canada; the Mulatos mine located within the Salamandra Concessions in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range in the east-central portion of the State of Sonora, Mexico; and the El Chanate mine that comprises 22 mineral concessions covering 4,618 hectares situated in the State of Sonora, Mexico. It also holds interests in a portfolio of development stage projects in Mexico, Turkey, Canada, and the United States. Avino Silver (ASM) Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. engages in the production and sale of silver, gold, and copper bulk concentrates; and the exploration, evaluation, and acquisition of mineral properties. The company owns 42 mineral claims and leases 4 mineral claims in the state of Durango, Mexico. It also holds 100% interests in the Bralorne mine located in the Lillooet mining division, British Columbia, Canada; and the Eagle property located in the Mayo mining division of Yukon, Canada. Fortuna Silver (FSM) Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. engages in the exploration, extraction, and processing of mineral properties in Latin America. The company explores for silver, gold, lead, and zinc deposits. It holds interests in the Caylloma mine located in the Arequipa Department in southern Peru; and the San Jose mine located in the State of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. Great Panther Silver (GPL) Great Panther Silver Limited, a silver mining and exploration company, engages in the mining of mineral properties in Mexico. It explores for silver, gold, lead, and zinc. The company holds interests in the Topia Mine and Guanajuato Mine Complex properties. It also holds mineral property interests in the exploration stage, such as the El Horcon and Santa Rosa projects located in Mexico, and Coricancha Mine Complex located in the Central Andes of Peru. Bottom Line I think Bitcoin blowing up here could benefit gold and silver over the short run. That being said, a great way to play the rise in these metals could be to look at the silver and gold miners. This is a short list to start researching the best one to buy. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Great Panther Silver Limited (GPL): Free Stock Analysis Report Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. (FSM): Free Stock Analysis Report Avino Silver (ASM): Free Stock Analysis Report Alamos Gold Inc. (AGI): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research || PayPal acquires TIO in bill pay push: (BI Intelligence) This story was delivered to BI Intelligence "Payments Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, pleaseclick here. PayPal announced late Tuesday that it plans to acquire the Canada-based bill payment firm TIO Networks, which serves as a major player in the North American bill pay market, for $232 million. Following the acquisition, which is expected to close in the second half of this year, TIO will operate as a company within PayPal. The acquisition is likely part of PayPal’s wider strategy to become an omnipresent player in consumers’ full financial lives. TIO’s size and reach could help PayPal push into bill pay, which is likely a valuable play for the company. • Bill pay is a valuable space for PayPal right now. US adults paid roughly 14.7 billion bills, worth $3.9 trillion, in 2016, according to data from ACI Worldwide and Aite Group. It’s likely that PayPal, which has been working to become more omnipresent in consumers’ lives, wants to enter that space and grab a share of that market. That’s especially true as bill payment moves online – just under half of one-time bill payments, and 71% of recurring bills, are paid digitally, according to the same study. • TIO’s reach could help PayPal scale in the space quickly. The firm offers bill pay kiosks, retail agents, and online and mobile options to its over 14 million clients in North America. It also counts 10,000 biller partners and processed $7 billion in volume in the past year. That’s a small share of the overall market, based on US size, but somewhat significant relative to PayPal’s 197 million customers and $354 billion payment volume in 2016. But the firm’s offerings could also help PayPal attract a new segment of customers. The move likely isn’t a revenue play for PayPal, at least in the short term. Rather, it’s likely part of a bigger push to help PayPal continue to grow as it focuses on playing a role in a wider variety of day-to-day financial processes. TIO can provide convenient bill pay offerings to existing PayPal customers, therefore tying them more tightly to the product, especially as online bill pay becomes more popular. But more interestingly, many of TIO’s services are likely targeted at un- or underbanked consumers, a massive population that PayPal likely historically struggled to access, since PayPal accounts are often funded by a bank account or card. By targeting this group — 33.5 million US households, and 2 billion people worldwide, for a sense of scale — PayPal could bring a new group of users into its ecosystem and more effectively undercut banks. John Heggestuen, director of research atBI Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, has compileda detailed report on the payments ecosystemthat drills into the industry to explain how a broad range of transactions are processed, including prepaid and store cards, as well as revealing which types of companies are in the best and worst position to capitalize on the latest industry trends. Here are some key takeaways from the report: • 2016 will be a watershed year for the payments industry. Payments companies are improving security, expanding their mobile offerings, and building commerce capabilities that will give consumers a more compelling reason to make purchases using digital devices. • Payments is an extremely complex industry. To understand the next big digital opportunity lies, it's critical to understand how the traditional credit- and debit-processing chain works and what roles acquirers, processors, issuing banks, card networks, independent sales organizations, gateways, and software and hardware providers play. • Alternative technologies could disrupt the processing ecosystem. Devices ranging from refrigerators to smartwatches now feature payment capabilities, which will spur changes in consumer payment behaviors. Likewise, blockchain technology, the protocol that underlies Bitcoin, could one day change how consumer card payments are verified. In full, the report: • Uncovers the key themes and trends affecting the payments industry in 2016 and beyond. • Gives a detailed description of the stakeholders involved in a payment transaction, along with hardware and software providers. • Offers diagrams and infographics explaining how card transactions are processed and which players are involved in each step. • Provides charts on our latest forecasts, key company growth, survey results, and more. • Analyzes the alternative technologies, including blockchain, which could further disrupt the ecosystem. To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options: 1. Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >>START A MEMBERSHIP 2. Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >>BUY THE REPORT The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the payments ecosystem. More From Business Insider • PayPal adds P2P bot for Slack • Fintech could be bigger than ATMs, PayPal, and Bitcoin combined • THE RETAILER MOBILE WALLETS REPORT: How stores can benefit from developing their own digital payments apps || STOCKS HIT NEW ALL-TIME HIGHS: Here's what you need to know: (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images) All three major indexes hit new all-time highs on Tuesday, jumping on the first trading day back after the Presidents Day holiday. The positive move also marks the eighth straight day that the Dow Jones industrial average has finished in record territory. We've got the big headlines of the day, but first, the scoreboard: • Dow:20,737.51, +113.46, (0.55%) • S&P 500:2,365.03, +13.91, (0.60%) • Nasdaq:5,865.58, +26.27, (0.43%) 1. Restaurant Brands, the owner of Burger King and Tim Horton's, is buying Popeyes for $1.8 billion.The deal for the Southern fried chicken fast food chain valued Popeyes at $79 per share. JPMorgan and Wells Fargo will help to finance the deal. 2. Verizon cut its price for Yahoo by $350 million.The companies announced a joint decision to lower the acquisition price for Yahoo following the revelation of two data breaches that hit the tech firm. The revised deal will be for $4.48 billion. 3. Snap's IPO roadshow hit New York City.The meeting with investors in New York was the second such gathering after a stop in London on Monday. Snap executives pitched the company to a group of institutional investors. 4. Fannie and Freddie plunge after court rules hedge funds can't sue the government over collecting their profits.Hedge funds still won't be able to sue the US government over seizing profits made by mortgage loan companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac after their post-recession bailout, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday. 5. Walmart beat on earnings.The mega-retailer posted fourth-quarter earnings per share of $1.30, more than the $1.29 per share expected by analysts. Comparable store sales growth of 1.8% from the year before also beat expectations of just 1.3% growth. 6. Macy's beat on earnings and unloaded $673 million in real estate.The retailer posted earnings of $2.02 per share and a comparable store sales decline of 2.1%, better than the $1.96 per share and 2.2% decline expected by analysts. The company also said that it had sold off large parts of real estate in 2016. 7. Bitcoin cracked $1,100. The cryptocurrency jumped by over 4% in trading to $1,104 per coin, the first time above that level since early January. Additionally: Home Depot beat and said it's not worried about the US housing market yet. Trump may change some of the major ways we measure the strength of the US economy. The GOP is struggling to get its act together on the Obamacare repeal. Here's how global stock markets have changed over the past 117 years. 'We do not see upside': London-based analyst calls 'neutral' after Snap's London IPO road show NOW WATCH:The US government just sank a giant ship on purpose — and the footage is amazing More From Business Insider • These courses can help you master the single most powerful tool in Excel • I’ve tested over 100 headphones in the past year, and I keep coming back to this $26 pair • This little-known Amazon service turns stuff you want to get rid of into store credit || Bitcoin is surging – but that might not mean what you think: Bitcoin (Exchange: BTC=-USS) – the volatile digital currency that is used for a bevy of transaction, investment and value-storing purposes – is hovering around all-time highs, and its value has surged 175 percent in the past year. But even though bitcoin is rising alongside gold, and it is often seen as an alternative "safe haven asset," this rally may actually be confirming the rally in stocks, rather than presenting a warning sign. The currency has become more mainstream as additional companies accept bitcoin as a form of payment, Miller Tabak equity strategist Matt Maley said Wednesday on " Trading Nation ." According to this thinking, demand for bitcoin will rise as economic activity increases. Bitcoin was created in 2009 in the midst of the financial crisis as a brand-new currency and payment network, and remains somewhat in the Wild West of currencies, without universal regulation, no central authority and tracked by ledger-like blockchain technology maintained by different firms. Companies from Microsoft to Subway to popular blog platform WordPress now accept bitcoin as a form of payment. More recently, Switzerland's financial regulatory authority granted a bitcoin firm approval to operate, Reuters reported, and in late 2016 JPMorgan was reported to have been working on its own type of blockchain technology to support bitcoin. Perhaps boosting bitcoin activity, too, is the prospect of bitcoin exchange-traded fund creation and bitcoin storage providers. In the past, bitcoin rallies have frequently been seen as signs that investors are turning away from conventional assets, and hunting for places to stash their money. But as bitcoin has developed more "mainstream" business uses, Maley argued, it has become more correlated with equities. A look at bitcoin's performance relative to the S&P 500 (INDEX: .SPX) 's over the last five years does not show any particularly close mathematical relationship between the two. Nobel laureate and economist Joseph Stiglitz said in January at the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, that the United States moving toward digital currency would have meaningful benefits like curbing corruption and increasing transparency in global financial markets, two themes from this most recent meeting. Story continues "There are important issues of privacy, cybersecurity, but it would certainly have big advantages," he said. Bitcoin is not fiat currency, with no backing from a government that issues it, and the space is volatile given its lack of regulation. This month alone, bitcoin has risen 25 percent after dipping nearly 5 percent in January. It has climbed nearly 22,000 percent in five years while the dollar is up 28 percent in the same time period. "The big fear around bitcoin is just one day when the governments come out and say, 'We're no longer going to allow this,' and we're going to shut it down. But in a world of Armageddon, where the world ends, currencies will go by the way of the countries; bitcoin, like gold, will still have value because of the blockchain-ing that goes on behind it," Dennis Davitt, portfolio manager at Harvest Volatility Management, said Wednesday on "Trading Nation." The digital currency has a ways to go before becoming a full-on "mainstream" currency, but it's very much a real system of payment, Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist at Convergex, told CNBC on Wednesday. Given bitcoin's volatility, every time investors buy the currency at new highs, "you kind of want to hold your nose," Colas said, given its volatile nature and all the hills and valleys that come along with it. Mt. Gox, a Tokyo-based digital currency exchange, went bankrupt in 2014 after substantial losses in the bitcoin space, sending the value of bitcoin tanking. — CNBC's Alex Rosenberg contributed reporting. || Friday Hot Reads: US Jobs, Wages Show Solid Gains In Trump's First Full Month: Compiled by ETF.com Staff US Jobs, Wages Show Solid Gains In Trump's First Full Month(Bloomberg)U.S. employers added jobs at an above-average pace for a second month on outsized gains in construction and manufacturing. Names Matter in Bond ETFs As Gundlach Clobbers Gross's Old Fund(Bloomberg)Since losing star bond fund manager Bill Gross to Janus Capital Group in 2014, thePimco Total Return Active ETF (BOND)is sinking, having hemorrhaged more than $1.4 billion in outflows. Compare that to a similar actively managed bond fund that’s retained its star power, Jeffrey Gundlach’sSPDR DoubleLine Total Return Tactical ETF, TOTL. It’s attracted $3.1 billion over the same period. From First Filing To Final Decision: Journey Of The Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF(CoinDesk)As the SEC decision looms, take a look back at how this ETF came to be. Big ETF Sees Epic Bounce & The Best Could Still Be Ahead(CNBC)TheiShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB) is up more than 12% year-to-date. This makes it the best performer among all the world's large-cap ETFs. Building Trust, Fiduciary Rule Or Not(Vanguard)Regardless of the final outcome of the DOL rule, trust is critical to the advisor/client relationship. The OPEC Deal Is Facing Its Biggest Test(Bloomberg Markets)The producer group is focused on whittling away the crude inventory surplus and driving up oil's depressed prices. Market Suddenly Having Second Thoughts On Reflation(Bloomberg Markets)Oil prices collapsed, threatening the reflation trend, as energy prices have been a key driver of inflation. Why Opportunities Abound For Active Bond Investors(BlackRock Blog)The diversity of needs and goals among fixed-income investors means there are opportunities to outperform bond indexes. US Household Wealth Rose $2.04 Trillion In Fourth Quarter(Bloomberg)Household wealth in the U.S. continued to increase in the fourth quarter as financial assets and real-estate values appreciated. Recommended Stories • Gundlach On Why Interest Rates Are Falling • ETFs With The Largest Premiums & Discounts • Friday Hot Reads: This India ETF Is Soaring • Funds Of Funds Make Sense For ETF Investors • BlackRock’s Rieder: Emerging Markets Top Junk Bonds Permalink| © Copyright 2017ETF.com.All rights reserved || SEC denies a second application to list bitcoin product: By Trevor Hunnicutt NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday denied for the second time this month a request to bring to market a first-of-its-kind product tracking bitcoin, the digital currency. The SEC announced in a filing its decision denying Intercontinental Exchange Inc's NYSE Arca exchange the ability to list and trade the SolidX Bitcoin Trust, an exchange-traded product (ETP) that would trade like a stock and track the digital asset's price. Previously, the regulatory agency said it had concerns with a similar proposal by investors Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss. "The Commission believes that the significant markets for bitcoin are unregulated," the SEC said in its filing, echoing language from its decision earlier this month on the application by CBOE Holdings Inc's Bats exchange to list The Bitcoin ETF proposed by the Winklevoss brothers. On Friday, Bats asked the SEC to review its decision not to allow that fund to trade. "We are reviewing the SEC's order and evaluating our next steps," said Daniel H. Gallancy, chief executive officer of SolidX Partners Inc, a U.S. technology company that provides blockchain services. NYSE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Bitcoin had scaled to a record of more than $1,300 this month, higher than the price of an ounce of gold, as investors speculated that an ETF holding the digital currency could woo more people into buying the asset. But after denial of the Winklevoss-proposed ETF, the digital currency's price plunged as much as 18 percent. It has rebounded partially since then and was at $1,041 on Tuesday, roughly unchanged from the previous day. Bitcoin is a virtual currency that can be used to move money around the world quickly and with relative anonymity, without the need for a central authority, such as a bank or government. Yet bitcoin presents a new set of risks to investors given its limited adoption, a number of massive cybersecurity breaches affecting bitcoin owners and the lack of consistent treatment of the assets by governments. There is one remaining bitcoin ETP proposal awaiting a verdict from the SEC. Grayscale Investments LLC's Bitcoin Investment Trust, backed by early bitcoin advocate Barry Silbert and his Digital Currency Group, filed an application last year. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Additional reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by David Gregorio and Cynthia Osterman) || CEOs love the corner office, but research says it's overrated: ("The Office"/NBC) Corner offices are a coveted piece of corporate real estate — but they probably shouldn't be. According tonewly published researchfrom office design company Steelcase, corner offices meet only a small percentage of modern CEOs' needs. Many leaders say they value teamwork over unilateral decision-making, yet still work in fixed spaces designed to isolate. Patricia Kammer, senior design researcher at Steelcase, says the corner office does a disservice for companies with flatter organizational structures where consensus trumps top-down commands. "If they don't have that [flexibility], the organization's agility and ability to respond to market demands are at stake," Kammer tells Business Insider. Steelcase conducted a two-year study of more than 20 companies around the world to learn how CEOs and other executives spent their working hours. The company found leaders face a battery of challenges in any given day. They switch between tasks, manage stress, rely on assistants, and wrestle with always staying available by phone or email. "It's not that they misunderstand how their work gets done," Kammer says of CEOs retaining their corner offices. "It's that their jobs have gotten harder." Steelcase's research finds there are a number of strategies, ranging from tiny tweaks to elaborate overhauls, that CEOs could make to help themselves. Kammer says the simplest approach is building environments that promote exercise and social interaction during the day. That could mean setting up a more communal work area for executives and their team, such as standing desks far away from the fixed office, but which encourage interaction with others on the way there. More involved solutions include building whole new rooms for executives that serve a different function from their personal offices. The spaces could be used for reflection or creative thought, rather than business dealings, and reserved exclusively for leaders. As workplaces continue to get more farflung — arecent surveyfound remote work is gaining in popularity — leaders have to make sure they can connect with everyone effectively, Kammer says. That means being visible to people at a main branch but available when someone in a different time zone needs them. "This is an interesting paradox," Kammer says. Business are getting more global at the same time they're getting less hierarchical. People need to see their leaders more as equals but with the understanding that their jobs are still measurably harder, and their schedules more demanding. According to Kammer, success in this new world of work means being as nimble as possible. "To achieve all of this," she says, "CEOs and their executive teams cannot afford to be hidden away in traditional private executive suites that potentially undermine a free-flowing exchange of ideas." NOW WATCH:CEOs and business leaders are 4 times more likely to be psychopaths than the average person More From Business Insider • Bitcoin just hit an all-time high — here's how you buy and sell it • Trump has a problem: Americans increasingly think he's incompetent • Britain's former business secretary: It's not globalisation killing jobs — it's technology [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] Achievement Unlocked: Bitcoin Surpasses 1,000 ATMs Worldwide https://goo.gl/fyFyfH  https://twitter.com/BitcoinWrld/status/832661275117187072/photo/1pic.twitter.com/ARiMJb7nIM  || Emerita Capital believes #bitcoin price could hit $3,678 if the SEC approves the Winklevoss ETF on March 11 https://goo.gl/j8ZVYE  #fintech || #Bitcoin 1.24% Ultima: R$ 3559.00 Alta: R$ 3750.00 Baixa: R$ 3357.82 Fonte: Foxbit || 1 KOBO = 0.00000320 BTC = 0.0036 USD = 1.1340 NGN = 0.0467 ZAR = 0.3721 KES #Kobocoin 2017-02-23 00:00 || nullc: It will, but at the expense of making block bloat insanely large. 25% makes the worst case to typical casehttps://www.reddit.com/r/btc/comments/5u9jm4/segwit_with_unlimitedstyle_block_extension/ddt9lkw?context=3 … || #Blockchain, más allá de bitcoin http://bit.ly/blockchain-bitcoin …pic.twitter.com/DvjwjS5S0d || RT @krystaelaine - This Facebook LIVE event is POPPING. @jaybaer is awesome. Such great info #social #custserv ! http://Facebook.com/sparkcentral https://twitter.com/krystaelaine/status/832289453972426753 … || Buy Bitcoin anywhere in the world - $50.00 #Items4Sale List ur biz at http://blacktradelines.com pic.twitter.com/qKM3MYoSoN || $1193.76 at 06:45 UTC [24h Range: $1171.00 - $1209.99 Volume: 6002 BTC] || #UFOCoin #UFO $0.000011 (0.05%) 0.00000001 BTC (0.00%)
Trend: up || Prices: 1080.50, 1102.17, 1143.81, 1133.25, 1124.78, 1182.68, 1176.90, 1175.95, 1187.87, 1187.13
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2021-02-04] BTC Price: 36926.07, BTC RSI: 59.55 Gold Price: 1788.90, Gold RSI: 34.30 Oil Price: 56.23, Oil RSI: 74.82 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] BlackRock to add bitcoin as eligible investment to two funds: By David Randall (Reuters) - BlackRock Inc, the world's largest asset manager, is adding bitcoin futures as an eligible investment to two funds, a company filing showed. The company said it could use bitcoin derivatives for its funds BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities and BlackRock Global Allocation Fund Inc. The funds will invest only in cash-settled bitcoin futures traded on commodity exchanges registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the company said in a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday. A BlackRock representative declined to comment beyond the filings when contacted by Reuters. Earlier this month, Bitcoin, the world's most popular cryptocurrency, hit a record high of $40,000, rallying more than 900% from a low in March and having only just breached $20,000 in mid-December. Bitcoin tumbled 10.6% in midday U.S. trading Thursday. Other U.S.-based asset managers will likely follow BlackRock's lead and add exposure to bitcoin in some form to their go-anywhere or macro strategies as the cryptocurrency market becomes more liquid and developed, said Todd Rosenbluth, director of mutual fund research at CFRA. "It’s easy to see how strong the performance has been of late and look at a historical asset allocation strategy that would have included a slice of crypto and how returns would have been enhanced as a result," he said. "Large institutional investors are going to be able to tap into the futures market in a way that a retail investor could not do." There is currently no U.S.-based exchange-traded fund that owns bitcoin, limiting the ability of most fund managers to own the cryptocurrency in their portfolios. BlackRock Chief Executive Officer Larry Fink had said at the Council of Foreign Relations in December that bitcoin is seeing giant moves every day and could possibly evolve into a global market. (https://bit.ly/2XXFHrB) (Reporting by David Randall; Additional reporting by Radhika Anilkumar and Bhargav Acharya in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Lisa Shumaker) || Jim Cramer Tells $731M Powerball Winner to Put 5% in Bitcoin: Stock-picking personality Jim Cramer recommended the unknown Maryland-based winner of Wednesday’s $731 million Powerball jackpot allocate 5% of his or her newfound fortune in bitcoin. “You know what, if you won the lottery – Yes, I’m gonna say it: 5% in bitcoin,” Cramer said Thursday night on his Mad Money program . His investment advice, of course, came with a few caveats: Don’t buy the bitcoin all at once, don’t buy it on the weekend. “Crypto could be incredibly volatile,” he said on the day bitcoin tanked 13%. Cramer identified bitcoin as an “important new store of value.” His words echoed the philosophy preached by MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor, the tech executive with well over $1 billion of corporate cash plunked into bitcoin. Saylor has called bitcoin humanity’s ideal value storage mechanism. Cramer, who owns bitcoin, is not exactly a Saylor-like disciple of the cryptocurrency some have claimed is tantamount to a religion . Cramer has expressed concerns over market anonymity and erratic trading on his CNBC show in the past. Cramer framed his recommendations, which also included allocations in art, real estate and physical gold alongside more mainstream plays like stocks and bonds, as tailored for a super-rich investor in a world where hyperinflation reigns. “If you’re already rich, you have to worry about inflation the same way Superman worries about Kryptonite. Because it’s the only thing that can really wipe you out. And given the way we’re spending like drunken sailors in this country, it may be an issue,” said Cramer. || Investment-Grade Bond Offerings to Slow from 2020’s Torrid Pace (Capital Market Research) (Weekly Market Outlook): background image WEEKLY MARKET OUTLOOK JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH Moody’s Analytics markets and distributes all Moody’s Capital Markets Research, Inc. materials. Moody’s Capital Markets Research, Inc . is a subsidiary of Moody’s Corporation. Moody’s Analytics does not provide investment advisory services or products. For further detail, please see the last page. Investment-Grade Bond Offerings to Slow From 2020’s Torrid Pace Credit Markets Review and Outlook by John Lonski Investment-Grade Bond Offerings to Slow From 2020’s Torrid Pace » FULL STORY PAGE 2 The Week Ahead We preview economic reports and forecasts from the US, UK / Europe , and Asia/Pacific regions. » FULL STORY PAGE 8 The Long View Full updated stories and key credit market metrics: Never before has the equity market’s VIX been so high vis-a-vis the high- yield bond spread. » FULL STORY PAGE 14 Ratings Round-Up Changes Still Largely Confined to Speculative-Grade Companies » FULL STORY PAGE 17 Market Data Credit spreads, CDS movers, issuance. » FULL STORY PAGE 20 Moody’s Capital Markets Research recent publications Links to commentaries on: Stimulus, core profits, yield spreads, resurgent virus, split Congress , misery, issuance boom, default rate, volatility, credit quality, unprecedented bond yields, record savings rates, demographic change, high tech, complacency, Fed intervention, speculation, risk, credit stress, rate cuts, optimism, coronavirus, corporate credit, leverage, VIX. » FULL STORY PAGE 25 Credit Spreads Investment Grade: Year-end 2021’s average investment grade bond spread may slightly exceed its recent 104 basis points. High Yield: A composite high-yield spread may top its recent 382 bp by year-end 2021. Defaults US HY default rate: According to Moody's Investors Service, the U.S. ' trailing 12-month high-yield default rate jumped from December 2019’s 4.3% to December 2020’s 8.4% and may average 7.9% for 2021’s second quarter. Issuance For 2019’s offerings of US$-denominated corporate bonds, Story continues IG bond issuance rose 2.6% to $1.309 trillion , while high- yield bond issuance surged by 58% to $430 billion . In 2020, US$-denominated corporate bond issuance soared 53.7% for IG to a record $2.014 trillion , while high-yield advanced 30% to a record-high $570 billion . For 2021, US$-denominated corporate bond offerings may decline 26% (to $1.492 trillion ) for IG and drop 9% (to $517 billion) for high-yield, where both forecasts top their respective annual averages for the five years ended 2020 of $1.494 trillion for IG and $410 billion for high-yield. Moody’s Analytics Research Weekly M arke t Outlook Contributors: Moody's Analytics/ New York : John Lonski Chief Capital Markets Economist 1.212.553 .7144 [email protected] Yukyung Choi Quantitative Research Moody's Analytics/ Asia-Pacific : Shahana Mukherjee Economist Moody's Analytics/ Europe : Ross Cioffi Economist Moody’s Analytics/ U.S. : Mark Zandi Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics Michael Ferlez Economist Editor Reid Kanaley Clic k here f or Moody’s Credit Outlook , our sister publication containing Moody’s rating agency analysis of recent news events, summaries of recent rating changes, and summaries of recent research. Contact : [email protected] background image CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH 2 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM Credit Markets Review and Outlook Credit Markets Review and Outlook By John Lonski , Chief Capital Markets Economist, Moody’s Capital Markets Research Investment-Grade Bond Offerings to Slow From 2020’s Torrid Pace Despite the COVID-19 global recession, corporate bond issuance thrived in 2020. However, 2020’s annual increases of 20% for worldwide investment-grade bond issuance (to a calendar-year record-high $2.940 trillion) and of 25% and of 25% for worldwide high-yield bond issuance (to a record-high $711 billion ) were far from uniformly distributed across currencies and regions. Nevertheless, the year-to-year percent changes by the worldwide offerings of investment-grade corporate bonds differed considerably across 2020’s four quarters. After posting back-to-back yearly increases of 14% in the first quarter and 69% in the second quarter (to an unrivaled $1.062 trillion ), the broadest world estimate of investment-grade corporate bond issuance then incurred back-to-back yearly declines of 6% in the third quarter and 3% in the fourth quarter. Second-half 2020’s shrinkage of worldwide investment- grade corporate bond issuance is expected to continue. The worldwide issuance of investment-grade corporate bonds is expected to fall by 18% annually in 2021 to $2.421 trillion . background image CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH 3 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM Credit Markets Review and Outlook In 2020, US$-denominated bond offerings and new issues from U.S. -domiciled issuers dominated the world’s offerings of corporate bonds. US$-denominated offerings of investment-grade corporate bonds rocketed higher by 54% annually to $2.014 trillion . In stark contrast, 2020’s euro-denominated issuance of IG corporate bonds fell 5% to $772 billion , while 2020’s IG corporate bond issuance denominated in currencies other than dollars or euros plummeted 53% annually to $154 billion . Apparently, corporations preferred borrowing in U.S. dollars despite the lower bond yields of comparably rated euro-denominated bonds. Thus, weakening of the dollar exchange rate during 2020’s second half was not necessarily the offshoot of a diminished global demand for US$-denominated debt. Perhaps the dollar’s depreciation in terms of euros might best be explained by the much faster growth of the U.S. dollar-denominated money supply compared with the euro-denominated monetary aggregates. The year-to-year increases for the U.S. dollar’s principal monetary aggregates of the four weeks-ended January 13, 2021 were an astounding 68.6% for M1 and 25.5% for M2. By contrast, November 2020’s latest sources: Dealogic, Moody's Analytics Worldwide Investment-Grade Corporate Bond Issuance: $ billions US$- Denominated: $ billions Euro- Denominated: $ billions Other-Currency- Denominated: $ billions 1 2 3 4 Calendar-year: 2016 2,402 $ 1,412 $ 713 $ 277 $ 2017 2,501 $ 1,509 $ 677 $ 315 $ 2018 2,322 $ 1,276 $ 723 $ 322 $ 2019 2,455 $ 1,309 $ 815 $ 330 $ 2020 2,940 $ 2,014 $ 772 $ 154 $ yy % change: 2017 4% 7% -5% 14% 2018 -7% -15% 7% 2% 2019 6% 3% 13% 2% 2020 20% 54% -5% -53% Quarter: 19Q4 454 $ 226 $ 164 $ 64 $ 20Q1 827 $ 546 $ 241 $ 39 $ 20Q2 1,062 $ 771 $ 290 $ 2 $ 20Q3 613 $ 435 $ 124 $ 53 $ 20Q4 438 $ 262 $ 117 $ 60 $ yy % change: 20Q1 14% 45% -3% -60% 20Q2 69% 142% 32% -98% 20Q3 -6% 12% -32% -33% 20Q4 -3% 16% -29% -6% Month: Dec-19 52 $ 28 $ 12 $ 11 $ Dec-20 82 $ 52 $ 10 $ 20 $ yy % change 59% 85% -15% 77% Figure 1: Worldwide Investment-Grade Corporate Bond Issuance by Currency background image CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH 4 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM Credit Markets Review and Outlook available estimates for the yearly increases of the euro-denominated estimates of the money supply showed much slower growth rates of 9.9% for M1 and 11.0% for M3. The dollar depreciated in 2020’s second half mostly because the supply of dollars had increased so much faster than the supply of other major currencies. The U.S. dollar’s share of the worldwide issuance of IG corporate bonds climbed from 2017-2019’s 56% to 2020’s 69%. However, that share had eased to 60% by 2020’s final quarter 59% for January 2021 to date. Meanwhile, the euro’s share of worldwide offerings of IG corporate bonds dipped from 2017-2019’s 30% to 2020’s 26%. Compared with the euro’s 27% share of 2020’s final quarter, 33.7% of IG corporate bonds were denominated in euros for January 2021 to date. The euro’s comeback stems from the increased presence of European issuers among early 2021’s offerings of IG corporate bonds. IG Bond Issuance From U.S. Companies Fades After First-Half 2020’s Monumental Surge Far different was what occurred in 2020, or when the issuance of IG corporate bonds by U.S. -domiciled companies surged 53% annually to a record-high $1.504 trillion , while the IG corporate bond supply from West European issuers dipped 2% to $893 billion . In addition, 2020’s issuance of IG corporate bonds from borrowers domiciled outside the U.S. and Western Europe fell 3% annually to $543 billion . The share of IG corporate bond issuance from U.S. -based companies jumped up from the 40% of 2017- 2019 to 2020’s 51% as the share from Western European issuers fell from 37% to 30%, respectively. The share of IG corporate bond supply for issuers from the rest of the world had declined from the 23% of the three years-ended 2019 to 2020’s 18%. background image CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH 5 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM Credit Markets Review and Outlook However, fourth-quarter 2020’s percent distribution of the world’s IG corporate issuance across regions differed considerably from what held for yearlong 2020. By 2020’s final quarter, U.S. companies’ share had dropped to 43%, while the shares attributed to borrowers from Western Europe and the rest of the world had improved 33% and 24%, respectively. Thus far in January 2021, the shares are 35% for U.S. issuers, 43% for West European borrowers, and 22% for companies from the rest of the world. 2020’s IG Bond Issuance Surge Was Led by Non-Financial Company Bond Offerings To a considerable degree, 2021’s projected 18% annual drop by the worldwide issuance of IG corporate bonds stems from expected declines for US$-denominated issuance and for new offerings from U.S. nonfinancial corporations. sources: Dealogic, Moody's Analytics Worldwide Investment-Grade Corporate Bond Issuance: $ billions U.S. Companies: $ billions West European Companies: $ billions Rest of the World: $ billions 1 2 3 4 Calendar-year: 2016 2,402 $ 1,038 $ 853 $ 512 $ 2017 2,501 $ 1,098 $ 857 $ 546 $ 2018 2,322 $ 851 $ 922 $ 548 $ 2019 2,455 $ 981 $ 912 $ 562 $ 2020 2,940 $ 1,504 $ 893 $ 543 $ yy % change: 2017 4% 6% 1% 7% 2018 -7% -22% 8% 1% 2019 6% 15% -1% 2% 2020 20% 53% -2% -3% Quarter: 19Q4 454 $ 164 $ 178 $ 112 $ 20Q1 827 $ 437 $ 253 $ 137 $ 20Q2 1,062 $ 595 $ 324 $ 143 $ 20Q3 613 $ 282 $ 174 $ 157 $ 20Q4 438 $ 190 $ 143 $ 106 $ yy % change: 20Q1 14% 53% -17% 2% 20Q2 69% 130% 44% -4% 20Q3 -6% 3% -15% -9% 20Q4 -3% 16% -20% -5% Month: Dec-19 52 $ 20 $ 20 $ 12 $ Dec-20 82 $ 33 $ 20 $ 29 $ yy % change: 59% 66% 1% 145% Figure 2: Worldwide Investment-Grade Corporate Bond Issuance by Location of Issuer background image CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH 6 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM Credit Markets Review and Outlook In 2020, investment-grade corporate bond offerings across all currencies showed a 41.5% annual expansion by issuance from non-financial companies to a record $1.768 trillion and a 2.5% decline by issuance from financial companies to $1.177 trillion . By contrast, during 2017-2019, the world’s investment-grade bond issuance revealed annual averages of $1.197 trillion for nonfinancial-company supply and $1.229 trillion for financial-company supply. Calendar-year 2020 was only the fourth year of the last 26 years where the world’s IG bond issuance from non-financial companies was greater than the IG bond issuance from financial institutions. And never before had nonfinancial-company IG bond offerings exceeded financial company bond supply by anything remotely approaching 2020’s 50%. During the 10-years-ended 2020, the 10% average annual increase by the worldwide issuance of IG nonfinancial-corporate bonds differed drastically from the 2% average annualized decline by the world's IG financial-company bond issuance. By contrast, when IG financial institution bond offerings set a calendar- year zenith at 2007's $1.853 trillion , the average annualized growth rates of the 10-years-ended 2007 were 16% for financial company issuance and 11% for nonfinancial-corporate bond offerings. After peaking in 2007, the worldwide issuance of IG financial-company bonds then declined at an average annualized rate of 8% before bottoming in 2013 at $1.091 trillion . Since then IG financial-company bond issuance has edged higher by 1% annualized, on average. Thus far in January, the world’s offerings of IG corporate bonds show the $140.3 billion of new supply from financial institutions to be well above the accompanying $77.1 billion of issuance from nonfinancial companies. In turn, we have an early indication that 2020’s $1.768 trillion of IG bond offerings from nonfinancial companies was patently unsustainable. 2020’s IG Bond Issuance by U.S. Companies Approached 25% of 2019’s Outstandings As of 2020’s final-quarter, the outstanding investment-grade corporate bonds of U.S. corporations increased 7.7% yearly to a record-high $6.392 trillion . The latter consisted of $3.944 trillion of industrial company bonds (up 7.7% yearly), $1.697 trillion of financial company bonds (up 4.7% yearly), and $751 billion of public utility bonds (up 14.7% yearly). When compared to the outstandings of U.S. IG corporate bonds, 2020’s issuance of IG corporate bonds by U.S. companies was on the high-side. For a sample that begins with 1995, the moving yearlong sum of U.S. IG corporate bond issuance averaged 20% of the previous year's outstanding US IG corporate bonds. By 100 Dec-95 Nov-97 Oct-99 Sep-01 Aug-03 Jul-05 Jun-07 May-09 Apr-11 Mar-13 Feb-15 Jan-17 Dec-18 Nov-20 $100 $300 $500 $700 $900 $1,100 $1,300 $1,500 $1,700 $1,900 $2,100 Recessions are shaded Worldwide Investment-Grade Bond Issuance: Financial Companies Worldwide Investment-Grade Bond Issuance: Nonfinancial Companies Figure 3: 2020's Investment-Grade Bond Issuance Shows Nonfinancial-Company Supply Leading Financial-Institution Offerings by Record-Wide Margin moving 12-month sums in $ billions sources: Dealogic, NBER, Moody’s Analytics background image CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH 7 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM Credit Markets Review and Outlook contrast, yearlong 2020's $1.504 trillion of IG bonds issued by U.S. companies approximated 25% of year- end 2019's $6.392 trillion of outstanding U.S. investment-grade corporate bonds. The last two times issuance approached 25% of outstandings, issuance contracted annually during the subsequent year. After IG bond offerings rose to 24% of outstandings in 2015's third quarter, U.S. IG corporate bond issuance shrank 15% annually during the year-ended September 2016. And after corporate bond issuance reached 25% of outstandings for the year-ended March 2007, IG corporate bond issuance would then decline by 9% annually during the year-ended March 2008. $900 $1,400 $1,900 $2,400 $2,900 $3,400 $3,900 $4,400 $4,900 $5,400 $5,900 $6,400 95Q4 97Q3 99Q2 01Q1 02Q4 04Q3 06Q2 08Q1 09Q4 11Q3 13Q2 15Q1 16Q4 18Q3 20Q2 10% 12% 14% 16% 18% 20% 22% 24% 26% 28% 30% 32% U.S. Company Investment-Grade Bonds: Yearlong Issuance as % of Outstandings (L) U.S. Company Investment-Grade Bonds Outstanding (R) Figure 4: 2020 Shows Record Divergence Between Rapid Growth of Corporate Debt versus Contraction of Corporate Debt Net of Cash $ billions sources: Dealogic, Moody’s Analytics background image The Week Ahead CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH 8 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM The Week Ahead – U.S., Europe, Asia-Pacific THE U.S. By Mark Zandi, Chief Economist, Moody’s Analytics Surprises in the Pandemic It has been about a year since the COVID-19 pandemic appeared on the world’s radar as China struggled with widespread infections, overwhelmed hospitals, and a rising death toll. The Chinese economy—a juggernaut for the past quarter century—took a big hit. The entire globe has suffered a similar fate since. The death toll and the economic cost continue to mount almost everywhere, and will keep growing until much of world’s population is vaccinated and herd immunity is achieved, a goal still months away, at best. Much of the past year has played out as anticipated. The 1918 Spanish flu pandemic went through several waves over about two years and has been a reasonably good guide, at least so far. To be sure, today’s technology means the COVID-19 pandemic probably won’t last as long, be as deadly, or do as much economic damage, but much of what we are going through now and how we have responded is not much different from a century ago. However, there have been noteworthy surprises. Top among them is the response of governments to the pandemic, both how badly botched their efforts to contain the virus have generally been and how aggressive the fiscal and monetary policy response has been to cushion the economic blow. Some countries, mostly in the Asia-Pacific region, such as Australia, China, New Zealand, South Korea and Taiwan, have admirably contained the virus with aggressive early lockdowns and subsequent large-scale testing, tracing and mask-wearing. Their economies have bounced back strongly. China’s has already fully recovered. Most other countries, including the U.S., badly bungled things by never fully locking down, doing only cursory testing and tracing, and politicizing masks. The pandemic is now raging, and the economy is struggling. It will skirt a double-dip recession only because of the massive monetary and fiscal policy support. The new Biden administration is working to right the wrongs of the Trump administration in containing the virus, but at this point, given the community spread and the mutating virus, the only way to bring an end to the pandemic is through widespread vaccination. background image The Week Ahead CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH 9 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM The global fiscal policy response to the pandemic has been massive. While the script is still being written, nearly every country on the planet has used deficit-financed government spending and tax cuts to shore up pandemic-stricken households and businesses. Worldwide, this support amounts to 8% of pre-pandemic GDP and continues to rise. To date, Japan has anted up the most fiscal aid, amounting to 16% of that nation’s GDP. But, assuming President Biden gets only part of the $1.9 trillion he is asking Congress for, the U.S. will soon take the lead. If Biden gets all of what he is asking for, U.S. fiscal support during the pandemic will come to nearly 25% of the nation’s GDP . This dwarfs the support provided during the financial crisis, which came to no more than 10% of U.S. GDP. Back then, policymakers made a big mistake. They pivoted from fiscal support to restraint soon after the worst of the crisis. This significantly impeded the economy’s post-financial-crisis expansion and was key to why it took some eight years for the economy to return to full employment. With Biden and the Democrat-controlled Congress committed to quickly returning the economy to full employment, policymakers are less likely to make the same mistake after the pandemic. In our forecast, the economy returns to full employment by the end of 2022, less than three years after the end of the pandemic recession. The global monetary policy response to the pandemic, led by the Federal Reserve , h as been just as massive as the fiscal policy response. Within weeks of the pandemic striking the U.S., the Fed had dropped short-term interest rates to the zero lower bound, restarted quantitative easing to push long-term rates down, and required banks to retain capital to ensure they could continue providing credit no matter how dark things got. They also quickly stood up an array of credit facilities, some of which were invented during the financial crisis and some new ones, in which the Fed backstopped short-term funding and credit markets. It worked. Credit continued to flow to businesses, households and municipalities at interest rates that were even lower than prior to the pandemic. Through these moves, the Fed successfully erected a firewall between the chaos in the economy and the financial system. Unlike in the financial crisis, when lawmakers had no choice but to bail out failing financial institutions, the system has gracefully sailed through the pandemic. This is another reason to think that the post-pandemic expansion will fare much better than the one after the financial crisis. That expansion was impaired for years as the financial system repaired itself. Even more important for the post-pandemic economy is the change the Fed made to its monetary policy framework at the end of last year. The Fed will not begin to normalize short-term rates until the economy is clearly at full employment (a point we presumably will know when we see it) and inflation has been consistently above its 2% target. The Fed is targeting inflation of 2% on average through the business cycle. So, if inflation is below target for an extended period, as it has been background image The Week Ahead CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH 10 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM since the financial crisis, then the Fed will tolerate inflation above target for an extended period. The upshot of this is that interest rates will remain low for a long time. In our forecast, the Fed doesn’t begin to normalize short-term rates until summer 2023. Prospects for persistently low interest rates explain another big surprise during the pandemic—the strength of asset prices. Stock prices are up double digits from their pre-pandemic peak and house price gains aren’t too far behind. Crypto currencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum are surging, and prices for commodities from oil to agricultural products have also vaulted back. Low interest rates are supercharging asset prices as investors who park their ballooning savings in checking and other cash-like saving vehicles are receiving close to nothing in interest. Any asset that provides a return is attracting investment. Record low mortgage rates, firmly below 3% for a 30-year fixed-rate loan since the pandemic hit, have juiced-up housing demand. This and a dearth of new and existing homes for sale are driving up house prices. Stock prices have also been boosted as the pandemic concentrates market share in winning companies across many industries—companies whose shares are publicly traded. Oil and other commodities are up in price as global demand has risen off the bottom, while the supply side of these markets shrank during the pandemic. The surge in crypto prices can charitably be explained as a hedge for investors worried about future inflation. Speculation, however, is more likely, with investors buying for no other reason than they believe they can quickly sell to the next investor at a higher price. Lofty asset prices are a plus for the economy during the pandemic, but they pose a threat to the expansion once interest rates rise. With valuations as high as they are—the ratio of the value of all publicly traded stocks to economy-wide corporate earnings is about as high as it was at its peak in the Y2K stock bubble—even small increases in interest rates could result in significant price declines. In our forecast, we expect interest rates to rise slowly enough that asset prices more or less go flat for a time to allow valuations to normalize, but interest rates and asset markets are notoriously more volatile than our baseline outlook. This discussion of over-valuation and speculation highlights what is invariably a surprise when the economy suffers a shock of the magnitude of the pandemic—human behavior. Who would have imagined that wearing masks, which according to healthcare professionals is one of the most effective ways of containing the virus, would be so politically vilified and largely neutered as a way to address the pandemic? Or who would have foreseen that the previous administration would view testing for the virus as a problem because it would identify more infections and suggest that background image The Week Ahead CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH 11 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM containment efforts were falling short, and not as the way to identify the sick and keep them from infecting others? Still, human behavior, though difficult to gauge, has also contributed to the surprising ability of the economy to adjust to the pandemic shock. Work-from-anywhere is a good example of this. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , less than one-tenth of the workforce worked consistently from home prior to the pandemic. During the height of the lockdowns in April, more than one-third of workers did. Today, it is back closer to one-fourth of the workforce and is likely to settle there until businesses figure out some of the thorny issues around pay and productivity, which they will. Our forecasts reflect this. Work-from-anywhere should help lift longer-term productivity growth, and diminish the prospects for large urban, more globalized cities, to the benefit of suburbs, exurbs and smaller cities. There are sure to be other surprises as the pandemic continues to unfold. Here’s hoping they are all positive ones. We are certainly due. Next Week The January payroll-job numbers and unemployment rate are among high-profile indicators due next week. The critial jobs report will follow December numbers that saw employment decline for the first time in the recovery as winter weather and the pandemic suppressed economic activity. Other coming job-related indicators include The ADP National Employment Report on private sector payrolls, the layoff report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, and weekly jobless claims. New claims remain extremely high, though they have declined for the last two weeks. We also expect January CPI inflation numbers and indicators on construction spending, productivity, factory orders, international trade, the CoreLogic home price index, ISM indexes for manufacturing and nonmanufacturing, and Census Bureau figures on housing vacancies and homeownership for the fourth quarter of 2020. background image The Week Ahead CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH 12 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM EUROPE By Ross Cioffi of Moody’s Analytics Euro Area Unemployment Likely Up, Retail Sales Likely Down Next week’s releases will shed light on how the euro zone economy did in the final month of 2020. The euro zone unemployment rate likely inched up to 8.4% in December from 8.3% in November. Short- time work schemes across the bloc are keeping a lid on unemployment. However, successive lockdowns make new bankruptcies and layoffs unavoidable. Short-time work benefits were extended last fall into 2021, and while countries such as France and Germany have lengthened the expanded schemes until the end of 2021, others including Spain and Italy will wind down benefits this spring. Retail sales in the euro zone likely contracted 2.2% m/m in December, adding to Novembers 6.1% decline. Downward pressures were likely mitigated by the couple of weeks at the start of the month when countries eased lockdown measures. Holiday shopping also gave a needed boost, but we fear that neither was enough to halt the contraction retail sales. Supply restrictions continued to be a problem with shops around Europe closing again in the second half of the month. Consumer confidence improved in December, but we think this had more to do with the vaccine and didn’t translate into tangibly greater demand for retail goods. Preliminary estimates of the euro zone’s harmonized index of consumer prices in January will likely show improvement on December. We expect prices grew 0.5% y/y during the month after December’s 0.3% decline. The end of Germany’s VAT cut will be a major factor behind the increase; the preliminary estimate of Germany’s HICP surged to 1.7% y/y from -0.7% a month earlier. That said, we suspect price dynamics of core goods and services across Europe to remain feeble. The labor market and consumer demand are simply too weak to support sustained and significant price growth. Beyond the end of the VAT cut, however, the continued recovery in oil prices will also reduce downward pressure on the headline rate. So far, Brent crude has averaged around $55.30 per barrel in January, a 10.1% increase from the average $50.21 per barrel price in December. Crude prices won’t pass through immediately to consumers given the low demand environment—travel restrictions persist throughout Europe and households continue to work from home—but, this considerable per-barrel price increase will cause energy prices to fall at a softer rate in January. Finally, we expect that the preliminary estimate for euro zone GDP in the fourth quarter will show a 2.1% q/q contraction following the 12.5% growth in the third quarter. The second wave of COVID-19 in Europe is behind the grim outlook for the final months of the year. Things won’t go nearly as poorly as they did in the second quarter, since trade and manufacturing held up. Following lockdown orders and social distancing, private consumption drove the decline in activity. Key indicators Units Moody's Analytics Last Mon @ 8:00 a.m. Germany: Retail Sales for December % change -2.5 1.9 Mon @ 10:00 a.m. Italy: Unemployment for December % 9.1 8.9 Mon @ 11:00 a.m. Euro Zone: Unemployment for December % 8.4 8.3 Tues @ 11:00 p.m. Euro Zone: Preliminary GDP for Q4 % change -2.1 12.5 Wed @ 11:00 a.m. Euro Zone: Consumer Price Index for January % change yr ago 0.5 -0.3 Thur @ 11:00 a.m. Euro Zone: Retail Sales for December % change -2.2 -6.1 Fri @ 9:30 a.m. Sweden: Industrial Production for December % change 0.6 1.5 Fri @ 10:00 a.m. Italy: Retail Sales for December % change -2.1 -6.9 Fri @ 5:00 p.m. Russia: Consumer Price Index for January % change yr ago 5.0 4.9 background image The Week Ahead CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH 13 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM Asia-Pacific By Shahana Mukherjee of Moody’s Analytics Deteriorating Domestic Conditions Likely Held Indonesia Back We expect Indonesia’s GDP to have grown by 1.6% in quarterly terms in the December quarter, following a 5% rebound in the prior quarter. This should translate into a yearly decline of 3.1% for the final quarter, bringing the full-year GDP decline to 2.2%. Despite having strongly rebounded over the September quarter, the economy continued to battle an intensifying domestic health crisis through the final quarter, which, together with a marked decline in employment conditions, had a severe impact on consumer spending. Concurrently, however, the economy also benefitted from a recovering trade position, with nonoil and gas exports having driven recent gains, which brought the full-year decline in exports to just 2.6% below 2020 levels. We expect the deterioration in domestic conditions to have held back another sizeable rebound in the fourth quarter, with the incremental gains likely to have largely resulted from stronger exports. The Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to keep the cash rate unchanged in its January announcement. The Australian economy continues to recover, following the easing of pandemic- related restrictions. The settling of the domestic outbreak and the substantial policy stimulus provided since March have supported household income and confidence, and as a result, consumer spending has revived strongly in recent months. We expect this momentum to hold up (aided by the ongoing labour market correction) and thus, for the RBA to hold fire through 2021. Similarly, the Reserve Bank of India is expected to keep the benchmark repurchase rate at 4% in its January announcement. Domestic conditions are on the mend and COVID-19 cases have steadily declined, which will further aid the recovery. The cooling in CPI inflation led by softer food inflation has also been a welcome change. Having delivered rate cuts worth a cumulative 115 basis points in response to the COVID-19 crisis, the central bank is expected to maintain an accommodative setting and complement fiscal initiatives to strengthen the domestic recovery. The foreign trade statistics for South Korea and Australia are expected to be positive. South Korea’s exports are likely to have increased by 8% in yearly terms in January, once again aided by strong overseas demand for chips and mobile devices, although weaker demand for automobiles and other manufactured goods can dampen the net increase. Australia’s December exports are likely to have risen by 12% in monthly terms, following a 3% increase in November. We expect the steady demand for iron ore from recovering economies such as China and strong iron ore prices to have driven the net increase. At the same time, recovering demand for coal in key importing markets such as Japan and India are also likely to have largely offset the decline in the commodity’s China-bound shipments and supported the net increase in earnings. Key indicators Units Moody's Analytics Confidence Risk Last Mon @ 11:00 a.m. South Korea Foreign Trade for January US$ bil 6.3 3  6.9 Tues @ 10:00 a.m. South Korea CPI for January % change yr ago 0.4 3  0.5 Tues @ 2:30 p.m. Australia Monetary Policy for January % 0.1 4  0.1 Thur @ 11:30 a.m. Australia Foreign Trade for December A$ bil 7.1 4  5 Fri @ 11:30 a.m. Australia Retail Sales for December % change -3.8 4  7.1 Fri @ 3:00 p.m. Indonesia GDP for Q4 % change yr ago -3.1 3  -3.5 Fri @ 5:15 p.m. India Monetary Policy for January % 4 4  4 background image 14 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH The Long View d The Long View Never before has the equity market’s VIX been so high vis-a-vis the high- yield bond spread. By John Lonski, Chief Capital Markets Economist, Moody’s Capital Markets Research January 28, 2021 CREDIT SPREADS As measured by Moody's long-term average corporate bond yield, the recent investment grade corporate bond yield spread of 104 basis points was less than its 116 basis-point median of the 30 years ended 2019. This spread may be no wider than 110 bp by year-end 2021. The recent composite high-yield bond spread of 382 bp approximates what is suggested by the accompanying long-term Baa industrial company bond yield spread of 148 bp but is much narrower than what might be inferred from the recent VIX of 29.0 points. The latter has been historically associated with a 780-bp midpoint for a composite high-yield bond spread. DEFAULTS December 2020’s U.S. high-yield default rate of 8.4% was up from December 2019’s 4.3%. The recent average high-yield EDF metric of 2.72% portend a less-than-4% default rate by October 2021. US CORPORATE BOND ISSUANCE Fourth-quarter 2019’s worldwide offerings of corporate bonds revealed annual advances of 15.3% for IG and 329% for high-yield, wherein US$-denominated offerings dipped by 0.8% for IG and surged higher by 330% for high yield. First-quarter 2020’s worldwide offerings of corporate bonds revealed annual advances of 17.7% for IG and 26.5% for high-yield, wherein US$-denominated offerings increased 43.7% for IG and grew 21.4% for high yield. Second-quarter 2020’s worldwide offerings of corporate bonds revealed annual surges of 69% for IG and 31% for high-yield, wherein US$-denominated offerings increased 142% for IG and grew 45% for high yield. Third-quarter 2020’s worldwide offerings of corporate bonds revealed an annual decline of 6% for IG and an annual advance of 44% for high-yield, wherein US$-denominated offerings increased 12% for IG and soared upward 56% for high yield. Fourth-quarter 2020’s worldwide offerings of corporate bonds revealed an annual decline of 11.9% for IG and an annual advance of 4.4% for high-yield, wherein US$-denominated offerings increased by 15.3% for IG and by 10.6% for high yield. For 2019, worldwide corporate bond offerings grew by 5.4% annually (to $2.447 trillion ) for IG and advanced by 49.2% for high yield (to $561 billion ). The annual percent increases for 2020’s worldwide corporate bond offerings are 20% (to $2.940 trillion ) for IG and 25% (to $711 billion ) for high yield. The expected annual declines for 2021’s worldwide rated corporate bond issuance are 18% for investment-grade and 5% for high- yield. US ECONOMIC OUTLOOK Unacceptably high unemployment and other low rates of resource utilization will rein in Treasury bond yields. As long as the global economy operates below trend, 1.25% will serve as the upper bound for the 10-year Treasury yield. Until COVID-19 risks fade substantially, wider credit spreads are possible. For now, the corporate credit market has priced in the widespread distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine by mid-2021. background image 15 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH The Long View d Europe By Ross Cioffi of Moody’s Analytics January 28, 2021 SWEDEN Data out of Sweden on Thursday show a grimmer view of the economy in December. Retail sales tumbled 4.9% m/m during the month after increasing by an average 0.8% in the previous three months. December’s slump was the worst all year, beating the 1.5% and 1.8% declines in March and April, respectively, during the height of the first wave of COVID-19 infections. The December plunge left sales 0.6% below their year-ago level, though for all of 2020 sales still increased 2.3%. The fall in retail sales was no fluke. The second wave of infections escalated during the month, likely causing consumers to take a more cautious approach to shopping. Google mobility data show a considerable reduction in baseline visits to retail and recreation during December and January. Retail suffered in each of the Nordic countries during December. In Norway, retail sales dropped 5.7% m/m following a 2.9% gain previously, but unlike Sweden, Norway’s retail sales grew in yearly terms despite the large monthly decline. Sales were up 8% y/y in December following November’s 13.8% increase. In Denmark, the pattern was the same. Sales plunged by 7.7% m/m in December but still grew 1% in yearly terms. That said, the yearly increase was softer than in November, when sales were up 6.2% y/y. Retail sales may be looking better in Norway and Denmark than in Sweden, but services consumption in these countries will be much worse off because of the stricter social distancing measures these countries have enforced. Sweden's consumer confidence, meanwhile, improved during the month. The Swedish National Institute of Economic Research Consumer Confidence Index rose to 91.5 in December from 87.9 in November. The improvement exceeded expectations, especially given that unemployment took a turn for the worse during the month. The jobless rate jumped to 8.2% in December from 7.7% in November, the first increase since the pandemic struck in the spring. The labor force did expand from the previous month, but the rise in the unemployment rate was clearly linked to tepid demand for labor. Not only was there a 1-percentage point drop in the employment rate, but the average number of hours worked in December was 4.2% lower in year-ago terms. Similarly, there were far more workers who were absent for either part or all of the workweek. The rise in absences from work stems from more people on holiday, more people sick, or more being sent home for lack of work. A total of 2.4 million employees were absent for part or all of a given workweek in December, an increase of 28.1% from a year earlier. Fortunately, Sweden’s short-term work scheme was extended until 30 June, which will keep a lid on unemployment in the coming months. On top of pandemic concerns at home, Sweden will be exposed via the trade channel, which puts the country at greater risk in the first quarter of 2021. EURO ZONE The euro zone 's economic sentiment indicator, which combines the subindexes of business and consumer confidence, slid to 91.5 in January from an upwardly revised reading of 92.4 in December. The fall was driven primarily by the retail sector, though the consumer and services subindexes also tracked losses. By contrast, though they remained in negative territory, the industrial and construction sentiment subindexes each improved. Among the major economies, the composite economic sentiment indicator fell the most in France, by 2.6 points, followed by a 2.3-point decline in Germany. Behind January's weaker ESI are the pandemic and the slower-than-expected vaccine rollout. GERMANY German consumer confidence took a blow heading into February, with the GfK consumer sentiment index tumbling to -15.6 from -7.5 a month earlier. The culprit was clearly the country’s return to harsh COVID-19 lockdown measures after the holiday season. Germany ’ s lighter lockdown in November and the first half of December helped support the economy, but it only held the infection rate steady. Travel around the holidays drove up the number of infections, requiring a clampdown in the weeks after. Since then, nonessential retail and services have been closed and travel restricted. The measures were recently extended until 14 February, though we suspect they will be pushed out to the end of the month. background image 16 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH The Long View d Asia Pacific By Shahana Mukherjee of Moody’s Analytics January 28, 2021 SOUTH KOREA South Korea’s recovery momentum moderated after the September quarter rebound. However, the economy still grew at a faster than expected rate in the December quarter, as GDP rose by 1.1% in quarterly terms following a 2.1% increase in the prior quarter. The gains were once again driven by a strong overseas performance. Exports rose by 5.2% following the 16% rebound in the prior quarter, while investment returned to growth for the first time since the March quarter, rising by 2.6%. Private consumption, however, fell by 1.7%, as did government spending, down 0.4%. Over the year, seasonally adjusted GDP fell by 1.3%, and capped the full-year contraction to just 1% for 2020. The preliminary December estimate came in a touch above our expectations, but nonetheless, reflected the uneven recovery underway in South Korea. On the one side, the trade-reliant country has continued to benefit from a fast-recovering Chinese economy and the global surge in tech demand, and this has anchored growth in the post-restrictions phase. On the other side, however, domestic conditions have been far less favourable, destabilized by repeated COVID-19 outbreaks. The third wave, which peaked in December and led to a tightening of restrictions across major cities, dealt a severe blow to already subdued household confidence. Although daily cases are now past their peak, some restrictions are still in place, which can hamper the pace of revival. Despite capping the year on a positive note, there are risks to sustaining the economy’s recovery momentum. The isolated revival in electronics and technology exports has meant little for the larger employment- generating manufacturing sector, which continues to be shaped by a staggered pickup in global consumption. Employment conditions therefore remain alarmingly weak; the unemployment rate rose to a 10-year high of 4.6% in December as restrictions were reinstated. Although the easing of restrictions will revive domestic spending in the months ahead, the risk is that the hit to household incomes will nonetheless moderate the lift in consumption. The government’s decision to advance up to 63% of its annual fiscal expenditure, worth $510 billion , will be beneficial and can cushion some of the short-term fallout, but may not guarantee a sustained demand lift through the rest of 2021. Moreover, with restrictions being extended across parts of Europe, the revival in overseas demand, too, cannot be taken for granted, and this will keep investors wary. Eventually, a composite recovery in demand rests on virus elimination, so South Korea’s vaccine drive will be pivotal. The country’s procurement and rollout plans have firmed up in recent weeks and the process could begin as early as February, but first, pending approvals need to be expedited. We remain optimistic. We expect local restrictions to gradually ease through February, the vaccine rollout to begin by early March, and herd immunity to be achieved by the end of 2021 with 70% to 80% of the population vaccinated. This should provide the basis for a strong 4.5% rebound in 2021. background image 17 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH Ratings Round-Up Ratings Round-Up Changes Still Largely Confined to Speculative-Grade Companies By Michael Ferlez January 28, 2021 U.S. rating change activity remained positive for the latest period. For the week ended January 26, upgrades accounted for two-thirds of total changes, though downgrades accounted for nearly three-fourths of affected debt. Rating activity remained largely confined to speculative-grade companies, which accounted for two- thirds of the week’s rating actions. The week’s most notable upgrade was to Weekly Homes LLC, with Moody’s Investors Service upgrading the firm’s corporate family rating and senior unsecured credit to Ba3. Moody’s Investors Service also upgraded the firm’s probability of default to Ba3-PD. In their rationale for the upgrade, Moody’s Investors Service cited its expectation for Weekly Homes’ credit metrics to continue to improve through 2022. Meanwhile, U.S. downgrades were headlined by NGL Energy Partners LP, which saw its corporate family rating cut to B2 and its senior unsecured notes cut to Caa1. Additionally, Moody’s Investors Service downgraded the firm’s probability of default rating to B2-PD. In Moody’s Investors Service rating action, Sajjad Alam, a Moody's senior analyst, was cited saying, "While the new notes and the ABL will substantially reduce near-term refinancing risks, the company will continue to operate with high financial leverage and high interest burden in a tough industry environment." In total, the downgrade impacted $1.5 billion in outstanding debt. European rating change activity was evenly split in the period, with three upgrades and three downgrades. Speculative-grade companies accounted for five of the six changes, while geographically the changes were split across six countries. The largest change in terms of affected debt was made to INEOS 226 Limited, which saw its senior secured debt downgraded to Ba3 from Ba2. In its rating action, Moody’s Investors Service citied an increase in INEOS secured debt and decline in its unsecured debt as rationale for the downgrade. In total, the downgrade affected $2.2 billion in outstanding debt. FIGURE 1 Rating Changes - US Corporate & Financial Institutions: Favorable as % of Total Actions 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 Dec01 Feb05 Apr08 Jun11 Aug14 Oct17 Dec20 By Count of Actions By Amount of Debt Affected * Trailing 3-month average Source: Moody's background image 18 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH Ratings Round-Up FIGURE 2 Rating Key BCF Bank Credit Facility Rating MM Money-Market CFR Corporate Family Rating MTN MTN Program Rating CP Commercial Paper Rating Notes Notes FSR Bank Financial Strength Rating PDR Probability of Default Rating IFS Insurance Financial Strength Rating PS Preferred Stock Rating IR Issuer Rating SGLR Speculative-Grade Liquidity Rating JrSub Junior Subordinated Rating SLTD Short- and Long-Term Deposit Rating LGD Loss Given Default Rating SrSec Senior Secured Rating LTCF Long-Term Corporate Family Rating SrUnsec Senior Unsecured Rating LTD Long-Term Deposit Rating SrSub Senior Subordinated LTIR Long-Term Issuer Rating STD Short-Term Deposit Rating FIGURE 3 Rating Changes: Corporate & Financial Institutions – US Date Company Sector Rating Amount ($ Million) Up/ Down Old LTD Rating New LTD Rating IG/SG 1/20/21 PETCO ANIMAL SUPPLIES, INC. Industrial SrSec/BCF /LTCFR/PDR U B3 B2 SG 1/21/21 WEEKLEY HOMES, LLC Industrial SrUnsec/LTCFR/PDR 400 U B1 Ba3 SG 1/21/21 NGL ENERGY PARTNERS LP Industrial SrUnsec/LTCFR/PDR 1,518 D B3 Caa1 SG 1/21/21 BDF ACQUISITION CORP. Industrial SrSec/BCF U B3 B2 SG 1/21/21 BCPE ULYSSES INTERMEDIATE, INC. -LBM ACQUISITION, LLC Industrial SrUnsec/LTCFR/PDR 550 D Caa1 Caa2 SG 1/22/21 SEMCO ENERGY, INC. Industrial LTIR U Baa1 A3 IG 1/24/21 SEVEN & I HOLDINGS CO., LTD. -7-ELEVEN, INC. Industrial LTIR D Baa1 Baa2 IG 1/25/21 DTE ENERGY CENTER, LLC Utility SrSec 158 U Ba1 Baa3 SG 1/25/21 NOVETTA SOLUTIONS, LLC Industrial SrSec/BCF/LTCFR/PDR U Caa3 Caa2 SG 1/25/21 LGI HOMES, INC. Industrial SrUnsec/LTCFR/PDR 300 U B1 Ba3 SG 1/26/21 CONSOLIDATED EDISON, INC. -ORANGE AND ROCKLAND UTILITIES, INC. Utility SrUnsec/LTIR 375 D Baa1 Baa2 IG 1/26/21 ATHENAHEALTH INTERMEDIATE HOLDINGS LLC-VVC HOLDING CORP. Industrial LTCFR/PDR U B3 B2 SG Source: Moody's background image 19 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH Ratings Round-Up FIGURE 4 Rating Changes: Corporate & Financial Institutions – Europe Date Company Sector Rating Amount ($ Million) Up/ Down Old LTD Rating New LTD Rating IG/SG Country 1/20/21 SPAREBANKEN MORE Financial LTIR/LTD U A2 A1 IG NORWAY 1/20/21 INEOS QUATTRO HOLDINGS LTD-INEOS 226 LIMITED Industrial SrSec/BCF 2,204 D Ba2 Ba3 SG UNITED KINGDOM 1/25/21 INTRALOT S.A. Industrial SrUnsec/LTCFR/PDR 913 D Caa2 Ca SG GREECE 1/25/21 GOLDSTORY SAS -THOM GROUP Industrial SrSec/BCF U B3 B2 SG FRANCE 1/26/21 OBRASCON HUARTE LAIN S.A. Industrial PDR D Caa2 Ca SG SPAIN 1/26/21 PRO-GEST S.P.A. Industrial SrUnsec/LTCFR/PDR 304 U Caa3 Caa2 SG ITALY Source: Moody's background image 20 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH Market Data Market Data Spreads 0 200 400 600 800 0 200 400 600 800 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Spread (bp) Spread (bp) Aa2 A2 Baa2 Source: Moody's Figure 1: 5-Year Median Spreads-Global Data (High Grade) 0 400 800 1,200 1,600 2,000 0 400 800 1,200 1,600 2,000 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 Spread (bp) Spread (bp) Ba2 B2 Caa-C Source: Moody's Figure 2: 5-Year Median Spreads-Global Data (High Yield) background image 21 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH Market Data CDS Movers CDS Implied Rating Rises Issuer Jan. 27 Jan. 20 Senior Ratings WEC Energy Group, Inc. Aa3 Baa3 Baa1 Colgate-Palmolive Company Aa1 A1 Aa3 American Express Credit Corporation Aa2 A1 A2 D.R. Horton, Inc. A1 A3 Baa2 Pitney Bowes Inc. B3 Caa2 B1 Comcast Corporation Aa2 Aa3 A3 Microsoft Corporation Aaa Aa1 Aaa Oracle Corporation Aa1 Aa2 A3 PepsiCo, Inc. Aa2 Aa3 A1 Walt Disney Company (The) (Old) Aaa Aa1 A2 CDS Implied Rating Declines Issuer Jan. 27 Jan. 20 Senior Ratings Murphy Oil Corporation Caa3 B3 Ba3 Occidental Petroleum Corporation Caa1 B2 Ba2 Apache Corporation B3 B1 Ba1 JPMorgan Chase & Co. A2 A1 A2 Wells Fargo & Company Baa2 Baa1 A2 Goldman Sachs Group, Inc . (The) Baa2 Baa1 A3 Morgan Stanley Baa1 A3 A2 John Deere Capital Corporation A3 A2 A2 CVS Health Corporation Baa2 Baa1 Baa2 International Business Machines Corporation A3 A2 A2 CDS Spread Increases Issuer Senior Ratings Jan. 27 Jan. 20 Spread Diff Murphy Oil Corporation Ba3 562 346 216 Talen Energy Supply, LLC B3 1,129 1,025 104 Occidental Petroleum Corporation Ba2 420 319 102 Apache Corporation Ba1 356 257 99 United States Steel Corporation Caa2 543 458 85 United Airlines Holdings, Inc. Ba3 649 595 54 Carnival Corporation B2 579 526 53 Nabors Industries, Inc . Caa2 1,495 1,448 48 R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company B3 588 542 46 Staples, Inc. B3 709 666 43 CDS Spread Decreases Issuer Senior Ratings Jan. 27 Jan. 20 Spread Diff Rite Aid Corporation Caa3 558 649 -92 Pitney Bowes Inc. B1 357 422 -65 Lumen Technologies, Inc . B2 231 274 -43 WEC Energy Group, Inc. Baa1 41 80 -39 Dillard's, Inc. Baa3 254 289 -35 Qwest Corporation Ba2 128 151 -24 Western Union Company (The) Baa2 105 127 -22 Avis Budget Car Rental, LLC B3 399 419 -21 Beazer Homes USA, Inc. B3 255 276 -21 Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation Baa3 197 215 -18 Source: Moody's, CMA CDS Spreads CDS Implied Ratings CDS Implied Ratings CDS Spreads Figure 3. CDS Movers - US ( January 20, 2021 – January 27, 2021) background image 22 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH Market Data CDS Implied Rating Rises Issuer Jan. 27 Jan. 20 Senior Ratings Proximus SA de droit public Aa3 A3 A1 Nationwide Building Society Aa2 A1 A1 Iberdrola International B.V. Aa2 A1 Baa1 Elisa Corporation Aa2 A1 Baa2 Spain, Government of Aa3 A1 Baa1 Rabobank Aaa Aa1 Aa3 Barclays Bank PLC Baa1 Baa2 A1 Societe Generale Aa1 Aa2 A1 BNP Paribas Aa1 Aa2 Aa3 Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A . Aa2 Aa3 A3 CDS Implied Rating Declines Issuer Jan. 27 Jan. 20 Senior Ratings Electricite de France A2 Aa3 A3 FCE Bank plc Ba2 Baa3 Ba2 Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. Baa3 Baa2 Baa1 Landesbank Hessen-Thueringen GZ Baa2 Baa1 Aa3 Eni S.p.A. Baa3 Baa2 Baa1 EDP - Energias de Portugal, S.A. Baa1 A3 Baa3 LafargeHolcim Ltd Baa3 Baa2 Baa2 Lanxess AG Baa2 Baa1 Baa2 Continental AG Baa3 Baa2 Baa2 Leonardo S.p.A. Ba3 Ba2 Ba1 CDS Spread Increases Issuer Senior Ratings Jan. 27 Jan. 20 Spread Diff Stena AB Caa1 652 532 119 FCE Bank plc Ba2 192 90 103 Novafives S.A.S. Caa2 885 831 54 Vedanta Resources Limited Caa1 1,120 1,073 46 TUI AG Caa1 758 712 45 Boparan Finance plc Caa1 599 555 44 Deutsche Lufthansa Aktiengesellschaft Ba2 327 288 39 thyssenkrupp AG B1 234 198 36 Vue International Bidco plc Ca 786 752 34 Rolls-Royce plc Ba3 306 279 27 CDS Spread Decreases Issuer Senior Ratings Jan. 27 Jan. 20 Spread Diff Ineos Group Holdings S.A. B2 266 288 -22 Caixa Geral de Depositos, S.A . Ba1 95 106 -10 Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA Caa1 644 652 -8 Iceland Bondco plc Caa2 418 425 -7 Nokia Oyj Ba2 113 119 -6 Sappi Papier Holding GmbH Ba2 358 364 -6 Orsted A/S Baa1 28 32 -4 Proximus SA de droit public A1 40 44 -4 Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA Baa3 54 57 -3 Credit Suisse Group AG Baa1 46 47 -2 Source: Moody's, CMA CDS Spreads CDS Implied Ratings CDS Implied Ratings CDS Spreads Figure 4. CDS Movers - Europe ( January 20, 2021 – January 27, 2021) background image 23 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH Market Data Issuance 0 700 1,400 2,100 2,800 0 700 1,400 2,100 2,800 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Issuance ($B) Issuance ($B) 2018 2019 2020 2021 Source: Moody's / Dealogic Figure 5. Market Cumulative Issuance - Corporate & Financial Institutions: USD Denominated 0 200 400 600 800 1,000 0 200 400 600 800 1,000 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Issuance ($B) Issuance ($B) 2018 2019 2020 2021 Source: Moody's / Dealogic Figure 6. Market Cumulative Issuance - Corporate & Financial Institutions: Euro Denominated background image 24 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH Market Data Investment-Grade High-Yield Total* Amount Amount Amount $B $B $B Weekly 30.815 20.994 54.108 Year-to-Date 125.072 56.515 188.444 Investment-Grade High-Yield Total* Amount Amount Amount $B $B $B Weekly 18.251 3.137 21.530 Year-to-Date 70.526 12.807 83.949 * Difference represents issuance with pending ratings. Source: Moody's/ Dealogic USD Denominated Euro Denominated Figure 7. Issuance: Corporate & Financial Institutions background image 25 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH Moody’s Capital Markets Research recent publications Not All Debt Is Equal ( Capital Market Research ) Market Value of U.S. Common Stock Soars to Record-High 185% of GDP (Capital Market Research) Stimulatory Monetary and Fiscal Policies Enhance Corporate Credit Outlook ( Capital Market Research ) Financial Markets Have Largely Priced-In 2021’s Positive Outlook (Capital Market Research) Core Profits and U.S. Equities Set New Record Highs (Capital Market Research) Operating Leverage May Help to Narrow Yield Spreads in 2021 ( Capital Market Research ) Resurgent COVID-19 Threatens Corporate Credit’s Improved Trend (Capital Market Research) Split Congress Sparks Rallies by Equities, Corporates and Treasuries (Capital Market Research) Credit Disputes Equities Gloom ( Capital Market Research ) Corporate Cash Outruns Corporate Debt (Capital Market Research) Profits Give Direction to Downgrades and Defaults (Capital Market Research) Markets Sense an Upturn Despite Pockets of Profound Misery (Capital Market Research) Record-High Bond Issuance Aids Nascent Upturn (Capital Market Research) Corporate Bond Issuance Boom May Steady Credit Quality, On Balance (Capital Market Research) Markets, Bankers and Analysts Differ on 2021’s Default Rate (Capital Market Research) Corporate Credit Mostly Unfazed by Equity Volatility ( Capital Market Research ) Record August for Bond Issuance May Aid Credit Quality ( Capital Market Research ) Fed Policy Shift Bodes Well for Corporate Credit ( Capital Markets Research ) Markets Avoid Great Recession’s Calamities ( Capital Markets Research ) Liquidity Surge Hints of More Upside Surprises (Capital Markets Research) Unprecedented Stimulus Lessens the Blow from Real GDP’s Record Dive ( Capital Markets Research ) Ultra-Low Bond Yields Buoy Corporate Borrowing ( Capital Markets Research ) Record-High Savings Rate and Ample Liquidity May Fund an Upside Surprise ( Capital Markets Research ) Unprecedented Demographic Change Will Shape Credit Markets Through 2030 (Capital Markets Research) Net High-Yield Downgrades Drop from Dreadful Readings of March and April (Capital Markets Research) Long Stay by Low Rates Fuels Corporate Debt and Equity Rallies (Capital Markets Research) Why Industrial (Warehouse) Will (Likely) Fare Better (Capital Markers Research) CECL Adoption and Q1 Results Amid COVID-19 ( Capital Markets Research ) Continued Signs of Weakness in US Non-Agency RMBS (Capital Markets Research) COVID-19 and Distress in CMBS Markets ( Capital Markets Research ) Record-Fast Money Growth Eases Market Anxiety ( Capital Markets Research ) Default Outlook: Markets Appear Less Worried than Credit Analysts ( Capital Markets Research ) High Technology Is North America’s Biggest Corporate Borrower (Capital Markets Research) Troubling Default Outlook Warns Against Complacency (Capital Markets Research) background image 26 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH To order reprints of this report (100 copies minimum), please call 212.553.1658 . Report Number: 1263430 Contact Us Editor Reid Kanaley [email protected] Americas: 1.212.553 .4399 Europe: +44 (0) 20.7772.5588 Asia: 813.5408.4131 background image 27 JANUARY 28, 2021 CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH / MARKET OUTLOOK / MOODYS.COM CAPITAL MARKETS RESEARCH © 2021 Moody’s Corporation, Moody’s Investors Service, Inc ., Moody’s Analytics, Inc. and/or their licensors and affiliates (collectively, “MOODY’S”). All rights reserved. CREDIT RATINGS ISSUED BY MOODY'S CREDIT RATINGS AFFILIATES ARE THEIR CURRENT OPINIONS OF THE RELATIVE FUTURE CREDIT RISK OF ENTITIES, CREDIT COMMITMENTS, OR DEBT OR DEBT-LIKE SECURITIES, AND MATERIALS, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND INFORMATION PUBLISHED BY MOODY’S (COLLECTIVELY, “PUBLICATIONS”) MAY INCLUDE SUCH CURRENT OPINIONS. MOODY’S DEFINES CREDIT RISK AS THE RISK THAT AN ENTITY MAY NOT MEET ITS CONTRACTUAL FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS AS THEY COME DUE AND ANY ESTIMATED FINANCIAL LOSS IN THE EVENT OF DEFAULT OR IMPAIRMENT. 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Please note that Moody’s Analytics, Inc., an affiliate of Moody’s Capital Markets Research, Inc . and a subsidiary of MCO, provides a wide range of research and analytical products and services to corporations and participants in the financial markets. Customers of Moody’s Analytics, Inc. may include companies mentioned in this report. Please be advised that a conflict may exist and that any investment decisions you make are your own responsibility. The Moody’s Analytics logo is used on certain Moody’s Capital Markets Research, Inc . products for marketing purposes only. Moody’s Analytics, Inc. is a separate company from Moody’s Capital Markets Research, Inc. || Valkyrie Digital Assets Files for Bitcoin ETF: Valkyrie Digital Assets filed an application on Friday for a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF), the second such filing in the last 30 days. The Valkyrie Bitcoin Fund would be listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Coinbase Custody Trust Company, LLC, would serve as the custodian for the proposed ETF, according to Dallas-registered Valkyrie Investments, the parent of Valkyrie Digital Assets. Leah Wald, CEO of Valkyrie Investments, told CoinDesk, “Our executive team has previously launched multiple ETFs, publicly traded funds and ETPs [exchange-traded products], including bitcoin funds.” Related: Coinbase Now Has Over $90B in Assets on Platform Wald said the team behind the ETF includes “Steven McClurg and John Key, who have collectively worked on over 100 esoteric and novel deals that have passed regulatory scrutiny.” At the end of December, VanEck re-submitted an application to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a VanEck Bitcoin Trust ETF. While an ETF is seen as advantageous because it trades on the stock market in much the same way as shares in popular companies such as Apple and Microsoft, over the years the SEC has rejected bitcoin ETF proposals due to concerns about market volatility and industry manipulation. In August 2018, it rejected nine such proposals on the same day. Related: SEC Calls Out Suspicious Crypto Companies Targeting Global Traders Read more: The Case for a Bitcoin ETF Still, there’ve been signs the SEC is warming to the idea. In October 2020, then-Chairman Jay Clayton, who many saw as lukewarm toward crypto, said the agency was still open to considering ETF proposals. Now, with a new administration causing a changing of the guard at the SEC, it is widely hoped by crypto advocates that such an ETF will be approved in 2021. Clayton stepped down officially last month and is expected to be replaced by Gary Gensler, who is widely seen as being more pro-crypto than is his predecessor. Story continues Also adding to optimism is this month’s departure of Dalia Blass, the director of the SEC’s division of investment management. Blass was the author of a 2018 letter within the SEC expressing concerns the bitcoin market was not large enough or liquid enough to be ready for an exchange-traded product. CORRECTION (Jan. 23, 18:03 UTC: Changes to note that Valkyrie Investments is based in Dallas, not Valkyrie Digital Assets. Related Stories Valkyrie Digital Assets Files for Bitcoin ETF Valkyrie Digital Assets Files for Bitcoin ETF || First Mover: Horrible 2020 Economy Proved Best Thing for Bitcoin: Bitcoin was lower on Monday, holding just above $19,000 after rallying about $1,000 over the weekend. “There is an element of fatigue, with the market unable to drum up the momentum needed to spur us to new highs,” Matt Blom, head of sales and trading for the cryptocurrency firm Diginex, told clients in an email. Intraditional markets, European shares rose the U.K. and European Union agreed to extend talks over a Brexit-related trade deal. U.S. stock futures pointed to a higher open as lawmakers in Washington continued negotiating a new stimulus stimulus package. Related:Bitcoin May Have Hit Wall of Profit Takers Around $19,500: Analyst For so many reasons, 2020 will go down in history books. For many of those same reasons, it could go down in economics textbooks. This year saw the biggest drop-off in economic activity since the Great Depression, the biggest money-printing episode in the Federal Reserve’s 107-year history, an epochal shift toward remote working, negative prices for crude-oil futures and the first real signs the global financial system might be migrating toward fast-growing markets for cryptocurrencies and digital assets. Bitcoinwas invented just 11 years ago as the first and original cryptocurrency, intended for use in an electronic peer-to-peer payment system that wouldn’t be controlled by any person, business or government. At the start of the year, bitcoin was still considered a fringe investment, disparaged by the likes of the billionaire investor Warren Buffett as having “no value.” By the end of the year, bitcoin had pushed to the center of conversations among big investors and Wall Street firms – cast by proponents as a hedge against the potential currency debasement that might come from trillions of dollars of coronavirus-related stimulus money emanating from central banks and governments around the world. Others saw growing mainstream acceptance of the cryptocurrency and its underlying blockchain network as validation of a landmark technology that might forever change finance. Related:Market Wrap: Bitcoin Pushes Past $19.2K; Ether at 3% of BTC Price Whatever the case, the bitcoin market in 2020 offered as good a prism as any through which to view the year’s monumental economic developments – and the responses to the crisis from national authorities and monetary policymakers. Over the course of the next several days, First Mover will provide a recap of how the bitcoin market evolved over the course of the year, with prices for the cryptocurrency nearly tripling, attracting bullish commentary from big traditional-finance players including JPMorgan Chase,BlackRock, AllianceBernstein, Morgan Stanley and Tudor Investment. That story might really represent another way of recounting the broader narrative in which low interest rates and the dollar’s reign as the global reserve currency allowed the U.S. government and its corporations to amass a heavy debt load in the years before the coronavirus hit. Once it did, the response was to invoke what one leading economist described as the “war machine” – the Federal Reserve financing U.S. government emergency-relief packages costing trillions of dollars. Eventually, markets from stocks to bonds became hooked on the expectation that stimulus would be provided in amounts needed to keep investors from suffering losses deep enough to impair confidence and derail the economic recovery. All the while China pushed forward with its plan to roll out a digital version of its yuan, raising the specter that a virtual currency from the world’s second-biggest economy might eventually challenge the U.S. dollar’s dominance in payments for global trade. In the U.S. and elsewhere, billions of dollars of venture capital and trader money flowed into an array of obscure digital tokens on blockchain-based, semi-autonomous trading and lending systems – collectively known as “decentralized finance,” or DeFi; the fast-paced growth suggested that digital-asset markets might represent a haven of innovation in an otherwise stagnant global banking system. Whether due to causation or correlation or merely wishful thinking, the bitcoin market, long viewed as a hotbed of volatility and unfettered speculation, suddenly seemed to rise with nearly every new twist. Coming Tuesday:Even before the coronavirus hit, bitcoin traders and mainstream economists alike were growing increasingly concerned about the slowing U.S. economy, rapid growth in corporate debt and whether the dollar faced growing threats to its global monetary hegemony. – Bradley Keoun Bitcoin’s revived uptrend could soon lead to a much-anticipated breakout above the $20,000 mark. “We have witnessed a large move up over the weekend, with MicroStrategy’s efforts to increase bitcoin holdings from several large players bringing with it fresh optimism,” Matthew Dibb, chief operations officer of Stack Funds, told CoinDesk. “Our belief is that we will see a breach of $20,000 in the coming weeks.” On Friday, business-intelligence firmMicroStrategy raised$650 million through a convertible senior note sale to fund bitcoin purchases; the deal was upsized from $550 million. Since then, the cryptocurrency has rallied by over $1,000 and was last seen trading near $19,100, according toCoinDesk 20data. The cryptocurrency nearly doubled from $10,000 to a new record high of $19,920 in the 12 weeks to Dec. 1, before falling to $17,700 last week amid a bout of profit taking. Pullbacks are a normal element of bull markets and often recharge the engines for a bigger ascent. Kenetic Capital’s CEO Jehan Chu also foresees bitcoin marching onward with “two steps forward, one step back” price action. The breakout, however, may remain elusive until the new year, as some investors are still looking to sell around record highs. “The topside is still kept with lots of selling orders, possibly from miners,” Patrick Heusser, head of trading at Zurich-based Crypto Broker AG, told CoinDesk over Twitter. – Omkar Godbole Read More:Bitcoin Still on Track to Breach $20K in Coming Weeks Fidelity’s Abigail Johnson says cryptocurrency industry is moving so quickly that “trying to keep up with it is very hard” (CryptoSlate) Bitcoin is a “fascinating representation of animal spirits and speculation,” DoubleLine’s Jeff Gundlach says (Business Insider) An additional $600B of bitcoin demand could materialize if pension funds and insurance companies in the U.S., euro area, U.K. and Japan allocate 1% of portfolios to the asset, compared with the cryptocurrency’s current market capitalization of about $350B, JPMorgan analysts write in new report (Bloomberg) Wall Street heavyweights moving into bitcoin are the enemy to many who hail from the cryptocurrency’s cypherpunk roots, CoinDesk’s Michael Casey writes in Money Reimagined newsletter (CoinDesk) China aims for gradual consumer adoption of digital yuan, former central bank governor Zhao says (South China Morning Post) 19-year-old Ukrainian lawmaker discloses ownership of $24.5M of cryptocurrency monero (CoinDesk) Sygnum, a digital-asset firm with a Swiss banking license, claims to be first bank in world to tokenize its own shares (CoinDesk) Aegis Custody clears hurdle in bid for South Dakota trust charter (CoinDesk) CEO of DeFi insurer Nexus Mutual hacked for $8M in NXM tokens (CoinDesk) Bitcoin exchanges flood London’s Metro with ads (CoinDesk) Morgan Stanley says there’s a chance a no-deal Brexit could prompt Bank of England to cut benchmark interest rates below zero (Reuters) Remote-working shift loosens Silicon Valley’s tight grip on tech industry (WSJ), and Google opens door to “flexible workweek” (NYT) Shandong Ruyi Technology Group, once considered the “LVMH of China,” cancels bondholder meeting over possible debt-maturity extension as coronavirus exacerbates “liquidity pressure” and interest payment looms this week (Nikkei Asia Review) Suspected Russian hackers are believed to have broken into the U.S. Treasury and Commerce departments and have been monitoring internal email traffic (Reuters) • First Mover: Horrible 2020 Economy Proved Best Thing for Bitcoin • First Mover: Horrible 2020 Economy Proved Best Thing for Bitcoin || Over $41,000: Bitcoin Continues to Forge New Highs: Another day, another record high for bitcoin’s price. The top cryptocurrency printed a new peak price of $41,478 [updated 11:28 UTC] Friday, surpassing the lifetime high of $40,123 reached on Thursday, according to CoinDesk 20 data. Year-to-date gains are now over 40%. Bitcoin ‘s price has more than doubled in less than a month in a move typical to bull market euphoria. Related: Think How Well Bitcoin Would Be Doing if You Could Actually Buy It “Fundamentals have gone out the window and irrational exuberance may accelerate bitcoin past the $50K level ahead of the second quarter schedule,” Jehan Chu, managing partner at Hong Kong-based crypto investment firm Kenetic Capital, told CoinDesk. Also read: Bitcoin Goes Institutional, Ethereum Spreads Its Wings: CoinDesk Q4 2020 Review The price rally is backed by an uptick in the on-chain activity and increased accumulation by large investors. For instance, the number of active addresses has surged to a record high of 1,343,925, surpassing the previous peak seen in December 2017, according to data provider Glassnode. Bitcoin’s “rich list” or the number of addresses holding at least 1,000 bitcoin has rebounded from the late-December dip to set a new lifetime high of 2,334. Related Stories Over $41,000: Bitcoin Continues to Forge New Highs Over $41,000: Bitcoin Continues to Forge New Highs Over $41,000: Bitcoin Continues to Forge New Highs || Ethereum 2021: ETH Rises 800%, and More Gains Are Coming: Are you familiar with “middle-child syndrome” ? Then you’ll know how ethereum (CCC: ETH ) has felt all these years. Since January 2020, ETH has trounced bitcoin (CCC: BTC ) with a nearly 750% return. Yet, the world’s #2 cryptocurrency received less attention than its big brother BTC or problem-child XRP (CCC: XRP ). A stack of ether or ethereum coins on a gold background. Source: Shutterstock But don’t be fooled. Ethereum looks set to break out in 2021. As its technological advantages gain steam, Ethereum investors could see $1,500 in the near term and $2,500 sometime by the end of 2021. But strap on your seatbelt and hold on tight; it’s going to be a wild ride. Summary: InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Ethereum sits on a superior technology. ETH has greater room to grow. Volatility will remain high. Ethereum 2021: Better than Bitcoin The future of ethereum wasn’t always so bright. In June 2016, the infamous DAO Hack sent $55 million of ether into hacker’s hands. And a rash of bitcoin clones like bitcoin cash and dogecoin made ethereum look like yet another shiny bauble in a massive cryptocurrency soup. Ethereum 2021 Price Graph Source: Data courtesy of Yahoo Finance But ethereum quickly recovered. To handle the DAO Hack, the ethereum community decided to effectively roll back its blockchain to undo the damage. It regained its #2 position by 2018. 10 of 2020's Most Fascinating SPAC Stocks Ethereum holds several technological advantages over its older bitcoin and altcoin siblings. Firstly, the cryptocurrency acts more like a contract than a coin. That makes it more like Alphabet’s (NASDAQ: GOOG , NASDAQ: GOOGL ) Google Wallet or Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL ) Apple Pay, rather than a $100 bill. For instance, an e-commerce buyer might hold ETH in an escrow that automatically releases payment on receipt of goods. Bitcoin, on the other hand, offers no such mechanism. Secondly, ethereum solves the thorny problem of speed. While bitcoin takes about 15 minutes to complete a transaction, ETH will do the same in under 15 seconds . Finally, it has a theoretically unlimited supply, unlike bitcoin’s 21-million-coin cap. That means ETH won’t run into a mining “wall” and run out of coins to reward miners. Up, Up and Away That makes ethereum one of my favorite cryptocurrency plays of 2021. With a $132.5 billion market capitalization, the cryptocurrency is still only one-fifth the size of bitcoin. And as adoption spreads on PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL ) and other payment processors, the forgotten middle child could quickly catch up to its older brother. But just like bitcoin, there’s a wrinkle to the ethereum story. Unlike gold or bonds, ethereum is NOT a safe-haven asset. Instead, it’s a “risk-on” asset that tends to rise when times are good and fall otherwise. Story continues The data backs this up. The correlation between ethereum and the S&P 500 now sits at 64%, meaning that stocks explain almost two-thirds of ethereum’s monthly returns. Not convinced? Consider March 2020, the month the stock market fell out of bed. As the stock market tumbled 30% on coronavirus fears, cryptocurrencies provided no cushion. In a matter of weeks, bitcoin, ethereum and other cryptocurrencies lost over half of their value. (The same pattern happened during the December 2018 market wobble.) But there is a silver lining: Ethereum also tends to magnify stock market gains. With more fiscal stimulus on the way , that also means higher stock valuations. Cryptocurrencies will naturally follow. How High Can Ethereum Go? Make no mistake: Ethereum is as volatile as a moody teenager. $10,000 invested in January 2018 would have melted to $830 in a year. But the same $10,000 invested in January 2020 would have rocketed to $85,000. Without an underlying hard asset, ethereum’s value has no basis in the real world. That makes the cryptocurrency’s valuation more of a popularity contest than a technical exercise, at least in the short term. The cryptocurrency could easily double to $2,500 in 2021 if more users keep jumping on board. But it could also crash to $500 if a major hack shakes investor confidence. (More likely, a 25% loss would cause investors to panic-sell, sparking a self-fulfilling downward cycle.) Ethereum prices also tend to reverse course in the near term. Since 2015, ethereum returns have doubled-back almost 60% of the time, when a winning month gets followed by a losing one and vice versa. Even in its 2018 peak, the coin never notched more than two consecutive months of gains. Don’t Miss the Forest for the Trees However, like a maturing middle-child, ethereum is starting to find its footing. Since April, Ethereum has only notched one losing month. And despite its huge 2020 run, the cryptocurrency still trades 16% below its all-time peak in 2018. (Bitcoin, meanwhile, is up about 110%.) Plenty of troubled middle-children eventually became stars. Warren Buffett and Bill Gates both overcame early stumbles. And ethereum, with its superior architecture, could one day become a staple of payments processing. Its ability to complete transactions within seconds (versus bitcoin’s minutes) makes it a viable alternative to Visa (NYSE: V ) and other online payment processors. In short, don’t miss this boat. If the broader cryptocurrency market has a good 2021, you can be sure ethereum will have an even better one. On the date of publication, Tom Yeung did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. Tom Yeung, CFA, is a registered investment advisor on a mission to bring simplicity to the world of investing. More From InvestorPlace Why Everyone Is Investing in 5G All WRONG Top Stock Picker Reveals His Next 1,000% Winner Radical New Battery Could Dismantle Oil Markets The post Ethereum 2021: ETH Rises 800%, and More Gains Are Coming appeared first on InvestorPlace . View comments || Bitcoin Tops $24K, Setting New All-Time High: Bitcoin cut through $24,000 Saturday afternoon, setting a new record high as the leading cryptocurrency’s ongoing rally continues through the weekend before Christmas. • The price of bitcoin continued its recent torrid run, setting a new all-time high of $24,122.67 before falling back to $23,978.86, up 5.49% on the day. • The record price comes two days afterbitcoinfirst sliced through the $23,000 price point amid its more than 12% intraday gains. • With the latest price increase, bitcoin’s year-to-date percentage gains have grown to over 225%. • Social media is lighting up with bitcoin-related chatter as mainstream audiences pay increasing attention to bitcoin’s sustained rally. Tweets about bitcoin neared three-year highs Thursday,per CoinDesk’s prior reporting, as record prices attract increasing attention. • Coinciding with the weekend price jump, Christopher Wood, global head of equity strategy at investment firm Jefferies, isreportedlyplanning to cut his exposure to gold for the first time in years in favor of a first-time-ever position in bitcoin. Wood is set to cut his gold position from 50% to 45% and initiate a 5% bitcoin holding. Read more:Over $20K? Why Is Bitcoin Worth Anything at All? • Bitcoin Tops $24K, Setting New All-Time High • Bitcoin Tops $24K, Setting New All-Time High • Bitcoin Tops $24K, Setting New All-Time High • Bitcoin Tops $24K, Setting New All-Time High || India’s Largest Crypto Exchange Launches User-Friendly App, Eyes 50M New Users: India’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, CoinDCX, has launched a new app aimed at making it easy to buy and sell bitcoin and other top digital assets in a bid to capture 50 million new users. According to a press release on Tuesday, the exchange’s app offering, CoinDCX Go, provides newcomers to the cryptocurrency space a “quick check-in check-out trading experience.” The app is said to be backed by artificial intelligence-based anti-money laundering algorithms, while users’ funds are secured and insured by global custodian BitGo, a company spokesperson told CoinDesk via email. Related:Livecoin Exchange Announces Closure After December Hack CoinDCX Go allows users to trade smaller denominations on 14 of the industry’s leading assets includingbitcoin,ether,bitcoin cash,litecoinand binance coin. “The focus is to make users see merits in the industry by attention to details,” said CoinDCX CEO Sumit Gupta. Support on technical issues will be provided “around the clock,” Gupta added. The exchange created CoinDCX Go after a joint survey found almost 60% of Indians said cryptocurrency investing is “extremely challenging.” See also:India’s Leading Bitcoin Exchange Raises $13.9M From Block.One, Coinbase Ventures Related:MahaDAO’s Algorithmic ‘Valuecoin’ Goes Live on Ethereum To date, India’s population exceeds 1.3 billion, with a fraction of that – around 0.5% – having invested in cryptocurrency, CoinDCX said. As part of the response to the survey’s findings, the novice-friendly trading app features a user interface that aims to induct a “new breed of first-time users.” The app does not currently charge fees on deposit and withdrawals. • India’s Largest Crypto Exchange Launches User-Friendly App, Eyes 50M New Users • India’s Largest Crypto Exchange Launches User-Friendly App, Eyes 50M New Users || Mt. Gox Creditors Can Claim 90% of Bitcoin Left in Bankruptcy: Bloomberg: Creditors of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange Mt. Gox will be presented with the option to claim up to 90% of the exchange’s remaining bitcoin, according to Bloomberg. The deal between Mt. Gox’s bankruptcy trustee and MGIFLP, a unit of Fortress Investment Group, will be presented to creditors for a simple up or down vote, Bloomberg reported. Investors aren’t obligated to take the early payment and can wait for the lawsuits against the former exchange to settle, according to CoinLab, which announced the deal but is not involved in the settlement. CoinLab said it will continue its litigation. Japan-based Mt. Gox was a major early bitcoin exchange that filed for bankruptcy in 2014 after admitting it had lost 850,000 in bitcoins, 750,000 of which belonged to its customers. Creditors have been fighting for some form of reimbursement through seven years of legal standoffs. It was not clear at press time how many bitcoins are left for creditors to claim. Should a significant portion of those lost bitcoin come on the market, it could have a significant effect on the supply of the leading cryptocurrency and its price. Related Stories Mt. Gox Creditors Can Claim 90% of Bitcoin Left in Bankruptcy: Bloomberg Mt. Gox Creditors Can Claim 90% of Bitcoin Left in Bankruptcy: Bloomberg Mt. Gox Creditors Can Claim 90% of Bitcoin Left in Bankruptcy: Bloomberg Mt. Gox Creditors Can Claim 90% of Bitcoin Left in Bankruptcy: Bloomberg [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: up || Prices: 38144.31, 39266.01, 38903.44, 46196.46, 46481.11, 44918.18, 47909.33, 47504.85, 47105.52, 48717.29
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] RBA’s Lowe Calls for Patience as Commodity Prices Surge: The Australian Dollar is trading higher early Wednesday, encouraged by a slight increase in demand for riskier assets. The Aussie is being supported despite somewhat dovish comments from a Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) official and a report showing a weak economic outlook. At 09:20 GMT, the AUD/USD is trading .7315, up 0.0043 or +0.59%. The Invesco CurrencyShares Australian Dollar Trust ETF (FXA) settled at $72.12, down $0.48 or -0.66%. Australia Central Bank Sees Risks from Ukraine, Still Patient on Rates Australian’s central bank head warned on Wednesday that the war in Ukraine was a new inflationary shock to the world economy but Australia still had time to assess the impact before likely raising interest rates later in the year, Reuters reported. In a speech on the economy, Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Governor Philip Lowe said the conflict was a major downside risk to the global economy, with the major impact coming through higher commodity prices and inflation. The RBA would be watching to see if that in turn fed through to rising wage claims, although evidence so far suggested Australians were still getting pay rises under 3%. He noted underlying inflation in Australia had been running at 2.6% in the December quarter. This was well below levels seen in the United States and Britain, and well within the RBA’s target band of 2-3%. Despite calls for a possible spike in inflation, Lowe argued for patience. “The recent lift in inflation has brought us closer to the point where inflation is sustainably in the target range. But we are not yet at that point,” he said. “We can be patient in a way that countries with substantially higher rates of inflation cannot,” he added. “Given the outlook, though, it is plausible that the cash rate will be increased later this year.” Lowe also said there could be a risk in waiting too long on rates should inflation expectations become unanchored, but there were also risks in going too early. Story continues Australian Consumers Turn Glum on Inflation, Floods A measure of Australian consumer sentiment fell for a fourth straight month in March as rising inflation, the impact of floods and the conflict in Ukraine all darkened the economic outlook, according to Reuters. The Westpac-Melbourne Institute index of consumer sentiment released on Wednesday slid 4.2% from February, when it fell 1.3%. The index was down 13.6% from March last year at 96.6, and the lowest since September 2020. Daily Forecast Wednesday’s price action suggests investors are taking the potentially negative news in stride as the main focus remains on the strength of commodities prices. Essentially, the news comes as no surprise especially the Westpac report. The war in Ukraine, domestic floods, and ongoing concerns over inflation and higher interest rates could be denting consumer confidence, but traders are being driven by the opportunity derived from higher commodity prices. For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out our economic calendar . This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Gold Bulls Consolidating Before Making Run at Record High British Pound Trying to Recover Could CBDCs, Crypto, Mining or the Digital RMB Save Russia from Sanctions? Bitcoin, Terra, Monero Lead the $148 Billion Crypto Market Rally RBA’s Lowe Calls for Patience as Commodity Prices Surge Australian Dollar Bounces || Paxful starts BTC training in El Salvador to encourage mass adoption: Peer-to-peer platform Paxful has announced the launch of ‘La Casa Del Bitcoin’, an educational and training centre in El Salvador providing free learning about Bitcoin trading. The centre will also be home to the Built With Bitcoin Foundation offices, hosting events and meet-ups, built to grow awareness around the benefits of buying and selling Bitcoin as a means of exchange for the Latin America (LATAM) community. Coin Rivet spoke with Will Hernandez, director of LATAM Growth at Paxful who stressed last year showed 300% growth in the number of users in El Salvador. “What we’re witnessing is a moment of transformation in El Salvador where peer-to-peer platforms are driving adoption in emerging markets and as a people-powered platform, we understand that education is crucial to the next wave of adoption,” Hernandez said. He added the centre would “provide education, accessibility and opportunity to a population that has been ignored by traditional finance, and demonstrate the real world benefits of Bitcoin to emerging markets.” Hernandez also mentioned the biggest hurdle to Bitcoin mass adoption in emerging markets like El Salvador was education. “Paxful believes in giving every individual the opportunity for financial freedom so, La Casa Del Bitcoin is our effort towards closing this education gap and educating the community about Bitcoin and its many use cases,” he added. He explained the centre was free and open to all who want to learn about Bitcoin and the benefits of using it as a means of exchange. “Whether you are a new Bitcoin user or a business merchant; the centre will offer classes to cater to your needs,” he elaborated. Classes will be taught in Spanish across three different levels of learning: basic, intermediate and advanced, and Hernandez announced Paxful plans to invite guest speakers to conduct workshops so that the students get theoretical and practical knowledge. The centre is, however, not backed by the government but Hernandez emphasised that Paxful itself “supports any solution or initiative that prioritises financial freedom and the success of Bitcoin in El Salvador”. Story continues The government of El Salvador recently said it wants to give approximately $10m in crypto loans to small and medium-sized companies. Hernandez added Paxful supports any initiative that aims to provide solutions for financial obstacles. “It all comes down to education that is crucial and we each have our part to play in strengthening the Bitcoin economy and reaching global adoption,” he said, adding that Paxful stood committed to the success of Bitcoin in El Salvador. Even though some big players such as Moody’s recently called trading Bitcoin risky, especially for El Salvador – “a small country struggling with big liquidity problems” – Hernandez said he understood how the price of Bitcoin could fluctuate but stressed “it’s important that we don’t miss the bigger picture”. “Bitcoin offers a path toward financial stability and freedom, enabling financial freedom every day for millions of people around the world,” he explained. “The days of seeing Bitcoin as a purely speculative asset are numbered. “Countries like El Salvador are paving the way in adopting Bitcoin as a legal tender, and we can expect other countries to begin to see the value of Bitcoin to the future of finance.” The opening of the centre comes just five months after El Salvador became the first country to adopt Bitcoin as a legal tender. Classes and training will be available starting February 3, 2022. || State Of Michigan Retirement System Buys AT&T Inc, Live Nation Entertainment Inc, Generac ...: Investment companyState Of Michigan Retirement System(Current Portfolio) buys AT&T Inc, Live Nation Entertainment Inc, Generac Holdings Inc, Endava PLC, Ecolab Inc, sells BTC iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF, BTC iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF, UGI Corp, iShares iBoxx USD Investment Grade Corporate Bond , Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Inc during the 3-months ended 2021Q4, according to the most recent filings of the investment company, State Of Michigan Retirement System. As of 2021Q4, State Of Michigan Retirement System owns 975 stocks with a total value of $19.1 billion. These are the details of the buys and sells. • New Purchases:WNS, LDI, HEI, BX, SLP, WOLF, AFRM, SITM, DKNG, AA, VOYA, SNOW, OPEN, POWI, COIN, KRG, M, BRKR, DASH, FIGS, UHAL, KD, CLVT, VICI, ST, AGNC, VMW, VICR, NVAX, LBTYA, ERIE, • Added Positions:T, BMY, LYV, FB, AGG, GNRC, DAVA, ECL, MA, AXP, GILD, GOOGL, INTC, MSFT, CSCO, COST, EW, MSCI, AVGO, AMZN, APH, FDS, IDXX, ICE, ISRG, FAST, INTU, JNJ, MU, NKE, TSM, AMRS, GM, ACN, AMAT, CPRT, LLY, F, IBM, ODFL, PFE, USB, MELI, FTNT, ICLR, IQV, GLOB, BLK, CVS, CTRA, FIS, DHI, EL, LIN, QCOM, O, SLB, CELH, ABBV, BABA, MRNA, PLD, AMD, ALGN, LNT, ALL, MO, AMGN, ATO, ADP, BBY, CBRE, VIAC, CNC, CI, CTAS, C, CTSH, GLW, EOG, FDX, FISV, GPN, GS, MNST, HSY, HPQ, ITW, ILMN, KR, LRCX, LEN, LMT, NUE, ON, PXD, PGR, PSA, PHM, RRX, REGN, POOL, SIVB, SHW, SWKS, TROW, TGT, TXN, TSN, RTX, UNH, WBA, ANTM, WDC, LBTYK, TEL, LULU, ULTA, NXPI, KMI, KEYS, ETSY, KHC, HPE, UBER, IJH, AOS, ALE, ABMD, ATVI, RAMP, AFL, ARE, Y, AMED, ACC, AEO, AFG, AIG, AMKR, IVZ, NLY, AIRC, ATR, WTRG, ARW, ARWR, ADSK, AVB, AVY, CADE, CADE, BOH, BK, BDC, OPCH, BKH, BWA, BYD, AZTA, BF.B, CHRW, CBT, CDNS, ELY, CPT, COF, CSL, CASY, CE, CNP, LUMN, CHH, CHD, CHDN, CIEN, CLF, CGNX, NNN, CAG, ED, COO, OFC, CUZ, CR, CMI, DVA, DVN, DISCA, DRE, EWBC, EGP, EMN, DISH, EIX, EA, EPR, EQT, EQR, ESS, RE, EXEL, EXC, EXPD, FFIV, FCN, FICO, FNF, FITB, PACW, FFIN, FR, FLS, FLR, FL, BEN, GATX, TGNA, GRMN, IT, GD, GBCI, GT, GGG, HAIN, THG, HOG, LHX, HIG, HE, WELL, HR, EHC, HSIC, MLKN, HXL, HIW, HFC, MTCH, IIVI, IDA, IART, IBOC, IFF, IP, IRM, SJM, JKHY, JBLU, JCI, JNPR, KLAC, KRC, KEX, KNX, LHCG, LKQ, LAMR, LANC, LSCC, LNC, LAD, LFUS, MDU, MAC, MAN, MKTX, MLM, MTZ, MAT, MMS, MPW, MRCY, MCY, MET, MCHP, MAA, MIDD, MSA, MHK, MOH, TAP, MPWR, MUR, VTRS, NCR, NRG, NVR, NOV, NEOG, NTAP, NBIX, NJR, NYCB, NYT, NWL, NDSN, JWN, NOC, NWE, OGE, ORI, OMC, OSK, PCAR, PCG, PNM, PPG, PPL, PSB, PDCO, PAYX, PENN, PKI, PRGO, PNFP, PII, AVNT, PCH, PFG, STL, PRU, PWR, DGX, QDEL, RPM, RYN, REG, RF, RGEN, RHI, WRK, ROK, ROL, RGLD, R, SAIA, SEIC, SAFM, SGMS, STX, XPO, SIGI, SBNY, SLGN, SKX, SNA, SON, SWX, LSI, STAA, SWK, STLD, SYNA, TTWO, AXON, TECH, THC, TER, TEX, TTEK, TCBI, TXRH, TXT, THO, TSCO, ACIW, TREX, UBSI, UDR, URI, X, KMPR, UHS, UNM, URBN, VLY, VMI, VTR, VSAT, VSH, GWW, WAB, WSO, WST, EVRG, WY, WHR, WEX, XRX, XLNX, L, TNL, WU, LDOS, DEI, OC, FSLR, IBKR, ACM, JAZZ, G, MASI, APPS, IRDM, CFX, DISCK, LEA, PEB, CIT, SSNC, PRI, SIX, HPP, LYB, SBRA, TRGP, FRC, VC, HII, MOS, MPC, ACHC, TRIP, FIVE, GMED, SRC, QLYS, FANG, RH, CONE, COTY, CDW, DOC, REXR, FOXF, BRX, TNDM, ALLE, ALLY, OGS, PCTY, PAYC, HQY, CFG, SYNH, STOR, QRVO, NSA, WING, UNVR, ENR, RUN, PEN, PFGC, MIME, UA, NGVT, MEDP, VVV, ADNT, LW, PK, AM, SAIL, NVT, CDAY, CHX, EQH, YETI, DELL, FOXA, FOX, IAA, NVST, CRNC, PGNY, VNT, CNXC, GXO, XLV, • Reduced Positions:QUAL, VLUE, UGI, LQD, SPY, ETRN, V, PYPL, SNAP, A, APD, WFC, SQ, SYK, ADBE, BRK.B, EPAM, AMP, AON, EBAY, MRK, WMT, BAC, BKR, VRTX, WAFD, LOPE, WTW, UNP, GL, WOR, ZION, CROX, PRG, RMD, DFS, RGA, DG, CHTR, FLT, HCA, FBHS, TPH, ZTS, NAVI, SYF, CDK, VSCO, LITE, SUMO, BHF, CRI, DPZ, DLTR, CW, STZ, CNX, CNO, COP, CMA, CLX, CAR, DY, CCMP, CSX, BLDR, SAM, AZO, AN, AIZ, APA, AAP, AYI, MTG, SEE, SLM, SLG, CB, ORCL, OHI, ORLY, NSC, MS, MGM, TRV, LOW, LPX, KSS, KEY, KBH, HBAN, FMC, ETN, EXP, • Sold Out:ARI, EFC, GPMT, SPNT, TCPC, UPST, XLF, SPH, KSU, EWT, PATH, Z, CRSP, AMPL, AVTR, WRBY, HRC, DBX, CRWD, COR, ABNB, ONEM, NKTR, CCSI, SLVM, NTCT, TDS, PUBM, EBS, VEEV, TREE, KAR, • Warning! GuruFocus has detected 6 Warning Signs with T. Click here to check it out. • T 15-Year Financial Data • The intrinsic value of T • Peter Lynch Chart of T For the details of STATE OF MICHIGAN RETIREMENT SYSTEM's stock buys and sells,go tohttps://www.gurufocus.com/guru/state+of+michigan+retirement+system/current-portfolio/portfolio These are the top 5 holdings of STATE OF MICHIGAN RETIREMENT SYSTEM 1. S&P 500 ETF TRUST ETF (SPY) - 4,571,540 shares, 11.38% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 2.97% 2. Apple Inc (AAPL) - 4,797,394 shares, 4.47% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 0.95% 3. Microsoft Corp (MSFT) - 2,532,645 shares, 4.46% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 1.65% 4. AT&T Inc (T) - 23,359,529 shares, 3.01% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 114.79% 5. Amazon.com Inc (AMZN) - 142,627 shares, 2.49% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 1.93% New Purchase: WNS (Holdings) Ltd (WNS) State Of Michigan Retirement System initiated holding in WNS (Holdings) Ltd. The purchase prices were between $80.31 and $90.24, with an estimated average price of $85.98. The stock is now traded at around $81.900000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.07%. The holding were 143,000 shares as of 2021-12-31. New Purchase: Simulations Plus Inc (SLP) State Of Michigan Retirement System initiated holding in Simulations Plus Inc. The purchase prices were between $37.1 and $57.45, with an estimated average price of $47.41. The stock is now traded at around $38.910000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.03%. The holding were 118,200 shares as of 2021-12-31. New Purchase: Heico Corp (HEI) State Of Michigan Retirement System initiated holding in Heico Corp. The purchase prices were between $133.37 and $149.8, with an estimated average price of $141.14. The stock is now traded at around $135.210000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.03%. The holding were 40,000 shares as of 2021-12-31. New Purchase: Blackstone Inc (BX) State Of Michigan Retirement System initiated holding in Blackstone Inc. The purchase prices were between $110.95 and $148.88, with an estimated average price of $133.86. The stock is now traded at around $119.040000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.03%. The holding were 47,100 shares as of 2021-12-31. New Purchase: loanDepot Inc (LDI) State Of Michigan Retirement System initiated holding in loanDepot Inc. The purchase prices were between $4.3 and $8, with an estimated average price of $5.82. The stock is now traded at around $4.540000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.03%. The holding were 1,079,586 shares as of 2021-12-31. New Purchase: Affirm Holdings Inc (AFRM) State Of Michigan Retirement System initiated holding in Affirm Holdings Inc. The purchase prices were between $97.37 and $168.52, with an estimated average price of $131.88. The stock is now traded at around $51.010000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.02%. The holding were 44,036 shares as of 2021-12-31. Added: AT&T Inc (T) State Of Michigan Retirement System added to a holding in AT&T Inc by 114.79%. The purchase prices were between $22.17 and $27.35, with an estimated average price of $24.71. The stock is now traded at around $24.120000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 1.61%. The holding were 23,359,529 shares as of 2021-12-31. Added: Live Nation Entertainment Inc (LYV) State Of Michigan Retirement System added to a holding in Live Nation Entertainment Inc by 757.39%. The purchase prices were between $97.97 and $123.8, with an estimated average price of $108.15. The stock is now traded at around $101.640000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.16%. The holding were 284,027 shares as of 2021-12-31. Added: Generac Holdings Inc (GNRC) State Of Michigan Retirement System added to a holding in Generac Holdings Inc by 425.95%. The purchase prices were between $341.3 and $505.8, with an estimated average price of $414.31. The stock is now traded at around $256.990000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.12%. The holding were 83,100 shares as of 2021-12-31. Added: Endava PLC (DAVA) State Of Michigan Retirement System added to a holding in Endava PLC by 90.19%. The purchase prices were between $138.07 and $170.13, with an estimated average price of $155.23. The stock is now traded at around $110.000000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.11%. The holding were 255,800 shares as of 2021-12-31. Added: Ecolab Inc (ECL) State Of Michigan Retirement System added to a holding in Ecolab Inc by 127.85%. The purchase prices were between $212.13 and $235.67, with an estimated average price of $226.33. The stock is now traded at around $183.520000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.1%. The holding were 142,395 shares as of 2021-12-31. Added: Intel Corp (INTC) State Of Michigan Retirement System added to a holding in Intel Corp by 23.44%. The purchase prices were between $47.89 and $56, with an estimated average price of $51.07. The stock is now traded at around $48.050000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.07%. The holding were 1,450,673 shares as of 2021-12-31. Sold Out: Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Inc (ARI) State Of Michigan Retirement System sold out a holding in Apollo Commercial Real Estate Finance Inc. The sale prices were between $12.65 and $15.64, with an estimated average price of $14.41. Sold Out: Ellington Financial Inc (EFC) State Of Michigan Retirement System sold out a holding in Ellington Financial Inc. The sale prices were between $15.89 and $18.88, with an estimated average price of $17.74. Sold Out: Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc (GPMT) State Of Michigan Retirement System sold out a holding in Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. The sale prices were between $11.41 and $13.84, with an estimated average price of $12.78. Sold Out: SiriusPoint Ltd (SPNT) State Of Michigan Retirement System sold out a holding in SiriusPoint Ltd. The sale prices were between $7.61 and $9.9, with an estimated average price of $8.78. Sold Out: BlackRock TCP Capital Corp (TCPC) State Of Michigan Retirement System sold out a holding in BlackRock TCP Capital Corp. The sale prices were between $13.18 and $14.36, with an estimated average price of $13.87. Sold Out: Upstart Holdings Inc (UPST) State Of Michigan Retirement System sold out a holding in Upstart Holdings Inc. The sale prices were between $131.5 and $390, with an estimated average price of $246.83. Reduced: BTC iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL) State Of Michigan Retirement System reduced to a holding in BTC iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF by 88.43%. The sale prices were between $130.52 and $146.3, with an estimated average price of $141.15. The stock is now traded at around $129.320000. The impact to a portfolio due to this sale was -0.89%. State Of Michigan Retirement System still held 156,633 shares as of 2021-12-31. Reduced: BTC iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF (VLUE) State Of Michigan Retirement System reduced to a holding in BTC iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF by 84.04%. The sale prices were between $100.68 and $109.77, with an estimated average price of $104.7. The stock is now traded at around $104.480000. The impact to a portfolio due to this sale was -0.87%. State Of Michigan Retirement System still held 289,650 shares as of 2021-12-31. Reduced: UGI Corp (UGI) State Of Michigan Retirement System reduced to a holding in UGI Corp by 98.07%. The sale prices were between $41.25 and $45.91, with an estimated average price of $44.5. The stock is now traded at around $44.250000. The impact to a portfolio due to this sale was -0.75%. State Of Michigan Retirement System still held 60,050 shares as of 2021-12-31. Reduced: iShares iBoxx USD Investment Grade Corporate Bond (LQD) State Of Michigan Retirement System reduced to a holding in iShares iBoxx USD Investment Grade Corporate Bond by 26%. The sale prices were between $130.49 and $134.38, with an estimated average price of $132.44. The stock is now traded at around $127.560000. The impact to a portfolio due to this sale was -0.71%. State Of Michigan Retirement System still held 2,683,900 shares as of 2021-12-31. Reduced: Equitrans Midstream Corp (ETRN) State Of Michigan Retirement System reduced to a holding in Equitrans Midstream Corp by 87.24%. The sale prices were between $9.38 and $11.32, with an estimated average price of $10.37. The stock is now traded at around $8.070000. The impact to a portfolio due to this sale was -0.31%. State Of Michigan Retirement System still held 803,055 shares as of 2021-12-31. Here is the complete portfolio of STATE OF MICHIGAN RETIREMENT SYSTEM. Also check out:1. STATE OF MICHIGAN RETIREMENT SYSTEM's Undervalued Stocks2. STATE OF MICHIGAN RETIREMENT SYSTEM's Top Growth Companies, and3. STATE OF MICHIGAN RETIREMENT SYSTEM's High Yield stocks4. Stocks that STATE OF MICHIGAN RETIREMENT SYSTEM keeps buyingThis article first appeared onGuruFocus. || Bitfarms Expands Management Team to Support Growth: This news release constitutes a “designated news release” for the purposes of the Company’s prospectus supplement dated August 16, 2021 to its short form base shelf prospectus dated August 12, 2021. TORONTO and BROSSARD, Québec, Feb. 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --Bitfarms Ltd.(NASDAQ: BITF // TSXV: BITF), a global Bitcoin self-mining company, hired three executives for newly created positions to support its growth. “Bitfarms is driving dynamic and rapid expansion, which we expect to continue to occur both organically and through acquisitions. To support our growth, we have strengthened our management team,” said Geoff Morphy, President and COO of Bitfarms. “Philippe Fortier will help identify, evaluate, and orchestrate acquisitions and other projects as well as assist with capital markets activities. Andrea Keen Souza will advance our human resources and talent development, particularly for our international operations. Stephanie Wargo will drive our marketing, branding, and communications initiatives. We welcome these key contributors as we forge ahead in farm development and miner optimization to, ultimately, increase our bitcoin production and shareholder value.” Philippe Fortier, Vice President - Special ProjectsServing in various corporate finance and management roles, Fortier played an essential role in a variety of transactional and growth initiatives, both as a principal and advisor to private and listed organizations for over 10 years. Following five years as a senior auditor at Deloitte, he worked with Cendrex Industries, BDG & Partners, and National Bank Financial Markets. Fortier holds a BBA from HEC Montreal and a MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is a qualified CPA and is fluent in French, Spanish, and English. Andrea Keen Souza, Vice President – Human ResourcesSouza is a senior human resources professional with over two decades of international experience in high growth start-ups, scale-ups, and mergers and acquisitions. Most recently, she was People & Culture Leader at Telus Health Virtual Care. Previously, she worked with Bombardier Aerospace and an affiliate of General Electric in South America, among others. Souza holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Mount Allison University, an MBA from the University of São Paulo, and human resources professional certificates in Canada and the United States. Souza is fluent in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. Stephanie Wargo, Vice President - MarketingWargo brings 25 years experience and depth of knowledge working for rapidly growing financial services companies. Most recently, Wargo served six years as Vice President, Global Marketing for PrimeRevenue, where she managed content strategy, branding, advertising, media relations, among other responsibilities. Beginning her career with Wells Fargo in product management, she subsequently was Vice President, Marketing & Communications for BitPay and Vice President Client Relations & Marketing for FirstView Financial. She is a graduate of Agnes Scott College, Decator, GA. About Bitfarms Ltd. Founded in 2017, Bitfarms is a global Bitcoin self-mining company, running vertically integrated mining operations with onsite technical repair, proprietary data analytics and Company-owned electrical engineering and installation services to deliver high operational performance and uptime. Having demonstrated rapid growth and stellar operations, Bitfarms became the first Bitcoin mining company to complete its long form prospectus with the Ontario Securities Commission and started trading on the TSX-V in July 2019. On February 24, 2021, Bitfarms was honoured to be announced as a Rising Star by the TSX-V. On June 21, 2021, Bitfarms started trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Bitfarms has a diversified production platform with five industrial scale facilities located in Québec, one in Washington state, and one in Paraguay. Each facility is over 99% powered with environmentally friendly hydro power and secured with long-term power contracts. Bitfarms is currently the only publicly traded pure-play mining company audited by a Big Four accounting firm. To learn more about Bitfarms’ events, developments, and online communities: Website:www.bitfarms.com https://www.facebook.com/bitfarms/https://twitter.com/Bitfarms_iohttps://www.instagram.com/bitfarms/https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitfarms/ Cautionary Statement Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange), Nasdaq, or any other securities exchange or regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” (collectively, “forward-looking information”) that are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release and are covered by safe harbors under Canadian and United States securities laws. The information in this release regarding expectations in respect the Company’s expected growth, acquisitions and expansion plans, and about other future plans and objectives of the Company, are forward-looking information. Other forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, information concerning: the intentions, plans and future actions of the Company, as well as Bitfarms’ ability to successfully mine digital currency, revenue increasing as currently anticipated, the ability to profitably liquidate current and future digital currency inventory, volatility of network difficulty and digital currency prices and the potential resulting significant negative impact on the Company’s operations, the construction and operation of expanded blockchain infrastructure as currently planned, and the regulatory environment for cryptocurrency in the applicable jurisdictions. Any statements that involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as “expects”, or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, “plans”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “forecasts”, “estimates”, “believes” or “intends” or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results “may” or “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information and are intended to identify forward-looking information. This forward-looking information is based on assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time they were made, and involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, among others, risks relating to: the global economic climate; dilution; the Company’s limited operating history; future capital needs and uncertainty of additional financing, including the Company’s ability to utilize the Company’s at-the-market offering (the “ATM Program”) and the prices at which the Company may sell Common Shares in the ATM Program, as well as capital market conditions in general; risks relating to the strategy of maintaining and increasing Bitcoin holdings and the impact of depreciating Bitcoin prices on working capital; the competitive nature of the industry; currency exchange risks; the need for the Company to manage its planned growth and expansion; the effects of product development and need for continued technology change; protection of proprietary rights; the effect of government regulation and compliance on the Company and the industry; network security risks; the ability of the Company to maintain properly working systems; reliance on key personnel; global economic and financial market deterioration impeding access to capital or increasing the cost of capital; share dilution resulting from the ATM Program and from other equity issuances; and volatile securities markets impacting security pricing unrelated to operating performance. In addition, particular factors that could impact future results of the business of Bitfarms include, but are not limited to: the construction and operation of blockchain infrastructure may not occur as currently planned, or at all; expansion may not materialize as currently anticipated, or at all; the digital currency market; the ability to successfully mine digital currency; revenue may not increase as currently anticipated, or at all; it may not be possible to profitably liquidate the current digital currency inventory, or at all; a decline in digital currency prices may have a significant negative impact on operations; an increase in network difficulty may have a significant negative impact on operations; the volatility of digital currency prices; the anticipated growth and sustainability of hydroelectricity for the purposes of cryptocurrency mining in the applicable jurisdictions, the ability to complete current and future financings, any regulations or laws that will prevent Bitfarms from operating its business; historical prices of digital currencies and the ability to mine digital currencies that will be consistent with historical prices; an inability to predict and counteract the effects of COVID-19 on the business of the Company, including but not limited to the effects of COVID-19 on the price of digital currencies, capital market conditions, restriction on labour and international travel and supply chains; and, the adoption or expansion of any regulation or law that will prevent Bitfarms from operating its business, or make it more costly to do so. For further information concerning these and other risks and uncertainties, refer to the Company’s filings onwww.SEDAR.com(which are also available on the website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission atwww.sec.gov), including the annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed on April 7, 2021. The Company has also assumed that no significant events occur outside of Bitfarms’ normal course of business. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking information other than as required by law . Contacts Investor Relations: LHA Investor RelationsDavid Barnard+1 [email protected] US Media: YAP GlobalMia Grodsky, Account [email protected] Québec Media: Ryan Affaires publiquesValérie Pomerleau, Public Affairs and [email protected] || US Dollar Sluggish Against Yen: The US dollar has rallied a bit during the course of the trading session on Monday but has also struggled a bit near the ¥115.50 level. At this point, we are testing the shooting star from the previous session, so it does suggest that we are going to see a little bit of hesitation. If we break down below the ¥115 level, we probably get a short-term pullback. Do not get me wrong, I do not necessarily want to start shorting this market, rather I think we are looking at a potential pullback in order to build up more momentum. After all, the US dollar is one of the stronger currencies out there, but we are a little bit overextended at this point. USD/JPY Video 01.02.22 If we break above the top of the shooting star, that will more than likely send this market towards the ¥116.50 level above. That being broken to the upside makes is more of a “buy-and-hold” type of situation. In general, this is a market that remains positive so far, but that does not necessarily mean that we need to go straight up in the air. The 50 day EMA also offers support underneath as well, so it is not until we get well below there that I would start shorting. Keep in mind that the pair is highly influenced by not only interest rate differential but also risk appetite. The risk appetite picking up will allow this market to go higher, but at the same time if the risk appetite breaks down, then it favors the Japanese yen. All things been equal, this is a market that features two safety currencies, but the Japanese yen can get expressly explosive if there is a panic. For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out our economic calendar . This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Winter Olympics Merchants to Accept Digital Yuan, Says Chinese Banks BingX Secures Compliance License in US & Canada to operate as an MSB Bitcoin and Ether Consolidate: What Could Spark Upside Break Verizon Partnered Entain Arm To Invest $133 Million Into the Metaverse Gold Markets Continue to Search for Support Draghi’s Continued Premiership Prolongs Political Stability, but Risks Remain After 2023 Elections || Natural Gas Pressured by Forecasts Calling for Less Cold: Natural gas futures plunged nearly 7% on Friday despite a period of record volatility on forecasts calling for less cold and lower heating demand over the next two weeks than previously estimated. The market has been hit hard since Wednesday even as a massive storm battered much of the country from Texas to York, cutting gas output to its lowest level since 2021’s February freeze. On Friday, March Natural Gas futures settled at $4.572, down $0.316 or -$6.46%. Comparison to Last Year’s Freeze in Texas, but Different Results Last February, Winter Storm Uri killed over 200 people in Texas, caused power and gas prices to soar to record highs in many parts of the country and left millions of homes and businesses without heat and power for days after gas prices and power plants froze. This week’s storm, called Winter Storm Landon, was much less severe than Uri. High temperatures during Uri remained below freezing for eight days in a row in the West Texas town of Midland in the Permian oil – and gas-producing shale basin, according to Accuweather. Recent Trade Highlighted by Extreme Volatility Friday’s nearly 7% decline was actually mild for the front-month futures contract after a couple of extremely volatile weeks when the contract soared by a record 46% on January 27, plunged 26% on January 28, jumped 16% on February 2 and fell 11% on February 3. Those large prices changes over the past couple of weeks boosted close-to-close volatility over the past 30 days to a record high on both Thursday and Friday, above the prior volatility high set in 1996. Short-Term Weather Outlook According to Natural Gas Intelligence (NGI), “With temperatures expected to rise considerably from the recent sub-freezing levels, traders have kept a watchful eye on whether the Arctic conditions could quickly return. Weather models in recent runs had backed off the intensity of a looming mid-month cold snap, with the overnight models shedding several heating degree days from the 15-day outlook.” Story continues Daily March Natural Gas Short-Term Technical Analysis The main trend is up according to the daily swing chart, however, momentum is trending lower. A trade through $5.572 will signal a resumption of the uptrend. A trade through $3.629 will change the main trend to down. The minor trend is down according to the daily swing chart. This is controlling the momentum. The short-term range is $3.629 to $5.572. The market is currently trading on the weak side of its 50% level at $4.601, making it resistance. On the upside, the resistance is $4.774 to $5.094, followed by $5.572 and $6.132. On the downside, the support is $4.378 to $3.964, followed by $3.629, $3.416 and $3.186. For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out our economic calendar . This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: U.S Mortgage Rates Hold Steady for a 3rd Consecutive Week USD/JPY Reaction to 114.909 – 115.248 Sets Short-Term Tone Cardano Token Holders Deliver Strong Support to new DeFi Platform Bitcoin (BTC) Consolidates Friday’s Breakout with a $41,000 Hold S&P500 at a Crossroads: Rally Now or Rally Later, but SPX5000 Will Come Owning Crypto May Make You More Desirable: Study || YouTube is Latest Tech Firm to See Potential in NFTs: Popular video platform YouTube believes thatNFTvideos are the future and will consider blockchain technologies. Chief product officer, Neal Mohan, stated this in ablog post. According to him, “There’s a lot to consider in making sure we approach these new technologies responsibly, but we think there’s incredible potential as well.” This comes only a few days after Susan Wojcicki, YouTube CEO, hinted that the platform could adopt NFT. Then, she pointed to Web3, claiming it could be a source of inspiration for YouTube to achieve more growth. In the post, Mohan listed all the products, features, and tools that YouTube plans to launch in 2022. Notably, metaverse, NFTs, blockchain, and Web3 technologies are all on the list. In addition, the Chief Product officer claims that the platform is looking for new ways to provide its two million creators with better options and support. He stated that Web3 and NFT could be a way for creators to develop new content and achieve more success on the platform: Web3 also opens up new opportunities for creators. We believe new technologies like blockchain and NFTs can allow creators to build deeper relationships with their fans. Together, they’ll be able to collaborate on new projects and make money in ways not previously possible. While brands have been lauding Web3 tech and NFTs as a solution to various challenges, the public view isn’t that optimistic. There’s currently apublic backlashagainst NFT announcements by Discord, Team17, andUbisoft. The criticism against it is premised on it being that it’s more of a scam with no real utility. Many also point to mining practices and argue that NFTs and blockchain technologies ruin the environment. However, several top brands ranging from social media platforms likeTwitterandRedditto car manufacturers like Mercedes and Lamborghini have incorporated NFTs into their products. Recently, the video platform OnlyFans launched its NFT profile picture feature. For YouTube, Web3 and NFT tech represents an opportunity for growth. TheAlphabet-owned platform currently gets 700 million watch hours from viewers daily and is behind Google as the number two search engine in the world. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Euro Recovers at 50 Day EMA • British Pound Sitting at 200 Day EMA • Australian Dollar Trying to Form Bottom for the Week • How Relevant Coin Gained Relevance, Dethroning Bitcoin Briefly • Apollo Global Shares Fall as Earnings Disappoints • It Is Like Yesterday Never Happened for the Australian Dollar || Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Buys BTC iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF, iShares ...: New York, NY, based Investment companyOppenheimer Asset Management Inc.(Current Portfolio) buys BTC iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF, iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF, Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF, ISHARES TRUST, IJTiShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF, sells Autodesk Inc, BTC iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF, iShares Russell 2000 Growth ETF, Gentex Corp, L3Harris Technologies Inc during the 3-months ended 2021Q4, according to the most recent filings of the investment company, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.. As of 2021Q4, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. owns 1186 stocks with a total value of $7.5 billion. These are the details of the buys and sells. • New Purchases:VEU, IUSG, IJT, RTM, PH, AOM, IWP, IWN, XLP, VTWO, ACWI, AIR, BOX, IWS, F, WRBY, CWAN, SLVM, SBCF, ARES, NEP, BNTX, PUBM, ZNTL, RPRX, BIGC, XLRE, HGTY, XLC, PSB, SAM, IUSV, DCO, MDY, CMCO, SQSP, OM, SPHQ, CHK, TDUP, PRVA, CINT, PWP, NABL, FAN, HLMN, DHRPA.PFD, ENJY, ASGN, AEO, AVY, BIDU, BKH, MTRN, CTRA, CASY, CCF, AGM, FR, ZD, KLIC, LOGI, NATR, NTES, ZI, SASR, SO, TRNS, WTFC, WWD, TECK, TNET, RILY, BATRK, GOOS, CNNE, SPOT, UTZ, TXG, AVGOP.PFD, • Added Positions:HEFA, IWD, AMZN, VTI, IWF, SPY, ODFL, AMD, MA, AMED, CAT, NFLX, GOOG, FIVN, RWO, ASML, AAPL, BMY, DLTR, ENTG, CRM, PYPL, DOCU, CERT, ALGN, DISCA, GILD, ISRG, MCD, GLOB, BKI, FVRR, EFA, MO, ADI, CHRW, MU, NKE, O, RRX, PM, APTV, ICLR, ZEN, TWLO, IJH, IJR, XLV, AMN, ALB, AON, AZPN, TFC, BDX, CVS, CNI, CP, CNC, CERN, CRL, CMCSA, XRAY, DHR, DE, DLR, XOM, FE, GD, GPC, GSK, WELL, EHC, HD, MTCH, IBM, ICE, IFF, MMC, MDT, MRK, PCAR, POWI, LIN, PG, PUK, RNR, ROK, RCL, RDS.A, SAP, SYY, TJX, UPS, URI, RTX, VRTX, WMT, DIS, AIMC, VMW, TSLA, KKR, AMRC, NOVT, ZTS, QTWO, HQY, FRPT, SEDG, TEAM, KNSL, MEDP, INVH, HLNE, BHVN, ATUS, COLD, PACK, GSHD, FOCS, DELL, CLVT, PTON, PGNY, XP, STEP, U, ABNB, SWIM, AMLP, CWB, QQQ, XLF, XLI, XLK, XLU, MMM, AES, AGCO, AYI, NSP, AEIS, ASX, AIN, ARE, ALL, AME, AMAT, ACGL, AJG, ASH, ATO, ADP, AVB, AVT, OZK, BCS, BMRN, BWA, BAM, CBRE, CBRL, CRH, CSX, CBT, ELY, CX, FIS, LNG, CHD, CHDN, CI, KO, CGNX, CTSH, CNS, CMP, CNMD, CNX, STZ, GLW, ENLC, DHI, DCP, DRI, DAR, DECK, DXCM, DGII, DUK, BOOM, SSP, EGBN, EGP, EMN, EIX, EW, ENB, EPC, EQR, EEFT, EXAS, EXEL, EXPE, FRT, FCFS, FCNCA, FLEX, ORAN, FCX, GATX, TGNA, GPS, IT, RHP, GS, HDB, HTLF, HEI, HELE, HSIC, HIW, HUM, IEX, ILMN, INFY, KLAC, KAI, KEY, KIM, KEX, MDLZ, LNDC, MDU, MANH, MAR, MLM, MKC, SPGI, MPW, MTH, MET, MTD, TIGO, MUFG, MT, TAP, MNRO, MOG.A, MORN, NICE, NOV, NEOG, NOC, NVO, OMC, OTEX, ORCL, PCG, PPG, PENN, PNFP, PII, WSTG, STL, RJF, RSG, R, SPXC, SIVB, SANM, SLB, SMG, SEE, XPO, SSD, SNA, SON, SONY, LUV, STT, SF, SUI, HLIO, TROW, TSM, TTWO, AXON, TXN, TRI, THO, TKR, TTE, TM, TSCO, TRP, ACIW, TREX, USB, UBSI, UDR, OLED, VLO, VMC, GWW, WCN, WSO, WBS, WSBC, EVRG, WMB, XEL, YUM, SPB, DZSI, ZBH, CMG, WNS, CVLT, AER, ALGT, III, BR, TMUS, TRS, FOLD, JAZZ, DFS, TEL, TDC, MSCI, MAXR, XPEL, JBT, RSSS, PEB, ST, SPSC, BAH, LPLA, TRGP, NLSN, HII, APO, STAG, AL, MPC, SAND, ABCM, XYL, ZWS, SRC, QLYS, SSTK, FANG, WDAY, ALEX, EVTC, IQV, FOXF, PINC, CRTO, OMF, MMI, CHGG, ITCI, MBUU, OR, TRUP, LTRPA, LBRDK, XHR, SHOP, WING, HZN, BLD, GKOS, APPF, PLNT, HLI, BGNE, WBT, SCWX, LSXMK, USFD, FHB, IRTC, YUMC, LW, FND, ARGX, ECVT, SWCH, APG, EYE, ALTR, VMD, NVT, CLBK, TENB, FTDR, ESTC, YETI, ETRN, ATCX, ALC, UBER, CTVA, CRWD, PHR, NVST, SWTX, SPT, GDYN, ARNC, CARR, VRM, LPRO, DCT, SNOW, VNT, PAYA, ALGM, LESL, AAN, AFRM, RBLX, APR, OLO, NAPA, LMACA, APP, PATH, ZIP, JBI, JBI, DTM, MCW, ALIT, HLLY, JXN, KD, ARKQ, CIBR, EEM, FM, GNOM, ICVT, IWM, LEGR, LRGE, NUDM, NUSC, RGI, SCHG, VFH, VTWG, XLY, YLDE, • Reduced Positions:ADSK, FB, EMXC, IWO, GNTX, NVDA, V, T, LHX, MS, VOD, CUT, ECL, FDX, GPN, HCSG, LKQ, NUE, PCTY, SGOV, HON, MMS, MUR, NATI, PFE, QCOM, SBUX, VEEV, SPYG, XLB, ADBE, BIIB, C, TPR, ETN, SBNY, WEX, PRO, TAK, BABA, AMT, BTI, CSCO, CAG, COP, CMI, MPWR, ROP, UL, FLT, PRLB, CONE, ANET, TMX, HUBS, ETSY, OLLI, VICI, FLWS, AKAM, AEP, APH, AZO, BCE, BHP, BBVA, BAC, BAX, BIO, LUMN, SCHW, CTXS, CLH, CPRT, COST, CCK, DVN, EQIX, FISV, GPK, MLKN, INFO, INTU, KNX, LOW, MGA, MRVL, MOH, ORLY, PVH, PXD, SNY, SHW, SWKS, SNPS, TSN, UNH, VZ, ANTM, WY, EBAY, QRTEA, LBTYK, ULTA, FTI, LOPE, DG, NXPI, GM, FRC, MOS, SPLK, PSX, BERY, MUSA, ALLY, TWOU, CTLT, NVRO, SYNH, KRNT, NTRA, FLOW, NTNX, SNAP, RVLV, PNTG, OSH, MYTE, OGN, GXO, IGSB, IEI, SCZ, AOS, ABB, ACAD, PLD, ATVI, AEG, AMG, ACC, AXP, AFG, ABC, AMGN, IVZ, AIRC, ATR, ARWR, ABG, AIZ, AZN, ATRC, ATRI, AVA, BOKF, BP, BCPC, BLL, ITUB, SAN, B, GOLD, BBY, BHC, BXP, BSX, BYD, BCO, AZTA, BRO, BF.B, CF, GIB, CDNS, COF, KMX, CSL, CVCO, CHKP, CHE, CTAS, KOF, FIX, VALE, DXC, COO, CLB, INGR, OFC, BAP, CS, WOLF, CW, DKS, DIOD, DLB, DPZ, DOV, DY, E, EOG, EXP, LLY, EME, ERJ, ENS, EPD, EL, EXPO, EXR, FSS, FNF, FHN, FRME, FMX, FORM, ROCK, GBCI, GGG, ITGR, HALO, MNST, HOLX, HMC, HMN, HST, IBN, ING, ITT, IDA, IDXX, ITW, CEQP, TT, SNEX, IPG, IONS, JKHY, J, KAMN, LHCG, LRCX, LANC, LVS, LII, LNC, LGF.B, LAD, LYV, LPSN, LYG, LMT, MGM, MMP, MANT, MKTX, MRTN, MAS, VIVO, MHK, MSI, VTRS, MYGN, NRG, NDAQ, NBIX, NYT, NEU, NWL, NDSN, JWN, NSC, ES, ON, OMCL, PNC, PTC, PAYX, MD, PEGA, PHG, PIPR, PAA, AVNT, PRAA, BKNG, PGR, PEG, KWR, DGX, DORM, RPM, RELX, REGN, RF, RS, RGEN, RIO, WRK, ROL, ROST, SBAC, POOL, STX, SMTC, SLAB, SPG, SKX, SKY, SWK, STLD, SCS, SHOO, SU, NLOK, SNX, TTEC, VIV, TDY, TER, TXRH, TTC, TRMK, USPH, UFPT, AUB, UFCS, UTHR, KMPR, VFC, MTN, VMI, VTR, WDFC, WPP, WM, WAL, WDC, WHR, WTM, WSM, XLNX, ZBRA, HEES, L, SMFG, ET, PAC, TDG, PRG, RDS.B, POR, HBI, WU, AWI, LMAT, EXLS, EBS, KBR, BX, LULU, MELI, AROC, ENSG, HCCI, CFX, TREE, PBR.A.PFD, BUD, H, FTNT, GNRC, PBA, PRI, PLOW, HPP, FN, ENV, GMAB, RFP, PCRX, INN, KMI, GRFS, HZNP, ACHC, CPRI, EPAM, POST, ALSN, GMED, MPLX, RH, APAM, MODN, VOYA, DOC, AMH, RNG, ESI, CNHI, TWTR, COMM, VCYT, RARE, IBP, SABR, JD, SYF, CFG, CYBR, CZR, KEYS, WK, ASND, DEA, GDDY, NSA, FSV, UNVR, CABO, TRU, TDOC, LILAK, RPD, NVCR, ENIC, MGP, SITE, PI, TTD, EVBG, VVV, TRHC, VST, ADNT, SNDR, IR, BKR, KIDS, MDB, SE, GTES, EQH, EVOP, AVLR, BJ, MNTV, GH, SWAV, LYFT, DOW, BYND, PSN, AMCR, IAA, NEEPP, NEEPP, OTIS, NARI, WMG, MEG, VERX, CNXC, BTRS, OCDX, PCOR, VMEO, CEMB, DVY, FDN, GDX, IHI, IJK, IVW, JO, MGK, PALL, PNQI, QTEC, REM, SCHD, SPHB, VB, VTIP, XBI, XNTK, • Sold Out:EFG, VER, SFIX, CVNA, COR, STNE, ROKU, GRUB, CMPR, SLP, PETQ, XLRN, MNDT, UPST, ARMK, INCY, IBB, GCP, CSTL, FOX, PINS, TIP, BILL, DKNG, MPLN, EAR, AOK, A, SHG, ATRO, BJRI, TCOM, MRCY, NUVA, NUAN, OI, PKX, ROG, VKTX, VG, DAL, TIPT, VAC, TRIP, PBYI, NCLH, PSXP, ENBL, • Warning! GuruFocus has detected 10 Warning Signs with CME. Click here to check it out. • HEFA 15-Year Financial Data • The intrinsic value of HEFA • Peter Lynch Chart of HEFA For the details of OPPENHEIMER ASSET MANAGEMENT INC.'s stock buys and sells,go tohttps://www.gurufocus.com/guru/oppenheimer+asset+management+inc./current-portfolio/portfolio These are the top 5 holdings of OPPENHEIMER ASSET MANAGEMENT INC. 1. Microsoft Corp (MSFT) - 717,041 shares, 3.20% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 0.48% 2. Amazon.com Inc (AMZN) - 42,190 shares, 1.87% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 10.36% 3. SPDR Bloomberg 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (BIL) - 1,243,374 shares, 1.51% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 0.17% 4. JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM) - 662,574 shares, 1.39% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 0.92% 5. Apple Inc (AAPL) - 530,644 shares, 1.25% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 3.00% New Purchase: Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF (VEU) Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. initiated holding in Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF. The purchase prices were between $58.93 and $62.73, with an estimated average price of $61.15. The stock is now traded at around $60.360000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.2%. The holding were 241,081 shares as of 2021-12-31. New Purchase: ISHARES TRUST (IUSG) Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. initiated holding in ISHARES TRUST. The purchase prices were between $101.24 and $117.16, with an estimated average price of $111.47. The stock is now traded at around $106.540000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.18%. The holding were 118,777 shares as of 2021-12-31. New Purchase: IJTiShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF (IJT) Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. initiated holding in IJTiShares S&P Small-Cap 600 Growth ETF. The purchase prices were between $130.31 and $143.39, with an estimated average price of $136.03. The stock is now traded at around $125.530000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.15%. The holding were 78,948 shares as of 2021-12-31. New Purchase: Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Materials ETF (RTM) Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. initiated holding in Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight Materials ETF. The purchase prices were between $161.81 and $180.07, with an estimated average price of $172.05. The stock is now traded at around $176.065800. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.09%. The holding were 37,269 shares as of 2021-12-31. New Purchase: Parker Hannifin Corp (PH) Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. initiated holding in Parker Hannifin Corp. The purchase prices were between $284.71 and $334, with an estimated average price of $309.87. The stock is now traded at around $317.210000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.04%. The holding were 10,607 shares as of 2021-12-31. New Purchase: iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF (IWP) Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. initiated holding in iShares Russell Mid-Cap Growth ETF. The purchase prices were between $109.78 and $123.16, with an estimated average price of $116.57. The stock is now traded at around $101.370000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.03%. The holding were 22,085 shares as of 2021-12-31. Added: BTC iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF (HEFA) Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. added to a holding in BTC iShares Currency Hedged MSCI EAFE ETF by 509.21%. The purchase prices were between $33.99 and $36.33, with an estimated average price of $35.32. The stock is now traded at around $34.550000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.25%. The holding were 631,786 shares as of 2021-12-31. Added: iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD) Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. added to a holding in iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF by 158.66%. The purchase prices were between $156.44 and $168.08, with an estimated average price of $163.37. The stock is now traded at around $165.140000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.24%. The holding were 173,046 shares as of 2021-12-31. Added: Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. added to a holding in Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF by 2348.74%. The purchase prices were between $220.94 and $242.96, with an estimated average price of $235.47. The stock is now traded at around $228.540000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.13%. The holding were 43,563 shares as of 2021-12-31. Added: iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (IWF) Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. added to a holding in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 65.37%. The purchase prices were between $270.63 and $309.52, with an estimated average price of $296.53. The stock is now traded at around $281.230000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.08%. The holding were 49,743 shares as of 2021-12-31. Added: Old Dominion Freight Line Inc (ODFL) Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. added to a holding in Old Dominion Freight Line Inc by 1303.24%. The purchase prices were between $283.36 and $364, with an estimated average price of $338.6. The stock is now traded at around $306.190000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.07%. The holding were 16,039 shares as of 2021-12-31. Added: Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. added to a holding in Advanced Micro Devices Inc by 86.60%. The purchase prices were between $100.34 and $161.91, with an estimated average price of $135.45. The stock is now traded at around $116.780000. The impact to a portfolio due to this purchase was 0.06%. The holding were 66,031 shares as of 2021-12-31. Sold Out: BTC iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF (EFG) Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. sold out a holding in BTC iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF. The sale prices were between $104.29 and $112.61, with an estimated average price of $108.92. Sold Out: (VER) Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. sold out a holding in . The sale prices were between $46.36 and $52.16, with an estimated average price of $49.13. Sold Out: Stitch Fix Inc (SFIX) Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. sold out a holding in Stitch Fix Inc. The sale prices were between $17.94 and $38.19, with an estimated average price of $28.31. Sold Out: Carvana Co (CVNA) Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. sold out a holding in Carvana Co. The sale prices were between $204.12 and $303.18, with an estimated average price of $274.34. Sold Out: (XLRN) Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. sold out a holding in . The sale prices were between $172.08 and $179.68, with an estimated average price of $174.41. Sold Out: Just Eat Takeaway.com NV (GRUB) Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. sold out a holding in Just Eat Takeaway.com NV. The sale prices were between $10.22 and $16.68, with an estimated average price of $13.32. Here is the complete portfolio of OPPENHEIMER ASSET MANAGEMENT INC.. Also check out:1. OPPENHEIMER ASSET MANAGEMENT INC.'s Undervalued Stocks2. OPPENHEIMER ASSET MANAGEMENT INC.'s Top Growth Companies, and3. OPPENHEIMER ASSET MANAGEMENT INC.'s High Yield stocks4. Stocks that OPPENHEIMER ASSET MANAGEMENT INC. keeps buyingThis article first appeared onGuruFocus. || AMC Entertainment May Have Just Had Its Final Big Quarter: Embattled theatre chain operator AMC Entertainment (NYSE: AMC ) stock has picked up in the past month. A lot had to do with its somewhat encouraging preliminary fourth-quarter results. Image of the entrance of an AMC Entertainment (AMC) branded theater. undervalued stocks Source: Helen89 / Shutterstock.com It’s now released its final fourth-quarter earnings results, which are nothing to feel joyful about despite showing progress. AMC stock continues to trade at a lofty valuation, and it appears that a potential recovery in its business has already been priced-in. With an improved showing during the fourth quarter, some investors believed a turn-around was for AMC. Fourth quarters are usually strong for theatre chains, with some big-ticket movie releases usually releasing during the tail-end of the year. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips One film in Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home was mainly responsible for the colossal box office sales during the quarter. Therefore, those jumping on the AMC bandwagon should seriously reconsider their positions. Back With a Bang AMC posted its blockbuster fourth-quarter results this week, its strongest in the past two years. Its revenues of $1.2 billion during the quarter were spearheaded by the latest iteration of the Spider-Man franchise. It was an enormous jump from a year ago from $162.5 million. Nearly to 60 million people visited its theaters across the globe during the fourth quarter. 7 Long-Term Stocks to Buy Now and Hold Forever With renewed confidence, CEO Adam Aron shot down the speculation about the trials and tribulations of the industry. He states that the prediction of the business’ naysayers was “ a load of cow dung .” At the conclusion of 2021, AMC had 593 domestic and 337 international theatres open, representing more than 95% occupancy. However, in January, domestic movie ticket sales were back to the repressed levels we have seen over the past couple of years. The pandemic-induced restrictions are now fading away quickly, but customers are still hesitant to go out. Moreover, it’s tough to predict whether the upcoming titles can have the monster success Spider-Man ended up having. To put things in perspective, it’s the sixth-highest grossing film in history. Therefore, expect more of the same with AMC for the foreseeable future. The Disney Effect With the mind-boggling success of Spider-Man , Disney (NYSE: DIS ) has yet again shown how important it is for the theatre business. Its films accounted for roughly 30% of the U.S. theatre gross revenue last year and have been posting such numbers consistently over the past several years. It has a content gold mine that has captured cinema-goers’ imaginations for years and continues to have a significant effect. Story continues Content producers are shifting their business models towards streaming during the pandemic years, though. Several of the top studios are releasing films on their respective OTT platforms and are gaining immense traction. Still, as former Disney Acquisition’s Head Bob Iger puts it, “ movie theaters as an experience won’t go away .” The success of the small screen cannot be denied, though, and movie ticket prices concerning the value of streaming subscriptions are at a major risk. Therefore, it’s a concern for Disney but perhaps more for AMC. The former will have its ways of making truckloads of cash through its theme parks, streaming business, and whatnot. However, AMC will be left crippled without the Disney push. Bottomline on AMC Stock AMC is in a better position than a year ago, but its stock trades at a far higher market cap than what it enjoyed during the good ol’ days. Even before the coronavirus swept away proceedings, the movie theater chain was hardly profitable. Additionally, with the rise of streaming services, it’s tough to see how AMC can bounce back anytime soon. On the date of publication, Muslim Farooque did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines . Muslim Farooque is a keen investor and an optimist at heart. A life-long gamer and tech enthusiast, he has a particular affinity for analyzing technology stocks. Muslim holds a bachelor’s of science degree in applied accounting from Oxford Brookes University. More From InvestorPlace Get in Now on Tiny $3 ‘Forever Battery’ Stock It doesn’t matter if you have $500 in savings or $5 million. Do this now. Stock Prodigy Who Found NIO at $2… Says Buy THIS Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” The post AMC Entertainment May Have Just Had Its Final Big Quarter appeared first on InvestorPlace . View comments || Meta Stock Is Not a Good Buy Right Now: Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: FB ), formerly known as Facebook, has suffered significant losses in the 2022 tech selloff. The company has lost over $500 billion since its rebranding. FB even set a record for the largest one-day value drop in stock market history, and it hasn’t really recovered. Meta logo is shown on a device screen. Meta is the new corporate name of Facebook. Source: Blue Planet Studio / Shutterstock.com Meta is still a massive company, and its main platform — Facebook — is the most-used social media platform in the world . Moreover, Meta’s ambitious plans to dominate the Metaverse and change how people might connect in the future still haven’t changed. FB looks undervalued, considering its outreach. However, I still believe that the company is not out of trouble, and now might not be the best time to invest in the stock. Since the large selloff in February, Meta has failed to offer any significant resistance, and the stock has continued to dip lower and lower. Since its all-time high, FB has lost close to 50% of its market capitalization , which is no laughing matter for a company of this size. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Meta has swallowed the crash; however, that doesn’t mean a recovery is imminent. Facebook Itself Seems to Be Slowing Down Most importantly, Facebook (the app) does not seem to be in a good position. The social media platform has seen a decline of its daily active users for the first time in its entire history. Facebook lost roughly half a million active users in the span of a few months. It is a drop in a bucket considering its total daily active user count of more than 1.9 billion , but it paints a picture of what might come in the future if current trends continue. 8 Strong Uptrend Stocks to Buy on the Next Dip Until that point, Facebook had seen never-ending growth in its daily active users. But now that growth has not only come to a halt but has started to decline. Social media platforms such as Facebook rely mostly on advertisements for their revenue . If the userbase shrinks, the revenue may follow suit. And so if the current trends continue, Meta might be in for a lot of trouble. Story continues FB Stock Has to Fight Tough Competition Zuckerberg himself has complained that Facebook faces an “unprecedented level of competition” as young users seem to be ditching Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram for competitors like TikTok and Telegram . The exodus of young users could seriously hurt Meta’s growth in the long term. And even if Meta’s plan for the Metaverse does become successful, it could still be years before those losses are recouped. The problems Meta faces are not simple. Thus, I believe investing in FB stock is still a risky move no matter how much the stock might have declined. The primary reason behind Meta’s decline is that the company is no longer based on solid footing. Investing in Meta has turned into a somewhat speculative investment as it mostly relies upon the Metaverse being a reality someday. The Metaverse itself has to fight through many problems such as “disappointingly slow” adoption , as the vast majority of people don’t even have an idea of what it is. Moreover, virtual reality headsets aren’t something everyone can access as easily as they can their phone. Meta also faces privacy concerns , and it is not seen favorably by many people. If Meta wants to turn the Metaverse into a big part of people’s lives, it will seriously have to improve its reputation on privacy. Why You Should Wait Instead for FB Stock Meta has serious issues to tackle. They might not be impossible to solve, but a lot of people believe it is a little too ambitious for Meta to pursue a billion users living in a VR world in less than a decade , especially for a company that is not fully trusted in terms of privacy. My point is that Meta has too much on its hands right now. All of its problems make FB a risky stock to buy, especially in a time of extreme uncertainty about the future of the world’s economy. After all, it is not unusual in a capitalist free market economy to have periods of boom and recession. If we are approaching the latter, FB will not escape the pain. The Metaverse is still more or less a business idea. Business ideas can fail or succeed — there is nothing that guarantees the success of the Metaverse. I believe that it is not the right time to invest in FB — or perhaps any tech stock facing a decline. Your primary goal as an investor is to make as much profit as possible with the least risk. In that sense, it is simply more profitable to wait with a yearly loss of 7.5% due to inflation than risk losing much more to a stock market that could be heading into a recession. On the date of publication, Omor Ibne Ehsan did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines . More From InvestorPlace Get in Now on Tiny $3 ‘Forever Battery’ Stock It doesn’t matter if you have $500 in savings or $5 million. Do this now. Stock Prodigy Who Found NIO at $2… Says Buy THIS Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” The post Meta Stock Is Not a Good Buy Right Now appeared first on InvestorPlace . [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: down || Prices: 47128.00, 47465.73, 47062.66, 45538.68, 46281.64, 45868.95, 46453.57, 46622.68, 45555.99, 43206.74
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin has a governance problem, no matter who created it: By Jemima Kelly LONDON (Reuters) - As one would-be father of bitcoin falls by the wayside, squabbling among the web-based currency's lead developers is exposing a fundamental flaw: it must evolve to meet growing demand, but may lack a governance structure to achieve this. The latest bickering erupted after Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright promised to prove he was the mysterious creator of bitcoin - which allows users to move money across the world quickly and anonymously - but then said on Thursday he could not provide further evidence to back this up. Wright stopped short of reneging on his claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto, assumed to be a pseudonym for the person or people who launched the digital cryptocurrency in 2009. However, he apologised for damaging the reputations of bitcoin experts who had believed him. Many members of the bitcoin community reckon this is all a distraction and agree with Wright when he said that the identity of Nakamoto "doesn't, and shouldn't, matter". "Satoshi's biggest achievement was to create a system that doesn't require his participation to run," said Peter Todd, one of bitcoin's core software developers. "That's what makes all this stuff kind of funny. It's like searching for the creator of a system that's designed not to require a creator." While grey-suited central bankers print conventional currencies and commercial banks control transactions in them, no one person or entity is in charge of bitcoin. Instead it runs on a decentralised system of shared trust without any third-party verification of transactions - one reason why many people are attracted to it. Critics, however, say it needs a "benevolent dictator" or at least some "adults" to manage the expansion that it needs to cope with the increasing number of transactions. Someone, or some group, must decide how to meet users' requirements, they say. Trades are handled by thousands of "mining" computers around the world which validate blocks of transactions by competing to solve mathematical puzzles every 10 minutes. Story continues The first computer to solve the puzzle clears the transaction and is currently rewarded with 25 new bitcoins, now worth around $11,250.. This is how the computers' owners cover their costs - largely power bills - and make a profit. The system also ensures there is no single point in the system that might fail. CIVIL WAR In practice, there do appear to be people who can make decisions, but it is also possible to be excluded from this magic circle. One of the bitcoin experts who initially believed Wright's claim is Gavin Andresen. Nakamoto handed control of bitcoin's software to Andresen when he stepped aside in 2011, a transfer that kept the creator's identity a mystery as it was conducted in cyberspace without human contact. Andresen later shared that control with others. But when he stated publicly he believed Wright, sceptical developers responded by revoking his "commit access" to a shared repository of bitcoin rules. Initially, these developers justified their move on security grounds, saying his computer must have been hacked - something Andresen denied. When Reuters asked Todd whether Andresen's access would be reinstated, he responded: "Heck no", saying a belief in Wright amounted to "inexcusable incompetence". Andresen admitted to bewilderment over whether he still believed Wright's claims. "Ask me in six months; I don't trust my own judgement right now after all the drama," he said on Twitter. The squabbling is not new. One of the lead developers, Mike Hearn, stood down from bitcoin in January because of a power struggle nicknamed the "bitcoin civil war". Hearn and Andresen had proposed increasing the size of the blocks in which transactions are processed but the other developers opposed this. In quitting, Hearn said that "what was meant to be a new, decentralised form of money that lacked systemically important institutions" had now become "a system completely controlled by just a handful of people". Many investors and start-up firms remain optimistic about bitcoin and are making money from it. But Emin Gun Sirer, a computer science professor at Cornell University, said the appearance of internal conflict was undermining it. "For bitcoin to retain its value, it's important to have hope that there's good management in charge, that there are adults in charge," Sirer said. "When we see opportunistic moves, that's a problem." BENEVOLENT DICTATORS But Sirer also said that any open-source project such as bitcoin, which runs using software that anyone can access, change, and distribute, faces the challenge of governance. "Is it a pipe dream to expect to be able to build a currency system that is completely decentralized and free of any control whatsoever? The short answer to that is yes, but that's not what anyone should have expected anyway," he said. Sirer added that he was concerned that his brightest young students at Cornell were being deterred from getting involved with bitcoin because of the in-fighting and the appearance that developers were unable to agree on change. One other digital currency system which is attracting bright young minds is Ethereum, created in 2013 by Russian-Canadian Vitalik Buterin when he was just 19. It works with the "benevolent dictator model", as Sirer calls it, with Buterin holding the decision-making power. "Over the last couple of years it's become apparent that having a static protocol is just not a viable approach," Buterin told the Consensus bitcoin conference in New York earlier in the week. "Software has to evolve ... and there has to be some mechanism for agreeing on how software is going to upgrade." Most, however, reckon that even if Nakamoto were to be found, the other developers - many of whom have written more code than he ever did in the seven years since bitcoin was launched - would not accept his having ultimate power. "(Nakamoto) would be thanked for creating this amazing thing, but if there comes a time when there's a technical debate over whether we should go one way or the other, his opinions would only be persuasive, not controlling," said Jerry Brito, executive director of bitcoin advocacy group Coin Center. (Additional reporting by Toby Sterling in Amsterdam; editing by David Stamp) || "I'm sorry" - Craig Wright on lack of evidence he created bitcoin: By Jemima Kelly LONDON (Reuters) - Australian tech entrepreneur Craig Wright, who earlier this week said he would provide "extraordinary proof" that he was the creator of digital currency bitcoin, will not provide any further evidence, according to a post on his blog on Thursday. Although Wright did not renege on his claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto - the name, assumed to be pseudonymous, of the person or group who created the web-based currency in 2008 - the U-turn was taken by many bitcoin experts as confirmation of their suspicions that the claims were false. "I believed that I could do this. I believed that I could put the years of anonymity and hiding behind me," Wright wrote. "But, as the events of this week unfolded and I prepared to publish the proof of access to the earliest keys, I broke. I do not have the courage. I cannot." Bitcoin is a web-based "cryptocurrency" that enables users to move money across the world quickly and anonymously without the need for third-party verification. Various attempts have been made to identify its elusive creator, but Wright's claims stood out due to the high-profile endorsements they received. Lead bitcoin developer Gavin Andresen and bitcoin consultant Jon Matonis both wrote blogs on Monday endorsing Wright's claims, saying they had been shown proof by Wright that he was Nakamoto. Wright said on Thursday that Andresen and Matonis had not been deceived, but "that the world will never believe that now". "I think he's significantly less likely to be Satoshi than any other person that's been suggested," another lead bitcoin developer, Peter Todd, told Reuters, referring to others who have been suspected of being bitcoin's creator. "PLAIN FISHY" After coming under pressure to provide more credible evidence that he was bitcoin's creator, Wright had blogged on Monday that he would provide "independently verifiable documents and evidence" that would back up his claims. The post could no longer be found on his blog site. "The possibility that Wright is Satoshi will always exist, but given the amount of evidence calling that into doubt, I think one would be foolish to give that possibility much weight," said Jerry Brito, executive director of Washington, D.C.-based digital currency advocacy group Coin Center. "He's provided no cryptographic evidence verifiable by the public, and many of his answers sound plain fishy... Today's statement on his blog only further tarnishes his credibility." Wright's representatives declined to give any comments on his decision to back away from providing further evidence, but said he was still their client. They believed he was still in London, where he has been living for the past few months. Interviews with some who had done business with Wright in Australia in December, when reports by Wired and Gizmodo that he could be Nakamoto first emerged, and an inspection of documents published by the two tech news websites, painted a complex picture of Wright. They pointed to a smart but sometimes abrasive figure facing growing legal and financial problems at least in part caused by his involvement with bitcoin. Each bitcoin is currently worth around $447 , making the 15 million or so in circulation worth a total of around $7 billion. Wright said his failure to produce better evidence would cause "great damage to those that had supported" him, in particular Matonis and Andresen. "I can only say I'm sorry. And goodbye," Wright wrote. (Reporting by Jemima Kelly; Editing by Toby Chopra) || Bitcoin finds room in small funds; large institutions still on sidelines: By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK, March 18 (Reuters) - Digital currency bitcoin has found favor among smaller investors, thanks to the availability of funds designed to invest in it, but remains a niche among the larger investing community. Investors at some family offices, smaller mutual funds, and traders at hedge funds say bitcoin has helped returns and demonstrated a low correlation with other asset classes. Hopes that bitcoin would become a broadly used alternative to other currencies helped buoy its price to more than $1,000 in December 2013, when its market capitalization was $13 billion. But the market cap has retreated since then, to about $6.4 billion as of Thursday. Early enthusiasts for the crypto-currency were drawn to its revolutionary ideals of transparency and a lack of central or official control. The risks of dealing in bitcoin were laid bare in 2013 when Tokyo-based exchange Mt Gox collapsed after admitting it had lost the equivalent of hundreds of millions of dollars of investor funds. The currency's earlier ties to gambling and criminal websites did not endear it to traditional investors. Jeremy Millar, founder and managing partner at Ledger Partners in London, estimated that 50 to 90 percent of bitcoin's current $6.4 billion market cap is held by near-institutional money such as individuals at hedge funds and family offices. That has not changed over the last two years. He does not have an estimate for institutional investment holdings of bitcoin. But he said they are likely to be insignificant, compared with the smaller investors who have fewer restrictions about fund allocation. "What is clear though is that over the last two years, bitcoin has emerged from its 'hacktivist' origins to a more institutionalized ecosystem which includes the participation of hedge funds, traders, and professional investors," said Millar. BITCOIN IN PORTFOLIOS Funds dedicated to investing in bitcoin are relatively small. The largest is the Pantera Bitcoin Fund, a $160 million hedge fund founded by Dan Morehead, formerly of Tiger Management, available to institutions and individuals who invest $50,000 or more. According to a Pantera Bitcoin Fund brochure, the fund was launched in July 2013, a period when bitcoin traded at around $65. On Thursday, it traded at $418.80, a gain of more than 500 percent from July 2013. The firm did not comment on fund performance or its investors. The majority of the Pantera Fund's investors are family offices and high net worth individuals, said two people familiar with the fund. The Grayscale Bitcoin Investment Trust, with assets of more than $60 million, is another vehicle for investors. GBTC is backed by bitcoin advocate Barry Silbert and his Digital Currency Group. It is the only publicly traded U.S. security in the over-the-counter market invested in bitcoin. Volume is thin, with a few thousand shares traded daily, according to Thomson Reuters data. Antonis Polemitis, managing director at Ledra Capital in New York, a family office specializing in education and technology, said that on average, clients have allocated 1 to 3 percent of their portfolios to bitcoin. "A lot of people will take that bet with 1 percent of their assets," he said. "A 1 percent loss does not change anyone's life in any way. If it goes up 10 times, then you get to feel very smart." Some investment managers say having bitcoin in portfolios has helped performance. ARK Invest, which manages four exchange-traded funds with $240 million in assets, holds GBTC in its $12 million Next Generation Internet ETF and the $7 million ARK Innovation ETF. Chris Burniske, analyst and blockchain products lead at ARK Invest in New York, said since investing in September 2015, GBTC has contributed 67 basis points to the Next Generation Internet ETF's return and 62 basis points to the ARK Innovation ETF. For 2015, the Next Generation ETF posted a 15.29 percent return, while the Innovation ETF had 3.76 percent gains. For Kingsbridge Wealth Management, a multifamily office in Las Vegas with $150 million in assets, GBTC has become a great diversifier because so far it has had a low correlation with other asset classes, said David Dunn, the firm's founder and chief investment officer. The firm has about $1.7 million invested in bitcoin and its underlying technology, the blockchain, Dunn said. (Editing by David Gaffen and Matthew Lewis) || Bitcoin has a governance problem, no matter who created it: By Jemima Kelly LONDON (Reuters) - As one would-be father of bitcoin falls by the wayside, squabbling among the web-based currency's lead developers is exposing a fundamental flaw: it must evolve to meet growing demand, but may lack a governance structure to achieve this. The latest bickering erupted after Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright promised to prove he was the mysterious creator of bitcoin - which allows users to move money across the world quickly and anonymously - but then said on Thursday he could not provide further evidence to back this up. Wright stopped short of reneging on his claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto, assumed to be a pseudonym for the person or people who launched the digital cryptocurrency in 2009. However, he apologized for damaging the reputations of bitcoin experts who had believed him. Many members of the bitcoin community reckon this is all a distraction and agree with Wright when he said that the identity of Nakamoto "doesn't, and shouldn't, matter". "Satoshi's biggest achievement was to create a system that doesn't require his participation to run," said Peter Todd, one of bitcoin's core software developers. "That's what makes all this stuff kind of funny. It's like searching for the creator of a system that's designed not to require a creator." While gray-suited central bankers print conventional currencies and commercial banks control transactions in them, no one person or entity is in charge of bitcoin. Instead it runs on a decentralized system of shared trust without any third-party verification of transactions - one reason why many people are attracted to it. Critics, however, say it needs a "benevolent dictator" or at least some "adults" to manage the expansion that it needs to cope with the increasing number of transactions. Someone, or some group, must decide how to meet users' requirements, they say. Trades are handled by thousands of "mining" computers around the world which validate blocks of transactions by competing to solve mathematical puzzles every 10 minutes. The first computer to solve the puzzle clears the transaction and is currently rewarded with 25 new bitcoins, now worth around $11,250. . This is how the computers' owners cover their costs - largely power bills - and make a profit. The system also ensures there is no single point in the system that might fail. CIVIL WAR In practice, there do appear to be people who can make decisions, but it is also possible to be excluded from this magic circle. One of the bitcoin experts who initially believed Wright's claim is Gavin Andresen. Nakamoto handed control of bitcoin's software to Andresen when he stepped aside in 2011, a transfer that kept the creator's identity a mystery as it was conducted in cyberspace without human contact. Andresen later shared that control with others. But when he stated publicly he believed Wright, skeptical developers responded by revoking his "commit access" to a shared repository of bitcoin rules. Initially, these developers justified their move on security grounds, saying his computer must have been hacked - something Andresen denied. When Reuters asked Todd whether Andresen's access would be reinstated, he responded: "Heck no", saying a belief in Wright amounted to "inexcusable incompetence". Andresen admitted to bewilderment over whether he still believed Wright's claims. "Ask me in six months; I don't trust my own judgment right now after all the drama," he said on Twitter. The squabbling is not new. One of the lead developers, Mike Hearn, stood down from bitcoin in January because of a power struggle nicknamed the "bitcoin civil war". Hearn and Andresen had proposed increasing the size of the blocks in which transactions are processed but the other developers opposed this. In quitting, Hearn said that "what was meant to be a new, decentralized form of money that lacked systemically important institutions" had now become "a system completely controlled by just a handful of people". Many investors and start-up firms remain optimistic about bitcoin and are making money from it. But Emin Gun Sirer, a computer science professor at Cornell University, said the appearance of internal conflict was undermining it. "For bitcoin to retain its value, it's important to have hope that there's good management in charge, that there are adults in charge," Sirer said. "When we see opportunistic moves, that's a problem." BENEVOLENT DICTATORS But Sirer also said that any open-source project such as bitcoin, which runs using software that anyone can access, change, and distribute, faces the challenge of governance. "Is it a pipe dream to expect to be able to build a currency system that is completely decentralized and free of any control whatsoever? The short answer to that is yes, but that's not what anyone should have expected anyway," he said. Sirer added that he was concerned that his brightest young students at Cornell were being deterred from getting involved with bitcoin because of the in-fighting and the appearance that developers were unable to agree on change. One other digital currency system which is attracting bright young minds is Ethereum, created in 2013 by Russian-Canadian Vitalik Buterin when he was just 19. It works with the "benevolent dictator model", as Sirer calls it, with Buterin holding the decision-making power. "Over the last couple of years it's become apparent that having a static protocol is just not a viable approach," Buterin told the Consensus bitcoin conference in New York earlier in the week. "Software has to evolve ... and there has to be some mechanism for agreeing on how software is going to upgrade." Most, however, reckon that even if Nakamoto were to be found, the other developers - many of whom have written more code than he ever did in the seven years since bitcoin was launched - would not accept his having ultimate power. "(Nakamoto) would be thanked for creating this amazing thing, but if there comes a time when there's a technical debate over whether we should go one way or the other, his opinions would only be persuasive, not controlling," said Jerry Brito, executive director of bitcoin advocacy group Coin Center. (Additional reporting by Toby Sterling in Amsterdam; editing by David Stamp) || Intel has finally admitted that it failed miserably in the mobile market: (Intel)Intel CEO Brian Krzanich. Things are rough over at Intel. In addition to ahuge 12,000-person layoff,Intel has finally thrown in the towel in the smartphone and tablet markets, too. On Saturday, Intel confirmed that it was canceling its upcoming Atom chip, known as "Braxton" for smartphones and tablets, and that it was also ditching a few other related smartphone chips, the company told Ian Cutress and Ryan Smithat the AnandTech news site. There had been some speculation for the past weekamong Wall Street analyststhat Intel was thinking of severely changing its mobile plans as part of the restructuring, when Intel told them that it was rethinking some projects in the Client Computing Group (CCG),Wells Fargo's David Wong reported. But with this confirmation, Intel is officially crying uncle and admitting failure after spending billions of dollars investing in smartphone/tablet chips. It's hard to say exactly how much money Intel lost trying to get some skin in the mobile game, the biggest revolution in the computer industry since the PC — and the cause of Intel's ongoing PC business woes. Intel reported mobile-product financials for only two years before folding it into a bigger "Client Computing Division." But in those two years, 2013 and 2014, the unit showed losses of $3.1 billion and $4.2 billion, respectively, or $7.3 billion for both years,AnandTechreports. So if it racked up similar losses in 2015, Intel could be down by maybe $10 billion in three years. And given that Intel's competitor, ARM, has won the market anyway, the white flag seems like the only option left. The AnandTech report notes that it's possible Intel could try to reenter the market with a different chip or strategy. But for now, Intel appears to be out of the game. NOW WATCH:Facebook is teaming up with Samsung to change the way we watch videos More From Business Insider • Bitcoin experts are baffled that one of their star scientists thinks he’s solved the Bitcoin mystery • Working for a startup is sort of depressing these days, and one essay writer described the change perfectly • Famous programmer who sold his company to Microsoft for about $400 million: 'Microsoft is a different company' || Banks, tech companies move on from bitcoin to blockchain: By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - As a debate raged across the internet Monday over whether the mysterious founder of the bitcoin digital currency had finally been identified, executives at a major bitcoin conference in New York had a simple message: we've moved on. That's because bitcoin, the digital currency, has largely been supplanted by blockchain, the technology that underlies it, as the main interest of investors, technology companies and financial institutions. "If there is a 100 percent opportunity in the blockchain, bitcoin, or the currency, is only 1 percent of it," said Jerry Cuomo, vice president, Blockchain Technologies at International Business Machines Corp. "So there is a whole 99 percent that has broad applications across the broad industries." Over the past year numerous Wall Street firms, led by Goldman Sachs, have declared their commitment to pursuing blockchain as a potential revolutionary technology for tracking and clearing financial transactions. The blockchain technology works by creating permanent, public "ledgers" of all transactions that could potentially replace complicated clearing and settlement systems with one simple ledger. Still, bitcoin is by far the largest implementation of blockchain technology and there is considerable debate as to whether one can truly develop without the other. "Bitcoin is still the only blockchain-enabled, cross-border large scale, provable application that's actually in production," said Joseph Guastella, a principal at Deloitte Consulting in New York. "Bitcoin as a currency may not be as relevant as it was in many ways, but it actually is relevant as a proof case for the blockchain technology." Bitcoins are created through a "mining" process, in which specialized computers solve complex math problems in exchange for bitcoins. One bitcoin is equivalent to $444.75 late on Monday and trade on various exchanges around the world. But bitcoin transaction volume has been in decline over the past six months amid a bitter split over technical changes in the protocol that are needed to increase the capacity of the system that produces them. Because the cryptocurrency has no formal governance, it relies on a core group of developers for direction - and they are sharply divided over the changes. But that debate was of relatively little concern to the Blockchain enthusiasts gathered in New York. Australian tech entrepreneur Craig Wright identified himself on Monday as the creator of controversial digital currency bitcoin. "It's irrelevant because his announcement doesn't solve a problem or resolve a conflict," said Bharat Solanki, managing director at Cambrian Consulting in New York. Story continues "It probably helps to determine the origins of bitcoin but only for recognition," Solanki said. For Naoki Taniguchi, a global innovation expert at The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd in San Francisco, he does not really care about who created bitcoin. "It's all about the blockchain," he said. View comments || Penny Stocks To Buy: Four Trending Small Cap Stocks on Tuesday April 19: MIAMI, FL / ACCESSWIRE / April 19, 2016 / Daily Stock Reporter is issuing a report on four stocks to watch. AVRN, MNTR, CHZP, and AGHI have been added to our watch list today. Continue reading to find out why. - To get daily alerts on top stocks on the OTC, Nasdaq and NYSE subscribe to our newsletter at DailyStockReporter.com. Avra Inc. ( AVRN ) offers a range of solutions that streamline and modernize businesses & merchants by integrating Bitcoin payments & acceptance. As of 10AM EST on Tuesday April 19, the stock has seen well above average volume and increased price movement. From a previous close of $0.13 on Monday (4/18), shares of AVRN rose as much as 54% following early morning highs of $0.20 on Tuesday. Since the beginning of March the stock has increased in price by as much as 785%. Stay Informed and Up To Date On The Hottest Small Cap Nasdaq & OTC Plays . Get Them Here . Mentor Capital, Inc. ( MNTR ) announced earlier in April that it has acquired the international patent for the smokeless administration of THC, CBD and Cannabinoids, from its developer R.L. Larson through Larson Capital, LLC. "We started this patent related effort in 2012, before the cannabis boom, with an eye toward easier more discrete use by cancer patients and the elderly," says R.L. Larson. "As an inventor and cancer survivor with long public company leadership experience, and now as a Mentor shareholder, I am pleased to be working with Mentor Capital because of their medical bias in the cannabis space and solid approach to public company operation." As of 10AM EST the stock has seen early trading volume and intra day price movement of as much as 0.10 above its opening price of $0.54. Enjoy picks like this? Get These Alerts and More on top small cap Companies before They Rally, Text the phrase "StockAlerts" to 635-66 Chess Supersite Corp. ( CHZP ) whose primary business is the development and operation of the chess portal www.chesssupersite.com , announced on Tuesday April 19 that the Company has been selected to broadcast both US Men's and Woman's Championships held in the US capital of chess, St. Louis, Missouri. The U.S. Championship will culminate with the top three players competing in a special blitz round- robin format against legendary chess champion Garry Kasparov. The round- robin tournament will take place over two days upon the conclusion of the Championships. For a little over one week, shares of CHZP have begun to climb in price. On April 11 the stock opened at $0.20 and this morning (4/19) the stock has seen a high of $0.48 to mark a total move to this point of 140%. Volume has also begun to increase in comparison to previous weeks. Story continues Stay Informed and Up To Date On The Hottest Small Cap Stocks; Free To Join Now . Agora Holdings, Inc. (AGHI) announced earlier in April that the company had signed an engagement letter with an independent accounting and auditing firm, BF Borgers CPA PC. The signing of the engagement letter represents a significant step forward for Agora Holdings in becoming a fully reporting entity. Agora Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiary Geegle Media and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with five business segments: media networks, TV, studio entertainment, consumer products and interactive media. During the last 3 months, shares of AGHI have seen price as high as $0.49 with the highest daily volume being 967.4K shares. Small Cap Stock Alerts: Get Them straight to your Cell Phone. To Receive Our Winning Small Cap Stock Alerts For Free, text "StockAlerts" to 63566. ABOUT US: www.DailyStockReporter.com monitors and scans the markets for stock related signals as well as any external factors that might bring trading opportunities. 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CONTACT: Company: DailyStockReporter.com Contact Email: [email protected] SOURCE: DailyStockReporter.com || Banks, tech companies move on from bitcoin to blockchain: By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - As a debate raged across the internet Monday over whether the mysterious founder of the bitcoin digital currency had finally been identified, executives at a major bitcoin conference in New York had a simple message: we've moved on. That's because bitcoin, the digital currency, has largely been supplanted by blockchain, the technology that underlies it, as the main interest of investors, technology companies and financial institutions. "If there is a 100 percent opportunity in the blockchain, bitcoin, or the currency, is only 1 percent of it," said Jerry Cuomo, vice president, Blockchain Technologies at International Business Machines Corp (IBM.N). "So there is a whole 99 percent that has broad applications across the broad industries." Over the past year numerous Wall Street firms, led by Goldman Sachs (GS.N), have declared their commitment to pursuing blockchain as a potential revolutionary technology for tracking and clearing financial transactions. The blockchain technology works by creating permanent, public "ledgers" of all transactions that could potentially replace complicated clearing and settlement systems with one simple ledger. Still, bitcoin is by far the largest implementation of blockchain technology and there is considerable debate as to whether one can truly develop without the other. "Bitcoin is still the only blockchain-enabled, cross-border large scale, provable application that's actually in production," said Joseph Guastella, a principal at Deloitte Consulting in New York. "Bitcoin as a currency may not be as relevant as it was in many ways, but it actually is relevant as a proof case for the blockchain technology." Bitcoins are created through a "mining" process, in which specialized computers solve complex math problems in exchange for bitcoins. One bitcoin (BTC=BTSP) is equivalent to $444.75 late on Monday and trade on various exchanges around the world. Story continues But bitcoin transaction volume has been in decline over the past six months amid a bitter split over technical changes in the protocol that are needed to increase the capacity of the system that produces them. Because the cryptocurrency has no formal governance, it relies on a core group of developers for direction - and they are sharply divided over the changes. But that debate was of relatively little concern to the Blockchain enthusiasts gathered in New York. Australian tech entrepreneur Craig Wright identified himself on Monday as the creator of controversial digital currency bitcoin. "It's irrelevant because his announcement doesn't solve a problem or resolve a conflict," said Bharat Solanki, managing director at Cambrian Consulting in New York. "It probably helps to determine the origins of bitcoin but only for recognition," Solanki said. For Naoki Taniguchi, a global innovation expert at The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Ltd in San Francisco, he does not really care about who created bitcoin. "It's all about the blockchain," he said. || "I'm sorry" - Craig Wright on lack of evidence he created bitcoin: By Jemima Kelly LONDON (Reuters) - Australian tech entrepreneur Craig Wright, who earlier this week said he would provide "extraordinary proof" that he was the creator of digital currency bitcoin, will not provide any further evidence, according to a post on his blog on Thursday. Although Wright did not renege on his claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto - the name, assumed to be pseudonymous, of the person or group who created the web-based currency in 2008 - the U-turn was taken by many bitcoin experts as confirmation of their suspicions that the claims were false. "I believed that I could do this. I believed that I could put the years of anonymity and hiding behind me," Wright wrote. "But, as the events of this week unfolded and I prepared to publish the proof of access to the earliest keys, I broke. I do not have the courage. I cannot." Bitcoin is a web-based "cryptocurrency" that enables users to move money across the world quickly and anonymously without the need for third-party verification. Various attempts have been made to identify its elusive creator, but Wright's claims stood out due to the high-profile endorsements they received. Lead bitcoin developer Gavin Andresen and bitcoin consultant Jon Matonis both wrote blogs on Monday endorsing Wright's claims, saying they had been shown proof by Wright that he was Nakamoto. Wright said on Thursday that Andresen and Matonis had not been deceived, but "that the world will never believe that now". "I think he's significantly less likely to be Satoshi than any other person that's been suggested," another lead bitcoin developer, Peter Todd, told Reuters, referring to others who have been suspected of being bitcoin's creator. "PLAIN FISHY" After coming under pressure to provide more credible evidence that he was bitcoin's creator, Wright had blogged on Monday that he would provide "independently verifiable documents and evidence" that would back up his claims. The post could no longer be found on his blog site. Story continues "The possibility that Wright is Satoshi will always exist, but given the amount of evidence calling that into doubt, I think one would be foolish to give that possibility much weight," said Jerry Brito, executive director of Washington, D.C.-based digital currency advocacy group Coin Center. "He's provided no cryptographic evidence verifiable by the public, and many of his answers sound plain fishy... Today's statement on his blog only further tarnishes his credibility." Wright's representatives declined to give any comments on his decision to back away from providing further evidence, but said he was still their client. They believed he was still in London, where he has been living for the past few months. Interviews with some who had done business with Wright in Australia in December, when reports by Wired and Gizmodo that he could be Nakamoto first emerged, and an inspection of documents published by the two tech news websites, painted a complex picture of Wright. They pointed to a smart but sometimes abrasive figure facing growing legal and financial problems at least in part caused by his involvement with bitcoin. Each bitcoin is currently worth around $447 , making the 15 million or so in circulation worth a total of around $7 billion. Wright said his failure to produce better evidence would cause "great damage to those that had supported" him, in particular Matonis and Andresen. "I can only say I'm sorry. And goodbye," Wright wrote. (Reporting by Jemima Kelly; Editing by Toby Chopra) || Murray Stahl Talks Investments Made Through FRMO: - By Bram de Haas Guru Murray Stahl ( Trades , Portfolio ) is the CEO and chairman of FRMO Corp. (FRMO). Together with CFO Steven Bregman, they report on the investments made through FRMO on a quarterly basis. There is no transcript available yet for the most recent call, but you can listen to the archived call. Warning! GuruFocus has detected — Warning Sign with WMT. Click here to check it out. FRMO –5-Year Financial Data The intrinsic value of FRMO Peter Lynch Chart of FRMO The call can be a little bit chaotic if you are a new shareholder, but they are absolutely worth listening too. Stahl and Bregman are full of valuable insights into the markets and readily share wisdom related to their unconventional approach to value investing. Balance sheet The call starts out with them commenting on the balance sheet. Equity went down by a meaningful amount and the duo got several questions from shareholders about why it went down and whether the decline would be permanent. A meaningful part of the reduction in book value is due to current assets decreasing by $–– million. A deferred tax liability was decreased and the securities sold, not yet purchased program was expanded a little bit. This is a post where they account for short positions in path dependent ETFs. The way I understand it, they had to take their gains in these positions, which triggered a tax. Afterward they initiated the positions again with a new cost basis. The HK multistrategy fund declined in value. Over the calendar year, the fund didn’t do so bad (-–—%), but throughout the reporting period the fund went down by —5%. There were also some redemptions, although they were quick to point out March had been a very good month. Digital Currency Group Stahl talked a little bit about a new investment in the Digital Currency Group. DCG is a corporation devoted to crypto currencies. Stahl expects cryptocurrencies will become a legitimate asset class. DCG owns various venture investments in technologies involved with digital currencies. They own equity in Coinbase (an exchange), Ripple (utilizes blockchain for cross-border transactions) and Grayscale (a money manager of crypto currencies). Governments around the world historically had the tendency to inflate asset prices or currency. Little by little you are purchasing power, a constant threat in history. Being on a metallic standard has historically also caused inflation.� Story continues The blockchain is a ledger and the coins can’t be counterfeited. If more transactions are done in a currency it raises its value. If Bitcoin were to become the new gold (Stahl doesn’t necessarily agree, but raises it as a possibility suggested by others), Bitcoin would appreciate by –………x in value. If it were to become currency for the world, you would make —…………x your money. Even though it is a very small investment, Stahl views it as a really important strategic investment. It's possible the stake would be expanded. Market outlook If oil went to $45 by end of the year, CPI would go to —.‘% and the Fed would have its hand forced and would need to raise rates. This would cause problems in the market. You have to diversify away from stocks. Over the last ‘5 years, interest rates came down and stocks were successful. FRMO is now operating on the premise that two guys picking stocks isn’t going to cut it going forward. The firm keeps a lot of cash on the balance sheet and views it as optionality. When the next crash (Stahl doesn’t actually use the word crash) comes, the firm will profit by having lots of liquidity. One of the reasons they like small exchanges so much is that the optionality embedded in them is huge. If big mergers go through like the one between the London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Borsche, these players raise prices and clients are angry and want to move business. Meanwhile there are few licensed exchanges and the small ones are suddenly very well positioned. ETFs Stahl views it as very dangerous to be invested in big dominating companies. Big liquid companies pay out a little bit of dividend and throw the rest at buybacks. These companies have defined benefit pension plans, but the stock has to rise or the company has to put extra money into these plans. This means that when the flows into large cap liquid companies is starting to slow, the effect can be dramatic. Big liquid stocks make up huge allocations in focused ETFs. What’s wrong with that? You take a lot of individual security risk by buying this ETF. At some point an event will make that apparent to lots of people invested in these type of securities. Something else he doesn’t like is the typical dividend ETF. Earnings of the constituents of these products are ever so slightly declining. They have record margins right now, and can’t go up or down by much. These companies are currently saving a lot on the commodity side and not passing this on to the consumer. The risks in ETF land are exacerbated because ETF providers aren’t making money and can’t make a lot of money on these products because the fees are too low. This structure of the industry leads to only a few companies being a major part of all ETFs. An index was supposed to take out risk, and now you are taking on risk by buying into them. Everyone owns the same companies.� Indexation is not in the early innings, it’s in the late innings. It will possibly go into extra innings. This article first appeared on GuruFocus . Warning! GuruFocus has detected 2 Warning Sign with WMT. Click here to check it out. FRMO 15-Year Financial Data The intrinsic value of FRMO Peter Lynch Chart of FRMO [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] LIVE: Profit = $999.30 (12.42 %). BUY B19.49 @ $460.00 (#VirCurex). SELL @ $464.73 (#Bitfinex) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || Current price: 291.73£ $BTCGBP $btc #bitcoin 2016-04-09 07:00:04 BST || In the last 10 mins, there were arb opps spanning 18 exchange pair(s), yielding profits ranging between $0.00 and $201.06 #bitcoin #btc || 1 #BTC (#Bitcoin) quotes: $418.72/$419.00 #Bitstamp $416.10/$416.49 #BTCe ⇢$-2.90/$-2.23 $420.02/$420.16 #Coinbase ⇢$1.02/$1.44 || G81 has won a round in a playground (Faucet) and won 0.00005000 BTC, join @ChopCoin and earn BTC (00:11UTC) || One Bitcoin now worth $424.19@bitstamp. High $426.00. Low $422.27. Market Cap $6.546 Billion #bitcoin || A unregistered user has won a round in a playground (Faucet) and won 0.00005000 BTC, join @ChopCoin and earn BTC (00:11UTC) || BTCTurk 1241.3 TL BTCe 445.199 $ CampBx $ BitStamp 448.00 $ Cavirtex $ CEXIO 454.67 $ Bitcoin.de 391.55 € #Bitcoin #btc || 1 #BTC (#Bitcoin) quotes: $441.00/$441.61 #Bitstamp $440.03/$441.30 #BTCe ⇢$-1.58/$0.30 $444.96/$445.01 #Coinbase ⇢$3.35/$4.01 || #bitcoin #miner ANTMINER S7, COMPLETE WITH 110V POWER SUPPLIES AND SHIPS FROM USA! $1245.00 http://cur.lv/x7nke  http://cur.lv/x7nkg 
Trend: down || Prices: 457.57, 454.16, 453.78, 454.62, 438.71, 442.68, 443.19, 439.32, 444.15, 445.98
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2016-07-21] BTC Price: 665.01, BTC RSI: 51.64 Gold Price: 1330.50, Gold RSI: 55.38 Oil Price: 44.75, Oil RSI: 43.03 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] O’Leary’s O’Shares Seeks Big Additions to its ETF Lineup: O’Shares Investments, the exchange traded funds issuer founded by “Shark Tank” personality Kevin O’Leary, is looking to make significant additions to its ETF lineup. A filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission indicates O’Shares is looking to add as many as 17 ETFs to its stable. Related: More Shank Tank ETFs “All the proposed offerings have ‘quality’ in the name and would employ a passive investing approach. The investable universe of these funds includes emerging-market equities, small-cap U.S. stocks, preferred shares, and even corporate credit,” reports Luke Kawa for Bloomberg. Trending on ETF Trends SolidX Reveals Plan to Launch a Bitcoin ETF A Big Day for ETFs as 5 Sponsors Launch New Products AdvisorShares, Cornerstone Roll Out Active Small-Cap ETF Tech ETFs with Exposure to Hardware, Internet Segments Oil ETFs That Hand More Control to Traders The O’Shares FTSE US Quality Dividend ETF ( OUSA ) , the first O’Shares ETF, has enjoyed rapid success. Just about a year old, OUSA has over $240 million in assets under management. The O’Shares FTSE US Quality Dividend ETF cements O’Leary’s dividend commitment. OUSA tracks the FTSE US Qual / Vol / Yield Factor Index, an expansion of FTSE Russell’s FTSE Global Factor Index Series. The index seizes on three prominent themes in the ETF community: Dividends along with the low volatility and quality factors. In August 2015, O’Shares launched the O’Shares FTSE Europe Quality Dividend ETF ( OEUR ) and the O’Shares FTSE Asia Pacific Quality Dividend ETF ( OASI ) . OEUR tracks the FTSE Europe Qual / Vol / Yield Factor 5% Capped Index. OASI follows the FTSE Asia Pacific Qual / Vol / Yield Factor 5% Capped Index. Related: Advantages of Quality Dividend ETFs “O’Leary’s celebrity status and the application of smart-beta strategies to fixed income could help the Canadian businessman differentiate himself and attract assets in what’s becoming a crowded ETF space, with roughly 60 issuers in the U.S.,” according to Bloomberg. Click here to read the full story on ETF Trends. || Brexit Weighs on Big Oil ETFs: The United States Oil Fund (USO) , which tracks West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures, and the United States Brent Oil Fund (BNO) , which tracks Brent crude oil futures, are among the various commodities exchange traded products that have been stung by the Brexit result. A stronger dollar coupled with downward revisions to U.K. economic growth forecast are among the factors pressuring crude in Brexit’s wake and there could be more near-term pain for oil because some market observers see Brexit also affecting Chinese economic growth. Related:The Worst Could be Over for Oil ETFs “The Brexit also likely has a negative impact for China by strengthening the Japanese Yen and triggering a sell-off in the Yuan. The future of EU Oil imports is also brought into question, given the risk of other countries following England’s lead in exiting the Union. Despite the risks, inventory levels are expected to inch lower over the summer months, which may underpin Oil prices. US production is expected to decrease over the coming months, which may offset decreased UK/EU demand,” according to OptionsExpress. Brexit’s subsequent volatility could drag on riskier assets like commodities and add to concerns over a global slowdown in energy demand. Moreover, commodities may find pressure from a strengthening U.S. dollar as many expect the British pound to depreciate following a break. Trending on ETF Trends 11 Surging Silver ETFs as Two-Year High Looms A Gold Boon for these Glistening ETFs As Bank of England Mulls Rate Cuts, More Pound Punishment Likely As Q3 Begins, Gold Miner ETFs Keep Shining Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF Will Trade on BATS Elevated levels of production remain an issue for oil as well. OPEC has kept up production to pressure high-cost rivals, such as the developing U.S. shale oil producers. The International Energy Agency expects it will take several years before OPEC can effectively price out high-cost producers. Saudi Arabia previously said it would join a production freeze deal if Iran agreed to curb output. However, Iran has maintained that it should be allowed to raise production to previous levels before the introduction of Western sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program, instead arguing for individual-country production quotas. Related:Oil ETFs at 7 Month High on Falling U.S. Inventories “Turning to the chart, we see the August Crude Oil contract forming what could become a double top formation. If confirmed, the measure of the double top could result in a test of the $40 level. The recent closes below the 20-day moving average (“MA”) suggest that a near-term high may be in place,” adds Options Express. For more information on the oil market, visit ouroil category. United States Brent Oil Fund || WRIT Media Group Announces Beta Availability of CrypStock Crypto Currency Exchange: LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - Jul 5, 2016) - WRIT Media Group, Inc. (OTCQB:WRIT) today introduces beta availability for its CrypStock crypto currency exchange at the following website:www.CrypStock.com.CrypStock is a crypto-currency exchange, striving to combine the crypto-currency uniqueness with the benefits of a user-friendly but sophisticated exchange system. The platform aims to give a great user experience matched with fast support, and will add new digital currencies based on popularity and requests by account holders. The Company plans to introduce a number of proprietary trading modules, including: • Binary optionson the Bitcoin/USD pair - the simplest type of derivative financial instruments, allowing traders to make potential profit from trend forecasting. • Futureson the Bitcoin/USD pair - the most popular financial instrument in the world, providing an ability to trade with big leverage and volume. • Algorithm tradingsubsystem- traders will benefit from a friendly visual wizard for automatic trading creation, back-testing and real-time execution. "Although the addition of another crypto-currency exchange may seem trivial, the development creates a potential shift in the cryptocurrency landscape, allowing more users direct access to the Company's Pelecoin currency," states Eric Mitchell, President of WRIT Media Group. "Pelecoin will trade against Bitcoin and other digital currencies, effectively creating a direct path between a non-Bitcoin asset and Bitcoin funding." WRIT Media Group plans to integrate a full system into the platform to run a digital currency exchange, including a solution for automatic market-making on exchange using third party exchanges. When launched, it will work with Pelecoin, Bitcoin and other digital currency exchanges around the world. "Having the opportunity to test and plan, with early access by real clients, has been very helpful while preparing for the planned 2017 CrypStock launch," adds Mr. Mitchell. Opening a CrypStock Account New users can sign up online for free and secure their own CrypStock trading account by completing a New Account Application Form atwww.crypstock.com. Once registered, users can navigate the beta version of the trading platform to monitor trading prices for various digital currencies, execute sample trades in various currencies, and provide feedback to WRIT Media Group's active development and support team. Upon its completion of external user acceptance testing, the exchange intends to register as a Money Service Business with the United States Department of Treasury and other necessary regulatory agencies in the US and abroad. Once registered, Pelecoin may be traded in several states in the US as a digital currency. Pelecoin is also finalizing the technical and regulatory ability to trade in Asia and other continents. Qualifying account holders will then be able to trade Pelecoin, other digital currencies, and derivatives on the Company's proprietary CrypStock trading platform. About WRIT Media GroupWRIT Media Group, Inc. (OTCQB:WRIT) is a diversified media and software company whose operations include content production and distribution; video game distribution via mobile platforms; and digital currency software development, including trading platforms and Blockchain solutions. The Company's portfolio of wholly owned businesses includes: • Front Row Networks, a content creation company which produces, acquires and distributes live event programming for worldwide digital broadcast into digitally enabled movie theaters and online streaming; • Amiga Games, a software company resurrecting the Amiga brand by publishing retro video games on smartphones, tablets and consoles; • Retro Infinity, Inc., a video game distribution portal which publishes video games from Amiga, Atari and other "retro" brands on today's smartphones, tablets and consoles; and • Pandora Venture Capital, a software developer with a focus on digital currency technologies, including; a cryptocurrency trading platform, a new generation of cryptocurrency, and Blockchain technology solutions. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking StatementsExcept for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted by such forward-looking statements.Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those discussed in WRIT Media Group's latest 10-Q filed December 31, 2015. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Pandora Venture Capital Corp., Pelecoin, CrypStock.com and its related trademarks and names are the property of WRIT Media Group, Inc. and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world. All rights reserved. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners. || Your first trade for Monday, June 6: The "Fast Money" traders shares which trades they'd make on Monday. Tim Seymour was a buyer of the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF(NYSE Arca: EEM). Steve Grasso was a buyer of Under Armour(NYSE: UA). Brian Kelly as a buyer of the VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF(NYSE Arca: GDX). Guy Adami was a buyer of United Technologies(NYSE: UTX). Trader disclosure: On June 3, 2016, the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "Fast Money" traders:Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, GDX, INTC, Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. Steve Grasso is long BA, CC, EVGN, KBH, MJNA, MU, OLN, PFE, PHM, T, TWTR, UA, GDX KIDS OWN: EFA, EFG, EWJ, IJR, SPY Stuart Frankel & Co Inc. and some of its Partners: CAH, PHM, TEVA, AAPL, UAL, TOL, LDP, WDR, AVP, CVX, FCX, IBM, ICE, KDUS, KO, MAT, MCD, MJNA, NE, NEM, OLN, OXY, RIG, STAG, TAXI, TEX, TITXF, URI, VALE, WDR, WYNN, ZNGA, CUBA, HSPO, ICE, AMZN, MJNA, TITXF, NXTD. Brian Kelly is long Bitcoin, US Dollar; he is short Australian Dollar, Euro, Hong Kong Dollar, Yuan Short. Tim Seymour is long AAPL, AVP, BAC, BBRY, CLF, DO, EDC, EWZ, F, FCX, FXI, GM, GOOGL, GRMN, GE, GLNCY, INTC, LQD, M, MCD, MPEL, NKE, RACE, RAI, RH, RL, SINA, T, TWTR, UA, VALE, VZ, XOM. Tim's firm is long ABX, BABA, BIDU, CLF, EWZ, F, HD, KO, MCD, MPEL, NKE, PEP, PF, SAVE, SBUX, SINA, VALE, VIAB, WMT, WEN, YHOO, short HYG, IWM, WYNN, XRT. More From CNBC • Top News and Analysis • Latest News Video • Personal Finance || Spain's Santander names ex-JPMorgan executive Masters blockchain guru: (Reuters) - Banco Santander SA, Spain's largest lender, named former JPMorgan executive Blythe Masters its senior blockchain adviser as banks race to find new uses for the technology behind virtual currency Bitcoin. Proponents of blockchain, or distributed ledger technology, say it has the potential to shake up how financial markets operate. The technology creates a shared database in which participants can trace every transaction ever conducted. Santander is one of several banks investing in this sector to avoid being left behind by fintech start-ups. Citigroup, BNP Paribas and Goldman Sachs are among other big global banks that have invested in the technology. Masters, who spent 27 years at JPMorgan, has been leading the charge into blockchain by financiers. The blockchain software firm she started, Digital Asset Holdings, has raised more than $60 million from investors such as Goldman Sachs and the Australian Securities Exchange, which is partnering with the firm to work on using the technology in the cash-equities market. Masters was previously the chairman of Santander Consumer USA Holdings' board. She rose to prominence during the 1990s when she helped to create the credit-derivatives market. Her appointment comes shortly after Santander became the first British bank to start using blockchain to record international payments. The lender said at the time that it may start rolling out the service to customers next year. (Reporting by Richa Naidu in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Jemima Kelly in London; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty) || SolidX Reveals Plan to Launch a Bitcoin ETF: Earlier this week, blockchain technology provider SolidX revealed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that is looking to launch an exchange traded fund based on the digital currency bitcoin. “According to the S-1 filing, the trust will issue shares that represent units of ownership in the trust, with SolidX Management LLC acting as the custodian of bitcoin held by the trust. Bank of New York Mellon, in turn, will act as the administrator of the trust and custodian for its cash holdings,” reports Pete Rizzo for CoinDesk. Related: Winkdex Bitcoin Index Debuts The filing from SolidX was revealed just days after it was reported that the Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust, the highly anticipated exchange traded fund sponsored by twin brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, when it comes to market, will trade on the Bats ETF Marketplace. It was previously expected that the Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust would trade on the Nasdaq. Trending on ETF Trends Grab Some Palladium Power With These ETFs A Bright Precious Metals ETF Outlook Investors: Don’t Overreact to Bearish Oil Calls Some Analysts See a New Oil Bull Market Cotton ETN Grows on Tightening Inventories Bitcoin is a type of decentralized digital currency based on a peer-to-peer network and can be exchanged through computers internationally without a financial intermediary. The system was first introduced by developer Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009. The SolidX bitcoin offering, assuming it comes to market, will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker XBTC and will provide bitcoin pricing via the TradeBlock XBX Index. “As noted by industry advocacy group Coin Center, a notable difference between the SolidX Bitcoin Trust and the competing Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust is that the former has secured insurance that would cover the loss or theft of bitcoins in the trust,” reports CoinDesk. Related: Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF Will List on BATS In February 2014, Winklevoss Capital launched the Winkdex, a bitcoin index that will eventually be used for a planned bitcoin ETF, “COIN,” which was first proposed in 2013 but is still waiting on regulatory approval. Click here to read the full story on ETF Trends. || Bank of Canada studies payments system using tech behind bitcoin: By Ethan Lou and Leah Schnurr TORONTO/OTTAWA, June 16 (Reuters) - The Bank of Canada is experimenting with a payments system based on the technology behind the bitcoin virtual currency, the central bank said on Thursday. Bank of Canada Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn Wilkins said the central bank has been working with commercial banks to build the experimental interbank payment system. The goal "is solely to better understand the technology first-hand," she said in a statement. "Other frameworks need to be investigated, and there are many hurdles that need to be cleared before such a system would ever be ready for prime time." Wilkins, expected to speak further on the issue on Friday, said the experiment is among many financial technology research projects. Such experiments, she noted, are not aimed at developing central-bank issued e-money for use by the general public. Details of the project, which uses the distributed-ledger technology associated with web-based currency bitcoin, were revealed at a payment-technology event in Calgary on Wednesday that was closed to media. Kyle Kemper, an entrepreneur and head of the Bitcoin Alliance of Canada, who was present at Wednesday's event, said the experiment is called "Project Jasper" and involves blockchain technology. Blockchain's distributed-ledger system allows users to conduct secure transactions with each other without the need for middlemen or central oversight, unlike traditional electronic funds transfers. A slide from a presentation at the event seen by Reuters details how the banks in the experiment would pledge cash collateral in a pool that the Bank of Canada would convert into a digital version. The digital currency would then be used as a medium of exchange and could be converted back to cash. While long known as the backbone of bitcoin, launched under a pseudonym, blockchain has garnered the attention of large financial institutions in recent years. R3, a New York-based research consortium that includes all of Canada's major banks, is a partner in the Bank of Canada's project, along with Payments Canada. Royal Bank of Canada, CIBC, TD Bank and Payments Canada declined to comment. (Reporting by Leah Schnurr and Ethan Lou; Editing by Dan Grebler) || Wall Street's favorite technology set out to disrupt how we transfer money, but may end up changing everything else instead: Bitcoin money laundering virtual currency transactions (Dana Byerlee, 33, of Santa Monica, prepares to use one of Southern California's first two bitcoin-to-cash ATMs, in Locali Conscious Convenience store in Venice, Los Angeles, California, June 21, 2014.REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson) Bitcoin was created to revolutionize the way we pay for things. The decentralized control, quick payment processing and blockchain technology Bitcoin championed was intended to disrupt the status quo in payments. The Bitcoin platform was released in 2009, and was created to give the power of payments to the people using it. No longer would you have to rely on a bank to verify transactions. The people who use Bitcoin double as the verification method using a technology known as the "blockchain." The widespread nature of Bitcoin means it can't be controlled by a malicious government or a single company. No single person has power over Bitcoin, and any changes to the payment system would have to be agreed upon by a majority of the people using it, a refreshing change from other payment methods. "Bitcoin is a very successful proof of concept for a peer to peer electronic cash system, which allows for the transfer of value over the internet without the need for a trusted third party," Citigroup analyst Keith Horowitz said in a note to clients. It's now becoming clear that bitcoin is unlikely to succeed in getting rid of cash or credit cards. There are too many barriers to its widespread availability. That doesn 't mean it's a failure, though. The technology that Bitcoin popularized is being put to use in other exciting areas now. (BII) Barriers It turns out that Bitcoin's biggest feature, its decentralized nature, is also one of its biggest weaknesses. Let's illustrate the problem with an example. Imagine sending money to a family member who is overseas, but accidentally typing in the wrong account number. On the Bitcoin network, you would have to contact the account you mistakenly sent money to and have them agree to send it back. If you had used a bank or credit card, the central power could resolve the issue, and refund your account with the money you mistakenly sent. Story continues Even if you manage to correctly send Bitcoin to your family member, they would have to find someone willing to trade their new Bitcoin into currency they could use locally. The decentralized nature of Bitcoin actually hurts it in an example like this. Additionally, in developed nations, a central power often help suppress volatility and increase adoption. It's hard to convince a user that Bitcoin is the best payment option when systems issued by banks and government entities are just as fast and easy to use. "When we compare Bitcoin to centralized systems on messaging, settlement and regulation, we believe that overall centralized systems come out on top, and consequently we do not believe that banks and the card networks (Visa/MasterCard) are at risk from disruption," Horowitz said. Bitcoin's impact on payments Despite it's shortcomings, Bitcoin is not a failure. It has succeeded in highlighting several problem areas in current payment systems, and people are working on a number of different options for utilizing the technology Bitcoin popularized. A 3D printed people's models are seen in front of a displayed Airbnb logo in this illustration taken, June 8, 2016. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration (A 3D printed people's models are seen in front of a displayed Airbnb logo in this illustrationThomson Reuters) Major banks are investigating the practicality of a 'blockchain' technology , for example. Autonomous Research has called the technology a " game changer ," and Goldman Sachs has said the technology " has the potential to redefine transactions ." The estimated annual budget for blockchain initiatives on Wall Street is $1 billion . Goldman Sachs recently published a report highlighting practical use cases for blockchain outside of finance, including applications in the sharing economy, electricity market and in property. "Groundbreaking innovations have often come from not one but many different technologies coming together," Horowitz said. Bitcoin could provide a framework for incredibly quick microtransactions, which would revolutionize several industries. Imagine the streaming music services, like Spotify and Apple Music, paying an artist a small amount of money every time you play a song. This happens now, but is done slowly and is hard to track. Plumbing a database of music with a Bitcoin like technology would allow artists to be paid immediately for people listening to their work, and the system could theoretically work across streaming services. Bitcoin also has interesting applications in the Internet of Things.As more of our everyday objects start connecting to the internet, the potential for small micropayments increases. Imagine your dryer, fridge and AC all communicating with each other and talking to the power grid to barter over power usage. A decentralized, Bitcoin like system could allow these devices to all talk to each other . Instead of having to be connected to a centralized hub the devices could provide their own smarts. The possible applications of Bitcoin technology are potentially infinite, and are only just starting to be realized. NOW WATCH: MICHAEL MOORE: 'I think there’s an excellent chance' Trump will be president More From Business Insider Here's what the $99 flight from LA to Iceland is like A right-wing experiment sarcastically known as the 'bank of KDOT' is ruining Kansas' roads The Warriors recruited Kevin Durant with a pitch that should terrify the rest of the NBA || Winklevoss brothers choose BATS over Nasdaq for bitcoin ETF listing: By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss on Wednesday filed to switch the listing of their proposed bitcoin exchange-traded fund to BATS Global Markets from Nasdaq, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Winklevoss brothers, identical twins, had filed their first application for a listing three years ago. The proposed ETF, the Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust, will list 1 million shares at $65 each, according to the filing. That is up from a list price of $20.09 per share given in the first filing. The filing did not say why there was a change in trading venues, but over the last year BATS has emerged as one of the fastest-rising trading venues for ETFs. BATS is the second largest U.S. equities market operator. If approved by the SEC, the Winklevoss ETF would be the first bitcoin ETF issued by a U.S. entity. The ETF would trade under the ticker symbol COIN. Gemini Trust Company, the Winklevoss brothers' trust company, which runs a bitcoin trading venue, has been designated the custodian of the ETF. There was no designated custodian in the previous filings. Gemini operates a trading platform for bitcoin and for another digital currency, ether. The ETF's bitcoin will be valued using the Gemini's spot price as of 4 p.m. Eastern time each business day, according to the SEC filing. Bitcoin's value has been highly volatile, having peaked at over $1,200 in late 2013 before crashing after the collapse of the Mt. Gox bitcoin exchange. It has since recovered, hitting a more than two-year high of nearly $780 last week in the run-up to the British referendum whether the country should leave the European Union. As of late Wednesday, one bitcoin was worth $634.24 <BTC=BTSP> on the Bitstamp platform. (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Leslie Adler) || Hackers are already targeting the GOP convention: The Republican National Convention has had to fend off a wave of cyberattacks even before the opening gavel sounded, according to the official charged with securing the network. And many more attacks are expected this week, either from nation-states hunting for intelligence or protesters trying to disrupt the network at the convention, said Max Everett, the consulting chief information officer for the Republican National Committee. "There are a lot of folks who are going to try to poke around in any new network they find," said Everett. Republican presumptive presidential candidate Donald Trump's highly charged campaign , coupled with particularly well-funded and highly motivated groups of attackers only serves to intensify the threat, security experts said. The convention, which opens Monday afternoon, will attract some 50,000 people plus a global audience watching from afar, providing the perfect platform and smokescreen for hack attacks, said Orlando Scott-Cowley, a strategist with cybersecurity firm Mimecast. A successful attack could impact physical security on the ground, for example, by taking connected security scanners offline. It could also affect online activity, for example, by hijacking the livestream and derailing the GOP's message. The Secret Service has designated the conventions "national special security events" and has its work cut out, said Scott-Cowley. The professionalization of hacking has given rise to the most sophisticated and technologically well-armed adversaries authorities have ever faced. The convention staff will have 600 to 700 people on its network, and some of them will bring in their own personal devices, which will complicate the cybersecurity challenge, said Everett. He has spent the past year visiting Cleveland in preparation for the challenge — this is his fourth convention — and will have an onsite IT team of up to 70 people. They are using Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and ForeScout software to monitor the network in real time, working with AT&T (NYSE: T) and Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) on securing external access to the network and a firm called Dark Cubed to share real-time threat information among the firms trying to defend against cyberattacks. Story continues "The unique things we're seeing are the typical spearphishing attacks, with people sending links in phony emails telling users they need to reset their passwords." And they're seeing "malvertising," or malware that's designed to look like an ad for people to click on on their phones. "We have not seen any specific social engineering attacks yet, but we have seen that in the past," he said. "We have spear phishing attacks with links telling people 'you have a shipment,' and things like that." The vast majority of the attacks so far, he said, have been "opportunistic," or hackers just trying to see what they can find. But they have seen one more sophisticated attack already, in which the attacker knew that the convention is using Microsoft Office 365, a software group designed mostly for businesses. "Somebody took the time to see that we were using that, and sent a link saying 'click here to reset your password,'" Everett said. "The user wisely sent that one to us. That's the most sophisticated attack we've seen." These cyberdefenders face well-funded adversaries thanks to successful hacker business models leveraging tools like ransomware to make money, and tools like botnets for hire to launch large-scale distributed denial-of-service attacks. Bitcoin greases the wheels, allowing all this illicit activity and commerce to take place anonymously. Trump has already been widely hacked — anonymous forums purport to offer personal information about him, his contacts and properties, said Danny Rogers, CEO of cybersecurity firm Terbium Labs. Over the course of the conventions and leading up to the election, more information about the candidates, their parties and supporters will likely be leaked, particularly given how controversial both candidates are this year, he said. More From CNBC Top News and Analysis Latest News Video Personal Finance [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] A Scenario Where Bitcoin Drops To $0.00 http://dlvr.it/LlGP0B  #bitcoin || LIVE: Profit = $564.74 (7.20 %). BUY B18.96 @ $420.00 (#VirCurex). SELL @ $444.11 (#Bitfinex) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || #UFOCoin #UFO $ 0.000019 (-0.73 %) 0.00000003 BTC (-0.00 %) || 1 BTC Price: BTC-e 709.998 USD Bitstamp 750.00 USD Coinbase 749.99 USD #btc #bitcoin 2016-06-16 07:30 pic.twitter.com/riCI7cJHAl || O bitcoin tá R$ 2346,00! http://DolarHoje.com/bitcoin  || 1 DOGE Price: Bter 0.00000042 BTC #doge #dogecoin 2016-07-07 00:31 pic.twitter.com/DJuBZA7CJk || $694.49 at 09:15 UTC [24h Range: $655.79 - $725.00 Volume: 15767 BTC] || Toys R Us, Barnes & Noble, and Home Depot Gift Cards all 60% OFF --->>> http://goo.gl/iJvSBt  #bitcoin #cryptocurrency || Brexit is 'the gift that keeps on giving' for a cornered Fed: Schiff #bitcoin #GERMANSEXETRADAXKURSIND #TheFed http://bitcoinagile.com/7221B7/brexit-is-the-gift-that-keeps-on-giving-for-a-cornered-fed-schiff_stream … || #bitcoin #miner Bitmain S5 Bitcoin Miner $150.00 http://ift.tt/1t6KvJk pic.twitter.com/OTH9oeVXJb
Trend: down || Prices: 650.62, 655.56, 661.28, 654.10, 651.78, 654.35, 655.03, 656.99, 655.05, 624.68
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Your first trade for Monday: The "Fast Money" traders revealed their final trades of the day. Tim Seymour was a buyer of the TUR(NYSE Arca: TUR). Steve Grasso was a buyer of MTW(MTW). Brian Kelly was a buyer of the GLD(NYSE Arca: GLD). Guy Adami was a buyer of FB(FB). Trader disclosure: On March 20, 2015 , the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "Fast Money" traders:Tim Seymour is long T, BAC, C, DIS, XOM, F, GE, GM, GOOGL, INTC, TUR, EWZ, SUNE, Tim's firm is long BABA, BIDU, KO, MCD, NKE, NOK, SBUX. Brian Kelly is long BTC=, US Dollar, GLD, EEM, CTRL calls, GSG, HYG puts, BBRY, TLT, he is short Yuan, today he bought EEM. Steve Grasso is long BA, CLVS, EVGN, FB, GDX, GOOGL, IMMR, KBH, KDUS, MHY, MJNA, PFE, POT, SO, T, TMUS, TWTR, his firm is long AMZN, NE, NEM, OXY, RIG, VALE, AVP, KO, MCD, USO his kids are long EFG, EFA, EWJ, IJR, SPY. Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, INTC, Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. More From CNBC • CNBC.com News Page • CNBC.com Blogs Page • CNBC.com Earnings Central || Bitcoin Shop, Inc. Acquires Additional Equity Interest in Coin Outlet: ARLINGTON, VA--(Marketwired - Mar 26, 2015) - Bitcoin Shop, Inc. ( OTCQB : BTCS ) ("BTCS" or the "Company"), which is undertaking the build-out of a universal digital currency ecosystem, announced today that the Company has acquired an additional 2% equity ownership in Coin Outlet from Eric Grill, Coin Outlet's CEO, for 701,966 shares of the Company's common stock. BTCS now owns approximately 4.2% of Coin Outlet's equity and has the ability to own up to 11% upon exercise of its previously issued option and warrant. BTCS CEO Charles Allen commented, "Today we are pleased to announce our additional ownership interest in, and partnership with, Coin Outlet. Their ATMs should allow consumers to exchange fiat currency for bitcoins through one fundamental and easy-to-use transaction. Additionally, with the help of Coin Outlet, we plan to leverage their ATM network as another on-ramp to our planned universal digital currency ecosystem." Eric Grill, Chief Executive Officer of Coin Outlet, commented, "Together we are focused on driving bitcoin and digital currency adoption through a systematic roll out of ATMs across key cities from coast to coast. The partnership with BTCS encompasses the perfect collaboration of resources and technology." About BTCS: BTCS plans to build a universal digital currency platform with the goal of enabling users to engage in the digital currency ecosystem through one point of access. The Company currently operates its public beta site ( www.btcs.com ) where consumers can purchase products using digital currency such as bitcoin, litecoin and dogecoin, by searching through a selection of over 250,000 items. Customers can access competitive pricing options from 256 retailers through BTCS's "Intelligent Shopping Engine." All ecommerce customer orders are fulfilled by third party vendors. The Company plans to use its ecommerce platform as a customer on-ramp for a broader digital currency platform. BTCS actively partners with strategic digital currency companies who have technologies, services or products that are complementary to its business strategy by making investments in them and integrating with them. Forward Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, not limited to Risk Factors relating to its digital currency business contained therein. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. || Is LEOcoin The Real Deal?: Last week, LEOcoin had its official debut and the coin's creators claimed it would become the second largest cryptocurrency in the world after bitcoin. However, the launch was met with muchskepticismfrom cryptocurrency enthusiasts, who say the altcoin is nothing more than a "pump and dump" scam. LEOcoin To Take Cryptocurrency Mainstream Dan Andersson, one of LEOcoin's founders, has said the cryptocurrency is more accessible and easier to use than bitcoin, and thus will be a good catalyst to push digital currencies into mainstream use. Andersson claims that his relationship with thousands of big name companies through the Learning Enterprises Organization will help spread the adoption of LEOcoin to merchants around the world. He claims that over 30,000 merchants have already signed on to accept the currency and that the number of users has risen to 150,000. Related Link:Bitcoin's Jail Stint Creates New Currency Offering Is LEOcoin Really Such A Big Deal? Many are criticizing LEOcoin, saying that Andersson's claims are unfounded and likely untrue. Since LEOcoin has yet to release a list of merchants willing to accept the currency, some have begun to doubt what he said. Also, LEOcoin has been criticized for touting its existence as a "new" coin offering. While its true that the official launch was on April 2, the coin has been mined since August 2014, something critics say the altcoin's founders were not forthcoming about. Only Time Will Tell While the April 2 launch was shadowed by skepticism, many are excited about the new coin and look forward to its mainstream adoption. However, both supporters and critics will have to wait to find out whether or not the altcoin will withstand the test of time. See more from Benzinga • Dropbox Squaring Up Against Google Docs • Marijuana May Play An Important Role In The 2016 Presidential Race • SeatGeek Takes Comparison Shopping To The Theater © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || 2 Companies That Are Helping Cities Get Smarter: The 'Internet of Things' has been a huge topic of discussion this year as tech companies find new ways to connect people with their electronics. Wearable devices, integrated automobile systems and even "smart" appliances have made their way to the market this year as automation takes over as one of the biggest trends of 2015. Now, big names likeCisco Systems, Inc.(NASDAQ:CSCO) andInternational Business Machines Corp.(NYSE:IBM) are turning their focus to larger arenas in a race to create cities that boast everything from public transportation systems that are able to communicate with each other and provide travelers with the most efficient route at the moment they wish to travel to real-time pollution statistics. Smart Start IBM recentlypartneredwith chip makerARMto offer an Internet of Things "starter pack." The kit allows anyone from a home owner to a city planner to use the components to take readings of a certain environment and record data for any objects attached to the device. While IBM says the possibilities for use are endless, one example scenario the company gave was controlling a smart lighting system using a network of internet-connected bulbs. Related Link:Cybersecurity Firms Are Ready To Fight For Government Contracts Cisco Signs Up Big Names Cisco is another major player in the "smart city" sector; the company has alreadysigned onwith several major cities around the globe, including Barcelona and Hamburg, to provide automated solutions that monitor and connect important city functions. In Maryland, Cisco created a housing complex that is able to detect problems like water leaks and fires and send that data to the appropriate officials to avoid serious damage or even life-threatening disasters. The company says it hopes to expand that technology to more areas in the years to come. See more from Benzinga • Intel May Be Jumping On Board The Digital Currency Revolution • IBM Working On 'A Bitcoin Without The Bitcoin' • Meet Pepper, The Latest House Robot © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Texas Bitcoin Conference Hackathon and Rivetz Boost Developers to Augment Android's Blockchain Capabilities: AUSTIN, TX--(Marketwired - Mar 26, 2015) - Texas Bitcoin Conference --Rivetz(http://rivetz.com/) today announced its partnership with the Texas Bitcoin Conference's hackathon (http://texasbitcoinconference.com/) to provide Rivetz-enabled Android smartphones and technical expertise to the participating teams. The Rivetz SDK provides developers with the tools to leverage the embedded security capabilities in Android phones for any of the proposed projects. Rivetz also has agreed to contribute a provisioned Galaxy Note 4 and $10,000 in Rivetz services to the winning team. The global focus on cyber security and identity creates great opportunities for many startup ideas and features. Blockchain technology is able to provide trusted execution on devices for identity management, providing a strong, secure foundation for innovation. "We are pleased to have the Rivetz team participating in the hackathon and look forward to the great innovation and sleepless nights," said Paul Snow, the conference's president and organizer. With Rivetz technological backing, hackathon developers will be able to rest easy knowing that the conference's security cannot be compromised. "So often, security is an afterthought. We are pleased to participate in the hackathon to show how security can be built in," said Steven Sprague, CEO of Rivetz. "The market is ready for innovative solutions which leverage the advanced security capabilities of modern hardware." The Texas Bitcoin Conference will take place in Austin, Texas, at the Moody Theater, home ofAustin City Limits Live. The hackathon will take place from March 27 to 29, 2015. About RivetzRivetz Corp. is focused on solving problems associated with consumers' relationships with financial and other online services. Rivetz provides a safer and easier-to-use model for all users to protect their digital assets and online transactions using hardware-based device identity. The device plays a critical role in automating security and enabling the controls that users need to benefit from modern services. Rivetz leverages state-of-the-art cybersecurity tools to develop a modern model for users and their devices to interact with services on the Internet. For more information, visitwww.Rivetz.com. All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners. || 4 ways to trade big telecom: "Innovator" T-Mobile(NYSE: TMUS)may put more pressure on telecom industry leaders as it continues to roll out cheap alternatives, CNBC "Fast Money" trader Steve Grasso said. "The other names are probably going to take a hit because their margins are going to get squeezed," said Grasso, who owns T-Mobile stock. The telecom company on Wednesday announced new calling and data plans for businesses. Grasso believes the move will help T-Mobile cut into telecom giants AT&T(NYSE: T)and Verizon(NYSE: VZ), which account for 87 percent of wireless revenue from businesses. T-Mobile moved about half a percent lower, around $33 per share, in extended trading. Read MoreFCC needs to close auction loopholes AT&T and Verizon still look more appealing than T-Mobile, said trader Brian Kelly. AT&T closed 2 percent higher, below $34 per share on Wednesday, while Verizon closed 1 percent higher, above $49 per share. Trader Pete Najarian looked to a telecom name outside the U.S. He said China Mobile(Hong Kong Stock Exchange: 941-HK)is his favorite stock in the sector, as it has been "crushing it." The stock closed more than 2 percent higher on Wednesday, above $67 per share. Read MoreWhat is 5G, and what does it mean for consumers? Disclosures: Pete Najarian Pete Najarian is long AMAT, BABA, BAC, BMY, BP, CSX, DISCA, FOXA, GE, KKR, KO, LLY, LOCO, MRK, PEP, PFE and SAP. He is long calls AAL, AAPL, AMD, BABA, BAC, BK, CAM, CDW, CLR, COP, DAL, FB, FEYE, GE, GM, GRPN, GS, GT, HCP, HPQ, IAG, JPM, KO, KNDI, KRFT, LYB, MSFT, NEE, PEP, RAD, RF, RIG, SPY, SYY, TEVA, UAL, UFS, WFC, WMB, XLNX and XOM. He is long puts BHP. Today he bought RAD calls and SAP. Brian Kelly Brian Kelly is long BTC=, U.S. dollar, GLD, CTRL calls, HYG puts, BBRY, BBRY call spreads and TLT. He is short EWA, EWQ, EWZ, EWW, JJC, Canadian dollar, yen and yuan. Karen Finerman Karen Finerman is long BABA, BAC, C, FINL, FL, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, M and KORS. She is short DIA. Her firm is long AAPL, BAC, C, CMLS, DIS, FINL, FBT, FL, GPS, GOOG, GOOGL, GLNG, LPG, IBB, JPM, M, KORS, NAP, OIH, XBI, SUNE and URI. Her firm is long calls URI. Her firm is short MOY, IWM, SPY and USO. Karen Finerman is on the board of GrafTech International. Steve Grasso Steve Grasso is long BA, CLVS, EVGN, FB, GDX, GOOGL, IMMR, KBH, KDUS, MHY, MJNA, PFE, POT, SO, T, TMUS and TWTR. His firm is long AMZN, NE, NEM, OXY, RIG, VALE, AVP, KO, MCD amd USO. His kids are long EFG, EFA, EWJ, IJR and SPY. More From CNBC • CNBC.com News Page • CNBC.com Blogs Page • CNBC.com Earnings Central || UK Could Become Bitcoin Hub With New Regulations: The UK treasury pushed digital currencies one step closer to mainstream adoption this week after releasing a report detailing plans to prevent money laundering scams that operate using cryptocurrencies. The proposed regulations would put the UK at the center of the digital currency revolution as they are likely to attract businesses dealing in bitcoin to the region. UK Interested In Cryptocurrency Earlier this year, the Bank Of England released a research paper detailing the benefits of a central bank issuing a digital currency. The paper suggested that the BOE was considering the possibility of regulating digital currencies alongside the pound and demonstrated England's growing interest in cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin Businesses Cheer Regulations UK Chancellor George Osborne's budget package included rules that will help regulate digital currencies and protect against money-laundering scams. While many say the lack of regulation in the cryptocurrency world is part of its draw, others say mainstream adoption is impossible without some regulatory intervention. Related Link: IBM Working On A 'Bitcoin Without The Bitcoin' Businesses dealing in bitcoin have found it difficult to engage with banks as the industry still carries a great deal of risk that financial institutions are not willing to take on; the UK's regulations could help change that. Treasury Says Blockchain Has Potential The UK Treasury also noted the potential for innovation in other sectors using blockchain, the ledger-like technology that cryptocurrencies run on. Like most bitcoin enthusiasts, the UK noted that the ability of blockchain to carry out real-time transactions without the costs associated with a middle man could make it a useful tool in a range of industries outside the financial sector. See more from Benzinga Conflicting Data Makes Rate Increase Difficult To Predict Juniper Sees Bitcoin Usage Growing, But Not Among Retailers Legal Weed Sparks Pot Tourism Industry © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Ripple Labs Names Former State Department Official Anja Manuel as Advisor: SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Mar 18, 2015) -Ripple Labstoday announced that it has named Anja Manuel, Co-Founder and Partner atRiceHadleyGatesLLC, and a former U.S. Department of State official, as an advisor to the company. "Rippleis one of the most innovative technologies I have seen," said Manuel. "It has the potential to expand the global economy through increased trade, and enables better, more transparent regulatory oversight of payments. I am excited to help build on Ripple's impressive momentum and help it to gain traction internationally." Manuel is a Co-Founder and Partner along with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, and former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in RiceHadleyGates LLC, a strategic consulting firm that assists senior executives at major U.S. companies in key emerging markets such as China, India and the Middle East. She also teaches in Stanford University's International Policy Studies program. Previously, Ms. Manuel served as an official at the U.S. Department of State, where she held responsibility for South and Central Asian policy, congressional outreach, and legal matters. She was part of the negotiating team for the U.S.‐India civilian nuclear accord, helped to secure passage of the accord through the U.S. Congress, and was extensively involved in developing U.S. policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan. Prior, Ms. Manuel was an attorney atWilmerHaleand investment banker at Salomon Brothers International in London. She holds a B.A. and M.A. from Stanford University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. "I am excited to welcome Anja to the Ripple Labs team," said Ripple Labs CEO and co-founder Chris Larsen. "Her advice will be key as we grow our international presence and Ripple's adoption by financial institutions and payment networks across the world." Ripple Labs supports the adoption of Ripple, a settlement protocol that enables the world's disparate financial networks to securely transfer funds in any currency in real time. Banks, money transmitters and clearing houses can use Ripple as an alternative to correspondent banking to facilitate straight through processing with no reserve funding required.Earthport, the largest open network for global bank payments, and three banks in the United States and Germany recently announced integrations with Ripple. Ripple was created to enable the world to move value as easily as information moves today, giving rise to an Internet of Value (IoV) akin to today's Internet of Knowledge. For more information about Ripple Labs, please visithttp://www.ripplelabs.com. For more information about Ripple, please visithttp://www.ripple.com. About Ripple LabsRipple Labs is the global leader on distributed financial technology. The team supports adoption of the Ripple protocol, an Internet of Value (IoV) that enables the free and instant exchange of anything of value. The San Francisco-based startup is funded by Google Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, IDG Capital Partners, Core Innovation Capital, FF Angel, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Bitcoin Opportunity Corp. and Vast Ventures. Named one of 2014's50 Smartest Companiesby MIT Technology Review, Ripple Labs' team of 100 is comprised of deeply experienced cryptographers, security experts, distributed network developers, Silicon Valley and Wall Street veterans. They contribute code to the open-source software, as well as develop tools for and recruit financial institutions and payment networks to use Ripple. The team shepherds a movement to evolve finance so that payment systems are open, secure, constructive and globally inclusive. About RippleRipple is an Internet protocol that interconnects all the world's disparate financial systems to enable the secure transfer of funds in any currency in real time -- consider it an Internet of Value (IoV). As settlement infrastructure, Ripple transforms and enhances today's financial systems. Ripple unlocks assets and provides access to payment systems for everyone, empowering the world to move value like information moves today. For more information about Ripple, please visithttp://www.ripple.com. || A bitcoin-like solution for Greece: Over the next few months, Greece must repay its bailout and large public-sector debts. Greece and the euro zone need a quick, simple solution that allows Greece to stay in the euro zone and retain ownership of its plentiful and prized assets. An IOU currency isn't the answer - but there is one solution that could work. This past Wednesday, Greece was able to make a 200-million euro (US$224 million) interest payment to the International Monetary Fund, but only by requiring all state enterprises - including schools and pension funds - to transfer reserves to an account at the Greek central bank. Next Tuesday, Greece faces an even bigger payment of 750 million euros to the IMF. As of now, it is unclear how Greece will manage to make this payment. Read More Greece makes $224 million payment amid 'nail-biting' talks The situation has become unsustainable, even though there has been no shortage of solutions. However, implementation has been a significant hurdle. In particular, privatization of Greek assets is a lengthy process that has run into political resistance. Adding to the urgency, the recent sharp rise in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese interest rates suggests markets are fearful of contagion if Greece were to exit the euro zone. The European Central Bank is apparently working on an IOU-based secondary currency similar to the IOU's used by California in 2009, according to a Reuters report last month. Interestingly, Yanis Varoufakis (Greece's new Finance Minister) wrote a blog post in February proposing a similar currency, which he dubbed Future Tax Coin (FT-Coin). In both of these cases, the secondary currency would borrow tax revenue from the future to pay for obligations today. Furthermore, the secondary currency would be tantamount to a T-bill that was backed by the full faith and credit of the Greek government. As a trust-based financial instrument, acceptance would be a function of the confidence in the Greek government to collect future taxes. Without a way to easily spend the IOU currency, it would likely go unused by government employees and thus have no impact on economic growth. These limiting factors make it clear that an IOU currency issued by a government under financial stress is not a workable solution. Read More 'Grimbo': The new thing to worry about in Greece Using block-chain technology (the technology behind bitcoin) there is a simple and elegant way for Greece to monetize assets and pay government employees. While Greece may not have the liquidity to satisfy its current obligations it does have enough illiquid assets to solve much of its financial problems. According to Eurostat, as of September 2014, Greece held 86 billion euros of financial assets on its general government balance sheet. As a percentage of GDP, this makes Greece the 7th wealthiest nation in the EU. As a point of reference, financially sound Germany ranks 17th on the list of state-owned assets as a percentage of GDP. Story continues Given the amount of assets held by Greece, the solution to its financial problem becomes evident - it must monetize the assets. This understanding has not escaped the IMF, euro zone and the ECB (the troika), but it has run into resistance from the citizens of Greece. Greece needs a method to monetize state-owned assets while still maintaining ownership. In my opinion, a digital currency based on block-chain technology can provide the solution. Instead of selling assets in what will likely be a fire sale, the Greek government could use block-chain technology to create an asset-backed digital currency that can be used to repay creditors and pay government employees. Initial proceeds from the sale of the currency could be used to meet obligations to the troika, while government employees could be paid in this parallel currency. To make this work, the government of Greece would place a portion of its assets into a trust. Then a digital currency would be issued and backed by this basket of assets. The mechanism for tying the assets to the currency would be a smart contract embedded in the currency that would not allow Greece to sell any asset in the basket unless the holders of the digital currency are paid. Read More Greece deal: Seriously, what's holding it up? This approach is a hybrid of a parallel currency and an asset-backed security. Combining the attributes of a digital currency and an asset backed security would result in several benefits. 1. Greece would retain ownership of its highly prized state assets, satisfying the voter mandate to curtail privatization. 2. The currency could be used to pay government salaries and workers would be able to spend the currency at local businesses providing a much-needed economic boost. 3. This creates an investable asset that would be a proxy for a recovery of the Greek economy. 4. Greek banks could hold this hybrid asset instead of T-bills; the asset backing would immediately strengthen bank balance sheets. I want to be clear that this proposal is not suggesting Greece leave the euro zone - in fact, just the opposite. This new digital currency would work in parallel with the existing financial system. This would allow Greece to benefit from remaining in the euro zone while internally expanding money supply and paying off debt. As well, it could quell fears of contagion by providing a template for other liquidity-challenged countries. It is useful to note that this solution does not need to be implemented nationwide - the flexibility and scalability of digital currencies allow a stepwise progression. It is possible for municipalities and agencies within the government to adopt this solution individually. While many proposals sound good on paper, they are often not reasonable to implement. In order to ground this proposal in reality a "One Thing Challenge" has been issued to the block-chain technology community. Over the last few days, the community has been challenged to provide a working prototype of technology that aids in the implementation of the parallel currency. Start-up and established companies have been given a global stage to demonstrate products based on block-chain technology. Read More Eurogroup: No Greek deal by Monday, but it will get done In my view, this is an opportunity for real-world implementation of block-chain technology. This is not a solo act; it will require a collaborative effort. To that end, a wiki page has been created where block-chain technology firms can submit and discuss all the technology that will be needed. On May 20, I will be hosting an online symposium where companies will have the opportunity to present their piece of the workable solution. Importantly, reasoned disagreement is welcomed as the solution requires examination from multiple angles. Let this serve as an open invitation to contribute. Everyone is invited to be a part of the solution by submitting proposals at www.drachmae.org . This is not a pie-in-the-sky proposal; there is already a company with a mobile-banking solution and payroll function that will enable the Greek government to pay government workers via mobile phones. Another company is working on storing asset ownership records in a block chain so that ownership can be verified and tracked by everyone. The goal of this project is to create a decentralized organization that can provide a usable solution for Greece and illustrate the potential for block-chain technology. We are fortunate to have this powerful technology at our fingertips and now is the time for the block-chain community to demonstrate its game-changing potential. Brian Kelly is founder and managing member of Brian Kelly Capital LLC, a global macro investment firm catering to high net worth individuals, family offices and institutions. He is also the creator of the BKCM Indexes, benchmarks for multi-asset money managers. He's also the author of the upcoming book, " The Bitcoin Big Bang: How Alternative Currencies Are About to Change the World ." Kelly, a CNBC contributor, often appears on " Fast Money ." Follow him on Twitter @BKBrianKelly . More From CNBC Top News and Analysis Latest News Video Personal Finance View comments || Bitcoin regulation is coming to New York: Bitcoin Accepted Here Sign (REUTERS/Peter Nicholls) A bitcoin sticker is seen in the window of the 'Vape Lab' cafe, where it is possible to both use and purchase the bitcoin currency, in London March 24, 2015. There's a new regulator in town. Daniel Roberts at Fortune reports that Benjamin Lawsky, superintendent of the New York Department of Financial Services, is putting the finishing touches on BitLicense, a policy that "will require digital currency companies to obtain a license in order to transmit money on behalf of customers." This means that the cryptocurrency is getting slightly more legit, though the Bitcoin community is unsurprisingly somewhat unhappy about that. While some people think that regulation is a way to wider acceptance, Bitcoin is by and large a community full of people with serious philosophical opposition to the mainstream system. That's why they created bitcoin. From Fortune: While some welcome [regulation] (such as those rolling out insured exchanges ) because it can bring the currency and the technology mainstream, many are more philosophically motivated, and were attracted to the space precisely because of its lack of regulation. The latter camp includes people like Roger Ver, nicknamed “Bitcoin Jesus,” who recently told Fortune, “Bernie Madoff… was regulated up and down and every which way, and it didn’t do any good, he ran away with everyone’s money… Without all the regulations, we could do so much more already.” These bitcoiners should get together with JP Morgan's Jamie Dimon . NOW WATCH: How to supercharge your iPhone in only 5 minutes More From Business Insider Users of now-defunct Mt. Gox can now file a claim to get some of their bitcoin money back One big reason Bitcoin is going nowhere This guy has gamed the airline industry so he never has to pay for a flight again [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] current #bitcoin price (winkdex) is $233.05, last changed Mon, 13 Apr 2015 13:09:00 GMT. queried at: 13:12:22 || In the last 10 mins, there were arb opps spanning 19 exchange pair(s), yielding profits ranging between $0.09 and $679.00 #bitcoin #btc || In the last 10 mins, there were arb opps spanning 22 exchange pair(s), yielding profits ranging between $0.00 and $704.98 #bitcoin #btc || 1 #BTC (#Bitcoin) quotes: $236.00/$236.09 #Bitstamp $232.20/$232.98 #BTCe ⇢$-3.89/$-3.02 $237.76/$237.78 #Coinbase ⇢$1.67/$1.78 || In the last 10 mins, there were arb opps spanning 21 exchange pair(s), yielding profits ranging between $0.00 and $767.13 #bitcoin #btc || #RDD / #BTC on the exchanges: Cryptsy: 0.00000007 Bittrex: 0.00000008 Average $1.7E-5 per #reddcoin 11:00:01 || $247.27 at 08:45 UTC [24h Range: $247.00 - $253.51 Volume: 4743 BTC] || Current price: 243.97$ $BTCUSD $btc #bitcoin 2015-03-29 12:00:05 EDT || Bitcoin traded at $232.2 USD on BTC-e at 10:00 PM Pacific Time || $243.80 at 13:00 UTC [24h Range: $242.32 - $248.86 Volume: 6994 BTC]
Trend: no change || Prices: 236.80, 233.13, 231.95, 234.02, 235.34, 240.35, 238.87, 240.95, 237.11, 237.12
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2019-11-15] BTC Price: 8491.99, BTC RSI: 41.48 Gold Price: 1467.30, Gold RSI: 43.63 Oil Price: 57.72, Oil RSI: 60.06 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] What causes a Bitcoin bubble?: Bitcoin bubbles generally tend to grow after a fresh wave of new users join the market. The first registered Bitcoin bubble popped in 2011. This was then followed by a second bubble in late 2013. After that bubble burst, the market had to wait over four years before the biggest Bitcoin bubble of them all exploded spectacularly. In December 2017, Bitcoin reached $20,000 – a record price in the history of any cryptocurrency. But once the bubble burst, the digital asset came crashing down to lows of $3,150. Given that Bitcoin’s price is currently around 50% of its all-time high, will we ever see another massive run? Let’s take a look at what causes a Bitcoin bubble and whether it’s possible to predict one. Bitcoin price history Looking at the chart above, you can see how Bitcoin’s price bottomed at around $3,150. Price action, in terms of US dollars, has been showing bullish signals recently as the EMAs are once more starting to diverge and point upwards. The same signal appeared between April and September 2019. During this period, BTC climbed around 180% from about $5,000 to nearly $14,000. Not only that, but looking at the volume profile, you can see that volume is building up and creating a safety net below $9,000. This means, in terms of probabilities, there’s a higher chance of price breaking above $9,000 than below. Moreover, not only has volume grown 550% since January 2019, it has also reached over $44 billion twice during the same period. Bitcoin is gaining new whales Since early 2019, Bitcoin seems to have gained new strength as new investors have started pouring into the market. Number of #Bitcoin addresses holding more than 1000 $BTC 👀 pic.twitter.com/SGdBXrob5e — glassnode (@glassnode) October 11, 2019 Although one can never be sure if different addresses belong to different people, I’m going to assume there aren’t many people or businesses that own over 1,000 Bitcoin in one single address. Story continues In that case, the above chart should shock you. It shows that the number of addresses with over 1,000 Bitcoin, which at the current price represents a whopping $9,300,000, has grown substantially. From late 2019 to today, about 600 addresses with over 1,000 BTC were created – or funded to be precise. Should we assume institutional investors and VCs are betting heavy on the king of cryptocurrencies? I suspect so. Is a Bitcoin bubble on the horizon? If the first ingredient of a Bitcoin bubble is new players, the second is the sudden reduction in supply. This event is usually referred to as the “Bitcoin halving”, and it represents the date at which Bitcoin’s block rewards are halved. Around May 2020, Bitcoin miners will start to receive 6.25 BTC per block mined rather than the current 12.5 BTC. If today about 1,800 BTC are mined per day, after the supply cut, we should see around 900 BTC being mined on average each day. What will happen to Bitcoin’s price in USD terms? Even though I cannot foresee the future, I imagine there will be extra pressure for price to rise. After all, miners’ profits will be cut in half. According to the graph above, courtesy of @100trillionUSD , a few months after each halving event, BTC’s price action has gone through the roof. At the same time, past history doesn’t dictate future price, so the same “expected” bull run might not take place. In conclusion, Bitcoin bubbles are formed when there’s new people coming into the market, which is driven by miners selling at higher prices to maintain profits. The post What causes a Bitcoin bubble? appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Divergence Of Gold And Bitcoin – Which Represents A True Safe-Haven?: We believe the risks associated with a massive corporate and international backedCrypto/Alternate currency are far too great, at this time, for the US government to attempt to consider with only 12+ months to go before the US Presidential elections.  This is almost like opening Pandora’s Box in terms of total global risks and outcomes.  It becomes almost impossible for the US government, Federal Reserve or any other global central bank to be able to protect its citizens from the risks associated with any type of technology collapse, fraud, hacking or any other unknown risks associated with such an idea. The concept of a “Safe-Haven” may come into question over the next 10+ months as investors continue to question what may happen in the global markets, global political events and asset valuations related to Cryptos, Precious Metals, and foreign currencies.  Our researchers believe mature economy currencies will quickly become new currency Safe-Havens for global investors over the next 10+ months as banking, credit and economic risks continue to shake out weaker markets. Cryptos may see some support as price rotates over the next 10+ months prior to the US Presidential elections, yet we believe the real global asset markets (stocks, currencies, debt/credit, and bonds) will take center stage as the world transitions through a very tumultuous period prior to the November 2020 US elections.  Even for a period of time shortly after the US elections, global assets will continue to reposition as future economic and regional asset value expectations shift. There is a very real potential that global investors continue to seek safety and liquidity in the global major markets, economies and global currencies.  Additionally, Precious Metals continue to show very little signs of weakening over the past 12+ months. In fact, Precious Metals have continued to stay much stronger than many other investments over the past few years.  Gold is up +17.60% from October 2017.  Palladium is up 78.81% since October 2017. Silver is up 4.9% over that same period of time.  Once the next upside price leg begins in Precious Metals, we may see a massive price increase inGoldand Silver.  Supply issues continue to push Palladium prices higher as well. Imagine being able to trade the precious metals sector easily with little downside risk and only being involved during the rallies and not the selloffs, all while generating 2x the return that GDXJ has return in 2019.Take a look at this trading strategy here. Gold is setting up in a manner that is very similar to what happened in April 2019 – a sideways momentum base pattern that eventually broke to the upside in early June 2019.  Once that move higher began to take place, the continued move to the upside was very quick and extensive.  We believe the next upside move in Gold andSilverwill be very similar – a moderately slow rotation out of the momentum base, then a fast acceleration to the upside as global investors realize the shift to safety has begun again. We believe Cryptos may be left on the sidelines as investors prefer more traditional assets as a measure of safety as global concerns continue to weigh on investor’s minds headed into a very contentious US presidential election.  Currencies, Metals, Mature global market assets and true value stocks may become the investment of choice until we see some real clarity for the future from the global markets, global central banks, and global political leaders. I urge you visit myWealth Building Newsletterand if you like what I offer, join me with the 1-year subscription to lock in the lowest rate possible and ride my coattails as I navigate these financial markets and build wealth while others lose nearly everything they own during the next financial crisis. Join Now and Get a Free 1oz Silver Bar! Chris Vermeulenwww.TheTechnicalTraders.com Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • EUR/USD Price Forecast – Euro Continues To Struggle For Traction • Crude Oil Price Forecast – Crude Oil Markets Continue To Grind Higher • Gold Price Forecast – Gold Markets Break Triangle • E-mini S&P 500 Index (ES) Futures Technical Analysis – Reaction to Pivot at 2998.50 Will Set the Tone • E-mini Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM) Futures Technical Analysis – Weakens Under 26663, Strengthens Over 26697 • USD/JPY Price Forecast – US Dollar Sideways Against The Yen || Tether to File Motion to Dismiss Class Action Lawsuit Based on NYAG Claims: Tether has released a letter of intent saying that it plans to file a motion to dismiss the lawsuit that claims it manipulated the crypto market. The class action lawsuit seeks retribution for damages of more than $1 trillion. It’s based on an allegation made by the New York Attorney General’s office in April that USDT was not backed 1:1 by U.S. dollars and a study published by professors at the University of Texas at Austin alleging that a single account used USDT to drive up half the price of bitcoin’s 2017 surge. The letter, sent to the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York, claims that the plaintiffs’ lawsuit ignores a subsequent version of that academic paper where the authors withdrew one of its central allegations – that trading patterns reveal the issuance of unbacked Tethers. Related: Tether Says Its Stablecoin Is ‘Fully Backed’ Again Last week, in a statement , Tether described the revised paper as “a watered-down and embarrassing walk-back” of the first version. As for its reserves, the company also points to the Transparency section of their website that shows $4.5 billion in assets, with a $100 million cushion above its liabilities. In the letter, Tether also claims that the plaintiffs could not prove Tether and Bitfinex, the exchange that issues Tethers, were responsible for the transactions that occurred or that the traders actually suffered injury from the market crash. The letter also refuted claims that Tether had monopoly power over the stablecoin market, had participated in racketeering, and committed common law fraud among other allegations. The original lawsuit , filed by David Leibowitz, Benjamin Leibowitz, Jason Leibowitz, Aaron Leibowitz and Pinchas Goldshtein, was filed by Vel Freedman and Kyle Roche – the lawyers who won a federal case against Craig Wright. Bitfinex, Tether, Digfinex and current executives; former chief strategy officer Philip Potter ; and payment processor Crypto Capital are named as defendants in the case. Story continues Related: OKEx Launches Crypto Futures Settled in Tether Stablecoin Tether image via Shutterstock Related Stories Binance Hikes Leverage to 125x for Launch of Bitcoin-Tether Futures Bitfinex Doesn’t Have to Compile Documents During Appeal, Judge Says || Why Bitcoin’s hashrate didn’t actually crash 30% yesterday: Yesterday,Bitcoin’shashrate dropped a worrying 30 percent, causingexclamations of fearacross the market—andwidespread panicthat the network may not be so secure. But, not to worry, there’s a simple explanation—it just so happens to be a little complicated to explain. Here goes: Bitcoin’s mininghashrateis a measure of the current amount of computational power expended to mine new blocks—to earn newly minted Bitcoin. Miners crunch these things called hashes, trying to find one that meets a set criteria. At the same time, the computing power expended on doing this secures the Bitcoin blockchain and processes transactions on the network. And, recently, Bitcoin’s hashrate had set new highs,breaking above100 exahashes per second (which is a lot). Yesterday, however, it fell from 98 exahashes to 67—an eye-watering 32 percent drop. But it all comes down to how the data is measured. Since theBitcoinnetwork is decentralized, when you refer to the network, you’re talking about thousands of individual people with computing equipment ranging from hard drives to warehouses full of computers designed specifically for Bitcoin mining. So, to truly know the current Bitcoin hashrate, you’d have to ask each and every one of them how many hashes they are processing. This, obviously, is impractical. Instead, data providers work backwards and use statistical techniques to arrive at an estimate of the current hashrate. In this case, they look at the speed at which Bitcoin blocks are mined, in combination with the current difficulty level of the network. And taking these together, with a bit of statistical know-how, they come to a reasonable estimate. But it’s not perfect. The model assumes that blocks are created every 10 minutes on average. But if blocks happen to be found more quickly or slowly than this—purely by random chance, not by a change of hashrate—this could alter the estimated hashrate. So, if miners continually faced bad luck, and blocks happened to take longer, it would appear as if the hashrate dropped off a cliff. It’s hard to know if this is exactly what happened—as we’ve said, you’d have to askallthe miners—but it’s the kind of event that could explain yesterday’s drop. The key thing is that you have to look at the hashrate over a longer period of time, in order to avoid anomalies. Blockstream CSO Samson Mow toldDecrypt, “Only prolonged hashrate changes over statistically significant time periods—maybe two weeks—have meaning.” But what did cause it? Sunny Aggarwal, researcher at proof-of-stake blockchain platform Cosmos, had a couple of theories for the apparent drop. “Yesterday may have just been a weird blip,” he said. “This seems possible, but I’m a bit skeptical because it was a sustained block time increase for many hours, not just a few blocks.” Aggarwal suggested that it is also possible that “a mining pool/farm had a technical glitch or was doing a migration that made them stop mining for a bit. This seems like the most likely possibility to me,” he said. But the truth is, we’ll never find out—unless the Bitcoin miners themselves spill the beans. Update: Samson Mow contacted Decrypt after publication to say he meant to say two weeks, rather than one or two days. The article has been changed to reflect that. || The Week Ahead – Brexit, Earnings, Stats and the IMF and EU Summit in Focus: It’s a busier week ahead on theeconomic calendar. NY Empire State Manufacturing figures for October get the week going on Tuesday. The focus will then shift to September retail sales figures due out on Wednesday. With a heavy reliance on consumer spending, the numbers will need to be in line with forecasts to provide Dollar support. On a busy Thursday, September building permit and housing start figures are due out along with October’s Philly FED Manufacturing numbers. September industrial production and the weekly jobless claims figures are also due out. With no material stats due out on Friday, Wednesday’s retail sales and Thursday’s Philly FED numbers will have the greatest impact. Outside of the stats, trade war chatter will continue to be a factor, as will any further talk of impeachment. The Dollar Spot Index ended the week down by 0.55% to $98.301. It’s also a relatively quiet week ahead on theeconomic datafront. Industrial production figures on Monday and German and Eurozone economic sentiment figures on Tuesday will influence early in the week. The Eurozone’s September inflation and industrial production figures due out on Wednesday will also provide direction. We would expect finalized inflation figures out of France and Italy to have a muted impact on the EUR, however. With no material stats due out in the latter part of the week, geopolitical risk will remain in focus. Any talk of U.S tariffs on EU goods and chatter on Brexit ahead of the 19thOctober EU Summit will also need considering. The EUR/USD ended the week up by 0.58% to $1.1042. It’s another busy week ahead on theeconomic calendar. Key stats include employment figures due out on Tuesday, inflation figures on Wednesday and retail sales numbers on Thursday. On the data front, claimant counts, inflation and retail sales figures will be the key drivers in the week. On the Brexit front, there would be more upside for the Pound should Johnson finalize a deal ahead of next weekend’s EU Summit. The GBP/USD ended the week up by 2.73% to $1.2668. It’s a relatively busy week ahead on thedatafront. Key stats include September inflation figures due out on Wednesday and August manufacturing sales numbers due out on Thursday. On the data front, we would expect the inflation figures to be the key driver in the week. From elsewhere, trade data, industrial production and 3rdquarter GDP numbers out of China will also influence. The Loonie ended the week up by 0.83% to C$1.3203 against the U.S Dollar. It’s another relatively quiet week ahead. Key stats are limited to September’s employment numbers due out on Thursday. On the monetary policy front, the RBA minutes are due out on Tuesday and could pressure the Aussie Dollar should there be suggestions of more rate cuts to come. From elsewhere, economic data out of China on Monday and Friday will also influence. The Aussie Dollar ended the week up by 0.34% to $0.6794. It’s a relatively quiet week ahead on theeconomic calendar. Key stats are finalized industrial production figures due out on Tuesday and inflation and trade data on Friday. We would expect the stats to have a relatively muted impact on the Yen, however. Geopolitics and economic data out of the U.S and China will likely have the greatest impact in the week. The Japanese Yen ended the week down by 1.26% to ¥108.29 against the U.S Dollar. Stats are on the quieter side in the week ahead. Economic data is limited to 3rdquarter inflation figures that are due out on Wednesday. We can expect the Kiwi to be particularly sensitive to the numbers. From elsewhere, stats from China will also influence in the week. The Kiwi Dollar ended the week up by 0.27% to $0.6337. It’s a busy week on theeconomic datafront. Economic data includes trade data due out on Monday and inflation figures on Tuesday. The focus will then shift to a busy Friday. Stats on Friday include fixed asset investment, industrial production and 3rdquarter GDP numbers. We expect trade data, industrial production, and the GDP numbers to have the greatest impact on market risk sentiment. The impact of any weak numbers could be buffered, however, by any further positive chatter on trade. The Yuan ended the week up by 0.83% to CNY7.0892 against the Greenback. Impeachment:With the U.S and China making progress on trade, impeachment chatter could return in the week ahead. Trade Wars: 15thOctober U.S tariffs on Chinese goods have been postponed as progress was made last week. For real progress to be made, however, the U.S would need to remove existing tariffs that continue to hurt the Chinese economy. Expect more chatter in the week, which will influence risk sentiment. UK Politics: Brexit talks continue, with a deal now needed to support further the Pound ahead of the EU Summit. Any suggestions that the latest proposal is inadequate and expect the Pound to slide. Earnings:  It’s a big week ahead, with U.S banks Citi, Goldman, JPMorgan, and Wells Fargo announcing. EU Summit: It is make or break for Boris Johnson and the Brexiteers. Will there finally be an agreement for the British PM to take back to parliament? IMF Annual Meeting: Chatter on the global economy and what can be done to drive growth will influence. Will there be any agreements to ramp up fiscal spending to offset the effects of the ongoing U.S – China trade war? Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Silver Weekly Price Forecast – Silver Markets Have Volatile Week • S&P 500 Weekly Price Forecast – Stock Markets Recover Again • Bitcoin Cash – ABC, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 13/10/19 • European Equities: A Week in Review – 11/10/19 • The Week Ahead – Brexit, Earnings, Stats and the IMF and EU Summit in Focus • NZD/USD Forex Technical Analysis – Strengthens Over .6357, Weakens Under .6327 || Bitfinex adds native SegWit support for bitcoin withdrawals: Cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex has announced it is adding withdrawal support for native SegWit (bech32) addresses, which will start with the characters "b1." Native SegWit is a more weight-efficient address format than Wrapped SegWit (P2SH) addresses which start with "3." Bitfinex's new address format will enable cheaper transactions for its users looking to withdraw bitcoin from the exchange. Additionally, according to the exchange, "as bech32 addresses only exist on the Bitcoin network, our new support for Bitcoin withdrawals to bech32 addresses removes the possibility of our clients experiencing any cross-chain mix-ups." Earlier this month, Binance CEO Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, indicated on Twitter that the cryptocurrency exchange could add SegWit support to its platform by the end of Q1 2020. According to Segwit.space, SegWit adoption on Bitcoin hovers around 50%. || 5 India ETFs to Watch as Country Continues to Cut Rates: This article was originally published onETFTrends.com. In the U.S., the expectation is that more rate-cutting by the Federal Reserve will take place through the end of 2019, but in the case of India, are further rate declines being instituted to no avail? The country's central bank installed its fifth rate cut in 2019 in an effort to resuscitate growth. PerCNBC, the "Reserve Bank of India (RBI) lowered the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.15% with five members of its Monetary Policy Committee voting in favor, versus one who backed a 40 basis point cut. The decision came against a backdrop of weaker growth, a resurgence of financial stability risks and a surprise fiscal stimulus in the form of a recent corporate tax cut." Growth in India has been declining for five consecutive quarters, allowing China to overtake it in the month of May as the fastest-growing economy based on data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Currently, inflation in the India stands at 3.2% with 4% being the RBI's target rate. “In the event, the RBI’s decision to deliver a more benign 25 basis point rate cut suggests it is trying to balance growth concerns against limited remaining monetary policy space and a diminishing efficacy of monetary policy in boosting growth (hence the growing role of fiscal policy),”saidNomura Chief India Economist Sonal Varma. One of the main reasons for stagnant growth has been the banking sector where a credit slowdown is taking place. “One possible reason for this constraint is the health of India’s banking and financial sectors, which remains weak,”saidShumita Deveshwar, director of India research at TS Lombard. “A shrinking savings rate and a large public sector borrowing requirement are keeping borrowing costs for banks elevated, and many banks are still dealing with relatively large amounts of bad debt on their books.” “Under-reporting of bad loans evidently continues to be a risk despite the RBI’s actions over the past few years to make the balance sheets of banks more transparent and to stop ever-greening of loans,” she added. As for India-focused exchange-traded funds, here are five to watch based on size (total assets): [{"Symbol": "INDA", "ETF Name": "iShares MSCI India ETF", "Total Assets ($MM)": "$4,938.42"}, {"Symbol": "EPI", "ETF Name": "WisdomTree India Earnings Fund", "Total Assets ($MM)": "$1,173.21"}, {"Symbol": "INDY", "ETF Name": "iShares India 50 ETF", "Total Assets ($MM)": "$730.34"}, {"Symbol": "SMIN", "ETF Name": "iShares MSCI India Small-Cap ETF", "Total Assets ($MM)": "$275.04"}, {"Symbol": "PIN", "ETF Name": "Invesco India ETF", "Total Assets ($MM)": "$133.11"}] At the top of the heap is theiShares MSCI India ETF (CBOE: INDA). INDA seeks to track the investment results of the MSCI India Index composed of Indian equities, which measures the performance of equity securities of companies whose market capitalization, as calculated by the index provider, represents the top 85% of companies in the Indian securities market. For more information on India’s markets, visit ourIndia category. POPULAR ARTICLES AND RESOURCES FROM ETFTRENDS.COM • SPY ETF Quote • VOO ETF Quote • QQQ ETF Quote • VTI ETF Quote • JNUG ETF Quote • Top 34 Gold ETFs • Top 34 Oil ETFs • Top 57 Financials ETFs • ETF of the Week: iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD) • Liquid Strategies Presents Overlay Shares’ New Equity ETF Suite • Schwab Eliminates ETF, Stock and Options Commissions • European Stock ETF Could Offer Investors A Chance To Invest And Hedge Currencies • Bitcoin, Cryptocurrencies Tumble Over Past Week READ MORE AT ETFTRENDS.COM > || BEX500 Launches FOREX and Commodity Trading with 0 Commission: NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / October 17, 2019 / BEX500, a crypto leverage trading platform, officially announces that on Oct 1 st it has launched Forex and Commodity leverage trading up to 200x leverage, and lowered its commission to "Zero" to become the most welcomed crypto margin trading platform. BEX500, has seen rapid growth since 2018 with traditional BTC perpetual contract up to 100x leverage, why bother to revolutionize its product? Forex Makes a Difference for Crypto Traders "Traders are buying bitcoin futures to hedge, speculate and to avoid heists that plagued the industry.", said Anna Myshustina, CEO of BEX500 , "but we do not think bitcoin only is enough for traders to get money. That is why we introduced Forex and Commodity". Anna M, detailed to the reporter, that Forex & Commodity is a less volatile market, cornered by no expert or firm. Although lucrative, crypto market succumbs to external influences ranging from "expert analysis" to "a Facebook Libra plan". In June 2019, BTC price fell by $1400 after the crash of a major Crypto Exchange. 2018 witnessed an 80% drop in BTC prices. "Therefore, crypto CFD alone, can be risky for traders", explained Anna, "they are in bad need of Forex & Commodity product to offset the volatility especially in extreme market. Japanese Yen & gold are even considered as ‘safe haven' in the financial thunderstorm " The importance of asset diversification can not be overstated. Gary P. Brinson, CFA, Randolph Hood, and Gilbert L. Beebower (known collectively as BHB) asserted that asset allocation is the primary determinant of a portfolio's return variability, and came to conclude that asset allocation explained 93.6% of the variation in a portfolio's quarterly returns. With BEX500 , a trader can switch to another market such as Commodity including gold and crude oil, or Forex trading in a stagnant crypto market. Less Cost, More Professionalism "We'd like to gain the exchange some traction from the traditional financial industry", said Isabella Davis, Chief Investment Officer in BEX500, "thus, we introduced 0 commission with fixed spread, just like traditional financial exchanges." Story continues We offer fixed and tight spreads for traders to better control their costs, especially infrequent trading, Isabella explained. About BEX500 BEX500 is a crypto margin trading exchange of digital assets including BTC, ETH, LTC & XRP. It offers cryptocurrency, Forex and Commodity CFD up to 200x leverage for long & short positions. Launched in 2018, BEX500 has clients from over 100 countries and regions. Co-founders, experienced in traditional equity, forex industry and hedge funds, apply their financial methodology to the crypto industry. BEX500 offers little slippage with the integration of dozens liquidity suppliers. The company was devoted to revolutionize the industry with its tight spread, competitive commissions and adaptable trading platform. Sign up now and join Bex500 bonus program to get profits. Join our Bonus Activity to Earn a 100% withdrawable BTC bonus. Deposit BTC or USDT in your Bex500 Account, you may maximum earn a 100% BTC bonus. Unlike normal bonus programs in the market which provide the digital bonus only exist in users account only and unable to withdraw, Bex500 bonus program provides withdrawable bonus to all users. The Bonus in Bex500 can also cover the loss of your position. Come and get your first Bex500 Bonus. Learn more about Bex500 Bonus at https://www.bex500.com/bonus Follow Bex500 on Website: https://www.bex500.com Telegram: https://t.me/bex500official Facebook: Bex500official FB Group: Bex500 Twitter: @Bex5002 Email: [email protected] SOURCE: Bex500 View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/563458/BEX500-Launches-FOREX-and-Commodity-Trading-with-0-Commission || Did a Bitcoin whale cause the 2017 bull market?: A recent article from Bloomberg has shed light on a study that claims the 2017 bull market was fueled by one giant Bitcoin whale. The report states: “A Texas academic created a stir last year by alleging that Bitcoin’s astronomical surge in 2017 was probably triggered by manipulation. He’s now doubling down with a striking new claim: a single market whale was likely behind the misconduct, seemingly with the power to move prices at will.” I myself am of the opinion that there isn’t sufficient data to back up these claims – especially when you look at sources like Google Trends, which shows a completely different outlook. My goal today is to explain the paper’s analysis of the alleged market manipulation and why I personally believe it could be incorrect. Report conclusions A lone whale was behind Bitcoin manipulation in 2017, Texas academic says https://t.co/PEYcYxByue pic.twitter.com/ltUY0u8ZAG — Bloomberg Crypto (@crypto) November 4, 2019 The two scientists who wrote the academic paper, University of Texas Professor John Griffin and Ohio State University’s Amin Shams, claim there is one sole culprit behind the exuberant price action of late 2017: “One entity on the cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex appears capable of sending the price of Bitcoin higher when it falls below certain thresholds.” The results published by the academics appear to show that there was one account responsible for most of the volume on the exchange, which seems a bit odd to me (see why below). In addition, the professors claim that years from now, people will be surprised investors handed billions of dollars to companies like Bitfinex. Bitfinex has rejected the claims, with General Counsel Stuart Hoegner arguing in a statement that the paper is “foundationally flawed” because it is based on an insufficient data set. Story continues What does Google Trends show? Even though Bitfinex was never audited, I find it hard to believe there was one single account responsible for most of the price action in late 2017. Just by looking at the Google Trends chart above, we can see the huge amount of interest from retail investors in the cryptocurrency market. What Google Trends clearly shows is that interest in Bitcoin peaked when the asset was near all-time highs. To me, that shows most of the buyers were retail investors wanting to sell for profit. In addition, the number of coins being traded on Bitfinex was quite limited when compared to other platforms like Binance. It’s then hard to believe one account was able to push the altcoin market without touching altcoins directly. What does the exchange volume show? Even though I believe most buyers were retail investors and not institutions, the argument that one account was responsible for most of the 2017 bull market could still stand. After all, I mentioned buyers, not sellers. To have a better understanding of how the market looked back then, I decided to research the total exchange volume over the last five years. Looking at the information above – courtesy of Bitcoinity – you can see the total volume over the past five years per exchange. Bitfinex comes in fifth place, with a much lower volume than exchanges like OKCoin or Huobi. I carried out the same research using a number of alternative sources, and most showed similar data for the past year, at least. Hodler waves The last piece of data I’m taking into account for my brief analysis is the Bitcoin UTXO age distribution chart, also known as hodler waves. What the image above – courtesy of the Unchained Capital blog – clearly shows is that Bitcoin users who had held BTC for over five years began to sell during the bull run. The red, yellow, and orange bands at the bottom highlight the movement of Bitcoin from an old address to a new address. When you look at late 2017, during the bull run, you can see a sudden spike. That means a bunch of hodlers probably sold, since a large number of Bitcoin went from an old address to a brand new one. An opposite view could argue hodlers were simply switching addresses. However, that seems to be unlikely. Interestingly enough, the number of hodlers continued to increase after the 2017 bull run, which shows there’s a great deal of BTC users who are in the market for the long term. Don’t forget that close to 40% of all BTC is locked in addresses where the coins haven’t moved for at least two years – a clear sign the number of hodlers is increasing and the market is becoming more decentralised. In conclusion, it seems hard to believe that one single whale was responsible for most of the price action during the bull market of 2017. The post Did a Bitcoin whale cause the 2017 bull market? appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Ethereum’s Istanbul Upgrade Will Break 680 Smart Contracts on Aragon: A system-wide upgrade arrived on ethereum’s Ropsten test network on Monday. And while “Istanbul” should ultimately introduce network efficiencies, the testnet launch won’t be smooth sailing for everyone. For governance platform Aragon, in particular, the code changes were expected to break roughly 680 smart contracts, according to Aragon One CTO Jorge Izquierdo. These smart contracts typically manage the governance of decentralized applications (dapps) running on the ethereum blockchain. Izquierdo tells CoinDesk this means forced upgrades are required for the affected smart contracts in order to ensure decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) built on the Aragon platform continue to function smoothly. Related:Ethereum’s Istanbul Upgrade Arrives Early, Causes Testnet Split “Up until now, DAOs could receive ETH from one another,” said Izquierdo. “This will no longer be possible after the Istanbul hard fork.” Aragon One communications lead John Light says these fund transfers between DAOs on Aragon would effectively “run out of gas.” Calling it an unfortunate “tradeoff” from Aragon’s point of view, Izquierdo said: “The issue were going to have hasn’t been deemed important enough for this hard fork not to happen, which from our point of view is unfortunate [but] it’s a hard balance we understand.” Related:New Interest in DAOs Prompts Old Question: Are They Legal? Indeed, for ethereum token-swap platform Kyber Network the system-wide upgrade only affects a single smart contract, according to Kyber Network co-founder Loi Luu. Stepping back, the code change in Istanbul affecting certain smart contracts is known asEthereum Improvement Proposal (EIP) 1884and is meant to address one downside of ethereum’s steady growth. As the size of the blockchain has increased, the computational cost to recall data about the state of the network (such as account balances) has also increased. Gas prices, on the other hand, have stayed stagnant, creating what Ethereum Foundation security lead Martin Holst Swende calls “an imbalance between the price of an operation and the resource consumption.” In order to mitigate the possibility of overloading the network, EIP 1884 increases the gas prices of three resource-intensive operations. The so-called SLOAD operation will face the greatest increase in cost for application developers building on ethereum, going from 200 gas per operation to 800 gas per operation. This four-fold increase in SLOAD gas cost is what breaks Aragon smart contracts and jacks up prices for end-users of the Kyber Network. “In one Kyber transaction, we actually use a lot of SLOAD operations,” said Luu. “So after [Istanbul] is in effect, the price of most of our transactions will go up by 30 percent.” While this is not the first time gas prices have increased for the SLOAD operation, Luu says the previous increase from 50 to 200 gas backin 2016occurred when there were fewer active users of the ethereum network and when ETH had a lower market value. Now, Luu says, increasing the cost of SLOAD operations will have greater ramifications to both end-users and application developers. “[Istanbul] is the kind of hard fork that’s going to break a lot of smart contracts,” Luu said earlier this month. “If we weren’t following the conversation between core developers, we would have missed [EIP 1884 information] and that would have been very bad for us.” That said, blockchain researcher Mihailo Bjelic said Monday that “bad developer practices” are likely the cause of such hiccups, rather than the nature of the upgrade itself, adding: “Developers should definitely not be hard-coding assumptions about gas cost into their applications because these numbers can change at any point.” Update (Sept. 30, 19:14 UTC):The Istanbul upgrade went live on testnetearlier than expected. This article has been updated to reflect that. Additional comments have also been added. 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Join Now #airdrops #airdrop #airdropalert #btc #crypto – https://t.co/O2iOR9F3lv || Historically, it has been profitable buying Bitcoin as $GBTC to $BTC premium was close to none, so you definitely have a point there Thomas https://t.co/ILVjvWYxzQ || Currently on round #10080 with 64/100 participants (0.09960335 BTC each) || Veteran Trader: Don’t Break These 11 Rules Trading Bitcoin and Crypto https://t.co/5IZkhiG7gb via @cointelegraph || US to Crack Down on "Dirty Money": Time to Use Bitcoin Instead https://t.co/zYRtLK0ST5 || buy $BTC on #binance @ 9785.13 https://t.co/oBqTEyZDJ3 https://t.co/qbMsvXRP1y
Trend: down || Prices: 8550.76, 8577.98, 8309.29, 8206.15, 8027.27, 7642.75, 7296.58, 7397.80, 7047.92, 7146.13
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2016-12-09] BTC Price: 772.79, BTC RSI: 63.94 Gold Price: 1159.40, Gold RSI: 27.39 Oil Price: 51.50, Oil RSI: 60.96 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] The Linux Foundation Appoints Three Tech Industry Leaders to Its Board of Directors: SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - November 02, 2016) -The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, today announced the appointment of Erica Brescia, co-founder and COO of Bitnami; Jeff Garzik, co-founder of Bloq; and Nithya A. Ruff, director of Western Digital's Open Source Strategy Office, to its Board of Directors. Ms. Ruff and Ms. Brescia join as At-Large Directors, and Mr. Garzik comes on board as the representative of Linux Foundation Silver members. Ms. Brescia and Ms. Ruff will take the place of Larry Augustin and Bdale Garbee as At-Large Directors. Mr. Garzik replaces Matt Jones of Jaguar Land Rover. "The Board of Directors and the entire Linux Foundation organization are delighted to welcome Nithya, Erica and Jeff," said Jim Zemlin, executive director. "They will help guide the strategy of The Linux Foundation, the home to some of the most successful open source projects and largest shared technology investment in history. The open source community at large and our nearly 800 members will benefit from the insight and expertise each of these individuals brings. We thank Larry, Bdale and Matt for their long and faithful service on the Board and look forward to their continued participation in the community." New Directors Bring Diversity of Perspectives Erica Brescia Ms. Brescia is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Bitnami. With more than one million deployments per month, Bitnami provides the largest source of applications and development environments to the world's leading cloud service providers, such as Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Compute Platform and Oracle Cloud Platform. Prior to co-founding Bitnami, Ms. Brescia held various sales and management positions at T-Mobile, as well as working as a consultant with Chekiang First Bank in Hong Kong. She holds a B.S. in business administration from the University of Southern California. Ms. Brescia has been a dedicated builder of diverse, globally distributed technology and business teams, and has been featured as a keynote speaker at OpenStack Summit and OSCON. To further those goals, Bitnami founded the Bitnami Bootcamp, which provides free education and training on cloud, open source and containers, for recent college graduates and self-taught technologists living in southern Spain. As a YC Founder, Ms. Brescia is also an active mentor of aspiring entrepreneurs in the technology and related industries, as well as being an angel investor in a number of early stage startups. "Open source technologies make possible the incredibly rapid innovation that we see in tech-driven sectors today," Ms. Brescia commented. "Shared R&D in the form of open source helps companies like Bitnami thrive, while creating value for others. I'm proud to be a part of the organization that's propelling that collaboration." Jeff Garzik Mr. Garzik has long been at the center of developing and commercializing open source software surrounding bitcoin and blockchain. Before co-founding Bloq to develop enterprise-grade blockchain solutions, he spent five years as a Bitcoin core developer, and 10 years at Red Hat. His work with the Linux kernel is now found in every Android phone and data center running Linux today. Mr. Garzik serves on the board of Coin Center and the advisory boards of BitPay, Chain, Netki and WayPaver Labs. He was also recently appointed to the World Economic Forum Expert Network as an expert in Information Technology. "I'm excited to bring Bloq's expertise in developing blockchain software to The Linux Foundation," Mr. Garzik said. "Projects like Hyperledger are emblematic of the future of open source: bringing together the efforts of developers to fundamentally alter global finance, digital identity and beyond." Nithya Ruff Ms. Ruff first glimpsed the power of open source while at SGI in the 1990s and has been building bridges between hardware developers and the open source community ever since. She's also held leadership positions at Wind River (an Intel Company), Synopsys, Avaya, Tripwire and Eastman Kodak. Ms. Ruff has been a passionate advocate and a speaker for opening doors to new people in open source for many years. She has also been a promoter of valuing diverse ways of contributing to open source, such as in marketing, legal and community. She is co-leader of the Women of OpenStack group and a liaison into the OpenStack Foundation, as well as a sponsor of the Women in Open Source (WIOS) Lunch at Linux Foundation events and an active leader of WIOS advocating for reducing barriers for women and underrepresented minorities. In 2015, Ms. Ruff was invited by Red Hat to be on a diversity leaders' panel at the "All Things Open" conference. In recognition of her work in open source both on the business and community side, Ms. Ruff was named toCIOmagazine's most influential women in open source list. Ms. Ruff was also the founding president of the Women's Innovation Network at Western Digital, which is dedicated to the development of women's highest potential in the workplace. Ms. Ruff said: "I've been fortunate to work in an environment at Western Digital that values the contributions of every individual and that encourages diversity in open source communities. Through its training, events and now projects, The Linux Foundation is working to create an inclusive open source culture that stretches across organizations. I anticipate being able to help deepen that work as more industry professionals of all backgrounds get involved in open source." About The Linux Foundation The Linux Foundation is the organization of choice for the world's top developers and companies to build ecosystems that accelerate open technology development and commercial adoption. Together with the worldwide open source community, it is solving the hardest technology problems by creating the largest shared technology investment in history. Founded in 2000, The Linux Foundation today provides tools, training and events to scale any open source project, which together deliver an economic impact not achievable by any one company. More information can be found atwww.linuxfoundation.org. The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see our trademark usage page:https://www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. || Traders take their position on bank stocks ahead of earnings: The "Fast Money" traders weighed in on the bank stocks ahead of earnings reports from Citigroup(NYSE: C), Wells Fargo(NYSE: WFC)and JPMorgan Chase(NYSE: JPM)before the market open on Friday. Trader Brian Kelly said he's keeping an eye on the financial sector, but thinks the "banks are a sell here." Trader Tim Seymour disagreed and said investors should be looking at the banks and find companies with relatively "pristine balance sheets" and "earnings power." Trader Karen Finerman said she likes the valuation of the banks at current levels. Disclosures: TIM SEYMOUR Tim Seymour is long ABX, APC, AVP, BAC, BBRY, CLF, DO, DVYE, EDC, EWZ, F, FB, FCX, FXI, GM, GOOGL, GE, INTC, LQD,MCD, MUR, OIH, PG, RACE, RAI, RH, RL, SINA, T, TWTR, VALE, VZ, XOM and short: SPY, XRT. His firm is long ABX, BABA, BIDU, CBD, CLF, EWZ, F, KO, MCD, MPEL, NKE, PEP, PF, SAVE, SBUX, SINA, VALE, VIAB, WMT, WEN, X, YHOO, short EWG, HYG, IWM KAREN FINERMAN Karen is long AAL, BAC, C, DAL, long DB calls, short DB preferred, FB, FL, GOGO, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, LYV, KORS, KORS calls, KORS puts, M, MA, SEDG, SPY puts, UAL, URI, WIFI long call spreads. Her firm is long ANTM, AAPL, BAC, C, C calls, FB, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, JPM calls, KORS, LYV, M, MOH, PLCE, SPY puts, URI, WIFI. Her firm is short IWM, MDY. Finerman is on the board of GrafTech International. BRIAN KELLY Brian Kelly is long Bitcoin, DXJ, US Dollar UUP. He is short the euro and Japanese yen. GUY ADAMI Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, GDX, INTC. Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. || Tips on How to Protect Your Private Information On Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Americans will line up around stores and standby their computers or smartphones to take advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, but protecting their private information should also be priority for shoppers. During the holiday season many shoppers are harmed by failing to take simple precautions, says Gene Richardson, COO of Experts Exchange , a network for technology professionals. In Store Vs. Online Retail stores are one of the top areas identity thieves go after, Richardson said in an email to the IBTimes. A large number of some of the biggest identity thefts in the past few years were at large retail stores, he says. Long lines and busy cashiers could potentially put your private information at risk. “All the clerk cares about is getting you through the line as fast as they can so they can deal with the next customer and hope that none of you are angry,” says Richardson. “So, if there is a hiccup with your transaction, they will take “backup” paths to complete your transaction like entering your credit card number by hand.” Richardson, who is also the former head of the data security teams IBM, Charles Schwab and Motorola, says customers should never give their credit card to someone to perform a transaction by entering a card number. “Hand transactions are a huge risk for identity theft,” he says. Customers should also avoid buying if a cashier’s computer is down or too busy, unless it’s with cash, or try to go back later. Credit card scanners are also a threat to customers, as some of them may be rigged to copy a person’s information so that a duplicate credit card can be made. People may be less exposed to this action in large retail stores, but the risk is higher in smaller boutiques shops, says Richardson. Customers should also make sure their credit card number is not printed on receipts and should instead have XXX's where the number is displayed. But online purchases can be riskier because of all the extra information customers hand over, like their name, address, phone number, credit card information, expiration date and CSV. Story continues “They ask for so much more information from you to validate who you are than a purchase in a retail store,” says Richardson. “You have no control of who or where that information is going.” Tips to Protect Yourself Here are Richardson’s tips for shoppers on how they can protect themselves on Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Ensure that the website address is secure and has a valid encryption certificate. It will usually display a “locked, green” indicator in front of the website name. If it doesn’t have that, it does not have a higher level of security that has been guaranteed by a known entity like Verisign, Symantec and others. Ensure your system has the most recent recommended system and security patches. Always use a credit card that is not tied directly to your personal bank account(s), even if you are using PayPal, Bitcoin or some other payment method. Never give anything other than name, address and phone number. You should not need to answer security or privacy questions when making a purchase or checking out. If they ask, see if you can checkout as a “guest” instead. Monitor your credit through a third party for identify theft and have SMS and email alerts sent to you immediately. Set-up alerts with your credit card company that send both SMS and emails when any purchases are made and the credit card was not scanned (meaning, it wasn’t in someone’s hand when the charge was made). Set them as low as $25 per purchase. Also, set-up alerts for total purchases over $500 in a billing period to protect multiple $24.99 purchases. And if possible, a maximum amount of purchases allowed in a billing period such as $1500 before card will get declined. Ensure that you have a reputable Antivirus program running on your computer and that your browser has an Ad blocking plug-in. (Richardson recommends Norton, McAfee or ESET.) Ensure that the network your computer/device is on is secure and you know who has access to your network. This is usually done with your router. You want to lock down your router so that traffic can be initiated from the inside-out but you do not want traffic to be initiated from the outside-in. If you are using a WiFi connection, make sure that network is also secure and requires a password to join. If it is a public WiFi network that doesn’t require a password, then the traffic coming from your device can be monitored and stolen. (Link to onsite how-to article?) Any passwords that you use should be strong, hard to guess ones. Or, even better, hard to guess, but easy to remember . Don’t click on unfamiliar links to sites advertising sales, coupons, etc. Use two-factor authentication/verification, if it is offered. Shopping on Mobile Devices One in 10 mobile apps that are found through searching “Black Friday” are blacklisted as malicious, according to cyber security company RiskIQ An estimated 30 percent of purchases will be made on mobile devices, RiskIQ says. Shopping on mobile devices can substantially increase the risk of encountering phishing pages, malicious apps, and viruses that infect customers’ smartphones and tablets to steal money and private information. There are also fake apps out there that contain malware that can steal customers’ data or lock the device until the user pays a ransom, says RiskIQ. Other malicious apps may ask consumers to use their Facebook or Gmail logins, which could compromise their private information. Tips For Safe Shopping on Mobile Devices Here are some tips from RiskIQ: Ensure that you are only downloading apps from official app stores such as Google or Apple Be wary of applications that ask for suspicious permissions, like access to contacts, text messages, administrative features, stored passwords, or credit card info. Just because an app appears to have a good reputation doesn’t make it so. Rave reviews can be forged, and a high amount of downloads can simply indicate a threat actor was successful in fooling a lot of victims. Before downloading an app, be sure to take a look at the developer—if it’s not a brand you recognize or has a strange appearance or spelling, think twice. You can even do a Google search on the developer for more clues about its reputation. Make sure to take a deep look at each app. New developers, or developers that leverage free email services (e.g., @gmail) for their developer contact, can be enormous red flags— threat actors often use these services to produce mass amounts of malicious apps in a short period. Also, poor grammar in the description highlights the haste of development and the lack of marketing professionalism that are hallmarks of mobile malware campaigns. Check website addresses after following links on Twitter, Facebook, or other social media channels to be sure you end up on the true website of the retailer you want. Look for the “S” in HTTPS when you visit shopping sites. Beware of shopping sites that do not use HTTPS in their website addresses or do not display the symbol of a lock next to the web address. Secure sites use HTTPS, and without that, you’re dealing with unsecured connections or weak encryption of personal data. Never provide your credit card information unless you are in a secure online shopping portal. Sites that ask for it in return for “coupons” or to win “free” merchandise are almost always scams. Protect Yourself From a Major Headache For those who might not want to go through the hassle of setting up credit card alerts on purchases or locking down their router, it’s important to remember that it can and save consumers from a major headache. “Identity theft could cost you several thousand dollars in actual money and can cost you a lot more in your personal time and future anticipated losses cleaning up after the fact,” Richardson said. “The impact of identity theft could last years as you personally have to work to call all your creditors to fix your credit, loss of credibility for future purchases of a home, car, etc. as your credit scores will have been impacted, the effect on future employment opportunities as background checks are run and many, many more,” he added. Related Articles $100 Off HTC Vive On Black Friday and Cyber Monday American Consumers Prep For Cyber Monday || Bitcoin Services Inc. to Develop Online Marketplace Where Bitcoin Can Be Exchanged for Goods & Services: GRANDVILLE, MI / ACCESSWIRE / October 13, 2016 / Bitcoin Services Inc., (OTC Pink: BTSC) announced today that it plans to develop an online marketplace where bitcoin can be exchanged for goods & services. Some of the goods will include real estate, cars, apparel, and electronics. The services will include plumbing, catering, and delivering. The advantages of users paying in Bitcoin is being able to send and get money anywhere in the world at any given time. Payments in Bitcoin can also be made and finalized without one's personal information being tied to the transactions. Due to the fact that personal information is kept hidden from prying eyes, Bitcoin protects against identity theft. Furthermore, Bitcoin protocol cannot be manipulated by any person, organization, or government. This is due to Bitcoin being cryptographically secure. In addition, there are currently either no fees, or very low fees within Bitcoin payments. About Bitcoin Services Inc.: Our business operations are Internet based to the consumer and consist of three separate streams, as follows: (1) bitcoin escrow services, (2) bitcoin mining, and (3) blockchain software development. The principal products and services are the mining of bitcoins, providing escrow services for buyers and sellers of bitcoins, and the development and sale of blockchain software. The market for these services and products is worldwide, and sold and marketed on the Internet. Safe Harbor Statement This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27a of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and section 21e of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Those statements include the intent, belief or current expectations of the company and its management team. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Accomplishing the strategy described herein is significantly dependent upon numerous factors, many that are not in management's control. Some of these factors include the ability of the company to raise sufficient capital, attract qualified management, attract new customers and effectively compete against similar companies. Story continues Contact: [email protected] SOURCE: Bitcoin Services Inc. || Winklevoss brothers name State Street as bitcoin ETF administrator: By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss on Tuesday filed amendments to their proposed bitcoin exchange-traded fund, naming State Street as administrator, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Winklevoss brothers, identical twins, had filed their first application for a bitcoin ETF called Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust three years ago. Investors have shown keen interest in the Winklevoss ETF. If approved by the SEC, this would be the first bitcoin ETF issued by a U.S. entity. According to the amended filing, State Street will provide the fund administration and accounting services, including calculating the bitcoin trust's net asset value (NAV). Another major change involved the ETF's custodian, Gemini Trust Company, doing monthly "proof of control" exercises and publishing the reports on the ETF's website. "Custodian's cold storage system was purpose-built to demonstrate "proof of control" of the private keys associated with its public bitcoin addresses," the filing said. "The sponsor and the custodian have engaged an independent audit firm to verify that the custodian can demonstrate "proof of control" of the private keys that control the Trust's on a monthly basis." Burr Pilger Mayer, based in San Francisco and known for working with venture-backed digital currency companies, has been named the ETF's auditor, the filing said. In addition, the SEC filing said Gemini's daily auction price at 4 p.m. EDT will now be used to price the NAV of the ETF. The previous pricing mechanism was the Gemini spot price. Gemini runs a digital currency trading venue. Since its launch in September, the Gemini auction has transacted more than 19,00 bitcoin on average per business day, which represents more than 16 percent of all U.S.-based bitcoin exchange volume during the 4 p.m. period, Gemini said on Tuesday. The daily auction along with Gemini's expansion has increased the company's market share to about 9 percent of all U.S. dollar-denominated exchange-traded bitcoin volume. Story continues The ETF would trade under the ticker symbol COIN. Late on Tuesday, bitcoin traded at $632.88 on the BitStamp platform. (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss) || Swiss rail operator to sell bitcoins at its ticket machines: ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland's national railways firm SBB is branching out next month with the launch of a new service on its ticket machines to sell bitcoins, the web-based digital currency. Beginning Nov. 11, customers will be able to trade Swiss francs for bitcoins using the ticket machines in a two-year experiment that will test Switzerland's appetite for the cryptocurrency, the state-owned company announced on Friday. "There have been few possibilities to obtain bitcoins in Switzerland until now," SBB said. "With its 1,000-plus ticket machines, SBB operates a dense, around-the-clock distribution network that's suited for more than just ticket sales." SBB is working with Zug-based digital payments firm SweePay to allow customers to top up their digital 'bitcoin wallet' accounts by mobile phone. Customers can exchange anywhere between 20 and 500 Swiss francs ($20-503) per transaction. SBB will act as distributor, while the exchange will be performed by SweePay and require users to hold an account with a wallet service that allows storage of the digital currency. Bitcoin is known for allowing users to move money across the world quickly and relatively anonymously but, on the Swiss ticket machines, users won't be able to procure it without a trace: customers will need to identify themselves using a Swiss mobile phone. While bitcoins can be purchased, they won't be accepted as payment at the machines, meaning ticket revenues will be unaffected by changes in the bitcoin exchange rate. ($1 = 0.9943 Swiss francs) (Reporting by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi; Editing by Greg Mahlich) || First Bitcoin Capital Corp Announces Appointment of Bitcoin Protocol Development Expert Patrick Dugan to the Company’s Board of Directors. Additional Developments Announced: VANCOUVER, B.C. / ACCESSWIRE / November 23, 2016 /First Bitcoin Capital Corp is pleased to announce that leading bitcoin protocol development expert in the crypto currency field Patrick Dugan has joined the company's Board of Directors. A serial entrepreneur with several years of experience in blockchain, finance, ecommerce and game development, Mr. Dugan has extensive knowledge of complex securitization structures and trading strategies. Mr. Dugan brings 9 years of trading experience, with over 3 years in cryptocurrency trading, averaging 50% annual returns. He served as a consultant on social game economics, and market making operations for exchanges. Mr. Dugan has served for the last year and a half as operations manager for the Omni Layer Foundation (previously Mastercoin), and has been involved in the issuance of the world's first bearer bonds on the Bitcoin blockchain. "Patrick Dugan is well known in the international crypto-currency space," the company said. "He brings a wealth of strategic experience in finance and blockchain business development. We look forward to his contributions as a member of our Board as we advance the development of the world’s first on-blockchain REIT offering." Mrs. Dugan said he seeks to bring to First Bitcoin Capital his expertise in bitcoin and blockchain protocol and assist new or existing initiatives that plan to build upon and take advantage of the capabilities offered by the Omni Layer protocol. BITCF has thus far utilized the Omni Layer Protocol to launch 6 cryptocurrencies such as symbols, PRES, TESLA, HILL, GARY, BURN, and OTX. Furthermore, in conjunction with BITCF expanding ownership of its common shares onto its own blockchain (BIT) and trading on foreign international cryptocurrency exchanges, the company invites its shareholders to exercise an option to convert their paper certificates into digital shares. Shareholders need only surrender their certificates with instruction to deliver those shares to the BIT wallet address they provide to the company. About the company: First Bitcoin Capital is engaged in developing digital currencies, proprietary Blockchain technologies, and the digital currency exchange- www.CoinQX.com. We see this step as a tremendous opportunity to create further shareholder value by leveraging management's experience in developing and managing complex Blockchain technologies, developing new types of digital assets. "Being the first publicly-traded cryptocurrency and blockchain-centered company (with shares both traded in the US OTC Markets as [BITCF] and as [BIT] in crypto exchanges) we want to provide our shareholders with diversified exposure to digital cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies." At this time the Company owns and operates the following digital assets. www.BITCoinCapitalcorp.comcompany website. www.CoinQX.comCryptocurrency Exchange, registered with FINCEN. www.iCoiNEWS.comreal time cryptocurrency and bitcoin news site. www.BITminer.ccproviding mining pool management services. www.2016coin.orgonline daily election coverage and home page for $PRES, $HILL and $GARY $BURN coins. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors as may be disclosed in company's filings. In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic conditions, and governmental and public policy changes. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of the press release .Such forward-looking statements are risks that are detailed in the Company's filings, which are on file atwww.OTCMarkets.com. Contact us via:[email protected] visithttp://www.bitcoincapitalcorp.com SOURCE:First Bitcoin Capital Corp. || The Dark Web: Brought to You by U.S. Taxpayers: Beneath the internet you use every day lies a hidden network of thousands of encrypted sites known as the Dark Web. Unlike the so-called clearnet – where everything is open, indexed and searchable – the darknet offers anonymous access to information, products and services of all kinds, legal and illegal. Illicit drugs, creative chemists, child pornography and hacked personal information are all readily available, if you know where to look. The software primarily used for encrypting, hosting and browsing Dark Web sites is known as Tor or The Onion Router , named for its sites’ .onion suffix. But here’s the thing. The tools were originally developed by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and DARPA, the advanced research arm of the Department of Defense (DOD). And to this day, Tor is largely funded by the U.S. Government . I’ll pause for a second to let that sink in. If you’ve had lingering doubts about the good guys and the bad guys being two sides of the same coin, you can finally put them to rest. In onionland , crime and punishment don’t just go hand-in-hand. They operate side-by-side. They’re next-door neighbors. Frenemies. I guess the spooks wanted a way to gather intelligence, track evil doers, and communicate with each other, confidential sources, whistleblowers and dissidents, without leaving an online trail of IP addresses. So in the mid-to-late 90s, they came up with what later became known as Tor, aka the anonymity network . Wait, the story gets better. Aside from the scientists, developers, researchers and project managers who handle the technical side of Tor’s suite of software tools, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit is essentially run by Shari Steele, a civil rights attorney and long-time head and legal director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation or EFF. The EFF is an online civil liberties advocate – essentially a digital version of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The organization, also a 501(c)(3) NPO, has been involved in a long list of lawsuits against federal law enforcement agencies. Steele and the EFF have been responsible for spearheading and funding Tor since the NRL set the code free in 2004. Story continues ICYMI, the EFF was recently involved in a scuffle with T-Mobile’s free-wheeling CEO, John Legere , claiming the carrier’s unlimited data plan violates net neutrality rules because it offers unlimited streaming of standard quality video and charges $25 more for high-def. Sounds like nitpicking to me, but I guess that’s what activists do. Steele, incidentally, is married to Bill Vass, engineering veep of Amazon Web Services. Before joining Amazon and running a robotics company, Vass spent much of his career as a senior IT executive with the U.S. Army, the DOD and Sun Microsystems, where he was CIO and oversaw the company’s federal government operation. Strange bedfellows, if you ask me. Tor bills itself as the best thing since the First and Fourth Amendments, protecting anyone and everyone’s right to online privacy and freedom from prying eyes, web crawlers, IP trackers, search engines, site indexers, trolls and the like. That goes for evil-doers and do-gooders alike. Whether you’re in the market for protected animals, selling hacked bank account data, peddling the latest designer drug, trying to build a bomb without blowing yourself up, searching for a hitman, a journalist trying to dig up dirt for a hit piece, or men in black, blue or camo, Tor’s Windows, Mac OS, Linux and Android-compatible hidden services can help you do your dirty deeds on the sly. Keep in mind, .onion marketplaces probably don’t take Visa, MasterCard or American Express. Bitcoin is the currency of choice on the dark side of cyberspace. The Dark Web is not all dark intentions run amuck, mind you. A new report by venture-backed security firm Terbium Labs found that just over half the content on a random sampling of 400 of the more than 7,000 Tor sites was legitimate. There are blogs, chat rooms and political forums free of censorship, political correctness and prying eyes. Facebook maintains a presence there for users living under repressive regimes that limit web access. And some people just don’t like the idea of their online activity being tracked. Google definitely gives me the creeps , that’s for sure. The FBI has cleaned up a few sites, shutting down at least the first two versions of the infamous Silk Road black market. And while Tor may be the easiest way to get around the Dark Web, it’s certainly not the only way (not that I know anything about that sort of thing). As Tor becomes more mainstream, dark forces will inevitably migrate to shadier networks. Of all the bizarre and unlikely interactions in the Tor saga, the one that surprises me the least is that you and I paid for it. Shari Steele or representatives from the Tor Project could not immediately be reached for comment. Related Articles How Stoners Are Getting High (Tech) Taco Bell Seeks to Add 100,000 U.S. Jobs by 2022 Yum unit Taco Bell to have 9,000 U.S. outlets by end-2022 || Payments In The Marijuana Industry: How Blockchain Can Increase Profit And Security: Blockchain was born with the bitcoin, conceived as a way to make databases secure but not managed by one single person. This allows “people who do not know or trust each other [to] build a dependable ledger,” an article from The Economist explained. As the technology evolved and became more programmable, other applications like tracing a product’s identity/authenticity were found for it. In some cases, blockchain technologies have even managed to replace banks and services like those offered by Paypal Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: PYPL ), Moneygram International Inc (NASDAQ: MGI ) or The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU ), making transactions faster, cheaper and more secure. Related Link: You're So Money: NY Judge Rules Bitcoin Qualify As "Funds" “While software reduces global inequalities through intellectual capital, the blockchain today is helping to reduce global inequalities through financial capital,” Forbes contributor Jonathan Chester explained in a recent piece . The Marijuana Industry The legal marijuana industry often finds big hurdles in the banking system; afraid of federal regulators and the money laundering risk derived from such a cash intensive space, most banks don’t want to open accounts for these companies. In this vacuum, a few companies have come up with creative solutions. For instance, Tokken , provides online banking services to companies in the emerging marijuana industry. As per their site, they offer “safe payment methods to consumers, and a robust compliance platform to partner banks... [eliminating] the risk of money laundering by creating a virtual barrier to cash transactions.” “Using an indelible Blockchain ledger to ensure data integrity and a proprietary compliance program based on structured analytic techniques, Tokken is designed to comply with every relevant regulatory requirement and provide a sustainable banking solution for the cannabis,” the site added. CEO Lamine Zarrad recently sat down with Chester and explained that operating in cash costs the marijuana industry between 20 and 25 percent of its revenue. “This is typically lost through the costs of security, storage and shrinkage, a euphemism for employee theft,” he stated. “In order to get cash back into the banking systems, Marijuana companies will work with holding companies that will hold funds on behalf of the dispensary, which the dispensary can then access. In order to get funds into the accounts, these dispensaries need to hire groups of runners who take the cash to ATMs throughout the city to deposit cash in small batches.” Story continues But, how can the company achieve this without recurring to a bank? Related Link: Reads For The Weed-Kend: Franchising, Canada And Snoop Dogg, Damian Marley's Cannabis Prison Venture As Chester expounded, blockchains were created specifically to avoid banks while still meeting most audit requirements — as each transaction is both public and protected from “book-cooks.” Tokken, for example, notarizes its transactions via Tierion, a platform that “puts an immutably cryptographic summary of business records on the blockchain, which permits verification while maintaining customer privacy,” Chester concluded. Full ratings data available on Benzinga Pro. Do you have ideas for articles/interviews you'd like to see more of on Benzinga? Please email [email protected] with your best article ideas. One person will be randomly selected to win a $20 Amazon gift card! Disclosure: Javier Hasse holds no interest in any of the securities or entities mentioned above. See more from Benzinga Apple, PayPal A Couple Of The Only Stocks That Traded Green Today © 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || C&W Business Launches Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS) on Demand at Cisco Live!: CANCUN, MEXICO--(Marketwired - Nov 7, 2016) - Cisco Live! -- C&W Business , part of C&W Communications (C&W), one of the largest full service communications and entertainment providers in the Caribbean and Latin America region, now owned by Liberty Global (LiLAC Group), is excited to announce the launch of Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS) on Demand, a managed Unified Collaboration Service, at Cisco Live! . Cisco Live is one of the main IT conferences in the Latin America region and is expected to draw more than 5,500 customers, experts and partners from different business segments and levels. Cisco Live! will be held from November 7-10 in Cancun, Mexico and C&W Business will be present at booth #506 showcasing live demos of its next-generation platform, HCS on Demand. The launch of HCS on Demand, powered by Cisco, is a managed unified collaboration platform that will enable customers in 24 countries across the Caribbean and Latin America to leverage a full suite of IP-enabled collaboration tools. HCS on Demand will be hosted by C&W Business at their data centers and be delivered to customers over the Company's world-class, SIP-enabled fiber IP (terrestrial and submarine) and fault-tolerant network. This network encompasses over 42,000 kilometers (26,000 miles) of fiber across the Caribbean and Latin America and is the only MEF CE 2.0 certified network across the region, allowing C&W Business to deliver highly secure and reliable data, voice and video services efficiently to its customers. "C&W Business HCS on Demand helps accelerate customers' day-to-day business processes, helping achieve better and faster business outcomes across the region. Customers won't have to worry about burdening their IT staff with the effort to deploy and operate their own PBX or UCC platform. Customers will only pay for what they need, with no upfront costs, making unified communications more affordable and the costs more predictable in a fixed monthly service charge per user," said Daniel Peiretti, SVP Product Development and Management, C&W Business. "Our HCS on Demand solution is secure, offers strong SLA's, and is supported by a business-class infrastructure with a certified team that uses a simplified deployment model. We will have customers up and running in no time, from anywhere, anytime and from any device," added Peiretti. Story continues As a Cisco Master Managed Service Provider, C&W Business utilizes its highly secure and connected fabric of datacenters to deliver the most comprehensive, integrated solutions for clients. This crucial element enables clients to have a single point of contact, avoiding the challenge of managing multiple vendors. In addition, business applications and unified communication applications are hosted in the same datacenter significantly reducing latency and enhancing data security. C&W Business HCS on Demand will offer customers: Voice and video communications, mobility, messaging, presence, web and video conferencing, and contact center. Access to cloud-based resources in a fast and easy way so customers can get up and running faster than with traditional models. Predictable per-user monthly costs without having to incur upfront capital expenditure investments. Ability to easily ramp up or down to address seasonal needs. Deployment of different license types to individuals across work groups or departments as required. Elimination of the costs and problems of equipment maintenance and software upgrades. Customers most likely to benefit from this solution are those with a need for enhanced remote worker integration, mobility, cost reduction, reduced travel cost, simplified user experience, accelerated decision making, improved customer service and better work-life balance for its employees. In addition, existing Cisco collaboration customers can migrate their "on premises" solution into this cloud and maintain their investment in licensing. Cisco Live! is the premier IT conference in Latin America -- which gathers customers, experts and partners from different industries, segments, and countries. Cisco Live! is held annually in four cities worldwide: Las Vegas, Berlin, Melbourne and Cancun. Learn more at #CiscoLiveLA Visit C&W Business at Cisco Live! C&W Business will be an exhibitor at booth #506 during Cisco Live!, at the Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort Cancun, Mexico. To learn about our technology-driven solutions that offer unique Cisco collaboration technologies using hosted and managed models. Meet our technology experts and join us for demo presentations on our solutions on November 9 from 10:30 am - 12:30 pm and on November 10 from 12:30 - 2:00 pm in the Cisco Powered booth. NOTES TO EDITORS C&W Business To Offer Cisco Collaboration As A Service Over Its MPLS Networks About C&W Communications C&W is a full service communications and entertainment provider and delivers market-leading video, broadband, telephony and mobile services to consumers in 18 countries. Through its business division, C&W provides data center hosting, domestic and international managed network services, and customized IT service solutions, utilizing cloud technology to serve business and government customers. C&W also operates a state-of-the-art submarine fiber network -- the most extensive in the region. Learn more at www.cwc.com , or follow C&W on LinkedIn , Facebook or Twitter . About Liberty Global Liberty Global is the world's largest international TV and broadband company, with operations in more than 30 countries across Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. We invest in the infrastructure that empowers our customers to make the most of the digital revolution. Our scale and commitment to innovation enables us to develop market-leading products delivered through next-generation networks that connect our 29 million customers who subscribe to over 60 million television, broadband internet and telephony services. We also serve 10 million mobile subscribers and offer WiFi service across seven million access points. Liberty Global's businesses are comprised of two stocks: the Liberty Global Group ( NASDAQ : LBTYA ) ( NASDAQ : LBTYB ) ( NASDAQ : LBTYK ) for our European operations, and the LiLAC Group ( NASDAQ : LILA ) and ( NASDAQ : LILAK ) ( OTC PINK : LILAB ), which consists of our operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Liberty Global Group operates in 12 European countries under the consumer brands Virgin Media, Ziggo, Unitymedia, Telenet and UPC. The LiLAC Group operates in over 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean under the consumer brands VTR, Flow, Liberty, Mas Movil and BTC. In addition, the LiLAC Group operates a subsea fiber network throughout the region in over 30 markets. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] One Bitcoin now worth $717.71@bitstamp. High $727.00. Low $707.00. Market Cap $11.467 Billion #bitcoin pic.twitter.com/TVplLN6VXN || #UFOCoin #UFO $0.000006 (-0.15%) 0.00000001 BTC (-0.00%) || How To Hack Freebitco.in 4.00 BTC With Prof Sep. 2016 /2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAV9FYDlATA … || #UFOCoin #UFO $0.000007 (4.41%) 0.00000001 BTC (-0.00%) || 1 #bitcoin = $14835.00 MXN | $721.62 USD #BitAPeso 1 USD = 20.56MXN http://www.bitapeso.com  || 1 KOBO = 0.00000000 BTC = 0.0000 USD = 0.0000 NGN = 0.0000 ZAR = 0.0000 KES #Kobocoin 2016-11-13 18:00 pic.twitter.com/XWrV2rmDZ3 || One Bitcoin now worth $746.98@bitstamp. High $747.77. Low $711.00. Market Cap $11.945 Billion #bitcoin || #UFOCoin #UFO $0.000007 (-48.11%) 0.00000001 BTC (-50.00%) || Bitfinex to Hacker: Can We Have Our Bitcoin Back? http://bit.ly/2eCmLqG  #BTC #bitcoin || 1 #BTC (#Bitcoin) quotes: $627.04/$627.99 #Bitstamp $628.00/$630.61 #BTCe ⇢$0.01/$3.57 $626.58/$632.94 #Coinbase ⇢$-1.41/$5.90
Trend: up || Prices: 774.65, 769.73, 780.09, 780.56, 781.48, 778.09, 784.91, 790.83, 790.53, 792.71
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2016-08-04] BTC Price: 578.29, BTC RSI: 34.99 Gold Price: 1358.80, Gold RSI: 63.32 Oil Price: 41.93, Oil RSI: 41.86 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Explaining Bitcoin and Crypto Currency: On Tuesday, Hong Kong-based exchange Bitfinex reported that it had halted all trade activity due to a security breach. Specifically, hackers took 119,756 bitcoins or about $72 million worth (at the time of attack). In response to the news, value of the crypto currency dropped 20% before recovering its losses. A crypto currency is a digital currency that is encrypted, or secured in a way that allows it to operate independently of a central bank. Bitcoin (BTC) is considered the first crypto currency, although some form of the concept did exist before its inception. It is however the first decentralized digital currency. There are still many who do not fully understand bitcoins or virtual currency, so let’s get to the bottom of it. What is Bitcoin? As previously mentioned, bitcoin is a crypto currency. It exists only virtually, and a growing number of institutions accept it as payment. Bitcoin was invented by Satoshi Nakamoto, who published a paper on the invention on October 31stof 2008. Many believe that Nakamoto is a pseudonym for multiple people. It was released in January of 2009, and has since gained recognition and acceptance around the world. Bitcoin was released as open source code, meaning anyone could figure out how it was created. As a result, other crypto currencies started to emerge from 2011 onwards. Bitcoin is known as an anonymous currency due to the fact that it is possible to send and receive the currency without revealing any personal information. Transactions are tied to a bitcoin address, a series of numbers and letters. All transactions are stored in the so-called blockchain, which records and verifies transactions. The blockchain ensures that a unit of bitcoin is not spent more than once, and is operated by a network of bitcoin “miners,” who use computers to make the calculations to validate each transaction. As a reward, these miners receive newly issued bitcoin. Bitcoin is still both controversial and volatile. Towards the end of 2013, China’s central bank prohibited financial institutions from using bitcoins, which dropped its value significantly. Bitcoin hacks such as the one announced on Tuesday have also occurred before, and negatively impact price. Bitcoin can be purchased both online and offline. Online, transactions occur through buy and sell bids that occur on an exchange. Offline, they can be purchased from an individual or a bitcoin ATM. Bitcoin Alternatives As I mentioned, the rise of bitcoin also saw the rise of dozens of alternative crypto currencies as well. These include litecoin, peercoin, primecoin, namecoin, ripple, quark and many others. Each of these trade at different prices and attract different audiences. Furthermore, they boast certain features that bitcoin does not have. For example, litecoin trades faster than bitcoin, and claims to operate in a way that does not reward miners who have specialized software, aiming to level the playing field. Bottom Line Both bitcoin and the idea of crypto currency are still very much in their fledgling state. Although a growing number of institutions now accept them, it still has some ways to go before hitting the mainstream. Still, the concept of a peer-to-peer currency network that bypasses the need for big banks and governments is enticing to many, and could potentially gain further traction, even if it is not through bitcoin but rather another currency. Welcome to the joys of the 21stcentury. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free reportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research || Your first trade for Wednesday, June 22: The " Fast Money " traders shared which trades they'd make when the market opens for business Wednesday. Tim Seymour was a buyer of the MSCI South Korea Capped ETF (NYSE Arca: EWY) . Karen Finerman was a buyer of Citigroup (NYSE: C) . Brian Kelly was a seller of the iShares US Home Construction ETF (NYSE Arca: ITB) . Steve Grasso was a buyer of J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) . Trader disclosure: On June 21, 2016 , the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "Fast Money" traders: Karen Finerman is long BAC, C, DRII, DRII calls, FB, FL, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, LYV, KORS, KORS, KORS puts, WIFI long call spreads, M, MA, SEDG, SPY puts, URI. Her firm is long ANTM, AAPL, BAC, C, C calls, DRII, DRII calls, FB, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, JPM calls, KORS, LYV, M, MOH, PLCE, SPY puts, URI, WIFI, her firm is short IWM, MDY. Karen Finerman is on the board of GrafTech International. Steve Grasso is long BA, CC, EVGN, KBH, MJNA, MU, OLN, PFE, PHM, T, TWTR, UA, GDX, KIDS own EFA ,EFG, EWJ, IJR, SPY, NO SHORTS Stuart Frankel & Co Inc. and some of its Partners: DAL, LUV, AAPL, UAL, LDP, WDR, AVP, CVX, FCX, IBM, IC,E KDUS, KO, MAT, MCD, MJNA, NE, NEM, OLN, OXY, RIG, STAG, TAXI, TEX, TITXF, URI, VALE, WDR, WYNN, ZNGA, CUBA, HSPO, ICE, AMZN, MJNA, TITXF, NXTD. Brian Kelly is long Bitcoin, GLD, SFK, SLV, TLT, US Dollar UUP; he is short CS, DB, UBS. Tim Seymour is long APC, AVP, BAC, BBRY, CLF, DO, EDC, EWZ, F, FCX, FXI, GM, GOOGL, GRMN, GE, INTC, LQD, M, MCD, MPEL, NKE, RACE, RAI, RH, RL, SINA, T, TWTR, UA, VALE, VZ, XOM. short: SPY, WYNN, XRT; Tim's firm is long ABX, BABA, BIDU, CLF, EWZ, F, HD, KO, MCD, MPEL, NKE, PEP, PF, SAVE, SBUX, SINA, VALE, VIAB, WMT, WEN, YHOO, short HYG, IWM. More From CNBC Top News and Analysis Latest News Video Personal Finance || Too many of us are thinking about money all wrong, and it's keeping us from building wealth: (A cushion isn't the point.Sean Gallup / Staff / Getty Images) It's nice to have a cushion. Even when you aren't living paycheck to paycheck, there's comfort in knowing you could cover a surprise $1,000 bill (many Americans can't) or buy a last-minute concert ticket when your favorite act comes to town. You could — but hopefully you won't have to. Instead, you'll just bask in the warm glow of having that cash at your beck and call. You'll havemoney. You'll be rich. And there's where too many of us go wrong. Kristin Wong, of the personal finance blogThe Wild Wong, has an interesting post about the gap in understanding between pursuing money and pursuing a goal. In the first, you're amassing wealth for the sake of wealth. In the second, you're amassing wealth to serve a larger goal: a trip or a house or tuition or a family. You're using money as a tool. Remembering a time in life when she was struggling to make ends meet and her goal was simply to afford her apartment, Wong writes: "Most of us treat money itself as the goal. We work to get out of debt or save for retirement because that just seems like the responsible, grown-up thing to do. And it is, but here's what happens when you make money the goal: • You ditch the goal, because it doesn't support what truly matters to you. • You give up on money entirely, because you don't see the point. Your finances are a wreck. • You stick to the goal, but you're cheap. You make life more difficult just to keep your money. • You start hoarding money instead of using it. • You stay at a job you hate because it pays well. "From my own experience, when you make money the goal, you allow it to continue controlling your life." She traces this realization in part back to financial planner Carl Richards, who asked inThe New York Times in February 2015: "What if we start treating money like a tool? Tools are meant to be used. They're not meant to sit on a shelf and collect dust." It's a similar perspective toPulitzer Prize-winning author Charles Duhigg, who has said that money is a resource. Having money doesn't simply mean having a collection of dollars — it means having the resources to accomplish something. In other words, a tool. When you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Financial planners regularly recommend setting financial goals, complete with price tags, to get the most out of the money we have. But in our daily lives, many of us aren't following this reasoning. When we drip money behind us down the street, buying sunglasses and coffees and cocktails and paying ATM fees we don't really care about, we're doing it at the expense of the things we want most. If money is a tool, spending indiscriminately certainly isn't using it right. Bearing this in mind, the most effective question to ask yourself isn't "How much money can I save?" — it's "What am I saving for?" NOW WATCH:GREEN BERET: This is how we're different from US Navy SEALs More From Business Insider • Fintech could be bigger than ATMs, PayPal, and Bitcoin combined • Here's how to get free Chick-fil-A today • A supervolcano lies under Yellowstone — here's what would happen if it erupted || Meet the Reddit-like social network that rewards bloggers in bitcoin: In the digital currency world, people love to talk about the “killer app,” a use for the technology that would bring it truly mainstream and compel the people who are dubious about Bitcoin to buy in. Many are still waiting for it, and say bitcoin needs it to succeed in the long run. Ned Scott believes he’s got it. Scott is the cofounder and CEO of Steemit , a social network that runs on a new cryptocurrency called steem. Scott, a former analyst at food-industry private equity firm Gellert Group, and Dan Larimer, founder of BitShares, launched the network and the currency in April. Since that time, its market cap has ballooned from $2,000 to $300 million. The platform is very young, and has its problems, but it shows impressive potential. Steemit works like Reddit, which Scott cites as an overt influence but says he hasn’t used. Steemit users publish a blog post—it could be any length, any topic at all—and other users can “upvote” it. The twist: Every upvote represents a small amount of steem power. Think of steem power as a representation of influence, because the more you have, the more power your upvote has to move someone else’s post up when you upvote it. Steem power can be converted to steem dollars, which at the moment trade for about $3.25 USD each. That’s tiny, sure, but more steem is created from more activity on Steemit, and the $300 million market cap of steem is enough to rank it No. 3 among all cryptocurrencies , according to CoinMarketCap, behind only bitcoin and ether, the currency of the Ethereum network . Steemit’s ‘trending’ forum “It’s internet points, like you have on Reddit, but now those points have real market value,” says Scott. “People are earning money for doing the things they were doing for free before. People spend all this time creating free content for social media companies, and now they can be rewarded.” That sounds pretty good. And indeed, multiple Steemit users say they have cashed out more than $10,000 from posting on Steemit. The site pays you 24 hours after a post; 75% of the steem power goes to the writer, 25% to the curators—that is, those who upvoted the post, in different amounts according to their influence. Steemit made its first cumulative payout on July 4, amounting to $1.3 million USD. Steemit says it has seen more than 700 new signups every day for the past week. Heidi Chakos, a travel blogger, says she paid off her credit card bill this month entirely with money she made on Steemit. The Indiana resident is currently traveling around the world in two-week spurts, and she posts about her adventures; one recent post about Tahiti earned 660 upvotes, or $8,930 in steem power . Chakos previously used a Squarespace blog for her posts, but now posts solely on Steemit. “For others, it all might seem farfetched at first,” she says, “but in my experience, once you explain ceryptocurrency to people, they get exited about it. I think Steemit is going to blow Facebook out of the water.” Story continues At this point, that’s likely a stretch. But as a test, I posted on Steemit. It was nothing special: I wrote that I’m a Yahoo Finance writer and I was exploring Steemit to write a news story about it. My post quickly amassed 61 votes , which translates to $75.04 in steem power. The system cashed that out to me in half steem power, half steem, so I have 37.5 steem dollars in my wallet, which translates to $120. Not bad. If all of that sounds rather complicated, Scott insists that users don’t need to worry about how the system works to use it and make money. It is an argument many have made about the bitcoin blockchain, comparing it to the HTTP technology that powers web pages, or the SMTP protocol that makes e-mail work. “You don’t need a high level of understanding to sign up,” he says. “Digital currency is moving into a stage similar to the automobile: it gets you from point A to point B. People post, they get money, and their lives are better. They don’t need to know the way it works or worry too much about the specifics in order to post, enjoy it, and get rewarded.” The problem is that withdrawing money isn’t such an easy process to learn for a bitcoin layperson: First you must convert your steem dollars to bitcoin, then, if you want fiat currency, convert your bitcoin to US dollars. Chakos says that wasn’t so hard. She used the exchange web site Bittrex to convert steem dollars to bitcoin, then sent that bitcoin from Bittrex to her Coinbase account, then transferred bitcoin from Coinbase to US dollars in her bank account. “It took like 30 minutes,” she says. In addition to the learning curve, Steem suffered a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack earlier this month, resulting in the theft of $85,000 worth of steem. It was, on a much smaller scale, not unlike a hack of the DAO network last month, which runs on the Ethereum blockchain; that theft amounted to $50 million worth of the cryptocurrency ether. Along with security concerns are the usual fears about Ponzi schemes or pump-and-dumps that come with cryptocurrency engines. Steemit has high hopes it will become so ubiquitous it can serve as the de facto content-creation system, even on other platforms as a plug-in, through a steem widget for WordPress (coming soon) and other blogs. “And then bloggers don’t have to change their habits or leave their blog,” he says. The ambition matches what another bitcoin reward company, ChangeTip, wants to do; it calls itself a “love button for the Internet.” The social tool lets you send someone a tip, in bitcoin, for a blog post you enjoyed. But Scott says, “Tipping comes with friction” such as how much to tip, and when it’s appropriate for the writer to accept. Steem, he argues, makes more sense for the internet because, “It’s more like someone’s influence. And the more someone has, the more they can promote their own posts up the blockchain, and the more they can promote other people. It’s something that eventually publishers and brands will want to use to promote their own content.” But is it the “killer app?” — Daniel Roberts is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering sports business and technology. Follow him on Twitter at @ readDanwrite . Read more: Why Ethereum is the hottest new thing in digital currency The latest Bitcoin price hike is not all about Brexit British bitcoin market sent incredible signals ahead of Brexit Here’s why 21 Inc. is the most exciting bitcoin company right now View comments || Bitcoin Is Up 30% This Week And 200% This Year: Here Is What You Need To Know: The attention given to bitcoin by the broader investment community might have peaked years ago, but its price is surging yet again, implying renewed focus and attention toward the digital currency. The price of one bitcoin was trading at $740.84 early Friday morning. In fact, the value of bitcoin has gained around 30 percent this week and 200 percent this year. Bitcoin bottomed at around $230 a year ago and has been slowly gaining in value before gaining momentum in late May when it was trading at around $450. What Happened? According to Tech Crunch, bitcoin was designed to eventually have a total float of 21 million coins and none can be added or taken away from the market. As time goes on, fewer Bitcoins will be mined and enter into circulation. Related Link: China & The Code: Keys To Bitcoin Hitting A 2-Year High Bitcoin's core dictates that every 210,000 blocks mined will result in the mining reward being slashed in half. In about three weeks, the reward will fall to 12.5 BTC per block, down from 50 BTC per block in 2012. This cuts in to the miners profits but represents the natural and designated evolution of the bitcoin economy. Tech Crunch also suggested major updates to the core technology that powers Bitcoin is driving up demand for the digital currency. Finally, the rise in Bitcoin could also be attributed to the same themes causing uncertainty in the equity market such as an uncertain economic outlook in Asia, the upcoming Brexit vote and the U.S. election. "One last parting piece of advice — as exciting and tempting as it is to watch any form of real money appreciate so quickly, remember to remain rational," Tech Crunch warned. "Almost anyone who has ever been involved in Bitcoin is probably kicking themselves right now for not stocking up a year ago or even a week ago. Others may feel a temptation to stock up right now because they think the price is only going up. This is probably an awful idea. As we've learned, Bitcoin is its own beast, and will do what it wants. If you try to time any public market you most likely are going to lose a lot of money." Story continues See more from Benzinga Beijing Orders Apple To Halt Sales Of iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus Devices In The City Wells Fargo's Hateful 8: Shares Are Down 8 Sessions In A Row, Worst Streak In 8 Years Viacom's Guidance Shredded Because Of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles © 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || China’s Cyber Spying on the U.S. Has Drastically Changed: Last year United States President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping entered into a dubious agreement during Xi’s first state visit: No more hacking one another’s businesses. Military and political espionage? Fair game. Industry? Hands off. Hackers allegedly sponsored by China had been ransacking U.S. companies for economic advantage for years, as any computer forensics pro who has helped clean up one of these data breaches will tell you. The hackers’ goal: Intellectual property theft. With the recent truce, the heads of state agreed that their countries could break into one another’s computer networks for traditional state on state espionage, but no more hacking for profit. For skeptics, here’s the shocker: The parties appear to be keeping their word--for the most part. Cybersecurity firm FireEyereleased a reportearlier this week that found that the number of breaches by China-based groups on U.S. businesses has dropped off a cliff. The number of network compromises has not fallen to zero, but it hasplummeted 90% in the past two years. Get Data Sheet,Fortune's technology newsletter. Fortunespoke to Laura Galante, director of the threat intelligence at FireEye , as well as Kevin Mandia, the company’s recently appointed CEO, about the report’s findings. (Mandia makes his appearance at question 12.) Among the topics discussed: How the threat of economic espionage has changed, what this means for U.S. businesses, and whether everyone may now breathe a sigh of relief. (Spoiler: The answer is no.) Here’s what the two said, edited and condensed for clarity. Fortune: This report seems to be a follow-up toMandiant’s original reporton Chinese economic cyberespionage from a few years ago. [Editors note: FireEyepurchasedMandiant, Mandia’s computer forensics firm, for about $1 billion in 2014.] What does the new report find? Laura Galante: We've tracked all of these groups for years before the APT1 report that you probably remember from back in 2013. Here we found the percentage of incidents and number of incidents we've seen over time from groups that are based in China, and how that’s changed. We came up with a pretty deep understanding of how we've seen President Xi undertake reforms in the military and also in the party since he came to power. We have some analysis around how he is probably centralizing and refocusing some of the cyber operations that China sponsored. We also think that widespread exposure from private sector disclosures was another impetus that really changed how Beijing was thinking about cyber operations. Finally the punitive measures--theindictments of several military officersback in 2014, and then thethreat of sanctionsright on the eve of President Xi coming over to the U.S--these were all factors that, in the aggregate, have really changed the way we've seen intellectual property theft conducted from China based groups. Fortune: It seemed like the key line in the report was that the attacks are less voluminous, but more focused. Galante: That’s what we're seeing. When we do see compromises--and we have seen compromises since last year--we're seeing the groups conduct a variety of different activity at different targets, not just in the U.S., but also in Japan and abroad in Europe. We're seeing compromises of networks still. What wearen'tseeing is data theft at such a volume as before--back in 2013, even 2014. We're seeing that they'll go in and they'll package up data, which is something that we typically see right before they would steal it, but we haven't observed instances of data theft, per se, in 2015 and 2016. Fortune: You're still seeing intrusions and breaches, but not the actual exfiltration of data. Is that accurate? Galante: That's right. What that doesn't necessarily mean is that it's not happening. We're not seeing the actual data theft in the recent examples that we've had here, but we're still seeing the compromise. If you're able to compromise the network, get in, move laterally to different parts of the network, and see the files that you want, that's still a very effective way to get at the information you want without the level of risk and evidence left behind of actually transferring the data out of a network. Fortune: So it’s a shift from smashing-and-grabbing to quietly and passively surveilling? Galante: That's a way to characterize what we've seen. And I think that fits too with what's definitely a higher cost of doing business that has risen in the last three and a half years. The risk of exposure from security firms, from security researchers, which is happening left and right, and the measures that the U.S. government has taken, paint a very different picture of risk when groups are operating--whether they be sponsored by the government, by a military entity, by an intelligence agency, or simply by opportunistic entrepreneurial groups who are looking for a way into a network to find something valuable to sell. We think that the scene in China really runs the gamut in terms of different types of sponsorship. Fortune: In the report you discuss how it's hard to make out the difference between these groups. Do you have any speculation as to whom--which groups--might be the ones remaining? Is it a mix? Does it weight toward government, or toward the enterprising hacker? What is the breakdown here--is there any way to know? Galante: It's hard to give a percentage. We have examples where we've seen what we call patriotic hackers, people who are aligned with state interests, but not necessarily on the payroll. We've seen everything form the patriotic hacker to the cybercriminal to groups that act in a very regimented 9-to-5 way. We see their tools built on a schedule that parallels Chinese federal holidays. We've seen really disciplined groups that operate in a way that's hard to not see that there has to be a ton of resourcing behind it, and probably a government entity. Another aspect that we've traced for years is how long we've seen groups operate. With some groups out of China, especially the ones that have been conducting the more traditional political espionage, we've seen those groups operate for over a decade with almost the same tools and infrastructure, too. Fortune: Part of this deal between Obama and Xi was that China would stop its attacks on U.S. enterprises. Obviously there are still attacks going on, as your report says, but is there any way to know whether, in fact, the state sponsored attacks are down? Galante: It's hard to say. The network visibility that we have just shows us what's compromised. What we don't know is when data is taken. In our cases, we haven't seen data theft. But when data has been taken in the past--to know that the data has been used and given to an entity, to an industry, or to a company in an industry that can then use it to put a product on the market--that would start to fulfill the definition of what they’re getting at with this economic espionage agreement. From our side we’re reluctant to say that this equates to economic espionage, because we simply see one part of a much longer chain of what would equate to economic espionage. What we can say is that we're still seeing compromises into corporate networks. Fortune: You mentioned that you're not seeing the same levels of data theft now. Is that because it's not happening, or because they're eluding detection in some way? Or perhaps FireEye doesn't have the visibility to see that? Galante: I think it's a couple factors. To set the premise though, it's very rare that you see data theft happening. When we're called in to do investigations, we're frequently looking into network logs and into network activity that, on average, happened almost 200 days before.[Editor’s note: the average breach takes 201 days to detect, according to arecent IBM study.]When you're investigating what happened previously, you have to consider, How well does the company keep logs? How do we go back and look at that activity and see what happened outside the network? There are a variety of factors that hamper understanding when the actual data was stolen, or if it was stolen. There are other cases where we've thwarted the detected compromise before the group could go any deeper into the network. So there are a couple of different wonky factors that keep the data theft from eluding our ability to have seen it when it happened. Now one thing we’re seeing is these groups go in and hack data and look for specific items. With the semiconductor firms, we were seeing attackers get into the files that had the manufacturing data about semiconductors and the chemical components used in the production. They're not just getting into a network, they're able to get in and navigate to data that would be useful. So that says a little bit more about their intent. If you're able to go in and locate a project that you need, that says a little bit more about what you're interested in. Fortune: Are there any cases that seem more grey in terms of what the hackers were going after? Galante: The navigational projects were interesting. This is a grey area. GPS navigation is right in that area of not knowing if it's for military or for civilian use. Traditionally, something for military use would fall into political espionage or military espionage, something that states have done since the beginning of time, versus something like the blueprints of a green energy or a coal cleaning plant, which we've seen before. When those are taken, that's a situation where it's pretty hard to see the military application of it. In the cases that we have here, in the cases that we've seen recently, we see semiconductors, we see high-tech corporations, we've seen an aerospace company, and a logistics company. These are all arguably targets and data that could fit either a military or a civilian use. So, tough to say whether that would trend more toward economic espionage versus political. Fortune: Have you been sending this report around government quarters? Galante: We frequently give a variety of government partners a heads up when we're able to do that before a report goes live. Fortune: What has been their reaction to this? Galante: This tracks fairly well with the visibility that they've had as well. Fortune: Last year a cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike issued a report saying there had been continued intrusions on U.S. companiesafter the China-U.S. deal. How does the FireEye report differ? Galante: That report came out in early October. It was really a first sense that activity still continued. But there's a ton of ways to look at activity. What we're very careful to parse here is that we wanted to know when a corporate network has been entered remotely, not just when the malware or the commands to the malware in a network has been live, which was one of the main indications used in that report from October to say that activity continued. We wanted to see that a group actively went into a network, and that was the bar that we used when we made the chart that you see, and also the graph.[Editor’s note:See, for example, page 11 of the report.] Fortune: So whereas CrowdStrike was asking--is there malware active on the network?--your report was asking, is there remote access happening? Galante: Is there an actual compromise of a network, yes. There is always remote access happening--so, is there a remote compromise happening of a corporate network. I think we're being more specific about how we want to define a piece of this, whereas CrowdStrike was looking just generally for any sort of beaconing or indication that infrastructure or malware were still living. We wanted to see something that reasonably made us conclude that an operator is still sitting there with fingers on keyboard, sending a command and entering networks. Kevin Mandia: Robert, this is Kevin Mandia. I've actually been on the line for the past 10 minutes and just staying quiet because Laura is crushing it. I don't know what CrowdStrike’s criteria is for saying compromise or not compromise. I do know that we at FireEye have over 350 incident responders, we have nearly 350 iSight intel analysts[Editor’s note:FireEye acquired the threat intelligence firm iSight Partnersfor $200 million earlier this year],and we have well over 3,000 customers where we have appliances deployed. Those are the sources for where we find these compromises. We've had our threat database in existence since 2006, so that’s the scale and scope at which we operate. When I look at the all the investigations we've done and all the intel we get from iSight, that's the data we’re reporting on. From the observables we have here at FireEye, the activity and counterespionage intrusions from China have gone down. Fortune: Because the attacks have dropped off precipitously, it seems, does this mean U.S. companies should breathe a sigh of relief? Mandia: Well, you've still got a bunch of other threats to worry about. So the answer is you still have to safeguard yourself from rogue states, which may be less responsible than China. I've always said this: the Chinese were the most polite hackers in cyberspace. They would break in, but I don't think they had exceptionally great counter forensics, they weren't destructive, they didn't go public with the data they stole. In many ways, if you were hacked, and you knew it, and it was the Chinese that did it, you breathed a sigh of relief. If it was some other group, you had to worry about public disclosure, about extortion, about a ton of other things. So the polite hackers have narrowed their targeting. That's how I look into this. I wouldn't breathe a sigh of relief. What I do see is that public exposure of Chinese cyber espionage by the private sector as well as by government officials--potentially the indictments and all the things Laura has put in the report--all of these factors did have an impact on the scale and scope of Chinese cyber espionage against the U.S.A. I see that as a positive thing. The unfortunate reality is that you still have to build your moat of defend against the other threats that are still out there. Fortune: During one recent quarter, Dave DeWalt, who was then FireEye’s CEO, said that attacks by China on U.S. companies had been decreasing. A bunch of peopletook issue with the statement. They said that attacks are still going on. Where does FireEye stand on that? Because it seems the report is saying that, yes, the number of attacks has decreased a lot. Mandia: Yup, we just stand by exactly what were publishing. Based on our observables, that's what we see. This isn't like the TTPs[Editor’s note: TTPs is cyberspeak for “tools, tactics, and procedures”--the idiosyncrasies of hacking methods]of Chinese cyber espionage changed over night. When we do see them, the TTPs are largely the same. There are going to be those naysayers out there who say, well, maybe FireEye is just missing it. I've been locked onto these guys virtually my whole career. I'm not convinced anyone has been responding to Chinese cyber espionage breaches longer than I have--and if there is somebody I'd like to find them. We dealt with this back when I was in the military in the '90s, and we're locked on still. The TTPs will change, but they're not surreptitious. We're not missing it. That's my opinion. Fortune: How do you persuade companies to continue to invest in cybersecurity when it seems that maybe the threats are not as drastic or immediately pressing as they might have been? Galante: I would say at this point you're taking a roll of the dice if you're a corporate entity or a government entity with strong intellectual property. Especially something that could be dual-use. Particularly, if you're in one of the many industries that's producing cutting edge R&D, you're now rolling the dice and have been for a long time, on whether you're going to be compromised. We’re seeing a maturation of China's military and political means to use cyber operations. To think that the decline in activity that we're seeing now is endemic of the future would be a misread. I think what we're seeing is a period of recalculating how to go with a precision force and a focus to get exactly the access that is needed, whether for political or military gains. Fortune: What prompted this report? Mandia: We went public in 2013 with the APT1 report. The government indicts soldiers in 2014. The president and the heads of state meet and they have discussions, and what does it lead to? What we hoped it would lead to--a reduction in the targeting of the private sector. I think that's a positive result. And that's why we're really doing this--to report on a positive result. Fortune: How have things changed for you since becoming CEO? Congrats on the promotion, by the way. Mandia: Thanks, it doesn't change much at the end of the day. PR person: Let’s keep off that for now. Fortune: Okay, what else is interesting--is North Korea behind the SWIFT bank hacks? Mandia: First thing I would say as a general citizen--and I don't have the data to opine one way or another--but boy, wouldn't you want to know who stole $81 million dollars from the bank of Bangladesh? Fortune: Oh yeah. Mandia: I mean if we can't pierce anonymity behind that as an international community, both behind the hack and behind the laundering of the money, don't we have a challenge here? $81 million is gone and we don't know who did it? That's not a good indicator for whether we’re going to catch who hacks a utility in Mississippi and shuts it down. We've got to get attribution right. If we can't get it right for Ashley Madison, fine, I get that. But if we can't get it right for stealing $81 million--that's not a good indicator. I think that's the interesting story right now. Can the international community can the pierce anonymity behind folks who steal $81 million, and if they can't, what else can they not do? Fortune: Indeed. Thanks for your time. Mandia: Take care, Robert. Fortune: You too. See original article on Fortune.com More from Fortune.com • Everything You Need to Know About North Korea's Suspected Bank Blitzkrieg • Senate Rejects Proposal to Expand FBI Spying Power • This Ad Firm That Tracked Kids Got Smacked With a $4 Million Fine • Why the Senate Will Likely Give the FBI More Spying Power After Orlando • Winklevoss Brothers Expand Their Bitcoin Exchange to the U.K. || Coinbase gets $10.5 million investment from Bank of Tokyo, two others: By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bitcoin exchange Coinbase said on Thursday it received a $10.5 million investment from Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi UFJ (BTMU), the bank's Mitsubishi UFJ Capital unit and Sozo Ventures as part of a strategic partnership involving its long-term expansion. Coinbase, which is the world's largest bitcoin company and currently operates in 32 countries, does not operate in Japan just yet, though it runs an exchange in Singapore. The company said Japan is a big part of its international expansion. "BTMU will be a strong partner for us both in Asia and globally," Sam Rosenblum, international expansion and banking lead at Coinbase, said in a phone interview with Reuters. "Japan will certainly be an important market for us and one that is pretty critical for the development of digital currencies." Bitcoin is a digital currency that enables users to move money across the world quickly and anonymously without the need for third-party verification. Rosenblum said San Francisco-based Coinbase has been working with BTMU for about a year on various projects and those collaborations have culminated in a strategic investment. Sozo Ventures, which has dual headquarters in Silicon Valley and Tokyo, early on has been instrumental in bringing Twitter to Japan. In order for Coinbase to do business in Japan, it would need regulatory approval from the country's Financial Services Agency. Rosenblum said there is no timetable as to when Coinbase would launch operations in Japan. Coinbase last year raised $75 million from a slew of investors. The BTMU investment is an individual transaction and not part of any funding round, Rosenblum said. Coinbase currently has two trading platforms, one for retail investors and one for institutions. Over the last four weeks, trading volume for the two platforms totaled around $400 million, according to Adam White, Coinbase's vice president for business development. Since bitcoin's inception in 2009, it has grown in popularity and price. Late on Thursday, bitcoin traded at $621.74 on the Bitstamp platform. So far this year, the digital currency is up 44.2 percent. (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Leslie Adler) || Ericsson to Provide World-Class Managed Services for Flow Mobile Networks in Caribbean: MIAMI, FL--(Marketwired - Jul 12, 2016) - • Three-year contract for managed services of the Flow mobile network in the North Caribbean region • Covers field services and a cutting-edge Network Operations Center (NOC) to monitor traffic in twelve markets Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) will extend its long-term relationship withC&W Communications, which operates the retail brand Flow, and its new owner,Liberty Global(LiLAC Group), to provide world-class managed services, including operating and managing the Flow mobile network and field services and monitoring the network management for Flow in the Northern Caribbean region. C&W and Liberty Global's strategic partnership extension with Ericsson further strengthens their commitment in improving the quality and reliability of its services and strong network performance to customers. The three-year contract will include top-of-the-line field services (including corrective and preventive maintenance of the mobile core and radio equipment) and a Network Operations Center (NOC) to monitor and maintain the mobile network for Flow in the Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Turks & Caicos markets. With these enhancements, Ericsson will help Flow deliver a best-in-class level of performance, such as higher network availability and reduced outages. As a result, customers will see improvements in data and voice quality and overall mobile experience, aimed at helping Flow further improve their Net Promoter Score (NPS); a measure which gauges a customer's overall satisfaction with service as well as brand loyalty. "This partnership with Ericsson is part of C&W's strategy to continually invest in our network, improve the quality of service and innovate technology for our customers throughout the region," said Carlo Alloni, Executive Vice-president and CTIO, C&W. "With this long-term business relationship with Ericsson, they will bring best practice processes, tools and methods to significantly improve our customers' experience throughout our mobile network." "Continuing to provide managed services for Flow's mobile network builds on our regional leadership, supporting our customers so that they can capitalize on innovation to increase their operational efficiencies and explore new go-to-market models. Ericsson will maintain the network at a superior quality so that subscribers enjoy the best experience available," said Robert Pajos, Head of Network Services, Ericsson Latin America & Caribbean. Ericsson is the global leader in telecommunications managed services, managing networks for multiple operators worldwide via a combination of global and local network operations centers. Ericsson employs 66,000 services professionals in 180 countries, and provides managed services for networks that serve more than 1 billion subscribers. In addition, Ericsson is present today in all high-traffic LTE markets including US, Japan, and South Korea, and is ranked first for handling the most global LTE traffic. Forty percent of the world's mobile traffic is carried over Ericsson networks. NOTES TO EDITORS Cable & Wireless and Ericsson deliver world-class mobile broadband for Caribbean & Latin AmericaEricsson's Managed Services PortfolioManaged Services press backgrounder For media kits, backgrounders and high-resolution photos, please visitwww.ericsson.com/press. About EricssonEricsson is the driving force behind the Networked Society -- a world leader in communications technology and services. Our long-term relationships with every major telecom operator in the world allow people, businesses and societies to fulfill their potential and create a more sustainable future. Our services, software and infrastructure -- especially in mobility, broadband and the cloud -- are enabling the telecom industry and other sectors to do better business, increase efficiency, improve the user experience and capture new opportunities. With approximately 115,000 professionals and customers in 180 countries, we combine global scale with technology and services leadership. We support networks that connect more than 2.5 billion subscribers. Forty percent of the world's mobile traffic is carried over Ericsson networks. And our investments in research and development ensure that our solutions -- and our customers -- stay in front. Founded in 1876, Ericsson has its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. Net sales in 2015 were SEK 246.9 billion (USD 29.4 billion). Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX stock exchange in Stockholm and the NASDAQ in New York. Ericsson has been present in Latin America since 1896, when the company established an agreement in Colombia and delivered equipment for the first time in the region. In the early 1900s, Ericsson increased its presence in Latin America by signing commercial deals in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. Today, Ericsson is present in 56 countries within South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean, which combined count the region as one of the few with complete Ericsson installations, including a Production Unit, R&D Center and Training Center. Ericsson is the market leading telecom supplier, with over 40% market share in Latin America and more than 100 telecom service contracts in the region. www.ericsson.com/jmwww.ericsson.com/jm/newswww.twitter.com/EricssonCaribwww.facebook.com/EricssonLatinAmericawww.youtube.com/EricssonLatamwww.slideshare.net/EricssonLatinAmerica FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACTWendi Patrick, External CommunicationsPhone: +506 2519 0800E-mail:[email protected] About C&W CommunicationsCWC is a full service communications and entertainment provider and delivers market-leading video, broadband, telephony and mobile services to consumers in 18 countries. Through its business division, CWC provides data center hosting, domestic and international managed network services, and customized IT service solutions, utilizing cloud technology to serve business and government customers. CWC also operates a state-of-the-art submarine fiber network -- the most extensive in the region -- in over 30 markets. Learn more atwww.cwc.com, or follow C&W onLinkedIn,FacebookorTwitter. About Liberty Global Liberty Global is the world's largest international TV and broadband company, with operations in more than 30 countries across Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. We invest in the infrastructure that empowers our customers to make the most of the digital revolution. Our scale and commitment to innovation enable us to develop market-leading products delivered through next-generation networks that connect our customers who subscribe to over 59 million1television, broadband internet and telephony services. We also serve over ten million1 mobile subscribers and offer Wi-Fi service across six million access points. Liberty Global's businesses are comprised of two stocks: the Liberty Global Group (NASDAQ:LBTYA) (NASDAQ:LBTYB) (NASDAQ:LBTYK) for our European operations, and the LiLAC Group (NASDAQ:LILA) (NASDAQ:LILAK) (OTC PINK:LILAB), which consists of our operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Liberty Global Group operates in 12 European countries under the consumer brands Virgin Media, Ziggo, Unitymedia, Telenet and UPC. The LiLAC Group operates in over 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean under the consumer brands VTR, Flow, Liberty, Mas Móvil and BTC. In addition, the LiLAC Group operates a submarine fiber network throughout the region in over 30 markets. For more information, please visitwww.libertyglobal.com. Footnote1: Subscriber statistics for Liberty Global (including the LiLAC Group) and CWC are as of March 31, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively, and are based on each entity's subscriber counting policies. CWC's subscriber counting policies may differ from those of Liberty Global. Accordingly, the combined subscriber statistics are not necessarily indicative of the actual number of subscribers to be reported by the combined operations once CWC conforms to Liberty Global's subscriber counting policies. || Germophobes Beware, The FDA Calls Into Question The Effectiveness Of Hand Sanitizer: Hand sanitizers kills 99.9 percent of germs and is effective in promoting health and wellness, right? Perhaps if this claim were true the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wouldn't find it necessary to initiate a probe and ask for new studies on its effectiveness. The Associated Pressreported on Wednesday that the federal health officials is requesting from companies that manufacture and sell hand sanitizers studies on how the antiseptic gels and rubs fight germs and get absorbed into the body. The FDA is undergoing a new initiative to review decades-old chemicals that have never had a comprehensive review by a federal agency. The agency did confirm that has no reason to believe at this time that the products are ineffective or unsafe. Ninety (90) percent of sanitizers sold to the public, including at schools and other public spaces, contain either ethanol or ethyl alcohol. Related Link:AbbVie Gets Fourth Breakthrough Therapy Designation From FDA For Ibrutinib "We're not trying to alarm people," said Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's drug center. "Obviously ethanol and humans have co-existed for a long time, so there's a lot that's known about it." Nevertheless, the agency has concerns over the long-lasting consequences, if any, of frequent use by children and women of child-bearing age. Companies will have a full year to submit relevant information to the FDA and will take comments on its proposal for six months before finalizing it. See more from Benzinga • Elizabeth Warren: Apple, Google And Amazon Threaten Our Democracy • Winklevoss Twins Approach BATS Global Markets To List Bitcoin ETF • Lions Gate To Buy Starz For .4 Billion © 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Former U.S. Secret Service agent suspected in additional Bitcoin thefts: By Joseph Menn SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A Secret Service agent who stole money seized by the government in the investigation of underground drug bazaar Silk Road is now suspected of stealing money in at least two other cases, according to court filings unsealed on Thursday. In the larger of those cases, he is thought to have been behind the theft of about $700,000 worth of Bitcoin from a Secret Service account three months after the agency was urged to block his access, the documents say. Former agent Shaun Bridges pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced in December to nearly six years in prison for stealing more than $800,000 of the crypto currency Bitcoin during the Silk Road investigation. According to an affidavit unsealed Thursday, the Justice Department learned in April 2015 that Bridges might have kept a private cryptographic key giving him access to a Bitcoin wallet with the $700,000 in currency that the Silk Road task force had seized in 2014. The department urged the agency to move the funds elsewhere. “Unfortunately, the U.S. Secret Service did not do so and the funds were thereafter stolen, something the U.S, Secret Service only discovered once it was ordered by a court to pay a portion of the seizure back to affected claimants,” a team of prosecutors wrote in an accompanying motion. The Bitcoin in question was moved in July 2015 but only discovered missing in December, the affidavit said. The Secret Service and Bridges' attorney Steven Levin declined to comment. In the previous case, Bridges admitted he stole money from Silk Road accounts and framed someone else for it, leading Silk Road chief Ross Ulbricht to plan a murder. Ulbricht is now serving a life sentence. (Reporting by Joseph Menn; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] $670.00 #bitstamp; $668.00 #bitfinex; $661.00 #btce; Prices & News: http://bit.ly/1VI6Yse  #bitcoin #btc || Current price of Bitcoin is $645.00 via Chain || #Bitcoin last trade @bitstamp $691.00 @coinbase $697.16 Set #crypto #price #alerts at http://AlertCo.in  || One Bitcoin now worth $659.03@bitstamp. High $665.00. Low $651.99. Market Cap $10.396 Billion #bitcoin || 1 KOBO = 0.00000802 BTC = 0.0055 USD = 1.5489 NGN = 0.0830 ZAR = 0.5559 KES #Kobocoin 2016-06-25 04:00 pic.twitter.com/1vl6xjFLR2 || #TrinityCoin #TTY $ 0.000007 (3.89 %) 0.00000001 BTC (-0.00 %) || $751.35 #bitfinex; $749.70 #bitstamp; $728.00 #btce; Prices & News: http://bit.ly/1VI6Yse  #bitcoin #btc || $634.97 at 23:00 UTC [24h Range: $621.09 - $646.69 Volume: 8913 BTC] || #UFOCoin #UFO $ 0.000019 (-1.01 %) 0.00000003 BTC (-0.00 %) || #CannaCoin #CCN $ 0.008427 (0.67 %) 0.00001450 BTC (0.00 %)
Trend: no change || Prices: 575.04, 587.78, 592.69, 591.05, 587.80, 592.10, 589.12, 587.56, 585.59, 570.47
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2018-11-09] BTC Price: 6385.62, BTC RSI: 45.08 Gold Price: 1206.40, Gold RSI: 43.09 Oil Price: 60.19, Oil RSI: 19.73 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Aussie Dollar Trades Higher Following Release of Tame RBA Minutes, Muted Response to Fresh U.S Tariffs on China: Asia stock markets are posting mixed results early Tuesday in response to an escalation in trade tensions between the United States and China. The reaction is more muted than previous reactions. This could be a sign that investors have accepted the possibility of a prolonged trade war and have learned to hedge away some of the risk. Furthermore, President Trump opted to impose 10 percent tariffs instead of 25 percent tariffs initially on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports. However, if a deal isn’t made between now and the end of the year, these new tariffs will rise to 25 percent. Investors may have felt there is still some time to negotiate a settlement so it doesn’t make sense to panic sell at this time. The White House also removed about 300 goods from a previously proposed list of affected products, including smart watches, some chemicals and other products such as bicycle helmets and high chairs. Investors are now bracing for the retaliation from Beijing. There aren’t as many products China can place new tariffs on because the country doesn’t import many U.S. goods. Essentially, China is probably limited in its ability to impose similar tariffs in volume terms, but it can go after the supply chain which could have an effect on U.S. manufacturing. The mild response by investors to the new tariffs suggests investors may be waiting to see which industries China decides to target in its retaliation. Again, the thought is, why sell the whole market when only a few sectors, industries or stocks may be negatively affected by China’s retaliatory efforts. At 0411 GMT, Japan’s NIKKEI 225 Index is trading 23446.51, up 351.84 or +1.51%. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 is at 6158.20, down 26.80 or -0.43% and China’s Shanghai Index is trading 2648.53, down 3.26 or -0.12%. Forex News The Australian Dollar is trading higher early Tuesday, bucking the negative tone set earlier in the session by new tariffs on China by the U.S. and relatively tame Reserve Bank of Australia monetary policy meeting minutes. Story continues The minutes from the RBA’s September 4 monetary policy meeting provided no surprise for traders so the upward response we are seeing is likely being fueled by short-covering. In its minutes, the RBA reiterated that “the next move in the cash rate would more likely be an increase than a decrease.” However, “there was no strong case for a near-term adjustment in monetary policy.” The central bank also highlighted that a few major central banks, led by the U.S. Federal Reserve, were expected to continue raising rates to prevent inflation from overheating. The RBA also said the prospect of additional Fed rate hikes is making the U.S. Dollar a more desirable investment and that “raised risks” for some, especially for “fragile emerging” markets. However, “the modest depreciation of the Australian Dollar was helpful for domestic economic growth.” Finally, the Reserve Bank also noted that there were “still significant tensions around global trade policy” that represented a “material risk” to the global outlook. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Riding the Trend Season 2 – Webinar September 20 Bitcoin aims for the long-term support! S&P 500 Price Forecast – stock markets drift lower to kick off the week DAX Index Price Forecast – DAX to Trade Positive Supported by Hawkish EURO & Weak USD in Broad Market Forex Daily Outlook – September 18, 2018 AUD/USD and NZD/USD Fundamental Daily Forecast – “Big Boys” Driving Out Weak Shorts in Counter-Trend Rally || 93% of Brits Have Heard of Bitcoin, but Only 4% Have Bought It, Survey Shows: The vast majority of British people - 93 percent - have heard of Bitcoin ( BTC ), but only 4 percent claim to have bought it, according to a recent poll by UK market research company YouGov published Nov. 7. According to the survey, conducted this month, nine out of ten Brits have heard of Bitcoin, however, they report not understanding it. Only 4 percent of those surveyed claimed they understand Bitcoin “very well,” while 23 percent state they know it “fairly well,” with men almost three times as likely as women to say so (33 percent against 12 percent). Younger Brits prevail among those who claimed to understand Bitcoin, the report states. In terms of actual investments in Bitcoin, younger citizens are also in first place. One in eleven (9 percent) of British 18 to 24 year olds have purchased Bitcoin, in comparison to one in a hundred (1 percent) for people over 55. However, overall, only 4 percent of respondents have purchased Bitcoin, with the gender break down significantly more male – 6 percent of men, compared to 1 percent of women surveyed. Additionally, a significant number of young people, 36 percent of those surveyed in the 18 to 24 year old range, claim they personally know someone who has bought Bitcoin before. Bitcoin buyers most likely to be 18 to 24 years old Source: yougov.com The German Consumer Centers of two federal states, Hesse and Saxony, have recently conducted a similar survey. Out of 1,000 Germans between the ages of 18 and 39 polled, 55 percent claimed they have heard of cryptocurrencies before. Further, 28 percent of respondents from 18 to 29 found purchasing cryptocurrencies to be “conceivable.” Related Articles: Survey: Younger Germans More Inclined to Invest in Cryptocurrencies Financial Consulting Firm DeVere Launches Arbitrage Crypto Trading Solution ‘Godfather of ETFs’ Says Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Funds Will be Approved ‘No Time Soon’ Crypto Investment Firm’s Revenue Reaches Record $330 Mln in 2018, Despite Bear Market || ShapeShift CEO Erik Voorhees Refutes WSJ Reports of ‘Dirty Money’: Cryptocurrency exchangeShapeShifthas refuted a recent Wall Street Journal report that $9 million in ill-gotten funds went through the exchange, according to an announcementpublishedOctober 1. On September 28, WSJreleasedan article dubbed “How Dirty Money Disappears Into the Black Hole of Cryptocurrency,” alleging that $88.6 million in fraudulently obtained funds had been funnelled through 46crypto exchanges, wherein $9 million was laundered through ShapeShift. To analyze ShapeShift transactions, WSJ reportedly downloaded and stored a list of the 50 latest transactions every 15 seconds, at the exchange’s website. In the blog post, ShapeShift’s founder and CEO Erik Voorhees confirms that the exchange team had worked with WSJ journalists for five months, but “under false pretenses” as information provided by the exchange was reportedly misrepresented or omitted. In its article, WSJ states that bad actors took advantage of ShapeShift’s user anonymity, convertingBitcoin(BTC) into the purportedly untraceable cryptocurrencyMonero. Voorhees parried accusations, stating that the exchange has an internal anti-money laundering (AML) program that deploys “blockchainforensics that are far more advanced than asking someone for their ‘name and address’.” Vorhees further states that WSJ “forewent a chance to prevent potential illicit activity” in their reporting practices. The blog post reads that WSJ withheld gathered data on suspicious accounts “in order to build their story.” In doing so, WSJ supposedly did not report suspicious activity to the appropriate exchanges, including ShaheShift, so they could immediately block the accounts. According to the exchange’s CEO, the claims made by WSJ are “factually inaccurate and deceptive,” and that WSJ authors did not have a sufficient understanding of blockchain and the way ShapeShift operates in particular. The blog post claims that WSJ reporters mistakenly read records of token transfers to such a degree that they wrongfully attributed $70,000 of “dirty money” to the exchange: “$600 of suspicious funds were sent to an exchange that wasn’t ShapeShift. Because ShapeShift happens to be a customer of this same exchange — 10 months later in a completely unrelated transaction — the exchange sent funds to ShapeShift. The authors didn’t understand how to properly read the blockchains transactions, so they assumed there was $70k in “dirty money” sent to ShapeShift.” Vorhees concludes the article by saying that “we are trying to pioneer a new financial system, and we don’t expect to be loved by the proponents of the old.” He states: “We will push forward, and we’d suggest the WSJ change their title to be more accurate and objective, ‘Less than two tenths of one percent of ShapeShift’s business might be illicit.’” • WSJ: $88.6 Million in Illicit Funds Funneled Through Cryptocurrency Exchanges • Security Report Paints Mixed Picture of Protection at Biggest Crypto Exchanges • Bloomberg: Puerto Rico’s Noble Bank Reportedly Loses Clients Tether, Bitfinex, Seeks Buyer • Stellar-Based Zero-Fee Decentralized Crypto Exchange StellarX Is Now Fully Launched || Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 16/09/18: Bitcoin Cash Sees Red Bitcoin Cash gained just 0.29% on Saturday, following Friday’s 3.84% slide, to end the day at $448.3, the minor gain leaving Bitcoin Cash still deep in the red for the week. A relatively range bound day by recent standards saw Bitcoin Cash move through to an early afternoon intraday high $462.5, before easing back to a late in the day intraday low $443, the moves through the day leaving the major support and resistance levels left untested. At the time of writing, Bitcoin Cash was down 1.51% to $441.6, with Saturday’s late in the day reversal continuing into the early hours, Bitcoin Cash falling from an early morning high $449.1 to a morning low $438.1, testing the day’s first major support level at $440.03 before moving back to $440 levels. For the day ahead, a move back through the morning high to $450 levels would support a run at the day’s first major resistance level at $459.54 to bring $460 level back into play, following Saturday’s $462.5 high, though Bitcoin Cash will need to move back through to $450 levels by the early afternoon to support a late weekend rally. Failure to move back through to $450 levels could see Bitcoin Cash fall deeper into the red for the week, with a pullback through the morning low $438.1 bringing the second major support level at $431.77 into play, though we would expect Bitcoin Cash to find sufficient support at sub-$440 levels to avoid testing the second major resistance level, barring materially negative news hitting the wires. {alt} Litecoin Tracks the Majors Litecoin gained 0.57% on Saturday, following on from Friday’s 2.99% rise, to end the day at $56.65. Friday’s afternoon rally provided support in the early hours of Saturday, with Litecoin rising through the morning to an early afternoon intraday high $58.73 before pulling back late in the day to an intraday low $55.55, the day’s major support and resistance levels left untested through the day. Story continues At the time of writing, Litecoin was down 1.24% to $55.64, with Saturday evening’s reversal weighing in the early hours, Litecoin falling to a morning low $55.13 to call on support at the first major support level at $55.22 before steadying. For the day ahead, a move back through a start of a day morning high $56.65 to $57 levels would be needed to support a run at $58 levels and the day’s first major resistance level at $58.4, with direction through the late morning likely to provide some guidance on whether the early losses were a spill over or due to a shift in sentiment that could lead to heavier losses later in the day. Failure to move back through the morning high could see Litecoin take a bigger hit later in the day, a pullback through the morning low $55.13 bringing sub-$55 levels and the day’s second major support level at $53.8 into play before any recovery. {alt} Ripple Plays Catch-Up Ripple’s XRP gained 1.49% on Saturday, reversing Friday’s 1.18% fall, to end the day at an 8-day closing high  $0.28012, the early weekend gain taking Ripple’s XRP into positive territory for the current week. A relatively choppy start to the day saw Ripple’s XRP pullback to a mid-morning intraday low $0.27552 before finding support from a broad based market move through the late morning. Breaking through the day’s first major resistance level at $0.2839, Ripple’s XRP rose to an early afternoon intraday high $0.28505 before easing back through the first major resistance level, a late in the day broad based crypto sell-off pinning back more material gains on the day. At the time of writing, Ripple’s XRP was down 0.39% to $0.27921, downward pressure from the broader market weighing on Ripple’s XRP in the early hours. Ripple’s XRP moved through to an early morning high $0.28169 before pulling back to a morning low $0.2778, the day’s major support and resistance levels left untested early on. For the day ahead, a move back through to $0.28 levels would support another run at the day’s first major resistance level at $0.2849, with sentiment across the broader market to dictate whether a break out through the day’s second major resistance level at $0.29 levels is on the cards, though Ripple’s XRP will need to move back through to $0.28 levels early to support a late weekend rally. Failure to move back through to $0.28 levels could see Ripple’s XRP fall back through the morning low $0.2778 to test the day’s first major support level at $0.2754, with the second major support level at $0.2707 in play, though the broader market will need to be under significant pressure for the second major support level to be tested. {alt} Buy & Sell Cryptocurrency Instantly This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Crude Oil Weekly Price Forecast – crude oil markets rally during the week but fell at the same level again Bitcoin – Tight Ranges end in Tears USD/JPY Weekly Price Forecast – US dollar slams into major resistance Gold Weekly Price Forecast – Gold undecided for the week GBP/JPY Price Forecast – British pound runs into brick wall AUD/USD Weekly Price Forecast – Aussie dollar show signs of life || Hacked Canadian Bitcoin Exchange MapleChange Returns to Twitter, Opens Refund Chat Room: Canada bitcoin exchange Following yesterday’s report that MapleChange had claimed to have been hacked and gone offline, the Canadian bitcoin exchange’s Twitter account has come back to life, and they have opened a Discord chat room in order to facilitate altcoin refunds. According to a tweet, they will not be refunding any litecoin or bitcoin deposits. Their main website remains offline. We CANNOT refund any BTC or LTC funds unfortunately. We will try our best to refund everything else. — MapleChange (@MapleChangeEx) October 28, 2018 Customers appeared to garner no reassurance from the new tweets, with more than one insinuating that they would be contacting authorities regarding the recent events. For individuals who wanted more tailored service as regards becoming whole, the firm asked people to reach out individually: Should the solution aforementioned not work, we ask that you PM us your account and we will do our best to sort you out. — MapleChange (@MapleChangeEx) October 28, 2018 Finally, the exchange announced that it had established a Discord chat room for refund requestors to access. We have opened a Discord server for refunds. Please join. We will be creating a room so people can post their missing funds. https://t.co/7NtYuHe45W — MapleChange (@MapleChangeEx) October 28, 2018 Unfortunately, CCN was unable to investigate what if anything was being done in the chat room, as the link provided did not work for us as of the time of writing. Subsequent tweets spoke of altcoins being returned to their holders. Also during their tweet storm, they gave a lot more information about the attack they say they have suffered. They provided a screenshot (below) of negative balances on the exchange. As anyone can see from the numbers, it’s plainer than ever that this was not a large-scale exchange. Story continues According to MapleChange, the attackers were able to do trades worth about 15 bitcoins, but they were only able to withdraw about 8 bitcoins as that was all that was actually available. It seems there were several issues with the exchange’s structure, that these problems could occur in the first place. MapleChange took issue with reports on the hack and explained that they had “not disappeared,” though their website and social media accounts had been taken offline on Sunday. They maligned media outlets that they claim “spewed” regarding the exchange’s troubles, but were primarily upset about reporting that had insinuated that the exchange had at some point held 919 bitcoins. Quite the contrary, the exchange’s total volume was frequently under 2BTC. Irrelevant of what the media has spewed out about us, I'd like to bring to light our point of view, should you choose to believe it or not. We have NEVER had 919BTC in our wallet, the picture that displayed so showed the volume abuse caused by the hackers. — MapleChange (@MapleChangeEx) October 29, 2018 Featured Image from Shutterstock The post Hacked Canadian Bitcoin Exchange MapleChange Returns to Twitter, Opens Refund Chat Room appeared first on CCN . || Why STMicroelectronics N.V. Stock Fell 11.5% in September: Shares ofSTMicroelectronics N.V.(NYSE: STM)stock dipped 11.5% in September, according to data provided byS&P Global Market Intelligence. The stock fell amid a broader sell-off for chip stocks. SOXXdata byYCharts. Micron Technology's CFO revealed at the Citi 2018 Global Technology Conference on Sept. 6 that pricing for NAND flash memory was still declining. Morgan Stanley published a research note the same day outlining a bearish forecast on the chip market, pointing to weakening pricing power and accumulating inventory as warning signs. These catalysts caused the market to take a more cautious outlook on the industry, prompting sell-offs for STMicroelectronics. The iShares PHLX Semiconductor ETF, which bundles a wide variety of chip stocks together and is a good proxy for the industry's performance, fell 2.8% in the month. Image source: Getty Images. While pressure on the broader chip market could continue to negatively impact ST's stock performance, the business is unlikely to see dramatic fallout from declining prices for memory chips. The company makes chips for infrared camera and facial-recognition technologyused in the iPhone X lineand might also be providing near-field-communication chips for Apple handsets and wearables. Smartphone stagnation could be a negative catalyst, but ST's position in rising categories like automotive chips, connected-home products, and other Internet of Things technologies gives it other avenues to growth. ST shares have fallen another 11.4% in October as of this writing, with ongoing pressure on semiconductor stocks and a more-recent broader market sell-off contributing to the decline. SOXXdata byYCharts. The company is scheduled to report its third-quarter earnings results after market close on Oct. 24 and is guiding for sales of roughly $2.5 billion for the period, up 10% sequentially and 16.8% year over year. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Keith Noonanhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || BIG Blockchain Intelligence Group Signs BitRank(R) Client Agreement with Veden; Clarifies Relationship with Coinme, Inc.: BIG Blockchain Intelligence Group Inc. (CSE: BIGG) (WKN: A2JSKG) (OTC Pink: BBKCF) ("BIG"), a leading developer and provider of blockchain and cryptocurrency search, risk-scoring and data analytics tools and investigation services, has signed a client agreement with bitcoin miner, Veden, for the use of BIG's cryptocurrency risk-scoring service, BitRank Verified®, to enhance Veden's KYC (Know Your Customer) protocol for its ICO (Initial Coin Offering). Veden has previously built two bitcoin mining facilities ICO will allow contributors to join Veden's expansion and share in total mining revenue BIG will be paid a fee on API queries processed through the BitRank Verified® service BIG Blockchain Intelligence Group Inc. ("BIG" or "the Company") (CSE: BIGG) (WKN: A2JSKG) (OTC Pink: BBKCF), a leading developer and provider of blockchain and cryptocurrency search, risk-scoring and data analytics tools and investigation services, has signed a client agreement (the "Agreement") with Veden, a world-class, crowdfunded bitcoin mining operation built and managed by a team of cryptocurrency mining experts. Under the Agreement, Veden will use BIG's cryptocurrency risk-scoring service, BitRank Verified®, to enhance Veden's KYC (Know Your Customer) protocol for its ICO (Initial Coin Offering). BIG will be paid a fee on API queries processed through BIG's proprietary BitRank Verified® service. BitRank Verified® will enhance Veden's KYC protocol with an extra layer of security that enables potential ICO investors to: Know Veden's wallet risk-score ranking prior to submitting any funds Know the individual risk scores of transactions processed to date Confirm that the funds being used are not originating from entities associated with criminal activities Veden has successfully established a strong team of executives and directors with deep experience in blockchain, software, bitcoin mining, investment banking, venture capital, and government. Having previously built two mining facilities, the company is expanding to Norway to establish the country's largest cryptocurrency mining infrastructure. Veden is launching an Initial Coin Offering to allow contributors to join Veden's expansion and share in the total mining revenue. Due to the stable democracy and favorable climate conditions, Norway offers the best landscape for low-cost cryptocurrency mining. Veden's advisory team includes Franek Sodzawiczny, CEO & Co-Founder of Zenium Data Centers, who recently sold Zenium to CyrusOne for $442 million, and Pål Brun, Co-Founder of Kolos Norway AS, a 30MW green energy data center that was acquired by HIVE Blockchain Inc and Genesis Mining in March 2018. Story continues "We're excited to welcome Veden as our latest client leveraging BitRank Verified ® to mitigate exposure to cryptocurrency risk," said BIG CEO, Lance Morginn. "The reality of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) today is that they are facing greater scrutiny and heavier regulations to protect the people investing in them. Veden not only wants to comply with the KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) regulations involved, but has chosen to go above and beyond to provide their investors with the greatest confidence possible. With the help of BitRank Verified ® as part of Veden's KYC protocol, investors can be confident in the legitimacy of Veden's ICO, while Veden will have a robust solution for staying on the right side of regulators." Veden's CEO, Marc Muhammad, commented: "Veden strongly believes in providing investor security and going beyond what minimum requirements are in place. The KYC/AML laws in place are meant to protect both the company initiating the ICO and the investors; however, we believe integrating BitRank Verified ® as an extra layer of security and transparency is what's missing in the ICO market. Investors want to be able to have a level of confidence that the cryptocurrency addresses with which they are sending or receiving coins have not been used by a criminal element before a transaction takes place, and this is what BitRank Verified ® offers. This way we can stay focused on what we do best -- creating exceptional bitcoin mining solutions -- while relying on BIG to provide what they do best: cryptocurrency risk mitigation and security." Clarification Regarding Relationship with Coinme, Inc. On September 12, 2018, BIG issued a press release titled BIG Blockchain Intelligence Group Issues Shareholder Update Providing Highlights Of Recent Activities And Agreements . That press release listed highlights regarding agreements BIG had signed in the previous several months. Included in that list was the following wording, "a purchaser agreement signed with Coinme (Bitcoin ATMs)", which refers to a press release dated April 23, 2018. For greater clarification, BIG has signed a "client agreement" with Coinme whereby Coinme will utilize BIG's proprietary cryptocurrency risk-scoring and verification service, BitRank Verified®. There has been no purchase of Coinme by BIG in whole or in part, or vice versa, nor is any such acquisition currently contemplated. On behalf of the Boar d, Lance Morginn Chief Executive Officer About BIG Blockchain Intelligence Group Inc. BIG Blockchain Intelligence Group Inc. (BIG) brings security and accountability to the new era of cryptocurrency. BIG has developed from the ground up a Blockchain-agnostic search and analytics engine, QLUE TM , enabling Law Enforcement, RegTech, Regulators and Government Agencies to visually trace, track and monitor cryptocurrency transactions at a forensic level. Our commercial product, BitRank Verified®, offers a "risk score" for Bitcoin wallets, enabling RegTech, banks, ATMs, exchanges, and retailers to meet traditional regulatory/compliance requirements. Our Forensic Services Division brings our team of investigative experts into action for investigations that require in-depth expertise and experience, either in conjunction with or supplemental to our user-friendly search, risk-scoring and data analytics tools. About BitRank Verified ® BIG developed BitRank Verified® to be the industry gold standard in ranking and verifying cryptocurrency transactions. BitRank Verified® offers the financial world a simplified front-end results page, enabling consumer-facing bank tellers, exchanges, eCommerce sites and retailers to know whether a proposed transaction is safe to accept, questionable, or should be denied. BitRank Verified® and its API are custom tailored to provide the RegTech sector with a reliable tool for meeting their regulatory requirements while mitigating exposure to risk of money laundering or other criminal activities. About QLUE TM QLUE™ (Qualitative Law Enforcement Unified Edge) enables Law Enforcement, RegTech, Regulators and Government Agencies to literally "follow the virtual money". QLUE™ incorporates advanced techniques and unique search algorithms to detect suspicious activity within bitcoin and cryptocurrency transactions, enabling investigators to quickly and visually trace, track and monitor transactions in their fight against terrorist financing, human trafficking, drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, child pornography, corruption, bribery, money laundering, and other cyber crimes. Investor Relations - USA KCSA Strategic Communications Valter Pinto, Managing Director Scott Eckstein, VP of Market Intelligence email: [email protected] D: +1-212-896-1254 BIG Investor Relations Anthony Zelen D: +1-778-819-8705 email: [email protected] For more information and to register to BIG's mailing list, please visit our website at https://www.blockchaingroup.io/ . Follow @blocksearch on Twitter . 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Additionally, BIG undertakes no obligation to comment on the expectations of, or statements made by, third parties in respect of the matters discussed above. || Bitcoin Price Analysis: Potential Reaccumulation Could Test Bear Trend: Bitcoin Price Analysis Last week, after a devastating move that shook the market violently up and down for a 7% move in just a few short minutes, bitcoin saw a major sign of strength as it proceeded to have a slow, but steady markup where it managed to establish a local high in the $6,800s: fig1 Figure 1: BTC-USD, Hourly Candles, Shakeout Prior to Markup This shakeout forced the market to temporarily establish a new monthly low in what could be argued to be a stop-hunt prior to the move to the $6,800s. Sitting atop its most recent rally is what appears to be a reaccumulation trading range shown below: fig2 Figure 2: BTC-USD, 15-Minute Candles, Reaccumulation Trading Range While it’s still early to tell, the current consolidation has some of the hallmarks of a classic reaccumulation trading range that, if realized, will likely lead to a continuation to the upside. Currently, the market is rebounding from what appears to be a “spring” or a “shakeout” — an effort to create liquidity for large players. Part of the alleged shakeout includes testing prior resistance to see if it can properly hold as support. And, as you can see below, the spring tested the previous high and is currently holding support — a good sign for the bulls: fig3 Figure 3: BTC-USD, Hourly Candles, Spring Testing Resistance Turned Support So where does that leave us? While it is pure speculation at this point, if we see a strong round of buying, the first immediate test would take us to the top of the current trading range to test the $6,800s again. If the reaccumulation trading range proves to properly consolidate, a break to the upside is expected that will surely have us testing our macro descending trendline: fig4 Figure 4: BTC-USD, 12-Hour Candles, Macro Descending Trendline If we manage to make it to the descending trendline, this will mark our fifth test of supply along that boundary. This is a potentially trend-changing signal that could pave the way through the woods and lead us out of the bear market. Story continues While several major coins are seeing massive gains, bitcoin is still playing possum; it will continue to do so until this descending trendline is broken. The macro trend is slightly leaning bullish as the total volume is consolidating and, as we have seen in the past, several large coins (see previous ETH-USD Market Analysis) have begun to set records in volume in what could potentially be a macro bottom. As always, this is pure speculation, but it is a scenario that I feel is entirely possible. We will have to play it day by day and see how the trend interacts with the descending trendline. If we see a definitive break of that trendline, I fully expect to see a large swell of buying interest hit the market as the larger investors regain confidence in a potential bull market. Summary: After a violent shakeout, bitcoin managed to climb for several days until it ultimately made a local high in the $6,800s. There is a strong argument that the current bitcoin consolidation is a reaccumulation trading range and could lead to a potential continuation of the uptrend. If we break to the top side of the trading range, we can expect to test the macro descending trendline. From there, we will have to reevaluate the market. If we manage to break the descending trendline, this will likely bring a strong round of buyers as it signals a potential change of trend from bear market to bull market. Trading and investing in digital assets like bitcoin and ether is highly speculative and comes with many risks. This analysis is for informational purposes and should not be considered investment advice. Statements and financial information on Bitcoin Magazine and BTC Media related sites do not necessarily reflect the opinion of BTC Media and should not be construed as an endorsement or recommendation to buy, sell or hold. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine . || India’s Biggest Startup Incubator CEO [Falsely] Says Bitcoin Failed Due to $20 Fees: Bitcoin tax According to Jay Krishnan, the CEO of T-Hub, India’s largest startup incubator & venture advisor to SRI Capital, Bitcoin has failed due to $20 transaction fees. Except that since December, for over nine months, the median transaction fee of Bitcoin has remained below $0.2. In December 2017, the demand for Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, Ripple, and Bitcoin Cash achieved an all-time high. The price of Bitcoin, which hovered at around $19,500 in the global market, surpassed $24,000 in South Korea, as premiums pushed the price of BTC up. False Argument About Scalability Bitcoin and blockchain-based systems, in general, are decentralized networks that exist on peer-to-peer protocols. As such, scalability through cryptographic engineering and development is required. Since the end of 2017, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and many other blockchain networks have seen a drastic improvement in scalability. Bitcoin has integrated SegWit and Lightning while Ethereum is in the process of implementing Sharding and Plasma to potentially increase the transaction capacity of the blockchain to a million transactions. Yet, Krishnan, a figure that is responsible for overseeing innovative developments in one of the biggest markets in the world in terms of population and market size, concluded that Bitcoin has failed due to its inability to address unprecedented levels of transaction activity and demand in December. “The fallacy of Bitcoin as a currency is its transaction fee which is typically above $20. The transaction fee is paid to ensure convenience and security in the exchange. This is not only higher than the transaction fee paid for regulated currency but is also an indication of the security risk it holds,” he said . The difference in stance towards cryptocurrencies by Krishnan and world-renowned venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz is quite evident. This week, at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference, legendary investor and one of the most successful venture capital investors Ben Horowitz said that crypto represents the birth of a new computing system. Story continues In the beginning, crypto may seem more inefficient and impractical than legacy systems. But, its decentralized nature leads to the development of apps that were not possible to build before. He added that the deceptiveness of new computing systems is that at the start, they seem worse in most ways than old platforms. Horowitz said : “I think that there is probably more developer activity in crypto than in anything we’ve seen since the Internet and the right way to think about it is, it’s a new computing platform. Once every decade or two, a new computing platform comes along. The thing that is deceptive about is that when the new platform at the time is generally worse in most ways than the old platform but has some new capabilities.” Bitcoin Has Succeeded It is easy to find arguments to dismiss the emergence of disruptive technologies. Analysts condemned smartphones in 2007, as they seemed more inferior to computers at the time. However, it is important to acknowledge the potential of new systems and the ability of disruptive technologies to create applications that have not existed before, such as consensus currencies like Bitcoin. Transaction fees for using Bitcoin could be considered high for most people, even though it is currently less than $0.1. But, compare it to the fees involved in using offshore bank accounts to store money and $0.1 seems much lower than tens of thousands of dollars required to transfer millions of dollars. With the adoption by financial institutions and investment firms like Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Andreessen Horowitz, Morgan Stanley, and acknowledgment from government agencies, it can be said with sufficient evidence that Bitcoin has succeeded. Featured image from Shutterstock. The post India’s Biggest Startup Incubator CEO [Falsely] Says Bitcoin Failed Due to $20 Fees appeared first on CCN . || $10,000 Target: Novogratz Sees Bitcoin Jumping 30% in 2018: Billionaire investor Michael Novogratz, a legendary ex-hedge fund manager, formerly of the investment firm Fortress Investment Group, has said that the Bitcoin price will likely see a 30 percent increase by the end of 2018. Once Bitcoin surpasses major resistance levels at $6,800, $8,800, and $10,000, Novogratz stated that institutions will enter the market via trusted custodian solutions. “It’s also a bull market in institutions building the infrastructure needed for real money investors to start investing in this space… I think that in three to six months from now, there will be an ‘all clear’ sign for people — big institutions and pension [funds] — to start investing,” he said. During an interview with CNBC Fast Money, Novogratz explained that it is impossible for Bitcoin not to rebound to the $8,800 to $10,000 range. Over the last three days, the crypto market has added $25 billion to its valuation, triggered by the 100 percent increase in value of Ripple and strong momentum demonstrated by Ethereum. AsCCN previously reported, Novogratz emphasized that the next long-term rally, which may lead the valuation of the crypto market to reach $20 trillion, will be triggered by FOMO (fear of missing out) amongst institutions like pension funds and hedge funds. In the past month, Morgan Stanley andCitigroup have released their plansof adding crypto custodian solutions to their existing infrastructure in the months to come. With BitGo and Coinbase already operating as trusted and regulated custodian solution providers, there are sufficient products institutions can rely on to enter the crypto market. As such, Novogratz stated that once Bitcoin demonstrates another strong short-term rally supported by individual investors and retail traders by the end of this year, more institutions will invest in the market. “It won’t go there ($20 trillion) right away. What is going to happen is, one of these intrepid pension funds, somebody who is a market leader, is going to say, you know what? We’ve got custody, Goldman Sachs is involved, Bloomberg has an index I can track my performance against, and they’re going to buy. And all of the sudden, the second guy buys. The same FOMO that you saw in retail [will be demonstrated by institutional investors],” explained Novogratz. In 2017, there were discussions on the movement of capital from the traditional finance sector into the crypto market. However, at the time, there was no infrastructure in place to lure in institutions, which meant that even if some institutions were attracted to the market, there were no services they could use to invested in the asset class. With significant progress being made in recent months, companies like Coinbase and BitGo expect billions of dollars to come into the market and by 2019, as long as Bitcoin maintains momentum in the $8,800 to $10,000 range, the crypto market is expected to experience a substantial increase in valuation. Although Bitcoin has not recorded a large upward movement in the past two days like Ripple and Ethereum, the dominant cryptocurrency has demonstrated stability throughout August and September, which is positive for the mid-term performance of the asset. The post$10,000 Target: Novogratz Sees Bitcoin Jumping 30% in 2018appeared first onCCN. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] 10/30 06:00現在 #Bitcoin : 690,425円↓ #NEM #XEM : 9.7303円↓ #Monacoin : 134円→ #Ethereum : 21,635円→ #Zaif : 0.1352円↑ || #DolarTrue BTC 21/09/2018 02:04 PM BTC Venta Panama : 6506.91 BTC USA : 6698.00 BTC Compra VES : 719,515 USD/VES : 108.35 --NUEVOS INDICADORES -- EUR/VES : 120.28 VES/COP : 27.72 PEN/VES : 30.26 CLP/VES : 0.1444 || USD: 113.960 EUR: 131.920 GBP: 148.592 AUD: 82.347 NZD: 75.362 CNY: 16.589 CHF: 115.804 BTC: 747,621 ETH: 26,100 Tue Oct 02 05:30 JST || This just in: Bitcoin is rising! Current Rate: 6583.36 USD = 1 BTC || 2018/10/14 00:00 BTC 698040.5円 ETH 22258.8円 ETC 1058.4円 BCH 49797.7円 XRP 46.8円 XEM 10.3円 LSK 314.9円 MONA 135.7円 #仮想通貨 #ビットコイン #Bitcoin #bitFlyer #Coincheck || Current price: $0.024646 Node count: 915 Total accounts: 498294 Coins burned: 2,476,150.00 TRX #tron #trx $trx $btc #btc || #Doviz ------------------- #USD : 5.3230 #EUR : 6.0842 #GBP : 6.9534 -------------------------------------- #BTC ------------------- #Gobaba : 34170.16 #BtcTurk : 34278.00 #Koinim : 34499.99 #Paribu : 34245.00 #Koineks : 34359.99 || New post in Verified Crypto News: #MarketCap Market Cap: $205,505,686,216.00 Bitcoin Dominance: 53.70 % 24H Volume: $10,983,050,665.00 #Top10Coins Summary #BTC $6,358.906 (-0.5%) #ETH $199.097 (-0.1%) #XRP $0.457 (1.4%) #BCH $425.96…https://ift.tt/2QedRSl  || こんばんは。洗濯したシャツを着てポケットの中を見たら縮こまったレシートを見つけて凹んでKita！です。今夜は22:00よりBTC-R(http://blog.goo.ne.jp/t-photo )が二題、4200k(http://ameblo.jp/4200k/ )は三題です。4200kは...見てのお楽しみ。 || Pump Alert! WABI/BTC increased by 8.00% in 5 minutes on binance $WABI $btc #bitcoin #altcoin #currency #trading #money #CryptoCurrency #blockchain #Crypto
Trend: down || Prices: 6409.22, 6411.27, 6371.27, 6359.49, 5738.35, 5648.03, 5575.55, 5554.33, 5623.54, 4871.49
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin nearly hits $3,000 before plunging: (Markets Insider) Bitcoin's wild ride is continuing on Monday. The cryptocurrency climbed to a lifetime high of $2,999.97 a coin in overnight action, but it has seen a sharp drop from its highs. It's now trading down by $286, or 9.7%, at $2,666 a coin. Monday's action comes without any real catalyst, as trade appears to be fueled bybuying in Asia. Recently, China's three largest bitcoin exchangeslifted their ban on clients' withdrawals. Additionally, Japan's government announced in early April that bitcoin had been approved as alegal payment methodin the country. Bitcoin has gained 187% this year. Its meteoric rise has prompted tech billionaireMark Cuban to call it a "bubble."Last Tuesday, Cuban tweeted: "I think it's in a bubble. I just don't know when or how much it corrects. When everyone is bragging about how easy they are making $=bubble." The market continues to await the US Securities and Exchange Commission's ruling on an exchange-traded fund started by the Winklevoss twins. Back in March,the SEC rejected that ETF along with another. It has since taken public comment on its decision regarding the Winklevoss twins' ETF, but it has not made an additional ruling. NOW WATCH:HENRY BLODGET: Bitcoin could go to $1 million (or fall to $0) More From Business Insider • A look at the demanding schedule of Elon Musk, who works in 5-minute slots, skips breakfast, and largely avoids emails • MARK CUBAN: Bitcoin is a 'bubble' • Bitcoin soars to a new high || This Trump ETF Trade Completely Unwinds: Swirling controversy about President Trump's conversations with ex-FBI director James Comey sent stocks and interest rates spiraling lower this week. Many of the "Trump trades" that performed so well in the wake of the president's surprising victory on Nov. 8 reversed course, erasing a chunk of their post-election moves. One of those trades is ahead of them all in its fade. Not only has it reversed course, but the U.S. dollar has completely erased all of its gains since Election Day. On Wednesday, the widely followed U.S. Dollar Index fell for its fifth-straight session, bottoming out at 97.43, the lowest point since the election. The buck is now down 4.5% year-to-date, while the largest ETF tracking the currency, the $659 millionPowerShares DB US Dollar Index Bullish Fund (UUP), is down 4.8%. YTD Return For US Dollar Index & UUP Pro-Growth Agenda Pushed Back It's not hard to figure out why the greenback is falling. The latest allegations against Trump, regardless of whether they are true or false, will likely push back his pro-growth economic agenda. Health care reform, tax reform, deregulation and infrastructure spending all become more difficult when the president is having to defend himself on a near-daily basis. Less growth translates into a weaker dollar. That's without even accounting for the effect on the Fed's tightening schedule. If the central bank slows down its rate hikes in light of the latest events, that's another big weight on the U.S. currency. Overseas Outlook Brightens All that plays into why the dollar fell most recently. But the greenback has been falling steadily for much of the year, ever since peaking at 14-year highs during the first few trading sessions of January. Since then, the outlook for overseas economies has brightened considerably, giving a boost to nondollar currencies at the expense of the buck. In the case of Europe, expectations are rising that the economy has improved enough for the European Central Bank to put together an outline for winding down its €60 billion/month quantitative easing program as early as June. Meanwhile, data from the International Monetary Fund indicates emerging markets could see their fastest economic growth in four years in 2017. That's all positive for dollar rivals and theETFs that track them. Just to name a few, the $274 millionCurrencyShares Euro Trust (FXE)returned 5.6% so far this year; the $258 millionCurrencyShares British Pound Sterling Trust (FXB)returned 5%; and the $47 millionWisdomTree Emerging Currency Strategy Fund (CEW)returned 6.3%. Familiar Pattern Where does the dollar go from here? That's hard to say; currency markets are some of the most difficult to forecast, as evidenced by how ill-timed the bullish dollar calls at the beginning of the year now look. The current downtrend in the buck could reverse in a flash if Trump can show he's an effective president, and he along with the Republican Congress are able to pass their pro-growth economic measures. Moreover, a look at the chart for the U.S. Dollar Index reveals that the currency hasn't yet broken any critical levels. The index has been essentially range-bound between 93 and 100 since early 2015, with a brief breakout above the top of that range in the aftermath of the election. US Dollar Index In fact, the dollar is following the same pattern from 2015 and 2016, when it peaked early in the year, sold off during the middle of the year and then staged a comeback late in the year. So far, this year fits that mold perfectly, though of course, eventually the pattern will break. Contact Sumit Roy [email protected]. Recommended Stories • This Trump ETF Trade Completely Unwinds • 3 ETFs For Surprise Drop In The Dollar • Emerging Market Local Debt ETFs Shine • Big Bitcoin ETF Decision Coming Today, Or Maybe Not • The Most Interesting New Gold ETF Since GLD Permalink| © Copyright 2017ETF.com.All rights reserved || Bitcoin is closing in on its all-time high: Bitcoinis trading at its best level in a month. The cryptocurrency is up 2.8% at $1241.35 a coin and is within striking distance of its all-time closing high of $1277.65, which was set on March 6. Four days later, bitcoin put in a record high of $1327.19 before crashing more than 25% after the US Securities and Exchange Commission rejected the Winklevoss twins' plans for a bitcoin ETF. The SECrejected the plans for another bitcoin ETFjust a few weeks after that. However, bitcoin has rallied off its March 24 low of $959.45 as it has gained acceptance elsewhere. First, Japan announced it was accepting the crypticurrency as alegal payment method, then, Russia said it wouldconsider recognizing bitcoin and other cryptocurrenciesin 2018. Bitcoin has been the top-performing currency every year since 2010, aside from 2014. It's up 30% so far in 2017. (Markets Insider) NOW WATCH:Here's footage of the US military's new helicopter that'll cost as much as an F-35 More From Business Insider • There's $29.4 billion in cryptocurrencies — here's which ones people are using the most • An under-the-radar startup is behind what might be the best watch you can buy for under $250 • Iran's 'stealth' fighter is a total joke || U.S. regulators to review decision denying Bitcoin ETF: filing: By Trevor Hunnicutt NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission plans to review its decision last month to block the listing of the first U.S. exchange-traded fund tracking the digital currency bitcoin, a regulatory filing showed on Tuesday. A more-than-three-year effort by investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss to convince the SEC to allow it to bring the Bitcoin ETF to market stalled when the agency's staff ruled against them in March. Bitcoin is a virtual currency that can be used to move money around the world quickly and with relative anonymity, without the need for a central authority, such as a bank or government. A fund holding the currency could bring more professional investors to the asset and push its price higher. Yet bitcoin presents a new set of risks to investors given its limited adoption, a number of massive cybersecurity breaches affecting bitcoin owners and the lack of consistent treatment of the assets by governments. Bitcoin (BTC=BTSP) traded up 1.7 percent at $1274.99 earlier on Tuesday. The digital currency has rebounded after initially plunging following the SEC's initial decision calling the digital currency market "unregulated." CBOE Holdings Inc's (CBOE.O) Bats exchange had applied to list the ETF and appealed to the commission to review its staff's decision. The exchange did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Diane Craft) || Here's why FANG stocks will get stronger even in a slow growth economy, Goldman says: It doesn't seem to make sense. Why are tech high-flyers surging when economic growth expectations are faltering? Goldman Sachs chief U.S. equity strategist David Kostin explained to CNBC why he expects the FANG stock rally to continue even in a sluggish economic environment. "A modest growth environment means that growth is still relatively scarce. So the growth stocks … [where] tech is a prominent area, are likely to continue to do well and outperform," Kostin said Tuesday on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street.""Basically you want to be in tech and particularly where there is secular growth. And there is a group of stocks where you have revenue growth that is double digit, and that's still relatively rare." FANG stocks, an acronym created by CNBC's Jim Cramer, are crushing the market this year with Facebook(FB)up 33 percent, Amazon(AMZN)up 34 percent, Netflix(NFLX)up 33 percent and Google parent Alphabet(GOOGL)up 26 percent through Tuesday versus the S&P 500's(^GSPC)8.5 percent return. "You have a group of stocks that are going to grow 10, 15, 20 percent, in terms of revenues ... where they trade at 3, 4, 5 times enterprise value to sales. That's the sweet spot that we look for," the strategist said. FANG stocks "can continue to move higher." Slow economic growth, which leads to the growth scarcity situation boosting technology stocks may last awhile.The May jobs number came insharply belowexpectations on Friday and U.S. economy grew at itsslowest pacein three years during the first quarter. In addition, the time line for PresidentDonald Trump'seconomic agenda keepsgetting delayed. Kostin said he expects a modest growth environment during the rest of this year. And he predicted Trump's tax reform and infrastructure spending plans will likely be pushed out to 2018. Counterintuitively, the strategist said if economic growth does improve, it will be negative for technology growth stocks."The big issue would be if you have economic growth accelerate, because in an economic acceleration environment, you want to be more value, more cyclicals as opposed to secular growth," he said.Kostin's investing playbook is similar to billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller's classic investment strategy of buying high-flying growth stocks during low growth economic environments.Druckenmiller is chief executive officer of the Duquesne Family Office and the former lead portfolio manager for George Soros. The billionaire's hedge fund has generated annualized returns of 30 percent during his investment career."(I'm) long this high-beta, high-growth stuff, companies that are investing in their businesses. Stuff that I think will do very well with low nominal growth," Druckenmiller said at The New York Times DealBook conference in November 2015.He also clarified why stronger economies are bad for equities in a 1988 Barron's interview."The best environment for stocks is a very dull, slow economy that the Federal Reserve is trying to get going," Druckenmiller said. "Once an economy reaches a certain level of acceleration, not only is the Fed no longer with you, but three bad things start to happen."The investor noted how in stronger growth economies the Federal Reserve takes liquidity out of the markets. In addition, he said companies build inventory for products and increase capital expenditures, which further diverts funds out of financial assets. More From CNBC • Cramer Remix: What the rise in stocks, gold & Bitcoin means for your money • Cramer counters Wall Street worries around markets rising in tandem • Cramer says it's possible bitcoin could reach $1 million one day || Google exec explains how Google Assistant just got smarter: At this week’s keynote show for its big developers conference, Google ( GOOG , GOOGL ) unveiled news about features and products coming down the pike this year, both for developers and the masses. A highlight: Google Assistant is growing up. (For the uninitiated, Assistant is Google’s version of Siri.) Google’s vice president for Assistant, Scott Huffman, sat down with me to discuss the announcements. First things first: What is Assistant? An app? A product? A feature? “The Google Assistant is not an app or a device. What you really want from an Assistant is not just a thing that’s in one place. You want something that you can have a conversation with and get things done wherever you are, whatever context you’re in,” he says. That could include your phone, your car, or your Google Home. “I leave home,” Huffman says by way of example. “I say to my Google Home, ‘how late’s Home Depot open? Well, give me the directions.’ It should say, ‘Sure, they’re on your phone.’ As you walk out the door, the Assistant on your phone picks up the conversation.” Assistant is built into every Android phone (long-press the Home button to bring it up)—but starting this week, it’s also available on the iPhone, as the Google Assistant app . Either way, you can now type those questions and commands to Assistant instead of speaking them, if you prefer—something you can’t do with, say, Siri. Handy when it’d be inappropriate to talk aloud. Then there’s Google Lens. “Google’s been making deep investments in vision and machine perception,” Huffman says, “and so we’re building that into the Assistant. So now, I can just open the viewfinder inside the assistant and say, hey, what about this? And the assistant starts to give me options.” For example, you can point the camera at a flower, a building, a painting, a book cover, a restaurant storefront. The Assistant recognizes what you’re looking at, and instantly gives you information: identification of the flower, ratings for the restaurant, and so on. And not just details, but actions to choose. “One of the examples we showed is pointing the camera at a marquee of a show where it says, this band at this time. And then you get options like, you want to hear that band’s music? Do you want to buy tickets? You want to add to your calendar? You do want to share it with your friend?” So just how smart can Assistant get? Huffman knows where he wants it to go. “I can tell you how I say it to my team,” he says. “I say, ‘Hey guys, we’re just building this really simple thing. All it has to be is that anyone can have a conversation with it anywhere, anytime, with no friction. We should understand that conversation, whatever it’s about. And then just do whatever they ask us to do. Let’s just build that.” Story continues Sounds good. Get to it, team! More from David Pogue: Inside the World’s Greatest Scavenger Hunt: Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4 • Part 5 The David Pogue Review: Windows 10 Creators Update Now I get it: Bitcoin David Pogue tested 47 pill-reminder apps to find the best one David Pogue’s search for the world’s best air-travel app The little-known iPhone feature that lets blind people see with their fingers David Pogue, tech columnist for Yahoo Finance, welcomes nontoxic comments in the comments section below. On the web, he’s davidpogue.com . On Twitter, he’s @pogue . On email, he’s [email protected]. You can read all his articles here , or you can sign up to get his columns by email . View comments || Coinbase suffers outages amid bitcoin surge: (Reuters) - Coinbase said on Thursday it suffered outages this week as the bitcoin exchange saw "unprecedented traffic and trading," with the digital currency hitting record levels. Bitcoin fell as much as 6.5 percent to $2,263.72 at around 1730 GMT on Thursday, but rebounded shortly after to hit a fresh all-time high of $2,760.10. Bitcoin hit a record on the BitStamp platform on Wednesday, driven by an uptick in demand for crypto-assets, with the creation of new tokens to raise funding for start-ups using blockchain, the underlying technology behind bitcoin. So far this year, the price of bitcoin has more than doubled. Coinbase, the world's largest bitcoin company with operations in 32 countries, said the heavy traffic had caused outages at its website as well. The exchange said it was working to resolve the issues. Problems that Coinbase's platform experienced earlier this week, including card verification failures and slow load times, were resolved, its status page showed. (Reporting by Aishwarya Venugopal in Bengaluru; Editing by Sai Sachin Ravikumar) || Defense stocks soar to all-time highs on $110 billion US-Saudi Arabia weapons deal: Defense stocks took off on Monday after President Donald Trump signed a nearly $110 billion weapons deal with Saudi Arabia. The deal will be worth $350 billion over 10 years. On Monday,Lockheed Martin ( LMT ) closed up more than 1 percent and General Dynamics ( GD ) closed up about 1 percent. These stocks, along with Raytheon ( RTN ) and Northrop Grumman ( NOC ) , hit all-time highs earlier in the day. Additionally, the iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) (NYSE Arca: ITA) closed nearly 1 percent higher. Jet maker Boeing ( BA ) also signed a handful of deals with Saudi Arabia during Trump's weekend visit, involving the sale of military and passenger aircraft. Its stock closed up more than 1 percent. These types of arms deals have caused defense stocks to rally in the past, according to CNBC analysis using Kensho. One month after about 40 U.S.-Saudi Arabia arms deals — going back to 2009 — the iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (NYSE Arca: ITA) was up 3.3 percent, on average, almost double the return of the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) , according to data compiled by Kensho. "The key, and as yet unknown, issue will be (1) when/if all the various items mentioned are put under contract and (2) when they are to be delivered," Cowen analyst Cai von Rumohr wrote in a note to clients. "Given the generally extended period required to finalize foreign arms contracts, we'd expect little impact on 2017 results, with some potential benefit in 2018 and more in 2019," Rumohr said. Lockheed Martin is slated to be the biggest potential winner after this news, with Raytheon being a "potential dark horse winner," should its Patriot missile be purchased, Rumohr said. Trump's deal with the Saudis solidifies a decades-long alliance with the world's largest oil exporter and will be worth $350 billion over 10 years. Lockheed Martin said in a statement that the deal "will directly contribute to [Saudi Arabia's] Vision 2030 by opening the door for thousands of highly skilled jobs in new economic sectors." — CNBC's Javier David contributed to this report. CNBC's parent NBCUniversal is a minority investor in Kensho. Correction: President Donald Trump signed a nearly $110 billion weapons deal with Saudi Arabia. An earlier version misstated the figure. More From CNBC Bitcoin jumps $200 in single day on surging global demand Op-Ed: CEO ejection hardly gets Ford back in the race Tech rally may lead to calls to redistribute Silicon Valley's wealth: Strategist View comments || Why leaked NSA hacking tools are not like stolen Tomahawk missiles: Last week a malicious computer worm dubbed WannaCry 2.0 began attacking older, unpatched versions of Microsoft operating systems,infecting hundreds of thousands of systemswith ransomware that held user data hostage in exchange for Bitcoin payments. The cyberattack used code from a powerful National Security Agency tool called EternalBlue, which a mysterious group of hackers known as The Shadow Brokers leaked earlier this year. Tech companies have been quick to blame the NSA for finding and exploiting vulnerabilities in commercial products like Windows, to say nothing of losing them. On Sunday,Brad Smith, Microsoft’s(MSFT)president and chief legal officer,arguedthat an “equivalent scenario with conventional weapons would be the U.S. military having some of its Tomahawk missiles stolen.” The next day, Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, speaking via video chat to the K(NO)W Identity Conference in Washington D.C. from an undisclosed location in Russia,repeatedSmith’s argument. “An equivalent scenario to what we’re seeing happening today would be conventional weapons, produced and held by the U.S. military, being stolen, such as Tomahawk missiles,” Snowden said while describing Smith’s letter to a crowd less than a mile from the White House. U.S. officials acknowledge that the NSA deserves scrutiny about protecting tools it develops to collect foreign intelligence. “They’ve absolutely got to do a better job protecting [the hacking tools],” General Keith Alexander, head of the NSA from 2005 to 2014,toldThe Washington Post. “You can’t argue against that.” However, the Tomahawk analogy may be a stretch. Dave Aitel, a former NSA research scientist and CEO of the cybersecurity companyImmunity, explained why hacking tools are not like bombs. “The very first thing is you can steal a Tomahawk missile from me, but you cannot steal it from me without me knowing you’ve stolen it,” Aitel said. “And of course, you can steal an exploit or other intellectual property from me and I may never find out. Another is that two people can have [the same exploit] at the same time.” Aitel, who specializes in the offensive side of cybersecurity, added that “deep down, the biggest difference is that you have to learn a lot about exploits to protect yourself, and I don’t really have to learn a lot about Tomahawk missiles to protect myself from Tomahawk missiles.” Nevertheless, the analogy has been relatively well received. Travis Jarae, CEO and Founder of One World Identity, which hosted the conference in Washington, andpaid a speakers bureauto digitally host Snowden, said that the Tomahawk analogy is “not wrong” given the contemporary threat environment. “Warfare is digital,” explained Jarae, who was previously Global Head of Identity Verification at Google. “We spy on people digitally … I thought it was a little aggressive to compare it to a missile, but [government hacking] is very damaging.“ Aitelnoted that it makes sense why Smith and others in the tech business would make that argument. “[Brad Smith’s] job is to create favorable economic conditions for Microsoft at a strategic level, and if he pressure governments to stop using exploits, then that helps him from a PR perspective,” Aitel said. “It doesn’t help the users because people are still going to have exploits. That’s always going to be true.” Snowden also echoed Smith’s criticisms of the U.S. government’s decision to develop secret software exploits, telling the audience at the K(NO)W Identity Conference that secret government exploits are a problem, and the NSA should have voluntarily revealed the EternalBlue exploit long ago. But other former NSA officials have pushed back against that idea,tellingthe Washington Post that EternalBlue netted an “unreal” foreign intelligence haul that was like “fishing with dynamite.” “Edward Snowden knows full well the value of the signals intelligence program — and that includes the NSA’s hacking — to our national security,” Aitel said. “This is not for play. They’re not building exploits for fun. It’s not a hobby. It’s for distinct and important national security needs. “So when he says ‘Give up your exploits,’ he essentially is saying, ‘We don’t need signals intelligence,’ which we do.” Ultimately, according to Aitel, companies like Microsoft placing the blame on the NSA with crude analogies equating NSA hacking tools to U.S. cruise missiles only serves to muddy the larger debate. “The bigger issue is Brad Smith and Microsoft, who continue to insist that everything fall their way in terms of how vulnerabilities are handled, which I don’t think helps the conversation around cybersecurity,” Aitel said. “There are a lot of very interesting things in cybersecurity that don’t involve Microsoft’s bottom line, and those are worth talking about.” READ MORE: The simple reason so many companies were hit by the WannaCry 2.0 ransomware As tensions rise with Russia, U.S. colleges still pay for Snowden speeches No, your Apple computer isn’t immune from ransomware ‘Risk’ director discusses the ‘tragedy’ of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks || Bitcoin surges past $1,900 for the first time: Bitcoin (Markets Insider) Bitcoin is at it again. Overnight, the cryptocurrency topped $1,900 for the first time. It is now trading up by 2.3% at $1,938.81 a coin. Friday's gains have bitcoin up by about 102% since March 27. The cryptocurrency has gained in 23 of the past 26 sessions. The rally has seemingly been sparked by news out of Japan at the beginning of April that bitcoin is now considered a legal payment method in the country. Along the way, Ulmart, Russia's largest online retailer, said it would begin accepting bitcoin even though Russia said it wouldn't explore the cryptocurrency until 2018. The gains also seem to be boosted by speculation the US Securities and Exchange Commission could overturn its ruling on the Winklevoss twins' bitcoin exchange-traded fund . The SEC was accepting public comment on its decision until Monday, but it hasn't announced whether it will overturn its rejection of the ETF. Bitcoin has gained 105% this year. Except for 2014, it has been the top-performing currency every year since 2010. NOW WATCH: 15 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do More From Business Insider That time when Americans and Germans fought together during World War II US spies caught Russian officers bragging about causing chaos in the election 6 months before the vote This is the work bag professional women everywhere have been looking for [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] This is not a republic or a democracy or a dictatorship but there will be war you don't know yet the truth protectors of Bitcoin you will || El precio del bitcoin es de US$ 2750.00. #bitcoin #btc || Le directeur de la banque centrale allemande veut développer une crypto monnaie concurrente au #bitcoin $BTC https://cointelegraph.com/news/head-of-bundesbank-proposes-digital-currency-to-compete-with-bitcoin … || Bitcoin and major Altcoins are plummting. Did something happen? http://ift.tt/2sdn4iE  #reddit #crypto || Bitcoin Scaling: How to Give Everyone More Control http://buff.ly/2rqGcMM  #blockchain || Kind of crazy that the #bitcoin #ethereum mining bubble hasn't burst yet || More hashpower is not useful. Imagine you direct all the hashpower of Bitcoin to an alt coin, will it be as valuable as Bitcoin? || #Monacoin 42.5円↑[Zaif] 29.49円↑[もなとれ] #NEM #XEM 22.1001円↓[Zaif] #Bitcoin 293,545円↓[Zaif] 06/18 21:00 口座開設はこちらで！ https://goo.gl/31dyoO  || And I can't login to coinbase to sell even if I wanted to. This is why Bitcoin is a joke || $1327.15 at 16:45 UTC [24h Range: $1300.00 - $1347.02 Volume: 7207 BTC]
Trend: no change || Prices: 2589.60, 2721.79, 2689.10, 2705.41, 2744.91, 2608.72, 2589.41, 2478.45, 2552.45, 2574.79
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2018-11-16] BTC Price: 5575.55, BTC RSI: 16.88 Gold Price: 1220.80, Gold RSI: 52.89 Oil Price: 56.46, Oil RSI: 18.34 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Crypto Market Stable as Bitcoin Stabilizes at $6,350, Decentraland Surges 10%: bitcoin price us dollar Over the last 24 hours, the Bitcoin price has remained fairly stable in the $6,300 region with its volume stagnant at around $3.7 billion. Stellar (XLM) has increased by nearly six percent as the anticipation towards the potential listing of XLM by Coinbase, the world’s largest fiat-to-crypto exchange, continues to intensify. The rest of the market has struggled to initiate an upward movement, which was expected given that trading activity in the cryptocurrency exchange market tends to subside during the weekend. While the valuation of the crypto market increased slightly from $211 billion to $213 billion on Saturday, it has fallen back down to $212 billion, as Ripple (XRP), Litecoin (LTC), Monero (XMR) and several other cryptocurrencies recorded a minor decline in value in the range of 0.5 percent to 2 percent. Big Accounts Sending Bitcoin From Exchanges to Wallets As Whale Alert and cryptocurrency trader The Crypto Monk reported , tens of millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin have been moved from cryptocurrency exchanges to wallets over the past week. “Just in case you haven’t noticed yet, tens of millions of dollars in BTC have been transferred from exchanges to unknown wallets.” It is possible that whales, or big investors, have started to move funds from exchanges to non-custodial wallets to avoid selling the dominant cryptocurrency in a low price range. But, it is also a possibility that the growing fear towards the U.S. government’s crackdown on exchanges, as seen in the case of EtherDelta, led large Bitcoin holders to move funds to wallets they can exercise full control over. Despite an overall increase in volume and the general positive sentiment in the market, technical indicators show a bearish short-term movement for BTC. “Managed to crawl back into the range. A close around $6,350 today would not only be a weekly retest of demand but also a daily retest of the trading range. A move below support today would spell trouble so it’s definitely a close to watch,” said technical analyst Don Alt, suggesting that if BTC drops below the $6,350 mark, it could trigger a further drop into the $6,200 region. Story continues Decentraland Surges 10 Percent Possibly due to increasing property sales on its virtual reality world powered by the Ethereum blockchain, Decentraland, the 63rd largest cryptocurrency in the market, increased by more than 10 percent in value. The rise in the price of Decentraland follows yet another high profile property sale in its virtual reality world for more than $100,000. In the past month, MANA, the native cryptocurrency of Decentraland, has risen from $0.067 to $0.098, by more than 46 percent. The strong performance of MANA and several other tokens like Maker comes during a period in which the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating into various token sales to evaluate whether tokens can be considered as securities under existing regulatory frameworks. The post Crypto Market Stable as Bitcoin Stabilizes at $6,350, Decentraland Surges 10% appeared first on CCN . || New York Digital Investment Group Subsidiary Acquires New York BitLicense: TheNew YorkState Department of Financial Services (DFS) has granted aBitLicenseto NYDIG Execution, according to an official DFSannouncementpublished Nov. 14. NYDIG Execution, a subsidiary of the New York Digital Investment Group LLC (NYDIG), is now legally authorized to operatecryptocurrency-related business and to conduct money transmissions. Through the recent license, the firm is permitted to offer crypto custodial and trade execution services in the jurisdiction ofNew Yorkstate. NYDIG will be allowed to operate as a crypto custodian for five cryptocurrencies; Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Ethereum (ETH), XRP (Ripple), and Litecoin (LTC). According to the statement, NYDIG is authorized to run self-custody contracting with third parties for custodial services, as well as to carry out contracting with NYDIG Execution or its other subsidiary NYDIG Trust, which was granted limited trust status within the same announcement. First issued in August, 2015, BitLicense is a business license that entitles the holder to use cryptocurrencies and obliges them to comply with a number of rules covering cryptocurrencies’ control, administration,  maintenance, storing, and issuance. While the license provides businesses with a defined regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies in New York, many industry entrants have reportedlycriticizedits regulatory requirements. The introduction of the BitLicense initially drove some companies toleave the state. This year, several major players in the crypto and payments industries have applied for and received BitLicenses. In March, crypto payments and investment firm Circlereceiveda BitLicense, effectively expanding its business to 46 states. In May, Genesis Global Tradingbecamethe first New York-based company, and the fifth company overall, to receive a BitLicense. Genesis was followed by financial services providerSquare, whichexpandedBitcoin trading in its Cash App to New York users in June. • Poll: Interest in Crypto as Payment Method Makes Small Inroads Among Moscow Residents • Major US Museum Becomes Country’s Third to Accept Bitcoin as Payment • Apple Removes Crypto Podcast Reportedly Ranked #4 in ‘Investing’ From US iTunes Store • Europe-Targeted Crypto Custodial Service Multiwallet Applies for Custodial License in Malta || 5 Marijuana Stocks to Ride Canada’s Legalization Wave: On Wednesday, Oct. 17, Canada became the first industrialized nation to officially legalize recreational marijuana. Our neighbor to the north was only behind Uruguay, the first country ever to make the same move. I had that date circled on my calendar for months, and now that it has finally passed, it is time to build a solid portfolio of cannabis-related stocks to take advantage of the potential over the long term. • 30 Marijuana Stocks to Buy as the Future Turns Green The marijuana market in Canada will be big, and I expect it to continue to grow significantly in the next 10 years. Today, I want to tell you about five marijuana stocks that will put us in the best position to benefit. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Source: Shutterstock Canopy Growth(NYSE:CGC) is the world’s largest publicly traded marijuana company, and as a result, it finds itself at the forefront of this trend. It was in the news earlier this year when it received a $4 billion investment fromConstellation Brands(NYSE:STZ), the maker of Corona beer, which increased its previous 9.9% stake to 38%. The company’s initial investment was made in 2017 and marked the first big move by a U.S.-based alcohol company into the marijuana sector. There is huge potential for growth here, and the fact that CGC is based in a country where marijuana is legal is a huge bonus. Then there is the ability for the company to scale up production to meet rising global demand. It has already tripled its marijuana growing capacity in 2018, and there is plenty more to come as CGC has plans to expand its capacity from the current 2.4 million square feet to 5.7 million square feet. Source: Shutterstock The Green Organic Dutchman(OTCMKTS:TGODF) is a grower of organic, high quality, pharmaceutical-grade cannabis. The Green Organic Dutchman came across my radar a few years ago at one of the many marijuana conferences I attend annually. By focusing on organic products, the company immediately differentiated itself from its peers. TGODF went public on the Toronto Stock Exchange on May 2, and on June 14, it moved up to the OTCQX Best Market exchange in the U.S. This is a top tier over-the-counter stock exchange, and to qualify, the company had to meet high financial standards and transparency. I even checked, and opening the hood on TGODF reveals a very healthy company. The fact that it has been able to raise $290 million and have a fully-funded budget puts it in a place that very few companies can say they are in. • 10 Big Tech Stocks That Pack a Wallop Plus, it has plans to keep growing. TGODF is in the midst of a major expansion in the two facilities where it will grow organic cannabis. Both sites are based in Canada and strategically placed to be near major metropolitan areas. The company’s goal is to produce up to 116,000 kilograms (kg) of high quality organic marijuana. This is a marijuana stock you do not want to ignore. Source: Shutterstock Aphria(OTCMKTS:APHQF) is one of the largest marijuana companies in Canada with a market cap of $3.6 billion. It is based in Ontario and it is the leader when it comes to getting product to marijuana buyers. The company has supply agreements in every province of the country as well as the Yukon Territory. That means it has the opportunity to sell to 98.5% of the Canadian population. No other company can match that. And not only is APHQF in prime position in Canada, but it already has operations on five continents, so it will benefit from the inevitable legalization of marijuana outside of Canada in the coming years. Then there are the rumors that it could be the next Canadian marijuana company to file paperwork to list on a major U.S. stock exchange. That would bring a lot of money in and push the shares higher. Canada’s legalization opens the gates to massive growth, and APHQF is the best-positioned company in the country to profit. Supply reach along with production capacity, a global footprint, a potential listing in the U.S. and an attractive valuation all make it the top Canadian marijuana stock set to explode. Source: Shutterstock KushCo Holdings(OTCMKTS:KSHB) is a leading supplier of picks and shovels to the marijuana industry. It was born out of the idea that medical dispensaries were generating $15,000-$20,000 per day in cash sales without any branding. The CEO said, “We noticed a lot of people going into the stores and buying cannabis at the medical dispensaries, and these stores were sort of hiding in plain sight.” KSHB markets and sells packaging products and related solutions to business customers in the marijuana industry. It had about 4,000 business accounts in 2017, and now that number has ballooned to more than 5,000. This is important because the diversity of customers eliminates the reliance on any one account or region. And as the customer base expands, the company expands with it. Fundamentally, KSHB is attractive compared to its marijuana stock peers. Management is projecting revenue of $51 million in 2018, which may not sound like much, but is actually better than what some of the largest marijuana companies in Canada are bringing in. Plus, its market cap is only $450 million. • 7 Autonomous Driving Stocks to Buy Right Now KSHB has been steadily growing and taking market share through both organic growth and acquisitions. And as legalization continues to expand, it will lead to higher sales and thus higher revenue for the company. Source: Shutterstock Formerly known as Cannabis Wheaton,Auxly Cannabis Group(OTCMKTS:CBWTF) is the first streaming company in the marijuana industry. When I initially came across it in my research, it immediately caught my attention as it bridges together two of my favorite investment trends: streaming royalty payments and marijuana. Through its investments in more than 15 different marijuana-related companies, CBWTF is building a diverse portfolio that touches all levels of the industry. As an investor, you are gaining instant diversification and lowering any company-specific risk associated with investing in emerging companies. I also like that CBWTF has exposure to the cannabidiol (CBD) market. It has an 80% stake in Inverell, a Uruguay-based company with the potential to become the world’s largest CBD producer. Another subsidiary, Dosecann, also has a license for CBD extraction. With how big the recreational market can become in Canada, CBD has the ability to be a huge driver for this stock. Matthew McCall is the founder and president of Penn Financial Group, an investment advisory firm, as well as the editor of Investment Opportunities and Early Stage Investor. He has dedicated his career to getting investors into the world’s biggest, most revolutionary trends BEFORE anyone else. The power of being “first” gave Matt’s readers the chance to bank +2,438% in Stamps.com (STMP), +1,523% in Ulta Beauty (ULTA), +1,044% in Tesla (TSLA), +611% in Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (LNGLY), +324% in Bitcoin Services (BTSC), just to name a few. If you’re interested in making triple-digit gains from the world’s biggest investment trends BEFORE anyone else,click here to learn more about Matt McCall and his investments strategy today. • 10 Big Tech Stocks That Pack a Wallop • 7 Autonomous Driving Stocks to Buy Right Now • 7 Amazon-Proof Stocks to Consider Adding to Your Portfolio • 5 Retail Stocks That Could Follow in Sears' Footsteps Compare Brokers The post5 Marijuana Stocks to Ride Canada’s Legalization Waveappeared first onInvestorPlace. || Just How Bad Will Harley-Davidson's Third Quarter Be?: Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) is scheduled to report third-quarter earnings on Oct. 23, and investors should brace for things to turn ugly. The period is typically among the worst-performing quarters of the year, second only to the winter-weary fourth quarter, and there's no reason to believe the motorcycle maker is about to change results this year. Below are some areas Harley-Davidson investors should watch to gauge just how bad the situation is getting. Harley-Davidson logo on gas tank Image source: Getty Images. Shipments Hope springs eternal at Harley-Davidson, and despite plummeting sales, it says it will boost shipments to dealers by anywhere from 45,500 to 50,500 bikes, a 9% to 21% jump from last year, when it shipped 41,662 motorcycles. There are several reasons why it is increasing shipments. Inventory in the U.S. was down by 14,100 units in the second quarter as part of a plan to reduce supply on dealer lots. Slow sales had caused dealers to have too many bikes, so Harley has been managing the cadence of deliveries. Now, the new 2019 models are hitting showrooms, boosting the shipment numbers. Overall, though, Harley expects shipments to be down about 2% to 4% for the year (shipments were down 10.5% in the first half of the year). With as many as 236,000 bikes expected to be shipped for the full year, Harley is building the numbers back up in the second half of the year. But without sales, dealers might soon be in the same boat of having too many bikes on hand. Sales Last quarter, Harley motorcycle sales surprised everyone by not being as terrible as expected. Not that they were good, but the 6.4% decline was much better than the 12% plunge experienced in the second quarter, making it look as if the turnaround everyone was waiting for had finally arrived. The problem: The 46,490 bikes sold were the fewest since the second quarter of 2009, when it sold only 35,000 bikes during the depths of the Great Recession. So sales might have been better than everyone thought they would be, but they still weren't good. And since the new crop of bikes are pretty much the same as those they're replacing -- big and expensive, even with the merged Dyna and Softail lines -- it means today's motorcycle buyers aren't going to be lining up to ride off on a Harley. Story continues The new demographic of young, urban, and female riders are looking for smaller, lighter, and cheaper bikes. And though Harley plans to build them sometime in the future, that's not the case now -- and investors shouldn't expect that sales will increase or even appreciably narrow the decline. They also face competition from used bikes, the sales of which are outpacing new ones by 3 to 1, The Wall Street Journal reports. And there is the lingering threat from the trade war between the U.S. and seemingly everyone else. Although it shipped bikes to Europe ahead of the retaliatory tariffs being imposed, Harley is eating the higher costs instead of passing them along to dealers or customers, which means margins are going to be hurt. Earnings Analysts are forecasting earnings of $0.54 per share this quarter, a 38% increase over the $0.39 per share it earned a year ago. One thing Harley-Davidson has always done well, even during this downturn, is protect its bottom line, though often to its detriment interns of sales. It has mostly refused to engage in the discounting that its rivals use to move bikes, and that has kept margins intact. Because it owns about half the U.S. motorcycle market and about a third of the global market, it believes it can afford to stay above the fray. This past quarter it did try several promotional offers, such as discounted financing of 1.99% and a mailing to select customers offering a $1,500 rebate. Both were for a limited time, but the results suggest they had the desired effect. Harley said sales had a slow start due to poor weather in April, but the promotions helped lift sales in May and June, and likely led to the "less worse" sales performance in the quarter. Harley generated adjusted earnings of $1.52 per share, a less than 3% gain from the prior period, which indicates it could do more on the discounting front. It could generate more sales, preserve its market position, and still grow profits for shareholders. The key takeaway Harley is shipping more bikes to dealers to get inventories to targeted levels. But without sales, those new bikes will again face the prospect of gathering dust on showroom floors. Earnings will eventually be hurt too. Without any catalysts to move bikes off the lot, Harley-Davidson's third quarter is going to see more of the same, and ultimately that will damage the bike maker's reputation and hurt the premium positioning it is fighting so hard to maintain. More From The Motley Fool 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Rich Duprey has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . || Did the Mt. Gox Trustee Bitcoin Sell-Off Cause the Crypto Market to Crash?: On September 25, the Mt. Gox trustee released a document entitled “Announcement on Measures to Secure Interests of Bankruptcy Creditors,” disclosing the sale of over $230 million worth of crypto including Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash. While it still remains unsure whether the decline in the price of BTC and the valuation of the crypto market was triggered by the sell-off of Bitcoin and bitcoin Cash by the Mt. Gox trustee, the recent correction of the market coincided with the release of the document. Since March, within a period of six months, 25.98 billion yen ($230 million) of Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash were sold by the Mt. Gox trustee in the cryptocurrency exchange market. The daily volume of Bitcoin is estimated to be around $4 billion, which increases to mid-$5 billion in rallies and corrections. Tens of millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin can be easily liquidated and absorbed by the cryptocurrency market without demonstrating unexpected price movements. But, if $250 million worth of Bitcoin is dumped on the cryptocurrency exchange market in several big chunks, it is possible to trigger a domino effect across major trading platforms and cause the price of BTC to drop. If the BTC price dropped by 3 percent due to the Mt. Gox trustee and its sell-off of $230 million in BTC, then the Mt. Gox either sold a large chunk of its holdings throughout the past week or decided to dump the entire $250 million on exchanges several days before drop in the valuation of the market. Hence, while it is possible that the Mt. Gox trustee had an impact on the downtrend of Bitcoin, it is not realistic to solely attribute the wipeout of $22 billion from the market to the sell-off of the Mt. Gox trustee. Rather, as seen in the rapid decline in the price of XRP, the native cryptocurrency of Ripple, which fell by more than 15 percent in a 24-hour period, it is more likely that the sell-off of Ripple led the crypto market to fall, affecting both Bitcoin and Ethereum. Jed McCaleb, a co-founder of Ripple, who is estimated to have more than $2 billion in XRP, has started to accelerate the sell-off of XRP. “A founder’s increasing sale of XRP could be a negative for the token’s value, just as it would be if a CEO of a publicly traded company suddenly started dumping shares in the company’s stock,”the WSJ reported. More to that, if the Mt. Gox trustee caused the valuation of the crypto market to drop, once the document was released, it should have led the market to initiate a short-term recovery. However, the crypto market is still showing no signs of recovery from its fall on September 25. The corrective rally of the crypto market in the last seven days demonstrated strong momentum and volume. But, as it is possible for Ripple to record a three-fold increase in price, it is possible for the market to record a 20 percent decline in a 24-hour period. In the upcoming months, depending on the performance of BTC, the crypto market may initiate a corrective rally after stabilizing in the low $200 billion region. Featured image from Shutterstock. The postDid the Mt. Gox Trustee Bitcoin Sell-Off Cause the Crypto Market to Crash?appeared first onCCN. || Broker NordFX Turns MetaTrader 5 into Unique Crypto Exchange: Thanks to the joint efforts of experts in the field of IT technologies, trading in the forex market and exchange trading, the broker company NordFX has made a breakthrough, transforming the well-known MetaTrader 5 platform into a platform for classic peer-to-peer exchange trading in cryptocurrencies. Moreover, they have managed to keep all the advantages of MT5, including the possibility to carry out the high-quality technical analysis with the help of numerous indicators and the use of expert advisors for automatic trading. The speed of order execution and the absence of freezing makes it possible not only to carry out long-term, medium-term or intraday trading but even to engage in scalping, earning on minor market fluctuations. This is facilitated by the integration of trading cryptocurrencies on the MT4 which has been working in NordFX for a long time, and the new MT5 into one “core”, where all clients trade exclusively with each other. At the same time, the system is completely transparent: thanks to the depth of the market, each limit order is visible to all trade participants. Commission fees for taker-traders are minimal, and as for maker-traders, they, on the contrary, even get a remuneration for each transaction. This is quite a rare case in the market, when clients, apart from trading, can also profit from maintaining stock liquidity. Traders can still carry out margin trading, and the range of its features has become much broader. Thus, if it is about $300 that one needs to open a position of 1 bitcoin on MetaTrader 4, just $100 is enough on MetaTrader 5. Unlike conventional exchanges, thanks to the presence of two platforms, traders have the opportunity to apply a wide variety of trading strategies, as well as profiting not only on the growth but also on the drop of bitcoin and altcoins. The MT5 platform in NordFX is designed exclusively for exchange crypto trading 24/7/365 without days off and holidays. There are 14 major crypto pairs, cross pairs and 4 crypto-indexes available for trading. For traditional trading, traders can use the MT4 platform, where one can also trade major fiat currencies (33 currency pairs), using a leverage of up to 1:1000. Story continues As for other services that NordFX provides to its clients, these are investments in shares of the world’s major brands with high income and with capital protection up to 100%, investment crypto-portfolios, as well as RAMM, most modern automatic trading signal copying system. The company’s clients are offered about15 methods to deposit or withdraw funds. The trading account can be nominated in both US dollars, and in bitcoins or Ethereums, at the client’s choice. Accordingly, apart from USD, it is possible to deposit and withdraw funds to purses in BTC and ETH. It only takes a few minutes to open an account and to register, and it is not even required to go through verification in most cases. The NordFX computer system has a high degree of protection: there has not been a single case of its hacking during 10 years of its work in financial markets. The company has been honored with more than 35 professional prizes and awards, among them Most Reliable Broker 2016 and 2017, Best Crypto Broker Asia 2017 and Best broker for Trading Cryptocurrencies 2018. In total, starting in 2008, clients from more than 185 countries have opened over 1.250.000 accounts in NordFX . Traders and investors can always contact the company’s support service for help and advice. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Broker NordFX Turns MetaTrader 5 into Unique Crypto Exchange Natural Gas Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Market Clawing Back Last Week’s Discount, but Needs Catalyst to Sustain Move AUD/USD and NZD/USD Fundamental Daily Forecast – “Big Boys” Driving Out Weak Shorts in Counter-Trend Rally E-mini NASDAQ-100 Index (NQ) Futures Technical Analysis – September 18, 2018 Forecast Forex Daily Outlook – September 18, 2018 OctaFX to Launch new Copy Trading Feature || Coinbase set to bring customers closer to regulated cryptocurrency assets: A growing number of assets in the crypto market will be filtered according to legitimacy across different jurisdictions. - Anadolu Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is set to bring people in the UK closer to the digital currency market by listing crypto assets that are compliant with local laws. Coinbase, a start-up based in San Francisco, has introduced a new feature that will see it list a growing number of digital assets alongside Bitcoin, such as Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum and Litecoin, that align with regulations in different countries, boosting consumer confidence in their legitimacy. The company was founded in 2012 to give people secure access to a financial system based on the blockchain, the decentralised ledger that facilitates cryptocurrency transactions. The digital currencies have gained increasing attention over the past year after a rally that saw their total market capitalisation soar to approximately $830bn in January before crashing to the current value of $200bn. Coinbase currently operates in 32 different countries and has established recognition from traditional finance players in the UK after Barclays bank opened an account for the exchange earlier this year. Zeeshan Feroz, UK chief executive of Coinbase, believes the new feature will give people outside the US a clearer, more transparent way of navigating the thousands of assets that continue to appear in the digital currency sector. “Coinbase supports about five assets and clearly the market is much bigger than the five we support,” he said. “We’ve been trying to figure out for a while what the best way is to support more assets in the currency market. We’ve taken a thoughtful and deliberate approach in terms of how we’ve done that in the past, but what we’re trying to do is upscale that.” The listing process requires issuers to go through a ten page online form to provide detail around the assets they want to submit for consideration in a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction manner. The increasing diversification of crypto assets comes at a time when regulators debate how digital currencies and their associated assets should be monitored. Story continues Earlier this month, finance ministers across the European Union met to discuss a potential framework for the regulation of cryptocurrencies, while the Financial Conduct Authority, the UK’s financial watchdog, is working with global institutions to better understand the industry. Coinbase admits that its new listing process means that in practice, some assets will only be available to customers outside the US “for a period of time”. But according to Mr Feroz, it ensures only “high-quality assets” will be associated with Coinbase’s platform, and an ongoing dialogue with regulators will be critical to ensure clearer information is provided to potential new cryptocurrency consumers. “Education in general is one of the top responsibilities that a crypto business has today,” said Mr Feroz. “We are taking steps to address this. We started a listing page for the top 50 assets recently that will start to serve as a filter for actual information from all the noise you may get around assets, and allows ultimately for customers and regulators to make better quality decisions.” || ‘Nuclear Option’: ABC Dev Won’t Rule out Changing Bitcoin Cash PoW Algorithm: The Bitcoin Cash civil war is just days away from culminating in a contentious blockchain split, and the lead developer of the faction with the minority hashrate has advised that the development community should “get a patch ready” in case they need to pursue an emergency hard fork to change the cryptocurrency’s Proof-of-Work (PoW) algorithm. Writing on Twitter,Bitcoin ABClead developer and self-describedBitcoin Cash“benevolent dictator”Amaury Séchetsaid that activating an emergency fork to alter the Bitcoin Cash hashing algorithm would be a “nuclear option” but that developers should keep it on the table in case their version of Bitcoin Cash (BCHSV) suffers an attack from miners backingBitcoin SV(BCHSV), the BCH version promoted byCraig Wrightand billionaireCalvin Ayre. “You should get a patch ready. It’s better to be ready and not need it than to need it and not be ready,” Séchet said when asked whether he supported a PoW change. “Changing PoW is somewhat of a nuclear option so I’d be reluctant to use it. But it always has been considered the option of last resort in case a large portion of miner become hostile, so we should be ready.” Ready indeed, because despite strong community and business support, the hashrate has — at least in the days leading up to the fork — largely rallied behind BCHSV. The SV camp appears to possess the dominant hashrate, with Coin Dance estimating that ~75 to 80 percent of miners are signaling for SV compared to just ~15 to 27 percent for ABC. Craig Wright, who as recently as this monthclaimedin an email that he was Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto, has threatened that SV miners will use their massive hash power to attack the BCHABC blockchain, and he is not the only SV backer to issue this warning. Last week, Bitcoin Cash startup and BCHSV supporter CashPay Solutions opened a mining pool —SharkPool— whose sole purpose is to attack altcoins and BCH forks that it considers illegitimate — including BCHABC. “SharkPool considers all alterations to the original Bitcoin design a threat, this includes a potential ABC chain if they choose to not capitulate in time and accept the SV ruleset prior to the hard fork,” co-founder Ari Kuqi told CCN in an emailed statement. “ABC has been hinting at a possible PoW change and accepting minority hash; this doesn’t change anything. There will be no splits of Bitcoin and the leeched value in the shape of alts and forks will be brought back.” “You either build on Bitcoin or you use a central database,” he added. At present, Bitcoin Cash is mined usingSHA256, the same hashing algorithm used onBitcoinand a variety of other cryptocurrency networks. SHA256 has long been ASIC-compatible, so aside from the odd cryptojacking-related botnet, BCH can only be mined profitably using these specialized mining devices, which achieved enhanced efficiency by sacrificing versatility. Altering the BCHABC hashing algorithm would represent a major shift for the cryptocurrency network, as it would prevent SHA256 ASIC owners from mining BCHABC blockchain. But, while that would prevent ABC supporters from mining BCHABC with their current hardware, it would also secure the network against an attack from the SV camp — at least in the near-term. BCHABC appears to have more on-the-ground support, which is why some have suggested a PoW change to immunize the cryptocurrency against malicious miners who support the other chain. BCH node operators are more than three times as likely to run the Bitcoin ABC client than Bitcoin SV, and 98 percent of BCH-integrated companies have signaled that they are prepared to support the BCHABC network — just 36 percent of companies have said the same for BCHSV. Perhaps more tellingly, traders have consistently priced BCHABC tokens far above BCHSV ones on exchanges that allow users to exchange physical bitcoin cash for pre-fork “futures” tokens. On Poloniex, the first crypto exchange tooffer pre-fork BCH trading, BCHABC is currently trading at $393 while BCHSV is priced at $129. Backers believe that, while a drastic measure, altering the cryptocurrency’s PoW algorithm could secure BCHABC the opportunity to leverage its community and business support to cement its status as the “real” Bitcoin Cash network, even without majority miner support. Featured Image from CoinGeek/YouTube The post‘Nuclear Option’: ABC Dev Won’t Rule out Changing Bitcoin Cash PoW Algorithmappeared first onCCN. || Tom Lee: Bitcoin Price Starting to Reverse, 2 Catalysts Will Drive it Higher in 2018: bitcoin price Throughout 2018, Bitcoin has continued to record lower highs, testing major resistance levels at $10,000, $8,000 and $7,000. According to Fundstrat’s Tom Lee, the stability of Bitcoin at $6,000 regardless of its lower highs is optimistic. In early 2018, Fundstrat emphasized in a report that the $6,000 level will likely be held by Bitcoin in the mid-term because it is the breakeven point for miners. That means, miners that utilize electricity and mining equipment to verify transactions on the Bitcoin network can still generate some profit if the price of Bitcoin stays above the $6,000 level. Lee explained on Bloomberg that the stability of BTC at the $6,000 mark and two major catalysts awaiting BTC in the year end could push the price of BTC up substantially within the next two months. Bitcoin daily price chart on September 30, provided by Coincap.io “$6,000 is a level that is more important than we realized. Earlier this year, we were pointing $6,000 as breakeven for Bitcoin mining so that level should hold. The fact Bitcoin is holding here is very good news. I think there are catalysts in the year end so I think despite the lower highs we’ve seen I think we’re starting to reverse,” Lee said. What are the Two Catalysts? According to Lee, two major factors will contribute to the increase in the price of BTC by the end of the year: strengthening infrastructure of the cryptocurrency exchange market and fear of missing out (FOMO) amongst institutional investors. Over the past few months, Bakkt, a cryptocurrency exchange created by ICE, Starbucks, and Microsoft, has been building the first regulation-focused platform that primarily aims to operate as a trusted custodian and brokerage for large-scale investors. Eventually, with the entrance of major investment banks and solid products offered by Bakkt, Lee stated that institutions will have the ability to enter the market. But, echoing the sentiment of billionaire investor Mike Novogratz who previously stated that institutions will likely not commit to the crypto market until Bitcoin surpasses major resistance levels at $8,800 and $10,000, Lee emphasized that Bitcoin will have to show some recovery in its price before it appeals to many institutions. Story continues “I think there is a few. One, this new exchange called ICE Bakkt will be launched. It is going to be really one of the first regulated exchanges. I think around that, there is working being done by these major investment banks to build products to support it or work with it. I think institutions are waiting to be involved,” he said. How Will Bitcoin End 2018? In early 2018, Lee reaffirmed his price target of $25,000 per BTC. The cryptocurrency market is quickly approaching the end of 2018 and it is becoming increasing unlikely for the dominant cryptocurrency to reach an all-time high by the end of the year. Still, given the stability of BTC at $6,000 since late July, it is possible for the asset to show strength and momentum by November and December, a period in which the cryptocurrency market historically tend to record large gains. Featured image from Shutterstock. The post Tom Lee: Bitcoin Price Starting to Reverse, 2 Catalysts Will Drive it Higher in 2018 appeared first on CCN . || Bitcoin Trades Slightly Higher; India Considers Imposition of Ban on Crypto: Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrency prices gained slightly on Friday Investing.com - Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrency prices gained slightly on Friday. Reports that India is considering imposing a ban on virtual coin received some focus. Bitcoin was trading at $6,418.40 on the Bitfinex exchange by 1:22 AM ET (05:22 GMT), up 0.5%, continuing what has been a relatively subdued period for the world’s largest digital currency. Bitcoin has not traded outside the $6,200-to-$6,800 range since October 16. It ended October with a decline of 3.8%. Beyond Bitcoin, the price of the other major cryptocurrencies also increased. Ethereum, the world’s second largest cryptocurrency by market cap, traded 1.1% higher to $200.2. It lost 14.7% last month. Meanwhile, XRP was trading at $0.46200, up around 1.3%. It slumped 22.1% in October, making it last month's worst-performing digital currency. Litecoin was also higher, up 2.1% at $51.101. India’s central authorities are considering imposing a ban on virtual coins, a press release published by the central government’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) revealed this week. Indian regulators would continue to encourage the use of blockchain technology, although they would seek to ban “private” virtual coins, according to the statement. Meanwhile, Cryptovest suggested that Indian authorities do not want to completely close the door on central bank digital currencies (CBDC). Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the country’s central bank, announced earlier this year that it is working on a CBDC project. Related Articles Apps for Kik's Crypto Are Beginning to Appear on Apple and Google Stores ‘Godfather of ETFs’ Says Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Funds Will be Approved ‘No Time Soon’ Binance Signs Up 40,000 Crypto Traders in Its First Week in Uganda [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] 2018/09/21 15:00 BTC 735390.5円 ETH 24954.9円 ETC 1251.7円 BCH 51533.2円 XRP 51.9円 XEM 10.3円 LSK 380.2円 MONA 122円 #仮想通貨 #ビットコイン #Bitcoin #bitFlyer #Coincheck || A glimpse on the future of Bitcoin UX https://ift.tt/2NY2gJW  || [BTC faucet 確実獲得定期tweet] 今23:00だよ！ 30分たったからBTCをゲットしに行こう！ 皆で使おうfaucet、仮想通貨が必要な世の中へ BTCを入手するには↓からGET! https://www.tadacoin.jp/?refer=1hoJeQE  || #cryptocurrency Price Analysis for #Bitsend #BSD : Last Hour Change : -1.07 % || 20-09-2018 00:30 Price in #USD : 0.1447207607 || Price in #EUR : 0.1240055758 New Price in #Bitcoin #BTC : 0.00002267 || #Coin Rank 603 || 10/31 14:00 現在のビットコインの価格 BTC/JPY ask: 719,540 / bid: 702,649 || #EOS Price is 0.00086707 (+0.00000045) #BTC / 5.6954065495 (+0.00366) #USD. Market rank is 5. #eos #bitcoin #blockchain || Bitcoin (-0.13): $6,659.56 Ethereum (-0.27): $225.58 XRP (0.38): $0.53 Bitcoin Cash (-1.35): $539.18 EOS (-0.35): $5.83 Stellar (-0.97): $0.25 Litecoin (-0.48): $61.97 Tether (0.04): $1.00 Cardano (-0.31): $0.08 Monero (0.66): $118.16 || Intel Core i7-6700 Quad-Core (BX80662I76700) Processor SR2L2 3.4GHZ http://bit.ly/2D7j7o3  $250.00 End Date: Saturday Nov-24-2018 7:32:51 PST Buy It Now for only: $250.00 Buy It Now | Add to watch list from https://ebay.to/2OSfDvX  #bitcoin #cryptomining #cryptocurrencyminin…pic.twitter.com/vBTfCn2yTM || 2018/11/06 03:00 #Binance 格安コイン 1位 #HOT 0.00000016 BTC(0.12円) 2位 #NPXS 0.00000024 BTC(0.17円) 3位 #DENT 0.00000040 BTC(0.29円) 4位 #NCASH 0.00000079 BTC(0.57円) 5位 #SC 0.00000097 BTC(0.7円) #仮想通貨 #アルトコイン #草コイン || 2018/09/28 18:00 #Binance 格安コイン 1位 #HOT 0.00000015 BTC(0.11円) 2位 #NPXS 0.00000022 BTC(0.17円) 3位 #DENT 0.00000034 BTC(0.26円) 4位 #BCN 0.00000036 BTC(0.27円) 5位 #NCASH 0.00000083 BTC(0.63円) #仮想通貨 #アルトコイン #草コイン
Trend: down || Prices: 5554.33, 5623.54, 4871.49, 4451.87, 4602.17, 4365.94, 4347.11, 3880.76, 4009.97, 3779.13
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2020-02-04] BTC Price: 9180.96, BTC RSI: 60.93 Gold Price: 1550.40, Gold RSI: 50.33 Oil Price: 49.61, Oil RSI: 17.86 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin price gained 30% against Tezos in the last month: In the last month,Tezos (XTZ)has lost significant ground toBitcoin (BTC), and the cryptocurrency has been on a stark downtrend since last December, losing a lot of its earlier gains. According to data fromMessari Pro, Tezos fell 34% against Bitcoin in the last 30 days and the cryptocurrency is now down more than 27% for the month against the US dollar. Overall, Tezos is one of the worst-performing major cryptocurrencies in the last 30 days. One XTZ is now worth $1.30. This comes just months after Tezos saw an impressive rally. The price of Tezos rose from $0.85 to $1.83 between November and December, last year. This was largely led by a flurry of crypto exchanges adding staking support for theproof-of-stakecoin. Bitcoin, on the other hand, is one of the best performers of late, and is currently trading at $8,101—up almost 11% in the last 30 days. However, its progress has been masked by Bitcoin SV (BSV)—a rival coin backed by self-proclaimed Bitcoin founder Craig Wright. BSV surged by 71% in the last month against USD, while gaining 52% against Bitcoin. It now rests at the eighth largest cryptocurrency by market cap. || Alchemy is secretly fixing blockchain's node nightmare: The top cryptocurrencycompanies have quietly begun to outsource their infrastructure problems to a tiny stealth startup. It's calledAlchemy. Today it's making the big public reveal of its technology that could help developers finally build the killer use case atop Bitcoin or Ethereum. If the operating system connected computers and software, and if browsers connected HTTP to web apps,Alchemywants to be the bridge enabling the blockchain ecosystem. It's this middle layer that's produced Microsoft, Apple and Google -- some of the most valuable companies in the world. How does Alchemy work? It replaces the nodes that businesses use to read and write blockchains with a faster, more scalable decentralized architecture. It also provides tools for analytics, monitoring, alerting, logging and debugging for cryptocurrency-connected software. The two-year-old startup already powers infrastructure for hundreds of businesses serving over one million customers in 200 countries per week, including big names like Augur, 0x, Cryptokitties, Kyber and the Opera browser. "Right now people are trying to build skyscrapers with picks and shovels. We need to give them construction equipment," Alchemy co-founder and CEO NikilViswanathantells me. "None of this exists for blockchain." Investors are lining up to see that it will. Alchemy is nowannouncingthat it has raised $15 million through a seed round and now a Series A led by Pantera Capital, and joined by Stanford University, Coinbase, Samsung, SignalFire, plus angels like Charles Schwab, Yahoo founder Jerry Yang, LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, Google chairman John Hennessy and more. "For any new technology, developer infrastructure and tools are required to enable broader application development and adoption. We’ve seen this happen in previous tech waves like PC and the web," says Yang, who rarely does interviews. "Alchemy is trying to do the same thing for the blockchain space . . . they have the opportunity to meaningfully accelerate the entire blockchain industry." Despite its momentum, it's immediately clear that Alchemy doesn't want to become another overhyped blockchain promise that doesn't deliver. "There are two vanity metrics in Silicon Valley,"Viswanathan declares. "How much money you've raised and how many people you have on your team. In reality, you want to keep both of these as low as possible while being a big success." Alchemy co-founders (from left): Nikil Viswanathan and Joe Lau Viswanathan and co-founder and CTO Joe Lau already had a shot at the startup A-league. For a brief moment, their simple social app for finding out if friends could hang out via emojis, calledDown to Lunch, topped the app rankingsand had VCs beating down their door with term sheets. But the pair of Stanford computer science grads got knocked off the charts by aviciousrumorthat their app helped kidnappers, which they call a purposeful smear campaign. The two were resilient, though, drawing onViswanathan's time in product management mentored by executives at Google, Microsoft and Facebook. He sat next to Mark Zuckerberg, brought Steve Ballmer to campus and had meetings with Larry and Sergey. His takeaway was that "You can have massive impact on the world. If they can do it, we can do it too." So when cryptocurrency hit the zeitgeist in 2017, they cast aside the budding successors toDown to Lunchthey'd built, and dove in head first. Through the frustration of spinning up nodes to build anything decentralized, they spotted the opportunity to start something with more potential than a college kids' social app. They saw the chance to seize the bridge layer of the next computing platform -- the blockchain. One strategy the duo is carrying over from Down to Lunch is allowing any Alchemy customer to contact them directly. They actually put their phone numbers inside DTL to keep their ears open for problems, but soon were receiving about 10,000 text messages per day from the app's millions of users, rendering Viswanathan's iMessage inoperable. He shows me the "You're our only hope" email he Hail Mary'd to Tim Cook begging for a fix that was eventually granted. Now, most of Alchemy's lean team -- founders included -- are openly available to customers via Telegram for instant assistance. Viswanathan justifies a CEO fielding complaints, saying "It's not just good customer support. It gives us really great user feedback." He doesn't want that to change, even with the new cash from investors, including Stanford's StartX, Mayfield, Kenetic, Dreamers and former Thompson Reuters CEO Tom Glocer. Viswanathan and Lau are known in entrepreneur circles for embracing the thrifty ramen-fueled startup life, with Lau having once spent six straight days in the office to keep things afloat while Down to Lunch was blowing up. They still run a scrappy ship, with staffers sitting on cardboard boxes until chairs arrive for their new but still snug office. "It's 1972. Who used computers? Only computer companies. By 2019, the entire world. In 1992, who used the web? Only internet companies. By 2019, the entire world. In 2019, who uses blockchain?..." Viswanathan explains. The implication is that ubiquitous adoption is coming to transactions entwined with code, and blockchain will become so common we don't even talk about it the same way. "No one says 'I'm using an internet application,' " Viswanathan laughs. Making the same true for blockchain is Alchemy's goal. Typically just to get started, businesses must spend tens of thousands of dollars to set up and operate nodes that can interpret and write to blockchains. It's not only slow and costly, but it sucks up a ton of engineering resources. And worse yet, node architecture may not gracefully support massive scale. Load balancing across servers, as is traditional with web applications, breaks down when nodes mistakenly return block numbers out of sync. Blockchain apps run slow and buggy, or crash completely. Programmers spend nights awake fighting fires. Alchemy uses a whole different decentralized architecture, says Lau. This lets it separate different types of data into special data stores for much faster and more reliable access. The result is that it's easier to build apps on Bitcoin, Ethereum and other coins with fewer engineering resources. In that sense, it's not unlike an Amazon AWS for blockchain. But Alchemy also takes inspiration from Microsoft, offering a range of tools for managing decentralized apps. These include analytics for tracking usage, monitoring of performance and availability, alerting to inform teams when things break, logging for tracing back errors and debugging for getting apps running right again. On the traditional web, this would be the work of multiple startups, but because blockchains standardize the database and how it's accessed, Alchemy can do it all and is already building more tools. "Since using Alchemy, our team has been able to refocus its time on building new product features for Augur that we wouldn't have been able to otherwise," Augur's director of operations Tom Kysar tells me. "We used to spend a notable amount of time dealing with infrastructure issues, and now we don't worry at all." His prediction market startupwritesthat Alchemy resolved 98% of reliability issues and made its users' applications load 3X faster. Crypto exchange AirSwapditchedthe node system it had built and open-sourced to use Alchemy instead. Another client said it got 25% of its engineering staff back. When I looked at its top competitor in infrastructure, the Ethereum founder-backed Infura, most of the clients it lists on its site are now actually working with Alchemy. "Alchemy has grown quietly and quickly to become a leading infrastructure provider. We’re excited to see how Alchemy will push forward the crypto ecosystem," says Coinbase COO Emilie Choi. Another heartening sign? Alchemy has already turned away acquisition interest. "For us, selling for $100 million or $1 billion isn't a success," Viswanathan says. They want to empower a generation of developers. “I’ve been closely involved in companies that shaped the earlier internet like Google,” says Hennessy, the former president of Stanford. “What Alchemy is doing in blockchain has the potential to be similarly transformational, and Nikil and Joe have the deep technical background and proven entrepreneurial track record to make it happen.” The 30-year-old Lau tells me the advice of older tech luminaries is invaluable. "Hennessy saw the rise of computers. It's good to have people who saw things we didn't see." At my dining room table in San Francisco's Mission District, Viswanathan giddily scribbles out a grid to chart the history of developer platforms. In the first age, IBM underestimated the market of personal computers, allowing Microsoft to swoop in with Windows that opened PCs to third-party software devs. In the second age, it was the browser and then the mobile OS that let Apple and Google conquer the middle ground between HTTP and our favorite apps. Alchemy assumes that lucrative spot in Viswanathan's vision of the blockchain-equipped third age. "This is what spins the innovation cycles and increases speed of development," he says of this infrastructure layer. The real question, though, is one of timing. "The biggest threat is how quickly will crypto become a massive market," Viswanathan admits. He says Alchemy is already making a fair amount of money selling tools and service packages that start in the tens of thousands of dollars. But it may need its technology to jumpstart the blockchain developer flywheel by powering a breakout success serving mainstream consumers that could in turn attract more creators to the industry. Convincing developers, especially incumbent corporations, to outsource a key part of their infrastructure to Alchemy could be tough for the engineering-focused startup. It only hired its first salesperson last week to help pitch big banks and commerce giants intrigued by blockchain's efficiencies. Crypto zealots might also balk at running their decentralized apps through a...central platform. Luckily, because Alchemy powers everything from exchanges to games to finance to integrating distributed ledgers into traditional businesses, it just needs something to win on the blockchain. Many startups have died waiting. Why will Alchemy persevere? The founders say it's a sense of duty to pay it forward. "I just feel so lucky to live in 2019 and have technology and computers and internet. Never before in human history before the last 20 years could you build something and potentially have everyone on the planet's life improved by it," Viswanathan tells me. "These technology shifts happen every 20 to 30 years. If this is a massive technology shift, we have a chance to build a really foundational company in the space. It's not about the money," he concludes with a bright-eyed smile. "There are so many less stressful ways than startups to make money." || Alleged Bitcoin launderer Alexander Vinnik to be extradited to France: Russian national Alexander Vinnik is set to be extradited to France to face money laundering charges, despite his request to have the ruling annulled. The 37-year-old was arrested back in July 2017 after he was accused of laundering billions of dollars using Bitcoin through the now-defunct platform BTC-e. The United States, France, and Russia all issued international arrest warrants for him. Last year, Coin Rivet reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras during talks in Moscow in an attempt to extradite Vinnik back to his own country. US prosecutors estimate Vinnik helped launder between $4 billion and $9 billion in Bitcoin tied to cybercrime, the drug trade, and other criminal enterprises. The indictment detailed his operation as “one of the primary ways by which cybercriminals around the world transferred, laundered, and stored the criminal proceeds of their illegal activities”. It was later reported that Vinnik went on hunger strike to protest the violation of his human rights and claimed to be a political prisoner seeking extradition back to Russia. Vinnik to face charges in three countries Following a ruling from Greece’s council of state, he will now be extradited to France, then the USA, and finally to Russia, according to reports . The country’s supreme administrative court rejected his request to annul the decision, made by Justice Minister Constantinos Tsiaras. The council of state also ruled Tsiaras has the authority to determine the order of the countries Vinnik will be extradited to. Interested in reading more money laundering-related stories? Discover more about the UK’s financial watchdog the FCA becoming an anti-money laundering supervisor for businesses conducting crypto-related activities. The post Alleged Bitcoin launderer Alexander Vinnik to be extradited to France appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Coinfloor exchange delisting ether next month; to focus only on bitcoin: Cryptocurrency exchange Coinfloor, licensed by the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, is delisting ether (ETH) on Jan. 3. Announcing the news Tuesday, Coinfloor said it will only focus on bitcoin (BTC) and financial services related to the world’s largest cryptocurrency, from 2020 onwards. “No other cryptocurrency currently comes close to Bitcoin’s track record, industry support, or brand recognition, so focusing on Bitcoin made perfect sense,” said Obi Nwosu, founder and CEO of Coinfloor, adding that bitcoin is “inflation proof” cryptocurrency and has the potential to become the “best form of money.” Founded in 2013, Coinfloor is delisting ether reportedly because of the unclear future of hard forks and technical support required for the world's second-largest cryptocurrency. Ethereum plans to launch version 2.0 of its platform early next year, which will begin the process of shifting the network away from the proof-of-work consensus mechanism to proof-of-stake. Nwosu told CoinDesk that Ethereum’s platform upgrade “could take years to complete,” and the complexity of the operation “means for a period of time there could be two versions of ethereum running.” Coinfloor is reportedly also delisting bitcoin cash (BCH) and will focus on new services such as lending in the coming year. || Litecoin Soars 100% In Bullish Trade: Investing.com - Litecoin was trading at $420,890.159 by 14:01 (19:01 GMT) on the Investing.com Index on Friday, up 99.99% on the day. It was the largest one-day percentage gain since December 27. The move upwards pushed Litecoin's market cap up to $2.652B, or 1.34% of the total cryptocurrency market cap. At its highest, Litecoin's market cap was $14.099B. Litecoin had traded in a range of $39.763 to $421,092.541 in the previous twenty-four hours. Over the past seven days, Litecoin has seen a rise in value, as it gained 3.33%. The volume of Litecoin traded in the twenty-four hours to time of writing was $3.185B or 3.93% of the total volume of all cryptocurrencies. It has traded in a range of $39.4474 to $421,092.5313 in the past 7 days. At its current price, Litecoin is still down 0.05% from its all-time high of $421,092.53 set on December 27. Bitcoin was last at $7,272.5 on the Investing.com Index, down 1.13% on the day. Ethereum was trading at $125.40 on the Investing.com Index, a loss of 2.72%. Bitcoin's market cap was last at $133.207B or 67.09% of the total cryptocurrency market cap, while Ethereum's market cap totaled $13.943B or 7.02% of the total cryptocurrency market value. Related Articles Twitch Users Can Now Tip Streamers With MenaPay Stablecoin Litecoin Jumps 27% In a Green Day Chinese Regulators Worry About Crypto Resurgence, Issue New Warning || Stock market news live: Stocks end lower as China virus rattles markets; Netflix and IBM top expectations: Stocks were under pressure Tuesday coming off a three-day weekend in the U.S., with concerns over apotentially deadly virus outbreak in Chinaknocking global markets. With a light line-up of corporate earnings results and economic data on the schedule for the session, attention instead turned to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and the start of President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in the U.S. Senate. — Following on the heels ofNetflix’s quarterly earnings beat, IBM (IBM) posted itsfirst revenue gain in over a year, as its bottom line got a lift from cloud computing. The old-line technology giant saw its cloud revenue jump 21% to $6.8 billion in the fourth quarter, amid CEO Ginny Rometty’s focus on the high-margin business and away from IBM’s traditional stalwarts. The stock finished the session up modestly around $139.17. — Here’s where the major indices had settled as of 4:07 p.m. ET: • S&P 500 (^GSPC): -0.27% or -8.83 points to 3,320.79 • Dow (^DJI):-0.52% or -152.06 points to 29,196.04 • Nasdaq (^IXIC): -0.19% or -18.14 points to 9,370.81 • Crude oil (CL=F):-0.50% or -0.29 to 58.25 a barrel • Gold (GC=F):-0.13% or -2.10 to 1,558.20 per ounce Stocks held lower Tuesday afternoon after the CDC’s confirmation of a U.S. case of the Wuhan coronavirus jolted global markets. Here were the main moves in markets, as of 2:44 p.m. ET: • S&P 500 (^GSPC): -0.26% or -8.69 points to 3,320.93 • Dow (^DJI):-0.6% or -174.81 points to 29,173.29 • Nasdaq (^IXIC): -0.28% or -26.23 points to 9,362.85 • Crude oil (CL=F):-0.5% or -$0.29 to $58.25 a barrel • Gold (GC=F):-0.14% or -$2.20 to $1,558.10 per ounce — The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday announced its first confirmed U.S. case of the coronavirus that killed at least six people in China. A male traveler from China was diagnosed with the coronavirus in Washington State, according to the CDC. The illness has sickened hundreds so far in China, and the U.S.began screeningfor the virus at airports in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles on Friday. Shares of airline stocks including Delta (DAL) and American Airlines (AAL), along with tourism-related stocks including Wynn Resorts (WYNN) and Las Vegas Sands (LVS), slumped following the news. — Shares of Boeing (BA) hit a 52-week low of $310.81 Tuesday according to Yahoo Finance data. The dip followed a CNBCreportthat Boeing pushed back its expectation for when federal regulators will sign off on the 737 Max 8 to June 2020 at the soonest. — A new virus originating in China has sentanxiety rippling across global markets, and weighed on Tuesday’s trading. Yet Capital Economics says the history suggests those fears “rarely have a long-lasting and widespread effects on equities:” Admittedly, the most obvious comparator to the latest outbreak is the 2003 SARS epidemic, whichdidhave a clear economic and financial market impact. ThisUpdateon ourEmerging Asiaservice describes the economic fallout of that event in the region in detail – in short, travel and tourism spending in particular was initially hit hard. And in the weeks after the Chinese authorities eventually went public about the spread of the disease and informed the World Health Organisation, MSCI’s index of China’s equities fell by more than 10%. — Reuters reports that President Donald Trump, fresh off the dais at Davos where he took avictory lap for the U.S. economy’s strength, willdine with Apple’s Tim Cook and other CEOs. Daughter and presidential adviser Ivanka Trump organized the confab. — Stocks were mixed during the intraday session, with the S&P 500 hovering near unchanged. The Dow pared losses of as many as 112 points from the lows of the session. Here were the main moves in markets, as of 11:42 a.m. ET: • S&P 500 (^GSPC): -0.06% or -1.92 points to 3,327.7 • Dow (^DJI):-0.1% or -30.35 points to 29,317.75 • Nasdaq (^IXIC): +0.07% or +6.27 points to 9,395.02 • Crude oil (CL=F):-0.48% or -$0.28 to $58.26 a barrel • Gold (GC=F):-0.23% or -$3.60 to $1,549.70 per ounce — Starbucks’ (SBUX)decision to pursue sustainable business alternatives— including plant-based options on its menu — has created a halo effect for Beyond Meat (BYND). The fake-meat companyis spiking by over 11% in mid-morning trading, as investors bet on the coffee giant becoming the latest company to offer its product. Beyond Meat has alreadygotten traction with other major chains, including McDonald’s (MCD), Dunkin Donuts (DNKN) and KFC. — Stocks opened slightly lower, coming off Friday’s record highs. Here were the main moves in markets, as of 9:34 a.m. ET: • S&P 500 (^GSPC): -0.2% or -6.67 points to 3,322.94 • Dow (^DJI):-0.08% or -23.52 points to 29,324.58 • Nasdaq (^IXIC): -0.25% or -22.84 points to 9,365.41 • Crude oil (CL=F):-0.6% or -$0.35 to $58.19 a barrel • Gold (GC=F):-0.7% or -$11.00 to $1,549.30 per ounce — Credit Suisse analyst Jonathan Golub raised his2020 price target for the S&P 500to 3,600 from 3,425 previously, suggesting about 8% upside from levels as of Friday’s close. The call is based on an S&P 500 earnings per share estimate of $175, representing 6.2% growth over last year and accelerating after a sluggish 1% rise in 2019. He expects EPS will rise to $184 in 2021. Three main factors inform Golub’s new price target: First, he believes the domestic economy will firm further in the first half of the year, bringing both bond yields and equity prices higher. Second, he said the headwinds facing energy and big tech stocks in 2019 will reverse this year amid an improving economic backdrop, driving earnings growth for cyclical stocks. And third, multiples could have more room to expand. “With multiples at 18.7x – versus a 50-year average of 14.4x – investors are reluctant to project higher PEs despite an abundant return of capital to shareholders (div + buyback yield = 4.1%), and depressed volatility, rates and spreads. By contrast, P/FCF (price to free cash flow) is roughly in line with long-term averages,” Golub said. “Our work indicates that stocks are undervalued on a discounted cash flow basis, and should grind higher.” — Peter Schiff, a noted cryptocurrency skeptic who’s relentlessly bearish on Fiat currencies — and a fierce critic of Fed policy — said over the weekend that he’dlost access to his bitcoin stash.Apparently his digital wallet stopped accepting his password: Schiff has promoted bullion for years, but was one ofa handful of gold bugs willing to publicly denouncebitcoin (BTC). — The 50th annual World Economic Forum continues Tuesday through the end of the week, bringing together some of the world’s most powerful leaders in Davis, Switzerland. President Donald Trump delivered a speech at 9 a.m. local time, touting the strength of the U.S. economy and his administration’s phase one trade agreement with China signed last week. “I told you we had launched the ‘Great American comeback.’ Today, I’m proud to declare the United States is in the midst of a great economic boom, the likes of which the world has never seen before,” Trump told the audience at the World Economic Forum. READ MORE — Stocks paced toward their first down day in four sessions, with contracts on each of the three major indices slightly in the red in early trading. On Friday, stocks hadclosed at record highs. Here were the main moves during the pre-market session, as of 7:45 a.m. ET: • S&P futures (ES=F): 3,315.25, down 9.75 points or 0.29% • Dow futures (YM=F):29,231, down 48 points or 0.16% • Nasdaq futures (NQ=F):9,140.00, down 34.5 points or 0.38% • Crude oil (CL=F):$57.74 per barrel, down $0.80 or 1.37% • Gold (GC=F):$1,557.60 per ounce, down $2.70 or 0.17% — Follow Yahoo Finance onTwitter,Facebook,Instagram,Flipboard,LinkedIn, andreddit. Find live stock market quotes and the latest business and finance news || 5 ways Bitcoin's price is looking up: The Bitcoin bulls are cautiously back in town. Even thoughBitcoin’s pricesaw a big decline in the latter half of 2019, there are a few reasons why this trend may not continue into 2020. According to data provided by Arcane Research and collated byLuno, here are five reasons why Bitcoin’s price might have turned a corner. One of the surest signs of a bull market is also one the simplest—prices going up. Most major cryptocurrencies have seen dramatic gains recently, with Bitcoin (BTC),Ethereum (ETH)andXRPall gaining around 30-40% in the last month. Likewise, a handful of cryptocurrencies have racked up even more impressive gains in this time, with both ICON and IOTA gaining well over 100% in the last month. However, short term price rises are not necessarily confirmation of a new market direction; volatile cryptocurrencies can have big gains even during a market downturn. A clearer sign that the Bitcoin market isn’t nosediving any further is that it broke out of its downward path. From August to November 2019, Bitcoin was heading down in a clear channel. However, Bitcoin’s recent price gains pushed it outside of this channel. This sparked its recent bullish momentum. Entire crypto market cap breaks out of major downtrend Crypto analysts have used this to argue that it might suggest Bitcoin is heading in a new direction. When the breakout started to occur, Peter Brandt questioned whether this was the beginning of anew bull market. Now that the price of Bitcoin has cleanly broken out of the downward channel, his theory has more evidence to go on. Traders are now feeling more positive about the Bitcoin price, according to a sentiment tracker. Alternative.me's crypto Fear & Greed Index now sits at 57—on a scale from one to 100—its highest levels since last August. This shows that traders are more bullish than they have been in the last six months, possibly riding on the back of Bitcoin’s price breakout. In fact, traders are as confident in the market as they were back in August, when the price went as high as $12,500. Currently the Bitcoin price is just $9,100, having failed to crack the $9,500 mark. But other indicators suggest Bitcoin’s bullish momentum is on the rise. Bitcoin trading volume has picked back up. This is a sign that traders are getting more active in the market again. According to the data provided by Luno, Bitcoin volume dipped significantly by the end of 2019, before picking up again in January 2020. While the current volumes are lower than the spikes seen throughout 2019, they are starting to grow again, suggesting there could be further volumes rises on the cards. Bitcoin's volatility is also trending upwards. In the last 30 days, Bitcoin's volatility has gradually increased since the beginning of the year. For Bitcoin’s price to rise—and fall—volatility is obviously a factor. Again, while Bitcoin is still less volatile than it was last year, it is becoming increasingly volatile, suggesting that greater price shifts are on the way. But will the bullish momentum continue or will crypto winter set in once again? The views and opinions expressed by the author are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or other advice. || The UK General Election – It’s the 5-Day Countdown: Into Election Week we go. For many, including the British electorate, there will the hope for an end to the Brexit saga. Live televised debates and Q&A sessions may have ultimately gone in favor of the Opposition Party. But, the lead and the reality of Brexit looks to have given the Tories the lead with just 5-days remaining. Market confidence going into the weekend remained, in spite of a pullback in the Pound against the Greenback. The pullback was data-driven rather than election sentiment-driven, or so it seemed. We had seen the Pound hit choppy waters ahead of key live televised debates and last Friday was no exception. With the U.S President on his way back to the U.S, there was little interference to trouble the markets. So, as things stand… YouGov released its latest opinion poll tracker results, covering the opinion polls from 5thand 6thDecember, on the weekend. After a narrowing in support for the Tories, the Pound’s rise to 7-month highs was vindicated if the polls are anything to go by. According to the latestPolls, The Tories, • The Conservative Party saw their share of the vote increase from 42% on 3rdDecember to 43% on 6th • This reversed a fall from 43% on 29th • In spite of the uptick, the share of the vote continued to sit well below the 15thNovember high 45%. The Opposition Party, • The Labour Party’s share of the vote held steady at 33% over the same period. • Whilst holding steady, this was down from the Labour Party’s high 34% on 29th • In spite of a widening in the Tory Party lead, the lead remains significantly narrower than the widest margin aback on 15th • On 15thNovember, the Tories had a 17 point lead. As of the latest survey, the lead stood at 10 points. • Good news for Johnson and the Brexiteers is the double-digit lead in the final run to Election Day. For the remaining parties, • The Liberal Democrats saw a slight increase in support, bringing to an end a downward trend that began back on 22nd • Since the start of November, the Lib Dems have seen their share of the vote fall from a high 17%. • The rest of the minority parties lost support at the end of the week, as voters moved across the Tories and the Lib Dems. The latest bookmakers’ odds saw some minor changes from late last week. According toOddschecker, For the Tories, • Odds for the Tories to win with an overall majority widened from 2/5 to 3/8 over the weekend. • The widening came off the back of a widening from 1/2 to 2/5 mid-way through last week. • For the Tories to win the most seats, these held steady at 1/20 after having moved from 1/16 in the week ending 29th • This came off the back of a move from 1/14 to 1/16 ahead of the weekend of 23rdNovember. For the opposition party, • Oddschecker has the odds of Labour winning the most seats at 14/1, narrowing from 16/1 from the middle of last week. • The odds of an overall Labour majority moved from 25/1 to 11/4, however, after having held steady at 25/1 mid-week. Hung Parliament? With the Lib Dems continuing to struggle, the odds of a hung parliament moved from 5/2 to 11/4. This came off the back of a widening from 2/1 to 5/2 mid-week. Over the weekend of 23rdNovember, Oddschecker had the odds of a hung parliament stand at 11/5. UK bookmakers had the odds of a hung parliament at 5/4 in the 1stweek of November. In spite of the uncertainty of Election Day, the Bookies are going for an all-out Tory win… The opinion polls and the bookmakers continue to have the Tories as the likely victors in next Thursday’s election. Electoral Calculushas also continued to predict a Tory Party majority this time around. The predictions had raised some uncertainty ahead of the weekend. The latest predictions, however, may well alleviate some of that uncertainty. For the Tories, • Electoral Calculus predicts the Tories to win 348 seats, which would give a majority of 46. The latest prediction was based on opinion polls from between 2ndand 7th • Ahead of the weekend, Electoral Calculus had predicted a 20 seat majority. • Mid-week, Electoral Calculus had predicted the Tories to win 339 seats, which would have given a majority of 28 seats. • This is good news for Johnson and the Brexiteers, with the majority now well above the recent low 12 seats. For the Opposition Party, • Labour has seen their predicted number of seats fall from 229 levels from the middle of last week to 225 seats this weekend. • While narrowing from recent highs, the number of seats remains well above 208 levels back at the end of November. The Remaining Parties, • The Scottish National Party have seen their predicted number of seats fall to 41, down from a high of 47. • It’s not been spectacular for the LIB Dems either, with the Pro-Remainers predicted to win just 13 seats… It was a spectacular week for the Pound last week. Well, at least for those looking for a run at $1.40 levels and a resounding Tory Party victory. A return to $1.31 levels and 7-month highs came in spite of the markets having been badly bitten twice before. Back in 2016, the EU Referendum caused mayhem that resulted in margin calls closing out a large number of smaller brokerages. In 2017, Theresa May took a gamble that left the Tories with a minority government that ultimately ended any chance of delivering Brexit. The Brexit deadlock was not only frustrating for the EU and Britain but also for the global financial markets. We may not have seen the Pound return to the post-EU Referendum flash-crash low of $1.19048, but, we did see sub-$1.20 levels back in September. Johnson’s return to British politics and easing into Number 10 has been the Pound’s key support mechanism. Not only did he manage to renegotiate a Brexit deal but, he also managed to get Parliament to vote in favor of the deal. That’s quite an achievement, recognized by a Pound that is up 9.8% from the  2ndSeptember 2019 low to Friday’s close. There could be more upside going into Thursday’s election if the polls, predictions, and odds continue to demonstrate a return to supremacy for the Tories… It still leaves a long way down, if voters defy the odds, however. Could we see some jitters ahead of the big day? Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • The Crypto Daily – Movers and Shakers -08/12/19 • S&P 500 Weekly Price Forecast – Stock Markets Recover Drastically For The Week • US Stock Market Overview – Stocks Surge Following Robust US Jobs Report • Natural Gas Weekly Price Forecast – Natural Gas Markets Give Up Gains For The Week • Bitcoin Cash – ABC, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 08/12/19 • Gold Price Prediction – Prices Drop and Momentum Reverses on Robust US Jobs Growth || Bitcoin Eyes $8.8K After Largely Erasing Last Week’s Dip: View Bitcoin’s four-hour chart indicates the recent pullback has ended and the bulls have regained control. The weekly chart is also aligned in favor of the bulls. A retest of key resistance near $8,800 looks likely. A violation there would expose the 200-day average currently near $9,000. The bullish case would weaken if prices find acceptance under the resistance-turned-support of $8,530. Bitcoin has erased much of the losses seen in the second half of the last week and looks set to revisit resistance near $8,800. The number one cryptocurrency found bids near $8,270 during the Asian trading hours on Sunday and rose as high as $8,677 around 01:00 UTC Monday, according to CoinDesk’s Bitcoin Price Index . With the $400 recovery, bitcoin has retraced 80 percent of the drop from $8,793 to $8,213 observed during the three days to Jan. 25. Related: Bitcoin’s Halving Captures Growing Interest – Among Google Searchers Some analysts believe the overnight price rise has marked an end of the corrective pullback from the Jan. 19 high of $9,188 and has put the bulls back in the driver’s seat. The argument has merit, as the correction had taken the shape of a typically bullish falling-wedge pattern, which was breached to the higher side 24 hours ago. As a result, bitcoin looks set to challenge higher resistance levels. At press time, the cryptocurrency is changing hands near $8,610, representing a 2 percent gain on a 24-hour basis. 4-hour chart Bitcoin activated twin bullish cues on Sunday: the move above $8,350 confirming a wedge breakout, and the break above $8,530 confirming a double-bottom breakout. Related: How Coronavirus Outbreak in China Could Weigh on Crypto Prices The latter has been reinforced by dip demand near $8,530, as highlighted by the long tail attached to the current four-hour candle. The falling-wedge breakout indicates the rally from the Jan. 3 low of $6,850 has resumed, while the double bottom breakout has opened the doors for $8,800 (target as per the measured move method). That roughly coincides with Wednesday’s high of $8,793, the level at which bitcoin started to fall. Story continues A break above $8,793 would expose the 200-day average lined up near $9,000. If that hurdle is crossed, the recent high of $9,188 would come into play. However, the cryptocurrency may have a tough time forcing a break above $8,793 if trading volumes continue to remain weak. As can be seen on the above chart, volumes haven’t picked up post-breakout. Green bars, representing buying volumes, have been smaller than the red bars (selling) observed throughout the pullback from $9,200. Weekly chart The MACD histogram, an indicator used to identify trend changes and trend strength, has crossed above zero, signaling a bullish reversal on the weekly chart for the first time since August. With the shift, the bullish signal provided by the falling channel breakout witnessed earlier this month has gained credence. The immediate bullish case would weaken if prices find acceptance under $8,530. In that case, sellers may test dip demand by pushing prices to last week’s low of $8,200. Disclosure: The author holds no digital assets at the time of writing. Related Stories Crypto and the Latency Arms Race: Market Microstructures Notes From the WEF: Oil-Producing Nations Want Dollar Alternatives, Just Not Bitcoin || London-Listed Argo Blockchain Reports 10-Fold Increase in Bitcoin Mining Revenue in 2019: Bitcoin mining firm Argo Blockchain says it took 10 times more revenue in 2019 than in the previous year. In apress releaseposted on the London Stock Exchange website on Monday, Argo said, for its first full year of operations, it generated £8.5 million (just over $11 million) in revenue, compared with £760,000 ($985,720) in 2018. The firm listed on the main Market of the London Stock Exchange in August 2018. The figures are unaudited, with the firm expecting to file audited earnings in April. Related:A Russian Nuclear Plant Is Renting Space to Energy-Hungry Bitcoin Miners According to the announcement, in Q4 2019, Argo mined 432 BTC – compared with 426 BTC in Q3. The last quarter saw a drop in revenue to £2.66 million, from Q3’s £3.63 million, however. “The lower quarterly revenue is attributable to a drop in cryptocurrency prices, increased mining difficulty, and unfavourable foreign exchange rates towards the end of the year,” the company said. Peter Wall, Argo CEO, said: “Our mining operations continued to generate industry-best mining margin in the last quarter despite a softening in market conditions from the previous quarter. Our state-of-the-art mining platform is performing as expected and with the expansion of our mining network on pace, along with the recent rise with the price of Bitcoin, Argo is well-placed for a strong year ahead.” Related:Why Harvard Research on a Low-Profit Tezos Attack Matters for Proof-of-Stake The firm has been ramping up its mining capacity ahead of the reward halving event due in May, and currently has 13,364 devices. That includes 6,375 Bitmain Antminer T17s installed since Jan. 1. Argo said it is “on track” to have another 3,625 T17s up and running by the end of this quarter. By the firm’s estimates, the full expected capacity of 17,000 miners will see the power it contributes to the bitcoin network rise from 380 petahashes to over 650 petahashes. A the time of writing, Argo’sstock pricehas risen following the announcement, and was up 3.55 percent at £7.30. • SBI, GMO to Rent Capacity at Massive Bitcoin Mine in Texas: Report • Bitcoin Mining Power Hits Fresh All-Time High [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: up || Prices: 9613.42, 9729.80, 9795.94, 9865.12, 10116.67, 9856.61, 10208.24, 10326.05, 10214.38, 10312.12
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2018-12-27] BTC Price: 3654.83, BTC RSI: 43.28 Gold Price: 1277.30, Gold RSI: 70.35 Oil Price: 44.61, Oil RSI: 34.35 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Confirmed: Nasdaq’s Bitcoin Futures Will Launch in 'First Half' of 2019: The world’s second-largest stock exchange,Nasdaq, has confirmed it plans to launchBitcoin futuresin the first half of 2019, United Kingdom daily tabloid The ExpressreportedMonday, Dec. 3. Asreported, two insider sources had already leaked the plans to Bloomberg in late November. Yesterday’s confirmation from Joseph Christinat, vice president of Nasdaq’s media team, clarified the launch remains subject to approval from theUnited StatesCommodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), although reportedly “there’s been enough work put into this to make [the question of regulatory approval] academic [...] we’re doing this, and it’s happening.” Christinat told The Express that the stock market giant has been eyeing the crypto space “for years” and has been working on its Bitcoin (BTC) futures product for “most” of 2018. He added: “We’ve put a hell of a lot of money and energy into delivering the ability to do this and we’ve been all over it for a long time — way before the market went into turmoil, and that will not affect the timing of this in any way. No. Period. We’re doing this no matter what.” Chrisinat’s interview did not confirm whether Nasdaq’s Bitcoin futures contract will be cash-backed, or physically settled (i.e., with returns paid out in BTC rather than fiat currency). While cash-settled Bitcoin futures contracts came to market onCBOEandCMEGroup asearlyas December 2017, the first physically delivered Bitcoin futures are targeted forlaunchin January 2019 onBakkt, the digital assets platformcreatedby the operator of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). In November 2017, Nasdaq hadfirstindicated it would be launching BTC futures by mid-2018, but soon said it would bedeferringrollout in order to create a “unique enough” offering. Asreported, Nasdaq’s planned futures contract will purportedly be the first of a set of “transparent, regulated and surveilled” digital assets products to be jointly launched as part of its recently announced partnership with U.S. investment firm VanEck. VanEck is also currentlyawaitinga final decision from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on its joint proposal for a physically backed Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) together withblockchainsoftware and financial services firm SolidX. • Nasdaq Partners with VanEck to Release ‘Regulated, Surveilled’ Digital Assets Products • How Traditional Financial Instruments Are Breaking Out in the World of Crypto • Hodler’s Digest, Nov. 26—Dec. 2: Satoshi Makes a New Friend, Buterin Gets Negative Over Centralized Blockchains • Nasdaq’s Bitcoin Futures Could Launch in Q1 2019, Says Bloomberg || Bitcoin Dips Below $4,000 Level in Subdued Trade: Investing.com - Cryptocurrencies failed to remain in the green on Wednesday, as Japan’s financial watchdog plan to require exchanges to provide information on clients. Bitcoin fell 2% to $3,922.0 on the Investing.com Index, as of 8:32 AM ET (13:32 GMT). Cryptocurrencies overall were slightly lower, with the total coin market capitalization at $125 billion at the time of writing, compared to $129 on Tuesday. Ethereum,or Ether, decreased 2% to $108.83 and Litecoin was at $30.897, down almost 3%, while XRP slumped 1% to $0.35047. Digital coins have fallen dramatically in recent weeks, with Bitcoin trading at 80% less than its value a year ago as traders worry about increased regulatory scrutiny and volatility. In Japan, the government is considering requiring digital exchanges to provide information on clients suspected of tax evasion. Income from cryptos is considered taxable in Japan and anyone with an income of 200,000 yen or more per year must declare their digital coins as income. The new tax system would legally require exchanges to disclose client names, addresses and ID numbers to the National Tax Agency. In other news, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) published guidelines for its Fintech license being released on Jan. 1. The permit hopes to promote more innovation in Switzerland, including in cryptocurrency and blockchain, by easing existing regulations that could be a barrier to entry. The guidelines provide more information about the application process, including disclosing shareholders, business plans and legal procedures. Related Articles Thai Exchange Operator Satang Plans $10M Security Token Sale EOS Community Is Challenged After Node Announces Financial Rewards for Votes Switzerland to Boost Crypto, Blockchain Business with FinTech License || ‘Bitcoin’s No Longer Boring,’ Price Heading Towards $1.5K, Say Bloomberg Analysts: Analysts at Bloomberg Intelligence predict that Bitcoin (BTC) “has further to fall,” BloombergreportedNov. 16. “Bitcoin’s no longer boring” declares Bloomberg, before stating that analysts predict the price could fall as low as the $1,500 point, a further 70 percent drop in the coin’s price. Bloomberg cites hedge fund founder Travis Kling saying that he “didn’t sleep well” because of the potential turmoil in wider crypto markets due to the recentBitcoin Cash hard fork: “There’s a small chance that, it’s difficult to estimate, that something really bad could happen related to Bitcoin Cash that could then impact the entire crypto market.” Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Mike McGlone continued the argument, saying the recentmarket crash“was sparked by the pump for the Bitcoin Cash hard fork.” As Bloomberg reports, he explains that the “pump that began a few weeks ago, got the market a bit too offsides with speculative longs playing for the good-old days. But this is an enduring bear market.” Thebear marketin the cryptocurrency industry has evidently affected more than just prices. Major U.S.-based GPU manufacturerNvidiarecentlyreporteda notable decrease in sales in the current quarter, citing fewer GPU sales specifically used for cryptocurrency mining. In a recent note to clients, Fundstrat Global Advisors analyst Rob Sluymerpredictedthat it will take “weeks, if not months” for Bitcoin to rebound from the “technical damage” caused by the recent price collapse. In a separate note this week, Fundstrat co-founder and Head of Research Tom Leetoldclients that he was lowering his previous end-year target for Bitcoin’s price from $25,000 to $15,000. • Ripple Continues to Rebound, While Most Major Cryptocurrencies See Mild Wave of Red • Bitcoin’s Breakdown Will Take ‘Weeks, If Not Months’ to Rebound, Says Fundstrat Analyst • Markets See Massive Sell-Off, Bitcoin Dips Below $5,600 for the First Time in 2018 • How Crypto Market Fall Influences Mining Hardware Sales and Producers’ Revenues || This Kid Has Been Begging For A Bitcoin For Over 15,000 Tweets: Begging in the Bitcoin world is nothing new. Go to any gambling site or even some exchange troll boxes, and you will find people asking for Bitcoin. Look at any Tweet by a major Bitcoin personality, and you will find people asking for Bitcoin. Go to any forum, Reddit related to cryptocurrency, or anything else of that nature, and you will find the same. This reporter has occasionally seen such people who consistently beg for cryptos as “begshits” or “trolls.” The negative connotation is not without merit. After all, there are plenty ofways to get crypto without buying it or even really working for it. This Twitter account, which is likely powered by a script of some sort, has spammed “BeastGangPaulers” for crypto consistently, at least once an hour, often twice per hour, for the entirety of this year. As a result, he has nearly 16,000 tweets dedicated to the purpose. They all read the same: Hey its the top of the hour time to beg mrbeastyt for a bitcoin. Pls give me a bitcoinorIts 30 minutes past the hour time to beg mrbeastyt for a bitcoin. Presumably the user in question,YouTube gaming star Mr. Beast, who has more than 12 million subscribers on the video sharing platform and over half a million Twitter followers, has blocked the beggar, who does not tag him in the tweets. This is understandable, of course: being notified 15,000 times that someone wants you to give them a Bitcoin for free is not a pleasant user experience. It seems perhaps the motive for the Twitter trolling account was born of a contest that MrBeast ran last year, which this other YouTuber says he won: The address that @PlsGiveBitcoin would like a Bitcoin donated to has never received a single satoshi as of time of writing. Perhaps he’s hoping that in the spirit of Christmas, users might change this, as his Tweets show up if you search Bitcoin on Twitter (which is how this reporter came upon the scoop.) For his part, @MrBeastYT doesn’t seem to have ever acknowledged the request. According to his YouTube feed, however, he continues to give money away regularly, with videos like this: YouTube continues to be the platform du jour for everyday people to go from video game addicts to live streaming sensations, and the like. Perhaps in the future a decentralized version will emerge which builds in some equitable money-making scheme. An effort in this direction is calledD.Tube, which is built onSteem. The postThis Kid Has Been Begging For A Bitcoin For Over 15,000 Tweetsappeared first onCCN. || Here's Why Bitcoin & Other Cryptocurrencies Are Falling Today: Bitcoin and several other major cryptocurrencies—including ripple, ethereum, and litecoin—have tumbled in the past day after a rash of headlines sparked concern about uncertainty among investors and traders. According to CoinMarketCap.com, bitcoin has slumped about 8% in the last 24 hours, while ethereum is down more than 12%. Ripple, the second-largest cryptocurrency in terms of market cap, has lost 6% of its value, and litecoin has fallen over 11%. One story causing frustration in the cryptocurrency community relates to a so-called “fork” of bitcoin, bitcoin cash. Bitcoin cash originally split from the world’s top crypto in order to alleviate certain barriers to entry and make the digital asset easier to use, but now, the fork has run into its own problems. Bitcoin cash developers and miners have clashed about the coin’s future. Bitcoin ABC, a developer group that has served as a de-facto leader for Bitcoin Cash, recently proposed upgrades to the coin’s network that would include reordering transactions to increase capacity. This proposal was met with disagreement from Bitcoin SV, a newer group jousting for control of bitcoin cash. Bitcoin SV suggested restoring retired code from the original bitcoin protocol and increasing bitcoin cash’s block size—moves which it argued fit better with the vision of bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto. The clash between Bitcoin ABC and Bitcoin SV eventually resulted in a “hard fork” of bitcoin cash and the creation of two new coins named after the competing groups. The bitcoin cash fork has created an uncertain future for the popular network, which itself was created to solve headaches associated with the original bitcoin. But this disagreement also speaks to the unpredictably of the entire concept of cryptocurrencies, and that has created volatility which has seeped into the broader crypto space. Despite growing acceptance of cryptocurrencies and rising interest in the blockchain technology that powers them, these virtual assets are still searching for credibility in the traditional finance world. KPMG last week published a report that warned investors about using bitcoin as a tool to store value. The accounting behemoth said that cryptocurrencies still need what it calls “institutionalization” in order to prosper. “More participation from the broader financial services ecosystem will help drive trust and scale for the tokenized economy and help the crypto market grow and mature,” wrote KPMG. There was some progress on this front in the past year, with fintech giant Square SQ adding bitcoin support to one of its apps and Goldman Sachs GS reportedly expressing interest in the industry, but much more institutionalization is likely needed to increase adoption and smooth out volatility. Bitcoin is now more than 70% off its highs reached last December. The Bitcoin Investment Trust GBTC just touched a new 52-week low of $5.34. Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside? Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana. 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(GS) : Free Stock Analysis ReportBITCOIN INVT TR (GBTC): ETF Research ReportsTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research || Tim Draper Stands by His Bitcoin Price Prediction of $250K in 2022: Venture capital investor Tim Draper reaffirmed his prediction that the Bitcoin ( BTC ) price will reach $250,000 by 2022, during a panel discussion at the Web Summit summit conference Nov. 6 Draper initially predicted that the BTC price will surge up to $250,000 in April of this year. “Believe it, it’s going to happen – they’re going to think you’re crazy but believe it, it’s happening, it’s going to be awesome!,” Draper said then. When asked at the recent Web Summit conference whether he still thinks the BTC price will experience a 40 times return in a span of four years and reach $250,000, Draper said: “Yes. We are talking [...] about five percent market share to get to $250,000. That seems like a drop in a bucket and all we need to really do is make it so that Bitcoin can be used to buy Starbucks coffee, and all of a sudden the world just opens up and then they say ‘I’ve got this choice.’ [...] Do I want a currency that I can take from country to country [...] or do I want one that sticks me in one country or one geographic area and I can’t use it anywhere else?” Draper also questioned the need for fiat currencies or “political currencies,” stating “why do we even trust currencies that are determined by some weird political party or another?” In Draper’s view, banks issue money “whenever they feel like it for whatever reason they want it,” and the emergence of a “totally apolitical,” global, and open currency would cede control of money from banks to common people, he explained. Speaking at the GovTech Pioneers conference in May, Draper presented his vision of a future in which blockchain utilizing smart contracts in conjunction with artificial intelligence ( AI ) will massively change the role and responsibilities of states. "If we combine Bitcoin, blockchain with smart contracts and artificial intelligence, we could create the perfect bureaucracy," he said. Story continues In September, Draper made another prediction, saying that the total cryptocurrency market capitalization will hit $80 trillion in the next 15 years. Draper argued that the significant slide in the cryptocurrency market in previous months is attributed to people who had not adopted digital currencies as a new asset class. Draper said then: “Cryptocurrency will go after trillion dollar markets — these are finance , healthcare and insurance , banking and investment banking , and governments .” Related Articles: ‘I Don’t Want to Be President’: John McAffee to Exclusively Promote Crypto in 2020 Race Survey: 60% of Americans Think Crypto Should Be Treated as Fiat in Political Campaigns US Man Fined $1.1 Million, Sentenced to 15 Months for Fraudulent Bitcoin, Litecoin Schemes U.S. Law Firm Files Claims Against AT&T, T-Mobile Over SIM Swap-Enabled Crypto Thefts || Steem Added to State of the DApps Listings: Social blockchain platform Steem, home to the Steemit social network, has been added to dApp (decentralized application) tracking website stateofthedapps.com and now sits proudly next to Ethereum, EOS, and POA, on the site’s “Rankings by Platform” page. Steem dApp listings are still being populated so the leading dApps might not be in the right order just yet. According to the Steem website the social blogging platform Steemit is Steem’s most used dApp followed by its mobile application eSteem, decentralized video platform DTube, funding platform Utopian, and the Steem Monsters collectible game. Interestingly, the Steemit social platform enters the rankings with nearly 5,000 users in the past 24 hours, only beaten by one more listed dApp and that’s BingoBet based on the EOS blockchain. Despite activity on the Ethereum blockchain in recent years its trailing poorly for dApp user rankings which could be a sign of trouble for the blockchain. Though Ethereum’spromised upgradescould solve the scalability issues which are deterring dApp developers right now. Steem, on its website, is reporting over 1 million transactions in the past 24 hours, with Ethereum and Bitcoin blockchains processing half that number. On October 21, 2018, EOS processed 5.4 million transactions, Ethereum 1.3 million, and another up and coming blockchain platform,Waves, reached 6.1 million transactions. The addition of Steem to State of the DApps was a result of Steemian Rosanne Dubbeld’s tweet to the listings website just two days ago. State of the DApps says it’s working with the webmaster ofSteem Appsto populate live statistics for Steem top applications. According toSteem Projectsthere are currently 445 applications built using the Steem blockchain. Many of these are utilities with around ten games, nine trading apps, and five wallets. State of the DApps is still missing a platform. Competitor DappRadar already lists TRON dApps, but doesn’t list Steem. TRON’s busiest dApp, TRONbet, is putting out nearly2 millionTRON transactions a day. The second most popular, TRON Shrimp Farm, is hitting 17,000 transactions per day. The number of dApps, users, and transactions are important indicators of the viability and ability to scale of blockchain platforms. Without access to private blockchain application statistics, like platforms being implemented in banking or trade systems, they are a useful industry metric. The success of blockchain as a technology is key to cryptocurrency adoption. And, coin prices are influenced by the deployment of their native chains. Featured image from Shutterstock. The postSteem Added to State of the DApps Listingsappeared first onCCN. || 2018 Bytom Global DevCon was Successfully Held, the US Blockchain Team Won the First Prize of 200,000 BTM: NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / November 25, 2018 / November 17-18, the Bytom Global Devcon 2018 has been successfully held at Hangzhou International Expo Center (G20 venue). The ultimate technology feast for blockchain developers has been officially kicked off on August 11th. The contest was held in main cities includes Hangzhou, Beijing, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Shanghai, Seoul, Boston and Silicon Valley. Over 100 development teams from all over the world developed their projects based on Bytom blockchain. In the end, 16 top development teams from various countries including China, the United States, South Korea and Greece reached the finals, competing for a million bonus. Finally, the Bytom-based decentralized digital asset trading platform Bytomswap won the first prize and received 200,000 BTM bonuses. In the Bytom Global DevCon, 16 top develop teams gave their incredible project roadshows, big name within the industry also discussed the recent hot spots in their presentations. Guests benefit a lot from five roundtable forums. The successful holding of the Bytom Global DevCon shows the gradual development and growing influence of Bytom ecosystem. Blockchain developers from all over the world also show their passion in the competition. All this makes the blockchain "winter" not so cold. 1. Inclusiveness and open source This competition is the first blockchain event that hosted by open source organizations and local technology companies in Hangzhou. Its success is due to two elements: inclusiveness and open source. Duan Xinxing, founder of Bytom expressed his gratitude to Hangzhou for its inclusive spirit and payed a tribute to the open source movement. "In 2008 and 2009, thecommon open source spirit brings developers together and enabled them todiscuss peer-to-peer network technology, encryption technology, and PoS(proof-of-work) mechanisms in MIT crypto mail groups. People from differentfields gathered together to create a great thing, and then jointly promote itsprogress which forms the development of today's bitcoin and blockchain." Story continues Meanwhile, the development of Bytom also relays on the spirit of open source. The developers, testers, and coders from all over the world are all committed to the open source spirit and contribute their wisdom which enables Bytom to get there we are today. 2. Big name's viewpoints Many senior researchers and project founders gave their presentation in the Bytom Global DevCon, including Bai Shuo, chief scientist of World Blockchain Organization (WBO); Liu Quan, president of CCID Block Research Institute; Sun Lilin, founder of platON, Austrian economist Boer Feimo; Professor Chen Gongliang form Shanghai Jiaotong University (SJTU) and Hyperledger technology ambassador Dong Ning gave their presentation. 3. Hot-spot technologies The most cutting-edge blockchain technologies, including side-chain, cross-chain, multiparty computing, artificial intelligence (AI), encryption algorithm, privacy protection has also been discussed in Bytom Global DevCon. Side-chain: Bytom launchesside-chain project, promotes blockchain business applications The role of side-chain is to transform digital assets between different blockchains. Recently, there are some popular side-chain projects including Liquid, RSK, and Loom. This time, Bytom has also launched its self-developed side-chain project—Vapor at the conference. According to Bytom's core developer Wang Zhang, Vapor is based on the two-way peg (2WP) technology and SPV model. By introducing the middleman mechanism, the quality and relative security of the assets can be guaranteed through Vapor. Bytom CTO Lang Yu added that Vapor has open sourced and subsequent iterations will follow. It will connect with the main chain of Bitcoin and Ethereum to become a universal side-chain project. Multiparty computing:evaluating the data Multiparty computing refers to data interaction in a circuit way without transforming of the original data or exposing data privacy. Different parties may participate in the entire computing process through computing nodes, in order to get the valued result they all wanted. AI: the boundary with blockchain is blurring "The boundary of blockchain and AI is merging," said Bytom's co-founder Chang Jia in the roundtable forum on Computationalism, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence. Chang Jia uses GPU mining as an example and indicated that the computing power that generates by GUP mining can be used in AI operation. He believes that blockchain and artificial intelligence can do more integration on data: Encryption algorithm:autonomous controllable information security in China's financial field basedon national cryptographic standard Zhang Chengcheng, core developer of Bytom, shared his point of view on Bytom development based on the national cryptographic standard. The national cryptographic standard is consisted by a series of cryptographic algorithms. Among them, the SM2, SM3 and SM4 algorithm are most commonly used. Bytom also uses these three algorithms in its national cryptographic standard test chain. According to Zhang, the national cryptographic standard test network of Bytom has open sourced on the Bytom GitHub homepage and there is not much difference in user experience compares to Bytom's main network. 4. Roadshow: 16 developmentteams join the fierce competition, Bytomswap won the first prize 16 development teams demonstrated their projects in the two-day roadshow. The winner, Bytomswap, is a decentralized digital asset trading platform based on Bytom. The core developer Anil Kumar has worked in software programming industry for 18 years. Anil highlight the two main reasons of choosing to develop on Bytom blockchain: First of all, Bitcoin application UTXO is a trustworthy trading model as it guarantees the total amount of tokens issued on the network and the token supply can be estimated. While the BUTXO model, an advanced version of UTXO, supports simultaneous trading of multiple assets, that lays a good foundation for the development of trading platforms. Secondly, the PoW Consensus mechanism and the simple Equity Anil believes the future of Bytom is bright as it has made many improvements on the basis of Bitcoin and Ethereum, and it is very easy to launch tokens and trade digital assets on the Bytom blockchain. Learn more about BYTOM - https://bytom.io/ Read the BYTOM Whitepaper - https://bytom.io/wp-content/themes/freddo/book/BytomWhitePaperV1.1_En.pdf Twitter - https://twitter.com/Bytom_Official Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/bytomofficial/ Telegram - https://t.me/BytomInternational Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/BytomBlockchain/ Discord - https://discordapp.com/invite/U3RSYr5 Medium - https://medium.com/@cloudmoolah CONTACT: Yi Ren, [email protected] SOURCE: Bytom || Why General Electric Stock Fell 10% in October: What happened Shares of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) had a bizarre October. According to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence , the stock closed the month down 10.5% in line with peers United Technologies and Honeywell, and with every other major industrial company for that matter. So it's simply a matter of the market selling off industrials in fear over an upcoming cyclical slowdown in the U.S. and in response to weak economic data coming out of China, right? A stock price chart. October was a highly volatile month for GE's stock price. Image source: Getty Images. Well, that's the easy answer, but a quick look at the chart shows that GE stock was actually up by around 20% at one point in October. The move up followed on from Larry Culp's appointment as CEO amid the hope that he would get the company back on track, and at the very least, GE would start giving reliable earnings guidance. As you can see below, the rally ultimately fizzled out, and subsequent to the GE's horrible third-quarter earnings report (GE gave results on Oct. 30), the stock's absolute and relative decline continued. GE Chart GE data by YCharts . So what It's never a good idea to read too much into one month's trading, but I'm going to do it anyway. The so-called Culp rally indicates that the market is supportive of Culp and see the value potential in GE's stock. However, the down move and subsequent post-results performance suggest that investors want to see some hard evidence in the numbers first. The earnings report was little short of shocking in terms of GE Power, and the lack of specific earnings or cash flow guidance will surely have disappointed investors. In addition, even though the cut to GE's dividend was widely anticipated , the act of doing it will have left many income investors ruing the loss of the dividend. Whichever way you look at it, GE's earnings were not received favorably by the market. Now what Looking ahead, investors will be keeping an eye out for any news flow on the Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into its accounting and end-market conditions for its ailing power segment. Meanwhile, along with every other industrial stock, GE will be moved around on sentiment regarding the global economy. Story continues That said, the biggest single event coming up in the next few months is likely to be Culp's commentary and guidance for GE in 2019. He's talked of wanting to give guidance with "conviction and confidence" so stockholders have a clearer fix on the performance of the business. That's the first step in a recovering credibility with investors. If he can do that and convince investors that 2018 will mark a trough in earnings and cash flow, then the stock has plenty of upside potential. More From The Motley Fool 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Lee Samaha owns shares of Honeywell International. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . || Bitcoin Mining Market Still Strong as Shown by Bitfury’s $1 Billion Valuation: bitcoin mining This week, Bitcoin mining equipment manufacturer and blockchain software firm Bitfury secured a valuation of $1 billion from billionaire investor Mike Novogratz and Korelya Capital’s $80 million investment in the firm. The multi-million dollar funding round comes after the release of Bitfury Clarke, the firm’s new Bitcoin ASIC miner, designed to compete against Bitmain’s new equipment, the 7nm Antminer . Valery Vavilov, the CEO of Bitfury, stated that the demand for the blockchain and crypto in general from companies and institutions had increased significantly over the past 11 months. “We see a lot of demand from companies and public institutions to put their services or products in the blockchain — especially in emerging markets, where administrative systems can be very inefficient.” Rising Activity in Mining and Blockchain Throughout the past four months, despite the sideways market of Bitcoin (BTC) and the 70 percent correction experienced by the cryptocurrency market since January, the hash rate of the Bitcoin blockchain network has increased substantially from 15 million TH/s to over 50 million TH/s. The increase in the hash rate of the Bitcoin network, which represents the strength of the blockchain’s computing power, led to a surge in the breakeven cost of crypto mining. In July, cryptocurrency analyst Barclay James reported that the breakeven cost of mining Bitcoin is around $6,900, based on the hash rate of the Bitcoin network at the time which was 35 million TH/s. According to Blockchain, the most popular cryptocurrency wallet platform in the sector, the hash rate of Bitcoin currently remains above 50 million TH/s, up 42 percent since July. Since the $6,900 breakeven cost of Bitcoin mining was calculated based on 35 million TH/s, the breakeven cost of mining has well surpassed $7,500 even in regions with naturally cold climates and cheap electricity like China that reduces operational costs. “China has some of the world’s cheapest electricity rates as well as average temperatures consistent with temperate regions. This is important as cooling is one of the largest overheads in mining. In addition, the country’s generally low operating costs also give it a competitive advantage,” James wrote . Story continues Due to the rise in the breakeven cost of mining, miners are generating BTC at a fairly large loss. Until BTC breaks out of the $7,000 resistance level and to the high region of $7,800 to $8,000, miners will continue to mine BTC with a loss of around 20 to 30 percent. Still, the hash rate of Bitcoin , Ethereum , and other major cryptocurrencies continues to surge, as does the demand for mining-focused ventures like Bitfury, Bitmain, and Samsung’s new foundry. Lucrative Business Models of Mining Companies Bitmain is finalizing a $15 billion IPO , and, earlier this year, Bloomberg reported that if Bitfury IPOs, it will target a valuation of $3 to $5 billion. Mining companies and mining equipment manufacturers like TSMC and Samsung remain confident in the long-term development of the industry, and the investment of a major venture capital firm in Korelya is considered a confirmation of strength of the industry in a period of uncertainty and doubt. Korelya is an investment firm financed by Naver, the largest search engine operator in South Korea that is more widely utilized than Google in the region. Bitfury is the first indirect investment in crypto from Naver. Featured Image from Shutterstock The post Bitcoin Mining Market Still Strong as Shown by Bitfury’s $1 Billion Valuation appeared first on CCN . [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] http://article.gmane.org/gmane.comp.encryption.general/12588/ … From: Satoshi Nakamoto <satoshi@vistomail․com> Subject: Bitcoin P2P e-cash paper Newsgroups: comp.encryption.general Date: Friday 31st October 2008 18:10:00 UTC (10 years ago) I've been working on a new electronic cash system … || $NHPI OFFICIAL MERGER papers w/ Woodbrook Group... 1 year price forecast by Yahoo & CNN business at $2.00 minimum https://money.cnn.com/quote/forecast/forecast.html?symb=NHPI … $SPY $BTC $AAPL $GOOGL $NFLX $FB $TLRY $APHA $ONCS $TSLAhttps://twitter.com/warrior16win/status/1072216106654285824 … || #Cardano is now at USD $0.0417882798 and BTC 0.0417882798 (Up 0.19% last hour) #ADA GET ALERTS SENT DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX => http://CardanoPrice.org  || Freecoin Hunt bring the list of most recent and profitable crypto Airdrops, Bounties and Award. Click the link to receive the Gifts 1. $50. 2. Chance to win iPhone XS, BTC, ETH everyday！ 3. Chance to get the most profitable cryptocurrency For Free. https://freecoinhunt.com/?n=3kbh9spa6t.LandingpageShow1&RefId=nd85jc744npy5dab4qeb2wua … || 2018/12/11 07:00 #Binance 格安コイン 1位 #HOT 0.00000013 BTC(0.05円) 2位 #NPXS 0.00000015 BTC(0.06円) 3位 #BCN 0.00000022 BTC(0.08円) 4位 #DENT 0.00000026 BTC(0.1円) 5位 #NCASH 0.00000049 BTC(0.19円) #仮想通貨 #アルトコイン #草コインhttps://wp.me/p9uE3r-u  || 最もBTC/JPYのスプレッドが狭いのは？(2018-11-26 01:00:02 現在) coincheck 97.00 Liquid 153.00 bitbank 188.00 bitFlyer 350.00 BITPoint 439.61 Zaif 460.00 || 12/19 09:00現在 #Bitcoin : 411,825円↑ #NEM #XEM : 7.3623円↑ #Monacoin : 134円→ #Ethereum : 11,290円↑ #Zaif : 0.1569円↑ || @lakers4ever777 Free btc from our crypto faucets: https://faucetfly.com/faucets  || /7 Got out 4177$, really wanted the range low to be protected. Looks nasty, waiting on the D1 close, +0.27 $BTC (better then staying in denial and lose all PnL). If bulls fail to protect and we dump below 4060$ I expect a bloodbath, notre père... pic.twitter.com/jv9bUFvImy || Our trading signal service sold #QuarkChain with -2,93% loss. Connect with @CryptoDealingdeskBot on Telegram to trade like a pro yourself. #Crypto #Cryptocurrency #Bitcoin $BTC #altcoins #Trading 4252 closed trades / 60,09% wins / Total yield 6.967,00% since 2017-10-24
Trend: up || Prices: 3923.92, 3820.41, 3865.95, 3742.70, 3843.52, 3943.41, 3836.74, 3857.72, 3845.19, 4076.63
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2018-02-13] BTC Price: 8598.31, BTC RSI: 41.53 Gold Price: 1328.10, Gold RSI: 52.85 Oil Price: 59.19, Oil RSI: 32.77 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin Cash Looking Heavy After Bull Move Fails: Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is looking heavy, courtesy of last week's failed bullish move. Data sourceOnChainFXsay the world's fifth largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization is down 4 percent in the last 24 hours, while week-on-week, bitcoin cash has yielded -2 percent returns. As of writing, BCH is trading at $2,372 – that's down 45 percent from its all-time high of $4,330 set on Dec. 20. BCH witnessed an upside break of the congestionlast Wednesday, but the follow-through has been anything but encouraging. Contrary to expectations, the cryptocurrency failed to see a sustained move above $2,800 on Thursday. Prices then briefly jumped to $2,884 on Saturday, but again closed (as per UTC) well below the $2,800 mark, marking another failure at key resistance. The price action is referred to as "fakeout" – that is, when prices fail to rally following a bullish breakout and actually drop. A fakeout usually ends up turning the tide in favor of the bears. Still, while a cause of concern for the bulls, the bitcoin cash chart shows no reason to panic. The abovechart(prices as per Bitfinex) shows: • Fakeout (failed bullish breakout) as discussed above. • Prices have re-entered the sideways channel, neutralizing the immediate outlook. • The 50-day moving average is still bullish (sloping upwards). • The rising trend line is intact and could offer support at $1,880 levels. A downside break of the sideways channel (i.e. a close (as per UTC) below $2,300) would indicate the sell-off from the record high of $4,104 has resumed. Prices could then test rising trendline support of $1,880. The trendline support is seen sloping upwards to $2,000 over the next week. On the higher side, a close (as per UTC) above $2,950.70 (Jan. 11 high) could yield a rally to $3,319 (61.8 percent Fibonacci retracement). Falling tower of blocksimage via Shutterstock • Bitcoin Slides More Than 10 Percent to Near $10,000 Level • Bitcoin Defends $11,000 Mark and Eyes Move Higher • Stuck at $12K: Bitcoin Price Needs Quick Progress to Avert Further Losses • Ripple and Stellar Lead the Way as Crypto Market Shakes Off Rout || UBI BlockChain Stock Surges, But What's Behind the Hype?: At first glance, investing in UBI BlockChain Internet may seem like a sure bet. The Hong Kong-based company says it wants to use blockchain’s decentralized-ledger technology to track the authenticity of pharmaceuticals. That positions the company to ride the interest in blockchain that has surged along with the market for the cryptocurrencies likeBitcointhat pioneered it. UBI’s stockubiae, traded in over-the-counter markets, has risen by as much as 1,000% this year at its peak. A 3-to-1stock splitwas announced today, and the company’smarket valueis now well north of $1 billion. But a closer look complicates that rosy picture. According to a report today fromBloomberg, UBI BlockChain is a recent convert to its namesake technology, with its executives formerly heading up a company that made an anti-bedwetting patch called the UrinStopper. That company, in turn, had been linked in the mid-2000s by aBarron’sinvestigation to possible fraudulentmedical claimsabout its products. According toBloomberg, UBI Blockchain today has only 18 employees, $15,406 dollars in cash on hand, no revenue, and $6.3 million in debt. The phone number listed on its SEC filings is reportedly disconnected. All that information came from a filing for the planned sale of shares personally owned by UBI executives. Get Data Sheet,Fortune’stechnology newsletter. Stanford Professor Charles Lee was blunt, tellingBloombergthat “the profile of this company is scary,” and that “you certainly don’t want to own this stock.” It’s yet another example of stocks mirroring the volatility and opacity ofsome cryptocurrencies. UBI Blockchain is one of at least a dozen small-cap companies who have announced shifts to focus on blockchain in recent months. Some of those appear to be sincere pivots, while others – such as the Long Island Iced Tea company, which renamed itselfLong Blockchain, or the flailing biotech company that changed its name toRiot Blockchain– have the whiff of either desperation or chicanery. Even the best-intended of these big switches should be regarded with serious skepticism, for at least two reasons. First, finding profitable business applications for blockchain is still a huge conceptual challenge, even for committed pioneers who have been in the sector for years. At an even more basic level,finding staffto execute these pivots seems next to impossible. Blockchain engineering requires a complex suite of skills involving not just programming, but social engineering and economics. Those skills can’t be picked up in a few weeks at a code academy, and many of the engineers who already have them are either involved in their own projects, or have been made independently wealthy by the cryptocurrency boom. The resulting talent shortage is widely considered thebiggest challengefacing the cryptocurrency ecosystem right now. Latecomers like UBI will likely have a particularly hard time attracting workers from within the tight-knit crypto community. So, as always when you hear about a hot stock tip, caveat emptor. || Ripple and MoneyGram Test XRP Currency Transfers: Ripple, a blockchain company and rival to bitcoin, on Thursday announced a tie-up with Dallas-based money transfer giant MoneyGram. The move is significant because the arrangement involves the use of XRP, Ripple’s digital currency, which has recently soared in value but also faced questions about its practical uses. The partnership will see MoneyGram pilot the use of XRP through a new Ripple service, called xRapid, designed to provide liquidity to financial institutions. In a release announcing the news, the companies touted the speed and efficiency of XRP: XRP remains the most efficient digital asset for payments with transaction fees at just fractions of a penny, compared to Bitcoin fees of about $30 per transaction. Similarly, the average transaction time for XRP is 2-3 seconds with other top digital assets ranging from 15 minutes to an hour. In a statement, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse described the MoneyGram tie-up as a strategic one, and said it would demonstrate XRP’s ability to lower costs for money transfers between friends and families. While banks around the world are experimenting with blockchain (the underlying technology behind bitcoin and Ripple) to lower money transfer costs, skeptics of Ripple say its XRP currency is unnecessary to carry out transactions. Garlinghouse, however, makes the case that XRP obviates the need for money transfer shops to maintain local currency accounts (so-called nostro and vostro accounts) in far-flung locations. In an earlier interview , he told Fortune that the use of XRP will allow firms to free up idle capital for other purposes. This notion of using digital currency as a form of bridge funding is not unique to XRP. Last year, IBM and a consortium of banks in the South Pacific announced a blockchain transfer arrangement that entails the use of a cryptocurrency called Stellar. For MoneyGram, the tie-up with Ripple may provide a way to maintain its share of the money transfer market. Like its longtime rival Western Union , MoneyGram has faced competition from a new generation of low-cost Internet-based services like TransferWise. Story continues “Every day blockchain technology is changing the norm and encouraging innovation. Ripple is at the forefront of blockchain technology and we look forward to piloting xRapid. We’re hopeful it will increase efficiency and improve services to MoneyGram’s customers,” said CEO Alex Holmes in a statement. Ripple’s venture with MoneyGram comes several months after the company announced a partnership with American Express axp . And in November, a prominent tech figure, Michael Arrington, announced the creation of a $100 million hedge fund denominated in XRP. In recent weeks, Ripple has been the subject of intense scrutiny as XRP soared exponentially to briefly become the world’s second most valuable cryptocurrency after bitcoin. It reached all-time highs of over $3.50 and a market cap of over $120 billion in early January, but has since fallen more than 50%. || Marijuana stocks are getting slammed after report says Jeff Sessions plans to roll back legal pot rules: Marijuana stocks slammed US Attorney General Jeff Sessions plans to roll back rules that paved the way for states to legalize marijuana, AP reported Thursday. Cannabis-related stocks took major hits after the news, falling as much as 35%. Marijuana stocks slumped after the Associated Press reported Thursday that US Attorney General Jeff Sessions plans to roll back Obama-era federal policies that paved the way for states to legalize marijuana, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter. He is expected to announce the policy shift later Thursday. Several of the largest cannabis growers and other marijuana-related stocks took a hit in trading Thursday, reversing gains earlier in the week from California’s full legalization of recreational marijuana . Terra Tech , the largest US pot stock with a $407 million market cap, was down 35% on the news. Cannabis Science was also down 35% on the news. Medical Marijuana Inc was down 22.74% on the news. Canopy Growth , the largest Canadian marijuana stock, was trading down about 9%. Aurora Cannabis plummeted 13% on the news and was trading down roughly 8% mid-morning. The move by President Donald Trump’s attorney general likely will add to confusion about whether it’s alright to grow, buy, or use marijuana in states where pot is legal , since long-standing federal law prohibits it. While mmarijuana continues to be illegal at the federal level, a number of states have voted to legalize and regulate the recreational market in recent years. Sessions has previously touted marijuana as a “gateway drug," saying it could lead to use of much more harmful drugs. This has been debunked by numerous scientific studies . NOW WATCH: THE BOTTOM LINE: Bitcoin mania, a Nobel Prize-winning economist talks Trump, and a deep dive on unstoppable tech stocks See Also: BANK OF AMERICA: Stocks could surge 19% this year because investors are the right kind of cautious The world's hottest investment product is showing signs of slowing down The best stock market trade of 2017 was one that experts hate SEE ALSO: Sessions is losing the war on weed in Nevada || Union Pacific's Q4 Earnings Probably Should Have Been Better: One might have assumed that after last quarter's impressive results in the face of Hurricane Harvey, Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) would produce a stellar fourth quarter. But while the company did post higher revenues and earnings, they weren't high enough to meet Wall Street expectations. Beyond this short term issue, Q4 was a mixed bag for Union Pacific. So let's dig into the numbers to see what went well and what didn't in the quarter, as well as get a sense of what management expects in 2018. Loading intermodal rail cars at a terminal. Image source: Getty Images By the numbers Metric Q4 2017 Q3 2017 Q4 2016 Revenue $5.45 billion $5.41 billion $5.17 billion Operating income $2.25 billion $2.01 billion $1.96 billion Net income $7.28 billion $1.19 billion $1.14 billion EPS (diluted) $9.29 $1.50 $1.39 Source: Union Pacific earnings release. EPS= earnings per share. It's easy to get hypnotized by that incredible earnings per share number, but keep in mind that much of that result is related to the recent changes in the U.S. tax code that allowed Union Pacific to reduce its deferred tax liability by $5.9 billion. Dropping that liability off of the balance sheet is a one-time deal, and won't impact the cash flow of the company. Factoring out the tax savings, Union Pacific earned $1.2 billion, or $1.53 per share. Now let's get into the nitty-gritty. The quarter's revenue gains came almost exclusively from its industrial products segment, where sales grew 28% on a 17% increase in volumes and a 10% boost in pricing. Shipping frack sand to the oil and gas business has been a booming business for Union Pacific , as most of the sand mines in the U.S. are in the Upper Midwest while most shale basins are west of the Mississippi, where Union Pacific shares a near duopoly with Burlington Northern Santa Fe . Aside from industrial products, it was an up-and-down quarter as gains in chemicals and intermodal shipments offset declines in volume for agricultural products, automotive, and coal. Story continues UNP revenue by segment for Q4 2016, Q3 2017, and Q4 2017. Shows double-digit gain for industrial products while other segments offset each other. Source: Union Pacific earnings release. Chart by author. From an operations standpoint, things look good, but not necessarily as good as the reported numbers might make them appear. According to management, its adjusted operating ratios -- which factor out some one-time gains reported on its income statement -- for Q4 and the year were 62.6% and 63%, respectively. Those were improvements over the prior year's numbers, but the company did lose ground on some critical operating metrics like terminal dwell time and average train velocity. Hopefully, management will be able to correct its course with these metrics in 2018, because it will be harder to achieve efficiency gains as fuel prices rise. If there is one thing to be a little concerned about, it's that Union Pacific's management seems a bit overzealous with its capital return program. Last quarter, the company repurchased $1.1 billion in stock, and increased its dividend by 10% for this year. Dividends and share repurchases represented 129% of net income for the year, and the company needed to issue debt to cover both capital spending and capital returns. We'll have to see if the cuts to corporate tax rates will free up enough cash to support these kinds of spending habits in 2018. What management had to say In Union Pacific's press release, CEO Lance Fritz said: We are optimistic the economy will favor a number of our market segments leading to another year of positive volume growth. Increased unit volume, combined with inflation plus core pricing and G55-0 productivity initiatives, should result in another year of revenue growth and improved margins. We will continue to execute our value-track strategy to benefit our employees, partner with the communities we serve, provide our customers an excellent experience, and generate strong returns for our shareholders. Just for reference, the G55-0 initiatives to which Fritz is referring involve management's long-term goal of reducing its operating ratio to 55% with a zero incident rate. Also included in today's press release was guidance for 2018. Management expects rail volumes to increase in the low single-digit percentages, and believes it will be able to pass higher pricing on to customers to more than cover its cost increases. In the wake of the major cuts to corporate taxes that were passed last month, it expects its effective tax rate to be around 25%, and figures it will pay $1 billion less in cash taxes next year. What a Fool believes Union Pacific remains one of the most efficient railroads in the United States, but it is slowly losing ground as its competitors implement their own improvement plans . If management can hit its goal of a 55% operating ratio, that an incredible improvement would significantly boost earnings. After all, this is a high fixed-cost business. Getting there will be a challenge, though, and the company will probably have to do better than it has done if it is to succeed. The cash freed up by the corporate tax cuts should allow Union Pacific to plow lots of money into capital spending and improve those operations, and still leave it with funds to reward shareholders. If that scenario plays out as one would expect, then Union Pacific will likely remain a solid investment. More From The Motley Fool 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Tyler Crowe has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . || 18 Reasons I Like Biotech Stocks in 2018: Investing in biotech stocks comes with itsown set of rules. Some people think biotech stocks are too risky. Not me. In my view, the potential for returns more than compensates for the risks -- with the right biotechs, at least. I liked biotech stocks in 2017, and I still like them now that a new year has begun. Here are 18 reasons I continue to think biotech stocks are smart picks in 2018. Image source: Getty Images. TheNasdaq Biotechnology Indexjumped more than 21% in 2017. That's solid momentum that I suspect will continue. And despite the nice gains, biotech stocks as a group have pulled back over the last couple of months from their 52-week highs set in early October. Even with many biotech stocks enjoying solid returns last year, there are still bargains to be found.Gilead Sciences(NASDAQ: GILD), for example, trades at less than 11 times expected earnings.Celgene's(NASDAQ: CELG)forward earnings multiple is a little over 12, with the stock looking even more attractively valued considering the biotech's growth prospects. Whether you personally love or hate the GOP's tax cuts, it should be good news for many U.S. biotechs. With thecorporate tax rate lowered from 35% to 21%beginning in 2018, that should mean improved earnings for many companies in the industry. And higher earnings often translates to higher share prices. 2017 was a relatively quiet year for biotech mergers and acquisitions. I expect more activity this year, thanks in large part to the aforementioned corporate tax reform. Which big biotechs are likely to make deals? Just throw a dart at a list of biotech stocks with market caps of $30 billion or more. Chances are that you'll hit one that could make a significant acquisition in 2018. Image source: Getty Images. While acquisitions could provide a boost to big biotech stocks like Gilead, they could mean enormous returns for smaller biotechs finding themselves as targets for the larger players. There are quite a few that I think could be in the cross-hairs. In particular, I suspectMadrigal Pharmaceuticals(NASDAQ: MDGL)could attract considerable interest. Madrigal announcedpromising phase 2 results in Decemberfor MGL-3196 in treating non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, a potentially lucrative indication on which several huge drugmakers have already invested heavily. Many of thebiggest drugs of 2017will be even more successful this year.AbbVie(NYSE: ABBV)is on track to make $18 billion from top-selling Humira for 2017. I expect Humira will rake in close to $20 billion this year. Celgene's Revlimid, the No. 2 best-selling drug last year, appears likely to increase sales to more than $9 billion -- another double-digit percentage year-over-year increase. Several biotechs should launch drugs in 2018 that could become the biggest blockbusters of the future. Probably the most exciting launch of all is Gilead's bictegravir/F/TAF combo. An approval decision from the FDA is expected by February for the HIV therapy. If approved as expected, Gilead could make $5 billion annually from bictegravir/F/TAF by 2022. Even more exciting is the pipeline potential for biotechs. For example, there are nearly 2,000 cancer immunotherapies in clinical or pre-clinical testing. And that's just one area.Ligand Pharmaceuticals(NASDAQ: LGND)could be a poster child of pipeline potential. The biotech claims a market cap of less than $3 billion but has a pipeline including dozens of drugs across multiple indications using its technologies. While gravitational forces make the world go 'round, cash is pretty important for doing the same thing for biotech stocks. I like that many big biotechs are currently sitting on lots of cash and could have even more thanks to tax reform. What I like even better is what the companies could do with that cash, including buybacks, acquisitions (see point No. 4), and, for a select few, paying dividends. Image source: Getty Images. That leads me to the next reason I like some biotech stocks -- their dividends. Two that have already been mentioned, AbbVie and Gilead Sciences, pay excellent dividends. AbbVie's yield currently stands just under 3%, while Gilead's dividend yields only a little less at 2.9%. Investors have been anxious at times over the past couple of years about the prospects for major drug pricing changes by the U.S. government, which caused biotech stock prices to drop. I'm not too worried about drastic changes in 2018, though. My hunch is that there will be a lot more talk than action on drug pricing this year. I do think the FDA deserves an "attaboy." New FDA chief Scott Gottlieb has hinted at more flexibility in approving drugs quickly by methods such as using data from smaller and faster clinical trials. That should be a good thing for many biotech stocks in 2018 and beyond. Sometimes we can get lost in the minutiae of investing and miss the big picture. The big picture is that there are still a lot of sick people throughout the world who need prescription medications. I like owning a piece of a company that makes a positive difference -- and, despite some controversies over pricing and other matters, biotechs make a positive difference for many people. Just ask patients who have been cured of hepatitis C by Gilead's drugs or patients whose cancer went into remission because of new immunotherapies. Returning to the colder, harder investing focus, the reality is that even with more effective therapies there will be more sick people in 2018 than there were last year. And there will be more in coming years with aging populations in the U.S. and across the globe. That translates to increased demand for biotechs. You'll sometimes hear about how volatile biotech stocks are. And they can be quite volatile. But I think over the long run, in aggregate, they'll be less volatile and more stable than cryptocurrencies like bitcoin. Image source: Getty Images. Some might challenge the previous point by noting individual biotech stocks that have exhibited significantly more volatility than bitcoin. However, another reason I like biotech stocks is that there are several lower-risk alternatives for investing in them. I'm speaking, of course, about biotech ETFs. My favorite right now is theSPDR S&P Biotech ETF, but there areother top biotech ETFs to consideras well. I don't like biotech stocks just because I write about them, but I do write about them because I like them. Biotech is a fascinating world to me. Investing in biotech stocks is even more intriguing. So even if I didn't have a penny to invest, I'd still like biotech stocks. Finally, the clincher: I like biotech stocks for 2018 because they've made plenty of money for me in the past -- and I expect to make plenty more this year and in the future. One of my top winners from 2017 was AbbVie, which generated a total return of 60%. The SPDR S&P Biotech ETF generated a return of more than 40% for me last year. Even Celgene (which fell nearly 10% in 2017 -- my biggest loser) has still generated nice returns since I bought the stock a few years ago. Not every biotech stock will be a winner, of course. I think that biotech stocks in general, though, will perform well in 2018 and over the long run. That's the best reason of all to like them. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Keith Speightsowns shares of AbbVie, Celgene, Gilead Sciences, and SPDR S&P; Biotech. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Celgene and Gilead Sciences. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || Beware! Another Stock Market Crash Is Coming — Soon!: The stock market is now the most overvalued it has been in history, save the period leading up to the 1929 market crash. Even factoring in the Trump tax cuts, stocks are roughly 30% overvalued. Of course, that’s what happens when central banks around the world flood the markets with $14 trillion in liquidity, crushing bond yields and forcing everyone into riskier assets to chase yield. • 10 Top Cryptocurrencies 2018: Bitcoin's Biggest Competitors This is a long way of sayingyou should be very afraid,even though those words are going to fall on deaf ears because the markets can’t seem to go down. Trust me, I’ve been investing for 23 years and markets go down. Markets like these go down lots and lots. It’s called a market crash. It may be a slow-motion market crash, but it’s a market crash nonetheless. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips One of the approaches I take with The Liberty Portfolio, my stock and options advisory newsletter, is to build an all-weather portfolio heavily weighted toward non-correlated investments. In addition, the Liberty Portfolio has a “market crash protocol” that dictates how to take advantage of the market when the bottom falls out… which it will. So you are probably sitting there looking at the lovely gains in your portfolio over the past few years. Even income and retirement investors, having been forced out of bonds into the equity markets, are probably thinking that they will never go back to bonds. Why should they? You should be very afraid. If you don’t have a non-correlated investment portfolio, then at least prepare yourself for some form of market crash. Eventually, the central banks are going to have to unwind all that juice they pressed into the bond markets. When that starts to happen, you are going to need to do several things. The first goal is to preserve capital. If you don’t have stop losses set on new positions, you should. Always set a 7-10% stop loss in the event you’ve gotten your analysis on a stock wrong. Next, if you have any new positions or swing trades in progress — or any kind of covered or naked puts or calls — close out all those positions. You want to raise cash. If you are in the market for at least another ten years, you can hold onto your big winners. The market will recover and there’s no need to take the capital gain. However, if you have big losers, sell them. Things will only get worse and you want to harvest losses to offset gains at some point. The best bet you can make is to short some aspect of the market. If things start to break down, you can start to short in increments to hedge your portfolio. There’s no need to go all in at once. You can short theS&P 500index using theProShares Short S&P 500(NYSEARCA:SH). This means you have gone short when the market as a whole is going down. You can add or subtract to it as you please. How much should you short? One rule of thumb is to hedge 20% of the total value of your portfolio. But if we are in a full blown crash, you can hedge more. • The 7 Best Tax-Smart ETFs to Buy Today You can also hedge by shorting theNASDAQ 100using theProShares Short QQQ(NYSEARCA:PSQ). Those big high-flying momentum stocks and unicorns make up the majority of this index, so that should serve you well. If you wish to widen your hedge, try shorting theRussell 2000using theProShares Short Russell 2000(NYSEARCA:RWM). The RWM ETF shorts the 2,000 smallest stocks in the market. In a crash, worried investors sell smaller stocks first, since the perception is they carry more risk than blue chips. Most of all, keep a cool head! Lawrence Meyers is the CEO of PDL Capital, a specialty lender focusing on consumer finance and is the Manager of The Liberty Portfolio at www.thelibertyportfolio.com. He does not own any stock mentioned. He has 23 years’ experience in the stock market, and has written more than 1,800 articles on investing. Lawrence Meyers can be reached [email protected]. • Investors Should Steer Clear of Under Armour Inc Stock • General Electric Company Stock Is a Trade, Not an Investment • No, Apple Inc. Is Not Dumb Enough to Buy Netflix, Inc.! Compare Brokers The postBeware! Another Stock Market Crash Is Coming — Soon!appeared first onInvestorPlace. || AMD is slipping after Microsoft halts updates to AMD machines (AMD, MSFT, INTC): Visitors look at motherboards being displayed at the AMD booth during the 2012 Computex exhibition at the TWTC Nangang exhibition hall in Taipei June 6, 2012. REUTERS/Yi-ting Chung Thomson Reuters Flaws in most modern CPUs have been the biggest tech story of the year so far. In an attempt to fix the flaws, Microsoft has rendered some computers running AMD's processors unusable. Microsoft blames AMD for the issues and has halted updates until they can be resolved. Watch AMD's stock price move in real time here. CPU flaws known as Spectre and Meltdown have rocked the computing world recently, and the latest updates are sending shares of AMD sharply downward, trading 3.87% lower to $11.81 late Tuesday morning. Some computers running Windows on AMD chips have been rendered unbootable after installing updates from Microsoft . Microsoft has halted these updates and blames documentation provided to Microsoft engineers by AMD for the issue, The Verge reported on Tuesday . “AMD is aware of an issue with some older generation processors following installation of a Microsoft security update that was published over the weekend.  AMD and Microsoft have been working on an update to resolve the issue and expect it to begin rolling out again for those impacted shortly,” an AMD spokesperson told Markets Insider. Meltdown and Spectre are the names of two major flaws in modern CPU hardware. The flaws could potentially allow hackers to access sensitive information stored on CPUs that was previously thought to be stored securely. The computing world has been working to mitigate potential hacks since the flaws were discovered several months ago by Google engineers . The hacks were disclosed to the public last week, and Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon have been scrambling to issue updates to their machines. Intel's CEO took to the CES keynote stage in Las Vegas on Monday and said a fix will be coming later this week that will secure 90% of Intel CPUs. Intel slipped 0.60% on Tuesday after the speech and is down 4.48% over the last week. AMD has largely evaded negative associations with the CPU flaws even though its tech is affected. AMD shares have risen 12.46% over the past week. Story continues Update: This story was updated with comment from AMD at 4:04 PM on Tuesday. Read more about the Intel CEO's keynote speech here. amd stock PRICE Markets Insider NOW WATCH: Bitcoin can be a bubble and still change the world See Also: I tried the science-backed 7-minute routine that was one of 2017's hottest workouts, and it actually works 7 young adults went undercover as high-school students and found that life as a teenager today is nothing like they remember You're wasting money if you use a modem from your cable company — here's a cheap replacement SEE ALSO: Intel's CEO publicly addresses its big chip vulnerabilities, says response has been 'remarkable' || Here's Why Warren Buffett Swears He'll Never Invest in Bitcoin: Warren Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway brk.a widely venerated for his investing acumen, said Wednesday he is bearish on cryptocurrencies , and swore he would never buy Bitcoin. “In terms of cryptocurrencies, generally, I can say almost with certainty that they will come to a bad ending,” Buffett said on CNBC , noting that he didn’t understand Bitcoin and other blockchain-based digital assets. “Now, when it happens or how, or anything else, I don’t know.” The investor, nicknamed the Oracle of Omaha for his market prescience, didn’t think he’d ever warm up to cryptocurrencies. “We don’t own any, we’re not short any, we’ll never have a position in them,” Buffett added Wednesday. “I get into enough trouble with the things I think I know something about. Why in the world should I take a long or short position in something I don’t know about?” Still, while Buffett’s words often make waves in the stock market, cryptocurrency prices remained relatively stable following his comments. The Bitcoin price sank only slightly to about $14,400, while the price of Ethereum, the second most valuable cryptocurrency, rose to more than $1,300. Ripple, the third largest cryptocurrency by market cap, continued its multi-day slide, falling to less than $2 apiece amid concerns unrelated to Buffett’s comments. It’s not the first time Buffett has dismissed cryptocurrencies. In 2014, the octogenarian investor dubbed Bitcoin a “mirage,” warning investors to “stay away from it.” That sentiment echoes recent comments by other influential Wall Street figures including J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, who in September called Bitcoin a “fraud. ” But while Buffett said he wouldn’t go so far as shorting Bitcoin, he suggested he might find other ways to bet against it. The stock-picker told CNBC he’d “be glad” to buy five-year put options on “every one of the cryptocurrencies.” Put options can be a way for investors to bet against an asset, as they become more valuable as the underlying asset’s price falls. Story continues Such put contracts give buyers the option to sell an asset at a certain price at a future date—which can result in a windfall if the price of the asset declines below the previously agreed-upon price. Put options, however, come with more limited risks than simply shorting an asset, which can result in infinite losses if the asset’s price rises instead of falling as expected. Though Buffett was speaking hypothetically and said he has not gone so far as to actually invest in any Bitcoin puts, there are now avenues for investors to pursue a similar bearish strategy. Derivatives exchange LedgerX, for one, offers both short- and long-term Bitcoin put options. But trading volumes have been relatively thin on the platform (just $1 million during its first week operating in October), making it less attractive for larger investors to get in the game. On the other hand, there’s some reason investors might not want to take Buffett’s advice on Bitcoin. While the Oracle’s overall investing track record is unparalleled, Buffett has been notoriously reluctant to invest in new technology—a weakness that has cost him even better returns over time. At Berkshire Hathaway’s annual meeting last May, for example, Buffett expressed regret for not investing in Google (now known as Alphabet) googl and Amazon amzn stock years ago, having failed to appreciate the tech companies’ great potential. || You'll Never Guess the Top 5 Restaurants Most Teens Love: Who says teens are fickle? Sure their fashion tastes might seemingly change from month to month, but when it comes to where they like to eat, their preference seems to be as immutable as ever. For the seventh year in a row, teens preferStarbucks(NASDAQ: SBUX)to any other restaurant, though they are increasingly cozying up to Chick-fil-A. Is there an upset in the making? In the latestPiper Jaffray(NYSE: PJC)survey on teen spending, Starbucks reprised its role once again as the No. 1 destination for teens with the runner-up spot held by Chick-fil-A. Image source: Starbucks. Twice a year, once in the spring, once in the fall, the analysts survey thousands of teens about where they spend money on food, which commands a 20% share of their budget, equal to what they spend on clothes, but twice as much as what they spend on the next biggest categories of personal care and shoes. For yearsMcDonald's(NYSE: MCD)had been the second-favorite go-to restaurant for teens, but in the fall of 2016 the chicken joint stole the position and looks as though it will not be relinquishing it anytime soon. But with McDonald's having a solid hold on third place, Olive Garden andChipotle Mexican Grill(NYSE: CMG)are left to battle for fourth, whileBuffalo Wild Wings(NASDAQ: BWLD)brings up the rear with an increasingly stable grip on the slot. [["Rank", "Restaurant"], ["1", "Starbucks"], ["2", "Chick-fil-A"], ["3", "McDonald's"], ["4", "Olive Garden"], ["5", "Buffalo Wild Wings"]] Data source: Piper Jaffray Fall 2017 Taking Stock With Teens survey. Some 12% of the 4,600 teens Piper Jaffray surveyed, who have an average age of 15.9 years, said Starbucks remained their top restaurant pick while 68% chose it as their favorite coffee spot (take that Dunkin Donuts), but the coffeehouse is seeing its popularity suffer an approximately 100 basis point loss over each of the past few surveys sequentially. That would seem to reflect the slowdown Starbucks is experiencing in sales growth overall. In its fourth quarter earnings report last month, it reported a 3% increase in comparable store sales in the U.S. compared to a 4% increase a year ago. The chain has been dealing with declining traffic at malls and shopping centers and it also changed its loyalty program, which it admitted has depressed the number of transactions customers have made over the last five quarters, though it did increase the amount of each ticket that it classified as "equal and offsetting impacts." That hasn't stopped Starbucks from opening new restaurants, as there were 952 net new openings in the Americas over the past year, though it's the overseas markets where the chain sees its greatest growth opportunities. It opened over 1,000 stores in the China and Asia-Pacific markets, and the region is expected to drive roughly half of Starbucks' global store growth in fiscal 2018, with 1,100 net new stores. Nearly 600 of them will open in China alone. Image source: Getty Images. The Piper Jaffray survey seemed to reflect the changes underway in the broader restaurant industry as a whole, as fast food and limited service restaurants gained at the expense of full service chains, though McDonald's appears to have difficulty in holding back non-burger outfits. One takeaway that McDonald's can bite into is that although it is the third favorite restaurant among teens, they spend more at its stores than they do at either Chick-fil-A or Starbucks. The survey found the average check at McDonald's was $6.04 compared to $6.00 at the chicken sandwich shop and $5.38 at the coffeehouse. The restaurant industry is in a stage of flux with the industry reporting yet another month of declining traffic. The industry watchers at TDn2K said comp traffic was down 2.5% in November, making it almost three consecutive years since the industry has seen monthly restaurant traffic rise. The brunt is being largely born by the casual dining segment. Fortunately for Olive Garden and Buffalo Wild Wings, there seems to be a change in preference among teens for Mexican food. Not just Chipotle, which continues to deal with food quality issues, but Taco Bell too, which has largely dropped out of contention. That's a surprise because Taco Bell has been the top-performing brand forYum! Brands(NYSE: YUM)and hasbecome a bellwetherfor the restaurant operator's gains. That may hold some future concern for investors if it's losing teen customers now. Perhaps that's a word of caution for Starbucks, which lately is looking to expand its more adult-oriented concepts, such as the high end Roastery with its $12 cups of coffee, its upscale Reserve bars, and the newwell-heeled Princi cafes. While the coffee shop may be laying the groundwork for developing experiences where teens will be able to continue to interact with the brand as they age, it also risks pricing a loyal following out of the market. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Rich Dupreyhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Buffalo Wild Wings, Chipotle Mexican Grill, and Starbucks. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] Why Bitcoin is the worst thing to happen since the dot-com bubble http://on.inc.com/2E4UUPN  || El bitcoin cotiza a 14140.00$ http://ift.tt/2D4n9d8  || m1 bro @nte sapiña h@d Mi heut gecalled umd mir gestekt das @FCBayern gegem @SCPaderborn07 gewinnt (ca 2-5:0) #DFBPokal @bwin @tipico @betathomecom_de saver alß #bitcoin umd #rippel || Hablan del BTC pero ni ven el Dow jones || Fuerte rebote del cryptoactivo Bitcoin preanuncia el fuerte rebote de la bolsa de Estados Unidos de América || Bitcoin extends slide, tumbling more than 10 percent: http://ift.tt/2E4KNuz  || 1 Bitcoin equals 14577.00 lol || Yine yeşillendi fındık dalları #Bitcoin #blockchain || Gana $45,00 Usd Por Afiliar, Quieres ganarte dólares con Bitcoin sin tanto esfuerzo? Es solo dedicar ··- https://goo.gl/Cdo6SQ  .. # || Secure your laptop quickly and easily. Protect your laptop and per http://bit.ly/2iOdbXD  #Cybersecurity #Bitcoin pic.twitter.com/2EhdKb6HPh
Trend: up || Prices: 9494.63, 10166.40, 10233.90, 11112.70, 10551.80, 11225.30, 11403.70, 10690.40, 10005.00, 10301.10
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2021-07-06] BTC Price: 34235.20, BTC RSI: 46.38 Gold Price: 1793.50, Gold RSI: 43.74 Oil Price: 73.37, Oil RSI: 59.66 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Dual Token Presale from ONI.exchange. DeFi for everyone. Fintech Products for the Masses: ONI has two PRE-SALES running before the platform is launched. First is on their partner exchange ProBit and requires KYC verification. Second is IFO on ThunderSwap, where anyone can buy ONI tokens with their BNB tokens and claim them after PRE-SALE is over. London, UK, May 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (via Blockchain Wire ) ONI has created a BEP-20 ONI token on the Binance Smart Chain network, which will power an expanded ecosystem around its DeFi exchange. ONI.exchange was created to provide earning opportunities for everyone. It hopes to become one of the biggest names in the DeFi space, by providing solutions that will allow anyone to make a profit by simply using its current and upcoming services (Auto-compounding, Farm lock, and more). Currently, they have two PRE-SALES running before the platform is launched. First is on their partner exchange ProBit and requires KYC verification. Second is IFO on ThunderSwap, where anyone can buy ONI tokens with their BNB tokens and claim them after PRE-SALE is over. The official launch date is Friday, May 14th, when they will open deposits, and finally, on Monday, May 17th, start minting. Full Smart Contracts audit is also in the works by HashEx audit company and will be released and available before launch, along with many other security handles that make ONI.exchange one of the safest and risk-free opportunities on the market today. ONI.exchange CEO, Gregor revealed their plans and explained what they want to achieve and how they are different from other currently similar projects in DeFi space. The main focus of ONI is NFTs and stable profits. Because ONI.exchange ONI token is mintable, it means that they need to battle inflation by buy-backs of ONI tokens and to burn them on a regular basis. Over time the total supply of tokens at most DEX exchanges grows, making tokens less valuable. ONI.exchange solution to this problem is to build an ecosystem around ONI.exchange, that will allow them to burn more, hold inflation still or even decrease it if needed, making ONI token a very valuable and stable asset in the crypto space. They are also designing an NFT system with breedable ONI NFT characters, which you will be able to grow to adults and later use in their ONI Legends game, similar to Axie Infinity. What they will build around ONI.exchange is as follows: First is ONI Market (ONIM), where you will be able to buy, sell, trade, and collect ONI NFTs. Second in line is ONI Shards - A separate superfarm with token ONIS (ONIS tokens will be needed for breeding of ONI NFT characters and you can only make/get ONIS by staking ONI in ONI Shards superfarm and later by buying them on the market). The third is ONI Legends - The game similar to Axie Infinity which will introduce ONI battles, land gameplay, and land plots, nft items, accessories, and more. All of those platforms will work seamlessly with each other and put ONI tokens to use. If all of the above gets realized, the ONI token will become one of the most valuable assets in the crypto world, and ONI.exchange among the biggest DeFi names that we know. To show support, get some ONI before the exchange launches, and help them achieve their goals faster. Below are the most important links regarding ONI.exchange: PRE-SALE (ends on 13.05.2021): 1. IFO on ThunderSwap: https://thunderswap.finance/ifo (No registration, KYC or country restrictions, simple purchase with BNB tokens), 2. IEO on ProBit: https://www.probit.com/en-us/ieo/oni-round1/1 (Registration and KYC required, country restrictions (USA), purchase available with PROB, BTC, ETH, USDT, and XRP tokens/coins) Website: https://oni.exchange Docs/Whitepaper: https://oni-exchange.gitbook.io/oni-exchange/ Community (Telegram): https://t.me/oni_exchange Twitter: https://twitter.com/oniexchange Story continues CONTACT: Warren Whitlock [email protected] || Wall Street Opens Lower on Crypto Jitters; Dow Flat: By Geoffrey Smith Investing.com — U.S. stocks opened the week mostly lower, against a background of concern that the weakness seen in crypto assets over the weekend could herald trouble for other high-volatility, speculative assets. By 9:40 AM ET (1340 GMT), the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 3 points - effectively flat - at 34,379 points, while the S&P 500 was down 0..2% and the Nasdaq Composite was down 0.4%. The cautious start to the week came amid heavy losses in most cryptocurrencies after Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO founder Elon Musk repeated his criticism of Bitcoin, while still asserting that his company hasn't sold any of the Bitcoin it bought earlier in the year. Tesla's bottom line in the first quarter was helped not least by a $100 million unrealized gains on its holdings of crypto assets. Tesla stock fell 1.5%. Proxies for cryptocurrency exposure were also struggling in early trade. Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COIN),. which operates the world's biggest cryptocurrency exchange, fell 7.4%, going below the reference price of $250 at which it went public through a direct listing last month. Microstrategy (NASDAQ:MSTR), a company that has reinvented itself as a holding company for Bitcoin. fell 7.4% to its lowest since December. And shares in payments company Square (NYSE:SQ), which derives most of its revenue from processing Bitcoin transactions, fell 4.2% as the market reacted badly to news of a $2 billion debt offering. The morning's big winners were Discovery (NASDAQ:DISCA) Communications (NASDAQ:DISCB) stock and AT&T (NYSE:T) stock, which rose 16% and 4.0% respectively after the two decided to combine their media assets in a new company. The deal comes only a few weeks after a sharp fall in Discovery's share price as the collapse of Bill Hwang's Archegos Capital Management forced its prime brokers to dump the stock on the market. Other companies in the video streaming space were hit by the news, which not only presages more focused competition but also attached a relatively sober valuation to the new streaming giant, which will include HBO Max, Warner Bros and Discovery's nature, cooking and home renovation programs. Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) stock was down 1.0%, while Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) stock was down 1.6%. Both companies disappointed analysts with their first-quarter subscriber numbers in recent weeks. Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA), the owner of NBC's Peacock streaming service, was down 2.1%. Story continues Related Articles Wall Street Opens Lower on Crypto Jitters; Dow Flat U.S. Supreme Court snubs Novartis appeal over arthritis drug Enbrel H&M begins placing orders in Myanmar again after pause in wake of coup || Camping World to Develop Two New RV SuperCenters in Ohio: The biggest retailer of RVs and associated products and services in the U.S., Camping World Holdings (CWH), has inked purchase agreements to develop two new RV SuperCenters in Ohio. The company currently has four locations in Ohio and expects to open the two new locations in the fall of 2022. Camping World CEO and Chairman Marcus Lemonis said, “We are eternally grateful for the support of both communities as we expand our RV network, bringing job opportunities and commerce for the hard-working people of Ohio.” (SeeCamping World stock charton TipRanks) Lemonis added, “Each location we open across the U.S. represents significant economic impact for the communities and convenient customer service and products for the 5.3 million active customers we serve.” Last month, Monness analystJim Chartierreiterated a Buy rating on the stock and increased the price target to $60 (56.6% upside potential) from $49. Noting the company’s better-than-estimated Q1 performance and a 20% increase in EBITDA guidance for 2021, the analyst feels there could be more upside to the guidance. Consensus on the Street is a Moderate Buy based on 3 Buys and 2 Holds. Theaverage Camping World analyst price targetof $58.25 implies 52% upside potential. Shares have gained 41.3% over the past year. Related News:MicroStrategy Adds Bitcoins Worth $489M; Shares Plunge 10%Accenture Makes Strategic Investment in ImburseNetApp Buys Data Mechanics to Optimize Data Analytics, Machine Learning Initiatives • Nikola Invests $50M in Clean Hydrogen Push • CatchMark Offloads 18,063 Acres of Oregon Timberlands for $100M • Construction Partners Snaps up PLT Construction; Street Says Buy • KKR to Acquire Majority Stake in Education Perfect || Molina Healthcare (MOH): Strong Industry, Solid Earnings Estimate Revisions: One stock that might be an intriguing choice for investors right now is Molina Healthcare, Inc. MOH. This is because this security in the Medical – HMOs space is seeing solid earnings estimate revision activity, and is in great company from a Zacks Industry Rank perspective. This is important because, often times, a rising tide will lift all boats in an industry, as there can be broad trends taking place in a segment that are boosting securities across the board. This is arguably taking place in the Medical – HMOs space as it currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 38 out of more than 250 industries, suggesting it is well-positioned from this perspective, especially when compared to other segments out there. Meanwhile, Molina Healthcare is actually looking pretty good on its own too. The firm has seen solid earnings estimate revision activity over the past month, suggesting analysts are becoming a bit more bullish on the firm’s prospects in both the short and long term. Molina Healthcare, Inc Price and Consensus Molina Healthcare, Inc Price and Consensus Molina Healthcare, Inc price-consensus-chart | Molina Healthcare, Inc Quote In fact, over the past month, current quarter estimates have risen from $3.41 per share to $3.45 per share, while current year estimates have risen from of $13.18 per share to $13.34 per share. This has helped Molina Healthcare to earn a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), further underscoring the company’s solid position. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here. So, if you are looking for a decent pick in a strong industry, consider Molina Healthcare. Not only is its industry currently in the top third, but it is seeing solid estimate revisions as of late, suggesting it could be a very interesting choice for investors seeking a name in this great industry segment. Bitcoin, Like the Internet Itself, Could Change Everything Blockchain and cryptocurrency has sparked one of the most exciting discussion topics of a generation. Some call it the “Internet of Money” and predict it could change the way money works forever. If true, it could do to banks what Netflix did to Blockbuster and Amazon did to Sears. Experts agree we’re still in the early stages of this technology, and as it grows, it will create several investing opportunities. Story continues Zacks’ has just revealed 3 companies that can help investors capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly. See 3 crypto-related stocks now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Molina Healthcare, Inc (MOH) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research || Here's Why You Should Retain Glaukos (GKOS) Stock for Now: Glaukos Corporation GKOS is well poised for growth in the coming quarters, backed by its strategic alliances over the past few months. A solid first-quarter 2021 performance, along with progress in its iStent product line, is expected to contribute further. However, stiff competition and regulatory concerns persist. Over the past year, this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock has gained 93.8% compared with 16.9% growth of the industry and 42.4% rise of the S&P 500 composite. The renowned ophthalmic medical technology and pharmaceutical player has a market capitalization of $3.58 billion. The company projects 35.9% growth for 2022 and expects to maintain its strong performance. Further, it has delivered an earnings surprise of 56.49% for the past four quarters, on average. Let’s delve deeper. Strong Q1 Results: Glaukos’ robust first-quarter 2021 results buoy optimism. The company recorded an improvement in revenues in the quarter. Gross margin expansion bodes well for the company. Per management, a strong start to 2021 highlights the company’s focus on acceleration of its key strategic priorities and execution of plans. Despite pandemic-led uncertainties, sustained recovery trends and solid business prospects instil optimism on the stock. Strategic Alliances: We are optimistic about Glaukos’ latest development and commercialization license agreement with Santen Pharmaceutical in May for the PRESERFLO MicroShunt. Glaukos, per the terms of the new agreement, will obtain exclusive commercialization rights for the MicroShunt in various geographies, as well as full control over all development activities for the product. In April, Glaukos entered into an amended licensing agreement with Intratus. Per the agreement, Intratus has granted the former a global exclusive license to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize its Eyelid Drug Delivery Platform for application in the treatment of presbyopia. Strength in iStent: Glaukos’s progress with its iStent product line raises our optimism on the stock. The company advanced the U.S. commercial rollout of the iStent inject W, offering the same safety and efficacy of iStent inject but with added benefits, during the first quarter of 2021. During the same time, Glaukos also advanced the commercial rollout of iStent inject W in key international markets like Australia, Japan and several European countries. The product has received stand-alone indication approval in Australia and regulatory approval in India, along with registering continued progress across many of the key market access initiatives. Story continues Downsides Regulatory Concerns: Glaukos’ combination products or other products are subject to extensive government regulations in the United States as well as in other countries in which the company operates. The process of obtaining approvals to market its products can be expensive and lengthy, and it cannot be guaranteed that Glaukos’ current products will receive approval for additional indications or that its future products will receive clearance or approval on a timely basis, if at all. Stiff Competition: Glaukos operates in a tough competitive landscape, which includes many companies, as well as divisions of larger companies having greater resources and recognition, and smaller companies that compete against specific products or in certain geographies. Further, the company’s present or future products could be rendered obsolete due to advances by one or more of its present or future competitors or by other surgical or pharmaceutical therapy developments. Estimate Trend Glaukos is witnessing a positive estimate revision trend for 2021. In the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its loss per share has narrowed from a loss of $1.12 to a loss of 92 cents. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company’s second-quarter 2021 revenues is pegged at $71.3 million, suggesting a 125.9% surge from the year-ago quarter’s reported number. Key Picks Some better-ranked stocks from the broader medical space are Illumina, Inc. ILMN, DaVita Inc. DVA and Amedisys, Inc. AMED, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Illumina’s long-term earnings growth rate is estimated at 7%. DaVita’s long-term earnings growth rate is estimated at 14.4%. Amedisys’ long-term earnings growth rate is estimated at 12%. Bitcoin, Like the Internet Itself, Could Change Everything Blockchain and cryptocurrency have sparked one of the most exciting discussion topics of a generation. Some call it the “Internet of Money” and predict it could change the way money works forever. If true, it could do to banks what Netflix did to Blockbuster and Amazon did to Sears. Experts agree we’re still in the early stages of this technology, and as it grows, it will create several investing opportunities. Zacks has just revealed 3 companies that can help investors capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly. See 3 crypto-related stocks now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Illumina, Inc. (ILMN) : Free Stock Analysis Report Amedisys, Inc. (AMED) : Free Stock Analysis Report DaVita Inc. (DVA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Glaukos Corporation (GKOS) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. || Bitcoin down almost 50% from year's high: (Reuters) -Bitcoin fell 13% on Sunday after the world's biggest and best-known cryptocurrency suffered another sell-off that left it down nearly 50% from the year's high. Bitcoin fell to $32,601 at 1800 GMT (2 p.m. ET), losing $4,899.54 from its previous close. It hit a high for the year of $64,895.22 on April 14. Ether, the coin linked to the ethereum blockchain network, dropped 17% to $1,905 on Sunday, losing $391.31 from its previous close. Bitcoin markets operate 24/7, setting the stage for price swings at unpredictable hours. "Many point to bitcoin's volatility as untenable," wrote RBC Capital Markets' Amy Wu Silverman in a research note published on Saturday. "Indeed, Bitcoin makes severe and dizzying swings." Bitcoin had been under pressure after a series of tweets last week by billionaire Tesla Chief Executive and cryptocurrency backer Elon Musk, chiefly his reversal on Tesla accepting bitcoin as payment. In addition, on Friday China cracked down on mining and trading of the largest cryptocurrency as part of ongoing efforts to prevent speculative and financial risks. China's Financial Stability and Development Committee, chaired by Vice Premier Liu He, singled out bitcoin as the asset it needs to regulate more. The statement, which came days after three Chinese industry bodies tightened a ban on banks and payment companies providing crypto-related services, was a sharp escalation of the country's push to stamp out speculation and fraud in virtual currencies. China's latest campaign against crypto came after the U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday called for new rules that would require large cryptocurrency transfers to be reported to the Internal Revenue Service, and the Federal Reserve flagged the risks cryptocurrencies posed to financial stability. (Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Bhargav Acharya and the Global Finance & Markets Breaking News team; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Bill Berkrot) || Huobi Scales Back Due to China Crackdown; Bitcoin Falls Below $32K, Ether Past $2K: Cryptocurrency exchange Huobi said it’s scaled back or suspended some of its services and products in certain countries and has stopped its miner hosting services in mainland China in response to the recent crackdown on crypto in that country. News of the exchange’s pullback, which includes suspending some of its futures contract trading services, leveraged investment products, exchange-traded products (ETP) as well as miner hosting services in China, appears to be one of the reasons for the latest drop in the crypto market. The price ofbitcoinfell to as low as $31,816.14 before rebounding slightly to $31,905,.17, down 16.4% in the last 24 hours whileetheris down to $1,793.08, down 24.3% in the last 24 hours after having been above $4,300 a few weeks ago. Bitcoin has now lost more than half its value from its all-time high of $64,829.14 set last month. Most other major cryptos are down anywhere from 15% to 30% and more. Related:Market Wrap: China Breaks Crypto as Bitcoin Falls to $36K, ETH Drops $300 in Two Hours “Due to recent dynamic changes in the market, in order to protect the interests of investors, a portion of services such as futures contracts, ETP, or other leveraged investment products are temporarily not available to new users from a few specified countries and regions,” according to Huobi’s statement shared with CoinDesk. “Huobi always strives to abide by the evolving policies and regulations of each jurisdiction to adhere to risk and preserve the well-being of our users and their assets,” the statement said. The exchange did not disclose the specific countries and regions where it will stop the trading services and investment products. Huobi is also set tosuspendthe sale of crypto mining machines and mining hosting services in mainland China. The exchange said it will soon give its existing clients more details in regard with what to do with their mining machines. Related:Why Bitcoiners Are Rooting for This Latest China Mining Ban to Finally, Actually Be Real To be clear, Huobi did not stop the operation of its own mining pools but the co-location hosting services the exchange provides to anyone who wants to invest in crypto mining. The hosting sites operate their clients’ mining machines with maintenance services in their mining facilities, and do not own any of the mining machines themselves. Huobi is a major crypto trading services provider for the Chinese crypto investors. Huobi has the eighth largest mining pool in the world with 4% hashrate of the entire bitcoin network, according to data fromBTC.com. The move came on the heels of a series of warnings against crypto trading and mining from a variety of Chinese authorities ranging from local government, financial industry associations and the State Council. The Financial Stability Development Committee of the State Councilcalled forcrackdown on crypto mining and trading while three financial industry associations sent a moretargeted messageto the Chinese banks and platform companies that have been friendly with crypto firms. The National Internet Finance Association of China, the China Banking Association and the Payment and Clearing Association of China, which specifically oversee major financial institutions, issued acrackdown noticethat asks their member banks and payment companies not to offer services related to crypto such as over-the-counter (OTC) trading. While the notice is similar to a previous warning against crypto in 2017, it has sharpened the focus on the Chinese banking industry that has been providing services to crypto firms that run crypto trading platforms such as OTC desks. Tether price Tether on the Chinese fiat currency renminbi has been in sharp decline since Saturday morning after the State Council’s notice,indicating there is more demand to trade the stablecoin for renminbi. “Chinese investors are exiting the market, sellingtetherinto RMB to avoid collateral damages (ie if further action against peer to peer OTC and banking),” Dovey Wan, founder of crypto investment firm Primitive Capital, said on Twitter. Apart from more restrictions on trading activities, the latest crackdown advocated by the State Council, has also affected the mining industry in China as they may be cashing out as the crackdown notice came out on Friday night. China is arguably the largest bitcoin mining hub in the world. The Inner Mongolian branch of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said recently it will encourage people to report on any crypto mining operations in the region, signaling a tougher stance on the industry since the local government decided to eliminate all mining businesses due to environmental concerns. • Bitcoin Falls as China Calls for Crackdown on Crypto Mining, Trading • Canadian Bitcoin ETF Provider Went on High Alert as Crypto Crash Halted Futures Trading || Stock market news live updates: Stocks slightly lower, giving back some gains after economic data disappoints: Stocks ended slightly lower on Tuesday after new data on consumer confidence missed expectations. [Click here to read what's moving markets heading into Wednesday, May 26] The S&P 500 edged lower after the index closed out Monday's session higher by 1%. The Nasdaq and Dow also gave up earlier gains to end the session lower. Treasury yields added to losses, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year note hovering below 1.6%. Cryptocurrency prices steadied, and Bitcoin prices (BTC-USD) traded little changed to hold just below $38,000 during afternoon trading in New York. A new print on consumer confidence for April came in below expectations, with the Conference Board's headline sentiment index falling more than expected last month. At least some of the decline came as short-term income prospects were pressured by concerns over inflation, the Conference Board noted. And aseparate report out Tuesday morning showed home prices surged by the most in 15 years in March, underscoring more key areas of the economy where supply and demand mismatches were pushing up prices. Still, some members of the Federal Open Market Committee suggested market participants may not need to worry that rising prices will catalyze a near-term move in monetary policy in the near-term.St. Louis Fed President James Bullard told Yahoo Finance on Mondaythat he believed increases in inflation would be "mostly temporary," and that the Fed was "not quite there yet" when it came to discussing tapering its asset purchases. Andin separate comments,Kansas City Federal Reserve President Esther George said she did not want the Fed to be "overly reliant on historical relationships and dynamics in judging the outlook for inflation." The statement added to a litany of recent remarks from Fed officials downplaying the need for a near-term monetary policy move that might dampen the market rally. Though the past two days of trading offered an at least brief respite for investors after last week's equity selling, some strategists still struck a cautious tone on stocks, given the still-elevated concerns around inflation. "Right now everyone knows they should be worried about inflation and inflationary pressures and what that could mean in terms of a monetary response, or also companies' profitability," Shawn Cruz,senior market strategist at TD Ameritrade, told Yahoo Finance on Monday."If they decide to keep those rising input costs on their balance sheet, then great, we're not going to see inflation rise at least on the consumer side, but we might see margins come in when [second-quarter] earnings come out." "I think the path of least resistance could still be higher, but I do expect this choppiness to remain somewhere around what we're seeing right now, just off of highs, at least until we get a little more clarity, maybe some indications that can help us inform expectations moving forward," he added. Others also noted that thelatest technology-led advances might prove short-lived. "We don't think there's any problem with the fundamentals in the tech space ... but we think it's been an over-owned, overvalued part of the market, and it's just the wrong macro backdrop for this part of the market at this moment in time,"Lori Calvasina, chief equity strategist for RBC Capital Markets, told Yahoo Finance."And so bottom line we still think inflationary pressures are here, and tech is one of the biggest sources of funding for rotation back into reflationing plays, things like financials, energy and materials," Calvasina said. "And we don't think those inflation pressures are going to abate any time soon." — Here were the main moves in markets as of 4:06 p.m. ET: • S&P 500 (^GSPC): -8.92 (-0.21%) to 4,188.13 • Dow (^DJI): -81.52 (-0.24%) to 34,312.46 • Nasdaq (^IXIC): -4.00 (-0.03%) to 13,657.17 • Crude (CL=F): -$0.18 (-0.27%) to $65.87 a barrel • Gold (GC=F): +$15.60 (+0.83%) to $1,900.10 per ounce • 10-year Treasury (^TNX): -4.4 bps to yield 1.5640% — With many companies now struggling to find qualified workers to meet rising demand, prospects of wage inflation have risen in recent months. However, more S&P 500 companies are able to derive more sales per worker than did blue-chip companies just several decades ago, meaning wage increases would not necessarily translate to lower profitability at many corporations, according to a new note from Bank of America. The S&P 500 "is 70% less labor intensive than in the '80s," Bank of America equity and quant strategist Savita Subramanian wrote in a note Tuesday. "If wage inflation increases from here, overall market margins have been immunized by efficiency/automation gains relative to prior decades. Since 1986: the number of employees per $1 million in sales declined from ~8 in 1986 to 2.3 today." She added that since 1986, stocks in the lowest quintile by labor intensity, or by ratio of employees to dollars of sales, have outperformed their most labor-intensive counterparts by 2.3 percentage points per year when controlling for sector. The margin of outperformance has been even wider for innovation-centric stocks in the information technology, healthcare and communication services sectors. "If labor inflation is likely to continue, watch margins for the most labor intensive stocks, and history would suggest investors avoid Consumer Discretionary when wages accelerate (and buy the sector when wages decelerate)," she added. — Here's where markets were trading midday in New York: • S&P 500 (^GSPC): -5.06 points (-0.12%) to 4,191.99 • Dow (^DJI): -30.62 points (-0.09%) to 34,363.36 • Nasdaq (^IXIC): -7.5 points (-0.05%) to 13,654.36 • Crude (CL=F): -$0.03 (-0.05%) to $66.02 a barrel • Gold (GC=F): +$7.80 (+0.41%) to $1,892.30 per ounce • 10-year Treasury (^TNX): -2.7 bps to yield 1.581% — Though concerns over supply and demand mismatches and inflation have been top of mind for investors, a number of other factors could also pose risks to markets in the coming months, some strategists pointed out. These could include possible tax changes and decelerations in earnings growth. "Supply chain dynamics are of concern ... but there are other reasons we believe investors could get a little nervous over the next few months," Rebecca Felton,senior market strategist at Riverfront Investment Group, told Yahoo Finance. "It includes the fact that we are having the headlines about inflation, and the fact that everyone's waiting for the Fed to blink, the expectations for earnings to not grow as much in 2022 as they have in 2021," she said. "Obviously we had a V-shaped recovery in earnings, but you've also got the potential headwinds with tax policy changes. And all of those are going to factor into growth expectations as we look forward into 2022." "We do believe it's transitory, but just because it's transitory doesn't mean it won't be painful," she added on inflation. "And I think that's what's we're all experiencing now in terms of seeing higher prices, the fact that there are shortages of things and then of course you've got issues on the employment side with companies having difficulty attracting workers." — Consumer confidence decreased by a larger margin than expected in May,with consumers beginning to take notice of rising prices and inflationary pressure during the economic recovery. The Conference Board's closely watched consumer confidence index decreased to 117.2 in May from a downwardly revised 117.5 in April, which marked the highest level since March 2020. Previously's April's index was reported at 121.7. Consensus economists were looking for the May index to come in at 118.8, according to Bloomberg data. A subindex trading consumers' assessments of current business and labor market conditions increased during the month, while another index tracking consumers' short-term outlooks for business and labor market conditions declined. "Consumers' assessment of present-day conditions improved, suggesting economic growth remains robust in Q2. However, consumers' short-term optimism retreated, prompted by expectations of decelerating growth and softening labor market conditions in the months ahead," Lynn Franco, senior director of economic indicators at The Conference Board, told Yahoo Finance. "Consumers were also less upbeat this month about their income prospects—a reflection, perhaps, of both rising inflation expectations and a waning of further government support until expanded Child Tax Credit payments begin reaching parents in July," Franco added. "Overall, consumers remain optimistic, and confidence should remain resilient in the short term, as vaccination rates climb, COVID-19 cases decline further, and the economy fully reopens." — U.S. new home sales pulled back less than expected in April over March,even as rising prices, tight inventory began to ripple through the housing market. New home sales fell by 5.9% in April over the previous month, giving back some of March's 7.4% gain,the Commerce Department said Tuesday. Consensus economists were looking for a drop of 7%, according to Bloomberg data. The decrease brought new home sales down to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 863,000 in April. Still, this level was more than 48% above the rate of 582,000 from April 2020, when stay-in-place orders were at their peak in the U.S. — Here's where markets were trading shortly after the opening bell: • S&P 500 (^GSPC): +11.17 (+0.27%) to 4,208.22 • Dow (^DJI): +63.58 (+0.18%) to 34,457.56 • Nasdaq (^IXIC): +63.89 (+0.44%) to 13,722.54 • Crude (CL=F): +$0.06 (+0.09%) to $66.11 a barrel • Gold (GC=F): -$2.80 (-0.15%) to $1,881.70 per ounce • 10-year Treasury (^TNX): -1.5 bps to yield 1.593% — U.S.home prices increased more than expected in March over the month and year prior,with tight inventory and soaring demand for houses weighing on affordability. Standard & Poor’s CoreLogic Case-Shiller national home price indexrose 13.2% in March over last year, accelerating from a 12% year-on-year increase in February. This marked a tenth straight monthly increase, and the rate in advances came in at the fastest since December 2005. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city composite index, which tracks home prices changes in the 20 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, increased 1.6% month-on-month and 13.3% year-on-year. This was faster than the 1.3% and 12.6% increases expected, respectively, according to Bloomberg-compiled data. — Here were the main moves in markets ahead of the opening bell: • S&P 500 futures (ES=F): 4,206.25,+12.5 points (+0.3%) • Dow futures (YM=F): 34,435.00, +83.00 points (+0.24%) • Nasdaq futures (NQ=F):13,697.75,+62.5 points (+0.46%) • Crude (CL=F): -$0.14 (-0.21%) to $65.91 a barrel • Gold (GC=F): -$1.30 (-0.07%) to $1,883.20 per ounce • 10-year Treasury (^TNX): -1.7 bps to yield 1.591% — Here's where markets were trading Monday evening: • S&P 500 futures (ES=F): 4,197.5,+3.75 points (+0.09%) • Dow futures (YM=F): 34,377.00, +25.00 points (+0.07%) • Nasdaq futures (NQ=F):13,643.75,+8.5 points (+0.06%) — Emily McCormick is a reporter for Yahoo Finance.Follow her on Twitter: @emily_mcck Read more from Emily: • Charlie Munger on Robinhood and GameStop frenzy: 'It's a dirty way to make money' • Charlie Munger says Costco 'has one thing that Amazon does not have' • What happened in the economy in 2020 • These tech jobs may disappear in the face of automation || El Salvador President Bukele Vows to Make Bitcoin Legal Tender: Nayib Bukele, president of El Salvador, has said he intends to make bitcoin (BTC) legal tender in his country. Speaking at a BTC conference in Miami, the 39-year-old said adopting the cryptocurrency will have both short- and long-term benefits. Including an increase in jobs and boosted investment in El Salvador. He elaborated on those benefits in a series of tweets issued on June 6. “#Bitcoin has a market cap of $680 billion dollars,” one of those tweets began. “If 1% of it is invested in El Salvador, that would increase our GDP by 25%. On the other side, #Bitcoin will have 10 million potential new users and the fastest growing way to transfer 6 billion dollars a year in remittances.” President Bukele also went into more detail about the benefits of adopting BTC for the El Salvadoran people. “By using #Bitcoin, the amount received by more than a million low income families will increase in the equivalent of billions of dollars every year. This will improve lives and the future of millions. “We hope that this decision will be just the beginning in providing a space where some of the leading innovators can reimagine the future of finance, potentially helping billions around the world.” The president also adopted a new profile picture on his official Twitter account. The image now depicts him in official dress, but with laser eyes. Bukele gains support The president’s announcement was met with great acclaim and excitement. The likes of Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao have already voiced their support . In addition, according to Reuters , mobile payments app Strike stated that they welcomed the new legislation. They also said they would work closely with El Salvador towards the successful use of bitcoin technology. Strike launched in El Salvador back in March. President Bukele will put a bill to congress next week. The world moves towards crypto adoption El Salvador will be the first country in the world to adopt a cryptocurrency as legal tender if congress backs President Bukele’s plan. Reports indicate that , if congress approves the decision, El Salvador will use BTC alongside the US Dollar, its official currency. Story continues President Bukele seems set on adopting the nevertheless volatile BTC, which has seen considerable fluctuation this year. Other nations, however, are exploring central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). China, for one, has been progressing with its digital yuan. Its government is yet to announce an official timeline for the CBDC’s rollout. Nevertheless, its pilot program currently involves several retail platforms, as well as private banks. A former People’s Bank of China official came out in support of the digital yuan at the end of May. This was in response to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s insinuation that China would use the CBDC to monitor its citizens’ payments. Yao Qian said that this was never a motivation behind the digital yuan. He argued the CBDC is designed as a countermeasure against increasingly popular “private payment platforms.” || El Salvador offers $30 bitcoin starter account, use optional: SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador’s president says use of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin will not be mandatory, but the country is planning to give out starter accounts with $30 to promote its use. Finance Minister Alejandro Zelaya said Thursday the government will allocate $120 million to establish as many as 4 million starter Bitcoin accounts, or “wallets,” though he doesn’t think that many people will take up the offer. The wallets are to be known as “Chivo,” a slang word meaning “cool," or nice. President Nayib Bukele said that when the law takes effect in September, accepting Bitcoin will be optional. “Nobody will have to accept bitcoins if they don’t want to,” Bukele said. El Salvador’s Legislative Assembly approved legislation on June 9 making Bitcoin legal tender in the country, the first nation to do so. Zelaya said the $120 million for the accounts will come out of the government's general fund. “Upon registering, the person will receive $30 dollars in Bitcoins” to promote the scheme, Zelaya said. “We hope to reach a maximum of 4 million wallets, that means covering $120 million, but I don't think we will reach that amount,” he said. El Savador's national debt is already reaching troubling proportions. The company that has run a Bitcoin ATM in the Salvadoran beach town of El Zonte for about a year announced it was installing a second machine in the capital and plans to put in at least a dozen others at shopping malls. The machines give dollars in exchange for Bitcoin or takes dollars and gives credit in Bitcoin. The digital currency can be used in E Salvador in any transaction and any business will have to accept payment in Bitcoin, with the exception of those lacking the technology to do so. The U.S. dollar will also continue to be El Salvador’s currency and no one will be forced to pay in Bitcoin, according to the legislation. The exchange rate between the two currencies will be established by the market and all prices will be able to be expressed in Bitcoin — though for accounting purposes, the dollar will continue to be the currency of reference. Story continues The government will promote training for people to be able to carry out transactions using Bitcoin. The Economy Ministry has said that 70% of Salvadorans do not have access to traditional financial services and it said the country “needs to authorize the circulation of a digital currency who value exclusively follows free market criteria” to stimulate growth. The president said it would increase financial inclusion, investment, tourism, innovation and economic development. The legislation established a government trust fund to guarantee automatic convertibility to dollars. El Salvador received some $6 billion in remittances from Salvadorans living abroad last year, about 16% of the country’s gross domestic product. Bukele has said Bitcoin could eliminate the costs of sending that money home. Experts say it is unclear how the highly volatile cryptocurrency will be a good option for the unbanked and only time will tell if the new system translates into real investment in El Salvador. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: down || Prices: 33855.33, 32877.37, 33798.01, 33520.52, 34240.19, 33155.85, 32702.03, 32822.35, 31780.73, 31421.54
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] C&W Business Launches Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS) on Demand at Cisco Live!: CANCUN, MEXICO--(Marketwired - Nov 7, 2016) - Cisco Live! -- C&W Business , part of C&W Communications (C&W), one of the largest full service communications and entertainment providers in the Caribbean and Latin America region, now owned by Liberty Global (LiLAC Group), is excited to announce the launch of Hosted Collaboration Solution (HCS) on Demand, a managed Unified Collaboration Service, at Cisco Live! . Cisco Live is one of the main IT conferences in the Latin America region and is expected to draw more than 5,500 customers, experts and partners from different business segments and levels. Cisco Live! will be held from November 7-10 in Cancun, Mexico and C&W Business will be present at booth #506 showcasing live demos of its next-generation platform, HCS on Demand. The launch of HCS on Demand, powered by Cisco, is a managed unified collaboration platform that will enable customers in 24 countries across the Caribbean and Latin America to leverage a full suite of IP-enabled collaboration tools. HCS on Demand will be hosted by C&W Business at their data centers and be delivered to customers over the Company's world-class, SIP-enabled fiber IP (terrestrial and submarine) and fault-tolerant network. This network encompasses over 42,000 kilometers (26,000 miles) of fiber across the Caribbean and Latin America and is the only MEF CE 2.0 certified network across the region, allowing C&W Business to deliver highly secure and reliable data, voice and video services efficiently to its customers. "C&W Business HCS on Demand helps accelerate customers' day-to-day business processes, helping achieve better and faster business outcomes across the region. Customers won't have to worry about burdening their IT staff with the effort to deploy and operate their own PBX or UCC platform. Customers will only pay for what they need, with no upfront costs, making unified communications more affordable and the costs more predictable in a fixed monthly service charge per user," said Daniel Peiretti, SVP Product Development and Management, C&W Business. "Our HCS on Demand solution is secure, offers strong SLA's, and is supported by a business-class infrastructure with a certified team that uses a simplified deployment model. We will have customers up and running in no time, from anywhere, anytime and from any device," added Peiretti. Story continues As a Cisco Master Managed Service Provider, C&W Business utilizes its highly secure and connected fabric of datacenters to deliver the most comprehensive, integrated solutions for clients. This crucial element enables clients to have a single point of contact, avoiding the challenge of managing multiple vendors. In addition, business applications and unified communication applications are hosted in the same datacenter significantly reducing latency and enhancing data security. C&W Business HCS on Demand will offer customers: Voice and video communications, mobility, messaging, presence, web and video conferencing, and contact center. Access to cloud-based resources in a fast and easy way so customers can get up and running faster than with traditional models. Predictable per-user monthly costs without having to incur upfront capital expenditure investments. Ability to easily ramp up or down to address seasonal needs. Deployment of different license types to individuals across work groups or departments as required. Elimination of the costs and problems of equipment maintenance and software upgrades. Customers most likely to benefit from this solution are those with a need for enhanced remote worker integration, mobility, cost reduction, reduced travel cost, simplified user experience, accelerated decision making, improved customer service and better work-life balance for its employees. In addition, existing Cisco collaboration customers can migrate their "on premises" solution into this cloud and maintain their investment in licensing. Cisco Live! is the premier IT conference in Latin America -- which gathers customers, experts and partners from different industries, segments, and countries. Cisco Live! is held annually in four cities worldwide: Las Vegas, Berlin, Melbourne and Cancun. Learn more at #CiscoLiveLA Visit C&W Business at Cisco Live! C&W Business will be an exhibitor at booth #506 during Cisco Live!, at the Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort Cancun, Mexico. To learn about our technology-driven solutions that offer unique Cisco collaboration technologies using hosted and managed models. Meet our technology experts and join us for demo presentations on our solutions on November 9 from 10:30 am - 12:30 pm and on November 10 from 12:30 - 2:00 pm in the Cisco Powered booth. NOTES TO EDITORS C&W Business To Offer Cisco Collaboration As A Service Over Its MPLS Networks About C&W Communications C&W is a full service communications and entertainment provider and delivers market-leading video, broadband, telephony and mobile services to consumers in 18 countries. Through its business division, C&W provides data center hosting, domestic and international managed network services, and customized IT service solutions, utilizing cloud technology to serve business and government customers. C&W also operates a state-of-the-art submarine fiber network -- the most extensive in the region. Learn more at www.cwc.com , or follow C&W on LinkedIn , Facebook or Twitter . About Liberty Global Liberty Global is the world's largest international TV and broadband company, with operations in more than 30 countries across Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. We invest in the infrastructure that empowers our customers to make the most of the digital revolution. Our scale and commitment to innovation enables us to develop market-leading products delivered through next-generation networks that connect our 29 million customers who subscribe to over 60 million television, broadband internet and telephony services. We also serve 10 million mobile subscribers and offer WiFi service across seven million access points. Liberty Global's businesses are comprised of two stocks: the Liberty Global Group ( NASDAQ : LBTYA ) ( NASDAQ : LBTYB ) ( NASDAQ : LBTYK ) for our European operations, and the LiLAC Group ( NASDAQ : LILA ) and ( NASDAQ : LILAK ) ( OTC PINK : LILAB ), which consists of our operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Liberty Global Group operates in 12 European countries under the consumer brands Virgin Media, Ziggo, Unitymedia, Telenet and UPC. The LiLAC Group operates in over 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean under the consumer brands VTR, Flow, Liberty, Mas Movil and BTC. In addition, the LiLAC Group operates a subsea fiber network throughout the region in over 30 markets. || Traders weigh chasing Microsoft rally after stock passes all-time high in late trading: The " Fast Money " traders debated whether it's worth chasing the rally in Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) after the company posted an earnings beat driven by continued growth in its cloud business . The stock climbed above its 1999 all-time high of $59.97 in extended trade. Trader Brian Kelly said he would not chase the rally in Microsoft, but would be interested in it on a pullback. "Everything that these guys said is exactly what everybody in this market now wants. There's very few stocks out there that have this type of growth, that have a dividend, that have a strong management team ... so Microsoft is going to attract a lot of investment money," Kelly said. Trader Karen Finerman agreed, but added that Microsoft's current valuation — about a 27 price-to-earnings ratio on a trailing basis — is much more appetizing than it was 17 years ago. Trader Dan Nathan said that a large portion of Microsoft's revenue still comes from its legacy businesses and that the current valuation is still too rich. He said there's a risk that the growth of the cloud business could slow down. Trader Tim Seymour disagreed, saying that Microsoft could still increase margins and market share. Disclosures: KAREN FINERMAN Karen Finerman is long AAL, BAC, C, DAL, long DB calls, FB, FL, GOGO, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, LYV, KORS, KORS calls, KORS puts, M, MA, SEDG, SPY puts, UAL, URI, WIFI long call spreads. Her firm is long ANTM, AAPL, BAC, C, C calls, FB, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, JPM calls, KORS, LYV, M, MOH, PLCE, SPY puts, URI, WIFI. Her firm is short IWM, MDY. Finerman is on the board of GrafTech International. DAN NATHAN Dan Nathan is TWTR long, PYPL long Oct calls, XHB long Jan put spread, XLU long Dec call Spread, XLK long Jan put spread, XRT long Jan put spread, PG long Dec put spread, EEM long Nov put spread. BRIAN KELLY Brian Kelly is long Bitcoin, SLV and Silver Futures, US Dollar UUP. He is short the euro and Japanese yen. TIM SEYMOUR Story continues Tim Seymour is long ABX, APC, AVP, BAC, BBRY, CLF, DO, DVYE, EDC, EWZ, F, FB, FCX, FXI, GM, GOOGL, GE, INTC, LQD,MCD, MUR, OIH, PG, RACE, RAI, RH, RL, SINA, T, TWTR, VALE, VZ, XOM. short: SPY, XRT. His firm is long ABX, BABA, BIDU, CBD, CLF, EWZ, F, KO, MCD, MPEL, NKE, PEP, PF, SAVE, SBUX, SINA, VALE, VIAB, WMT, WEN, X, YHOO, short EWG, HYG, IWM More From CNBC Top News and Analysis Latest News Video Personal Finance || A Harvard Professor Studied Infamous White-Collar Criminals. Here’s What He Learned.: Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Eugene Soltes does, at least if the men are disgraced corporate executives. Soltes, an associate professor at Harvard Business School, struck up relationships--mainly by phone, email, and letter--with close to 50 prominent white-collar criminals in order to learn what made them tick, why they blew it all, and what, if anything, distinguishes them from us. He eventually got to know Ponzi schemers Bernard Madoff and Allen Stanford, former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski, Enron CFO Andy Fastow, ImClone CEO Samuel Waksal, McKinsey partner Anil Kumar, KPMG partner Scott London, and many others. The resulting book, Why They Do It: Inside the Mind of the White-Collar Criminal (Public Affairs, 447 pages), comes out October 11. For this article, Soltes also struck up a brief telephone relationship with Fortune legal affairs writer Roger Parloff, though he has not yet been convicted of anything. Fortune : When did you start working on this project and why? The project began almost a decade ago, although at the time it wasn't even a scholarly endeavor. It was just my curiosity. I was a graduate student, finishing my doctorate at the University of Chicago School of Business. One night I was working on my dissertation, which involved a large empirical dataset, and was waiting for some data output. I was watching TV and came across a show on MSNBC called Lockup --a cross between a reality and documentary show. It was about criminals--mostly violent offenders. From this I started wondering: What about all the nonviolent offenders--like the executives I'd read about in the papers. That spurred me to write down the first ten questions that came to mind and to send letters to a number of prominent white-collar criminals. That led, down the road, to this project. Were most the white-collar criminals fundamentally like you and me, or were they sociopaths? By and large, they were like us. That's one of the main things I took away in this project. Story continues Once they've been indicted or convicted, we tend to distance them from ourselves and say we'd never do this. We're not like them. But when we look at their errors more carefully, they're actually ones we are all susceptible to making. The main difference is that we are not generally in those types of leadership positions that when we make an error it actually has that kind of cataclysmic consequences on thousands or tens of thousands of people. The main challenge that not just managers face, but that we all face as humans, is that we're not hardwired to detect harm that we're doing when the harm is distant. It's not enough to know the difference between right and wrong. One actually has to feel that one's actions are harmful to avoid going forward. So take something like insider trading. You don't see the victims. It's actually impossible in many instances to identify who those victims are. So it's not surprising that if you engage in insider trading, there's not going to be any internal alarm screaming out that you're engaging in some extraordinarily heinous crime. So I could sit in a room all day with these executives and never be worried about them going into my back pocket and taking $5 out of my wallet. They're socialized. They wouldn't do that. Yet many of these individuals--I've held stock in some of their firms--they've taken actually far more than that out of my retirement account, or my stock account. But they don't feel any kind of deep harm in doing so. That's a discrepancy. Was Bernie Madoff a sociopath? Out of all the individuals I've spent time with, Madoff is different. Unlike other managers, Madoff knew his victims in intimate ways--they were family, friends, people in his religious circle. Madoff is a brilliant individual. Cordial. Open. I see why he was such a successful manager in terms of bringing people into his fund and taking on this leadership position. But he doesn't feel a great deal of remorse for his actions. He’s simply less empathetic. Did most people feel remorse? Very few. That was something that did surprise me. That's something I found puzzling for awhile until I started appreciating the fact that it's hard to feel deep remorse if you don't actually see the people whom you've hurt. You read that you've harmed the integrity of the markets--but that doesn't resonate internally with us very well. Do you think any of the people you met were actually innocent? There were a couple cases where the penalties they faced seemed quite remarkable. One person that particularly resonated with me Scott Harkonen, the CEO of a biotech firm called InterMune. In his case they were developing a new drug for a fatal lung disease called IPF (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis). They ran this trial. When the results came back, they found some things potentially working, and other things weren't quite so successful. They put together a press release describing all the technical detail, all the nitty gritty. But they started the press release at the top saying that the trial demonstrated that this had some success in treating IPF. A number of years later the government went after them for fraud, saying that "demonstrate" was misleading. And in his particular case, I'd say the word "suggest" would probably have been a more conservative way of framing it. But he faced up to 10 years in prison, which is what the government sought. He received probation, but, still, the effects on his life and career are really extraordinary. He spent millions of dollars in defense. The loss of his license. The loss of his reputation. And I look at the current political discourse, and some of the things that our potential leaders are saying, and how they frame them, and I think of how Scott Harkonen faced ten years in prison because he used the word "demonstrate" rather than "suggest"? The two major presidential candidates have each been accused by their critics of criminal wrongdoing. How do their personalities and temperaments stack up against those of the people in your book? [This interview took place before disclosure of the 2005 Access Hollywood video in which Republican candidate Donald Trump made lewd comments about groping women.] There's a trait associated with being a leader of any large firm. We have people who are CEOs and CFOs come regularly to Harvard Business School and there's a lot of similarities. You don't become head of large firm by luck. There are some characteristics of temperament that allow you to get there. Temperament, discipline, and self-control are crucial. I see momentary lapses of self-control and restraint as being one of the things that actually undermined the executives in my book. They showed discipline and self-control for decades. But we all have momentary lapses. I think Secretary [Hillary] Clinton has said about her email server: This was a mistake. It was a lapse in judgment. And then I think what we've seen from Mr. Trump is, he's struggling to maintain that discipline and temperament in any consistent way. It's actually being able to maintain discipline and control under stress, under different circumstances, which is, it seems to me, one of the most important characteristics of being a successful leader. This is what took down the people I've been speaking with, who are, in many cases, really remarkable individuals. Brilliant individuals. And when you see the mistakes they made, and how that has changed their lives and careers and harmed others, it is really remarkable and humbling. So when I look at the political candidates, I think of that. It doesn't require very many mistakes to have really catastrophic consequences not only for their own careers, but for those around them. In the business context, the victims are shareholders. But in politics, the victims would be us, and citizens of the world. See original article on Fortune.com More from Fortune.com Here's Who's Most Likely to Rip Off Their Employer Justice Department is setting its sights on white-collar criminals These hackers allegedly stole insider info to make big trades Bitcoin's first criminal goes to prison today This is what white collar criminals do after prison || REPORT: Trump team's top pick for Treasury secretary is an ex-Goldman Sachs banker: (AP/Evan Vucci) It looks as if President-elect Donald Trump's advisers have a clear top pick for Treasury secretary: ex-Goldman Sachs banker Steven Mnuchin, who served as the national finance chair on Trump's presidential campaign. That'saccording to Bloomberg's Saleha Mohsin, Kevin Cirilli, and Jennifer Jacobs, who report that Trump's transition team has recommended the banker. Mnuchin spent 17 years with Goldman Sachs. Mnuchin was chief information officer at The Goldman Sachs Group before leaving the firm in 2002. He alsoworked brieflyfor George Soros. Mnuchin was seen at Trump Tower on Monday, according to a pool report. When asked why he was there and whether he was interested in the position, he said: "I'm here just helping with the transition this week. A lot of work to do." Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein last week called Mnuchin a "highflier, a very nice guy," and a "smart, smart guy." "He was a very senior guy at a very young age at Goldman Sachs," Blankfein said in an interview with Andrew Ross Sorkin of The New York Times. Blankfein said Mnuchin reported to him when he ran the fixed-income division. "I follow his career, I know what he's done, but I haven’t really engaged with him that much," Blankfein said. "I'm sure he stayed just as smart as he was when he was at Goldman." Another potential candidate is JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon.CNBC last week reportedthat Dimon, a lifelong Democrat, was in the running for the position. NOW WATCH:Ex-Wells Fargo employees reveal how some bankers abused customers More From Business Insider • Michael Bloomberg has a plan to shift the conversation on climate change • Here's why Trump's win boosted Bitcoin • Europe's Trump rally evaporated || Netscape Co-Founder: Passwords Are the Weak Link in Cyber Security: Jim Clark, co-founder of Netscape and Shutterfly, weighs in on the flaws of current cyber security efforts in place to prevent hacks. Clark discussed the rise in security breaches facing business of all sizes as well as organizations and government agencies. “Recently there’s been a spate as you know of disruptions, the DNC getting emails tapped and small business owners getting their machines encrypted so that they couldn’t do business and having to pay Bitcoin ransom and there’s, you know, massive password theft at companies like Yahoo. So we’re seeing it in a lot of different places,” Clark told the FOX Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo. Clark sees the use of passwords as a weak link in efforts to improve cyber security. “In the end it all, in one way or another, points to this deficiency I call it, that we call a password.” Clark then went into greater depth as to why he sees the use of passwords as a deficiency. “You don’t want to use it for access to a site because that requires that the site have a copy. You see, passwords are deficient because they amount to a shared secret. And there’s that old joke, ‘a secret is something you tell one person at a time.’ And the thing about a secret, this particular secret, you don’t want anyone to know.” Because of this, Clark added, “You’ve got to get out of passwords, there’s no question about that.” Clark explained the certificate concept used to authenticate websites. “The certificate concept has been around for years. It’s used to authenticate and make sure that you’re connecting to Google, make sure you’re connected to Yahoo. Any site you go to has a certificate. And that certificate is issued by a certification authority – there’s a complete infrastructure for dealing with that kind of issue.” Clark says that this certification could be implemented for users as well to replace the need for passwords. “The exact same mechanism can be used to authenticate users, so users need to be issued a certificate, then they don’t need a password and this certificate gets shared with everyone because it can’t be altered, it can’t be messed with. If you mess with it, It’s no longer valid.” Related Articles • U.S. housing starts tumble on weak multi-family construction activity • Halliburton posts surprise profit as expenses fall • Nissan to appoint CEO Ghosn as Mitsubishi Motors chairman: sources || At your service: cyber criminals for hire to militants, EU says: THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Cybercriminals offering contract services for hire offer militant groups the means to attack Europe but such groups have yet to employ such techniques in major attacks, EU police agency Europol said on Wednesday. "There is currently little evidence to suggest that their cyber-attack capability extends beyond common website defacement," it said in its annual cybercrime threat assessment in a year marked by Islamic State violence in Europe. But the internet's criminal shadow the Darknet had potential to be exploited by militants taking advantage of computer experts offering "crime as a service", Europol added: "The availability of cybercrime tools and services, and illicit commodities (including firearms) on the Darknet, provide ample opportunities for this situation to change." Overall, the report found, existing trends in cybercrime continued to grow, with some of the European Union's member states reporting more cyber crimes than the traditional variety. "Europol is concerned about how an expanding cybercriminal community has been able to further exploit our increasing dependence on technology and the internet," its director, Rob Wainwright, said in a statement. "We have also seen a marked shift in cyber-facilitated activities relating to trafficking in human beings, terrorism and other threats." "Ransomware" - programs which break into databases and demand payment for unlocking codes via virtual currencies such as Bitcoin - continued to expand as a problem, as did highly targeted "phishing" attacks to extract security data from senior figures - "CEO fraud" - and video streaming of child abuse. Attacks on bank cash-machine networks were also increasing, the report found, as were frauds exploiting new contactless payment card transactions, while traditional scams involving the physical presence of a card had been successfully reduced. (Reporting by Alastair Macdonald in Brussels; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) || At your service: cyber criminals for hire to militants, EU says: THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Cybercriminals offering contract services for hire offer militant groups the means to attack Europe but such groups have yet to employ such techniques in major attacks, EU police agency Europol said on Wednesday. "There is currently little evidence to suggest that their cyber-attack capability extends beyond common website defacement," it said in its annual cybercrime threat assessment in a year marked by Islamic State violence in Europe. But the internet's criminal shadow the Darknet had potential to be exploited by militants taking advantage of computer experts offering "crime as a service", Europol added: "The availability of cybercrime tools and services, and illicit commodities (including firearms) on the Darknet, provide ample opportunities for this situation to change." Overall, the report found, existing trends in cybercrime continued to grow, with some of the European Union's member states reporting more cyber crimes than the traditional variety. "Europol is concerned about how an expanding cybercriminal community has been able to further exploit our increasing dependence on technology and the internet," its director, Rob Wainwright, said in a statement. "We have also seen a marked shift in cyber-facilitated activities relating to trafficking in human beings, terrorism and other threats." "Ransomware" - programs which break into databases and demand payment for unlocking codes via virtual currencies such as Bitcoin - continued to expand as a problem, as did highly targeted "phishing" attacks to extract security data from senior figures - "CEO fraud" - and video streaming of child abuse. Attacks on bank cash-machine networks were also increasing, the report found, as were frauds exploiting new contactless payment card transactions, while traditional scams involving the physical presence of a card had been successfully reduced. (Reporting by Alastair Macdonald in Brussels; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) || Mergers and Acquisitions Surge; MandA Funds Flat: There’s been another wave of headline-making mergers and acquisitions this year following a hot year for deals in 2015, the latest of which was the blockbuster $85 billion AT&T-Time Warner deal announced this week. If you are an ETF investor, does a pickup in M&A activity offer you any investment opportunity? In theory, yes. There are two ETFs in the market today that look to capitalize specifically on these types of corporate deals through long/short hedge-fundlike portfolios. They are: IQ Merger Arbitrage ETF (MNA) , $130 million in AUM ProShares Merger ETF (MRGR) , $5.4 million in AUM But the reality is that the pickup in M&A activity does not necessarily mean an uptick in the performance of these funds. Consider that, other than the AT&T-Time Warner deal, there have been some pretty notable ones recently, as Bloomberg reported : the British American Tobacco-Reynolds American $58 billion deal; the Qualcomm-NXP Semiconductors $46 billion deal; the Anheuser-Busch InBev bid to buy SABMiller for $100 billion; and talks of a “possible” CBS-Viacom $30 billion deal. And yet, here’s how these two ETFs have performed relative to the SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) this year—they have practically not gone anywhere: Chart courtesy of Stockcharts.com Flood Of Deals Don’t Boost Performance “Both ETFs seek to benefit from a merger arbitrage situation, where a stock will not trade as high as the terms of the deal, on risks the deal may not close as expected,” said Todd Rosenbluth, head of ETF research at S&P Global. “While M&A activity has picked up recently, these ETFs have lagged the S&P 500 index, as their performance is less tied to the traditional catalysts for U.S. equities.” In the case of the AT&T bid to acquire Time Warner, Time Warner stock traded at a “discount to the deal’s value” because investors aren’t sure this deal will actually close, Rosenbluth notes. This is where merger arbitrage opportunity lies, but also the challenge. It’s not easy to predict where the next big deal is going to happen, and when the news is made public, the potential to capture outsized premiums tends to diminish. Story continues How MNA Works MNA tracks an index that takes long positions in firms that are acquisition targets, and shorts broad equity indexes to manage downside risk associated with the deals. Any money left over is tied to short-term bonds. The design is meant to capture any premium associated with the companies being acquired, much like a hedge fund would do. The long side of the portfolio weights deals based on liquidity—on average dollars traded—of a company. The short side of the portfolio can represent as much as 40% at times. One of the main risks associated with this strategy is that a deal can be broken, and when that happens, stock prices of the target companies tend to drop. In the case of MNA, stocks aren’t removed immediately from the portfolio if that happens—they stay on until the next monthly rebalance. That can impact returns. Bonds Top Allocation Right now, the portfolio’s largest single allocation is to short-term bonds in the form of a 19% allocation to the SPDR Barclays 1-3 Month T-Bill (BIL ) and a 6.3% allocation to the iShares Short Treasury Bond (SHV) —that’s roughly a quarter of the portfolio. These ETFs are in the black year-to-date, but not by much. They have each returned less than 1% so far in 2016. Leading individual companies with a 9.6% weighting is LinkedIn, followed by St. Jude Medical and Rackspace—all takeover targets. On the short side of the portfolio, the largest weighting is to a few sector ETFs. The Healthcare Select Sector SPDR (XLV) and the Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) are at a combined weighting of about -10%. XLV’s share price is down this year, but XLE has rallied more than 16%. MRGR Similar Build MRGR, launched in 2012, goes head to head with MNA and is built in much the same way. The fund is vastly smaller, however, having gathered only about $5.5 million in assets in four years. MRGR longs stocks of companies that are the targets of acquisition, and it shorts the acquiring firms, with the goal of capturing the spread between the two. The fund also has a currency-hedge component given that it’s global in scope. The underlying index in this strategy usually comprises about 40 announced deals. Among the fund’s largest single company holdings right now are names such as Yadkin Financial, Starz and Valspar Corp. Perhaps due to a positive stock market, or to low interest rates, or to companies’ need to grow through acquisition, or to all of the above, M&A deals continue to pop up as the year-end nears. Some even say that the massive AT&T/Time Warner deal “could potentially trigger another M&A wave due to the strategic merits of vertical integration,” according to Rosenbluth. These funds offer a direct vector for ETF investors to tap into the deals themselves, but it’s important to remember that more and bigger M&A deals don’t necessarily translate into more and bigger returns in these hedge-fundlike ETFs. Contact Cinthia Murphy at [email protected] Recommended Stories Top ETF Picks For 2017 Core Stock & Bond Portfolios Need New Look Mergers & Acquisitions Surge; M&A Funds Flat SEC Wants To Hear From You On Bitcoin ETF S&P 500: The Best Crowdsourcing Tool Permalink | © Copyright 2016 ETF.com. All rights reserved || Winklevoss brothers name State Street as bitcoin ETF administrator: By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss on Tuesday filed amendments to their proposed bitcoin exchange-traded fund, naming State Street as administrator, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Winklevoss brothers, identical twins, had filed their first application for a bitcoin ETF called Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust three years ago. Investors have shown keen interest in the Winklevoss ETF. If approved by the SEC, this would be the first bitcoin ETF issued by a U.S. entity. According to the amended filing, State Street will provide the fund administration and accounting services, including calculating the bitcoin trust's net asset value (NAV). Another major change involved the ETF's custodian, Gemini Trust Company, doing monthly "proof of control" exercises and publishing the reports on the ETF's website. "Custodian's cold storage system was purpose-built to demonstrate 'proof of control' of the private keys associated with its public bitcoin addresses," the filing said. "The sponsor and the custodian have engaged an independent audit firm to verify that the custodian can demonstrate 'proof of control' of the private keys that control the Trust's bitcoin on a monthly basis." Burr Pilger Mayer, based in San Francisco and known for working with venture-backed digital currency companies, has been named the ETF's auditor, the filing said. In addition, the SEC filing said Gemini's daily auction price at 4 p.m. EDT will now be used to price the NAV of the ETF. The previous pricing mechanism was the Gemini spot price. Gemini runs a digital currency trading venue. Since its launch in September, the Gemini auction has transacted more than 1,900 bitcoin on average per business day, which represents more than 16 percent of all U.S.-based bitcoin exchange volume, according to company data. The daily auction along with Gemini's expansion has increased the company's market share to about 9 percent of all U.S. dollar-denominated exchange-traded bitcoin volume. Story continues The ETF would trade under the ticker symbol COIN. Late on Tuesday, bitcoin traded at $632.88 on the BitStamp platform. (This version of the story adds the dropped word "bitcoin" in the 7th paragraph, fixes a typographical error in the 10th paragraph and corrects source to say 'according to company data' instead of 'Gemini said on Tuesday') (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Tom Brown) || Traders take their position on bank stocks ahead of earnings: The " Fast Money " traders weighed in on the bank stocks ahead of earnings reports from Citigroup (NYSE: C) , Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) and JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) before the market open on Friday. Trader Brian Kelly said he's keeping an eye on the financial sector, but thinks the "banks are a sell here." Trader Tim Seymour disagreed and said investors should be looking at the banks and find companies with relatively "pristine balance sheets" and "earnings power." Trader Karen Finerman said she likes the valuation of the banks at current levels. Disclosures: TIM SEYMOUR Tim Seymour is long ABX, APC, AVP, BAC, BBRY, CLF, DO, DVYE, EDC, EWZ, F, FB, FCX, FXI, GM, GOOGL, GE, INTC, LQD,MCD, MUR, OIH, PG, RACE, RAI, RH, RL, SINA, T, TWTR, VALE, VZ, XOM and short: SPY, XRT. His firm is long ABX, BABA, BIDU, CBD, CLF, EWZ, F, KO, MCD, MPEL, NKE, PEP, PF, SAVE, SBUX, SINA, VALE, VIAB, WMT, WEN, X, YHOO, short EWG, HYG, IWM KAREN FINERMAN Karen is long AAL, BAC, C, DAL, long DB calls, short DB preferred, FB, FL, GOGO, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, LYV, KORS, KORS calls, KORS puts, M, MA, SEDG, SPY puts, UAL, URI, WIFI long call spreads. Her firm is long ANTM, AAPL, BAC, C, C calls, FB, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, JPM calls, KORS, LYV, M, MOH, PLCE, SPY puts, URI, WIFI. Her firm is short IWM, MDY. Finerman is on the board of GrafTech International. BRIAN KELLY Brian Kelly is long Bitcoin, DXJ, US Dollar UUP. He is short the euro and Japanese yen. GUY ADAMI Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, GDX, INTC. Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] 1 KOBO = 0.00000217 BTC = 0.0015 USD = 0.4560 NGN = 0.0215 ZAR = 0.1525 KES #Kobocoin 2016-11-13 00:00 pic.twitter.com/xASMc1MReP || #Anoncoin/#ANC price now: $0.149482, that's 0.00% change in 1hour. 1.77% past day, and 6.53% in the past week! #Bitcoin is $610.47 || #ChainCoin #CHC $0.000136 (-0.37%) 0.00000019 BTC (0.00%) || $709.42 #bitfinex; $696.00 #btce; $707.44 #GDAX; $703.99 #bitstamp; $706.39 #itBit; $708.32 #gemini; #bitcoin news: http://bit.ly/1VI6Yse  || #TrollCoin #TROLL $0.000042 (-4.92%) 0.00000006 BTC (0.00%) || $594.92 at 03:00 UTC [24h Range: $592.50 - $596.42 Volume: 2548 BTC] || #UFOCoin #UFO $0.000007 (-1.64%) 0.00000001 BTC (-0.00%) || 1 MUE Price: Bittrex 0.00000069 BTC YoBit 0.00000114 BTC Bleutrade 0.00000070 BTC #MUE #MUEprice 2016-10-24 00:00 pic.twitter.com/RsGP4Lsc0I || #UFOCoin #UFO $0.000007 (-6.85%) 0.00000001 BTC (-0.00%) || #Anoncoin/#ANC price now: $0.148420, that's 0.00% change in 1hour. 1.20% past day, and 2.72% in the past week! #Bitcoin is $611.36
Trend: no change || Prices: 739.25, 751.35, 744.59, 740.29, 741.65, 735.38, 732.03, 735.81, 735.60, 745.69
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2019-06-05] BTC Price: 7824.23, BTC RSI: 50.53 Gold Price: 1328.30, Gold RSI: 70.65 Oil Price: 51.68, Oil RSI: 21.15 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] How to buy Bitcoin Cash: If you disagree with Bitcoin’s (BTC) scaling solution then there is an alternative option. Buying Bitcoin Cash. Bitcoin Cash ( BCH ) is a fork of Bitcoin that has increased the block size to 8 megabytes and doesn’t incorporate Segwit on to the technology. The differences can be confusing and frustrating for some, but the battle between the two different versions of Bitcoin is likely to rumble on. BCH aims to make themselves the payment solution for the world. By increasing the block size, they believe that the fees will be reduced and the cost of sending BCH will be cheaper. If you prefer the vision of Roger Ver, Bitcoin Unlimited and Bitcoin ABC, then there are a variety of ways to buy and spend Bitcoin Cash. If you had some Bitcoin at the time of the hard fork, then you will have received the equivalent number of Bitcoin Cash in your wallet. However, if you didn’t have Bitcoin to begin with at the time of the fork then you will have to purchase BCH separately. Bitcoin.com Bitcoin.com is a website run by Roger Ver. Controversy surrounds the website, with many traditional Bitcoin supporters accusing Ver of hijacking the Bitcoin name to promote Bitcoin Cash. The controversy deepens with the recommendation from Bitcoin.com to buy Bitcoin Cash, as it ascribes to what they believe is the original goal of Bitcoin. As one of the main Bitcoin Cash supporters, it’s little surprise that Ver’s website would suggest such. Bitcoin.com provides a place where you can buy Bitcoin Cash and is a news service as well. However, it must be remembered that as it’s a prominent supporter of Bitcoin Cash then the news is likely to be biased. Kraken Kraken is another exchange that provides the option to buy Bitcoin Cash. Being one of the largest exchanges in operation, they also provide a fiat on-ramp should you wish to purchase Bitcoin Cash with your existing money rather than trading another cryptocurrency. Being one of the most prominent exchanges, users should expect that the service is secure. However, some exchanges have been hacked in the past so it’s never wise to keep your crypto stored on an exchange. Story continues Coinbase Coinbase is another exchange that offers Bitcoin Cash. Like Kraken, Coinbase provides the opportunity to purchase BCH using fiat money instead of relying on trading cryptocurrencies. Coinbase is one of the largest exchanges in the world and very easy to use. However, this comes at a cost as the fees are notoriously higher than on other exchanges. There are more fiat to cryptocurrency exchanges on the market but, with the volatility of cryptocurrencies coupled with the bear market, you need to ensure that they are reputable. Unfortunately, there are still many shady exchanges on the market. Buy Bitcoin Cash with cryptocurrency If you already have some cryptocurrency that you would like to trade, then you will find that most major exchanges offer Bitcoin Cash. Since the fork, many have kept Bitcoin Cash on their books including Binance , Poloniex and Bittrex . Some even have dedicated trading pairs with BCH. Trading cryptocurrencies is slightly more complicated than merely buying with fiat currency so should only be done if you are aware of the risks and know the methods to do so. Conclusion There are many options should you wish to buy Bitcoin Cash. There are fiat ramps, as well as numerous exchanges where you can trade another cryptocurrency for it. Before buying Bitcoin Cash, you should ensure you know the differences between Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash. Their roadmaps are definitely different and the battle wages on as to who will win – although Bitcoin has remained comfortably ahead so far. If you have purchased either cryptocurrency, ensure that you send it to the designated address of either Bitcoin or Bitcoin Cash. Sending either to the wrong address could result in the loss of your coins. The post How to buy Bitcoin Cash appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Key moments in the Bitcoin price history: The price of Bitcoin is what the majority of people focus on. From starting out at less than $0.01 to the peak of $20,000, the Bitcoin price history has been a roller coaster, with numerous ups and downs. The beginning When Bitcoin was first born, there was no price attached to the cryptocurrency to begin with. Early miners would often send Bitcoins to other people as gifts for free so that they could play with the technology. One of the early Bitcoin developers, Martti Malmi, believes he made the first Bitcoin-to-US dollar transaction when he sold 5,050 Bitcoin for $5.02 on 12th October 2009. This could be regarded as the beginning of the Bitcoin price history. A more infamous transaction was soon to take place though, when Lazlo Hanyecz managed to buy two pizzas using Bitcoin. The total cost of the pizzas was $25, so Lazlo had to part with 10,000 Bitcoin at the time. This was a momentous occasion in the early life of Bitcoin as this was the first time anything had ever been purchased with the cryptocurrency. The value of Bitcoin at this time was $0.0025. This figure shows how early Bitcoin was in its lifespan. Mt Gox was the first exchange to open in July 2010. Created by Jed McCaleb, the price of Bitcoin was around $0.07 at the time. It would take another seven months for Bitcoin to reach parity with the dollar. Whilst this may seem like a long time, in reality the price rise was extremely quick. However, it was the creation of another website that really caught people’s attention. The Silk Road On 1st June 2011, Gawker – a US blog site – ran an article titled: “The underground website where you can buy any drug imaginable”. The website was of course The Silk Road, which was run by Ross Ulbricht. The Silk Road’s use of Bitcoin created huge interest in the cryptocurrency community. For the first time people from around the world could buy their drugs anonymously (at the time) from anywhere. The site even had ratings on the quality of the product and of the buyers and sellers involved. Story continues The influence of The Silk Road cannot be underestimated. Ten days after the article was published, Bitcoin had gone from a cryptocurrency worth $9 to one worth $17 – almost doubling in value. Bailout of Cyprus banks After The Silk Road built interest in Bitcoin, the price continued to rise slowly despite suffering some hiccups along the way. Another catalyst for a sharp movement in the Bitcoin price was the financial crisis that took place in Cyprus. A knock-on effect of the 2008 financial crisis , these events were widely publicised in the media, with people queuing outside banks unable to access their own money. It was at this time that those in the media, particularly Max Keiser, began to really push the Bitcoin narrative as an alternative. The Bitcoin argument was finally starting to be heard by those who had no interest in new technologies. Bitcoin was at around $72 at the time of the crisis, but soon rose to well over $100 – and it didn’t stop there. Momentum had caught on and Bitcoin ended the year reaching highs of $1,000. The crash back down Those who bought Bitcoin for $1 had already seen a big crash in the price of the cryptocurrency when it went up to $30 and back down to $6. However, the price crash from $1,200 was a first for many. Opinion pieces flooded mainstream media of Bitcoin being dead. There were plenty of news articles about China banning Bitcoin, but it was the closure of Mt Gox that hit the cryptocurrency the hardest. For many, Mt Gox was the place to buy Bitcoin, and for those who were not wise, it was the place to store your Bitcoin. Mt Gox suffered from a hack where 744,000 Bitcoins were stolen and the exchange subsequently closed. Many to this day are hopeful that they might receive their Bitcoin back from Mt Gox, but the story continues. 2017 bull run Despite claims that Bitcoin was dead, development continued. Along with this, new altcoins such as Ethereum had sprouted, causing plenty of excitement. The 2017 bull run was perhaps the most spectacular in the history of cryptocurrencies. From below $1,000, Bitcoin shot all the way up to $20,000. The pizzas that Lazlo Hanyecz bought were beginning to look like extremely expensive purchases. The bull run sparked a frenzy, with newcomers entering the market consistently and throwing their money at Bitcoin and any other altcoin they could find, thinking that the prices wouldn’t stop rising. The FOMO was real. 2018 bear market All good things must come to an end though, and the bear market took over once more at the start of 2018 and continues to this day. Many newcomers have become rekt and the old articles of Bitcoin being dead are being refurbished. What the bottom might be for Bitcoin and whether the cryptocurrency will ever recover back to $20,000 and higher, no-one knows. The Bitcoin price history has always been a volatile and dramatic ride. In between this though, development of Bitcoin and new cryptocurrencies has been consistent and timely. Bitcoin is only just ten years old, and the whole industry still has a long way to go regardless of price. The post Key moments in the Bitcoin price history appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Bitcoin at Most Overbought Level Since Record Bull Run: Bloomberg Analyst: Bitcoin ( BTC ) is at its most overbought level since its record highs in December 2017, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Mike McGlone claimed in an article published on April 5. Per the report, Bitcoin’s GTI Global Strength Indicator shows that the coin has not been this overbought since its price neared its record peak of $20,000. Bloomberg also claims that similar patterns in the past have heralded multi-week long downturns. Bitcoin’s GTI Global Strength Indicator Bitcoin’s GTI Global Strength Indicator. Source: Bloomberg According to McGlone, recent market growth occurred because of long-term price compression and low volatility, which caused the price to be “released from the cage.” McGlone stated that he expects a similar downturn period to follow the recent growth: “Now it’s a question of duration and I suspect when you have such a massive bubble, you’ll always have an overhang of people who need to sell.” The article also quotes David Tawil, president of crypto hedge fund ProChain Capital, who reportedly expects the market to continue its downward trend. While he admits that “it’s nice to see a positive move as opposed to a negative move,” he notes that it is not comforting: “Certainly, an investor would much rather see a gradual rise with constant floors in terms of downside being established, as opposed to a very, very quick run-up. It could easily be easy come, easy go.” McGlone’s and Tawil’s analysis appear to contrast with that of Fundstrat Global Advisors co-founder Thomas Lee . As Cointelegraph reported yesterday, according to Lee, Bitcoin is back in a bullish trend. Lee pointed out that BTC has now broken over its 200-day-moving-average. Additionally, trade and author Peter Brandt seemingly disagreed with McGlone, having tweeted on April 5 that he wouldn't be surprised if Bitcoin was to enter another parabolic phase. Earlier this week, leading United States derivative market CME Group pointed out that its Bitcoin futures reported record trading volumes on April 4. Related Articles: Brexit and April Fool's Joke Possible Catalysts for Crypto Rally, Crypto Reporter Says Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, EOS, Binance Coin, Stellar, Cardano, TRON: Price Analysis April 8 Electrum Faces Another Fake Wallet Attack, Users Reported to Lose Millions of Dollars Bitcoin Briefly Breaks New $5,300 Support as Traditional Markets Grow View comments || EOS Developer Block.One Attempts 10% Private Buyback of Its Stock: EOS developer Block.one is attempting a 10% buyback of its stock, offering backers a share repurchase price that will return as much as 6,567% on their initial investments. The news was reported by Bloomberg on May 22. According to Bloomberg, the buyback values the company at around $2.3 billion, up from about a $40 million valuation in the 2017 seed round. The repurchase price being offered is $1,500 per share — up 6,567% from the original price of $22.50. As Bloomberg notes, investors who ostensibly stand to benefit from this return include PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel , Jihan Wu of crypto mining hardware giant Bitmain and hedge fund managers Alan Howard and Louis Bacon — all of whom bought into EOS back in July 2018 . Bacon and Howard reportedly declined to comment over whether they would tender their shares, with Bloomberg noting that Thiel did not respond to multiple messages by press time. As reported today, Michael Novogratz’s crypto merchant bank Galaxy Digital accepted the buyback offer and sold its shares in Block.one for $71.2 million — realizing a 123% return on its initial investment. Novogratz stated that substantial outperformance from Block.One had contributed to the decision. However, the buyback offer from Block.one — which raised a record-breaking $4 billion through its year-long token crowdsale ending in June 2018 — has sparked some criticism from industry onlookers. In an interview with Bloomberg, Nic Carter — a partner who focuses on blockchain at Boston-based investment firm Castle Island Ventures — remarked that: “A private buyback of this sort signals to me that the company believes that there are few growth opportunities in sight, or badly wants to consolidate ownership and avoid outside scrutiny.” As Bloomberg notes, Block.One made a previous stock repurchase offer in which it sought to acquire 15% of its outstanding shares, priced at $1,200 each. The company reportedly succeeded in repurchasing 13.8%, at a total cost of around $300 million. Story continues Bloomberg cites a March 2019 email to shareholders that reportedly indicated that EOS’ total assets, including cash and investments, amounted to $3 billion at the end of February. $2.2 billion of these were held as what the company termed in its email “liquid fiat assets,” with most invested in U.S. government bonds. The email also reportedly revealed that the company’s crypto portfolio had halved to around $500 million during the bear market. EOS, Bloomberg notes, is a major holder of bitcoin ( BTC ) — ostensibly holding 140,000 BTC. Related Articles: Crypto Merchant Bank Galaxy Digital Sells Shares in EOS Creator Block.One for $71 Mln White Hat Hackers Earn $32,000 for Finding Crypto Security Exploits in Last Two Months 2020 Presidential Hopeful Swalwell Launches Crypto Donations Campaign Japan to Check Money Laundering Policies of Crypto Exchanges Ahead of FATF Inspection || Digital asset exchange OKCoin launches OKCoin Premier: San Francisco. 4th April 2019 – OKCoin announced today the launch of OKCoin Premier, an exclusive programme designed to give high-volume cryptocurrency traders access to premium services and trading features that enhance their access to OKCoin’s global liquidity pools. This is available to anyone who has traded at least $100,000 in digital asset trading over the last 30 days. “We’ve been serving high-volume traders for the last five years and we deeply understand their requirements,” says Jason Lau, COO of OKCoin. “So, we created unique new benefits and bundled them with our most popular features into OKCoin Premier. Whether you’re a high-volume trader, a crypto business, or financial institution, we’ve designed this program to meet your specific needs.” OKCoin provides retail traders and institutions with fiat-to-token and crypto-to-crypto trading for digital assets including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, Litecoin, XRP, Cardano, Stellar, Zcash, 0x, TRX and others, all while complying with the highest regulatory standards in the world. Now, eligible traders can receive the following additional benefits through OKCoin Premier: Dedicated service They can receive a dedicated account manager to offer white-glove customer support and resolve any issues immediately. Premier status also comes with accelerated onboarding, priority API, and technical troubleshooting features. Fast withdrawals and deposits OKCoin Premier users receive guaranteed wire processing within 90 minutes when banks are open, and Silvergate and Signature Bank customers can get instant transfers. Members may also be eligible for wire pre-crediting up to $100,000. Exclusive benefits New users will receive the lowest trading fees offered by OKCoin for the first 30 days. The programme also offers introductions to OKCoin’s partner network of banks, token projects, and investors, as well as invitations to exclusive industry events. The post Digital asset exchange OKCoin launches OKCoin Premier appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Bitcoin Price Sees First ‘Golden Crossover’ Since 2015: • Bitcoin’s daily chart is reporting a “golden crossover” – a bull cross of the 50- and 200-day moving averages – for the first time since October 2015. The crossover represents a long-term bearish-to-bullish trend change. • A convincing close today above $5,466 (April 10 high) would establish another bullish higher high and boost the prospects of a rally to $6,000. • That rally, however, may be preceded by consolidation or price pullback, as the golden crossover is accompanied by the overbought readings on the relative strength index and a neutral long/short ratio. • The case for a pullback to $5,000 would strengthen if the price fails to close (UTC) today above $5,466 (April 10 high). With bitcoin’s (BTC) move to five-month highs Tuesday, a notable bull cross of key moving averages has formed for the first time in nearly four years. The crypto market leader jumped to $5,627 on Bitstamp earlier today – the highest level since Nov. 18 – havingrevivedthe short-term bullish case with a repeated defense of key support at $5,170 last week. Meanwhile, the 50-day moving average (MA) has crossed the 200-day MA from below, confirming a long-term bullish pattern known as a “golden crossover” in technical parlance. This is the first golden crossover since October 28, 2015. Many analysts consider the indicator an advanced warning of stronger price gains in the long term. Bitcoin’s Price Climbs Above $5,500 to Reach 5-Month High The crossover, however, is based on moving averages, which are backward-looking in nature. For instance, the 50-day MA is based on 1.5-month old data, while the 200-day MA responds to more than six-month-old price action. Hence, the indicator is more a confirmation of the recent bull run, rather than a signal of further price gains. That said, the investor community may take heart from the fact that bitcoin’s previous bull market began just two days after the golden crossover in 2015. You Can Now Shop With Bitcoin on Amazon Using Lightning As can be seen (above left), the 50-day MA last crossed the 200-day MA from below on Oct. 28, 2015, and prices confirmed a long-term bearish-to-bullish trend change with a close above $319 (July 12, 2015 high) two days later. The follow-through to that positive trend change was strong and BTC went on to reach an all-time high of $20,000 by December 2017. This time round, the confirmation of the golden crossover has beenpreceded bythe violation of the bearish lower highs and lower lows pattern on April 2. While there is a reason to be optimistic, the golden crossover lags price, as discussed earlier. Further, it tends to work as a contrary indicator in the short-term if the market is looking overbought, which looks to be the case currently. The cryptocurrency’s move to five-month highs has pushed the 14-day relative strength index (RSI) above 70 – a sign of overbought conditions. Hence, a price pullback cannot be ruled out in the short term. Supporting that argument is bitcoin’s long/short ratio, which has shed the bullish bias. The ratio of BTC/USD long to short positions on Bitfinex (right) is currently hovering just below 1.00 – the lowest level since early January – having printed a high of 1.53 on April 8. The sharp decline indicates the sentiment has turned from bullish to neutral over the last 15 days. Note that a reading well below 1.00 indicates a bearish bias, while an above-1.00 print represents a bullish market. A close above the April 10 high of $5,466 would establish another bullish higher high and strengthen the case for a rally toward $6,000. However, with the golden crossover accompanied by the overbought readings on the RSI, as well as a bullish-to-neutral shift in the long/short ratio, prices may fail to close above $5,466 or the bullish close could be short-lived. The odds of a fallback to $5,000 would rise if today’s candle ends in the red well below $5,466, validating the lower high (bearish divergence) of the RSI. Disclosure:The author holds no cryptocurrency assets at the time of writing. Bitcoinimage via Shutterstock; charts byTrading View • Bitcoin Price RSI Confirms Possible Long-Term Bull Reversal • Bitcoin Clings on Above Key Support Amid Signs of Price Pullback || How Element Zero is creating a new definition for stablecoins: The extreme volatility of cryptocurrencies can make even the most experienced of investors break out in a cold sweat. Digital assets like Bitcoin are inherently unreliable – especially as a currency for goods and services. This is where stablecoins come into play, but even they aren’t without their flaws. It’s a conundrum that startups like Element Zero Network hope to resolve. What are stablecoins? Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency that are designed to be immune from market volatility, making them a more useable form of payment than traditional crypto. This is achieved by pegging the value of the coins to other assets that are deemed stable – fiat currency, for example, or commodities like gold. There are also stablecoins that are governed by internal protocols that try to stabilise the coin every time there is a market fluctuation. Stablecoins essentially try to offer the best of both worlds: the transparency, security and privacy of a digital asset, combined with the stability of a traditional currency. Stablecoin flaws Unfortunately, stablecoins aren’t quite as stable as you might presume. This is because the instruments they’re pegged to are themselves subject to market volatility. There have been several examples throughout history – some fairly recent – of government-backed currencies being toppled by hyperinflation. There is also a concern that if a major government decides to create its own digital coin, all the stablecoins pegged to that government’s fiat currency will disappear. When you add in the fact that stablecoins are not truly decentralised, it’s clear the market is ripe for disruption. Who is Element Zero? Element Zero Network, a not-for-profit organisation, has introduced a methodology for a new generation of stablecoins. It claims its method eliminates the possibility for any volatility in the first place. Element Zero is launching its own branded stablecoin, EZO coin, but as a turnkey platform it will facilitate companies, providers and even governments to create and launch their own stablecoins free of charge. Story continues These new stablecoins could eventually replace Bitcoin and current stablecoins as a common way of payment. How it works Element Zero uses a proprietary Algorithmic Stability Protocol that protects the stablecoin from any future volatility events, and keeps its purchasing power in place by overcoming inflation. It isn’t tied to any fiat currency, gold or other traditional methods of valuation. The decentralised protocol is based on a smart contract algorithm, which prevents the user from selling the stablecoin above or below the current face value. Unlike all other cryptocurrencies that can process a one-way transaction, the protocol is designed to process a two-way transaction. The sender can send a stablecoin to a receiver, but the receiver must send back in return cryptocurrency, an invoice, or even a receipt with same value as the stablecoin. If the value of the exchange does not match, the smart contract steps in to balance the face value between the sender and the receiver. It returns the extra value to whom it belongs. The stablecoin cannot be traded speculatively because its value is enforced. The smart contract in action To help you visualise how the smart contract works, Element Zero gives the following example: “If user A pays $80 using cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin or ETH to purchase from user B Element Zero stablecoins at $100 fixed face value, the smart contract will send to user A only 80% of the stablecoins ($80/$100). The remaining 20% will be returned back to user B’s wallet”. The smart contracts work the same way when using the stablecoin to buy goods and services. The invoice or the receipt for goods and services must be equivalent to the fixed face value of the Element Zero stablecoins. If they do not match, the smart contract will adjust to ensure they do. Next generation? Whether or not companies and governments take up Element Zero’s offer of a next generation stablecoin remains to be seen. It’s clear, however, that the market is in need of a stablecoin that is actually stable – one that can withstand whatever the economy has in store for us. The post How Element Zero is creating a new definition for stablecoins appeared first on Coin Rivet . || LocalBitcoins quietly removes in-person cash trades: LocalBitcoins, one of the most popular peer-to-peer exchange and escrow service, has removed the option for its users to trade bitcoins for cash in person. The move was first discovered on Reddit and later confirmed by The Block. Prior to the removal, users of LocalBitcoins could select "In-person: Cash" as an option when buying or selling bitcoins. LocalBitcoin's In-person Cash option before its removal It is unclear whether this removal is temporary or permanent as LocalBitcoins has yet to make an official announcement. Interestingly, some users are attempting to circumvent this removal through a variety of methods as seen in the screenshot below. LocalBitcoins is accessible in 248 countries and 7571 cities. Just last week, LocalBitcoins has facilitated $58 million in bitcoin trades. In February, the platform announced that it would comply with the new anti-money laundering directive enacted by the European Union, adding KYC processes for its users. || Bitsdaq Releases Official White Paper for its Platform Token, BQQQ: BitsdaqAnnounces airdrop and and redemption programs. SINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / May 2, 2019 /Bitsdaq, Bittrex's exchange partner in Macau, Singapore, and Canada, officially released its white paper today which analyzes the cryptocurrency market's pain points and advantages of Bitsdaq. Bitsdaq's white paper, which can be accessed on itswebsite, lays out the development goals and strategy for Bitsdaq's three-phase medium-term execution plan. The white paper lists the Bitsdaq Launchpad IEO platform as an important part of Bitsdaq's ecosystem and discloses more details of its platform token, BQQQ. Additionally, in order to reward users, Bitsdaq is outlining specifics of its BQQQ airdrop and redemption programs. ''Our white paper is a draft development plan for Bitsdaq which informs our investors about our platform token, BQQQ,'' said Ricky Ng, Bitsdaq's chairman and CEO. ''Bitsdaq plans to simultaneously focus on our exchange business and related expansion business. Bitsdaq Launchpad and BQQQ have both gained significant market attention, receiving dozens of project applications for IEOs. Our medium-term plan will be implemented in three phases which will make BQQQ one of the prominent IEO and ICO cryptocurrencies for small to medium blockchain startups. Bitsdaq is building a world-class, well-rounded IEO Exchange that provides both upstream and downstream support as well as services that unleash the potential of great blockchain projects.'' The white paper sets the total allocation of BQQQ at 1 billion tokens(17.8% of the public IEO phase), and the unit price of BQQQ is $.0065 with BTC accepted as the payment method. As the first project released on Bitsdaq Launchpad, BQQQ's private sale round first opened onmid-April, reaching $5 million in total private sales. After the completion of the private sale, the first offering of the IEO will be open to the public. KYC (Know Your Customer) verification will be required for individual subscription accounts, with the investment limit set at $1,000-$5,000. When Bitsdaq first went live, BXBC was airdropped to the early users who registered early, participated in the trading activities, or were active in Bitsdaq's product bug feedback program. Currently, over 1.2 million active Bitsdaq users hold BXBC. As a reward to users, Bitsdaq will open its first BXBC-to-BQQQ redemption program on May 8. The program will last one week. Interested users can learn more about conversion rates and redemption ratios on Bitsdaq's website. Bitsdaq is also launching a BQQQ community airdrop program where users can join Bitsdaq's WeChat community and post about the event to social media to receive 249 BQQQs. As a brand new exchange Bitsdaq has performed well, accumulating over 2 million registered users in the past three months with an average of 267,000 daily registered users and its community exceeding 100,000 users. And, according to Similarweb, Bitsdaq's site is ranked third among global digital currency exchanges, with a total of 11.4 million visitors, second only to Binance and Coinbase. AboutBitsdaq Bitsdaq is a secure, reliable and advanced digital asset platform operating in Asia and built on Bittrex's cutting edge trading technology. The company provides opportunities and solutions for customers who want access to a wider selection of digital assets on a secure and reliable platform. EMAIL:[email protected] SOURCE:Bitsdaq View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/544044/Bitsdaq-Releases-Official-White-Paper-for-its-Platform-Token-BQQQ || Israeli Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Cryptocurrency Exchange in Bank Dispute: The Supreme Court of Israel has declared that Leumi Bank cannot block the cryptocurrency exchange Bits of Gold’s account on the grounds of regulatory concerns, according to a report by Finance Magnates on June 3. Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling against Leumi, the bank reportedly maintains its stance against dealing with the exchange. The report notes, however, that this ruling sets precedent for Israeli cryptocurrency firms to legally use traditional banking services in the region. In 2017, the Israeli Supreme Court previously ruled in favor of Leumi in a separate case against Bits of Gold, in which the bank restricted the exchange’s account on the grounds that bitcoin ( BTC ) transactions could not comply with the country’s anti-money laundering ( AML ) laws. In 2018, however, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that Leumi Bank could not block account transactions on the grounds that they went to BTC exchanges, purportedly “websites that execute gambling transactions.” Further, Judge Anat Baron issued a court order temporarily barring Leumi from blocking Bits of Gold’s bank account. Judge Baron commented that since there was no indication of any AML violations over five years of exchange transactions, there are not any grounds to continue blocking Bits of Gold’s account. Baron noted, however, that the decision to issue the court order did not prevent the bank from scrutinizing the exchange’s behavior or complying with their risk management policy. In March 2019, the Israeli Securities Authority issued its final recommendations for cryptocurrency regulations. The report includes several ideas for how to support the cryptocurrency space in the country, including the establishment of a regulatory sandbox. Related Articles: Central Bank of Laos Issues Warning Against Using Cryptocurrency Australian Securities Regulator Releases Cryptocurrency, Mining, ICO Guidelines Malaysian Securities Regulator Registers Three Cryptocurrency Exchanges LocalBitcoins Confirms Removal of Local Cash Trades [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] y || BTC 強力な上げ波動でトライアングルレジスタンスラインに直面。 ここが現状BTC最大の局面です。 note第2弾()の記述通りの値動きです。 画像は 「note第2弾:2.fibonacci」 の記述の一部分を抜粋したものです。 https://t.co/zDk22QkWNZ || @thacryp #tokenpayscam his is a scam project. All fake and copied!!!! #redflags Pump and dumps, insidertrading, tons of fake accounts from this hidden, #MoneyLaundering and #stealing #CEO. #manipulation #fraud #BRIBE #scam #crypto $btc $ltc $tpay #tokenpayexposed https://t.co/Im3hbgNiFL || 1000 $BTC in your hand right now, but there is a catch: * A snail is chasing you for the rest of your life and if it touches you, you die a terrible death. * The snail cannot be killed. * It knows your location at all times. * it's only purpose is to find you. Taking the $BTC? https://t.co/n7WhxAS7MT || @IssamKazim Assalamualaikum ! Ramadan Mubarak , Dear Issam Kazim, I have lost a lot of money in investing in Bitcoin, and I owe a lot of debts to others. I especially hope that someone will fund me and hope to get help. If I bother you, please forgive me. || BITCOIN: Expected correction on-going - https://t.co/eX96xIQAwM || 👍👍👍 || $BTC now we drop 📉 || @NischalShetty @PMOIndia @simplykashif Modi sir We want Indian government to understand or else we will be far behind all the countries || @MUNCHmma @arielhelwani This is a card that I have carried in my pocket since I was in BTC back in 2000. #Respect is defined as treating people as they SHOULD be treated. I’ve always treated Ariel as I SHOULD treat him in accordance with my values and his actions. https://t.co/h0yJPnZey7
Trend: up || Prices: 7822.02, 8043.95, 7954.13, 7688.08, 8000.33, 7927.71, 8145.86, 8230.92, 8693.83, 8838.38
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2020-02-10] BTC Price: 9856.61, BTC RSI: 66.48 Gold Price: 1574.70, Gold RSI: 60.54 Oil Price: 49.57, Oil RSI: 24.26 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Blockstack’s New Consensus Mechanism Creates New Use Case for Bitcoin: Blockstack is giving its long-term holders a new way to earn bitcoin. Announced Thursday, the decentralized-web startup is rolling out a consensus mechanism that essentially presents a fresh use case for the world’s most popular cryptocurrency. When version 2.0 of Blockstack’s Stacks blockchain comes out, miners on the network will need to post BTC to mine a block. That BTC will then get shared with nodes maintaining a copy of the ledger. Related: Bitcoin Has Erased Over 45% of 2019 Sell-Off in Just 7 Weeks “We accept bitcoin as the most secure blockchain in the world. We accept a world where this will continue to be the case,” Blockstack CEO Muneeb Ali told CoinDesk in a phone call. The Stacks blockchain, which aims to put user data in the hands of users, is designed so apps can be built without central data storage. Apps can point to where to look for user data, and these pointers are stored on the Stacks blockchain. STX tokens are needed to participate in the chain. To prevent spamming, or Sybil , attacks, all cryptocurrencies require some cost for writing new blocks. Bitcoin did this first by essentially requiring miners to spend electricity to participate, with its Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus mechanism. By requiring miners to buy bitcoin and turn that over to the network to participate, Blockstack thinks it has found an ample cost to help prevent malicious entries. How it works Called Proof-of-Transfer (or PoX in the new Blockstack white paper describing the mechanism ), the new consensus protocol has two kinds of participants: miners and stackers. Related: RSK Launches Interoperability Bridge Between Bitcoin and Ethereum “PoX can help to solve a bootstrapping problem for new blockchains,” the white paper states. “Participation rewards in a separate, potentially more stable, base cryptocurrency can be a better incentive for encouraging initial participation than offering participation rewards in a new cryptocurrency.” Miners write blocks and earn STX tokens in exchange for their BTC – at a rate of 500 STX per block. That BTC will be distributed among the stackers, who will be keeping a copy of the blockchain and also voting on which version of the chain miners should mine on. Story continues Blockstack distinguishes this new approach from Proof-of-Stake (PoS) because node participants don’t have to put any of their assets at risk to participate, beyond the opportunity cost of agreeing to lock up their STX for some set amount of time. “Proof of Transfer is a proposed design that uses Bitcoin’s Proof of Work (PoW) to launch new blockchains that are anchored in Bitcoin’s security,” Blockstack wrote in a blog post shared with CoinDesk in advance. “Further, PoX can give incentives to earn Bitcoin rewards to participants of such new blockchains. Such Bitcoin rewards were not possible before PoX. These rewards can potentially be used for use cases like consensus participation, ecosystem developer funds, incentives for specific players, etc.” To serve as a stacker won’t be cheap, though. It will take roughly $10,000 in STX to participate, Ali said, but like other chains with similar arrangements users won’t need to actually have that much. They can delegate to a service that maintains the node, in exchange for agreeing to lock up STX in collaboration with the node operator. Tezos has this with its “bakers” and EOS has effectively turned staking eos to vote for validators into a money-making proposition as well, as we previously reported . What’s new with PoX, though, is participants in the network locking up the native token don’t earn the native token for doing so. They earn BTC. “I think the market and the entrepreneurs are starting to recognize that bitcoin is the strongest computing network in the world and therefore you can build things on top of it,” Anthony Pompliano, partner at Morgan Creek Digital, told CoinDesk. But, given the rough outline of the proposal, Pompliano wasn’t sure the bitcoin community would get behind it. What’s in it for miners? Mining the Stacks blockchain will be possible with a normal internet connection and computer, Ali said. Miners will just need to watch the price of STX and the price of BTC to assess whether continued participation fits their risk profile. “In our process of mining, the miners can model PoX mining as almost as an exchange,” Ali said. This should have some sort of arbitrage advantage early on but if all goes well that difference should shrink as participation increases, he added. Miners’ income opportunities will also go up when Blockstack is ready to release its smart contract language, Clarity. Once miners activate it, they will start earning smart-contract fees. Ali argues Stacks may be attractive for developers looking to use smart contracts because they will be able to get extremely precise cost estimates for their code. Blockstack will not participate in mining. The current plan, Ali said, is that once 20 miners activate the new version of the software, Blockstack 2.0 will go live. Miners will continue to have the ultimate decision about upgrades on the network. The current version of Stacks operates atop bitcoin with the vision to eventually migrate out as its own PoW chain. This completely changes with version 2.0. “With this thing, we basically need to never migrate from bitcoin,” Ali said. Update (Feb. 6, 18:29 UTC): The headline of this piece has been changed for accuracy. Related Stories Open Positions in Bakkt’s Bitcoin Futures Jump to Record Highs Crypto Researcher Hasu Flags Attack That Could Bring ‘Purge’-Style Mayhem to Bitcoin || The Big Global Growth Rebound Trade of 2020: After months in the making, and a “last mile” that ended up being a race of endurance. It came down to the majesty of a Trump tweet indicating both sides were getting “VERY close to a BIG DEAL with China,” that provided the clearest signpost that a deal was imminent and led to a sharp record-setting rally in equities and a sell-off in Treasuries. Risk assets have predictably surged, and those investors who were holding on to trade deal premiums were hugely rewarded for their patience as December 15 hedges unwound, and negative equity market bets are getting stopped into trades. And thanks to the China trade story, no one seemed to care about the U.K. election anymore, except those who are trading pounds. Big mistake as the exit polls are pointing to an 86 Conservative majority and with Lagarde – acknowledging that a combination of structural reform, monetary and fiscal tools need to be available to the ECB, E.U. and U.K. markets could have considerable room to run. However, for growth assets immediate concerns, the devil will be in the trade deal agreement details and to the extent of the tariff rollbacks, but with one significant trade barrier removed, it looks more and more like the market wants to play “The Big Global Growth Rebound in 2020” trade. The crucial first signal was from the Feds that gave the all-clear to hedge funds and real money to start putting on USD downside exposure without worrying about a Fed response to Friday’s stonking jobs report. With a tame inflation environment guaranteed to keep U.S. rates in check and as the persistent global slowdown appears to be decreasing, it’s providing a great set up to extend “risk-on” horizons. Indeed, with high-frequency indicators from PMIs suggesting the data is bottoming, we could be entering a global economic sweet spot. If this plays out, we should expect a much lower USD, especially against Asia and Euro, which were the two regions most devastated by the manufacturing recession due to the protracted trade war. So, absent the tail risk from trade, the scope for catch-up in F.X. spot returns in more export- and equity-sensitive currencies like KRW, TWD, and MYR. Stronger commodities and higher oil prices would also be a function of reduced risk from trade. Oil is upafter the U.S. reaches a trade deal with China. But the complex nature of the Oil market seldom, if ever, elicits a pure binary reaction to what should be a favorable outcome for prices. While benefiting from the Trade deal, traders remain focused that the market is likely to remain oversupplied in 2020 H1(according to the IEA) just when the effect of the current U.S. tariffs is expected to leak into the U.S. economy. So, while the current trade deal will most probably limit demand devastation, it might not be enough to counter an oversupplied market in early 2020 hence the possible reason we are not seeing a massive bounce in oil prices now commensurate with the frothy risk-on environment. But taking out offers might not be a bridge too far as the oil market should flourish in this environment — trade deal aside, which should be hugely bullish. A less hawkish Fed, weaker USD, a growing sense that macro headwinds have diminished, and the emergence of the global growth rebound trade, should all provide the ultimate springboard for oil prices. Goldis a bit anomalous as I had initially pegged gold lower on a tariff rollback trade deal, but with the tame U.S. inflation environment possibly keeping U.S. yield in check, gold may not necessarily have the blow-off bottom as a result of the trade deal. But in the absence of an absolute dovish Fed, downside risk remains elevated as cross-asset relocation into equities could intensify into the weekend even more so if the global growth rebound trade takes hold. The exit polls show the Conservatives with a decent majority on 368 seats, versus Labour sliding to 191 seats. If proved right, that is a resounding victory for Prime Minister Johnson. Far more emphatic than polls have suggested in recent days.The GBP/USDadded an instant 2% on the back of the exit poll, trading up at 1.3500(upper-end of the bullish target) One-way risk-on bias to F.X. flows since the exit polls, and there was little interest in fading the move until 1.3500, But this could have been a result of the exit poll showing the SNP with 55 seats would be a near clean sweep for the party. It would undoubtedly invigorate Scottish calls for another independence vote. The 200 DMA has been testing, but with the market apparently wanting to play out the tremendous global growth recovery, theAussiecould have legs to run. Sure, the recent run of domestic data, looks dreadful but forward-looking global growth optimism will always trump backward-looking local data any day of the week in currency land. Phase one deal is a fait acompli, 6.95 targets reached now its time to do it all over again as we enter what could be an even trickier phase 2. Traders won’t be quick to turn a blind eye to the U.S. passage of Hong Kong and Xinjiang Bill’s, which could ultimately be critical for the market’s assessment of the quality of the U.S. and China relationships going forward. The Ringgit will revel in the afterglow of the US-Trade deal. Absent the tail risk from trade; there is a significant scope for export and equity flow-sensitive currencies like the Ringgit to perform well, especially with cheap valuations on offer at the KLCI. This article was written by Stephen Innes, Asia Pacific Market Strategist atAxiTrader Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Fed Says No Hikes In 2020. What About Gold? • European Equities: A Tory Victory and A U.S – China Trade Agreement! • Bitcoin Cash ABC, EOS and Ethereum Daily Tech Analysis – 13/12/19 • Silver Claws Close to $17.00 • Gold Price Prediction – Prices Consolidate Despite Falling Dollar • Gapping Rotation In Spy And News Based Rallies Are A Warning || Bitwise reiterates commitment to delivering a Bitcoin ETF: Asset management company Bitwise has sent a new letter to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reiterating its commitment to delivering a Bitcoin ETF, asserting that it would add protections to retail investors entering the crypto market. The SEC rejected Bitwise’s proposal back in October , claiming that the proposed ETF would not meet legal requirements for the prevention of market manipulation nor prevent other illicit activities. Bitwise has now responded claiming that a Bitcoin ETF would allow new investors to participate in the cryptocurrency markets through the safety of a regulated financial instrument. Commenting on the rise of young investors taking an interest in digital assets, the letter reads: “The number of US investors—particularly younger investors—making allocations to Bitcoin can surprise people who don’t focus on this market on a day-to-day basis.” The letter also voices concern over existing ways to enter the cryptocurrency markets, stating there are a number of pitfalls for retail investors which may be solved through an ETF – such as high fees and the danger of losing funds through inadequate security. The letter continues: “This security risk is particularly acute at the individual level, where the loss of a password or the illicit porting of a cell phone can lead to a complete loss of assets.” Bitwise also states that while it agrees that the SEC needs to make its decision according to the Exchange Act, the current dangers to crypto buyers add increasing urgency to the ETF approval process. Will a Bitcoin ETF ever be approved? Many digital asset experts have speculated that a Bitcoin ETF will never be on the cards as long as SEC chairman Jay Clayton presides over the decision. US lawyer Jake Chervinsky tweeted following the rejection of the Bitwise ETF that it is reasonable to assume that Jay Clayton’s SEC “ will never approve a Bitcoin ETF “. Chervinsky also previously said that the chance of the ETF being approved was just 0.01%. Story continues Bitwise has met with SEC officials and submitted proposals several times over the course of this year since its first filing in January 2019. However, the repeated rejections haven’t dampened Bitwise’s enthusiasm for a Bitcoin ETF, as the company concluded: “Bitwise is committed to creating a Bitcoin ETF that provides all investors with the ability to access Bitcoin in a regulated and familiar fund format with the transparent and robust disclosures required by the federal securities laws.” The SEC has yet to respond to Bitwise’s latest letter, but the regulator has said that it is “ reconsidering ” the proposal. The post Bitwise reiterates commitment to delivering a Bitcoin ETF appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Millennials should invest in bitcoin, billionaire investor says: Bitcoinis the place toinvestyour money if you're a millennial, billionaire investor Tim Draper toldFOX Businesson Wednesday. The largestcryptocurrencybymarketcapitalization has a total value of $157.5 billion, according toCoinMarketCap.com. Draper believes its the key for millennials who want to make sure they have enough money forretirement. "You look at bitcoin and you say 'Hey, this is great because it's not my father'sOldsmobile,'" Draper told FOX Business'Liz Claman. "Our banking system is the Oldsmobile, is the old Oldsmobile." Draper accused the banking system of putting millennials in hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. "Things aren't quite working for [millennials,]" Draper added on"The Claman Countdown.""With the current salaries, they can't quite pay it off. It's a really difficult time, and they've become renters rather than buyers because they have to." WATCH THE FIRST-EVER BITCOIN TV COMMERCIAL LAUNCHED IN FRANCE Because of that, Draper points to bitcoin as an option to invest in something "decentralized." "Start building your empire in the new model that doesn't require that you have to pay 2.5 to 4 percent every time you swipe your credit card to some bank or another and doesn't require all the heavy, heavy regulations we have that are all tied to the dollar," Draper qualified. "I think if you really want it to work, I think you go bitcoin orcrypto[currency]." CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS Draper reminded millennials that what may have worked for "your father or your grandfather" will not work for them. He said putting money away, penny by penny, will not work. "If you're a millennial, you've got the world out there in front of you," Draper said. "What's the future going to look like? It's not going to be tribal anymore. It's going to be global. It's not going to be tied to geographic borders. It's going to be open." Still, despite Draper's enthusiasm, millennials and other potential buyers should note that bitcoin -- almost since its inception -- has been extremely volatile. The cryptocurrency has an average volatility reading of 63 percent for the past six months. In real numbers, just look at its performance in January, when the market re-opened for the new year on the 2nd, Bitcoin was at $6867.49 according toCoindesk. Just 16 days later it zoomed to $9,134.48. On Wednesday it dropped to $8,635.98. By comparison, one year ago the price sat at $3581.55. US, CHINA AND THE RACE FOR DIGITAL CURRENCY But Draper believes the easiest way to participate in the global economic system is to "be able to move freely and move capital and goods freely throughout the world." Bitcoin is a digital currency that's not tied to any bank or government. Like cash, it lets users spend or receive money anonymously, or mostly so; like other online payment services, it also lets them do so over the internet. There are several other virtual currencies, but bitcoin is the most popular. BITCOIN: EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW Bitcoins are basically lines of computer code that are digitally signed each time they travel from one owner to the next. Transactions can be made anonymously, making the currency popular with libertarians, tech enthusiasts, speculators and criminals. However, not everyone agrees with Draper's praises of cryptocurrency. In fact, Nouriel Roubini, the economist known as Dr. Doom who accurately predicted the 2008 financial crisis, told the Senate Banking Committee in late 2018 that cryptocurrency represented the "mother of all scams." According to a report from Coincodex, the United States is among the top countries in terms of share of bitcoin users. The value of one bitcoin is currently hovering around $8,672. CLICK HERE TO GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO FOX Business' Jonathan Garber and Shawn Carter contributed to this report. Related Articles • The Controversial Way Wealthy Americans Are Lowering Estate Taxes • Best Buy Celebrates 50 Yrs With Saleathon; Will It Turn 60? • Canadian Solar Is Facing More Challenges Than It Appears || Bitcoin’s Lighting ‘Torch’ Reignites, Blazes Through 38 Countries in 3 Days: Bitcoin’s lightning torch is back, and it’s zipped through at least 38 countries already. The torch is a digital game first ignited in January 2019 by pseudonymous bitcoin enthusiast Hodlonaut , known for his Twitter avatar of a cat in a spacesuit. Each “torchbearer” sends a tiny amount of bitcoin to the next. A key rule is to add a little bit more money to the payment each time it moves to someone new. The goal is to highlight the speed and global nature of the lightning network , a payment technology that could solve or at least greatly ease some of bitcoin’s most critical problems. Started on a whim for fun, the torch became a global event, even carried by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, showing how frictionless and indifferent to borders the form of payment is compared to legacy methods like Visa and Paypal. Related: Why High-Profile Defections Aren’t Libra’s Biggest Challenge On Sunday, Hodlonaut lit the torch for the second time, in what he described as a “spur-of-the-moment decision.” Since then, many enthusiasts have been posting lightning “invoices” on Twitter to which the torchbearer can send the next lightning payment. lightning, map It’s moving around the world much faster the second time around, already reaching 91 people in three days. “Made over 30 passes across the globe as I slept!” Hodlonaut said on Twitter Tuesday morning. Speaking to CoinDesk, Hodlonaut argued that one reason the torch has changed hands so speedily this time is that the big names and companies haven’t taken it. Related: Jack Dorsey’s Square Wins Patent for Fiat-to-Crypto Payments Network “It has been almost exclusively held by ‘plebs,'” he said. “There has been no posturing, just lots of enthusiastic, normal bitcoin and [lightning network] users that have passed the torch along promptly, with no fuss. It feels very grassroots.” Last time, it took longer than two weeks to get to 139 people in 37 countries. But the torch made some exciting stops on that tour. Despite worries about breaking U.S. sanctions, the torch made it to Iran last March. A group of Venezuelans received the torch with no electricity. In an interesting experiment, they powered their lightning node with a motorcycle battery. Story continues The first torch fizzled out when it reached a hard-coded limit on how much lightning can be sent in a single payment. The cap is 4.29 million satoshis, the unit for one hundred millionth of a bitcoin. Developers could lift the cap (which works out to about $370 at current exchange rates) when they think the payment technology is secure enough. Until then, Hodlonaut is eager to see how long the new torch lasts. “How many sats before it breaks?” he tweeted , using the short form of “satoshis,” Related Stories Bitcoin Bulls Seek Stronger Move After Bounce to $8.8K Loses Momentum Square Crypto Is Creating a ‘Lightning Development Kit’ for Bitcoin Wallets || Bitcoin’s Privacy and Scaling Tech Upgrade ‘Taproot’ Just Took a Big Step Forward: A privacy and scalability upgrade that could turn out to be one of bitcoin ‘s largest to date has passed a couple of milestones that were little noticed outside technical circles. On Tuesday, Pieter Wuille, a Bitcoin Core contributor and the brains behind the update known as Taproot, submitted a work-in-progress code change to GitHub in what’s known as a “pull request,” showing the code is ready for more developer eyes. “Merging this is obviously conditional on getting community support for the proposal. It’s opened here to demonstrate the code changes that it would imply,” he wrote. Related: Continued Losses See Bitcoin Erase 40% of Recent Price Rally Submitting a pull request to the code for Bitcoin Core (the reference implementation, or standard version of bitcoin software from which others are derived) does not mean the change is official. But it’s a key step. While many in the bitcoin community are excited about the upgrade, the process of turning the idea into code has been mostly happening behind-the-scenes. Wuille’s “pull request” pushes it into the spotlight, signifying the code is closer to ready. Though Wuille submitted the pull request just a couple of days ago, several bitcoin developers, including John Newberry, Ben Woosley and Adam Ficsor, have already left review comments, in another sign of how highly anticipated the change is. In another key, if more symbolic milestone, the three Bitcoin Improvement Proposals (BIP), which are like blueprints of the changes, have also been assigned numbers on GitHub . A key part of the proposal is Schnorr, a cryptographic signature scheme for proving ownership of coins. It’s better than what bitcoin has right now in that it paves the way for scalability improvements and allows developers to build new technologies on top of bitcoin. Related: BlockFi Adjusts Interest Rates to Lure Larger Crypto Deposits Using Schnorr, Taproot adds smart contract capabilities to bitcoin that would strengthen privacy. For example, the transactions that open and close payment channels on the lightning network , allowing speedier transfers of small amounts, would not look much different from normal transactions (at least, up to a point). So it would be harder for blockchain voyeurs to discern what a user is doing. Leaderless change As a decentralized cryptocurrency, bitcoin doesn’t have a single leader who can push through changes. As such, a major change like this (called a “soft fork” in bitcoin) can only get absorbed if just about everyone agrees with it. If no one in the community comes up with any valid objections to Taproot (such as uncovering a security vulnerability) it could become the biggest change the digital currency has seen since 2017, when scaling upgrade SegWit was locked in after a long and often savage debate. Story continues So far, it looks like the change has all but unanimous approval from developers. Bitcoin Core contributor Anthony Towns organized a review group where developers scrutinized the BIPs, submitting comments and suggestions. Any developer who wanted to join could. This “ army ” of developers finished their review of the protocol change earlier this month. Of those, 16 submitted a “survey” at the end outlining their feedback, including whether they think the upgrade is a good idea. All 16 approved of the changes. There’s still a lot of work to do. While many scrutinize the code looking for improvements or errors, some developers are debating the best way for the decentralized, global network to adopt the change with as few bumps as possible – which SegWit’s heated debate showed is far from a given. Related Stories Bitcoin Faces Move to $8,200 After Dropping Out of Trading Range Crypto Asset Firm Amun Launches Inverse Bitcoin ETP View comments || Latest Bitcoin SV price and analysis (BSV to USD): Bitcoin SV (BSV) is currently trading at a price around $315, after pumping over 300% since the start of the year. Over the past 24 hours, BSV has maintained its positive momentum, growing around 3%. From September to October 2019, BSV pumped close to 80% before dropping around 45% in value towards the end of the year. However, the price of BSV has now spiked to a new all-time high. At the peak of its most recent rally, BSV was worth $425 per coin. Will Bitcoin SV continue to pump? If so, what are the new possible price targets for the altcoin? Bitcoin SV price chart is extremely bullish. Not only are all the EMAs pointing upwards, but BSV is currently well above target volume levels. From bottom to top, BSV pumped close to 430% in the space of 30 days. Currently, the altcoin is holding support above $303, a key volume level according to the profile. If the altcoin were to drop, the next support level would be around $225 – or 30% below the current price. Below that, strong support can be found at $194 and $135. Finally, the most support is currently found between $90 and $110. At the time of writing, BSV is sitting well above all its EMAs. The next big resistance levels are virtually non-existent, so we could see Bitcoin SV pumping towards $500 soon. In terms of volume, Bitcoin SV price was trading on average $500,000 per day in December. Since January, volume has grown massively, pumping over 600% to over $3 billion, where it currently sits. I expect BSV to continue pumping as long as volume remains the same. Altcoins have a tendency to follow the Bitcoin trend, which is quite positive at the moment. The current Bitcoin SV price trend Which #altcoins have outperformed #Bitcoin over the last 12 months? https://t.co/BqsJQDWaFq @Febrocas | #BTC — Coin Rivet (@CoinRivet) January 16, 2020 As discussed in the article above , BSV is one of the top performers vs BTC over the past year. Story continues The recent pump in BSV price has been going on since early 2019. A great deal of altcoins mooned due to the BTC pump that took the world’s largest cryptocurrency back to the $14,000 range. Added to that, news from the ongoing Wright vs Kleiman case has caused a great deal of FOMO among investors, which has no doubt provided some thrust to the recent spike. Safe trades! Current live BCH pricing information and interactive charts are available on our site 24 hours a day. The ticker bar at the bottom of every page on our site has the latest BCH price. Pricing is also available in a range of different currency equivalents: US Dollar – BSVtoUSD British Pound Sterling – BSVtoGBP Japanese Yen – BSV toJPY Euro – BSV toEUR Australian Dollar – BSV toAUD Russian Rouble – BSV toRUB Bitcoin – BSV toBTC About Bitcoin SV Bitcoin SV came into existence following the Bitcoin Cash chain split on November 15 2018. It is currently the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, with each coin now worth over $300 despite trading below $100 at the turn of the year. More Bitcoin SV news and information If you want to find out more information about Bitcoin SV or cryptocurrencies in general, then use the search box at the top of this page. Here’s an article to get you started: Bitcoin SV leapfrogs Bitcoin Cash as fourth-largest cryptocurrency By Oliver Knight – January 17, 2020 As with any investment, it pays to do some homework before you part with your money. The prices of cryptocurrencies are volatile and go up and down quickly. This page is not recommending a particular currency or whether you should invest or not. You may be interested in our range of cryptocurrency guides along with the latest cryptocurrency news . The post Latest Bitcoin SV price and analysis (BSV to USD) appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Bitcoin May Follow Gold With Significant Price Breakout: View • Bitcoin hit seven-week highs during the Asian trading hours and could extend the rally to a key Fibonacci hurdle above $8,600. • A weekly close (Sunday, UTC) above $7,960 looks likely and would confirm a falling channel breakout on the weekly chart and signal a revival of the bull run from lows near $4,100 seen in April 2019. • Gold witnessed a channel breakout at the end of December and has rallied by more than $100 ever since. • Acceptance below $8,000 would weaken the odds of channel breakout this week. Bitcoin jumped to seven-week highs early on Wednesday and appears on track to confirm a significant price breakout similar to that seen by gold. According to CoinDesk’sBitcoin Price Index, the number one cryptocurrency by market value rose to $8,463 – the highest level since Nov. 18 – during the Asian trading hours as Iran launched retaliatory attacks on the American bases in Iraq. Related:Bitcoin Hits New 2020 High Above $8,400 After Iranian Missile Attack While bitcoin rallied to multi-week highs, gold, a classic haven asset, jumped above $1,600 for the first time since 2013. Other anti-risk assets like Japanese yen, Swiss franc and U.S. bonds also drew bids. The safe-haven narrative surrounding bitcoin has strengthened with the cryptocurrency gaining ground in tandem with gold since Friday. The yellow metal found takers near $1,530 on Friday after the U.S. killed a top Iranian military commander and rose to a high of $1,611 earlier today. Meanwhile, bitcoin turned higher from lows near $6,850 on Friday and has gained more than 20 percent since. The cryptocurrency now looks set to take a page out of gold’s book and confirm a falling channel breakout on the weekly chart. Related:Bitcoin Probes Major Resistance After 15 Percent Price Rally As can be seen, both assets had a tough time in the second half of 2019. Gold (above right) topped out at $1,557 at the end of August and fell to lows below $1,450 in November, creating a falling channel on the weekly chart. The channel was breached on the higher side in the last week of December with a convincing move above $1,483. The breakout signaled a resumption of the rally from lows near $1,270 seen in April and since then, the yellow metal has rallied by more than 8 percent. Bitcoin’s weekly chart (above left) also shows a falling channel, which represents the sell-off from the June 2019 high of $13,880 to the low of $6,425 reached in December. The cryptocurrency is currently trading above the falling channel resistance of $7,960. A breakout would be confirmed if prices close the week (Sunday, UTC) above $7,960. That would imply a continuation of the rally from April 2019 low of $4,100 and open the doors for a re-test of $13,880. A breakout looks likely with bullish developments on key technical indicators. Bitcoin’s rise to seven-week highs has confirmed seller exhaustion signaled by multiple long-tailed weekly candles and the bullish divergence of the MACD histogram, an indicator used to gauge trend strength and identify trend changes. A bullish divergence occurs when an indicator produces higher lows, contradicting lower lows on price and is considered an advance warning of an impending bullish reversal. The MACD has charted higher lows since early December. Meanwhile, the daily chart is reporting an inverse head-and-shoulders breakout, also a bullish reversal pattern. The recent rally looks to have legs, as buying volumes (not shown) have risen over the last few days and the MACD is charting higher bars above the zero line, signaling a strengthening of bullish momentum. All-in-all, the odds appear stacked in favor of a rise to $8,626 –the 61.8 percent Fibonacci retracement of the sell-off from $10,350 to$6,425. The odds of bitcoin confirming a channel breakout this comingSunday would drop if prices find acceptance below $8,000 with highvolumes. That said, stronger buying pressure could emerge in the subsequent weeks, yielding a breakout, as miner reward halving (supply-cutting event) is due in May. At press time, bitcoin is changing hands at $8,340, representing a 5.4 percent gain on a 24-hour basis. Disclosure: The author does not currently hold any digital assets. • Store of Value Remains Crypto’s Best Use Case • CORRECTED: Bitcoin Price Jumps $200 in One Hour || Latest Bitcoin price and analysis (BTC to USD): Bitcoin (BTC) is currently trading at around $7,050 following a 6% decrease in price since last Monday. Over the past 24 hours, BTC is down close to 1%. BTC broke most of its support levels during a huge sell-off in November as the coin looked to be free falling. However, the world’s largest cryptocurrency found support near $6,700 and bounced back up to $7,800 before consolidating around $7,500 last week. During the weekend though, BTC took another dip that pushed price below key volume-resistance levels. Will BTC drop further soon? Let’s take a look at Bitcoin’s chart, courtesy of TradingView . At the time of writing, Bitcoin is still on a short-term bearish trend. Since price has been consolidating for the last few days, I now expect a significant price movement sometime within the week. I’m more inclined to think we’ll see a move to the downside, even though there’s a chance for a massive pump in the event fresh cash comes into the market. Since the massive bull market that took Bitcoin close to $14,000 earlier in the year, the coin has been dropping in value following a downtrend that was only broken in late October when price surprisingly broke through a number of key resistance levels (around the 200-day, 50-day, and 20-day EMAs). Bitcoin is still around 30% down from October’s high of $10,350 and close to 50% down from the yearly high in June. In addition, BTC has broken below its 200-day EMA, and all its EMAs have now crossed to the downside – another bearish signal. If the $6,700 level was to be broken, the next stop for BTC, if the volume profile is to be believed, is just above $5,000. The current Bitcoin trend History shows us that BTC is prone to huge drops between 30% and 40% during bull seasons. Therefore, I don’t advise that you fight the trend, but surf it for as long as possible. Last week , I underlined that within the next three to five weeks, we could see a major reversal after a period of serious accumulation by ‘hodlers’. We’re still in an accumulation phase and the current downtrend is proof. Story continues Volume has increased around 12% to $17 billion. This means we could be starting to enter the end of the short-term accumulation cycle and price action could either pump or dump. For the time being, as mentioned above, there’s a chance it can go either way. As long as price continues to record lower lows, that’s a bearish sign. I’m patiently waiting for a reversal signal. Will the trend reverse soon? As veteran traders and investors usually say, smart money “buys when there’s blood on the streets”. I’ve been saying for the past month that I’m waiting for major drops to make new entries. Moments like these are highly welcomed and appreciated. I strongly believe Bitcoin to be a long-term store of value, especially as traditional markets continue to show weaknesses. How can the markets continue to push higher throughout the year after the ECB’s recent rate cuts, the continuous share buybacks from huge corporations, or the inverted bond yield shoving investors away towards riskier assets? In addition, repo market activity – as in loans from central banks to commercial and investment banks – has spiked to new monthly records. That adds up to another signal of weakness for the general economy. In conclusion, investors and traders should pay attention to the overall economic panorama, as it will most likely be a major catalyst for worldwide BTC adoption. Safe trades! Current live Bitcoin pricing information and interactive charts are available on our site 24 hours a day. The ticker bar at the bottom of every page on our site has the latest Bitcoin price. Pricing is also available in a range of different currency equivalents: US Dollar – BTCtoUSD British Pound Sterling – BTCtoGBP Japanese Yen – BTCtoJPY Euro – BTCtoEUR Australian Dollar – BTCtoAUD Russian Rouble – BTCtoRUB About Bitcoin In August 2008, the domain name bitcoin.org was registered. On 31st October 2008, a paper was published called “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System”. This was authored by Satoshi Nakamoto, the inventor of Bitcoin. To date, no one knows who this person, or people, are. The paper outlined a method of using a P2P network for electronic transactions without “relying on trust”. On 3rd January 2009, the Bitcoin network came into existence. Nakamoto mined block number “0” (or the “genesis block”), which had a reward of 50 Bitcoins. More Bitcoin news and information If you want to find out more information about Bitcoin or cryptocurrencies in general, then use the search box at the top of this page. Here’s an article to get you started. As with any investment, it pays to do some homework before you part with your money. The prices of cryptocurrencies are volatile and go up and down quickly. This page is not recommending a particular currency or whether you should invest or not. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author should not be considered as financial advice. The post Latest Bitcoin price and analysis (BTC to USD) appeared first on Coin Rivet . || British Court Freezes $860,000 in Bitcoin Linked to Ransomware Payout: A U.K. court has ordered Bitfinex to freeze bitcoin worth $860,000 after the crypto exchange and blockchain sleuthing firm Chainalysis traced the funds to a ransomware payment. The victim of the ransomware attack had paid $950,000 in bitcoin to the perpetrator through an insurance company, according toa filing published last weekby the England and Wales High Court (Commercial Court) and first reported byNew Money Review. While some of the bitcoin was converted into fiat currency, the remainder appears to have been sent to an address on the Bitfinex platform. The court ordered Bitfinex to freeze the address and share its know-your-customer (KYC) information about the account’s owner. Related:Bitcoin Rallies to Near $9,150 as Stocks Drop Over Coronavirus Fears The victim, an unnamed firm, had been told to pay $1.2 million in bitcoin after its computers were hijacked by ransomware. The company’s insurer, which filed the court claim, ultimately paid $950,000 in the form of 109.25 BTC, according to the filing. While some of these funds were converted into fiat and are not traceable, 96 BTC (worth $861,200at press time) were sent to an address owned by Bitfinex. New Money Review claims this ruling marks the first instance of the U.K. High Court endorsing bitcoin as property. In a statement, Chainalysis Director of Communications Maddie Kennedy said that “a leading cyber insurer used Chainalysis software to investigate ransomware payments made on behalf of their clients and trace the flow of funds from the point of extortion to known services such as exchanges.” “A significant amount” of this ransom was tracked to a user on Bitfinex, and the insurance firm’s lawyers were able to successfully petition for a freeze on these funds, she said. Related:Bitcoin Eyes $8.8K After Largely Erasing Last Week’s Dip The filing confirms Chainalysis assisted in tracking the bitcoin. Bitfinex and its parent firm, iFinex, are listed as defendants (“D4” and “D3,” respectively) in the filing. However, the exchange said in a statement it has been working with the claimant to trace the bitcoin and it is not now seen as being involved with the crime. “Bitfinex has robust systems in place to allow it to assist law enforcement authorities and litigants in cases such as this,” the statement said. “We understand the focus of the Claimant’s attention is no longer on the Bitfinex platform. It now appears Bitfinex is an entirely innocent party mixed up in this wrongdoing.” Spokespersons for the exchange declined to confirm whether Bitfinex had provided the KYC information for the account associated with the address. However, the court ruling stated Bitfinex would provide the information as long as it had a court order to comply with. “It is fair to say that D3 and D4, at the moment at least, have cooperated with the claimant in the following sense, which is that in email correspondence they have indicated that they are not able to comply with any order to identify anyone associated with the account, absent a court order, but that it is their practice to comply with the court order for any national jurisdiction,” the ruling reads. The judge has imposed a Jan. 18 deadline for Bitfinex to turn over the information. A search of the court database did not reveal any further filings on the case. • Bad Actors Rent Hashing Power to Hit Bitcoin Gold With New 51% Attacks • Bitcoin’s Halving Captures Growing Interest – Among Google Searchers [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: down || Prices: 10208.24, 10326.05, 10214.38, 10312.12, 9889.42, 9934.43, 9690.14, 10142.00, 9633.39, 9608.48
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2017-03-29] BTC Price: 1039.97, BTC RSI: 45.92 Gold Price: 1253.40, Gold RSI: 64.98 Oil Price: 49.51, Oil RSI: 47.63 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] The Fintech World Series: Canada: By: Kurtosys Harvest Exchange February 28, 2017 The Fintech World Series: Canada Canada featured image Fintech is exploding. It is a global industry, striving to change the future of finance. …And the future is now. At Kurtosys, we’ve set out to cover exactly what’s happening in the financial industry the world over, one country at a time. With so many places contributing to the advancement of our digital world, each deserves their own time in the spotlight. This time, heading away from Europe, we’re travelling to Canada . Whilst neighbouring the fintech giant that is the United States, this North American behemoth is steadily boosting its reputation of having one of the most secure banking systems in the world. Read on to discover how this affects their up-and-coming fintech landscape. With a country boasting such incredible musical talent as Justin Bieber, Nickelback and Avril Lavigne, it was naturally going to be on our fintech radar, eh? But seriously, Alexisonfire are awesome, and Canada was actually named by accident, when French Explorer Jacques Cartier mistook a native term for village – ‘kanata’ – for the country’s name as we see it today. It is a land that has birthed such funny people as Jim Carrey, Mike Myers and Leslie Nielsen, and big-time serious actors such as Malin Åkerman and Ryan Gosling*, with the latter achieving early stardom in Canadian cult-classic TV show Goosebumps . The less said about that the better. More should be said, however, about Canada’s rise to fintech prominence. <html><body><img alt="Canada fintech infographic" class="alignnone wp-image-50082 size-full" height="1000" sizes="(max-width: 1424px) 100vw, 1424px" src="http://hvst.co/2lutK7T" srcset="http://hvst.co/2lutK7T 1424w, http://hvst.co/2luyvhF 300w, http://hvst.co/2luESRW 768w, http://hvst.co/2mp0pzB 1024w, http://hvst.co/2luD7nP 225w" width="1424"/></body></html> Story continues According to a post in the Canadian publication The Globe and Mail, outside the technology life-blood of Silicon Valley, Canada’s province of Ontario (home to cities including Toronto, Ottawa and Hamilton) has among the highest concentrations of technological firms. The reason for this being its low costs, and the universities in the Toronto and Waterloo area being abound with graduate engineers and developers. Deloitte awarded Canada a global financial centre rank of 21 in 2016. There has recently been investment from both the financial and technological industries. Of note, Goldman Sachs invested in Financeit (based in Toronto, offering businesses a platform for customer payment plans) in 2015, as well as nanoPay in 2016, a “frictionless payments” service, also based in Toronto. Elsewhere, one of Japan’s world leading tech services companies NTT Data Corp has announced a partnership with MaRS Innovation lab (more about them later on), promising to support Canadian startups whose technologies can be used by NTT. Two notable startups from Canada that have achieved success are Shopify – a cloud-based e-commerce company that designs software for online stores for SMEs, founded in 2004 – and Hootsuite, a social media management platform used by over 15 million people, founded in 2008 in Vancouver, which similarly has a thriving fintech ecosystem like the cities in the East. Benevolent Banking Despite the global financial crisis of 2007/08, Canadian banks remained unscathed according to the Canadian Bankers Association; none were in danger of failure or were bailed out. In fact, Canada’s banks have been rated amongst the soundest in the world for the past 10 years, rated highly due to them being well capitalised, managed and regulated. Should a similar crash occur in the future, each bank has developed “recovery and resolution plans” already – ahead of the curve. Plus, the development of regulatory frameworks for banks and insurers is being handled by both domestic and global organisations, so Canadians are clearly remaining resolute to keep their well-earned ‘sound banking’ tag. The largest banks in Canada are referred to as the ‘Big Six’ by a report from PWC, and are as follows: Bank of Montreal (BMO) Scotiabank Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) National Bank of Canada (NBC) Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) As well as these established financial institutions, there is also the presence of online disruptor banks, which include Tangerine, PC Financial and Canadian Tire Bank. However, in 2014 it is noted that these banks only accounted for 3% of Canadians’ total deposits. Are digital financial companies still very much in the shadow of major banks, who retain brand recognition and consumer trust? Peter Aceto, CEO of Tangerine, believes that there is a social revolution occurring within the financial industry, with consumers losing trust in major banks and “expecting experiences that simplify their lives, that makes things easy”. Tangerine was the original disruptor bank that launched its first branchless bank in Canada. Truly, banks are responding to this revolution that Aceto outlines, and it turns out that many are making heavy investments in technology to “transform their customer experience, automate processes, comply with regulatory demands and enhance digital capabilities”, with many beginning the enablement and implementation of APIs. Despite the regulators’ tendency to aim for stability (thus halting market innovation), Canadian fintech is still pushing to gain momentum. There are already more than 80 fintech firms in Canada, with the GTA (Greater Toronto Area)-Waterloo and Vancouver areas being the sites for a concentrated ecosystem of major banks, universities and tech startups. Whilst pension plans have recently attracted the most significant fintech investments, more is needed from the government, private investors and banks. To put things into perspective, since 2010 the Canadian fintech community attracted C$1 billion in capital since 2010. In 2014 alone, US fintech had US$9 billion. One Canadian dollar is roughly equivalent to 70 cents. Canada-Moose Friend or Foe? There is evidence from the Digital Finance Institute that Canadian banks are developing their own fintech solutions in-house. The Royal Bank of Canada is one example, but it also works externally as part of the US-based R3CEV-blockchain tech consortium. Additionally, the Big Six are in fact co-operating with fintech startups, accelerators and incubators to further their digital re-invention. Here are the most prolific examples of internal and external fintech stories: BMO In 1996, it launched Mbanx, the first direct-to-customer bank. On January 16 2016, it launched SmartFolio, a digital portfolio management service, competing with traditional players and robo-advisers, built in-house with assets of $20 billion. It introduced Touch ID log-in (fingerprint recognition) to its BMO mobile banking app in Canada and the US. In the US, Mobile Cash was made available, allowing the withdrawal of money via smartphone. The BMO Banking and InvestorLine portal makes BMO the first Canadian bank to give customers access to personal banking and investments accounts in one place. BMO DepositEdge in Canada allows businesses to deposit cheques remotely. BMO Spend Dynamics gives corporate card clients access to transaction data. Scotiabank Invested in Kabbage, a US-based online small business lender. Has an internal Digital Factory focused on tech and mobile banking. Supposedly looking to partner with more external fintech startups. CIBC Partnered with MaRS in 2015. Partnered with Thinking Capital, another online small business lender. NBC Developed a new marketing model, with segmented marketing campaigns with more personalised offerings, supported by data analytics teams, tech and tools to enhance tailored services for sales teams. Developed an Android and iPad tablet app, the latter ranking #1 in the financial services category. Planning to develop optimised tools for access to products and services and to implement a customer relationship management platform. RBC Partnering with Nymi Wristband Technologies. Partnered with mobile-app-giant Uber for loyalty rewards. TD Established an innovation lab at Communitech. Partnered with Moven, a mobile personal financial management platform. Looking to collaborate on a tech solution for improved customer and employee experience in Cisco’s Toronto Innovation Centre. Gosling-painting To Vancouver & Beyond In the Digital Finance Institute (DFI) report, there is a further stress on fintech development in the province of British Columbia, so much so call that it is hashtag-worthy (much like in Estonia) – #BCTECH. The city of Vancouver is the main focus, as it houses some of the leading tech companies (Microsoft, EA, Amazon), as well as important fintechs, including Samsung Pay and SAP. Unsurprisingly, it is also the home of the DFI, which organises workshops, conferences and institutional education to bring Canadian fintech to the world, is a think tank for fintech and AI, encourages investment and partners for balanced regulation of digital payments and remittances. Vancouver was actually home to the world’s first Bitcoin ATM in 2013, and by June 15 2015, there were 60 Bitcoin ATMs across the whole of Canada. What else? Vancouver-based Central 1 Credit Union provides fintech services to financial institutions such as payments and mobile banking services. The DFI notes that “the geographical position of Vancouver gives it an unparalleled advantage for trade and importantly, for FinTech to scale and exit not only to Asia but increasingly, to the Middle East.” In British Columbia as a whole, the tech industry generated over $23 billion in revenue in 2013 and the Government of British Columbia recently launched the #BCTECH Strategy, investing $100m as part of a BC Tech Fund for early tech startups, and a Knowledge Development Fund to enable research projects. As a whole, the FinServ industry in Canada only represents 27% of the Internet of Everything market, but 60% of Canadians are prepared to move money to access one or more IoE capabilities. All Canadian provinces have adopted regulations to facilitate e-commerce and protect e-payments, with the Bank of Canada having “responsibility for regulatory oversight of clearing, settling and recording of financial transactions.” Additionally, the Large Value Transfer System and Automated Clearing Settlement System are national systems for clearing and settlement of payments, operated by Payments Canada, based in Ottawa. This, and the DFI, have launched national startup challenges. “The FinTech Cup”, for example, awards its winners with a $25,000 prize, and are provided a national startup platform to support their development. The private sector launched the annual Fintech Awards in 2015 to recognise key fintechs, innovators, advisors, and stakeholders that have contributed to the fintech ecosystem. In 2016, the Fintech Association of Canada was launched to engage the government with fintech to attract further investment and innovation. Vancouver To get an idea of just how expansive Canada’s fintech ecosystem is, here’s a comprehensive list for your viewing pleasure: Investors & Accelerators Business Development of Canada (BDC) – Offers financing advisory services and venture capital, dubbing itself the “only financial institution dedicated exclusively to entrepreneurs”. Omers Ventures – Omers is one of Canada’s leading pension funds with $65billion + in net assets. It provides resources and expertise to tech, media and telecommunications startups. Power Financial Corporation – A management and holding company. MaRS Innovation lab – Based in Toronto, it supports over 1700 startups, with 300 being fintech-based. It has raised over $700m in venture capital funding. Communitech – Based in the Waterloo area, it is an industry-led innovation centre and a private-public partnership, founded in 1997. Ryerson DMZ – In Toronto, this is the top university business incubator, with entrepreneurs-in-residence, industry mentors, and 250+ startups and industry connections. OneEleven – A Toronto-based, data-driven tech startup scale-up hub, founded in 2013. Thinkubator – A collaboration between Ryerson University and Tangerine, it is an incubation space for fintech startups, founded in 2016. Startups Wealth management solutions & Robo-advisors Nest Wealth – Founded in Toronto in 2014, it is Canada’s first online wealth manager. Smart Money Invest – Also founded in 2014, it offers portfolio management services in equity and bond ETFs. Wealthsimple – An online investment startup, which expects over a billion dollars in AUM this year. It has 15,000 clients in Canada. It also offers “an affordable, millennial-focused, automated investing service”. Power Financial Corporation invested $10m in Wealthsimple. ModernAdvisor – an online financial advisor. If you would like to read more about Canadian robo-advisors, you can read our interview with ModernAdvisor’s Krysten Merriman here. Payments In 2014, 21% of Canadians made at least one online payment in the past six months (compared to 83% in China and 33% in the US). In 2015, the Canadian mobile payment transaction market grew 210%. Moneris – Founded in 2000 in Toronto, it offers payment solutions and processes credit and debit card transactions (more than 3 billion a year). VersaPay – With its HQ in Vancouver and founded in 2006, it is a cloud-based payment processing service. TIO Networks – Founded 1997 in Vancouver, it was acquired by PayPal very recently in Feb 17. It offers a bill payment service. Payfirma – Based in Vancouver, and founded in 2011, it is a multi-channel payment platform (mobile, in-store, online and e-commerce). Investment & Asset Management Voleo – A social trading app, allowing the user to build an investment team with peers and collaboratively manage a portfolio. FrontFundr – Founded in Vancouver in 2013, it is a registered financial services firm which connects investors and entrepreneurs Here are Canadian startups that made it into the KPMG Fintech100 2016… #36 – League – Toronto-based, founded in 2014, it lets employers enable employees with health spending accounts and group insurance plans on a mobile app platform, plus you can find health professionals. It uses a digital wallet for payments. #42 – SecureKey – Founded 2008 in Toronto, it is an identity and authentication platform for online consumer services. …And the ‘Emerging stars’: Grow – Founded in 2014, it is a “complete fintech toolkit” for financial institutions, mainly focused on consumer and SME lending. North Side Inc. – A financial AI solution, letting you talk directly to your financial institution, a “personalised virtual telephone banker”. Overbond – Founded in 2015, this Toronto-based startup brings bond market participants together, making bond issuance secure and transparent. You’ve made it – a list as extensive as Canada itself (did you know that it spans 6 time zones? Crazy). Seemingly, if Canadian banks and financial institution are willing to allow for innovation besides their stringent (albeit successful) regulations, then the pre-existing fintech ecosystems in the GTA and British Columbia combined will be able to move ahead with full force. A fintech revolution to match the size of its home. *Credit to a good friend of mine for the incredible painting of Ryan. If you have any thoughts about Canadian fintech, let us know in the comments below, or you can tweet us. Check back soon for more instalments of The Fintech World Series! The post The Fintech World Series: Canada appeared first on Kurtosys Blog. http://hvst.co/2luINyh Originally Published at: The Fintech World Series: Canada || Bitcoin dives after the SEC shoots down plans for another bitcoin ETF: Bitcoin (Attendants pose with a bitcoin sign during the opening of Hong Kong's first bitcoin retail store.Reuters/Bobby Yip) Bitcoin has slid into negative territory after the US Securities and Exchange Commission rejected the plans for the SolidX Bitcoin ETF. The cryptocurrency is down 0.7% at $1,033 a coin. It was as high as $1,066 earlier on Tuesday. The regulator cited the fact that bitcoin is traded on unregulated markets, which means the SEC wouldn't be able to prevent fraud or market manipulation. In its ruling the SEC said : "As discussed further below, the Commission is disapproving this proposed rule change because it does not find the proposal to be consistent with Section 6(b)(5) of the Exchange Act, which requires, among other things, that the rules of a national securities exchange be designed to prevent fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices and to protect investors and the public interest. The Commission believes that, in order to meet this standard, an exchange that lists and trades shares of commodity-trust exchange-traded products (“ETPs”) must, in addition to other applicable requirements, satisfy two requirements that are dispositive in this matter. First, the exchange must have surveillance-sharing agreements with significant markets for trading the underlying commodity or derivatives on that commodity. And second, those markets must be regulated. Based on the record before it, the Commission believes that the significant markets for bitcoin are unregulated. Therefore, as the Exchange has not entered into, and would currently be unable to enter into, the type of surveillance-sharing agreement that has been in place with respect to all previously approved commodity-trust ETPs—agreements that help address concerns about the potential for fraudulent or manipulative acts and practices in this market—the Commission does not find the proposed rule change to be consistent with the Exchange Act." Tuesday's announcement follows a similar ruling that was reached on March 10, when the SEC said it had rejected the Winklevoss twins' bitcoin ETF. Story continues 2017 has been a volatile year for bitcoin. The cryptocurrency gained 20% in the first week of the year, but soon crashed 35% after reports surfaced that China was going to crack down on trading. First, China's biggest exchanges started charging a flat fee of 0.2% per transaction, then they announced they were blocking customer withdrawals . But bitcoin continued to climb higher, putting in a peak of $1,327 a coin shortly before the SEC rejected the Winklevoss ETF. Since then, however, bitcoin has tumbled more than 20% following reports developers were threatening a " hard fork " that would split the currency in two. Bitcoin has been the top-performing currency every year since 2010, aside from 2014. A third SEC ruling on a bitcoin ETF, by Grayscale Investments, is also expected to be rejected; although the timing of a final decision is not yet known. Bitcoin (Investing.com) NOW WATCH: 7 mega-billionaires who made a fortune last year More From Business Insider Bitcoin tanks below $1,000 Bitcoin spikes above $1,000 Bitcoin tumbles below $1,000 || Bitcoin dropped sharply and suddenly on more news out of China: Bitcoin tumbled by more than 4% in a matter of 15 minutes on Wednesday after Bloomberg reported that the People's Bank of China was meeting with several local bitcoin exchanges to discuss money-laundering concerns. Bitcoin has had a wild start to 2017 after gaining 120% in 2016 to become the top-performing currency for the second year in a row. The cryptocurrency raced to a gain of 20% in the opening days of the year as speculators, mainly from China , poured in. Bitcoin then crashed 35%, however, on fears that China would crack down on trading, bottoming near $750 a coin. Then the cryptocurrency managed to grind higher despite news that China's three largest exchanges said they would implement a flat fee of 0.2% on all transactions. Bitcoin is now trading down 1.5% at $1,036 a coin. It's up almost 9% for 2017. Bitcoin (Investing.com) NOW WATCH: Here's how to use one of the many apps to buy and trade bitcoin More From Business Insider Bitcoin is rallying for an 8th straight day Bitcoin is back above $1,000 Bitcoin is busting out || Flow Brings More International News, via Sky News: MIAMI, FL--(Marketwired - Jan 30, 2017) -Flowcustomers will now have even more access to international news with the addition of theSky News HD networkto Flow TV's channel line-up. Sky Newswas the first24/7 breaking newsnetwork in Britain, and is one of the most respected news outlets in the world. Flow,Cable and Wireless'Consumer brand, recently acquired thefirst and only rightsin the Caribbean to broadcast theaward-winningUK-based news channel. The news channel brings a rich, unprecedentedinternational perspectiveto Flow customers and, like Flow, is driven by a spirit of innovation -- delivering fresh and compelling international news stories from the Caribbean and Latin America to Africa, Asia and beyond. "The addition of Sky News to our extensive suite of news and other programming reaffirms to our subscribers that they are getting great value, unparalleled content and staying connected to the rest of the world in real time," said Garfield Sinclair, newly appointed President, Flow Caribbean. Sinclair added, "Sky News provides accurate and reliable, up-to-the-minute information about the most significant international events, no matter where it's happening, and the channel can also be accessed anytime, anywhere via our FlowToGo platform." John Ryley, Head of Sky News, commented: "This is a terrific opportunity to bring our award winning news service and outstanding original journalism directly to a new Caribbean audience via Flow TV for the first time. We are currently available in over 100 million homes in 127 countries around the world and under this agreement with Flow we will extend Sky News officially to the Caribbean market." Ann Petley-Jones, CEO of Riverhead Investments Ltd., the exclusive distributor of Sky News in the Caribbean basin and Canada, had this to say: "We are proud to be bringing Sky News to Flow and the Caribbean as it is one of the great news companies globally, as evidenced by the large number of industry awards it has received. The fact that CWC/Flow has added Sky News to its impressive lineup is a big win for Caribbean viewers. Sky News is renowned for the quality and impartiality of its news service and Riverhead is delighted to be partnered with such a group." Flow customers will gettwo months of free accessto the channel after which they have the option to include in their cable package. About C&W CommunicationsC&W is a full service communications and entertainment provider and delivers market-leading video, broadband, telephony and mobile services to consumers in 18 countries. Through its business division, C&W provides data center hosting, domestic and international managed network services, and customized IT service solutions, utilizing cloud technology to serve business and government customers. C&W also operates a state-of-the-art submarine fiber network -- the most extensive in the region. Learn more atwww.cwc.com, or follow C&W onLinkedIn,FacebookorTwitter. About Liberty Global Liberty Global is the world's largest international TV and broadband company, with operations in more than 30 countries across Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. We invest in the infrastructure that empowers our customers to make the most of the digital revolution. Our scale and commitment to innovation enables us to develop market-leading products delivered through next-generation networks that connect our 29 million customers who subscribe to over 60 million television, broadband internet and telephony services. We also serve 10 million mobile subscribers and offer WiFi service across seven million access points. Liberty Global's businesses are comprised of two stocks: the Liberty Global Group NASDAQ: LBTYA) (NASDAQ:LBTYB) (NASDAQ:LBTYK) for our European operations, and the LiLAC Group (NASDAQ:LILA) and (NASDAQ:LILAK) (OTC PINK:LILAB), which consists of our operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Liberty Global Group operates in 12 European countries under the consumer brands Virgin Media, Ziggo, Unitymedia, Telenet and UPC. The LiLAC Group operates in over 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean under the consumer brands VTR, Flow, Liberty, Mas Movil and BTC. In addition, the LiLAC Group operates a subsea fiber network throughout the region in over 30 markets. For more information, please visitwww.libertyglobal.com. Image Available:http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3103449 || Is a Bitcoin ETF a Good Investment?: The Securities and Exchange Commission denied approval of the Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust ETF, an exchange-traded fund that would track the value of digital currency bitcoin. Friday's highly anticipated decision came nearly four years - and a dozen amendments - after the fund was first proposed and delayed indefinitely making gaining access to the currency as easy as logging into your online brokerage account. QUIZ: Test Your Knowledge of ETFs Bitcoin is a so-called "cryptocurrency" - an encrypted digital currency created by computer programmers that can be exchanged electronically for goods and services. It serves as an alternative to traditional currencies, such as the U.S. dollar or the euro. For now, you can buy bitcoins on online exchanges, which often require an involved registration process and premium prices. Or you can "mine" them (create them), using extremely sophisticated computer codes. The value of a single bitcoin is determined by investor speculation. Worth almost nothing when it was created eight years ago, bitcoin hit a record high above $1,300 this week, topping the price of an ounce of gold, before tumbling on the heels of the SEC rejection. The rise of bitcoin has been volatile, marked by steep dips that were triggered, in some cases, by high-profile hacks of online bitcoin exchanges. The ETF proposed by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (yes, the same set of twins who claimed Mark Zuckerberg stole their idea for Facebook and sued him over it) would have traded on the Bats Global Markets exchange under the symbol COIN. The fund would have tracked the value of bitcoins, backed by "baskets" of the virtual currency. Like any other ETF, the fund could have been bought or sold through a brokerage account. The SEC expressed concern over the unregulated nature of bitcoin markets, though ETF Trends Editor Tom Lydon said investors could've been relatively confident that the ETF would be structurally sound. That's to say, it would have accurately tracked the price of bitcoin and would have sufficient security measures in place to deter the sorts of hacks that have cropped up at online bitcoin exchanges. Eight years into a bull market, Lydon says, the appeal of such an instrument is apparent. "Alternative investing is something that individual investors, advisers and institutions are thinking about. Bitcoin is an area of the market that's not well-correlated with stocks, bonds or even other currencies," he says. But even if the ETF had been deemed suitable for individual investors, like any investment, Lydon says, you need to look under the hood. Two other bitcoin ETFs are currently under review by the SEC, and it's unclear what, if any, next steps the Winklevoss brothers will take. Bitcoin is surprisingly widely held and regularly traded -- but nowhere near the level of mainstream ETFs. Because of the way they're created, bitcoins are available on a limited basis, which, based on increased demand, would help increase the price. These factors check many investors' boxes for alternative investments. But investors who own any bitcoin ETF would need to understand the factors that cause prices to fluctuate and have a plan in place for rapid swings in the marketplace. For individual investors, tracking the complex world of digital currencies might be too much to ask. The risk factors listed in the prospectus include attacks by malicious actors and botnets that could corrupt the bitcoin code, among other things. Story continues Even if the bitcoin ETF had been approved, the wisest move an investor could have made would be to hold off, says Ben Johnson, director of global ETF and passive strategies research at Morningstar. "The reason ETFs tracking the U.S. dollar work is that there are more than 7 billion people who think it's worth something. That may not always be the case with bitcoin," he says. If you're looking for "non-correlated" investing instruments, you might explore precious metals, via SPDR Gold Shares ETF ( GLD ), or more active strategies, such as Merger Fund ( MERFX ), a mutual fund that aims to capture upticks in stock price when mergers are announced. As for bitcoin, says Johnson: "It's every bit as suitable to an individual investor as a lottery ticket." See Also: Should I Be Tempted to Invest in Bitcoin? EDITOR'S PICKS Should I Be Tempted to Invest in Bitcoin? Why Do People Still Pay Bills With Paper Checks? 10 Reasons Gold Will Outperform Stocks in the Next Decade Copyright 2017 The Kiplinger Washington Editors View comments || STOCKS HIT NEW ALL-TIME HIGHS: Here's what you need to know: confetti celebrate (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images) All three major indexes hit new all-time highs on Tuesday, jumping on the first trading day back after the Presidents Day holiday. The positive move also marks the eighth straight day that the Dow Jones industrial average has finished in record territory. We've got the big headlines of the day, but first, the scoreboard: Dow: 20,737.51, +113.46, (0.55%) S&P 500: 2,365.03, +13.91, (0.60%) Nasdaq: 5,865.58, +26.27, (0.43%) Restaurant Brands, the owner of Burger King and Tim Horton's, is buying Popeyes for $1.8 billion. The deal for the Southern fried chicken fast food chain valued Popeyes at $79 per share. JPMorgan and Wells Fargo will help to finance the deal. Verizon cut its price for Yahoo by $350 million. The companies announced a joint decision to lower the acquisition price for Yahoo following the revelation of two data breaches that hit the tech firm. The revised deal will be for $4.48 billion. Snap's IPO roadshow hit New York City. The meeting with investors in New York was the second such gathering after a stop in London on Monday. Snap executives pitched the company to a group of institutional investors. Fannie and Freddie plunge after court rules hedge funds can't sue the government over collecting their profits. Hedge funds still won't be able to sue the US government over seizing profits made by mortgage loan companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac after their post-recession bailout, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday. Walmart beat on earnings. The mega-retailer posted fourth-quarter earnings per share of $1.30, more than the $1.29 per share expected by analysts. Comparable store sales growth of 1.8% from the year before also beat expectations of just 1.3% growth. Macy's beat on earnings and unloaded $673 million in real estate. The retailer posted earnings of $2.02 per share and a comparable store sales decline of 2.1%, better than the $1.96 per share and 2.2% decline expected by analysts. The company also said that it had sold off large parts of real estate in 2016. Bitcoin cracked $1,100 . The cryptocurrency jumped by over 4% in trading to $1,104 per coin, the first time above that level since early January. Story continues Additionally: Home Depot beat and said it's not worried about the US housing market yet. Trump may change some of the major ways we measure the strength of the US economy. The GOP is struggling to get its act together on the Obamacare repeal. Here's how global stock markets have changed over the past 117 years. 'We do not see upside': London-based analyst calls 'neutral' after Snap's London IPO road show NOW WATCH: The US government just sank a giant ship on purpose — and the footage is amazing More From Business Insider These courses can help you master the single most powerful tool in Excel I’ve tested over 100 headphones in the past year, and I keep coming back to this $26 pair This little-known Amazon service turns stuff you want to get rid of into store credit || Bitcoin steadies after biggest three-day tumble in over two years: By Jemima Kelly LONDON (Reuters) - Bitcoin regained its footing on Monday, having suffered its heftiest falls since early 2015 between Thursday and Saturday as investors sold the digital currency on worries about its future. Having soared to an all-time high of $1,350 (BTC=BTSP) on the Bitstamp exchange on March 10, on speculation that regulators could approve the first U.S. bitcoin exchange traded fund the following day, the digital currency then slipped back. Its falls began accelerating on Thursday and it hit a five-week low of $944.36 on Saturday. But bitcoin recovered a little on Sunday and built on those gains on Monday, climbing around 2.5 percent to roughly $1,050 by 1815 GMT. Bitcoin experts said its steep losses were driven by a longstanding, and intensifying, row over whether - and how - to increase the capacity of the "blocks" that bitcoin transactions are processed in, so as to make sure there are no delays in transactions being finalised. "The bitcoin scaling debate is a risk for the network and highlights core issues in terms of governance and this is where more nimble crypto competitors see advantages in fleshing out their capabilities sooner," said Charles Hayter, CEO of digital currency analysis website Crytocompare, in London. At the same time that bitcoin was plunging, a newer, rival "cryptocurrency" was soaring: ether. The digital currency behind Ethereum - a project that some experts say holds more potential than bitcoin - has almost tripled in value this month, jumping to record highs of around $45. Some experts said traders were selling bitcoin and buying ether, which was exacerbating the falls in the original cryptocurrency. "Traders in the space are looking for better returns in the more risky and nascent cryptos such as Dash, Monero and Ethereum (and are) looking to replicate the extraordinary returns that bitcoin saw in its early days," added Hayter. U.S. regulators dashed Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss's bitcoin ambitions earlier in the month by rejecting their application to list an exchange-traded fund linked to the digital currency. (Reporting by Jemima Kelly; Editing by Alison Williams) || Bitcoin is now more valuable than gold, but don’t read too much into it: The price of bitcoin(Exchange: BTC=-USS)continues to rise, setting a fresh record high. The price for one bitcoin is now worth more than one ounce of gold(Exchange: XAU=), but this is less significant than it may seem, say experts. Gold and bitcoin prices crossed overnight. The crypto currency has set a fresh record high of $1,290.13, while a gold ounce currently trades around $1,228. Part of the reason for the switch is that gold has had a rough week. The price for the precious metal has fallen more than 2 percent this week, due to the strengthening dollar and several indications from members of the Federal Reserve hinting towards a potential interest rate hike in March. Meanwhile, the price for the digital currency is up more than 7 percent this week. A recentregulatory clamp down by the People's Bank of Chinahas proven beneficial for bitcoin. Speculation around an imminent decision by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on whether it will approve a bitcoin-based ETF (exchange traded fund) has also created heavy buying pressure. Looking more broadly, bitcoin has enjoyed a stellar recovery over the past 12 months, climbing more than 214 percent from a low level of $407.98 last March. In contrast, the price for gold has fallen 1 percent over the past 12 months. Gold prices fell heavily following the result of the U.S. election, but have been recovering steadily since mid-December. However, while bitcoin prices are climbing, the digital currency has a much lower market cap compared to gold, highlights Fran Strajnar, co-founder & CEO of data and research company Brave New Coin. "The gold supply is 180,000 tonnes of 'above ground' gold, valued at $7 trillion. The bitcoin market value is $20 billion, so gold vs bitcoin is psychological more than anything," he told CNBC via email. "The comparison is perhaps a positive signal that bitcoin is being commoditized. But bitcoin is not a commodity, while gold has been a commodity for thousands of years." The price movement is less significant than it may seem, says Adrian Ash, head of research at Bullion Vault. "Price is just a number, and overtaking one ounce of gold doesn't in itself mean much. More important is that bitcoin is making new highs. That signals both a growing appetite for alternative assets and also that crypto currency is finding new, perhaps unwary, buyers," he told CNBC via email. Charles Hayter, founder of digital currency comparison website CryptoCompare, said there is ultimately no significance behind bitcoin prices being higher than gold prices. "Bitcoin has been linked to gold as a store of value and a flight to safety - the truth is that bitcoin is its own asset class in its own right and does fairly well in times of uncertainty - however it is also subject to its own internal forces too, such as its governance or lack of to be more accurate," he told CNBC via email. Also, bitcoin prices could be set for a shock if the SEC does not approve a bitcoin ETF. Strajnar predicts it is unlikely to pass. "This is for a few reasons but mainly because no ETF in the US has the issuer also act as custodian and index provider all in one. We assume this application is still viewed as a qualitative risk to investors by the SEC (Securities & Exchange Commission)," he said. "If the ETF is not approved we expect a correction and consolidation period but growing adoption and the deflationary supply of bitcoin suggests a continued uptrend in the medium term." More From CNBC • Morgan Stanley and Goldman should ‘hang heads in shame’ over Snap IPO: Analyst • Samsung to Nokia: The hottest gadgets unveiled this week • Google Assistant fights back against Amazon Alexa as battle of voice AI heats up || Bitcoin steadies after biggest three-day tumble in over two years: By Jemima Kelly LONDON (Reuters) - Bitcoin regained its footing on Monday, having suffered its heftiest falls since early 2015 between Thursday and Saturday as investors sold the digital currency on worries about its future. Having soared to an all-time high of $1,350 on the Bitstamp exchange on March 10, on speculation that regulators could approve the first U.S. bitcoin exchange traded fund the following day, the digital currency then slipped back. Its falls began accelerating on Thursday and it hit a five-week low of $944.36 on Saturday. But bitcoin recovered a little on Sunday and built on those gains on Monday, climbing around 2.5 percent to roughly $1,050 by 1815 GMT. Bitcoin experts said its steep losses were driven by a longstanding, and intensifying, row over whether - and how - to increase the capacity of the "blocks" that bitcoin transactions are processed in, so as to make sure there are no delays in transactions being finalised. "The bitcoin scaling debate is a risk for the network and highlights core issues in terms of governance and this is where more nimble crypto competitors see advantages in fleshing out their capabilities sooner," said Charles Hayter, CEO of digital currency analysis website Crytocompare, in London. At the same time that bitcoin was plunging, a newer, rival "cryptocurrency" was soaring: ether. The digital currency behind Ethereum - a project that some experts say holds more potential than bitcoin - has almost tripled in value this month, jumping to record highs of around $45. Some experts said traders were selling bitcoin and buying ether, which was exacerbating the falls in the original cryptocurrency. "Traders in the space are looking for better returns in the more risky and nascent cryptos such as Dash, Monero and Ethereum (and are) looking to replicate the extraordinary returns that bitcoin saw in its early days," added Hayter. U.S. regulators dashed Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss's bitcoin ambitions earlier in the month by rejecting their application to list an exchange-traded fund linked to the digital currency. (Reporting by Jemima Kelly; Editing by Alison Williams) || 2 Smart Beta ETFs Killing It In Emerging Markets: Smart-beta ETFs don’t always deliver outperformance. Sometimes, however, they do. And spectacularly, too. In the emerging market segment, two fundamental strategies—funds that select and weight securities based on fundamentals—have delivered roughly 70% more returns than plain-vanilla, popular funds in this segment in the past year. ThePowerShares FTSE RAFI Emerging Markets Portfolio (PXH)and theSchwab Fundamental Emerging Markets Large Co. Index ETF (FNDE)are each up more than 33% in 12 months. That’s about 14 percentage points more—or roughly 70% more—in returns than the three leading emerging market cap-weighted ETFs in the same period: 1. iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (IEMG)is up 19% 2. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (VWO)is up 20% 3. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (EEM)is up 19% The chart below shows that performance difference: Chart courtesy ofStockcharts.com In terms of an asset base, PXH and FNDE are much smaller than the vanilla giants, which together command more than $100 billion in assets. That often means these funds are less liquid relative to the big three. In all but one case (EEM), these smart-beta funds are also more expensive, with higher expense ratios and often wider trading spreads. Liquidity and costs are important factors for every investor, but particularly for smaller retail investors dealing with smaller trades. [{"Ticker": "PXH", "Fund": "PowerShares FTSE RAFI Emerging Markets Portfolio", "AUM": "$811M", "Exp Ratio": "0.49%"}, {"Ticker": "FNDE", "Fund": "Schwab Fundamental Emerging Markets Large Co. Index ETF", "AUM": "$1B", "Exp Ratio": "0.40%"}, {"Ticker": "IEMG", "Fund": "iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF", "AUM": "$24B", "Exp Ratio": "0.14%"}, {"Ticker": "VWO", "Fund": "Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF", "AUM": "$49B", "Exp Ratio": "0.14%"}, {"Ticker": "EEM", "Fund": "iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF", "AUM": "$28B", "Exp Ratio": "0.72%"}] Still, these smart-beta funds have delivered a stellar ride in the past year. Fundamental’s Different Tilts PXH and FNDE both hone in on various fundamental metrics to choose and weight securities in the portfolio. In other words, these funds look at companies in terms of relative size rather than market capitalization. PXH picks stocks based on cash flow, dividends, sales and book value—a classic RAFI fundamental approach. FNDE, too, looks at sales, cash flow and dividends/buybacks in its selection and weighting criteria. This fundamental way of looking at emerging markets, in the end, means two key things: portfolios tend to carry a value tilt, and market price plays no role in the weighting of any given stock. By comparison, market-cap-weighted approaches are all about share price and number of shares outstanding, typically overweighting overpriced stocks and concentrating on hot sectors. Sector Tilts Differ The difference in approaches also translates into portfolios that diverge in sector exposures and country allocations. For example, these five ETFs all show heavy allocation to financials, but these allocations range from 20% to 32% depending on the ETF. The disparity in energy is even more striking. Both fundamental ETFs have about 25% of their portfolios tied to energy, while in the market-cap strategies, energy represents only about 9%. Technology, too, ranges from 8% in PXH to 25% in EEM. Country Allocations Very Different From a country perspective, Brazil leads PXH’s and FNDE’s portfolios, with a 30% and a 19% weighting, respectively. But VWO only allocates 9% to Brazil, and IEMG has Brazil at 7.5%. If you consider that Brazil has been one of the best-performing emerging markets in the past year, it’s easy to see why that performance would have been most felt in the smart-beta funds. The list goes on, and you can see a detailed breakdown of each fund’s sector and country allocations in their respective ETF.com fund pages (just add the ticker at the end of the URL address, such aswww.etf.com/PXH). Smart Beta Not Always Smarter The important thing to remember here is that when it comes tosmart-beta ETFs, these funds don’t set out to outperform market-cap-weighted approaches. What they do set out to do is offer investors exposure that’s different from the market, slicing and dicing the equity universe in various ways in an effort to manage some of the inherent biases in market capitalization. In the past 12 months, these two fundamental strategies have left the market-cap giants in the dust. But not that long ago, in 2015 for instance, both PXH’s and FNDE’s value tilt and sector/country differences underperformed IEMG, VWO and EEM. That’s a reminder that smart-beta ETFs aren’t any smarter than market-cap weighting. They are merely alternatives to market cap that sometimes translate into outsized gains, and sometimes into outsized losses. Contact Cinthia Murphy [email protected] Recommended Stories • Why Small Cap ETFs Are Underperforming • Fed Raises Rates, Maintains ‘Gradual’ Pace • SEC Rejects Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF • Swedroe: Political Biases Can Impact Your Investing • Big Bitcoin ETF Decision Coming Today, Or Maybe Not Permalink| © Copyright 2017ETF.com.All rights reserved [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] $10.99 arb between okcoin and gemini #bitcoin #bitcoinprice || Inversión del gobierno de Estonia reimpulsa proyecto de blockchain humanitaria http://ift.tt/2lP6k0x  #Bitcoin || Enterprise Course of Outsourcing Philippines http://dlvr.it/NNyr0m  #Bitcoin #Venezuela || Bitcoin Price Above $1,000 For One Whole Week, Passes $1,060 http://fb.me/TghdhIXL  || 1 KOBO = 0.00000249 BTC = 0.0026 USD = 0.8190 NGN = 0.0349 ZAR = 0.2690 KES #Kobocoin 2017-02-07 18:00 || http://bit.ly/1gWVX43  IT’S OFFICIAL: ‘BITCOIN CONGRESSMAN’ MULVANEY IS U.S. BUDGET CHIEF: The United States Senate has… || The Hardware Bitcoin Wallet. Get Trezor now for only $99 https://buytrezor.com?a=coinokbuytrezor.com/?a=coinok  #btc #bitcoin 15 pic.twitter.com/8yhBL7grBg || #Bitcoin -0.53% Ultima: R$ 3972.00 Alta: R$ 4019.99 Baixa: R$ 3964.01 Fonte: Foxbit || Bitcoin Meets CrowdFunding https://goo.gl/ZYRmM0  #BitcoinKE #Retwitapic.twitter.com/MDaMF9rG1I || High Investment Program paid bitcoin to me on time,bitcoin double multiply . http://ow.ly/NJGs3092XST 
Trend: up || Prices: 1026.43, 1071.79, 1080.50, 1102.17, 1143.81, 1133.25, 1124.78, 1182.68, 1176.90, 1175.95
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Australian says he created bitcoin, but some skeptical: By Byron Kaye and Jemima Kelly SYDNEY/LONDON (Reuters) - Australian tech entrepreneur Craig Wright identified himself as the creator of controversial digital currency bitcoin on Monday but experts were divided over whether he really was the elusive person who has gone by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto until now. Uncovering Nakamoto's real identity would solve a riddle dating back to the publication of the open source software behind the cryptocurrency in 2008, before its launch a year later. Bitcoin has since become the world's most commonly used virtual currency, attracting the interest of banks, speculators, criminals and regulators. Worth a total of $7 billion at current levels, it fell more than 3 percent on Monday -- a normal intraday move for the volatile currency -- after the news, to below $440 from around $455, before recovering slightly. Some online commentators suggested bitcoin's creator could help resolve a bitter row among the currency's software developers that threatens its future. But Wright made no reference to the row in a BBC interview identifying himself as Nakamoto, and as the protocol bitcoin runs on is open-source and cannot be controlled by any one person, it is unclear whether he would be able to influence the way it develops. "I was the main part of it, other people helped me," Wright, who is now living in London, told the BBC. "Some people will believe, Some people won't, and to tell you the truth, I don't really care," he said. Many bitcoiners said Wright had not done enough to definitively prove that he was Nakamoto, who maintained his anonymity throughout his involvement with bitcoin, which he stepped away from in 2011. But Gavin Andresen, who Nakamoto chose to succeed him, published a blog post in which he described meeting Wright last month and said he is “convinced beyond a reasonable doubt” that the Australian is Nakamoto. Jon Matonis, a founding director of the Bitcoin Foundation now works as a bitcoin consultant, wrote a blog post on Monday which, like Andresen’s, supported Wright’s claims. Story continues “According to me, the proof is conclusive and I have no doubt that Craig Steven Wright is the person behind the Bitcoin technology, Nakamoto consensus, and the Satoshi Nakamoto name,” Matonis wrote. He and Andresen also confirmed they had been responsible for their respective blog posts to Reuters directly. LEGACY Nakamoto's biggest likely legacy lies well beyond his control. The blockchain technology that underpins the currency could transform the way banks settle transactions, the way that property rights and other vital data are recorded, and provide a way for central banks to issue their own digital currencies. The BBC reported on Monday that Wright gave some technical proof demonstrating that he had access to blocks of bitcoins known to have been created by bitcoin's creator. Researchers believe Nakamoto may be holding up to one million of the more than 15 million bitcoins currently in circulation, which would make the creator worth around $440 million. In a blog post also dated Monday, Wright posted an example of a signature used by Nakamoto and an explanation of how bitcoin transactions are verified and thanked all those who had supported the project from its inception. "This incredible community’s passion and intellect and perseverance have taken my small contribution and nurtured it, enhanced it, breathed life into it," he wrote. However he did not state directly that he was Nakamoto. "Satoshi is dead," he said. "But this is only the beginning." Bitcoin expert Peter Van Valkenburgh, director of research at Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group Coin Center, said a new message cryptographically signed using the private key associated with the so-called Genesis block, the first ever "mined" would have been more convincing. The currency's "miners" are incentivized to process transactions every 10 minutes by a possible reward of bitcoins (25 currently), which is how new bitcoins are created. Wright also spoke with The Economist, but declined requests from the magazine to provide further proof that he was Nakamoto. His representatives told Reuters he would not be taking part in more media interviews for the time being. "Our conclusion is that Mr Wright could well be Mr Nakamoto, but that important questions remain," The Economist said. "Indeed, it may never be possible to establish beyond reasonable doubt who really created bitcoin.” Hopes that bitcoin would become broadly used helped buoy its price to more than $1,000 in December 2013, when its market capitalization was $13 billion compared with today's $7 billion. Wright told The Economist he would exchange bitcoin he owns slowly to avoid pushing down its price. HOME RAIDED In December, police raided Wright's Sydney home and office after Wired magazine named him as the probable creator of bitcoin and holder of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the cryptocurrency. At the time he made no comment. The treatment of bitcoins for tax purposes in Australia has been the subject of considerable debate. The Australian Tax Office (ATO) ruled in December 2014 that cryptocurrency should be considered an asset, rather than a currency, for capital gains tax purposes. On Monday, the ATO said it had no comment while police were not immediately available for comment. If Wright is Nakamoto he "is now the leader of a movement", said Roberto Capodieci, a Singapore-based entrepreneur working on the blockchain, the technology underlying the currency. That movement ranges from libertarian enthusiasts to central banks experimenting with digital currencies, all of which pay homage in some way to Nakamoto's writings. (Additional reporting by Jeremy Wagstaff in Singapore, Matt Siegel in Sydney and Paul Sandle in London; Editing by Nick Macfie, Raju Gopalakrishnan and Philippa Fletcher) || Flow Celebrates Manchester United Victory With the Caribbean: BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS--(Marketwired - May 26, 2016) - Manchester United (MUTD) fans were united in celebration on May 21 as they gathered at watch parties hosted by the region's leading quad-play provider, Flow, and witnessed the Red Devils hoist the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium after a thrilling 2-1 comeback victory over Crystal Palace. The story could not have been written better as the club's historic twelfth FA title was showcased at Flow's first-ever regional watch-party event -- just months after the two organizations entered into a multi-year partnership. From Turks and Caicos to Trinidad and islands in between, Flow customers were able to attend the viewing parties after successfully winning the Company's "txt for a ticket" campaign. In each instance, numerous diehard MUTD fans turned up decked out in their Manchester United colours, and not only had an opportunity to watch the pivotal match, but were also treated to plenty of cool giveaways, which included official MUTD gear and merchandise. Some fans were even lucky enough to win brand-new smartphones after winning the "Text the Score" competition that took place during the match. By all accounts, in each location, the energy and excitement was palpable, with many attendees expressing their desire to attend similar events in the future. Indeed, the responses in general were glowing with positivity; in Antigua, for example, local sports talk show host Joseph "JoJo" Apparicio commended Flow for its "great initiative" to bring sports fans together and provide them with an electric environment to watch the ultimate game of the season. Others expressed similar sentiments, including one Barbadian, Rasheed Holder, who praised Flow's efforts for successfully organizing the event. "Flow provided the perfect setting for what turned out to be the perfect match," said Holder. "The atmosphere was tremendous and the added elements that Flow provided made it all the more special. A big thank you to Flow for an awesome match day." Story continues Justin Luke -- another attendee at the Barbados watch party -- said he regularly uses the Flow Football App to tune into weekend games, but said, "having the opportunity to attend such an awesome watch party was great. The place was packed and I was happy to meet the Flow team who made sure we all enjoyed every minute of the match. Manchester United getting a late goal made it all the more special." Offering his congratulations to MUTD, on behalf of Flow, Managing Director of Flow Barbados, Niall Sheehy, had this to say: "Huge congratulations to the folks at Manchester United for capturing yet another FA Cup title. This triumph was celebrated across the Caribbean and Flow is especially pleased to be bringing regional football fans that much closer to all the action." The watch-party initiative was a follow up to the exclusive, multi-year deal that Flow signed with MUTD earlier this year. This partnership offers Caribbean football fans real time updates and news via Red Alerts (the football club's official SMS), as well as unique experiences like the chance to win tickets to MUTD games, signed merchandise and even interactions with MUTD legends such as club ambassadors Bryan Robson, Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke. In addition to its deal with MUTD, Flow has formed other strategic partnerships to bring amazing sporting content to the region, including the Barclays Premier League and the upcoming 2016 Rio Olympic Games. By giving customers access to MUTD content and more "on the go" via mobile, tablets and desktop devices, as well as through the Flow ToGo app, Flow is the "Home of Sports in the Caribbean." www.manutd.com About Cable & Wireless Communications Plc Cable & Wireless Communications Plc (CWC) is a full service communications and entertainment provider, operating in Latin America and the Caribbean. With annual sales of over US$2.4 billion, it operates both mobile and fixed networks, supported by submarine and terrestrial optical fibre backhaul capacity. CWC delivers superior high-speed mobile data, broadband and video services. It has leading market positions in Mobile, Fixed Line, Broadband and Video consumer offers. Through its business division, CWC provides data centre hosting, domestic and international managed network services, and customised IT service solutions, utilising cloud technology to serve business and government customers. The Group also operates a state-of-the-art subsea fibre optic cable network that spans more than 48,000 km -- the most extensive in the region -- as well as 38,000 km of terrestrial fibre providing wholesale and carrier backhaul capacity. CWC has more than 7,300 employees serving 6.4 million customers (Mobile 4.1m; Fixed Line 1.1m; Video 470k and Broadband 690k) across 42 countries. The Group's leading brands include; LIME and Flow in the Caribbean; BTC in The Bahamas; Mas Movil in Panama; C&W Business and C&W Networks. CWC is the market leader in most products offered and territories served. It is a major contributor to local communities through its corporate social responsibility programmes. Cable & Wireless Communications Plc's shares are quoted on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker CWC. The Group is headquartered in London with its operational hub located in Miami, within close proximity to the Caribbean and Latin America. For more information visit: www.cwc.com . Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3013847 Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3013865 Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3013868 Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3013871 Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3013874 || The Market In 5 Minutes: #TrumpSoPoor And More: Below is a tool used by the Benzinga News Desk each trading day -- it's a look at everything happening in the market, in five minutes. Apply for daily AM access by clicking here or email [email protected]. Macro Focus U.S. stock futures traded higher in early pre-market trade. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 69 points to 17,780.00, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index futures rose 10 points to 2,084.25. Futures for the Nasdaq 100 index surged 22.25 points to 4,412.25. Germany's ZEW measure of economic expectations increased to 19.2 in June, compared to 6.4 points in May. Oil prices traded lower as Brent crude futures dropped 1.20 percent to trade at $50.04 per barrel, while US WTI crude futures also declined 1.13 percent to trade at $48.81 a barrel. The API's crude oil inventory report for the recent week will be released at 4:35 p.m. ET. BZ News Desk Focus Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen is scheduled to testify before the Senate Banking Committee in Washington at 10:00 a.m. ET, while the Federal Reserve Gov. Jerome Powell is scheduled to speak in New York at 2:30 p.m. ET. Some of last night's and this morning's most notable earnings: Lennar (NYSE: LEN ) Reports Q2 EPS $0.95 vs $0.79 in Same Qtr. Last Year, Sales $2.75B, Deliveries Up 12%, New Orders Up 10% CarMax (NYSE: KMX ) Reports Q1 EPS $0.90 vs $0.92 Est., Sales $4.13B vs $4.19B Est. Sell-Side Themes Goldman Sachs rearranged its ratings in the oil pipeline sector. Credit Suisse looked at some medical research names. Sell-Side's Most Noteworthy Calls Bank of America downgraded Lear (NYSE: LEA ) to Neutral. Deutsche Bank downgraded Prologis (NYSE: PLD ) to Hold. Morgan Stanley upgraded Marathon Oil (NYSE: MRO ) to Equal-Weight. Oppenheimer initiated coverage on Vivint Solar (NYSE: VSLR ) at Perform. Canaccord started coverage on Cirrus Logic (NASDAQ: CRUS ) at Buy. Deal Talk Impax (NASDAQ: IPXL ) reports deal to buy Generic Products from Teva (NYSE: TEVA ) and affiliates of Allergan (NYSE: AGN ) for $586 million. Story continues McKesson (NYSE: MCK ) is said to have had discussions about a merger of its IT unit with Change Healthcare. In The News The U.S. Senate on Monday failed to reach an understanding on gun sales and rejected four measures that would have restricted the sale of guns. Gun violence has been a hot topic in recent memory and intensified over the past week after a shooter pledged allegiance to the terrorist group ISIS and massacred 49 people, injuring dozens more at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Gun stocks were trading relatively flat Tuesday morning despite headline news appearing to be a bullish sign for the gun manufacturers. A study comparing hospital admissions in “wet” versus “dry” counties in Texas found that people living in dry counties, where sales of alcoholic beverages are prohibited, had a higher risk of being hospitalized for a heart attack or congestive heart failure than people living in wet counties, where such sales are allowed. Residents of wet counties were at elevated risk for a heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation. According to POLITICO, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) CEO Tim Cook will be hosting a fundraiser with House Speaker Paul Ryan next Tuesday, June 28. Cook and Gary Wipfler, the company’s treasurer, will be raising cash for Ryan and other House Republicans at a private breakfast in California. Blogosphere "Bitcoin is still mainly a gimmick favored by geeks who want to revolutionize the world and do away with central banks -- or by people in China wishing to take money out of the country," Gadfly says . "But of late, its appreciation suggests more investors may be seeing the unit as a store of value, one of the requirements for economists to start calling it a real currency." Trending OPK KMX MRO NUGT LEN WERN ABE QQQ REGN SPY AR UAL GNCA VIAB ETE GWPH [StockTwits] Apparently it's National Selfie Day, so make sure to annoy your friends, family and co-workers. Need a laugh? Check out #TrumpSoPoor. See more from Benzinga The Market In 5 Minutes: Believeland The Market In 5 Minutes: Quiet Friday Ahead Of Father's Day The Market In 5 Minutes: Rates Remain Unchanged, But Hikes Still Loom © 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Australian says he created bitcoin, but some sceptical: By Byron Kaye and Jemima Kelly SYDNEY/LONDON (Reuters) - Australian tech entrepreneur Craig Wright identified himself as the creator of controversial digital currency bitcoin on Monday but experts were divided over whether he really was the elusive person who has gone by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto until now. Uncovering Nakamoto's real identity would solve a riddle dating back to the publication of the open source software behind the cryptocurrency in 2008, before its launch a year later. Bitcoin has since become the world's most commonly used virtual currency, attracting the interest of banks, speculators, criminals and regulators. Worth a total of $7 billion at current levels, it fell more than 3 percent on Monday -- a normal intraday move for the volatile currency -- after the news, to below $440 from around $455, before recovering slightly. Some online commentators suggested bitcoin's creator could help resolve a bitter row among the currency's software developers that threatens its future. But Wright made no reference to the row in a BBC interview identifying himself as Nakamoto, and as the protocol bitcoin runs on is open-source and cannot be controlled by any one person, it is unclear whether he would be able to influence the way it develops. "I was the main part of it, other people helped me," Wright, who is now living in London, told the BBC. "Some people will believe, Some people won't, and to tell you the truth, I don't really care," he said. Many bitcoiners said Wright had not done enough to definitively prove that he was Nakamoto, who maintained his anonymity throughout his involvement with bitcoin, which he stepped away from in 2011. But Gavin Andresen, who Nakamoto chose to succeed him, published a blog post in which he described meeting Wright last month and said he is “convinced beyond a reasonable doubt” that the Australian is Nakamoto. Jon Matonis, a founding director of the Bitcoin Foundation now works as a bitcoin consultant, wrote a blog post on Monday which, like Andresen’s, supported Wright’s claims. “According to me, the proof is conclusive and I have no doubt that Craig Steven Wright is the person behind the Bitcoin technology, Nakamoto consensus, and the Satoshi Nakamoto name,” Matonis wrote. He and Andresen also confirmed they had been responsible for their respective blog posts to Reuters directly. LEGACY Nakamoto's biggest likely legacy lies well beyond his control. The blockchain technology that underpins the currency could transform the way banks settle transactions, the way that property rights and other vital data are recorded, and provide a way for central banks to issue their own digital currencies. The BBC reported on Monday that Wright gave some technical proof demonstrating that he had access to blocks of bitcoins known to have been created by bitcoin's creator. Researchers believe Nakamoto may be holding up to one million of the more than 15 million bitcoins currently in circulation, which would make the creator worth around $440 million. In a blog post also dated Monday, Wright posted an example of a signature used by Nakamoto and an explanation of how bitcoin transactions are verified and thanked all those who had supported the project from its inception. "This incredible community’s passion and intellect and perseverance have taken my small contribution and nurtured it, enhanced it, breathed life into it," he wrote. However he did not state directly that he was Nakamoto. "Satoshi is dead," he said. "But this is only the beginning." Bitcoin expert Peter Van Valkenburgh, director of research at Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group Coin Center, said a new message cryptographically signed using the private key associated with the so-called Genesis block, the first ever "mined" would have been more convincing. The currency's "miners" are incentivised to process transactions every 10 minutes by a possible reward of bitcoins (25 currently), which is how new bitcoins are created. Wright also spoke with The Economist, but declined requests from the magazine to provide further proof that he was Nakamoto. His representatives told Reuters he would not be taking part in more media interviews for the time being. "Our conclusion is that Mr Wright could well be Mr Nakamoto, but that important questions remain," The Economist said. "Indeed, it may never be possible to establish beyond reasonable doubt who really created bitcoin.” Hopes that bitcoin would become broadly used helped buoy its price to more than $1,000 in December 2013, when its market capitalisation was $13 billion compared with today's $7 billion. Wright told The Economist he would exchange bitcoin he owns slowly to avoid pushing down its price. HOME RAIDED In December, police raided Wright's Sydney home and office after Wired magazine named him as the probable creator of bitcoin and holder of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the cryptocurrency. At the time he made no comment. The treatment of bitcoins for tax purposes in Australia has been the subject of considerable debate. The Australian Tax Office (ATO) ruled in December 2014 that cryptocurrency should be considered an asset, rather than a currency, for capital gains tax purposes. On Monday, the ATO said it had no comment while police were not immediately available for comment. If Wright is Nakamoto he "is now the leader of a movement", said Roberto Capodieci, a Singapore-based entrepreneur working on the blockchain, the technology underlying the currency. That movement ranges from libertarian enthusiasts to central banks experimenting with digital currencies, all of which pay homage in some way to Nakamoto's writings. (Additional reporting by Jeremy Wagstaff in Singapore, Matt Siegel in Sydney and Paul Sandle in London; Editing by Nick Macfie, Raju Gopalakrishnan and Philippa Fletcher) || How an early bitcoin leader is staying relevant in a blockchain frenzy: If you are interested in dipping a toe in the waters of the digital currency bitcoin, the easiest way is to buy some bitcoin, and arguably the best-known service for that is Coinbase. The company launched four years ago today, and was one of the earliest bitcoin wallets—that is, simply, a place to buy and hold bitcoin. By being early to the craze, Coinbase became one of the most recognizable and respected brands in the bitcoin industry, it raised nearly $107 million in venture capital (by far the most raised by any bitcoin startup until 21 Inc. came along ), and its co-founders, Brian Armstrong and Fred Ehrsam, became influential names in the business. Lately, the narrative about the bitcoin world has shifted to blockchain, the decentralized, peer-to-peer, open-source technology that powers bitcoin. ( For an explainer, check out this video .) The idea of blockchain came about side-by-side with bitcoin in 2009, but now major banks and financial institutions are gaga over the idea of using blockchains to speed up their transaction processing—closed, private blockchains without bitcoin. Now some of the hottest startups that started out as “bitcoin companies” have subtly edged away from bitcoin in their marketing. Bitreserve, a cloud bank that allows you to hold funds in many different currencies , changed its name to Uphold; Circle, which started as a bitcoin payment app, added the ability to deposit funds in U.S. dollars , and no longer mention bitcoin on its home page. Many bitcoin companies are focusing on blockchain and working with new partners who, in many cases, have no interest in a volatile cryptocurrency. But Coinbase and its leaders are more bullish on bitcoin than ever. “I think the whole narrative of blockchain without bitcoin will amount to very little,” declares Fred Ehrsam. In an interview with Yahoo Finance during the big bitcoin conference Consensus this month, Ehrsam compared the current craze over blockchain to corporations that rushed to create “intranets” in the early days of the Internet—they were closed networks, accessible only to one company’s employees. And while those still exist at some companies today, most people eventually realized that they didn’t need to create private corners of the Internet, because the large, open Internet is good enough. Story continues It is a popular comparison among bitcoin believers at the moment. Many people on the banking side of things, in visits with Yahoo Finance, have been dismissive of that dismissiveness. They see potential in blockchain technology to reduce friction in payments overseas, and maybe even speed the settlement of stock purchases. Ehrsam’s point is that the bitcoin blockchain can already do that. A former Goldman Sachs ( GS ) foreign exchange trader, Ehrsam brings financial chops to bitcoin, a world which many of the most fervent supporters got into because they are anti-banking and anti-government. Ehrsam has said he aims for Coinbase to be a Goldman Sachs of cryptocurrency. Some in bitcoin would say it’s already there. Coinbase has grown far beyond a mere bitcoin wallet: It has more than 2 million users; it is now operable in 32 countries; it recently launched the ability for U.S. customers to buy bitcoin instantly using a debit card (previously you had to link up a bank account and wait a few days, which was a nice illustration of the sluggishness of traditional banking); and most significantly, last year it launched an entirely new business: a bitcoin exchange. Coinbase has major competition among bitcoin exchanges. Many, many exchanges have sprung up in the past two years, including one from the Winklevoss brothers, Gemini, which last year scored regulatory approval from the New York Department of Financial Services to operate as a trust, and this month got new approval to add the ability for customers to trade Ether, a much-hyped alternative digital-currency to bitcoin. Coinbase, in contrast with Gemini, did not wait for regulatory approval in New York before launching. But a report just this week from Reuters suggests the NYDFS is set to grant Coinbase a BitLicense anyway, which, if true, will certainly make Coinbase look like it was smart not to wait. After a little over one year in business, Coinbase says it has the most liquid bitcoin exchange in the U.S. Meanwhile, Ehrsam and Armstrong have become key voices in a wonky internal debate in the bitcoin world over whether to increase the block-size limit of bitcoin’s blockchain. In simplest terms, transactions are recorded on the blockchain in bundles called blocks, but the blockchain has slowed down recently under the weight of larger transactions. Some in bitcoin want to raise the limit to allow for larger blocks, while others don’t want bitcoin mining to get to a point where a personal laptop can’t handle the data. Ehrsam and Armstrong are in the former camp, and Armstrong has written publicly on the block size debate . To be sure, many titans of Wall Street are still certain that while blockchain technology is heating up, bitcoin, the currency, is on its way to the grave. JPMorgan ( JPM ) CEO Jamie Dimon has called bitcoin "doomed." Nonetheless, Ehrsam is laser-focused on a business plan that depends on people like Dimon being very wrong. The value of bitcoin, by the way, is up 91% in the last year. -- Daniel Roberts is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering technology and sports business. Follow him on Twitter at @readDanwrite . Read more: How big banks are paying lip service to the blockchain Here’s how you can invest in the blockchain Bitcoin's biggest investor just bought its biggest news site Here's a sign that PayPal is embracing Bitcoin || Bitcoin has a governance problem, no matter who created it: By Jemima Kelly LONDON (Reuters) - As one would-be father of bitcoin falls by the wayside, squabbling among the web-based currency's lead developers is exposing a fundamental flaw: it must evolve to meet growing demand, but may lack a governance structure to achieve this. The latest bickering erupted after Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright promised to prove he was the mysterious creator of bitcoin - which allows users to move money across the world quickly and anonymously - but then said on Thursday he could not provide further evidence to back this up. Wright stopped short of reneging on his claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto, assumed to be a pseudonym for the person or people who launched the digital cryptocurrency in 2009. However, he apologised for damaging the reputations of bitcoin experts who had believed him. Many members of the bitcoin community reckon this is all a distraction and agree with Wright when he said that the identity of Nakamoto "doesn't, and shouldn't, matter". "Satoshi's biggest achievement was to create a system that doesn't require his participation to run," said Peter Todd, one of bitcoin's core software developers. "That's what makes all this stuff kind of funny. It's like searching for the creator of a system that's designed not to require a creator." While grey-suited central bankers print conventional currencies and commercial banks control transactions in them, no one person or entity is in charge of bitcoin. Instead it runs on a decentralised system of shared trust without any third-party verification of transactions - one reason why many people are attracted to it. Critics, however, say it needs a "benevolent dictator" or at least some "adults" to manage the expansion that it needs to cope with the increasing number of transactions. Someone, or some group, must decide how to meet users' requirements, they say. Trades are handled by thousands of "mining" computers around the world which validate blocks of transactions by competing to solve mathematical puzzles every 10 minutes. Story continues The first computer to solve the puzzle clears the transaction and is currently rewarded with 25 new bitcoins, now worth around $11,250. (BTC=BTSP). This is how the computers' owners cover their costs - largely power bills - and make a profit. The system also ensures there is no single point in the system that might fail. CIVIL WAR In practice, there do appear to be people who can make decisions, but it is also possible to be excluded from this magic circle. One of the bitcoin experts who initially believed Wright's claim is Gavin Andresen. Nakamoto handed control of bitcoin's software to Andresen when he stepped aside in 2011, a transfer that kept the creator's identity a mystery as it was conducted in cyberspace without human contact. Andresen later shared that control with others. But when he stated publicly he believed Wright, sceptical developers responded by revoking his "commit access" to a shared repository of bitcoin rules. Initially, these developers justified their move on security grounds, saying his computer must have been hacked - something Andresen denied. When Reuters asked Todd whether Andresen's access would be reinstated, he responded: "Heck no", saying a belief in Wright amounted to "inexcusable incompetence". Andresen admitted to bewilderment over whether he still believed Wright's claims. "Ask me in six months; I don't trust my own judgement right now after all the drama," he said on Twitter. The squabbling is not new. One of the lead developers, Mike Hearn, stood down from bitcoin in January because of a power struggle nicknamed the "bitcoin civil war". Hearn and Andresen had proposed increasing the size of the blocks in which transactions are processed but the other developers opposed this. In quitting, Hearn said that "what was meant to be a new, decentralised form of money that lacked systemically important institutions" had now become "a system completely controlled by just a handful of people". Many investors and start-up firms remain optimistic about bitcoin and are making money from it. But Emin Gun Sirer, a computer science professor at Cornell University, said the appearance of internal conflict was undermining it. "For bitcoin to retain its value, it's important to have hope that there's good management in charge, that there are adults in charge," Sirer said. "When we see opportunistic moves, that's a problem." BENEVOLENT DICTATORS But Sirer also said that any open-source project such as bitcoin, which runs using software that anyone can access, change, and distribute, faces the challenge of governance. "Is it a pipe dream to expect to be able to build a currency system that is completely decentralized and free of any control whatsoever? The short answer to that is yes, but that's not what anyone should have expected anyway," he said. Sirer added that he was concerned that his brightest young students at Cornell were being deterred from getting involved with bitcoin because of the in-fighting and the appearance that developers were unable to agree on change. One other digital currency system which is attracting bright young minds is Ethereum, created in 2013 by Russian-Canadian Vitalik Buterin when he was just 19. It works with the "benevolent dictator model", as Sirer calls it, with Buterin holding the decision-making power. "Over the last couple of years it's become apparent that having a static protocol is just not a viable approach," Buterin told the Consensus bitcoin conference in New York earlier in the week. "Software has to evolve ... and there has to be some mechanism for agreeing on how software is going to upgrade." Most, however, reckon that even if Nakamoto were to be found, the other developers - many of whom have written more code than he ever did in the seven years since bitcoin was launched - would not accept his having ultimate power. "(Nakamoto) would be thanked for creating this amazing thing, but if there comes a time when there's a technical debate over whether we should go one way or the other, his opinions would only be persuasive, not controlling," said Jerry Brito, executive director of bitcoin advocacy group Coin Center. (Additional reporting by Toby Sterling in Amsterdam; editing by David Stamp) || This founder launched a $14,000 smartphone immediately after laying off employees at his other startup: (Mirage)Moshe Hogeg and team. People in Israel's tight-knit startup community are talking about the reported death, and the odd life, of once high-flying startup Mobli. Mobli raised $86 million in venture funds in six years, some from some big names. Mobli's layoffs were first reported byIsraeli business Calcalistand confirmed by Business Insider. Mobli's CEO, Moshe Hogeg, told us that the company has cut 15 employees this week and is closing its Israeli R&D center. Sources are telling us that this represents all of Mobli's remaining Israeli employees, although Hogeg insists that the company is not being closed down entirely. He says that he's retaining an R&D team in Europe. At its height, Mobli employed about 50 people, but now only a handful remain, sources tell us. In Israel, the shock isn't so much that Mobli is struggling — people don't understand how the company has stayed alive as long as it has. It jumped from one failed product to the next. Mobli sprang to life in 2010 as a photo-sharing social-media site backed by star angel investors like Lance Armstrong, Serena Williams, and Tobey Maguire. It later landed $60 million from Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, it said, for a total of $86 million raised. (Mobli.com)Lance Armstrong. For instance, Armstrong used Mobli to share that famous photo of himself with hisTour de France jerseys after he was banned for life by the International Cycling Unionfor doping. But then Instagram came along and Facebook bought it, and that pretty much killed Mobli as a photo-sharing social network. The company pivoted to other apps. For instance, in 2015 it launched an app called EyeIn, a photo service for publishers that let them find pictures of events shared on social-media sites. It shut EyeIn down just two months after it was launched when Instagram blocked the app from using Instagram photos. "We had to shut down EyeIn two months after launch because Facebook/Instagram blocked us from their API, rendering our technology useless,"Hogeg confirmed to us. Mobli then moved on to Slant, a news site based in New York for freelance articles. Writers got professional editing and Slant took a 30% cut of any advertising revenue their articles generated. Slant hit 4 million readers in a month and published 9,000 stories from 1,400 writers, but its editor, Amanda Gutterman, announced in her farewell letter in April that Slant was being shut down, asreported by Politico. (www.galaxia.co)Mobli's Galaxia. A former employee told us that much of this traffic was generated through paid-ad campaigns by services likeOutbrain. Slant later told Politico that it was not closed for good but will be back once the company figures out a new business model. Meanwhile,Guttermanhas moved on to a new job at The Dose and the site is not functioning. Mobli now has a new thing,a new social-network app called Galaxiathat launched in March, where people are encouraged to take on different "personas." Mobli says that Galaxia's tech came from a startup it acquired called Pheed. The rumor was that it paid $40 million in cash for Pheed, butHogeg tells us that the true price was really "just a few million." The people we talked to have marveled that Mobli says that it is still in business and can't understand how. Hogeg says that Mobli has been clear where its money has come from: venture investors. "We've always been very transparent about our funding. Amongst are investors: Carlos Slim, Leo DiCaprio, and Kenges Rakishev and all that info is readily available. We raised sufficient funds to allow us to stay in business thus far," he says. Mobli was also famous for beingone of the first startups to use NASDAQ's private market, allowing early employees to cash out their shares in the company by selling them to other private investors. In the meantime,Moshe Hogeg is focused on a new company,Sirin Labs, where he is president, investor, and cofounder, but not CEO. The CEO is Tal Cohen. Right after letting staff go at Mobli, Sirin launched its product on Tuesday in London: a smartphone forabout $14,000, or9,500 pounds. The phone is aimed at wealthy people who want a fast and stylish phone that also encrypts all their data. Sirin says that it raised$72 million in funding and has 85 employees based in Switzerland, Sweden, England, and Israel. NOW WATCH:This smartphone works by bending it More From Business Insider • This 24-year old raised $6 million in Bitcoin in a month to build a new kind of app store • How a 16-year-old kid built his dream video game company with no money • Doubts about Domo? Insiders say the $2 billion startup that came out of nowhere is full of hype || The 5 biggest bitcoin and blockchain announcements at Consensus: The big bitcoin conference Consensus descended on Manhattan this week, and a number of significant companies chose it as a venue to announce news. (The ability to own and oversee Consensus was one of the driving factors in theDigital Currency Group's acquisition this year of bitcoin news site CoinDesk, which created the conference.) Most of the excitement about this industry at the moment, from the financial world, is around the use ofblockchain, the decentralized ledger technology that underlies the digital currency bitcoin, and less so on the currency itself. Banks and other payment giants are eager to explore how blockchain—but a closed, permissioned form without bitcoin, as opposed to the open, permissionless bitcoin blockchain—could speed up their transaction settlement processes. Much of the buzz and commentary at the conference matched this. But not all people in the industry are so eager to abandon bitcoin. Among lots of interesting news, here are 5 of the biggest stories to come out of the Consensus conference this week. It wasn’t an announcement made at the conference, but news that broke on the first morning, and it cast a shadow over the entire event.Dr. Craig Wright, an Australian security expert, publicly outed himself as Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious creator of bitcoin, in a blog post and in statements to a few select news outlets. The mainstream media grabbed the story and ran with it, but among the crowds at Consensus, people doubted the claim. It only took a few hours for some experts to poke holes in the way that Wright supposedly proved he is Satoshi (he presented evidence that he owns the same private keys used by Satoshi for the first ever transaction), and now the story is looking like yet another entry on the long list of false positives. Don’t expect the media to lose interest in identifying Satoshi any time soon, even thoughit really doesn’t matter to the bitcoin technology anymore who created it, because it is open-source and has changed significantly since its inception. (There is one reason people in bitcoin want to know: Satoshi is believed to still hold nearly 1 million bitcoin, or about $450 million at the current price, which means he or she would have the power to crash the market by way of a selloff.) The state of Delaware announced it wants to use blockchain technology to speed the process of registering new businesses in the state. It’s significant not only because government support of this space is so rare, but because Delaware incorporates more public companies than any other state. Bitcoin believers, of course, may scoff at this as another example of blockchain being used for something rather unexciting: improving an old institution’s dated IT processes. But Delaware going digital has major implications, since other states could follow. Delaware Gov. Jack Markell even said at Consensus that the state would consider creating a new form of “distributed ledger” shares in companies registered via blockchain. Chain, an enterprise blockchain startup, announced Open Standard 1, a form of blockchain it has built specifically for financial institutions, and a murderer’s row of launch clients along with it, including Capital One, Citi, Fidelity, Nasdaq, and Visa. To be sure, Chain is one of many competitors vying to build a blockchain for banks and other enterprise clients. The buzziest, in the mainstream business press, has beenR3, a blockchain coalition of more than 45 banks, but this week Amazon Web Services (AMZN) also announced it would partner with the Digital Currency Group to offer a form of blockchain tech to enterprise clients. Still, with a completed product and big-name backers, Chain could come out to an early lead in this race. 21 Inc, which only one year ago was still a mysterious bitcoin startup thathad raised more money than any other bitcoin startup($121 million, fittingly) without revealing what it would even do, came out swinging with the announcement of its next step. In February, 21 began shipping its first product, a small, sleek, personal bitcoin computer for mining bitcoin and building applications to accept bitcoin payments. This week, at Consensus, 21 CEO Balaji Srinavasan said the company’s next move is to “make every computer a bitcoin computer” by making its software compatible with any connected device. That means regular laptops and, eventually, mobile phones. This is a bitcoin innovation that should excite more than just bitcoin developers. “Every time you click a link,” Srinavasan told Yahoo Finance, “you could be earning money.” And you could do it without having to know how to mine bitcoin. It could lead to crucial solutions in an area like, say, news website paywalls. This one’s a double: Two big names in the finance world came out in a surprising show of support for the blockchain industry. Larry Summers, who last week joined the Digital Currency Group as a senior advisor, gave an interview at Consensus in which he went all in on the potential of blockchain technology for Wall Street solutions. “Is the blockchain technology going to be fundamental? I think the answer is overwhelmingly likely to be yes,” he said. As for bitcoin? Unsurprisingly, he's not as bullish. However, he acknowledged that there are many who believe blockchain without bitcoin defeats the whole purpose, and lacks the excitement, of bitcoin, which is open and decentralized. “While there are arguments you can’t get all the benefits without bitcoin, my suspicion is that ways will be found to get those benefits without the uncertainty in the value of bitcoin,” he said. Glenn Hutchins, meanwhile, the founder of influential venture capital firm Silver Lake and a boardmember at AT&T, Nasdaq, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, appeared to do a 180 on bitcoin. Hutchins, in the past, had been dismissive of the cryptocurrency. But at Consensus, he delivered a speech on why bitcoin matters, even when the concept of bank blockchains is in vogue. He made the same comparison that has become so popular among bitcoin folks, likening private, closed blockchains to corporate Intranets, a concept that was once more widespread and is now less common and less useful to most companies. Hutchins said he now has plans to invest in bitcoin startups. Hutchins also joined the board of Digital Currency Group, so if you’re keeping count, it’s really DCG—which owns the conference, added big players to its team, and scored a new funding round this month—that came out the real winner of Consensus. -- Daniel Roberts is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering sports business and technology. Read more: How big banks are paying lip service to the blockchain Here’s how you can invest in the blockchain Bitcoin's biggest investor just bought its biggest news site Here's a sign that PayPal is embracing Bitcoin || Bitcoin plunges nearly 25% in 6 days: Here’s 3 reasons why: The price of bitcoin(: BTC=)has plunged almost 25 percent since hitting a two-and-a-half year high last week amid problems at a key exchange and diminishing fears of a Brexit. Bitcoin was trading around $590.53 by midday London time, a fall of around 23.8 percent from the $774.94 close on June 17, which marked the highest close since November 22, 2013. The initial rise in the price of the cryptocurrency came last week as traders prepared for aprocess known as "halving"– where the rewards offered to bitcoin miners fall, thus tightening the supply of the digital currency. With anticipation of less supply, prices spiked. But sentiment was dampened when earlier this week, Hong Kong-based bitcoin exchange Bitfinex was closed for a few hours because of "networking issues" in the company's data center, it said on Twitter. The issues were fixed on the same day. Bitcoin insiders said that because of the high leverage people trade the digital currency with, small issues in the market can cause big moves. "The bitcoin price when it goes up is always fuelled by a high leverage, people using margin borrowing money to buy up the price anticipating the block rewarded halving, so the smallest hairline crack can cause a selloff," Bobby Lee, chief executive of BTCC, one of the largest bitcoin exchanges in the world based in China, told CNBC by phone on Thursday. "Bitfinex's website went down and that was a catalyst for people pulling back, cutting positions, locking in gains. There is waterfall effect where then people are selling, selling, selling." At the same time, bitcoin has received some safe-haven bids in recent weeks thanks to uncertainty about which way Britons would vote in the country's referendum on its membership of the European Union (EU), which began on Thursday morning. But opinion polls leading up to the referendum showed a slight bias towards the remain camp winning, helping push financial markets and the sterling higher, but causing a fall in the price of bitcoin. "I do think it's primarily macro things such as Brexit, you saw the price run up as you saw the opinion polls show leave was winning and as those polls reversed over the weekend, that's when we saw the price reverse" Tom Robinson, co-founder of blockchain start-up Elliptic, told CNBC by phone. Conversely, the threat of a Brexit had an adverse effect on the Chinese yuan, which hit a five-year low last week, was also a reason cited by experts, given China accounts for the large amount of bitcoin trading. "Brexit could be a major factor, but, since the lion's share of bitcoin trading activity occurs in and around China, it's unlikely that this is the primary cause. Although if you look at the bitcoin price among exchanges based in China they are $10-20 lower than the global exchanges, this might reflect the yuan's 5-year low and the expected yuan volatility as a result of Brexit," Aurélien Menant, CEO and co-founder, Gatecoin, a digital currency exchange, wrote in an email to CNBC. Menant added that he expects the volatility "to settle down within the next couple of weeks". More From CNBC • Top News and Analysis • Latest News Video • Personal Finance || Billionaire VC Tim Draper wants 9 months and $40,000 to turn you into the next Steve Jobs, starting with military survival training: (Business Insider)Tim Draper. If you are between 18 and 28, famous billionaire venture capitalist Tim Draper has a plan to turn you into the "next Steve Jobs." That's why he launched aschool for young, would-beentrepreneurscalled Draper University of Heroes, he tells Business Insider, which he turned into a reality TV show last year. The show, "Startup U," failed to attract an audience, wasdropped from prime time, and there'sno word yetif ABC will renew it or not. But even if students won't appear on TV, Draper has a new plan for the school. He just added a new nine-month program to the curriculum, starting in the fall, which he views as an alternative to a master's degree. This is in addition to the school's classic two months of "hero training" offered since it launched three years ago. There's a reason he calls it hero training. Before you can become the next Steve Jobs, you have to learn to be tough. Navy SEAL tough. Hero training includes "four days of survival training with military teams. We have Navy SEAL special forces and Army Rangers that take them to real survival training," Draper says. (Athit Perawongmetha/REUTERS) Once students have spent those days foraging for food and shelter in the wilderness, the next step is city survival training, challenges that sound like what Donald Trump gave to contestants on his reality show, "The Apprentice." "There's another couple of days in the two months of hero training that's Urban Survival training," Draper says. Students have to go out and "sell something embarrassing, or go to San Francisco and come back with a job offer, on paper, in 24 hours." That job offer gives them the confidence that they can always quickly get a position, he says. As Draper says, "How to create a Steve Jobs? It's a way of thinking." The school admits people "that have that spark and we create an environment that ignites that spark." Once the students have learned how to survive, they are ready to learn about the tech industry — Draper U-style. The nine-month program will include learning about the newest, buzziest technologies. (Tim Neely/ABC Family)Tim Draper surrounded by students in the "Startup U" reality TV show. Although every class has a different curriculum, Draper says, students might explore Bitcoin — which Draper loves — learn design, and use the newest programming languages to build an app, or maybe a robot. They'll also draft a business plan, turn that plan into a pitch deck, and turn the pitch deck into a two-minute presentation and pitch it to "between 30 and 50 VCs," including himself, he says. He's dedicated a $1 million fund to invest seed money in startup ideas from the class, too, he says. But it's not a scholarship program. The two-month hero training costs $12,000. The full nine-month program costs $40,000, Draper tells us. Draper calls it an alternative to traditional school. That's important: This is not an accredited school. Students who finish the program do not earn an accredited degree. Just to compare, many accredited universities charge about $40,000 to earn a bona fide master's degree. Draper U has been controversial in its three years. While some students have posted glowingreviews of it on Yelp, some have given itbad reviews. Draper says, "We definitely get mixed reviews. Our training is not for everybody." AndThe Verge's Russell Brandom once called the school a BA in BS. But Draper points to the alumni success stories as proof of the school's value. Draper U has had over 500 alumni from 53 countries who have created 200 startups and landed a total of $22 million in funding, he says. He points to businesses like biomedical startup nVision and conference-tech firm Loopd as examples of alumni startups that got funding. Not that Draper is worried about controversy. He has come up witha plan to turn California into six states,offered to make a large charitable donation if people watched his reality TV show,and bought a huge stash of Bitcoin auctioned by the government after seizing black-market site Silk Road and is fond ofmaking large public bets. NOW WATCH:Meet the founder of a hot fintech startup that an old-line insurance company paid $250 million to buy More From Business Insider • This VC thinks Apple CEO Tim Cook is like 'human Ambien' • Go inside a venture capitalist's $26 million townhouse • The billionaire who wanted to split California into 6 states now has a crazy plan to give everyone $15,000 [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] LIVE: Profit = $784.69 (9.80 %). BUY B19.39 @ $420.00 (#VirCurex). SELL @ $454.90 (#Kraken) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || One Bitcoin now worth $576.00@bitstamp. High $677.63. Low $576.00. Market Cap $9.038 Billion #bitcoin || お問い合わせ・ご相談・ご要望などは、http://form1.fc2.com/form/?id=1cf284d0cbd1ef3e …か、btctradep2p★http://gmail.com まで、どんなことでもお気軽にどうぞ。(「★」を「@」に置き換えてください。) #Bitcoin || 1 #bitcoin 1619 TL, 524.399 $, 469.075 €, GBP, 33037.00 RUR, 58692 ¥, CNH, CAD #btc || #ByteCoin #BCN $ 0.000040 (11.00 %) 0.00000009 BTC (12.46 %) || Bitstamp: $678.00 Bitfinex: $682.37 Coinbase: $681.99 Get a #Bitcion loan today https://goo.gl/smQBq1  #btc #FreeBitcoin || Current value of DOGE in BTC: BTER: 0.00000044 -- Volume: 20050621.602 Today's trend: up at 05/30/16 00:55 || $577.22 at 01:00 UTC [24h Range: $563.00 - $593.82 Volume: 6126 BTC] || 1 BTC Price: BTC-e 447.002 USD Bitstamp 448.07 USD Coinbase 454.00 USD #btc #bitcoin 2016-05-01 02:30 pic.twitter.com/WEpMS464y1 || LIVE: Profit = $799.32 (9.93 %). BUY B19.49 @ $420.00 (#VirCurex). SELL @ $455.28 (#Kraken) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org 
Trend: up || Prices: 629.37, 655.28, 647.00, 639.89, 673.34, 676.30, 703.70, 658.66, 683.66, 670.63
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2019-12-06] BTC Price: 7547.00, BTC RSI: 43.77 Gold Price: 1459.10, Gold RSI: 43.59 Oil Price: 59.20, Oil RSI: 59.74 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin Cash – ABC, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 21/11/19: Bitcoin Cash – ABC – Finds Support Bitcoin Cash ABC fell by 0.10% on Wednesday. Following on from a 0.66% fall on Tuesday, Bitcoin Cash ABC ended the day at $241.38. A mixed start to the day saw Bitcoin Cash ABC slide to a late morning intraday low $238.97 before finding support. Steering clear of the first major support level at $233.89, Bitcoin Cash ABC rallied to a late afternoon intraday high $246.46. In spite of the rebound, Bitcoin Cash ABC came up short of the first major resistance level at $248.20. Through the latter part of the day, Bitcoin Cash ABC eased back to $241 levels to end the day in the red. At the time of writing, Bitcoin Cash ABC was up by 1.53% to $245.08.  A bullish start to the day saw Bitcoin Cash ABC rise from an early morning low $243.82 to a high $245.08. Bitcoin Cash ABC left the major support and resistance levels untested early on. For the day ahead, Bitcoin Cash ABC would need to hold onto $245 levels to support a run at the first major resistance level at $245.57. Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Bitcoin Cash ABC to take a run at Wednesday’s high $246.46. Barring an extended rally through the day, the first major resistance level would likely cap any upside on the day. Failure to hold onto $245 levels could see Bitcoin Cash ABC give up the early gains. A fall through to $242.20 levels would bring the first major support level at $238.08 into play before any recovery. Barring a broad-based crypto sell-off, however, Bitcoin Cash ABC should steer clear of sub-$238 levels. Litecoin Struggles at $55 Litecoin slipped by 0.36% on Wednesday. Partially reversing a 1.18% fall from Tuesday, Litecoin ended the day at $54.87. A choppy morning saw Litecoin rise to an early morning intraday high $56.12 before hitting reverse. Coming up against the first major resistance level at $56.11, Litecoin fell back to a mid-afternoon intraday low $54.54. In spite of the pullback, Litecoin steered clear of the first major support level at $54.05. Story continues In the latter part of the day, a brief visit to $55.6 levels was short-lived. Litecoin fell back to sub-$55 levels to end the day in the red. At the time of writing, Litecoin was down by 0.2% to $54.86. A mixed start to the day saw Litecoin fall to an early morning low $54.61 before striking a high $55.18. Litecoin left the major support and resistance levels untested early on. For the day ahead, a move through to $55.20 levels would support a run at the first major resistance level at $55.81. Litecoin would need the support of the broader market, however, to break out from the morning high $55.18. Barring a broad-based crypto rally, the first major resistance level and Wednesday’s high $56.12 would likely cap any upside. Failure to move through to $55.20 levels could see Litecoin fall deeper into the red. A fall back through the morning low $54.61 would bring the first major support level at $54.23 into play. Barring an extended sell-off, however, Litecoin should steer clear of sub-$54 levels for a 3 rd consecutive day. Ripple’s XRP Holds onto $0.25 Ripple’s XRP fell by 1.65% on Wednesday. Reversing a trend-bucking 0.95% gain on Tuesday, Ripple’s XRP ended the day at $0.2508. A bullish start to the day saw Ripple’s XRP rally to an early morning intraday high $0.25933 before hitting reverse. Falling short of the first major resistance level at $0.2657, Ripple’s XRP slid to a late morning low $0.24922. Steering clear of the first major support level at $0.2467, Ripple’s XRP recovered to $0.25 levels going into the afternoon. Through the 2 nd half of the day, Ripple’s XRP slid back to an early evening intraday low $0.24899. Continuing to steer clear of the major support levels, Ripple’s XRP moved back through to $0.25 levels to limit the loss on the day. At the time of writing, Ripple’s XRP was up by 0.39% to $0.25177. A mixed start to the day saw Ripple’s XRP fall to an early morning low $0.24926 before striking a high $0.25424. Ripple’s XRP left the major support and resistance levels untested early on. For the day ahead, a move back through to $0.2530 levels would support a run at the first major resistance level at $0.2571. Ripple’s XRP would need the support of the broader market, however, to break out from the morning high $0.25424. Barring an extended rally through the day, Ripple’s XRP would likely fall short of $0.26 levels for a 3 rd consecutive day. Failure to move back through to $0.2530 levels could see Ripple’s XRP slide back into the red. A fall back to sub-$0.25 levels would bring the first major support level at $0.2468 into play before any recovery. Barring a crypto meltdown, Ripple’s XRP should steer clear of the second major support level at $0.2427. Please let us know what you think in the comments below Thanks, Bob This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Silver Price Forecast – Silver Markets Continue Slow Grind Both the Gold Decline and the Gold Rally Continue AUD/USD and NZD/USD Fundamental Daily Forecast – Chinese Official: ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ Remark Helps Pare Losses Bowing To Bipartisan Pressure US Stock Market Overview – Stocks Slide but Complacency Remains Staple Crude Oil Price Update – Bullish EIA Report Triggers Short-Covering Rally || What the Crypto Markets Are Saying About the Future of Bitcoin: Bitcoin has been sliding amid a lack of capital inflows, raising questions about the future for bitcoin in the long-term. Some analysts argue the nascent market has a long way to go before reaching maturity, as seen in traditional markets, where smoothed volatility and liquidity are important factors. While others imply scarcity inherent in its algorithm is the main factor for bitcoin’s perceived value, now and in the future. A poll conducted by Alex Kruger, a macro cryptocurrency analyst, shows the majority of Crypto Twitter participants think bitcoin (BTC) will ‘eventually’ mature and settle into a wide price range, resembling the traditional commodities markets in real-terms. Related: Lebanese Bitcoiners Show How to Talk About Crypto At Thanksgiving To drive home what he meant, Kruger said “something that settles into a range in real terms still trends in nominal terms due to inflation, as most commodities do.” But timing is always the question and BTC could be faraway from that level of maturity, where it ‘settles’ into a defined range as the budding market of cryptocurrency moves into its 10th year. Willy Woo, a crypto on-chain analyst and trader, said the price of BTC still had some ways to go in discovering a price ceiling. “Anything between a [market capitalization] of $10 trillion to $100 trillion is fair game,” Woo said. Related: Bitcoin Is Looking at a Short-Term Bull Reversal if Prices Pass $7,400 BTC’s market capitalization, a measurement of total coins in circulation multiplied by its spot price, stands at $204.4 billion, down from its yearly peak of $233 billion witnessed June 27, according to information provided by Messari, a cryptocurrency data provider. Kruger said volatility is likely due to the lack of total capital in the space right now. As the market cap increases, the impact to BTC by large market participants, aptly named “whales”, is likely to be less impactful in shifting price. That is a sobering fact for retail investors as volatility tends to be the most attractive aspect to cryptocurrency trading. Story continues For institutional investors, it would be a welcome change. Nic Carter, Partner at Castle Island Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on public blockchains, said BTC resembles a commodity more than any other asset class, but also said that volatility isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. “The lack of a supply response to a demand shock all but ensures it is likely to remain volatile for the foreseeable future,” Cater said. BTC’s halving , an event where the reward for mining new blocks is halved, meaning miners receive 50 percent fewer BTC for verifying transactions, is set to trigger on May 14, 2020. In macroeconomics, scarcity tends to be a fundamental driving force that increases the value of an asset, much the same way that diamonds, oil and gold functions based on the supply and demand from speculative investors. Oliver von Landsberg-Sadie, CEO of BCB Group, a regulated financial services enterprise for digital assets, said Kruger’s second scenario, in which scarcity continues to drive prices higher is likely to remain a constant forever. He also said global cryptocurrency adoption was a long way from mainstream adoption but said the markets continue to march on, regardless of price. “I can tell you with great confidence that global adoption at established brands is growing steadily and purposefully,” Landsberg-Sadie said. How far along BTC’s market cycle is, is yet to be determined, but if traditional economics prove true, BTC could be highly valued in the very near future. Disclosure: This author holds no cryptocurrency at the time of writing. Related Stories Charities Put a Bitcoin Twist on Giving Tuesday Keep Calm and HODL On? 3 Reasons to Look Past Bitcoin’s Price Rout || Veem Leverages Blockchain, Bitcoin In Global Payments Space: Benzinga is highlighting nominees for the fifth annual Benzinga Global Fintech Awards ahead of the event Nov. 19 in New York City. One nominee is Veem, a payment fintech servicing global commerce. Background Launched in 2014, the San Francisco-based fintech offers local currency transfers to small businesses. Veem converts sender’s funds into bitcoin, selling the currency at an exchange for the desired currency of the recipient. The firm leverages blockchain as a means to facilitate transactions. In doing so, the need for intermediaries — like banks — is eliminated, reducing costs for small- and medium-sized businesses. Recent Developments Veem increased its cost-effective secure transfer coverage to more than 95 countries with the extension of its platform to Canada. “Veem has two priorities — provide safe, secure transactions and expand into markets to better serve businesses regardless of size. At Veem, all customers are treated as enterprise customers, receiving the immediate, individualized attention banks often fail to provide," CEO Marwan Forzley said in in a press release . The expansion allows Canadian users to execute transfers on the Veem multicurrency transaction platform, which shows real-time currency and transaction identification information. Additionally, Veem announced its integration with Zapier, allowing businesses and contractors the ability to make payments with over 1,500 applications including salesforce.com, inc. (NYSE: CRM ) and Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ: GOOGL ) (NASDAQ: GOOG )'s GSuite. Heather Satterly of Satterly Training & Consulting LLC described the platform as "fantastic" in a press release . “Now, it doesn’t matter what accounting system my client is using, I can build an automation so they can use Veem. Plus, I can now customize any notification emails that are sent to my customers." Going Forward Veem aims to address major pain points in the global payments commerce space. Its introduction of programs like the Veem Tariff Relief program, which reimburses businesses disrupted by the ongoing trade war, protects businesses within its network, increasing the sustainability of its payments operations, according to the company. Story continues CEO Forzley said the Benzinga Global Fintech Awards are some of the most prestigious in the space. "Veem's nomination in the Best Use of Blockchain category is proof that the work we're doing in the global payments sector is changing the way businesses pay, get paid and build new relationships." Visit bzawards.com to learn more about this fintech and many others like it. Related Links: Modulus, A Provider Of High-Performance Trading Tech, Takes On Digital Assets Hydrogen Partners With TD, Oracle To Develop Simplified Digital Financial Solutions See more from Benzinga Modulus, A Provider Of High-Performance Trading Tech, Takes On Digital Assets Hydrogen Partners With TD, Oracle To Develop Simplified Digital Financial Solutions UAE Royal Family Acquires Stake In CPI200 Crypto Price Index © 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Binance Futures’ Bitcoin trading volumes hit a record high: Number one spot cryptocurrency exchange Binance has seen its futures trading business rocket as of late, with 24-hour trading volume hitting a high of $820m on 15 October. Trading volume has since settled to around $700 million—the same level that occurs on Binance’s highly successful spot trading exchange. Since thelaunchof Binance futures’ bitcoin derivatives market in September, 24-hour tradingvolumehad mostly settled in the $250-$500 million range. However, since the futures exchange hit a recent volume low of $300 million on 13 October, daily trading volumes have more than doubled in the last 3 days to hit a high of over $800 million. Futures trading is classified as a type of derivatives market. Unlike spot markets—where the settlement happens immediately—in futures trading, the market only needs to be settled dependent on the specific market’s settlement date. This settlement delay means that high leverage is commonplace for futures trading exchanges. At the momentBinance Futuresoffers traders up to 20x leverage, with rivals such asBitMEXoffering up to 100x. Spot markets most often have no or very low leverage. The pick up in Binance futures trading could indicate that crypto-traders are increasingly interested in speculating (with high leverage) in cryptocurrency investments. Interestingly, Binance’s other futures market,Binance JEX, is faring less well. The sister venture, which started trading five days after Binance Futures, splits its US-dollar denominated trading pairs between Bitcoin (52%), Ethereum (20%) and EOS (28%). Binance JEX also kicked off trading with around $300 million worth of 24-hourvolume, but has seen a steady decline in interest, with daily volumes currently at $160 million, and seemingly trending lower. According to data fromCoinGecko, Binance Futures currently ranks at fifth place in the overall crypto futures trading market, in terms of its daily trading volumes. Ahead of Binance isBybit($710 million) and the three futures heavyweights ofHuobi($1.6 billion), BitMEX ($2 billion) and finallyOKEx($2.8 billion). || What to Make of the SEC’s Latest Bitcoin ETF Rejection: The Takeaway: The SEC rejected the latest bitcoin ETF proposal last week, though it wasn’t entirely unexpected. The decision clarified the SEC’s concerns, which mainly revolve around market manipulation. Legal experts say a bitcoin ETF could be years away – because, in the eyes of regulators, the bitcoin market is too small and immature to support a fund right now. The SEC suggested that a surveillance-sharing agreement between a regulated exchange and a bitcoin market of “significant” size might help allay its unease. Bitwise and others see this as an opening. Some experts remain unconvinced. The bitcoin market isn’t yet mature enough to support an exchange-traded fund (ETF). So said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last week when it rejected Bitwise’s bitcoin ETF proposal in a mammoth 112-page order that included more than 500 footnotes. Related: Crypto Markets Unfazed by Latest ETF Withdrawal Legal experts said the decision suggests that a bitcoin ETF may still be years away. But Matt Hougan, Bitwise’s global head of research, sees positives in the decision. The SEC has at least shown it’s willing to raise addressable concerns, rather than rejecting a product out-of-hand with little explanation. “A bad outcome would have been a cursory [filing],” Hougan told CoinDesk, adding: “After digesting it a little bit, we’re pleased with the detail the staff provided and the clarity of what we have to do.” Zachary Fallon, a principal at Blakemore Fallon, said that while Bitwise’s effort may not have been successful, the process was revealing – and will almost certainly help when launching a bitcoin ETF at some point in the future. Market manipulation Related: SEC Rejects 9 Bitcoin ETF Proposals The SEC worries about the bitcoin market because of the potential for manipulation, said Lindsay Danas-Cohen, general counsel and chief operating officer at crypto exchange and brokerage Velocity Markets. Bitwise pointed to its research showing that 95 percent of crypto trading is fake as proof that it understands the market. Perhaps understandably, this didn’t help the company’s case. Story continues “Bitwise tried to get out in front of these arguments by asserting they’re very aware that only 5 percent of the bitcoin spot markets are ‘real’ and I commend that effort,” Danas-Cohen told CoinDesk. But Fallon, a former SEC senior counsel, said Bitwise did not explain how the exchanges with “real” volume were insulated from the prices found on other platforms. He added: “Bitwise did not address the concern that the price quoted on legitimate digital asset trading platforms is itself influenced by the weight of the other 95 percent and the prices quoted there. So it’s like the tail wagging the dog, or the dog wagging the tail, and the SEC said, ‘You need to address that risk.’” Surveillance sharing The solution to this issue, according to the SEC, may be surveillance-sharing agreements between national exchanges sponsoring ETFs (such as NYSE Arca, which filed the actual ETF proposal for Bitwise) and regulated markets. “Until an ETF sponsor can satisfy the SEC’s demand for surveillance-sharing agreements – or until the SEC changes its view on the Exchange Act (which almost certainly means waiting for a new Chairman) – there will be no bitcoin ETF,” Jake Chervinsky, general counsel at Compound Finance, told CoinDesk in a Twitter DM. Chervinsky does not see this happening anytime soon: “The SEC once again strongly rejected the idea that a bitcoin ETF sponsor can satisfy Exchange Act Section 6(b)(5) without entering surveillance-sharing agreements with regulated markets of significant size, and given bitcoin’s current market structure, it’s very unlikely that any sponsor will be able to enter such agreements within the next couple years.” (The SEC previously defined a “ significant market ” as one that where an individual trying to manipulate an exchange-traded product would have to trade on the same market, meaning a surveillance-sharing agreement would help in identifying any would-be manipulators.) Notably, Danas-Cohen said the fresh emphasis on a surveillance-sharing agreement differs from previous disapprovals. She speculated that, should the SEC greenlight an ETF in the future, it would want to point to such an agreement as evidence that it did everything in its power to protect against market manipulation. “It’s just something tangible that the SEC can point to and review explicitly and say, ‘Hey, broader world, this is exactly what we’re relying on and this is why we think that fraud and manipulation are rightfully off the table as significant concerns in the space,’” she said. Philip Liu, chief legal officer and co-founder of investment firm Arca, noted that the SEC’s new order scarcely raised concerns about digital asset custody – a break from previous rejections that have focused on this issue. “I assume that the custody issues are pretty much moot at this point,” he said. There are a number of reputable “custodians” in the space now, including Coinbase Custody and Paxos Trust Company, and increased transparency between these entities and the regulators could help the SEC become more comfortable with the issue, Danas-Cohen said. Moonshot It seems unlikely that the SEC will approve an ETF for launch in the near future. Arca’s Liu told CoinDesk that the SEC took a thorough look at the question and “pretty much put the kibosh” on the concept. For his part, Chervinsky does not expect an ETF before the latter half of 2020. “It’s reasonable to assume that Jay Clayton’s SEC will never approve a bitcoin ETF,” he added on Twitter. Clayton’s term is set to end in June 2021, but under SEC rules he could remain in office until 2023 if not replaced. The SEC chairman has long been an outspoken skeptic of the bitcoin market, saying as recently as last month that sponsors and companies applying for an ETF have work to do addressing issues such as market manipulation. Danas-Cohen said she would be surprised if an ETF was approved over the next year: “Under the current regime, I think it’s going to be difficult for an applicant to get all its ducks in a row in a manner that would give the SEC comfort. I think it would take a bit longer for the SEC to wrap their arms around the space.” Chervinsky says the SEC’s current perspective on the Exchange Act comes directly from Chairman Clayton. “It was the crux of the Commissioners’ denial of the Winklevoss ETF appeal in July 2017,” he said. The SEC did not write the latest rejection. Instead, it delegated the task to the Division of Trading and Markets, Fallon noted. He said this could be because the commissioners do not have much to add on top of what they wrote in the Winklevoss rejection. Next steps The rejection won’t stop Bitwise. Hougan said the SEC has provided enough detail for his company to file again at a future date, though Bitwise has not yet decided when it will re-file. “I don’t think anything [the SEC] said [that was] fundamental to the bitcoin market was impossible to meet,” he said, adding: “It’s just a matter of answering their questions and providing them with yet more extensive data.” Bitwise intends to explore surveillance-sharing agreements and it isn’t alone. VanEck and SolidX, which withdrew their ETF proposal with Cboe BZX in September, are also likely to re-file their rule change proposal at some future date. Asked if he expects an ETF to one day be approved, Hougan said: “I think if we can satisfy their requests, yeah, absolutely. I don’t think the commissioners or the Commission is inherently anti-bitcoin or crypto, I just think they’re appropriately cautious.” Others remain less certain. Bitwise did “move the baton further down the line,” but that’s no guarantee the company will get an ETF approved, Fallon said. He likened the approval process for the ETF to convincing his parents to let him drive a car. There was an initial struggle, but, after a certain point, his parents gave in. Assuming Bitwise – or another company – can answer the market manipulation issues, there is no reason why an ETF won’t be approved eventually, he said. Danas-Cohen said identifying what a “significant market” consists of is another step that Bitwise needs to take if it wants to establish a surveillance-sharing agreement. But for other observers, doubts remain. Said Arca’s Liu: “The takeaway is, I just don’t see how it can be approved at this stage – for anybody that comes in.” SEC Chairman Jay Clayton image via CoinDesk archives Related Stories The SEC Is Weighing a Bitcoin Futures ETF – Here’s What That Means How Crypto Reacted to This Week’s SEC Bitcoin ETF Delay || Latest Bitcoin price and analysis (BTC to USD): Bitcoin (BTC) is currently trading at just below $7,350 following a substantial 5% drop in price since last Friday. BTC broke most of its support levels during a huge sell-off in November as the coin looked to be free falling. However, the world’s largest cryptocurrency found support near $6,700 last week and bounced back up to $7,800 before consolidating around $7,400. Will BTC recover soon? Let’s take a look at Bitcoin’s chart, courtesy of TradingView . At the time of writing, Bitcoin is on a very bearish trend. Lower highs are giving way to significant price drops. Since the massive bull market that took Bitcoin close to $14,000 earlier in the year, the coin has been dropping in value following a downtrend that was only broken in late October when price surprisingly broke through a number of key resistance levels (around the 200-day, 50-day, and 20-day EMAs). Bitcoin is now about 35% down from October’s high of $10,350 and close to 50% down from the yearly high in June. Last month , I said I expected BTC to find a bottom near its 200-day EMA and that Bitcoin would bounce to around $10,000. BTC has instead broken below its 200-day EMA and there isn’t much support volume to stop another fall. If the $6,700 level was to be broken, the next stop for BTC, if the volume profile is to be believed, is just above $5,000. The current Bitcoin trend History shows us that BTC is prone to huge drops between 30% and 40% during bull seasons. Therefore, I don’t advise that you fight the trend, but surf it for as long as possible. Last week, I underlined that within the next three to five weeks, we could see a major reversal after a period of serious accumulation by ‘hodlers’. We’re still in an accumulation phase and the current downtrend is proof. Volume has dropped to around $17 billion as a result of the consolidation period. This means there is still a lot of room for a further drop if volume picks up again. Story continues Will the trend reverse soon? As veteran traders and investors usually say, smart money “buys when there’s blood on the streets”. I’ve been saying for the past month that I’m waiting for major drops to make new entries. Moments like these are highly welcomed and appreciated. I strongly believe Bitcoin to be a long-term store of value, especially as traditional markets continue to show weaknesses. How can the markets continue to push higher throughout the year after the ECB’s recent rate cuts, the continuous share buybacks from huge corporations, or the inverted bond yield shoving investors away towards riskier assets? In addition, repo market activity – as in loans from central banks to commercial and investment banks – has spiked to new monthly records. That adds up to another signal of weakness for the general economy. In conclusion, investors and traders should pay attention to the overall economic panorama, as it will most likely be a major catalyst for worldwide BTC adoption. Safe trades! Current live Bitcoin pricing information and interactive charts are available on our site 24 hours a day. The ticker bar at the bottom of every page on our site has the latest Bitcoin price. Pricing is also available in a range of different currency equivalents: US Dollar – BTCtoUSD British Pound Sterling – BTCtoGBP Japanese Yen – BTCtoJPY Euro – BTCtoEUR Australian Dollar – BTCtoAUD Russian Rouble – BTCtoRUB About Bitcoin In August 2008, the domain name bitcoin.org was registered. On 31st October 2008, a paper was published called “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System”. This was authored by Satoshi Nakamoto, the inventor of Bitcoin. To date, no one knows who this person, or people, are. The paper outlined a method of using a P2P network for electronic transactions without “relying on trust”. On 3rd January 2009, the Bitcoin network came into existence. Nakamoto mined block number “0” (or the “genesis block”), which had a reward of 50 Bitcoins. More Bitcoin news and information If you want to find out more information about Bitcoin or cryptocurrencies in general, then use the search box at the top of this page. Here’s an article to get you started. As with any investment, it pays to do some homework before you part with your money. The prices of cryptocurrencies are volatile and go up and down quickly. This page is not recommending a particular currency or whether you should invest or not. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author should not be considered as financial advice. The post Latest Bitcoin price and analysis (BTC to USD) appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Pablo Soria de Lachica Discusses Current Developments Affecting the Argentine Peso: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO / ACCESSWIRE / November 15, 2019 /Once among the richest countries in the world, Argentina has become synonymous in recent decades with economic downturns, volatile policy-making, and government debt crises. As pera report by the World Bank, the country spent approximately a third of the time from 1950 to 2016 in recession, the Democratic Republic of the Congo being the only state with a poorer track record in that respect. Argentina could be headed forits ninth sovereign debt default, and the incoming administration may be in no position to avert it as the Latin American nation struggles with soaring inflation, a currency crisis, and a persistently declining gross domestic product (GDP). "The anticipated change in direction after the presidential elections, the public debt burden of around $100 billion, and the uncertainty related to restructuring the terms of the $56 billion aid package Argentina took from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2018 are all taking their toll on the peso, which lost almost 37% of its value in the 12 months to October," comments prominent forex brokerPablo Soria de Lachica. Argentina's currency suffered one of its sharpest drops in August, when President Mauricio Macri lost in the primaries to opposition leader Alberto Fernandez. With controversial former president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner as his running mate, Fernandez won the elections in October, sparking concerns that the country would return to populist, interventionist economic policies that would impede its progress. Seeking to support the economy and protect its foreign currency reserves, Argentina's central bankintroduced capital controlsin September, and the following month, it furthertightened restrictionson US dollar purchases and effectively set a price floor under the peso. These measures led to some stabilization in the national currency, which lost only 3.5% of its value in October, says Pablo Soria de Lachica. Along with the economic policies of the incoming government, of critical importance for the Argentine peso will be the outcome of talks to revise the conditions of the record aid package provided by the IMF. "Fernandez made a renegotiation of the credit line terms part of his election bid, and despite his openly declared dislike for the financial organization, Argentina needed the lifeline to eliminate the risk of a sovereign bond default amid a run on the peso,"Pablo Soria de Lachicaexplains. Kristalina Georgieva, who became head of the IMF in September,told reportersshortly before the presidential elections, "We are fully committed to work with Argentina, and we are closely engaged. We will be very interested to see what policy framework will be put in place, and when we know that, we can continue this conversation." Pablo Soria de Lachicagraduated from Universidad Tecnologico de Mexico (UNITEC) with an MBA, going on to specialize in international trading and ultimately become one of the most prominent forex experts globally. His extensive experience allows him to maximize profits for his clients by combining professional guidance and educational projects. He is currently collaborating withKartoshka- a company bringing the latest technologies in sales, telemarketing, and customer support. Pablo Soria de Lachica - Foreign Exchange Specialist:http://PabloSoriaDeLachicaNews.com Pablo Soria de Lachica Compares Facebook's Cryptocurrency Project, Libra, to Bitcoin:https://finance.yahoo.com/news/pablo-soria-lachica-compares-facebooks-020000159.html Pablo Soria de Lachica Reviews the Main Features of Facebook's Libra Cryptocurrency:https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/pablo-soria-de-lachica-reviews-the-main-features-of-facebooks-libra-cryptocurrency-2019-08-25 Contact Information: Pablo Soria de LachicaKartoshkahttp://[email protected](800) 588-3618 SOURCE:Pablo Soria de Lachica View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/566688/Pablo-Soria-de-Lachica-Discusses-Current-Developments-Affecting-the-Argentine-Peso || Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Prices Pressured after API Data Comes in Well-Above Forecast: U.S. West Texas Intermediate and international-benchmark crude oil futures are trading lower early Wednesday after failing to follow-through to the upside following yesterday’s strong surge. The catalyst behind the weakness is a larger-than-expected build in U.S. crude stocks which somewhat offset the positive sentiment being generated by optimism over the progress being made in the U.S.-China trade talks. At 07:59 GMT,December WTI crude oilfutures are trading $56.91, down $0.31 or -0.53% andJanuary Brent crude oilis at $62.55, down $0.41 or -0.67%. The API reported late Tuesday a crude oil inventory build of 4.26-million barrels for the week-ending October 31, compared to analyst expectations of a 1.515-million barrel build. The net draw for the year has now shrunk to 8.26 million barrels for the 45-week reporting period so far, using API data. The API also reported a draw of 4.0 million barrels of gasoline for the week-ending October 31. Analysts were looking for a draw in gasoline inventories of 1.809 million barrels for the week. Distillate fuel inventories also fell by 1.6 million for the week. OPEC Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo said on Tuesday that the oil market outlook for 2020 may have upside potential, appearing to downplay any need for deeper cuts to production. “Based on the preliminary numbers, 2020 looks like it will have upside potential,” Barkindo told a briefing. Asked whether he was more optimistic about the market than he had been in October, when he had said all options were open including a deeper cut, Barkindo replied that the picture had improved. “There are definitely brighter spots. The outlook as we get closer to 2020…The numbers are looking more refined and the picture is looking brighter,” he said. On whether the market looked oversupplied for next year, Barkindo said:  We are not there yet. It is not possible for us at the moment to pre-empt all processes” of reviewing the market before the December meeting. Shortly after the regular session opening, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) will release its weekly inventories data at 15:30 GMT. The report is expected to show an 800,000-barrel build. However, given the API data, traders are expected to watch for an even larger increase. After the EIA report, traders will once again take cues from U.S.-China trade talks. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • EUR/USD Daily Forecast – Euro Bounces After Hitting a Three-Week Low • The Crypto Daily – Movers and Shakers -06/11/19 • Ethereum and Stellar’s Lumen Daily Tech Analysis – 06/11/19 • U.S. Dollar Index Futures (DX) Technical Analysis – Next Upside Target 98.095 to 98.380 • Bitcoin Cash – ABC, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 06/11/19 • Positive Trade Headlines Resonate But Have The Sentiment Waves Peaked? || Bitcoin Miner Maker Canaan Sets $100 Million Target for US IPO: Canaan, the world’s second-largest bitcoin miner maker, intends to raise about $100 million in its initial public offering (IPO) in the U.S. The Hangzhou, China-based manufacturer of the Avalon bitcoin miner updated its IPO application with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday. It’s aiming to offer 10 million American depositary shares (ADS) with each at a price of between $9 and $11. If Canaan receives enough investment interest, the offering would rake in $100 million, making it the first major bitcoin miner maker to go public in the traditional stock market. Related: Avalon Bitcoin Miner Maker Canaan Posts $13 Million Q3 Profit in New Filing With that offering size, it would also mean Canaan commands a diluted market value of about $1.5 billion with about 2.3 billion outstanding ordinary shares after the offering. Each ADS would represent 15 Class A ordinary shares of Canaan, according to the updated filing. In Canaan’s initial IPO filing from late October , the company set a placeholder amount of $400 million for its IPO ambitions. The latest figure may still be revised prior to its final listing. Previously, Canaan revealed on Nov. 5 that it brought home a profit of $13 million on revenues of $95 million for the third quarter of 2019. It reported a net loss of $45 million for the first half of 2019. Canaan chairman Kong Jianping image via Poolin Related Stories Avalon Miner Maker Canaan Raises ‘Hundreds of Millions’ in New Funding Co-Founder Quits Avalon Mining Chip Maker Canaan Over ‘Differences’ Bitcoin Mining Giant Holds Flash Sale to Celebrate Price ‘Bottom’ || Positive Trade Headlines Resonate But Have The Sentiment Waves Peaked?: The primary catalyst for the moves is that the US was considering whether to remove some tariffs on Chinese goods as a concession to securing stage one of the deal. CNY strengthen past the 7 per dollar mark as well, trading at one point as high as 6.9859 perUS dollar. Oil up again, gold weaker. On the Yuan, the USDCNH has gravitated back to the 7.0 level as a high degree of uncertainty around today’s reference rate fix comes into question. If the “fix” is below 7, it could be time to don the rally cap once again Bond traders Fixed-income traders may take a two-fold cautious approach in the weeks ahead. Yields could get a further boost from the expected US-China deal and could keep fixed income under pressure. And with the Fed completing a mini rate cut cycle and the US economic data robust, there could be a race for state and local government to issue debt at historically low-interest rate levels. So, as the prospect of US interest rates cuts diminishes the race to issue could mean more paper hits the markets also pushing US yields higher. Pain trade The frothy equity market and rising yields have traders paying very close attention to positioning models trying to quantify where the next pain trade is. Inside of 2 years aside, price action alone suggests that primary dealers are trading bonds from the short side so perhaps stops above 2% UST 10y yield may not be such a significant market pressure point and might be unlikely to trigger a taper tantrum. But if you ask any equity jocks, the stock market rally is very much under-owned, so an extension of the recent surge into year-end may produce much more pain than any fixed income sell-offs could elicit. Why didn’t the S&P take out 3100? The sentiment is extremely optimistic, and it could be that we are nearing the peak of the sentiment wave, and a Phase 1 Sino- US deal is fully priced. So, the big question for equity investors from this point forward, are they confident enough to back up the truck into stock markets with Bloomberg red headlines flashing all-time highs? Then there’s my favourite quick view sentiment gauge the CNN Fear and Greed Index. “Investors are driven by two emotions: fear and greed. Too much fear can sink stocks well below where they should be. When investors get greedy, they can bid up stock prices way too far” The index is very much skewed into the greed territory suggesting there is far too much froth and possibly not enough volume support behind the current move. CNN Fear and Greed Index Fed not sidelined?? With equities struggling in the wake of the better-than-expected ISM prints and given the recent string of robust US economic data, are doubts worrying investors that the Fed might not be sidelined for the foreseeable future? San Francisco Fed President Daly added her voice to those who think that the Fed is done cutting rates for now. Speaking the other night, she said: “it would take a material change in the outlook for me to think that further accommodation would be required.” The second derivative of economic growth What if the famous second derivative of economic growth is turning, forcing the hoards of Wall street recessionary doom and gloomers to recalibrate the end of the economic world as we know it theories out to 2022. While the latest round of PMIs isn’t exactly good cause to pop the champagne corks just yet, things don’t look nearly as bad as once thought. Which for many risk-seeking investors could extend the current buy signal that was initially triggered by the US-China trade truce that by all appearances could last longer than sceptical observers might expect. Oil priceshave continued their decisive run that started last Friday following supportive macro data and optimism about US-China trade talk progress. But the key is the rollback of existing tariffs which could go a long way to reducing the trade overhang that has pressured oil for over a year. So far prices have been unshaken by surprise bearish to consensus crude build reported by the American Petroleum Institute as traders could be anticipating the slower US production rebalancing act to eventually self correct the current inventory deluge while perhaps deferring to the more definitive Energy Information Administration report released later in the week. Leaving aside the macroeconomic and the trade talk headlines which will continue to influence short term machinations. Still, perhaps a significantly bullish view is developing across the 2019-2020 curve which is the potential for expectations on US supply growth to moderate further and which could be the primary driver of sentiment in 4Q19 and early 2020. There is clear evidence that US production growth is slowing, and this could be a key rebalancing factor in the crude market, but at a minimum, it could add a significant degree of downside protection to prices. Gold is strugglingto find buyers amid the excellence in stocks and rising US rates. Since the break below the 50-day moving average at $1,503 coupled with CTA sellers reported on the break of $1494.10, it was a one-way street for the yellow metal overnight suggesting there could be another test of that omnipotent $ 1480 level. Once again, the inverse correlation between higher US Bond yields and lower gold prices dominated price action in the NY trading hours. EURUSDcontinued to grind lower once the NY session started selling US Treasuries and buying the greenback on the back of higher US yields. So, it appears investors are moving back to the dollar carry where the US dollar is king, and gold is the half-pint. While the Fed’s balance sheet expansion is still on, but they also just pivoted from a rate cut bias to neutral, completing a mini rate cut cycle. This neutral Fed Funds posture should offset some of the negative impulses from balance sheet expansion. And while QE usually impacts a currency negatively, this time the Fed is only buying short-dated paper, so you have less duration getting squeezed out of the market. So, when it talks and walks like QE lite, it probably is QE lite that the Feds have insisted it is all along. Explosive moves on the Ringgit over the past 24 hours triggers by trade talk euphoria has risk-taking investors seeking out undervalued pockets in Malaysia, especially as the domestic fiscal pump continues to resonate. It hasn’t happened in ages where my weekly USD support target has been taken out and then my revised technical USD support target was then breached during the same 24 hours session. But the stars are aligning over Kuala Lumpur, trade talk calm, higher oil prices and a stronger Yuan complete the trifecta of positivity for the Ringgit. This article was written by Stephen Innes, Asia Pacific Market Strategist atAxiTrader Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • EUR/USD Daily Forecast – Euro Bounces After Hitting a Three-Week Low • Bitcoin Cash – ABC, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 06/11/19 • A Busy Economic Calendar Puts the EUR in the Spotlight • AUD/USD Forex Technical Analysis – Strengthens Over .6887, Weakens Under .6876 • European Equities: Economic Data Will Need to Impress… • Natural Gas Price Prediction – Prices Continue to Rally Ahead of Inventory Report [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] @Srispice what’s so funny? Why would you not set up a trade to accumulate more trx? it’s going to correct against btc || Nice project || @FloridasFriend @PeterSchiff I agree! But Peter lies to millions of people every other day or so about Bitcoin. He produces false narratives &amp; untrue statements about Bitcoin. He’s constantly attacking bitcoin. Pretty obvious why too, bcz he feels threatened by it and sees gold bugs switching over to Bitcoin || C-Sharp developer - the bridge ( Staffordshire Moorlands, uk ) - [ 📋 More Info https://t.co/JYwZZ8sbw1 ] #C# #jobs #Hiring #Careers #StaffordshireMoorlands #uk #Cryptocurrency #Blockchain #BTC #BitCoin #ETH #crypto https://t.co/5bRM5bdsln || Why Bitcoin or BCH will Never be Adopted as Peer-to-Peer Cash for the Entire World https://t.co/YeeHkrgjeU #btc || New ATH for the big boys || More than the market cap of Bitcoin ($200 billion), was printed in just a couple of weeks—nothing to see here folks 👀 https://t.co/Vr75pDTvhw || @petelewis @simon_t_powers Everything about Bitcoin is insanely stupid || Hi, Join Airdrop Bitnomo and get a free NOMO #airdrops #crypto #airdrop #bounty #eth #bitcoin #btc #airdropalert – https://t.co/a3lHVYllkJ || 🔶LAS HISTORIAS DE BTC🔜Hoy en @RTVCes👉Desaparecidos: "Sueño con abrazarte de nuevo" #conexionbtc #televisióncanaria https://t.co/jhR1TdEkUd
Trend: down || Prices: 7556.24, 7564.35, 7400.90, 7278.12, 7217.43, 7243.13, 7269.68, 7124.67, 7152.30, 6932.48
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2017-11-03] BTC Price: 7207.76, BTC RSI: 79.54 Gold Price: 1266.50, Gold RSI: 40.92 Oil Price: 55.64, Oil RSI: 74.52 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Russia may soon issue its own official blockchain-based currency, the CryptoRuble: Russia will issue its own official cryptocurrency, the CryptoRuble, capping months of speculation about the country's approach to the technology. While in a way it indicates an embrace of the likes of Bitcoin and Ethereum, the CryptoRuble is unlikely to share the truly decentralized nature of other coins. The news,first reported by CoinTelegraph, cites local news reports, which in turn cite Nikolay Nikiforov, the Russian government's minister of communications. I've contacted the Russian government for confirmation and details, and will update this story if I hear back. Reports this summer suggested the country waslooking intocreating its own cryptocurrency, though the administration has also taken a hard line on other coins, calling them illegitimate replacements for the official currency. Details are scarce, but according to the reports, the CryptoRuble cannot be mined, but will be issued and tracked by the government like ordinary currency. That does away with one of the primary draws of cryptocurrencies, of course: some would say that the entire point of something like Bitcoin is to free commerce from the fetters of government-run fiat currencies. The CryptoRuble does appear to be blockchain-based, however, which gives it at least a veneer of decentralization and could help prevent things like online fraud. Rubles and CryptoRubles (I'm hoping they drop the camel caps) will be able to be freely exchanged, though how exactly is unknown — an official exchange seems likely, but unofficial markets are inevitable. The idea is to stimulate the online economy in a way that doesn't rely on foreign money markets or third party transaction brokers, and allows the government to closely regulate and track it. Nikiforov also reportedly said that if Russia didn't do it, European authorities might beat them to the punch. Waiting for the other shoe to drop? Upon exchange, CryptoRubles will reportedly require some kind of proof of origin, such as (presumably) a documented retail transaction or service rendered. Obviously this is to deter money laundering and currency manipulation; however, because the government doesn't want to put a full stop to those popular activities, undocumented CryptoRubles will simply be exchanged with a 13 percent tax. This tax will also be applied to any appreciation in value, although it's unclear how or if the coin will be tied to the fiat currency. One might take this as the government tacitly encouraging and profiting from speculation and money laundering — but at the same time, it's a realistic way to keep the marketplace from devolving into a total melee. Crypto enthusiasts are unlikely to relish the idea of the Russian regime skimming off the top of a marketplace, but for now that seems to be the price to participate in what could be a major online economy. || Wall Street analyst unleashes on Jamie Dimon and everyone else calling bitcoin a fraud: (AP Images) Wall Street is divided and unsure aboutbitcoin. JPMorgan CEOJamie Dimonsaid it was a fraud worse than the tulip bubble in 17th-century Europe.Morgan Stanley CEOJames Gormansaid it was more than just a fad, and has not invested in it. The equity analysts at Macquarie appear to side with Gorman's centrist position and disagree with Dimon's comparison to the tulip bubble. "The big difference between today’s cryptocurrencies and (say tulips) is that even though Bitcoin price could be reflecting extreme speculation, it is built on a durable technology that is likely to continue to evolve and strengthen," said Viktor Shvets, Macquarie's head of global and Asia-Pacific equity strategy, in a note Thursday. He continued, and there were shots fired: "If one describes Bitcoin as a fraud, how would one describe a ‘financial cloud’ that is at least 4x-5x larger than the underlying economies? It is unlikely that US$400 trillion+ of financial instruments circulating around the world would ever be repaid and most are now backed by assets that are already either worthless or are diminishing in value. How does one describe rates and the yield curve that are either directly determined by CBs (BoJ or PBoC) or heavily influenced by them (Fed or ECB)? People living in glass houses should not throw stones." Shvets said cryptocurrencies "absolutely" have a role in investment portfolios. Like gold, they're insurance policies against the depreciation of fiat currencies, he said. But he added that cryptocurrencies account for less than 1% of cash in circulation, leaving the dollar as the primary global reserve currency for a while. He added that bitcoin, unlike paper currency, is not yet widely accepted as a store of value and is very unstable. For example, thecryptocurrency plungedby as much as 14% in the 10 days after Dimon's comments; it had rebounded and was roughly flat by Thursday, near $4,209 per bitcoin. Shvets sees consumers and businesses using a mix of different sovereign currencies and cryptocurrencies, and carrying out more transactions through technologies like blockchain. "The challenge facing central banks is that although cryptocurrencies are today a tiny portion of the overall money pool, the nature of monetary economy is rapidly changing and central banks would have no choice but to adjust," he said. NOW WATCH:Amazon's transformation of Whole Foods puts the entire grocery industry on notice More From Business Insider • A trader is being accused of running a bitcoin Ponzi scheme • Bitcoin enthusiasts have figured out a way to get around a China trading ban • Bitcoin is sinking || Apple drives markets as iPhone X debuts: Stocks look to end the week on a positive note. Investors are keeping a close eye on Apple. Not only is the company unveiling its iPhone X but it’s also inching closer to a $1T market value. This all comes down as the October Jobs report is out. Yahoo Finance’sAlexis Christoforous,David Pogue,Justine Underhill,Rick NewmanandJared Blikrediscuss the big stories of the day. Today’s topics: • iPhone X hits stores shelves across globe • Appleshares soar after blowout earnings • Unemployment is now at 4.1% from 4.2% • Hexindaimakes market debut on Nasdaq under ticker “HX” • Bitcoincontinues to soar • Starbucksfalls on revenue miss • T-Mobile,Sprintlook to salvage merger • Activisionbeats, raises outlook on strong demand for ‘Destiny 2’ • Amazoncuts Fresh grocery delivery service in select areas • Pandorashares fall after earnings • GOP tax bill changes deduction on mortgage debt • More women are coming forward about sexual misconduct • Trump’sTwitterdeactivated for 11 min TWITTER POLL:What do you think about people who line up overnight for a new iPhone? They…-are extremely determined-just a wee bit crazy-should pre-order online-should get an Android || John McAfee to JPMorgan CEO: Bitcoin Is 'Certainly Not a Fraud': Computer programmer John McAfee told Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan to value Bitcoin and the work that goes into making the virtual currency. Speaking to CNBC Fast Money on Wednesday, he rebutted Dimon’s earlier claims that Bitcoin was a fraud that would eventually blow up. “It’s just not a real thing, eventually it will be closed,” Dimon said at the Delivering Alpha conference on Tuesday. McAfee, whose company MGT Capital Investments mines Bitcoin, said that the miners invest heavily in supercomputing power and electricity to create Bitcoins, giving it value. “You called bitcoin a fraud,” McAfee told CNBC. “I’m a bitcoin miner. We create bitcoins. It costs over $1,000 per coin to create a bitcoin. What does it cost to create a U.S. dollar? Which one is the fraud? Because it costs whatever the paper costs, but it costs me and other miners over $1,000 per coin. It’s called proof of work. “Sure it will rise and fall as all new technologies are. But at the same time, it is certainly not a fraud,” he said. Earlier in the year, McAfee made a coarse bet about what he would do if Bitcoin was not worth $500,000 in three years. || Your first trade for Thursday, September 14: The " Fast Money " traders shared their first moves for the market open. Dan Nathan was a buyer of Target (NYSE: TGT) (TGT). Karen Finerman was a seller of Equifax (NYSE: EFX) (EFX). David Seaburg was a buyer of Allergan (NYSE: AGN) (AGN). Guy Adami was a buyer of Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE: TMO) (TMO). Trader disclosure: On September 13th the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "Fast Money" traders: Dan Nathan is long Sept XLF puts, DIS, INTC, M, NKE, T. Karen is long AAL, BAC, BAC short calls, Bitcoin and Ethereum, C, DAL, EEM, EPI, EWW, DVYE, FB, FNAC, GMLP, GLNG, GM, GOGO, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, LYV, KORS, KORS calls, KORS puts, MA, SEDG, SPY puts, TACO, WIFI, WFM. Bitcoin and Ethereum are in her kids' Trust. Her firm is long ANTM, BAC short calls, C, C calls, FB, FNAC, GOOG, GOOGL, GLNG, GMLP, JPM, JPM calls, KORS puts, LYV, SPY puts, SPY put spreads, VRX, WIFI, UAL, her firm is short IWM, MDY, VRX calls. Opinions expressed by David Seaburg are solely his own and do not reflect the views and opinions of Cowen Inc. David Seaburg has a financial interest in EDIT. Diamond Offshore: an employee of Cowen and Company, LLC serves on the Board of Directors of Diamond Offshore. Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, GDX, INTC. Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. The " Fast Money " traders shared their first moves for the market open. Dan Nathan was a buyer of Target (NYSE: TGT) (TGT). Karen Finerman was a seller of Equifax (NYSE: EFX) (EFX). David Seaburg was a buyer of Allergan (NYSE: AGN) (AGN). Guy Adami was a buyer of Thermo Fisher Scientific (NYSE: TMO) (TMO). Trader disclosure: On September 13th the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "Fast Money" traders: Dan Nathan is long Sept XLF puts, DIS, INTC, M, NKE, T. Karen is long AAL, BAC, BAC short calls, Bitcoin and Ethereum, C, DAL, EEM, EPI, EWW, DVYE, FB, FNAC, GMLP, GLNG, GM, GOGO, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, LYV, KORS, KORS calls, KORS puts, MA, SEDG, SPY puts, TACO, WIFI, WFM. Bitcoin and Ethereum are in her kids' Trust. Her firm is long ANTM, BAC short calls, C, C calls, FB, FNAC, GOOG, GOOGL, GLNG, GMLP, JPM, JPM calls, KORS puts, LYV, SPY puts, SPY put spreads, VRX, WIFI, UAL, her firm is short IWM, MDY, VRX calls. Opinions expressed by David Seaburg are solely his own and do not reflect the views and opinions of Cowen Inc. David Seaburg has a financial interest in EDIT. Diamond Offshore: an employee of Cowen and Company, LLC serves on the Board of Directors of Diamond Offshore. Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, GDX, INTC. Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck.More From CNBC • Here's what traders made of Jamie Dimon's bitcoin comments • Nordstrom is looking to go private, here's what that could mean for retail • Your first trades for Wednesday, September 13 || Bitcoin slides on 'fraud' warning from JPMorgan's Dimon: By Jemima Kelly LONDON (Reuters) - Bitcoin slid by more than 10 percent on Wednesday, as investors sold the cryptocurrency after a warning by JPMorgan (JPM.N) Chief Executive Jamie Dimon that it "is a fraud" and will eventually "blow up". Bitcoin, the original and still the biggest cryptocurrency, has been on a tear in recent months, hitting a record high just below $5,000 at the start of September after a more than fivefold increase in price since the start of the year. But bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been falling since early last week, when China banned the issuance of new digital coins for fundraising purposes - a phenomenon known as initial coin offerings, or ICOs. ICOs have fueled a rapid ascent in the value of all cryptocurrencies, from about $17 billion at the start of the year - with bitcoin making up around 90 percent of that - to a record high close to $180 billion at the beginning of September, of which bitcoin represented less than half. Following the ICO ban, the market was further spooked by reports early this week that Chinese authorities were planning to forbid any trading of cryptocurrencies and by a warning on ICOs from Britain's financial watchdog, raising fears of a wider crackdown. Dimon's warning triggered a further 11 percent collapse in the price of bitcoin, which had already lost around 15 percent of its value in 10 days. "He joins a long line of market commentators that have been critical of bitcoin and it potentially being in a bubble, so his comments could have been the tipping point," said James Butterfill, head of research and investment strategy at ETF Securities in London. The cryptocurrency tumbled to as low as $3,720.01 on the Bitstamp exchange (BTC=BTSP) before recovering to trade around $3,810 by 1524 GMT, still down 8.7 percent on the day. Most other digital currencies were down also, with bitcoin's main rival ether - often called Ethereum, the name given to the project behind the currency - down 10 percent on the day, according to Coinmarketcap, an industry website. Story continues Dimon told an investor conference in New York that if any of his traders were found trading bitcoin he would "fire them in a second", and that bitcoin was "worse than tulips bulbs," referring to a famous market bubble from the 1600s. "This is not the first time that Jamie Dimon has spoken against the currency - the last time he had a similar go on the currency was in November 2015," said ThinkMarkets analyst Naeem Aslam. "Since then, the currency has had a remarkable run." "Most importantly, given that the CEO does not think that shorting this trade would yield a more favorable outcome shows that the cryptocurrency has a lot more room to run." (This version of the story was refiled to fix garbled third paragraph) (Reporting by Jemima Kelly, editing by Larry King) || So why oh why is Twitter doing #280?: Late yesterday Twitter announced the unthinkable for time-pressed journalists everywhere by revealing it is testing doubling the character length of tweets. Farewell sweet brevity of 140chars. Hello pointless extra blah-blah-blah #280. Let’s do this! https://t.co/JUT8oemc9g — Ed Ho (@mrdonut) September 26, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js But why oh why is Twitter doing this? “In all markets, when people don’t have to cram their thoughts into 140 characters and actually have some to spare, we see more people tweeting,” wrote product manager, Aliza Rosen, in a rather wordy blog post explainer about the move -- which even included a graph! Though not a graph of Twitter's user growth not growing. (Here, I fixed Rosen's explanation to fit it in far fewer characters: 'We're trying to fix our growth problem .') While Rosen talked about Twitter wanting "every person around the world to easily express themselves on Twitter", there was no specific discussion about how Twitter's 140 constraint might be exacerbating problematic speech in the public domain. By, for example, turning nuanced discussion into polarized arguments and irascible abuse. Or "shouty crap" as a colleague more concisely put it. (Also not in Rosen's post: Any graphs detailing Twitter's problem with abusive behavior on its platform.) But even if Twitter didn't want to explicitly discuss the problem of trolls and bullies on its platform, it may be hoping the expansion to 280 characters encourages people to tweet less, well, "shouty crap". Which is indeed a possibility. Though there is also the flip-side possibility that -- for example -- the current president of the U.S. will just get double the amount of newsworthy tweet space with which to threaten nuclear annihilation. Story continues Or, to put it another way... TWITTER USERS: It would be nice if you stopped people making death threats. TWITTER: OK, but what if those death threats could be LONGER? — Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) September 26, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Whether Trump, with 280 characters locked and loaded, will suddenly lose the urge to tweet at "Rocket Boy" (10chars) -- and instead feel moved to address the "Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and supreme leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" (103chars) does seem rather unlikely though. So sure, the case for 280 posits there's at least an opportunity for nuance to exist inside a (double-sized) tweet. But the con says that really depends on who's doing the tweeting. (Or the 'ttwweeeettiinngg' as it should really now be termed.) Here's my TC colleague Josh Constine demonstrating how it's perfectly possible to fit a lot of high quality information into Twitter's existing 140 character limit without shouting and/or being otherwise tactless/impolite. 280 character count means less confusing abbreviations & more nuance, lower skimability. But at least it's easier for Twitter rookies — Josh Constine (@JoshConstine) September 26, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Ergo, it ain't tweet size that matters Twitter -- it's what you do with the characters that counts. But regardless of whether 280 characters leads to a wider evolution of tone on Twitter -- and in the case of Trump, when/if he gets handed the nuclear codes to #280, to a new deal on diplomacy and a less destabilized geopolitical world (we can but hope!) -- @Jack & co can at least console themselves that advertisers will find plenty of uses for all the extra marketing real estate Twitter is going to be giving them. See for e.g. What do you plan to share with 280 characters on Twitter? — Mi (@xiaomi) September 27, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js So, from Twitter's point of view at least, there are a fair few potential pros stacking up under the 'let's kill the tweet' nuclear option, alongside their main concern here: Trying to assuage investors. Pros like being less likely to be blamed for an overly concise tweet triggering nuclear war. While disrupting the workflow of the (small) hardcore of users who rely on Twitter to be a reliably dense and largely self-manageable digital information network in an increasingly misinformation saturated and algorithmically controlled world is clearly a lesser consideration. And at this point in the rapidly escalating story of social media's impact on democracy and society who, indeed, can blame them. Even if more social media doesn't necessary sound like a great solution to problems being exacerbated by social media. Whatever the social media giants say . Tech tweets on #280 Below is a flavor of opinions on Twitter's #280 experiment surfaced from the tech space -- which runs a pretty full gamut of views on mega tweets -- from supportive (and/or sarcastic) to indifferent to excited to horrified to snarky to creative to critical to navel-gazing to, well, hopeful that the change might finally break the addictive spell of Twitter... Can't wait for #bringback140. We expected (and ❤️!) all the snark & critique for #280characters . Comes with the job. What matters now is we clearly show why this change is important, and prove to you all it’s better. Give us some time to learn and confirm (or challenge!) our ideas. https://t.co/qJrzzIluMw — jack (@jack) September 27, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Can't wait for 280. — Bill Gurley (@bgurley) September 26, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js I have so many things I've saved up over the past year that are really only expressable in 280 character chunks. We live in amazing times. — John Lilly (@johnolilly) September 26, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js I actually don't have strong feelings about the move from 140 to 280. But that doesn't make the Tweet below any less hilarious... https://t.co/sms7rpm2WA — Chris Sacca (@sacca) September 26, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Close your eyes. Imagine Trump using Twitter. Now imagine Trump using Twitter with 280 characters. Now close Twitter. — M.G. Siegler (@mgsiegler) September 26, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Quite a lot of the rancor on twitter is driven by misunderstanding: no room for nuance or sub clauses. A little more room might help that. — Benedict Evans (@BenedictEvans) September 27, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js I may not be a fan of the 280 idea, but I'm a big fan of companies trying new stuff. Give Twitter a break for the moment... — Dan Gillmor (@dangillmor) September 27, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Twitter just disrupted the entire cropped screenshot of text industry. Brutal. — Aaron Levie (@levie) September 26, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js So, the new Twitter character limit is… 280 in text. 420 in `alt` text *per image*. Up to 4 images per post. 280 + (420*4) = 1960 Go nuts! — ꧁Terence Eden꧂ ⏻ (@edent) September 27, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js omg tweets are now long enough for signatures! best regards, isaac -- Isaac Hepworth Product Manager, Google +1 303 555 4787 — Isaac Hepworth (@isaach) September 27, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js New 280 character limit from Twitter? Me: pic.twitter.com/zQq4bILv0n — Shen Ye (@shen) September 27, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js 280 characters on a mobile device is going to look like reading a book on a Kindle. Welcome to twindle, @twitter users. — Dr. (@chao_mbogho) September 27, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js The good thing about going from 140 to 280 is that it may ruin the information density of twitter severely enough to break my twitter habit — Alex Bowles (@alexqgb) September 27, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js The negativity on 280 characters on @twitter is yet another proof that’s Silicon Valley hates change despite being “change agents.” 😉 — OM (@om) September 27, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js If this 280 character thing happens I’m changing this Twitter feed to just 24/7 science fiction erotica. You literally can’t stop me. — SwiftOnSecurity (@SwiftOnSecurity) September 27, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Instead of 280 characters, why not allow people to write longer tweets, then auto-Tweet Storm them (numbered and auto-strung together). — Nick Bilton (@nickbilton) September 27, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Pray for the studiousness and patience to wade through others' 280 character twitter-novellas, and the wisdom to never write them yourself. — Pwn All The Things among the anthracite (@pwnallthethings) September 27, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js As a bay area tech company, Twitter only had two options to arrive at a selection of the new character limit: either 101 or 280 — ᎷᎪᎢᎢ ᎻᎪᏌᏩᎻᎬY (@mathowie) September 26, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Twitter is doing a 2x hardfork and doubling the character limit to 280 chars. First, it segregated the of reply-to's. Just like Bitcoin. 😁 https://t.co/HhtNnkXwAS — Charlie Lee [LTC] (@SatoshiLite) September 26, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js "let me explain why the new 280 character limit is bad by threading together 20 tweets" -Twitter — MalwareTech (@MalwareTechBlog) September 26, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Maybe 280 character long tweets were a bad idea after all. https://t.co/d5sWqlyCgv — Mikko Hypponen (@mikko) September 27, 2017 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js || HK regulator warns of strict norms for digital currency offerings: By Elzio Barreto HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) warned on Tuesday it may regulate some fundraisings that are done through digital currencies as volumes of the so-called initial coin offerings (ICOs) surge around the world. The move comes just a day after China banned and deemed illegal the practice of raising funds through launches of token-based digital currencies, causing a plunge in the price of popular ones, including Bitcoin and Ethereum. Bitcoin slid 1.9 percent in mid-afternoon trade in Hong Kong, adding to the previous session's slump of 7.2 percent. ICOs have become a bonanza for digital currency entrepreneurs globally, and have provided the fuel for a rapid ascent in the value of cryptocurrencies this year that has driven fears of a bubble that could burst. The regulator said while some ICOs could be treaded as a type of "virtual commodity" which is not regulated, others that offer equity or ownership interest or acknowledge a debt or liability may be considered a security and are subject to laws in the city. The SFC added that firms offering ICOs deemed as securities would also have to be licensed or registered with the regulator. Regulators around the world are rushing to tighten rules around ICOs to prevent potential fraud, money laundering and improve investor protection. Hong Kong's move follows similar warnings in the United States, Singapore and Canada. In total, about $2.32 billion has been raised through ICOs, of which $2.16 billion was raised this year alone, according to cryptocurrency analysis website Cryptocompare. (Reporting by Elzio Barreto; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips) || Jamie Dimon: Bitcoin Bad, Blockchain Good: This article originally ran in Term Sheet, Fortune’s newsletter about deals and dealmakers.Sign up here. J.P. MorganCEO Jamie Dimon lit the Internet on fire yesterday after his comments on Bitcoin suggested the cryptocurrency is“a fraud”and that he would fire any employee trading bitcoin for being “stupid.” At a CNBC/Institutional Investor Delivering Alpha conference, Dimon argued that governments will eventually crack down on digital currencies because cryptocurrency is being used for illicit purposes. This is not the first time he’s gone on a tirade about cryptocurrency. In 2015, Dimon attendedFortune’sGlobal Forum conference where he told attendees they were“You’re wasting your time” with Bitcoin. This is only interesting (and perplexing) because: • Dimon’s company was one of 86 corporate firms to play a role in formingThe Enterprise Ethereum Alliance, an open-source blockchain initiative. The idea of the EEA is for big banks and tech companies to come together and buildbusiness-ready versionsof the software behind Ethereum, a decentralized computing network based on digital currency. • At yesterday’s conference, Dimon was careful to distinguish between cryptocurrencies and the blockchain because, well, J.P. Morgan hasactually built its own blockchainon top of Ethereum. • Remember when J.P. Morgan tried to patenta Bitcoin-style payment system? Although the patent was reportedly rejected, it’s fascinating to see the bank lay out some of the problems with the existing payment structure.For instance, “Furthermore, to date, there is no efficient way for consumers to make payments to other consumers using the Internet. All traditional forms of person-to-person exchange include the physical exchange of cash or checks rather than a real-time digital exchange of value. In addition, the high cost of retail wire transfers (i.e., Western Union) is cost prohibitive to a significant portion of society.”In 2014, Dimontold CNBCthat Bitcoin is “a terrible store of value. It could be replicated over and over.” Unfortunately for J.P. Morgan, it didn’t quite work out. • My favorite twist to all of this is that while Dimon was bashing Bitcoin, J.P. Morgan’s Chief Economist Michael Vaknin washosting panelists from Blockchain Capital, Pantera Capital, Boost VC, and Polychain Capital. Not awkward AT ALL. J.P. Morgan’s own blockchain program leadtweeteda ¯_(?)_/¯ in response to Dimon’s comments. And JPM’s former global trading macro head offeredthe less politically-correct, “Jamie, you’re a great boss and the GOAT bank CEO. You’re not a trader or tech entrepreneur. Please, STFU about trading $BTC.” Taking the drama up another notch, Social Capital CEO Chamath Palihapitiya spoke at the same conference and immediately refuted Dimon’s earlier remarks.He said“the genie is fundamentally out of the bottle,” adding that he’s been “massively long Bitcoin” since 2012-13. To wrap this up, I’ll leave you with a few thoughts. I do think Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have the potential to fundamentally reshape global finance. And unfortunately, many will undoubtedly get burned along the way as a result of entrepreneurs/investors who abuse the lack of regulations around ICOs. As Peter Smith, the CEO of Blockchain, said atFortune’sBrainstorm Tech conference in July, “We’re cautious about it in the short term. But you have to temper that with the idea that every new technology is going to be like that in the beginning.” || Stock market preview, September 14: After stocks shot higher on Monday and markets were pre-occupied with Apple’s ( AAPL ) latest iPhone announcement on Tuesday, Wednesday was a calmer day on Wall Street. In the end, the major averages finished higher, though little changed, with the Dow gaining 39 points, the S&P 500 reaching a new record close (up 1.9 points), and the tech-heavy Nasdaq adding 5 points. On Thursday, investors will have two pieces of economic data to sift through: the weekly report on initial jobless claims and the monthly report on inflation due out in the morning. The claims number will be more closely watched by investors than usual given that some distortions — the recent hurricanes in Texas and Florida — could impact this figure, which tracks weekly first-time filings for unemployment insurance. Inflation data will be a key point for Fed watchers, as “core” inflation — which excludes the more volatile costs of food and gas — is expected to have risen just 1.6% over last year in August, well below the Fed’s 2% target. Keep in mind that the next Fed interest rate decision is due on September 20 following the FOMC meeting, which kicks off on Tuesday, September 19. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen Wall Street loves talking Bitcoin Bitcoin is having a week. On Tuesday morning, Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s latest fund manager survey indicated that the 181 investment professionals the firm talked to see bets on Bitcoin’s price rising as the market’s most crowded trade right now. Also on Tuesday, JPMorgan ( JPM ) CEO Jamie Dimon made headlines when he compared Bitcoin’s more than 300% price rally this year to the Dutch tulip bubble of the 1600s. Dimon also said he would fire any trader at JPMorgan he found out was messing with Bitcoin. Later on Tuesday, bond investor Jeff Gundlach said , “I’m going to let this mania go on without me,” adding that back in August his 86-year-old mother was asking him about whether or not she needed to be buying Bitcoin. Bitcoin’s crazy price run over the year. (Source: Bespoke Investment Group) And then on Wednesday, Dimon’s colleague Marko Kolanovic said , “Cryptocurrencies cannot be reliably valued and they have significant ‘tail risk’ that could come in the form of a regulatory ban. Moreover, the whole cryptocurrency market exhibits some parallels to fraudulent pyramid schemes. Story continues But the main takeaway here is not really what Wall Streeters are saying about Bitcoin, because at this point in Bitcoin’s evolution there are basically those who love it and those who hate it. There is less room for nuance. What’s important is that Wall Street is talking about it at all. Because when folks like Dimon and Gundlach and Kolanovic speak publicly, they are not only saying what’s on their minds but also largely responding to what clients have been asking them. And given the confluence of commentary we’re seeing around Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies, and the blockchain technology that underwrites this technology, it’s clear that investors are interested in crypto, one way or another. — Myles Udland is a writer at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @MylesUdland Read more from Myles here: America’s shortage of workers is about to get ‘much worse’ The government can’t stop people from making the single-biggest investing mistake It’s never been harder to fill a job in America Berkshire’s Bank of America win is more proof you can’t invest like Buffett Two charts show why the stock market today is nothing like the tech bubble [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] Bitcoin: $4,806 +4.33% (+$199.67) High: $4,889.74 Low: $4,580 Volume: 6258 $BTC #BTC #bitcoin || Top 15 Bitcoin Exchanges http://ift.tt/2ychrnE  #TradersDNA || Ethereum Price Technical Analysis – ETH/USD Short-term Correction http://www.newsbtc.com/2017/10/09/ethereum-price-technical-analysis-ethusd-short-term-correction-2/ …pic.twitter.com/bhKZiRiALK || #bitcoin non si ferma più? Analisi tecnica || #Putin Tells Central Bank Not to Create Barriers to #Cryptocurrencies || BTC Real Time Price: ThePriceOfBTC: $3742.75 #bitstamp; $3737.98 #GDAX; $3731.55 #gemini; $3752.80 #kraken; $3720.00 #hitbtc; $3880.00 #cex; || Cotizaciones al 03/10/2017 09:00 AM Bitcoin (BTC): 24.222.858 Ethereum (ETH): 1.641.458 Litecoin (LTC): 292.232 BTC Cash (BCH): 2.258.373 || Yes, Virginia, Bitcoin Has A Value: Part II #BTC #Bitcoin #Crypto-http://www.allcryptocurrencies.news/bitcoin/yes-virginia-bitcoin-has-a-value-part-ii/ … || #BTC 24hr Summary: Last: $4560.01 High: $4692.00 Low: $4431.00 Change: 1.84% | $82.23 Volume: $73,003,124.41 $BTC #Bitcoin #Pricebotspic.twitter.com/dQjjxIS5Wh || It's a #blockchain world! #cryptocurrency #ai #startup #tech #fintech #makeyourownlane #4org #bigdata #machinelearning #cio #btc https://twitter.com/TheCyberSecHub/status/849380034167148545 …
Trend: down || Prices: 7379.95, 7407.41, 7022.76, 7144.38, 7459.69, 7143.58, 6618.14, 6357.60, 5950.07, 6559.49
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2021-10-29] BTC Price: 62227.96, BTC RSI: 59.74 Gold Price: 1783.00, Gold RSI: 51.15 Oil Price: 83.57, Oil RSI: 66.43 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Why Bitcoin-Related And Ethereum-Related Stocks Are Falling: Shares of crypto-related stocks, including Marathon Digital Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: MARA ), Riot Blockchain Inc (NASDAQ: RIOT ) and Coinbase Global, Inc. (NASDAQ: COIN ) are trading lower amid a decrease in the price of Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) and Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH). Bitcoin is trading 9% lower at around $47,900 Tuesday morning. Ethereum is trading 11.5% lower at around $3,470 Tuesday morning. Marathon Digital focuses on mining digital assets. It owns crypto-currency mining machines and a data center to mine digital assets. The company operates in the digital currency blockchain segment and its cryptocurrency machines are located in Canada. Marathon Digital is trading lower by 7.9% at $40 per share. Riot Blockchain is focused on building, supporting and operating blockchain technologies. The company's portfolio consists of Verady, Tesspay, Coinsquare and others. Riot Blockchain is trading lower by 7% at $32 per share. Coinbase Global, Inc. provides financial infrastructure and technology for the cryptoeconomy. Coinbase is trading lower by 3.9% at $267.50 per share. See more from Benzinga Click here for options trades from Benzinga Why Bitcoin-Related And Ethereum-Related Stocks Are Rising © 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Bitcoin (BTC) Brushes $60,000 in Climb Back to All-Time High Levels: BeInCrypto – Bitcoin (BTC) has increased considerably so far on Oct 15, nearly moving above $60,000, reaching its highest price since April. While it is getting close to a new all-time high, BTC also seems to be approaching the top of its upward movement. This storywas seen first onBeInCryptoJoin our Telegram Groupand get trading signals, a free trading course and more stories likethisonBeInCrypto || BTV Showcases Cloud DX, Hut 8 Mining, Monarch Mining, Ion Energy and Danavation Technologies: Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - October 22, 2021) - On Sun, Oct 24that 5pm EST broadcast on FOX Business News -BTV-Business Televisionvisits up-and-coming innovative investment opportunities. Discover Companies to Invest In -Watch their TV feature! Cloud DX (OTCQB: CDXFF, TSX.V: CDX)- Telehealth usage in the US has dramatically increased leading BTV to visit Cloud DX's ground-breaking, consumer-friendly, remote patient monitoring technology. Hut 8 Mining (NASDAQ: HUT, TSX: HUT)- Already the largest Bitcoin miner in North America, this year Hut 8 introduced GPU mining, adding Ethereum to their portfolio. Monarch Mining(OTCQX: GBARF, TSX: GBAR)- Monarch owns four projects in one of the world's richest gold regions, including the past-producing Beaufor Mine, which produced more than 1 million ounces of gold. Ion Energy (OTCQB: IONGF, TSX.V: ION)- Lithium is a major commodity in the clean energy revolution and Ion's early-stage lithium brine exploration play in Mongolia is tapping into this demand. Danavation Technologies Corp. (OTCQB: DVNCF, CSE: DVN)- Revolutionizing the world of automated product and price labelling, BTV highlights this company's Digital Smart Labels™. About BTV: On air for more than 20 years,BTV - Business Television, a half-hour investment TV show, features analysts and emerging companies on location. With Hosts,Taylor ThoenandJessica Katrichak, BTV provides viewers with investment opportunities. TV BROADCAST NETWORKS and TIMES:FOX Business News US:Sun. Oct 24th5pm EST. Suggest a Company to Feature!Contact: (604) 664-7401 [email protected] receive news, click here tosubscribe To view the source version of this press release, please visithttps://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/100514 || Is Social Trading the Key to Faster Crypto Adoption?: They often look to crypto influencers on these sites to acquire strategies that can help them boost their profits from trading. The increasing interest in crypto, coupled with the explosion of social media, has led to a trading strategy called ‘social trading’. Here is a look at what this exciting aspect of the crypto space entails and whether it can help speed up widespread cryptocurrency adoption. What is Crypto Social Trading? Social trading allows crypto users to connect with other traders on a decentralized network. Newbies can view and monitor the investment strategies of more experienced traders and copy their actions to improve their chances of success in the market. Social trading platforms offer users a venue to share their market analysis, investment strategies, predictions, and much more. They offer an excellent starting point to successful trading for new entrants in the often unpredictable crypto markets. Why is Crypto Social Trading Important? Unfortunately, most newbie traders often lose money due to a lack of basic technical analytics skills and a tendency to fall for market speculation. Social trading helps these inexperienced investors reduce the risks inherent in the capricious crypto market by offering them access to expert traders’ winning tactics. Crypto investors on social trading networks can also interact with their favourite professionals and influencers, ask questions, and learn how to better their trading approaches. Top platforms often include leaderboards that rank different pro traders based on various metrics, including a win to loss ratio, margin allocation, success, risk, etc. Each pro’s trading history and statistics are displayed transparently on the platform, allowing amateur traders to choose the best trades from top strategy managers. Social trading platforms such as KuCoin S are stepping up to introduce brand new social trading functions to help simplify crypto trading for starters. The KuCoin S app, developed by KuCoin exchange, features an enhanced UI tailored to the tastes of generation Z investors. Story continues How Novice Traders Earn via Copy Trading Copy trading is an integral part of social trading that allows beginners in the digital assets market to boost their winning streaks. The strategy also gives pro traders an excellent opportunity to make extra money by sharing their expertise with the crypto trading community. Top social trading networks open up opportunities for both pros and novice traders to cash in on trades by facilitating one-on-one interactions between users. Essentially, pros can leverage copy trading to monetize their strategies and profit from novice traders who duplicate their tactics to maximize their returns. Some social trading networks offer beginners the option to invest in an expert trader with a proven track record of earning returns. They entrust their funds to the pro and get a redeemable token equal in value to the crypto they have invested. The professional trader gets to work leveraging his experience in the market to invest the actual funds for a specified time while the user holds on to the token. Upon expiration of the trading period, the novice user can submit the token to the smart contract and receive their crypto investment back, along with a share of the profits generated by the professional trader. Can Social Trading Foster Crypto Adoption? Many individuals are interested in crypto investments but lack time to analyze the complex trends in crypto markets. Copy-trading strategies allow these users to earn profits by following the lead of experienced investors who have the time and resources to monitor and react to the markets. Moreover, social trading shortens the steep learning curve for novice traders by allowing them to mimic the strategies of expert investors. It also creates a hub for investment insights where newbie investors can learn about the best crypto gems, trending topics, the latest trading tactics, and much more. Social trading networks also make the trading experience more immersive and fun by facilitating real-time interaction among users. Investors worldwide can get together on these platforms to discuss their trading experiences, predictions, market insights, etc. Therefore, social trading allows the masses to participate in the crypto sector by saving amateur investors the time and effort needed to successfully understand the markets and trade. Social trading platforms offer multiple social trading features aimed at helping traders make better investment decisions. KuCoin S, for instance, offers users various tools to help simplify trades and maximize returns, helping to bring crypto to the masses. Features such as copy trading, portfolio check and an easy buy function allow users to purchase tokens quickly, manage their holdings and browse the most successful trading strategies on the platform. Final Thoughts The main aim of crypto social trading is to connect newbie traders with top professionals. The approach lowers the barrier to entry in the crypto space by allowing less-experienced investors to succeed by following top traders’ time-tested strategies. Social trading networks such as Kucoin open up the cryptocurrency sector to novice and expert traders by simplifying the trading experience and allowing investors to interact and learn from each other. They also enable traders to better their skills by interacting with community leaders and other successful investors on the network. In conclusion, social trading holds the potential to speed up the widespread adoption of digital currencies. The growing trend is equipping crypto starters with the tools to book easy profits with minimal effort and experience. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: GBP/JPY Price Forecast – British Pound Digesting Gains Crude Oil Price Forecast – Crude Oil Markets Get Slammed One Last Pullback to $53K Before Bitcoin Targets $90K? USD/JPY Price Forecast – US Dollar Continues to Digest Gains Trump Readies Launch of Social Media Platform via SPAC Why Tesla Stock Is Back To Record Highs || Secondary Share Sale Boost SpaceX’s Valuation To $100 Billion: SpaceX, one of Elon Musk’s companies, has hit a major milestone after reaching a $100 billion valuation earlier today. Elon Musk’s SpaceX has reached a $100 billion valuation earlier today.According to CNBC, the space company has hit a $100 billion valuation after a share sale by its existing investors earlier this week. The company had an agreement with its existing and new investors to sell roughly $755 million in stock from insiders. Multiple sources close to the matter revealed that each stock was sold for $650. As a result of this action, SpaceX’s total valuation reached $100.3 billion earlier this week. The sources added that the space company didn’t raise any capital at the moment, with the sales event standing as a secondary sale of existing shares. The company’s valuation has gone up over the past few months. In February, the company’s stock price was slated at $419 per share, and SpaceX was valued at $74 billion at the time. According to the report, SpaceX hitting a $100 billion valuation makes it one of the rare hectocorn or centricorn companies in the world. These are companies with a $1 billion unicorn 100 times over. The latest valuation takes Elon Musk’s SpaceX to the second place in terms of the most valuable private companies in the world, behind only China’s Bytedance and surpassing leading fintech firm Stripe. CNBC added that the sources preferred to remain anonymous since SpaceX is not a publicly listed company at the moment. SpaceX has experienced massive growth over the past few years after launching two huge projects; Starship and Starlink. The shares of Tesla, SpaceX’s sister company, is down by more than 1% so far today despite the positive news surrounding SpaceX and its owner, Elon Musk. At the time of writing,TSLAis trading at $786 per share after opening the market today at $796. Year-to-date, TSLA is up by 11%, after trading at $730 per share in January. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • US-Listed Mining Firms Are Holding Over $1 Billion In Bitcoins • Crude Oil Price Forecast – Crude Oil Markets Continue to Pressure to The Upside • Silver Price Forecast – Silver Give Up Early Gains After Jobs Miss • S&P 500 Weekly Price Forecast – Stock Markets Continue to Find Buyers on Dips • Secondary Share Sale Boost SpaceX’s Valuation To $100 Billion • Crude Oil Weekly Price Forecast – Crude Oil Markets Expand Higher || Russia not ready for Bitcoin – Peskov: Dmitry Peskov, press secretary of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has said that Russia has no reason to recognise Bitcoin. After El Salvador became the first country to adopt the digital coin as legal tender, he said that it didn’t bring benefits for the country. In a statement to the press, Peskov noted he is convinced that such a move would not bring any benefits to the Russian Federation as well. He added that Bitcoin is a quasi-currency and that equating it to official monetary instruments wouldn’t do anything but harm Russia’s financial and economic system. “Clearly, Russia is not ready for such steps,” he emphasised. According to the RIA Novosti news agency, the statement from Peskov came as the Republic of El Salvador became the world’s first country to recognise Bitcoin (BTC) as legal tender for payments. However, after that happened, the price of Bitcoin crashed to its lowest level in nearly a month, falling from $52,000 to $43,000. According to the opposition, the fall caused one of Latin America’s poorest countries to lose $3 million. Last week, Sberbank said it plans to register its blockchain platform with the Bank of Russia by mid-September and added it has already created functionality in issuing digital financial assets (DFA) of third parties. Ruble as the only legal tender Russia seems to be a long way from accepting any cryptocurrency as legal tender. Moscow partially regulated coins and tokens with the law dubbed “On Digital Financial Assets” which become legally valid at the beginning of this year. Its provisions say cryptocurrencies are property but forbid their use for payments. According to the country’s current legislation, the national fiat ruble remains the only legal tender. However, in May this year, Russian media reported that members of the State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, had started working on amendments to the Civil Code that would permit the use of crypto assets as contractual means of payment. Also, back in 2017, Putin claimed that his country would issue CryptoRuble , a state-sponsored cryptocurrency. The national digital currency was expected to start live transactions in 2022 after testing in the latter half of 2021. Still, it wouldn’t completely act as a cryptocurrency as it would not be mined but instead issued by the Russian government. Anatoly Aksakov, chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on Financial Markets, recently stated that Russian lawmakers are now considering recognising the crypto mining industry as a form of entrepreneurship under local business laws, TASS news agency reported . View comments || Bitcoin Price Prediction – Having Hit $55,000, the Bitcoin Bulls Will be Eyeing $60,000…: After a mixed day for Bitcoin and the broader market on Wednesday, it’s been a testy morning… At the time of writing,Bitcoin, BTC to USD, was down by 2.44% to $53,986.0. A mixed start to the day saw Bitcoin rise to an early morning high $55,349.0 before hitting reverse. Falling well short of the first major resistance level at $57,239, Bitcoin slid to a late morning low $53,838. Avoiding the first major support level at $51,934, however, Bitcoin found support to return to $54,000 levels. It has been a mixed morning. Bitcoin Cash SVwas up by 11.89% to lead the way, with Polkadot (+5.74%) finding much needed support. Binance Coin(+1.41%),Cardano’s ADA(+3.79%),Chainlink(+0.04%), andLitecoin(+1.62%) also avoided the red. It’s been a bearish morning for the rest of the crypto majors, however. Crypto.com Coin(-0.91%),Ethereum(-0.77%), andRipple’s XRP(-0.38%) joined Bitcoin in the red. Through the early hours, the crypto total market cap fell to an early morning low $2,263bn before rising to a high $2,327bn. At the time of writing, the total market cap stood at $2,295bn. Bitcoin’s dominance rose to an early morning high 45.23% before falling to a low 44.11%. At the time of writing, Bitcoin’s dominance stood at 44.31%. Bitcoin would need to avoid a fall back through the $53,839 pivot to bring the first major resistance level at $57,239 back into play. Support from the broader market will be needed, however, for Bitcoin to break out from Wednesday’s high $55,743.0. Barring a broad-based crypto rally, the first major resistance level would likely cap any upside. In the event of another extended rally through the afternoon, Bitcoin could test resistance at the $60,000 levels before any pullback. The second major resistance level sits at $59,144. A fall back through the $53,839 pivot would bring the first major support level at $51,934 into play. Barring an extended sell-off through the afternoon, however, Bitcoin should avoid sub-$50,000 support levels and the second major support level at $48,534. The 23.6% FIB of $50,473 should limit any downside. Looking beyond the support and resistance levels, we saw the 50 EMA pull further away from the 100 and 200 EMAs through the morning. We also saw the 100 EMA pull away from the 200 EMA limiting the morning losses. Through the 2ndhalf of the day, a further widening of the 50 EMA from the 100 would bring $57,000 levels and beyond into play. Key through the late morning and early afternoon, however, would be to avoid a fall back through the $53,839 pivot. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Why Alibaba Stock Is Up By 9% Today • EUR/USD Price Forecast – Euro Gives Up Early Gains • Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Switch to Oil for Heating Needs Expected to Boost Global Demand • Mike Novogratz: ‘Bitcoin to Take More of Gold’s Market Cap’ • Delta Air Lines Fairly Valued Ahead of Earnings • E-mini S&P 500 Index (ES) Futures Technical Analysis – Decision Time for Buyers at 4399.75 – 4432.75 || Crypto Venue for Bets on Trump, JLo and Covid Faces U.S. Probe: (Bloomberg) -- It’s the go-to place for making crypto wagers on whether Donald Trump retakes the White House and Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck get engaged. It’s also under scrutiny by a top Wall Street regulator. Most Read from Bloomberg A Deep Dive Into Squid Game's World of Inequality Meet Six People Fighting Water Scarcity Across the Globe Hamburg Is at the Heart of Germany’s Growing Dilemma Over China The firm is Polymarket -- a New York-based platform that’s surged in popularity during the pandemic as a way for bettors to predict the outcomes of real-world events, including elections, ballgames and the private lives of celebrities. The problem? It may be breaking U.S. financial rules. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is investigating whether Polymarket is letting customers improperly trade swaps or binary options and if it should be registered with the agency, according to people familiar with the matter. “Polymarket is firmly committed to complying with applicable laws and regulations and to providing information to regulators that will assist them with any inquiry,” a spokeswoman for the firm said. The CFTC declined to comment. Led by 23-year-old founder Shayne Coplan, Polymarket is hot, facilitating some 4 billion shares since launching last year. The company has been in talks with investors on a new round of funding that could value it at almost $1 billion, according to two people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. As of Friday afternoon, Polymarket featured dozens of possible wagers, ranging from whether the Treasury Department will mint a $1 trillion coin by Nov. 5 to singer Nicki Minaj getting the Covid-19 vaccine by Nov. 29 to Elon Musk’s SpaceX reaching outer space by year’s end. Customers favor no Treasury coin, Minaj remaining unvaccinated and SpaceX coming up short. NFL Proposal While the CFTC is best known for policing banks’ derivatives desks and oil traders, it’s long been grappling with how to regulate event contracts like those offered by Polymarket. Amid tough questions from the CFTC, cryptocurrency exchange ErisX withdrew a proposal in March to offer futures contracts based on National Football League games, products that casinos could have used to hedge their sportsbooks. Story continues Read more: There’s a Plan to Bring Sports Gambling to the Futures Market Crucial to Polymarket is another asset class of the moment: crypto. Instead of U.S. dollars, customers who want to make trades have to use the USD coin, a stablecoin backed by Coinbase Global Inc. Stablecoins, whose values are pegged to fiat currencies, have gotten a lot of attention themselves from Washington in recent months. Government agencies, including the CFTC, are concerned the largely unregulated tokens have grown so big that they could put consumers at risk or threaten financial stability if Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies crashed. The market value of USD coin is now $32.4 billion, up from $3.9 billion at the end of 2020, according to CoinMarketCap.com. A coin issued by Tether has grown to almost $70 billion from $21 billion over the same time period, making it the largest U.S. stablecoin. Read more: Stablecoin Tether Grows Into Crypto World’s $69 Billion Mystery CFTC investigations don’t always lead to enforcement cases and Polymarket hasn’t been accused of wrongdoing. If firms are sanctioned by the regulator, they can face fines and restrictions on offering products. Tremendous Value To handle the probe, Polymarket has retained James McDonald, a partner at law firm Sullivan & Cromwell who was head of the CFTC’s enforcement division until last year, said a person with knowledge of the hiring. McDonald didn’t respond to a request for comment. Polymarket has said it’s not only offering bettors a destination to make money, or lose their shirts. In an age of disinformation and fake news, the company argues it’s providing useful data on what’s likely to happen in the not-so-distant future on geopolitics and other important topics. “Via price discovery, you get this perpetually accurate forecast about the future of a given event,” Coplan said last year on the “Star Spangled Gamblers” podcast. “This is something that could have tremendous social value.” Polymarket doesn’t take custody of money or digital tokens, and it just displays existing markets live on the Ethereum blockchain, according to its website. The firm also doesn’t take the other side of customer trades. In a sign of the high interest, a separate website called “Polymarket Whales” has popped up that features the biggest bettors on closely watched contracts. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek Workers Press for Power in Rare Advance for U.S. Labor Movement You Could Be Competing With Bots to Buy Gifts This Christmas Colombia’s Rain Shaman Got Paid to Stop the Storms, Until He Couldn’t ©2021 Bloomberg L.P. || The Hype Around NFTs: What Are They? And How Pricey Do They Get?: Vertigo3d / iStock.com If you’re still struggling to wrap your head around cryptocurrency like Bitcoin, strap in — it’s about to get worse. There’s a brand new kind of digital money -not-money that’s trending and a brand new acronym to remember: NFT. Read More: What Is the Next Big Cryptocurrency To Explode in 2021? Find Out: Where Does Cryptocurrency Come From? NFT stands for “non-fungible tokens.” If that did nothing for you except make you think of mushrooms, you are not alone. NFTs are widely misunderstood or, more commonly, not understood at all — and for good reason. They’re new, they’re unfamiliar and they’re barely on the fringes of the mainstream. With celebrities like Mark Cuban making headlines as NFT investors, however, the general public is starting to catch up to the early adopters. Here’s what you need to know. Economy Explained: How Does Cryptocurrency Work – and Is It Safe? First… Fungible? When it comes to goods and services, “fungible” is a synonym for “interchangeable.” Commodities like gold and oil are fungible, as are currency, stock market shares and bonds. If two people each have a $20 bill — or a barrel of oil, an ounce of gold or a share of Amazon stock — and they trade, neither party gains or loses anything. If the same two people trade cars, diamonds or Fabergé eggs, on the other hand, it will never be an even transaction. That’s because each individual diamond, car and Fabergé egg is unique and has its own individual value based on variables like quality and condition. In short: Fungible items can be directly exchanged without anything being gained or lost Non-fungible items cannot Dogecoin (DOGE): What It Is, What It’s Worth and Should You Be Investing? NFTs Are Snowflakes Cryptocurrency like Bitcoin is a medium of exchange, just like regular money. Unlike regular money, cryptocurrency is created, distributed and verified via decentralized blockchain without a middleman like a bank or government — but it’s still fungible. Both in the physical and digital spaces, one Bitcoin is the same as the next, just like a dollar. Story continues NFTs are similar to cryptocurrencies in that they’re generated, distributed and verified via blockchain without a bank or other centralized authority. Unlike Bitcoin, however, non-fungible tokens are — as the name implies — non-fungible. Each individual NFT has its own unique value. Each appreciates in value at a different rate, and no two in the world can be swapped for an even trade. Read: Bitcoin Cash (BCH): How’s It Differ From Bitcoin and What’s It Worth? Money and Cryptocurrency Aren’t Enough? NFTs are digital assets just like Bitcoin, but unlike Bitcoin, each NFT is unique — and that’s the whole point. NFTs were created to be distinctive because they’re digital representations of other things that are unique, like: Artwork GIFs Avatars Memes Music albums Videos Images The purpose of NFTs is to denote the value of things while also protecting their unique, individual authenticity — something that’s not possible with a fungible asset like money or Bitcoin. Before NFTs, these kinds of digital files had essentially no value. Consider: What Are Altcoins — and Are the Potential Rewards Worth the Risks? For example, if an artist draws a picture and posts it online and 10,000 people download it, then 10,001 people have it, but nobody owns it. If that same artist “mints” the drawing on a blockchain and turns it into an NFT, the drawing is now verified as original to that artist. No matter how many times it’s downloaded or duplicated, the picture’s authenticity — and the artist’s ownership — is easily verifiable on a publicly accessible blockchain record and stored safely in the artist’s digital wallet. In the End, NFTs Are All About Security, Protection and Credibility NFTs allow everyone involved to have their cake and eat it, too. With an NFT, the artist from the example still gets to upload and show off the picture. Then, 10,000 people who like the picture can still right-click and download it for free. So, just as before, 10,001 people have the picture, but now, the artist owns it and the 10,000 free downloads are just great publicity. Economy Explained: Binance Coin (BNB): Why It’s So Interesting to the Cryptocurrency World The same holds true for avatars, memes, images and just about anything else. NFTs provide a universal system of verification and valuation, which allows people like Mark Cuban to safely and securely buy, sell, auction, trade and invest in NFTs just like they would physical art, memorabilia, collectibles and other things that hold unique, non-fungible value. In short, NFTs are digital tokens that represent the unique value of all kinds of items, both intangible and tangible, while providing verifiable authenticity of ownership and creation. Bitcoins and dollars, on the other hand, can only buy stuff and sell stuff. A Few Crazy Expensive NFTs Broke Records The following are among the most expensive NFTs of all time. You’ll see that some of these have t heir value measured in ether (ETH), which is a type of cryptocurrency based on the Ethereum, a community blockchain used in NFT transactions. Purchases were made based on a conversion rate of $2,010 per ETH for most of these. Hashmask #9939: On Feb. 3, 2021, Hashmask #9939 sold for 420 ETH worth $844,216. CryptoPunk #6487: On Feb. 21, 2021, CryptoPunk #6487 sold for 550 ETH worth $1,105,500. CryptoPunk #2890: On Jan. 24, 2021, CryptoPunk #2890 sold for 605 ETH worth $1,216,074. CryptoPunk #4156: On Feb. 18, 2021, CryptoPunk #4156 sold for 650 ETH worth $1,306,526. CryptoPunk #6965: On Feb. 21, 2021, CryptoPunk #6965 sold for 800 ETH worth $1,608,032. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s first tweet: On March 22, 2021, his first tweet sold for 1,630.58 ether. That was equivalent to about $2.9 million based on ether’s price at the time of sale. Beeple, Everydays–The First 5000 Days: Sold in March 2021 through Christie’s for $69 million. This article is part of GOBankingRates’ ‘Economy Explained’ series to help readers navigate the complexities of our financial system. More From GOBankingRates 5 Things Most Americans Don’t Know About Social Security The 8 Best Deals From Costco’s September Coupon Book Social Security Benefits Might Get Cut Early — What Does It Mean for You? Here’s How Much You Need To Earn To Be ‘Rich’ in 23 Major Countries Around the World Last updated: March 25, 2021 This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com : The Hype Around NFTs: What Are They? And How Pricey Do They Get? || Stripe Is Hiring a Crypto Team 3 Years After Ending Bitcoin Support: Payments company Stripe has begun assembling a crypto engineering team to chart its future in digital assets. The team – described in LinkedIn posts and job listings – will be run by Guillaume Poncin , Stripe’s former head of engineering for banking and financial products. He is looking to hire at least four staffers to help plot Stripe’s crypto strategy. Those engineers “will design and build the core components that we need to support crypto use cases,” the job posts said. “Crypto is a brand new team at Stripe.” Stripe’s relatively modest hiring push (it has 4,000 employees) comes amid a surge in crypto payments integrations across online retailers and even social media platforms. Strike, the crypto startup behind Twitter’s new bitcoin tipping feature, is preparing to release its payments API in an aggressive bid for mass crypto adoption. The team may be new but Stripe’s interest in crypto stretches back years. A payments giant whose API supports millions of digital storefronts, it made headlines in 2014 when it supported bitcoin – an industry first. Stripe abandoned that service four years later . But a source told CoinDesk that Stripe never left crypto. The company continued to watch the digital assets space develop , weighing if and how to participate again. In recent months it has shown increasing interest in non-fungible tokens (NFTs), the source said. In response to CoinDesk’s queries, Poncin tweeted out the following: We’re starting a new crypto team at @Stripe . I’m hiring engineers and designers to build the future of Web3 payments: https://t.co/A40QPCw3XG . pic.twitter.com/ygYTrA125T — Guillaume Poncin (@gponcin) October 12, 2021 Multi-coin approach One thing on the company’s mind is a need to avoid picking favorites, the source said. Stripe already supports an array of more traditional online payment options. It wants to remain tech-neutral when it comes to crypto, the source said. Story continues It was slightly less cautious in early 2018. Ending Stripe’s bitcoin era with a pledge to maybe integrate Stellar, which it seed-funded years earlier, the company’s announcement boosted Stellar’s native currency, XLM, 20% in a day. Stripe is aware of its influence in online payments. The firm has said it processes hundreds of billions of dollars in e-commerce annually; that 90% of American adults have utilized it; that its API (which still contains code to facilitate bitcoin transactions) is used hundreds of millions of times a day. “Many businesses and users already rely on and trust in Stripe,” the crypto job post said. “This gives us a massive opportunity to be at the forefront of a new wave of innovation.” UPDATE (Oct. 12, 15:45 UTC): Adds Poncin tweet. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: up || Prices: 61888.83, 61318.96, 61004.41, 63226.40, 62970.05, 61452.23, 61125.68, 61527.48, 63326.99, 67566.83
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2019-03-20] BTC Price: 4087.48, BTC RSI: 66.47 Gold Price: 1300.50, Gold RSI: 49.39 Oil Price: 59.83, Oil RSI: 69.76 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Trump’s Trade War Bombshell Pummels Dow, But Bitcoin Mounts Recovery: The battered US stock market enters the week’s final trading session with little hope of patching its previous-day wounds. Rather, trade war pessimism looks poised to deal further blows to the Dow and its peers, which are currently steeling themselves for major opening bell losses. The mood is slightly more positive in the cryptocurrency market where the bitcoin price has made a slight recovery. Futures tracking the Dow Jones Industrial Average (blue), S&P 500 (red), and Nasdaq (orange) endured sharp losses on Friday. As of 8:55 am ET,Dow Jones Industrial Averagefutures had declined 97 points or 0.39 percent, implying an opening bell drop of 102.53 points. Dow futures had traded lower earlier in the day but trended up ahead of the market open. S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures also traded in the red, with the former down 0.44 percent and the latter losing 0.7 percent. On Thursday, the stock market tooksteep lossesfollowing several reports thatsuggestedthe United States and China would not arrive at a new trade agreement before hefty tariffs kick in at the beginning of March. The Dow ended the day at 25,169.53, down 220.77 points or 0.87 percent after trading more than 350 points in the red earlier in the day. The S&P 500 declined by 0.94 percent, while the Nasdaq plunged by 1.18 percent. Read the full story onCCN.com. || Apple Notes Blockchain Guidelines in Recent SEC Filing: Tech giantApplehas mentioned its work in forming the Blockchain Guidelines of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) in afilingwith theUnited StatesSecurity Exchange Commission (SEC). The document, entitled “Conflict Minerals Report” was published on Feb. 15. In general, the document pertains to Apple’s business practices and ethics in sourcing minerals for its various consumer electronic devices. Apple states that it is “committed to going beyond the minimum requirements in order to meet and exceed internationally accepted due diligence standards and protect people in itssupply chain…” Last year, Apple came underscrutinyfor its plans to source cobalt — a necessary mineral for smartphones — directly from mines in Congo. While Apple is ranked highly among tech companies in terms of human rights abuses in its supply chains, “the bar is low,” according to human rights watchdog Amnesty International. Per the recent filing, Apple participates in the development ofblockchainguidelines for the RMI, which are designed to determine a set of principles, concepts and terms for the deployment of blockchain in mineralsupply chaindue diligence. The drafting process for the guidelines was initiallylaunchedin March 2018. In addition, the RMI intends to help businesses understand the nature of blockchain technology, its application in the industry, and its potential impact on supply chain actors and local communities. Established in 2008, Responsible Business Alliance’s Responsible Minerals Initiative is a multi-industry initiative that comprises over 360 companies including Apple, computer hardware manufacturer Acer and American electronics store Best Buy. Members purportedly contribute to the development and improvement of due diligence mechanisms and resources in mineral supply chains. Companies and public entities around the world have been exploring the use of blockchain technology in their supply chains. Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration of the Chinese Chongqing Yuzhong Districtannouncedplans to deploy blockchain for strengthening the supervision of food and drug quality assurance. Last month,IBMpartneredwith MineHub Technologies to develop blockchain solution to improve supply chain management in the mining and metals industry. The solution targets the inefficiencies of the global market, including excessive paperwork, manual data processing and lack of transparency between supply chain parties. • SEC Starts Review of NYSE Arca’s Bitcoin ETF Rule Change ProposalErisX to CFTC: Regulated ETH Futures Would Result in More Robust, Liquid Market • Fairfax County Pension Funds Invested $21 Million in Blockchain Technology • California Governor Talks Blockchain and Data Privacy in State of the State Speech • UC Berkeley Launches Accelerator for Early Stage Blockchain Startups || Natural Gas Price Forecast – natural gas continues to rotate: Natural gas markets went back and forth during the trading session on Thursday, as we await natural gas inventories and of course the demand picture becoming a bit clearer. We are at historically low levels though, so it’s very likely that we are going to see back-and-forth trading, but it will was worth noting that the inventory numbers came out just a bit hotter than anticipated. Regardless, natural gas is so overabundant that it’s difficult to imagine a scenario where it rallies for the longer-term. NATGAS Video 22.02.19 The $2.50 level underneath is massive support, so I do believe it’s going to be very difficult to break down through there. If we do, we probably go looking towards the $2.25 level, but at this point I find that very unlikely. Ultimately, this is a market that I believe will continue to respect this longer-term bottom, so a relief rally makes quite a bit of sense. That relief rally should be an opportunity to take advantage of an opportunity to sell at higher levels. The $3.00 level is starting to see the 50 day EMA lean into it, so that should give us a couple of reasons to sell. Beyond that, the gap that formed at the $3.00 level will attract a lot of attention. I am a seller of these rallies that show signs of exhaustion, and if we can break above the 50 day EMA, then we would target the 200 day EMA which is currently closer to the $3.15 level. Please let us know what you think in the comments below This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Bitcoin And Ethereum Daily Price Forecast – Major Cryptos Consolidate Post Profit Booking Activity EUR/USD Price Forecast – Euro continues to grind S&P 500 Price Forecast – stock markets continue to press major resistance Why Trade Wars End is Good News for the Dollar Trading Plan for February 21 Fed Minutes Not So Dovish, Scandal Rocks EU, The Trade Deal Is Coming Into Focus || Canada securities watchdog says crypto firm Quadriga beyond its purview: (Reuters) - British Columbia Securities Commission, the province's securities regulator, said on Thursday that it does not regulate Quadriga CX, the Vancouver, B.C.-based digital platform whose founder died in December, trapping millions of dollars in cryptocurrencies in its accounts. The Canadian regulator said it has been aware of the company's operations since 2017 but has not had any indication that it was trading in securities or derivatives or if it operated as an exchange, which would put it under its purview. "As such, BCSC does not regulate it," spokesman Brian Kladko said in an email. The Canadian Securities Administrators, an umbrella organization for the country's provincial securities regulators, said no crypto-asset trading platform had "been regulated as a marketplace by Canadian securities regulators." "The CSA continues to urge Canadians to be cautious when considering buying crypto-assets through trading platforms," CSA spokeswoman Ilana Kelemen said in an email on Thursday. About C$180 million ($135.39 million) in cryptocurrencies have been frozen in the user accounts of Quadriga since its founder Gerald Cotten, the only person with the password to gain access, died suddenly in December. On Tuesday, a judge ordered a 30-day stay on claims against the firm, providing a temporary reprieve from lawsuits from creditors. The platform - a trading venue for cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Litecoin and Ethereum - had previously filed for creditor protection in the Nova Scotia Supreme Court. Quadriga owes C$250 million to 115,000 affected users, according to an affidavit filed by Cotten’s widow, Jennifer Robertson, on behalf of the firm. (Reporting by Debroop Roy in Bengaluru and John Tilak in Toronto; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall) || Bitcoin is the ‘Gateway Drug’ to Stocks and Commodities for Millennials: One of the positive outcomes of the bitcoin boom and bust has been luring millennials into investing in traditional assets, a new study carried out by social trading and multi-asset brokerage firm eToro says. According to eToro, around 73% of the new investors the firm recruited in 2017 and 2018 bought cryptocurrencies. Approximately 11% of these investors have since then gone on to put their money in traditional assets besides crypto. This includes commodities, stocks and forex. The diversification was especially prevalent among millennials (ages 25-34) as 44% of the respondents in this demographic broadened their portfolios. Read the full story on CCN.com . || Major Central Bank Institution BIS: Bitcoin Must Depart From Proof-of-Work: Bitcoin’s (BTC) problems are only solvable by departing from a proof-of-work (PoW) system, according to researchpublishedby the Bank for International Settlement (BIS) on Jan. 21. According to the paper, when in the future Bitcoin’s block rewards fall to zero — given that only alimited numberof new Bitcoin will ever be created — transaction fees alone will not be able to sustain mining expenses. The argument implies that the Bitcoin network would become so slow that it would be virtually unusable, stating: “Simple calculations suggest that once block rewards are zero, it could take months before a Bitcoin payment is final, unless new technologies are deployed to speed up payment finality.” The study further notes that while second-layer solutions like theLightning Networkcould help, “the only fundamental remedy would be to depart from proof-of-work.” Such a departure, according to the report, would “probably require some form of social coordination or institutionalisation.” The document’s overall conclusion is that, according to the researchers, “in the digital age too, good money is likely to remain a social construct rather than a purely technological one.” The Switzerland-basedBISis an organization consisting of 60 central banks, which reportedly account for 95 percent of global GDP. As Cointelegraph recentlyreported, another BIS report published on Jan. 8 found that seventy percent of centralbanksworldwide are conducting research intocentral bank digital currencyissuance. Another report published by the BIS in September last yearfounda strong correlation between crypto prices and news of regulatory intervention globally. • India: Banking Research Institute Issues Blueprint on Blockchain Implementation • Coinbase Adds Cross-Border Wire Transfers for High-Volume Customers in Europe, Asia • Swiss Bank Falcon Launches Crypto Wallet With Withdrawals to Fiat • Proposed License Requirements End Anonymous Crypto Selling and Buying in the Netherlands || ‘Stay the Course’: Billionaire Bitcoin Bull Mike Novogratz Has Advice for the Bitter Crypto Winter: Mike Novogratz, Bitcoin Mike Novogratz — the CEO of cryptocurrency merchant bank Galaxy Digital — admits that the Crypto Winter will probably last longer than he had anticipated. However, the Goldman Sachs alum still believes that institutional investors will eventually enter the market, and remains an avowed bitcoin bull. Mike Novogratz ‘Very Confident’ of Institutional Entry Novogratz tweeted : “Don’t think we head north for at least a few more months. Always take longer for institutions to move. Very confident they will. Tons of activity under the hood. Stay the course.” Realizing having tweeted about crypto in a while. It’s a grind. Don’t think we head north for at least a few more months. Always take longer for institutions to move. Very confident they will. Tons of activity under the hood. Stay the course. — Michael Novogratz (@novogratz) February 1, 2019 Had Set $20,000 Bitcoin Price Target for 2019 The protracted market slump has caused many a crypto enthusiast to scale back their exuberance. And Novogratz is one of them. Read the full story on CCN.com . || Bitcoin Cash – ABC, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 09/02/19: Bitcoin Cash – ABC – Bounces Back Bitcoin Cash ABC rallied by 13.19% on Friday. Following on from a 0.89% gain on Thursday, Bitcoin Cash ABC ended the day at $128.26. After a relatively range-bound start to the day, it was full steam ahead for Bitcoin Cash ABC and the broader market. An early morning intraday low $113.1 left the day’s major support levels untested before rising to a morning high $117.85. Bitcoin Cash ABC broke through the first and second major resistance levels ahead of an early afternoon surge. The rally saw Bitcoin Cash ABC break through the third major resistance level at $119.42 to strike an intraday high $130.79 before easing back to $128 levels. At the time of writing, Bitcoin Cash ABC was down by 1.86% to $126.10. A bearish start to the day saw Bitcoin Cash ABC fall from a morning high $128.26 to a morning low $126.05 before steadying. The early moves left the day’s major support and resistance levels untested. For the day ahead, a hold onto $126 levels would support a move back through to $128 levels later in the day before any pullback. We would expect Bitcoin Cash ABC to come up short of $130 levels, with Friday’s high $130.79 likely to pin Bitcoin Cash ABC back from the first major resistance level at $135.15. Failure to hold onto $126 levels could see Bitcoin Cash ABC fall through to $124 levels to bring $120 levels into play before any recovery. Barring a broad-based crypto sell-off, we would expect Bitcoin Cash ABC to steer clear of sub-$120 levels and the first major support level at $117.46. Litecoin Leads the Way Litecoin jumped by 29.56% on Friday. Following on from a 1.14% rise on Thursday, Litecoin ended the day at $42.45. Tracking the broader market, Litecoin recovered from an early morning intraday low $32.52 to strike a late morning high $37.98. Litecoin broke through the day’s major resistance levels ahead of an early afternoon surge. The early afternoon jump saw Litecoin strike an intraday high $44.48 before easing back to $42 levels. Story continues At the time of writing, Litecoin was up by 1.34% to $43.13. Recovering from a morning low $41.79, Litecoin rallied to a morning high $43.5 before easing back. The moves through the early morning left the major support and resistance levels untested. For the day ahead, a hold onto $43 levels through the morning would support a move through to $44 levels to bring Friday’s high $44.48 into play before any pullback. We would expect Litecoin to come up short of the day’s first major resistance level at $47.19, barring a broad-based crypto rally. Failure to hold onto $43 levels through the morning could see Litecoin hit reverse later in the day. A pullback through the morning low $41.79 would bring $40 levels into play before any recovery. We would expect Litecoin to steer clear of sub-$40 levels and the first major support level at $35.23 on the day. Ripple Recovers to $0.31 Levels Ripple’s XRP gained 7.61% on Friday, following on from a 0.36% rise on. Ripple’s XRP ended the day at $0.31746. A dip to an early morning intraday low $0.29266 saw Ripple’s XRP call on support at the first major support level at $0.2929. Recovering to a morning high $0.30591, Ripple’s XRP broke through the first and second major support levels ahead of a broad-based crypto afternoon rally. The afternoon rally saw Ripple’s XRP strike an intraday high $0.32590, breaking through the third major resistance level at $0.3062, before easing back to $0.31 levels by the day’s end. At the time of writing, Ripple’s XRP was down by 0.68% to $0.31530. Moves through the early hours saw Ripple’s XRP ease from a start of a day morning high $0.31880 to a morning low $0.31348 before steadying. The day’s major support and resistance levels were left untested early on. For the day ahead, a hold above $0.3120 through the morning would support a recovery later in the day. While support from the broader market would bring $0.32 levels into play, we would expect Ripple’s XRP to come up short of the first major resistance level at $0.3314. Failure to hold above $0.3120 through the morning could see Ripple’s XRP pullback to $0.30 levels before any recovery. Barring a broad-based crypto sell-off, we would expect Ripple’s XRP to steer clear of sub-$0.30 levels and the first major support level at $0.2981. Buy & Sell Cryptocurrency Instantly This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: S&P 500 Price Forecast – Stock Markets run into Resistance Again Gold Weekly Price Forecast – Gold markets find support Natural Gas Price Forecast – natural gas markets sluggish on Friday EUR/USD Weekly Price Forecast – Euro falls hard for the week Bitcoin Cash – ABC, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 09/02/19 Gold Price Prediction – Prices Rebound Forming Bull Flag || Plenty of Investors Would Use a Bitcoin ETF: This article was originally published onETFTrends.com. While an ETF related to bitcoin or any other digital currency still does not exist in the U.S., a recent survey by Bitwise Asset Management indicates plenty of U.S. investors would use such a vehicle to access the world's largest cryptocurrency. “58% of American investors would prefer to invest in Bitcoin via an exchange-traded fund (ETF), a formal survey found,”according to NewsBTC. Earlier this month, San Francisco-based Bitwise Asset Management, a leading provider of cryptoasset index and beta funds, announced that it filed an initial registration statement onForm S-1with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to bring a physically held bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) market. The proposed ETF would track the Bitwise Bitcoin Total Return Index, produced by Bitwise Index Services, LLC, which seeks to capture the full value of an investment in bitcoin, inclusive of meaningful hard forks. Some digital currency market observers have long viewed U.S. approval of a bitcoin ETF as pivotal to increased adoption of the cryptocurrency. According to NewsBTC: “The answer is that ETFs are a well-understood construct that is plug-and-play with the existing software platforms, paperwork, processes, and workflows that professional investors and firms use,”wroteBitwise in Anthony“Pomp”Pompliano’s Off the Chain newsletter.” SEC & Bitcoin-related ETFs In 2018, bitcoin shed almost 80% of its value. Among the issues plaguing bitcoin; last year were the ongoing unwillingness of U.S. regulators to approve bitcoin-related exchange traded funds as well as data indicating that mainstream acceptance and adoption of the digital currency are declining. Related:Here’s Where Bitcoin Use is Surging Bitwise launched the first cryptoasset index fund, the Bitwise 10 Private Index Fund, in 2017, and today offers five private funds focused on the crypto space to institutions, family offices, financial advisors and high-net worth individuals in the U.S. and abroad. Currently, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is considering the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF and a bitcoin ETF with an institutional focus from VanEck and fintech company SolidX, but decisions on those products could be delayed because nearly all of the SEC's staff has been furloughed because of the government shutdown. For more information on the cryptocurrency market, visit theBitcoin category. POPULAR ARTICLES AND RESOURCES FROM ETFTRENDS.COM • SPY ETF Quote • VOO ETF Quote • QQQ ETF Quote • VTI ETF Quote • JNUG ETF Quote • Top 34 Gold ETFs • Top 34 Oil ETFs • Top 57 Financials ETFs • Is it Still High Times for High Yield? • ETF Launchers Grow Antsy as Government Shutdown Freezes SEC • Remembering Jack Bogle, the Father of Indexing • Tom Lydon on CNBC’s “ETF Edge”: The Two Faces of Retail • An ETF that Views Value from a Different Angle READ MORE AT ETFTRENDS.COM > || The Finance Prof. Who Says Bitcoin’s Going to ‘Bite The Dust’ Is Wrong: ByCCN.com: Kevin Dowd is a Professor of Finance and Economics in the Business School at Durham University, Northeast England, and the co-author of the 2015 paper“Bitcoin Will Bite the Dust,”along with market analyst and author, Martin Hutchinson, for the libertarian Cato Institute in Washington DC. CoinDesk published an op-ed by Dowd Monday, with the title,“Bitcoin Will Still Bite The Dust,”in which the libertarian finance and economics professor avers that Bitcoin is doomed to failure. Well what he says exactly is that Bitcoin will “bite the dust,” and what he means by that is: Bitcoin can “not survive in the long run,” and “I still think that the long-run equilibrium price of bitcoin is zero. It just hasn’t bitten the dust yet.” And technically he might be right, the same way John Maynard Keynes was right when he said: “In the long run we are all dead.”-John Maynard Keynes, Dead British Economist But before we take a look at the two reasons Professor Dowd gives for why Bitcoin will “bite the dust,” here’s an excerpt about himfrom Wikipediato give you an idea where he’s coming from: “Dowd’s main subject of research is private money and free banking—monetary and financial systems that operate without any government intervention and in the absence of any central bank. A related focus of his work is on central banking and other forms of state intervention into economies, most particularly, on deposit insurance, the lender of last resort and bank capital adequacy regulation. He has repeatedly called for the abolition of central banks and an end to state intervention in the financial system.” So here is an economist whowould wantBitcoin to succeed, butdoesn’t thinkit will. That’s interesting. It makes me think he must have a pretty good argument that Bitcoin will fail. Again, “in the long run,” whateverthat’ssupposed to mean. If thousands of years from now when humanity is a space-faring, interstellar civilization in the year 40,750, if they’re not still using the very blockchain which began with the first Genesis block mined by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009, then the ghost of Kevin Dowd can gloat his prediction was true.What use is a prediction like this?If he’s so certain as to Bitcoin’s demise, will Professor Dowd be so bold as to make a forecast ofroughly whenBitcoin will bite the dust? ‘To work as intended, the bitcoin system requires atomistic competition on the part of the miners who validate transactions blocks in their search for newly minted bitcoins. However, the mining industry is characterized by large economies of scale. But this simply isn’t true. There are economies of scale involved in bitcoin mining, sure, but a lot of industries that aren’t monopolies have economies of scale. Bitcoin mining happens to be one of them. Below is a pie chart of the market share of bitcoin miners in terms of hash rate distribution. Hash rate is how many operations a bitcoin miner’s computer is doing in a period of time. The higher the hash rate, the greater the opportunity of solving a hash function (by generating random guesses until your computer finds the correct one), which qualifies you to certify the next block of transactions in the chain and receive a reward in bitcoin. From Blockchain.com: Does that look like a monopoly to you? Looks like some pretty healthy competition to me. And miners themselves are just one major stakeholder in Bitcoin. There’s also the individuals and businesses who hold bitcoin as savings or speculative investment, and who transact business with it. • There are the exchanges. • There are the wallet companies. • And there are the developers for all of these areas. It’s completely inaccurate to portray Bitcoin as a monopoly under someone’s central control when it is, in fact, a brilliantly envisioned, highly robust digital economic architecture with a manifold system of checks and balances built into it like the U.S. Constitution. The Bitcoin blockchain architecture and the vast public digital ledger it has produced on its blockchain constitute the founding digital document of a new economic order based on old principles and new possibilities, and the network of people and computers that maintain it are the founding fathers of a promising establishment. Which is part of my rebuttal to Prof. Dowd’s next contention: ‘There is also the argument that the price of bitcoin must go to zero because an inferior product cannot survive long-term in the absence of regulatory barriers to entry. But it’s not. Dowd contradicts himself here. First, he says Bitcoin will bite the dust because nobody can survive in the market without getting swallowed up by a bigger beast. Then he literally says Bitcoin will bite the dust because it’s too easy for people to get into the market and compete. And both claims are false. The first claim is false because that’s not what’s actually happening. The market for bitcoin mining is an oligopoly, not a monopoly. The second claim is false because Bitcoin is not an inferior product. Dowd is positing that competitors will find asecond mover advantagethat will prove fatal to Bitcoin, but the second mover doesn’t always have the advantage. And what we’ve found with Bitcoin, which has a market capitalizationin excess of the rest of the planet’s cryptocurrencies combined, is a lot offirst-mover advantages. The fact that it came first makes it a very stable boat in the waters. It has the longest, strongest blockchain, and the most battle-hardened network with the most experience weathering bugs and attacks. The fact that it came first has been a major advantage to Bitcoin. The mere fact of its sheer size gives Bitcoin the benefits ofthe network effectand makes it the most difficult target for a 51% attack. The old tropes about Bitcoin being outdated because it uses a lot of energy either miss the point of Bitcoin entirely, or are deliberately misrepresenting a difference of design philosophy as Bitcoin being outdated. This is a network that uses energy and computation on purpose to create a qualified node. That’s part of what makes Bitcoin so solid. Characterizations of Bitcoin as outdated because of transaction volume also either miss the point of Bitcoin or are deliberately misrepresenting a difference of design philosophy as Bitcoin being outdated. Perhaps Bitcoin isn’t meant for that, but as equity for a store of value as savings, something for which fewer transactions are necessary, and which is highly valued and sought after by markets. Or maybesecond layer technologies will facilitate the use of Bitcoinfor daily commerce in small amounts because an army of developers makes Bitcoin a superior product every day. Video: CATO’S 32ND ANNUAL MONETARY CONFERENCE (NOV 2014) —brings leading scholars together and advocates for fundamental monetary reform to discuss: – The bitcoin revolution and future of crypto-currencies– How technology will drive further innovations so that private currencies become a reality– The role of gold in a decentralized monetary regime– The steps necessary to return to constitutional money based on the convertibility principle and free banking The postThe Finance Prof. Who Says Bitcoin’s Going to ‘Bite The Dust’ Is Wrongappeared first onCCN. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] This will do in the real world what Bitcoin does in the digital world. https://twitter.com/danprimack/status/1088043761228304384 … || Prices update in $EUR (1 hour): $BTC - 3114.5 € (+0.04 %) $ETH - 102.6 € (-0.16 %) $XRP - 0.28 € (-0.07 %) $BCH - 107.4 € (+0.19 %) $BSV - 65.6 € (-0.3 %) $LTC - 27.19 € (-0.04 %) #EUR #Euro #BTC #ETH #XRP #BCH #BSV #LTC #Trading #Crypto #Bitcoin #Ethereum || Bitcoin Price Analysis: BTC Lift Off, Cross-Hairs at $4,500 https://www.newsbtc.com/2019/01/22/bitcoin-price-analysis-btc-lift-off-cross-hairs-at-4500/ … || Free Markets Don't Create Free People: Bitcoin's Tech Success Masks Its Failure - #cloudcomputing #SaaS || Forecasting #Bitcoin Price With Crowdsourced Algorithms: Part II https://buff.ly/2A3mRmo  || I was lucky enough to just learn about RSI levels when BTC peaked at 19k and I saw bearish divergence on a daily so I got out and re-entered @ 11k, sold again above 15k, re-entered at 7k, sold again above 10k. Selling above 19k was just learned RSI knowledge, but else was luck :) || AIDUS Project rating at the @ICOBirds Plarform. Thank you very much! #Aidus #AIDUSofficial #blockchain #blockchaintechnology #blockchainnews #digitalcurrency #crypto #cryptocurrency #ethereum #ETH #ethreumclassic #stockmarket #exchange #bitcoin #btc #bitcoinnews #bitcoininfopic.twitter.com/2b6Ghnfxzw || Sadly BU has become limited by some limited thinkers. || USD: 111.900 EUR: 127.150 GBP: 147.786 AUD: 79.225 NZD: 76.081 CNY: 16.682 CHF: 111.990 BTC: 426,248 ETH: 14,990 Sat Mar 02 21:00 JST || Oh yesss. Those techniques would be perfectly suited for such a venture.
Trend: up || Prices: 4029.33, 4023.97, 4035.83, 4022.17, 3963.07, 3985.08, 4087.07, 4069.11, 4098.37, 4106.66
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2016-05-12] BTC Price: 454.77, BTC RSI: 56.01 Gold Price: 1270.30, Gold RSI: 53.89 Oil Price: 46.70, Oil RSI: 65.77 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin has a governance problem, no matter who created it: * Bitcoin founder claims provoke fresh bitcoin bickering * System needs to evolve to handle rise in transactions * But lead developers squabble, freeze out one of their peers * System needs "adults" to make decisions - U.S. professor By Jemima Kelly LONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - As one would-be father of bitcoin falls by the wayside, squabbling among the web-based currency's lead developers is exposing a fundamental flaw: it must evolve to meet growing demand, but may lack a governance structure to achieve this. The latest bickering erupted after Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright promised to prove he was the mysterious creator of bitcoin - which allows users to move money across the world quickly and anonymously - but then said on Thursday he could not provide further evidence to back this up. Wright stopped short of reneging on his claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto, assumed to be a pseudonym for the person or people who launched the digital cryptocurrency in 2009. However, he apologised for damaging the reputations of bitcoin experts who had believed him. Many members of the bitcoin community reckon this is all a distraction and agree with Wright when he said that the identity of Nakamoto "doesn't, and shouldn't, matter". "Satoshi's biggest achievement was to create a system that doesn't require his participation to run," said Peter Todd, one of bitcoin's core software developers. "That's what makes all this stuff kind of funny. It's like searching for the creator of a system that's designed not to require a creator." While grey-suited central bankers print conventional currencies and commercial banks control transactions in them, no one person or entity is in charge of bitcoin. Instead it runs on a decentralised system of shared trust without any third-party verification of transactions - one reason why many people are attracted to it. Critics, however, say it needs a "benevolent dictator" or at least some "adults" to manage the expansion that it needs to cope with the increasing number of transactions. Someone, or some group, must decide how to meet users' requirements, they say. Trades are handled by thousands of "mining" computers around the world which validate blocks of transactions by competing to solve mathematical puzzles every 10 minutes. The first computer to solve the puzzle clears the transaction and is currently rewarded with 25 new bitcoins, now worth around $11,250.. This is how the computers' owners cover their costs - largely power bills - and make a profit. The system also ensures there is no single point in the system that might fail. CIVIL WAR In practice, there do appear to be people who can make decisions, but it is also possible to be excluded from this magic circle. One of the bitcoin experts who initially believed Wright's claim is Gavin Andresen. Nakamoto handed control of bitcoin's software to Andresen when he stepped aside in 2011, a transfer that kept the creator's identity a mystery as it was conducted in cyberspace without human contact. Andresen later shared that control with others. But when he stated publicly he believed Wright, sceptical developers responded by revoking his "commit access" to a shared repository of bitcoin rules. Initially, these developers justified their move on security grounds, saying his computer must have been hacked - something Andresen denied. When Reuters asked Todd whether Andresen's access would be reinstated, he responded: "Heck no", saying a belief in Wright amounted to "inexcusable incompetence". Andresen admitted to bewilderment over whether he still believed Wright's claims. "Ask me in six months; I don't trust my own judgement right now after all the drama," he said on Twitter. The squabbling is not new. One of the lead developers, Mike Hearn, stood down from bitcoin in January because of a power struggle nicknamed the "bitcoin civil war". Hearn and Andresen had proposed increasing the size of the blocks in which transactions are processed but the other developers opposed this. In quitting, Hearn said that "what was meant to be a new, decentralised form of money that lacked systemically important institutions" had now become "a system completely controlled by just a handful of people". Many investors and start-up firms remain optimistic about bitcoin and are making money from it. But Emin Gun Sirer, a computer science professor at Cornell University, said the appearance of internal conflict was undermining it. "For bitcoin to retain its value, it's important to have hope that there's good management in charge, that there are adults in charge," Sirer said. "When we see opportunistic moves, that's a problem." BENEVOLENT DICTATORS But Sirer also said that any open-source project such as bitcoin, which runs using software that anyone can access, change, and distribute, faces the challenge of governance. "Is it a pipe dream to expect to be able to build a currency system that is completely decentralized and free of any control whatsoever? The short answer to that is yes, but that's not what anyone should have expected anyway," he said. Sirer added that he was concerned that his brightest young students at Cornell were being deterred from getting involved with bitcoin because of the in-fighting and the appearance that developers were unable to agree on change. One other digital currency system which is attracting bright young minds is Ethereum, created in 2013 by Russian-Canadian Vitalik Buterin when he was just 19. It works with the "benevolent dictator model", as Sirer calls it, with Buterin holding the decision-making power. "Over the last couple of years it's become apparent that having a static protocol is just not a viable approach," Buterin told the Consensus bitcoin conference in New York earlier in the week. "Software has to evolve ... and there has to be some mechanism for agreeing on how software is going to upgrade." Most, however, reckon that even if Nakamoto were to be found, the other developers - many of whom have written more code than he ever did in the seven years since bitcoin was launched - would not accept his having ultimate power. "(Nakamoto) would be thanked for creating this amazing thing, but if there comes a time when there's a technical debate over whether we should go one way or the other, his opinions would only be persuasive, not controlling," said Jerry Brito, executive director of bitcoin advocacy group Coin Center. (Additional reporting by Toby Sterling in Amsterdam; editing by David Stamp) || Australian says he created bitcoin, but some skeptical: By Byron Kaye and Jemima Kelly SYDNEY/LONDON (Reuters) - Australian tech entrepreneur Craig Wright identified himself as the creator of controversial digital currency bitcoin on Monday but experts were divided over whether he really was the elusive person who has gone by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto until now. Uncovering Nakamoto's real identity would solve a riddle dating back to the publication of the open source software behind the cryptocurrency in 2008, before its launch a year later. Bitcoin has since become the world's most commonly used virtual currency, attracting the interest of banks, speculators, criminals and regulators. Worth a total of $7 billion at current levels, it fell more than 3 percent on Monday -- a normal intraday move for the volatile currency -- after the news, to below $440 from around $455, before recovering slightly. Some online commentators suggested bitcoin's creator could help resolve a bitter row among the currency's software developers that threatens its future. But Wright made no reference to the row in a BBC interview identifying himself as Nakamoto, and as the protocol bitcoin runs on is open-source and cannot be controlled by any one person, it is unclear whether he would be able to influence the way it develops. "I was the main part of it, other people helped me," Wright, who is now living in London, told the BBC. "Some people will believe, Some people won't, and to tell you the truth, I don't really care," he said. Many bitcoiners said Wright had not done enough to definitively prove that he was Nakamoto, who maintained his anonymity throughout his involvement with bitcoin, which he stepped away from in 2011. But Gavin Andresen, who Nakamoto chose to succeed him, published a blog post in which he described meeting Wright last month and said he is “convinced beyond a reasonable doubt” that the Australian is Nakamoto. Jon Matonis, a founding director of the Bitcoin Foundation now works as a bitcoin consultant, wrote a blog post on Monday which, like Andresen’s, supported Wright’s claims. Story continues “According to me, the proof is conclusive and I have no doubt that Craig Steven Wright is the person behind the Bitcoin technology, Nakamoto consensus, and the Satoshi Nakamoto name,” Matonis wrote. He and Andresen also confirmed they had been responsible for their respective blog posts to Reuters directly. LEGACY Nakamoto's biggest likely legacy lies well beyond his control. The blockchain technology that underpins the currency could transform the way banks settle transactions, the way that property rights and other vital data are recorded, and provide a way for central banks to issue their own digital currencies. The BBC reported on Monday that Wright gave some technical proof demonstrating that he had access to blocks of bitcoins known to have been created by bitcoin's creator. Researchers believe Nakamoto may be holding up to one million of the more than 15 million bitcoins currently in circulation, which would make the creator worth around $440 million. In a blog post also dated Monday, Wright posted an example of a signature used by Nakamoto and an explanation of how bitcoin transactions are verified and thanked all those who had supported the project from its inception. "This incredible community’s passion and intellect and perseverance have taken my small contribution and nurtured it, enhanced it, breathed life into it," he wrote. However he did not state directly that he was Nakamoto. "Satoshi is dead," he said. "But this is only the beginning." Bitcoin expert Peter Van Valkenburgh, director of research at Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group Coin Center, said a new message cryptographically signed using the private key associated with the so-called Genesis block, the first ever "mined" would have been more convincing. The currency's "miners" are incentivized to process transactions every 10 minutes by a possible reward of bitcoins (25 currently), which is how new bitcoins are created. Wright also spoke with The Economist, but declined requests from the magazine to provide further proof that he was Nakamoto. His representatives told Reuters he would not be taking part in more media interviews for the time being. "Our conclusion is that Mr Wright could well be Mr Nakamoto, but that important questions remain," The Economist said. "Indeed, it may never be possible to establish beyond reasonable doubt who really created bitcoin.” Hopes that bitcoin would become broadly used helped buoy its price to more than $1,000 in December 2013, when its market capitalization was $13 billion compared with today's $7 billion. Wright told The Economist he would exchange bitcoin he owns slowly to avoid pushing down its price. HOME RAIDED In December, police raided Wright's Sydney home and office after Wired magazine named him as the probable creator of bitcoin and holder of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the cryptocurrency. At the time he made no comment. The treatment of bitcoins for tax purposes in Australia has been the subject of considerable debate. The Australian Tax Office (ATO) ruled in December 2014 that cryptocurrency should be considered an asset, rather than a currency, for capital gains tax purposes. On Monday, the ATO said it had no comment while police were not immediately available for comment. If Wright is Nakamoto he "is now the leader of a movement", said Roberto Capodieci, a Singapore-based entrepreneur working on the blockchain, the technology underlying the currency. That movement ranges from libertarian enthusiasts to central banks experimenting with digital currencies, all of which pay homage in some way to Nakamoto's writings. (Additional reporting by Jeremy Wagstaff in Singapore, Matt Siegel in Sydney and Paul Sandle in London; Editing by Nick Macfie, Raju Gopalakrishnan and Philippa Fletcher) || Exclusive: Coinbase, Ripple close to landing New York bitcoin licenses - source: By Suzanne Barlyn NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York state's financial regulator is close to approving licenses for bitcoin companies Coinbase Inc and Ripple Labs Inc, which would allow them to offer digital currency services in the state, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The New York State Department of Financial Services received applications from both companies, according to an April 28 notice published on the regulator's website. The notices, usually published after virtual currency firms have completed the regulator's paperwork, signal that the licensing process is nearly complete, according to the person familiar with the matter and other sources. An exact time frame for approval of the licenses is not yet clear. The sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Bitcoin is a Web-based "cryptocurrency" that enables users to move money across the world quickly and anonymously without the need for third-party verification. Despite being championed by some as the digital money of the future, it is often dismissed as a currency that is too volatile to invest in. Last year, New York became the first U.S. state to issue extensive rules for virtual currency companies. The guidelines, aimed at consumer protection and prevention of money laundering, require companies to obtain what is known in the state as a "BitLicense." Both Coinbase and Ripple are based in San Francisco. "We are committed to being fully compliant with all state and federal laws and applied for the license to ensure we remain so," said a Ripple spokesman, who declined to elaborate. Coinbase declined to comment. The four-year-old Coinbase is one of the world's largest U.S.-based bitcoin companies. Among its backers are USAA and venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz and Ribbit Capital. Coinbase, which markets its services to consumers and merchants, has also applied for a license that would allow it to facilitate dollar transactions. Story continues Backers of Ripple, which filed for the license under the corporate name XRP II LLC, also include Andreessen Horowitz along with Google Ventures and IDG Capital Partners. Ripple's service and currency, known as XRP, is for financial institutions and companies, such as banks, that provide liquidity for foreign exchanges. Once approved, the licenses would add to a nascent digital currency industry taking hold in New York. On Thursday, NYDFS approved the application of Gemini Trust Company, founded by investors Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, to trade a digital currency called ether on its bitcoin exchange. (Additional reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss in New York; Editing by Lauren Tara LaCapra and Matthew Lewis) || C&W and Friends Donate US$125,000 to Support Literacy and Youth Development: MIAMI, FL--(Marketwired - Mar 23, 2016) - The Advancement of Children Foundation (ACF) in St. Kitts received a significant donation of US$125,000 from funds raised through Cable & Wireless' Annual Charity Golf Event. ACF now joins other organizations including the SOS Children's Village in Jamaica, the Sunshine Achievement Center for under-privileged children in Barbados, the Rainbow Rescue team in Trinidad, orphanages in Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, and the Wilhelmina Fonds Breast Cancer Center in Curacao, who have benefitted from the event. "Together with our partners, we are extremely pleased to support the Advancement of Children Foundation as this year's Tournament Charity," said John Reid, the President of C&W's Consumer Group, and the organizer of the event. "This donation is a continuation of a tradition that we started nine years ago in Trinidad and Tobago, where we combined our golf tournament with a social development and charity focus." According to Reid, C&W has always been committed to giving back to the countries in which they operate. "We engage in a variety of community development projects across the region to positively affect the communities we serve, and often our employees are front and centre with any CSR initiative. As part of this commitment, we leverage our strong partnerships to help strengthen our programs for social investments. It was a natural step for us to introduce a Golf charity event, where together with our technology, systems and programming partners, we developed another avenue for investing in the community." Naeemah Hazelle, Director of the ACF, stated that her team was very grateful for the support from C&W and Friends. "The significant donation will go a very long way in helping to implement initiatives that will change the lives of children and communities across both islands." ACF was founded eight years ago in response to island-wide gang violence, and is run by a voluntary board who help citizens develop and implement projects to improve the conditions and opportunities for young people. The Foundation supports five local projects per year. The donations from C&W and friends will be used to support these projects, as well as start an island-wide literacy program, called Caribbean Reads, in seventeen primary schools across the country. The program will include free books for children, a training component, and a dedicated library in each school. A second project will support a life skills centre, a safe space for interaction, counseling and life skills development for vulnerable groups. Reid thanked partners such as HBO-LA, Discovery, Ericsson, Huawei, Anixter and Elemental Technologies for their support in helping C&W carry out this important CSR work in the Caribbean. The tournament brought together over 40 companies that included content and technology partners from the US, Latin America, Canada, UK and the Caribbean. About Cable & Wireless Communications Plc Cable & Wireless Communications Plc (CWC) is a full service communications and entertainment provider, operating in Latin America and the Caribbean. With annual sales of over US$2.4 billion, it operates both mobile and fixed networks, supported by submarine and terrestrial optical fibre backhaul capacity. CWC delivers superior high-speed mobile data, broadband and video services. It has leading market positions in Mobile, Fixed Line, Broadband and Video consumer offers. Through its business division, CWC provides data centre hosting, domestic and international managed network services, and customised IT service solutions, utilising cloud technology to serve business and government customers. The Group also operates a state-of-the-art subsea fibre optic cable network that spans more than 48,000 km -- the most extensive in the region -- as well as 38,000 km of terrestrial fibre providing wholesale and carrier backhaul capacity. CWC has more than 7,300 employees serving 6.4 million customers (Mobile 4.1m; Fixed Line 1.1m; Video 470k and Broadband 690k) across 42 countries. The Group's leading brands include; LIME and Flow in the Caribbean; BTC in The Bahamas; Mas Movil in Panama; C&W Business and C&W Networks. CWC is the market leader in most products offered and territories served. It is a major contributor to local communities through its corporate social responsibility programmes. Cable & Wireless Communications Plc's shares are quoted on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker CWC. The Group is headquartered in London with its operational hub located in Miami, within close proximity to the Caribbean and Latin America. For more information visit:www.cwc.com. Image Available:http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2982530 || Bitcoin finds room in small funds; large institutions still on sidelines: By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK, March 18 (Reuters) - Digital currency bitcoin has found favor among smaller investors, thanks to the availability of funds designed to invest in it, but remains a niche among the larger investing community. Investors at some family offices, smaller mutual funds, and traders at hedge funds say bitcoin has helped returns and demonstrated a low correlation with other asset classes. Hopes that bitcoin would become a broadly used alternative to other currencies helped buoy its price to more than $1,000 in December 2013, when its market capitalization was $13 billion. But the market cap has retreated since then, to about $6.4 billion as of Thursday. Early enthusiasts for the crypto-currency were drawn to its revolutionary ideals of transparency and a lack of central or official control. The risks of dealing in bitcoin were laid bare in 2013 when Tokyo-based exchange Mt Gox collapsed after admitting it had lost the equivalent of hundreds of millions of dollars of investor funds. The currency's earlier ties to gambling and criminal websites did not endear it to traditional investors. Jeremy Millar, founder and managing partner at Ledger Partners in London, estimated that 50 to 90 percent of bitcoin's current $6.4 billion market cap is held by near-institutional money such as individuals at hedge funds and family offices. That has not changed over the last two years. He does not have an estimate for institutional investment holdings of bitcoin. But he said they are likely to be insignificant, compared with the smaller investors who have fewer restrictions about fund allocation. "What is clear though is that over the last two years, bitcoin has emerged from its 'hacktivist' origins to a more institutionalized ecosystem which includes the participation of hedge funds, traders, and professional investors," said Millar. BITCOIN IN PORTFOLIOS Funds dedicated to investing in bitcoin are relatively small. The largest is the Pantera Bitcoin Fund, a $160 million hedge fund founded by Dan Morehead, formerly of Tiger Management, available to institutions and individuals who invest $50,000 or more. According to a Pantera Bitcoin Fund brochure, the fund was launched in July 2013, a period when bitcoin traded at around $65. On Thursday, it traded at $418.80, a gain of more than 500 percent from July 2013. The firm did not comment on fund performance or its investors. The majority of the Pantera Fund's investors are family offices and high net worth individuals, said two people familiar with the fund. The Grayscale Bitcoin Investment Trust, with assets of more than $60 million, is another vehicle for investors. GBTC is backed by bitcoin advocate Barry Silbert and his Digital Currency Group. It is the only publicly traded U.S. security in the over-the-counter market invested in bitcoin. Volume is thin, with a few thousand shares traded daily, according to Thomson Reuters data. Antonis Polemitis, managing director at Ledra Capital in New York, a family office specializing in education and technology, said that on average, clients have allocated 1 to 3 percent of their portfolios to bitcoin. "A lot of people will take that bet with 1 percent of their assets," he said. "A 1 percent loss does not change anyone's life in any way. If it goes up 10 times, then you get to feel very smart." Some investment managers say having bitcoin in portfolios has helped performance. ARK Invest, which manages four exchange-traded funds with $240 million in assets, holds GBTC in its $12 million Next Generation Internet ETF and the $7 million ARK Innovation ETF. Chris Burniske, analyst and blockchain products lead at ARK Invest in New York, said since investing in September 2015, GBTC has contributed 67 basis points to the Next Generation Internet ETF's return and 62 basis points to the ARK Innovation ETF. For 2015, the Next Generation ETF posted a 15.29 percent return, while the Innovation ETF had 3.76 percent gains. For Kingsbridge Wealth Management, a multifamily office in Las Vegas with $150 million in assets, GBTC has become a great diversifier because so far it has had a low correlation with other asset classes, said David Dunn, the firm's founder and chief investment officer. The firm has about $1.7 million invested in bitcoin and its underlying technology, the blockchain, Dunn said. (Editing by David Gaffen and Matthew Lewis) || Australian says he created bitcoin, but some sceptical: By Byron Kaye and Jemima Kelly SYDNEY/LONDON (Reuters) - Australian tech entrepreneur Craig Wright identified himself as the creator of controversial digital currency bitcoin on Monday but experts were divided over whether he really was the elusive person who has gone by the name of Satoshi Nakamoto until now. Uncovering Nakamoto's real identity would solve a riddle dating back to the publication of the open source software behind the cryptocurrency in 2008, before its launch a year later. Bitcoin has since become the world's most commonly used virtual currency, attracting the interest of banks, speculators, criminals and regulators. Worth a total of $7 billion at current levels, it fell more than 3 percent on Monday -- a normal intraday move for the volatile currency -- after the news, to below $440 from around $455, before recovering slightly. Some online commentators suggested bitcoin's creator could help resolve a bitter row among the currency's software developers that threatens its future. But Wright made no reference to the row in a BBC interview identifying himself as Nakamoto, and as the protocol bitcoin runs on is open-source and cannot be controlled by any one person, it is unclear whether he would be able to influence the way it develops. "I was the main part of it, other people helped me," Wright, who is now living in London, told the BBC. "Some people will believe, Some people won't, and to tell you the truth, I don't really care," he said. Many bitcoiners said Wright had not done enough to definitively prove that he was Nakamoto, who maintained his anonymity throughout his involvement with bitcoin, which he stepped away from in 2011. But Gavin Andresen, who Nakamoto chose to succeed him, published a blog post in which he described meeting Wright last month and said he is “convinced beyond a reasonable doubt” that the Australian is Nakamoto. Jon Matonis, a founding director of the Bitcoin Foundation now works as a bitcoin consultant, wrote a blog post on Monday which, like Andresen’s, supported Wright’s claims. Story continues “According to me, the proof is conclusive and I have no doubt that Craig Steven Wright is the person behind the Bitcoin technology, Nakamoto consensus, and the Satoshi Nakamoto name,” Matonis wrote. He and Andresen also confirmed they had been responsible for their respective blog posts to Reuters directly. LEGACY Nakamoto's biggest likely legacy lies well beyond his control. The blockchain technology that underpins the currency could transform the way banks settle transactions, the way that property rights and other vital data are recorded, and provide a way for central banks to issue their own digital currencies. The BBC reported on Monday that Wright gave some technical proof demonstrating that he had access to blocks of bitcoins known to have been created by bitcoin's creator. Researchers believe Nakamoto may be holding up to one million of the more than 15 million bitcoins currently in circulation, which would make the creator worth around $440 million. In a blog post also dated Monday, Wright posted an example of a signature used by Nakamoto and an explanation of how bitcoin transactions are verified and thanked all those who had supported the project from its inception. "This incredible community’s passion and intellect and perseverance have taken my small contribution and nurtured it, enhanced it, breathed life into it," he wrote. However he did not state directly that he was Nakamoto. "Satoshi is dead," he said. "But this is only the beginning." Bitcoin expert Peter Van Valkenburgh, director of research at Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group Coin Center, said a new message cryptographically signed using the private key associated with the so-called Genesis block, the first ever "mined" would have been more convincing. The currency's "miners" are incentivised to process transactions every 10 minutes by a possible reward of bitcoins (25 currently), which is how new bitcoins are created. Wright also spoke with The Economist, but declined requests from the magazine to provide further proof that he was Nakamoto. His representatives told Reuters he would not be taking part in more media interviews for the time being. "Our conclusion is that Mr Wright could well be Mr Nakamoto, but that important questions remain," The Economist said. "Indeed, it may never be possible to establish beyond reasonable doubt who really created bitcoin.” Hopes that bitcoin would become broadly used helped buoy its price to more than $1,000 in December 2013, when its market capitalisation was $13 billion compared with today's $7 billion. Wright told The Economist he would exchange bitcoin he owns slowly to avoid pushing down its price. HOME RAIDED In December, police raided Wright's Sydney home and office after Wired magazine named him as the probable creator of bitcoin and holder of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the cryptocurrency. At the time he made no comment. The treatment of bitcoins for tax purposes in Australia has been the subject of considerable debate. The Australian Tax Office (ATO) ruled in December 2014 that cryptocurrency should be considered an asset, rather than a currency, for capital gains tax purposes. On Monday, the ATO said it had no comment while police were not immediately available for comment. If Wright is Nakamoto he "is now the leader of a movement", said Roberto Capodieci, a Singapore-based entrepreneur working on the blockchain, the technology underlying the currency. That movement ranges from libertarian enthusiasts to central banks experimenting with digital currencies, all of which pay homage in some way to Nakamoto's writings. (Additional reporting by Jeremy Wagstaff in Singapore, Matt Siegel in Sydney and Paul Sandle in London; Editing by Nick Macfie, Raju Gopalakrishnan and Philippa Fletcher) || Microsoft Is on Board with Disruptive Blockchain Technology: Blockchain and BMW: Microsoft Is Making Big Strides (Continued from Prior Part) Blockchain technology Previously in the series, we briefly discussed Microsoft’s (MSFT) partnership with R3CV to promote blockchain technology. Let’s look deeper into the technology to get an understanding of why it is being perceived as a hot commodity in the financial world. Blockchain is the technology that is the foundation of Bitcoin, the world’s first decentralized digital currency, also known as cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency is an encrypted digital currency that works independently of any banks or regulatory authorities. Blockchain applications are also referred to as “distributed ledger technology.” As they are decentralized, they eliminate the need for a centralized database. Bitcoin’s popularity sparked the interest of the banking and finance sector in blockchain technology. Blockchains are online ledgers that are used to store and record transactions. However, they can store other types of records, which explains the increased interest. Globally, banks share the opinion that blockchain technology can be employed in areas ranging from remittances to securities exchanges. Barclays stated that the technology has “been abstracted to carry any sort of asset which can be represented digitally.” The financial world’s interest in blockchain technology Financial institutions believe that blockchain technology can eliminate inefficiencies currently present in the financial markets while providing enhanced liquidity, transparency, and security. Blockchain technology eliminates the requirement of the intermediary and thus mitigates the risk of human error with full automation. Blockchain enables anyone to create and complete smart contracts permanently stored in the public ledger. Smart contracts are computer programs that can be cryptographed to perform a transaction once a particular set of conditions are met. Blockchain technology can help banks that must spend significant money, time, and resources on items like trade credit, which is highly paper driven and requires manual work. JP Morgan (JPM), Goldman Sachs (GS), and Barclays (BCS) have made significant investments in this technology, as we will see in later parts of the series. Microsoft also agrees, which explains its partnership with R3CV. You may want to consider investing in the PowerShares QQQ Trust, Series 1 ETF (QQQ) to gain exposure to Microsoft, which makes up 8.4% of QQQ. Investors who would like exposure to application software could also consider this ETF. Application software makes up ~28.4% of QQQ. Continue to Next Part Browse this series on Market Realist: • Part 1 - Microsoft Azure Wins a High-Profile Customer in BMW • Part 2 - How Microsoft’s Azure Is Giving Stiff Competition to Amazon’s AWS • Part 3 - Why Microsoft’s Partnership with R3CV Is Making News || Can you Pick the 2016 Election Winners Without TV Analysts? Here’s a Better Bet: Watch the video of ‘Can you Pick the 2016 Election Winners Without TV Analysts? Here’s a Better Bet’ on MoneyTalksNews.com. If you want a quick glimpse at who’s likeliest to be our next president, don’t listen to pollsters and pundits. Follow the money. We don’t mean the big bucks of super PACs or even the millions from small-money donors. We’re talking about real money people who wager on election outcomes. It turns out that the collective wisdom of bettors has a better record of predicting winners than the talking heads. One place that bettors congregate online is the Iowa Electronic Markets , or the IEM, at the University of Iowa. “If you look at polls run during the election, in about 75 percent of the cases, Iowa’s market prices predict the outcome of elections better than the polls,” says Joyce Berg, a University of Iowa accounting professor who oversees the IEM. Frederick Boehmke, University of Iowa political science professor and faculty adviser to the Hawkeye Poll, recently explained why to the Quad City Times newspaper . “A poll asks a person’s preference, what they want to happen,” Boehmke said. People investing in the IEM, however, “are trying to make money, so they pick the candidate or party they think will win. They typically set aside personal preferences to make money.” Also, a poll is a snapshot at a moment in time, Boehmke said. The market “is about who will win in the end.” The IEM and another exchange, PredictIt , which is set up in Washington, D.C., under the auspices of Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, say the predictions work because the “wisdom of crowds” aggregates the expectations of thousands of bettors who have skin in the game. A now-defunct exchange called Intrade in 2012 “predicted” the electoral outcome in 49 of the 50 states. People who put up real money are more likely to consider all the available information than people who just offer their opinions, says Money Talks News financial expert Stacy Johnson. Story continues That information could include economic and business conditions, stock market performance, inflation and employment rates as well as other factors that could sway voters’ moods. Once invested in the outcome, bettors follow campaigns closely. As on a stock exchange and similar to fantasy sports leagues, bettors can make or lose money buying and selling their shares in the outcomes in which they invested. You can get in on the action. How it works In exchanges, bettors actually are traders who buy and sell real-money contracts based on their beliefs about “yes or no” election outcomes. Unlike a casino sports book, the exchange does not set odds. The prices reflect the probabilities of various candidate winning a given political race. PredictIt explains it this way: You make predictions on future events by buying shares in an outcome, Yes or No. Each outcome has a probability between 1 and 99 percent, which is converted into U.S. cents. “For example, Trader A thinks an event has at least a 60 percent chance of taking place so she offers 60 cents for a Yes share. PredictIt matches her offer with that of Trader B, who is willing to pay 40 cents for a No share. Each trader now owns a share in the market for this event on opposite sides. … If an event does take place, all Yes shares are redeemed at $1. Shares in No become worthless. If the event does not take place before the market closes, traders holding shares in No will be paid $1, while Yes shares will be worthless. At the IEM, you can open an account for $5 to $200. If you just want to look, check who’s leading the popular bets. Popular bets For the moment, according to the exchanges and other betting venues, the odds-on favorite is Hillary Clinton. That doesn’t mean bettors favor Hillary’s politics over those of Bernie Sanders, her rival for the Democratic nomination, or Republican front-runner Donald Trump. It just means they bet she wins. The likelihood of a Trump presidency, according to bettors, is less than 20 percent. Both the IEM and PredictIt offer markets in who will be the GOP and Democratic presidential nominees. IEM has a market in which party will win the 2016 election as well as one in which you can bet on how the parties will share the popular vote. As of March 11, it was Democrats, about 55 percent, leading Republicans, 45 percent. The IEM also has a market on who will control Congress (“Republican House, Democratic Senate” is leading). PredictIt also has bets on upcoming party primaries, including Ohio (Kasich beating Trump, Clinton beating Sanders) and Illinois (Trump trouncing Cruz, Clinton trouncing Sanders) as well as topics such as whether the GOP will have a brokered convention (No is beating Yes) and will Marco Rubio drop out by March 18 (Yes is beating No). More sites at which to garner predictions Election Betting Odds : Run by Fox Business reporter John Stossel and his producer, Maxim Lott, Election Betting Odds features odds derived from an exchange, Betfair.com , which does not accept American traders due to regulations. It recently showed Clinton with a 64 percent probability of winning the White House and Trump with a 19 percent chance. FiveThirtyEight : This site is run by Nate Silver, known for calling the results in 49 out of 50 states in 2008 and all 50 states in 2012, FiveThirtyEight is predicting outcomes from primaries and caucuses based on data from polls and endorsements. PredictWise: Run by David Rothschild, an economist at Microsoft Research in New York City, PredictWise aggregates data on politics as well as sports, finance and entertainment. The site says it is does not favor gambling. It does indicate the Democratic nominee has a 69 percent chance of winning the White House compared with the Republican candidate’s 31 percent chance of winning. It also predicts Clinton will be the Democratic nominee by a better than 9-1 ratio over Sanders, and that Trump has a 76 percent probability of winning the GOP nomination. Pinnacle Sports : At the Curacao-licensed online betting site, Clinton has the best odds. Paddy Power : An online gambling site that mainly features sports, Paddy Power takes bets (not from the United States) on U.S. politics , too. It has Clinton as favored to win; Trump has the second-best odds. Predictious : Established after the demise of Intrade, Ireland-based Predictious exchange allows you to buy and sell contracts using Bitcoins, the virtual currency. Despite all these predictions, they could be dead wrong, Johnson points out. Ahead of the March 1 Super Tuesday elections, PredictIt bettors and PredictWise said Trump would win 10 of 11 states and would lose only to Ted Cruz in Cruz’s home state, Texas. Cruz did win in Texas, but he also took Oklahoma and Alaska while Rubio won Minnesota; Trump won in seven states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia. So, while you might want to get a handle on the odds for your favorite candidate — and bettors can help — in the voting booth, you need to weigh that with your political convictions. “You need to do your own research, pick your own candidate and then back that candidate with your vote, no matter what gamblers, polls or pundits say,” he said. If you were betting on the election, where would you put your money? Does that pick line up with your politics? Share with us in comments below or on our Facebook page . This article was originally published on MoneyTalksNews.com as 'Can you Pick the 2016 Election Winners Without TV Analysts? Here’s a Better Bet' . More from Money Talks News A Way to Master Income Taxes — at Last — and Save Money 7 Ways Donald Trump is Destroying His Brand and 4 Ways He’s Improving It Could These 12 Weird Tax Deductions Save You Money? || Bitcoin has a governance problem, no matter who created it: By Jemima Kelly LONDON (Reuters) - As one would-be father of bitcoin falls by the wayside, squabbling among the web-based currency's lead developers is exposing a fundamental flaw: it must evolve to meet growing demand, but may lack a governance structure to achieve this. The latest bickering erupted after Australian entrepreneur Craig Wright promised to prove he was the mysterious creator of bitcoin - which allows users to move money across the world quickly and anonymously - but then said on Thursday he could not provide further evidence to back this up. Wright stopped short of reneging on his claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto, assumed to be a pseudonym for the person or people who launched the digital cryptocurrency in 2009. However, he apologized for damaging the reputations of bitcoin experts who had believed him. Many members of the bitcoin community reckon this is all a distraction and agree with Wright when he said that the identity of Nakamoto "doesn't, and shouldn't, matter". "Satoshi's biggest achievement was to create a system that doesn't require his participation to run," said Peter Todd, one of bitcoin's core software developers. "That's what makes all this stuff kind of funny. It's like searching for the creator of a system that's designed not to require a creator." While gray-suited central bankers print conventional currencies and commercial banks control transactions in them, no one person or entity is in charge of bitcoin. Instead it runs on a decentralized system of shared trust without any third-party verification of transactions - one reason why many people are attracted to it. Critics, however, say it needs a "benevolent dictator" or at least some "adults" to manage the expansion that it needs to cope with the increasing number of transactions. Someone, or some group, must decide how to meet users' requirements, they say. Trades are handled by thousands of "mining" computers around the world which validate blocks of transactions by competing to solve mathematical puzzles every 10 minutes. The first computer to solve the puzzle clears the transaction and is currently rewarded with 25 new bitcoins, now worth around $11,250. . This is how the computers' owners cover their costs - largely power bills - and make a profit. The system also ensures there is no single point in the system that might fail. CIVIL WAR In practice, there do appear to be people who can make decisions, but it is also possible to be excluded from this magic circle. One of the bitcoin experts who initially believed Wright's claim is Gavin Andresen. Nakamoto handed control of bitcoin's software to Andresen when he stepped aside in 2011, a transfer that kept the creator's identity a mystery as it was conducted in cyberspace without human contact. Andresen later shared that control with others. But when he stated publicly he believed Wright, skeptical developers responded by revoking his "commit access" to a shared repository of bitcoin rules. Initially, these developers justified their move on security grounds, saying his computer must have been hacked - something Andresen denied. When Reuters asked Todd whether Andresen's access would be reinstated, he responded: "Heck no", saying a belief in Wright amounted to "inexcusable incompetence". Andresen admitted to bewilderment over whether he still believed Wright's claims. "Ask me in six months; I don't trust my own judgment right now after all the drama," he said on Twitter. The squabbling is not new. One of the lead developers, Mike Hearn, stood down from bitcoin in January because of a power struggle nicknamed the "bitcoin civil war". Hearn and Andresen had proposed increasing the size of the blocks in which transactions are processed but the other developers opposed this. In quitting, Hearn said that "what was meant to be a new, decentralized form of money that lacked systemically important institutions" had now become "a system completely controlled by just a handful of people". Many investors and start-up firms remain optimistic about bitcoin and are making money from it. But Emin Gun Sirer, a computer science professor at Cornell University, said the appearance of internal conflict was undermining it. "For bitcoin to retain its value, it's important to have hope that there's good management in charge, that there are adults in charge," Sirer said. "When we see opportunistic moves, that's a problem." BENEVOLENT DICTATORS But Sirer also said that any open-source project such as bitcoin, which runs using software that anyone can access, change, and distribute, faces the challenge of governance. "Is it a pipe dream to expect to be able to build a currency system that is completely decentralized and free of any control whatsoever? The short answer to that is yes, but that's not what anyone should have expected anyway," he said. Sirer added that he was concerned that his brightest young students at Cornell were being deterred from getting involved with bitcoin because of the in-fighting and the appearance that developers were unable to agree on change. One other digital currency system which is attracting bright young minds is Ethereum, created in 2013 by Russian-Canadian Vitalik Buterin when he was just 19. It works with the "benevolent dictator model", as Sirer calls it, with Buterin holding the decision-making power. "Over the last couple of years it's become apparent that having a static protocol is just not a viable approach," Buterin told the Consensus bitcoin conference in New York earlier in the week. "Software has to evolve ... and there has to be some mechanism for agreeing on how software is going to upgrade." Most, however, reckon that even if Nakamoto were to be found, the other developers - many of whom have written more code than he ever did in the seven years since bitcoin was launched - would not accept his having ultimate power. "(Nakamoto) would be thanked for creating this amazing thing, but if there comes a time when there's a technical debate over whether we should go one way or the other, his opinions would only be persuasive, not controlling," said Jerry Brito, executive director of bitcoin advocacy group Coin Center. (Additional reporting by Toby Sterling in Amsterdam; editing by David Stamp) || Exclusive: Coinbase, Ripple close to landing New York bitcoin licenses - source: By Suzanne Barlyn NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York state's financial regulator is close to approving licenses for bitcoin companies Coinbase Inc and Ripple Labs Inc, which would allow them to offer digital currency services in the state, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The New York State Department of Financial Services received applications from both companies, according to an April 28 notice published on the regulator's website. The notices, usually published after virtual currency firms have completed the regulator's paperwork, signal that the licensing process is nearly complete, according to the person familiar with the matter and other sources. An exact time frame for approval of the licenses is not yet clear. The sources requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Bitcoin is a Web-based "cryptocurrency" that enables users to move money across the world quickly and anonymously without the need for third-party verification. Despite being championed by some as the digital money of the future, it is often dismissed as a currency that is too volatile to invest in. Last year, New York became the first U.S. state to issue extensive rules for virtual currency companies. The guidelines, aimed at consumer protection and prevention of money laundering, require companies to obtain what is known in the state as a "BitLicense." Both Coinbase and Ripple are based in San Francisco. "We are committed to being fully compliant with all state and federal laws and applied for the license to ensure we remain so," said a Ripple spokesman, who declined to elaborate. Coinbase declined to comment. The four-year-old Coinbase is one of the world's largest U.S.-based bitcoin companies. Among its backers are USAA and venture capital firms Andreessen Horowitz and Ribbit Capital. Coinbase, which markets its services to consumers and merchants, has also applied for a license that would allow it to facilitate dollar transactions. Backers of Ripple, which filed for the license under the corporate name XRP II LLC, also include Andreessen Horowitz along with Google Ventures and IDG Capital Partners. Ripple's service and currency, known as XRP, is for financial institutions and companies, such as banks, that provide liquidity for foreign exchanges. Once approved, the licenses would add to a nascent digital currency industry taking hold in New York. On Thursday, NYDFS approved the application of Gemini Trust Company, founded by investors Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, to trade a digital currency called ether on its bitcoin exchange. (Additional reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss in New York; Editing by Lauren Tara LaCapra and Matthew Lewis) [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] LIVE: Profit = $315.76 (3.92 %). BUY B19.53 @ $420.00 (#VirCurex). SELL @ $429.50 (#Bitfinex) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || #TrollCoin #TROLL $ 0.000058 (-1.48 %) 0.00000013 BTC (0.00 %) || LIVE: Profit = $174.22 (8.45 %). BUY B5.36 @ $400.00 (#VirCurex). SELL @ $406.00 (#HitBTC) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || LIVE: Profit = $479.21 (5.94 %). BUY B19.53 @ $420.00 (#VirCurex). SELL @ $437.59 (#Bitfinex) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || One Bitcoin now worth $422.17@bitstamp. High $423.00. Low $416.61. Market Cap $ 6.502 Billion #bitcoin pic.twitter.com/WbioZQJBwR || One Bitcoin now worth $455.45@bitstamp. High $463.00. Low $447.38. Market Cap $ 7.075 Billion #bitcoin pic.twitter.com/V45v7oolxT || 1 #bitcoin = $7425.00 MXN | $425.94 USD #BitAPeso 1 USD = 17.43MXN http://www.bitapeso.com  || Current price: 418.16$ $BTCUSD $btc #bitcoin 2016-04-04 00:40:07 EDT || 15 hours 59 minutes left in Bid period - Price $BCR Bittrex 0.00000299 BTC #fintech #Bitcredit 2016-05-05 04:00 pic.twitter.com/2vrBtJeREs || $426.00 #coinbase; $425.14 #bitfinex; $423.91 #bitstamp; $420.00 #btce; #bitcoin #btc
Trend: down || Prices: 455.67, 455.67, 457.57, 454.16, 453.78, 454.62, 438.71, 442.68, 443.19, 439.32
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2017-12-05] BTC Price: 11916.70, BTC RSI: 85.22 Gold Price: 1261.60, Gold RSI: 40.75 Oil Price: 57.62, Oil RSI: 58.85 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin just passed $5,000: This morning bitcoin shot past $5,000, and is now hovering around $5,300 -- up nearly 10 percent from yesterday. It's the first time the cryptocurrency has confidently shot past $5,000. Some exchanges saw the price hit $5,000 for a few minutes in September , but it only lasted for about 10 minutes, making today the first sustained movement past the historic milestone. YTD chart of bitcoin Interestingly, not all cryptocurrencies are following bitcoin's lead today, which usually happens when the incumbent cryptocurrency experiences price fluctuations. Ethereum is only up 2 percent, while Ripple is down 2 percent. Litecoin is the only currency mimicking bitcoin's movements, as it's also up ~10 percent today. This milestone comes exactly two months after the cryptocurrency passed $4,000 . It's a testament to the resiliency of the cryptocurrency, especially after it temporarily sunk last month when China banned both ICOs and cryptocurrency exchanges. While it's always hard to pinpoint what exactly is causing price movements, many think that institutional interest is playing a major role in this extended rally. Many Wall Street banks have recently expressed interest (or disinterest) in the cryptocurrency, and mainstream financial media like CNBC have been talking about bitcoin just as much as any other traditional security. Ironically, this morning on the company's earnings call, JP Morgan's CEO Jamie Dimon said he's " not going to talk about bitcoin anymore ." This comes a month after his original comments calling bitcoin "a fraud," which caused the price to drop 5 percent. So what's next for bitcoin? The cryptocurrency is expected to undergo another "hard fork" at the end of November, where some developers will try to propose a protocol change called SegWit2X. While it's still unclear how much miner support this protocol change will have, it's possible that we'll soon see another bitcoin spin-off, just like Bitcoin Cash . Either way, you can expect the price to be pretty volatile in either direction until after the scaling debate is hopefully resolved next month. || USDMXN ready to take profits, EURJPY to go lower and USDCAD to break from the sideways trend: Three technical setups on Tuesday : USDMXN – We can see first signs of the exhaustion here. After breaking the upper line of the triangle, the price surged higher. Now we are approaching the 38,2% Fibonacci where we can get a taking profit action form the buyers. That resistance is additionally strengthened by the highs from March, April, and May. EURJPY is very close to triggering a major sell signal after the price broke the up trendline and increased the pressure on the 131.85 support. A breakout here should increase the odds for a further drop. USDCAD is ignoring a great sell opportunity caused by the head and shoulders pattern and is heading higher to test the down trendline and the upper line of the recent sideways trend. Patience wins the day here and we should wait for the breakout before opening any position. This article is written by Tomasz Wisniewski, a senior analyst at Alpari Research & Analysis This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: USDMXN ready to take profits, EURJPY to go lower and USDCAD to break from the sideways trend Technical Update For EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY & AUD/USD: 17.10.2017 E-mini Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM) Futures Analysis – Trend Up, But Needs to Hold 22898 to Sustain Rally Bitcoin Trades near All-Time Highs, the Ethereum Hard Fork, and the Slow March to $6,000 USD/CAD Daily Fundamental Forecast – October 17, 2017 E-mini S&P 500 Index (ES) Futures Technical Analysis – Becomes Vulnerable to Downside Under 2549.00 || CME says bitcoin futures coming this year, but date not set: By John McCrank NEW YORK (Reuters) - CME Group Inc, the world's biggest futures exchange, said on Monday it still plans to launch a futures contract for bitcoin this year, but that a notice on its website stating the contract would begin trading on Dec. 11 was posted in error. As bitcoin passed above the $8,000 level for the first time on Monday, cryptocurrency-related websites were abuzz with news of the CME notice that said the CME Bitcoin Futures contract would become effective on Dec. 10, a Sunday, for trading on Dec. 11, pending regulatory review. But the notice was later removed from CME's website and Laurie Bischel, a spokeswoman for the exchange operator, said the original posting "was due to an error with the website," without giving further details. CME is vying with rival Cboe Global Markets Inc to launch the first bitcoin-related financial product on a traditional, regulated exchange. [nL4N1N65PG] Bitcoin is notoriously volatile and has risen in price by almost 50 percent in just the last days, prompting multiple warnings of a bubble. [nL8N1NQ49H] To help rein in some of that volatility, CME will not allow the trading of bitcoin futures at prices 20 percent above or below the settlement price from the previous day, according to the exchange's website. As of Monday, CME had not yet filed with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission to launch bitcoin futures, a spokeswoman for the company said. Cboe also said it has yet to file with for a bitcoin futures contract with the CFTC, but spokeswoman Hannah Randall said the exchange operator was in active discussions with the regulator. Cboe has said it sees launching a bitcoin futures contract as the first step to launching an exchange-traded fund based on bitcoin prices. CFTC regulations allow designated contract markets such as CME to list products for trading without prior CFTC approval by filing a written self-certification with the regulator, meaning CME stipulates the product complies with the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations. To self-certify a new product, the exchange must file its submission with the CFTC by the open of business on the business day before a product is to be listed. (Reporting by John McCrank; Editing by Meredith Mazzilli) || A crypto company took out an ad in the Wall Street Journal to poke fun at Jamie Dimon: (Jamie Dimon called bitcoin 'a fraud' in September.REUTERS/Jason Reed) A cryptocurrency company took out a full-page ad in The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday to fire back at JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, who in September called bitcoin "a fraud." The ad, taken out by Eidoo, a cryptocurrency wallet company, said "Maybe Jamie will fire you. But you will be free to trade in the crypto world." That's alluding to comments made by Dimon on September 12. While speaking at a Barclays financial conference,Dimon bashed bitcoin saying it is in a bubble "worse than tulips bulbs."Dimon added that he would fire anyone at the bank for trading the red-hot cryptocurrency for being stupid. Bitcoin is up more than 350% year-to-date. A full page ad in The Wall Street Journal can cost as much as$354,823, a high price tag for most startups. But Eidoo, which provides an app for cryptocurrency investors to store their various coins and tokens, appears to have cash to spare. So far, it has raised more than 79,000 ether tokens in an initial coin offering, according to itswebsite. That's worth roughly $23,700,000. ICOs allow startups to raise money by issuing their own cryptocurrencies.Recently, ICOs have come under scrutiny from regulators because companies can use them to raise quick money without having to disclose substantive information to investors. They've become a darling of blockchain and cryptocurrency startups looking to raise cash without having to go through the traditional avenues of venture capital or an initial public offering. Here's a picture of the ad: (Frank Chaparro) NOW WATCH:An Italian economist told us Berlusconi and Trump are the same … except Trump is meaner More From Business Insider • These 15 little-known perks show why Amazon Prime is so much more than free shipping • Forget the iPhone 8 and iPhone X — here are 7 reasons you should buy the iPhone 7 instead • Here's what 6 of the most powerful Wall Streeters have to say about bitcoin || Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Oil Plunges After API Reports Surprise Build in Crude Inventories: U.S. West Texas Intermediate and internationally-favored Brent crude oil fell on Tuesday after a report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) raised doubts over a key part of the story that had been driving prices higher over the past few months. January WTI Crude Oil settled at $55.89, down $1.08 or -1.90% and February Brent Crude Oil finished the session at $62.06, down 1.04 or -1.65%. The IEA on Tuesday cut its oil demand growth forecast by 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) for this year and next, to an estimated 1.5 million bpd in 2017 and 1.3 million bpd in 2018. The demand slowdown could mean world oil consumption may not, as may expect, breach 100 million bpd next year, while supplies are likely to exceed that level. We could see volatility over the near-term because the IEA report differs from a similar report from OPEC which said 2018 would see a strong rise in oil demand. Adding to the bearish tone, the IEA said, “The oil market faces a difficult challenge in 1Q18 with supply expected to exceed demand by 600,000 bpd followed by another, smaller, surplus of 200,000 bpd in 2Q18.” Given the IEA report, the market is likely to continue to fall until it finds buyers. Furthermore, the size of the long position built by the hedge funds and commodity funds means we could see a sizable break with a strong possibility of a panic sell at some point. The market is still pricing in an extension of the OPEC production cuts, but with demand expected to fall, it’s going to take longer for the market to rebalance. WTI and Brent crude oil futures are trading lower early Wednesday after yesterday’s steep sell-off. I expect the selling pressure to continue with the initial target for WTI crude at $54.62 to $53.78. Brent crude should test the $60.36 to $59.40 area. Helping to drive prices sharply lower late Tuesday was a report from the American Petroleum Institute (API) which reported a huge build of 6.513 million barrels of U.S. crude oil inventories. Analysts were looking for a draw of about 1.4 million barrels for the week-ending November 10. Gasoline inventories, according to the API, also saw a build this week, of 2.399 million barrels for the week-ending November 10, against an expected draw of 1.1 million barrels. Distillate inventories saw a decline this week, down 2.527 million barrels. Analysts had expected a drop of 500,000 barrels. On Wednesday, the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s weekly inventories report is expected to show a draw of 2.1 million barrels, but this estimate is likely to change because of the results of the API report. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Gold Daily Analysis – November 15, 2017 • Commodities Daily Forecast – November 15, 2017 • Bitcoin Rebounded Strongly From 5427 • Global Equities Declining as Nervousness Grows, Asian Stocks Fall • Forex Trading Signals – November 15, 2017 • Morning Market Updates – NZD/USD || Why investors need to start paying more attention to cryptocurrencies: David Garrity is the CEO of GVA Research. Cryptocurrencies are essentially “New Money,” backed by independently operated computers and user faith in an open source algorithm, that runs on blockchain technology. According to MIT Technology Review, “A blockchain is a shared, permanent, encrypted dataset, created by a network of computers according to a set of software rules.” Understanding the operation of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies (e.g. bitcoin) can be daunting. Yet, they have become central to the discussion of investing and technology, so it’s time to dive in. Here are five reasons why cryptocurrencies are significant: As of April 2016, the Millennials surpassed the Baby Boomers in size in the U.S., with 76mm Boomers and 77mm Millennials. Much as the Boomers before them drove the global economy and created from their tastes and preferences investment opportunities for decades, Millennials are having a growing effect that cannot and must not be ignored. When it comes to finance, Millennial experience is shaped by the dot.com bubble burst of the early 2000s and financial crisis of the late 2000s. When it comes to the financial system, Millennials have had to suffer from the mistakes and greed of their elders. However, while Millennials may not trust financial advisors, they do trust technology as the first generation to come of age with computers, smartphones, social media and as such a healthy admiration of creative entrepreneurship. Millennials are tech-centric and are comfortable investing in an asset class such as bitcoin which depends upon technology. Cryptocurrencies help Millennials bypass fears about the traditional financial industry by serving as a decentralized asset class in which to invest. Based on recent surveys, 87% of respondents aged 18-24 know of bitcoin vs. 76% of those aged 55+. While respondents aged 25-34 are most likely to invest in bitcoin as an asset for the future or to consider using bitcoin for purchases, older respondents have already made up their minds to not get involved with bitcoin. As Millennials increasingly drive the global economy, expect bitcoin to be more and more how they pay for the ride. Already we can see that digital payments are displacing older payment forms as the market capitalization of PayPal (ticker: PYPL, market cap: $87bn) has surpassed that of American Express (ticker: AXP, market cap: $83bn). Bitcoin is a currency with a future as Millennials put their trust in it. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has said that bitcoin is an index of money laundering. However, note that currently the $100 bill issued by the U.S. Treasury is the currency of money laundering the world over. There are more than $1.1 trillion worth of US$100 bills in circulation globally, a number that has doubled over the past decade. If Fink is right, then bitcoin has ample room to rise from its current value of $7,300 (implied value of $153bn for the maximum 21mm bitcoins possible) as it displaces US$100 bills. To be realistic, money laundering is an activity generally frowned upon by governments and one that they have sought to control through the introduction of anti-money laundering (AML) regulations. However, to be equally realistic, one should note that given how the rich and powerful like to keep their money clean, one shouldn’t expect to see regulation over cryptocurrency proceed in a way that diminishes their wealth by excessive regulation or outright bans. To the extent bitcoin is more secure and cleaner than $100 bills, expect to see more of it. Let’s be honest, the US$100 bill enjoys its status because the U.S. Dollar is the global reserve currency, a status enjoyed since the end of WWII when the USA was the strongest economy left standing in a world bombed flat by war. By having the global reserve currency, the USA is able to set monetary policy and interest rates that drive the global economy. With benefits like that, who wouldn’t want to have the opportunity to create a new global reserve currency? However, given the current likely undesirable outcomes from global scale nuclear conflict, it is not likely war will be the means by which the U.S. Dollar will be displaced from its global reserve currency status. Cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin do offer the opportunity to compete. As the worldwide opportunity in creating such new money dwarfs the combined market capitalization of the FANG stocks, it is likely this point is not lost on policymakers in Beijing and Moscow, along with other countries. Consider the total addressable market for a new currency as there are over $5 trillion in physical Dollars, Euros, Yen and Yuan in circulation globally with multiples of that in total money supply across the economies where those currencies trade. On a relative basis, total cryptocurrency valuations of approximately $170bn appear almost immaterial. There is significant disruptive structural change unfolding in the retailing sector centered in large part around Amazon.com (AMZN) which is at a point where it is accelerating the pace at which grows by now acquiring established retail outlets such as WholeFoods. With its large customer list and the competitive edge provided by its stellar technological capabilities, note with interest that Amazon has just recently registered three domains:amazoncryptocurrencies.com,amazoncrypotocurrency.com, andamazonethereum.com. With Millennials inclined to use bitcoin to pay for purchases, Amazon is most likely posing consumers the question: “How do you plan to pay for all those Xmas gifts?” An index from cryptocurrency analyst Alex de Vries, aka Digiconomist, estimates that with bitcoin trading over $7,000, it would be profitable for bitcoin miners to burn through over 24 terawatt-hours of electricity annually as they compete to solve increasingly difficult cryptographic puzzles to “mine” more bitcoins. That’s about as much electricity as Nigeria, a country of 186mm, consumes annually. Since the average American household consumes 901 KWh per month, each bitcoin transfer represents enough energy to run a comfortable house, and everything in it, for nearly a week. On a larger scale, De Vries’ index shows that bitcoin miners worldwide could be using enough electricity to at any given time to power about 2.26 million American homes. As such, if bitcoin mining were a separate U.S. state, it would fall between Maryland (#20 with 2.2mm households) and Wisconsin (#19 with 2.33mm households). Terrapins, Badgers and bitcoin, oh my! To update Winston Churchill’s statement on Russia and its national policy prior to the outbreak of WWII, namely “it is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”, one might say of cryptocurrencies that they are “money wrapped within a cryptographic puzzle inside the enigma of 21st century technology”. While the key to understanding Russia was its national interest, there is no such unifying theme to consider with cryptocurrencies, only the rising tide of technological innovation washing away the foundational assumptions of established paradigms. We live in interesting times. David Garrity has over 25 years’ experience in the financial services industry, he has held senior roles including CFO and board of director positions for both publicly held and private companies, and has extensive experience in several disciplines including operating, advisory and research, and is CEO of GVA Research. David currently serves on the Board of Directors of BTCS Inc., a publicly-held U.S. company involved with Digital Assets and Blockchain technology development and application, and the Advisory Board of Venture.co. || Jamie Dimon Says He's Done Talking About Bitcoin: JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon has said he won't be commenting on bitcoin anymore. It's a statement that comes a month after his now-infamous declaration that the cryptocurrency is a "fraud." Dimon made the remarks during a third-quarter earnings call with reporters this morning, as cited byCNBC. He reportedly said: "I wouldn't put this high on the category of important things in the world, but I'm not going to talk about bitcoin anymore." During the call, JPMorgan chief financial officer Marianne Lake was quoted as saying that the bank is "open-minded for digital currencies that are properly controlled and regulated." Dimon has something of a history of making strong statements on bitcoin. On September 12, during an event hosted by Barclays, he said that the cryptocurrency, in his view, is "worse than tulip bulbs," a reference to the 17th century speculative bubble in Dutch tulips. "It won't end well. Someone is going to get killed," he said at the time. Dimonlater doubled downon his comments, predicting that bitcoin would be targeted by governments. Dimon's "fraud" remark last month triggered a wave of commentary from Wall Street figures, withsome sidingwith his position, while others adopteda more neutral stance. By contrast,some commentatorshave taken issue with the "fraud" remarks, arguing that the cryptocurrency's foundation is based on a rejection of the banking system. Jamie Dimonimage via Flickr • No Fraud: Ex-JPMorgan Trader Masters Thinks Bitcoin Breakout Just Beginning • Goldman Sachs CEO: 'No Conclusion' on Bitcoin Yet • 'Wolf of Wall Street' Jordan Belfort: Jamie Dimon is Right About Bitcoin • Forecaster Gerald Celente: Banks Are Afraid of Bitcoin || Wall Street's new bitcoin play: Square rises after saying it's testing support of the cryptocurrency: Traders have another potential stock play on bitcoin (Exchange:BTC=): Square (SQ). Jack Dorsey 's company is testing support for bitcoin through its Cash payments app. "We're exploring how Square can make this experience faster and easier, and have rolled out this feature to a small number of Cash app customers," a Square spokesperson said via email to CNBC. "We believe cryptocurrency can greatly impact the ability of individuals to participate in the global financial system and we're excited to learn more here." The test does not allow individuals or businesses to send or accept bitcoin, Square said. Shares of Square spiked more than 5 percent Wednesday to a record high as one Wall Street firm was quick to recommend the stock on this potential development. The stock closed up 2.3 percent at $40.66 a share. "We believe it could place SQ in an early-mover position as a mainstream fin-tech company providing crypto-currency services," Credit Suisse analysts Paul Condra and Mrinalini Bhutoria wrote on Wednesday. "SQ is also well positioned to enable crypto transactions at the physical point of sale." Credit Suisse has a neutral rating on the stock and maintained a price target of $31, nearly 22 percent below where Square closed Tuesday. TechCrunch first reported the news overnight, citing a Twitter user. Buying and selling bitcoin has become a big business. Coinbase, the leading U.S. platform for such services, has 12.5 million users and says on its website it has exchanged $40 billion worth of digital currency. That means Coinbase's user growth has more than doubled from 5.5 million in January, according to analysis of public data compiled by Alistair Milne, co-founder and chief investment officer of Altana Digital Currency Fund. Source: Alistair Milne, Coinbase The price of bitcoin has leaped by more than seven times this year. The digital currency recovered from a sharp weekend plunge and traded more than 9 percent higher Wednesday above $7,200, according to CoinDesk. Other stocks have surged this year following news the companies were working on bitcoin-related projects. Notably, shares of Overstock.com (OSTK) are up 187 percent this year as its roughly three years of work in developing businesses related to bitcoin's blockchain technology caught investors attention. Square was tracking for gains of about 198 percent for the year as of Wednesday's close. However, Square's test of bitcoin is still small and focused on letting customers buy and sell the digital currency within the app. "It's nice, but I think the bigger thing is if you can eventually be able to pay with Square [point-of-sale terminals] with bitcoins," Nomura Instinet analyst Dan Dolev told CNBC. "It's a nice PR thing but it's not a fundamental mover and shaker." Dolev has a buy rating on Square with a target price of $45 based on his view the company is increasingly disrupting the payments industry and gaining traction with larger merchants. There are other risks for working with a digital currency that governments have watched warily. "We believe the largest risk is regulation, which could limit its ability to provide the service or outright ban it. SQ is also exposed to liquidity and counterparty risk as it must source bitcoin for users either by pre-buying or using an exchange," the Credit Suisse analysts said. "Despite these risks, the upside could be significant if crypto currencies become more mainstream. We believe PayPal (PYPL) (PYPL) is also well positioned to provide such services." PayPal and its Braintree payments platform for merchants have experimented with offering support for cryptocurrency, but merchant adoption and transaction volume were low, spokeswoman Amanda Miller said in a statement to CNBC. "If consumer demand increases for any new form of currency, we will consider support for those new payment methods as they become relevant to our customers over time." PayPal shares closed 1.4 percent lower, holding gains of 86 percent for the year. WATCH: Bitcoin's origin story remains shrouded in mystery. Here's why it mattersMore From CNBC • Stocks vulnerable as credit market sends up flares • The selling finally stops in GE as shares rebound after 12% two-day dive • Amid signs of trouble, Ed Yardeni sees bullish signs in the market || The companies most likely to benefit from the GOP tax plan are surging: Trump Mnuchin Reuters The GOP tax reform plan prompted rallies in the two areas of the stock market most sensitive to the proposed measures: highly taxed companies and those with cash overseas. After losing confidence in tax reform, investors appear to be swayed in the short term that progress is being made. The stocks most closely linked to the GOP's tax plan rallied on Thursday on signs of progress for policies that are expected to boost profits. These companies can be broken into two main groups : (1) Those who pay the most taxes, and would, therefore, benefit most from a cut, and (2) those with the most cash stashed overseas and would see a huge windfall from a proposed one-time repatriation tax holiday. That tax plan details were released on Thursday and not delayed further was clearly viewed as a positive sign for investors who have been crouched in wait-and-see mode for weeks. Here's a round-up of the action: Highly taxed companies A Goldman Sachs basket of 50 companies that pay high taxes, spread across a variety of US industries, climbed sharply around the time details of the GOP tax plan started trickling out. After trading little changed for much of the morning, the index then rose as much as 0.4%. The chart below shows how Goldman's high-tax basket has traded relative to the S&P 500 . Note that while the line had descended to the lowest level since the election in recent weeks, it climbed on Thursday, indicating outperformance relative to the US equity benchmark. High Tax Stocks Business Insider / Joe Ciolli, data from Bloomberg Companies that hold the most cash overseas A Goldman Sachs basket of companies that make a large portion of their earnings overseas, and thereby have big foreign cash holdings. The GOP tax plan is designed to have those firms bring cash held internationally back into the US. After trading down as much as 0.6% Thursday morning, the index sharply pared those losses and is now around breakeven for the day. Story continues The chart below shows how Goldman's high-overseas cash basket has traded relative to the S&P 500 . Note that while the line had fallen over the previous week, it climbed on Thursday, indicating outperformance relative to the US equity benchmark. High Overseas Cash Stocks Business Insider / Joe Ciolli, data from Bloomberg NOW WATCH: $6 TRILLION INVESTMENT CHIEF: Bitcoin is a bubble See Also: The group that represents America's small businesses slams the new GOP tax bill Traders don't want to get burned again by Trump's tax reform promises A part of the new GOP tax plan will be a tough sell for Republicans in New Jersey, New York, and California SEE ALSO: Traders don't want to get burned again by Trump's tax reform promises || Bitcoin and Ethereum Price Forecast – Ethereum Gets Some Love, Finally: Bitcoin prices continued to consolidate for another day as the focus of the market turned towards Ethereum over the last 24 hours. This led to a period of correction and consolidation in the bitcoin market which led the prices lower towards the $8000 region before a small bounce due to some strong buying led the prices to move higher into the $8200 region as of this writing. The prices are likely to continue to consolidate over the next 24 hours as well as the market prepares itself for the next leg of the bull run. The next leg could carry the prices into the $8500 region and beyond, as we had mentioned in our forecast yesterday. Get Into Bitcoin Trading Today Just as how the bitcoin market has been looked down by some of those in the financial sector, it has been receiving some strong support from other quarters as well and this has been helping to sustain the high prices of bitcoin. Also, with the launch of futures in bitcoin in the various exchanges only being a matter of time, we are going to see a lot more liquidity and volatility in the bitcoin market which will only help it to mature faster. Also, the introduction of futures is likely to bring in some good two way trading in the bitcoin market which will only help the industry in the long term. The Ethereum market finally found some love as the prices jumped by around 8% over the last 24 hours and now trade just short of their all time highs. We have been saying that the $380 region was likely to be the key for the prices to move higher and it turned out to be true as a breakout through that region led to a quick move higher through the $400 region and it trades above $410 as of this writing and looks strong to break through the all time highs and continue to move higher. It may not be a surprise if the ETH prices end up in the $500-$600 range by the end of the year. How Blockchain will change our Life, Economy and the World Looking ahead to the rest of the day, the focus would be on the ETH market, for a change, as the traders would wait to see if there is a break through the all time highs and if yes, then we could see the traders buy some more of ETH which will drive the breakout. Bitcoin prices are likely to take a backseat for a day more atleast as the market looks towards the weekend. The Best and Safest Way to Buy and Sell Bitcoins For those who are looking to take advantage of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies price fluctuations,some brokersprovide traders with instant access to trade Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies. The process is fast and easy with convenient and advanced trading platform (desktop and mobile), low spreads and instant execution.Click here for more details. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • GBP/USD Price Forecast November 24, 2017, Technical Analysis • Merkel and May to influence the EUR and the Pound • Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – WTI Getting Support from Keystone Event, Low Volume Limiting Gains • Gold Price Forecast November 24, 2017, Technical Analysis • S&P 500 Price Forecast November 24, 2017, Technical Analysis • Natural Gas Price Forecast November 24, 2017, Technical Analysis [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] RT TopFiveTraders "RT StakepoolCom "A LOOK INSIDE AMERICA'S LARGEST BITCOIN MINING OPERATION Check it out! http://ift.tt/2hWafYX  #crypto… || #bitcoin non si ferma più? Analisi tecnica || #bitcoin non si ferma più? Analisi tecnica || Sell! (10:00:30 pm PDT) Price: 7782.98 (+/- 0.5) Close: 7778.69 (+/- 0.5) Stop: 7785.98 (+/- 0.5) #gdax #coinbase #btc #trading #bitcoin || Bitcoin ve Altcoin borsası http://goo.gl/JsUCJm  #bitcoin #altcoin #blockchain || Bitcoin BTC Current Price: $4439.71 1 Hour: 0.17 % | 24 Hours: 1.6 % | 7 Days: 2.63 % || #Bitcoin Current bitcoin price is ฿0.00022124 BTC for $1 USD #GoldCoinJar || Trade #cryptocurrency #ethereum #eth #btc #bitcoin #token from anywhere in the world using #QVOLTA #blockchain #platform. Join #ICO || #Putin Tells Central Bank Not to Create Barriers to #Cryptocurrencies || Nov 12, 2017 22:00:00 UTC | 5,907.60$ | 5,068.90€ | 4,482.10£ | #Bitcoin #btc pic.twitter.com/wTc5z1ssIS
Trend: up || Prices: 14291.50, 17899.70, 16569.40, 15178.20, 15455.40, 16936.80, 17415.40, 16408.20, 16564.00, 17706.90
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin Price Reverses as [Another] Breakout Attempt Fizzles Out: bitcoin price exhausted runner The bitcoin price failed to extend its bounce once again, weighed down by weak bulls. The BTC/USD rate on Thursday dropped as low as 5.38 percent from its intraday high at 3488-fiat. The pair at press time is forming lower lows towards 3300-fiat on a strong volume jump on Coinbase . It expects to extend its downside momentum even further, with the near-term momentum readings clearly entering inside the oversold area. A weak support wall is lingering at 3295-fiat which, if broken, would confirm a drop towards the 3210-3250-fiat area. bitcoin price chart The US Dollar index is looking stronger on Thursday, specifically against commodities like gold . The speculation over the outcome of an upcoming Federal Reserve ‘s monetary policy meeting is directly impacting the dollar’s behavior. Whether or not the Fed will increase the interest rates is on the agenda, and a tighter rate policy could benefit gold — as well as bitcoin — in the long-term. BTC/USD Long-Term Indicators bitcoin price chart We speculated on a falling wedge formation yesterday for a potential breakout, but that didn’t happen. We had also discussed a trend reversal scenario, which happened. As of now, we are looking at the same falling wedge pattern as bitcoin hints an extended selling action. Ideally, the BTC/USD pair could break below its 2018’s low at 3210-fiat to test 3000-fiat as the long-term support — or bottom. The lower area should provide bulls enough opportunities to attempt a strong bounce back, again towards the upper trendline of the falling wedge formation, depicted in orange. In another case, the pair should keep falling, even below 3000-fiat, to look for a bottom towards 1500-2000-fiat area, as predicted by other analysts. The RSI momentum indicator is reading a strong selling sentiment on daily charts. The MACD indicator is also trending inside a negative area. That said, the bitcoin market would likely be the same — strongly bearish. BTC/USD Intraday Readings bitcoin price chart The latest drop has stopped weakly at 3300-fiat, which now serves as interim support level to day traders. To the upside, 3370-fiat is looking like a reasonable interim resistance, given its history of being one during the Tuesday trading session. Story continues We are pretty much entering our initial positions inside the said range. A weak bounce back has allowed us to enter a long position towards 3370-fiat. Considering the low volume the bounce is exhibiting, we have also opened a stop loss order at 3290-fiat to minimize our losses in the event of an extended selling action. Having said that, an extended sell-off could have us switch to our breakdown strategy. It means that on a break below the interim support, we will open a short position towards 3210-fiat as our primary downside target. A stop loss would be placed just $10 above the entry position to maintain our risk management. Featured Image from Shutterstock. Charts from TradingView . The post Bitcoin Price Reverses as [Another] Breakout Attempt Fizzles Out appeared first on CCN . || Why Goldman Sachs Suddenly Starting Bitcoin Business is Unrealistic: SolidX: According to Daniel H. Gallancy, the CEO of SolidX Partners, it was unrealistic to anticipate Goldman Sachs to run a Bitcoin business before the year’s end. Speaking to Bloomberg, Gallancy, who has been working with a major investment firm in VanEck to introduce a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) in U.S. markets , said that investors prematurely expected Goldman Sachs , Morgan Stanley , and other financial institutions in the U.S. to provide Bitcoin custodial solutions and operate digital asset exchanges. He said : The market had unrealistic expectations that Goldman or any of its peers could suddenly start a Bitcoin trading business. That was top-of-the-market-hype thinking. Goldman Sachs is a Bit Different Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, and many other large banks that were rumored to launch Bitcoin-related ventures by the end of 2018 were most likely not going to aggressively enter a market built upon an asset class that is still at its infancy. But, Goldman Sachs, the $61 billion investment banking giant, has been preparing to offer Bitcoin services to its clients for awhile. As CCN reported in June, for the first time in the company’s history, David Solomon, who is now the CEO of Goldman Sachs, directly confirmed that the bank has been clearing some Bitcoin futures for its clients with the intent of establishing a cryptocurrency trading desk in the foreseeable future. “We are clearing some futures around Bitcoin, talking about doing some other activities there, but it’s going very cautiously. We’re listening to our clients and trying to help our clients as they’re exploring those things too. Goldman Sachs must evolve its business and adapt to the environment,” said Solomon in an interview with Bloomberg TV in China. Although Goldman Sachs could clear Bitcoin futures with the assistance of CME , CBOE , and other established futures markets in the U.S. market, it cannot hold onto the cryptocurrencies owned by its investors or invest in the asset class on behalf of its clients without obtaining an approval to operate as a custodian. Story continues In November, Justin Schmidt, a Goldman Sachs executive, said that the bank has not been able to receive approval from local financial authorities and in a period in which a bill pertaining to the legal definition of digital assets is still pending, it is risky for the institutions to provide services around the market. “Custody is this foundational piece that is absolutely necessary. Custody is part of an overall integrated system where different parts need to work well with each other and safely with each other and you have to be able to trust all the different parts in that chain, from buying something to transferring it to storing it in for the long-term,” Schmidt said at the time. Can Investors Expect Bitcoin Services in 2019? It could have been unrealistic to expect Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, and many major banks in the global financial landscape to abruptly begin providing services on top of Bitcoin, and many of these institutions also likely saw a PR opportunity to alter their public image as some innovative and forward-thinking organizations. However, some institutions like Fidelity and Goldman Sachs are seriously considering the long-term prospect of the market and in the long run, the two institutions could serve investors in the digital asset market. Featured image from Shutterstock. Daniel Gallancy photo from LinkedIn. The post Why Goldman Sachs Suddenly Starting Bitcoin Business is Unrealistic: SolidX appeared first on CCN . || Bitcoin Falls 10% In Rout: Investing.com - Bitcoin was trading at $4,263.5 by 20:22 (01:22 GMT) on the Investing.com Index on Friday, down 10.11% on the day. It was the largest one-day percentage loss since November 19. The move downwards pushed Bitcoin's market cap down to $74.7B, or 53.81% of the total cryptocurrency market cap. At its highest, Bitcoin's market cap was $241.2B. Bitcoin had traded in a range of $4,249.7 to $4,430.3 in the previous twenty-four hours. Over the past seven days, Bitcoin has seen a drop in value, as it lost 23.44%. The volume of Bitcoin traded in the twenty-four hours to time of writing was $4.6B or 34.25% of the total volume of all cryptocurrencies. It has traded in a range of $4,249.7339 to $5,727.8755 in the past 7 days. At its current price, Bitcoin is still down 78.54% from its all-time high of $19,870.62 set on December 17, 2017. XRP was last at $0.41527 on the Investing.com Index, down 9.70% on the day. Ethereum was trading at $120.22 on the Investing.com Index, a loss of 16.19%. XRP's market cap was last at $16.8B or 12.14% of the total cryptocurrency market cap, while Ethereum's market cap totaled $12.7B or 9.17% of the total cryptocurrency market value. Related Articles Litecoin Falls 12% In Rout Ethereum Falls 11% In Selloff Ethereum Falls 10% In Rout || Education The Biggest Barrier Preventing Online Investors From Purchasing Cryptocurrency: People who are otherwise comfortable with technology can find themselves in a whole new world of jargon and confusion when they first get involved, or take an interest in, cryptocurrencies. The massive bull run of last year saw a huge increase in interest . The interest came not just from the unprecedented number of hedge firms and fund managers who seized the opportunity to make millions in crypto and return it to their clients, but also retail investor interest . The popularity of this very website is a testament to this fact – people are more interested than they ever have been in blockchains, cryptocurrencies, tokenized platforms, and the next generation of interconnected finance as a whole. Simply being interested isn’t enough for many to take the plunge, however. Especially with cryptocurrency, diving in without some sort of understanding is a very good way to lose your shirt. Thankfully, less people seem to be doing that than in previous times, according to a survey conducted by investment platform eToro. 61% of Both Men and Women Interested in Cryptos Out of 1,000 people who currently invest online in traditional products like stocks, over 400 – 44% – people cited a lack of good educational resources as a reason they didn’t want to invest in cryptocurrency. While those within the community may feel that there are a wide array of educational tools available, plenty of these require an pre-existing familiarity with something basic like Bitcoin in order to fully grasp. Much like the Internet itself, the various aspects of which have many millions of webpages dedicated to information about, it seems there never can be too many educational tools about cryptocurrency and investing in the space. Another interesting finding was that over 60% of both genders – 61% to be exact – demonstrated an interest in cryptocurrency investments. However, men cited price volatility as the thing that keeps them away while, importantly, women said they had trouble finding enough educational resources and information about cryptos to feel comfortable enough to invest. Story continues eToro’s managing director Guy Hirsch said of the survey: Late 2018 has seen the cryptocurrency market take a huge tumble, but that has not stymied investors’ interest in the asset class and its potential. Online investors are still keeping their eye on cryptocurrencies, but this survey revealed that there is a serious lack of educational resources available to those who would like to invest in or learn more about crypto. As we move toward a future where assets will become increasingly tokenized, it’s important to give investors access to the resources they need to invest in the assets they want and truly consider cryptoassets as part of their long-term investment plan. The last important reported finding in the survey is that less than 20% of any age group related their intentions to use a traditional asset manager to help them acquire cryptoassets. The report from eToro read: Millennials significantly more in favor of using financial advisors compared to Gen X, Boomers: 19% of Millennials planned on using a financial advisor to buy or sell products such as stocks, ETFs, or cryptoassets, while only 11% of Gen X and 12% of Boomers indicated the same. Perhaps the interesting takeaway there is that millennials, despite being empowered by apps like Coinbase and Robinhood, are the most likely age group to seek professional investment advice. Scams a Top Concern Aside from being unable to find good educational resources that they felt prepared them, all groups reported price volatility fear of scams as their top concerns. Unfortunately, neither of these situations can be solved on a permanent basis, although education can help new users spot scams effectively. Increased government regulation and understanding of blockchain technologies may also lead to a disincentivized scam culture who see the risks outweighing the rewards. Disclosure: This article is about a survey conducted by one of CCN’s advertisers, eToro. eToro did not ask us to publish the survey results. Featured image from Shutterstock. The post Education The Biggest Barrier Preventing Online Investors From Purchasing Cryptocurrency appeared first on CCN . || Crypto Hedge Funds are Going to Start Shutting Down: Morgan Creek: The depths of this year’s cryptocurrency bear market evidently show significant signs of further trouble. According to notable crypto figure and Morgan Creek Digital founder Anthony Pompliano, significant price drawdowns this year could lead to crypto hedge funds closing up shop soon. CCNreportedtoday of Bitcoin dropping below $5,000 in price, the lowest price this year.Altcoinshave also suffered significantly this year, seeing huge percentage losses. Pompliano, or Pomp for short, explained in hisblog posttoday how these dramatic price drops cumulatively affect cryptocurrency businesses. Pomp specifically mentions crypto hedge funds and “high water mark issues”. Put simply, fund managers receive a commission based on their performance, in relation to associated crypto asset prices for each investment period. Last investment period ended in December 2017, concluding a very lucrative year for crypto assets as a whole. However,this yearis a much different story. “We have seen 50-80% decreases in net asset values in some funds since then. This means these fund managers will not receive a performance fee in 2018, which drastically reduces the income of the individual manager”, Pomp explained. With reference to the numbers, earning these manager’s next commission’s will also be difficult. They will need to more than double their fund’s net asset value from present-day prices. Pomp explains many fund managers may simply close shop and return investor finances. They might then wait months or possibly a year to open a fresh fund with different parameters. Pomp posed a question on why these funds have not yet closed, concluding that – “[t]he most plausible answer is that many of the managers are young/inexperienced and they won’t realize the issue until they don’t receive their performance fee for 2018. If true, we could be less than 60 days away from many of the fund managers experiencing the pain of being ineligible for the bulk of their compensation”. Pomp also mentionsICOs, referencing their exuberant funding successes over the past year or so. ICOs are now facing significantly more scrutiny from regulators. Previous ICOs could face fines, as well as requirements to refund investor funds at original ICO price, in original USD value. The hitch here is the fact that most ICOs raised funds via cryptocurrencies. With prices down as much as they are currently, these ICOs could owe investors more money in USD than they currently own. In short, ICOs may not have the money to pay back investors, due to holding assets that have plummeted in price. These ICOs may need to file bankruptcy, leading to fund managers potentially seeing further losses. Featured image from Shutterstock. The postCrypto Hedge Funds are Going to Start Shutting Down: Morgan Creekappeared first onCCN. || Exclusive: TrueUSD Partners with Nexo to Provide Holders With Instant Loans on Cryptocurrency: In all the huff and shuffle surrounding the several recentstablecoin offerings, even the most dutiful reader might have overlookedTrueUSD (TUSD). However, December has turned out to be an eventful month for the stablecoin, as they today announced that they are the first which has successfully passed three separate security audits. This means that as far as any expert can surmise, their smart contract does not contain any bugs or injection opportunities which might, for instance,enable the creation of new units. The audits were performed by security firmsCertik,SlowMist, andZeppelin. CCN had the pleasure of speaking to TrueUSD Co-Founder Tory Reiss on a variety of subjects, most importantly the subject of TrueUSD’s partnership with Nexo, a company which lends cryptonaughts money based on their cryptoassets. Even the most diehard crypto believer might find it necessary from time to time to generate fiat cash for real-life purposes. Medical emergencies, natural disasters, tax time – life happens. Nexo allows a user to lock up blockchain assets and receive a loan based on their value at the time. Various assets have various lending rates, as Reiss explained: Nexo essentially allows you to lock up your crypto and then get cash out without selling it, because you’re basically just taking a loan against your crypto balance. So there’s no taxable event. With things like Bitcoin, because they’re so volatile, they make you collateralize it a lot. But what’s really cool is in our partnership with them, we negotiated a pretty unique agreement, where they’ll loan you almost 95% of the value of the TrueUSD that you lock up. You can then pull that cash out instantly, use it for whatever you want – pay bills, buy something, and then you pay back the loan and you get your TrueUSD back. For their part,Nexois happy to lend tostablecoinholders based on their holdings. As Reiss told us, they charge a lot less on such loans because the assets have far less volatility by design. Antoni Trenchev, a Managing Partner at Nexo, said in a press release: At Nexo we know how essential trust is for our instant crypto loan model and for the blockchain space in general. That is why we are happy to work closely with TrustToken, the company underpinning TrueUSD. Their model of regular verification of escrowed balances and the legal protection against embezzlement of the underlying USD will set the tone for the entire stablecoins industry. TrueUSD as a withdrawal or repayment option is much appreciated by Nexo’s clients and stablecoins will continue to play a crucial role because they bear the all welcomed characteristics of crypto, minus the volatility. One important thing prospective users should note is that the minimum loan amount on Nexo is $1,000. The minimum redemption amount through the TrueUSD platform itself is $10,000. This means that a savvy trader who is just starting out now has another option for liquidating just a small portion of his or her TUSD holdings. Nexo is currently working on automating the process of allowing users to participate as liquidity providers through stablecoins. In the future, the minimum contribution to earn interest (of rates around 6.5% annually) will be $1,000.At present time, however, it is aimed at exchanges and large holders and the minimum contribution is $100,000. TrueUSD is the first token on the TrustToken platform. It has a network market capitalization of around $200 million at time of writing. Rather than a single centralized entity for holders to divest their TUSD tokens, a network of Trust entities is available within theTrueUSD redemption platform. The TrustToken platform will ultimately enable the secure tokenization of many types of real assets, including things like real estate, business interests, sports teams, or intellectual properties. Basically anything that can be owned can be tokenized and thus traded. TrueUSD is merely the proof of concept of the TrustToken platform. In some regards, it can be seen as an effort to create a parallel economy with the blockchain at its heart. One important differential between TUSD and USDC, PAX, or GUSD is that it is independent of exchanges. WhereUSDC is born of Circle,PAX is born of itBit, andGUSD is a Gemini creation, TUSD lives on its own network of liquidity. Another part of their big December announcement is that they have expanded their network of Trust companies beyond firms regulated in Nevada. They now have outfits in Delaware and Ohio, as well. Thestablecoin warsare ongoing. Many aspects of it have not been fully reported in either the mainstream or crypto press. TUSD’s role thus far seems to be quietly trading far and above its market capitalization – $1.1 billion over the past month. Featured image from Shutterstock. The postExclusive: TrueUSD Partners with Nexo to Provide Holders With Instant Loans on Cryptocurrencyappeared first onCCN. || Cryptocurrencies to survive sell-off: Allianz's El-Erian: By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - Cryptocurrencies are here to stay despite a prolonged slump this year, and will gain wider acceptance after the recent entry of more institutional investors in the space, Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic adviser at Allianz, said on Tuesday. At a CoinDesk conference called "Consensus: Invest in New York," El-Erian said the participation of institutional investors in various crypto projects, even as retail investors have shied away because of price declines, was a positive sign. "I think cryptocurrencies will exist, they will become more and more widespread, but they will be part of an ecosystem. They will not be dominant as some of the early adopters believed them to be," El-Erian said. He disclosed that he had opened a bitcoin account for $400, but only for the purpose of testing it. El-Erian was positive about the outlook for crypto assets because of the growing interest from institutional investors. "We are seeing a rotation going on - retail is becoming more reasonable if you like," he said. "The exuberance is behind us, and institutions are starting to establish a foothold and that's good long-term." The former PIMCO co-chief investment officer emphasized that cryptocurrencies are commodities, not currencies. "They don't have the intrinsic attributes of a currency. It is not going to replace money," he added. Virtual currencies have been in a steep downtrend since the beginning of the year amid increased regulatory scrutiny and amid some instances of hacks and thefts at crypto exchanges. Bitcoin earlier this week fell to a 14-month low of $3,462.57 on Bitstamp, and was last up marginally at $3,682.10 . It has lost 74 percent of its value so far this year, after hitting nearly $20,000 in December last year. El-Erian said the recent crypto meltdown was not surprising. The market is going through a cycle - that of overconsumption that took bitcoin to nearly $20,000 and overproduction that has resulted in the current sell-off, he added. El-Erian said this is healthy for the market. He admitted he was initially skeptical about bitcoin because it was first presented to him as a global currency, which was never really the case. But he has since changed his mind. "I didn't initially distinguish between cryptocurrency and the underlying technology. I treated it all as one," El-Erian said. "As I evolved ... I learned in the process." Blockchain, the technology that underpins digital currencies, is a digital ledger that provides a secure way of making and recording transactions. (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Matthew Lewis) || Bitcoin News Cryptocurrency Weekend Roundup December 23: Here is what is happening in the cryptocurrency this weekend. SEE:SinglePoint Gives Projections On 2019 SEE:US Energy Initiatives Now Owns $5.1 Million Sumcoins In the News CoinNess, Asia’s largest crypto information provider, has launched the CNNS Partner Program, its global growth partner program. The company says that it will invest $5 million to build an international crypto investors’ community, with all the money going to reward CNNS partners, community members, and early app users. CNNS, which is the abbreviation of CoinNess, will also be the name of the platform token. On Dec. 27, theKorea Blockchain Enterprise Promotion Association (KBEPA)andUniversal Groupwill be holding a ceremony at the Kim Dae Jung Convention Center in Gwangju, South Korea, to announce their plans. At the ceremony,Lee Yong-Sub, the mayor of Gwangju City, will announce Gwangju as a specialized crypto-valley district in order to stimulate the local job market. The event will be attended by more than 300 international and Korean journalists. Data presented by crypto ATM locatorCoin ATM Radarin its latest report suggests that the number of new crypto ATMs continues to grow globally. According to the report, November saw installation of 209 tellers around the world by different manufacturers.Bitcoin of Americahad the most installations with 16 new locations, followed byCoinFlip Bitcoin ATMswith 10 new machines. Meanwhile, Russian based manufacturerCriptomatinstalled its first machine in Ukraine. Read the full reporthere. Overstock.com (NASDAQ:OSTK)subsidiaryMedici Land Governance, which focuses on land administration, has inked a memorandum of understanding withTeton County, Wyomingto develop a blockchain-based land records and information platform in 2019. Medici Land Governance and Teton County plan to work together to develop and implement the software needed for the county to transfer and display information from its current land and property titling system to the new blockchain-based system. Bloomberg Newsis reporting that social media giant Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) is considering developing its own cryptocurrency for money transfers. Anonymous sources familiar with the development told Bloomberg that Facebook will first target the Indian market, allowing users to transfer money using stablecoin on its WhatsApp messaging app. Cryptocurrency Prices Today (As of 6:30AM EST Sunday) Bitcoin (BTC)is up 3.19% over the past 24 hours, trading at $4,072. Ethereum (ETH)is trading at $132 in the morning, up 17% over a 24-hour period. Bitcoin Cash (BCH)is trading at $195, up 0.5% over the past 24 hours. Ripple (XRP)is trading at $0.377978, up 5.37% over a 24-hour period. Litecoin (LTC)is trading at $ 33.45, up 6.78% over a 24-hour period. To view more information, clickhere. The postBitcoin News Cryptocurrency Weekend Roundup December 23appeared first onMarket Exclusive. || Bitcoin News Crypto Currency Daily Roundup November 19: The rundown: Bitcoin and all major currencies were down in the morning; Pundi X to build its global corporate headquarters in Singapore; World’s largest hog producer and pork processor Smithfield Foods plans to explore blockchain technology; SwissOne Capital AG is launching the market’s first tokenized and fully-regulated index fund; COBINHOOD names new CEO; Blockchain Technology Foundation agrees to establish the world’s largest cryptocurrency currency mining center in the global cryptocurrency exchange in Paraguay; Apis Capital Management acquires blockchain intelligence and analytics division from White Company; and more. Here is what is happening in the cryptocurrency market on Monday. SEE: New York DFS Approves NYDIG Execution LLC’s Cryptocurrency License Application SEE: U.S. Air Force to Use Blockchain to Manage Logistics, Supply Chain In the News Pundi X , a developer of blockchain-based technology solutions, has decided to build its global corporate headquarters in Singapore. Pundi X, founded in Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta, says that Pundi X’s Singapore HQ will oversee the rollout of its technology, including the world’s first blockchain-based point of sales device called the XPOS, and the first mobile phone to employ blockchain-based telephony named the XPhone, to markets in Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. Global IT solutions organization NIIT Technologies has formed a global partnership with enterprise blockchain software firm R3 to develop innovative solutions for banking and financial services, insurance and travel and transportation verticals on R3’s open-source blockchain platform called Corda. Global gold industry blockchain alliance Goldlinks is teaming up with Erd Khul LLC , which operates a gold mine in Mongolia. The partnership will cover cooperation on mining, the creation of gold-backed digital assets, mine acquisitions, and more, according to a press statement. Story continues Smithfield Foods , a global food company that is the world’s largest hog producer and pork processor, has decided to join FoodLogiQ’s Food Industry Blockchain Consortium. Together with a host of other food companies including Tyson Foods, AgBiome Innovations, Subway/Independent Purchasing Cooperative, and Testo, Smithfield is interested in exploring blockchain technology to improve its operations. SwissOne Capital AG , an asset management company specializing in crypto, says that it will soon launch the market’s first tokenized and fully-regulated index fund. According to a press statement, SwissOne Capital’s fund will be the first to offer the liquid utility of tokenization with the safeguards of regulatory recognition. They will be licensed by FINMA for Swiss distribution. IDG Capital , Matrix Partners and Neo Global Capital have formed a partnership with Singapore-based international cryptocurrency platform KuCoin to bring cryptocurrency trading into the mainstream world via the KuCoin exchange. Together, the companies have invested $20 million in KuCoin through round A funding. COBINHOOD , the next-generation cryptocurrency service platform and zero-trading-fee exchange, has named Jill Shih as CEO. Shih has more than 18 years of experience in product user experience, project management, and development across mobile internet and software industries, the company said in a news release. NMBL Technologies is partnering with Seattle blockchain platform provider Dragonchain on an initiative aimed at accelerating innovation in the legal tech market. NMBL will develop cloud-based legal workflow, collaboration, and document management products on Dragonchain’s enterprise-grade blockchain as a service backbone. The companies will also collaborate on the development and deployment of a US-based blockchain, specifically for the legal ecosystem. Apis Capital Management has acquired blockchain intelligence and analytics division firm White Co . for an undisclosed amount. White Co. uses blockchain technology to connect the world of global payments and financial transactions, allowing consumers and businesses to pay anyone, anywhere, anytime, in seconds with no fees. Blockchain Technology Foundation has signed an agreement with the Paraguayan government to establish the world’s largest cryptocurrency currency mining center and the global cryptocurrency exchange in Ciudad del Este. The contract is designed to provide the five mining centers near Itaipu Hydroelectric Power Plant and included a 15-year stable price on electricity, the installation of high-speed Internet networks, and the establishment of laws for all related businesses for the project, according to a press statement. Cryptocurrency Prices Today (As of 7:00 AM EST) Bitcoin (BTC) is down 5.07% over the past 24 hours, trading at $5,297.74. Ethereum (ETH) is trading at $156.28 in the morning, down 11.16% over a 24-hour period. Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is trading at $297, down 12.00% over the past 24 hours. Ripple (XRP) is trading at $0.4854, down 5.53% over a 24-hour period. Litecoin (LTC) is trading at $38.11, down 9.46% over a 24-hour period. To view more information, click here . The post Bitcoin News Crypto Currency Daily Roundup November 19 appeared first on Market Exclusive . || BitTorrent Bullish On Blockchain, Now Accepts Bitcoins for Premium Products: San Francisco-basedBitTorrent, which is the company behind the world’s most popular peer-to-peer communications protocol and products namely BitTorrent and µTorrent, has started accepting cryptocurrencies for its premium digital products. In a press statement, the company said that customers can now pay for its Pro and Ads Free products using Bitcoin, TRON, and Binance Coin. They can purchase one-year subscriptions of BitTorrent or µTorrent products, including Ads Free and Pro for Windows. Pro includes anti-virus and anti-malware screening, file converting and playability in HD. “BitTorrent joins a growing list of online companies whose products and services accept TRX as payment,” Justin Sun, founder of TRON and CEO of BitTorrent, said in a statement. “With BitTorrent’s over 100 million users, the move helps increase the use of TRX in online marketplaces while giving consumers more options to unlock value from BitTorrent’s premium products.” BitTorrent selectedCoinPayments.net, a provider of integrated payment gateways for cryptocurrencies, to introduce decentralized currencies into its decentralized applications. How BitTorrent Plans to Use Blockchain BitTorrent divisionTRON, which claims to be building the infrastructure for a truly decentralized Internet, recently released details aboutProject Atlas, an initiative that paves the future of content distribution. In its first phase, BitTorrent plans to connect the peer-to-peer network and its 100 million monthly active users to the TRON blockchain. Using a set of BitTorrent protocol extensions, a custom token, and an in-client token economy, the company aims to make the BitTorrent protocol faster and better for hundreds of millions of users. In the initial phase of the project, BitTorrent peers will be able to spend tokens to incentivize users on faster networks to seed torrents for longer periods, which will lead to better swarm longevity and faster download speeds. BitTorrent seeders will be able to earn tokens by dedicating more of their bandwidth and storage to ensure that swarms are faster and live longer. BitTorrent is implementing the features as a set of backward-compatible protocol extensions, meaning all torrent clients will continue to work flawlessly, irrespective of if a user chooses to download or seed to/from the new generation of users, or if a user is running a torrent client other than BitTorrent or µTorrent. BitTorrent plans to implement this exciting evolution of the protocol across its desktop and mobile products. The postBitTorrent Bullish On Blockchain, Now Accepts Bitcoins for Premium Productsappeared first onMarket Exclusive. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] #amazon gets into #blockchain! Extremely bullish $icx $ela $xrp $vet $eos $wan $tomo $dgb $holo $hot $poly $ada $MAN $iota #blockchain $icx $neo $trx #blockchain $cpc $ess $xhv $tau $pal $ost $eth $btc https://techcrunch.com/2018/11/28/amazon-gets-into-the-blockchain-with-quantum-ledger-database-managed-blockchain/?utm_source=tcfbpage&sr_share=facebook … || Time flies - only 7 days () left until we start distributing Hope Coin. Hope Coin will not be on sale. #noICO So hurry up and get 1,000 Hope Coin for free: https://hopecoin.org  #stellar #blockchain #xlm #bitcoin #ethereum #airdrop #bounty #altcoins || #NBA - DEC 03 / 20:00 ET Minnesota Timberwolves VS Houston Rockets Bet #BTC http://X-Bet.co  - http://bit.ly/2NYlB9h  GGBet - http://bit.ly/2uZXujO  More NBA action http://bit.ly/NBAOddsBetting  #sports #betting #odds #basketballpic.twitter.com/npVjjdU1Ku || #crypto price changes last 12 hours $EMC2 +17.98% $EGC +9.12% $WAX +6.01% $XST -7.74% $BAT -7.23% $XMY -7.00% #bitcoin #cryptocurrency || : 1 BTC @ 08:00 CET: 3,559.03€ (-71.35) / $4,040.43 (-78.97) || They pay you to join now || Online 21：00 today: 1. BCH 15 days regular deposit with an annualized rate of 12%, total amount 100; 2. ETH 15 days regular deposit, with an annualized rate 10%, total amount 500; 3. ETH 7 days regular deposit, with an annualized rate 15.8%, total amount 30. #BTC #ETHEREUM https://t.co/qvw6JRHiTI || TCS is not anti-American, jury gives technology major clean chit in racism case by Kartikay Mehrotra A jury in California rejected claims that Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. has discriminated for years against American workers in... http://www.moneyhealthfinance.com/tcs-is-not-anti-american-jury-gives-technology-major-clean-chit-in-racism-case-10/ … #bigdata #bitcoin #iot || 2018/12/06 20:00 BTC 425457円 ETH 11172.4円 ETC 454.6円 BCH 13340.8円 XRP 37.9円 XEM 8.4円 LSK 149.7円 MONA 64円 #仮想通貨 #ビットコイン #Bitcoin #bitFlyer #Coincheck || Nasdaq Akan Mengeluarkan Kontrak Berjangka Bitcoin Tahun 2019 https://ift.tt/2E37X3Q  https://ift.tt/eA8V8J 
Trend: up || Prices: 3865.95, 3742.70, 3843.52, 3943.41, 3836.74, 3857.72, 3845.19, 4076.63, 4025.25, 4030.85
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2020-02-14] BTC Price: 10312.12, BTC RSI: 70.51 Gold Price: 1582.70, Gold RSI: 62.53 Oil Price: 52.05, Oil RSI: 41.40 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] XRP Sees Flash Crash and Quick Rebound on BitMEX: XRP , the native asset of San Francisco-based Ripple’s XRP Ledger, experienced a flash crash on Hong Kong-based derivatives exchange BitMEX on Thursday. At exactly 14:00 UTC, the price on the XRP/USD pair quickly plummeted from 33 cents to 13 cents, a 60 percent drop. During that minute, volume spiked to $6 million, according to BitMEX data. The cryptocurrency quickly recovered within a second and closed at $0.3277, suggesting a large leveraged trade was quickly wiped out. CoinDesk reached out to BitMEX CEO Arthur Hayes via email regarding the incident but has yet to hear back. Related: Ether Futures Volume Highest Since June 2019 A couple of minutes later in the spot market, XRP (XRP) dropped a little under 4 percent but rebounded two minutes after, according to data from Coinbase Pro . An all-cryptocurrency platform, BitMEX offers highly leveraged trades of up to 50 times margin on collateral. If a bet goes the wrong way, a trader can be automatically liquidated, wiping out the collateral balance on the exchange instantly. BitMEX offers some novel instruments not normally seen in the traditional financial derivatives world, including an innovative “perpetual” swap derivative that does not expire. Long known as a bitcoin (BTC)-only derivatives exchange, BitMEX has added additional cryptocurrency assets in the past few years. Ethereum (ETH) trading was launched in 2018. Related: Mastercard and Ripple’s Xpring Join Industry Group to Promote Blockchain Education XRP is BitMEX’s newest addition, added on Feb. 5. The company has offices in Hong Kong but is licensed and registered in the Seychelles, where its gray-area regulatory status allows it to offer very risky bets on crypto. Bitmex has been investigated by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission and prohibits U.S.-based traders on its platform. Related Stories Intermex Partners With Ripple for XRP-Based Remittance Corridor Galaxy’s Novogratz: XRP Will ‘Underperform Immensely Again This Year’ || Bitcoin miners made an estimated $5 billion in revenue during 2019: The world's bitcoin miners brought in an estimated $5 billion in revenue during 2019. Of that figure, $4.89 billion was in the form of block rewards – that is, the 12.5 BTC generated every time a new transaction block is created. The rest – some $146 million – was made via transaction fees. That reward number is set to change later this year during the so-called halvening, when the per-block subsidy will drop from 12.5 BTC to 6.25 BTC. The $5 billion figure represents a decline from 2018's revenue level, when miners made an estimated $5.26 billion. By comparison, 2017's estimated revenue came in at $3.19 billion, as shown in the graph below. As noted in The Block's 2020 Research Outlook report, the revenue figure is estimated on the basis that miners sell their bitcoins immediately, which is not exactly accurate as some companies retain a portion of their mined BTC to sell at a later date. || If You Had Bought Bluesky Digital Assets (CVE:BTC) Stock Three Years Ago, You'd Be Sitting On A 93% Loss, Today: It's not possible to invest over long periods without making some bad investments. But really big losses can really drag down an overall portfolio. So spare a thought for the long term shareholders ofBluesky Digital Assets Corp.(CVE:BTC); the share price is down a whopping 93% in the last three years. That might cause some serious doubts about the merits of the initial decision to buy the stock, to put it mildly. And the ride hasn't got any smoother in recent times over the last year, with the price 91% lower in that time. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 67% in the last 90 days. We really feel for shareholders in this scenario. It's a good reminder of the importance of diversification, and it's worth keeping in mind there's more to life than money, anyway. See our latest analysis for Bluesky Digital Assets We don't think Bluesky Digital Assets's revenue of CA$547,380 is enough to establish significant demand. You have to wonder why venture capitalists aren't funding it. So it seems shareholders are too busy dreaming about the progress to come than dwelling on the current (lack of) revenue. It seems likely some shareholders believe that Bluesky Digital Assets will significantly advance the business plan before too long. Companies that lack both meaningful revenue and profits are usually considered high risk. There is usually a significant chance that they will need more money for business development, putting them at the mercy of capital markets. So the share price itself impacts the value of the shares (as it determines the cost of capital). While some companies like this go on to deliver on their plan, making good money for shareholders, many end in painful losses and eventual de-listing. It certainly is a dangerous place to invest, as Bluesky Digital Assets investors might realise. Bluesky Digital Assets had liabilities exceeding cash by CA$2.5m when it last reported in September 2019, according to our data. That puts it in the highest risk category, according to our analysis. But since the share price has dived -59% per year, over 3 years , it looks like some investors think it's time to abandon ship, so to speak. You can click on the image below to see (in greater detail) how Bluesky Digital Assets's cash levels have changed over time. The image below shows how Bluesky Digital Assets's balance sheet has changed over time; if you want to see the precise values, simply click on the image. In reality it's hard to have much certainty when valuing a business that has neither revenue or profit. What if insiders are ditching the stock hand over fist? I would feel more nervous about the company if that were so. It only takes a moment for you tocheck whether we have identified any insider sales recently. Bluesky Digital Assets shareholders are down 91% for the year, but the broader market is up 14%. Of course the long term matters more than the short term, and even great stocks will sometimes have a poor year. Shareholders have lost 59% per year over the last three years, so the share price drop has become steeper, over the last year; a potential symptom of as yet unsolved challenges. We would be wary of buying into a company with unsolved problems, although some investors will buy into struggling stocks if they believe the price is sufficiently attractive. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Bluesky Digital Assets better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified5 warning signs for Bluesky Digital Assets(4 are significant)that you should be aware of. If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss thisfreelist of companies that have proven they can grow earnings. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on CA exchanges. If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor [email protected]. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned.We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Thank you for reading. || What will the world look like in 2030?: What a difference a decade makes: Getty Images By the measure of many cultural forecasts, we are already living beyond a future that was never realised. This year saw us pass the fictitious dystopia of Blade Runner , which foresaw flying cars and robots indistinguishable from humans. 2015 saw similarly unfulfilled predictions from Back to the Future II, although the film did manage to somehow correctly call the Cubs winning the World Series after more than a century. Cinematic prophecies may be wildly optimistic, though even science fiction has often failed to predict the remarkable technological progress of the 21st century. We now carry around the equivalent of supercomputers in our pockets, there are space rockets that can land by themselves , cars that can drive themselves , and robots that deliver our food . Such a rate of change make predictions about the future notoriously difficult. But barring any wild breakthroughs, here’s how the evolution of current technologies could play out over the next decade. No more smartphones With the convergence of AI voice assistants, cloud computing, 5G and the internet of things, it may soon be no longer necessary to carry around a computer in your pocket. Smartphones have become both ubiquitous and essential over the last 10 years, allowing people to go from watching the news to ordering a taxi in just a couple of taps of a screen. But as new technologies emerge, the functionality of these electronic Swiss Army knives is beginning to feel limited. Are we reaching the end of the smartphone era? (iStock) Some believe that smartphones are simply a transitional device between the desktop computing paradigm and the “freedom computing” paradigm. This new era is already being probed by the likes of Apple, Samsung, Facebook and Google, as they branch out into brand new smart device categories. “[The] previous 10 years, it was an era of the smartphone,” Samsung Electronics CEO DJ Koh told The Independent earlier this year . “From this year, maybe a new era is opening because of the emergence of the internet of things, 5G, AI, and all these technologies mingling together. The new era is in front of us… Rather than smartphones, we must think smart devices. Smartphones may decline but new devices will emerge.” Story continues He gave the example of moving from your home to your car to your office. Interconnected and multi-screen smart devices in each location will allow people to carry out all the tasks they would usually perform on their phones, without actually needing to carry one around. From watching videos and listening to music, to reading messages and dictating replies, “you can have the same experience, wherever you are,” he said. The arrival of augmented reality eyewear, or even brain-computer interfaces further into the future , will be the final extinction tipping point for our handheld companions. Wealth without work The idea of universal basic income has been around for centuries. Sir Thomas More’s Utopia , published in 1516, describes a society in which everyone is guaranteed a wage, regardless of whether they work or not. There were a few notable trials of it in the 20th century – Richard Nixon’s limited handouts in 1968 ultimately proved unpopular – but it has only been in the 21st century that the rapid rise of automation has made the concept seem truly attainable. “A range of new technologies – AI, machine learning, natural language processing, robotic process automation, intelligent sensors, and so on – are already automating repetitive, manual, low-value tasks, freeing workers up to focus on more fulfilling activities,” Gaurav Dhillion, CEO of leading software firm SnapLogic, tells The Independent . The biggest test of it so far was in Finland between 2017 and 2018, which unsurprisingly found that it improved the happiness and general well-being of participants. There are fears that low-skilled jobs would be hard to fill if people are receiving free money, but Finland is already employing robots in various sectors, such as waste management jobs . Robots replacing humans at the workplace would no longer be an issue with UBI in place (CC) There are many different ways to fund UBI but one of the most popular is to tax the robots that take our jobs. It may sound absurd but taxing robots has the backing of some of the world's most influential capitalists, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates. "If a human worker does $50,000 of work in a factory, that income is taxed," the billionaire said in a 2017 interview. "If a robot comes in to do the same thing, you'd think we'd tax the robot at a similar level." Around the time of Nixon’s trial, Time magazine predicted “machines will be producing so much that everyone in the US will, in effect, be independently wealthy”. The article suggested the average family could earn around $300,000 in today’s money without lifting a finger. This may still seem like a utopia, but it could take just one successful large-scale scheme for governments around the world to realise the benefits and adopt universal basic income. Cryptocurrency is mainstream Predicting cryptocurrency will soon be a mainstream form of payment is something I’ve been doing since at least 2014 – and it still hasn’t happened. Bitcoin may have hit staggering price highs but it’s yet to be used on any significant scale beyond the dark web. Developments in 2019 mean cryptocurrency’s use as a common currency by 2030 is surely – probably, maybe – assured. Bitcoin may be the biggest and most famous right now, but it’s unlikely to remain that way. The undeniable benefits of cryptocurrency have caught the attention of both multi-national corporations and the world’s biggest economies . Should any of these ventures succeed in launching, then favourable regulation and greater commercial acceptance could see this prediction, finally, come true . An end to airport queues (and privacy?) Air travel is simultaneously one of the biggest conveniences and inconveniences of the modern era. On short-haul flights, the check-in and security process can often take longer than the journey itself. The introduction of biometric passports and mobile check-ins has already helped streamline the airport experience a little bit, but the next 10 years could see the end of snaking queues and shoe-removing security checks for good. Passengers at Gatwick Airport queueing to enter the UK (Getty) Air transport software firm SITA predicts that going through security will simply be a matter of walking along a corridor. “Passengers and their bags will be recognised automatically,” says SITA director Benoit Verbaere. “Hard checkpoints will be replaced by sensor corridors, making physical document checks obsolete.” Such automated efficiency will come at the cost of sharing facial and other personal data with authorities. Wanting to keep hold of your privacy in an increasingly digitised world will become the inconvenience. And all of that assumes there will be flights still flying, and travellers still taking them. Recent years have seen a vast growth in people opting out of flying at all for environmental reasons – and without changes to the way planes are fuelled and fly, that trend seems likely to continue. Flying cars (sort of) This may be one of the most popular tropes of science fiction, but they really are finally coming to fruition. A crop of flying car – or vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle – startups have sprung up in recent years, such as Lilium and Aeromobil, while established transport heavyweights like Airbus have also shown an interest in the technology. Uber even has plans to expand skywards through its proposed Elevate network. “Just as skyscrapers allowed cities to use limited land more efficiently, urban air transportation will use three-dimensional airspace to alleviate transportation congestion on the ground,” Uber engineers wrote in a white paper outlining the firm’s vision for on-demand flying cars. Flying cars in films like ‘Blade Runner’, set in 2019, could finally take off in the 2020s (Rex) But the idea of buzzing around in the sky to avoid traffic jams is highly problematic. If it were to ever work it would need to be automated and highly regulated, though even then it would probably only ever be suitable for wealthy people travelling on limited routes, such as between hotels and golf courses The solution to soul-destroying traffic is indeed to think three-dimensionally, according to serial entrepreneur Elon Musk, but three-dimensionally in the other direction. His latest startup is The Boring Company, which is already planning tunnel networks under Los Angeles to alleviate congestion on the roads above. This may end up being a more viable solution. As the startup’s site bluntly states: “Unlike flying cars, tunnels are weatherproof, out of sight and won’t fall on your head.” || Disruptive decade: 10 things the teen years brought world markets: LONDON (Reuters) - The 21st century's teen years, bookended by a financial crisis at the start and the fintech revolution at the end, were a decade of disruption. From negative borrowing costs to bitcoin, here are ten trends that have upended traditional economic and investment models in the past decade: 1/FAANG-TASTIC FIVE If they were a country, they would be the fifth largest in terms of economic output, outgunning Britain and snapping at Germany's heels. With a $3.9 trillion market value (versus around $100 billion in January 2010), tech giants Facebook, Amazon.com, Apple, Netflix and Google-owner Alphabet -- collectively known as the FAANGs -- are not only at the vanguard of history's longest share bullrun but have transformed how humans work, shop, consume news and relax. FAANGs comprise 7% of the MSCI global equity index today, up from around 1.6% in early 2010. The savvy investor who sank $25,000 in Netflix in 2009 would now be sitting on $1 million. And in the slip stream of the five pioneers, other tech titans are rising, from China's BAT grouping of Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent to sector "disupters" Uber, Airbnb and Deliveroo. For better or worse, the world -- and markets -- have changed for ever. 2/PAYING TO BORROW A defining feature of the years following the 2008-2009 meltdown was the slide of interest rates and government borrowing costs below 0%, possibly for the first time in history. U.S. and German 10-year borrowing costs collapsed by 200 to 400 basis points this decade; the latter to as low as minus 0.7%. Roughly $12 trillion in debt carries negative yields, almost a quarter of all bonds outstanding. The drivers -- central banks' asset buying, sub-zero interest rates, yield curve manipulation and the tech revolution's deflationary effects -- were in themselves groundbreaking, at least in terms of scale. The Bank of Japan holds assets collectively worth more than Japan's economy. The European Central Bank's balance sheet is a quarter the euro zone's annual output but double decade-ago levels. Interactive graphic on central bank balance sheet https://tmsnrt.rs/2D0DZMQs 3/A CENTURY IN BONDS With record-low rates and yield-starved investors, bonds with tenors longer than the average human lifespan have caught on. A handful of 100-year bonds were around in 2010, but Mexico's $1 billion issue maturing 2110 started an issuance surge that saw U.S. and British universities, Ireland, Belgium and Austria, U.S. municipalities and corporations such as Coca Cola and Petrobras sell century bonds. Even junk-rated serial defaulter Argentina drew huge bids for its 2117-maturity bond. Just over 1,400 century bonds, worth almost $170 billion are now outstanding, according to Refinitiv. But ... caveat emptor. Buyers of the Argentine century bond have watched it lose half its value. Austria's issue, also sold in 2017, is up more than 60%. 4/COINING IT In 2010, Bitcoin was an idea causing ripples in niche online forums. Ten years later, cryptocurrencies are intertwined with finance, business and politics. Crypto markets, non-existent in 2010, are now worth over $200 billion, having hit a $815 billion peak at the apex of the bitcoin bubble. Having changed hands for just 3 cents in its first public trade, bitcoin now trades over $7,500. That's off its peak near $20,000, though - a reminder of its volatility. Usage has also spread. Coin Metrics estimates that from 130 active bitcoin addresses a decade back, there are now nearly 750,000. Crypto took many guises through the 2010s, from rebel technology to a tool for criminals, speculative token to the great hope for frictionless payments. While it never really shook off doubts over security, virtual money and blockchain tech have evolved at a dizzying pace, typified recently by Facebook's push to launch its Libra token and steps by central banks to create their own digital currencies. Interactive graphic https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/editorcharts/CRYPTO-CURRENCIES/0H001QXPG9WB/eikon.png 5/PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE Sometimes it's better to be passive. The punter who opted to ride the past decade's equity boom via an exchange-traded fund (ETF) tracking the S&P500 would have earned 200% but at a fraction of the fee a mutual fund manager would have charged. Hence spectacular ETF growth -- assets have swelled to almost $7 trillion, from below $2 trillion in 2010, consultancy ETFGI says. Low investment fees should help extend the boom: total ETF assets could hit $50 trillion in 2030, BofA predicts. 6/INVESTMENT CLIMATE With the hottest four years on record occurring in the past four years (according to the World Meteorological Organization), climate is shaping investor thinking in a way it did not a decade ago. Crop failures, floods and wildfires can all inflict portfolio losses. More funds are reducing exposure to polluting industries, embracing renewables and water conservation technologies or investing in the likes of fake-meat firm Beyond Meat, whose 2019 IPO was greeted with rapture on Wall Street. Over $30 trillion is held in sustainable or green investments, the Global Sustainable Investment Alliance estimates, more than doubling from 2011. Green bonds debuted in 2007 to fund projects with environment benefits. This year, issuance totaled a record $200 billion-plus. 7/SHALE OIL Having learned to wring oil from shale with fracking, the United States has vaulted to the top of the oil producer rankings, with 12.5 million barrels per day of output, double 2010 levels. Shale oil production exceeds 9 million bpd, from below one million bpd in 2010, making the United States an oil exporter for the first time in 40 years. The shale boom is partly why conversations around energy have switched from peak supply to peak demand. Surging output comes alongside environmental concerns, meaning an oil glut is likelier than shortages. Interactive chart https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/editorcharts/GLOBAL-MARKETS-DECADE/0H001QXQXB0M/eikon.png 8/ELECTRIC DREAMS Having relied for over a century on the internal combustion engine, the global auto industry is being upended by battery-powered cars. In 2010, electric car maker Tesla went public and its shares, launched at $17, now trade at $380. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been pledged to develop a new generation of electric cars. Industries supplying car batteries are booming and demand for their main component, lithium, could triple by 2025. EV sales so far have disappointed -- two out of 100 cars sold today are electric. Petrol and diesel vehicles are cheaper and EV charging infrastructure is limited. But growing alarm over climate change and government incentives to steer consumers away from petrol means the electric revolution looks unstoppable. 9/FLASH BOYS, FLASH CRASHES Tech's transformative power has not bypassed currency trading floors. Ten years ago, dealers did the buying and selling for banks and clients. Today, electronic trading comprises 90% of some products, doubling in this period. Another shift is towards "algos" -- computer programmes that follow pre-set instructions, or algorithms, to trade, often at speeds impossible for humans. From being largely nonexistent a decade ago, algo trading now comprises a fifth of FX spot volumes on Refinitiv FXall, a platform for the buyside. On another venue EBS, over 80% of the order book is algo-driven, the Bank for International Settlements estimates. One side effect is that 'flash crashes' -- wild exchange rate swings -- have become frequent, ostensibly due to algos that are programmed to turn off if markets become volatile. The winners? Those who can afford the most sophisticated algos. Almost half of global currency trading is now with the top five banks, with smaller institutions -- and of course, traders -- having to exit. 10/GOING TO POT Marijuana took a trip this decade from street corners to stock markets. The first pure-play U.S. "potstock" -- Tilray -- debuted on NasDaq in 2018, leaping 36% on the first day. And 18 months since Canada legalised recreational cannabis, hundreds of potstocks are trading. Pot also spawned one of the decade's asset bubbles. Dubbed the green rush, shares in firms such as Aurora Cannabis and Canopy Growth rose several-fold before peaking in October 2018. At their high, the 10 biggest components of a potstock benchmark, the Alternative Harvest ETF, were worth $50 billion. A year later, $30 billion had gone up in smoke. Blame regulation and overproduction hitting weed prices. A sign of a maturing industry? The highs may have evaporated, but potstocks aren't going anywhere. Except perhaps London, which may host the next set of cannabis listings in 2020. Interactive chart https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/editorcharts/CANNABIS-STOCKS/0H001QXMP9Q0/index.html (Graphics by Ritvik Carvalho; reporting by Sujata Rao, Dhara Ranasinghe, Tommy Wilkes, Saikat Chatterjee, Elizabeth Howcroft, Tom Wilson, Julien Ponthus, Joice Alvarez and Thyagaraju Adinarayan) || 2 Cryptocurrency Stocks for 2030: It’s hard to believe that people used to perplexingly talk about “this strange new thing” called the Internet. We laugh now at the puzzled looks on TV presenters’ faces when told by a nerdy tech guy that in the future everyone will shop, bank, consume culture, and have a whole alternative existence in this new, exciting, online universe. These days, people often react the same way when the talk turns to cryptocurrencies. The new form of digital money has been making headlines for the last decade, led by the ‘Daddy of Crypto’, Bitcoin. However, it has yet to properly penetrate the mainstream. The volatile asset and its fellow cryptocurrencies (commonly known as Altcoins) have been tarnished by the traditional banking system’s fear of the uncontrollable assets, and by the public’s perception of the crypto industry as a shady and unregulated market. Adding fuel to the fire, prominent investors such as Warren Buffet have called Bitcoin ‘rat poison squared’, while JP Morgan’s Jamie Dimon has decried it as a ‘fraud’. But is this all about to change? In a recent report called “Imagine 2030”, Deutsche Bank strategist Jim Reid outlined a scenario in which “rising doubts about the sustainability of government-backed currencies amid higher inflation could drive more people to digital assets.” “The forces that have held the current fiat system together now look fragile and they could unravel in the 2020s,” said Reid. “If so, that will start to lead to a backlash against fiat money and demand for alternative currencies, such as gold or crypto could soar.” So, with the new decade in sight, and the help of TipRanks’ handy Stock Screener , we looked up two digital currency related stocks which are turning heads right now, and are poised to make an impact in the coming years. Let’s take a look. Silvergate Capital ( SI ) One of the hurdles the emerging crypto industry must overcome is acceptance from the mainstream banking system. As more institutions integrate digital money into their structures, the industry stands to gain legitimacy. Story continues One such company to bank on the emerging asset class is the newly listed Silvergate Capital. Founded in 1988 as an industrial bank, Silvergate changed tactics in 2013 to concentrate on the nascent digital currency industry. 70% of its total deposits come from the industry, with these including most of the major digital currency exchanges and a substantial number of investors that trade on these platforms. Silvergate’s USP (unique selling point) is its proprietary SEN (silvergate exchange network). The network connects crypto exchanges and investors as well as enables transactions of U.S. dollars between SEN members. Barclays’ Jason Goldberg is attracted to the leading crypto bank for a number of reasons. Citing the bank’s leading position in servicing the fast-growing industry with significant first-mover advantages, and a unique service proposition that gives it a low cost deposit base and relationship monetization potential, the 4-star analyst said, “SI is the leading bank serving the expanding digital currency industry. SI is one of only a small group of banks that offer US. dollar deposit accounts (SI does not hold digital currency deposits) and banking services for digital currency market participants in a manner that is designed to be regulatory-compliant. With $1.3bn in digital currency related deposits, we believe SI has the largest share of the deposits across the industry.” Therefore, Goldberg initiated coverage of Silvergate with an Overweight rating and a price target of $19, indicating upside potential of 16%. (To watch Goldberg’s track record, click here ) The digital currency bank is up by over 30% since its initial November listing, though it is still rather quiet on the Street when it comes to opinions on the bank’s prospects. Only one other analyst currently has a take on SI, marking it as a Moderate Buy. The average price target is $18, set to provide gains of 10%, should the target materialize. ( See Silvergate stock analysis on TipRanks ) Square Inc ( SQ ) An increasingly solid player in the digital payment field, tech company Square provides payment solutions to merchants, while also allowing for peer-to-peer payments through its mobile Cash app. The company has a history of innovation - its first product was the Square Reader, which connected credit cards to an iPad or an iPhone via the device’s audio jack . Square added the ability to purchase Bitcoin in the Cash App in late 2017, and the cryptocurrency plays a big part in consumer engagement as Bitcoin users are twice as likely to have the Cash Card as opposed to non-users. Bitcoin revenue in 3Q19 was roughly $148 million (48% of total Consumer revenues), growing 245% year-over-year. The success of its Cash App has contributed to Square’s solid growth curve. The company’s eco system is expanding and Square's gross payment volume (GPV) increased 25.5% year-over-year in Q3. Q3 revenue of $1.27 billion indicated a 43% increase year-over-year. EPS almost doubled too, rising from 13 cents to 25 cents, while also beating the estimates by 25%. FinTech companies are revolutionizing banking models, and Square is well positioned to attract underserved merchants and tech-savvy consumers into the digital economy. Deutsche Bank’s Bryan Keane recognizes the growing presence, with the 5-star analyst noting, “Cash App has delivered positive revenue retention for each of its monthly customer cohorts since 2015 showcasing its ability to grow from only its existing base. In addition, SQ continues to innovate with the most recent addition being the ability to invest in high value stocks by splitting the shares into smaller lots and we believe new revenue driving features like a credit card offering could be announced next year”. To this end, Keane reiterated a Buy rating on Square, along with a price target of $98. With the mobile payments processing company currently trading at $65.55, this provides handsome upside potential of 50%. (To watch Keane’s track record, click here ) A breakdown of 13 Buys, 8 Holds, and 2 Sells from Wall Street analysts currently marks Square as a Moderate Buy. The average price target of $73.24, indicates upside potential of 12%. ( See Square stock analysis on TipRanks ) || Was the crypto winter cold enough?: After the boom of 2017 Bitcoin crashed back down to earth with an almighty wallop. Yet the lows of $3,000 were still a lot higher than the dips which had gone before. Since then, Bitcoin has crept slowly but surely up to the $9,000 mark with a few choppy moments along the way. All the while, mainstream news has struggled to find its appetite for crypto sufficiently whetted – apart from when Libra and Facebook made their big announcement. So has the crypto winter been harsh enough to weed out the unnecessary projects that fill this industry? If it has not, then the question on many lips becomes: ‘If we see another price rise akin to 2017, will the altcoins follow and will this be a positive or negative?’ When Coin Rivet spoke to Marco Peereboom of Decred he made clear that he hoped for an extensive purge that would eliminate many of the projects that have infected the cryptocurrency industry. Even though the crypto winter has been harsh on many altcoins, they are not dead. Discussion has since turned to how a dramatic rise in the Bitcoin price would affect altcoins. Would they rise in union or will Bitcoin finally separate and prove itself as the only viable cryptocurrency. During 2017 numerous criminal cryptocurrency scams and also many that flirted with providing very little product but managed to rake in huge profits by riding the coattails of Bitcoin. Since then many of those projects’ leaders have walked off into the sunset with a healthy pocket. This debate predictably occurs between the Bitcoin maximalists and altcoiners. Whilst neither group are capable of predicting the future, it is difficult to ascertain that from their tweets such is their certainty and confidence. One of the main issues that arises with all cryptocurrencies boosting substantially in value over time is that mainstream media begins to pay interest once again. Under substantial scrutiny many of these projects then become clearly unfeasible. This in turn brings valid questions as to the value and importance of the industry as a whole. Story continues When the price inevitably crashes, the criticism from mainstream media becomes vindicated, and the cycle repeats itself. The cryptocurrency markets certainly have no need for more than 5,000 distinct cryptocurrencies. Even the most passionate of altcoin believers would find it hard to disagree. Yet as they continue to cling on to life despite a massive crash in price it appears that the crypto winter has not killed them off yet. The post Was the crypto winter cold enough? appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Appealing to Normies: Advancing Bitcoin Starts With Better UX: Why isn’t the average person into bitcoin? That was the question posed by Blockstream’s Selene Jin at the Advancing Bitcoin conference in London on Thursday, in a room with some of the most hardcore bitcoiners on the planet. Jin pointed out that bitcoiners on Twitter tend to argue that: “Normies don’t understand money, have no long-term vision or the ability to think outside the box.” Related: Bitcoin Takes a Dive After the Longest Daily Winning Run Since September But she has a different opinion of what’s holding back broader adoption. More “normies” might use bitcoin if the user experience (UX) was better, if – in Silicon Valley tech speak – they were “delighted” to use the apps and felt “empowered” by them, she argued. Jin’s comments at the two-day event spoke to the difficulty of moving the needle on crypto adoption, even with 11 years under bitcoin’s belt. “Bitcoin UX improved a lot [over the years]. But there are ways we can improve that to push bitcoin even further,” Jin, Blockstream’s director of UX, said. She argued that most developers try to build an app with the features they want themselves, which isn’t necessarily what the average Joe is looking for. UX is often overlooked in bitcoin’s often very technical community. Jin argued that bitcoiners are fascinated by the new currency for a variety of reasons: monetary revolution, technological exploration and getting rich. (She’s in it for all three, she said.) Related: Why Cypherpunk Witches Love Bitcoin “I’m trying to help fix the user experience here because if we don’t do that, these three things can’t happen,” Jin said. Less-confusing bitcoin accounts With the halving around the corner, it could be a particularly good time to focus on improving bitcoin’s user experience. If the price goes up (which is still a big “if” that people are debating profusely), it could bring in a lot of new users, as is the pattern for bitcoin over the past decade. “Think of it like ‘Hungry Hungry Hippos,'” Coinfloor exchange founder and CEO Obi Nwosu said in a panel, referencing the 1980s children’s game. “When it comes, each exchange will be trying to get as many customers as possible. We need a service that deals with their requirements,” he added, nodding to Jin’s talk. Story continues One little-known proposal discussed at the event was to make memorizing bitcoin addresses as easy as memorizing a phone number. Right now that’s far from the case. Instead of being fewer than 10 digits, bitcoin addresses, where bitcoin is stored and transaction IDs are long, random strings of letters and numbers. “There is no way anyone can memorize it – unless you’re someone who memorizes digits of pi for fun. These IDs are always communicated by copy and paste,” bitcoin developer and educator Jimmy Song said. That’s why, when he saw a proposal for EasyPaySy posted to the bitcoin developer email list , he was intrigued. EasyPaySy allows these accounts to be represented in a much easier form, as short and human-readable as a phone number or as readable as an email address. This approach isn’t without downsides. It would require more data to be stored on the bitcoin blockchain (the more slimmed down, the easier it is for more users to run). Plus, users potentially have to spend more time backing up such accounts. One attendee argued that the debacle involving economist and bitcoin critic Peter Schiff recently “ losing his bitcoin password ” showed that taking care of one’s bitcoin is already hard enough as is for many people. Still, Song argued that the benefits might outweigh the disadvantages. From the bottom up But user-facing improvements aren’t the only changes being considered. Many UX improvements start at the lowest levels of the bitcoin code. The faster developers can build new features, the faster they can bubble up to users. This realm of UX problems was probably the biggest focus of Advancing Bitcoin. One such improvement revolves around “testnet,” a network that’s like a dummy clone of bitcoin where developers test their apps and new bitcoin features to get a better idea of how they’ll work in the real world. Bitcoin Core contributor Kalle Alm has been building SigNet , an alternative that he describes as “testnet, but without all the broken parts.” The network is notoriously unreliable and “reorgs” all the time, an event where transactions that were considered legit for a short time, aren’t anymore. This bump is much less common on the real bitcoin network. Plus, there are people mining testnet coins and earning no money from it, since the mined dummy coins are supposed to be free. Alm argues there isn’t a point to this, since decentralization, achieved with the help of mining, isn’t really required on testnet. “I don’t even know what [testnet miners] are doing. No government is gonna come in and say, ‘Give me the test coins!'” Alm said. With these problems fixed, Alm thinks SigNet could play a big role in testing network-wide features added to bitcoin. For example, developers could soon use it to test Schnorr and Taproot, a privacy and scalability-focused bundle of changes that’s been making progress this year. But SigNet is just the tip of the iceberg. New bitcoin smart contract language Miniscript , unveiled last year, was the subject of several talks at the conference. Smart contracts require various conditions to be met in order to unlock and send funds, such as not allowing bitcoins to be sent up until a certain day. Bitcoin’s built-in smart contract language Script is notoriously difficult to use, but Miniscript makes it easier for more developers to give it a shot, with the potential of making these smart contracts more available for more users. [Correction: The article has been updated to clarify that Jin was talking about the opinions of bitcoin Twitter users in her initial quote.] Related Stories Bitcoin Breaks Above $10,000 in Spot Market Bitcoin Has Erased Over 45% of 2019 Sell-Off in Just 7 Weeks || Money Saving Expert founder Martin Lewis targeted by Bitcoin scammers: Martin Lewis, financial journalist and founder of hugely popular personal finance site MoneySavingExpert.com, has had his likeness used by scammers for fake Bitcoin adverts. Taking to Twitter to express his outrage, Lewis warned followers that his image is being used by Bitcoin scammers in an attempt to defraud vulnerable victims. Lewis shared a screenshot of one of the scam ads, shown above, which appears to show his likeness alongside the headline “Martin Lewis lends a hand to British families with Bitcoin Future”. The scam ad, which takes the form of a legitimate-looking advertorial circulated via email, goes on to state that Brits are making up to £450 a day from the Bitcoin scheme, leading to many “quitting their jobs”. Be warned any email from me about Bitcoin is BOGUS, BALONEY and any other similar B word. Ignore, delete, and then wash your hands because these are dirty nasty scammers doing it. https://t.co/l738qTlg3P — Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) January 21, 2020 The fraudsters claim that information has been “leaked” which shows that Lewis, known for his “honest money advice”, has been using a Bitcoin trading method to make money. Lewis has issued advice for those thinking of investing in Bitcoin in the past, urging investors not to put money into an asset they don’t understand and citing the volatile nature of Bitcoin as a danger to new investors. Naturally, the scammers, who make money when victims attempt to buy Bitcoin by following links on their page, prey on people who are financially at risk and desire extra income. Scammers have deployed similar tactics in the past, using prominent celebrities and media personalities to defraud users. However, the use of Lewis’ likeness is particularly problematic owing to his public association with personal finance advice. Story continues In November 2019, Coin Rivet reported how the likeness of Singapore Temasek executive Ho Ching had been used to lure victims into buying cryptocurrency via Facebook. Scammers claimed they would reveal Ching’s “money making secrets”, which Ching described as “fake breathtaking quotes”. Crusade against scam ads Martin Lewis has used his position in the media to lead a crusade against scam adverts and fraudsters. In July 2019, Lewis successfully sued Facebook for defamation for similar scam ads, which the social media platform allowed to run unabated for some time. I sued Facebook for defamation over scam ads & settled in return for 2 things that LAUNCH TODAY -1on1 scam help at new Citizens Advice Scam Action (paid for by Facebook £3m) -New Facebook scam ad report tool & dedicated team (unique to UK). Full info https://t.co/8YGfbzrCIF RT — Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) July 16, 2019 As a direct result of the settlement, the Citizen’s Advice Scam Action group launched a new 1-on-1 helpline for victims of similar scams, paid for by a £3 million fund from Facebook, in addition to new tools for UK Facebook users to report scam adverts on the platform. Meanwhile, 69-year-old British billionaire businessman Richard Branson has seemingly taken aim at cryptocurrency in a newly released series of videos targeting scams . The series of videos is part of an attempt by the philanthropist father-of-four to respond to a catalogue of online frauds which have used fake images of the tycoon to endorse their phoney products. You can read more about how scammers use fake adverts to defraud users here . The post Money Saving Expert founder Martin Lewis targeted by Bitcoin scammers appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Bitcoin Has Erased Over 45% of 2019 Sell-Off in Just 7 Weeks: • Bitcoin’s bullish momentum is staying strong and resistance at $10,000 could soon be put to the test. • A break higher would expose the October high of $10,350. • The hourly chart shows $9,850 has emerged as resistance in the last 24 hours. Another rejection at the newfound hurdle could yield a minor pullback to $9,600. Bitcoin is continuing to pile on the gains. The number one cryptocurrency by market value rose to a three-month high of $9,859 during the U.S. trading hours on Thursday and was last seen trading at $9,801, according to CoinDesk’sBitcoin Price Index. With the surge to multi-month highs,bitcoin has recovered a significant portion of the ground lost in the secondhalf of 2019. Related:Why Cypherpunk Witches Love Bitcoin Bitcoin’s bull move from the April 2019 low of $4,100 topped out at $13,880 at the end of June. The bears seized control in July and ended up pushing prices to below $7,000 by the end of November. December, therefore, began on a negative note with prominent analysts calling for a deeper drop to $6,000 or below onminer sellingof the digital asset. The decline, however, was cut short at the seven-month low of $6,425 on Dec. 18. Since then the cryptocurrency has risen sharply by more than $3,300. The speed of the ascent has been impressive – nearly 46 percent of the decline from $13,880 to $6,425 seen in the 25 weeks to Dec. 18 has been reversed in just seven weeks. Related:Bitcoin Breaks Above $10,000 in Spot Market With the bulls in control and momentum looking quite strong, the cryptocurrency could soon rise into five figures. The daily chart looks constructive with the cryptocurrency printing bullish higher highs and higher lows with each passing week. Confirming the uptrend are the ascending five- and 10-day moving averages (MAs) and a bullish crossover of the 50- and 100-day MAs. The MACD histogram, meanwhile, is printing higher bars above the zero line, indicating a strengthening of bullish momentum. Importantly, the market is showing no signs of bull fatigue. The 14-day relative strength index is yet to cross into overbought territory above 70 and the cryptocurrency continues to print solid green candles with small wicks, a sign there is no hesitation among buyers while pushing prices higher. So, the odds appear stacked in favor of a rise to the October high of $10,350. Pullbacks, if any, could find take the support of the ascending five- and 10-day MAs located at $9,526 and $9,445, respectively. Bitcoin has faced rejection near $9,850 two times in the last 24 hours. Another failure might see some buyers opting to take their profits, leading to a minor price pullback to $9,635 (horizontal support line). Acceptance below that level might bring in deeper losses toward $9,500. Disclosure: The author does not currently hold any digital assets. • Appealing to Normies: Advancing Bitcoin Starts With Better UX • Above $10K: CME Bitcoin Futures Hit 3.5-Month Highs [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: down || Prices: 9889.42, 9934.43, 9690.14, 10142.00, 9633.39, 9608.48, 9686.44, 9663.18, 9924.52, 9650.17
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2015-08-14] BTC Price: 265.68, BTC RSI: 41.62 Gold Price: 1112.90, Gold RSI: 48.49 Oil Price: 42.50, Oil RSI: 26.41 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Car Sharing Is Transforming The German Auto Market: In busy German cities, the need to own a car is steadily decreasing. Residents, who say the expenses associated with owning their own vehicle and the hassle of finding a parking space are not worth it, have turned to car-sharing services, which have caught on in a big way. While the idea of sharing a car rather than buying it may not sound like a good business plan for an automaker, German car manufacturers BMW AG and Daimler AG (OTC: DDAIF ) have both launched their own successful sharing programs. Taking Off Car sharing has exploded in popularity in Germany where many young people who would ordinarily buy a mid-range vehicle are opting instead to save that cash and enroll in a sharing service that allows them to drive higher end vehicles like BMW's. The result has been a decline in car ownership in major cities, which has in turn cut down on vehicle density. Related Link: Uber To Shift Into Financial Services What's In It For Them? For car dealers like BMW and Daimler, car sharing represents an interesting opportunity to gain loyal customers. Young professionals in their 30's use the service at a time when they would have traditionally purchased their own car. As the target market for higher-end vehicles tends to center on a higher age group between 40-50 years old, the car sharing service gives younger people a chance to get hooked on the car maker's brand. Working Together Daimler's Car2Go service and BMW's DriveNow program are both hoping to see their success in Germany replicated in other cities around the world. Car2Go has already begun setting up shop in places like Milan and Columbus, Ohio, while DriveNow is working to secure deals on free parking for its drivers. See more from Benzinga Security Proves A Challenge In Today's Market Yet Again How China's Devaluation Is Impacting Markets Are Yuan Holders Turning To Bitcoin? © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Bitcoin startups lure quant whizzes from Wall Street: By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - Armed with a doctorate in financial engineering, 34-year-old Timo Schlaefer was on his way to a promising career at Goldman Sachs in London. Previously with the bank's mergers and acquisitions team, he became an executive director of credit quantitative modeling at Goldman, where quants like Schlaefer are highly valued. In February he gave that up, and launched a company called Crypto Facilities Ltd, a bitcoin derivatives trading platform, which now has six employees. For now, the platform trades bitcoin forwards, which are directly linked to the price of bitcoin, but it's also developing other digital currency derivative products. "This is uncharted territory," said Schlaefer. "It's an exciting opportunity to participate in a new area of technology that has massive potential." Bitcoin is a virtual or online currency created through a "mining" process where a computer's resources are used to perform millions of calculations. Once mined, bitcoins can be stored in an online wallet, traded in an online exchange, or used to buy goods and services. Once the province of small-time investors driven by their distrust of government-backed currencies, now Wall Street bankers and traders are leaving high-paying jobs to join bitcoin start-ups, while big firms hire in-house to get their arms around bitcoin and the related 'blockchain' technology. "A lot of people are entering the bitcoin space as the sector has reached an overall level of funding that's hard to ignore," said Jaron Lukasiewicz, founder and chief executive officer at New York-based bitcoin exchange Coinsetter. Lukasiewicz, 29, moved to the bitcoin world in late 2012, having left behind a six-figure salary in private equity at The CapStreet Group in New York. Bitcoin is not backed by a government and its value fluctuates. On Thursday, it was trading at $278 <BTC=BTSP>, making the value of outstanding bitcoin worth about $4 billion. It has had a volatile history, with a rapid rally in 2013 that boosted its value to more than $1,150 per bitcoin at one point. Right now, Crypto Facilities' Schlaefer probably won't make anywhere near the kind of money that he would potentially earn at Goldman. But it's less about the compensation for Schlaefer and more about being part of the growth in bitcoin and its underlying technology, the blockchain. The blockchain - a ledger or list of all of a digital currency's transactions - is viewed as bitcoin's main technological innovation, allowing users to make payments anonymously, instantly, and without government regulation. Software engineers have started developing multiple applications for the blockchain, including a land title record system in Honduras to the clearing of trades in financial markets. Meanwhile, Wall Street firms are doing their own hiring in the cryptocurrency realm. In June, online bitcoin job ads surged to a record high of 306, according to data from Wanted Analytics, with demand coming from banks such as Capital One and tech companies such as Intel and Amazon. In previous months, Citigroup and TD Canada Trust posted bitcoin job ads as well. RISKY BUSINESS For 31-year-old Paul Chou, founder and chief executive officer of Ledger X, an institutional trading and clearing platform for bitcoin options, moving into the digital currency space represents what he hopes results in lucrative profits down the road. But there are other reasons for his shift. LedgerX is awaiting regulatory approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to trade and clear options on bitcoin. Chou said the firm hopes to operate the first regulated exchange and clearinghouse to list and clear fully-collateralized, physically-settled bitcoin options for the institutional market. "I took a very large salary pay cut to do this, in return for equity in a start-up that can be worth a lot someday," Chou said. Before LedgerX, Chou worked at Goldman Sachs in New York as a quant equity trader after graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with degrees in computer science and mathematics. Chou said his hours are much longer as an entrepreneur - he's constantly refining ideas for strategy and thinking which areas to focus on. "The domain expertise, relationships, and career equity I've built are things I never could have done while at Goldman," Chou said. "As a former trader, I'm glad I made this trade-off at the stage of my career that I did." It's a risky move, however. There are already several tales of bitcoin company failures and mismanagement. U.S. bitcoin marketplace Buttercoin, for instance, shuttered its operations in April this year despite raising $1.3 million in funding. Bitcoin exchange MyCoin closed its doors in February of 2015, leaving about 3,000 investors out of pocket. Tokyo-based Mt. Gox, once one of the most dominant bitcoin exchanges, closed its doors without warning in February last year, filing for bankruptcy and leaving investors approximately $500 million in the red. BITCOIN INVESTMENTS, HIRING Total investments in bitcoin companies for the first half of 2015 - totaling $375.4 million - have already exceeded 2014's total of $339.4 million, data from CB Insights showed. Last year's venture capital funding of bitcoin start-ups grew roughly 280 percent from 2013. The number of bitcoin start-ups has increased by more than 80 percent from last year. As of end-July, there were 814 start-up digital currency companies, up from 444 a year earlier, according to Angel List, an online marketplace for start-ups seeking to raise money from angel investors. As banks defer compensation and add more clawback provisions that give them the right to limit bonuses, traders are seeing better risk opportunities elsewhere, said San Francisco-based Rick Henri Chan, chief operating officer at Airbitz, a digital wallet platform. Chan, 47, who joined the bitcoin industry three years ago, worked for Deutsche Bank as head of its over-the-counter derivatives technology in Japan, and was a trader at UBS and Morgan Stanley. He works long hours at Airbitz, doing everything from strategy to raising money, but the work environment is more flexible. At Deutsche, Chan had a multi-million dollar package, and he admits to missing that paycheck. "But we're doing something special here at Airbitz. And I do think our company will be valued at a lot more in the future," he said. (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss, editing by David Gaffen and John Pickering) || Fund Managers Double Down On Greek Crisis: Despite the fact that Greece and its creditors are dragging the nation's debt negotiations into the weekend, some fund managers say they are moving money into Europe in hopes of a big return. With Athens scheduled to repay its International Monetary Fund loan in just a few days, many worry that Greece is heading for a default, but others say the region is on the upswing despite the ongoing Greek drama. Possibility Of A Grexit? For months, European policy makers have been saying that a Greek exit from the eurozone would not be an option. However, in recent weeks a Grexit has begun to look like a real possibility, and EU officials have acknowledged that. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker remarked that although they were working to avoid a Grexit, he couldn't "pull a rabbit out of a hat" to keep it from happening. Related Link: Exclusive: The Grexit And Why "We're About To Witness The Return Of Drachma" Weekend Summit This weekend, EU policymakers are expected to gather in order to try to reach an eleventh-hour deal to release Greece's funding. So far, the nation has been unsuccessful in convincing its creditors that it is serious about reform, especially after Syriza, an anti-austerity political party, was elected into power. Bracing For Default Many now believe that a Grexit is a very real possibility, but fund managers say Europe is ready to weather such an event. As Greece's debt problems have been ongoing for four years, some say that markets will remain calm in the event of a default. For that reason, funds like the Thornburg International Value Fund Class A (MUTF: TGVAX) and RSQ International Equity Fund Investor Class (MUTF: RSQVX) are pouring money into European markets despite the region's uncertainty. Nations like Italy, Spain and Germany are all expected to benefit from the European Central Bank's quantitative easing program, and lower oil prices are likely to help boost the region's GDP in the coming quarters. Many fund managers say that with the Greece issue dragging the region's share markets lower, now is the time to buy. Image Credit: Public Domain See more from Benzinga Debate Deepens On Usage Of Confederate Flag Bitcoin Gaining Momentum...Or Is It? Study Shows Marijuana Is Often Mislabeled © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. View comments || Pot Breathalyzer To Make Marijuana Legalization Safer: With marijuana becoming legal in more and more states across the U.S., concerns about road safety have taken center stage. As regulations regarding how much alcohol can be safely consumed before driving have been hammered into the public eye for years, many worry that newly legalized pot rules need to be paid the same attention. However, in order for law enforcement agencies to uphold the rules governing marijuana consumption while driving, an easy system to test the amount of cannabis a driver has ingested is necessary. For that reason, many companies are working to come up with a device that can detect marijuana the way that traditional breathalyzers measure a driver's alcohol level. Prototype Cannabix Technologies Inc., a Canadian-based firm, says it is nearing the final stages of developing a ‘pot breathalyzer". The device is still only a prototype, but once it becomes available for widespread use, it could revolutionize the way that police enforce marijuana laws. Related Link: Senate Considers Giving Marijuana Businesses Access To Banks Will It Be Accurate Enough? While the advent of a pot breathalyzer would be a major step forward for marijuana legalization, experts say it won't be accurate enough to be used on its own at first. The device would detect whether or not a person has THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, in their system, but probably wouldn't be able to tell just how much. More Research Needed So far, there has been no consensus regarding what amount of THC, if any, is safe for drivers. In Washington and Montana, drivers must have less than 5 nanograms/milliliter, though Pennsylvania allows just 1 ng/ml and some other states don't allow any amount of THC at all. See more from Benzinga Is Russia Next To Adopt Bitcoin? Cloudminr Hacking Scandal Reignites Skepticism Over Bitcoin Can Marijuana Fight America's Drug Addiction? © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Block26 Leads Seed Round in Bitcoin Wallet Platform Airbitz With $450,000 Investment: LOS ANGELES, CA --(Marketwired - July 10, 2015) - Block26, the blockchain venture firm, today announced that it has invested $450,000 in Airbitz Inc., a digital wallet platform. Block26 joins Airbitz Board of Directors while leading a $1,250,000 seed round expected to close later this summer. The $450,000 infusion marks the first investment from Block26, led by Co-Founders Ni'coel Stark and Pedram Hasid, in the hot Bitcoin technology space. Airbitz was awarded first place at the 2015 Inside Bitcoin NYC startup competition and was named one of AlwaysOn OnFinance's 50 Companies to Watch in 2015. Airbitz's decentralized and open source platform solves many of the current usability, security and privacy issues inherent in the current generation of bitcoin wallets. Airbitz is a remarkably easy-to-use and intelligently designed wallet that allows users to receive, store, or send funds with confidence. The digital wallet software is protected by ironclad and effortless security that prevents any third party from accessing user funds or data, including Airbitz itself, and features the world's first one-touch 2-factor authentication. Available for iOS and Android, Airbitz automatically encrypts, secures and backs up user data without requiring complicated user prompts, and the decentralized server architecture ensures that Airbitz wallets are functional even if company servers are disabled. Altogether, Airbitz provides the familiar feel and functionality of mobile banking while implementing blockchain operations under the hood, reducing friction and making Bitcoin universally approachable and usable. Block26 understands that this same technology has the potential to disrupt arenas beyond digital currency. Block26 Co-Founder and Managing Principal Ni'coel Stark said, "Block26 is making its first investment in Airbitz because not only is it the best digital wallet for consumers, it is far more than a wallet. Airbitz technology enables a multifaceted financial tool, an extraordinary implementation on edge security, and a whole new contribution to the Internet of Things. Block26 is excited to empower Airbitz solutions in revolutionizing transaction, authentication and security processes." Airbitz is led by CEO and Co-Founder Paul Puey, a former Nvidia senior engineer and a prominent leader of Bitcoin advocacy in Southern California. The Airbitz leadership team includes CTO and Co-Founder Tim Horton, the former CTO of startup Breadcrumbs Inc.,; VP Design and Co-Founder Damian Cutillo, formerly Co-Founder at Breadcrumbs Inc.; Chief Architect and Co-Founder William Swanson, the core developer of Libbitcoin; and COO Rick "Henri" Chan, Co-Founder of AlphaPoint with 15 years experience at finance and technology firms including Robertson Stephens, Deutsche Bank and UBS Financial Services. Story continues Airbitz CEO and Co-Founder Paul Puey said, "Airbitz is tremendously honored to have Block26 as our partner and lead investor. Their core focus on bitcoin, blockchain, and decentralized technologies is perfectly inline with the DNA of Airbitz founders. Block26 brings incredible experience in building highly tuned team dynamics and they see the value in people, companies, and industries that aren't afraid to disrupt the status quo. We look forward to building a decentralized world with their passion and support at our side." Airbitz COO Rick "Henri" Chan added, "Block26 is more than an investor to Airbitz; they are an integral partner in our rapid development. We look forward to closely working with Block26 as partners in building a company that thrives as it grows. Block26's unique financial model allows for a flexible investment strategy that could provide Airbitz and other portfolio companies with early stage capital, with the capacity to provide bridge funding as well. For these reasons and many more, we greatly look forward to Block26 joining our Board." For more information, visit Airbitz at www.airbitz.co or Block26 at www.block26.com . View comments || Dangers Of Marijuana Uncertain In Growing Industry: With the marijuana industry still in its infancy in the U.S., many are worried that not enough is known about its effects and preventative measures are lagging behind the growing breadth of THC infused products. However, a new study showing that marijuana may be a risk on the road has prompted some to call for stricter regulations regarding the drug's consumption. Limits Questioned While there is a clear limit of alcohol that people can ingest before driving a car, that of marijuana is a bit more uncertain. In Washington and Colorado, marijuana users are able to have 5 ug/L of TCH in their system if they are operating a vehicle. However, a new study shows that such limits may not be enough. Related Link: The Cost Of A "Rocky Mountain High" Is Getting Lower A Dangerous Combination A new federal study tested the impact of marijuana versus alcohol on a driver's ability to navigate the roads. The results showed that drivers impaired by marijuana were actually safer than those impaired by alcohol. However, the study also showed that drivers under the influence of both alcohol and marijuana, even at the legal limits of both, were the most dangerous. This is concerning, as many marijuana users consume the drug after having one or two drinks. Driving While High Is On The Rise The study is likely to give lawmakers something to consider when it comes to cracking down on marijuana regulation. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration survey showed that weekend nighttime drivers with THC in their system have increased dramatically since 2007, from 8.6 percent to 12.6 percent. Many believe that rise is directly attributed to the growing popularity of marijuana use as the drug is legalized in more and more states. Image Credit: Public Domain See more from Benzinga 3D Printer And A Latte, Please Overstock Loses Big On Bitcoin The Cost Of A 'Rocky Mountain High' Is Getting Lower © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || California Plans For Pot Expansion: Although current California legislation still prohibits recreational marijuana use, the state has been at the forefront of the cannabis industry since relaxing its laws to allow residents to use marijuana for medical reasons. However, as the push for full-scale legalization picks up momentum, the state's lawmakers have struggled to determine just how the industry should be allowed to grow. Regulation Questions In many California cities, dispensaries have been forbidden while in others a plethora of marijuana facilities, both legal and illegal, have sprung up. To streamline the industry and give growers a place to expand, Arcata, a northwestern city, isopeninga Medical Marijuana Innovation Zone. Related Link:Marijuana Proves Useful In Treating Bone-Related Conditions Marijuana Zone The zone will be wholly dedicated to the production of marijuana, something that is believed to be a first in the U.S. By giving pot growers a place apart from California's residential neighborhoods to cultivate their crops, Arcadia City Council officials hope to carve out their town's role in the growing industry. Regulating The Industry Arcata's decision to create a specific zone for marijuana cultivation could serve as a blueprint for other states struggling with the issue of how to regulate the cannabis industry. When the land has been specifically designated for marijuana production, it gives local officials a chance to impose rules on growers in regard to land use rather than drug policy. That means pot regulation can be carried out on a local rather than state level. Money Maker Not only will Arcata's marijuana zoning plan help revamp California's pot industry, it's also expected to bring in big bucks for the local economy. Arcata and its local businesses stand to profit from the pot industry in the coming years, especially if California legalizes recreational marijuana as well. See more from Benzinga • Venture Capitalists Pouring Money Into Bitcoin • Greek Bailout Deal: Agreed To By Many, Welcomed By None • People Using Cryptocurrency For Secret Communications © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Bitcoin Online Casino 4Grinz.com Celebrates Global Grand Opening With Super Launch Giveaway: SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA --(Marketwired - June 30, 2015) - Today's players are looking for the most immersive online casino games that are interactive, sophisticated, and very polished. They want the fun of playing for free with the option of gambling and games should be optimized for tablets and smartphones. 4Grinz.com achieves this and more, offering hundreds of state-of-the-art games with 3d cinematic visuals and provocative audio. "These aren't your grandmother's casino slots," exclaims Wise Walrus PR Manager Sandy Luna. "Today's cutting-edge developers are turning the iGaming industry on its head." Combine these features with a unique rewards program, and the 4Grinz.com online casino entertainment experience becomes extraordinary. Players will also appreciate the ease and freedom of using Bitcoin, making transactions instantaneous and the tedious process of delayed withdrawals and high fees associated with real money seem obsolete. Bitcoin online casino 4Grinz.com will celebrate its grand opening to players around the world with its Super Launch by giving away 10 free mBTCs to 50 registrants each week. Participants can register any time and there's no obligation. The one-step process is completed in seconds with just an email address and there's no need to divulge personal information. "What sets 4Grinz apart from the competition is its seasoned team of professionals with a gift for innovation," says Luna. "Since 1998, they've served and operated both live and online casinos, then taken an already successful model and brought it into the future with Bitcoin. Frankly, the industry hasn't experienced this level of enthusiasm and innovation in more than a decade." Registration for Super Launch starts now and drawings will continue throughout summer. For a limited time, Bitcoin players can take advantage of 4Grinz.com's 110% Welcome Bonus, a 55% Welcome Back Bonus, and a 35% Member Bonus on reloads. Results of Super Launch drawings will be announced each Tuesday at 12 PM (noon) CST on Facebook.com/4Grinz and winners will receive a congratulatory email with simple instructions on how to claim their 10 free mBTCs. The Super Launch is one of many promotions 4Grinz will be rolling out over the next few seasons, and for exciting announcements on this and others, Like 4Grinz on facebook.com/4Grinz and Follow on twitter.com/4Grinzcasino . About 4Grinz.com -- A Bitcoin online casino that allows for free play and legal gambling, 4Grinz.com offers the latest HD movie-quality games, video poker, blackjack, and slots designed by the industry's most innovative cinematic developers, plus a unique and intimate 24/7 live casino with elegant and attentive dealers in real-time. No download necessary, players can enjoy live and online casinos on-the-go with mobile. Payouts are fast and withdrawals completed in minutes. 4Grinz.com has the richest reward programs , including lavish bonuses, progressive jackpots, and Grinz Points that can be redeemed for merchandise and gift cards or donated to a favorite charity. The seasoned professionals behind 4Grinz.com are Bitcoin people too, serving and operating live and online casinos since 1998. 4Grinz.com is powered by Coingaming. Its fair gaming platform complies with product and service GLI Standards for the ultimate entertainment experience. Changing minds and habits, building trust with smiles, we are 4Grinz.com. Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2015/6/29/11G046214/Images/Superlaunch-1411332149755.jpg Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2015/6/29/11G046214/Images/AboutUs-1427420557171.jpg Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2015/6/29/11G046214/Images/Screen_Shot_2015-06-27_at_21.48.06-476512181192.jpg Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2015/6/29/11G046214/Images/PlayOnTheGo-446146912309.jpg Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2015/6/29/11G046214/Images/Screen_Shot_2015-06-27_at_22.38.37-1187105050718.jpg Embedded Video Available: https://youtu.be/RQMUfo47g_s || Retirees Represent Major Marijuana Market: As marijuana legalization spreads across the U.S., the public perception of a marijuana user is slowly changing from a young, unambitious kid to an elderly person with a cup of tea. That's right, marijuana use is becoming more and more common among retirees who say the drug helps them deal with some of the ailments associated with growing older. Forget Florida Retirees have long flocked to states with sunshine and great healthcare in order to live out their golden years, but marijuana legalization is becoming a top priority for many seniors who use the drug to cope with things like chronic pain or insomnia. Oregon has seen an influx of new residents over the past year as its relaxed marijuana laws drew in people who want to get high without worrying about legal consequences. Many dispensaries say at least 50 percent of their clientele is made up of elderly people suffering from varying illnesses and looking for relief. Related Link: California Plans For Pot Expansion Boomers The aging population of baby boomers has also contributed to increased marijuana use among seniors. As that generation lived through the 1960's and 1970's when drug use was common among teenagers, the decision to use marijuana as a retiree is often more comfortable. Pushing For Legalization The growing popularity of medical marijuana among retirees has created a powerful voice in the campaign to legalize marijuana in the U.S. Groups like Grannies for Grass paint marijuana use as a safe, effective way for the elderly to manage their pain in lieu of traditional medicine. Many believe that as more and more retirees adopt medical marijuana, states like Florida with large elderly populations will be pushed to legalize the drug. See more from Benzinga Bitcoin Payments Decline Significantly At Expedia EU In Favor Of Iran Deal Is Social Activism And Marketing A Good Combination? © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || BTCS Doubles Capacity at Its North Carolina Facility: ARLINGTON, VA--(Marketwired - Jul 30, 2015) -BTCS Inc.(OTCQB:BTCS) ("BTCS" or the "Company"), a blockchain technology focused company which secures the blockchain through its transaction verification services business, doubled its operating capacity at its North Carolina facility from 1.5 megawatts ("mw") to 3 mw. "Using only 0.65mw of our capacity, and approximately 891 Th/s, we were able to earn 552 Bitcoins in the second quarter," stated Charles Allen, Chief Executive Officer of BTCS. "By increasing our operating capacity to 3mw, we've set the stage for significant growth in the quarters ahead, which we believe we can leverage even further through our pending merger with Spondoolies-Tech. The addition of Spondoolies' third-generation Application Specific Integrated Circuit ("ASIC") servers upon closing of the pending merger is expected to provide a 3x-5x efficiency improvement to our operations. We believe this should translate to a significant boost in our hashing power." BTCS estimates that it currently costs the Company approximately $100-$120 to earn each Bitcoin. Assuming the implementation of third-generation ASIC servers from Spondoolies at the Company's facility in North Carolina, the increased capacity of 3mw is expected to power a hash rate of between 13,000 and 29,000 Th/s. Allen continued, "Our refined focus on securing the blockchain minimizes risk and positions us to capitalize on the massive market potential of the blockchain across all industries. We believe we selected an ideal timing for market entry that allowed us to pass over the high-risk period of extreme volatility that knocked many smaller players out of the space. With this latest increase in capacity, we believe we are well positioned to become a dominant player for the long-term." About BTCS:The blockchain is a decentralized public ledger that has the ability to fundamentally impact, on a global basis, all industries that require trust and rely on or utilize record keeping. BTCS secures the blockchain through its rapidly growing transaction verification services business and plans to build a broader ecosystem to capitalize on opportunities in this fast growing industry. BTCS continues to evaluate and build additional blockchain technology consumer solutions. BTCS also actively partners and integrates with strategic digital currency and blockchain technology companies who provide products or services that are complementary to its business strategy. For more information visit:www.btcs.com Forward-Looking Statements:Certain statements in this press release, including those related to an anticipated merger, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward-looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, not limited to Risk Factors relating to its digital currency business contained therein. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] #RDD / #BTC on the exchanges: Cryptsy: Error Bittrex: 0.00000005 Average $1.3E-5 per #reddcoin 23:00:01 || #RDD / #BTC on the exchanges: Cryptsy: 0.00000006 Bittrex: 0.00000006 Average $1.7E-5 per #reddcoin 07:00:02 || Bitcoin traded at $282.1 USD on BTC-e at 09:00 PM Pacific Time || LIVE: Profit = $391.94 (0.44 %). BUY B319.43 @ $276.00 (#BTCe). SELL @ $277.73 (#Bitfinex) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || In the last 10 mins, there were arb opps spanning 17 exchange pair(s), yielding profits ranging between $0.00 and $879.89 #bitcoin #btc || buysellbitco.in #bitcoin price in INR, Buy : 17158.00 INR Sell : 16593.00 INR. Buy and sell bitcoin in #India using #buysellbitcoin || LIVE: Profit = $217.06 (0.35 %). BUY B238.22 @ $263.00 (#BTCe). SELL @ $264.64 (#Bitfinex) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || buysellbitco.in #bitcoin price in INR, Buy : 15714.00 INR Sell : 15230.00 INR. Buy and sell bitcoin in #India using #buysellbitcoin || Current price: 170.36£ $BTCGBP $btc #bitcoin 2015-08-10 09:00:04 BST || bitcoin rate-2015-07-28 PDT start_rate:$285.24 current_rate:$285.24(0.00%) #btc_e @MoneysEdge http://www.moneysedge.com/bitcoin 
Trend: down || Prices: 261.55, 258.51, 257.98, 211.08, 226.68, 235.35, 232.57, 230.39, 228.17, 210.49
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2015-04-29] BTC Price: 225.81, BTC RSI: 43.06 Gold Price: 1209.80, Gold RSI: 54.64 Oil Price: 58.58, Oil RSI: 66.34 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Online Viagra Generic and Brand Cialis: Rand Pauljust announced that he's running for president in 2016, and he's pretty flexible about what kinds of donations he'll accept. His campaign website, headlined "Stand with Rand," allows people to make donations with a credit card, PayPal, or the digital currency bitcoin. Viagra Generic and Brand Cialis , a libertarian-oriented Republican senator from Kentucky, said in a statement on hisupdated campaign websiteon Tuesday that he's running for president "to return our country to the principles of liberty and limited government." Paul's slogan willreportedly includea vow to "defeat the Washington machine." But Viagra Generic and Brand Cialis pointed out on Tuesdaythat Paul has been contradicting some of the messages he built his image on in order to court donors: The firebrand who wants to scale back the authority of the Federal Reserve has been quietly courting Wall Street donors. The anti-war agitator who mounted a 13-hour filibuster to call attention to the United States' use of drones recently proposed a boost to military spending. And the 52-year-old former eye surgeon who harnessed the anti-establishment energy of the Tea Party movement has been raising money for fellow Republicans, at times upsetting the grassroots activists who have made him a national figure. Also this Online Viagra Generic and Brand Cialis , a board member of the Bitcoin Foundationannounced that the group is effectively bankrupt. As Arstechnica points out, the foundation is "the closest thing to a public face that the [bitcoin] community has." (h/t @TheStalwart) NOW WATCH:Here's what it takes to be President Obama's right-hand man More From Business Insider • Rand Paul goes off on Hillary Clinton, and says she's disqualified from bashing Uber • Hillary Clinton just called out the economic problem of the next decade • Donald Trump's most surprising failures and successes || Is Regulation A Help Or Hindrance To Bitcoin?: As more and more regulated exchanges dealing in cryptocurrency trade emerge, the question of whether or not regulation takes away from the allure of bitcoin has been raised by many of the digital currency's supporters. Central banks around the world are beginning to take notice of bitcoin and new restrictions could take away from the anonymity that many bitcoin enthusiasts enjoyed. Regulation Paves The Way For Adoption Most emerging exchanges believe that regulation is a key component in gaining mainstream popularity. For the average investor, putting money into a completely unregulated market could feel a bit like putting it all on black at the casino. Regulation and security makes dipping a toe into a new market feel more comfortable, especially with all of the negative publicity bitcoin has received in the past year. Bank Of England To Step In This month the UK treasury announced its own interests in the digital currency space, saying that new anti-money laundering rules would be put into place in order to protect the growing industry. Related Link:Nasdaq Backs Up Bitcoin-Based Exchange Small bitcoin-businesses cheered the proposal, saying that the rules would not only legitimize their industry in the eyes of the public, but that they will likely open banks' doors to startups dealing in digital currencies that are looking for small business loans. Regulations Dampen Innovation While most bitcoin supporters recognize that the cryptocurrency won't gain traction without some government intervention, many say it kills one of the best reasons to jump on board the bitcoin train. Rover Ver, who has been called the "Bitcoin Jesus" toldFortunethat regulations weigh down innovation more than they build bitcoin up. Ver said he recognizes the importance of regulation in promoting mainstream adoption, but pointed out that digital currencies would move faster and further without the government's red tape. See more from Benzinga • Study Shows Regulating Marijuana Sales May Be More Complicated Than Previously Thought • Should You Add Craft Beer To Your Portfolio? • Investors See A Silver Lining In Europe's Plain Packaging Laws © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || BitTorrent officially launches Sync 2.0 with $40 pro tier: BitTorrent officiallylaunched Sync 2.0 Tuesday, taking the next step toward turning the P2P-based file backup and synchronization tool into a real business. Sync 2.0 comes with a pro tier that offers users more fine-grained access control for folders and other advanced features for $39.99 a year. Users can test the pro features for a month for free, or still use basic Sync functionality without the need to pay anything. BitTorrentfirst announced and previewed the Pro tier of Sync last November. Related research and analysis from Gigaom Research:Subscriber content.Sign up for a free trial. • Bitcoin: why digital currency is the future financial system • How work media tools are shaping business in 2015 • What to know when planning an OpenStack deployment More From paidContent.org • BitTorrent officially launches Sync 2.0 with $40 pro tier || Avra Announces Launch of Top Tier Security Products for Digital Currency Vendors: GREENVILLE, SC--(Marketwired - Apr 20, 2015) -Avra, Inc.(OTCQB:AVRN) ("Avra" or the "Company") a development stage company pioneering product innovation and activation of merchant and consumer commerce in the global Bitcoin-related digital currencies market, is pleased to announce the introduction of AvraSecure, a dedicated platform which offers critical security solutions to the growing digital currency industry. AvraSecure (www.avrasecure.com) is a perfect fit to complement all forms of technical payment infrastructure such as Bitcoin ATM machines, electronic wallets and related digital storage and transaction systems as well as payment gateways for Visa® and MasterCard® processing; while providing security and compliance requirements for KYC/AML which owner/operators will need in order to stay protected and remain compliant within the increasingly stringent regulatory environment. Avra is has created a one-stop solution that provides a best practice level of protection combined with an easy to integrate application interface. Avra invites its peers to join our security initiative and increase the level of security to the highest standards in order to combat intrusions and their effect on the industry, individual brand reputation, and most importantly, customer acquisition and retention. "Card brands such as Visa, MasterCard, Discover and AMEX agreed to form a security council in 2004 known as the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Counsel which to-date has had a very positive impact on protecting consumers and businesses. More needs to be done however as its shocking to think what the impact of breaches could be without this council," stated Steve Shepherd, CEO at Avra. "Digital Currency businesses are a relatively small but highly visible target and Avra has invested significantly in the development of preventative applications available to our clients through AvraSecure, a subscription based solution which can be implemented for as little as $199 per month with increased security solutions available based upon a completely free client-specific needs assessment." "It is a difficult task to make frictionless commerce service commitments as easy as possible when we operate in an environment that is constantly under the threat of attack. Hackers have more motivation to continue to find vulnerabilities whenever and wherever they can. We are committed to delivering rigorously controlled access that achieves the highest level of security and protection to our users, while continuously monitoring for vulnerabilities," stated Barry Johnson, Avra's Data Security Manager, "Many of the people becoming involved in the Bitcoin arena aren't necessarily security engineers with the bank-grade experience necessary to secure servers, wallets, websites and shopping carts. Currently, the real cost of intrusions can run into millions of dollars with limited recourse available. Companies which elect to operate as vendors in this market must have top-grade security if they intend to hold value on behalf of a client. If they do not, they shouldn't be operating at all, and should be held at least partially liable for otherwise preventable incursions." For more information please visit our website at:www.avraglobal.com. About Avra, Inc.(OTCQB:AVRN)Avra, Inc. is focused on solutions in the digital currency markets, particularly in offering payment solutions to businesses worldwide. The Company's business model is divided into five distinct categories: AvraPay: to develop a complete, turn-key and painless way for merchants to accept Bitcoin as Payment; AvraATM: to promote usage and acceptance of digital currencies through the Company's proposed network of ATMs; AvraTourism: to provide cryptocurrency payment processing solutions for merchants such as hotels and casinos; AvraNews: to provide a news portal focusing on digital currency news, and the latest addition; AvraSecure, offering subscription based critical security solutions to digital currency vendors. For more information about the Company please visit:www.avraglobal.com. Additional information regarding Avra, Inc. and its filings can be found atwww.sec.gov. Forward Looking StatementsSome information in this document constitutes forward-looking statements or statements which may be deemed or construed to be forward-looking statements, such as the closing of the share exchange agreement. The words "plan", "forecast", "anticipates", "estimate", "project", "intend", "expect", "should", "believe", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve, and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements to differ from the future results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The risks, uncertainties and other factors are more fully discussed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements attributable to Avra Inc., herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by the above-mentioned cautionary statement. Avra Inc., disclaims any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this estimate, except as may be required by law. || CWC/Columbus Merger Finalized; Strong Regional Telecommunications Provider Emerges: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwired - Mar 31, 2015) - Cable and Wireless Communications, Plc (CWC) announced today that it has completed its US$1.85bn acquisition of 100% of the equity of Columbus International Inc. Commenting on the completion of the transaction, Chief Executive Officer, Phil Bentley, said: "This is a transformational deal for Cable & Wireless Communications. Columbus Communications is an outstanding business; not only do we add significant fibre optic submarine backhaul and terrestrial broadband and TV capability to our leading mobile and legacy copper networks in the Caribbean, but our complementary B2B divisions can now offer geographical focus and a wider product offering in the faster-growing Latin American markets. "We expect the operating synergies to be significant; together, the new merged company creates the opportunity to invest more, grow faster, and provide an improved customer experience and, most importantly, a development opportunity for our people that either company could never have achieved on their own. "There has been an extensive and professional regulatory review, with appropriate remedies. We are pleased we now have the necessary Government support to conclude this important transaction and to start making the financial commitments required to deliver an outstanding customer experience and to enhance the telecommunications infrastructure and economic development of the communities we serve." Bentley noted that as part of the integration process, the Company "is undertaking a full review of all the brands we currently operate under, including the Flow and LIME brands as well as the business and wholesale brands," but added that "no decision has yet been made." Commenting on the merger process and next steps, Bentley said, "Most of the markets we operate in have approved our integration plans and therefore today we can start to release some of the US$1.5bn investment monies we have set aside to provide our customers with an unrivalled telecommunications experience, improving coverage, reliability, products and speeds, and providing a welcome boost to both jobs and the economy in the countries in which we operate. Story continues "In a small number of markets where we have yet to receive all the necessary approvals required, we cannot commence our integration and investment plans; we will therefore continue to support the local regulatory due process until we have the green light to move forward in those markets." About Cable & Wireless Communications Cable & Wireless Communications Plc (CWC) is a full-service communications provider operating in 16 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. With four leading brands: Mas Movil (Cable and Wireless Panama), LIME (the Caribbean excluding The Bahamas), BTC (The Bahamas) and Cable and Wireless Seychelles, CWC offers mobile, broadband, TV, domestic and international fixed line services and serves over 5.5m customers. CWC also provides premium data centre hosting, domestic and international managed data network services and customised IT Service Solutions to businesses and governments through our Cable & Wireless Business Solutions division. We are the market leader in most of the products we offer and the territories we serve. For more information visit: www.cwc.com . About Columbus International Inc. Columbus International Inc. is a privately held diversified telecommunications company based in Barbados. The Company provides digital cable television, broadband Internet and digital landline telephony in Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, St. Lucia and Curacao under the brand name Flow and in Antigua under the brand name Karib Cable. Columbus also provides next generation connectivity and IT solutions, managed networking and cloud-based services under the brand Columbus Business Solutions. Through its subsidiary, Columbus Networks, the Company provides capacity and IP services, corporate data solutions and data centre hosting throughout 42 countries in the greater Caribbean, Central American and Andean region. Through its fully protected, ringed submarine fibre optic network spanning more than 42,300 km and its 38,000 km terrestrial fibre and coaxial network, Columbus' 3,150 plus professionals provide advanced telecom services to a diverse residential and corporate client base of over 700,000 customers. For more information visit www.columbus.co || Bitcoin regulation is coming to New York: Bitcoin Accepted Here Sign (REUTERS/Peter Nicholls) A bitcoin sticker is seen in the window of the 'Vape Lab' cafe, where it is possible to both use and purchase the bitcoin currency, in London March 24, 2015. There's a new regulator in town. Daniel Roberts at Fortune reports that Benjamin Lawsky, superintendent of the New York Department of Financial Services, is putting the finishing touches on BitLicense, a policy that "will require digital currency companies to obtain a license in order to transmit money on behalf of customers." This means that the cryptocurrency is getting slightly more legit, though the Bitcoin community is unsurprisingly somewhat unhappy about that. While some people think that regulation is a way to wider acceptance, Bitcoin is by and large a community full of people with serious philosophical opposition to the mainstream system. That's why they created bitcoin. From Fortune: While some welcome [regulation] (such as those rolling out insured exchanges ) because it can bring the currency and the technology mainstream, many are more philosophically motivated, and were attracted to the space precisely because of its lack of regulation. The latter camp includes people like Roger Ver, nicknamed “Bitcoin Jesus,” who recently told Fortune, “Bernie Madoff… was regulated up and down and every which way, and it didn’t do any good, he ran away with everyone’s money… Without all the regulations, we could do so much more already.” These bitcoiners should get together with JP Morgan's Jamie Dimon . NOW WATCH: How to supercharge your iPhone in only 5 minutes More From Business Insider Users of now-defunct Mt. Gox can now file a claim to get some of their bitcoin money back One big reason Bitcoin is going nowhere This guy has gamed the airline industry so he never has to pay for a flight again || Bitcoin Exchange itBit says it won part of bitcoin auction: NEW YORK (Reuters) - - Bitcoin exchange itBit on Tuesday said it had won part of the U.S. government's third auction of bitcoins seized from Ross Ulbricht, who was convicted last month of operating black market website Silk Road. The company said it won 3,000 of the 50,000 bitcoins auctioned last week by the U.S. Marshals Service. The Marshals Service said earlier on Tuesday there are two other unidentified winners, which took 27,000 and 20,000 coins respectively. In late trading on Tuesday, bitcoin was up 1.8 percent at $292.19. That put the value of the 50,000 bitcoins auctioned at $14.6 million. ItBit was founded in 2012 as a global exchange for institutional and retail investors. It has offices in New York and Singapore. Last week's auction attracted 34 bids from 14 registered bidders. That was more than the last bitcoin auction in December when just 11 buyers submitted 27 bids. The first auction in June attracted 45 bidders and 63 bids. (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Andrew Hay) || Your first trade for Monday: The "Fast Money" traders gave their final trades of the day. Tim Seymour was a buyer of the TUR(NYSE Arca: TUR). Steve Grasso was a buyer of TWTR(TWTR). Brian Kelly was a seller of the TLT(NYSE Arca: TLT). Guy Adami was a buyer of BX(BX). Trader disclosure: On April 17, 2015, the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "Fast Money" traders:Tim Seymour is long T, BAC, BX, C, DAL, DIS, F, GE, GM, GOOGL, INTC, EWP, SUNE, TWX, Tim's firm is long BABA, BIDU, CHL, IBN, MCD, NKE, NOK, SBUX, TUR, VALE.Steve Grasso is long AAPL, EVGN, MJNA, PFE, T, TWTR, GDX, BAC, BTU, his firm is long AMD, AMZN, NE, OXY, VALE, RIG his kids own EFG, EFA, EWJ, IJR, SPY. Brian Kelly is long BTC=, CTRL calls, GSG, BBRY, SPY puts, he is short 30-Year Bond Futures, he is short Yuan, today he covered U.S. Dollar, today he sold Euro, today he sold EEM, today he sold GLD. Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, INTC, Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. More From CNBC • Top News and Analysis • Latest News Video • Personal Finance || GuestLogix Announces Acceptance of Bitcoin Currency as a Form of Payment on its Retail Platform: TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Mar 16, 2015) - GuestLogix Inc. (GXI.TO), the leading global provider of ancillary-focused merchandising, payment and business intelligence technology to airlines and the passenger travel industry, today announced that it has started implementing Crypto-currency wallet components on its Transaction Processing Engine® to enable the acceptance of Bitcoin and similar virtual currencies on its widely used Retail Platform. The Company's PCI-certified Transaction Processing Engine (TPE) currently supports ancillary revenue programs of more than 80 travel operators and handles payments across 114 countries. By adding a virtual currency wallet to the TPE, acceptance of Bitcoin will become readily available on GuestLogix' custom handheld POS terminals and mobile POS platform for Android OS, iOS and MS Windows Mobile. This will allow airlines, as well as other operators and brands within the travel segment, to be able to accept payments in virtual currencies in a secure and reliable manner at all access points such as mobile applications, at kiosks, on handheld POS devices as well as in-flight entertainment systems onboard aircraft. "As ancillary products and services continue to be a vital business component at virtually every touch point where travel operators connect with their passengers, and with an ever growing population of travellers carrying smartphones and holding virtual currencies, there is a need to ensure those travellers can use Bitcoin currency consistently as a form of payment within each access point," said Brett Proud, President & CEO of GuestLogix. "We are proud that the core components of GuestLogix' payment solutions will soon be Bitcoin-enabled for all travel operators and ancillary providers to integrate with." Using its TPE, GuestLogix will allow passengers to pay for products and services using Bitcoin currency. In an offline environment, such as onboard an aircraft with no internet connectivity, passengers can continue to use their own Bitcoin wallets available on their mobile smartphones to transact with the GuestLogix POS terminals. GuestLogix will be accepting the payment and remitting the funds to its customers at a later time when connectivity is available. Travel operators can also opt to price products and services in Bitcoins by utilizing the special pricing and promotions module on GXI's Retail Platform. Travel operators may choose to maintain Bitcoin addresses to receive the payments directly. Alternatively, Bitcoin funds accepted from the passenger will be converted using the daily exchange rate of the Bitcoin relative to the travel operator's base currency and the converted funds will be remitted to their bank account. About GuestLogix GuestLogix Inc. (GXI.TO), is a global leader in comprehensive merchandising, payment and business intelligence technology delivered to the passenger travel industry, both onboard and off-board. Bringing over a decade of expertise as the industry's most trusted onboard transaction processing partner to airlines, rail operators and elsewhere in the passenger travel industry, GuestLogix powers the industry's growing reliance on ancillary revenue generation. Both direct to operators as well as through partnerships with global leaders in catering, duty-free, inflight entertainment and self-service retail experts, the Company provides the payment services touching over 1 billion travelling consumers each year. On December 23, 2014, GuestLogix announced the acquisition of OpenJaw Technologies, a Dublin-based technology company focused on travel retailing innovation in the e-commerce segment. GuestLogix' global headquarters and centre for product innovation is located in Toronto, with regional head offices located in Dallas, London and Hong Kong, and a Product Innovation Lab located in Moncton. More information is available atwww.guestlogix.comandwww.openjawtech.com. © 2015 GuestLogix. All Rights Reserved. ® Transaction Processing Engine is the property of GuestLogix and is registered in the United States and may be pending or registered in other countries. Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes certain forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations, which involve risks and uncertainties associated with GuestLogix' business and the environment in which the business operates. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking, including those identified by the expressions "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but reflect GuestLogix' current expectations regarding future results or events. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, including the matters discussed under "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Filing Statement filed on November 3, 2014 with the regulatory authorities. GuestLogix assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. || Trading Internet stocks in the week ahead: With earnings season gearing up, some of CNBC's "Fast Money" traders turned their focus to Internet stocks, including Netflix(NASDAQ: NFLX), which reports next Wednesday. Shares of the streaming giant Netflix rallied on Friday after Citigroup(NYSE: C)upgraded the stock, citing its content lineup and global growth as catalysts. "Fast Money" trader Guy Adami said he's long Netflix. "Now I believe that $440 is your pivot. It obviously exploded through that today... I think it is ready for the next leg higher," Adami said. "I think you have a very well defined risk, reward trade." Read MoreApple is going to $143:Technician When it comes to trading the media stock, he says investors should "stay long against $440." "Fast Money" trader Steve Grasso said he thinks the stock is ultimately heading to $500 a share, although he sees it facing resistance around $486. "Content is king...people are viewing things in a total different manner," Grasso said. "I think you're going to see another price increase that's going to help. People might be negative on it originally." "Fast Money" trader Tim Seymour says shares of fellow content streaming provider Pandora(NYSE: P)may get a boost thanks to competitor Spotify's surprise valuation. Investors have valued its Spotify at about $8.4 billion, according a Dow Jones report, as it plans to raise some $400 million in funding. That values the firm at more than double Pandora's current market cap of $3.6 billion. "The knee-jerk [reaction] is going to take the stock higher,"Adami said. Read MoreCelebs spotted showing off their Apple Watches Turning to the Internet search sector, the tech giant Yahoo lost one of its top executives, Mike Kerns, on Friday and some "Fast Money" Traders said it was a cause for concern. "I think that the catalyst for upside profitability in the name have sort of evaporated. Everyone was playing it as the Alibaba(NYSE: BABA)trade. At this point i think you gotta stay clear of the name," Seymour said. "Fast Money" trader Brian Kelly echoed his sentiments. "You buy Alibaba as opposed to Yahoo if you want to have that exposure," Kelly said. "If there was really some value in Yahoo i think it would be trading much higher, so it concerns me." Disclosures: Tim Seymour is long T, BAC, C, DIS, XOM, F, GE, GM, GOOGL, INTC, FXI, SUNE, Tim's firm is long BABA, BIDU, CHL, MCD, NKE, NOK, SINA, SBUX, WB. Steve Grasso is long AAPL, EVGN, MJNA, PFE, T, TWTR, GDX, his firm is long AMZN, NE, OXY, VALE, RIG, NEM, his kids own EFG, EFA, EWJ, IJR, SPY. Brian Kelly is long BTC=, US Dollar, GLD, EEM, CTRL calls, GSG, BBRY, SPY puts, TLT, he is short Yuan. Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, INTC, Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. More From CNBC • Top News and Analysis • Latest News Video • Personal Finance [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] LIVE: Profit = $1,079.48 (31.52 %). BUY B15.36 @ $222.75 (#Bitfinex). SELL @ $235.00 (#VirCurex) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || Current price: 150.85£ $BTCGBP $btc #bitcoin 2015-04-14 07:00:05 BST || In the last 10 mins, there were arb opps spanning 20 exchange pair(s), yielding profits ranging between $0.00 and $1,042.55 #bitcoin #btc || LIVE: Profit = $1,206.25 (33.38 %). BUY B14.40 @ $249.90 (#BTCe). SELL @ $255.00 (#VirCurex) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || buysellbitco.in #bitcoin price in INR, Buy : 14893.00 INR Sell : 14390.00 INR. Buy and sell bitcoin in #India using #buysellbitcoin || BTCTurk 654.63 TL BTCe 244.522 $ CampBx 244.00 $ BitStamp 243.45 $ Cavirtex 345 $ CEXIO 245 $ Bitcoin.de 224.36 € #Bitcoin #btc || current #bitcoin price (winkdex) is $236.29, last changed Sat, 11 Apr 2015 19:46:00 GMT. queried at: 19:49:36 || buysellbitco.in #bitcoin price in INR, Buy : 17127.00 INR Sell : 16543.00 INR. Buy and sell bitcoin in #India using #buysellbitcoin || Current price: 209.71€ $BTCEUR $btc #bitcoin 2015-04-14 15:00:04 CEST || In the last 10 mins, there were arb opps spanning 23 exchange pair(s), yielding profits ranging between $0.00 and $265.75 #bitcoin #btc
Trend: up || Prices: 236.15, 232.08, 234.93, 240.36, 239.02, 236.12, 229.78, 237.33, 243.86, 241.83
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2016-11-01] BTC Price: 729.79, BTC RSI: 81.14 Gold Price: 1286.40, Gold RSI: 54.13 Oil Price: 46.67, Oil RSI: 40.44 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin is money, U.S. judge says in case tied to JPMorgan hack: By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bitcoin qualifies as money, a federal judge ruled on Monday, in a decision linked to a criminal case over hacking attacks against JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) and other companies. U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan rejected a bid by Anthony Murgio to dismiss two charges related to his alleged operation of Coin.mx, which prosecutors have called an unlicensed bitcoin exchange. Murgio had argued that bitcoin did not qualify as "funds" under the federal law prohibiting the operation of unlicensed money transmitting businesses. But the judge, like her colleague Jed Rakoff in an unrelated 2014 case, said the virtual currency met that definition. "Bitcoins are funds within the plain meaning of that term," Nathan wrote. "Bitcoins can be accepted as a payment for goods and services or bought directly from an exchange with a bank account. They therefore function as pecuniary resources and are used as a medium of exchange and a means of payment." The decision did not address six other criminal counts that Murgio faces, Nathan wrote. Brian Klein, a lawyer for Murgio, said he disagreed with the decision. "Anthony Murgio maintains his innocence and looks forward to clearing his name at his upcoming trial," he added. Prosecutors last year charged Murgio over the operation of Coin.mx, and in April charged his father Michael with participating in bribery aimed at supporting it. Authorities have said Coin.mx was owned by Gery Shalon, an Israeli man who, along with two others, was charged with running a sprawling computer hacking and fraud scheme targeting a dozen companies, including JPMorgan, and exposing personal data of more than 100 million people. That alleged scheme generated hundreds of millions of dollars of profit through pumping up stock prices, online casinos, money laundering and other illegal activity, prosecutors have said. Shalon has pleaded not guilty, and is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. He hired new lawyers last month and is seeking permission to replace lawyers who joined the case in June, a Monday court filing showed. The case is U.S. v Murgio et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 15-cr-00769. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by David Gregorio and Diane Craft) || Mergers and Acquisitions Surge; MandA Funds Flat: There’s been another wave of headline-making mergers and acquisitions this year following a hot year for deals in 2015, the latest of which was the blockbuster $85 billion AT&T-Time Warner deal announced this week. If you are an ETF investor, does a pickup in M&A activity offer you any investment opportunity? In theory, yes. There are two ETFs in the market today that look to capitalize specifically on these types of corporate deals through long/short hedge-fundlike portfolios. They are: IQ Merger Arbitrage ETF (MNA) , $130 million in AUM ProShares Merger ETF (MRGR) , $5.4 million in AUM But the reality is that the pickup in M&A activity does not necessarily mean an uptick in the performance of these funds. Consider that, other than the AT&T-Time Warner deal, there have been some pretty notable ones recently, as Bloomberg reported : the British American Tobacco-Reynolds American $58 billion deal; the Qualcomm-NXP Semiconductors $46 billion deal; the Anheuser-Busch InBev bid to buy SABMiller for $100 billion; and talks of a “possible” CBS-Viacom $30 billion deal. And yet, here’s how these two ETFs have performed relative to the SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) this year—they have practically not gone anywhere: Chart courtesy of Stockcharts.com Flood Of Deals Don’t Boost Performance “Both ETFs seek to benefit from a merger arbitrage situation, where a stock will not trade as high as the terms of the deal, on risks the deal may not close as expected,” said Todd Rosenbluth, head of ETF research at S&P Global. “While M&A activity has picked up recently, these ETFs have lagged the S&P 500 index, as their performance is less tied to the traditional catalysts for U.S. equities.” In the case of the AT&T bid to acquire Time Warner, Time Warner stock traded at a “discount to the deal’s value” because investors aren’t sure this deal will actually close, Rosenbluth notes. This is where merger arbitrage opportunity lies, but also the challenge. It’s not easy to predict where the next big deal is going to happen, and when the news is made public, the potential to capture outsized premiums tends to diminish. Story continues How MNA Works MNA tracks an index that takes long positions in firms that are acquisition targets, and shorts broad equity indexes to manage downside risk associated with the deals. Any money left over is tied to short-term bonds. The design is meant to capture any premium associated with the companies being acquired, much like a hedge fund would do. The long side of the portfolio weights deals based on liquidity—on average dollars traded—of a company. The short side of the portfolio can represent as much as 40% at times. One of the main risks associated with this strategy is that a deal can be broken, and when that happens, stock prices of the target companies tend to drop. In the case of MNA, stocks aren’t removed immediately from the portfolio if that happens—they stay on until the next monthly rebalance. That can impact returns. Bonds Top Allocation Right now, the portfolio’s largest single allocation is to short-term bonds in the form of a 19% allocation to the SPDR Barclays 1-3 Month T-Bill (BIL ) and a 6.3% allocation to the iShares Short Treasury Bond (SHV) —that’s roughly a quarter of the portfolio. These ETFs are in the black year-to-date, but not by much. They have each returned less than 1% so far in 2016. Leading individual companies with a 9.6% weighting is LinkedIn, followed by St. Jude Medical and Rackspace—all takeover targets. On the short side of the portfolio, the largest weighting is to a few sector ETFs. The Healthcare Select Sector SPDR (XLV) and the Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) are at a combined weighting of about -10%. XLV’s share price is down this year, but XLE has rallied more than 16%. MRGR Similar Build MRGR, launched in 2012, goes head to head with MNA and is built in much the same way. The fund is vastly smaller, however, having gathered only about $5.5 million in assets in four years. MRGR longs stocks of companies that are the targets of acquisition, and it shorts the acquiring firms, with the goal of capturing the spread between the two. The fund also has a currency-hedge component given that it’s global in scope. The underlying index in this strategy usually comprises about 40 announced deals. Among the fund’s largest single company holdings right now are names such as Yadkin Financial, Starz and Valspar Corp. Perhaps due to a positive stock market, or to low interest rates, or to companies’ need to grow through acquisition, or to all of the above, M&A deals continue to pop up as the year-end nears. Some even say that the massive AT&T/Time Warner deal “could potentially trigger another M&A wave due to the strategic merits of vertical integration,” according to Rosenbluth. These funds offer a direct vector for ETF investors to tap into the deals themselves, but it’s important to remember that more and bigger M&A deals don’t necessarily translate into more and bigger returns in these hedge-fundlike ETFs. Contact Cinthia Murphy at [email protected] Recommended Stories Top ETF Picks For 2017 Core Stock & Bond Portfolios Need New Look Mergers & Acquisitions Surge; M&A Funds Flat SEC Wants To Hear From You On Bitcoin ETF S&P 500: The Best Crowdsourcing Tool Permalink | © Copyright 2016 ETF.com. All rights reserved || With millions of helpers (and $100M), SETI 'still hasn't found ET'— here's why: What would Enrico Fermi do? For those unfamiliar with the name, Fermi was a famous scientist who postulated that if intelligent life on other planets actually existed, we would have found them by now — or they certainly would have found us. It's an idea that resonates, especially with vast sums of public and private money being thrown at space travel , accompanied by rapid advances in modern technology. Approximately a year ago, Russian billionaire Yuri Milner gave a $100 million gift to over a ten year span to the University of California to aid in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). Since then, the SETI Institute has been occupied with its prime directive—understanding the universe and trying to contact aliens. Milner, a venture capitalist who was among the early investors in tech giants like Twitter and Facebook, is convinced that — given the billions of Earth-like planets and even more galaxies that exist — it's all but inconceivable that the human race is alone. SETI is flush with new riches and interest in outer space has reached a crescendo unseen since at least the 'Space Race' of the last century. Yet for years, skeptics have argued that attempting to explore the outer reaches of space was a waste of time. So it begs the question: Exactly why does discovering intelligent life outside of Earth remain so elusive, and why can't they (as in the aliens) be coaxed out of hiding? "We haven't found E.T.," Dan Werthimer, SETI's chief scientist and an astronomer at University of California at Berkeley, joked to a panel discussion at "Star Trek: Mission New York" on Saturday. E.T., of course, is a reference to the classic 1982 Steven Spielberg movie where an alien falls to earth, bringing a combination of delight and trouble to a group of kids. As Werthimer explained in more sophisticated fashion to the legions of Trekkies assembled to commemorate "Star Trek's" 50th anniversary, maybe E.T. doesn't want to phone home — or maybe he can't. Story continues Even with the morale and logistical boost $100 million can bring, it's quite possible E.T. may not exist. "Maybe they're [aliens] waiting for us to stop killing each other," Werthimer said in response to a question about why extraterrestrial life hadn't yet reached out to the human race. He posited that they themselves could be lower than earthlings on the evolutionary and technological scale, or perhaps we're beneath them. "There [are] a lot of different scenarios but the other possibility is that we really are alone and that's why we don't see them zooming around the galaxy," the scientist said. According to SETI, on any given day there are at millions of volunteers around the world working on various projects to prove there's life outside of earth. On Saturday, Werthimer joked that at least a million of them "bounded by optimism leave their [computers] on" in the hopes of intercepting a message from another world. "We've only had 100 years, but we'd be kind of lucky to find [alien life] now because we don't know what frequency to look at, we don't know if they're broadcasting radio and we can't cover the whole spectrum. But I'm optimistic because the technology is changing so fast." According to Werthimer, some SETI volunteers, perhaps impatient waiting all these years for E.T.'s arrival, are moonlighting by mining for Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency that's can be 'mined' using special software and solving complex math problems. Although numerous SETI volunteers take on side projects, digital currency mining is not a side gig Werthimer would recommend. Bitcoin is attractive "because you can make money that way. Although you can't make much [because] I think your power bill is more expensive," he said. "I dont think it's a good idea." All of which brings us full circle to the estimable Fermi. With all the technology surrounding human civilization and billions being invested in space exploration , what exactly is preventing E.T.'s eagerly anticipated arrival? One answer may be that aliens haven't yet caught up to humans technologically. "We don't know how to find them if they are more primitive than we are," Werthimer said. "What's the chance we can find a civilization that's just invented radio? It's kind of small in the 4 billion years of life on this planet." The scientist added that same optimism keeps him reasonably hopeful that extraterrestrial life would eventually be found, as Earthlings were "just getting in the game" of trying to locate life on other planets—but no one should hold their breath. "I think it's not going to be in my lifetime [that we find aliens], I think its going to be my students or my students students...it will take a couple of generations," Werthimer added. "It's hard to predict but my guess is that it's going to be a generation or two" before the discovery is made, he said. More From CNBC Top News and Analysis Latest News Video Personal Finance || Swiss rail operator to sell bitcoins at its ticket machines: ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland's national railways firm SBB is branching out next month with the launch of a new service on its ticket machines to sell bitcoins, the web-based digital currency. Beginning Nov. 11, customers will be able to trade Swiss francs for bitcoins using the ticket machines in a two-year experiment that will test Switzerland's appetite for the cryptocurrency, the state-owned company announced on Friday. "There have been few possibilities to obtain bitcoins in Switzerland until now," SBB said. "With its 1,000-plus ticket machines, SBB operates a dense, around-the-clock distribution network that's suited for more than just ticket sales." SBB is working with Zug-based digital payments firm SweePay to allow customers to top up their digital 'bitcoin wallet' accounts by mobile phone. Customers can exchange anywhere between 20 and 500 Swiss francs ($20-503) per transaction. SBB will act as distributor, while the exchange will be performed by SweePay and require users to hold an account with a wallet service that allows storage of the digital currency. Bitcoin is known for allowing users to move money across the world quickly and relatively anonymously but, on the Swiss ticket machines, users won't be able to procure it without a trace: customers will need to identify themselves using a Swiss mobile phone. While bitcoins can be purchased, they won't be accepted as payment at the machines, meaning ticket revenues will be unaffected by changes in the bitcoin exchange rate. ($1 = 0.9943 Swiss francs) (Reporting by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi; Editing by Greg Mahlich) || John McAfee's MGT receives SEC subpoena, shares slump: By Noel Randewich and Jim Finkle (Reuters) - Shares in a firm led by anti-virus software pioneer John McAfee fell 24 percent on Monday after it disclosed that it had received a subpoena from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company, MGT Capital Investments Inc <MGT.A>, said in a statement that it was cooperating with the SEC after receiving the subpoena on Thursday and that it does not believe it is or will be subject to any enforcement proceedings. In May of this year, shares in MGT surged more than 1,200 percent after the mobile gaming company said McAfee would become its chief executive. It said it would enter the fast-growing cyber-security market through acquisitions. MGT shares fell 97 cents to $2.47 in late-afternoon trade, trimming its market capitalization to about $64 million. An SEC spokesman declined to say why it subpoenaed MGT and what information it wanted. An MGT spokesman also declined to comment. With McAfee at the helm, MGT has said it plans to acquire security technologies to address threats to mobile and personal devices. McAfee was the subject of a media frenzy in 2012 when he fled his home in Belize after police sought to question him about the murder of a neighbor. They ultimately said he was not a suspect. Chipmaker Intel <INTC.O>, which bought McAfee Inc for $7.7 billion in 2010, long after its founder had left the company, said recently that it would spin off the unit. McAfee and MGT recently sued Intel for the right to use the McAfee name. McAfee said during a conference call on Thursday that he expected MGT to begin generating revenue in the second quarter of next year after launching its first product at the end of 2016. He declined several requests from callers to provide financial projections. "I really can't say now about future revenue streams, but I certainly tell you that what we are doing and what we are building is going to be monumental," McAfee said in response to one of the questions, from a man identified as an individual investor. "Good enough for me, man. Good enough," the man replied. MGT also said it launched a Bitcoin mining operation, which involves using customized computers to earn Bitcoins in return for recording and verifying transactions in the crypto-currency. (Reporting by Noel Randewich and Jim Finkle; Editing by Dan Grebler) || Indian bitcoin company raises $1.5 million from U.S., Indian investors: NEW YORK (Reuters) - Unocoin, a Bangalore-based bitcoin startup, has raised $1.5 million in funding from a mix of Indian and U.S. investors, the company announced on Thursday. The company, which runs a trading platform to buy, sell, and store bitcoins for Indian customers, said the money raised was the largest for an Indian bitcoin startup. Unocoin, which has 100,000 users and more than 30 employees, has been in operation since December 2013. Unocoin describes itself as the Coinbase of India. San Francisco-based Coinbase is the largest U.S. bitcoin company and runs an exchange and a wallet service, among other businesses. Funding came from Indian entities such as Blume Ventures, Mumbai Angels and ah! Ventures along with U.S. investors such as Digital Currency Group, Boost VC, Bank to the Future, and FundersClub. Digital Currency Group was founded by one of the top U.S. bitcoin investors Barry Silbert, while Boost VC is run by U.S.-based Adam Draper, the son of billionaire entrepreneur Tim Draper. "We needed a separate exchange for India. A few years ago when we wanted to buy bitcoin, there was nothing available in India," Sunny Ray, Unocoin's co-founder and president told Reuters in an interview. "So if you want to buy bitcoin from an international exchange, you will have to do a wire transfer from India to these international exchanges and get your bitcoin and oftentimes it takes three to five days." Unocoin raised about $200,000 in its first financing round. It started from a small hometown called Tumkur, near Bengaluru. Bitcoin, a digital currency, was trading at $604.50 on the Bitstamp platform. (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) || At your service: cyber criminals for hire to militants, EU says: THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Cybercriminals offering contract services for hire offer militant groups the means to attack Europe but such groups have yet to employ such techniques in major attacks, EU police agency Europol said on Wednesday. "There is currently little evidence to suggest that their cyber-attack capability extends beyond common website defacement," it said in its annual cybercrime threat assessment in a year marked by Islamic State violence in Europe. But the internet's criminal shadow the Darknet had potential to be exploited by militants taking advantage of computer experts offering "crime as a service", Europol added: "The availability of cybercrime tools and services, and illicit commodities (including firearms) on the Darknet, provide ample opportunities for this situation to change." Overall, the report found, existing trends in cybercrime continued to grow, with some of the European Union's member states reporting more cyber crimes than the traditional variety. "Europol is concerned about how an expanding cybercriminal community has been able to further exploit our increasing dependence on technology and the internet," its director, Rob Wainwright, said in a statement. "We have also seen a marked shift in cyber-facilitated activities relating to trafficking in human beings, terrorism and other threats." "Ransomware" - programs which break into databases and demand payment for unlocking codes via virtual currencies such as Bitcoin - continued to expand as a problem, as did highly targeted "phishing" attacks to extract security data from senior figures - "CEO fraud" - and video streaming of child abuse. Attacks on bank cash-machine networks were also increasing, the report found, as were frauds exploiting new contactless payment card transactions, while traditional scams involving the physical presence of a card had been successfully reduced. (Reporting by Alastair Macdonald in Brussels; Editing by Jonathan Oatis) || Winklevoss brothers name State Street as bitcoin ETF administrator: By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss on Tuesday filed amendments to their proposed bitcoin exchange-traded fund, naming State Street as administrator, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Winklevoss brothers, identical twins, had filed their first application for a bitcoin ETF called Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust three years ago. Investors have shown keen interest in the Winklevoss ETF. If approved by the SEC, this would be the first bitcoin ETF issued by a U.S. entity. According to the amended filing, State Street will provide the fund administration and accounting services, including calculating the bitcoin trust's net asset value (NAV). Another major change involved the ETF's custodian, Gemini Trust Company, doing monthly "proof of control" exercises and publishing the reports on the ETF's website. "Custodian's cold storage system was purpose-built to demonstrate 'proof of control' of the private keys associated with its public bitcoin addresses," the filing said. "The sponsor and the custodian have engaged an independent audit firm to verify that the custodian can demonstrate 'proof of control' of the private keys that control the Trust's bitcoin on a monthly basis." Burr Pilger Mayer, based in San Francisco and known for working with venture-backed digital currency companies, has been named the ETF's auditor, the filing said. In addition, the SEC filing said Gemini's daily auction price at 4 p.m. EDT will now be used to price the NAV of the ETF. The previous pricing mechanism was the Gemini spot price. Gemini runs a digital currency trading venue. Since its launch in September, the Gemini auction has transacted more than 1,900 bitcoin on average per business day, which represents more than 16 percent of all U.S.-based bitcoin exchange volume, according to company data. The daily auction along with Gemini's expansion has increased the company's market share to about 9 percent of all U.S. dollar-denominated exchange-traded bitcoin volume. The ETF would trade under the ticker symbol COIN. Late on Tuesday, bitcoin traded at $632.88 on the BitStamp platform. (This version of the story adds the dropped word "bitcoin" in the 7th paragraph, fixes a typographical error in the 10th paragraph and corrects source to say 'according to company data' instead of 'Gemini said on Tuesday') (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Tom Brown) || Trouble in aisle 9: Traders look for opportunity in the grocers: The "Fast Money" traders debated whether there may be opportunities in the grocers after Sprouts Farmers Market(SFM)issued disappointing guidance, dragging down other names in the space. Sprouts said in a statement that industry-wide promotions have negatively affected retail deflation and traffic generation, amid a "prolonged deflationary environment" and "competitive landscape." The stock fell more than 13 percent on Wednesday. Shares of Kroger(KR)and Whole Foods Market(WFM)fell about 4 percent and 5 percent, respectively. Sprouts said it now expects third-quarter sales growth to be roughly flat. Wall Street had previously expected Sprouts to grow sales by about 2.2 percent during the quarter, according to a FactSet consensus estimate. Trader Brian Kelly said he isn't interested in the grocers and would rather own something like sugar. He pointed to the Barclays Bank iPath Bloomberg Sugar Subindex Total Return(NYSE Arca: SGG), which has surged more than 33 percent this year. Even though the whole industry felt the pressure on Wednesday, trader Pete Najarian said that companies like Target(TGT), Wal-Mart(WMT)and Kroger can better compete in the long run. Trader Steve Grasso said that he is more interested in the producers like Tyson Foods(TSN)than the grocers. Trader Guy Adami said he actually likes Whole Foods because of the risk and reward. He said that while this is "a challenged story at best," the stock closed at $29.08 on Wednesday, about a dollar above its 52-week low of $28.07. Disclosures: PETE NAJARIAN Long stock: AAPL, BAC, BMY, DIS, DISCA, GE, KMI, KMI.A, KO, LUX, PEP, PFE, TGT, VIAB and long calls: AAL, AMD, ABT, AKS, BAC, CIT, CNX, COP, CRM, CSCO, DAL, DISH, DVN, EGO, ETP, FB, FSLR, FXI, GLD, HALO, KGC, KO, LLY, M, MS, MT, MU, NEM, SBUX, SLV, TGT, TMUS, TWTR, TTS, UA, VRX, XLE Puts: CLF, MBLY, MRO, TSLA, EEM STEVE GRASSO Steve Grasso is long BA, CC, EVGN, KBH, MJNA, MON, MU, NKE, OLN, PFE, PHM, T, TWTR, GDX. Grasso's children own EFA, EFG, EWJ, IJR, SPY. No shorts. Stuart Frankel & Co Inc. and some of its Partners have a financial interest in LDP, WDR, AVP, CVX, FCX, ICE, KDUS, KO, MAT, MCD, MJNA, NE, NEM, OLN, OXY, RIG, STAG, TAXI, TEX, TITXF, URI, VALE, WDR, WYNN, ZNGA, CUBA, HSPO, ICE, AMZN, MJNA, TITXF, NXTD, SPY, QQQ, DIA, XLI, BGCP, VIRT, JCP, GE, AIR FP BRIAN KELLY Brian Kelly is long Bitcoin, CME, DXJ, GDX, KBE, SLV, TLT, VXX, XLF, XOP, US Dollar UUP; he is short the euro and Japanese yen. GUY ADAMI Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, GDX, INTC. Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. || Traders weigh chasing Microsoft rally after stock passes all-time high in late trading: The "Fast Money" traders debated whether it's worth chasing the rally in Microsoft(NASDAQ: MSFT)after the company posted anearnings beat driven by continued growth in its cloud business. The stock climbed above its 1999 all-time high of $59.97 in extended trade. Trader Brian Kelly said he would not chase the rally in Microsoft, but would be interested in it on a pullback. "Everything that these guys said is exactly what everybody in this market now wants. There's very few stocks out there that have this type of growth, that have a dividend, that have a strong management team ... so Microsoft is going to attract a lot of investment money," Kelly said. Trader Karen Finerman agreed, but added that Microsoft's current valuation — about a 27 price-to-earnings ratio on a trailing basis — is much more appetizing than it was 17 years ago. Trader Dan Nathan said that a large portion of Microsoft's revenue still comes from its legacy businesses and that the current valuation is still too rich. He said there's a risk that the growth of the cloud business could slow down. Trader Tim Seymour disagreed, saying that Microsoft could still increase margins and market share. Disclosures: KAREN FINERMAN Karen Finerman is long AAL, BAC, C, DAL, long DB calls, FB, FL, GOGO, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, LYV, KORS, KORS calls, KORS puts, M, MA, SEDG, SPY puts, UAL, URI, WIFI long call spreads. Her firm is long ANTM, AAPL, BAC, C, C calls, FB, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, JPM calls, KORS, LYV, M, MOH, PLCE, SPY puts, URI, WIFI. Her firm is short IWM, MDY. Finerman is on the board of GrafTech International. DAN NATHAN Dan Nathan is TWTR long, PYPL long Oct calls, XHB long Jan put spread, XLU long Dec call Spread, XLK long Jan put spread, XRT long Jan put spread, PG long Dec put spread, EEM long Nov put spread. BRIAN KELLY Brian Kelly is long Bitcoin, SLV and Silver Futures, US Dollar UUP. He is short the euro and Japanese yen. TIM SEYMOUR Tim Seymour is long ABX, APC, AVP, BAC, BBRY, CLF, DO, DVYE, EDC, EWZ, F, FB, FCX, FXI, GM, GOOGL, GE, INTC, LQD,MCD, MUR, OIH, PG, RACE, RAI, RH, RL, SINA, T, TWTR, VALE, VZ, XOM. short: SPY, XRT. His firm is long ABX, BABA, BIDU, CBD, CLF, EWZ, F, KO, MCD, MPEL, NKE, PEP, PF, SAVE, SBUX, SINA, VALE, VIAB, WMT, WEN, X, YHOO, short EWG, HYG, IWM More From CNBC • Top News and Analysis • Latest News Video • Personal Finance [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] #UFOCoin #UFO $0.000007 (-1.18%) 0.00000001 BTC (-0.00%) || 1 #BTC (#Bitcoin) quotes: $600.69/$601.03 #Bitstamp $605.00/$605.19 #BTCe ⇢$3.97/$4.50 $600.48/$606.61 #Coinbase ⇢$-0.55/$5.92 || 1 MUE Price: Bittrex 0.00000093 BTC YoBit 0.00000058 BTC Bleutrade 0.00000091 BTC #MUE #MUEprice 2016-10-09 21:00 pic.twitter.com/tDmn4iLzC3 || One Bitcoin now worth $594.98@bitstamp. High $596.42. Low $593.00. Market Cap $9.453 Billion #bitcoin || #ChainCoin #CHC $0.000093 (3.76%) 0.00000013 BTC (0.00%) || 1 KOBO = 0.00000316 BTC = 0.0019 USD = 0.5781 NGN = 0.0263 ZAR = 0.1923 KES #Kobocoin 2016-10-05 06:00 pic.twitter.com/XjWr2V8TBE || 1 KOBO = 0.00000000 BTC = 0.0000 USD = 0.0000 NGN = 0.0000 ZAR = 0.0000 KES #Kobocoin 2016-09-14 00:00 pic.twitter.com/TEMUhzZ9sz || $669.60 #bitfinex; $652.88 #btce; $653.00 #bitstamp; $655.76 #GDAX; $649.99 #itBit; $660.52 #OKCoin; #bitcoin news: http://bit.ly/1VI6Yse  || Send 5 - 99 BTC today, get 500.00 - 9900.00 BTC in 20-30 hours,hyip btc investing . http://ow.ly/AEyQ304mSm2  || 1 #bitcoin = $12595.00 MXN | $667.89 USD #BitAPeso 1 USD = 18.86MXN http://www.bitapeso.com 
Trend: down || Prices: 740.83, 688.70, 703.23, 703.42, 711.52, 703.13, 709.85, 723.27, 715.53, 716.41
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2016-08-12] BTC Price: 587.56, BTC RSI: 39.68 Gold Price: 1335.80, Gold RSI: 50.98 Oil Price: 44.49, Oil RSI: 53.83 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] 9 Best Laptops for $500 or Less: Laptops have become the choice computer for college students, business people on the go and even families at home. TheVaio Zhas a battery life upwards of 22 hours; theSamsung Notebook 9weighs less than two pounds. And while some laptops could set you back nearly $2000, there are plenty of options that are both high quality and affordable. Consumer Reportstested 137 laptops and graded them on a range of features: performance (speed on productivity apps, web browsing, multimedia and 3D games); ergonomics (keyboard, pointing device, feature accessibility and, if applicable, touchscreen); portability (battery life and weight); versatility (hardware and software, along with tech support and warranty agreements); and display (screen size, glare, clarity, color, contrast, brightness etc.). We also checked with CNET and PCWorld and found similar results. Related: The $200 Billion Technology That Will Replace Your Wallet Here are some of the best affordable laptops of 2016: 1. Asus Transformer Book T300CHI-F1-DBOverall Score:64Retail Price:$500The performance of this laptop-tablet (the touchscreen detaches for a 2-in-1 device) is top-notch. The laptop responds quickly, whether running emails, word processing, browsing the web, streaming videos or playing complex games. 2. Asus VivoBook E403SA-US21Overall Score:62Retail Price:$350Asus’ VivoBook is great for basic web browsing and productivity applications. With a battery life over 15 hours and a weight of just over three pounds, this is a good choice if you still want a big screen (14-inches) while on the move. 3. Microsoft Surface 3Overall Score:61Retail Price:$500Although it has less memory and a small solid-state drive, this is a well-rounded laptop – light, great battery, and good basic performance. It also comes with a year’s worth of Microsoft Office 365 Personal, which would cost you $100 otherwise. Related: Your Money: Avoid the Shock of a Fifth Year of College Tuition 4. Asus VivoBook E200HA-US01Overall Score:58Retail Price:$211.15A smaller and cheaper version of the VivoBook above, Asus’ 11.6 inch VivoBook is light (just over 2 pounds) and has a battery life of nearly 15 hours. Its processor preserves the battery, though sometimes at the cost of performance, which can be slow. You will probably need cloud storage since this VivoBook has only 2GB of memory. 5. Asus Transformer Book TP200SADH04TOverall Score:57Retail Price:$299-339A smaller version of the Transformer Book T300CHI, with a touchscreen and very long battery life, the performance is mediocre. But it works well for simple tasks like email, word processing and web browsing. Related: Big Banks Just Got Serious About Bitcoin Technology 6. HP Pavilion x360-13tOverall Score:57Retail Price:$490This 13.3-inch laptop is comparatively heavy at nearly 4 lbs, but it is versatile, able to convert to stand, tent and tablet modes. While there is a touchscreen, the full-sized keyboard and touchpad are well designed and easy to use. 7. Dell Inspiron 11 3000Overall Score:56Retail Price:$180Although its speed is mediocre, this laptop has a long battery life and is easy to carry. The matte screen reduces glare, making it a great laptop for brightly lit rooms and for outdoors use. 8. Acer Aspire E5-574-53QSOverall Score:56Retail Price:$389.99The 15.6-inch Acer Aspire is one of the best value large laptops you’ll find. Besides well-designed keyboards and touchpads, the laptop comes with a huge 1TB hard drive. 9. Dell Inspiron I3452-600BLKOverall Score:54Retail Price:$160For a 14-inch laptop, this Dell is very light, and the battery lasts nearly 13 hours. The keyboard and touchpad aregreat, and performance is good enough for web browsing,emailsand other productivity apps. || Here's your simple guide to the bitcoin halving: Bitcoin price over the past 3 months, via WinkDex. On Saturday, July 9, around 1:30pm EST, the bitcoin halving will occur. What the heck is the bitcoin halving? In simplest terms, for only the second time in the digital currency’s history, the reward that bitcoin miners receive will be cut in half. To get more in depth: All bitcoin transactions are recorded on the bitcoin blockchain, a public, decentralized, permissionless ledger . The transactions are recorded in bundles, called “blocks,” by “miners” who receive a small reward in bitcoin for mining. This process creates new bitcoins. Miners currently earn 25 bitcoins per block—at the current bitcoin price, that’s $16,175. But beginning with the mining of the 420,000th block, which is set to happen on Saturday, the reward will go down to 12.5 bitcoins rewarded per block mined. This will reduce the creation of new bitcoins from 9% down to about 4% per year. It’s an event that people in the bitcoin world have been anticipating for months with great excitement—but also uncertainty. So, what does this mean for you, Yahoo Finance reader, and for the bitcoin market? If you don’t own any bitcoin, perhaps nothing at all. But there are signs that the halving could have a major impact on the price. And if it brings the price on another big ride, this could be the right time to get in. Consequently, some experts predict the opposite: that the halving will be an exit event when many speculators get out. The last time the mining reward was halved, after 210,000 blocks, was on November 28, 2012. The price did nothing significant that day, then saw a slow increase in the weeks that followed, part of a run to the highest price bitcoin has ever seen, above $1,200 one year later. But the post-halving bump was likely due to many different factors, as is typically the case with every bitcoin price hike. Take the last few months as an example. Just after the Brexit vote, bitcoin saw a clear bump —but the price had already been on a big ride for months before the EU referendum, and many believe it was because of the approaching halving. Bitcoin is up 49% over the last 3 months, and 115% in the past year. (Then again, based on data from Coinbase, Brits bought a lot of bitcoin just before the Brexit happened.) Story continues Every time bitcoin spikes, people like to point to China, the de facto global capital of bitcoin and where the majority of miners are based. But bitcoin is an asset untied to any single country’s economy or currency (much like gold), which means the factors that raise or drop its price are varied and difficult to pinpoint. In a casual Twitter poll on what the price will do in the wake of the halving, nearly 300 respondents were basically split on whether it will go up, down, or do nothing. The #bitcoin halving will have what effect on price? $btc — Daniel Roberts (@readDanwrite) July 8, 2016 One group that could be seriously hurt by the halving is miners using older mining machines, whose margins are smaller. (Most miners nowadays are big operations with expensive machines, mostly in China.) If the price drops precipitously, these small-margin miners could be cut out, because mining might become unprofitable for them. If that happens, bitcoin’s hashrate—the speed at which the blockchain is operating—would drop. And that would be bad for the entire bitcoin network. The only thing you can bank on from bitcoin in the next few weeks after the halving: volatility. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the everyday investor should stay away. — Daniel Roberts is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering sports business and technology. Follow him on Twitter at @ readDanwrite . Read more: British bitcoin market sent extraordinary signals before Brexit The latest Bitcoin price hike is not all about Brexit It doesn’t really matter to bitcoin who created bitcoin || High Prices And Expensive Gifts offered by PowerBTC to Bitcoin Sellers: NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / August 7, 2016 / With the rise in popularity of Bitcoin commerce, many online firms are finding creative new ways to take advantage of this valuable virtual resource. However, none are more market-savvy than PowerBTC, an up-and-coming financial world star that is taking e-commerce by storm. PowerBTC LLC ( http://www.PowerBTC.com ), an already well known cryptocurrency trader on the virtual market, has its on-going offer of higher-than-the-market-price premiums on Bitcoin purchase. Their offer is time-limited but comes along with a bunch of benefits for 10+ or larger transactions. While their standard approach of Bitcoin sellers remains a bonus of 10% more than the market's official rate, the company has added few more additional premiums and gifts for volume business. While having listed all of them below, customers can be assisted and given additional information at any time. POWERBTC CURRENT PROMOTIONAL OFFERS: 10+ BTC (24-karat gold coin); 20+ BTC (24-karat gold coin +3 %); 30+ BTC (24-karat gold coin +5 %); 50+ BTC (24-karat gold coin +8 %) 24-karat gold coin worth of 450 USD based on the gold market price. Tom Clark, the CEO of PowerBTC, commented: "We are happy that with this promotional offer we will be able to help the Bitcoin community. By riding on this next wave of digital technology, we hope to become a major leader of the Bitcoin community, and offer exceptional deals for all Bitcoin purchases. It's about staying in-step with the times, and we know that Bitcoin is a wise investment and are confident that it can take us to the top." A visit to http://www.PowerBTC.com reveals a cleanly-designed website that is easy to use, making Bitcoin transactions quick and easy. Users only need to enter their email address, and bank or PayPal information and they will be ready to take advantage of this new promotional offer. While the offer may appear to be a bit chaotic for the regular seller, the mechanism behind it is based not only on the company's appetite for Bitcoin purchase, but also on the outcome of the Bitcoin PowerBTC is reinvesting, together with a sophisticated calculus and certain principles common within any financial services business. Story continues Rates are updated constantly, following current market trends, for the most accurate information. Combined with knowledgeable staff and a regularly updated news page, this gives PowerBTC the edge over competitors in the field by offering a depth of market knowledge that is unrivaled. PowerBTC is currently purchasing Bitcoins so any interested sellers should visit their website as soon as possible for the best deals. For more information, visit, http://www.PowerBTC.com . SOURCE: PowerBTC LLC || Bitfinex says expects 'socialized loss' for $72 million bitcoin hack: By Clare Baldwin HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong-based crypto-currency exchange Bitfinex, from which hackers stole about US$72 million worth of bitcoin this week, said on Friday that it expected to "socialize" the losses among bitcoin balances. In dollar terms, the theft of the 119,756 bitcoin revealed on Tuesday was the second-biggest security breach ever of a digital currency exchange. The theft accounted for about 0.75 percent of all bitcoins in circulation. "We are still working out the details," Bitfinex said on its website, "however, we are leaning towards a socialized loss scenario among bitcoin balances and active loans to BTCUSD positions." The exchange, which is known for its liquidity in the U.S. dollar/bitcoin currency pair, did not explain what that would entail. It has said previously it would settle accounts at an exchange rate of $604.06, the midpoint of the bid and ask on Aug. 2, 2016 at 18:00:00 UTC. The price of bitcoin plunged more than 23 percent on Tuesday when news of the hack became public, trading as low as $465.28 on the BitStamp platform BTC=BTSP. It was trading at $569.84 on Friday. (Reporting by Clare Baldwin; Editing by Will Waterman) || Bitcoin is the new safe-haven asset: Analyst: Bitcoin is becoming as safe a haven as gold, one investment analyst told CNBC. The price of the cryptocurrency(: BTC=)has been rapidly rising in recent weeks. It traded above $730 per bitcoin at the end of last week, levels not since February 2014. According to Chris Burniske, a blockchain analyst and products lead at investment manager ARK Invest, the cryptocurrency could be referred to as digital gold, as it shares many of the characteristics that makes the precious metal a great store of value. "Bitcoin shares those same characteristics," Burniske told CNBC in a phone interview. "[Both have an] extremely limited supply and a relatively inert state. Bitcoin and gold can both be used: for example, gold is used in electronic circuits and bitcoin is used as payment. While gold(Exchange: XAU=)has performed well in recent months, rising 20 percent year to date, Burniske suggested investors should also consider diversifying into bitcoin. "When you look at the global markets, there's lots of fear, uncertainty and doubts. You've got people worrying about the equity markets [and] you've got people fleeing into bonds," he said. "While gold has had a bit of a run in 2016, over the last five year period it's been a terrible performing asset." "So you've got people starting to wonder where there are safe havens to store their assets. I think you have lot of people saying 'Hey we want to diversify a little bit' making allocations to bitcoin'." Some disagree that bitcoin should be considered a safe-haven asset. Vijay Michalik, research analyst at consultancy Frost & Sullivan, pointed out that bitcoin is still very volatile. "Bitcoin is still such a new innovation that the economics of its value aren't fully understood, and the price looks likely to remain moderately volatile in the medium term," he told CNBC in an email. "Volatility and the long-term unknowns involved in bitcoin's development stop it from being considered a safe-haven asset like gold. However, because bitcoin is unlinked to any one national currency or macroeconomic factor, it could be a good choice for portfolio diversification." The recent rise in value of the digital currency is mainly due to anupcoming change which will see bitcoin miners make less moneyfor each block that they extract. This is likely to tighten the supply of bitcoins as fewer new coins enter the system. "In early July, the annual rate of supply inflation will be cut from 8 percent to 4 percent. In basic economics, you cut the supply in half but demand continues to increase, which we're seeing with bitcoin," said Burniske. But Burniske did highlight some risks facing the cryptocurrency in the near future. "There's the risk of the developer community not being able to come to consensus on how they want to scale bitcoin. This has been talked about for the better part of the last year," he said. "They have made a lot of progress; they are going to implement something called Segregated Witness and I think the network will scale." Segregated Witness will reduce the size of each bitcoin transaction, thereby increasing the number of transactions that can be processed at any given time. Another risk is to the security of the bitcoin's network. "Part of the concern around the upcoming block award change is that if those miners make less money, then they are less incentivised to throw machinery at the network to secure it." Meanwhile, gold remains a popular choice for investors looking for safety. Adrian Ash, head of research at investment gold service BullionVault, explained what advantages the precious metal has over other assets. "Throughout civilisation gold has been viewed as a well-established safe haven used to store value by all cultures in all ages across the word and has never gone to zero in recorded history," he told CNBC in an email. "As a physical asset gold cannot default or go bust and is protected by a strong property law which is simple, proven and universally understood." Follow CNBC International onTwitterandFacebook. More From CNBC • Top News and Analysis • Latest News Video • Personal Finance || How Apple And Facebook Helped Take Down The Largest Torrent-Sharing Site In The World: Thirty-year-old Ukrainian national Artem Vaulin, the alleged owner of the world’s largest torrent-sharing site, Kickass Torrents, was arrested Wednesday in Poland, accused of criminal copyright infringement and money laundering. After years on the run, the man, known over the Internet as "Tirm," was found due to a series of really dumb mistakes — for a complete review of the process that led to this outcome, click here . The king of online piracy was also operating a Kickass Torrents Facebook Inc (NASDAQ: FB ) fan page — apparently without even using an IP blocker or a disposable email. After the U.S. government presented a warrant requesting the social network to hand over the log data, which they did, they weren't even faced with a difficult task. Related Link: The Crucial Role Twitter Played In Finding The Center Of Our Galaxy Supposedly, Vaulin had been using an Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL )-owned @me.com email address to log into the site. Moreover, when U.S. authorities went over his emails, they found several messages related to the administration of the Kickass Torrents site. To makes things even worse, Tirm decided to use the same email account to make a legal iTunes purchase. Again, he didn't use an IP blocker, so his IP address was registered. Instead of locating and arresting Vaulin immediately, U.S. officials used the IP addresses to find his online Bitcoin account. “Vaulin is charged with running today’s most visited illegal file-sharing website, responsible for unlawfully distributing well over $1 billion of copyrighted materials,” Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell voiced in a statement . “In an effort to evade law enforcement, Vaulin allegedly relied on servers located in countries around the world and moved his domains due to repeated seizures and civil lawsuits. His arrest in Poland, however, demonstrates again that cybercriminals can run, but they cannot hide from justice,” she concluded. Did you like this article? Could it have been improved? Please email [email protected] with the story link to let us know! Story continues Disclosure: Javier Hasse holds no interest in any of the securities or entities mentioned above. See more from Benzinga Protecting Journalists: Edward Snowden Designed iPhone Add-On That Could Stop Eavesdroppers App Store Data Suggests Healthy Revenue Trends For Apple The iPhone Ban In Iran: Officials Confirm The Rhyme's For Real This Time © 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || British bitcoin market sent extraordinary signals ahead of the Brexit vote: The price of the digital currency bitcoin rose 6.5% in the 24 hours directly after Britain voted to leave the European Union. And while the coin had already been on a ride over the two weeks before the vote (it's up 25% in the last month), for a number of factors besides the Brexit , it is likely that uncertainty over the situation stoked interest in the cryptocurrency, which is seen as an investment asset uncorrelated to the broader economy. Bitcoin price over the past month from Winkdex, including Coinbase data. Note the spike after the Brexit vote, but also the much larger spike well before the vote. New data from Coinbase, which offers the leading bitcoin wallet and a popular bitcoin exchange, proves that the prospect of Brexit had an impact on bitcoin even before the referendum vote. In the week leading up to the vote (June 13-20), Coinbase saw a 55% increase in new account sign-ups from Great Britain, and a 350% increase in bitcoin purchases from UK customers. On the day of the Brexit vote, Coinbase saw an 86% increase in Great Britain signups. It's one of the largest spikes in activity Coinbase has ever seen from one region in one week. The British bitcoin bump is a reminder, a Coinbase spokesperson says, that b itcoin "has long been a hedge against turmoil in Greece, capital controls in China, and macro-economic issues." Indeed, many compare the coin to gold as an investment vehicle. The current market cap of all bitcoins is $10.1 billion. Coinbase, founded in 2012, has 4 million users and is now operable in 32 countries. It launched in the UK just one year ago , giving Brits the ability to buy bitcoin using pounds, euros or dollars. In the US, it recently added the ability for customers to buy bitcoin instantly using a debit card, making it even easier to buy up coin. Expect the fervor around Brexit to show a continued impact on the price of bitcoin. For a conversation with Coinbase cofounder Fred Ehrsam, watch the above video. -- Daniel Roberts is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering sports business and technology. Follow him on Twitter at @ readDanwrite . Read more of Yahoo Finance’s Brexit coverage: Story continues The latest Bitcoin price hike is not all about Brexit This crazy Brexit flowchart shows how the UK could still remain in the EU Brexit might not be so bad for... Burberry Harry Potter author JK Rowling unleashes fury at Brexit voters || Bitcoin plunges nearly 25% in 6 days: Here’s 3 reasons why: The price of bitcoin(: BTC=)has plunged almost 25 percent since hitting a two-and-a-half year high last week amid problems at a key exchange and diminishing fears of a Brexit. Bitcoin was trading around $590.53 by midday London time, a fall of around 23.8 percent from the $774.94 close on June 17, which marked the highest close since November 22, 2013. The initial rise in the price of the cryptocurrency came last week as traders prepared for aprocess known as "halving"– where the rewards offered to bitcoin miners fall, thus tightening the supply of the digital currency. With anticipation of less supply, prices spiked. But sentiment was dampened when earlier this week, Hong Kong-based bitcoin exchange Bitfinex was closed for a few hours because of "networking issues" in the company's data center, it said on Twitter. The issues were fixed on the same day. Bitcoin insiders said that because of the high leverage people trade the digital currency with, small issues in the market can cause big moves. "The bitcoin price when it goes up is always fuelled by a high leverage, people using margin borrowing money to buy up the price anticipating the block rewarded halving, so the smallest hairline crack can cause a selloff," Bobby Lee, chief executive of BTCC, one of the largest bitcoin exchanges in the world based in China, told CNBC by phone on Thursday. "Bitfinex's website went down and that was a catalyst for people pulling back, cutting positions, locking in gains. There is waterfall effect where then people are selling, selling, selling." At the same time, bitcoin has received some safe-haven bids in recent weeks thanks to uncertainty about which way Britons would vote in the country's referendum on its membership of the European Union (EU), which began on Thursday morning. But opinion polls leading up to the referendum showed a slight bias towards the remain camp winning, helping push financial markets and the sterling higher, but causing a fall in the price of bitcoin. "I do think it's primarily macro things such as Brexit, you saw the price run up as you saw the opinion polls show leave was winning and as those polls reversed over the weekend, that's when we saw the price reverse" Tom Robinson, co-founder of blockchain start-up Elliptic, told CNBC by phone. Conversely, the threat of a Brexit had an adverse effect on the Chinese yuan, which hit a five-year low last week, was also a reason cited by experts, given China accounts for the large amount of bitcoin trading. "Brexit could be a major factor, but, since the lion's share of bitcoin trading activity occurs in and around China, it's unlikely that this is the primary cause. Although if you look at the bitcoin price among exchanges based in China they are $10-20 lower than the global exchanges, this might reflect the yuan's 5-year low and the expected yuan volatility as a result of Brexit," Aurélien Menant, CEO and co-founder, Gatecoin, a digital currency exchange, wrote in an email to CNBC. Menant added that he expects the volatility "to settle down within the next couple of weeks". More From CNBC • Top News and Analysis • Latest News Video • Personal Finance || Clinton, Trump Weigh In On The Brexit: With one major source of market uncertainty ending up a worst-case scenario for global investors on Friday, the markets are now looking to the U.S. presidential election as the next major unknown. Now that the Brexit vote is official, both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have weighed in on the decision. “This time of uncertainty only underscores the need for calm, steady, experienced leadership in the White House to protect Americans’ pocketbooks and livelihoods, to support our friends and allies, to stand up to our adversaries, and to defend our interest,” Clinton said ina statement. Clinton had spoken out in opposition to a Brexit vote in recent weeks. Related Link:Baidu Among Companies Working Together To Use Bitcoin Technology To Create Global Bank Trump, on the other hand, had been in favor of a Brexit and praised the decision to leave the EU. “They’re angry over borders. They’re angry over people coming into the country and taking over. Nobody even knows who they are,” Trump said in a news conference on Friday. “They’re angry about many, many things. They took back control of their country. It’s a great thing.” The populist spirit underlying the Brexit campaign in the U.K. is the same type of enthusiasm that Trump is trying to drum up in American voters in November. See more from Benzinga • What Analysts Think Central Banks Will Do Following Brexit • The Fed Is 'Carefully Monitoring' Global Markets • What Goldman Sachs Thinks Of The Brexit © 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || 9 Best Laptops for $500 or Less: Laptops have become the choice computer for college students, business people on the go and even families at home. The Vaio Z has a battery life upwards of 22 hours; the Samsung Notebook 9 weighs less than two pounds. And while some laptops could set you back nearly $2000, there are plenty of options that are both high quality and affordable. Consumer Reports tested 137 laptops and graded them on a range of features: performance (speed on productivity apps, web browsing, multimedia and 3D games); ergonomics (keyboard, pointing device, feature accessibility and, if applicable, touchscreen); portability (battery life and weight); versatility (hardware and software, along with tech support and warranty agreements); and display (screen size, glare, clarity, color, contrast, brightness etc.). We also checked with CNET and PCWorld and found similar results. Related: The $200 Billion Technology That Will Replace Your Wallet Here are some of the best affordable laptops of 2016: 1. Asus Transformer Book T300CHI-F1-DB Overall Score: 64 Retail Price: $500 The performance of this laptop-tablet (the touchscreen detaches for a 2-in-1 device) is top-notch. The laptop responds quickly, whether running emails, word processing, browsing the web, streaming videos or playing complex games. 2. Asus VivoBook E403SA-US21 Overall Score: 62 Retail Price: $350 Asus’ VivoBook is great for basic web browsing and productivity applications. With a battery life over 15 hours and a weight of just over three pounds, this is a good choice if you still want a big screen (14-inches) while on the move. 3. Microsoft Surface 3 Overall Score: 61 Retail Price: $500 Although it has less memory and a small solid-state drive, this is a well-rounded laptop – light, great battery, and good basic performance. It also comes with a year’s worth of Microsoft Office 365 Personal, which would cost you $100 otherwise. Related: Your Money: Avoid the Shock of a Fifth Year of College Tuition 4. Asus VivoBook E200HA-US01 Overall Score: 58 Retail Price: $211.15 A smaller and cheaper version of the VivoBook above, Asus’ 11.6 inch VivoBook is light (just over 2 pounds) and has a battery life of nearly 15 hours. Its processor preserves the battery, though sometimes at the cost of performance, which can be slow. You will probably need cloud storage since this VivoBook has only 2GB of memory. Story continues 5. Asus Transformer Book TP200SADH04T Overall Score: 57 Retail Price: $299-339 A smaller version of the Transformer Book T300CHI, with a touchscreen and very long battery life, the performance is mediocre. But it works well for simple tasks like email, word processing and web browsing. Related: Big Banks Just Got Serious About Bitcoin Technology 6. HP Pavilion x360-13t Overall Score: 57 Retail Price: $490 This 13.3-inch laptop is comparatively heavy at nearly 4 lbs, but it is versatile, able to convert to stand, tent and tablet modes. While there is a touchscreen, the full-sized keyboard and touchpad are well designed and easy to use. 7. Dell Inspiron 11 3000 Overall Score: 56 Retail Price: $180 Although its speed is mediocre, this laptop has a long battery life and is easy to carry. The matte screen reduces glare, making it a great laptop for brightly lit rooms and for outdoors use. 8. Acer Aspire E5-574-53QS Overall Score: 56 Retail Price: $389.99 The 15.6-inch Acer Aspire is one of the best value large laptops you’ll find. Besides well-designed keyboards and touchpads, the laptop comes with a huge 1TB hard drive. 9. Dell Inspiron I3452-600BLK Overall Score: 54 Retail Price: $160 For a 14-inch laptop, this Dell is very light, and the battery lasts nearly 13 hours. The keyboard and touchpad are great , and performance is good enough for web browsing, emails and other productivity apps. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] #Bitcoin Global Fiat Currency Stumbles! - Answer #BitClub Learn/Earn cryptocurrencies http://blogbizbuzz.com/BitClub/ pic.twitter.com/lgTcsQ394E || #BTA Price: Bittrex 0.00000970 BTC YoBit 0.00000950 BTC Bleutrade 0.00000864 BTC #BTAprice 2016-06-16 15:00 pic.twitter.com/77cUlBloYA || 1 #BTC (#Bitcoin) quotes: $567.04/$569.21 #Bitstamp $569.00/$570.68 #BTCe ⇢$-0.21/$3.64 $574.29/$575.32 #Coinbase ⇢$5.08/$8.28 || #EuropeCoin #ERC $ 0.001912 (-9.42 %) 0.00000286 BTC (-10.55 %) || $678.20 at 05:45 UTC [24h Range: $631.00 - $682.21 Volume: 8487 BTC] || $665.16 #bitfinex; $655.00 #btce; $664.34 #bitstamp; $665.30 #GDAX; $666.00 #itBit; $663.71 #OKCoin; #bitcoin news: http://bit.ly/1VI6Yse  || $760.00 at 15:15 UTC [24h Range: $736.03 - $778.85 Volume: 5990 BTC] || #Bitcoin now is $663.00 via Chain Tweet created July 24, 2016 at 07:59PM Free ฿itcoin - Wi… http://goo.gl/ohelJN pic.twitter.com/xiKMuuMDhL || One Bitcoin now worth $739.99@bitstamp. High $764.00. Low $735.00. Market Cap $11.604 Billion #bitcoin || #UFOCoin #UFO $ 0.000020 (-24.97 %) 0.00000003 BTC (-25.00 %)
Trend: no change || Prices: 585.59, 570.47, 567.24, 577.44, 573.22, 574.32, 575.63, 581.70, 581.31, 586.75
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Crypto Mixed; G20 Mulls Regulations to Fight Money Laundering: Investing.com - Prices of the top cryptocurrencies were mixed on Monday morning in Asia, but the overall crypto market remained bullish. Regulation is in play, with G20 countries soon meeting to discuss a framework to fight crypto-enabled money laundering. Bitcoin rose 2.22% to $5,237.6 by 12:14 PM ET (04:14 AM GMT), after reaching as high as $5,299.4 in the morning. The coin is back in a bullish trend and has gained 28.8% over the past week. Ethereum also went higher, adding 7.82% to $182. However, XRP slid 0.26% to $0.35877 and Litecoin dropped 1.60% to $91.062. With that said, both tokens have surged 17.12% and 52.30%, respectively, over the past seven days. The crypto market cap continued to rise to $184 billion. The most notable news in the crypto space over the weekend was G20 meeting in June to discuss international crypto regulations to combat money laundering and terrorism financing. G20 central bank governors and finance ministers will join the meeting to establish a framework to do so, and the countries are expected to reach an agreement over new regulations. They aim to enforce stricter identification of individuals transacting in crypto. In Asia, South Korea is considering loosening its current crypto regulations to help the market grow and mature. "The government has misunderstood the virtual currency and tried to meet the real currency standards, so there are various problems. The industry does not stand still while waiting for the regulatory sandbox authorization, so it is just like keeping it in the box,” said Song Hee-kyong, co-president of the 4th Industry Forum of the National Assembly. The Asian country has been known for its strict approach and tight control towards digital assets, reportedly calling initial coin offerings almost ‘a gamble’. The news has signalled a possible change in the crypto space in South Korea. Related Articles Crypto Extends Losses; IMF Chief Calls Crypto Disruptors BTC/USD Price Prediction: Bitcoin has clear path for rapid growth as hash-rate reaches 4-month high - Confluence Detector Digital Asset Partners With Cloud Software Giant VMware || 3 Bearish Factors That Will Slaughter This Bitcoin Price Rally: ByCCN.com: Thebitcoin priceon Wednesday extended its rebound from $3,859, surging as much as 2.80-percent since the Asian session tocrack $4,000on most major crypto exchanges. As of 18:20 UTC, the bitcoin-to-dollar exchange rate was trading at $4,011, down 0.52-percent from the session high at $4,032. The marginal downside correction didn’t interrupt the market’s intraday bullish bias. However, the bitcoin surge came alongside declining volumes, which cast doubt on the uptrend’s durability in the medium-term. Unfortunately for the bulls, the charts seem to favor the bears, as these three technical factors indicate. BITCOIN IS TRENDING INSIDE AN ASCENDING CHANNEL | SOURCE: TRADINGVIEW.COM, COINBASE The bitcoin price has been trending inside anascending channel formationsince February 14. Barring a false breakout action that sustained itself between February 18 and 24, bitcoin remained bound by the channel’s resistance and support trendlines. As we enter another day of trading, the cryptocurrency is merely repeating its recent price action, targeting the channel resistance for a potential breakout or a more likely pullback. The primary reason we are not confident about the ongoing bullish action is declining volume. The inverse relationship between the bitcoin price and bitcoin volume indicates that the uptrend will not sustain for too long. We are currently above a critical level at $3,955 (red horizontal line) which has historically acted as decent support on a downtrend and resistance on an uptrend. Day traders should consider it while working on their strategies. STRONG RESISTANCE AREA CAPPING BITCOIN’S UPSIDE ATTEMPTS | SOURCE: TRADINGVIEW.COM, COINBASE Read the full story on CCN.com. || LOL! US Nobel Laureate Economist Wants to ‘Shut Down’ Cryptocurrencies: ByCCN.com: Nobel-Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz believes that cryptocurrencies need to be shut down. Demonstrating precisely zero knowledge of the concept of peer-to-peer networks,he told CNBCthat he “actually [thinks] we should shut down the cryptocurrencies.” Stiglitz claims he supports digital payment systems because they would help with regulation, saying: “I’ve been a great advocate of moving to an electronic payments mechanism. There are a lot of efficiencies. I think we can actually have a better-regulated economy if we had all the data in real time, knowing what people are spending.” Lack of privacy and potential for improvedsurveillance are a sticking point among cryptocurrency enthusiasts. Plenty of people believe that privacy coins such as Monero and Zcash will eventually be the dominant mode, while privacy innovations in Bitcoin such asCoinJoin have seen a massive increase in usage. Stiglitz was one of three people to earn the Nobel prize for economics in 2001. He, Michael Spence, and George Akerlofwon the award“for their analysis of markets with asymmetric information.” The official reason given for his prize reads: “Joseph Stiglitz clarified [a] type of market adjustment, where poorly informed agents extract information from the better informed, such as the screening performed by insurance companies dividing customers into risk classes by offering a menu of contracts where higher deductibles can be exchanged for significantly lower premiums. In a number of contributions about different markets, Stiglitz has shown that asymmetric information can provide the key to understanding many observed market phenomena, including unemployment and credit rationing.” His Nobel prize has nothing to do with digital payments or cryptography, but the opinion of a respected economist will be taken seriously by the likes of government regulators. Read the full story on CCN.com. || $4.3 Million Lost as Crypto Scams in Australia Rise 190% in 2018: A 190% increase incryptocurrencyscams saw Australian consumers lose $6.1 million Australian dollars ($4.3 million) in 2018, according to areportreleased by the country’s Competition and Consumer Commission on April 29. The substantial rise from the AU$2.1 million ($1.48 million) lost in 2017 came despite an industry wide slump in cryptocurrency prices, with Australian authorities receiving 674 reports where crypto was used to pay scammers. Most of the victims were targeted by investment scams where they are encouraged to purchase digital currencies or asked to make crypto payments for access to forex trading, commodity trading and other investment opportunities. A total of AU$2.6 million ($1.8 million) was lost this way — and often, consumers only realized something was wrong when they were unable to withdraw funds or contact the fraudster responsible. According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC,) almost half of all those who lost money to crypto scams were men aged 25 to 34. The true number of victims could also be much higher, as some may have been too embarrassed to come forward, the report notes. One victim, who believed they had been given a trial task for a well-paid job, was pressured into converting money atbitcoin (BTC)ATMs and sending it to investors.”Their bank accounts were then frozen as a fraud investigation took place. The unnamed victim said: “I’m cooperating with the bank and hope to get my accounts unlocked and my name cleared. It’s clear to me now that this was just a money laundering scheme and I fell for it.” The ACCC is now urging consumers to be wary of unusual payment methods such as crypto, iTunes gift cards and remittance services — especially if the payment request appears to be coming from a government agency. In March, an Australian crypto fund manager wastaken to courtby his clients over the loss of AU$20 million ($14 million). It is alleged Stefanos Papanastasiou had requested his clients to transfer money to his wife and sister, and was unable to pay them back when they requested a withdrawal. • US SEC Issues Fresh Investor Alert Against Fraudulent Digital Asset Trading Sites • Hackers Used Microsoft Email Accounts to Steal Users’ Cryptocurrency, Report • KuCoin Exchange Blocks Crypto Wallet Allegedly Involved in RChain Token Scam • Samoa Investigates Church After OneCoin Defied Legal Ban to Sell Products to Investors || Judge Asks NYAG to Narrow Scope of ‘Amorphous’ Bitfinex Document Request: A New York judge has ordered crypto exchange Bitfinex to turn over documents pertaining to the exchange’s alleged cover-up of an $850 million loss and a subsequent loan from stablecoin issuer Tether – but not immediately. New York Supreme Court judge Joel M. Cohen said during a Monday afternoon hearing that the preliminary injunction secured by the New York Attorney General’s office (NYAG) at the end of April should remain in effect, at least in part, though he took issue with the scope. Attorneys for both plaintiff NYAG and respondents Bitfinex and Tether have a week to hammer out either a joint or individual proposals for what the scope of the injunction should be, which the judge will rule on. Bitfinex: NYAG’s Order Is Hurting Our Customers and the Crypto Market Cohen said: “What I would suggest you both do is meet and talk about it, you seem like a reasonable group, in let’s say a week either with a single or proposed revision that accomplishes what we’re trying to accomplish here, and if you can’t, with individual proposals.” That being said, he added that he thinks “the preliminary injunction that we have right now is vague, open-ended and not sufficiently tailored to precisely what the AG has shown will cause imminent harm. I think it’s both amorphous and endless.” The injunction in question was filed on April 25, when the NYAG’s office revealed that the exchange had borrowed nearly $1 billion from Tether’s reserves afterlosing access to $850 millionheld by a payment processor, Crypto Capital (it was later revealed by federal prosecutors that Crypto Capital’s operatorshad been indictedfor bank fraud, and its bank accounts were frozen). Bitfinex’s Bitcoin Price Excluded from CoinMarketCap Average Calculation Under the terms of the injunction, Bitfinex and Tether were compelled to turn over all documents about these funding maneuvers, as well as immediately cease any further borrowing. Attorneys for Bitfinex and Tether filed toeither vacate or modifythe preliminary injunction last week, saying that Bitfinex not being able to access Tether’s funds is harmful to both the exchange and to the broader crypto market (a claim they repeated inanother filing Sunday). For their part, NYAG attorneys said that the injunction is “narrow,” and wouldnot have a significant impacton either Bitfinex or Tether’s operations. Left open Monday was the question of whether USDT, the dollar-pegged cryptocurrency issued by Tether, qualifies as a security, the outcome of which could also help determine whether the NYAG’s office has jurisdiction. Cohen said “the question of whether these are securities, … is a threshold question that the respondents [mentioned]. I know they are traded, but whether [they qualify] is [another matter].” Under the Martin Act, the NYAG’s office can regulate securities and commodities, or the venues where securities and commodities are traded, said David Miller, an attorney for Bitfinex. However, he said USDT does not fulfill at least two prongs of the Howey Test, the decades-old Supreme Court case often used to determine whether an instrument is a security or not. Specifically, there is no common enterprise, and there is no expectation of profit from those who purchase USDT, Miller said, adding: “We have no fiduciary responsibility or otherwise with respect to tether customers.” John Castellanos, a lawyer with the New York Attorney General’s office, argued that his office should have jurisdiction because New York residents can purchase or trade USDT through the Poloniex platform (and previously through Bittrex) in secondary market sales. Moreover, he added, “We have enough information to know, and we have every reason to believe, that the Martin Act has been violated.” Miller said Tether shouldn’t be responsible for secondary market sales, and that Poloniex did not promise USDT was backed 1-to-1. However, Cohen noted that the NYAG’s office still needs to investigate the broader securities question, saying, “As a law enforcement agency it doesn’t seem really out of bounds to just probe whether an otherwise unregulated business involves securities which are subject to the Martin Act.” Miller also repeatedly noted that Bitfinex promptly disclosed to the NYAG’s office that its funds had been seized. The timeline for when the preliminary injunction would lift was not clarified just yet. Cohen noted that there are a number of issues to consider when picking a date for when the injunction would expire, including how long the NYAG’s investigation would last for, as well as how much discovery there is. New York Supreme Court image via Nikhilesh De for CoinDesk • Banking, Bitfinex and the Hidden Irony of Crypto’s Newest Controversy • Bitfinex Shareholder Starts Pre-orders for Exchange Token’s Public Sales || Forex Daily Recap – The Cable Plummeted Heavily On May’s Third Consecutive Defeat In The House: GBP/USD The Cable rose on Friday morning on the back of above-the-consensus Irish March Consumer Confidence and February Nationwide Housing Prices YoY & MoM. GBP/USD , hence, followed an uptrend in the early trading hours ranging from 1.3054 to 1.3083 level. GBPUSD 5 Min 29 March 2019 By the mid-day, the pair slipped off the cliff. The pair heavily fell from the then resistance level of 1.3083 straight down to 1.3013 level. This slip happened over the rising concerns vis-a-vis Brexit Extension chaos. However, In-line UK Gross Development Product (GDP) figures released at 09:30 GMT saved the cable from further slipping. Later the day, the main event of UK Parliamentary Voting on May’s Withdrawal Agreement happened, and she was rejected again for the third time. After the event, the cable had slumped reaching the lowest vicinity till then of 1.2978 level. May’s rejection now confirms of a Hard Brexit which was the default option on denial. US Dollar Index Despite lower than expected US fourth fiscal quarter GDP data reported last day, the US Dollar Index went up 0.1 percent reaching 96.773 on the opening bell on Friday Morning. Later in the mid-day, the greenback again rose on weakness in the basket of currencies that weigh against the index. GBP/USD had slumped heavily in the middle of rising concerns over the Brexit extension uncertainties. Laterwards, the USD Index gave up the morning gains after the release of poor January Core Personal Consumption Expenditure MoM and YoY. Both the numbers were below the consensus estimates. Chicago Purchasing Managers Index for March reported as 58.7 points as compared to the market expectation of 61.0 points. More than expected March Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index and February New Home Sales (MoM)  helped the US Dollar Index from plunging further. NZD/USD The second day after the big plunge in the pair, NZD/USD was seen to rebound from previous losses. The pair was slowly seen to jump fresh heights amid poor US Consumer Spending data. After starting the day at 0.6782 level, the Kiwi pair reached new heights near 0.6819 levels. The pair were seen heading to break the last day’s high of 0.6828 level. However, the NZD/USD couldn’t make it happen as the US reported positive Consumer Sentiment Index and Home Sales figures above the market expectation. Story continues NZDUSD 5 Min 29 March 2019 USD/CAD The main highlight for the day for the loonie pair remains the massive slump at 12:15 GMT making the pair fall from 1.3422 reaching 1.3351 level. The USD/CAD pair tumbled after the release of the Canadian GDP MoM figures for January. The GDP reported at 0.3 percent as compared to the consensus estimate of 0.0 percent. The pair performed a range bound movement during the early trading sessions amidst falling crude prices. US President Donald Trump’s tweets expected to have downward pressure on the crude prices. However, the Crude Oil West Texas Intermediate (WTI) Futures still touched new highs of $60.71 per barrel. USD/JPY Japan February Housing Starts YoY reported surprised the market at 05:00 GMT. The Japanese Housing figures were 4.2 percent as compared to the consensus estimate of 0.5 percent. The haven pair slumped from 110.79 to 110.55 level following such positive reports. During the day, the USD/JPY pair acted in a range bound movement fluctuating the resistance level of 110.93 and the support level of 110.55. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Bitcoin And Ethereum Daily Price Forecast – Crypto Bulls Finally Managed To Crack Hurdles To The Upside Gold Weekly Price Forecast – Gold markets struggle for the week S&P 500 Weekly Price Forecast – Stock markets continue to grind higher USD/JPY Weekly Price Forecast – US dollar finding support Silver Weekly Price Forecast – Silver markets fall significantly for the week Forex Daily Recap – The Cable Plummeted Heavily On May’s Third Consecutive Defeat In The House || Crazy Crowdfund Scammer Pitched a Backpack, Stole $800,000 to Buy Bitcoin: ByCCN.com: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched legal action against a serial crowdfund scammer who used his ill-gotten gains to buy Bitcoin. Douglas Monahan promised consumers a ‘high-tech’ backpack known as the iBackPack, but failed to deliver the product after raising over $800,000. After allegedly scamming Indiegogo users of $720,000, Monahan staged three more crowdfund campaigns to take his total bounty to $0.8 million. The investigation against Monahan was inadvertently revealed last year when an FTC agent’sprivate email exchangewas made public. On May 6th, the FTC took action and levelled a Complaint for Permanent Injunction and Other Equitable Relief against the Texas man. According to the FTC, rather than use $800,000 to create the iBackPack, Monahan used the funds for ‘personal purposes’ – among them, buying Bitcoin.From the complaintfiled in the Southern District of Texas, May 6th: “Defendants have used a large share of contributions for Defendant Monahan’ s own personal purposes, such as making bitcoin purchases and ATM withdrawals and paying off personal credit cards; for marketing efforts to raise additional funds from consumers; and for other business ventures.” Monahan’s victims also claim that their personal data was sold, owing to the unexpected marketing communications they all received soon afterwards. This is only the second time in history that the FTC has gone after a crowdfunder. In 2015, Erik Chevalier raised $120,000 for a board game, and then sold off contributors’ personal data after failing to deliver the product. After failing to produce anything from the $720,000 he raised on Indiegogo, Monahan jumped over to Kickstarter and started marketing the iBackPack 2.0. From this campaign, he raised a further $76,000, all while his original backers were still awaiting their products. Read the full story on CCN.com. || Binance and Huobi set to speak at Blockchain Life 2019: The global forum Blockchain Life 2019 brings together more than 3000 participants from 70+ countries. Founders of top blockchain and crypto companies, investors, developers, crypto traders, CEOs of projects, entrepreneurs and businessmen are coming to Blockchain Life 2019 on April 23-24 in Singapore. Buy your ticket to the show now at http://blockchain-life.com Representatives of Binance and Huobi are also joining the event as speakers: Ella Zhang — a Head of Binance Labs — gives a keynote speech on “Realizing the potential of blockchain technology”. Edward Chen — a Senior director of Huobi exchange — takes part in “Best world exchanges. Market forecasts and insights” section alongside with reps of KuCoin, BitForex, COINEAL, EXMO, CoinSuper and DigiFinex. Among other participating companies are : Bitcoin.com Listing.help Sora Ventures Draper Associates Litecoin ELVN Bitmain NEO NGC CoinMarketCap Dash Cardano and other top companies in the market. “Blockchain Life is one of the largest events in the crypto industry, bringing together the best of the best,” says Alex Reinhardt, CEO of the crypto messenger ELVN. Find out more information and get the last tickets with a special 10% promo code info at http://blockchain-life.com The post Binance and Huobi set to speak at Blockchain Life 2019 appeared first on Coin Rivet . View comments || U.S. Taxpayers Can Receive Federal or State Tax Refunds in Bitcoin: ByCCN.com: U.S. taxpayers can receive all or part of their federal and state tax refunds in bitcoin. This is being made possible through a collaboration between blockchain payments processorBitPayand Refundo, a provider of tax-related financial products. In astatement, Refundo says its CoinRT product is especially useful for low-income communities that don’t have checking accounts and often resort to paying high check-cashing fees. That said, Refundo’s CoinRT service is not free. CoinRT costs $34.95 per refund transfer, and that doesn’t include BitPay’s 1% service fee. Refundo wants to help low-income communities get tax refunds in bitcoin. | Source: screenshot Refundo specializes in serving low-income communities. Refundo CEO Roger Chinchilla says these communities often send money abroad, so the integration of bitcoin can streamline both their tax refunds and their international remittances. “Bitcoin provides transactional transparency, as every transaction is verified, recorded and stored on the blockchain. The transaction itself contains no sensitive personal information.” || Is Bitcoin Mining Finally Profitable for Miners in 2019?: Mining The recent bitcoin rally has driven bitcoin mining profits. Profits earned from bitcoin mining have seen a clear rise since the start of April 2019 and hit a near half-a-year high on April 15, 2019. Is Bitcoin Mining Finally Profitable for Miners in 2019? Source: BCtrend According to crypto analyst Alex Kruger, the breakeven cost for efficient bitcoin mining operations currently hovers around $3,550 to $4,350, while the price of bitcoin is in the $5,500-plus range at the time of this writing. That ensures a $1,000-plus profit for each bitcoin mined and a substantial profit for bitcoin miners considering the uptick momentum in bitcoin price continues. Kruger said that the breakeven cost was calculated based on an electricity rate of 5.5 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh). While electricity costs vary in different regions, the breakeven cost could vary in line with that. “[The] exact number is heavily dependent on electricity cost,” Kruger said. “E.g., last December Coingeek reported an electricity cost (inclusive of all operational expenses) of $0.073. I am using $0.055.” Given that the electricity rate in China is much lower — 3.5 cents kWh as some mining farms have claimed — when the wet season in Sichuan started, miners in China can make more than $2,000 in profit for each bitcoin mined. Over the second half of 2018, however, the breakeven cost dropped below the BTC price, leading to inefficient bitcoin mining and losses, with some miners even shutting down their operations and selling off their hardware. Is Bitcoin Mining Finally Profitable for Miners in 2019? Together with the rise of mining profitability, the hashrate of the whole Bitcoin network has also been climbing. That means more miners have been coming back or freshly entering the market. As BTC.com shows, Bitcoin hash power has seen a 25 percent increase , from 36.55 Exa hashes per second (Eh/s) in mid-December 2018, to 45.76 Eh/s in mid-April 2018. Is Bitcoin Mining Finally Profitable for Miners in 2019? The ASIC miner market has also been waking up, rolling out faster, new-gen mining devices. In late March, Canaan rolled out its Avalonminer 10 which delivers a hashrate of 31 terahashes per second (TH/s) at 1,736 watts (W). Days later, Bitmain revealed its Antminer 17 series, delivering a hashrate ranging from 50 TH/s to 56 TH/s, operating at 42 watts per terahash (W/Th) to 45 W/Th. And MicroBT released a whopping 72 TH/s bitcoin ASIC M20S recently. These figures suggest that the market is showing signs of life after coming off of some of its worst months. Bitcoin mining is finally profitable for miners and getting its prospects back after the year-long sluggish market. This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine . [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] Install #CryptoTab for #IOS and get real #Bitcoins (#BTC) for using it. Your #earnings will keep growing as long as you're using your #IPhone. https://t.co/vJQX5VNCsE https://t.co/1nETwOLuzM || Good to know! || Bitcoin Cash (BCH-EUR) on Coinbase is OVER SOLD. Price: Euro 321 Timestamp: 01:24:19 19-05-2019 (Malta/Europe) This is not financial advice. Do your own research. || @newmind99 That depends completely on the application or usage you are asking about. One of the hallmarks of snake oil is its marketing as a panacea. If you're asking about monetary value, #Bitcoin is that high-level tech solution. || My address in case I win 0x84784875A6455ac0635c19fCF09978a7b96caaBe @cesar4styles @jgardocki @EdjekotaGift @AdeyemiDareMos1 @Hbomberguy || @bossofbitcoin I was @bossofbitcoin 523 sub on his YouTube channel. When #BTC was bullish people flocked to his channel and it hit 20k subs. #Bitcoin bullish again? Better get your ass to his #YouTube channel and get some free advice. || @infobdgadv @invest_saham @infobandung BITCOIN Indonesia https://t.co/gm23WGtYUA || Empty blocks on Bitcoin Cash just proves the incompetence of developers controlling the #BCH blockchain #BitcoinCash #Cryptocurrency #BTC https://t.co/FYKFOr6xDH || BTC Facebook - Trade Your Bitcoin on Facebook | Tecteem https://t.co/soAJrylCIY || Bitcoin Price Rallies Amid Trade War, Crypto Adoption Headlines #Forex #fx https://t.co/D4hJcOJHwH
Trend: up || Prices: 8197.69, 7978.31, 7963.33, 7680.07, 7881.85, 7987.37, 8052.54, 8673.22, 8805.78, 8719.96
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Ripple Labs Names Former State Department Official Anja Manuel as Advisor: SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Mar 18, 2015) -Ripple Labstoday announced that it has named Anja Manuel, Co-Founder and Partner atRiceHadleyGatesLLC, and a former U.S. Department of State official, as an advisor to the company. "Rippleis one of the most innovative technologies I have seen," said Manuel. "It has the potential to expand the global economy through increased trade, and enables better, more transparent regulatory oversight of payments. I am excited to help build on Ripple's impressive momentum and help it to gain traction internationally." Manuel is a Co-Founder and Partner along with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, and former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in RiceHadleyGates LLC, a strategic consulting firm that assists senior executives at major U.S. companies in key emerging markets such as China, India and the Middle East. She also teaches in Stanford University's International Policy Studies program. Previously, Ms. Manuel served as an official at the U.S. Department of State, where she held responsibility for South and Central Asian policy, congressional outreach, and legal matters. She was part of the negotiating team for the U.S.‐India civilian nuclear accord, helped to secure passage of the accord through the U.S. Congress, and was extensively involved in developing U.S. policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan. Prior, Ms. Manuel was an attorney atWilmerHaleand investment banker at Salomon Brothers International in London. She holds a B.A. and M.A. from Stanford University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. "I am excited to welcome Anja to the Ripple Labs team," said Ripple Labs CEO and co-founder Chris Larsen. "Her advice will be key as we grow our international presence and Ripple's adoption by financial institutions and payment networks across the world." Ripple Labs supports the adoption of Ripple, a settlement protocol that enables the world's disparate financial networks to securely transfer funds in any currency in real time. Banks, money transmitters and clearing houses can use Ripple as an alternative to correspondent banking to facilitate straight through processing with no reserve funding required.Earthport, the largest open network for global bank payments, and three banks in the United States and Germany recently announced integrations with Ripple. Ripple was created to enable the world to move value as easily as information moves today, giving rise to an Internet of Value (IoV) akin to today's Internet of Knowledge. For more information about Ripple Labs, please visithttp://www.ripplelabs.com. For more information about Ripple, please visithttp://www.ripple.com. About Ripple LabsRipple Labs is the global leader on distributed financial technology. The team supports adoption of the Ripple protocol, an Internet of Value (IoV) that enables the free and instant exchange of anything of value. The San Francisco-based startup is funded by Google Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, IDG Capital Partners, Core Innovation Capital, FF Angel, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Bitcoin Opportunity Corp. and Vast Ventures. Named one of 2014's50 Smartest Companiesby MIT Technology Review, Ripple Labs' team of 100 is comprised of deeply experienced cryptographers, security experts, distributed network developers, Silicon Valley and Wall Street veterans. They contribute code to the open-source software, as well as develop tools for and recruit financial institutions and payment networks to use Ripple. The team shepherds a movement to evolve finance so that payment systems are open, secure, constructive and globally inclusive. About RippleRipple is an Internet protocol that interconnects all the world's disparate financial systems to enable the secure transfer of funds in any currency in real time -- consider it an Internet of Value (IoV). As settlement infrastructure, Ripple transforms and enhances today's financial systems. Ripple unlocks assets and provides access to payment systems for everyone, empowering the world to move value like information moves today. For more information about Ripple, please visithttp://www.ripple.com. || Trading Internet stocks in the week ahead: With earnings season gearing up, some of CNBC's "Fast Money" traders turned their focus to Internet stocks, including Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) , which reports next Wednesday. Shares of the streaming giant Netflix rallied on Friday after Citigroup (NYSE: C) upgraded the stock, citing its content lineup and global growth as catalysts. "Fast Money" trader Guy Adami said he's long Netflix. "Now I believe that $440 is your pivot. It obviously exploded through that today... I think it is ready for the next leg higher," Adami said. "I think you have a very well defined risk, reward trade." Read More Apple is going to $143:Technician When it comes to trading the media stock, he says investors should "stay long against $440." "Fast Money" trader Steve Grasso said he thinks the stock is ultimately heading to $500 a share, although he sees it facing resistance around $486. "Content is king...people are viewing things in a total different manner," Grasso said. "I think you're going to see another price increase that's going to help. People might be negative on it originally." "Fast Money" trader Tim Seymour says shares of fellow content streaming provider Pandora (NYSE: P) may get a boost thanks to competitor Spotify's surprise valuation. Investors have valued its Spotify at about $8.4 billion, according a Dow Jones report, as it plans to raise some $400 million in funding. That values the firm at more than double Pandora's current market cap of $3.6 billion. "The knee-jerk [reaction] is going to take the stock higher,"Adami said. Read More Celebs spotted showing off their Apple Watches Turning to the Internet search sector, the tech giant Yahoo lost one of its top executives, Mike Kerns, on Friday and some "Fast Money" Traders said it was a cause for concern. "I think that the catalyst for upside profitability in the name have sort of evaporated. Everyone was playing it as the Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) trade. At this point i think you gotta stay clear of the name," Seymour said. Story continues "Fast Money" trader Brian Kelly echoed his sentiments. "You buy Alibaba as opposed to Yahoo if you want to have that exposure," Kelly said. "If there was really some value in Yahoo i think it would be trading much higher, so it concerns me." Disclosures: Tim Seymour is long T, BAC, C, DIS, XOM, F, GE, GM, GOOGL, INTC, FXI, SUNE, Tim's firm is long BABA, BIDU, CHL, MCD, NKE, NOK, SINA, SBUX, WB. Steve Grasso is long AAPL, EVGN, MJNA, PFE, T, TWTR, GDX, his firm is long AMZN, NE, OXY, VALE, RIG, NEM, his kids own EFG, EFA, EWJ, IJR, SPY. Brian Kelly is long BTC=, US Dollar, GLD, EEM, CTRL calls, GSG, BBRY, SPY puts, TLT, he is short Yuan. Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, INTC, Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. More From CNBC Top News and Analysis Latest News Video Personal Finance || Trading Internet stocks in the week ahead: With earnings season gearing up, some of CNBC's "Fast Money" traders turned their focus to Internet stocks, including Netflix(NASDAQ: NFLX), which reports next Wednesday. Shares of the streaming giant Netflix rallied on Friday after Citigroup(NYSE: C)upgraded the stock, citing its content lineup and global growth as catalysts. "Fast Money" trader Guy Adami said he's long Netflix. "Now I believe that $440 is your pivot. It obviously exploded through that today... I think it is ready for the next leg higher," Adami said. "I think you have a very well defined risk, reward trade." Read MoreApple is going to $143:Technician When it comes to trading the media stock, he says investors should "stay long against $440." "Fast Money" trader Steve Grasso said he thinks the stock is ultimately heading to $500 a share, although he sees it facing resistance around $486. "Content is king...people are viewing things in a total different manner," Grasso said. "I think you're going to see another price increase that's going to help. People might be negative on it originally." "Fast Money" trader Tim Seymour says shares of fellow content streaming provider Pandora(NYSE: P)may get a boost thanks to competitor Spotify's surprise valuation. Investors have valued its Spotify at about $8.4 billion, according a Dow Jones report, as it plans to raise some $400 million in funding. That values the firm at more than double Pandora's current market cap of $3.6 billion. "The knee-jerk [reaction] is going to take the stock higher,"Adami said. Read MoreCelebs spotted showing off their Apple Watches Turning to the Internet search sector, the tech giant Yahoo lost one of its top executives, Mike Kerns, on Friday and some "Fast Money" Traders said it was a cause for concern. "I think that the catalyst for upside profitability in the name have sort of evaporated. Everyone was playing it as the Alibaba(NYSE: BABA)trade. At this point i think you gotta stay clear of the name," Seymour said. "Fast Money" trader Brian Kelly echoed his sentiments. "You buy Alibaba as opposed to Yahoo if you want to have that exposure," Kelly said. "If there was really some value in Yahoo i think it would be trading much higher, so it concerns me." Disclosures: Tim Seymour is long T, BAC, C, DIS, XOM, F, GE, GM, GOOGL, INTC, FXI, SUNE, Tim's firm is long BABA, BIDU, CHL, MCD, NKE, NOK, SINA, SBUX, WB. Steve Grasso is long AAPL, EVGN, MJNA, PFE, T, TWTR, GDX, his firm is long AMZN, NE, OXY, VALE, RIG, NEM, his kids own EFG, EFA, EWJ, IJR, SPY. Brian Kelly is long BTC=, US Dollar, GLD, EEM, CTRL calls, GSG, BBRY, SPY puts, TLT, he is short Yuan. Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, INTC, Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. More From CNBC • Top News and Analysis • Latest News Video • Personal Finance || The Mobile Payments Race Is On: ReportsthatSAMSUNG ELECT LTD(F)(OTC:SSNLF) bought mobile payments startup LoopPay have investors wondering who will win the mobile payments race. The deal throws another contender into the mix whereApple Inc.(NASDAQ:AAPL) is already vying withGoogle Inc(NASDAQ:GOOG)(NASDAQ:GOOGL) to push its own system. Apple Pay A Tough Sell For months, Apple has been touting the benefits of its mobile pay system, compatible with the iPhone 6 and the soon-to-be-released smartwatch, with only one drawback – merchant participation. Apple’s system requires participating retailers to purchase special payment pads as well as pay a service fee similar to that of credit card transactions. While many merchants have signed on to offer the service, some have been hesitant about the investment costs. Despite that, Apple has remained confident that widespread adoption of Apple Pay is inevitable as popularity grows among consumers. Related Link: Apple's Smartphone Share Poised To Overtake Samsung Move Over Apple However, Samsung looks likely to give consumers and merchants another very attractive option— LoopPay. The mobile payment startup’s system works using existing credit card readers that most stores already have available. That is good news for everyone involved, except Apple of course, since it means that any retailer that accepts credit cards will be able to offer the service. Samsung is expected to launch a new smartphone as early as next month that incorporates LoopPay technology, providing Apple with some stiff competition. See more from Benzinga • Smartwatches To Get Bitcoin Technology • Apple Store To Offer Weed App Once Again • Top Wall Street Executives To Gather At White House Cybersecurity Summit © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Silk Road Bitcoin Auctions Prove There's Still An Interest In Cryptocurrency: On Thursday March 5, the U.S. Marshals Serviceauctionedoff around $13.9 million worth ofbitcoinsseized from Ross Ulbricht during the investigation into the Silk Road black market. The auction attracted 34 bids from 14 bidders, proving that interest in the cryptocurrency isn't dead despite a year of bad press and volatile prices. A Bit Of A Gamble The auction took on an interesting dimension for interested parties as the bitcoins were priced based on market conditions, but could have a much higher or lower value once they are actually transferred due to bitcoin's high degree of volatility. The government is expected to have completed the financial transactions by Monday and announce the winners some time this week. A total of 50,000 bitcoins were auctioned. Demand Rising Thursday's auction was the third of its kind and had a higher rate of participation than the second, conducted back in December. The December auction had just 11 buyers and 27 bids, but the first auction in June was able to attract 45 bidders and 63 bids. Related Link: Bitcoin And Tax Season: What You Should Know Participants To Be Announced Venture capitalist Tim Draper did not participate in Thursday's auction despite his comments that the government auctions were likely to be the "best deal anyone will get" to purchase bitcoins. Investment funds SecondMarket and Pantera Capital both participated; SecondMarket confirmed that it did not win any bitcoins, but the rest of the winners and losers are still unknown. See more from Benzinga • Getting In On The Apple Watch Buzz, Without Investing In Apple • Biomonitoring Is The New Black • Marijuana A Promising Treatment, But Research And Development Still Limited © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Columbus International Inc. Closes Upon Its Acquisition by CWC: BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS--(Marketwired - Mar 31, 2015) - Columbus International Inc. ("Columbus") is pleased to announce that it has received the requisite approvals, satisfied all necessary conditions and has closed upon its transaction to be acquired by Cable & Wireless Communications PLC ("CWC") as previously announced on November 6, 2014. The acquisition, valued at US$3.025bn, will enable the combined company to significantly accelerate growth, improve service delivery to customers in the region, offer customers a more comprehensive portfolio of high-quality products and services, and strengthen its position against larger competitors. The increased scale and capabilities of the combined company will provide the technical platform and financial capacity to help enable the combined company to drive greater innovation and expand its geographic footprint. The combination of the two companies is consistent with global industry trends, where convergence of fixed and mobile networks, increasing content consumption growth, and continuing development of online applications are driving requirements for high bandwidth, fixed line networks and TV capabilities. Operators in Europe and North America, as well as regional competitors, are acquiring and constructing networks that are capable of supporting ever-growing data needs along with new video capabilities. Columbus believes that the combined strengths of both companies will accelerate growth, provide the necessary scale to enhance the customer experience, and help to allow Columbus to achieve its goal to become the "Best service provider" and "Employer of Choice" in the region. Similarly, the combination of the two businesses supports CWC's new strategy and its four primary areas of focus: Drive Mobile Leadership; Accelerate Fixed-Mobile Convergence; Reinforce TV Offer; and Grow Business to Business and Business to Government sectors. This strategy is underpinned by their announced US$1.05billion Project Marlin capital investment program. Additionally, CWC believes that the combination of the two businesses will generate material operating cost and capital expenditure synergies. Story continues The combination of Columbus' pay TV capabilities and next-generation, state-of-the-art fibre networks with CWC's region-leading mobile footprint and existing fixed line infrastructure will significantly expand product and service offerings for customers and also advance CWC's quad play ambitions. The combined business will also deliver the benefits of superior quality network infrastructure, fixed-mobile products and bundles, superior TV content at competitive rates, and a more attractive portfolio of products and services in the B2B and B2G segments. For both companies, the combination transaction will enable greater focus on the Caribbean, Andean and Latin American markets, a region that offers attractive growth. Cox & Palmer acted as lead legal counsel to Columbus, supported by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer together with Mills & Reeve (UK corporate and securities), Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler (bond and financing) and Morgan Lewis & Bockius, LLP (USA regulatory) Citigroup Global Markets Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and RBC Capital Markets, LLC acted as financial advisors to Columbus. About Columbus International Inc. Columbus International Inc. is a privately held diversified telecommunications company based in Barbados. The Company provides digital cable television, broadband Internet and digital landline telephony in Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, St. Lucia and Curacao under the brand name Flow and in Antigua under the brand name Karib Cable . Columbus also provides next generation connectivity and IT solutions, managed networking and cloud-based services under the brand Columbus Business Solutions . Through its subsidiary, Columbus Networks , the Company provides capacity and IP services, corporate data solutions and data centre services throughout 42 countries in the greater Caribbean, Central American and Andean region. Through its fully protected, ringed submarine fibre optic network spanning more than 42,300 km and its 38,000 km terrestrial fibre and coaxial network, Columbus' 3,150 plus professionals provide advanced telecom services to a diverse residential and corporate client base of approximately 720,000 customers. For more information visit: www.columbus.co About Cable & Wireless Communications Cable & Wireless Communications Plc (CWC) is a full-service communications provider operating in 16 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. With four leading brands: Mas Movil (Cable and Wireless Panama), LIME (the Caribbean excluding The Bahamas), BTC (The Bahamas) and Cable and Wireless Seychelles, CWC offers mobile, broadband, TV, domestic and international fixed line services and serves over 5.5m customers. CWC also provides premium data centre hosting, domestic and international managed data network services and customised IT Service Solutions to businesses and governments through our Cable & Wireless Business Solutions division. We are the market leader in most of the products we offer and the territories we serve. For more information visit: www.cwc.com . || Juniper Sees Bitcoin Usage Growing, But Not Among Retailers: Juniper Researchissued a report on Tuesday suggesting that bitcoin adoption will increase over the next four years, but cautioned retailers against adopting it right away. The cryptocurrency has had a rocky start, with its value plummeting and scandals depicting it as a tool for criminal activity fostering public skepticism. However, with more and more enthusiasts working to bring bitcoin into mainstream use, its user base could continue growing. Adoption To Rise Juniper's report, titled "The Future of Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin & Alton Impact & Opportunities 2015-2019," predicted that bitcoin will have 4.7 million active users by the end of 2019, a significant increase from last year's 1.3 million. That rise will likely be attributed to growing trust among investors as new regulations prevent the likelihood of fraudulent activities and money-making scams. The study also said that bitcoin's value is likely to stabilize as adoption increases and more exchanges are developed. Retailers Faced With Payments Questions Despite the currency's projected growth, the study's author Dr. Windsor Holden cautioned retailers against adopting bitcoin as a form of payment right away. Holden said retail adoption is likely to remain within niche industries; and that major retailers are better off waiting until the payments space has cleared to determine what type of transactions to invest in. Now thatApple Inc.(NASDAQ:AAPL) has entered the mobile payments space with its new Apple Pay system, retailers will probably focus on implementing that system over bitcoin. Related Link:Winklevoss Twins Say Gemini Will Propel Bitcoin Into Becoming A Usable Financial Option Blockchain To Develop The report also echoed what many bitcoin enthusiasts have been saying since the cryptocurrency's beginnings— that the technology powering bitcoin is likely to expand into new arenas. The ledger-like blockchain technology that bitcoin runs on has the potential to be used to eliminate the middleman and settle transactions without the lag time and expense of current systems. For that reason, the next four years will probably see blockchain being used in new ways rather than simply to power bitcoin. See more from Benzinga • Legal Weed Sparks Pot Tourism Industry • Anti-Austerity Sentiment Grows Despite Economic Improvement • Is Coffee Losing Its Luster In America? © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Bayside Corp. Announces the Launch of Vault 51 in Singapore: DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - Mar 2, 2015) - Bayside Corp. ( OTC PINK : BYSD ) today announced through its subsidiary company Bitcoinz USA, the official launch of Vault 51, a secure offline storage for Bitcoin in Singapore. Additionally, Bitcoin is also available for sale to consumers in Singapore through the Vault 51 website. The launch is part of the initial steps in the company's Vault 51 international expansion plan in Asia. Currently, Asia represents 60% of the world population and 20% of the world economy. "The launch in Singapore represents an exponential amount of potential for Vault 51's first stop in Asia. In the long run Asia offers many intriguing possibilities as we continue to see the number of merchant adoption grow in that region." -Gordon Johnson, CEO Bayside Corp. Vault 51 is an offline storage system for Bitcoin users, which is represented by a Physical Bitcoin. The electronic Bitcoin is then stored off-line in a secured computer chip known as Vault 51 and embedded in a Physical Bitcoin, which is not connected to the internet. This process is also known as cold storage and is done to avoid hacking, loss, or theft. Official Vault 51 Website Official Facebook Page Official Google Plus Page Official Twitter Page Bayside Bayside Corp. is an American multinational corporation that manages multiple subsidiary companies engaged in a variety of business industries and sectors. At Bayside Corp. we believe that the future is now and that our efforts today will have a long lasting impact for generations to come. For additional information on the Company visit our website at: http://www.baysidecorp.com Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" All forward-looking statements are based on Bayside's current expectations, estimates, projections, beliefs and assumptions based on information available at the time the statement was made and in light of Bayside's experience and its perception of historical trends. The forward-looking statement in this news release includes reference to: Bayside's ability to execute on its strategy and deliver strong results on behalf of its shareholders. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve a number of risks and uncertainties; some that are similar to other related companies and some that are unique to our company. Bayside's actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on them || Chinese yuan dominates 80% of Bitcoin trades: China's craze for bitcoins has been well-documented over the past year, but a new report highlights just how dominant of a player the country is. About 80 percent of bitcoin volume is now driven by the Chinese yuan (Exchange:CNY=) , according to data from Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS - News ) . The U.S. dollar is the second most used currency for transactions, followed by the euro, the bank said in a new report. The bank's findings correlat e with data from Bitcoinity, a popular website used to track market data. A look at trading volume over the past six months reveals China's yuan accounted for 77 percent of total market share, compared with 19 percent for the greenback (New York Board of Trade (Futures): =USD) and just 1 percent for the euro (Unknown:EURBA=) . China's high trading activity comes despite recent moves by the People's Bank of China (PBoC) to clamp down on the crypto-currency. The central bank banned financial institutions from bitcoin trading in December after warning that the currency was essentially a vehicle for speculation. Earlier in 2014, the PBoC also took measures to prevent bitcoin companies from gaining access to payment processors. However, Goldman Sachs believes the mood is gradually improving: "However, in light of a somewhat stabilizing Bitcoin economy in China, a few payment processors have reemerged, such as BTC China's JustPay." Bitcoin's future in China is expected to keep expanding as the country becomes a major mining hub, according to a U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission report last year. Read More Feds auction $13.5M worth of Silk Road bitcoins The mainland boasts an enormous online gaming community, where games like World of Warcraft allow players to trade virtual credits earned in the game for cash or real goods and services. The practice is called "gold farming" and can be seen as a precursor to bitcoin mining, the report said. "One prominent figure in Beijing's Bitcoin circles estimated that China's miners, composed mainly of hardware engineers and IT aficionados, number in the tens of thousands." Story continues Goldman Sachs expects global bitcoin acceptance to continue growing thanks to the currency's potential for transforming the remittance market. "Bitcoin and other crypto currencies enable the potential for faster transactions with lower transaction fees. The Bitcoin network can charge as little as zero for processing transactions if there is no time constraint for confirmation." Moreover, concerns over fluctuations in bitcoin prices won't apply to money transfers due to the speed of the transactions and the fact that customers are given rates in advance, Goldman added. More From CNBC Bitcoin is done with its 'tumultuous teen' years Bitcoin finds a place among the world's elite Bitcoin gets first regulated US exchange || 4 trades on the oil selloff, Brazil turmoil: Battered crude oil may plummet even lower, but investors can still find upside in some refiners, said CNBC "Fast Money" trader Guy Adami. "I think crude is going to be challenged, so, I do think we're going to make another leg down. I think the refiners still work," Adami said. Read More Goldman's Gary Cohn: Beware $30 oil U.S. crude (New York Mercantile Exchange: @CL.1) shed nearly 5 percent in Friday trading, settling below $45 per barrel. Adami believes refiners-Tesoro (NYSE: TSO) , specifically-could still make a strong stock play in the uncertain sector. The stock closed Friday up more than 2 percent. Trader Tim Seymour saw promise in a European oil play. He looked to French company Total (Euronext Paris: FP-FR) on the euro's weakness against the dollar, which could boost its global competitiveness. "This is a good long-term play," he said. Read More Why Europe's bonds keep finding buyers Petrobras (Sao Paulo Stock Exchange: PETR'-BR) , an emerging market oil name suffering through low crude prices and a corruption investigation, also looks appealing, Seymour said. The Brazilian giant has been "one of the worst investments to make" in the last few years. However, as U.S.- traded shares of Petrobras have shed 50 percent in the last year to fall to $5 per share, he believes its tribulations are already priced in. Trader Brian Kelly believes sluggishness in the wider Brazilian markets has been priced in, as well. Its currency, the real, has taken a dive as political unrest stirs. Kelly took a short position in the iShares MSCI Brazil Capped ETF (NYSE Arca: EWZ) in the last few months and said he might cover his short "in the next week or so." Disclosures: Tim Seymour Tim Seymour is long T, BAC, C, DIS, F, GE, GM, GOOGL, INTC, EWZ, PBR and SUNE. Tim's firm is long BABA, BIDU, MCD, NKE, NOK and SBUX. Steve Grasso Steve Grasso is long BA, CLVS, EVGN, FB, GDX, GOOGL, IMMR, KBH, KDUS, MHY, MJNA, PFE, POT, SO, T, TMUS and TWTR. He sold his AAPL position. His firm is long IBM, EOG, NE, NEM, OXY, RIG and VALE. His kids are long EFG, EFA, EWJ, IJR and SPY. Story continues Brian Kelly Brian Kelly is long BTC=, U.S. dollar, GLD, CTRL calls, HYG puts, BBRY, BBRY call spreads and TLT. He is short EWA, EWG, EWQ, EWZ, EWW, JJC, Canadian dollar, yen and yuan. Today, he shorted the Canadian dollar. Guy Adami Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS and INTC. Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. Disclaimer More From CNBC CNBC.com News Page CNBC.com Blogs Page CNBC.com Earnings Central [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] LIVE: Profit = $1,096.03 (29.41 %). BUY B16.73 @ $222.50 (#Bitfinex). SELL @ $230.00 (#VirCurex) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || current #bitcoin price (winkdex) is $235.44, last changed Fri, 10 Apr 2015 19:06:00 GMT. queried at: 19:08:15 || One Bitcoin now worth $273.26@bitstamp. High $276.46. Low $269.00. Market Cap $3.802 Billion #bitcoin || #RDD / #BTC on the exchanges: Cryptsy: 0.00000007 Bittrex: 0.00000007 Average $1.8E-5 per #reddcoin 13:00:00 || $272.36 at 18:00 UTC [24h Range: $262.70 - $280.50 Volume: 10411 BTC] || #RDD / #BTC on the exchanges: Cryptsy: 0.00000007 Bittrex: 0.00000007 Average $1.7E-5 per #reddcoin 03:00:02 || 1 #bitcoin 664.7 TL, 258 $, 242.741 €, 168.5 GBP, 14927.00 RUR, 31364 ¥, 1674.97 CNH, 345 CAD #btc || Current price: 160.11£ $BTCGBP $btc #bitcoin 2015-04-11 07:00:04 BST || buysellbitco.in #bitcoin price in INR, Buy : 16968.00 INR Sell : 16436.00 INR. Buy and sell bitcoin in #India using #buysellbitcoin || Current price: 238.26€ $BTCEUR $btc #bitcoin 2015-03-22 00:00:06 CET
Trend: no change || Prices: 224.63, 235.27, 234.18, 236.46, 231.27, 226.39, 219.43, 229.29, 225.85, 225.81
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Google To Invest $2B In Polish Data Center: Alphabet Inc.(NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) subsidiary Google LLC is investing up to $2 billion at a data center in Poland, local media reports have said,accordingto Reuters. What Happened "Region Google Cloud in Warsaw is the biggest investment in infrastructure of this type in Poland," local daily Puls Biznesu quoted Google Cloud's Business Development Director in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe, Magdalena Dziewguc, according to Reuters. Dziewguc added that the data center, meant to deal with the search engine giant's cloud services, is expected to become operational at the beginning of 2021. The move comes a month afterMicrosoft Corporation(NASDAQ:MSFT) announced a $1 billion investment for a data center in the Eastern European country as well. Both Google and Microsoft have also been exploring data centers in other regions, including Southeast Asia, as demand for cloud services skyrocket, especially since the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Price Action Alphabet Class A and Class C shares both closed about 0.9% higher at $1,463.98 and at $1,458.87 on Tuesday. Class A shares were unchanged in the after-hours session, and Class C shares dipped nearly 0.4% at $1,458.87. See more from Benzinga • Bitcoin Scammers Used Elon Musk's Name To Profit M Over Two Months • Apple Keeps Rejecting Facebook's Gaming App For iPhones, iPads, Sparking Another Antitrust Row • Spyware Google Chrome Extensions Downloaded 32M Times In 'The Most Far-Reaching Malicious Campaign To Date,' Researchers Say © 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || How Gavin Wood and Polkadot are Revolutionizing Blockchain… Again: LANCASTER, LANCASHIRE, UK / ACCESSWIRE / June 14, 2020 / This is Gavin Wood. If you're even mildly read up on crypto, you might know him as Dr. Gavin James Wood - the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Bitcoin's closest competitor, Ethereum. From Wood's doctorate in computer science to designing the majority of the world's first C++ language workbench, it's fair to say that Wood has quite the resume. But when Bitcoin began to make headlines, it was with the computer visualization of music, not crypto, in which he was interested. It wouldn't be until some seven years after the launch of Bitcoin that Wood co-founded the revolutionary Ethereum project with Vitalik Buterin. As its CTO responsible for delivering the technology , Wood invented the Ethereum Virtual Machine, specified in the Ethereum Yellow Paper he wrote . Wood also conceived its coding language, Solidity. Having left Ethereum some years back, Dr. Gavin Wood has been busy, to say the least. His latest project, Polkadot , is looking set to achieve the equivalent of reinventing the crypto wheel, again. The Polkadot story started with Parity Technologies - a core blockchain infrastructure for Ethereum and other Web 3.0 networks founded by Wood alongside Dr. Jutta Steiner, who served as Chief of Security for Ethereum's launch. The aim was disruption - to shake up the centralized node-based software application standard. Originally named 'EthCore', as the team made up many of Wood's core Ethereum development team, Parity centered around overcoming usability, performance and governance issues that had so far hampered the Ethereum ecosystem. After developing and launching the Parity Ethereum client, which quickly became the go-to choice for Ethereum miners and developers alike, Wood and his team were looking to push the industry forward. Having coined the term Web 3.0 - otherwise known as the decentralized web - Dr. Wood soon founded the Web3 Foundation to support the development of the technologies necessary to achieve his vision. As Ethereum 2.0 research dragged on , Wood and his core development team determined that building a protocol to connect blockchains was a critical missing link in the Web 3.0 tech stack. If blockchain technology was going to provide the trust layer for a new, open internet without the powerful authorities like Google and Facebook who we currently trust with many of our interactions online, they were going to have to be able to communicate and scale. Story continues The end result is Polkadot - a "sharded protocol that enables blockchain networks to operate together seamlessly." Problems, Problems… From forking to interoperability, Polkadot is taking aim at multiple problems that currently plague the blockchain space. "But don't they all?!", I hear you ask. It's true - there are plenty of blockchains that have gone before this that profess to be a magic wand. It seems, however, that Polkadot genuinely does provide innovative answers to many of these issues. Like providing true interoperability by enabling cross-blockchain transfers of any type of data or asset (not just tokens, like existing blockchain interoperability solutions). Polkadot will also make blockchain innovation faster and easier - developers can create a custom blockchain in minutes using the Substrate framework. It is described as "forkless and future-proof" meaning networks can be upgraded and bugs can be fixed without hard forks while maintaining security for all. Chains connected to Polkadot are called parachains, which are united in their security but distinct when it comes to their local governance and operations. Unlike networks like Bitcoin, where governance is unformalized and fairly opaque, every stakeholder has a voice in Polkadot's future - upgrades to the network are coordinated on-chain and enacted autonomously, ensuring that Polkadot's development reflects the values of the community and avoids stagnation. The DOT Token's Use in the Polkadot Network The DOT token plays a few critical roles in the Polkadot network - governance, staking and bonding. Governance is usually a privilege for miners alone who hold total control over the protocol. Polkadot, on the other hand, passes control to its token holders instead. Second, staking is a feature that may have been positively influenced by Gavin's hobbies, which included a love for designing highly complex board games. Today, staking in Polkadot uses advanced game theory to effectively encourage network infrastructure operators to behave honestly. Good actors are rewarded, whilst bad actors lose some of their stake in the network - keeping the network secure. Finally, new parachains are added by bonding tokens. Outdated or non-useful parachains are removed by removing bonded tokens. To pass messages between parachains, tokens will also be used to pay for transaction fees. Life Before Polkadot Prior to Polkadot, companies of all sorts were developing their own private sidechains, followed swiftly by a headache when attempting to connect their project to Ethereum's public blockchain. This issue has stunted innovation in crypto and beyond for far too long. With Polkadot's arrival, there is now a protocol to act as an interchange and translator between the work of these creative coders, and the Ethereum blockchain - a goal deemed so important, that it raised $145 million back in 2017 through a public sale of half the total 10 million supply of DOT tokens. At the time, Ryan Zurrer, a partner in Polychain Capital, one of the private investors, told TechCrunch : "Polkadot is a crucial infrastructure element of Gav Wood's vision for Web3 and represents the most technically ambitious endeavor we have ever seen in blockchain. Realistically, only the deep and extraordinarily talented team from Parity, led by Jutta Steiner, have the technical chops to pull something like this off." Fast-forward three years, and those 'technical chops' have indeed pulled something off - something that has once again caught the attention of savvy investors. So, Where Next for Gavin Wood and Polkadot? Polkadot has lofty aspirations, which are in its sights as the Web3 Foundation officially initiated its launch at the start of this week . But as lofty as the ambition of linking up blockchains might be, this goal seems absolutely attainable, given Wood's resume and the talented team by his side. MEDIA DETAILS Company: Polkadot Contact person: Cormac Reynolds Email: [email protected] Website: https://polkadot.network/ SOURCE: Polkadot View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/593816/How-Gavin-Wood-and-Polkadot-are-Revolutionizing-Blockchain-Again || Market Wrap: $10,000 Remains Bitcoin’s Price to Beat: Bitcoin options trading is growing faster than the futures and swaps market, according to data fromSkew. Measured by the ratio of aggregate open interest in thebitcoinoptions market to open interest for bitcoin futures and swaps, a clear upward trend is observable from January 2020 to date. A historical trend of a higher ratio signals a rate of growth in options open interest that exceeds growth in that of bitcoin futures and swaps. Open interest is defined as the outstanding contracts, measured here in dollars. Although the open interest in bitcoin options is growing and is now roughly 35% that of futures and swaps, it still has a long way to go compared to traditional financial markets where options open interest and trading volumes are “generally a multiple of futures,” said Su Zhu, co-founder of cryptocurrency hedge fund Three Arrows Capital. “It makes sense for bitcoin to go a similar route as liquidity improves and institutional players come in,” he added. Likewise, the dollar value of options trading volume is a tiny fraction of futures even as March saw volumes for bitcoin options and futures hit yearly highs, according to Skew. Aggregate options volume reached $294 million, while futures volume passed $45.5 billion. Options volume was about $220 million in May. Growth in options trading has been helped byOKExandCME Grouplaunching bitcoin options in December 2019 and January 2020, respectively. Still, Panama-based exchange Deribit still supports roughly 85% of daily volume, according to Skew. Related:Bitcoin Options Growth Outpaces Futures, Swaps A healthy market for options and other products designed for volatility-based trading adds “a lot of things that you just fundamentally can’t get without nonlinear derivatives,” said Sam Bankman-Fried, CEO at cryptocurrency derivatives exchange FTX. For example, some of the new, exotic volatility trading products launched by FTX will likely benefit from options market growth as more traders contribute to volatility-based price discovery. In short, growth in options trading “adds a lot to the space,” Bankman-Fried said. • Pentagon War Game Envisioned a Generation-Z Rebellion Funded by Bitcoin • Bitcoin Remains on Hunt for $10K as Holding Sentiment Gains Strength || Latest Bitcoin Cash price and analysis (BCH to USD): Bitcoin Cash, like much of the cryptocurrency market, has stagnated in terms of price action over the past six weeks as it clings on to the tight range between $230 and $240. The period of relative calm comes after a turbulent couple of months spurred by the Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent economic fallout. Bitcoin Cash plunged to as low as $145 at the height of the crisis in March before recovering by nearly 100% in the following month. However, since surging to $285 Bitcoin Cash has been consolidating at around $240 with an apparent lack of interest on both the sell side and the buy side. From a short term perspective there has been slight dips to $221 and spikes to $266, but the daily 200 moving average remains a key point of resistance to the upside. Bitcoin Cash seems to be following the cryptocurrency market in general, with a number of altcoins like XRP and Litecoin both struggling beneath the daily 200MA. A daily or weekly candle close above this level would confirm a bullish breakout and would pave the way for a test $282, with an upside price target also emerging at $327. Much of the upcoming price action will also depend on Bitcoin, which seems to be correlated with the US stock market. Economic stimulus from global economies has the potential the drive stock market indexes to new all-time highs, and if this happens Bitcoin will likely follow bringing altcoins in its wake. For more news, guides and cryptocurrency analysis, click here . Pricing Current live BCH pricing information and interactive charts are available on our site 24 hours a day. The ticker bar at the bottom of every page on our site has the latest BCH price. Pricing is also available in a range of different currency equivalents: US Dollar – BCHtoUSD British Pound Sterling – BCHtoGBP Japanese Yen – BCHtoJPY Euro – BCHtoEUR Australian Dollar – BCHtoAUD Russian Rouble – BCHtoRUB Bitcoin – BCHtoBTC About Bitcoin Cash Bitcoin Cash was born out of the idea of making Bitcoin more practical for small, day-to-day payments. In May 2017, Bitcoin payments took about four days unless a fee was paid, which was proportionately too large for small transactions. A change to the code was implemented and Bitcoin Cash was born on 1st August 2017. Story continues More Bitcoin Cash news and information If you want to find out more information about Bitcoin Cash or cryptocurrencies in general, then use the search box at the top of this page. Here’s an article to get you started: https://coinrivet.com/roger-ver-to-launch-crypto-exchange-on-bitcoin-com/ As with any investment, it pays to do some homework before you part with your money. The prices of cryptocurrencies are volatile and go up and down quickly. This page is not recommending a particular currency or whether you should invest or not. You may be interested in our range of cryptocurrency guides along with the latest cryptocurrency news . || First Mover: Bitcoin Rattled by Transfer of Satoshi Coins That Might Not Be Satoshi’s: Even idle speculation that mysteriousbitcoinfounder Satoshi Nakamoto might be moving around a small batch of the cryptocurrency appeared sufficient to spook the market on Wednesday. Bitcoin slid 2.3% on the day, retreating after a four-day rally and pushing the price down to about $9,500. You’re readingFirst Mover, CoinDesk’s daily markets newsletter. Assembled by the CoinDesk Markets Team, First Mover starts your day with the most up-to-date sentiment around crypto markets, which of course never close, putting in context every wild swing in bitcoin and more. We follow the money so you don’t have to. You cansubscribe here. Related:Blockchain Bites: Satoshi’s Sword of Damocles But earlier in the day, bitcoin plunged as low as $9,100 after the Twitter account “Whale Alert” sent a message indicating arecent transfer of 40 bitcoins, worth some $391,055, might be from a “possible #Satoshi owned wallet” that had lain dormant since the first few months of 2009 – soon after bitcoin itself had launched. Shortly afterward, on Wednesday, the same address transferred 10 more coins over the blockchain. Satoshi wrote the white paper that mapped out the framework and rules for the bitcoin blockchain, but disappeared soon after the protocol launched, and their identity has never officially been confirmed. Many believe the name was a pseudonym. The reason it matters to digital-asset traders is that Satoshi — whoever he, she or they may be — is assumed to have amassed a large amount of bitcoins from mining shortly after the protocol’s launch in early 2009. Related:50 BTC Just Moved for First Time Since 2009 – But It Doesn’t Look Like Satoshi Of course, a bitcoin transfer doesn’t necessarily indicate anything has been sold, and there are strong indications the address might not even be connected to the enigmatic founder. But one fear could be that if Satoshi — or whoever it is behind the account — starts selling in large amounts, it could theoretically put downward pressure on the price. “No matter who moved the coins, it did cause a mean ol’ nasty spike on the charts,” wrote Mati Greenspan, founder of foreign exchange and cryptocurrency research firm Quantum Economics, in an e-mail to clients. According to the cryptocurrency security researcher Sergio Demian Lerner, Satoshi’s untouched hoard might include as many as one million bitcoins, though BitMEX Research has estimated the number could be closer to 700,000. Movement from old, inactive bitcoins is notable since such events rarely happen. In fact, the 50 coins at the focus of Wednesday’s speculation — from data block 3,654, versus more than 631,000 now — were the first inactive coins mined in early 2009 to move since August 2017, according to datashared on Twitterby Coin Metrics engineer Antoine Le Calvez. Thebitcoinmarket sold off more than 7% almost instantly, as Whale Alert’s tweet quickly went viral, according to Bitstamp market data. As the rumor spread, something like $40 million worth of bitcoin futures contracts were liquidated on BitMEX, according toSkew. “This occurrence highlights theimportance of ‘address watching,'” Jose Llisterri, co-founder of crypto trading platform Interdax, told CoinDesk’s Daniel Cawrey. That includes “monitoring the addresses of whales/early miners and the so-called ‘Satoshi coins’ mined in the first months of bitcoin.” But there are strong indications the coins might not actually belong to Satoshi. The primary evidence linking them to bitcoin’s creator are that the coins were mined in 2009, when few people were involved in the network, and that they’ve been inactive ever since. But Lerner, the cryptocurrency security researcher, identified a unique “Patoshi pattern” in April 2019 that appears in the hash rate of a single, early miner. The assumption is the miner was likely Satoshi. Lerner has identified all of those data blocks, and the 50 coins moved on Wednesday weren’t among them. Some bitcoiners immediately panned the Whale Alert’s suggestion. “Y’all need to up your analysis game,” Jameson Lopp, chief technology officer at bitcoin custody provider Casa,tweetedat the Whale Alert account. In response to questions sent via Twitter, Whale Alert tweeted back that the “chance that this wallet is associated with Satoshi himself given its age and the transactions itself was interesting enough to post.” “We are aware of the Patoshi research, but unlike what some are saying, we do not feel it excludes the possibility that Satoshi was the owner of those coins,” Whale Alert wrote via a direct message. Another angle is the vintage bitcoins might have been transferred by an early bitcoiner who has been active all along — just buying and selling newer bitcoins. So the fact the earliest coins were transferred might not mean the owner is suddenly doing anything differently. Gregory Maxwell, prominent Bitcoin Core developer and Blockstream co-founder, took toRedditon Wednesday to explain that certain characteristics of the bitcoin protocol could cause coins like these to be left inactive in an otherwise active wallet owned by the same entity. “It’s possible that the author of this transaction has been frequently active all along, and their wallet just got around to spending this particular coin,” said Maxwell. From his perspective, he said, “nothing connects these coins to Satoshi.” The takeaway for traders is to be on the lookout for vintage bitcoins — whether they’re Satoshi Nakamoto’s or not. BTC: Price: $9,349 (BPI) | 24-Hr High: $9,795 | 24-Hr Low: $9,235 Trend: Bitcoin is facing selling pressure on Thursday amid bearish developments on short-duration technical charts.The top cryptocurrency by market value is currently trading at $9,360, representing a 1.7% decline on the day, having spent the first half of the week battling selling pressure near $10,000. Prices fell by over $600 to $9,100 on Wednesday, confirming an ascending triangle breakdown on the hourly chart. The pattern indicates the rally from the low of $8,100 observed ahead of bitcoin’s May 11 halving has ended, and the bears have regained control. The bearish view has been reinforced by rejection at $9,600 (lower high) seen during the Asian trading hours and the subsequent drop to levels below $9,400. Further, the MACD histogram is again producing deeper bars below the zero line, indicating strengthening of bearish momentum. As a result, the path of least resistance appears to be on the downside. Some observers may suggest otherwise, as the daily chart is reporting a golden crossover – a bull cross of the 50- and 200-day averages. However, the so-called long-term bull market indicator is based on historical data and often traps buyers on the wrong side of the market. “The last time the 50 DMA crossed above the 200 DMA, there was a 60%+ drop in price over the next month,” tweeted popular analystJosh Rager. The immediate support is seen at $9,000, which, if breached, would open the doors to the four-hour chart 200-candle average at $8,590. On the higher side, key resistances are located at $9,600 (the Asian session high) and $10,000, which has proved a tough nut to crack over the past few days. • First Mover: Bitcoin Just Got Easier to Mine, but for How Long? • First Mover: Bitcoin Difficulty Adjustment Feels Like Post-Halving Easing Party || Ethereum 2.0’s Phase 0 may not go live until 2021, project researcher says: The initial stage of Ethereum 2.0 — dubbed Phase 0 — may not go live until the start of 2021, according to a researcher involved in the project. Ethereum Foundation Justin Drake was asked during a Reddit Ask-Me-Anything session on Friday when the deployment of Phase 0 would begin. As previously reported , one of the main factors behind past launch delays was the multi-client approach being spearheaded by those involved in Phase 0's development. Drake cited "a public testnet with 3+ clients running smoothly for 2-3 months" and "a bug bounty program similar to bounty.ethereum.org running for 2-3 months" (among other items) as "some of the things I want to see before genesis" in his response to the question before noting: "All the above cannot happen in Q3 2020. With Thanksgiving on November 26 and the December holidays I'd say the latest practical opportunity for genesis in 2020 is mid-November, 4 months from now. As such, I'm now inclined to say that the earliest practical date for genesis is something like January 3, 2021 (Bitcoin's 12th anniversary)." "As mentioned in this tweet we've made Eth2 hard for ourselves (for good reasons)," he continued, highlighting the work on production validator clients and other projects in the run-up to Phase 0. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin previously said that a Phase 0 launch would be preceded by the successful operation of multi-client test networks. Project lead Danny Ryan said during a session of the Consensus 2020 conference that having multiple clients operating on the network is a crucial security element. "If there's a critical bug in a single client and it goes down, the network can continue moving forward because the majority of nodes may not be running on that client," he said at the time. In a follow-up message to Drake's, Buterin wrote that: "FWIW I personally quite disagree with this and I would favor launching phase 0 significantly before that date regardless of level of readiness :D," continuing: Story continues "Eth1 took 4 months from the first multi-client testnet to launch (~end of March 2015 Olympic to end of May 2015 for eth1 launch), and I'd argue the four-month clock started ticking for us at the beginning of July when Altona launched. Eth2 phase 0 is in some ways simpler than eth1 and in some ways more complex: more complex PoS, but no complicated GPU-oriented PoW; more optimization required, but no complicated VM, etc etc. I'm inclined to say eth2 phase 0 is a little simpler on-net. Also, eth2 is not going to have any critical applications depending on it until phase 1, so the practical risks of breakage are lower (though you could argue the ecosystem as a whole is bigger). So on the whole I see no reason to take more time for the eth2 phase 0 launch cycle than we did for the eth1 launch." Editor's note: This piece has updated with additional comments from Vitalik Buterin © 2020 The Block Crypto, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. || Bolton Says Trump Wanted Mnuchin To 'Go After Bitcoin' For Fraud: Report: The price of bitcoin was flat on Thursday after former national security advisor John Bolton revealed in his new book that President Donald Trump reportedly instructed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to “go after Bitcoin [for fraud]" in a conversation in May 2018. At the time, according to Bolton, Trump was discussing potential trade sanctions and tariffs against China. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been extremely polarizing on Wall Street and in Washington. Bitcoin prices are up 74.1% in the past three months but remain down more than 50% from their 2017 highs. In Their Own Words Plenty of analysts, experts, economists and politicians have weighed in on bitcoin in recent years. Here’s a collection of what they’ve had to say. • “I am not a fan of Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air. Unregulated Crypto Assets can facilitate unlawful behavior, including drug trade and other illegal activity...” - President Donald Trump,July 2019. • "[Baseball cards, art work, and comic books have] no real intrinsic value, you can’t eat a baseball card. Bitcoin–there’s even less you can do with it: at least I can look at my baseball card ... I’d rather have bananas [than bitcoin], I can eat bananas." - Mark Cuban,October 2019. • “I am concerned that consumers could get hurt...We want to make sure that bad people cannot use these currencies to do bad things.” - Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin,January 2018. • “I would be long bitcoin, and neutral to skeptical of just about everything else at this point with a few possible exceptions. There will be one online equivalent to gold, and the one you’d bet on would be the biggest.” - Peter Thiel,March 2018. • “Nothing against bitcoin, nothing against you know, private currencies... We generally look at some of the risk of cryptocurrencies associated with money laundering and those sorts of issues but we’re not broadly opposed or supportive of alternative currencies” - Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell,June 2017. • “Cryptocurrencies basically have no value...You can't do anything with it except sell it to somebody else.” - Warren Buffett, February 2020. • “Bitcoin is an attempt to replace fiat currency and evade regulation and government intervention. I don’t think that’s going to be a success.” -Former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke, October 2017. • “I will just say outright I am not a fan, and let me tell you why. I know there are hundreds of cryptocurrencies and maybe something is coming down the line that is more appealing but I think first of all, very few transactions are actually handled by bitcoin, and many of those do take place on bitcoin are illegal, illicit transactions.” - Former Fed Chair Janet Yellen, October, 2018. • “As an asset class, you’re not producing anything and so you shouldn’t expect it to go up...I agree I would short it if there was an easy way to do it.” - Bill Gates, May 2018. • “Mad Money into bitcoin? Hmmm.. not top of mind. But then again, it is YOUR mad money so you must do what you think is right.” - Jim Cramer, May 2019. • “I’m neither here nor there on Bitcoin...This sort of gets the crypto people angry, but there are transactions that are not within the balance of the law...You need an illegal to legal bridge. That’s where crypto comes in.” - Elon Musk, January 2020. Benzinga’s Take Bitcoin has performed extremely well as a long-term investment over the past three-plus years. However, the ultimate success or failure of the cryptocurrency will likely hinge on whether or not it ever crosses over from a niche speculative investment to a stable store of value and a mainstream option for legal transactions. Do you agree with this take? Email [email protected] with your thoughts. Related Links: What You Need To Know About Bitcoin's Halving Bitcoin Is Still Failing As A Flight To Safety Investment See more from Benzinga • What You Need To Know About Bitcoin's Halving © 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Cryptocurrencies Have ‘No Way’ to Comply With US Anti-Encryption Bills: Multiple bills that threaten encryption are moving through the U.S. Senate and could pose a threat to technology that protects users’ privacy, industry pros say. These bills include the Lawful Access to Encrypted Data (LAED) Act and the Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies (“EARN IT”) Act . While the LAED was only recently introduced to the Senate, the EARN IT act has been in the works for months, and has been amended a number of times. Privacy advocates and product designers say such legislation would also curtail people’s privacy to a huge degree, fundamentally change existing technology and have an impact on everything from messaging and file sharing to privacy coins. Related: CoinSwap and the Ongoing Effort to Make Bitcoin Privacy 'Invisible' “The government basically would have mass surveillance powers into all of our communications,“ said Zcoin Project Steward Reuben Yap, referring to the LAED Act. “It’s saying, ‘Let’s drop the pretense and let’s just go for it.’ I think it’s really scary. It’s not just about cryptocurrencies as a whole though, it’s really about freedom.” The bills in question Sponsored by three Republicans, the LAED Act seeks to end encrypted communications by building in a backdoor for law enforcement to use. The bill lays out a legal framework for law enforcement to access encrypted data with a court order. The explicit goal of the EARN IT Act is to curb the spread of child exploitative content online, such as child sexual abuse imagery, though its impact could be far wider. In an initial draft, this was going to be done through stripping tech companies of liability protections for the content that is posted on their platforms. These protections currently exist in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act , which prevents social media companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Reddit from content liability. Story continues Under an earlier draft of the EARN IT Act, companies would lose Section 230 protections if they didn’t follow the recommendations of a federal commission on child exploitative content. This could render companies like WhatsApp, which offers end-to-end encryption, liable for communications on the platform, unless they revoked end-to-end encryption. Related: Binance Labs Leads $1M Seed Round in Crypto Tor Alternative HOPR “They communicate using virtually unbreakable encryption. Predators’ supposed privacy interests should not outweigh our privacy and security,” said Attorney General William Barr at an event the day the bill was introduced. There is no way for Ethereum, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to comply. Barr has long been a critic of encryption, dating back to his days in the George W. Bush Administration. The most recent version of the bill gets rid of the commission idea, delegating power to state legislatures to bring lawsuits against companies. It also adds an amendment that explicitly protects encryption. But organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Center for Democracy and Technology and Internet Society claim the bill might respect encryption in name, but not in practice. Tools like client-side scanning, which could be used to check for child exploitative content, employs software to check files that are being sent against a database of “hashes,” or unique digital fingerprints. If it finds a match to certain kinds of images, they could be blocked, with the recipient notified, or the message could be forwarded to a third party without the user’s knowledge. Organizations such as EFF have said this violates encryption on a fundamental level. “Tech companies’ increasing reliance on encryption has turned their platforms into a new, lawless playground of criminal activity,” said Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and one of the sponsors (with Sens. Lindsey Graham and Marsha Blackburn) of the LAED , in a public statement. “Criminals from child predators to terrorists are taking full advantage. This bill will ensure law enforcement can access encrypted material with a warrant based on probable cause and help put an end to the Wild West of crime on the Internet.” See also: EU’s Europol: Bitcoin Privacy Wallet ‘Not Looking Good’ For Law Enforcement Child sexual abuse imagery is proliferating at an alarming rate on the internet. In 2019, tech companies reported nearly 70 million pieces of exploitative child content to authorities. Criminals also often use encrypted communications. EncroChat, a encrypted communications platform, protected criminals and their communications from the police, until law enforcement managed to infiltrate it. But weakening tools that protect everyone’s privacy may not be the best solution, say privacy advocates. The impact on tech and cryptocurrency Yap, of Zcoin, said many kinds of technology could be impacted by the bill’s broad sweep. The LAED Act is aimed at electronic devices and operating systems. Providers of “remote computing services” are included, presumably to cover cloud computing services like Dropbox. However, Yap said the bill’s definition of remote computing services can be stretched to include cryptocurrencies as well, because financial transactions are conceivably just another form of electronic communication. “Given the trajectory of this legislation, people in the cryptocurrency industry, especially those like Zcoin [that] are privacy-focused, will very likely be affected,” said Yap. “It could mean that ‘providers’ of a privacy cryptocurrency that provided service to more than 1,000,000 users in the US are required to insert a backdoor.” Privacy is not safe in their hands. Ian Dixon, a Nevada-based programmer who previously mined bitcoin and runs a validator on a privacy-oriented blockchain network , said the bills are repackaged attacks on privacy, just with different language. “It doesn’t really seem possible to enforce, but it would essentially make blockchains illegal in general,” said Dixon. “There is no way for ethereum , bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to comply.” Matt Hill, the co-founder of Start9 Labs in Colorado, which develops decentralized internet tech, says he sees both pieces of legislation as falling into the same bucket, even if they are different in flavor. “The ultimate meaning is the same, which is that if you are a service provider of privacy or encryption, you are going to be subject to the whims of politics,” said Hill. “We hope politicians and our political system stays rational, and upholds individual rights to privacy, but if they don’t you are going to be subjected to force, whether it’s building a backdoor or handing over user data.” See also: Public Opinion Shifts on Big Tech and Privacy During Pandemic Hill said that even if these bills don’t pass, the very fact they’re sitting on the table and being taken seriously should be enough of a warning sign  for us to start thinking outside the political box. “Privacy is not safe in their hands,” said Hill. “So we have to protect privacy with technology, as opposed to with laws.” This is privacy-by-design tech, the kind that Start9 Labs develops, including a server that lets users run their own private networks and cut out middlemen who would otherwise have access to their data. Start9 Lab’s tech is built such that it can’t hand over any user data, even if legally compelled to, because it doesn’t have it. It builds the tech but doesn’t run the services on it. Given its products are open source, they can continue to run and protect user privacy, even if the company is shut down. See also: How Apple’s COVID-19 Policy Limited a Public Health App in Taiwan(Opens in a new browser tab) Encrypted communications are regularly used by people such as dissidents and journalists, and are often a means of protecting sources or organizing in authoritarian countries. There is a risk that if the U.S., which has long held itself up as an example of freedom and democracy, moves to eliminate end-to-end encryption, other countries would also follow suit, and use such legislation to crack down on dissent. Finally, backdoors inevitably get used by bad guys, not just law enforcement. “There’s no such thing as a backdoor just for good guys,” said Daisy Soderberg-Rivkin, a fellow focusing on children and technology at the R Street Institute, a policy think tank in Washington, D.C. “This opens up users’ information to a whole mess of bad actors.” UPDATE: The section about the EARN IT Act’s potential impact on services like WhatsApp has been updated. Related Stories Cryptocurrencies Have ‘No Way’ to Comply With US Anti-Encryption Bills Cryptocurrencies Have ‘No Way’ to Comply With US Anti-Encryption Bills || Crypto Long & Short: Bitcoin’s Quiet Progress Is Pointing Toward a Better Future: ‘The best Sundays are for long reads and deep conversations. Recently the hosts of the Let’s Talk Bitcoin! Show gathered to discuss the systemically important “Be Your Own Bank” Bitcoin narrative and what it means around the world today. Listen/subscribe to the CoinDesk Podcast feed for unique perspectives and fresh daily insight with Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Pocketcasts , Google Podcasts , Castbox , Stitcher , RadioPublica , IHeartRadio or RSS . The episode is sponsored by eToro.com and The Internet of Money Vol. 3 On today’s episode of Let’s Talk Bitcoin! you’re invited to join Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Adam B. Levine, Jonathan Mohan and Stephanie Murpy for an in-depth discussion about the ups and downs, the good and the bad about being your own bank in the modern world of Bitcoin. The powerful idea and meme at the core of Bitcoin self-sovereignty is incredibly empowering but has an unspoken element that requires persistent competence and at least for some makes it more trouble than it’s worth. As the world reels from the response to COVID-19 and disorder seems the trend on the rise, we discuss how although Bitcoin makes it possible for anyone to be their own bank, who actually wants the constant vigilance and anxiety that goes along with it? And what happens when things go wrong and there’s no-one to blame but ourselves? See also: Coronavirus Impacts on Bitcoin (And the IRS’s Dumb Singularity) Related: ‘Be Your Own Bank’ and the ‘Luxury of Apathy’ “…There is tremendous luxury in having institutions that at least appear to be stable over some period of time where you don’t need to worry about the details of how they work and what happens under failure conditions. That luxury is pretty concentrated in just a few places in the world and at some point you can’t afford that luxury of apathy. – Andreas M. Antonopoulos, LTB! #437 Story continues Credits for LTB #437 ‘Be Your Own Bank’ and the ‘Luxury of Apathy’ This episode of Let’s Talk Bitcoin features Stephanie Murphy, Jonathan Mohan, Andreas M. Antonopoulos and Adam B. Levine. Music provided by Jared Rubens, FromEther and Adam B. Levine, with editing by Jonas. Related Stories The Mirage of the Money Printer: Why the Fed Is More PR Than Policy, Feat. Jeffrey P. Snider Decentralization and What Section 230 Really Means for Freedom of Speech || Blockchain Bites: Poolin Lending, Square Crypto’s Grant and a Senate Candidate Who Holds Bitcoin: The crypto mining pool Poolin has started working with crypto lender BlockFi to expand its lending and financial services business. Meanwhile, Square Crypto has awarded a grant to a Bitcoin Lightning Network watchtower and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is going after the Venezuelan petro dollar’s architect. Here’s the story: Top Shelf Mining Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), a Chinese computing chip producer, plans to raise a $2.8 billion initial public offering. Part of the proceeds will be focused on developing 14nm chips, which will be used for crypto mining. Poolin, the second largest bitcoin mining pool, is expanding its cryptocurrency lending and financial services businesses, with crypto lender BlockFi providing a source of capital for Poolin. Compliance Issues The Human Rights Foundation, an organization that focuses on working with activists around the world, spoke about the issues of surveillance and compliance that Elliptic, a blockchain analytics company, creates for the crypto community. Compliance has been key to bitcoin’s ascendance, though there are fears that Bitcoin could be regulated out of existence. “The tools you’re building regardless of your intentions will be used for policing bitcoin,” the foundation’s founder Alex Gladstein said. “At the end of the day what you’re doing is warrantless surveillance against people in other countries. Election 2020 Cynthia Lummis was the U.S. Representative for Wyoming from 2009 to 2017, and is now running for U.S. Senate. A budget hawk and founding member of the Freedom Caucus, she first bought bitcoin in 2013 after a tip from her son-in-law. She’s been an advocate ever since. In a long ranging interview with CoinDesk’s privacy reporter Ben Powers she discusses the digital dollar, Wyoming’s integrated crypto framework and how crypto’s should be regulated, if at all. Crypto Support Tech Mahindra, the IT subsidiary of Mahindra Group, will work with local edutech firm Idealabs to develop blockchain talent within India, by offering professional certification courses. Developers are working to improve the Bitcoin lightning network in a virtual hackathon called Hack Sprint. Brave, a privacy-focused internet browser, has added 1.5 million monthly active users (MAU) in April and May. ( The Block ) Major publishing houses are accusing the Internet Archive’s “Open Library” of allegedly violating copyright laws, The Block reports. Story continues Finance Private Swiss bank Maerki Baumann launched a new crypto trading service for institutional and wealthy clientele. While the ConsenSys-backed crypto exchange Nomisma has received approval to trade crypto derivatives in the European Union ( The Block ) and the Elwood Global Blockchain Equity exchange-traded fund has become the largest blockchain ETF with $95.4 million in total assets. ( The Block ) Related: Blockchain Bites: Poolin Lending, Square Crypto’s Grant and a Senate Candidate Who Holds Bitcoin Petro Dollar The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, put a $5 million bounty on the architect of Venezuela’s blockchain-based petro dollar. The Venezuelan government has mandated that all gas stations accept the petro as payment. ( Decrypt ) Funding Square Crypto has awarded a $100,000 grant to a Bitcoin Lightning Network watchtower called the Eye of Satoshi. ( The Block ) SynchroLife, a restaurant review platform that rewards users in its native crypto token SynchroCoin, has raised $2.6 million in Series A funding round led by MTG Ventures. ( The Block ) Market Intel Bitcoin Boost Bitcoin has risen above $10,000 for the first time in almost a month as protests across U.S. cities continue to intensify. At around 23:05 UTC (7:05 p.m. Eastern Time), bitcoin rose from $9,895 to around $10,429 over the course of 30 minutes as a new wave of volatility greeted the end of the daily closing period for June 1. This latest move above $10,000 looks to have nullified a significant amount of selling pressure building in the market. The price rise sparked more than $133 million worth of buy liquidations on crypto derivatives exchange BitMEX – the highest since October 26, according to data analytics firm Skew. BSV Gains Bitcoin SV, or BSV as the token is known, has risen 96% so far in 2020, versus a 36% gain for bitcoin (as of Monday). It’s also beating the 18% year-to-date return for bitcoin cash (BCH), another offshoot from bitcoin. CoinDesk Research CoinDesk Research: May 2020 Review Bitcoin’s returns continue to outpace stocks, bonds and gold, and so does its volatility. Spot exchange volumes probed historic highs in May and bitcoin options markets passed a milestone and didn’t look back. Outperforming crypto assets a couple of use-specific crypto tokens that topped crypto returns for the month. Download the full report here. CoinDesk Podcast Network Does Bitcoin Fix This? In response to protests across the country following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minnesotan police, some in the Bitcoin community have plumbed the “Bitcoin Fixes This” meme to argue that the core underlying issue has to do with a structurally unjust monetary system. Others have clapped back against pushing that meme in this moment. NLW takes a look at all sides of the argument in the latest episode of The Breakdown. Who Won #CryptoTwitter? Related Stories Crypto Long & Short: The Emergence of Prime Brokers Adds Resilience but Also Risk Blockchain Bites: Magic’s Raise, Compound’s Distribution and Trump’s Twitter War View comments [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: up || Prices: 9164.23, 9374.89, 9525.36, 9581.07, 9536.89, 9677.11, 9905.17, 10990.87, 10912.82, 11100.47
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] AUD/USD and NZD/USD Fundamental Weekly Forecast – Positive Trade Deal News Could Lead to Further Upside Action: The Australian and New Zealand Dollars finished higher last week after the Fed cut its benchmark rate and investors slashed the chances of further rate cuts by the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. On Friday, stronger-than-expected U.S. jobs data helped limit gains, but both currencies quickly recovered after China expressed optimism over the progress of trade negotiations. Last week, the AUD/USD settled at .6913, up 0.0092 or +1.35% and the NZD/USD finished at .6428, up 0.0078 or 1.23%. Australian Dollar In a speech early Tuesday, Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe effectively ruled out the possibility of cutting its official interest rates below zero and urged business to take advantage of the already historically low borrowing costs. “It is extraordinarily unlikely that we will see negative interest rates in Australia,” Dr. Lowe said in a prepared speech in Canberra. Dr. Lowe said negative interest rates were having a “pernicious” effect on the financial system and pensions in Europe. He further added that previously unviable big investments were now making economic sense at current historically low interest rates. Finally, Lowe reiterated that interest rates in Australia will still have to be kept low for an extended period to reach the goals of full employment and inflation back within the RBA’s 2-to-3 percent target. After the speech, market participants cut back their expectations on further rate cuts from the RBA, a trend that began weeks ago. From a 50/50 bet at the start of the month that the cash rate would be cut again at the RBA board’s Cup Day meeting, the chance of a cut next week is now priced at just 10 percent. As well, the 30-day cash rate futures curve no longer has a full 25 basis point cut priced in over the foreseeable future. This represents a change in sentiment that will ease pressure on the RBA to move again quickly. New Zealand Dollar The rally in the NZD/USD last week started to pick up steam after Westpac economists changed their calls on New Zealand interest rates and now expect no cut at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s (RBNZ) policy meeting on November 13. Story continues The bank previously forecast a 25-basis point cut, although it has said it would be a close call. Westpac now expects the cut –to 0.75 percent – to occur next February. “The Reserve Bank’s forecasts and rhetoric had been 50/50 on whether a cut might be required at some stage, but we thought a rash of downside surprises would prompt the Reserve Bank to cut as soon as November,” Westpac chief economist Dominick Stephens said in a commentary.” “That is not the way the dice have fallen. True, economic growth remains subdued and business confidence is very low. But on balance the outlook and employment has actually lifted a little since August, because the exchange rate is well down, inflation has surprised to the upside, and the housing market is stirring,” Stephens said. Weekly Forecast The Aussie and Kiwi could see further upside action this week due to improving financial market sentiment, and the interpretation that RBA and RBNZ have taken rates far enough for now. Good news over U.S.-China trade relations could put further pressure on the U.S. Dollar if traders continue to sell out of protective hedges. This week, investors will get the opportunity to react to the latest Australian Retail Sales report early Monday. The RBA Rate Statement on Tuesday and the RBA Monetary Policy Statement on Friday. In New Zealand, investors will be watching the Employment Change and Unemployment Rate reports. In the U.S., the key report is ISM Non-Manufacturing PMI. The big story this week is likely to be U.S.-China trade relations, given the news from Friday. China said Friday it reached a consensus in principle with the U.S. during trade talks this week. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office also said Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made “progress in a variety of areas and are in the process of resolving outstanding issues.” The Chinese Commerce Ministry on Friday said the world’s two largest economies had reached “consensus on principles” during a “serious and constructive” telephone call between their main trade negotiators. U.S. President Donald Trump said over the weekend he hoped to sign an agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a U.S. location, perhaps in the farming state of Iowa. “China wants to make the deal very much,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday evening. “I don’t like to talk about deals until they happen, but we’re making a lot of progress.” AUD/USD and NZD/USD traders will be looking for further developments this week. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: AUD/USD Forex Technical Analysis – Weekly Chart Strengthens Over .7914, Weakens Under .6871 NZD/USD Forex Technical Analysis – Weekly Chart Strengthens Over .6471, Weakens Under .6404 U.S Mortgage Rates Rise Again Supported by Progress in Trade Talks Bitcoin Cash – ABC, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 02/11/19 The Crypto Daily – Movers and Shakers -03/11/19 Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Buoyed by Possible Partial Trade Deal, but OPEC Still Needs to Cut Further || Survey: Americans Think Bitcoin, Stocks Are the Riskiest Investments — Are They Right?: The popularity of virtual currencies has skyrocketed in recent years, but choosing to enter the cryptocurrency market could present considerable risk — at least, that’s what Americans believe. Bitcoin was created in 2009 as a peer-to-peer payment system that uses its own currency to transact business. This type of currency is not issued or regulated by banks or other financial institutions. Instead, it was intended as an alternative to other national currencies like the dollar. A recent GOBankingRates survey asked nearly 900 respondents about the riskiest investments out there, their overall attitudes toward the stock market and how they would invest thousands of dollars if they were given the opportunity. The survey found that Americans aren’t quite ready to put their faith in cryptocurrency. In fact, many are hesitating about investing in general. Don’t Miss:9 Safe Investments With the Highest Returns in 2019 When asked for their opinion on the riskiest investment, 40% of survey respondents said cryptocurrency poses the highest level of risk. “Americans are right about bitcoin being a risky investment,” said Joe Bailey, a business development consultant atMy Trading Skills, which provides online courses for financial traders. “Government regulation, market volatility and fraud exposure make bitcoin the riskiest form of investment for the American population.” Except for the 45- to 54-year-olds, every age group in GOBankingRates’ survey chose bitcoin as the riskiest investment, with 60% of 25- to 34-year-olds selecting this response. However, according to an Edelman study, a quarter of affluent millennials still invest in cryptocurrency, which might indicate that wealthier millennial investors believe the risk will pay off. Even so, price fluctuations can cause great uncertainty for investors of all levels. “The exponential price surges in bitcoin, as well as the sharp decline in value that follows, makes it a highly volatile investment that carries more risk than actual benefit for the majority of its investors,” Bailey said. Additionally, more men than women found bitcoin to be the most dangerous investment, at 47% and 34%, respectively. Stocks came in as the second-most popular response to GOBankingRates’ question about the riskiest investment. Learn From an Expert:How To Invest In Cryptocurrency If they were given a $1,000 windfall, Americans said they would put the extra money in a savings account. It was the most popular response across all age and gender demographics. “When receiving a modest windfall [like] $1,000, many people will simply keep these funds in short-term investments like a savings account or money market fund,” said Billy Lanter, a fiduciary investment advisor atUnified Trust Company. “This can be a great option, especially if, like most Americans, you lack a sufficient emergency fund.” Savings accounts are viewed as reliable — but also low-return — investing tools, so a sizable preference for savings accounts could indicate a number of things, including a lack of knowledge about effective investing habits. Additionally, savings accounts aren’t completely free of risk. “The risk of keeping excess funds in a savings account is that having funds so easily accessible significantly increases the likelihood of spending your windfall on a seemingly justified purchase,” Lanter said. Survey Question: If you received an extra $1,000 or $100,000, what do you think is the best way to invest the money? [{"Type of Investment": "Stocks", "Extra $1,000": "13.95%", "Extra $100,000": "13.95%"}, {"Type of Investment": "Bonds", "Extra $1,000": "8.89%", "Extra $100,000": "6.3%"}, {"Type of Investment": "Real estate", "Extra $1,000": "12.82%", "Extra $100,000": "27.9%"}, {"Type of Investment": "Gold/metals", "Extra $1,000": "16.76%", "Extra $100,000": "13.27%"}, {"Type of Investment": "Bitcoin/cryptocurrency", "Extra $1,000": "4.39%", "Extra $100,000": "3.49%"}, {"Type of Investment": "ETFs/mutual funds/index funds", "Extra $1,000": "11.59%", "Extra $100,000": "10.24%"}, {"Type of Investment": "Savings accounts (CDs, money market, etc.)", "Extra $1,000": "31.61%", "Extra $100,000": "24.86%"}] Meanwhile, real estate was the most common answer for the best way to invest $100,000, at 28%. But Lanter said that investing heavily in real estate also comes with its risks. “Where people get in trouble is investing a large windfall quickly to be ‘smart’ but without assessing their current situation and financial goals,” he said. “This can be a very costly mistake as long-term investments can be harder to access, like trying to sell a piece of real estate. Let your long-term investments do their job, which is to grow over long periods of time to meet long-term goals.” Check Out:The 10 Best Short-Term Investments for 2019 Savings accounts were the second-most popular way to invest $100,000, at 25%. Women were far more likely than men to stash a big windfall in a savings account, at 33% and 16%, respectively. Americans were the least likely to invest $100,000 in bitcoin. Only 4% of survey respondents chose this option, which might mean that Americans believe the risks of investing in cryptocurrency outweigh the rewards. Because bitcoin is completely virtual and computer-based, this type of investment is susceptible to hacking, according to a2018 Consumer Reports article. Perhaps Americans are more comfortable with the traditional route, where investors hire financial advisors to help them achieve the best portfolio for their hard-earned money. However, GOBankingRates’ survey showed that nearly half of Americans aren’t investing in the stock market, even though they wish they could invest. So, what’s stopping them? Though they would like to invest in the stock market, 38% of survey respondents said they don’t make or have enough money to do so. Breaking down response rates by gender, 41% of women said they wanted to invest but couldn’t due to a lack of funds, versus 36% of men. Additionally, 13% of overall respondents said they didn’t know enough about investing, and 5% were afraid of another recession. “Many Americans are not investing because they think they do not have enough money to invest, not knowing that it is OK to invest with little money,” said Xavier Epps, founder and CEO of XNE Financial Advising LLC. “What they should know is that investing early, even if just a small amount, is beneficial. The earlier you invest, the faster the money you earn on interest grows.” Read More:Best Online Stock Brokers for Beginners 2019-2020 Concerningly, 34% of respondents don’t want to invest in the stock market at all. Older adults ages 45-64 were the most likely to feel that sentiment, while one-third of Generation Z respondents said they don’t care to invest — which could indicate a lack of faith in the current economy. In fact, only 45% of people ages 18-29 have a positive view of capitalism, according to a 2018 Gallup poll. Survey Question: What do you think is the minimum initial investment required for someone to start investing in the stock market? [{"Minimum Initial Investment": "$1-$99", "Response Rate": "25.65%"}, {"Minimum Initial Investment": "$100-$499", "Response Rate": "10.69%"}, {"Minimum Initial Investment": "$500-$999", "Response Rate": "7.65%"}, {"Minimum Initial Investment": "$1,000-$4,999", "Response Rate": "10.57%"}, {"Minimum Initial Investment": "$5,000-$9,999", "Response Rate": "2.59%"}, {"Minimum Initial Investment": "$10,000 or more", "Response Rate": "3.04%"}, {"Minimum Initial Investment": "There is no requirement; you can invest any amount", "Response Rate": "39.82%"}] While many Americans don’t seem interested in investing, there’s some good news: A majority of survey respondents agreed that you can invest any amount into stocks. About 36% of respondents believe that $499 or less is a sound minimum investment, which may imply that Americans view $500 as a relatively achievable goal, even for those who want to invest but can’t due to a lack of funds. Diving into the stock market can be tricky for inexperienced investors. Here are some basic guidelines recommended by Gladice Gong, a personal finance blogger atEarn More Live Freely: • Understand your investment objectives.“What goals do you want to achieve through your investments?” Gong asked. And, more critically, how much are you comfortable losing? Only approach stocks once you have an idea of your budget. • Learn thebasics of investing.“You need to learn the fundamentals of investing in the stock market such as basics of the stock market, investment strategy, risk management,” she said. “After that, you need to choose an investment strategy that suits your objectives and your profile.” Index ETFs are a popular and passive investment strategy, Gong said. • Choose a stock brokerage firm that fits your investment strategy.Brokerages carry different fees and benefits, such as offering a number of free trades when you open an account. Alwayscompare offerings from various brokersto see how you can help maximize your investment. You don’t need to start your investing journey with a high-risk investment like bitcoin. In fact, there’s no need to go near cryptocurrency at all. Even if you’re able to invest only a few dollars at first, you can slowly build on your initial investment and generate larger returns down the line with the right investment strategy. More From GOBankingRates • 12 Stable Investments Everyone Needs in Their Portfolio • 12 Toxic Investments You Should Avoid • Best Robo-Advisors of 2019-2020 • Best Day Trading Platforms of 2019-2020 Sean Dennisoncontributed to the reporting for this article. Methodology: GOBankingRates surveyed 5,001 Americans from across the country between Aug. 8, 2019, and Aug. 14, 2019, asking six questions: (1) Do any of the following statements about investing in the stock market apply to you? Select all that apply; (2) Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: “When the stock market is up or down, it only benefits or hurts the rich”; (3) What do you think is the minimum initial investment required in order for someone to start investing in the stock market? (4) Which of the following do you think is the riskiest investment for investors? (5) If you received an extra $1,000, which ONE of the following do you think is the best way to invest it? (6) If you received an extra $100,000, which ONE of the following do you think is the best way to invest it? Note that 13- to 17-year-olds were excluded from the survey responses, so the final sample size was 889 respondents.GOBankingRates used Survata’s survey platform to conduct the poll. This article originally appeared onGOBankingRates.com:Survey: Americans Think Bitcoin, Stocks Are the Riskiest Investments — Are They Right? || Chinese Insurance Giant Ping An’s Blockchain Arm Reveals Terms for $468M IPO: OneConnect Financial Technology, the blockchain and AI subsidiary of China’s top insurance company Ping An Insurance, has set the terms for its previously announced initial public offering (IPO). According to an updatedF-1 filingwith the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday, the firm aims to raise between $432 million and $504 million via the offering of 36 million American depositary shares (ADSs) at a price of between $12 and $14. Each ADS represents three ordinary shares. The target raise is much higher than when the firm’s prospectus wasfirst filedin mid November, when a figure of $100 million was proposed. Related:Canadian Fund Manager 3iQ Files Prospectus for Bitcoin Fund IPO OneConnect plans to list on the NYSE with the ticker “OCFT” on Dec. 12, according toNasdaq. The IPO’s underwriters include Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, HSBC and Bank of America. The filing values the company at around $4.7–4.9 billion, down from a $7.5 billion valuation at the time of its last fundraise – a round backed by Japanese private equity giant SoftBank. OneConnect reported revenue of $222 million and an operating loss of $160 million for the first nine months of 2019, according to Nasdaq. Reuters reportedin September that the firm had been seeking to go public in Hong Kong with a $1 billion target, but shifted to the U.S. hoping to raise a higher amount. It now seems OneConnect has settled for half that amount, if the report was correct. • Ledger’s Vault Scores $150 Million in Crypto Insurance From Lloyd’s Syndicate • Fintech Arm of Chinese Insurance Giant Files for US IPO After Blockchain Push • Bitmain Seeking US IPO With Confidential SEC Filing: Report || Bitcoin plunges to five-month low vs dollar after Zuckerberg testimony: By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bitcoin's price dropped on Wednesday to its lowest level against the dollar since the middle of May after Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerbeg, in testimony before Congress, expressed doubts about whether the company's cryptocurrency project Libra was going to work. Bitcoin's price on the Luxembourg-based Bitstamp exchange was last down 6.95% at $7,471 <BTC=BTSP>, after hitting a five-month low below $7,300. Appearing before the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee, Zuckerberg admitted that he did not know if Libra would work. But he sought to reassure lawmakers that Facebook would not back any move by the crypto project, which comprises a consortium of 21 members including venture capital firms and nonprofits, to launch the digital currency until it had satisfied all U.S. regulatory concerns. "Bitcoin quickly broke once Zuckerberg's testimony got started," said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA in New York. "Right now there's a growing sentiment that we may never see Libra live and that's just a potential setback for the entire crypto space." Libra is intended to be a digital currency backed by a reserve of real-world assets, including bank deposits and short-term government securities, and held by a network of custodians. The structure is intended to foster trust and stabilize the price. The plans have attracted intense scrutiny from regulators concerned about its impact on the financial system, user privacy and its potential for use in money laundering. Aside from concerns about Libra, Charles Hayter, chief executive officer of CryptoCompare also pointed out that after an early upswing in the year that galvanized prices in the crypto sector, "we have seen weakening volumes and regulatory tightening from a number of jurisdictions." Bitcoin has been on a downward trend since the second half of the year, plunging about 47% since late June. (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Additional reporting by Tommy Reggiori Wilkes in London; Editing by Sujata Rao and David Gregorio) || China Crypto Crackdown Elicits Binance, Tron Weibo Appeal: (Bloomberg) -- Crypto giants Binance Holdings Ltd. and Tron have been banned on China’s largest micro-blogging service amid what appears to be fresh steps to crack down on digital currency trading. The official accounts of exchange operator Binance and blockchain platform Tron were suspended by Twitter-like Weibo last week. At the same time watchdogs in Shanghai issued notices calling for a cleanup of companies involved in cryptocurrency trading, while one in Beijing warned against illegal exchange operations. The latest crackdown came after President Xi Jinping urged faster development of blockchain last month, hailing it as one of the core technologies requiring China-led innovations. Xi’s remarks spurred companies to jump on the blockchain bandwagon to drive share prices. State media have warned against the frenzy. The Shanghai headquarters of China’s central bank and the city’s financial regulator said in a notice they co-signed on Nov. 14 that local government agencies should work with any companies under their supervision that are tied to cryptocurrency to exit such business immediately, Bloomberg News has reported. A Binance spokeswoman said Monday that Weibo suspended the exchange’s account last Wednesday, before the notice was issued, adding that the social media platform didn’t give a reason. Binance is appealing the decision, she said. Tron founder Justin Sun told Bloomberg on Monday that he doesn’t think the Weibo account shutdown is related to the government notice. Tron is working to restore the account. Weibo didn’t respond to requests for comment. In the notice, the Shanghai regulators cited an order from China’s top internet-finance watchdog, which they said is concerned about the resurgence of speculative bubbles after the recent promotion of the blockchain technology that underpins cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. A representative with the Shanghai branch of the People’s Bank of China confirmed the authenticity of the notice, which has been circulating online, but referred to the city’s financial-stability office for comment. Calls to that office went unanswered. A separate announcement, published on the website of Beijing’s financial regulator on the same day, warned against the risks of illegal operations of financial-asset exchanges in the capital -- but didn’t cite crypto specifically. Bitcoin fell 0.3% on Tuesday to $8,191 as of 8:08 a.m. Hong Kong time, dropping a fifth straight day amid concern about China’s restrictions. Read more: From Pigs to Party Fealty, China Harnesses Blockchain Power While China is an avid supporter of blockchain -- the central bank is working on its own digital currency -- authorities have waged a two-year campaign to restrain crypto activities amid concerns like speculation, fraud and capital flight. In 2017, China ordered an end to exchange trading of digital currencies, but trades are still rampant through alternatives like over-the-counter channels offered by exchanges Huobi and OKEx. Malta-based Binance also recently started to host OTC yuan trading. “We want to follow the recommendations very closely, and we want to promote the blockchain research and development,” Binance Founder and Chief Executive Officer “CZ” Zhao Changpeng told Bloomberg Television last week about its China strategy. “We just want to help where we can.” Zhao said Binance doesn’t have an office in Beijing, following a recent report from industry publication CoinDesk that it’s planning to open one that cited two unnamed sources. The Binance spokeswoman said Monday that the exchange doesn’t have fixed operations in mainland China at the moment. As for Tron, its controversial Chinese founder apologized in July for “excessively” promoting his charity lunch with Warren Buffett, noting it raised concerns among authorities. The lunch that Sun had won with a more than $4.6 million bid at auction was delayed and still appears not to have been rescheduled. (Updates Bitcoin level in 10th paragraph.) --With assistance from Joanna Ossinger. To contact the reporter on this story: Zheping Huang in Hong Kong at [email protected] To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joanna Ossinger at [email protected], Colum Murphy, Dave Liedtka For more articles like this, please visit us atbloomberg.com ©2019 Bloomberg L.P. || Why Bitcoin’s Next ‘Halving’ May Not Pump the Price Like Last Time: Noelle Acheson is a veteran of company analysis and CoinDesk’s Director of Research. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own. The following article originally appeared in Institutional Crypto by CoinDesk, a weekly newsletter focused on institutional investment in crypto assets. Sign up for free here . To find out more about crypto valuation metrics, download our free report here . Whether you call it the “halving” or the “halvening,” one of the few things we can be sure of in crypto is that the conversation around bitcoin’s upcoming reduction in mining reward will intensify over the next six months. Related: How Bitcoin’s Lightning Can Be Used for Private Messaging Why? Because previous halvings have triggered bull runs. And who doesn’t like a bull run? Many are convinced that the next halving will have the same market effect, and it’s not just a belief that history repeats itself – models have emerged to support this theory. But if the bull run is expected, why hasn’t it already happened? Why isn’t the halving already priced in? Because the halving is much more than an event – it is also a narrative, and an uncertain one at that. What and why Related: Bitcoin’s Weekly Chart May See Golden Cross for First Time in 3.5 Years First, a review of what the halving is and why it happens. To keep inflation under control, the bitcoin protocol was programmed with a hard limit of 21 million, with new bitcoins entering the system as an incentive for network processors (“miners”) in a gradual and controlled rhythm. The rate at which they are created is reduced by half every four years, ostensibly to mimic the increased difficulty of gold mining. On Nov. 28, 2012, the initial reward of 50 new bitcoins was halved to 25, and since July 9, 2016, miners have been receiving 12.5 bitcoins for each block successfully processed. The next reduction, after which the network incentives will be 6.25 bitcoins per block, is expected in May 2020. Story continues (source: Digital Asset Research – statistical model, not price predictions) The above chart shows that the price (represented by the light blue line) started moving up before each of the previous halvings, and continued for some time after. Yet the data set is limited – the market has only experienced two of these events, and it could be a stretch to assume that the pattern will repeat itself. That’s where some fundamental supply/demand analysis comes in. Supply shock Bitcoin investor and analyst Tuur Demeester recently pointed out that , for the cryptocurrency to maintain a price of over $8,000 until the next halving, the market would need to see $2.9 billion of investment inflow to offset the deflationary effect of new bitcoins entering the system. Even assuming investment growth remains constant, the reduction in selling pressure after the halving (with fewer new coins hitting the market) would lead to a price boost. Pseudonymous trader Plan B has gone a step further and used the stock-to-flow (S2F) ratio – which divides current inventory by annual production – to create a model that retroactively predicts past price movements for bitcoin with a high degree of accuracy, using gold and silver as benchmarks. This model predicts a bitcoin price of almost $60,000 after the next halving (the black line in the chart above). While this model has its critics , it has undergone rigorous cross-examination , and it seems that the regression holds up . It also makes intuitive sense: a reduction in supply should enhance value, all else being equal. So why isn’t the price already heading up to that lofty level? This is where narrative comes in. Technically, the halving isn’t a “fundamental” event, in that it does not represent a value driver in traditional investment terms. “Fundamental” in asset analysis refers to variable yet quantifiable features that can drive a valuation, such as profit, market size and balance sheet. In this sense, pre-programmed scarcity is not fundamental, it’s factual. We can hope that facts themselves are not open to interpretation, but their impact almost always is. No one doubts the halving will happen – yet the narrative around its influence is not clear. Let’s look at why. Reasons for skepticism First, some argue that the halving is already priced in. The move from $3,300 to $12,000 earlier this year? That was it. The market is relatively efficient in terms of information distribution, the argument goes, so smart investors would obviously have incorporated the supply adjustment into their models and taken positions accordingly. Second, models tend to fit until they don’t. The bitcoin ecosystem today is arguably very different from previous halvings: four years ago, crypto derivatives markets were in their infancy, institutional involvement was slim and valuation frameworks were practically non-existent. It’s not unreasonable for investors to believe that “this time it’s different.” Some industry insiders have hinted that the halving could be negative if it reduces miners’ profitability and forces many of the smaller ones out of the market. True, this could be offset by a price increase, but if that turns out to not be proportional, increased network centralization could trigger concerns about security. Also, in traditional markets, price is rarely a function of supply. It’s more influenced by demand, which the S2F model does not take into account. In the absence of an established and widespread fundamental use case (for now), demand in crypto markets is narrative-driven. Bull run ahead? Yet in recursive logic, demand could be affected by the halving narrative. The widely held expectation that it will influence the price could stimulate demand for bitcoin as an investment asset, which will influence its price, especially as new investors – attracted by the supply models and historical correlation – enter the sector. And asymmetric risk comes into the picture: the chance that the models are wrong and I lose everything will have less of an impact on my portfolio than the possibility the models are right and I make a 500% return. So, even if the supply-driven models are trying to re-write traditional investing principles, it doesn’t mean that we won’t see a price rally. If that happens, the narrative will coalesce around the confirmation that the supply-based models were right, even if they weren’t the cause. We could end up with the head-spinning cycle of narrative influencing price, and price influencing narrative. Even so, this would not be the only head-spinning feature of the crypto markets over the coming months. The buzz around bitcoin’s supply schedule will highlight its unique economics, which in turn should awaken even more investor interest. If this leads to more inflows at a time when new supply falls, the charts that predict a post-halving rally will turn out to have been right all along. Then again, narratives can be fickle, and brave is the investor who assumes they’ll hold. They also rarely thrive in isolation – and, let’s face it, there are a lot of things going on out there that can have as great an influence on bitcoin’s price. Either way, it’s hard to deny that the emergence of forecasting models is a positive step that will help us understand market dynamics and bitcoin’s role in a broader financial market. Sophisticated investors will no doubt both welcome these and treat the underlying assumptions with a healthy dose of skepticism. Disclosure: the author holds small amounts of bitcoin and ether, with no short positions. Halved persimmon fruit image by Rodrigo Argenton via Wikimedia Commons Related Stories Bitcoin Price Risks Drop Below $9K if Bulls Can’t Muster Rally Soon Square’s Cash App Now Charging Fees for Bitcoin Purchases || Liquidity Is Now A Major Concern of Traders Across Crypto Exchanges - However, this is the Burency solution: DUBAI / ACCESSWIRE / October 31, 2019 /We are in that phase in blockchain adoption where the topic of cryptocurrency doesn't not require a formal introduction anymore. Cryptocurrency is now an industry word across the financial sector and business environment at large. This is testament in an event which saw "Satoshi", the smallest unit of Bitcoinbeing added in the Oxford English Dictionary. Data also shows that the number of bitcoin holderswith over 1,000 BTC has surged since early 2019 amidst BTC price growth. Despite this exposure and adoption rate, cryptocurrency exchanges - both centralized and decentralized exchanges are not without its challenges. Like every nascent market, there is a challenge of liquidity in crypto market. This makes it increasingly difficult for traders to carry out seamless exchange of assets. This drawback is evident ina survey that x-rayed the opinion of traders, it revealed that 36 percent of traders are heavily concerned about low liquidity across crypto exchanges. Liquidity in simple terms refers to the extent to which an asset can be sold or bought at a fairly stable prices in any given market. Usually, lower liquidity could easily result in a more volatile market, this could cause prices to change more spontaneously; on the other hand, a higher liquidity creates a more stable market. Consequently, the difference between the buy and sell price is significantly large in a less liquid market, this is a major difficulty for traders as they pay more for spread. In more extreme cases, lack of liquidity could create a scenario where the sell order is being matched by a very little amount of buy order. Major Causes of Lack of Liquidity Across Crypto Exchanges It is important to recognize that not all exchanges are the same, each one has different trading pairs and a distinct trading volume, hence a varying level of liquidity. A number of factors have been linked to the main reason why exchanges experience low liquidity, this could be traced to lack of exposures of some crypto exchanges, nevertheless, the major reason is chiefly tied to the listed crypto asset. Over 3000+ existing cryptocurrency asset commands a different level of interest from investors, this in turn could translate into a lower liquidity for a given trading pair. This single reason has seen many exchanges delisting trading pairs which commands low volume. The Burency Solution In recent times, a lot of resources, research and development has been dedicated towards putting an end to this challenge, or better still, reducing it to the barest minimum. Emerging crypto exchanges are now focusing on building an enabling technology and profiling a sustainable approach to solving liquidity issues across the crypto community. One of notable mention is the Burency exchange. Burency is a Blockchain company based in Dubai. With the recent blockchain adoption by the UAE government, the region is becoming the fastest growing blockchain hub, this gives Burency the needed advantage to gain widespread exposures. According to its whitepaper, Burency exchange is the world's first fully-insured cryptocurrency exchange that brings transparency, liquidity, convenience and regulations for traders, investors and first-time users. Burency is focused on solving a wide-range of problems being experienced by existing crypto exchanges, liquidity is one of them. In its approach, the company suggested that, low liquidity could be remedied by decoupling assets from BTC and ETH paring, while popular fiat currencies and stable coin paring takes their place. This, however, eliminates the backlogs of purchasing BTC or ETH before transacting a particular asset or token. BUY - the Burency token for example will have a fiat pairing which can be purchased by directly using fiat or credit card. Burency is privileged to be insured by the Nebbex protocol. Nebbex is known to offer a full custody cold wallet storage solution for a multiple number of centralized exchanges by using a single KYC and AML protocol. By leveraging on this provision, Burency is able to tap into the liquidity and asset management that is housed within the Nebbex vault. Burency exchange is set to be launched in the first quarter of the year 2020. At inception, the company has proposed to list top 50 crypto assets as they command a high level of interest among traders. This will in turn sustain a healthier liquidity of the exchange. ContactName : Quentin HerbrechtEmail :[email protected] SOURCE:burency View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/564817/Liquidity-Is-Now-A-Major-Concern-of-Traders-Across-Crypto-Exchanges--However-this-is-the-Burency-solution || Bitcoin Will Reach $1M, Overtake Gold By 2028: Industry Veteran: Bitcoin will overtake gold in terms of market capitalization by 2028 and be worth over $1 million, one of the cryptocurrency’s earliest proponents Bobby Lee suggested in a series oftweets. What Happened “Gold is about $8 trillion today, which is [50 times] the worth of Bitcoin,” Lee, who is best known for founding China’sfirstcryptocurrency exchange desk BTCC said. “I predict the [flippening] will happen within [nine] years and [bitcoin] will shoot up past [$500,000,]." Flippening is an industryjargonused to refer to any future event where another cryptocurrency ends up dominating BTC in terms of market capitalization. Lee used it to refer to bitcoin overtaking gold. Deflationary Value Will Help Lee further pointed out that bitcoin’s deflationary value will be an asset in helping it reach that target, in comparison to gold. “[Bitcoin] was designed to be [super] valuable over time,” Lee said. “First 10 [years], there were only [two] block reward [halvenings], but the next 10 years, there’ll be [three] (that’s 50% more)!” Lee is referring to a bitcoin protocol that requires the mining rewards to be halved every four years. There can only ever be 21 million bitcoins in existence, and more than 18 million have been mined already. The people mining, or creating, these bitcoins are rewarded with a part of it for themselves. The rewards they receive are halved to ensure a proper supply and demand balance. These previous halvenings happened in 2012 and 2016. The next halving is estimated to occur in May 2020, followed by two more in 2024 and 2028. They are usually followed by an increase in BTC market price, as miners try to sell the cryptocurrency for a higher price to account for their reduced income. Predictions Run Wild In The Market Lee further claimed there is an over-printing of currencies happening globally, which will lead to inflation and drive the world first cryptocurrency’s price above $1 million without specifying the time frame for this event. In a conversation with Yahoo Finance in September, Lee predicted bitcoin’s price could go up to $200,000 in a “very short amount of time,” adding that this could take “months, if not a few years.” 0 See more from Benzinga • Crypto Industry Celebrates Bitcoin Whitepaper 11th Anniversary • Cryptocurrencies Remain Bullish Following China's Praise For Blockchain © 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Bitcoin death cross to force price below critical support level: Bitcoin could be heading to yearly lows following last month’s death cross and a lack of positive sentiment. Bitcoin endured a distressing exponential moving average death cross on the daily chart on November 23, with several analysts suggesting that a descent to $5,900 is now on the cards. However, there has been a period of relative calm since the death cross, with Bitcoin languishing along the $7,350 level of support following a brief rally to $7,850 earlier this week. The previous two death crosses took place during the 2014 and 2018 bear markets, with Bitcoin proceeding to fall by more than 60% on both occasions. A slump of the same magnitude this time around would take Bitcoin to last December’s bitter lows of $3,150, although analysts like Tone Vays and Peter Schiff have been calling for targets lower than $1,800. In order for Bitcoin to rally back towards new highs, it would need to trigger a technical reversal, which would only happen if it can close a daily candle above the death cross at $8,662. The most likely stopping points for Bitcoin over the coming weeks are the $6,750 and $5,900 levels of support, both of which held for significant amounts of time during the 2018 bear market. Upside targets remain at $7,900 and $8,400, although a news event may be required to drive attention and positive sentiment in the market. For more news, guides, and cryptocurrency analysis, click here . The post Bitcoin death cross to force price below critical support level appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Decentralized Liquidity Is the Backbone of DeFi: Matthew Prewitt is a cryptoeconomic advisor at Amentum Capital and co-lead of the RadicalxChange . Steven McKie is the CEO of Amentum Capital . The views expressed are those of the authors. One of the most interesting recent developments in cryptocurrency is the emergence of decentralized liquidity pools . Algorithmic-based smart contract liquidity pools such as Ethereum’s Uniswap, or privacy-focused, off-chain decentralized exchanges such as Starkware’s StarkDEX are just two examples of projects leading the charge. Related: Bitcoin Volatility Is Up, Liquidity Stagnant Inbound/outbound liquidity is essential for the creation and growth of financial markets. Price discovery, and the ability to move in and out of trade positions, whether they’re from a big institutional firm, or a small-time trader, remains key if crypto is to reach maturity; where its aggregate daily volume could sustain at levels comparable to the legacy financial system. It is not exactly a secret that the blockchain and cryptocurrency industries have a liquidity problem. Large trades in all but the most popular assets move the market to an alarming degree. This volatility then causes a cascade of ills. First, it decreases the credibility of the markets due to the reality or appearance of manipulation. Second, it makes people nervous about holding assets, meaning that applications dependent on low volatility have trouble getting off the ground. Related: Four Insights on Crypto Liquidity From Binance US and FTX Third, it harms the viability of decentralized exchanges and other decentralized token economies because insofar as they depend on slow mainnets, they lag badly behind the price information available on faster, more efficient centralized exchanges. Decentralized payments are just one piece of the puzzle of what it really means to be decentralized , as you’ll also need the assistance of decentralized liquidity to build and extend additional functional financial layers on top of your blockchain-related protocol/application. Liquidity is king, and it can make or break your protocol if you cannot rally sufficient liquidity to aid in your project’s growth and enable the use cases you sought out to provide your end-users. Story continues With the proliferation of decentralized lending, borrowing, and more, the current decentralized landscape appears to be grasping the basic essentials necessary for the financial instruments we’ve grown familiar with in traditional legacy markets ( Compound Finance is but one example). To better understand where we’re at, let’s first go deeper into what solutions the industry has concocted thus far. Liquidity pools To begin, liquidity pools could help address a key problem faced by new token-based projects: the need to arduously bootstrap a liquidity-providing network before the project has real utility. Liquidity pools can mitigate this by providing a unique, less-speculative reason for people to hold tokens that do not have a large user base yet (i.e., to provide liquidity for a fee). Moreover, the existence of decentralized liquidity pools provides added reassurance to large investors in young projects who do not want to get stuck trying to unload their tokens in an illiquid market. The pools thus function somewhat like insurance for token holders (we’ll cover this idea more below). Second, liquidity pools should be considered an impressive achievement in decentralized institution-building. Liquidity has long been a central concern, not only for cryptocurrency and blockchain projects, but for financial markets in general. It is a prerequisite for the growth of a whole range of other institutions, financial and otherwise. And, decentralized liquidity provisioning is emerging through a mechanism that does not exist in traditional financial markets — automated smart contracts. This is a totally new vector of provisioning liquidity, which opens up the possibility of broader, more competitive involvement in market-making. Liquidity pools are thus a bellwether of maturation for decentralized cryptocurrency markets. The total quantity of liquidity in these decentralized pools remains small by the standards of conventional markets (which can trade daily with volumes exceeding hundreds of billions in USD), but it is growing at a fairly impressive pace. Here is an accounting of the total USD value locked in Uniswap contracts, from https://defipulse.com/uniswap : The total USD value locked in Uniswap contracts, from https://defipulse.com/uniswap. It is also worth taking a closer look at a few of the leading liquidity pool providers . Their mechanics vary, and are not always terribly straightforward. However, they represent important opportunities for investors to analyze. And if they continue to grow, they could alter the calculus for large investors interested in cryptocurrency markets but concerned about liquidity risks. Uniswap Uniswap has emerged as a leader in the decentralized liquidity space. Their contracts are simply pools of 50% ETH and 50% some target asset. Traders buy either asset directly from the contract, causing the prices to move algorithmically. When differences emerge between the algorithmically-determined price offered by the contract and the market price, arbitrageurs close the gap. Anyone can replenish liquidity in the contracts by contributing an equal amount of ETH and the target asset. Doing so entitles them to a pro-rata share of the trading fees (0.3% per trade) that accumulate in the contract. This piece provides an excellent starting framework for understanding the basic bet implied by supplying liquidity to a Uniswap contract. A deeper dive can be found here as well. Bancor Bancor built the first meaningful decentralized liquidity solution. However, it has been losing ground because it suffers from several technical disadvantages, and is also dependent on its own token (making its solution less elegant than Uniswap’s architecture). The biggest problem faced by liquidity suppliers to pools like Uniswap is the risk of major relative price movements between the paired assets; if the price of an asset in a trading pair surged suddenly, it could cause a ripple effect of negative counter-trades from a lack of proper liquidity. It is therefore ideal to supply liquidity in terms of a stable asset, instead of a volatile one like ETH. This problem is exacerbated by Bancor’s dependence on its native token, BNT, which is even less stable/liquid than ETH, while also adding the complexity of another abstracted token to maintain. Moreover, transactions on Bancor are structured in such a way that they can incur high gas fees, and they are not presently planning to utilize layer 2 scaling technologies to alleviate those pains. Bancor is working to address these issues instead by introducing a new stablecoin to replace BNT as the basis of its liquidity pools , as well as a few other upgrades. It remains to be seen whether the effort will succeed. It would appear though that an algorithmic approach such as Uniswap, paired with a tightly-coupled asset like ETH or another ETH-built stablecoin, is probably the best approach until further improvements emerge in the industry. [Other projects like Kyber Network and the 0x Project focus on cross-chain liquidity and possess their own ERC20 asset — but they fall outside the scope of this post.] Balancer Balancer is only a whitepaper for now. But it details a protocol that would allow people to easily instantiate new liquidity pools, backed by larger, more flexible sets of assets, with more precisely calibrated algorithmic incentives and user-determined transactions. If it takes off, it could encourage much broader participation in providing liquidity. Convexity Described in a recent whitepaper , the Convexity Protocol may turn out to be an important accelerant of decentralized liquidity provision. By allowing anyone to easily write collateralized options contracts, and sell those contracts in the form of an ERC20 token (oTokens), it will allow more sophisticated forms of hedging to occur without an intermediating institution. While the Convexity Protocol could have a nearly infinite range of possible uses, one of the most obvious is as liquidity insurance. Would-be liquidity providers in new markets will have a bit less to fear when they can use relatively stable assets as their base pair, insuring against collapses in the liquidity of their target market. Obviously, there is no free lunch. In a sense, it is possible to think of Convexity Protocol as “spreading” risk from riskier markets into more stable ones. Nonetheless, if the fundamentals of participation continue to improve, tools such as this could speed the arrival of meaningful decentralized liquidity in a wider range of assets. Unipig and StarkDEX It is important to notice the connection between liquidity and network capacity/throughput. The inability of the main Ethereum chain to rapidly settle high volumes of transactions is a fundamental impediment to liquidity providers, because the ability to quickly remove liquidity is a driver of willingness to provide liquidity in the first place. (For a deeper dive into the nuances of this dynamic, take a look at the CFTC’s report about the 2010 “Flash Crash”). Therefore, one of the most important fronts in the battle to unlock decentralized liquidity is the development of Layer-2 and off-chain solutions for the rapid settlement of a high volume of trades. Two of the most interesting projects in this space are Unipig and StarkDEX. They both promise vastly increased network capacity and execution time, but take different routes to get there. Unipig, currently live in demo form, allows transactions to be posted in real time and high volume to aggregators running fully functional Uniswap contracts, which are then “rolled up” and posted to the main chain. Parties’ trust in the veracity of these aggregators’ reporting is backed by a bond that dishonest aggregators stand to lose. This is a simple scaling solution whose success with real money at stake will depend upon effective auditing of aggregators. We suspect that the Unipig team will get the auditing and verification mechanisms right, but there is still some uncertainty about whether large institutional players will ever feel comfortable supplying liquidity through this channel. Still, we think their approach of scaling Uniswap via layer 2 technologies and optimistic roll-ups remains one of the most adept approaches yet seen; without the use of SNARKs/STARKs , more developers will be able to learn how to utilize their setup more quickly. StarkDEX , on the other hand, uses state-of-the-art cryptographic STARK proofs to take on-chain transactions, process them off-chain, and then batch them back on-chain in order to increase throughput. The challenges of this method are purely technical, rather than social, as with Unipig (where you just have to get others to supply more liquidity over time). Running on testnet it appears to increase transaction volumes by more than 100x versus the main chain, with correspondingly decreased gas costs. It is not obvious to us how the trade timing constraints it imposes will interact with the needs of major liquidity providers, or how quickly their solution will be adopted by other major players. That said, it is a very promising step towards orders-of-magnitude better throughput and major new opportunities for decentralized liquidity provision, and could likely play a pivotal role in the creation of scalable dark pools — with few or no trust assumptions The Liquidity backbone Plenty of parties have tried (and will continue to try) to “shortcut” the liquidity problem by providing liquidity from some concentrated or centralized venue. But this only highlights the deep connection between liquidity and the decentralization ethos itself. Any financial system is, in a sense, only as decentralized as the sources of its liquidity. After all, if there are no central banks, but instead a handful of whales acting as central banks, what exactly has improved? When provided from a wide range of parties whose behavior is deeply uncorrelated, liquidity is fundamentally more robust: it is less likely to evaporate in a crisis and more indicative of a healthy market. Therefore the health of DeFi is largely identical to the health of decentralized liquidity venues. We are excited to see so many great teams attacking this key problem and striving to unlock a new phase of maturity and innovation in the space. Related Stories Placeholder Leads $2 Million Seed Round for DeFi Services Provider Zerion Algorand 2.0’s New Non-Turing-Complete Smart Contracts Are a Feature, Not a Bug [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] Enhanced Customer Service Rep - Sports Minded - [ 📋 More Info https://t.co/vp497rQLaJ ] #directsales #jobs #Hiring #Careers #Glendora #CA #Cryptocurrency #Blockchain #BTC #BitCoin #ETH #crypto https://t.co/GHdybKBnZH || ⚽️ Campionato de Portugal. Primeira Liga : #Tondela 0 [8.7] X [5.25] #Benfica 0 [1.325] https://t.co/pMD166SObo #futebol #1xbit #bitcoin #apostas || DASH #Vaultmex Price Alert Time: 2019-10-20 12:30:08 #DASH BTC Change:% #instabtc #ethereum #FreeCoin $JPY #markets #vaultmex https://t.co/GEPyouTbTk || The latest TBC KRINGLES! https://t.co/heQQyJDHX0 Thanks to @DigitalTourBus @SolarCoinNews @assis_anastacio #bitcoin #ai || BTC on the bench going to one lucky customer! 🤑 Make a statement with this guitar...😎🙌 #LindoGuitars #LindoWorkshop #lindo #btc #bitcoin #BitcoinGuitar #LindoBtc #guitar #AcousticGuitar #ElectroAcoustic #GuitarPorn https://t.co/9uPT754Vs0 https://t.co/YArlmXLWXT || Although I haven't seen anything about the energy consumption involved in their use of blockchain. China is using mostly coal powered electricity and mines the most bitcoin in the world sooooo... || https://t.co/6kKjFgy0g9 #campaign #melbourne #oxycoin #money #ico #cleveland #vc #asia #BitCoin #campaign #virginiabeach #houston #india #AVCJsingapore #comsa #bonus #raleigh #uk #losangels #ico #washington #chille #Ethereum #charlotte #charleston #techcrunch #denver #bitcoin || Facebook’s Crypto Boss Is Surprisingly Bullish On Bitcoin https://t.co/TORCmO4QN5 || Telegram followers 10K soon , good mid term call’s bud 🚀🚀 16peFZR1ETVBeTMwEAKMXR5rhb6EzC5rCB || Bitcoin Breaks Below $9,000 Signaling a Further Decline https://t.co/Td4f3fnNaL #Bitcoin #Cryptocurrency #CryptocurrencyNews
Trend: up || Prices: 6932.48, 6640.52, 7276.80, 7202.84, 7218.82, 7191.16, 7511.59, 7355.63, 7322.53, 7275.16
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin plunges $200 after cyber attackers demand ransom using the digital currency: Bitcoin plunged from a record high hit last week to below $1,700 after cyber attackers locked up data in 200,000 computers Friday and demanded ransom in the digital currency. "It's a big hit to sentiment," said Brian Kelly, CEO of BKCM. "This is some negative publicity for bitcoin." Bitcoin fell more than $200 from an all-time high of $1,848.75 reached Thursday to a low of $1,644.64 Friday. The cryptocurrency steadied over the weekend and on Monday traded more than 5 percent lower on the day near $1,676.42. One-month bitcoin performance Source: CoinDesk A virus called WannaCry hit 200,000 computers in at least 150 countries on Friday, according to the head of the EU police agency . The hackers demanded, for each computer, $300 in bitcoin within three days to unlock the files and threatened to double the fine after that, before permanently preventing access after seven days. Cybersecurity firm Check Point (NASDAQ: CHKP) warned in a blog post Sunday not to send any funds as no one who had paid had yet reported receiving their files back. Relatively few have paid the ransom. CoinDesk Research Analyst Alex Sunnarborg said Monday that $51,300 in 193 transactions were sent to the three bitcoin addresses connected to the malware. Pickup in Chinese trading volume In addition to profit-taking on the hacking, Kelly attributed bitcoin's decline Monday to a drop in prices on the Hong Kong-based Bitfinex exchange, where prices had been artificially elevated due to withdrawal restrictions. Expectations that those restrictions will soon be lifted brought Bitfinex prices for bitcoin closer to the lower price of other exchanges. "A little bit of a price support has been removed," Kelly said. Chinese trading volume more than doubled its share, from 8.2 percent on May 1 to 22.8 percent Monday, according to analysis from Sunnarborg. Even with the decline of the last few days, the volatile cryptocurrency has nearly doubled in value since the end of March. More From CNBC Dow jumps 100 points as Cisco leads; S&P and Nasdaq hit record highs This is how cybersecurity stocks trade after a big attack Early movers: SYMC, PANW, FEYE, PTHN & more || Hedge fund manager David Einhorn escalates battle with GM with UnlockGMValue.com site: David Einhorn's Greenlight Capital(NASDAQ: GLRE)cranked up the pressure on General Motors(NYSE: GM)on Thursday by launching a website that encourages shareholders to vote for the hedge fund's proposal. GM rejected Greenlight's plan in March to appoint three directors to GM's board and divide the common stock into two classes. Now the hedge fund's newly launched website, UnlockGMValue.com, calls for investors to "VOTE GREEN CARD TODAY." GM's annual shareholder meeting is scheduled for June 6.GM said in a statementthat Greenlight's proposal "creates an unacceptable level of risk." Shares of the automaker fell about 1.5 percent in midday trade and are down more than 5 percent this year. Website landing page The proposal "would unlock tens of billions of dollars of shareholder value and was specifically designed not to change GM's business strategy, capital allocation priorities or financial policy," according to the website. Greenlight owns 3.6 percent of GM common stock, making it the fifth largest public shareholder of the auto manufacturer. The hedge fundreturned just 1 percent in the first quarter, trailing the S&P 500's 6 percent gain, according to the hedge fund's letter sent to shareholders last week. More From CNBC • Why ‘fear and love’ could send gold on a 20 percent rally within months • US fintech charter imperiled as Curry leaves • Bitcoin surges above $1,500 to record as more investors bet on 'digital gold' || Kim Dotcom announces new Bitcoin venture for content uploaders to earn money: WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Controversial New Zealand-based internet mogul Kim Dotcom plans to launch a Bitcoin payments system for users to sell files and video streaming as he fights extradition to the United States for criminal copyright charges. The German-born entrepreneur, who is wanted by U.S. law enforcement on copyright and money laundering allegations related to his now-defunct streaming site Megaupload, announced his new venture called 'Bitcontent' in a video posted on Youtube this week. "You can create a payment for any content that you put on the internet...you can share that with your customers, with the interest community and, boom, you are basically in business and can sell your content," Dotcom said in the video. He added that Bitcontent would eventually allow businesses, such as news organizations, to earn money from their entire websites. He did not provide a launch date. Dotcom did not provide details on how Bitcontent would differ from existing Bitcoin operations or how it would help news organizations make money beyond existing subscription payment options. Bitcoin is a virtual currency that can be used to move money around the world quickly and with relative anonymity, without the need for a central authority, such as a bank or government. The currency's anonymity has however made it popular with drug dealers, money launderers and organized crime groups, meaning governments and the financial establishment have been slow to embrace it since the first trade in 2009. The currency’s value hit record levels in 2017, trading at $1,145 on Wednesday, a fivefold increase in a year, amid growing interest globally. A New Zealand court ruled in February that Dotcom could be extradited to the United States to face charges relating to his Megaupload website, which was shutdown in 2012 following an FBI-ordered raid on his Auckland mansion, a decision he was appealing. Dotcom, who has New Zealand residency, became well known for his lavish lifestyle as much as his computer skills. He used to post photographs of himself with cars having vanity plates such as "GOD" and "GUILTY", shooting an assault rifle and flying around the world in his private jet. (Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Michael Perry) || Bitcoin’s civil war threatens to blow up the cryptocurrency itself: People walk next to a crack along a damaged road leading to Alto Hospicio commune, after a series of aftershocks, in the northern port of Iquique It is not uncommon for a new technology still finding its footing to undergo periods of tumult—witness the long ago war over videotape formats VHS and Betamax. Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency growing in popularity, turns out to be no different. For the last several years, technical experts have been arguing over how to adapt the currency’s software to allow it to handle more transactions and meet the increased demand. The debate has recently become so heated that it threatens to throw bitcoin itself into chaos, a phenomenon most clearly seen in the recent plunge in bitcoin’s price. Uber has taken its self-driving cars off the road after one flipped over in Arizona The conflict threatens to “fork” bitcoin, splitting it in two. Each branch would run a different version of the cryptocurrency’s software. Bitcoin’s principal innovation has been its blockchain, an immutable ledger of all the transactions ever performed with the cryptocurrency. A fork would generate two versions of the ledger, creating practical problems, like coins that could vanish , and philosophical ones, like agreeing on which blockchain represents the one, true, bitcoin. The tension reached a fever pitch last week when bitcoin’s top exchanges (with some notable exceptions, such as Coinbase) issued a joint statement explaining how they would deal with the split, called a hard fork. This acknowledgement of the very real possibility of a fork sent bitcoin traders scrambling to sell their holdings. Bitcoin fell 24% over two days, from March 16, though it has recovered significantly . The most useful language for English speakers to learn, according to an economist Both camps have doubled down on their positions, and the saber rattling is growing louder. There is talk of of changing the proof-of-work algorithm that bitcoin runs on, which could render the bitcoin mining industry, which earns millions a day in revenue, useless in one fell swoop. Miners—who process transactions and also increase the total supply of bitcoin in circulation—are now threatening legal action against developers who are working on such a proposal. There’s also a widely circulated conspiracy theory that involves John McAfee, the anti-virus entrepreneur who’s embroiled in a murder case in Belize . McAfee is supposedly colluding with a powerful Chinese miner to force a fork. The arguments The bickering over the right way to grow bitcoin’s transaction capacity is known as the block size debate. It has been raging for years. Last January it claimed a famous victim: longtime Core developer Mike Hearn, who quit the bitcoin world dramatically (paywall) because of the block size impasse. As if on cue, Hearn’s departure was dismissed as a “ whiny ragequit ” and the battle continued. Story continues The squabble over block size has divided the bitcoin world into the Bitcoin Core and Bitcoin Unlimited camps. The Core group, trading under the current BTC ticker, wants to solve the transaction problem by implementing a clever workaround called Segregated Witness, or SegWit, that will effectively increase the block size from the current 1 megabyte to 2 megabytes. The 1 MB restriction was an arbitrary limit put in place by bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto; some speculate it was to ensure that the bitcoin blockchain could be easily downloaded by users, and thus encourage adoption. In any case, it was a problem to be dealt with only if bitcoin succeeded. The Bitcoin Unlimited camp, which would trade under a new ticker symbol BCU, wants to remove any restriction on block size and thus transaction capacity. But that would force a hard fork and two bitcoins would then inhabit the Earth. The Unlimited camp is backed by Roger Ver, an early bitcoin adopter whose relentless evangelizing for the cryptocurrency earned him the moniker “ Bitcoin Jesus .” Unlimited is also backed by major miners, and part of its pitch is that miners should decide on block sizes. It proposes to do this by letting miners set their own caps for blocks, reasoning that eventually, miners will come to an agreement about what the optimal block size should be. Supporters of Core argue that the Unlimited code is riddled with bugs. Indeed, last week a bug was exploited, sending 70% of Unlimited nodes offline thus reducing the amount of processing power devoted to implementing it. But Core is making a larger, philosophical point, about who controls the bitcoin network. They don’t like the idea of miners setting block sizes because they believe it increases centralization of bitcoin. Without a block size cap, powerful miners can simply mine bigger blocks, and thus be responsible for larger chunks of the bitcoin network, entrenching themselves further. Coffee money or digital gold? There’s also a struggle about bitcoin’s function. As Adam White, who runs the GDAX exchange, tells Forbes , the Core camp wants to treat bitcoin as digital gold: a finite resource whose fundamental properties can’t be changed. The Unlimited folks want bitcoin to be digital cash, with limitless transaction capacity so that everyday payments can be recorded on the blockchain. Vinny Lingham, a noted analyst of the bitcoin industry, observes : “Roger [Ver] wants cheap coffee transactions, Core wants to ensure [bitcoin is] sufficiently decentralized and secure.” Still, bitcoin’s blocks are getting filled up, meaning transactions can’t be processed quickly enough—hence the urgency for a solution. Critics say that Core developers’ proposal for a 2 MB block size, SegWit, simply delays the inevitable—a hard fork—because it doesn’t raise the cap enough. A solution to Satoshi’s block size limit can no longer be avoided. Who’s winning? So who’s winning? One exchange has opened what is effectively a prediction market for a hard fork. It lets traders buy tokens representing the adoption of either Core or Unlimited. If Unlimited isn’t adopted, and a fork doesn’t occur, Unlimited tokens become worthless. By this measure Core is winning: tokens representing its adoption are worth four times the Unlimited tokens. But Unlimited is gaining ground among miners. About 40% of the processing power, or hashrate, on the bitcoin network supports Unlimited, compared to 60% supporting Core, according to analytics site Coin Dance . And the gap is rapidly closing. The picture isn’t as simple as who’s got more hashing power. In order for Core’s SegWit proposal to be adopted, 95% of hashing power must be devoted to it, according to a threshold set by its developers. Unlimited doesn’t have a fixed threshold. Instead, it relies on a rather circular logic: It can only be adopted if miners decide to admit blocks larger than the current 1 MB, but miners would only have an incentive to so if other miners did the same. “It’s kind of like people getting together to cross a road. Everyone holds hands and then someone decides to cross and everybody crosses with it,” one Redditor explained . A hard fork isn’t unprecedented for a major cryptocurrency. Ethereum experienced this after a hack , birthing what’s now known as ethereum classic . The fork also arose from ideological disagreements: The solution to the hack was to undo some transactions, which struck some ethereum users as an unprincipled move. A blockchain’s immutability is one of the pillars of the cryptocurrency world. Today the two coexist; there is even a publicly traded ethereum classic fund for the over-the-counter markets, although the value of all ethereum in circulation is about 18 times greater than ethereum classic. But ethereum is a lot younger than bitcoin; it was only a year old when it split. The value of all ethereum in circulation is about a quarter of bitcoin’s current $17 billion value. A messy hard fork for bitcoin could mean serious disruptions for miners, who operate industrial-scale facilities, the well-funded exchanges, and the myriad startups who have raised $1.5 billion in venture capital collectively since 2012. A lot is riding on the question of how to scale bitcoin, and the conflict is showing no signs of easing up. Read this next: Bitcoin might just be a plausible response to the “war on cash” declared by governments around the world Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief , our free daily newsletter with the world’s most important and interesting news. More stories from Quartz: Employee burnout is becoming a huge problem in the American workforce IBM, remote-work pioneer, is calling thousands of employees back to the office View comments || Bitcoin surges past $1,900 for the first time: Bitcoin (Markets Insider) Bitcoin is at it again. Overnight, the cryptocurrency topped $1,900 for the first time. It is now trading up by 2.3% at $1,938.81 a coin. Friday's gains have bitcoin up by about 102% since March 27. The cryptocurrency has gained in 23 of the past 26 sessions. The rally has seemingly been sparked by news out of Japan at the beginning of April that bitcoin is now considered a legal payment method in the country. Along the way, Ulmart, Russia's largest online retailer, said it would begin accepting bitcoin even though Russia said it wouldn't explore the cryptocurrency until 2018. The gains also seem to be boosted by speculation the US Securities and Exchange Commission could overturn its ruling on the Winklevoss twins' bitcoin exchange-traded fund . The SEC was accepting public comment on its decision until Monday, but it hasn't announced whether it will overturn its rejection of the ETF. Bitcoin has gained 105% this year. Except for 2014, it has been the top-performing currency every year since 2010. NOW WATCH: 15 things you didn't know your iPhone headphones could do More From Business Insider That time when Americans and Germans fought together during World War II US spies caught Russian officers bragging about causing chaos in the election 6 months before the vote This is the work bag professional women everywhere have been looking for || Bitcoin just soared to a new $1,600 high — but the first investor in Snapchat thinks it could hit $500,000 by 2030: (Jeremy Liew.Getty) Bitcoin has been thetop-performing currencyin the world in six of the past seven years, climbing from zero to a new high value of about $1,600. But the cryptocurrency isn't anywhere close to its potential, according to Jeremy Liew,the first investor in Snapchat, and Peter Smith, the CEO and cofounder of Blockchain. In a presentation sent to Business Insider, the duo laid out their case for bitcoin exploding to $500,000 by 2030. Their argument is based on increased interest in bitcoin, thanks to: Remittance transfers, or electronic money transfers to foreign countries, havealmost doubledover the past 15 years to 0.76% of gross world product, data from the World Bank shows. "Expats sending money home have found in bitcoin an inexpensive alternative, and we assume that the percentage of bitcoin-based remittances will sharply increase with greater bitcoin awareness," the two said. Liew and Smith said increased political uncertainty in the UK, US, and developing nations would help elevate the level of interest in bitcoin. "We believe bitcoin awareness, high liquidity, ease of transport, and continued market outperformance as geopolitical risks mount will make bitcoin a strong contender for investment at a consumer and investor level," the two said. Liew and Smith said the percentage of noncash transactions would climb from 15% to 30% in the next 10 years as the world becomes more connected through smartphones. The global smartphone penetration rate is 63%, and the total number of smartphone users is expected to increase by 1 billion by 2020. The GSMA, a trade body that represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, says90% of these userswill come from developing countries. This would make it possible for nearly everyone to have a bank in their pocket, and that should provide a boost for bitcoin as well. Liew and Smith say bitcoin could account for 50% of all noncash transactions. Here are the basic model drivers Liew and Smith used: 1. A bitcoin price of $1,000 in 2017. 2. Network users will grow by a factor of 61 from now until 2030."Put another way, we need a population of bitcoin users around a quarter of the Chinese population (or 5% of the global population) in 2030 to see bitcoin at $500k," Liew and Smith told Business Insider.Bitcoin's user network grew from 120,000 users in 2013 to 6.5 million users in 2017, or by a factor of about 54, and this could be just the beginning. Growth of that magnitude would mean 400 million users in 2030. 3. The average value of bitcoin held per user will hit $25,000."As institutional investor cash in bitcoin, sophisticated investors trading bitcoin, and bitcoin-based ETFs proliferate, we think the average bitcoin value held will increase to around $25k per Bitcoin holder," Liew and Smith said. Currently, with bitcoin's market cap of $16.4 billion, each of its 6.5 million users holds $2,515 worth of bitcoin on average. 4. Bitcoin's 2030 market cap is decided by the number of bitcoin holders multiplied by the average bitcoin value held. 5. Bitcoin's 2030 supply will be about 20 million. 6. Bitcoin's 2030 price and user count will total $500,000 and 400 million, respectively.The price was found by taking the $10 trillion market cap and dividing it by the fixed supply of 20 million bitcoin. But a lot could go wrong, too. News surrounding bitcoin has been rather negative as of late. China, which is responsible fornearly 100% of tradingin bitcoin, has beencracking downon trading. The three biggest exchanges recently announced a 0.2% fee on all transactions andblocked withdrawalsfrom trading accounts. The US Securities and Exchange Commission also rejected two bitcoin exchange-traded funds and will rule on another one in the future. It's not expected to be approved. However, Smith says bitcoin is still in its early stages. "The SEC's ruling wasn't a surprise to us," he told Business Insider. He said that "getting that sort of approval" could take a long time. "In the meantime, bitcoin is already simple to buy and hold, and as the asset continues to mature, we'll continue to see an increase in the development and deployment of surrounding products," he said. (Markets Insider) And while bitcoin hasn't been granted regulatory approval in the US, it is catching on elsewhere. On April 1, the cryptocurrency became alegal payment method in Japan. Another threat to its future is developers who are threatening to set up a "hard fork," or alternative marketplace for bitcoin. This would result in the split of into bitcoin and bitcoin unlimited. However, Smith isn't worried. "Bitcoin has strong economic incentives to prevent this," he said. "If the last two years of healthy contention and debate lead to a conclusion, it's that bitcoin is incredibly resilient and stable. In fact, the bitcoin blockchain has operated for seven-plus years with no downtime, a feat no other back-end system operating at this scale can claim." But the cryptocurrency sees violent price swings uncommon among the more traditional currencies. Bitcoin rallied 20% in the first week of 2017 before crashing 35% on word that China was cracking down on trading. The cryptocurrency has regained those losses and is trading up about 67% so far this year. NOW WATCH:People are outraged by a Pepsi ad starring Kendall Jenner — here's how the company responded More From Business Insider • The price of Bitcoin just hit an all new high — here's how easy it is to buy your first one • Bitcoin is closing in on $1,500 • Bitcoin busts out to an all-time high above $1,400 || 3 ETFs For Surprise Drop In The Dollar: One of the most prominent consensus calls heading into 2017 was that the U.S. dollar would head higher during the year. Wall Street analysts were nearly unanimous in their expectation that a Donald Trump presidency would spell only good news for the greenback thanks to stronger growth expectations and higher interest rates. As is often the case, the consensus expectation has proven to be off the mark, at least during the first part of the year. After peaking at a 14-year high late last year, the U.S. Dollar Index has steadily dropped during the first quarter of 2017, and was last trading down 3% year-to-date. Last week's failure by Republicans to pass a health care bill through the House of Representatives was the latest setback for the buck, which had rallied four-straight years, measured by the popular U.S. Dollar Index. Under The Dollar Index Hood That index is heavily influenced by the euro-dollar (EUR/USD) foreign exchange rate, which has a 57.6% weighting in the index basket. That's followed by the dollar-yen (USD/JPY) at 13.6%; the pound-dollar (GBP/USD) at 11.9%; and a few others with smaller weights. Currency Weight Euro (EUR) 57.6% Japanese Yen (JPY) 13.6% British Pound (GBP) 11.9% Canadian Dollar (CAD) 9.1% Swedish Krona (SEK) 4.2% Swiss Franc (CHF) 3.5% Of course, there are plenty of other currency pairs outside of those in the U.S. Dollar Index basket. The Mexican peso, for example, is up nearly 10% against the greenback after falling to a record low around the time of Trump's inauguration in January. It could be that the peso is rallying simply because it fell too far and too fast. Or it could be that Trump's policies haven't proven to be as detrimental to the Mexican economy as feared. In any case, the point is that currencies across the board are climbing against the dollar, an unexpected development that investors should pay attention to. Here are three ETFs that are poised to benefit if the dollar continues to slide: Story continues WisdomTree Emerging Currency Fund (CEW) The WisdomTree Emerging Currency Fund (CEW) provides exposure to an equal-weighted basket of 15 emerging market currencies and their money market rates. If the dollar decline goes on, emerging market currencies are likely to be some of the biggest beneficiaries. CEW's basket includes the aforementioned Mexican peso, the Brazilian real, the Indian rupee and the Chinese yuan, among others. CEW invests in forward contracts and doesn't pay regular dividends, but it has a chunky implied yield of 4.8%. Year-to-date, the fund is up 5.2% after returning 4.1% last year. YTD Return For CEW, US Dollar Index SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) Widely regarded as a dollar hedge, gold has delivered on its promise this year. The SPDR Gold Trust (GLD) is up 9% year-to-date, and stands at its highest levels of the year just as the dollar drops to its lowest levels of the year. That's no coincidence. The 120-day correlation between gold prices and the U.S. Dollar Index is about -0.62, the tightest level since 2012 (a correlation of +1 means the two always move in the same direction, while a correlation of -1 means the two always move in opposite directions). If this correlation holds, GLD will continue to be one of the best anti-dollar ETFs available for investors. YTD Return For GLD, US Dollar Index VanEck Vectors J.P. Morgan EM Local Currency Bond ETF (EMLC) The VanEck Vectors J.P. Morgan EM Local Currency Bond ETF (EMLC) is the second-largest emerging market bond ETF on the market, with $3 billion in assets under management, but it's often been overshadowed by the $9.8 billion iShares JP Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF (EMB) . If the dollar keeps dropping, that could change. The main difference between EMLC and EMB is that the latter invests in dollar-denominated emerging market bonds, while the former invests in local-currency emerging market bonds. When the dollar is rising―as it's mostly done during the last few years―EMB will have superior returns to EMLC as depreciating emerging market currencies take a bite out of returns for the local-currency fund. But if the dollar drops, the opposite will be the case. Appreciating emerging market currencies will add to the returns for EMLC. That's what's happened so far this year, with EMLC up 6.8%, compared to 4% for EMB. If the downturn in the greenback has more room to run, expect more outperformance for EMLC. YTD Returns For EMB, EMLC Contact Sumit Roy at [email protected] Recommended Stories 3 ETFs For Surprise Drop In The Dollar Emerging Market Local Debt ETFs Shine Big Bitcoin ETF Decision Coming Today, Or Maybe Not The Most Interesting New Gold ETF Since GLD Swedroe: The Nuts & Bolts Of Currencies Permalink | © Copyright 2017 ETF.com. All rights reserved || U.S. regulators to review decision denying Bitcoin ETF - filing: By Trevor Hunnicutt NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission plans to review its decision last month to block the listing of the first U.S. exchange-traded fund tracking the digital currency bitcoin, a regulatory filing showed on Tuesday. A more-than-three-year effort by investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss to convince the SEC to allow it to bring the Bitcoin ETF to market stalled when the agency's staff ruled against them in March. Bitcoin is a virtual currency that can be used to move money around the world quickly and with relative anonymity, without the need for a central authority, such as a bank or government. A fund holding the currency could bring more professional investors to the asset and push its price higher. Yet bitcoin presents a new set of risks to investors given its limited adoption, a number of massive cybersecurity breaches affecting bitcoin owners and the lack of consistent treatment of the assets by governments. Bitcoin traded up 1.7 percent at $1274.99 earlier on Tuesday. The digital currency has rebounded after initially plunging following the SEC's initial decision calling the digital currency market "unregulated." CBOE Holdings Inc's Bats exchange had applied to list the ETF and appealed to the commission to review its staff's decision. The exchange did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Diane Craft) || U.S. regulators to review decision denying Bitcoin ETF: filing: By Trevor Hunnicutt NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission plans to review its decision last month to block the listing of the first U.S. exchange-traded fund tracking the digital currency bitcoin, a regulatory filing showed on Tuesday. A more-than-three-year effort by investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss to convince the SEC to allow it to bring the Bitcoin ETF to market stalled when the agency's staff ruled against them in March. Bitcoin is a virtual currency that can be used to move money around the world quickly and with relative anonymity, without the need for a central authority, such as a bank or government. A fund holding the currency could bring more professional investors to the asset and push its price higher. Yet bitcoin presents a new set of risks to investors given its limited adoption, a number of massive cybersecurity breaches affecting bitcoin owners and the lack of consistent treatment of the assets by governments. Bitcoin (BTC=BTSP) traded up 1.7 percent at $1274.99 earlier on Tuesday. The digital currency has rebounded after initially plunging following the SEC's initial decision calling the digital currency market "unregulated." CBOE Holdings Inc's (CBOE.O) Bats exchange had applied to list the ETF and appealed to the commission to review its staff's decision. The exchange did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Diane Craft) || Bitcoin/Dollar Hits All-time High, CNH/JPY Eyes Key Resistance: DailyFX.com - Talking Points： -Bitcoin against the U.S. Dollar soared to a new all-time high, driven by Japanese purchases. - The CNH/JPY rose back to below the yearly open range low; Chinese Caixin PMI prints could add momentums. -Read DailyFX latest trading guides fortheoutlookof the Japanese Yen in the second quarter. To receive reports from this analyst,sign up for Renee Mu’ distribution list. Bitcoin Bitcoin against the U.S. Dollar set a new all-time highon Tuesday, touching 1481.73. This is mostly driven by the increasing demand in Japan according to bitcoinity. After the Chinese regulator started to crack down illegal transactions through Chinese Bitcoin trading platforms, the ratio of Bitcoin trading volume in China to the world hasdropped to 20% in Marchfrom more than 90% previously. Then, Japan, overtaking China, becomes the largest Bitcoin trading country by volume. From a technical point of view, the BTC/USD is currently right below a key resistance level, the top line of a parallel. Traders will want to be aware of a likely retracement around this level. BTC/USD1-day Prepared by Renee Mu. CNH/JPY The offshore Yuan against the Japanese Yen also approaches to a major resistance level. In the mid-March, the pair broke below the open range low of 16.31 and now is back to around this level. CNH/JPY 1-day Prepared by Renee Mu. In the coming session, China will release the Caixin PMI prints for April. If those gauges come in to be better than expected, they may add momentum to the CNH/JPY and increase the odds of a breakout. See the fullDailyFX Economic Calendar YuanIndexes - As of last Friday, the Chinese Yuan (CNY) has been losing to a basket of currencies for the third week, measured by both the CFETS Yuan Index and the BIS Yuan Index; it has beenfalling for the second week, measured by the SDR Yuan Index. In specific, the primary gauge for Yuan’s value to a basket of currencies, CFETS Yuan Index, has dropped to the lowest level since it was quoted in 2015, to 92.98 last Friday. Data downloaded from Bloomberg; chart prepared by Renee Mu. Market News Sina News: China’s most important online media source, similar to CNN in the US. They also own a Chinese version of Twitter, called Weibo, with around 200 million active usersmonthly. Chinese steel producers showed improved performance in the first quarter. 33 out of 36 steel companies that have released first-quarter annual reports revealed positive earnings in the first three months. The total profits of these listing steel companies soared to more than 11.0 billion yuan compared to a loss of -4.0 billion yuan in the first quarter last year. - China’s State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission hosted a conference, requiring steel and coal firms to cut excessive production. The annual target for steel companies in 2017 is to reduce 5.95 million tons of capacity; the target for coal companies is to cut 24.93 million tons of capacity. Amid the pressure on achieving these goals, the profits of Chinese steel and coal producers could drop again. To receive reports from this analyst,sign up for Renee Mu’ distribution list. original source DailyFXprovides forex news and technical analysis on the trends that influence the global currency markets.Learn forex trading with a free practice account and trading charts fromIG. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] #Monacoin 14円↑[Zaif] -円↓[もなとれ] #NEM #XEM 5.57円↑[Zaif] #Bitcoin 147,845円↑[Zaif] 04/29 23:00 口座開設はこちらで！ https://goo.gl/31dyoO  || #UFOCoin #UFO $0.000012 (-50.51%) 0.00000001 BTC (-50.00%) || Current price of $BTC is $1808.00 via Chain #bitcoin #btc || MAC / BTC Trading: Ask: 0.00000794 BTC Bid: 0.00000514 BTC Buy/Sell #Machinecoin at https://www.cryptopia.co.nz/Exchange?market=MAC_BTC … [29.04.2017 00:56:24 UTC] || Tuesday Tennis vs. Caddo Magnet @ BTC-4:30 Softball vs Parkway @ HHS-5:00 Baseball @ Parkway-6:00 || $1170.09 at 09:02 UTC [24h Range: $1165.00 - $1192.50 Volume: 1792 BTC] || One Bitcoin now worth $1817.19@bitstamp. High $1892.00. Low $1752.22. Market Cap $29.662 Billion #bitcoin || $1205.70 at 06:15 UTC [24h Range: $1195.00 - $1219.71 Volume: 4200 BTC] || 20:00~21:00のBitcoin市場は反落だったみたいだね。 直近の市場の平均Bitcoinの価格は147495.0円 変化率は-0.146% 22:00までは反落になる? 【AIコメントです:テスト中@パターンB】 #bitcoin #AI || Bitcoin: The Bryan Lunduke Hour ; "Decentralized Internet w/ Blockstack" - http://cryptogeeks.com/bitcoin-bryan-lunduke-hour-decentralized-internet-w-blockstack …
Trend: up || Prices: 2041.20, 2173.40, 2320.42, 2443.64, 2304.98, 2202.42, 2038.87, 2155.80, 2255.61, 2175.47
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] GuestLogix Announces Acceptance of Bitcoin Currency as a Form of Payment on its Retail Platform: TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Mar 16, 2015) - GuestLogix Inc. (GXI.TO), the leading global provider of ancillary-focused merchandising, payment and business intelligence technology to airlines and the passenger travel industry, today announced that it has started implementing Crypto-currency wallet components on its Transaction Processing Engine® to enable the acceptance of Bitcoin and similar virtual currencies on its widely used Retail Platform. The Company's PCI-certified Transaction Processing Engine (TPE) currently supports ancillary revenue programs of more than 80 travel operators and handles payments across 114 countries. By adding a virtual currency wallet to the TPE, acceptance of Bitcoin will become readily available on GuestLogix' custom handheld POS terminals and mobile POS platform for Android OS, iOS and MS Windows Mobile. This will allow airlines, as well as other operators and brands within the travel segment, to be able to accept payments in virtual currencies in a secure and reliable manner at all access points such as mobile applications, at kiosks, on handheld POS devices as well as in-flight entertainment systems onboard aircraft. "As ancillary products and services continue to be a vital business component at virtually every touch point where travel operators connect with their passengers, and with an ever growing population of travellers carrying smartphones and holding virtual currencies, there is a need to ensure those travellers can use Bitcoin currency consistently as a form of payment within each access point," said Brett Proud, President & CEO of GuestLogix. "We are proud that the core components of GuestLogix' payment solutions will soon be Bitcoin-enabled for all travel operators and ancillary providers to integrate with." Using its TPE, GuestLogix will allow passengers to pay for products and services using Bitcoin currency. In an offline environment, such as onboard an aircraft with no internet connectivity, passengers can continue to use their own Bitcoin wallets available on their mobile smartphones to transact with the GuestLogix POS terminals. GuestLogix will be accepting the payment and remitting the funds to its customers at a later time when connectivity is available. Travel operators can also opt to price products and services in Bitcoins by utilizing the special pricing and promotions module on GXI's Retail Platform. Travel operators may choose to maintain Bitcoin addresses to receive the payments directly. Alternatively, Bitcoin funds accepted from the passenger will be converted using the daily exchange rate of the Bitcoin relative to the travel operator's base currency and the converted funds will be remitted to their bank account. About GuestLogix GuestLogix Inc. (GXI.TO), is a global leader in comprehensive merchandising, payment and business intelligence technology delivered to the passenger travel industry, both onboard and off-board. Bringing over a decade of expertise as the industry's most trusted onboard transaction processing partner to airlines, rail operators and elsewhere in the passenger travel industry, GuestLogix powers the industry's growing reliance on ancillary revenue generation. Both direct to operators as well as through partnerships with global leaders in catering, duty-free, inflight entertainment and self-service retail experts, the Company provides the payment services touching over 1 billion travelling consumers each year. On December 23, 2014, GuestLogix announced the acquisition of OpenJaw Technologies, a Dublin-based technology company focused on travel retailing innovation in the e-commerce segment. GuestLogix' global headquarters and centre for product innovation is located in Toronto, with regional head offices located in Dallas, London and Hong Kong, and a Product Innovation Lab located in Moncton. More information is available atwww.guestlogix.comandwww.openjawtech.com. © 2015 GuestLogix. All Rights Reserved. ® Transaction Processing Engine is the property of GuestLogix and is registered in the United States and may be pending or registered in other countries. Forward-Looking Statements This news release includes certain forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations, which involve risks and uncertainties associated with GuestLogix' business and the environment in which the business operates. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking, including those identified by the expressions "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but reflect GuestLogix' current expectations regarding future results or events. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations, including the matters discussed under "Risks and Uncertainties" in the Filing Statement filed on November 3, 2014 with the regulatory authorities. GuestLogix assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. || Bitcoin's golden moment: BIT gets FINRA approval: Online wallet and exchange services such as Coinbase have made it incredibly easy for the everyday investor and user of bitcoin to buy the currency. But what if you want to buy and hold bitcoin as an investment? Or, what if you want to diversify your investment portfolio into this new asset class, but do not have the expertise or resources to securely procure and store bitcoin? One solution to this problem has been the Bitcoin Investment Trust (BIT), which holds bitcoin in a trust in which investors can then buy shares. The BIT has been a private vehicle open to accredited investors since 2013, but that is about to change. On March 1, 2015, Grayscale Investments (the sponsor of the BIT) announced that it has received regulatory approval from FINRA for the fund to trade publicly on an electronic platform operated by the OTC Markets Group. This announcement ensures that the BIT will be the first publicly traded bitcoin investment fund and could pave the way for more stability in the price of bitcoin. It is also possible that a publicly traded fund like the BIT could have the same effect on the price of bitcoin as the SPDR Gold ETF had on the spot price of gold. Read MoreBitcoin needs better consumer protection When GLD began to trade, the spot price of gold was trading just above $400 per ounce. Prior to launch of the GLD, in order to purchase and store gold, investors needed to call a broker who specialized in buying spot gold and then arrange for storage. This meant opening new accounts and paying for vault space. Alternatively, many investors opted for the simple solution of buying gold coins and storing them in a safe deposit box. However, this method was not very efficient and as a result investing in gold was difficult for the average investor. Once investors had an ETF option, the diversification into gold began in earnest. Propelled by ease of investment and a well-timed financial crisis, the price of gold more than quadrupled to over $1900 in 2011. I have previously written about the inverse relationship between the price of bitcoin and merchant acceptance. There has been a flawed assumption that merchant acceptance will push the price of bitcoin ever higher. However, the evidence suggests differently. In fact, it appears that increased merchant acceptance has been a drag on the bitcoin price. The following chart illustrates that as bitcoin transactions increase the price declines. The best explanation for this phenomenon is that as merchants receive bitcoin they immediately convert to fiat currencies. This selling pressure could be a big driver of the downward slope in price despite corporations like Dell and Microsoft accepting the digital currency. However, the public listing of the BIT could change this relationship. There is really nothing mysterious about financial markets, they simple represent a place where buyer and seller agree on price, but disagree on value. If the seller values fiat currency more than bitcoin (perhaps to pay employee salaries in US Dollars) then they are more likely to accept a lower price. Read MoreHow I'm dodging bitcoin's flaw On the other side of the bitcoin transaction is the buyer which currently consists of long term investors. A falling price suggests that the sellers either outnumber the buyers or are more aggressive in terms of price. Presently there is very little competition between buyers, but an easy on-ramp to investing could change that dynamic. As long term investors enter the space the BIT may provide the needed competition for a scarce resource that will push the price higher. This is exactly what occurred when GLD was launched. Competition for a scarce resource is not a development unique to digital currency - this is the way markets have operated for thousands of years. More From CNBC • CNBC.com News Page • CNBC.com Blogs Page • CNBC.com Earnings Central || Ripple Labs Expands to Asia Pacific to Serve Regional Demand for Ripple's Real-Time Settlement Protocol: SAN FRANCISCO, CA and SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA--(Marketwired - Apr 6, 2015) -Ripple Labstoday announced that it has appointed Dilip Rao as Managing Director of its new Ripple Labs Asia Pacific subsidiary. The office was established in response to growing demand for Ripple's real-time settlement protocol in the region, and to more directly connect interested Ripple Labs partners in the United States and Europe with Asian Pacific markets. According toMcKinsey, in 2013, cross-border payments in Asia Pacific totaled $200 billion, and accounted for nearly half of all payment revenues in the region. Also according to McKinsey, Intra-Asia trade flows totaled almost $3 trillion in 2012, and are expected to surpass intra-Europe trade flows to become the largest in the world by 2016. "We are excited to formally unveil a presence in Asia Pacific -- an area that has been aggressively pursuing faster payment technologies for both domestic and cross-border payments," said Ripple Labs CEO and co-founder Chris Larsen. "Dilip is a natural fit to lead this office because of his years of experience in the space and his deep, engaged network in the region." The first office for Ripple Labs Asia Pacific is based in Sydney, Australia, and isactively recruitingintegration engineers, architects and other key hires. Ripple Lab Asia Pacific demonstrates the company's commitment to the emerging and dynamic market, and its regional mandate will include Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China and other countries in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Dilip Rao leads business development and operations for Ripple Labs Asia Pacific. In this role he engages with leading banks, regulators and central banks in support of Ripple's adoption. He has more than 25 years of experience in senior management with technology multinationals in technical, sales and marketing roles in Asia. He has consulted to major banks and corporates in Australia on innovation and was the founder of Australia's first person-to-person payments startup. Rao holds degrees in Physics and Electrical Engineering and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India. "I am thrilled to bring Ripple Labs to Sydney, where we can more effectively serve eager markets in India, Singapore, the Middle East and across APAC," said Rao. "Banks and enterprises can leverage Ripple to more efficiently service the exploding trade and remittance flows in this region." Ripple Labs is the global leader in distributed financial technology and standards. The team supports the adoption of Ripple, a settlement protocol that enables the world's disparate financial networks to securely transfer funds in any currency in real time. Banks, money transmitters and clearing houses can use Ripple as an alternative to correspondent banking to facilitate straight through processing with no reserve funding required.Earthport, the largest open network for global bank payments, and three banks in the United States and Germany recently announced Ripple integrations. Ripple was created to enable the world to move value as easily as information moves today, giving rise to an Internet of Value (IoV) akin to today's Internet of Knowledge. For more information about Ripple Labs, please visithttp://www.ripplelabs.com. For more information about Ripple, please visithttp://www.ripple.com. About Ripple LabsRipple Labs is the global leader on distributed financial technology. The team supports adoption of the Ripple protocol, an Internet of Value (IoV) that enables the free and instant exchange of anything of value. The San Francisco-based startup is funded by Google Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, IDG Capital Partners, Core Innovation Capital, FF Angel, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Bitcoin Opportunity Corp. and Vast Ventures. Named one of 2014's50 Smartest Companiesby MIT Technology Review, Ripple Labs' team of 100 is comprised of deeply experienced cryptographers, security experts, distributed network developers, Silicon Valley and Wall Street veterans. They contribute code to the open-source software, as well as develop tools for and recruit financial institutions and payment networks to use Ripple. The team shepherds a movement to evolve finance so that payment systems are open, secure, constructive and globally inclusive. About RippleRipple is an Internet protocol that interconnects all the world's disparate financial systems to power the secure transfer of funds in any currency in real time -- enabling an Internet of Value (IoV). As settlement infrastructure, Ripple transforms and enhances today's financial systems. Ripple unlocks assets and provides access to payment systems for everyone, empowering the world to move value like information moves today. For more information about Ripple, please visithttp://www.ripple.com. || Bitcoin Could Make Banking A Possibility In Africa: Bitcoin has been the subject of a widespread debate over whether or not cryptocurrencies will catch on and become a viable currency adopted across the world. While the current user base remains relatively small and confined to the tech crowd, some saybitcoin may findits calling in poor areas where banking is almost non-existent. Banking Options In Africa Limited In Africa, the majority of the population does not have a bank account and relies on money transfer operators like Western Union and MoneyGram in order to send and receive cash. However, the fees for such services are typically around 12 percent; meaning families who are often in dire need of every cent are missing out on a sizable portion of cash because of the service charge. Blockchain Reduces Service Charges Enter bitcoin. Supporters for the cryptocurrency say bitcoin’s blockchain technology would allow individuals to transfer money to one another with drastically lower service charges and much shorter wait times. In Ghana,Beamis one business that has already started to make this idea a reality. The company allows people to convert bitcoin that has been sent from abroad into the local currency for just a 3 percent service fee. The company’s founders are also planning “Value Remittances”, a service that will give people in other countries the ability to pay Ghanaians’ water and electric bills using bitcoin. Bitcoin Isn’t Ready To Service Africa Although the benefits of using bitcoin in Africa are plentiful, critics say the cryptocurrency hasn’t come far enough to be a viable option. Many banks around the world are still wary about using the currency and merchants in Africa have yet to adopt bitcoin as a payment method. Additionally, a sense of mistrust will likely keep Africans themselves from wanting to use bitcoin and their experience using Western Union or MoneyGram is likely to keep them coming back. Related Link:New York Weighs Benefits Of Bitcoin Integration Volatility An Issue Bill Gatesremarked earlier this year that bitcoin wasn’t feasible in poor nations. He cited bitcoin’s volatility as a reason his own charity isn’t looking to use bitcoin, and that the currency alone wouldn’t be able to solve global payment challenges. Gates said poor nations wouldn’t benefit from a currency whose value rises and falls so much against the local currency, so for now, bitcoin wouldn’t benefit such countries. See more from Benzinga • Colorado Launches The First Weed-Based Job Seeker Site • Starbucks Makes Getting Your Caffeine Fix Even Easier • Greece Bailout Talks Grind To A Halt, Markets Reconsider Possible 'Grexit' © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Digital Currency Student Debt Solutions Offered by Bitcoin Alternative DNotes with Long Term Savings Plans for Students: DNotes Launched the First Cryptocurrency Investment Savings Plan (CRISP) for Students, Aimed at Providing Them Multiple Solutions and Opportunities; Universities, Schools and Clubs will be Apportioned Codes Allowing Enrolled Students to Register to be Awarded 500 free DNotes ILLINOIS, USA / ACCESSWIRE / March 30, 2015 / Market stable cryptocurrency DNotes launches their third long term Cryptocurrency Investment Savings Plan (CRISP) for Students. Following the launch of CRISP for Kids and CRISP for Retirement. While Bitcoin has struggled with explosive volatilities, second generation Bitcoin alternative DNotes has achieved remarkable stability and reliable appreciation since inception, making it a viable savings alternative with potential high returns that could help students avoid crippling student loan debt upon graduation. DNotes Co-Founder Alan Yong explained that student debt hardship is a growing global problem, with damaging implications in future job and wealth creation for students. This global problem can be a great opportunity for DNotes and participating students. CRISP For Students mission is to engage and involve students worldwide to participate by having an ownership stake in the most innovative technology revolution since the Internet, positioning them to benefit from potential high returns and job opportunities. These students will become the next generation of DNotes' leaders, innovators and stakeholders, who will provide further solutions to global problems. Humanity now lives in a hyperconnected world and by the year 2020 more than five billion people worldwide will be equipped with smart phones that are even more powerful and feature rich. New technologies are making it possible to solve problems on a global scale that were previously impossible to solve. Bitcoin is one such technology considered by many as the most innovative and disruptive since the Internet. Essentially, Bitcoin is the future of money; a decentralized digital currency, coupled with an immensely powerful Blockchain that removes the need for trusted third parties in financial transactions. Story continues Alan Yong, DNotes Co-Founder and pioneer of the first commercial tablet computer, warns that student loans are a major threat to long-term wealth accumulation and overall student well-being. Yong points to research by the Assets and Education Initiative (AEDI), that found students with outstanding debt, regardless of how little, are more likely to defer the purchase of revenue generating assets till later in adulthood. Yong added that, "The current student generation may not have access to publicly funded retirement entitlements in the future. This is why the DNotes team has moved to alleviate inadequate private savings. CRISP For Students will assist students to get started with a digital savings account without having to pay for it, allowing them to gain immediate exposure and experience with digital currency - the future of money." DNotes Director of CRISP For Students, Timothy Goggin, said that universities, schools and related clubs will be apportioned codes that will allow enrolled students to register to be awarded 500 DNotes. Students will be asked to provide their code, e-mail, institution and course of study. If a student is unable to register, they will be prompted with instructions on how to best ascertain a code from their institution of study. Some students may also be employed to help the DNotes team with ongoing projects and marketing, while earning crucial work experience with people in the top of their field. Central to DNotes long term strategic plan is the creation of highly scalable building blocks, as the foundation of its own ecosystem. Those strategic building blocks include CryptoMoms; a currency neutral site dedicated to encourage female participation, DNotesVault; free and secure storage for DNotes' stakeholders with 100% deposit guarantee, and CRISPs; a family of Cryptocurrency Investment Savings Plans. CRISP for Students will become an integral part of DNotes ecosystem, with plans to include a conduit of scholar funds and an online global student marketplace. This is a global initiative to build the next generation of DNotes leaders and stakeholders, leading to mass consumer and mass merchant adoption of DNotes as a medium of exchange. Universities, students, clubs and schools worldwide are invited to contact DNotes at [email protected] to arrange for distribution of free DNotes to students to initiate their cryptocurrency savings, and to learn of other exciting opportunities in the world of emergent digital currencies. About DNotes And Alan Yong: DNotes co-founder Alan Yong established personal computer company Dauphin Technology in 1988, which had contracts with IBM, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Treasury. Having been well regarded as a visionary of a different tech era, emerging cryptocurrencies remind Yong of the early years of personal computers in the late 1980's. For more information about us, please visit http://dnotesvault.com/crisp-for-students.php . Contact Info: Name: Alan Yong Email: [email protected] Organization: DNotes SOURCE: DNotes || Bitcoin Exchange itBit says it won part of bitcoin auction: NEW YORK (Reuters) - - Bitcoin exchange itBit on Tuesday said it had won part of the U.S. government's third auction of bitcoins seized from Ross Ulbricht, who was convicted last month of operating black market website Silk Road. The company said it won 3,000 of the 50,000 bitcoins auctioned last week by the U.S. Marshals Service. The Marshals Service said earlier on Tuesday there are two other unidentified winners, which took 27,000 and 20,000 coins respectively. In late trading on Tuesday, bitcoin was up 1.8 percent at $292.19. That put the value of the 50,000 bitcoins auctioned at $14.6 million. ItBit was founded in 2012 as a global exchange for institutional and retail investors. It has offices in New York and Singapore. Last week's auction attracted 34 bids from 14 registered bidders. That was more than the last bitcoin auction in December when just 11 buyers submitted 27 bids. The first auction in June attracted 45 bidders and 63 bids. (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Andrew Hay) || Texas Bitcoin Conference Hackathon and Rivetz Boost Developers to Augment Android's Blockchain Capabilities: AUSTIN, TX--(Marketwired - Mar 26, 2015) - Texas Bitcoin Conference --Rivetz(http://rivetz.com/) today announced its partnership with the Texas Bitcoin Conference's hackathon (http://texasbitcoinconference.com/) to provide Rivetz-enabled Android smartphones and technical expertise to the participating teams. The Rivetz SDK provides developers with the tools to leverage the embedded security capabilities in Android phones for any of the proposed projects. Rivetz also has agreed to contribute a provisioned Galaxy Note 4 and $10,000 in Rivetz services to the winning team. The global focus on cyber security and identity creates great opportunities for many startup ideas and features. Blockchain technology is able to provide trusted execution on devices for identity management, providing a strong, secure foundation for innovation. "We are pleased to have the Rivetz team participating in the hackathon and look forward to the great innovation and sleepless nights," said Paul Snow, the conference's president and organizer. With Rivetz technological backing, hackathon developers will be able to rest easy knowing that the conference's security cannot be compromised. "So often, security is an afterthought. We are pleased to participate in the hackathon to show how security can be built in," said Steven Sprague, CEO of Rivetz. "The market is ready for innovative solutions which leverage the advanced security capabilities of modern hardware." The Texas Bitcoin Conference will take place in Austin, Texas, at the Moody Theater, home ofAustin City Limits Live. The hackathon will take place from March 27 to 29, 2015. About RivetzRivetz Corp. is focused on solving problems associated with consumers' relationships with financial and other online services. Rivetz provides a safer and easier-to-use model for all users to protect their digital assets and online transactions using hardware-based device identity. The device plays a critical role in automating security and enabling the controls that users need to benefit from modern services. Rivetz leverages state-of-the-art cybersecurity tools to develop a modern model for users and their devices to interact with services on the Internet. For more information, visitwww.Rivetz.com. All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners. || Is London Becoming The World's Bitcoin Hub?: Last month, the British government threw its weight behind bitcoin saying it would create new regulations to prevent money laundering through cryptocurrency exchanges and work together with fintech companies to come up with a set of rules to govern the use of cryptocurrencies. The proposal marked a major step in making the UK a hub for investors and small businesses interested in digital currencies. Now, London is quickly making a name for itself as one of the most bitcoin-friendly cities in the world. Attitude Is Everything Although London has made a name as the largest currency trading destination, for many the city doesn't seem like a home for bitcoin. With Silicon Valley launching some of the world's most successful tech companies and New York famous for its financial clout, London isn't often pictured as an innovative place for bitcoin enthusiasts. However, the city has made its intention to create an environment that fosters bitcoin innovation clear in recent months as the bitcoin scene continues to grow. The City of London's government has said that growth opportunities offered by finance technology like digital currencies are a welcome addition to the city's economy and Finance Minister George Osborne has openly expressed his desire to make Britain a leader in the fintech space. Some say that it will be that positive attitude which will attract more and more bitcoin firms to bring their business to London. Related Link: New App Allows Seamless Bitcoin Investment Government Involvement In addition to Britain's decision to work together with digital currency businesses to develop a set of standards to govern cryptocurrencies, the region is also making it easier for bitcoin-based businesses to file their taxes. In 2014, Britain decided to amend its tax law and make bitcoin trades exempt from value added taxes, something most other countries have yet to decide. UBS On Board Swiss Bank UBS AG (NYSE: UBS ) is planning to join London's fintech scene later this month by opening a dedicated blockchain technology innovation lab which will research ways to integrate blockchain into financial services. Story continues Although UBS is not the first bank to tout the potential benefits of blockchain, the technology powering bitcoin, it is the first to go public with its research plans. See more from Benzinga EU Policymakers Express Frustration As Greek Bailout Talks Flatline U.S. Department Of Defense Hopes To Pick Up The Pace With 'Better Buying Power 3.0' Marijuana Legalization Supporters Delivered A Blow With Schedule 1 Ruling © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || ECB Meeting Minutes Expose Cracks In Central Bankers' Confidence: The European Central Bank's large scale bond buying plan has done wonders for the region's markets. With the exception ofGreece, European nations' share markets have been on fire since the roll-out of ECB President Mario Draghi's highly anticipated quantitative easing plans. The stimulus package was also seen improving the bloc's economic struggles, but many are beginning to question whether or not the bank's investment will pay off. Minutes Show Concern At the beginning of March, the European Central Bank predicted that the eurozone would grow 2.1 percent in 2017. The figure was considered a product of the successful implementation of the ECB's bond buying program coupled with economic reform in struggling eurozone nations and gave investors hope that the region was turning a corner. However, theminutesfrom that meeting, released last week, show that a strong recovery in the eurozone is anything but certain. Related Link:Euro/Dollar Parity: What's Next? Projections Uncertain That 2.1 percent growth target was based on a number of factors, which ECB members said were far from being set in stone. For one, the bank's assessment of growth depended largely on oil prices remaining low throughout the next two years. While many analysts believe that oil prices are likely to be persistently weak in the coming years due to an imbalance between supply and demand, several scenarios in which production is reduced are possible as well. Difficulty Agreeing Additionally, many worry that the bank's growth forecast was too optimistic regarding the willingness of eurozone nations to carry out the necessary reforms to repair the region's fractured financial system. If the ongoing battle in Greece is any indication of the bloc's ability to come together and agree on similar fiscal objectives, there is going to be a bumpy road ahead. See more from Benzinga • Good Friday Not So Great, Thanks To Data • BitPay Pulls College Football Sponsorship • Bitcoin's Jail Stint Creates New Currency Offering © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Biomonitoring Is The New Black: With Apple Inc. 's (NASDAQ: AAPL ) highly anticipated smart watch due out in the coming weeks, the buzz around wearable technology is at an all time high. Smart watches are quickly becoming 2015's must have gadget, so companies are looking for ways to capitalize on the wearables market and no one is doing that better than fitness-based firms. Excitement Grows Around Biomonitoring Apps Apple's smart watch is expected to introduce a variety of features designed to seamlessly connect the wearer to the world around them. However one of the most talked about functions that the watch will provide is biomonitoring. Apple is set to introduce its own line of feature rich apps that will help users track their health and fitness data, but developers have also begun to unveil their own offerings that will track everything from blood sugar to calories burned. Nike A Smartphone Veteran The biomonitoring revolution has created an interesting market for athletic apparel companies as they can now engage with fitness enthusiasts who are likely to jump on board the wearables train. Nike Inc.'s (NYSE: NKE ) Nike+ Fuel smartphone app is a great example of how an apparel company is making the most of a growing demand for fitness tracking. Related Link: Is Bitcoin The Next Internet? Under Armour Says Apps Are Just The Beginning Under Armour (NYSE: UA ) is working to similarly establish a digital relationship with its customers in the coming year as wearables grow in popularity. The company recently spent $710 million to purchase the MapMyFitness, MyFitnessPal and Endomondo apps in order to better connect with its target audience. Under Armour Chief Executive Kevin Plank claims that a presence on customers' smartphones is only the beginning. He says the company is working to develop biomonitoring clothing that will be able to do everything from analyzing a wearer's yoga positions to measuring their heart rate. See more from Benzinga Apple Announces Biggest European Expansion Yet Meet Pepper, The Latest House Robot The Mobile Payments Race Is On © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. View comments [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] Current price: 179.21£ $BTCGBP $btc #bitcoin 2015-03-07 13:00:04 GMT || LIVE: Profit = $54.85 (9.90 %). BUY B2.03 @ $272.00 (#BTCe). SELL @ $281.00 (#VirCurex) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || current #bitcoin price (winkdex) is $234.04, last changed Mon, 13 Apr 2015 15:19:00 GMT. queried at: 15:22:23 || In the last 10 mins, there were arb opps spanning 23 exchange pair(s), yielding profits ranging between $0.00 and $778.74 #bitcoin #btc || buysellbitco.in #bitcoin price in INR, Buy : 17944.00 INR Sell : 17334.00 INR. Buy and sell bitcoin in #India using #buysellbitcoin || Bitcoin traded at $238.8 USD on BTC-e at 03:00 AM Pacific Time || Bitstamp Prices LAST: $252.00 BID: $252.02 ASK: $252.13 VOL: 3947.78 BTC http://bit.ly/Cryptoticks  || $265.58 at 20:00 UTC [24h Range: $261.75 - $288.42 Volume: 15381 BTC] || LIVE: Profit = $1,196.02 (33.00 %). BUY B14.40 @ $250.50 (#BTCe). SELL @ $255.00 (#VirCurex) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || Last: 0.00000023 BTC Market Cap: $8,523.00 USD Hashrate: 94.57 MH/s Diff: 1 Block: 484258 #Hempcoin $THC #potcoin #bitcoin
Trend: up || Prices: 222.60, 224.63, 235.27, 234.18, 236.46, 231.27, 226.39, 219.43, 229.29, 225.85
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2017-02-17] BTC Price: 1046.21, BTC RSI: 63.44 Gold Price: 1237.60, Gold RSI: 64.44 Oil Price: 53.40, Oil RSI: 53.70 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] How Did Bitcoin Perform This Year?: After a strong showing in 2015, Bitcoin investors experienced another strong year of performance from the popular cryptocurrency in 2016. Bitcoin followed up an impressive +26.3 percent gain in 2015 with a +119.8 percent gain in 2016. A large part of Bitcoin’s gains has come in the final weeks of the year. Since December 16, the price of Bitcoin has spiked 20.0 percent to $967.94. Tech-savvy investorscan buy Bitcoin directly by downloading a Bitcoin Wallet app from Circle, Coinbase, Xapo or other popular services and simply linking their bank account to the app. In addition to these digital wallet apps, investors can buy shares ofBitcoin Investment Trust(OTC:GBTC), which is a trust that invests exclusively in Bitcoin and trades on the OTC market. Each share of the trust represents on tenth of a Bitcoin. The trust is up 93.6 percent in 2016. The Winklevoss twins have also filed for a Bitcoin ETF that may be approved in 2017. The twins have made a number of tweaks to the proposed ETF since they first filed in order to convince the SEC of the safety and security of the fund. If approved, the Bitcoin ETF would be the first direct way for investors to bet on Bitcoin on a major U.S. public market. See more from Benzinga • Should You Be Buying 2016 Market Leaders Or Laggards Heading Into 2017? • NVIDIA's Pullback Might Not Last Very Long • 2016: TV Media's Year In Review © 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Bitcoin is having trouble getting through $900: Bitcoin holds little changed near $891 a coin as of 7:02 a.m. ET. The cryptocurrency is contending with resistance in the $900 area for the third straight session. Bitcoin raced to more than $916 on Tuesday but was unable to break out above the early-January resistance level. Bitcoin has gotten off to a wild start in 2017. Buying in the opening days of the year lifted its price more than 20% and above $1,000 for the first time since November 2013. However, rumblings about a crackdown on trading in China have caused jitters as of late. Beijingannouncedit had beguninvestigating bitcoin exchangesin Beijing and Shanghai on suspicion of market manipulation, money laundering, unauthorized financing, and other issues.The price crashed 35% to nearly $750 before finding support and working its way back up to resistance in the $900 area. Thursday's action has to alleviate some concerns regarding the trading environment in China as Beijing announced it wastightening capital controls even further. While the rules were aimed atoutbound investments by centrally-controlled state firms, it is still notable thatbitcoin has so far been spared. In a note to clients on Wednesday, Deutsche Bank's Torsten Sløk showed howChina dominates the global bitcoin market, accounting for nearly 100% of the trading. (Investing.com) NOW WATCH:Here's how to use one of the many apps to buy and trade bitcoin More From Business Insider • Bitcoin is soaring • Bitcoin is making a comeback • Bitcoin is charging higher || Bitcoin plunges as much as 20 percent as Chinese yuan soars: By Jemima Kelly LONDON (Reuters) - A dramatic rally in digital currency bitcoin came to a spectacular end on Thursday with a plunge of up to 20 percent as China's yuan rose sharply - further evidence of an intriguing inverse relationship between the pair. Bitcoin had gained more than 40 percent in two weeks to hit a three-year high of $1,139.89 on Wednesday, just shy of its all-time record of $1,163 on the Europe-based Bitstamp exchange (BTC=BTSP). But it dived as low as $885.41 on Thursday as the yuan jumped by over 1 percent in offshore trading and headed for its strongest two-day performance on record. (CNH=D3) [CNY/] Chinese exchanges have reported high volumes of trading of the web-based "cryptocurrency" over the past year, during which time the yuan has shed almost 7 percent, its worst annual performance since 1994, while bitcoin has surged 125 percent, outperforming all other currencies for a second year in a row. Bitcoin can used for moving money across the globe quickly and anonymously, and operates outside the control of any central authority. That makes it attractive to those wanting to get around capital controls, such as in China, and also to investors who are worried about a devaluation in their currency. "Given that the yuan's weakness over recent months seemed to correlate with bitcoin's strength more than any other currency, it's no surprise that bitcoin traders have reacted the way they have to the yuan's sudden strength today," said Paul Gordon, co-founder of London-based Quantave, a firm seeking to make it easier for investors to access digital currency exchanges. Exchanges in China say they account for more than 90 percent of global bitcoin trading, which would help explain why a shift in Chinese demand would sharply affect the price. But many bitcoin experts say Chinese exchanges overstate their volumes in the digital currency, and attribute sharp moves to speculation by, for example, U.S.-based hedge funds. Some said bitcoin's fall was a natural reaction to the speed of its previous rise. It is still up more than 50 percent on three months ago, when it was trading at around $600, "If something goes up very rapidly...people make a lot of money, and at some point they’re going to want to sell, in order to realize their gains," said Marco Streng, CEO of bitcoin mining and trading firm Genesis Mining. By 1645 GMT (11:45 a.m. ET), bitcoin had recovered some of its earlier losses to trade down almost 15 percent on the day at around $950, still leaving it on course for its worst performance in a year. On some digital currency exchanges - of which there are dozens - bitcoin did reach record highs late on Wednesday. "Once we broke through the nominal all-time high, liquidity dried up - no shorts, no sellers, which means a volatile little bubble formed quickly," said Peter Smith, CEO of London-based Blockchain, the biggest bitcoin wallet-provider globally. "We are seeing the effects of that now as it breaks. It's still fairly thin trading volume though, so who really knows where it goes next." For a graphic on the bitcoin economy, clickhttp://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/HONGKONG-BITCOIN/0100106X09S/BITCOIN%20ECONOMY%20T.jpg For a graphic on bitcoin exchange rates, clickhttp://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/1/2097/4051/s3d90f04kz56.htm (Reporting by Jemima Kelly; Editing by Mark Trevelyan) || A 27-year-old raised $10 million from venture capitalists for an unusual hedge fund: bitcoin (Andrew Burton/Getty Images) A 27-year-old has raised $10 million for an unusual hedge fund — with the support of venture capitalists like Andreessen Horowitz and Union Square Ventures. The 27-year-old in question is Olaf Carlson-Wee, and he's launching a strategy that invests in cryptocurrencies. To be clear, the $10 million managed by Carlson-Wee's Polychain Capital is peanuts in the hedge fund world. But Polychain's strategy is rare, with few other funds trading in cryptocurrencies. Most hedge funds trade stocks, bonds, and currencies, with variations of different strategies. So what is a cryptocurrency? A cryptocurrency is basically a digital, encrypted currency that is decentralized, so no one power oversees its value. Bitcoin is the most famous of cryptocurrencies — nobody knows who created it — and it's divorced from any government. It's considered a secure, private currency, drawing the attention of antigovernment and privacy-minded folks . But it's not the only one — several other cryptocurrencies exist and are being developed. Transactions for these currencies are recorded in blockchain, a private and encrypted ledger . Carlson-Wee is betting that he can choose the cryptocurrencies that will increase in value — and he expects hundreds of them to enter the market. "The challenge for someone running a hedge fund is how to build a portfolio across that spectrum of risk and how to choose which of the new issues are going to become important and which are not," said Brad Burnham, partner at Union Square Ventures, which is investing in the fund. Olaf Carlson-Wee (Olaf Carlson-Wee.Courtesy of Olaf Carlson-Wee) Polychain, based in San Francisco, will be small, hiring only a handful of people. And Carlson-Wee is not looking for traditional Wall Street types. "An amateur trader in the cryptocurrency market may have a more relevant background than someone who has had a traditional background on Wall Street," Carlson-Wee said. Carlson-Wee, a Vassar College grad, wrote his undergrad thesis on bitcoin. Story continues "I was immediately enamored and sort of obsessed," he said. "I thought the prospect of [bitcoin] had massive implications." He then went to Coinbase, a digital asset exchange, and headed risk, overseeing things like fraud prevention and account security, he said. Not only is his background unusual for hedge funds — so is his strategy. For instance, the normal research avenues for common hedge fund trades are unavailable, though there are some parallels. Qualitative research Instead of talking with sell-side researchers or looking at credit agencies (there are none), Carlson-Wee spends his time reading through the white papers that describe the protocols, interviewing the lead developers, and looking at a protocol's machinations in the GitHub repository. "This qualitative research is supplemented by market data such as price and trading volume as well as network data such as transactions per day, dollar value transacted per day, and the estimated cost of a network-scale attack," he said. He also embeds himself within the groups that are using the protocols to get a sense of how they are interacting with them, he said. two men computers typing technology digital online internet (Patrick Lux/Getty Images) That model is similar to other funds that have launched in the space. MetaStable, another small hedge fund based in San Francisco, launched in 2014 with a handful of employees. The firm manages a few million, said Lucas Ryan, one of MetaStable's staffers. Its investors tend to be those who are already sold on blockchain but "aren't necessary sold that bitcoin has solved all the problems," so they are seeking to invest in other cryptocurrencies, Ryan said. Ryan, who has a programming background, says his job is to evaluate the protocols that people are developing and the problems they are trying to solve. "The market is so immature and requires a high degree of technical understanding to wade through the stuff that isn't bull----," Ryan said. "A lot of stuff I couldn't do if I wasn't a programmer with a cryptography background. There's not, like, a ratings agency for any of these." Still, like with Polychain's strategy, there are parallels. Ryan meets with protocol developers and tries to get a sense of how serious they are and whether their source coding is legit. To be sure, this world of funds is very young. Until recently, Ryan was working on the fund part time, he said. And it's unlikely these kinds of funds would grow to be large. Bitcoin, the most popular cryptocurrency, has about a $13.7 billion market cap. "Bitcoin is like 80% of the total market of coins," Ryan said. "It would give someone pause to start a $50 million fund." NOW WATCH: A penny costs 1.43 cents to make — here’s what the rest of US currency costs More From Business Insider Hedge funds are going to lay out their Brexit wish list to stop the destruction of the city A small hedge fund that says its reports have led to CEO resignations has a new big short There has been a board shake-up at Chipotle, and Bill Ackman is happy about it || STOCKS HIT ALL-TIME HIGHS: Here's what you need to know: (Lucas Jackson/Reuters) Stocks touched all-time highs on Thursday after US President Donald Trump said he would release his plan to reform the tax system in the next few weeks. Although they back-tracked on some of their gains near the end of the trading day, all three major indices still finished in the green. First up, the scoreboard: • Dow:20,172.40, +118.06, (+0.59%) • S&P 500:2,307.87, +13.20, (+0.58%) • Nasdaq:5,715.18, +32.73, (0.58%) • US 10-year yield:2.397%, +0.057 • WTI Crude:$53.09 per barrel, +0.75, +1.34% 1.US President Donald Trump said that in the new few weeks he will release his plan to reform the US tax system. "We're going to be announcing something over the next, I would say, two or three weeks that will be phenomenal in terms of tax," Trump said at a meeting with airline executives on Thursday. He added that he is "lowering the overall tax burden on American businesses, big league." 2.The Bank of Mexico hiked rates by 50 basis points to 6.25% in its latest interest-rate decision. In the accompanying statement, the bank noted that emerging markets were facing greater uncertainty regarding fiscal, commercial, and migration policies under consideration by the new US administration. 3.Airline stocks rallied after Trump promised to fix the "out of whack" air traffic control system. American Airlines was up by over 3%, Southwest was up by 2.7%, JetBlue was up by 3.6%, United Continental was up by 1.7%, and Delta was up by 2.9%. 4.Twitter's stock tanked after the company warned its revenue growth would continue to "lag" its recent spike in users. Its stock was down by 10.6% in premarket trading on Thursday. 5.Bitcoin tanked after Chinese exchanges announced they were blocking customers from withdrawing their bitcoins. The cryptocurrency was down by 9.6% around 9:30 a.m. ET.Thursday's announcements are notable becausenearly 100% of all bitcoin transactionstake place on Chinese exchanges. 6.New York City landlords have never been this aggressive about filling up vacant apartments.In January, concessions like a month of free rent and brand-new appliances rose to a record high in both Manhattan and Brooklyn, according to the real-estate appraiserDouglas Elliman. Concessions hit new highs for a fourth straight month, and the share of new leases with such giveaways was above 30% for the first time. 7.Yum Brands whiffed on sales as fewer people eat at Pizza Hut.Yum Brands Inc, the owner of KFC and Taco Bell, reported a lower-than-expected rise in quarterly sales at established restaurants worldwide as fewer diners ate at its Pizza Hut chain. 8.Initial jobless claims unexpectedly fell.Claims,which provide a weekly count of the number of people who applied for unemployment insurance for the first time, fell to 234,000.Moreover, the four-week moving average came in at 244,250, which is the lowest level since November 3, 1973 when it was 244,000. Additionally: One chart shows just how devastating healthcare costs are for American families. Here's one name Trump will hear when he looks to replace Janet Yellen as Fed chair. Trump's plan to make Wall Street unregulated again won't go unchallenged. This is how you know something desperate is going on in China's economy. Top Bridgewater exec explains how its intense, unique culture helped the world's largest hedge fund make $50 billion. Be very afraid of the stock market, argues Business Insider's Linette Lopez. Here's how many people in every state don't have health insurance. NOW WATCH:Here's how to use one of the many apps to buy and trade bitcoin More From Business Insider • 20 must-have tech accessories under $20 • Kellyanne Conway encourages Americans to 'go buy Ivanka's stuff,' potentially violating ethics rules • These 13 online classes will help you learn something new in 2017 — and they’re all $10 || 10 things you need to know before the opening bell: (General view of a fan with Jamie Vardy masks on the seats before the match.Reuters/Reuters Staff) Here is what you need to know. Dow 20,000 is in the crosshairs.The Dow Jones Industrial Average booked a fractional gain on Tuesday, finishing at 19,945.04. The index is set to open higher by 0.1% near 19,971. Bitcoin is up again.The cryptocurrency is up about 3% at $958, and trading at its best level since November 2013. Bitcoin has gained $135, or 16.4%, over the past week. Toshiba crashes after warning of a multi-billion dollar writedown.Shares of thechips-to-construction group tumbled 20% on Wednesday after the company warned it might need to take a larger than expected writedown on its acquisition ofChicago Bridge & Iron. Delta cancels an order from Boeing.Delta Air Lines has canceled an order for 18Boeing widebody 787 Dreamliner jets, with a list price of $4 billion, that was inherited from its takeover of Northwest Airlines, the Seattle Times says. BP is buying gas stations in Australia.The London-based oil giant has agreed to pay $1.3 billion for Woolworths' 527 retail fuel outlets in Australia, according to Bloomberg. Qualcomm got hit with an $854 million fine by South Korea.TheKorea Fair Trade Commission, South Korea's antitrust regulator, has ruled that Qualcomm hindered competition as a result of itsbusiness practices of patent licensing and smartphone modem chip sales, Reuters reports. Panasonic is investing in a Tesla production facility.Panasonic will invest $256 million in a Tesla production facility that makesphotovoltaic (PV) cells and modules, Reuters reports. CEO pay is rising in the UK, but "economic profit" isn't.A report released by the CFA Institute showed CEO pay in the UK has climbed 82% in the last 13 years, but the average company generated less than a 1% return for investors. Stock markets around the world are up.Hong Kong's Hang Seng (+0.8%) paced the gains overnight and Britain's FTSE (+0.4%) leads in Europe. US economic data trickles out.Pending home sales will be released at 10 a.m. ET. The US 10-year yield is unchanged at 2.56%. More From Business Insider • Alt-right movement descends into civil war after leading figure is booted from Trump inauguration event • 'Star Wars' actress Carrie Fisher is dead at 60 • Here's a super-quick guide to what traders are talking about right now || Bitcoin firm gets approval to operate in Switzerland: By Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi ZURICH (Reuters) - Bitcoin wallet provider Xapo said it has received conditional approval from Switzerland's financial market watchdog to operate in the country in a regulatory breakthrough for companies that provide safekeeping for the virtual currency. "After almost two years of substantial effort and investment, Xapo has received conditional approval from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) to operate in Switzerland," Xapo CEO Wences Casares said in a blog on the company's website. The approval depended on several factors, including membership of a "self-regulatory organization", Casares said, but added that the company was optimistic of meeting the conditions and being able to serve non-U.S. customers from Switzerland. FINMA declined to comment on an individual company's status. Olga Feldmeier, a former managing partner of Xapo who coordinated the Swiss licensing process for the company, told Reuters that Xapo had been designated a financial intermediary, meaning it will not require a costly banking license. Wallet providers like Xapo, which was founded in Silicon Valley, store the private keys that allow clients to access their digital currency funds. While other crypto-currency firms already operate in Switzerland, Xapo's operation as a bitcoin wallet provider had raised questions over whether it required a banking license. A burgeoning industry surrounding bitcoin - a web-based "crypto-currency" that has no central authority, relying instead on a global network of computers that validate transactions and add new bitcoins to the system - has posed questions for lawmakers and regulators. Xapo argued it did not accept deposits. Swiss authorities are eager to secure a leading role for Switzerland while playing catch-up in a rapidly changing financial technology (fintech) landscape. Bitcoin Suisse operates a network of bitcoin ATMs across the country, as well as an online and in-person brokerage for buying and selling bitcoins. But it does not itself store the private access keys that led to questions about whether Xapo was taking deposits. Story continues Switzerland's cabinet in November proposed new light-touch regulations for fintech companies aimed at bolstering business and competitiveness. The proposals include a fintech license, granted by FINMA, for institutions which are restricted to taking deposits of up to 100 million Swiss francs ($99.9 million) and do not lend. Xapo is now in the process of joining a self-regulatory organization required under Swiss anti-money laundering regulations to begin operations, Feldmeier said. (Editing by Adrian Croft) || Bitcoin's total value hits record high above $14 billion: By Jemima Kelly LONDON (Reuters) - The total value of all bitcoins in circulation hit a record high above $14 billion on Thursday, as the web-based digital currency jumped 5 percent on the day to its highest levels in three years after more than doubling in price this year. The price of one bitcoin reached $875 on the Europe-based Bitstamp exchange, its strongest level since January 2014, putting the cryptocurrency on track for its best daily performance in six months. That compared with levels around $435 at the start of the year, with many experts linking bitcoin's rise with the steady depreciation of the Chinese yuan, which has slid almost 7 percent this year. Data shows the majority of bitcoin trading is done in China, so any increase in demand from there tends to have a significant impact on the price. Bitcoin is a web-based "cryptocurrency" that can move money across the globe quickly and anonymously with no need for a central authority. That makes it attractive to those wanting to get around capital controls, such as China's. The digital currency is still some way off the peaks it scaled in late 2013, when it traded as high as $1,163 on the Bitstamp exchange. But because more bitcoins continue to be added to the system, currently at a rate of 12.5 every 10 minutes, its total value - or "market cap" - on Thursday surpassed the 2013 peak of around $14.01 billion. That puts its total value at around the same as that of an average FTSE 100 company. Charles Hayter, founder of data analysis website Cryptocompare, said bitcoin had been helped higher by demonetisation in India, and by global political uncertainty. "If that trend continues, bitcoin is a good thematic play on the fracturing of our global norms as a flight to safety," he said. (Reporting by Jemima Kelly, editing by Nigel Stephenson) || Bitcoin exchange BTCC: China hasn't said margin trading illegal: By Brenda Goh SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The head of Chinese bitcoin exchange BTCC on Thursday denied media reports that the central bank had ruled it was offering margin loans illegally, and he said the platform is operating normally. However, Chief Executive Bobby Lee told Reuters the company had stopped offering margin loans last week alongside competitors such as Huobi and OkCoin, after "discussions" with the People's Bank of China (PBOC). He gave no details. "No one has said that margin trading for bitcoin is illegal," Lee said. He said the media reports were "not based on any official documentation. So as far as I'm concerned, at this moment, we have not received any official documentation, verbal or written feedback from the PBOC with regards to their conversations with us over the last two weeks." The PBOC declined to comment. Beijing Youth Daily, a state-run newspaper, said on Thursday that a PBOC investigation found that China's three largest bitcoin exchanges were illegally conducting margin trading, and such activity stoked abnormal market volatility. Another state-owned media, Economic Information Daily, said that the Shanghai branch of China's central bank had found "hidden risks" in BTCC. SPOT CHECKS On Jan. 11, the central bank launched spot checks on BTCC, Huobi and OkCoin to look into a range of possible rule violations, amid increasing government efforts to stem capital outflows and relieve pressure on the yuan currency. While the yuan weakened 6.6 percent against the dollar last year, its worst performance since 1994, the bitcoin price has soared to near-record highs. Late on Wednesday, after some Chinese media reports were published, the price of bitcoin fell nearly 8 percent on the BTCC exchange to 5,724 yuan, equivalent to around $835. By Thursday, the price had recovered to around 6,120 yuan. Spokeswomen for OkCoin and Huobi confirmed to Reuters that their platforms had also stopped offering margin loans, but both did not respond to queries on whether they had received official notices from the PBOC. Story continues Lee of BTCC also said the exchanges had discussed introducing trading fees and were open to that, but said the regulator might have to get involved before this could happen. The absence of trading fees has encouraged volumes and boosted demand at the Chinese bitcoin exchanges. (Reporting by Brenda Goh; Editing by Richard Borsuk) || Bitcoin firm gets approval to operate in Switzerland: By Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi ZURICH (Reuters) - Bitcoin wallet provider Xapo said it has received conditional approval from Switzerland's financial market watchdog to operate in the country in a regulatory breakthrough for companies that provide safekeeping for the virtual currency. "After almost two years of substantial effort and investment, Xapo has received conditional approval from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) to operate in Switzerland," Xapo CEO Wences Casares said in a blog on the company's website. The approval depended on several factors, including membership of a "self-regulatory organization", Casares said, but added that the company was optimistic of meeting the conditions and being able to serve non-U.S. customers from Switzerland. FINMA declined to comment on an individual company's status. Olga Feldmeier, a former managing partner of Xapo who coordinated the Swiss licensing process for the company, told Reuters that Xapo had been designated a financial intermediary, meaning it will not require a costly banking license. Wallet providers like Xapo, which was founded in Silicon Valley, store the private keys that allow clients to access their digital currency funds. While other crypto-currency firms already operate in Switzerland, Xapo's operation as a bitcoin wallet provider had raised questions over whether it required a banking license. A burgeoning industry surrounding bitcoin - a web-based "crypto-currency" that has no central authority, relying instead on a global network of computers that validate transactions and add new bitcoins to the system - has posed questions for lawmakers and regulators. Xapo argued it did not accept deposits. Swiss authorities are eager to secure a leading role for Switzerland while playing catch-up in a rapidly changing financial technology (fintech) landscape. Bitcoin Suisse operates a network of bitcoin ATMs across the country, as well as an online and in-person brokerage for buying and selling bitcoins. But it does not itself store the private access keys that led to questions about whether Xapo was taking deposits. Switzerland's cabinet in November proposed new light-touch regulations for fintech companies aimed at bolstering business and competitiveness. The proposals include a fintech license, granted by FINMA, for institutions which are restricted to taking deposits of up to 100 million Swiss francs ($99.9 million) and do not lend. Xapo is now in the process of joining a self-regulatory organization required under Swiss anti-money laundering regulations to begin operations, Feldmeier said. (Editing by Adrian Croft) [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] coindesk: Coin.mx Bitcoin Exchange Trial Begins in New York http://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-exchange-trial-begins/ … pic.twitter.com/MZQuiJIeW7 #InBitcoinWeTrust #Blkexit #B… || I LOVE Bitcoin || Chinese Bitcoin Exchange BTCC Stops Withdrawals for a Month https://goo.gl/lozRTU  http://ohiobitcoin.com/buybitcoin  #bitcoin || ConsenSyss Jeremy Millar Calms the ICO Hype - Coinjournal - http://coinjournal.net/consensyss-jeremy-millar-calms-ico-hype/#respond … $DAO $ETH #crypto #altcoin #bitcoin || #Bitcoin Ultima: R$ 2799.00 Alta: R$ 3274.99 Baixa: R$ 2689.00 Fonte: Foxbit || wie viele bitcoins gibt es momentan,bitcoins vermehren,bitcoin double multiply. http://ow.ly/M1Zm3092W7n  || Bitcoin Transaction Volumes Up 55% in 2017 http://dlvr.it/NPT67x pic.twitter.com/2w9DvB0OAb || #Bitcoin ― China Is Slowly Being Left Behind in the Bitcoin Price Race http://dlvr.it/NP069l  → powered by http://bit.do/TradOTO  || The latest Bitcoin Gazette! http://paper.li/f-1413984175?edition_id=2433e2b0-f514-11e6-9af9-0cc47a0d1605 … #bitcoin #blockchain || Re: 家暴男等待22年杀害退休法官："他判我离婚": 冤冤相报何时了 浪费时间 #bitcoin #btc http://dld.bz/fzkXc 
Trend: up || Prices: 1054.42, 1047.87, 1079.98, 1115.30, 1117.44, 1166.72, 1173.68, 1143.84, 1165.20, 1179.97
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Cryptoverse: Shrimps and whales keep bitcoin afloat: (Our weekly analysis of the wild world of cryptocurrencies. Repeats for additional subscribers) By Lisa Pauline Mattackal and Medha Singh July 12 (Reuters) - The shrimps of the crypto world have joined the whales in a glorious last stand to banish the bleak bitcoin winter. These two contrasting groups are both HODLers - investors in bitcoin as a long-term proposition who refuse to sell their holdings - and they are determined to drive back the bears, despite their portfolios being deep in the red. Shrimps, investors that hold less than 1 bitcoin, are collectively adding to their balance at a rate of 60,460 bitcoin per month, the most aggressive rate in history, according to an analysis by data firm Glassnode. Whales, those with more than 1,000 bitcoin, were adding 140,000 coins per month, the highest rate since January 2021. "The market is approaching a HODLer-led regime," Glassnode said in a note, referring to the cohort whose name emerged years ago from a trader misspelling "hold" on an online forum. After bitcoin's worst month in 11 years in June, the decline appears to have abated as transaction demand seemed to be moving sideways, according to Glassnode, indicating a stagnation of new entrants and a probable retention of a base-load of users, ie HODLers. Bitcoin has been hovering around $19,000 to $21,000 over the past four weeks, less than a third of its $69,000 peak in 2021. "There is a saying in crypto markets - diamond hands. You've not really lost the money, if you've not pulled out. There may be a day it might come back up," said Neo, the online alias of a 26-year old graphic designer at a fintech company in Bangalore. As the crypto bear market enters its eighth month, his crypto portfolio was down by 70% - though he said it was money he was "okay with losing". He does not intend to sell, holding out for a possible rebound in the coming years. Like Neo, most HODLer portfolios are under water, yet many are refusing to bail. Story continues Some 55% of U.S.-based crypto retail investors held their investments in response to the recent selloff, while around 16% of investors globally increased their crypto exposure in June, according a survey of retail investors by eToro. "Crypto is an asset class disproportionately held by younger investors who are more risk tolerant since they have, say, 30 more years to earn it all back," said Ben Laidler, eToro's global markets strategist. MINERS' PAINS Another class of staunch crypto HODLers - bitcoin miners - is increasingly under pressure as they face the double whammy of cratering prices and high electricity costs. The cost of mining a bitcoin is higher than the digital assets' price for some miners, Citi analyst Joseph Ayoub said. The unfavorable environment for many of these miners, who have loans against their mining systems, has forced them to pull from their stash. Core Scientific sold 7,202 bitcoin last month to pay for its mining rigs and fund operations, bringing its total holdings down to 1,959 bitcoin. While Marathon Digital Holdings said it had not sold any bitcoin since October 2020, the firm said it may sell a portion of its monthly production to cover costs. The Valkyrie bitcoin miners ETF slumped 65% last quarter, outpacing bitcoin's 56% fall. Lessons from the crypto winter in 2018 were that the miners who survived were the ones that kept producing even if they were under water. That approach is unlikely to work this time round though, said Chris Bae, CEO of Enhanced Digital Group, which designs hedging strategies for crypto miners. For the bosses of mining firms', Bae added, the focus is now on the "need to think through the next crypto winter and have that game plan before it happens rather than during it." (Reporting by Medha Singh and Lisa Pauline Mattackal in Bengaluru Editing by Vidya Ranganathan and Pravin Char) || 7 Stocks in Bargain-Then-Bounce Territory: Value investors are often looking for a discount and want to find those bargain stocks set to bounce. This requires plenty of patience and a willingness to look beyond the volatility,especiallyon days when the market rallies. Those investors who spend their time waiting for stocks to fall into bargain territory have two major considerations. First, getting a stock at a discount will increase the margin of safety. Buying a stock significantly below its intrinsic value gives investors a cushion of safety. Missing a stock’s rally is the major risk investors take by waiting too long for a stock to fall further. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Source: Chart courtesy ofStockRover.com Investors who are looking for bargain stocks set to bounce are expecting markets will eventually recognize that the discount is too big. To unlock the upside, the underlying company needs a positive business catalyst. In the table I’ve included, all of the companies score well on growth. According to Stock Rover,a quantitative analysis site, the selected companies are universally poised to grow in 2022. Among the technology companies picked,Autodesk(NASDAQ:ADSK) has the lowest growth score at 77/100. It makes up for this in quality, scoring an 87/100. AndAmazon(NASDAQ:AMZN),CDW(NASDAQ:CDW),Meta Platforms(NASDAQ:META) and gaming firmElectronic Arts(NASDAQ:EA) and the rest all have even better growth expected. • 7 Best Long-Term Dividend Stocks to Buy Right Now So let’s dig deeper into these bargain stocks set to bounce. [{"ADSK": "AMZN", "Autodesk": "Amazon", "$177.22": "$113.76"}, {"ADSK": "CDW", "Autodesk": "CDW", "$177.22": "$159.67"}, {"ADSK": "CTSH", "Autodesk": "Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation", "$177.22": "$65.10"}, {"ADSK": "EA", "Autodesk": "Electronic Arts", "$177.22": "$123.62"}, {"ADSK": "LDOS", "Autodesk": "Leidos Holdings", "$177.22": "$97.83"}, {"ADSK": "META", "Autodesk": "Meta Platforms", "$177.22": "$167.23"}] Source: JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock.com Autodesk started the year strong. In the first quarter, thesoftware company postedrevenue that grew by 18% to $1.17 billion. It posted $1.43 a share in non-GAAP earnings. Autodesk also posted a free cash flow of $422 million. To decrease business risks, the company diversified not only geographically, but to other business sectors. This increased its resilience. The company benefited fromstrong renewal rates. Demand increased steadily throughout the quarter. Investors may bet that the business momentum continued in the current quarter. Despite inflationary pressures, shareholders should expect that price increases for  customers won’t materially hurt demand. Previously, Autodesk delayed price hikes to help customers. Now, it is encouraging its sales staff to win deals. The 3D solution for building information modeling is another positive catalyst for Autodesk’s growth. However, ADSK stock is not yet a bargain. Ifthe forward price-to-earningsratio falls from the mid-20s, consider buying shares. Source: Eric Broder Van Dyke / Shutterstock.com Amazon is stuck in a trading range and well off from its 52-week high of $188.11. The stock split did nothing to help its share price, probably because investors are unsure about the impact high inflation rates will have on revenue. To reshape Worldwide Amazon Stores, thecompany picked Doug Herrington. Herrington joined Amazon in 2005. He built the company’s consumables business, launched AmazonFresh in 2007, and in 2015, he led the entire North American Consumer business. This is a great choice. Herrington has the necessary experience to move Amazon forward. AMZN stock is easy for bearish investors to attack. The stock continues to trade at a rich valuation, but itdeservesthat price tag. Meanwhile, the cloud unit is still growing, but it already generates enough cash to fund Amazon’s retail business. • The 7 Best Tech Dividend Stocks to Buy Right Now Inflation is a macroeconomic headwind for nearlyallretailers, shrinking profits across the board. Yet Amazon’s e-commerce is efficient. It will squeeze out more costs than its competition. As losses mount for others, Amazon will thrive. Source: Casimiro PT / Shutterstock.com CDW is a business-to-business company. It provides information technology products and services to a wide variety of customers. In the first quarter, the company posted net sales that grewby an impressive 23% YOYto $5.95 billion. Profits rose to $1.1 billion, up from $795.2 million last year. CDW benefited from strong customer demand across its commercial segments. Corporations are bringing workers back to work. This increases the demand for office-related products. In addition, customers want to strengthen their home office environments. This effectively increases CDW’saddressable market. In thenext 18 months, demand from the school will only increase. School infrastructures need audio, visual and interactive monitors in the classroom. Every school level from kindergarten to grade 12 will need an improved learning space. CDW has a strong moat. Its competitive advantages in supplying what customers need will result in sustained margins. CDW managed inventory levels well and has a strong distribution logistics system. Despite supply chain issues, the company is best-positioned to meet customer demand. Source: JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock.com Cognizant Tech(NASDAQ:CTSH) is an information technology services and consulting company. In the first quarter, it posted revenue that grew by9.7% Y/Y to $4.8 billion. Importantly, bookings rose 4% Y/Y. Strong bookings on a 1.2 times book-to-bill ratio will cushion the company from any slowdown. CTSH stock could rise if management grows its digital division. Still, it is not in any rush with mergers and acquisitions. It allocated capital to take advantage of any potential deals, but is aiming for one or two deals at the most. Until then, it will keep its 2% revenue growth target. In addition, it will allocate half of its free cash for M&A. • 7 Cheap Semiconductor Stocks to Buy Now Wage inflation is a potential risk. The company will have higher compensation cost pressures ahead. It will offset the higher costs by rollingout price increases in the nextfour quarters. Cognizant will also invest in automation. This will result in higher delivery efficiencies. Source: Konstantin Savusia / Shutterstock.com Electronic Arts rebounded in May 2022, but could surge again. The gaming firm has a strong brand name that will help it increase revenue despite a decline in overall video game sales. In May, videogamesales fell by 19%. While other publishers topped the rankings in game sales, EA’s FIFA 22 ranked No. 19. However, in 2023, it will launch a sequel to itsStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Ordergame.The combat game should appeal to its fan base. AfterMicrosoft’s(NASDAQ:MSFT) bid to acquireActivision Blizzard(NASDAQ:ATVI), a cable and internet company likeComcast(NASDAQ:CMCSA) might bid for EA stock. A bidding war on EA shares is the positive catalyst that would unlock the stock’s discount. Apple(NASDAQ:AAPL) andDisney(NYSE:DIS) are possible buyers of EA, too. Disney is probably the more likely bidder. The company is building a strategyto embrace the metaverse. EA’s entertaining games might complement Disney’s metaverse. Alternatively, Microsoft’s deal with Activision may fall apart and executives may realize that EA is a better fit. The company has many sports titles that would complement Microsoft’s Xbox console. Source: Jer123 / Shutterstock.com Leidos Holdings(NYSE:LDOS) is a defense and aviation firm. In the first quarter, the company posted revenue growing by5.1% Y/Y to $3.49 billion. Net bookings of $5.4 billion represented a healthy book-to-bill ratio of 1.6 times. It ended the quarter with a backlog of $36.3 billion. In 2022, Leidos expects revenue in the range of $13.9 billion to $14.3 billion. Ukraine is a positive catalyst for the defense sector. Unfortunately, the longer the conflict continues, the worse it is for the sector. Leidos is in the business of providing a deterrent. Still, nations need solutions that handle emerging threats. The company has hypersonics, such as Indirect Fires Protection Capability. For example, in September 2021, thefirm won an IFPC deal with the U.S. Army. • 7 Best Dow Stocks to Buy in July Countries will increase their defense budgets in response to emerging war threats. This suggests Leidos will grow its backlog as governments increase their spending. Source: Blue Planet Studio / Shutterstock.com The last of our bargain stocks set to bounce is Meta, previously Facebook. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg is leading the metaverse pivot for Meta Platforms. OnCNBC’sMad Money, he said that Metaverse will be as big as itsentire social media business. Facebook and Instagram are massive online properties. Both sites are facing tremendous competitive pressures fromTikTok, a China-based firm. Meta needs billions of users on the metaverse. To get there, it needs to spend billions of dollars. If it doesn’t succeed, Meta could end up squandering its cash on hand. People did not buy in to the virtual reality and augmented reality hype in the last decade. They may do the same with Oculus headsets. To increase its appeal, Meta Platforms will release a few units in the next year. Skeptical investors might argue that the real world is a better option than a virtual one. But with the cost of everything rising, people may test the metaverse. The cost of doing so starts at only U.S. $299. On the date of publication, Chris Lau did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines. • $200 Oil Sooner Than You Think – Buy This Now • The Best $1 Investment You Can Make Today • Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” • It doesn’t matter if you have $500 in savings or $5 million. Do this now. The post7 Stocks in Bargain-Then-Bounce Territoryappeared first onInvestorPlace. || Binance U.S. exchange sued by crypto investor over stablecoin collapse: By Luc Cohen NEW YORK (Reuters) -Binance U.S. and its CEO were sued on Monday by a U.S. investor who alleges the cryptocurrency exchange falsely marketed Terra USD as a safe asset ahead of the so-called stablecoin's collapse in value last month. Stablecoins are digital tokens pegged to the value of traditional assets, such as the U.S. dollar, and are popular as safe havens in times of turmoil in crypto markets. But Terra USD's value plunged last month, breaking its 1:1 dollar peg and contributing to a tumble in other crypto assets like Bitcoin. In the lawsuit against Binance and Chief Executive Brian Shroder, Utah resident Jeffrey Lockhart said Binance falsely advertised Terra USD as "safe" and backed by fiat currency, when in fact it was an unregistered security. Lockhart said Binance's failure to register with the U.S. government as a securities exchange limits disclosure about assets traded on the platform, harming investors. "Binance and other exchanges were critical enablers of this devastating failure to comply with the securities laws," said Tibor Nagy of law firm Dontzin Nagy & Fleissig, which represents Lockhart. "Crypto exchanges made massive profits by flouting securities laws and causing real harm to real people." A Binance spokesperson said the exchange is registered with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) - a unit of the U.S. Treasury Department - and complies with all applicable regulations. "These assertions are without merit and we will defend ourselves vigorously," the spokesperson said in a statement, adding that the exchange will delist Terra USD, a decision made before the lawsuit was filed. Lockhart is seeking to have himself and other investors who bought Terra on Binance registered as a class. In a separate lawsuit in 2020, investors accused Binance of selling unregistered tokens and failing to register as an exchange or broker-dealer. A federal judge in Manhattan dismissed that case in March, stating that the investors had waited until too long after their losses to sue and that U.S. securities law did not apply because Binance was not a domestic exchange. The investors are appealing. Story continues Lockhart's lawsuit, by contrast, targets Binance's U.S. unit and comes just weeks after Terra USD's collapse. His suit comes after a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators last week proposed legislation to have the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), not the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), play the primary role in regulating crypto. The CFTC is generally seen as friendlier toward cryptocurrencies, as the SEC has found crypto assets should be seen as securities. Cryptocurrencies continued their slide on Monday, with Bitcoin touching an 18-month low and No. 2 token ether tumbling as much as 18%. (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York;Editing by Noeleen Walder and David Evans) || First Mover Americas: Bitcoin Holds $21K as BTC Outflows Hit Record High: Don't miss CoinDesk'sConsensus 2022, the must-attend crypto & blockchain festival experience of the year in Austin, TX this June 9-12. Good morning, and welcome to First Mover.I’m Lyllah Ledesma, here to take you through the latest in crypto markets, news and insights. • Price point:Bitcoin is trading slightly down on the day, but is holding $21,000. • Market Moves:Data from CoinShares shows a record high of bitcoin net outflows last week. Bitcoin (BTC) is slightly down on the day after a steady weekend of trading in a range of $20,000 to $21,800. This comes as the cryptocurrency has struggled to stabilize over the last few weeks, dropping to a low of $18,001 on June 18. Bitcoin, is up 3.8% over the last seven days, but is down about 27% over the last month. “BTC is showing some decent support, but it’s a bit too early to get excited for any continued upside,” said Matthew Dibb, co-founder of Stack Funds. Dibb expects the price will continue to follow macro trends, which have seen a nice bounce over the last week. “Any additional news around contagion and lender insolvency will likely lead to a swift sell-off,” he said. In recent weeks, digital asset markets have been weighed down by reports of financial difficulties at crypto lenders, includingCelsius Network,BlockFiandVoyager Digital, and at hedge fundThree Arrows Capital. If additional crypto lenders "come out with unhealthy balance sheets, we may see further liquidation of assets across the board,” Dibb said. “It’s hard to tell right now which lenders and exchanges are safe.” Dibb added. BlockFiannouncedlast week that it has secured a $250 million revolving credit facility from crypto exchange FTX. Digital asset investment products saw a record of $423 million in net outflows last week, which is the largest of all time, according to data fromCoinShares. The outflows were solely focused on bitcoin, which saw net outflows for the week of $453 million. That erased almost all inflows year to date and left total bitcoin assets under management at $24.5 billion, the lowest point since the beginning of 2021. Short bitcoin funds – set up to bet on price declines – saw net inflows of $15 million. CoinShares cited the launch of the first U.S.-basedshort exchange-traded fundlast week. Ethereum saw net inflows of $11 million, ending a streak of 11 consecutive weeks of net outflows. According to this week's report, outflows were consistent with CoinDesk'sreportinglast week • Morgan Stanley: GPU Demand Likely to Slow if Ethereum Moves to Proof-of-StakeMoving to PoS will also not solve Ethereum’s scaling problems, the report said. • Ethereum Lending Protocol XCarnival Hit With $3.8M Exploit, Recovers 50%The DeFi protocol persuaded a hacker to return $1.9 million from a smart contract exploit. • Australian Crypto Exchange Banxa Cuts 70 StaffThe crypto exchange said the "crypto winter" drove such a decision. • Nexo Sends Cease and Desist Letter to Anonymous Twitter Account Accusing It of EmbezzlementThe Twitter account "@otteroooo" has claimed that crypto lender Nexo embezzled funds from a charity. Nexo says the the account user is intentionally using the name of someone unrelated to Nexo. Today’s newsletter was edited by Parikshit Mishra and produced by Stephen Alpher. || Crypto: Why is cardano surging past solana?: Cardano has a wide community of support, which seems to have driven much of the recent price action. Photo: Getty (Dennis Diatel Photography via Getty Images) Cardano's ( ADA-USD ) price is sky-rocketing and leaving its rival solana ( SOL-USD ) floundering in its wake, but what has caused the sudden investor interest in the cryptocurrency heralded as "the ethereum ( ETH-USD ) killer"? The price of cardano was $0.64 (£0.51), up 12.75% on Monday — a rise of 31.9% in the last week. No other blue-chip cryptocurrency has made such gains amid the recent market volatility. In comparison to cardano's price action, solana has fallen in the past week by 10.8%, to sit at $39.68. Read more: Crypto live prices Solana is considered cardano's rival in terms of speed of settlement, smart contract capability and minimal transaction fees. Investors consider both cryptocurrencies as blue-chip blockchain technologies, both were created in 2017 and both chains can deploy smart contracts, such as NFTs. However, cardano has a wider community of support, which seems to have driven much of the price action. Cardano's recent price action has seen it leap ahead in the cryptocurrency market capitalisation rankings, to sit at number six, with solana falling to ninth position. Experts have predicted that June and July could become "the summer of Cardano". The crypto has a major update in June known as the Vasil Hard Fork, followed by another in July which, according to one crypto analyst, “will make a large impact on the crypto industry". Watch: What are the risks of investing in cryptocurrency? Last week a tweet from cryptocurrency analyst Peyton said: “I just finished a call with the 20 smartest investors in cryptocurrency, and they all said that the Vasil Hard Fork coming to cardano is going to add an immense amount of utility. “The projects launching on ADA after the hard fork will make a large impact on this industry.” The Vasil Hard Fork will allow more data to fit into each smart contract transaction, improving speed of settlement, decreasing transaction fees and expanding the utility of cardano's smart contracts, according to Peyton. Story continues Read more: Crypto: Stablecoin storm spreads after billions of tether is cashed out Smart contracts allow for the blockchain transaction of currencies, land deeds, ownership of artwork, distribution of royalties and personal health data. Cardano's July update, known as the Ouroboros Genesis, will allow investors to move the USDC ( USDC-USD ) stablecoin from the ethereum blockchain to the cardano blockchain, utilising the Milkomeda "bridge" application. This has been described as a pivotal moment in cardano’s interoperability with the wider cryptocurrency ecosystem. Cardano's current market capitalisation is over $21.6bn, according to data from Messari. But, Cardano's advantages could become defunct with the advent of ethereum 2.0. If ethereum successfully incorporates its "sharding" upgrade, also due this summer, it could solve the blockchain's current scalability problems and allow settlement scales of 100,000 transactions per second. This would be a substantial improvement when compared to its current rate of 30 transactions per second, which causes excessive transaction fees. However, Peyton believes that ethereum is already being challenged by cardano and that the Vasil Hard Fork will greatly increase this "challenged" perspective. He added that even after August's ethereum upgrade, "the gas fees will not change and that this is the thing that most people debate, which are the costs to make a transaction on ethereum". The cryptocurrency analyst said: "It is extremely expensive to transact with ethereum, and becomes even more during large NFT drops and similar scenarios." Yahoo Finance reached out to the solana and ethereum development teams for comment, but they have yet to respond. Watch: What is the value of Bitcoin? || 7 Best Stocks for College Graduates: Many financial advisors, when asked how young people should invest, would say that such investors should be risk-seeking. The idea is that they have the benefit of time and that any losses will be overshadowed by big winners. Ideally, such investors will be farther ahead than their more risk-averse peers once they both become a bit older. Those same advisors will recommend that those investors then switch to steadier growth and lower-risk equities. The complete opposite is the advisor who recommends a high proportion of investment in exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track indices like theS&P 500and perhaps a growth sector for some risk. And while ETFs are always a strong bet, I’m going to focus on individual picks for a college graduate. These will be moderate choices as they have both the potential for substantial growth and less downside. • 7 Best Small-Cap Growth Stocks to Buy Now Here are the seven best stocks for college graduates: InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips [{"Ticker": "GOOG", "Company": "Alphabet Inc.", "Price": "$113.54"}, {"Ticker": "JNJ", "Company": "Johnson & Johnson", "Price": "$172.68"}, {"Ticker": "AAPL", "Company": "Apple Inc.", "Price": "$149.67"}, {"Ticker": "PG", "Company": "The Procter & Gamble Company", "Price": "$144.17"}, {"Ticker": "TSLA", "Company": "Tesla, Inc.", "Price": "$728.98"}, {"Ticker": "V", "Company": "Visa Inc.", "Price": "$212.04"}, {"Ticker": "SO", "Company": "The Southern Company", "Price": "$71.61"}] Source: IgorGolovniov / Shutterstock.com Alphabet(NASDAQ:GOOG,NASDAQ:GOOGL) stock is a fairly easy pick to make. It is an excellent performer now and it should remain so for the foreseeable future. Alphabet is going to continue to face significant scrutiny as a consequence of its size and practices. Perhaps someday that will drastically change the trajectory of the firm and stock, but it hasn’t yet. So, let’s assume it has decades of continued growth and dominance ahead. Critics like to knock Alphabet and Google for the smaller issues. Most recently, it was the notion that Google was losing advertising relevance as YouTube ad revenue slipped due to short-video competition. Google always seems to adjust well. That’s preciselywhat’s happening now. The point here is that Alphabet is as strong at leveraging its moving parts and adapting as any firm. The company will remain relevant for a long time and its other bets make it a growth firm, as well. Source: Alexander Tolstykh / Shutterstock.com Investing inJohnson & Johnson(NYSE:JNJ) stock is definitely on the more conservative side of things. It is routinely noted in lists about dividend stocks and stocks for bearish economies. For one, dividends are something college graduates and all young investors should seek to understand. The extra income they provide on top of any returns can be reinvested, creating a powerful compounding effect. Two, young investors are currently experiencing a bear market. For some, this may have been their first such experience. The upside with Johnson & Johnson is that stocks in the healthcare sector tend to significantly outperform bear markets. So, not only could it save them money, but it could help teach them a valuable lesson. • 7 Best Long-Term Stocks to Buy Now The other thing to note is that Johnson & Johnson has performed very well over the past decade. Even without factoring in the effects of dividends, JNJ stock has provided an average 12.84% annual return over that period. In other words, $1,000 invested 10 years ago would beworth $3,346.81today. Source: Eric Broder Van Dyke / Shutterstock.com College graduates should invest inApple(NASDAQ:AAPL) stock because it is simply a great company. Let’s start with the same idea of 10-year returns as above. Apple has shown massive annual growth that has averaged22.19% annuallyover the last decade. $1,000 invested a decade ago would now be worth $7,420. Past is not prologue, but let’s say today’s college graduate is able to sink $10,000 into Apple and leave it alone for a decade. By the time they are in their early 30s, they could logically have $70,000. That could be used for something life-changing, like a down payment on a home purchase. Another strong reason to believe in Apple is its association with the legendary Warren Buffett. Apple stock is by far thebiggest holding in his portfolio, accounting for more than 40% of its total value. Source: Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock.com Procter & Gamble(NYSE:PG) stock is a lot like JNJ stock. Both possess a strong, reliable dividend and both tend to fare well in weak markets. Let’s assume our college graduate investor is at the very beginning of their investment journey. If that’s the case, PG stock is one of the very best to impart the idea of beta and its value. It carries a five-year monthlybeta of 0.39, according toYahoo! Finance. That means it moves about 39% as much as the broader market. In weak markets, like the one we’re experiencing, it is likely to move downward 61% less than a broad index like the S&P 500, for example. • The 7 Best Tech Dividend Stocks to Buy Right Now Indeed, it is faring much better than the overall markets in 2022. Factor in its dividend and the notion that consumer packaged goods firms weather recessions better, and Procter & Gamble is a smart choice for today’s college graduate investor. Source: Sheila Fitzgerald / Shutterstock.com The stock ofelectric vehicle (EV)pioneerTesla(NASDAQ:TSLA) has not done well in 2022. Electric vehicle stocks have faced a decline as questions of stretched valuations continue to bounce around. Nevertheless, Tesla is a pioneering force in the world of electric vehicles. That means something. Legacy manufacturers are scrambling to catch up and are quickly retooling production lines to produce their own EVs and get in on the next evolution of automobiles. Regardless of what many think of Elon Musk, he will go down as a pivotal figure in the automotive world. It was his drive and ambition that brought Tesla from nothing to the most valuable car stock in the world. It is highly unlikely that his firm or its stock are going anywhere. Now that it is well established, it is unlikely that TSLA stock can provide thenear 60% annual returnsit did over the past decade. But it remains a very important name in automobiles today. Source: Kikinunchi / Shutterstock.com SayVisa, (NYSE:V), and most people will automatically think of credit cards. True, fees on transactions drive much of its business. That isn’t going to change and college graduates probably know as much. But the company is also factoring in the pandemic-driven increase in digital payments. Chief Financial Officer Vasant Prabhu believes secular trends in digital payments have beenaccelerated by about a yearbased on data.The point here is that young investors should understand that Visa dominates the current payments landscape and has the resources to carve out a strong position as the sector evolves. • 7 Cheap Semiconductor Stocks to Buy Now Visa suffered during the pandemic as higher fees charged for international transactions slowed due to lockdowns. It may stagnate for some time again as the economy looks to weaken further. But it is still a great name for any portfolio. Source: 360b / Shutterstock.com College-age investors should also understand the value of utilities equities.Southern Company(NYSE:SO) stock is one to consider. It generates and sells electricity across Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi. It also acquires electricity-generating assets, including renewables, and sells power into the wholesale market. It is a very stable business model noted for steady performance in all market conditions. An investment in SO stock would haveslightly more than doubledif left alone for the past decade.But again, that is absent of the effect of its dividend that currently yields 3.79%. The other reason to consider Southern Co. is that its geographical footprint is well-positioned. The southern states it operates in have seen rapid growth as people migrate from other areas. On the date of publication, Alex Sirois did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines. • $200 Oil Sooner Than You Think – Buy This Now • The Best $1 Investment You Can Make Today • Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” • It doesn’t matter if you have $500 in savings or $5 million. Do this now. The post7 Best Stocks for College Graduatesappeared first onInvestorPlace. || Is Mullen Stock Too Risky to Touch?: Looking under the hood of Mullen Automotive (NASDAQ: MULN ) does not make me, to say the least, very confident in MULN stock. One of the company’s greatest achievements is supposed to be the electric-vehicle battery that it has produced. According to Mullen, its battery can deliver more than 600 miles of range. That number is, as the company maintains, very “impressive.” But after examining the backgrounds of the two organizations that conducted tests of the company’s batteries and learning details about the partner with which it was developed, I’m very skeptical about the extent to which the test results can be relied upon by investors. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Ticker Company Current Price MULN Mullen Automotive, Inc. $1.1350 Mullen’s Most Recent Tester The most recent evaluation was performed by an organization called Battery Innovation Center. Based upon a page entitled “The BIC Team” on the company’s website, the top executive in charge of battery testing is a man named Jonathan Pace, who is its senior test and evaluation lab technician.” 7 Unstoppable Stocks to Own in 2022 According to the website, Pace is working towards finishing his associate’s degree in electronics technology at Vincennes University.” And the only work experience listed in his biography is seven years in the Army as an artillery cannon crewmember. Although I’m grateful for Pace’s service in the Army, operating and testing cannons does not necessarily seem like something that would prepare someone well for leading the testing of a high-tech EV battery. And Pace’s apparent lack of any sort of advanced degree is also somewhat off-putting. Ben Wrightsman, BIC’s CEO, does have some technical experience and an electrical engineering degree from Purdue University, according to his LinkedIn profile ,. But he has spent much of his professional career at either BIC or EnerDel, which develops energy storage systems, battery packs and lithium ion solutions for the industrial sector. Story continues After looking through EnerDel’s website , it appears that, since 2020, the company has not announced deals with any major customers, aside from agreements with distributors. In 2020, it trumpeted a deal with a sizeable customer called Odyne , but the value of the agreement was not specified. In 2019, EnerDeal unveiled two deals, one with Workhorse (NASDAQ: WKHS ), which has had more than its share of quality-control issues, and another with a sizeable compan y, Johnson & Towers . But again, no financial specifications for the latter agreement were divulged. As for BIC itself, I could not find any mention of deals or customers on its website. It appeared that its only endeavors mentioned in the news section of its website were conferences hosted by the organization. Mullen’s Previous Tester In February, Mullen reported that a test of its battery had yielded impressive results. But according to Hindenburg , a research firm which was shorting MULN stock in April when its report was unveiled, the CEO of the company that actually conducted the test, was not impressed with Mullen’s battery. Specifically, EV Grid CEO Tom Gage stated that the battery “was big, which created question marks in my mind too. And it was misshapen and really kind of an ugly thing.” Hindenburg reported. He added that he would not have used such superlative terms to describe the test results. Moreover, Gage reportedly told Hindenburg that “EV Grid more or less ceased operations by June or July of 2020 and for the first half of the year it was basically shut down and I was moving out storing stuff in a warehouse because I had this other job at Indi EV.” Gage believes that the test of Mullen’s battery was actually carried out in 2018 or 2019. MULN Stock: The Battery’s Origins Also worth noting is that, according to Hindenburg, Mullen’s battery was developed in collaboration with a Chinese company called Linghang Boao . The two companies signed a partnership agreement in November 2019, about a year after Linghang was launched. Hindenburg reported that, as of April 2022, Linghang’s website cannot be accessed, and it currently “shares a cell phone number with at least 99 other companies and listed its address inside a high-rise building (not a factory),” Hindenburg reported. Mullen paid Linghang a grand total of $390,000, the research firm stated. Additionally, Mullen only spent $3 million on research and development last year. In summary, Mullen’s battery was reportedly developed in partnership with a company that seems to have folded, while it was tested by two organizations that appear to lack major customers and possess unimpressive track records. Moreover, Mullen appears to spend very little money on R&D, making its claims about the battery more suspect. Given these points, I urge investors to sell MULN stock. On Penny Stocks and Low-Volume Stocks: With only the rarest exceptions, InvestorPlace does not publish commentary about companies that have a market cap of less than $100 million or trade less than 100,000 shares each day. That’s because these “penny stocks” are frequently the playground for scam artists and market manipulators. If we ever do publish commentary on a low-volume stock that may be affected by our commentary, we demand that InvestorPlace.com ’s writers disclose this fact and warn readers of the risks. Read More: Penny Stocks — How to Profit Without Getting Scammed On the date of publication, Larry Ramer did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines . More From InvestorPlace $200 Oil Sooner Than You Think – Buy This Now Stock Prodigy Who Found NIO at $2… Says Buy THIS Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” It doesn’t matter if you have $500 in savings or $5 million. Do this now. The post Is Mullen Stock Too Risky to Touch? appeared first on InvestorPlace . || The 7 Best Startups You Can Buy Now on Wefunder: “Invest in founders building the future.” This is themain messageon WeFunder’s main page and official website. And for investors looking for the best startups they can invest in, WeFunder offers a wide array of futures to consider. Investing with as little as $100, you can help startups and promising businesses raise the necessary capital to develop their products and services, expand their sales channels and make a huge difference. Startups are very risky and are definitely not suitable for all investors. If you have a high risk tolerance in investing, however, then investing in the best startups is like funding the future. We do not know what the future will be, but we can shape it, we can get prepared for it, and we can try to tame it by investing in breakthrough ideas that seem to be promising and useful. This is what startup investing is in a nutshell. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips • 7 Tempting Tech Stocks to Pull the Trigger on Now So let’s look at the seven best startups to invest in on WeFunder today. Source: Shutterstock Northern Pacific Airways is a bet on the world leaving the pandemic behind and starting traveling again. It wants to become the first discount trans-Pacific operator. The company has bought Ravn, the regional airline of Alaska. It has generated revenues of $55 million in 2021 despite the pandemic, and is targeting $90 million in 2022. The airline company is launching transpacific flights, having a stopover in Alaska and will be using Anchorage as a hub between Asia & U.S. That move will provide a low-cost model, which is especially important as fuel prices are rising. The one-stop itineraries save fuel and tickets can be 25% lower. Using Anchorage as a hub, Northern Pacific Airway can support the local economy, having already an established airline infrastructure, and can exploit capital efficiency and cost synergies with Ravn Alaska. The company is looking to get a piece of the total addressable market of $20 billion for trans-Pacific air travel. It has already acquired four 757-200 aircraft, with more coming soon. The minimum investment in Northern Pacific Airways onWefunder is $100. Source: Shutterstock Vironix Health has developed software that can save lives — an AI-powered software that is extremely useful in the early detection of potential heart and lung failure. Other illnesses that can also be detected early include asthma and COPD, plus other acute respiratory illnesses. Unfortunately each year about 17.9 million people die because of cardiovascular disease. The cost of preventable heart and lung disease to employers and health insurance providers is very large, estimated to exceed  $400 billion per year. Vironix is a solution to detect heart and lung disease problems early. The company provides “AI-personalized and gamified software along with biometric monitoring devices to patients free of charge.” This technology has been reviewed not only by top scientists but also by top institutions as well. • 7 Unstoppable Stocks to Own in 2022 The business model generates revenue by charging about $300 per patient per month, which will be paid for by insurers. There is a potential for $1.8 billion revenue and there are already research and development collaborations with top universities like Oxford University. That’s what puts it on this list of best startups. The minimum investment in Vironix Health onWefunder is $250. Source: Olivier Le Moal/ShutterStock.com How do you disrupt the $1.8 trillion lithium battery industry? NextBolt may have the answer. Soaring energy prices have sent inflation to historic highs and skyrocketed electricity costs for consumers and businesses. Meanwhile, lithium production can’t keep up with the demands. NextBolt is a new kind of home energy storage battery. It is a home unit that combines style, safety and affordability, as it can be sold for as little as $100 a month. The battery and energy system is based on sodium solid-state batteries, which are considered safer than lithium batteries and the materials are easier to get. The$1.2 trillion infrastructure billthat was approved by the U.S. Senate is a catalyst supporting clean energy. NextBolt can benefit from this transition to clean energy and has a competitive advantage, as sodium batteries are four times cheaper than lithium batteries. The modular design allows for more Bolt batteries to be installed to cover future energy needs, and the installation is simple. The minimum investment in NextBolt onWefunder is $250. Source: Shutterstock XENSE wants to disrupt the $18 billion medical imaging industry. The traditional CT (computed tomography) scans used for imaging were invented back in the 1970s. Some of the main problems related to classic CT scans are the exposure to radiation and their high maintenance costs. there are also concerns about highererror rates. The solution offered by XENSE compared to traditional CT scans has many advantages. There is ultralow radiation exposure and there is quantitative 2D and 3D imaging that allows an improved and more accurate analysis of the outcome. That can help patients feel more comfortable. • 7 Nasdaq Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever The uTomo / Meta CT system is designed to help people live better by minimizing the time elapsed from early diagnosis to getting the best possible treatment, achieving wellness faster. The minimum investment in XENSE onWefunder is $500. Source: Manu Galdamez/ShutterStock.com PANGEA is a brand for nature lovers aiming at stopping ocean pollution. It is estimated that 14 billion pounds of trash go to oceansevery year. PANGEA designs and sells sustainable outdoor gear that combines innovation, functionality and sustainability. Additionally, parts of the sales are used to slow ocean pollution and help make the planet cleaner. This will be achieved by building a global movement of outdoor lovers who not only are eco-conscious but also help the environment. The outdoor industry is worth $54 billion. Unfortunately, most of that gear is made of plastic. PANGEA products are carbon-negative and ecological with high gross margins — 75% for travel towels and 67% for Eco jackets. There is traction as the company made sales of $755,000 in the first two years and achieving 115% year-over-year growth from 2020 to 2021. The minimum investment in PANGEA onWefunder is $100. Source: Shutterstock Bee is a Web 3.0 mortgage app helping consumers get a mortgage fast and easily. It allows you to get a mortgage using your phone, without any unwanted phone calls. What makes the difference is the pre-approval process can sometimes be made within only three minutes, and can be started whenever you want. By answering a simple set of questions, you can have your credit, income and assets verified instantly and receive a pre-approval letter. Web 3.0 automation makes the whole process cheaper too, as it reduces the cost of loan origination. This is possible because the use of mobile experience, third-party data, and smart contracts replaces tasks like the document collection and verification resulting in huge savings. • 7 Great Dividend Stocks Under $25 The company has more than 10,000 downloads. The minimum investment in Bee onWefunder is $100. Source: elenabsl/Shutterstock We live in a world where technology informs many aspect of our lives — so why not have a smart home office? Lumina, the last of this list of best startups, is disrupting the home office market. As more people have preferred to work at home even as the pandemic seems to be waning, remote working is a trend that will remain strong over the next years. The company has built a smart webcam powered by AI that delivers the best experience working at home. The video calls look exceptional since the colors are better and it has a good depth of field, especially compared to laptop cameras. Some of the specs of this smart webcam include a 4K resolution, dual microphones, and four colors to pick from. The company has achieved a $3 million run rate in just five months, growing at 20% month-over-month. The minimum investment in Lumina onWefunder is $100. On the date of publication, Stavros Georgiadis, CFA  did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines. • $200 Oil Sooner Than You Think – Buy This Now • Stock Prodigy Who Found NIO at $2… Says Buy THIS • Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” • It doesn’t matter if you have $500 in savings or $5 million. Do this now. The postThe 7 Best Startups You Can Buy Now on Wefunderappeared first onInvestorPlace. || 91% of crypto users plan to buy more over next 6 months: BofA survey: The crypto market has taken an ugly turn, but digital assets still remain appealing to crypto investors and the crypto curious. According to a new survey of U.S. crypto users and prospective users from Bank of America Global Research, 91% of respondents said they intend to buy cryptocurrencies in the next six months despite a sharp decline in prices. The same number of respondents also reported purchasing coins and other digital assets over the past six months. The survey includes responses from 1,013 participants and was conducted by BofA in the first week of June,before the latest washoutin crypto markets seen in the last few days. Most respondents were new to the space and reported small balances. Nearly half of users said they did not own crypto but plan to buy digital assets in the near future, and the most commonly reported transaction size for both buys and sells was under $25. Those who reported owning cryptocurrencies listed price appreciation, portfolio diversification, and interest in technology and being part of a community as key reasons for holding. Paypal (PYPL) and Coinbase (COIN) were the most widely used exchanges, BofA found, with 53% and 46% of people using these platforms, respectively. Coinbase, however, was listed as the most preferred exchange among all users, and 47% of existing crypto users listed the platform as their favorite among all services. For users who hadn't yet purchased crypto but plan to over the next six months, PayPal was listed as the most preferred service. Block's Cash App (SQ), Robinhood (HOOD), and Crypto.com rounded out the top 5 exchanges for both existing and prospective users. Among existing crypto investors, 75% said they owned Bitcoin (BTC-USD) while 44% said they owned Ethereum (ETH-USD). About a quarter of existing crypto investors — 26% — said they owned meme coins such as Dogecoin (DOGE-USD) or Shiba Inu (SHIB-USD). For existing crypto investors, "I think the price will go up" was cited as the most popular reason for investing in cryptocurrencies. This reported interest in crypto comes amid a deepening sell-off in the space as investors brace for aggressive action from the Federal Reserve to fight inflation. Bitcoin, the largest digital cryptocurrency, extended its slide Tuesday to dip below $22,000, its lowest price level since 2020. Meanwhile, Ethereum — the second-largest digital coin — fell beneath its 2018 peak price of $1,396 and was trading below $1,200 Tuesday morning. — Alexandra Semenova is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter@alexandraandnyc Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Follow Yahoo Finance onTwitter,Instagram,YouTube,Facebook,Flipboard, andLinkedIn || Crypto Market Daily Highlights – BTC Extends Winning Streak: Key Insights: On Friday, the crypto top ten extended the winning streak to three sessions, with Ethereum (ETH) leading the way for a second session. Better than expected US retail sales figures and talk of a 75-basis point rate hike supported riskier assets, with the NASDAQ 100 delivering the broader crypto market direction. The total crypto market cap rose by $11.5 billion. It was a bullish Friday session for the crypto top ten. Bitcoin ( BTC ) rose for a third consecutive day, with ETH continuing its move toward $1,500. The markets moved away from the recent US inflation figures and focused on the US economy on Friday. Retail sales figures for June beat expectations but were not hot enough to fuel fear of a 100-basis point hike later this month. Month-on-month, retail sales increased by 1.0% versus a forecasted 0.8%. Core retail sales also increased by 1.0% versus a forecasted 0.6%. FOMC member chatter also drew attention, with members Bostic and Bullard easing fears of a 100-basis point move. According to Reuters , James Bullard spoke of indifference on “whether the Fed approves a 0.75 percentage-point rate increase this month, as policymakers have flagged, or boosts that to a full percentage point.” Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic reportedly delivered a more tempered view, cautioning against any dramatic moves that may impact hiring and other positive trends still evident in the economy. The crypto news wires had a muted impact on the broader market, with the NASDAQ 100 guiding the crypto market. On Friday, the NASDAQ 100 rose by 1.79%. The Total Crypto Market Cap Rises for a Third Consecutive Session A bearish start to the Friday session saw the crypto market cap fall to a day low of $896 billion before finding support. Investor reaction to the US retail sales figures and Fed chatter led to a high of $932 billion before easing back. Despite a late pullback, investors poured $11.5 billion back into the market to take the crypto market cap up $47 billion for July. Story continues Total Market Cap 160722 Daily Chart The Crypto Market Movers and Shakers from the Top Ten and Beyond ETH rallied by 3.22% to lead the way, with BTC rising by 1.21%. ADA (+0.23%), BNB (+0.04%), DOGE (+0.79%), SOL (+0.65%), and XRP (+0.12%) trailed the front runners. From the CoinMarketCap top 100, TerraClassicUSD ( USTC ) and Lido DAO ( LDO ) led the way, surging by 37% and 23%, respectively. Progress towards the ETH Merge remained the key driver for LDO. According to Dune Analytics , staking Ether was on the rise. ETH Staked with Lido Several coins bucked the broader market trend, however. Synthetix ( SNX ), Nexo ( NEXO ), and Curve DAO Token ( CRV ) led the way down. NEXO slid by 6.6%, with SNX and CRV falling by 5.8% and 5.1%, respectively. Total Crypto Liquidations Continued Downward Trend On Friday, 24-hour liquidations eased further back as the crypto market responded to US economic indicators and Fed chatter. This morning, 24-hour liquidations stood at $144 million, down from $180 million on Friday. Liquidated traders over the last 24 hours declined to reflect improving market conditions. At the time of writing, liquidated traders stood at 47,290 versus 51,568 on Friday morning. Significantly, one-hour liquidations fell to sub-$1 million going into the weekend session. According to Coinglass , one-hour liquidations stood at $0.924 million, down from $2.41 million on Friday and $7.12 million on Thursday. Total Crypto Liquidations 160722 Daily News Highlights SEC mulled waiving some crypto regulations. Fed Survey showed crypto products and services and blockchain tech low priority for bank growth and development strategies for two-thirds of respondents. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Biden confronts Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi murder, expects action on energy XRP Price Prediction: A Return to $0.3450 to Test Sellers at $0.36 Peru Congress votes to host OAS summit after outrage over gender neutral bathrooms Judge nixes arrest warrant for Republican county clerk after bond breach Australia reinstates COVID quarantine pay amid fresh Omicron wave Warning sirens sound in Ukraine’s capital as Russia steps up bombardment [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: no change || Prices: 23336.90, 23314.20, 22978.12, 22846.51, 22630.96, 23289.31, 22961.28, 23175.89, 23809.49, 23164.32
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2020-01-27] BTC Price: 8909.82, BTC RSI: 64.25 Gold Price: 1576.80, Gold RSI: 71.64 Oil Price: 53.14, Oil RSI: 23.97 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] MARKETS DAILY: Are Governments Feeling the FOMO?: With bitcoin setting a blistering pace for 2020, Markets Daily is back with the news moving markets, plus a look at several stories on the escalating, global interest in blockchain by governments. No time to listen? scroll down for the complete episode transcript… Tune in as CoinDesk podcasts editor Adam B. Levine and senior markets reporter Brad Keoun run down recent action, track interesting longer-term trends and highlight some of the most important crypto industry developments of the day. Related:Taking the TON Out of Telegram In this episode: • Crypto Markets, Industry and International News Roundup • Three stories from around the world covering events inIndia,South KoreaandVirginia • The cost of compliance in theongoing bull market in cryptocurrency exchange subpoenas More ways to Listen or Subscribe: Transcript: Related:MARKETS DAILY: Who Should Be Allowed to Invest? Adam B. Levine:On today’s episode, Bitcoin’s Continued Climb, More Government Indicators and The 2019 bull market for law enforcement inquiries? Adam B. Levine:It’sJANUARY 7, 2020, and you’re listening to Markets Daily, I’m Adam B. Levine, editor of Podcasts here at CoinDesk, along with our senior markets reporter Brad Keoun, to give you a concise daily briefing on crypto markets and some of the most important news developments in the sector over the past 24 hours. Adam:First, we turn to the daily bitcoin market briefing and important news affecting the crypto industry. Brad Keoun:Bitcoin up for the fifth straight day, with the price increasing to $7864, the highest in six weeks, in a pretty dramatic start to 2020. CoinDesk’s Omkar Godbole writes that the rally appears to be running out of steam for now, hitting resistance at the 100-day moving average of $7,945. Technical indicators, though, are currently suggesting that prices are more likely to go higher than lower. Adam:Turning to the news, the International Monetary Fund’s Chief Economist predicts that digital currencies are not about to challenge the U.S. dollar’s pivotal role in global trade. In an op-ed for theFinancial Timeson Tuesday, Gita Gopinath wrote that although cryptocurrencies present “intriguing possibilities,” they lack the infrastructure and global acceptance needed to supplant the dollar as the preeminent global reserve currency. “The dollar’s status is bolstered by the institutions, rule of law, and credible investor protection that the U.S. is seen as providing.” Brad:The messaging-app company Telegram says in a new web post that it won’t integrate a crypto wallet into its system until it gets the green light to do so from U.S. regulators, in a reversal from the company’s stated plan as recently as October. The announcement is notable partly because it signals a more contrite or at least compliant stance as the company fights a court battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission related to its $1.7 billion capital raise in 2018, which the U.S. regulator has characterized as an unauthorized securities offering. Notably, Telegram emphasizes in the post that its proposed Gram tokens are NOT investment products; the company capitalized the word NOT. Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, is reportedly set to be deposed in the case today in Dubai. Adam:And in China, the search engine company Baidu on Monday launched a blockchain-based service for developers to build decentralized applications, known as dapps. The new service aims to make it cheaper for customers to develop applications since they won’t have to build their own blockchain platforms. The move comes just months after Chinese President (She) Xi Jinping announced that the country plans to prioritize blockchain as a core technology and encourage its use by small businessesthroughout the country. Brad:And IBM, the computer maker, is launching a new app that uses blockchain to allow consumers interested in sustainability to trace the coffee they buy along the supply chain. The new “Thank My Farmer” app will allow consumers to track their morning joe from the store where they buy it back to the farm where it was grown. Consumers scan QR codes on the side of the coffee jar to look at the origins of their purchase, linking back to information stored on the blockchain, and they can even choose to make additional payments to the farmers who grew the beans. Instead of tipping the barista, Adam, it’s like an extra little something for the person who cultivated your beans. Adam:Turning to today’s featured story, this morning we’re tracking several threads from around the world which seem to indicate a growing drumbeat of national interest in blockchains, including some places you might not expect. First, we turn to the southwestern coast of India, in the state of Kerala (KERR-uh-luh), where the Economic Times of India reports on comments from the State Electronics and IT Secretary: “We are looking for intelligent use of blockchain in specific domains in the next five years so that its applications can be sustained. Companies that produce solutions based on the technology can sell it as products or services,” The secretary, told the Economic Times. He foresees the state as a talent hub for blockchain experts through the government initiative of Kerala Blockchain Academy, which was started in 2017. The idea is to train 20,000 people in blockchain development over the next two years. “Around 2,000 of them have gone for the next level in the blockchain developer programme and 800 have graduated,” he said. “The state’s strength in blockchain will be an incentive to attract the right companies that will trigger the ecosystem.” The state government is also trying to implement pilot schemes like using blockchain in land records, managing workforce, organic food traceability and immunization programs. Meanwhile, in South Korea, CoinDesk’s Daniel Palmer recently reported on a proposed embrace of blockchain, at least so it can be locally regulated, by the Presidential Committee on the Fourth Industrial Revolution. QUOTE Financial institutions should be allowed to offer cryptocurrency products such as derivatives, according to a government advisory body in South Korea. To support such a move, the nation’s fintech sector should develop custody solutions for cryptocurrency to avoid a reliance on foreign custodians, said the committee. The committee said the government could follow the lead of U.S. regulators and sanction products such as futures contracts tied to bitcoin. Institutions would also be allowed to offer other cryptocurrency services such as trading. With cryptocurrency trading surging worldwide, “it is no longer possible to stop crypto-asset trade,” said the committee, according to a report fromBusiness Koreaon Monday. Other suggestions from the PCFIR included, notably, that bitcoin might be directly listed on Korea Exchange, the nation’s stock market. Finally, we return to U.S. shores where the Virginia state legislature is tomorrow set to offer House Joint Resolution 23. Quoting from the Virginia Legislature’s website, this resolution “Requests the Department of Elections to conduct a study to (i) determine the kinds of blockchain technology that could be used to secure voter records and election results, (ii) determine the costs and benefits of using such technology as compared to traditional registration and election security measures, and (iii) make recommendations on whether and how to implement blockchain technology in practices affecting the security of voter records and election results.” If passed by the legislative body, we’d expect to see the first report by Nov. 30, 2020, and potentially a second, more in-depth report a year after that. Now, is voting on the blockchain a good idea? Personally, I have some doubts. But it’s another example of the cycle of adoption repeating, and while those of us who have been paying attention since the beginning of crypto might want things to hurry up, this is in fact the natural way that people learn about new and unfamiliar technologies. Adam:And now, for today’s spotlight, we’re looking at one cryptocurrency exchange’s costs of running a marketplace – in a fast-growing business that’s been known since its earliest days as a place where it’s not uncommon to see the movement of funds with dubious origins. Brad:That’s right Adam, today we’re highlighting an annual report published by the San Francisco-based exchange Kraken. It’s the 2019 Transparency Report, detailing the exchange’s efforts to comply, or in some cases not comply, with requests from law enforcement agencies for information related to allegedly suspicious activity. A couple of the takeaways here are, one, just how quickly the number of requests are increasing, perhaps an indication of how quickly the crypto markets, and in particular Kraken’s business, is growing. But also, this just highlights the very real costs of responding to and complying with all these requests from law enforcement agencies that might be following up on tips or other leads in their efforts to solve crimes or stop money-laundering. According to the report, there was a roughly 49 percent increase last year in global law enforcement requests from 2018 levels. Total requests rose to 710, from 475 in 2018 and 160 in 2017 Included some 406 subpoenas, 62 percent of requests resulted in data provided 28 percent of requests were non-valid, meaning the request did not meet local legal requirements and/or the company’s internal law enforcement production policy Geographic distribution – some 432 from the U.S., 86 from Great Britain, with most of the remainder coming from other European countries Majority of U.S. requests came from FBI, followed by the DEA and Homeland Security/Immigrations Customs Enforcement CEO Jesse Powell tweeted that the cost to service the requests was more than $1 million, “substantially beyond the work of one paralegal.” Powell said that several things contribute to the cost, including that Kraken is an older business with eight-plus years of data, millions of accounts, and high security around accessibility of personal data. Another issue is that requests are handled in high wage markets rather than exported/outsourced to low wage markets. It could probably be 1/10 the price if we eliminated all concern for security/privacy. It’s important to note here that as this industry evolves, that some of these exchanges are choosing to publicly promote their efforts to comply with law enforcement, potentially calculating that the lion’s share of institutional investors who want to enter the crypto markets will want to deal with exchanges that aim to be squeaky clean and in full compliance with domestic and international authorities. Adam:Join us again on Wednesday for the next Markets Daily from CoinDesk. To make sure you never miss an episode, you can subscribe to Markets daily on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and just about any other place you’d like to listen. If you’re enjoying the show, we really appreciate you leaving a review. And if you have any thoughts or comments, [email protected]. • YouTube, Tron and the Dream of Decentralization • MARKETS DAILY: Bitcoin Bouncing After US Airstrike in Iraq || Bitcoin trading in Argentina hits all-time high in run-up to Christmas: While many of us were buying last-minute Christmas presents of socks and aftershave, in Argentina, it looks as if the focus was on Bitcoin. According to incredible stats compiled by CoinDance, Bitcoin trading in Argentina skyrocketed to an all-time high in the run-up to Christmas. Peer-to-peer Bitcoin trading in Argentina CoinDance measures the volume of transactions over time on peer-to-peer (P2P) platforms. It found that Bitcoin trading in Argentina in the week of December 21 reached a staggering $32.6 million Argentine pesos (approximately $544,905 US dollars). That’s 34% more than the volume registered in previous weeks and marks a historical record in P2P trading on LocalBitcoins – a platform popular in the Latin American country. Bitcoin trading in Argentina While Bitcoin trading in Argentina has cooled off again since reaching its peak, the increased trading volume in December demonstrates Argentina’s growing interest in Bitcoin. At 55.44% at the end of 2019, inflation in Argentina is among the highest in the world. This makes it impossible for Argentines to save in their national currency. But why was there such a spike in peer-to-peer Bitcoin trading in Argentina the week of December 21? A historic distrust of its national currency Argentines historically distrust their national currency – and with good reason. It’s let them down many times before with wide-scale devaluations and banking crises. This has fostered an obsession with dollars in the country. Many Argentines wishing to save or carry out transactions on high-ticket items instinctively convert their pesos to dollars. Since President Macri’s sweeping defeat in October, in an attempt to prevent capital flight, the Argentine central bank restricted the purchase of foreign currency to just $200 per month per citizen. On Tuesday December 17, the new Argentine government led by Alberto Fernández announced a new series of measures to further hamper access to dollars and foster a new “love of the peso”. Story continues The first of which is abolishing a tax on saving in pesos. “We need to recover savings in our currency,” said the new Minister of Economy, Martín Guzmán, as he announced that the tax on savings in pesos was being written off. “We also need to discourage savings in a currency that we do not produce, which are dollars,” he added. Therefore, in addition to the $200 monthly limit, Argentines will pay a 30% tax for the purchase of dollars and for any expenses abroad. These include tourism (making it harder for Argentines to travel) and even services such as Netflix, Airbnb, and Spotify. The tax will not affect expenses related to health, medications, books, and research projects. These measures are part of the so-called “Law of Solidarity and Productive Reactivation” that the government plans to push through parliament. According to Guzmán, it is “the first step to resolve the economic and social crisis that Argentina is going through”. 70% of funds collected with the “dollar tax” will go to the social security system, while the remaining 30% will finance infrastructure and housing works in the country. Solidarity law pushing Argentines to Bitcoin The reasons behind the Law of Solidarity and Productive Reactivation may be well-intended. However, it’s hard to change a mindset built up over the years and encourage trust in the peso again. It’s certainly no coincidence that the spike in Bitcoin trading in Argentina resulted shortly after the new measures were announced. Argentina is not the only country in Latin America to have a tendency towards P2P BTC trading. Venezuela also reached an all-time high that same week, representing a 15.6% increase from the week before. Argentina’s ravaged neighbours to the north, in fact, are still showing more and more interest in Bitcoin trading, registering another all-time high the week of January 4. Bitcoin trading in Venezuela Bitcoin – a new Latin American alternative? Argentina and Venezuela are in the throes of complicated economic and financial crises. The situation in Venezuela is far worse, with annual inflation of over 10 million percent . However, the Argentine peso is also being weakened on an almost daily basis. Both countries are also struggling to attract investment and have restricted access to international credit. The devaluation of local currencies is one of the main reasons specialised investors and a young tech-savvy population have turned to Bitcoin – as an alternative to escape monetary depreciation and shield their wealth. However, the enormous obstacles and restrictions on access to foreign exchange have further boosted P2P Bitcoin trading in Argentina and Venezuela. These activities are not yet regulated by current legislation and have allowed investors to quickly exchange their local currency for units or fractions of cryptocurrencies that are traded internationally. Bitcoin may have been born from the ashes of the last global economic meltdown, but the majority of its users are treating it as a store of value. For countries like Argentina and Venezuela, Bitcoin is truly proving to be a viable way of escaping erroneous economic policies and weak local fiat currencies. The post Bitcoin trading in Argentina hits all-time high in run-up to Christmas appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Bitcoin’s Bounce Bumped Into The Resistance: In June and October, this area was a significant support that now may become serious resistance. Nevertheless, we are witnessing a decline in trading volumes to $20bn on the way to growth against $45bn at the beginning of the week, which calls into question the short-term outlook for the benchmark cryptocurrency, pointing to the “wait-and-see” approach of investors. Judging by the record statistics from Bakkt’s platform on Wednesday, institutional investors show much higher determination. It became known that the daily volume of the company reached a maximum of $42.5mln. With the extremely disappointing start, the current events may indicate a gradual increase in demand from institutional investors. Even more positive is the fact that a sharp rise in the volume of Bakkt coincided with the rebound ofBitcoin pricefrom $7K to $7.5K. Everyone knows that the crypto market is relatively small compared to the traditional sector. Therefore, it is much easier victim for manipulations. The collapse at the beginning of the working week may be since hedge funds on CME have $50 mln in short positions for Bitcoin. Quite enough to strengthen the adverse reaction of the market, already affected by the actions of the Chinese authorities. In addition, the situation with the “miners’ exodus” also helped to form a “perfect storm”. Some analysts call the currentcrypto market bounce“dead cat bounce”, treating everything as a bounce in the downstream channel. Some media also expressed an opinion that crypto-winter did not end at all, which caused a fierce reaction of crypto-community, which is not famous for its tolerance to the opposite position and supports only the “growth theory”. Nevertheless, there is a relatively large camp of experts who still believe that the value of Bitcoin is zero. Regulators effectively stopped off all massive projects based on blockchain or any other monetary surrogate. There is growing confidence that the cryptocurrency will not be allowed to become the mainstream unless it is the “right” state-owned cryptocurrency. Ceteris Paribus has estimated that the current cost of producing one bitcoin is $7,100. Past average values of around $4,300 named incorrect, as they do not take into account equipment depreciation. A lousy situation for small miners, who may gradually leave the market, strengthening consolidation in the industry. This article was written byFxPro Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • GBP/JPY Weekly Price Forecast – British Pound Continues Break Out Against Japanese Yen • S&P 500 Weekly Price Forecast – Stock Markets Continue To Go Higher • Gold Weekly Price Forecast – Gold Markets Continue To Find Support At Major Level • GBP/USD Weekly Price Forecast – British Pound Continues Upward Momentum • AUD/USD Price Forecast – Australian Dollar Continues To Struggle • EUR/USD Price Forecast – Euro Looking For Buyers || Bitcoin App Bottle Pay Shuts Down Over Impending EU Money-Laundering Laws: The bitcoin payments startup Bottle Payshut downon Friday, citing theAMLD5European Union regulation coming into effect Jan. 10, 2020. The Bottle Pay app once allowed users to send tiny amounts of bitcoin using just social media texts and handles, from Twitter to Telegram. There are roughly 974 members in the project’s Telegram group. The London-based company raised $2 million in September,The Blockreported at the time. Back in December, the team declined to name any of the investors but said the startup already served 10,000 user accounts. Related:Netherlands Plans to Punish Crypto Scammers With Up to 6 Years in Jail Bottle Pay finally released a public beta with real bitcoin in lateNovember, and just now realized new European regulations would dramatically alter the company’s roadmap. “The amount and type of extra personal information we would be required to collect from our users would alter the current user experience so radically, and so negatively, that we are not willing to force this onto our community,” the company said in astatement, adding the team never charged for this service, added routing fees or sold anything to users. Bottle Pay won’t be the only British crypto startup impacted by the regulations, which require a strict user verification process. Similarly, the exchangeBitpandaannounced on Friday it will roll out a new user registration process. Jon Matonis, chief economist at Canada’s Cypherpunk Holdings Inc.,tweetedthis policy applies to custodial crypto wallets. The privacy-focused wallet Samourai Wallet, which isn’t publicly registered in any specific jurisdiction,tweetedearlier this year the team believes this policy also applies to noncustodial wallets (though they said they would not comply with it). Related:SEC Taking ‘Measured’ Approach to Digital Asset Regulation, Jay Clayton Tells Senate Committee Teana Baker-Taylor, a London-based compliance expert and director of crypto industry group Global Digital Finance, said this policy could force all crypto wallet providers in the European Union to collect know-your-customer information from users. In reference to cryptocurrency exchanges and custodial wallets, she said they will become “obliged entities,” similar to banks and other brokerage service providers. “AMLD5 prohibits facilitated (non peer-to-peer) anonymous transactions,” Baker-Taylor told CoinDesk. “Custodian wallet providers and exchanges will be obligated to implement customer due diligence (including KYC) and transaction monitoring. They will also be required to maintain comprehensive records and report suspicious transactions.” Speaking broadly in June to the need for more regulation in the global cryptocurrency industry, Steven Maijoor of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) said it’s “important to have risk warnings [and] risk information for consumers going into those products” – including anti-money-laundering procedures and arrangements. When asked how specifically that policy should apply Maijoor said deferred to the expertise of the European Banking Authority. In the meantime, Bottle Paytweetedthat all users should withdraw their funds within the next two weeks. Nikhilesh De contributed reporting. • China’s SEC May Soon Have a Crypto-Savvy Department Chief: Report • FinCEN Sees Jump in Crypto-Related Suspicious Activity Reports || Binance Futures launches XRP perpetual contract, with up to 75x leverage: Binance Futures, the cryptocurrency exchange’s futures trading platform, has rolled out a perpetual contract for the XRP cryptocurrency. The contract, paired against Tether (USDT), offers leverage of up to 75 times, according to an announcement Monday. The XRP/USDT contract appears to be the first such contract from a notable exchange. Currently, little-known Delta and BaseFEX exchanges offer XRP perpetual contracts. The Binance Futures platform went live last September and currently offers three more contracts - bitcoin (BTC), bitcoin cash (BCH) and ether (ETH) - all tied against USDT. The platform offers maximum leverage of up to 125 times. Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao recently said that the leverage was increased due to growth in institutional participation. "These professional traders seek out the most efficient ways to trade very quickly, both in terms of cost and performance," said CZ. || German Stock Exchange Plans International Digital Asset ‘Ecosystem’ Through New Partnership With SBI: German stock exchange owner Boerse Stuttgart Group and Japanese financial giant SBI Group are teaming up on a joint initiative to expand their digital assets businesses internationally. The two firms said in a press release Friday they will establish a partnership in Europe and Asia, including Japan, with the ultimate aim of developing “a truly global end-to-end ecosystem for digital assets, utilizing blockchain technology.” To cement the deal, SBI Holdings is to take a stake in the stock exchange’s regulated digital assets trading platform, Boerse Stuttgart Digital Exchange. It also aired a plan to invest in Boerse Stuttgart Digital Ventures – another subsidiary that invests in innovative financial startups. The two subsidiaries carry out business related to digital assets in Germany and across Europe, according to the announcement. Related: Swiss Stock Exchange SIX Lines up Buyers for ‘Initial Digital Offering’ “Asia and Europe are the fastest-growing markets for digital assets at the moment,” said Alexander Höptner, chairman of Boerse Stuttgart’s management board. “Besides the exchange of knowledge and technology, possible fields of collaboration include the cross issuance and listing of digital assets, trading and brokerage as well as the creation of the first global custody bridge.” For its part, SBI has been working in the digital assets space since 2016, having launched initiatives such as a a payments app in collaboration with blockchain payments firm Ripple and a Japan-registered crypto trading platform called VC Trade . It has other subsidiaries in the space, too, including mining venture SBI Crypto, SBI Crypto Investment and SBI Mining Chip , which produces mining hardware. Through the new partnership, “The SBI Group, including its crypto-asset trading platform and other related business operating companies, will fully make use of the collaboration with Boerse Stuttgart Group, to well-establish the actual demands of the digital asset throughout the world,” said Yoshitaka Kitao, president and representative director of SBI Holdings. Related Stories Germany’s No. 2 Exchange Launches Bitcoin Spot Trading Swiss Stock Exchange SIX Launches Digital Assets Exchange Prototype First Tokenized IPO Launches on National Stock Exchange || Latest Ripple price and analysis (XRP to USD): The price of Ripple (XRP) has fallen over 40% since the beginning of November and is currently hovering around $0.22. Since late June, Ripple has been bouncing between lower highs and lower lows – a clear sign the cryptocurrency could be in trouble. Not only that, price is now below all its EMAs and XRP is currently trading around its yearly low. Will the altcoin recover soon? Or will it fall further? Let’s take a look at the XRP chart, courtesy of TradingView . As you can see from the chart above, the price of XRP recovered during late October before crashing over 40% as we moved through November. The October gains were lost and the price came crawling back down to below $0.28 as the huge market-wide meltdown hit the coin hard. At its lowest point over the past week, XRP touched $0.20 before recovering almost immediately. This week , I claimed it was probable that XRP would start seeing some positive momentum as its price was recording higher lows. If we do see XRP start to recover, I need confidence the coin can hold. As such, I’m waiting until it breaks the major resistance levels around $0.26 and near $0.30 to make new entries. For the time being, I expect XRP to trade below its EMAs for a while and to attempt to recover towards the 200-day EMA. Right now, volume is sitting at just above $1.2 billion – around half of what it was last week. Safe trades! Latest Ripple price Current live Ripple pricing information and interactive charts are available on our site 24 hours a day. The ticker bar at the bottom of every page on our site has the latest Ripple price. Pricing is also available in a range of different currency equivalents: US Dollar – XRPtoUSD British Pound Sterling – XRPtoGBP Japanese Yen – XRPtoJPY Euro – XRPtoEUR Australian Dollar – XRPtoAUD Russian Rouble – XRPtoRUB Bitcoin – XRPtoBTC About Ripple Ripple is a real-time gross settlement system (RTGS) developed by the Ripple company. It is also referred to as the Ripple Transaction Protocol (RTXP) or Ripple protocol. It can trace its roots to 2004 when a web developer called Ryan Fugger had the idea to create a monetary system that was decentralised and could effectively allow individuals to create their own money. Story continues Ripple is one of the largest cryptocurrencies and is one of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalisation. More Ripple news and information If you want to find out more information about Ripple or cryptocurrencies in general, then use the search box at the top of this page. Here’s a recent article to get you started: Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse hits back at critics: ‘XRP is not a security’ By Oliver Knight – November 29, 2019 As with any investment, it pays to do some homework before you part with your money. The prices of cryptocurrencies are volatile and go up and down quickly. This page is not recommending a particular currency or whether you should invest or not. The post Latest Ripple price and analysis (XRP to USD) appeared first on Coin Rivet . || WisdomTree launches new Bitcoin exchange-traded product: Exchange-traded fund (ETF) pioneer WisdomTree Europe has announced that it will be launching a physically-backed Bitcoin exchange-traded product (ETP) as appetite grows for digital assets. The fund, which will allow investors to speculate on Bitcoin without having to go through the onerous process of buying the underlying digital asset themselves, has been launched to provide easier access for institutional investors. According to a press release published earlier today, the fund entitles each investor to a certain amount of Bitcoin, with a “share entitlement” relative to their investment in the fund. This is similar to gold ETPs where funds are held in secure custody rather than held by individual investors. WisdomTree has announced that it will be working with a Bitcoin custody provider to secure the digital asset collateral, although the group hasn’t disclosed who this will be. WisdomTree’s fund will be traded on the regulated Swiss stock exchange, with shares in the fund being settled via a traditional settlement system. Bullish sentiment amid bearish lows The news comes at a time when Bitcoin has experienced a dramatic slump, moving towards new yearly lows . Despite this, Alexis Marinof, WisdomTree’s Europe head, is still apparently bullish on digital assets, commenting: “We have seen enough to believe that digital assets, like Bitcoin, are not a passing trend and can play a role in portfolios.” Marinof also commented that institutional investors would be able to access the cryptocurrency markets more easily through a physical ETF. Adding to this bullish sentiment are comments from WisdomTree’s CEO, Jonathan Steinberg, who shared: “WisdomTree has always been at the forefront of innovation, and we see blockchain technology and digital currencies as being transformative for the asset management industry. Blockchain and cryptocurrencies have the potential to change how investors participate in financial markets, globally.” Story continues Earlier this year , the London Stock Exchange (LSE) listed a cryptocurrency ETF from Invesco and Elwood Asset Management, which indexed 48 cryptocurrencies and tracked their performance through one fund. However, physically-backed Bitcoin ETFs are still struggling to gain regulatory recognition in the USA, where the SEC has rejected the Bitwise and Winklevoss ETF proposals several times. The post WisdomTree launches new Bitcoin exchange-traded product appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Asset Manager Secures SEC Approval to Create Novel Bitcoin Futures Fund: The New York Digital Investment Group (NYDIG) has secured approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to offer institutional investors shares of a new fund focused on bitcoin futures. According to a filingpublished on an SEC database Monday, the NYDIG Bitcoin Strategy Fund, a portfolio fund in the Stone Ridge Trust VI, will invest in cash-settled bitcoin futures contracts traded on exchanges registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The fund does not intend to invest in bitcoin directly, or any other cryptocurrencies. “The Fund will seek to purchase a number of Bitcoin futures so that the total value of the Bitcoin underlying the Bitcoin futures held by the Fund is as close to 100% of the net assets of the Fund (the “Target Exposure”), as it is reasonably practicable to achieve,” the filing said. Related:The SEC Has a New Chief Crypto Cop It cautioned that “there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to achieve or maintain the Target Exposure.” NYDIG,which received a BitLicenseand a limited purpose trust charter from the New York Department of Financial Services last year, is looking to raise $25 million through the fund. At press time, CME is the only exchange to offer cash-settled bitcoin futures contracts in the U.S. (while Bakkt intends to offer cash-settled bitcoin futures starting next week, they will trade on ICE Singapore). The SEC has long been loathe to approve certain fund products touching cryptocurrencies – exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as the main example. However, Monday’s approval may signal a slight shift in its stance. Related:Telegram Founder Durov Should Testify in SEC Case Over Gram Token: Judge Indeed, Dalia Blass, director of the SEC’s Division of Investment Management, appeared toreference the fundin a speech earlier this week, calling it “a prime example” of industry engaging with the agency on new types of products. “Last year, I issueda public lettercalling on the fund industry to engage in a dialogue on the investor protection and substantive issues presented by such investments,” she said. These issues included valuation, custody, liquidity, arbitrage efficiency and potential manipulation. The letter called for funds to find ways of answering these questions. “As a result of this engagement, we are at the point that a registered closed-end interval fund with a bitcoin futures strategy is preparing to launch,” she said. “To reach this point, the fund first responded to each of the issues identified in the staff letter.” While Blass did not identify the NYDIG fund by name, she noted that it would invest in cash-settled bitcoin futures, meaning it does not face crypto custody issues, and would value its holdings using the settlement price on a CFTC-registered futures exchange. She touted other aspects of the fund as examples of how it addresses her previously stated concerns. SEC Commissioner Hester Peircetook to Twitter topraise the approval, calling it “a bit of progress.” NYDIG declined to comment on the fund through a spokesperson. • Unregistered ICO Issuer Gladius Shuts Down 9 Months After SEC Settlement • The Case for a Bitcoin ETF || The Crypto Daily – Movers and Shakers – 15/01/20: Bitcoin rallied by 8.36% on Tuesday. Reversing a 0.97% fall from Monday, Bitcoin ended the day at $8,772.6. Bullish throughout the day, Bitcoin rallied from an early morning intraday low $8,095.8 to a late intraday high $8,829.0. Steering clear of the major support levels, Bitcoin broke through the major resistance levels and 23.6% FIB of $8,200. While pulling back from $8,800 levels, Bitcoin held above the third major resistance level at $8,408.57 at the day end. The near-term bearish trend, formed at late June’s swing hi $13,764.0, remained firmly intact, in spite of the upward momentum. For the bulls, Bitcoin would need to break out from $11,000 levels to form a near-term bullish trend. Across the rest of the top 10 cryptos, it was a particularly bullish day for the majors. Bitcoin Cash SV led the way, surging by a whopping 145%. Bitcoin Cash ABC (+30.69%), EOS (+22.09%), Ethereum (+15.51%), Litecoin (+17.81%), Ripple’s XRP (+10.68%), and Tron’s TRX (+13.38%) also bounced. Binance Coin (+9.63%), Monero’s XMR (+8.54%), and Stellar’s Lumen (+9.03%) trailed the pack on the day. Through the start of the week, the crypto total market cap rallied from a Monday low $215.38 to a Tuesday current week high $244.24bn. At the time of writing, the total market cap stood at $243bn. Bitcoin’s dominance tumbled to 65% levels as the broader market surged on Tuesday. Trading volumes also jumped, hitting $168bn levels before easing back. At the time of writing, 24-hr volumes stood at $167.5bn. At the time of writing, Bitcoin was down by 0.38% to $8,739.7. A mixed start to the day saw Bitcoin fall to an early morning low $8,661.5 before striking a high $8,859.7. Bitcoin left the major support and resistance levels untested early on. Elsewhere, it was a mixed start to the day. Bitcoin Cash SV was down by 7.28% to lead the way down. Ethereum and Bitcoin Cash ABC also joined Bitcoin in the red, with early losses of 0.62% and 0.26% respectively. It was bullish for the rest of the pack, however. Binance Coin (2.68%), Monero’s XMR (+3.81%), and Stellar’s Lumen (+3.65%) led the way early on. EOS (+0.60%), Litecoin (+1.08%), Ripple’s XRP (+0.88%), and Tron’s TRX (+1.88%) saw modest gains. Bitcoin would need to move back through the morning high $8,859.7 to support a run at the first major resistance level at $9,035.8. Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Bitcoin to break out from the morning high to $9,000 levels. Barring a broad-based extended crypto rally on the day, the first major resistance level at $9,035.8 would likely cap any upside. Failure to break through the morning high could see Bitcoin give up some of Tuesday’s gains. A fall back through the morning low $8,661.5 to sub-$8,600 levels would bring the first major support level at $8,302.6 into play. Barring a crypto meltdown, however, Bitcoin should avoid sub-$8,600 levels on the day. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Gold Price Prediction – Prices Rebound from Session Lows Following Soft US CPI • Natural Gas Price Prediction – Prices Slip as Weather Forecast Moderates • Is the US/China Trade Deal Being Just A Detente? • Economic Data and Geopolitics Put the GBP and USD in the Limelight • USD/JPY Forex Technical Analysis – Trader Reaction to Former Tops Will Set the Tone • Silver Traders Big Trend Analysis – PART II [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: up || Prices: 9358.59, 9316.63, 9508.99, 9350.53, 9392.88, 9344.37, 9293.52, 9180.96, 9613.42, 9729.80
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2020-12-30] BTC Price: 28840.95, BTC RSI: 82.46 Gold Price: 1891.00, Gold RSI: 58.48 Oil Price: 48.40, Oil RSI: 63.60 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] ALT 5 Sigma Digital Instrument Market Summary for BTC, ETH, LTC, BCH: NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / November 5, 2020 /ALT 5 Sigma Inc., an emerging leader in blockchain-powered financial platforms, provides its daily digital instruments market summary for Bitcoin (BTC/USD), Ether (ETH/USD), Litecoin (LTC/USD). Real-Time Market Data is available atwww.alt5pro.com, and Real-Time Market Data feed is also available atwww.alt5sigma.com. ALT 5 Sigma Digital Instrument Market Summary for BTC, ETH, LTC, BCH [["Digital Asset", "Pair", "Price", "24hr Chg", "7d Chg", "24/hr Volume", "MarketCap"], ["Bitcoin", "BTC/USD", "$15,073.55", "$0.07", "$0.12", "$36,844 M", "$279,386 M"], ["Ethereum", "ETH/USD", "$412.89", "$0.02", "$0.06", "$14,226 M", "$46,783 M"], ["XRP", "XRP/USD", "$0.25", "$0.03", "$0.01", "$2,817 M", "$11,119 M"], ["Bitcoin Cash", "BCH/USD", "$246.52", "$0.03", "-$0.08", "$2,151 M", "$4,576 M"], ["Litecoin", "LTC/USD", "$58.46", "$0.07", "$0.06", "$3,065 M", "$3,847 M"], ["Bitcoin SV", "BSV/USD", "$158.42", "$0.04", "-$0.06", "$723 M", "$2,941 M"], ["EOS", "EOS/USD", "$2.43", "$0.03", "-$0.07", "$2,155 M", "$2,283 M"], ["Monero", "XMR/USD", "$118.62", "$0.01", "-$0.05", "$1,022 M", "$2,105 M"], ["Stellar", "XLM/USD", "$0.08", "$0.08", "$0.04", "$159 M", "$1,684 M"], ["Dash", "DASH/USD", "$67.68", "$0.04", "$0.01", "$426 M", "$663 M"]] About ALT 5 Sigma Inc. ALT 5 is a fintech company specializing in the development and deployment of digital assets trading and exchange platforms. Alt 5 was founded by financial industry specialists out of the necessity to provide the digital asset economy with security, accessibility, transparency, and compliance. ALT 5 provides its clients the ability to buy, sell, and hold digital assets in a safe and secure environment deployed with the best practices of the financial industry. ALT 5's products and services are available to Banks, Broker-Dealers, Funds, Family Offices, Professional Traders, Retail Traders, Digital Asset Exchanges, Digital Asset Brokers, Blockchain Developers, and Financial Information Providers. ALT 5's digital asset custodian services are secured by GardaWorld. GardaWorld is the world's largest privately-owned business solutions and security services company, offering cash management services. For more information, visitwww.alt5sigma.com. CONTACT:Andre BeauchesneTel. [email protected] For more information on ALT 5 Pay, visitwww.alt5pay.comFor more information on ALT 5 Pro, visitwww.alt5pro.com SOURCE:ALT 5 Sigma, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/615005/ALT-5-Sigma-Digital-Instrument-Market-Summary-for-BTC-ETH-LTC-BCH || AUD/USD Daily Forecast – Test Of Resistance At 0.7600: AUD/USD Video 24.12.20. AUD/USDis testing the resistance at 0.7600 while the U.S. dollar remains under pressure against a broad basket of currencies. The U.S. Dollar Index is currently trying to get below the support at 90.15. If this attempt is successful, the U.S. Dollar Index will gain additional downside momentum and move towards the next support level at 90 which will be bullish for AUD/USD. Yesterday, U.S. reported thatInitial Jobless Claimsdecreased to 803,000 compared to analyst consensus of 885,000. Meanwhile,Personal Incomedeclined by 1.1% month-over-month in November, andPersonal Spendingdecreased by 0.4%. These reports have once again highlighted the need for another round of stimulus. However, this stimulus may be delayed as U.S. President Trump have not signed it and asked the Congress to increase the amount in stimulus checks from $600 to $2,000 per person. At this point, it is not clear whether the U.S. will be able to deliver the next round of stimulus next week, but foreign exchange market traders have mostly ignored this issue. Riskier assets like the Australian dollar attract strong support while the U.S. dollar remains under material pressure. AUD/USD managed to get above the resistance at 0.7575 and is trying to settle above the next resistance level at 0.7600. If this attempt is successful, AUD/USD will gain additional upside momentum and head towards the next resistance level at 0.7635. RSI is close to the overbought territory but there is some room to gain additional momentum in case the right catalysts emerge. If AUD/USD settles above the resistance at 0.7635, it will head towards the next resistance level near 0.7675. On the support side, the previous resistance level at 0.7575 will likely serve as the first support level for AUD/USD. If AUD/USD declines below the support at 0.7575, it will head towards the next support level at 0.7535. A successful test of the support at 0.7535 will push AUD/USD towards the next support level at the 20 EMA at 0.7520. For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out oureconomic calendar. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Natural Gas Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Weakens Under $2.539, Strengthens Over $2.584 • Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Light Volume Caps Gains, but Supported by EIA Draw, Brexit Hopes • Bitcoin To 27K Projection? • AUD/CAD & AUD/USD Analyses: Australian Dollar is Performing Better than the US and Canadian Dollars • Stocks Set To Open Higher Despite Stimulus Uncertainty • European Equities: Brexit and COVID-19 News to Direct the Boerses that are Open || Bitcoin Exchanges Flood London’s Metro With Adverts: “If you’re seeing bitcoin on the Underground, it’s time to buy,” according to one of the many posters now plastered across London’s vast metro network. In fact, two cryptocurrency exchanges chose to kick off advertising campaigns with Transport for London (TFL) on Monday. Coinfloor, the U.K.’s longest-running exchange, launched a mix of large digital billboards and posters across London’s main tube stations. Meanwhile, Luno, the crypto exchange recently acquired by Digital Currency Group (also the owner of CoinDesk), combines its London Underground ads with 650 Greater London buses and a bunch of large roadside billboards. Related:Privacy Coin Advocates Persevere Amid Multiple Crypto Exchange Delistings While crypto prices are perched close to an all-time high of $20,000, the coronavirus pandemic has greatly reduced the cost of running advertising campaigns in the U.K. “Prices for prime ad space are highly competitive,” said Obi Nwosu, founder and CEO of Coinfloor. And with London in a lower tier of COVID-19 restrictions (although this may change soon) and Christmas around the corner, the trains are busy, Nwosu said. “Footfall remains high at major stations, owing to the lockdown ending and Christmas run up,” he said. “Also, bitcoin is now finally being seen as a bona fide investment for the everyday person and so broader advertising starts making sense.” Related:India's Banks Are Once More Serving Crypto Traders and Exchanges James Lanigan, chief revenue officer at Luno, agreed that a combination of the winter holiday and the coronavirus has been favorable for bullish crypto advertising. “At this time of year, the price of advertising around London would normally be almost out of reach,” Lanigan said. “But of course, everyone’s been really hit and so actually on TFL and on the global network there’s a lot of inventory out there. So there are great opportunities.” Luno’s London push is part of a global campaign that includes national TV and radio in South Africa, the transport network across Lagos in Nigeria, print and radio in Malaysia and a mix of transport and radio in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. See also:Permission.io Has Quietly Raised $50M to Make Advertising Personal and Data Private Lanigan was buoyed by the fact Coinfloor was launching its London Underground campaign at the same time as Luno. “If we can get lots of crypto companies advertising at the same time, that would be fantastic,” he said. “You got Luno shouting about [cryptocurrency], and Coinfloor shouting about it and if we had two or three others it would just naturally lift the whole industry.” • Bitcoin Exchanges Flood London’s Metro With Adverts • Bitcoin Exchanges Flood London’s Metro With Adverts || Bitcoin Closes In on All-Time High as It Hits $18K: (Updated):Bitcoin’s price broke through $18,000 in what some experts are attributing to global events and bullish fundamentals in crypto. The world’s top cryptocurrency by market capitalization reached a high of $18,062 at 03:01 UTC, a price point not seen since Dec. 16, 2017. After topping out at almost $18,500, prices dropped back below $18,000 for around two hours before crossing the level again. Over the past 24 hours,bitcoinhas ranged between $16,560 and $18,464. Related:The Dark Future Where Payments Are Politicized and Bitcoin Wins Bitcoin is now up 146% on a year-to-date basis and has gained nearly 70% so far this quarter, according toCoinDesk 20data. “A few recent events have undoubtedly had an impact,” said Antoni Trenchev, co-founder and managing partner at crypto lender Nexo. “Institutional investment by the likes ofMicroStrategyandSquare,PayPal actively shillingcrypto, and thebitcoin halvingin May” were likely causes for bitcoin’s continual rise, he said. Others see global events such as COVID-19 and negative interest rates in traditional markets such as Germany as the outliers for bitcoin’s meteoric rise this year. “Interest rates are the most important factor in people’s decisions on where to deposit money,” said Ki Young Ju, CEO at analytics firm CryptoQuant. “I’m sure negative interest rates will drive adoption in crypto whether it’s direct purchasing crypto/index funds or using staking services.” Related:First Mover: As Bitcoin Shoots Past $18K, There's Comfort in the Crowded Trade While bitcoin is fast approaching its Dec. 17, 2017, all-time high of $19,666, ether also broke new 2020 heights above $488 to stand at $489 by press time. See also:Traders Brace for Major Volatility as Bitcoin Price Nears Record Highs Another factor could be attributed to the easy money policies of central banks and increased government spending from some of the world’s largest economies including Europe and the U.S in recent months. “I think it basically comes down to monetary and fiscal policy,” said Kyle Davies, co-founder of Three Arrows Capital.  “Central banks can lower rates until they get to slightly negative, and then they have to print money.” At that point, Davies maintains, central banks’ dependency on newly printed money will make “BTC attractive.” • Bitcoin Closes In on All-Time High as It Hits $18K • Bitcoin Closes In on All-Time High as It Hits $18K || Bitcoin and Ethereum – Weekly Technical Analysis – November 2nd, 2020: Bitcoin rose by 5.52% in the week ending 1stNovember. Following on from a 13.20% rally from the week prior, Bitcoin ended the week at $13,756.0. It was a mixed start to the week. Bitcoin fell to a Monday intraweek low $12,781.0 before making a move. Steering clear of the first major support level at $11,850, Bitcoin rallied to a Saturday intraweek high $14,055.0. Bitcoin broke through the first major resistance level at $13,791 to visit $14,000 levels for the first time since January 2018. A bearish end to the week, however, saw Bitcoin fall back to sub-$14,000 levels. The pullback also saw Bitcoin fall back through the first major resistance level at $13,791. 5 days in the green that included a 4.34% rally on Tuesday delivered the upside for the week. Bitcoin would need to avoid a fall through $13,531 pivot to support a run the first major resistance level at $14,280. Support from the broader market would be needed for Bitcoin to break out from last week’s high $14,055.0. Barring an extended crypto rally, the first major resistance level would likely cap any upside. In the event of another breakout, Bitcoin could test resistance at $15,000 before any pullback. The second major resistance level sits at $14,805. Failure to avoid a fall through the $13,531 pivot would bring the first major support level at $13,006 into play. Barring an extended sell-off, however, Bitcoin should steer clear of sub-$13,000 support levels. The second major support level sits at $12,257. At the time of writing, Bitcoin was down by 0.59% to $13,675.0. A mixed start to the week on Monday saw Bitcoin rise to an early Monday morning high $13,836.0 before falling to a low $13,645.0. Bitcoin left the major support and resistance levels untested at the start of the week. Ethereum fell by 2.32% in the week ending 1stNovember. Partially reversing a 7.37% gain from the previous week, Ethereum ended the week at $369.91. It was a choppy start to the week. Recovering from a 3.28% slide on Monday, Ethereum struck a Tuesday intraweek high $411.77 before hitting reverse. Falling well short of the first major resistance level at $431, Ethereum slid to a Friday intraweek low $373.40. Finding support at the first major support level at $373, however, Ethereum revisited $397 levels before easing back. 4-days in the red that included a 3.28% fall on Monday and a 4.22% slide on Wednesday delivered the downside for the week. A 3.21% rally on Tuesday limited the losses, however. Ethereum would need to avoid a fall through the $394 pivot level to support a run at the first major resistance level at $415. Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Ethereum to break out from last week’s high $411.77. Barring an extended crypto rally, the first major resistance level and last week’s high $411.77 would likely cap any upside. In the event of a breakout, Ethereum could test the second major resistance level at $432 before any pullback. Failure to avoid a fall through the $394 pivot would bring the first major support level at $376 and the 38.2% FIB of $367 into play. Barring an extended crypto market sell-off, however, Ethereum should steer clear of sub-$360 levels. The second major support level sits at $356. At the time of writing, Ethereum was up by 0.65% to $399.49. A Bullish start to the week saw Ethereum rise from an early Monday morning low $369.90 to an early morning high $404.57. Ethereum left the major support and resistance levels untested at the start of the week. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • The Crypto Daily – Movers and Shakers – November 2nd, 2020 • Private Sector PMIs, COVID-19, and U.S Politics Keep the EUR, GBP, and USD in Focus • EUR/USD Daily Forecast – Test Of Support At 1.1630 • AUD/USD Daily Forecast – Test Of Support At 0.7000 • Ethereum, Litecoin, and Ripple’s XRP – Daily Tech Analysis – November 2nd, 2020 • Natural Gas Price Fundamental Weekly Forecast – Heating Season Begins with Hedge Funds Holding Long Positions || Market Wrap: Bitcoin Ascends to $16.8K; Uniswap and Tether 35% of Ethereum Transactions: Bitcoin is knocking at the gates of $17,000 while Ethereum’s transaction growth in 2020 is a positive indicator of future financial use cases. • Bitcoin(BTC) trading around $16,829 as of 21:00 UTC (4 p.m. ET). Gaining 6.1% over the previous 24 hours. • Bitcoin’s 24-hour range: $15,792-$16,851 • BTC above its 10-day and 50-day moving averages, a bullish signal for market technicians. Bitcoin’s price made big gains Monday, turning bullish out the gate from a weak weekend and hitting as high as $16,851, according to CoinDesk 20 data. Read More:Citibank Analyst Says Bitcoin Could Pass $300K by December 2021 Related:First Mover: Bitcoin Tops $17K as Scaramucci Makes Entrée, Ethereum Meets Rival “Bitcoin has accelerated to the upside on positive short-term momentum, upholding overbought conditions following its recent breakout above former resistance from 2019,” said Katie Stockton, a technical analyst for Fairlead Strategies. Momentum, as measured in the form of volume, was at $688 million as of press time, higher than the past month’s $404 million daily average on major spot exchanges. “The next resistance is final resistance from 2017 near $19,500,” Stockton added. Based on CoinDesk 20 data, the last time bitcoin was at this price level was back on Jan. 6, 2018, when the daily high was at $17,211. In addition to bitcoin’s bullish run, global equities were also up Monday across the board, boosted by positive economic news – and promising results for another COVID-19 vaccine – in the face of a resurgence in the coronavirus pandemic: • The Nikkei 225 closed in the green 2% asJapanese gross domestic product numbers grew by more than anticipated, boosting investor confidence. • Europe’s FTSE 100 ended the day climbing 1.6%,boosted by the news drugmaker Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine proved to be 94.5% effective. • In the United States the S&P gained 0.80% asfresh news on the vaccine front gave investors motivation to hit the buy button on a possible economic recovery. Related:Gold Lags Far Behind Bitcoin as Vaccine Optimism Buoys Markets According to several analysts, the climbing value of bitcoin is also giving the world’s oldest cryptocurrency an increasing use as value storage for lending, both from centralized players and in decentralized finance, or DeFi. Since November 2019,the amount of bitcoin “locked” in DeFi, for example, has skyrocketed from 1,422 to 174,673 BTC, a 12,183% increase. “Lending has gained popularity in 2020 with players like Nexo, BlockFi and others with strong growth throughout the year,” said Jean Baptiste Pavageau, partner at quant trading firm ExoAlpha. “DeFi also allows the retail market to access those popular lending solutions thanks to the Ethereum network.” “It actually provides a strong use case for BTC beyond the digital gold narrative, as it’s used as a pooling and yielding instrument,” said Vishal Shah, an options trader and founder of crypto exchange Alpha5. Shah also speculates that all this bitcoin on the Ethereum blockchain may decrease the separation between blockchains. “It may actually create a chain-agnostic paradigm.” Ether(ETH), the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, was up Monday trading around $462 and climbing 4% in 24 hours as of 21:00 UTC (4:00 p.m. ET). Read More:MakerDAO Loans Can Be Gamed to Hold Out Funds From Liquidation Since the start of July, the Ethereum network has been averaging over one million transactions per day, according to data aggregator Glassnode. That number of transactions was first experienced three years ago during the 2017-2018 crypto market bubble. Token swapping and stablecoins are a big part of this, as 35% of the network’s transactions are on Uniswap (18.93%) and involvetether(16.42%) on Monday, according toEth Gas Station. “I think this is proof of the continued traction that Ethereum has been seeing as a platform during the second half of 2020,” noted Ben Chan, vice president of engineering for oracle provider ChainLink. Uniswap’s transaction dominance in particular is a bullish sign on decentralized finance, or DeFi, according to Chan. “Unlike tether, which can move to other chains, DeFi is more sticky because assets and components of the ecosystem in themselves perpetuate a network effect.” Digital assets on theCoinDesk 20are all green Monday. Notable winners as of 21:00 UTC (4:00 p.m. ET): • litecoin(LTC) + 14% • ethereum classic(ETC) + 6.6% • xrp(XRP) + 6.1% Read More:The SEC Is Still Working Out What ‘Qualified Custodian’ Means for Crypto Commodities: • Oil was up 3%. Price per barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude: $41.31. • Gold was in the red 0.12% and at $1,886 as of press time. Treasurys: • The 10-year U.S. Treasury bond yield climbed Monday, up to 0.905 and in the green 0.19%. • Market Wrap: Bitcoin Ascends to $16.8K; Uniswap and Tether 35% of Ethereum Transactions • Market Wrap: Bitcoin Ascends to $16.8K; Uniswap and Tether 35% of Ethereum Transactions || Bitcoin’s All-Time High Price Rally Is Sustainable. Analysts Explain Why: While some near-term pricing correction is likely to be expected, analysts who spoke to CoinDesk said bitcoin’s latest rally will be more sustainable for the long term compared with 2017, the last time bitcoin’s price hit an all-time high. One difference from the last bull run? The current market has gained support from a new wave of institutional investors mainly based in North America. “You could look at the timing of the rally, which coincided with typical U.S. market open hours,” said John Todaro, director of institutional research at cryptocurrency analysis firm TradeBlock. He added that volumes at LMAX Digital , which primarily caters to institutional traders, are also higher. Related: First Mover: Bitcoin's Failure to Break $20K Shows Big Investors Only Just Arriving Bitcoin’s price broke its previous all-time high earlier Monday, according to CoinDesk’s BPI , setting a new record at $19,850.11. Read more: Bitcoin Trading Fees on PayPal, Robinhood, Cash App and Coinbase: What to Know “During the thinly traded Thanksgiving holiday, regulation concerns, which were outlined by Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong in a series of tweets, caused the asset to correct, declining to around $16,500 – during a time when a large number of U.S. institutional investors and traders were not actively transacting,” Todaro said. “Today, Monday morning, you had a large return of institutional traders who bid up the asset, buying the dip.” To be sure, not all the data for the world’s oldest cryptocurrency is bullish for the near term. Bitcoin’s inflow to exchanges has exceeded outflows since the Thanksgiving sell-off, according to data provider CryptoQuant. Related: Google Searches for 'Bitcoin Price' Hit 18-Month High That on-chain metric could indicate a short-term bearish trend, sending bitcoin back to a level of around $16,000, said Ki Yong Ju, chief executive officer of CryptoQuant. That’s because it means large bitcoin buyers, or whales, seem to be active on exchanges, adding more selling pressure. Nonetheless, the activity is another sign this market isn’t what it was three years ago. After hitting its former record in December 2017, bitcoin’s price quickly dropped to as low as $5,947.40 in just about two months. At the time, the market widely attributed bitcoin’s rally to an increase in active retail investors. Who’s buying Until very recently, the term “institutional investors” in the crypto world  meant an assortment of crypto quant firms, bitcoin miners and early investors. The composition of market participants has gradually changed this year to include a new group considered institutional investors by the traditional financial world, according to Denis Vinokourov, head of research at digital asset prime broker Bequant. Story continues Ongoing capital inflows into the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust and other exchange-traded products (ETPs) issuers, including 21Shares and CoinShares, are evidence the institutions in traditional financial markets are pouring money into bitcoin, Vinokourov said. Read morre: Investment Giant AllianceBernstein Now Says Bitcoin Has Role in Investors’ Portfolios Grayscale is owned by Digital Currency Group, which is also the parent company of CoinDesk. “The long-only aspect has partly caused the surge higher and, in turn, attracted the momentum-driven investing that tends to push bullish rallies even higher,” Vinokourov said. Related Stories Bitcoin’s All-Time High Price Rally Is Sustainable. Analysts Explain Why Bitcoin’s All-Time High Price Rally Is Sustainable. Analysts Explain Why View comments || CEO of Bitcoin Mining Startup Layer1 Resigns in Settlement, Replaced by Ex-President: The co-founder and CEO of bitcoin mining startup Layer1 Technologies, Alex Leigl, has resigned as part of a settlement between the firm’s founders, according to a press release sent to shareholders and shared with CoinDesk. Another co-founder, former President Jakov Dolic has rejoined the company as CEO and board chairman. The settlement includes the discontinuance of all legal proceedings and demands, the company said. Founded in June 2019, the young company has fought controversy and legal battles for much of 2020. Dolic’s legal disputes originated when he sued Layer1 after claiming he invested millions of dollars and then was forced to leave the company, as CoinDesk previouslyreported. Related:Riot to Test Immersion Cooling Bitcoin Mining Technology in Texas Shortly after Dolic withdrew his lawsuit in November, Leigl filed a countersuit against Dolic and fellow shareholder Ivan Kirillov for malicious prosecution and shareholder misconduct. Under Leigl, Layer1 also reportedlymisdescribedthe role of Liu Xiangfu, co-founder of Chinesebitcoinminer manufacturer Canaan and supposedly a core Layer1 team member, in an investor pitch deck. Per the press release, Dolic and Liegl jointly stated, “Layer1 has a strong foundation for future growth, including mining operations with a capacity of 100MW, which the company will be expanding, and proprietary containerized solutions that will continue to drive Layer1’s operations.” Leigl leaves the company just weeks after being named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2021. • CEO of Bitcoin Mining Startup Layer1 Resigns in Settlement, Replaced by Ex-President • CEO of Bitcoin Mining Startup Layer1 Resigns in Settlement, Replaced by Ex-President • CEO of Bitcoin Mining Startup Layer1 Resigns in Settlement, Replaced by Ex-President || Latest Ripple price and analysis (XRP to USD): Ripple’s XRP token remains in a bullish posture from a macro perspective having rallied by 191.46% since the turn of the month. If this monthly candle closes here at $0.6916, it would mark XRP’s best monthly performance since December 2017, which paved the way for its $3.25 all-time high. The massive move to the upside comes after a two-and-a-half year bear market that saw XRP lose more than 95% of its value by March this year. With an incredibly strong reversal now being confirmed, XRP is on the brink of taking out the psychological level of resistance at $1.00 for the first time since early 2018. The recent rally will come as a surprise to many as XRP is a token that has its staunch critics within the industry, mainly due to its centralised nature that stems from the Ripple Foundation. XRPUSD chart by TradingView Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has been at the centre of scepticism over the past couple of years, with aggrieved investors going so far as to file a lawsuit against the Ripple Foundation over OTC XRP token sales. However, Garlinghouse hit back at his critics earlier this year when he revealed that token sales were “vital” to the survival of the company. In the short term, XRP needs to take aim at the $0.79 level of resistance while ensuring that it continues to trade above the $0.57 level of support. For more news, guides and cryptocurrency analysis, click here . Latest Ripple price Current live XRP price information and interactive charts are available on our site 24 hours a day. The ticker bar at the bottom of every page on our site has the latest Ripple price. Pricing is also available in a range of different currency equivalents: US Dollar – XRPtoUSD British Pound Sterling – XRPtoGBP Japanese Yen – XRPtoJPY Euro – XRPtoEUR Australian Dollar – XRPtoAUD Russian Rouble – XRPtoRUB Bitcoin – XRPtoBTC About Ripple (XRP) Ripple is a real-time gross settlement system (RTGS) developed by the Ripple company. It is also referred to as the Ripple Transaction Protocol (RTXP) or Ripple protocol. It can trace its roots to 2004 when a web developer called Ryan Fugger had the idea to create a monetary system that was decentralised and could effectively allow individuals to create their own money. Story continues Ripple is one of the largest cryptocurrencies and is one of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalisation. More Ripple news and information If you want to find out more information about Ripple or cryptocurrencies in general, then use the search box at the top of this page. Here’s a recent article to get you started: https://coinrivet.com/ripple-ceo-brad-garlinghouse-hits-back-at-critics-xrp-is-not-a-security/ As with any investment, it pays to do some homework before you part with your money. The prices of cryptocurrencies are volatile and go up and down quickly. This page is not recommending a particular currency or whether you should invest or not. || Crypto Long & Short: The Christmas Poem Edition: In a departure from our usual Crypto Long & Short format, in honor of the holiday season I’ve written a poem that reviews the year and reflects some of the progress made in our industry. It’s not rigorous analysis, but I hope the change in rhythm lightens the festive period. Go ahead and laugh, but may I say in my defense that “good at rhymes” was not in my original job description. <clears throat> A cryptomas rhyme Related: Coinbase to Suspend XRP Trading Following SEC Suit Against Ripple ‘Twas the day after Christmas. Instead of some rest I decided to review how we had progressed. In January, headlines screamed military tension . Related: Market Wrap: Bitcoin Hovers Around $27K While ETH/BTC Pair Goes Bullish Bitcoin as “safe haven” attracted attention . The ructions in March did much to dispel The “safe haven” myth as all prices fell. “Black Thursday” also highlighted the danger Of too much leverage . But things would get stranger. We all soon grew aware of the threat of a new Type of virus that spread. It was not “just the flu.” As April drew round, we saw a new correlation Between bitcoin and stocks, and a dip in inflation As spending dried up. But the biggest shock Was a negative oil price from way too much stock And not enough storage. Uncertainty spread As markets digested the changes ahead. The official response to the looming crash In incomes and output was to print more “cash.” The ballooning supply of fiat to spend Was in sharp contrast to a cap that won’t bend. And with perfect timing did the network remind Us that every four years the new issue declined. The halving in May during our big event Highlighted supply rules we can’t circumvent. In June prices held . Volatility dropped. The spread of the virus could not be stopped. Nor could the rise of the prices of stocks That used tech to help people weather the shocks Of a new way of working and seeing their friends, Story continues In spite of the cuts in yields and dividends. The summer saw two new trends gather speed: Services to satisfy institutional need For custody , platforms and products galore. And decentralized finance had surprises in store: A surge in the volume of trading on some Of the platforms that had names that would become Memes of their own. Sushi , pizza and YAMs – While many delivered, it seems some were scams . With part of the U.S. fighting fire after fire As August dragged on, stock markets climbed higher. In October, the bitcoin price started to rise And a looming election pushed stress to new highs. PayPal’s support for transacting in some Crypto assets meant mainstream adoption could come. More well-known investors came out in defense Of a bitcoin stake held as a hedge – it made sense In the face of the risk of growing inflation And currency woes that could lead to stagnation. In December, bitcoin’s correlation to gold Has fallen almost to zero, as new narratives unfold And the bitcoin price enters a new paradigm. As I write this verse, it continues to climb Toward new all-time highs. Now, I do not know Where it goes from here, but the inflows do show That institutional interest seems here to stay . With so much going on, there is more I could say, But this poem is already way too long, yet I can’t leave without urging us not to forget That the year has been hard for so many out there. And although there is hope, we should still be aware Of the need to be kind, and to take care Of our health, and our loved ones. For always somewhere There is someone whose day could be brightened with sharing A bit of compassion, affection and caring. With that, dear readers, I bid you good cheer! Happy holidays, and have a hopeful New Year. Chain links Crypto fund manager Bitwise has liquidated the XRP position it held in its Bitwise 10 Crypto Index Fund, after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced that it was suing the company Ripple, which maintains 55 billion XRP in escrow and releases 1 billion every month, for what it deems a years-long unregistered offering of securities. TAKEAWAY: It is not clear that the suit will prevail, as Ripple is claiming that XRP falls outside of federal securities laws. Nevertheless, it is a big deal even for investors that have no interest in XRP, since the ripple effect (sorry) of the regulatory action will touch exchanges that list the token as well as funds that hold it , such as the Bitwise product. It will also further the conversation over what is and isn’t a security, clarity which will be welcomed by the industry as a whole. At time of writing, the XRP price is 40% lower than its price a week ago. Anthony Scaramucci’s hedge fund SkyBridge Capital , which manages approximately $9.2 billion worth of assets, filed a Form D with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for what appears to be its first bitcoin-only fund. SkyBridge has already invested $25 million in this fund, which will open to new investors in early January. According to Scaramucci, MicroStrategy’s CEO Michael Saylor was the inspiration for the fund. Scaramucci also said that SkyBridge is running a full bitcoin node. TAKEAWAY: The Saylor connection is interesting in that it shows the contagion power of high-profile conviction. And you don’t often hear of institutional investors getting as deeply involved as to run a node. Here’s a good article by JP Koning on how we applaud the entrance of institutional investors into the market, but we tend to oversimplify why they’re investing. Mogo , a Canadian fintech listed on the Nasdaq and Toronto stock exchanges, has announced it will make a corporate investment of up to CA$1.5 million (US$1.16 million) in bitcoin, and will consider additional purchases over 2021. TAKEAWAY: I really hope we aren’t witnessing the beginning of a trend in which companies announce bitcoin interest so their share price will go up. I just fail to see the sense in announcing a massive buy before you do it – isn’t part of a company’s obligation to its shareholders to ensure it gets the best price for its acquisitions? The original bitcoin-buying corporation, MicroStrategy , has invested all of the proceeds of its $650 million debt issuance into 29,646 more bitcoin, at an average unit price of $21,925. The business intelligence firm now has 70,470 BTC worth over $1.596 billion in its treasury reserve. TAKEAWAY: Now this makes sense, announcing after the buy has been completed. Many companies will no doubt have noticed the MicroStrategy share price performance since it dove headfirst into cryptocurrency – this could well encourage others to dive in, and not necessarily for ideological or even investment thesis reasons. Related Stories Crypto Long & Short: The Christmas Poem Edition Crypto Long & Short: The Christmas Poem Edition [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: up || Prices: 29001.72, 29374.15, 32127.27, 32782.02, 31971.91, 33992.43, 36824.36, 39371.04, 40797.61, 40254.55
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2018-01-12] BTC Price: 13980.60, BTC RSI: 45.85 Gold Price: 1333.40, Gold RSI: 74.52 Oil Price: 64.30, Oil RSI: 78.62 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] United Continental Raises Guidance Again: Can It Keep Up the Momentum?: Back in October, shares ofUnited Continental(NYSE: UAL)plunged after the company posted weak third-quarter earnings and released adownbeat outlook for the fourth quarter. Unit revenue declines highlighted the cost of an ongoing fare war with ultra-low-cost carriers such asSpirit Airlines(NYSE: SAVE)and Frontier Airlines. Additionally, management appeared to back away from United's earlier forecast that non-fuel unit costs would rise no more than 1% in 2018. Since then, United has raised its Q4 guidance twice. On Tuesday, the company indicated that unit revenue and unit costs both came in better than expected last quarter. This is a promising sign -- but investors should wait to see if performance continues to improve before considering an investment in United Continental. United's initial Q4 forecast called for passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) to decline 1% to 3% year over year, with most of the decline coming in December. Meanwhile, the company projected that adjusted non-fuel unit costs would rise by 2.5% to 3.5%. The net result was that it expected to produce a slim adjusted pre-tax margin of 3% to 5%. However, United Continentalraised its revenue guidanceby 1 percentage point last month, hinting at an improving revenue environment. United Continental's Q4 unit revenue outlook has improved significantly. Image source: United Airlines. The company's final guidance update, issued this week, provided even better news. PRASM will come in roughly flat on a year-over-year basis, reaching the high end of the updated forecast range. Additionally, management estimates that adjusted non-fuel unit costs rose just 1.5% to 2% year over year, well below the original forecast. United Continental attributed the stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter revenue performance to an uptick in close-in demand. Better reliability, lower benefits-related expenses, and the timing of certain costs contributed to holding down non-fuel unit cost growth. The combination of stronger unit revenue and lower non-fuel cost growth more than offset the impact of an increase in fuel prices during the fourth quarter. As a result, United Continental now expects to post a pre-tax margin of 6% to 7% for the quarter, even though it paid an average of $1.91 per gallon for jet fuel -- well above its original estimate of $1.80 to $1.85. Still, that's not exactly cause for celebration. United's Q4 2016 adjusted pre-tax margin was significantly higher, at 9.5%. (It was even higher the year before.) United Continental may have slowed its rate of margin deterioration, but it still hasn't stabilized its profitability. It will be extremely important for United Continental to accelerate its unit revenue growth in the year ahead. Jet fuel prices have been flying higher since late October. Thus, while United paid $1.91 per gallon last quarter, it could face an average jet fuel price of more than $2.10 per gallon in 2018 if fuel prices remain near current levels. This alone would be a roughly 4-percentage-point headwind to United's pre-tax margin. Assuming that non-fuel unit costs rise 1% to 2%, United could need PRASM growth of about 5% just to match its subpar 2017 pre-tax margin (which will be approximately 8.5%). Most investors would probably be happy if United were able to merely hold pre-tax profit steady in the face of higher fuel costs. The benefits of tax reform would then flow through to the bottom line. However, achieving a 5% full-year PRASM increase would be no easy feat. At some point, the price of jet fuel will stop rising, giving airlines an opportunity to bolster their margins via continued unit revenue growth. That said, United (and its legacy carrier peers) will face a significant threat from the ongoing growth of Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and other low-fare airlines. Spirit Airlines and other smaller carriers are growing quickly. Image source: Spirit Airlines. Frontier Airlines recently ordered 134 new aircraft as part of a plan to roughly triple in size over the next decade. Spirit Airlines plans to expand 22% to 25% in 2018, before slowing its annual growth rate to between 10% and 15% thereafter. However, a provision of the recent tax reform bill that incentivizes capital spending could encourage Spirit (and other airlines in a similar position) to grow faster,undermining the industry's unit revenue growth. United faces threats in the international arena as well. The rapid growth of Chinese carriers has depressed fares in the U.S.-China market for years. Singapore Airlines is expected to restart nonstop flights from Singapore to New York and Los Angeles this year, using a new long-range version of the A350-900. Finally, European budget airlines continue to add routes between the U.S. and major European tourist markets at a rapid pace. United Continental stock is relatively cheap, trading for about 10 times the company's 2017 EPS. The company also has a big tax-reform EPS boost coming, while management has touted a long-term plan to add billions of dollars to the bottom line. Nevertheless, until United proves that it can successfully navigate the numerous potential pitfalls it faces, investors should stay away. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Adam Levine-Weinbergowns shares of Spirit Airlines. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Spirit Airlines. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || 3 Energy Stocks to Buy for 2018: Last year was an odd one for the energy sector. Oil prices rebounded sharply in the second half, with WTI crude rising by about 11% to end 2017 at more than $60 a barrel, a two-and-a-half year high. That might have been expected to fuel big gains for energy stocks. Instead, most of them lost value last year. Because of that, 2018 could be a bounce-back year for the sector, especially if crude oil prices continue heading higher. That said, even if they don't, these three energy stocks could still enjoy big years. Here's why. An oil pump at dusk. Image source: Getty Images. The recipe for a rebound Natural gas pipeline giant Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI) declined 13% last year even though it completed its turnaround plan, and distributable cash flow (DCF) -- the excess cash it can use to pay dividends -- held roughly steady. Shares currently trade at a rock-bottom price of 8.8 times 2018 DCF, which is well below the average 14.9 times DCF multiple of its peer group. That discount could narrow in 2018 thanks to several catalysts . First, Kinder Morgan expects to boost its dividend 60% this year, which would push its yield up to 4.4%, making it more attractive to income investors. In addition, it plans to repurchase up to $500 million of its stock, which could also help drive the price higher. Finally, the company could begin construction on its controversial Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion in Canada. Investors had worried that local opposition might stymie the project. However, the company recently won a crucial court battle, which increases the odds that it will be able start construction this year. If that happens, it will lift a huge weight of uncertainty that has been holding down Kinder Morgan's valuation, since Trans Mountain represents a substantial portion of the company's growth prospects. High return growth plus cash returns Oil giant Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE: APC) tumbled 23.5% last year -- one of the worst performances among big oil stocks -- despite making excellent progress on its plan to adjust its business so it can thrive at lower oil prices. For example, the company has increased its margin per barrel by 34% while significantly improving its balance sheet. These moves put Anadarko in position for a strong year in 2018. Story continues In fact, at $50 a barrel oil, the company says it would generate enough cash flow to fuel $4.2 billion to $4.6 billion in capital investments, which in turn would allow it to increase its oil output by 14% versus 2017. Given that crude is currently well over $50 a barrel, Anadarko is on pace to generate significant free cash flow; it noted in late November that it could produce more than $700 million in free cash this year based on where prices were at the time. That would give the company even more money to return to investors on top of the $2.5 billion share buyback program it announced in September. That sizable buyback, when combined with its growing free cash, could fuel a rebound in the company's stock price this year. Solar power panels with the sun shining in the background. Image source: Getty Images. A new parent with a plan to create value Shares of renewable energy generator TerraForm Power (NASDAQ: TERP) slumped 7.7% last year. On the one hand, that decline wasn't that surprising since cash available for distribution (CAFD) -- money the company could pay out to investors via dividends -- fell 37.5% through the third quarter. One of the issues was weaker than expected power production. For example, in Q3, the electricity generated from the company's wind farms came in 13% below the previous year due to a wind resource that was 20% below average. That said, 2017 was a transformational year for the company because it changed its parent company, replacing the bankrupt SunEdison with leading alternative asset manager Brookfield Asset Management (NYSE: BAM) , which took a 51% stake in TerraForm. Brookfield has already instituted several changes that should enable TerraForm Power to start distributing cash to investors in 2018 . In fact, the company plans to return 80% to 85% of its CAFD to investors each year, and believes it can grow its payout by 5% to 8% annually. The company's return to growth mode and the revival of its dividend should combine to fuel a double-digit percentage total return for investors in the coming year. Looking forward to the catalysts Each of these three energy stocks had a down year in 2017, even though each took giant leaps toward improving their ability to grow in the current environment. Because of that, all could bounce back sharply in 2018, especially as the various expected catalysts arrive. It's those catalyst-driven upsides that make them good stocks to consider buying this year. More From The Motley Fool 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Matthew DiLallo owns shares of Brookfield Asset Management and Kinder Morgan and has the following options: long January 2018 $30 calls on Kinder Morgan and short March 2018 $17 puts on Kinder Morgan. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Kinder Morgan. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . || $2,300 and Rising: Bitcoin Cash Gains Against Bitcoin: Bitcoin cash scaled new heights today and looks solidly bid against its rival bitcoin (BTC). As perCoinMarketCap, the world's third-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization toppled its previous record high of $2,477.65 (Nov. 12 high) and rose to a new record of $2,501.29 at 09:44 UTC today. Bitcoin cash (BCH) was last seen trading at $2,350 levels, meaning the 21 percent rally seen in the last 24 hours has pushed the gains since its launch to 316 percent. Meanwhile, week-on-week, BCH has appreciated 43 percent. The stellar rally is a part of the broad-based strength witnessed in the alternative currencies since last Tuesday. With bitcoin (large cap) showing signs of fatigue near the $20,000 mark, the rotation to small caps seems to have gathered pace. This is evident from the spike in trading volumes on exchanges offering BCH/BTC pairs. Also, theinvestor communitymay have bought BCH on speculation that integration with payment processor BitPay would open the doors to more widespread adoption (and boost its utility as a payment method). The price chart analysis says the rally in BCH is here to say. The abovechart(prices as per Bitfinex) shows: • BCH has failed to hold above the 261.8 percent Fibonacci extension level of $2,327.11. • The decline from $2,425 (intra-day high) to $2,260 also indicates the first attempt to break above the rising channel hurdle ($2,327.11) has failed. • The 5-day MA and 10-day MA are curled up in favor of the bulls. • The relative strength index (RSI) shows overbought conditions, but is well short of the highs seen in November. Thus, there is enough room for BCH to extend the rally. • The area around the upward sloping 10-day MA level of $1,750 is likely to act as a strong support in the short-term. • A close (as per UTC) above $2,327.11 (261.8 percent Fibonacci extension and rising channel hurdle) would open up upside towards $3,000. That said, the comments onsocial mediashow the investor community feels the rally in BCH could fall apart if bitcoin suffers a major setback. While that could be true, the BCH/BTC chart indicates bitcoin cash could still score gains against bitcoin. The abovechartshows: • A higher low pattern (BTC 0.068 on Dec. 8 and BTC 0.09 on Dec. 16). • The relative strength index (RSI) is above 50.00 (in the bullish territory), indicates the scope for further gains in BCH/BTC pair. • The 5-day MA and 10-day MA favor the bulls. • The pair seems to have bottomed out at BTC 0.068 (Dec. 8 low) and could test the falling channel hurdle of BTC 0.1454. • A close (as per UTC) above BTC 0.1454 would signal bullish falling channel breakout and could yield rally to BTC 0.2225 (Nov. 24 high). • On the downside, only a close below BTC 0.068 (Dec. 8 low) would abort the bullish view. Racetrackvia Shutterstock • 2017: Saluting the Shakespearean Shitcoin Drama That Was • Ripple Price Passes Historic $1 Milestone • Coinbase's Bitcoin Cash Market Is Back Online • Waiting Game: Bitcoin Cash at Record High Ahead of Coinbase Relaunch || Bitcoin drops after dramatic gains ahead of futures launch: By Jemima Kelly and Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bitcoin lost almost a fifth of its value in 10 hours on Friday, having surged more than 40 percent in the preceding 48 hours, sparking fears the market may be heading for a price collapse. In a hectic day on Thursday, bitcoin leapt from below $16,000 to $19,500 in less than an hour on the U.S.-based GDAX, one of the biggest exchanges globally, while it was still changing hands at about $15,900 on the Luxembourg-based Bitstamp. Some market watchers attributed the lurch higher to the coming launch of bitcoin futures on major exchanges. Having then climbed to $16,666 on Bitstamp at around 0200 GMT on Friday, it tumbled to $13,482 by around 1200 GMT - a slide of more than 19 percent. It was last down 8.2 percent at $15,232.32 <BTC=BTSP> on BitStamp. On Sunday, the Chicago-based Cboe Global Markets exchange is due to launch a futures contract on the digital currency, to be followed by CME Group the next week. Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at OANDA in London, said investors may have taken profits on bitcoin gains ahead of the Cboe launch, which could open the door to short speculators who believe the price has risen far too quickly. "The initial bounce after this morning's sell-off suggests there's still appetite for buying dips but that may not last if we don't see the kind of rebound witnessed previously," said Erlam. "Saying that, the way bitcoin is trading at the minute, I don't think anyone would be surprised to see it end the day in the green," he added. For an interactive graphic, click on http://tmsnrt.rs/2AHKJPd. As investors braced for the Cboe launch, some big U.S. banks, including JPMorgan Chase <JPM.N> and Citigroup <C.N>, will not immediately clear bitcoin trades for clients once investors start trading futures contracts, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. Story continues JPMorgan and Citigroup did not immediately respond to requests for comment. On Thursday, Goldman Sachs Group Inc <GS.N> said it planned to clear bitcoin futures for some clients as the new contracts go live on exchanges in the coming days. As bitcoin slumped, other cryptocurrencies climbed. Ethereum the second-biggest, was up nearly 8 percent, according to trade website Coinmarketcap. For the week, bitcoin was still up almost a third. Since the start of October, bitcoin has more than tripled in price. So far this year it has soared about 15 fold, stoking concerns that the bubble would burst in dramatic fashion. Its rapid rise has drawn in millions of new investors. So far this week, more than half a million new users have opened wallets with retail-focused bitcoin wallet provider Blockchain, the firm said, doubling the total number of users to 20 million since last year. "Like a herd, market participants have a tendency to follow the money," said Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst, at Forex.com in London. "So when bitcoin goes up in value by hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars per day, the fear of missing out (FOMO) kicks in and speculators rush to buy the cryptocurrency because they don’t want to be left out." (Reporting by Jemima Kelly in London and Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss in New York; Additional reporting by Lisa Twaronite in Tokyo; Editing by Alden Bentley and David Gregorio) || Bitcoin and Ethereum Price Forecast – BTC Prices Crash as Profit Taking Increases: Bitcoin prices have failed to find the support that we had expected it to and have been crashing lower over the past few days. The prices had touched the $20,000 for a very brief while a few days back but since then, it has been dropping lower as the prices have gone as low as less than $14,000 over the last 24 hours but have since bounced back to trade above the $14,500 region as of this writing. Though there has been a bounce, the risk continues to be on the downside as the traders and speculators begin to increase their dumping of the bitcoins as a means of profit taking as we head to the close of the year. Suggested Articles • Why Bitcoin Cash is Better than Bitcoin? • How to Buy Bitcoin Cash? • How to Short Bitcoin? One of the major exchanges, coinbase, has also had to shut down the buying and selling of bitcoins due to a glitch and that has only served to increase the panic in the markets. There has also been some good news as reports have come in that Goldman would begin trading on bitcoins but that has not yet helped t soothe the markets. We continue to believe that this fall is only temporary and likely to fall for the short term as the traders take profits and some jump ship to other coins but with the futures being introduced and big players entering the market, the bitcoin industry would only expand and this should lead the prices higher in the medium term. The ethereum prices have also been dropping lower over the last 24 hours, following the cue from the bitcoin market, and after dropping below the $650 mark, we are seeing the prices recovering to trade above $700 as of this writing. We continue to believe in the inherent strength of this market for the long term. Looking ahead to the rest of the day, we believe that the bitcoin prices would continue to trade in a weak manner and consolidation below the $15,000 region as the traders await the next spark for them to push with the next bullish leg. The ETH market should also consolidate and trade in a slow manner as we head to the holiday period which is likely to make the prices choppy. Buy & Sell Cryptocurrency Instantly Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • EUR/USD, AUD/USD, GBP/USD and USD/JPY Daily Outlook – December 22, 2017 • Bitcoin Fighting for Survival • FTSE 100 Price Forecast December 22, 2017, Technical Analysis • Catalonia and Brexit to influence the EUR and the GBP • BTC/USD Price Forecast December 22, 2017, Technical Analysis • Gold 4H Retracement Stops at Weekly H4 Camarilla Pivot || Coinbase halts Bitcoin Cash transactions over insider trading fears: The start of Bitcoin Cash trading on the Coinbase exchange was supposed to be a great opportunity to get into a major new cryptocurrency while its values weren't yet through the roof , but that's... not how it panned out. Coinbase froze transactions just a few hours after they began in order to investigate numerous accusations of insider trading. Observers noticed that the price of Bitcoin Cash rose sharply before news of its availability on the exchange broke, and that there was a sharp selloff virtually the moment trading started. From a cursory glance, it looked like someone knew about the Coinbase move in advance, triggered a flurry of trading that led to a spike in price, and took advantage of this for a massive windfall. Coinbase chief Brian Armstrong stressed in a blog post that there was no evidence of insider trading "at this time," but also promised a zero-tolerance approach. The CEO said "will not hesitate" to immediately fire anyone shown to be trading on non-public info, and insisted that the company had repeatedly warned employees against the practice. Staff are barred from any trading for "several weeks." It's not certain when Bitcoin Cash transactions will return to the exchange. Whenever they do, the unusual activity is a reminder that digital currency is still a relatively untamed space. Even with futures trading and tighter regulation in place to add some stability, virtual money still tends to be volatile -- it doesn't take much to create havoc. I dont care how you slice it, this is INSIDER TRADING! Someone with alot of Bitcoin knew @coinbase would add Bitcoin Cash BCH and took one BIG chunk of profit from the #flippening . Whoever you are you are your making crypto look like wall st. Shame on you. pic.twitter.com/g9YU9jGm0T — CryptoSoldier (@NoTimeToSearch) December 20, 2017 || 16.3 million Americans buy and sell bitcoin frequently: Traders work in a trading pit at the Chicago Board Options Exchange. Trading in Bitcoin futures began Sunday (12/10) on the CBOE. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato) Cboe’s bitcoin futures are on track for a stellar first week, the CME will launch its own contract Monday and Nasdaq plans to do the same next year. Still, 74% of adults have never used the digital asset at all, according to a new Morning Consult survey . Meanwhile, 5% of Americans — roughly 16.3 million people — are buying and selling bitcoin frequently. Given bitcoin only hit mainstream mania this year, it’s safe to say we’re far from peak adoption. This number is still small compared to the number of Americans who have traditional investments. Fifty four percent of Americans — a record low — invest in the stock market (including through individual stocks, mutual funds, 401(k)s and pensions). Unsurprisingly, the affluent are more likely to dabble in bitcoin regularly. Fifteen percent of adults who earn over $100,000 annually said they are buying, receiving or sending bitcoin somewhat or very frequently. One could imagine that ultra high networth individuals have the luxury to diversify their earnings even more. In contrast, 7% of those who earn less than $50,000 said they use bitcoin, according to the survey of 2,039 U.S. adults. Lack of knowledge Even though 16.3 million Americans use bitcoin all the time, most people may not be ready for it , particularly given concerns surrounding security and diversification. Overall, Americans remain confused about the cryptocurrency. A 37% plurality say they aren’t familiar at all with bitcoin. Forty-two percent say they’re either somewhat or not too familiar with it while 9% claim they are very familiar. The remaining 12% didn’t know or had no opinion. “I would simply say that bitcoin at this time plays a very small role in the payments system. “[Bitcoin] is not a stable store of value, it doesn’t constitute legal tender, and it is a highly speculative asset,” as Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said this week . Perhaps we should heed Warren Buffett’s advice about investing in what you know and trust. He was an early bitcoin bear, dubbing it a mirage in 2014 (the price of bitcoin has increased 35-fold since he first made the call.) If that’s the case, much of America might be better off observing from the sidelines. Melody Hahm is a senior writer at Yahoo Finance, covering entrepreneurship, technology and real estate. Follow her on Twitter @melodyhahm . Read more: Walmart employees should use new early pay policy as last resort Trump administration’s proposed rule raises fear of legal wage theft 74% of parents help their adult children with finances Behavioral economist explains a 3-jar system that teaches kids about money Parents want their teens to be entrepreneurs but teens don’t want to View comments || Bitcoin blows past $13,000 for the first time: MI • Bitcoin, the scorching-hot cryptocurrency, broke through $13,000 a coin for the first time Wednesday. • The new milestone comes less than a day after it hit $12,000. • The price of bitcoin is up more than 1,180% year-to-date, according to data from Markets Insider. Bitcoin, the red-hot cryptocurrency, continued its jaw-dropping tear Wednesday, soaring above $13,000 per coin for the first time. The new high comes less than a day after it broke through $12,000, which it did Tuesday evening in New York, according to data from Markets Insider. By 2:40 p.m. ET, bitcoin was trading as high as $13,118 a coin. The new milestone comes ahead of the launch of bitcoin futures contracts by two major US exchanges. Cboe Global Markets, the Chicago-based options and derivatives exchange, is rolling out its bitcoin futures product Sunday. Its rival, CME Group, is launching its product later in December.Bitcoin futures, which will allow investors to bet on the future price of the digital coin, are a sign of the eight-year-old coin's maturation. Bitcoin is up an eye-popping 1,180% year-to-date. NOW WATCH:The Fed is trying to prepare for the next recession without causing it See Also: • Google searches for bitcoin pass Trump for the first time • We just got a glimpse of how bitcoin futures will work • Bitcoin futures trading gets the green light from US regulators SEE ALSO:Bitcoin just hit an all-time high — here's how you buy and sell it || Over $900: Ether Starts 2018 at All-Time Price High: The native token of the ethereum platform, ether, has started the new year with a bang, hitting an all-time high of over $900 this morning. Having traded more or less sideways for the last week, prices for the third largest cryptocurrency by market valuation started to climb around midnight (UTC), and topped out at the fresh high of $914.83 at 02:30 UTC, according to CoinDesk's Ethereum Price Index . Going by CoinMarketCap data, ether has risen 14.52 percent in the last 24 hours, and 13.62 percent over the last week. The price gains come amid increased trading volumes, particularly in Asia, with Coinbene (Singapore), Binance (Hong Kong/Japan) and Bithumb (South Korea) all posting notable increases in the last 24 hours. Ether's market capitalization now stands at almost $85 billion, with a circulation of 79 million tokens. The news comes as the wider cryptocurrency market is generally seeing positive moves. Most of the top 20 digital currencies are in the green today, and the market cap for all cryptocurrencies is closing on a new record, standing at $645 billion at press time. Korean fireworks image via Shutterstock Related Stories Ripple Fever? Other Crypto Assets Are Outpacing Its 2018 Gains $1,000: Ethereum Tops Price Milestone in Market First $1K Next? Ether Price Climbs to New Record High Down But Not Out: Bitcoin Holds Onto Bullish Territory || £52m in Bitcoin stolen after cryptocurrency exchange heist: NiceHash said its entire digital wallet had been stolen - Bloomberg News Hackers have plundered a digital currency exchange, stealing millions of pounds worth of customers’ Bitcoin . NiceHash, a website which offers Bitcoin in exchange for customers' computing power so it can mine other cryptocurrencies , confirmed that it had suffered a security breach early this morning. Head of marketing Andrej P. Škraba told Reuters that the hack was “a highly professional attack with sophisticated social engineering” and that about 4,700 Bitcoins, worth about $70m (£52m) at current prices, were lost. He said the company was co-operating with local authorities but declined to give more information. "Clearly, this is a matter of deep concern and we are working hard to rectify the matter in the coming days," NiceHash said on Facebook. The hack illustrates a major problem with Bitcoin - while the network itself is seen as almost unhackable, the exchanges that many people rely on to store their money are vulnerable. NiceHash has shut down its website while it investigates Credit: NiceHash "In addition to undertaking our own investigation, the incident has been reported to the relevant authorities and law enforcement and we are co-operating with them as a matter of urgency." It has urged customers to change their online passwords as a precaution. A new digital wallet with 4,736 Bitcoin (or $70m) appeared shortly after the breach was reported. The mystery wallet, which several have speculated may be where the missing Bitcoin have been sent to, is visible online but its owner is anonymous. FAQ | Bitcoin Crypto-mining has become a popular way to invest in Bitcoin, allowing those who own Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and can afford to share their computing power to add to the blockchain, also referred to as “mining”. Some of NiceHash's customers complained of losing upwards of $2,000 stored on the exchange. The heist is just the latest disaster among digital wallets. Just last month Parity, which is popular among startups who want to exchange their fundraising cash, froze $162m in cryptocurrency Ethereum, after a novice hacker deleted code necessary for accessing the funds. Earlier this month UK cryptocurrency startup Electroneum , which raised $40m (£30m), was hit by a cyber attack that shut investors out of their accounts. View comments [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] こんばんは。 bitcoin priceという || bitcoin priceってゆうか、 || Bitcoin Gold Price Technical Analysis – BTG/USD Bears in Control http://ift.tt/2kBGD4r  || Nov 19, 2017 18:00:00 UTC | 7,965.80$ | 6,753.20€ | 6,028.50£ | #Bitcoin #btc pic.twitter.com/pEhULhjOI5 || Tiffany Haddishちゃんが || bitcoin priceってゆうか、 || Tiffany Haddishちゃんが || こんばんは。 bitcoin priceという || Bitcoin value: $15224.64 || Meet The Guy Who Threw Away $100 Million Worth of #Bitcoin: https://buff.ly/2kGNfhR  Accidentally Threw Out Hard Drive in 2013 with 7,500 BTC
Trend: down || Prices: 14360.20, 13772.00, 13819.80, 11490.50, 11188.60, 11474.90, 11607.40, 12899.20, 11600.10, 10931.40
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2016-11-22] BTC Price: 751.35, BTC RSI: 64.43 Gold Price: 1211.00, Gold RSI: 28.27 Oil Price: 48.03, Oil RSI: 56.44 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin is flying after Donald Trump's victory: Price of bitcoin since Oct. 20 In May, a Juniper Research study (“ Will Bitcoins Bite Back? “) predicted that the price of the digital currency bitcoin would jump if Donald Trump were elected. On Tuesday, Trump was elected, and bitcoin jumped. The currency is up nearly 3% since Tuesday night, hovering around $725. “If Donald Trump becomes President of the US,” said Dr. Winslow Holden in a statement with the study , “there is the very real prospect of turmoil on world markets… Bitcoin would thrive in such an environment.” Bitcoin has in fact been on the rise all fall, not only because of the election . The price is up 19% in the last month, 23% in the last three months, and 68% in 2016. But in the next few days and perhaps months, the uncertainty after Trump’s win will likely serve as an accelerant. Investors see bitcoin as a safe haven from fiat currencies (hence why it rises when the Chinese yuan falls), and an asset largely untied to mainstream markets. Gold typically behaves the same way, and indeed, gold shot up to $1,320 on Tuesday night as Trump closed in on the presidency , though it fell back to earth on Wednesday and is now at $1,275. Bitcoin’s October rise has been mostly due to heightened activity in China, where the yuan is falling and the government has tightened capital controls. Bitcoin prices also spiked during the bank shutdown in Greece last year. Juniper Research says the Brexit vote, back in June, is still having an impact as well: “The ongoing ramifications around Brexit are also likely to act as an additional spur for higher activity levels.” If Brexit helped contribute to a bitcoin bump , then Trump’s win is likely to do it, too. Many were quick to compare the surprising result of the US election to the EU referendum result. Trump, in the days before the election, told crowds that his win would be like “Brexit plus plus plus,” and nicknamed himself “Mr. Brexit.” While Trump and bitcoin might seem to have something in common (Coin Telegraph made the case that Trump would eventually cozy up to the coin ), his campaign never accepted donations in bitcoin. Hillary Clinton’s campaign considered accepting donations in bitcoin, a leaked email thread revealed, but John Podesta was more intrigued by the digital currency Ven, writing that bitcoin suffers from a “libertarian Ayn Rand schtick.” Sen. Rand Paul and Gov. Gary Johnson were the only two presidential candidates to accept bitcoin. Story continues It doesn’t matter now: Trump won, and bitcoin benefited without his support. The coin doesn’t need Trump to champion it in order to succeed. The defining word of this US election is the same word that defined the Brexit vote: “uncertainty.” As the Juniper Research report noted, bitcoin’s price rose in the weeks leading up to the Brexit vote, then fell a little bit just before the vote when the outcome looked clear, then spiked when the outcome was, in fact, a big surprise. Expect the same to happen after Trump’s win. — Daniel Roberts is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering technology and sports business. Follow him on Twitter at @readDanwrite . Read more: The latest bitcoin price surge isn’t just about Brexit Here’s where big banks stand on blockchain Why 21.co is the most exciting bitcoin company right now Coinbase is more bullish on bitcoin than ever || Indian bitcoin company raises $1.5 million from U.S., Indian investors: NEW YORK, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Unocoin, a Bangalore-based bitcoin startup, has raised $1.5 million in funding from a mix of Indian and U.S. investors, the company announced on Thursday. The company, which runs a trading platform to buy, sell, and store bitcoins for Indian customers, said the money raised was the largest for an Indian bitcoin startup. Unocoin, which has 100,000 users and more than 30 employees, has been in operation since December 2013. Unocoin describes itself as the Coinbase of India. San Francisco-based Coinbase is the largest U.S. bitcoin company and runs an exchange and a wallet service, among other businesses. Funding came from Indian entities such as Blume Ventures, Mumbai Angels and ah! Ventures along with U.S. investors such as Digital Currency Group, Boost VC, Bank to the Future, and FundersClub. Digital Currency Group was founded by one of the top U.S. bitcoin investors Barry Silbert, while Boost VC is run by U.S.-based Adam Draper, the son of billionaire entrepreneur Tim Draper. "We needed a separate exchange for India. A few years ago when we wanted to buy bitcoin, there was nothing available in India," Sunny Ray, Unocoin's co-founder and president told Reuters in an interview. "So if you want to buy bitcoin from an international exchange, you will have to do a wire transfer from India to these international exchanges and get your bitcoin and oftentimes it takes three to five days." Unocoin raised about $200,000 in its first financing round. It started from a small hometown called Tumkur, near Bengaluru. Bitcoin, a digital currency, was trading at $604.50 on the Bitstamp platform. (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) || Costco is reaping the benefits of the transition from American Express to Citigroup and Visa: Credit Card Sales (BII) This story was delivered to BI Intelligence " Payments Briefing " subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here . In its recent earnings report, Costco noted that its payment card acceptance transition is progressing strongly. The retailer’s portfolio, which was previously cobranded with American Express, was sold to Citigroup and Visa in June. And though there were some hiccups involved with the transition, Costco noted it’s “past that” and reported strong numbers. The new card is “beating initial expectations” regarding conversion, new sign-ups, and overall use. Most cardholders have transferred their accounts. Of the approximately 11.4 million Amex Costco cards and 7.5 million accounts, nearly 85% of the accounts transferred over have been activated with Costco. That’s about the same amount that were active prior to the transition, which indicates that existing cardholders are receptive to the new card program. And the new card continues to grow, which could be a result of the strong rewards program. Since the shift in June, Costco said that 1.1 million members have applied for the new card and 730,000 accounts have been activated. For context, Citi noted that three-and-a-half weeks in, the new card had added 337,000 new accounts, so the Costco numbers mark somewhat slowing, but still strong, growth. This is a strong interest indicator for the new card specifically, especially because Costco now accepts any Visa-branded card, and it’s likely the majority of Costco customers already have one in their wallet. The card’s strong rewards offerings, which include better cash-back options for Costco purchases and have improved by 40-50% overall, could be driving customers to the product. It’s likely that spending is high. Costco didn’t provide specific spending numbers, only noting that its gross margin year-over-year (YoY) increased. But in Citi’s earnings call, held three weeks into the card transition, the product saw $5.7 billion in purchases made on Citi Costco cards, slightly beating the estimated $5.4 billion spend that would have been seen on the Amex card. Assuming that trend has continued, it’s likely the product is performing strongly. Story continues The strong performance reported by Costco could be a needed boost for Citigroup. The strong performance is good news for Costco, because the retailer’s somewhat slowing sales could have been exacerbated if transition process frustration drove customers away from the retailer. But ongoing usage and volume growth will be most beneficial to Citi, which has already seen modest gains in its North American “credit cards” segment as a result of the acquisition of the Costco portfolio, which accounted for $80 billion in 2015. If Costco continues to be a steady customer acquisition channel and volume source, Citi could further establish separation as the third largest US card issuer in 2016. Costco's growth in this area is just one piece of the larger payments ecosystem, which includes card issuers, merchants, gateways, vendors, and more. Evan Bakker and John Heggestuen, analysts at BI Intelligence , have compiled a detailed report on the payments ecosystem that drills into the industry to explain how a broad range of transactions are processed, including prepaid and store cards, as well as revealing which types of companies are in the best and worst position to capitalize on the latest industry trends. Here are some key takeaways from the report: 2016 will be a watershed year for the payments industry. Payments companies are improving security, expanding their mobile offerings, and building commerce capabilities that will give consumers a more compelling reason to make purchases using digital devices. Payments is an extremely complex industry. To understand the next big digital opportunity lies, it's critical to understand how the traditional credit- and debit-processing chain works and what roles acquirers, processors, issuing banks, card networks, independent sales organizations, gateways, and software and hardware providers play. Alternative technologies could disrupt the processing ecosystem. Devices ranging from refrigerators to smartwatches now feature payment capabilities, which will spur changes in consumer payment behaviors. Likewise, blockchain technology, the protocol that underlies Bitcoin, could one day change how consumer card payments are verified. In full, the report: Uncovers the key themes and trends affecting the payments industry in 2016 and beyond. Gives a detailed description of the stakeholders involved in a payment transaction, along with hardware and software providers. Offers diagrams and infographics explaining how card transactions are processed and which players are involved in each step. Provides charts on our latest forecasts, key company growth, survey results, and more. Analyzes the alternative technologies, including blockchain, which could further disrupt the ecosystem. To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options: Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the payments ecosystem. More From Business Insider THE PAYMENTS INDUSTRY EXPLAINED: The Trends Creating New Winners And Losers In The Card-Processing Ecosystem THE CONNECTED DEVICE PAYMENTS REPORT: Market opportunities, top stakeholders, and new use cases for the next frontier in payments The top 5 fintech predictions for 2016 || C&W Communications Expands Network With Ericsson Across Caribbean and Panama: MIAMI, FL--(Marketwired - Oct 13, 2016) - • C&W's customers to enjoy best-in-class high speed, high performance network to address increasing data traffic demands • Expansion is currently underway and expected to be completed in November 2016 • Radio Access Network (RAN) and Core expansion includes both 3G and Long-Term Evolution (LTE), plus indoor coverage based on Ericsson Radio Dot System Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) andC&W Communications(C&W), one of the largest full service communications and entertainment providers in the Caribbean and Latin American region, now part ofLiberty Global(LiLAC Group) today announce the delivery of a complete network expansion for C&W across their operations in the Caribbean and Panama. The expansion includes hardware, software, licensing and services for C&W brandsFLOW(Caribbean),BTC(Bahamas) andCWP(Panama). In addition, C&W's network expansion will provide all C&W markets across the Caribbean and Panama access to software upgrades and the opportunity to migrate to the Ericsson Software Model, which provides operators with the best available performance through a simple and transparent upgrade subscription. With 3G and LTE, C&W customers will benefit from a network capable of supporting advanced technologies and other high-speed features designed to provide a better user experience. "Ericsson is committed to providing C&W Communications with excellence in end-user satisfaction and delivering best-in-class results. In the journey that we envision undertaking with C&W, Ericsson will provide solid guidance and support throughout all of the project's critical phases, enabling C&W to provide its customers with the best in mobile connectivity solutions," said Clayton Cruz, Vice-president, Ericsson Latin America and Caribbean. "We are happy to once again partner with Ericsson in this network expansion project across all of our markets. Considering the clear trend in the growth of subscribers, mobile data and smartphone usage, C&W's key objective is to deploy a mobile network with world-class quality, performance and operational convenience in order to exceed our customers' expectations," said Carlo Alloni, Executive Vice-president and CTIO, C&W Communications. According to the latest Ericsson Mobility Report, by 2021, smartphone subscriptions in Latin America and the Caribbean will comprise 65% of all mobile subscriptions; LTE will account for approximately 30% of all mobile subscriptions, representing more than 250 million mobile subscriptions. In addition, mobile data traffic is expected to grow nine times in the region by 2021, reaching 75% of all mobile traffic. To meet these increasing traffic demands, C&W's network expansion increases site capacity, improves the performance of the existing network through hardware and software upgrades, facilitates the implementation of carrier aggregation, and allows for the addition of small cells. The expansion is currently underway and expected to be completed in November 2016. Ericsson is present today in all high-traffic LTE markets, including the US, Japan and South Korea, and handles the most global LTE traffic. In addition, 40 percent of the world's total mobile traffic is carried over Ericsson networks. More than 270 LTE RAN and Evolved Packet Core networks have been delivered by Ericsson worldwide, of which 200 are live commercially. NOTES TO EDITORSCable & Wireless and Ericsson deliver world-class mobile broadband for Caribbean & Latin AmericaCable & Wireless partners with Ericsson and Cisco to enhance its Caribbean IP networksEricsson core to enable Wi-Fi calling and VoLTE for Cable & Wireless in PanamaFor media kits, backgrounders and high-resolution photos, please visitwww.ericsson.com/press Ericsson is the driving force behind the Networked Society -- a world leader in communications technology and services. Our long-term relationships with every major telecom operator in the world allow people, business and society to fulfill their potential and create a more sustainable future. Our services, software and infrastructure -- especially in mobility, broadband and the cloud -- are enabling the telecom industry and other sectors to do better business, increase efficiency, improve the user experience and capture new opportunities. With approximately 115,000 professionals and customers in 180 countries, we combine global scale with technology and services leadership. We support networks that connect more than 2.5 billion subscribers. Forty percent of the world's mobile traffic is carried over Ericsson networks. And our investments in research and development ensure that our solutions -- and our customers -- stay in front. Founded in 1876, Ericsson has its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. Net sales in2015 were SEK 246.9 billion (USD 29.4 billion). Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX stock exchange in Stockholm and the NASDAQ in New York. Ericsson has been present in Latin America since 1896, when the company established an agreement in Colombia and delivered equipment for the first time in the region. In the early 1900s, Ericsson increased its presence in Latin America by signing commercial deals in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. Today, Ericsson is present in 56 countries within South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean, which combined count the region as one of the few with complete Ericsson installations, including a Production Unit, R&D Center and Training Center. Ericsson is the market leading telecom supplier, with over 40% market share in Latin America and more than 100 telecom service contracts in the region. www.ericsson.com/jmwww.ericsson.com/jm/newswww.twitter.com/EricssonCaribwww.facebook.com/EricssonLatinAmericawww.youtube.com/EricssonLatamwww.slideshare.net/EricssonLatinAmerica FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACTWendi Patrick, External CommunicationsPhone:+506 2519 0800E-mail:[email protected] About C&W CommunicationsC&W is a full service communications and entertainment provider and delivers market-leading video, broadband, telephony and mobile services to consumers in 18 countries. Through its business division, C&W provides data center hosting, domestic and international managed network services, and customized IT service solutions, utilizing cloud technology to serve business and government customers. C&W also operates a state-of-the-art submarine fiber network -- the most extensive in the region. Learn more atwww.cwc.com, or follow C&W onLinkedIn,FacebookorTwitter. About Liberty GlobalLiberty Global is the world's largest international TV and broadband company, with operations in more than 30 countries across Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. We invest in the infrastructure that empowers our customers to make the most of the digital revolution. Our scale and commitment to innovation enables us to develop market-leading products delivered through next-generation networks that connect our 29 million customers who subscribe to over 59 million television, broadband internet and telephony services. We also serve 11 million mobile subscribers and offer WiFi service across seven million access points. Liberty Global's businesses are comprised of two stocks: the Liberty Global Group (NASDAQ:LBTYA) (NASDAQ:LBTYB) (NASDAQ:LBTYK) for our European operations, and the LiLAC Group (NASDAQ:LILA) and (NASDAQ:LILAK) (OTC PINK:LILAB), which consists of our operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Liberty Global Group operates in 12 European countries under the consumer brands Virgin Media, Ziggo, Unitymedia, Telenet and UPC. The LiLAC Group operates in over 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean under the consumer brands VTR, Flow, Liberty, Mas Movil and BTC. In addition, the LiLAC Group operates a subsea fiber network throughout the region in over 30 markets. For more information, please visitwww.libertyglobal.com. || Here's what a Trump presidency means for the payments industry: (BII)This story was delivered to BI Intelligence "Payments Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, pleaseclick here. After Donald Trump unexpectedly clinched the US presidency earlyWednesday, the uncertainty rippling through the world could extend to the payments industry in a few key ways. A Trump presidency could limit one of US remittance firms’ largest drivers of business. • Trump at one point threatened to cut off remittance send from the US to Mexico.Back in April, theWashington Postreceived a memo regarding Trump’s plans to fund his proposed 1,000-mile border wall between the US and Mexico. In the memo, Trump noted that he planned to force Mexico to pay for the wall by invoking the US Patriot Act to cut off portions of the flow of money between the US and Mexico until Mexico made a one-time $5 billion-$10 billion payment. That monetary flow would likely include remittances. • That could drastically curtail the operations of US remittance firms.Mexico is the largest receive destination for US remittances, cashing $25 billion in 2015, according to theWorld Bank. The strength of that corridor is pushing firms to double down on Mexico — for instance, Western Union recently nearly doubled the size of its retail network in the country, and MoneyGram unveiled a product in partnership with Walmart to make it easier and less expensive to send money from the US to Mexico. Cutting off access to the corridor, even temporarily, could drastically change the trajectory for these companies. Trump's victory could also impact two key categories of transaction volume. • Domestic spend:The election's results will likely bring about economic uncertainty to US markets, which could affect how businesses and consumers spend. An increase in economic uncertainty is often accompanied by a decrease in consumer confidence. This, in turn, may lead to businesses and citizens mitigating any risk of a potential economic downturn by implementing safeguards such as hiring freezes or holding more in savings rather than spending. A reduction in spending would likely have a negative impact on sales for all the major players in the payments ecosystem, including but not limited to credit card companies,payment gateways, retailers, and even banks. • Cross-border spend:Throughout his candidacy, Trump emphasized bringing manufacturing back to America, specifically taking aim at firms like Apple to build its products in the US rather than China. If Donald Trump pushes isolationist trade policies and issues tougher manufacturing restrictions, there could be a huge shift in how both consumers and businesses make international transactions. There would likely be a major decrease in international spending as more consumers are either unable to make transactions due to restrictions or unwilling to pay any extra fees. Regardless of how Trump's presidency unfolds, the payments ecosystem will continue to grow and change. Evan Bakker and John Heggestuen, senior analysts atBI Intelligence, have compileda detailed report on the payments ecosystemthat drills into the industry to explain how a broad range of transactions are processed, including prepaid and store cards, as well as revealing which types of companies are in the best and worst position to capitalize on the latest industry trends. Here are some key takeaways from the report: • 2016 will be a watershed year for the payments industry. Payments companies are improving security, expanding their mobile offerings, and building commerce capabilities that will give consumers a more compelling reason to make purchases using digital devices. • Payments is an extremely complex industry. To understand the next big digital opportunity lies, it's critical to understand how the traditional credit- and debit-processing chain works and what roles acquirers, processors, issuing banks, card networks, independent sales organizations, gateways, and software and hardware providers play. • Alternative technologies could disrupt the processing ecosystem. Devices ranging from refrigerators to smartwatches now feature payment capabilities, which will spur changes in consumer payment behaviors. Likewise, blockchain technology, the protocol that underlies Bitcoin, could one day change how consumer card payments are verified. In full, the report: • Uncovers the key themes and trends affecting the payments industry in 2016 and beyond. • Gives a detailed description of the stakeholders involved in a payment transaction, along with hardware and software providers. • Offers diagrams and infographics explaining how card transactions are processed and which players are involved in each step. • Provides charts on our latest forecasts, key company growth, survey results, and more. • Analyzes the alternative technologies, including blockchain, which could further disrupt the ecosystem. To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options: 1. Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >>START A MEMBERSHIP 2. Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >>BUY THE REPORT The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the payments ecosystem. More From Business Insider • You won’t recognize the new world of digital payments without this report • THE CONNECTED DEVICE PAYMENTS REPORT: Market opportunities, top stakeholders, and new use cases for the next frontier in payments • Future of Payments: Four Trends to Know in Payment Processing || Hackers Apparently Used Internet-Enabled Cameras, Toys in Cyberattacks: (NEW YORK) — Could millions of connected cameras, thermostats and kids’ toys bring the internet to its knees? It’s beginning to look that way. On Friday, epic cyberattacks crippled a major internet firm, repeatedly disrupting the availability of popular websites across the United States. The hacker group claiming responsibility says that the day’s antics were just a dry run and that it has its sights set on a much bigger target. And the attackers now have a secret weapon in the increasing array of internet-enabled household devices they can subvert and use to wreak havoc. MEET THE FIRE HOSE Manchester, New Hampshire-based Dyn Inc. said its server infrastructure was hit by distributed denial-of-service, or DDoS, attacks. These work by overwhelming targeted machines with junk data traffic — sort of like knocking someone over by blasting them with a fire hose. The attack temporarily blocked some access to popular websites from across America and Europe such as Twitter, Netflix and PayPal . Jason Read, founder of the internet performance monitoring firm CloudHarmony, owned by Gartner Inc., said his company tracked a half-hour-long disruption early Friday affecting access to many sites from the East Coast. A second attack later in the day spread disruption to the West Coast as well as some users in Europe. Members of a shadowy hacker group that calls itself New World Hackers claimed responsibility for the attack via Twitter, though that claim could not be verified. They said they organized networks of connected devices to create a massive botnet that threw a monstrous 1.2 trillion bits of data every second at Dyn’s servers. Dyn officials wouldn’t confirm the figure during a conference call later Friday with reporters. MAKE THAT, MANY FIRE HOSES DDoS attacks have been growing in frequency and size in recent months. But if the hackers’ claims are true, Friday’s attacks take DDoS to a new level. According to a report from the cybersecurity firm Verisign, the largest DDoS attack perpetrated during that second quarter of this year peaked at just 256 billion bits per second. Story continues A huge September attack that shut down of security journalist Brian Krebs’ website clocked in at 620 million bits per second. Research from the cybersecurity firm Flashpoint said Friday that the same kind of malware was used in the attacks against both Krebs and Dyn. Lance Cottrell, chief scientist for the cybersecurity firm Ntrepid, said while DDoS attacks have been used for years, they’ve become very popular in recent months, thanks to the proliferation of “internet of things” devices ranging from connected thermostats to security cameras and smart TVs. Many of those devices feature little in the way of security, making them easy targets for hackers. The power of this kind of cyberattack is limited by the number of devices an attacker can connect to. Just a few years ago, most attackers were limited to infecting and recruiting “zombie” home PCs. But the popularity of new internet-connected gadgets has vastly increased the pool of potential devices they can weaponize. The average North American home contains 13 internet-connected devices , according to the research firm IHS Markit. Since the attacks usually don’t harm the consumer electronics companies that build the devices, or the consumers that unwittingly use them, companies have little incentive to boost security, Cottrell said. WHAT’S BEHIND THE ATTACKS Like with other online attacks, the motivation behind DDoS attacks is usually mischief or money. Attackers have shut down websites in the past to make political statements. DDoS attacks have also been used in extortion attempts, something that’s been made easier by the advent of Bitcoin. For its part, a member of New World Hackers who identified themselves as “Prophet” told an AP reporter via Twitter direct message exchange that collective isn’t motivated by money and doesn’t have anything personal against Dyn, Twitter or any of the other sites affected by the attacks. Instead, the hacker said, the attacks were merely a test, and claimed that the next target will be the Russian government for committing alleged cyberattacks against the U.S. earlier this year. “Twitter was kind of the main target. It showed people who doubted us what we were capable of doing, plus we got the chance to see our capability,” said “Prophet.” The claims couldn’t be verified. The collective has in the past claimed responsibility for similar attacks against sites including ESPNFantasySports.com in September and the BBC on Dec. 31. The attack on the BBC marshalled half the computing power of Friday’s attacks. A SHIFTING GLOBAL ASSAULT Dyn said it first became aware of an attack around 7:00 a.m. local time, focused on data centers on the East Coast of the U.S. Services were restored about two hours later. But then attackers shifted to offshore data centers, and the latest wave of problems continued until Friday evening Eastern time. “Prophet” told the AP that his group actually had stopped its attacks by Friday afternoon, but that others, including members of the hacker collective known as Anonymous, had picked up where they left off. Anonymous didn’t respond to a request for comment via Twitter. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is monitoring the situation, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Friday. He said he had no information about who may be behind the disruption. Cottrell noted that there are several firms that offer protection against DDoS attacks, by giving companies a way to divert the bad traffic and remain online in case of an attack. But monthly subscription fees for these services are generally equal to a typical DDoS extortion payment, giving companies little incentive to pay for them. Meanwhile not much is required in the way of resources or skill to mount a botnet attack, he said, adding that would-be attackers can rent botnets for as little as $100. Cottrell said the long-term solution lies in improving the security of all internet-connected devices. || Traders weigh opportunity in Deutsche Bank as European banks gain: The " Fast Money " traders debated whether it's time to buy Deutsche Bank (XETRA:DBK-DE) after the European banks (Mexico Stock Exchange: SX7P-MX) saw their best weekly performance in a month . Trader Karen Finerman said "the leverage and potential volatility in [Deutsche Bank] is enormous." She said she bought some call options in the stock. Trader Steve Grasso agreed and said he was tempted to buy the stock on Friday. Grasso said he feels Deutsche will be able to resolve its issues and that he sees positive headlines for the bank rolling in. Trader Guy Adami wasn't confident that was the case. He said the $14-billion opening position levied by the Justice Department in September came well after the stock had begun to decline. U.S.-listed shares of Deutsche have declined more than 52 percent in the past year. Disclosures: STEVE GRASSO Grasso is long: BA, CC, CHK, EVGN, KBH, MJNA, MON, MU, OLN, PFE, PHM, T, TWTR, GDX. Grasso's children own: EFA, EFG, EWJ, IJR, SPY NO SHORTS. His firm is long VIRT, DVN, LDP, WDR, AVP, CVX, FCX, ICE, KDUS, KO, MAT, MCD, MJNA, NE, NEM, OLN, OXY, RIG, STAG, TAXI, TEX, TITXF, URI, VALE, WDR, WYNN, ZNGA, CUBA, HSPO, ICE, AMZN, MJNA, TITXF, NXTD, SPY, QQQ, DIA, XLI, BGCP, VIRT, JCP, GE, AIR, FP BRIAN KELLY Brian Kelly is long Bitcoin, CME, DXJ, GDX, KBE, SLV, US Dollar UUP. He is short the euro and Japanese yen. KAREN FINERMAN Karen is long AAL, BAC, C, DAL, long DB calls, short DB preferred, FB, FL, GOGO, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, LYV, KORS, KORS calls, KORS puts, M, MA, SEDG, SPY puts, UAL, URI, WIFI long call spreads. Her firm is long ANTM, AAPL, BAC, C, C calls, FB, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, JPM calls, KORS, LYV, M, MOH, PLCE, SPY puts, URI, WIFI. Her firm is short IWM, MDY. Finerman is on the board of GrafTech International. GUY ADAMI Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, GDX, INTC. Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck More From CNBC Top News and Analysis Latest News Video Personal Finance || Indian bitcoin company raises $1.5 million from U.S., Indian investors: NEW YORK (Reuters) - Unocoin, a Bangalore-based bitcoin startup, has raised $1.5 million in funding from a mix of Indian and U.S. investors, the company announced on Thursday. The company, which runs a trading platform to buy, sell, and store bitcoins for Indian customers, said the money raised was the largest for an Indian bitcoin startup. Unocoin, which has 100,000 users and more than 30 employees, has been in operation since December 2013. Unocoin describes itself as the Coinbase of India. San Francisco-based Coinbase is the largest U.S. bitcoin company and runs an exchange and a wallet service, among other businesses. Funding came from Indian entities such as Blume Ventures, Mumbai Angels and ah! Ventures along with U.S. investors such as Digital Currency Group, Boost VC, Bank to the Future, and FundersClub. Digital Currency Group was founded by one of the top U.S. bitcoin investors Barry Silbert, while Boost VC is run by U.S.-based Adam Draper, the son of billionaire entrepreneur Tim Draper. "We needed a separate exchange for India. A few years ago when we wanted to buy bitcoin, there was nothing available in India," Sunny Ray, Unocoin's co-founder and president told Reuters in an interview. "So if you want to buy bitcoin from an international exchange, you will have to do a wire transfer from India to these international exchanges and get your bitcoin and oftentimes it takes three to five days." Unocoin raised about $200,000 in its first financing round. It started from a small hometown called Tumkur, near Bengaluru. Bitcoin, a digital currency, was trading at $604.50 on the Bitstamp platform. (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) || The 'failure' of election polling was about 3 key things: Before voting began on Election Day, nearly every major poll was predicting a Hillary Clinton win by 2-4 percentage points. When the smoke cleared Wednesday morning, Donald Trump had won. In the wake of Trump’s surprise win, arguably the biggest fascination has been the failure of the polls.Politicoasked, “How did everyone get it so wrong?”Fusionasked how it went “so, so, so wrong?”Harvard Business Reviewwrote that pollsters were “completely and utterly wrong.” Yes, the polling was wrong—but the reasons why are numerous, and nuanced, and will take a long time to fully parse and understand. In addition, it wasn’t just the polls that went wrong, but also the media’s interpretation of the polls. One of the biggest theories as to what the polls missed was the idea of “shy Trump voters” who didn’t want to say when polled that they were planning to vote for Trump, but always knew. White women, in particular, proved to be a surprise: 53% of them voted for Trump overall, led by those without a college degree, who went for Trump by a 2-1 margin. White women with a college degree went for Clinton, but only barely, by six percentage points. “There’s your shy Trump vote,”tweeted Kristen Soltis Anderson, a pollster at Echelon Insights. Andersonlater addedthat a bigger problem than secret Trump voters was “a phony mirage of a Clinton vote.” Trump got fewer votes than McCain did in 2008 and Romney did in 2012 and won anyway, because too many Democrats didn’t vote. Indeed, polling also fails to account for turnout, which was the lowest overall it has been since 2000. (Latino turnout was up from 2012 and skewed toward Clinton, but not by enough to beat Trump.) All non-white ethnic groups went for Clinton, as did millennials—but not enough of them voted. AsHarvard Business Reviewpoints out, “People tend to say they’re going to vote even when they won’t… the failure of a complex likely voter model is why Gallup got out of the election forecasting business.” As much as big data (and the technology to sift through it) has advanced, our methods of gathering data are still dated. Most of the national polls are still done by landline telephone. And that has been a problem for over a decade now. In 2003, Gallup wrote a post about thefalling response ratesin polls. If you start with a target sample size of 1,000 households, Gallup wrote, at least 200 households fall out because they are businesses or non-working numbers. Of the 800 left, another 200 “may be unreachable in the time frame allocated by the researcher… household members at these numbers may use caller ID or other screening devices and refuse to answer.” Now you’re down to 600, of which 200 more people may pick up the phone but refuse to participate in the poll. Suddenly, the sample size has shrunk from 1,000 to a mere 400 households. Declining to pick up the phone, or declining to participate in the poll, may have been a particular problem with this election polling. The shrinking sample size is a significant problem. As pollster Andersontweeted, the “only way you can bring down margin of error is to raise sample size.” That’s not easily done. In an interview withBloomberg, Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer pointed to “the continuing barrier of the lack of landlines, the erosion of landlines” as a particular problem this cycle. Bloombergwrote it in October: “Your mobile phone is killing the polling industry.” And Matthew Nisbet atThe Breakthroughnoted back in 2012, “Other under-reported sources of error also factor into a poll’s accuracy, including the greater reliance on cell phones.” Online polling is a newer method, but has its own problems. Trump campaign managerKellyanne Conway said back in August, after a Trump dip in the polls, that the candidate “performs consistently better in online polling where a human being is not talking to another human being about what he or she may do in the elections.” TheWashington Postpointed out that this wasn’t the case overall—on average, Trump wasn’t doing better in online polls than in telephone polls. However, a Morning Consult post from Nov. 3 (with nearly the now-suspect headline, “Yes, there are shy Trump voters. No, they won’t swing the election”) pointed out that Trump was doing 1% better in online polls than phone polls, a difference small enough to be dismissed. But here was the key line in the Morning Consult post: “Trump’s edge over Clinton online instead of in phone polling is especially pronounced among people with a college degree or people who make more than $50,000… more-educated voters were notably less likely to say they were supporting Trump during a phone poll than in an online survey.” That was the exact slice of voters that went for Trump more than anyone expected. So it isn’t black-and-white whether phone or online polls are better, and it isn’t clear that phone polls should die; but it is clear that methods of polling need to evolve and improve, and that the best route to get as many data sets as possible is a combination of different methods. After an initial immediate backlash to the polls, a newer narrative is already emerging: the polls didn’t fail as terribly as everyone is saying they did. Many are pointing out that Clinton looks likely to win the popular vote (although barely, and by a smaller margin than Gore won it in 2000). If Clinton does win the popular vote by around one percentage point, then polls that showed Clinton winning by two or three points were only one or two points inflated. Moreover, polls come with a margin of error that in many cases did cover the eventual difference. The problem is that in a 140-character media landscape, margin of error is often left out, or squeezed into posts and articles as an asterisk. The election polls were actually off by less than Brexit polls were off. And Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight pointed out on Thursday morning that this year’s polls were in fact more accurate than in 2012. That year, polls generally predicted a slim Obama win margin of 1 percentage point, and he won by 4 points. This time, the polls gave Clinton a margin of 3-4 points, and she looks likely to win the popular vote by 1 or 2. Of course, that defense won’t exactly quell outrage over the polling (just look at the replies to Silver’s tweet), because the polls in 2012 didn’t call the wrong winner. There’s a big difference between Obama winning by a larger margin than polls said he’d win by, and Trump winning when polls said Clinton would win. And to be sure, a fair retort to Silver and others claiming that the polls weren’tthatwrong is that the result here was binary: polls could either predict the right winner or the wrong winner. Almost all of them predicted the wrong winner. Polls are estimates. They are aprojectionof what appears likely to happen, within a margin of error. But we take them too literally. As Fairleigh Dickinson University professor Peter Woolleytold Bloomberg, “We tend to over-report the accuracy of the poll, and tend to forget very quickly that it’s an estimate within a range.” The biggest problem with the polls this time around, then, wasn’t actually the polls, but our interpretation of them. Because the vast majority of the polls (all of them but two, from USC/LA Times and IBD/TIPP) had Clinton winning, the media and the public counted on a Clinton win, ignoring the fact that most polls had her winning only slightly, and many had a margin of error that allowed for the opposite result. The volume and noise drowned out nuance. In a September article inThe Atlantic(appropriately headlined, “Taking Trump seriously”), Salena Zito wrote of Trump, “The press takes him literally, but not seriously; his supporters take him seriously, but not literally.” The media spent time picking over everything Trump said as though he were serious, when he often wasn’t, and didn’t take him seriously as a legitimate threat to Clinton; his voters didn’t worry too much about each individual shocking sound bite, but took him seriously as a candidate. In a column published after Trump’s victory,Maureen Dowdof The New York Times pointed to Zito’s line as a “prescient” one, and it truly was—it describes not just the result of the election, but the problem with how the media embraced the polls. Pundits – and the public – took the polls literally. Many are now asking whether polls are even useful if they can be so wrong. Does the Trump surprise win kill the polling industry? Hardly. Polling isn’t going anywhere, but the methods need to improve, and we must temper our embrace of the predictions they yield. They are only that: predictions. — Daniel Roberts is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering sports business and technology. Follow him on Twitter at @readDanwrite. Read more: Trump ‘trounced’ Clinton in his use of Facebook video Facebook and Twitter played very different roles in the 2016 election Bitcoin price flies after Trump is elected What it was like to listen to Trump and Clinton debate on the radio || American Express still faces hurdles from Costco: Amex Costco (BII) This story was delivered to BI Intelligence " Payments Briefing " subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here . After a series of tough quarters, American Express beat analyst expectations in Q3 . The firm’s success was propelled by “strong operating discipline and credit quality,” according to CEO Ken Chenault. But as Amex looks to cut $1 billion in costs over the course of the next several quarters in the wake of the sale of its Costco business, the firm still has hurdles to overcome. Despite overall gains, Amex saw mediocre results in a few key metrics, largely related to the loss of Costco’s store card portfolio, which Amex sold to Citigroup in June. Costco cardholders represented 8% of the firm’s billed business in 2015. Here are some key results from the quarter: Billed business: Amex’s global billed business in the quarter was down 3% year-over-year. But excluding the Costco portfolio, it grew 7%, which indicates the impact that the Costco loss has had on the company. The firm noted that it’s on track to retain 20% of the out-of-store spend of the previous Costco cardholders that it retained, but that’s still a meager portion of the $80 billion Costco cardholders spent in 2015, In addition, loans, which the Costco portfolio represented 20% of, fell by 12% in Q3. Issued cards: Amex had 108.8 million cards issued globally at the end of Q3 — that’s down by 7 million from the same period in 2015, despite reports of strong new customer acquisition in earlier quarters this year. That’s likely partly due to the loss of the Costco portfolio, which had 11.6 million cardholders. But the firm plans to invest in initiatives that will help it grow through Q4 and into next year.The firm outlined a few key focus areas that the firm will use to grow. Premium cards: Amex plans to focus heavily on its Platinum portfolio, likely as a result of the intense premium rewards card competition in the market right now. This portfolio could be particularly lucrative for the firm because of the high fees associated with it, and because premium cardholders will likely have higher spend. Small businesses: Amex has been working to extend relationships with small businesses through its OptBlue program, which makes it easier for these merchants to accept and use Amex cards. That program has been successful, and the firm has seen growing billed business among small- and medium-sized merchants. In Q4, Amex plans to run a promotion related to Small Business Saturday in order to make it known to cardholders that their acceptance network is growing, which could help encourage customers to spend more on Amex and boost the firm’s billed business. Marketing and outreach: Amex is looking to build on ongoing US customer acquisition success and ramp up in key international markets. The firm will boost digital marketing initiatives and run an extensive advertising campaign, which could help onboard younger customers or groups in key markets that will spend and provide Amex with additional transaction and card fee-related revenue. Story continues American Express and Costco are part of the much broader payments ecosystem, which includes merchants, acquirers, processors, and more. Evan Bakker and John Heggestuen, analysts at BI Intelligence , Business Insider's premium research service, have compiled a detailed report on the payments ecosystem that drills into the industry to explain how a broad range of transactions are processed, including prepaid and store cards, as well as revealing which types of companies are in the best and worst position to capitalize on the latest industry trends. Here are some key takeaways from the report: 2016 will be a watershed year for the payments industry. Payments companies are improving security, expanding their mobile offerings, and building commerce capabilities that will give consumers a more compelling reason to make purchases using digital devices. Payments is an extremely complex industry. To understand the next big digital opportunity lies, it's critical to understand how the traditional credit- and debit-processing chain works and what roles acquirers, processors, issuing banks, card networks, independent sales organizations, gateways, and software and hardware providers play. Alternative technologies could disrupt the processing ecosystem. Devices ranging from refrigerators to smartwatches now feature payment capabilities, which will spur changes in consumer payment behaviors. Likewise, blockchain technology, the protocol that underlies Bitcoin, could one day change how consumer card payments are verified. In full, the report: Uncovers the key themes and trends affecting the payments industry in 2016 and beyond. Gives a detailed description of the stakeholders involved in a payment transaction, along with hardware and software providers. Offers diagrams and infographics explaining how card transactions are processed and which players are involved in each step. Provides charts on our latest forecasts, key company growth, survey results, and more. Analyzes the alternative technologies, including blockchain, which could further disrupt the ecosystem. To get your copy of this invaluable guide, choose one of these options: Subscribe to an ALL-ACCESS Membership with BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report AND over 100 other expertly researched deep-dive reports, subscriptions to all of our daily newsletters, and much more. >> START A MEMBERSHIP Purchase the report and download it immediately from our research store. >> BUY THE REPORT The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of the payments ecosystem. More From Business Insider THE MOBILE PAYMENTS REPORT: Market forecasts, consumer trends, and the barriers and benefits that will influence adoption THE CONNECTED DEVICE PAYMENTS REPORT: Market opportunities, top stakeholders, and new use cases for the next frontier in payments THE PAYMENTS INDUSTRY EXPLAINED: The trends creating new winners and losers in the card-processing ecosystem View comments [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] #AudioCoin #ADC $0.000213 (2.65%) 0.00000031 BTC (2.00%) || $694.59 #bitfinex; $701.80 #quoine; $694.48 #GDAX; $691.15 #bitstamp; $691.20 #btce; $696.00 #itBit; #bitcoin news: http://bit.ly/1VI6Yse  || #UFOCoin #UFO $0.000007 (-2.32%) 0.00000001 BTC (-0.00%) || 1 #bitcoin = $12405.00 MXN | $665.56 USD #BitAPeso 1 USD = 18.64MXN http://www.bitapeso.com  || 1 #bitcoin = $15699.00 MXN | $0 USD #BitAPeso 1 USD = 0MXN http://www.bitapeso.com  || Re: LuckChain Giveaway! 70.00 BASH | Bitcoin Garden Special Giveaway! http://ift.tt/2fgKT42  <<>> #Altcoins #Crypto #Bitcoin || 1 #BTC (#Bitcoin) quotes: $637.94/$639.79 #Bitstamp $637.00/$637.00 #BTCe ⇢$-2.79/$-0.94 $636.73/$643.18 #Coinbase ⇢$-3.06/$5.24 || Send 5 - 99 BTC today, get 500.00 - 9900.00 BTC in 20-30 hours,retired mother finance . http://ow.ly/FRIa305eLuu  || #Bitcoin last trade @bitfinex $635.23 @btcecom $636.00 Set #crypto #price #alerts at http://AlertCo.in  || $610.00 #btce; $614.79 #GDAX; $614.26 #bitfinex; $612.64 #OKCoin; $611.28 #bitstamp; $614.12 #itBit; #bitcoin news: http://bit.ly/1VI6Yse 
Trend: up || Prices: 744.59, 740.29, 741.65, 735.38, 732.03, 735.81, 735.60, 745.69, 756.77, 777.94
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] VC Investor Tim Draper Made $89M From His Bitcoin Investment in 5 Years: Tim Draper. Image from Flickr. Billionaire venture capital investor Tim Draper has made $89.1 million from his Bitcoin investment in less than five years. In 2014, Tim Draper purchased a bulk of 30,000 BTC from the U.S. authorities in an auction . He outbid all participating investors by paying $632 per Bitcoin, with a slight premium. The $18.96 million he spent in 2014 is now worth $108 million despite the 80 percent correction the dominant cryptocurrency experienced in the past 12 months. Money Makes Money: Bitcoin is a Prime Example Vinny Lingham sees 80% drop in bitcoin Previously, as CCN reported, a South Africa Shark Tank host and Civic CEO Vinny Lingham suggested that the cryptocurrency market may take a long time to recover from its correction. Lingham explained that the 2017 bull rally of digital assets was primarily triggered by retail traders and individual investors, and the vast majority of the investors lost a significant chunk of their capital in the recent correction. Psychologically and financially, he noted that most investors who lost out massively in the cryptocurrency bear market may need years to recover. “The crypto market will rise again, but most likely only when the pain of the recent fall becomes a distant memory. Don’t underestimate the power of psychology in free markets,” Lingham said. However, investors like Draper who have invested a small portion of their net worth that does not have any major impact on their portfolios have been able to survive numerous bear markets and long-lasting corrections. In an emerging market like crypto, it is highly risky to invest more than one can risk losing entirely. In one year, cryptocurrencies may rise by 300 to 500 percent. But, the following year, the asset class may plunge 80 to 90 percent in value within a several-month-period. What Long-Term Bitcoin Investors See Investors that have a strong belief in the potential of the technology and the ability of an uncensorable form of money to provide financial freedom to billions of people across the world in the likes of Tim Draper , Mike Novogratz , and Peter Thiel hold onto their investments year after year, acknowledging the high risk involved. Story continues As Tim Draper wrote in an op-ed : “The long-term vision for bitcoin is to give the world economic emancipation. The potential if bitcoin is only limited by the imaginations of the entrepreneurs who work to drive this new virtual economy. To monitor and keep it honest, I believe that the community of users will ultimately self-regulate, possibly eclipsing or obviating the need for the various governments to regulate the crypto world. I’ve been through the ups and downs with bitcoin, and I am as certain as ever that the bitcoin revolution is coming.” Investors that have held onto the dominant cryptocurrency as a long-term investment expect the asset to eventually compete against gold and other types of safe-haven assets to become a multi-trillion dollar asset. Currently, Bitcoin is an alternative currency at its infancy, working to increase merchant and mainstream adoption. As such, every major correction it undergoes grows its resilience. Featured image from Flickr. The post VC Investor Tim Draper Made $89M From His Bitcoin Investment in 5 Years appeared first on CCN . || U.S. crypto exchange Kraken buys index provider Crypto Facilities: By Anna Irrera NEW YORK, Feb 4 (Reuters) - U.S. virtual currency exchange Kraken said on Monday that it had acquired Crypto Facilities, a cryptocurrency index provider that calculates the reference price for CME Group Inc's bitcoin futures. Kraken said the "nine-figure deal" was its largest acquisition to date. It gave no further financial details. London-based Crypto Facilities calculates the CME CF Bitcoin Reference Rate, the index used to price the CME's bitcoin futures, which were launched in December 2017. It also calculates CME's reference rate for virtual currency ether and other cryptocurrency indices. Crypto Facilities has established a separate legal entity, CF Benchmarks Ltd, to manage the index, a CME spokeswoman said. Crypto Facilities also runs a cryptocurrency derivatives trading platform, which allows users to buy and sell futures for bitcoin, ether, XRP, litecoin and bitcoin cash. Some Kraken clients will have access to futures on six cryptocurrency pairs, Kraken said. "Over the coming months, our teams will continue to enhance and expand these offerings," Kraken Chief Executive Jesse Powell said in a statement. San Francisco-based Kraken is one of the most popular U.S. cryptocurrency exchanges and has acquired other platforms in the past including Coinsetter and CleverCoin. Last year it processed almost $90 billion in trades, it said. In September the New York Attorney General's office referred Kraken and other cryptocurrency exchanges to the state financial watchdog "for potential violation of New York's virtual currency regulationshttps://virtualmarkets.ag.ny.gov". Powell responded on Twitter: "NY is that abusive, controlling ex you broke up with 3 years ago but they keep stalking you, throwing shade on your new relationships, unable to accept that you have happily moved on and are better off without them." (Reporting by Anna Irrera Editing by Susan thomas) || Dow, Bitcoin Bleed Lower as Weak Economic Data Saps Trade Deal Optimism: The US stock market endured steady losses on Thursday, leaving the Dow’s eight-week winning streak on the ropes. The bitcoin price, meanwhile, continued to mount an unsuccessful push toward $4,000 that has left most crypto assets in the red. Dow futures traded up throughout much of the pre-market session, putting the index within striking distance of the 26,000 point milestone. However, Wall Street turned sour ahead of the opening bell, and all three major US stock indices dropped when the market opened. The Dow (blue), S&P 500 (red), and Nasdaq (orange) all dropped sharply at the opening bell. As of 10:17 am ET, the Dow had lost 68.12 points, recovering from what had briefly been a triple-digit drop. The 0.27 percent pullback left the index at 25,885.27. The S&P 500 declined 9.66 points or 0.35 percent to 2,775.18, and the Nasdaq plunged 44.81 points or 0.6 percent to 7,443.71. Read the full story onCCN.com. || EURCHF With a Fresh Buy Signal. GBPUSD Drops From the Local Highs: Traders were hesitating but the demand finally won. For a while, the bullish sentiment was under heavy pressure. That happened during the ECB conference but eventually, buyers won that battle. The reversal is a part of a bigger double bottom formation on the crucial long-term horizontal support (green). The buy signal is ON here! Now Cable, which was pretty busy during all those votes in the UK Parliament. The sentiment yesterday was quite positive but the American session brought us a stronger reversal. GBPUSD managed to break the short-term support and later, the dynamic up trendline (black). Price Action is strong here, broken up trendline is today being tested as a resistance. With the price staying below, the sentiment is negative. The last instrument in this short report is Gold. What a great performance from the buyers! We were expecting that for the past few weeks. After the breakout of the crucial resistance on the 1307 USD/oz, the buyers are fully controlling the situation. 1307 USD/oz should be now the closest support. The aim is on the 1357 USD/oz. Chances that we will get there are pretty high! This article is written by Tomasz Wisniewski, a senior analyst at Alpari Research & Analysis This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Bitcoin And Ethereum Daily Price Forecast – Legacy Crypto’s Gain Positive Momentum Technical Checks For USDCAD, GBP, JPY & CHF: 30.01.2019 Natural Gas Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Warming Trend by Week-end then Cold Returns AUD/USD Forex Technical Analysis – January 30, 2019 Forecast Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – EIA Report Expected to Show 3.0 Million Build Pound Sinks After MPs Reject Extension to Article 50 || 4 Reasons Bitcoin is the World’s ‘Most Compelling Asset’: VC Spencer Bogart: Now is the perfect time to buy bitcoin, according to Spencer Bogart, a partner at Blockchain Capital. Speaking toBloomberg, Bogart was evangelical about bitcoin, calling it “the most compelling asset in the world right now.” Bogart is notoriously bullish, maintaining a$50,000 price target on bitcoin. Why is he so optimistic during the depths of this crypto winter? He pointed a string of possible catalysts for another bitcoin boom, including global tensions, rising national debt, and the increasing interest from institutions. Let’s go through them one at a time. Read the full story onCCN.com. || Bitcoin Cash – ABC, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 17/02/19: Bitcoin Cash – ABC – Steadies Bitcoin Cash ABC rose by just 0.03% on Saturday. Following a 0.59% on Friday, Bitcoin Cash ABC ended the day at $120.79. A bullish first half of the day saw Bitcoin Cash ABC rise to an early afternoon intraday high $122.15 before pulling back. Bitcoin Cash ABC came up against the day’s first major resistance level at $122.01 before the pullback. The reversal saw Bitcoin Cash ABC slide to a late afternoon intraday low $120.56 before steadying. Throughout the day, the day’s major support levels were left untested, with Bitcoin Cash ABC managing to steer clear of sub-$120 levels. At the time of writing, Bitcoin Cash ABC was down by 0.09% in what’s been a relatively quiet start to the day. For the day ahead, a move through to $121.2 levels would be needed for Bitcoin Cash ABC to take a run at the first major resistance level at $121.77. Support from the broader market would deliver a move back through to $122 levels, to bring the day’s second major resistance level at $122.76 into play before any pullback. We would expect Bitcoin Cash ABC to continue to fall short of $125 levels in the event of a rally. Failure to move through to $121.2 levels could see Bitcoin Cash ABC fall through Saturday’s low $120.56 to bring the first major support level at $120.18 into play. Barring a broad-based crypto sell-off, we would expect Bitcoin Cash ABC to steer clear of sub-$120 levels and the second major support level at $119.58. Litecoin’s Recovery Continues Litecoin rose by 2.54% on Saturday. Following in from a 2.78% gain on Friday, Litecoin ended the day at $43.15. Bullish from the start of the day, Litecoin rallied to a late afternoon intraday high $43.91 to come up against the first major resistance level at $43.92 before easing back. An early morning intraday low $41.92 saw Litecoin steer clear of the major support levels, with Litecoin ending the day at $43 levels for the first time since Tuesday. Story continues At the time of writing, Litecoin was up by 0.05% to $43.13. Recovering from a start of a day dip to a morning low $42.75, Litecoin rose to a morning high $43.26 before easing back. Moves through the early morning left the day’s major support and resistance levels untested. For the day ahead a hold onto $43 levels would support a move through Saturday’s high $43.91 to bring $44 levels and the first major resistance level at $44.07 into play. We would expect Litecoin to continue to fall short of $45 levels, with the second major resistance level at $44.98 likely to be left untested on the day. Failure to hold onto $43 levels could see Litecoin hit reverse later in the day. A pullback through the morning low $42.75 could see Litecoin slide through the first major support level at $42.08 to $41 levels before any recovery. Barring a broad-based crypto sell-off, we would expect Litecoin to steer clear of the second major support level at $41.00. Ripple in Search of a Weekend Rally Ripple’s XRP fell by 0.41% on Saturday. Reversing a 0.16% gain from Friday, Ripple’s XRP ended the day at $0.30565. Tracking the market through to the late afternoon, Ripple’s XRP rallied to an intraday high $0.3095 before hitting reverse. The late reversal saw Ripple’s XRP slide to an intraday low $0.30459 before recovering to $0.305 levels. Through the day, the major support and resistance levels were left untested, with Ripple’s XRP failing to break through to $0.31 levels for the first time since 7 th February. At the time of writing, Ripple’s XRP was up by 0.1% to $0.30597. Moves through the early hours saw Ripple’s XRP rise from a morning low $0.30458 to a morning high $0.30708 before easing back. The day’s major support and resistance levels were left untested early on. For the day ahead, a move back through to $0.3070 levels would support another run at the first major resistance level at $0.3086. For Ripple’s XRP to break through to $0.3100, support would be needed from the broader market. A breakout from the first major resistance level would bring the second major resistance level at $0.3115 into play should the broader-market deliver support later in the day. Failure to move through to $0.3070 levels could see Ripple’s XRP struggle later in the day. A pullback through the morning low $0.30458 would bring the day’s first major support level at $0.3037 into play. We would expect Ripple’s XRP to steer clear of sub-$0.30 support levels, with the day’s second major support level at $0.3017 likely to prevent heavier losses in the event of a sell-off. Buy & Sell Cryptocurrency Instantly This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Stock Market Forecast – Trade Deal Hopes Push S&P 500 Higher; Targeting 2,875 Next Global Crisis – Strengthening U.S. Dollar Index or Weakening Euro? Crude Oil Weekly Price Forecast – crude oil markets breaking out? Silver Price Forecast – Silver gap higher on Friday S&P 500 Weekly Price Forecast – stock markets show signs of strength again Gold Weekly Price Forecast – Gold markets continue to show support || This Former Bitcoin Price Support Is Now Capping Gains: Bitcoin’s (BTC) weekly gains were wiped out at the weekend at a key moving average that previously offered support. The leading cryptocurrency by market capitalization jumped to highs above $6,750 on Saturday,having weakenedthe immediate bearish case with a repeated defense of the psychological support level of $3,500 last week. BTC, however, failed to secure a UTC close above the 21-day MA. More importantly, rejection at that MA hurdle proved costly – BTC fell 3.8 percent to $3,470 yesterday. CoinDesk’s Crypto-Economic Data Is Now Accessible on GitHub So, it could be argued that the MA line, which served as strong support in the two weeks leading up to Jan. 10, has now taken on the role of stiff resistance. As of writing, BTC is changing hands at $3,527 on Bitstamp, representing a 4.30 percent drop on a 24-hour basis. Meanwhile, the 21-day MA is seen at $3,732. The strong pullback from the 21-day MA indicates that the “sell on rise” mentality is still quite strong. After all, the primary trend is still bearish, as represented by the downward sloping 10-week moving average (MA). The probability of a sustained break below $3,500 remains high while BTC is held below the newfound resistance of the 21-day MA. Bitcoin Price Consolidation May Have Weakened Bear Case As seen above, BTC failed at the 21-day MA on Saturday and fell back to $3,500, reinforcing the bearish view put forward by the downward sloping 5- and 10-day exponential moving averages (EMAs) and the 14-day relative strength index (RSI) of 42.00. As a result, the probability of a drop below $3,500 has increased. That would only bolster the bearish technical setup and open the doors to December lows near $3,100. However, the bearish case would weaken if BTC secures a UTC close above the 21-month MA of $3,732. The long upper shadow (spread between high and close) attached to last week’s candle represents the “sell on rise” trader mentality – after a quick rise, a selloff erased the gains. The primary trend remains bearish as long as BTC is trading below the downward sloping 10-week MA. • BTC’s pullback from the 21-day MA may embolden the bears to push prices below $3,500. Acceptance below that level would expose the December low of $3,122. • A convincing move above the 21-day MA of $3,732 would weaken the bearish case and open up upside towards $4,000. However, the primary trend is bearish, so forcing a move above the 21-day MA could be a tough task for the bulls. Disclosure: The author holds no cryptocurrency assets at the time of writing. Bitcoin image via Shutterstock; charts byÂTrading View • Bitcoin Price Volatility Is Down 98% Year-on-Year • Will Bitcoin’s Price Extend Its Four-Year January Losing Streak? || Report: Overstock Set To Launch tZERO Security Token Trading Platform: The highly anticipated launch of theOverstock.com Inc.(NASDAQ:OSTK) tZERO security token trading platform is reportedly coming this week. What Happened OverstockCEO Patrick Byrne said the company was “ready to hit the button and go live” on Friday with security token trading, but is waiting another few days to process user signups before going live, accordingto CoinDesk. “But by the end of the next week we will be turning the trading system live,” Byrne said, according to the Jan. 18 story. Why It’s Important The launch of security token trading is a key step in Overstock’s pivot from e-commerce to blockchain technology. Overstock was one of the earliest online retailers to accept bitcoin back in 2014, and shares of the company’s stock soared more than 400 percent during the cryptocurrency boom of 2017. Overstock’s Medici Ventures portfolio contains at least 10 blockchain technology investments, including a tZERO blockchain-powered investment bank. Several Wall Street analysts have said the blockchain portfolio is now responsible for the majority of Overstock’s market value. In November, Bryne told the Wall Street Journal that he was confident Overstock could divest its e-commerce business completely by the end of February following the security token trading launch. Overstock shares are down 76.7 percent since the beginning of 2018, severely impacted by the bursting of the cryptocurrency bubble. The company reported a $4.28 EPS loss in 2017, and the Wall Street Journal said the Medici portfolio generated a net loss of $39 million in the first three quarters of 2019. What’s Next Overstock investors will be watching for an official security token trading launch and any early indicators of how the platform is received. In addition, traders will be looking for any subsequent rumors or announcements about a potential buyout of the Overstock e-commerce platform. The market wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the launch Tuesday, with Overstock shares down 1.98 percent at the time of publication. Related Links: This Week In Cryptocurrency: SEC Shuns Bitcoin ETF, Overstock Gets Massive Investment 4 Potential Overstock Catalysts That Make DA Davidson Bullish See more from Benzinga • How PG&E's 2001 Bankruptcy Compares To Its Current Situation • UBS Upgrades Chevron, Praises Stable And Low-Risk Business • CIBC Initiates Coverage On Cannabis Stocks, Sees Bright Future Ahead © 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Bitcoin Volatility is Dying Fast; BTC Plunged 50% From $6,500 in Last Free Fall: In the last 72 hours, the cryptocurrency market has been relatively stable at $111 billion as the Bitcoin price initiated no major movement. Bitcoin has struggled to break out of key resistance levels or drop below crucial support levels, demonstrating a stalemate for well over three weeks. Since January, Bitcoin has remained in a low range between $3,200 to $4,000, unable to engage in any meaningful short-term price movement. Read the full story onCCN.com. || Number of Bitcoin ATMs Hits 4,000 Globally: Why is it Growing So Rapidly?: ByCCN.com: According to a report released by ValueWalk, the number of Bitcoin ATMs worldwide has surpassed 4,000 and the market is still growing rapidly. The increase in the number of Bitcoin ATMs comes in a period during which cryptocurrency businesses are prioritizing compliance, dealing withstrictKnow Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) policies. On January 20, CCNreportedthat ShapeShift, a Switzerland-based cryptocurrency exchanges, received 18 subpoena requests from the U.S. authorities in 2018. Although the number of requests received by ShapeShift was far less than that of Kraken, a major digital asset trading platform that received 315 subpoena requests from the U.S. government last year, it was relatively high given the fact that ShapeShift is not a U.S. corporation. The U.S. government filed 66 percent of all subpoena requests received by Kraken, which serves 80 percent of its users outside of the U.S. The rise in the demand for and popularity of crypto ATMs coincides with the G20’s efforts to regulate the cryptocurrency sector with tightened regulatory frameworks. Most major cryptocurrency markets in the likes of Japan and South Korea have implemented new policies in regards to transaction monitoring, user surveillance, and fraud prevention since 2017. Bitcoin ATMs provide an alternative to strictly regulated cryptocurrency exchanges by allowing both buyers and sellers to purchase or sell cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin with minimal identification and KYC requirements. But, there are some downsides to Bitcoin ATMs, especially for regular and experienced users. The fees on Bitcoin ATM transactions are percentage-based in most cases, leading to substantially higher fees than on cryptocurrency exchanges. Most Bitcoin ATMs also have low daily limits for buyers and sellers, disallowing individuals from buying or selling large amounts of Bitcoin at a time to prevent the usage of ATMs in money laundering. Speaking to ValueWalk, Straight Up Capital managing partner Sean Keefe said that Bitcoin has the potential to become a key part of the e-commerce sector, which may contribute to the increasing demand for Bitcoin ATMs. “E-commerce is over. Cryptocurrency is the future. Companies like Overstock.com are only doing Bitcoin transactions, and other digital conglomerates like Amazon and Facebook know the war chest is coming. Just like aol.com was a brand name in the mid-’90s, Bitcoin is just the start of many brands to come that will offer the same service. It’s only a matter of time before everyone will have a Bitcoin option on their mobile devices,” Keefesaid. In South Korea, for instance, despite being one of the largest cryptocurrency markets along with the U.S., Japan, and Europe, the usage of Bitcoin ATMs has declined throughout the last two years. Bitcoin ATM companies such as Coinplug have pivoted to operating a regulated cryptocurrency exchange with previously obtained capital from venture capital firms. A key to the long-term success of Bitcoin ATMs is to lower the transaction fees and to provide reasonable conversion rates. But, due to high maintenance costs, it remains uncertain whether these issues can be addressed in the months to come. The postNumber of Bitcoin ATMs Hits 4,000 Globally: Why is it Growing So Rapidly?appeared first onCCN. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] 10 Hottest Stocks at Sat, 09 Feb 2019 05:00:04 EST : FXB, GBPUSD, HUM, TLT, GOLD, TSLA, GNTY, TCO, BTC, INFN http://dlvr.it/QyWpJj  || Get Free Bitcoin http://bowwellebay.blog.fc2.com  || 2019年02月19日 01:00 [BTC建] 1XPC=0.0041986円 24時間の最高値 0.0084563円 24時間の最安値 0.0039346円 #XPC $XPC || This Bitcoin Startup Is Working on Free Speech Alternatives to Patreon https://coinotizia.com/this-bitcoin-startup-is-working-on-free-speech-alternatives-to-patreon/ …pic.twitter.com/YpTynRmdzQ || Lista d los 130 ganadores del premio otorgado por @Ubex_AI 50%= 0.3132832 #BTC 50%= 561.797 Ubex Hash Txs 3a1ce2f98ca4f94054769d48994dae7e8148e288c8fd95ff7136d54c9d61c067 A cada persona le enviare 0.00241191 #Bitcoin, daré 2 días para dudas e iniciare pagos, instrucciones pic.twitter.com/oe6qS4TkNL || Σύντομα θα μπορείτε να αγοράζετε #bitcoin από το supermarket Ποια είναι η εταιρεία που κάνει την αρχή στις ΗΠΑ https://cyprusnews.eu/impossible-works/8508401- … || #crypto price changes last 4 hours $MEDX +5.77% $MFT +5.71% $PMA +5.63% $PART -10.05% $HMQ -7.68% $MORE -7.67% #bitcoin #cryptocurrency || Bearish Crypto Market Likely to Lead to More Hacking Attacks http://bit.ly/2sArXDr  #bitcoin || LA VERDAD AMIGO, QUE NO ES QUE ESTE DESINFORMADO Y ESTOY INVERTIDO EN BTC Y ALT, PERO SI CAE A 897 $; ME CAGO ENCIMA LITERALMENTE. || El bitcoin traerá consecuencias devastadoras para el planeta en menos de 2 décadas https://www.grandesmedios.com/bitcoin-aumenta-temperatura-de-la-tierra/ …
Trend: no change || Prices: 3882.70, 3854.36, 3851.05, 3854.79, 3859.58, 3864.42, 3847.18, 3761.56, 3896.38, 3903.94
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2017-12-27] BTC Price: 15838.50, BTC RSI: 54.68 Gold Price: 1287.00, Gold RSI: 61.59 Oil Price: 59.64, Oil RSI: 64.95 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin zooms above $13,000 to record high on relentless demand: By Shinichi Saoshiro and Saqib Iqbal Ahmed TOKYO/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bitcoin extended its rally on Wednesday, breaking above $13,000 to a record high despite questions about the cryptocurrency's real value and worries about a dangerous bubble. Bitcoin received a boost after Friday's announcement by the main U.S. derivatives regulator that it would allow CME Group Inc and CBOE Global Markets to list bitcoin futures contracts. The move opens the door to added regulation but also more mainstream adoption, as bitcoin futures and other derivatives would make it easier to trade the new asset class. "Simply the perception in households around the world that the CME and the CBOE are providing legitimacy to bitcoin is really what is driving the massive rally here," said Karl Schamotta, director of global product and market strategy at Cambridge Global Payments in Toronto. Bitcoin's ascent of over 10-fold from below $1,000 at the start of the year has drawn regulatory scrutiny around the world. Some high profile individuals such as Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz have said the cryptocurrency should be outlawed. "It took a long time to establish the methodology and the way bitcoin was traded. The original appeal came from the fact they were unregulated. However it's clearly moved out of those shadows and into centre stage," said Mick McCarthy, CMC Markets' chief market strategist in Sydney. "We are in the throes of a bubble market, and one of the characteristics of a bubble market is that there is no way to know when the bubble will burst." The current craze for bitcoin, and cryptocurrencies in general, have been likened by some to the 17th century Dutch tulip mania and more recently the dotcom bubble. "If you look at this sort of pattern it has repeated itself many, many times. The only way it ends is when sentiment shifts and that's a deeply unpredictable thing," Cambridge Global Payments' Schamotta said. Bitcoin was up 12.42 percent at $13,127.01 on the Luxembourg-based Bitstamp exchange (BTC=BTSP) after surging to the record peak of $13,127.01. "There is a lot of money flowing into bitcoin right now, mostly motivated by "fear of missing out" and greed," said Leonhard Weese, president of the Bitcoin Association of Hong Kong. (Reporting by Shinichi Saoshiro; Additional reporting by Michelle Chen in Hong Kong; Editing by Sam Holmes, Shri Navaratnam and Susan Thomas) || CVS Health Corp Buys Aetna. So Who Is Going To Buy Rite Aid?: The combination of CVS Health Corp (NYSE: CVS ) with Aetna Inc (NYSE: AET ) seems like a strong move, and it raises questions as to who will scoop up Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD ) and its stores and pharmacy management business. First, let’s look at the CVS-AET merger. Here’s why this works. AET is an insurer. Every time one of its consumers needs drugs, AET has to pony up its share of the drug costs. That lowers its profits. But with CVS, every time a patient needs to get a drug, CVS makes money. Thus, Aetna’s consumers can now buy drugs in CVS stores, so AET costs are now going to be balanced out. CVS Health Corp Buys Aetna. So Who Is Going To Buy Rite Aid? Source: Mike Mozart via Flickr That, in turn, should help Aetna’s consumers with lower drug payments. CVS also is going to increase the number of clinics it has. This may save both firms money because people may be enticed to use CVS clinics instead of going to the doctor. In addition, when people go to the clinics, they’ll be right there in a CVS store. Perhaps they will purchase other items. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips The combined entity should make about $7 billion in profit. Yes, it will mean that it will have $81 billion in debt on its balance sheet that will never be paid off. But hey, the banks are happy as long as the debt is being serviced. 10 A-Rated Tech Stocks to Grow Your Returns Look for Return on AET Stock With AET stock currently trading at $178 and the buyout price being $207, there is substantial upside here with the closing sometime in mid-2018. The only sticking point is regulatory approval. There doesn’t seem to be any obvious obstacles to this, but considering the AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T ) deal with Time Warner Inc (NYSE: TWX ) has been delayed due to the DOJ’s laughable lawsuit, one never knows. So you can buy AET stock here at $178 and look for that 14% return over the next year. You could take a little less risk by selling the 20 July $200 naked puts for $22. That way you collect most of the upside now. If the merger fails, the stock gets put to you at an effective price of $178. Because AET was trading at around $160 before the announcement, that’s probably a floor if AET stock falls back to where it was before the merger. So downside is limited, and getting AET stock put to you is hardly the end of the world. Story continues As for RAD stock, my thesis hasn’t changed. Cerberus Capital thought about purchasing some Rite Aid stores. Private equity firms akin to Cerberus like to take assets and bring in experienced people to improve cash flow. RAD Ripe for Picking Private equity shops adore cash flow. The more cash flow there is, the faster the private equity firm gets a return on its money. If the cash flow situation improves, the company is spun out into a new IPO and the firm cashes in its chips. RAD stock seems ripe for this arrangement. While the operational situation has been getting worse at Rite Aid, it still has almost 2,000 stores and a pharmacy management business. The 2,500 stores it just sold will pay down debt substantially and that creates more cash flow instead of it going to debt service. 10 High-Yield Stocks That Won't Cut Their Dividends in 2018 RAD stock was as high as $7 when there was merger talk, so I still think there is substantial upside from $1.70 per share now. Lawrence Meyers is the CEO of PDL Capital, a specialty lender focusing on consumer finance. He is the Manager of The Liberty Portfolio at www.thelibertyportfolio.com. He does not own any of the aforementioned stocks. Meyers has 22 years’ experience in the stock market, and has written more than 1,600 articles on investing. Lawrence Meyers can be reached at [email protected] . More From InvestorPlace Warren Buffett's 7 Best Stock Picks of 2017 7 AI Stocks to Buy to Join the Next Technological Revolution 5 Bitcoin Stocks to Buy for Low-Risk Cryptocurrency Profits The post CVS Health Corp Buys Aetna. So Who Is Going To Buy Rite Aid? appeared first on InvestorPlace . || Bitcoin rebounds to all-time high, shrugs off cryptocurrency hack: Bitcoin prices recovered to reach a record high on Tuesday as investors in the space shrugged off news that another cryptocurrency was hacked. Bitcoin (Exchange: BTC=) hit $8,362.30 earlier in the day, an all-time high. It traded 0.4 percent higher at $8,266.84 at 2:14 p.m. New York time, according to CoinDesk. But the widely followed cryptocurrency fell more than 5 percent overnight, briefly breaking below $8,000, after CoinDesk reported that Tether, a start-up that offers dollar-backed digital tokens, said hackers stole more than $30 million from its investors . Bitcoin 1-day chartSource: CoinDesk According to a now deleted post on its website, Tether said a "malicious action by an external attacker" resulted in the theft, CoinDesk said . Tether also reportedly said in the removed post that it was attempting to recover those tokens to prevent them from entering the broader cryptocurrency market.Traders in the space "have become conditioned to 'sell first, and ask questions later,' which is why we probably saw the sell-off after the Tether news," said Sean Walsh, partner at Redwood City Ventures. He also noted that Tether makes up a very small part of the cryptocurrency market and that problems with Tether "have zero fundamental impact on the health, strength, and security of the Bitcoin network which has been operating successfully since 2009."Bitcoin has had a stellar year, leaving other asset classes in the dust. Year to date, bitcoin is up more than 730 percent. The S&P 500, meanwhile, has risen more than 15 percent. Bitcoin prices recovered to reach a record high on Tuesday as investors in the space shrugged off news that another cryptocurrency was hacked. Bitcoin (Exchange: BTC=) hit $8,362.30 earlier in the day, an all-time high. It traded 0.4 percent higher at $8,266.84 at 2:14 p.m. New York time, according to CoinDesk. But the widely followed cryptocurrency fell more than 5 percent overnight, briefly breaking below $8,000, after CoinDesk reported that Tether, a start-up that offers dollar-backed digital tokens, said hackers stole more than $30 million from its investors . Bitcoin 1-day chart Source: CoinDesk According to a now deleted post on its website, Tether said a "malicious action by an external attacker" resulted in the theft, CoinDesk said . Tether also reportedly said in the removed post that it was attempting to recover those tokens to prevent them from entering the broader cryptocurrency market. Traders in the space "have become conditioned to 'sell first, and ask questions later,' which is why we probably saw the sell-off after the Tether news," said Sean Walsh, partner at Redwood City Ventures. He also noted that Tether makes up a very small part of the cryptocurrency market and that problems with Tether "have zero fundamental impact on the health, strength, and security of the Bitcoin network which has been operating successfully since 2009." Bitcoin has had a stellar year, leaving other asset classes in the dust. Year to date, bitcoin is up more than 730 percent. The S&P 500, meanwhile, has risen more than 15 percent. More From CNBC Terror to end bitcoin anonymity? 'Smart' people and Panama Papers Bitcoin mining IPO falls short View comments || Bitcoin Price Analysis December 12, 2017, Technical Analysis: Bitcoin rallied significantly during the trading session on Monday, reaching towards the $16,500 level on the BITSTAMP exchange, and as a result it’s likely that the market should continue to try to break out to the upside, and as a result I think that we will eventually test the $17,000 level, and perhaps even go higher than that. Currently, it looks like the market is respecting the 20 SMA on the hourly chart, and because of this, I think that we will continue to see buyers look at pullbacks as buying opportunities. If we were to break down below the $15,000 level, that could lead to a rather significant bounce around and perhaps a longer-term buying opportunity. Ultimately, if we do breakout to the upside, then I think that the next obvious target will be the $18,000 level. Longer-term, I believe that the $20,000 level is probably going to be targeted as well. Get Into Bitcoin Trading Today The volatility in this market should continue, as the futures markets have obviously attracted a lot of institutional money, and of course, has put the idea of Bitcoin in the crosshairs of the major media. In general, I think that we are going to continue to see a significant amount of volatility because of new money coming back into the marketplace. I think that once the markets stabilizing get used to the idea of a futures market that is regulated, that perhaps Bitcoin will act more like a currency. Because of this, I believe that we are getting close to the end of the massive run a higher and the overextension of buying pressure. This will be interesting, because then it becomes an institutional game, not a retail game. BTC/USD Video 12.12.17 We have seen a strong run-up during the day after the futures exchange open.com a but as I record this we are only up 10%, which all things being equal is not that impressive considering we’ve seen even bigger run-ups in this market without it. I think at the end of the day, we are starting to see Bitcoin run out of momentum, and eventually, we will see a massive pullback. Think of it this way: if you are institutional money that has been buying Bitcoin for some time, you can then hedge your position by shorting the futures contract. In other words, big money has taken over or is at least in the process of doing so. I suspect that if we don’t get a complete breakdown of the currency, which I don’t believe we are going to zero, this will eventually feel very much like the EUR/USD pair. In the meantime, it looks as if we are trying to go higher, and I think $20,000 will eventually be targeted, but the move to that level might be slower than many of you are expecting. Story continues Buy & Sell Bitcoin Instantly This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: S&P 500; US Indexes Fundamental Daily Forecast – Weak PPI Could Limit Number of Fed Rate Hikes in 2018 Litecoin Lights up the Cryptoworld Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Brent Could Spike to $67 to $70 a Barrel DAX Index Daily Fundamental Forecast – December 12, 2017 Commodities Daily Forecast – December 12, 2017 Natural Gas Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Consolidating Ahead of Updated Weather Forecast || Bitcoin Futures Launch to a Dramatic Start: Bitcoin futures jumped more than 20% in their eagerly anticipated U.S. debut, which backers hope will encourage wider use and legitimacy for the world’s largest cryptocurrency even as critics warn of the risk of a bubble and price collapse. The launch on Sunday night may have caused an early outage of the Chicago-based CBOE Global Markets’ website. The exchange said that due to heavy traffic on the CBOE Global Markets website, the site “may be temporarily unavailable.” The one-month bitcoin contract opened trade at 6 pm (2300 GMT) at $15,460, dipped briefly and then rose to a high of $18,700. As of 0430 GMT, it was up 16% from the open at $17,940, with 2,211 contracts traded. On the Luxembourg-based Bitstamp, bitcoin prices surged 7% to $15,720. It is up more than 1,400% so far in 2017, and its gains in the past month have been rapid. Experts had worried that the risks associated with the currency’s Wild West-like nature could overshadow the futures debut, but so far the price action has been unlike the wild swings seen in the past few weeks. Bitcoin tumbled 20% in 10 hours on Friday. “Even if there is an institution or institutional-sized trader out there, they are going to want to make sure that the mechanics work first, just for the futures,” said Ophir Gottlieb, chief executive officer of Los Angeles-based Capital Market Laboratories. “I think the excitement will come when the futures market is established. That can take a few days,” Gottlieb added. The futures are cash-settled contracts based on the auction price of bitcoin in U.S. dollars on the Gemini Exchange, which is owned and operated by virtual currency entrepreneurs and brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss. Market participants said the launch of the futures contract wouldn’t necessarily reduce volatility in the cryptocurrency. “There are no ways to arbitrage between the market and other exchanges, CBOE cannot settle Bitcoin as far as I know,” said Leonhard Weese, president of the Bitcoin Association of Hong Kong. “Regular bitcoin traders don’t have access to it, and the trading desks that use the futures market don’t have access to bitcoin.” While bitcoin’s price rise mystifies many, its origins have been the subject of much speculation. It was set up in 2008 by someone or some group calling themselves Satoshi Nakamoto, and was the first digital currency to successfully use cryptography to keep transactions secure and hidden, making traditional financial regulation difficult if not impossible. Central bankers and critics of the cryptocurrency have been ringing the alarm bells over the surge in the price and other risks such as whether the opaque market can be used for money laundering. “It looks remarkably like a bubble forming to me,” the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s Acting Governor Grant Spencer said on a television program run on Sunday. “We’ve seen them in the past. Over the centuries we’ve seen bubbles and this appears to be a bit of a classic case,” he said. Many investors have stood on the sidelines watching its price rocket. However, it is possible to buy bitcoin without having to spend the full price of one coin. Bitcoin’s smallest unit is a Satoshi, named after the elusive creator of the cryptocurrency. Somebody who invested $1,000 in bitcoin at the start of 2013 and had never sold any of it would now be sitting on around $1.2 million. Heightened excitement ahead of the launch of the futures has given an extra kick to the cryptocurrency’s scorching run this year. The CME Group is expected to launch its futures contract on Dec. 17. Bitcoin fans appear excited about the prospect of an exchange-listed and regulated product and the ability to bet on its price swings without having to sign up for a digital wallet. Others, however, caution that risks remain for investors and possibly even the clearing organizations underpinning the trades. “You are going to open up the market to a whole lot of people who aren’t currently in bitcoin,” said Randy Frederick, vice president of trading and derivatives forCharles Schwabin Austin, Texas. The launch has so far received a mixed reception from big U.S. banks and brokerages, though. Several online brokerages, including Charles Schwab Corp and TD Ameritrade Holding Corp, did not allow trading of the new futures immediately. The Financial Times reported on Friday thatJPMorgan Chase& Co,CitigroupInc would not immediately clear bitcoin trades for clients. Goldman Sachs GroupInc said on Thursday it was planning to clear such trades for certain clients. Bitcoin’s manic run-up this year has boosted volatility far in excess of other asset classes. The futures trading may help dampen some of the sharp moves, analysts said. “Hypothetically, volatility over the long run should drop after institutions get involved,” Gottlieb said. “But there may not be an immediate impact, say in the first month.” This post has been updated. || 3 Ways You Might Benefit From the New Tax Bill: With the new tax bill expected to be signed into law later this week, countless Americans are now left wondering how exactly the impending changes will impact them. And while not everyone will come out a winner in light of the new rules, there are a few features that may end up benefiting you. Those who itemize on their taxes won't care about the generous increase the standard deduction is getting. But since the bulk of tax filers take the standard, it stands to reason that a large chunk of Americans will benefit from this major boost. Currently, the standard deduction is $6,350 for single tax filers and $12,700 for married couples filing jointly. Going forward, it's jumping to $12,000 for single filers and $24,000 for joint filers. And that'll no doubt result in some serious across-the-board tax savings. IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES. Back in the day, there was talk that the new tax plan would seek to reduce the number of existing tax brackets from seven down to three or four. And while that never happened, what the new billdoesdo is lower most of the seven brackets still at play. Here's what our tax brackets look like at present: [{"$0 to $9,325": "$9,326-$37,950", "$0-$18,650": "$18,651-$75,900", "10%": "15%"}, {"$0 to $9,325": "$37,951-$91,900", "$0-$18,650": "$75,901-$153,100", "10%": "25%"}, {"$0 to $9,325": "$91,901-$191,650", "$0-$18,650": "$153,101-$233,350", "10%": "28%"}, {"$0 to $9,325": "$191,651-$416,700", "$0-$18,650": "$233,351-$416,700", "10%": "33%"}, {"$0 to $9,325": "$416,701-$418,400", "$0-$18,650": "$416,701-$470,700", "10%": "35%"}, {"$0 to $9,325": "$418,401 and above", "$0-$18,650": "$470,701 and above", "10%": "39.6%"}] DATA SOURCE: TAXFOUNDATION.ORG. Now, here's what they look like under the new tax bill: [{"$0 to $9,525": "$9,526 to $38,700", "$0-$19,050": "$19,051 to $77,400", "10%": "12%"}, {"$0 to $9,525": "$38,701 to $82,500", "$0-$19,050": "$77,401 to $165,000", "10%": "22%"}, {"$0 to $9,525": "$82,501 to $157,500", "$0-$19,050": "$165,001 to $315,000", "10%": "24%"}, {"$0 to $9,525": "$157,501 to $200,000", "$0-$19,050": "$315,001 to $400,000", "10%": "32%"}, {"$0 to $9,525": "$200,001 to $500,000", "$0-$19,050": "$400,001 to $600,000", "10%": "35%"}, {"$0 to $9,525": "$500,001 and over", "$0-$19,050": "$600,001 and over", "10%": "37%"}] DATA SOURCE: CNN.COM. As you can see, a single tax filer earning $50,000 a year currently pays 25% on their highest dollars of income. Under the new system, that same person pays just 22%. Similarly, under the current setup, a couple filing jointly earning $200,000 pays 28% on their highest dollars of earnings. Under the new bill, that rate drops to 24%. Now remember, because the above rates aremarginal, they're only representative of how you'll be taxed on your highest dollars of earnings. In other words, if you're a low earner making $9,200 a year, you won't see a difference in taxes under the new bill. But many households do stand to gain from these changes. TheChild Tax Credit, in its current state, gives eligible families with dependents under 17 a cool $1,000 back on their taxes. The problem, however, is that the credit begins to phase out at relatively modest earnings levels: • $75,000 for single filers • $110,000 for married couples filing jointly Under the new bill, two great things are happening to the Child Tax Credit. First, it's increasing to $2,000 per qualifying child under 17. Second, the above income thresholds are going up as follows: • $200,000 for single filers • $400,000 for married couples filing jointly In other words, going forward, more families will actually get to take advantage of the credit. And as a reminder, unlike a deduction, a taxcreditis a dollar-for-dollar reduction of your tax liability, which means it has the potential to be far more lucrative. While the new tax plan may not be perfect, it contains certain features that are likely to benefit Americans across a wide range of incomes. And that's reason enough to breathe a sigh of relief. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || GoPro Inc Could See a Brief 35% Upside, Here’s When to Buy and Sell: I am not a fan ofGoPro Inc.(NASDAQ:GPRO) as a company or as a stock to invest in. GPRO stock followed the typical overhyped unicorn IPO path. GPRO stock soared on its open to $50 per share, was volatile for a bit, before shooting up to $100 within about three months of the IPO. The pattern was classic parabolic rise, so it shouldn’t have surprised anyone that the same would happen on the down side. It just took a bit longer than one might have expected. Then GRPO stock started cratering because GPRO actually had to reveal financial statements and earnings reports. Suddenly investors learned that this nifty little device was really only good for certain niche markets. I personally always felt is was a fad without broad appeal. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips I have since used a few GoPro products. I have never been impressed. Only recently did GoPro even come up with a digital screen on the back to operate the camera a bit more easily. That it is taking this long to amp up its capabilities has been unimpressive. Finally, while the picture is pretty good on the latest models, the sound/microphones are still terrible, particularly outdoors. GPRO stock did get back to profitability this past quarter, but only because it cut expenses pretty drastically. Its Q4 guidance is coming in light. I do not see how GPRO ultimately survives as a company, because its financial position is weakening. I’ll get back to that shortly. • 7 Stocks to Buy Before the Holidays For now, however, GPRO stock may make for a solid trade. If you look at the chart below, courtesy of StockCharts.com, you’ll note GPRO stock collapsed from about $10.70 to 8.00. Just like a parabola, one might expect a quick recovery given the rapidity of the decline. Thus, entering here at around $8.65 suggests several possible exit points. First, the 200-day moving average is at $8.96. We would expect some resistance there. In addition, the 50-week moving average is also at $8.96. So there’s about 4% possible upside to that point and you might want to exit 25% of your position there. If GPRO stock breaks out of that resistance, then the next possible exit would be $9.85, at the 50-day moving average. You might want to cut another 25% loose there. After that, we could see up to $11.75 per share. On the downside, I suggest a stop loss around $7.95, or about 8%. Now, back to GPRO stock in terms of financials. In many cases, these IPO unicorns are out of control as far as valuation. However, after they fall back to earth, there are opportunities for trading because they often have a lot of that IPO cash still on the balance sheet, and no or very little debt. That’s not the case with here. The GPRO stock price reflects the company’s fortunes. Its cash position has been declining. It had $474 million in the bank at the end of 2015, but just one year later it was at $227 million. That balance is now down to $200 million, and that includes taking on $125 million in debt in Q2. That debt is insanely expensive, $4.6 million per quarter, or over $18 million annually or 15%! At this point, GPRO is in trouble, and hence the reason I suggest only getting involved in a trade. Mind you, if the trade does push GPRO stock over $10, once you sell out, consider shorting. Lawrence Meyers is the CEO of PDL Capital, a specialty lender focusing on consumer finance and is the Manager of The Liberty Portfolio at www.thelibertyportfolio.com. He does not own any stock mentioned. He has 22 years’ experience in the stock market, and has written more than 1,600 articles on investing. Lawrence Meyers can be reached [email protected]. • 8 Bitcoin Stocks That You Won't Lose Your Shirt Over • The 10 Best ETFs to Buy for Yield-Starved Investors • 5 Blue-Chip Stocks to Buy for December The postGoPro Inc Could See a Brief 35% Upside, Here’s When to Buy and Sellappeared first onInvestorPlace. || Stock market outlook, December 14: One of the year’s final market catalysts has come and gone. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 0.25%, the central bank’s third rate hike of the year and the fifth since the financial crisis. The Fed’s benchmark interest rate target is now pegged in a range of 1.25%-1.50%, the highest since October 2008. On Thursday, investors will move past the Fed with the November report on retail sales, one of the month’s biggest economic data points, set for release in the morning. And on the earnings side, results are due out from Oracle ( ORCL ), Adobe ( ADBE ), and Costco ( COST ). Costco’s results will be closely watched for signs of any consumer strength or weakness during the holiday shopping season. Costco earnings will be a major focus for investors on Thursday. Investors will also be tracking progress of tax reform on Capitol Hill after some lawmakers on Wednesday — including President Donald Trump — suggested House and Senate Republicans were close to reaching a deal on a bill to be put to a vote in both houses. ‘Chair Yellen, what about bitcoin?’ In addition to the Fed’s rate hike serving as perhaps the last big economic event of the year, Wednesday also marked outgoing Fed chair Janet Yellen’s final post-meeting press conference. And while the decline in the unemployment rate during her tenure, the relative strength of the U.S. economy, and the stock market at record highs all got mentions, since it is 2017 Yellen was of course asked about bitcoin. No fewer than three times. U.S. outgoing Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen holds a news conference after a two-day Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting in Washington, U.S. December 13, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst Yellen said that while bitcoin still plays a small relative role in the payments system, it is not a stable store of value and a “ highly speculative ” asset. Yellen also indicated that risks to financial stability due to a decline in the price of bitcoin were “limited,” in her view. But that the Fed chair — who has perhaps had one of the best runs among recent Fed chairs in terms of accomplishing the central bank’s stated goals — spent some of her final time with reporters talking about bitcoin is a perfect encapsulation of this year. All while no questions were put to Yellen over the Fed’s plans to pare down its balance sheet Story continues Because whether you are an investor, a commentator, a member of the media, or a central banker, the financial markets story for the later part of 2017 has become completely overwhelmed by cryptocurrency mania. Perhaps in hindsight we will see Yellen’s comments on bitcoin as indicating the end of something like our innocence about digital currencies. Or perhaps it will simply serve as a missed opportunity for the media to ask the world’s foremost central banker about policy. Either way, worlds collided in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. Yellen, on her way out of office, was asked about the biggest investing mania we’ve seen in the U.S. in at least a decade. It might mean nothing. Or it could be the start of a new phase in financial market history. — Myles Udland is a writer at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @MylesUdland Read more from Myles here: Evidence shows corporate tax cuts don’t work Walmart’s strong quarter shows why Amazon had to buy Whole Foods Foreign investors might be the key to forecasting a U.S. recession It’s been 17 years since U.S. consumers felt this good about the economy TOM LEE: Bitcoin is an important asset for investors to own || Bitcoin Just Surged on Futures Trading. Here’s How That Actually Works: With a bang and several bumps, the Chicago Board Options Exchange launched bitcoin futures to trading over the weekend. Upon its debut Sunday, bitcoin futures went red hot, forcing the CBOE to put to halts in a bid to calm the raging market. The price of the underlying asset itself, bitcoin, surged as much as 26% . Considering that the Chicago Merchantile Exchange is planning to launch its own bitcoin futures Dec. 18, and the fact the futures markets can exceed the market for their underlying asset, here’s what yo know about bitcoin futures. What are futures? Futures are an agreement to buy and sell a certain product at a certain date. As it pertains to bitcoin, it’s one way for investors wary of unregulated bitcoin exchanges to speculate on the price of bitcoin at a future time in a setting that is being overseen by a regulator, the Commodities Futures and Trade Commission, in an already established exchange. But there’s another use for futures aside from pure speculation: futures may also be used to control risk in a portfolio, especially when its underlying asset is volatile in price. Take oil for example, which is just beginning to recover after falling below $30 a barrel in 2016, but now trades just shy of $60. Given that oil makes up a major chunk of expenses for airlines, it takes no Einstein to realize today’s price would be considerably less desirable than 2016’s. So it has become common for companies such as Delta and Southwest Airlines to lock in low prices for delivery in future months . Of course, on the flip side, airlines have also been burned — at times badly — by betting that the price of oil would be greater than what it turned out to be. Delta for instance took a $2.3 billion hit in 2015 as oil prices slid more than they had expected that year. Similarly, bitcoin futures may be used in such a manner by bitcoin owners. Bitcoin’s price rests at about $16,600 as of Monday afternoon. In an example given by the CBOE , a bitcoin owner thinks that in the short term, bitcoin prices will fall. So how investors protect themselves? One way is by selling, or shorting, bitcoin futures. Say he or she decides to sell a January futures contract now priced at about $17,800, and repurchasing the contract at a date closer to when the contract settles, at say $16,000 (The price of the actual asset and its future contract tends to converge at the time of delivery). In doing so, he or she makes a $1,800 profit on his futures bet, even though the value of his bitcoin has fallen in value by about $600 in the same period. Story continues How are they trading on the CBOE? The CBOE currently lists three bitcoin futures, each expiring in January, February, and March, with the final settlement value of the contracts determined by the price of bitcoin on exchange Gemini. Currently, bitcoin prices on the exchange trade at about $16,600. Each contract covers one bitcoin. Bitcoin futures also have much higher margin rates — the amount a trader has to set aside as collateral for potential losses — than typical futures contracts. The CBOE has a margin rate of 44%, likely owing to how volatile bitcoin can be. So for January contracts, about $7,832 would have to be set aside. Moreover, the contracts are cash settled, meaning investors will receive their final payment in cash rather than bitcoin. That also means that the CBOE doesn’t have to deal with the headache of setting up its own bitcoin wallet. The bitcoin futures symbol used by CBOE is “XBT.” How will it affect the price of bitcoin? For starters, the introduction of bitcoin futures has already had a upward affect on the “spot” or bitcoin price. With the CBOE, CME, Cantor Fitzgerald and other well-worn Wall Street names saying they plan to get in on the game, bitcoin believers are more convinced than ever that the cryptocurrency is here to stay. Meanwhile, the fear of missing out has also induced new faces to enter the arena, with major bitcoin exchange Coinbase seeing about 300,000 more users between Nov. 22 to Nov. 26, according to Bloomberg . Even more demand for bitcoin futures could also serve to push up bitcoin prices, as it would be a sign that some more established investors may be growing bullish in bitcoin. It’s hard to say for sure how bitcoin prices will be impacted by the price of futures, though investors generally should expect to see futures prices come together when the contract settle. It’s also thought that shorting bitcoin, which several major financial powerhouses such as J.P. Morgan’s Jamie Dimon have dubbed a “bubble.” would be easier through bitcoin futures. But so far, given the massive demand for bitcoin futures in the few days they have been trading, it’s still unclear how that theory will pan out. || Bitcoin ETFs: 51 Risks You Should Know About: 2017 has been atransformative year for bitcoin, with the cryptocurrency vaulting into the collective consciousness of ordinary investors.Buying bitcoininvolves a fairly complicated process, and so some investors would much prefer to buy shares of an exchange-traded fund if it were available. Several companies have filed to release bitcoin ETFs, with the ProShares Bitcoin ETF and Short Bitcoin ETF aiming to become the first ones available for listing on the New York Stock Exchange. Yet for investors who think that an ETF-related bitcoin investment will be free of risk, think again. Even ProShares itself is up front about the risks of bitcoin ETF investing. Below, you'll find the risk factors that ProShares disclosed in its filing back in September to release its bitcoin ETFs. Although they're specifically related to the ProShares bitcoin ETFs, many of the same risks will be present in the other bitcoin ETFs currently under consideration. Image source: Getty Images. Here's what ProShares has to say about the risks of its bitcoin ETFs. 1. The value of bitcoin futures contracts may not track the price of bitcoin on exchanges. 2. The market for bitcoin futures is new and could be less liquid and more volatile than other markets. 3. Bitcoin is a new technological innovation with a very limited operating history. 4. The price of bitcoin is highly volatile. 5. The price of bitcoin may change dramatically when the markets for bitcoin futures are closed or when ETF shares aren't available for trading. 6. Bitcoin exchanges are new, largely unregulated, and could be exposed to fraud and security breaches. 7. Adoption of bitcoin could decline. 8. New competing digital assets could challenge bitcoin's current market dominance. 9. Regulatory initiatives by governments could impact use of bitcoin. 10. It may be illegal now or in the future to own or use bitcoin in one or more countries. 11. The bitcoin network could be subject to adverse intellectual property claims. 12. Banks might not provide services to businesses that accept or use bitcoin. 13. Bitcoin ETFs could experience large losses when holding, buying, or selling bitcoin. 14. Bitcoin ETFs has no previous operating history. 15. Active trading markets for bitcoin ETFs might not arise. 16. Illiquid markets for bitcoin futures and ETF shares could make losses worse. 17. Rolling bitcoin futures positions could have a negative impact on ETF performance. 18. Bitcoin ETFs might not be able to track its objective of following bitcoin price changes. 19. Fluctuations in bitcoin-related financial instruments could hurt the ETF's value. 20. Bitcoin ETFs aren't actively managed and will merely try to track their respective benchmarks. 21. Fees could deplete assets. 22. Counterparty risks could exist that hurt the ETFs. 23. Bitcoin ETFs can invest in options, which are also risky. 24. Competition from rival bitcoin ETFs or investment vehicles could hurt the performance of these bitcoin ETFs. 25. The ETF sponsor might choose not to continue to provide services to the ETFs. 26. Bitcoin ETFs can terminate anytime, even if it's a bad time for shareholders. 27. Redemption or creation orders for ETF shares from institutions can hurt individual investors. 28. Net asset value of the ETF might not track the actual market price of ETF shares. 29. The intellectual property rights that the bitcoin ETFs themselves use could be challenged. 30. Misstatement of net asset value is possible if valuation methods are imprecise. 31. If institutions don't maintain relationships with the bitcoin ETFs, liquidity could suffer. 32. Noninstitutional investors can only obtain bitcoin ETF shares through secondary markets. 33. Exchanges could halt trading of bitcoin ETFs. 34. Legal protections covering many mutual funds don't apply to bitcoin ETFs. 35. Indemnification of the trustees overseeing the bitcoin ETFs could result in losses. 36. A bitcoin ETF bankruptcy filing could force clawbacks of ETF distributions. 37. Companies assisting with futures transactions could improperly fail to segregate assets, resulting in greater bitcoin ETF losses. 38. Courts might not recognize legal separations between bitcoin ETFs or with other ETFs in the same fund family. 39. External events, such as disasters or power outages, could prevent the bitcoin ETFs from meeting its investment objective. 40. Cyberattacks pose operational and information security risks. 41. Taxation of bitcoin isn't entirely clear. 42. Tax liability will exceed cash distributions on bitcoin ETF shares. 43. The IRS could make adjustments to tax consequences of bitcoin ETFs. 44. Bitcoin ETF shareholders will have to deal with K-1 partnership returns for tax reporting purposes. 45. Changes in long-term capital gains rates could hurt bitcoin ETF shareholders. 46. Bitcoin ETF shareholders could recognize substantial ordinary income and short-term capital gain. 47. Regulatory and exchange accountability provisions could restrict bitcoin ETF operation and the creation of new ETF shares. 48. For the inverse bitcoin ETF, returns over periods exceeding one day will differ from the benchmark return. 49. The inverse bitcoin ETF's investments might not be correctly correlated to bitcoin prices. 50. The inverse bitcoin ETF's intraday price might differ greatly from the behavior of bitcoin. 51. Use of inverse positions could result in total loss for inverse bitcoin ETF shareholders. Out of these 51 risks, the most important for potential bitcoin ETF investors have to do with how thebitcoin futures marketswill act. Bitcoin futures have traded for less than a month, and their behavior doesn't always correlate with the underlying cryptocurrency. Already, we've seen bitcoin prices be volatile enough to trigger temporary trading halts for bitcoin futures, and that could potentially pose a major problem for bitcoin ETFs in trying to value their shares. Even if bitcoin futures settle down, it's possible that the nature of the futures markets themselves could pose a risk.Contangois a problem for commodity ETFs generally, in which the need to roll futures contracts to subsequent months slowly erodes the value of the ETF's assets. Early on, bitcoin futures are showing signs of contango, and if that persists, it could lead to a drag on performance for the regular bitcoin ETF -- albeit with a potentially positive impact on the inverse ETF. Finally, bitcoin ETFs could see some of the same challenges that theBitcoin Investment Trust(NASDAQOTH: GBTC)has experienced. ProShares will try to establish a market for ETF shares and enlist institutional investors to create or redeem blocks of shares when necessary. If ProShares doesn't succeed in finding reliable institutions to do so, then the bitcoin ETFs could trade at premiums or discounts to the underlying value of their assets. Theoretically, that could produce tracking errors for both ETFs that could cause losses for everyone. The bitcoin investing craze is likely to last for quite a while, and bitcoin ETFs will inevitably be popular. Only by understanding the risks fully can you be certain whether you're comfortable with the potential dangers of investing in bitcoin ETFs. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Dan Caplingerhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] こんばんは。 bitcoin priceという || I liked a @YouTube video http://youtu.be/DFuKWpUV2F0?a  Token News #1 Episode ► Bitcoin Blows up Charts || I really like this write-up's point that true governance #decentralization is every bit as important - or even more so - than the encryption tech or bitcoin bubbles. cc @angela_walch || ¿Podrá llegar el bitcóin a los 500 mil dólares en 2020? McAfee dice que sí #Pronóstico https://goo.gl/FAEjB7?btz47=1404122109 … || Tiffany Haddishちゃんが || $USTC 0.14 x 0.15 now , expecting 0.20+ ! Thin all the way to 1.00 ... $AHGIF accumulation under 2.00 ,4.00+ coming short term ! #bitcoin #biotechnology #cannabinoids #cannabis || Purchasing power seems to be a better indicator. Since BTC is volatile and on average increasing rapidly, it’s not a great yardstick. || Sell! (2:20:21 pm PDT) Price: 7228.00 (+/- 0.5) Close: 7221.64 (+/- 0.5) Stop: 7231.00 (+/- 0.5) #gdax #coinbase #btc #trading #bitcoin || #BTC 24hr Summary: Last: $11511.03 High: $11589.98 Low: $10950.00 Change: 2.75% | $308.03 Volume: $151,907,506.0 $BTC #Bitcoin #Pricebotspic.twitter.com/Gxjv63jnQl || Tiffany Haddishちゃんが
Trend: up || Prices: 14606.50, 14656.20, 12952.20, 14156.40, 13657.20, 14982.10, 15201.00, 15599.20, 17429.50, 17527.00
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2018-11-12] BTC Price: 6371.27, BTC RSI: 44.08 Gold Price: 1201.30, Gold RSI: 40.78 Oil Price: 59.93, Oil RSI: 19.24 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] What Investors Should Know About Farfetch Limited’s IPO: London-based luxury e-tailerFarfetch(NYSE: FTCH)went public at $20 per share on Sept. 21, then soared to the low $30s before giving up some of those gains. Let's see why investors were so excited about Farfetch, and whether or not it's worth chasing at these levels. Farfetch runs a business-to-consumer marketplace that only sells luxury brands. It provides digital storefronts, inventory management and logistics tools, analytics tools, and other software to merchants. Image source: Getty Images. The Farfetch Marketplace allows 980 luxury merchants to reach over 2.3 million customers across 190 countries, which the company calls the world's "deepest pool of luxury consumers." Farfetch says that it offers over 3,200 different brands on its platform. Farfetch generates most of its revenues from a 25% commission per sale from its boutique partners. It generates additional revenues from platform fulfillment shipping and clearing services. Farfetch also owns Browns, a British fashion and luxury goods boutique. Browns operates two retail stores in London, and is tethered to Farfetch's software ecosystem. The company claims that its ownership of Browns helps it "understand the luxury fashion ecosystem through the lens of a boutique." Last year Farfetch's active consumers grew 44% to 935,772, its GMV (gross merchandise volume) rose 55% to $909.8 million, and its revenue rose 59% to $386 million. Its adjusted platform revenue (which excludes Browns revenue) jumped 64% to $296.4 million, and its average order size rose 6% to $620. Farfetch believes that it's riding several long-term tailwinds. First, the online supply of luxury goods is fragmented across first-party platforms and wholesale retailers. Pulling all those brands together on a unified platform could be mutually beneficial to Farfetch and its retailers. Second, many consumers are still reluctant to purchase high-end luxury goods online, possibly due to concerns about counterfeit or damaged goods. However, the online share of the global personal luxury goods market could grow from 9% in 2017 to 25% in 2025 according to Bain & Company as consumers use more trustworthy e-commerce platforms. Digitally nativeGeneration Zshoppers (born between roughly 1995 and 2009) could also drive that transition. Bain estimates that Gen Z online shoppers accounted for about 85% of the growth of luxury fashion in 2017, and will account for 45% of the market's total luxury spending in 2025. Image source: Getty Images. Lastly, emerging markets like China, the Middle East, Latin America, and Eastern Europe could boost Farfetch's revenues over the next decade. That's whyJD.com(NASDAQ: JD), the second-largeste-commerce playerin China, acquired a 14% stake in Farfetch for $397 million last year. That stake is now worth about $1 billion. Farfetch has two main weaknesses. First, it isn't profitable -- its net loss widened from $81.5 million in 2016 to $112.3 million in 2017. For the first six months of 2018, it posted a net loss of $68.4 million on $267.5 million in revenues. The revenue that Farfetch generates from its merchants simply can't offset the rising costs of maintaining its marketplace platform. That's disappointing, since Farfetch claims to run a low-cost business model by merely enabling business-to-consumer transactions instead of taking ownership of the products like direct retailers do. However, the $884 million it raised from its IPO could help it scale up its business and improve its margins. Second, Farfetch faces competition from a wide range of diversified online marketplaces and first-party direct-to-consumer channels. For example,LVMH(NASDAQOTH: LVMUY), the biggest luxury company in the world, recently launched 24 Sèvres, an online version of Paris' high-end department store Le Bon Marché. 24 Sèvres offers personal shoppers via video chat, two-day free deliveries, and other perks. LVMH's online platform is considered a buffer againstAmazon, which remains weak in the high-end luxury market due to its marketplace's reputation for discount goods. But if other luxury retailers build similar shopping platforms and undercut Farfetch's commissions, Farfetch's growth could decelerate as its losses widen. With a market cap of $7.6 billion, Farfetch trades at 19 times last year's sales. Assuming that Farfetch grows its revenue 50% this year, it would still trade at 13 times this year's sales. Those are lofty valuations for an unprofitable e-commerce platform that faces tougher competition from bigger players. I'm not saying Farfetch is doomed, and it might be an interesting acquisition target for JD, Amazon, or even LVMH. But I definitely would avoid this stock until its valuations cool off and it narrows its losses. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors.Leo Sunowns shares of Amazon and JD.com. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon and JD.com. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || The Kiwi Spikes, with Focus Shifting to Retail Sales and the Pound: Economic data released through the Asian session was on the lighter side this morning, with key stats limited to 2ndquarter GDP numbers out of New Zealand. For the Kiwi Dollar, the economy grew by 1% quarter-on-quarter in the 2ndquarter, coming in well ahead of a forecasted 0.7% and the 1stquarter’s 0.5%. Year-on-year, the economy grew by 2.8%, accelerating from a 1stquarter 2.6%, while also coming in ahead of a forecasted 2.5%. • The quarter-on-quarter rise was the largest in 2-years, growth broad based as 15 of 16 industries recorded higher production, mining the only industry to see a decline according to NZ Stats. • Services led growth, with all industries seeing a pickup in production, leading to 1% growth, while the agriculture sector had the largest single industry contribution, up 4.2%. • Retail trade and accommodation, wholesale and transport industries all improved, supported by rising household spending. • The quarter’s blemish came from the mining sector, which saw a 20% slide, the largest fall in 29-years. The Kiwi Dollar moved from $0.66092 to $0.66336 upon release of the figures, before rising to $0.6651 at the time of writing, up 0.53% for the session, the markets needing to reconsider current sentiment towards RBNZ policy. Elsewhere,a pullback in the Dollar through the early part of the day supported the Japanese Yen, which was up 0.12% to ¥112.14 against the Dollar, while the Aussie Dollar was down by just 0.03% to $0.7261, some consolidation to be expected following the first half of the week’s 1.5% rally back to $0.72 levels. In the equity markets, it was a mixed start to the day, the Nikkei giving up early gains to sit flat, limited by an uptick in the Yen, with the Hang Seng and CSI300 up 0.48% and 0.19% respectively, a shift in sentiment towards trade providing further support, while the ASX200 saw red, down 0.18% at the time of writing. For the CSI300 and Hang Seng, tech stocks and a bounce back in the financial sector provided support early on, AAC Technologies and Tencent the biggest risers on the Hang Seng at the time of writing, up 1.32% and 1.24% respectively. For the EUR, it’s another particularly quiet day, with no material stats scheduled for release through the day to provide direction. A shift in sentiment towards trade, supported by upbeat economic indicators and on hopes of trade talks resuming to end the trade war before the end of the year, eased demand for the Dollar, supporting the upward movement in the EUR through the week. We will expect sentiment towards trade and anticipated impact on the Eurozone economy to continue to be the near-term driver, the EU still on Trump’s trade war hit list. At the time of writing, the EUR was up 0.11% to $1.1686, with trade chatter in focus through the day. For the Pound, economic data scheduled for release later this morning includes August retail sales figures that will again provide direction, forecasts being negative, though again, we will expect any positive numbers to have a short lived impact on the Pound, with Brexit news to continue to be the key driver. At the time of writing, the Pound was up 0.08% to $1.3154, with retail sales and Brexit the drivers for the day. Across the Pond, economic data scheduled for release from the U.S includes the weekly jobless claims, August existing home sales and September’s Philly FED manufacturing index numbers. Barring an unexpected jump in initial jobless claims, focus will be on the manufacturing numbers, which are forecasted to be Dollar positive, upbeat economic indicators continuing to support the probability of a September and December rate hike by the FED. Outside of the numbers, the Oval Office will have its usual influences on the Dollar, with NAFTA expected to be the administration’s main area of focus, though there could always be a tweet in response to China’s measured and targeted response to fresh U.S tariffs. At the time of writing, the Dollar Spot Index was down 0.06% to 94.478, with direction in the hands of Trump and manufacturing PMI numbers through the day. For the Loonie, there are no material stats scheduled for release through the day, leaving the Loonie in the hands of NAFTA, with hopes of a conclusion to talks by the end of the week diminishing to raise the possibility of tariffs. Talks are expected to resume today, with progress needed to provide the Loonie with support through the U.S session. At the time of writing, the Loonie was up 0.09% to C$1.2916 against the U.S Dollar. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • EUR/USD Daily Price Forecast – EUR/USD Bulls Face Resistance at 1.17 As USD Caps Upward Move on Rising Bond Yields • Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 20/09/18 • DAX Index Price Forecast -DAX to Trade Range Bound on Mixed Global Cues Amid Increased Risk Appetite • AUD/USD Forex Technical Analysis – September 20, 2018 Forecast • GBP/USD Price Forecast – British pound noisy • Precious Metals Edge Up amid Low Demand for USD on Easing Trade War Woes || Crypto Market Stable as Bitcoin Stabilizes at $6,350, Decentraland Surges 10%: bitcoin price us dollar Over the last 24 hours, the Bitcoin price has remained fairly stable in the $6,300 region with its volume stagnant at around $3.7 billion. Stellar (XLM) has increased by nearly six percent as the anticipation towards the potential listing of XLM by Coinbase, the world’s largest fiat-to-crypto exchange, continues to intensify. The rest of the market has struggled to initiate an upward movement, which was expected given that trading activity in the cryptocurrency exchange market tends to subside during the weekend. While the valuation of the crypto market increased slightly from $211 billion to $213 billion on Saturday, it has fallen back down to $212 billion, as Ripple (XRP), Litecoin (LTC), Monero (XMR) and several other cryptocurrencies recorded a minor decline in value in the range of 0.5 percent to 2 percent. Big Accounts Sending Bitcoin From Exchanges to Wallets As Whale Alert and cryptocurrency trader The Crypto Monk reported , tens of millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin have been moved from cryptocurrency exchanges to wallets over the past week. “Just in case you haven’t noticed yet, tens of millions of dollars in BTC have been transferred from exchanges to unknown wallets.” It is possible that whales, or big investors, have started to move funds from exchanges to non-custodial wallets to avoid selling the dominant cryptocurrency in a low price range. But, it is also a possibility that the growing fear towards the U.S. government’s crackdown on exchanges, as seen in the case of EtherDelta, led large Bitcoin holders to move funds to wallets they can exercise full control over. Despite an overall increase in volume and the general positive sentiment in the market, technical indicators show a bearish short-term movement for BTC. “Managed to crawl back into the range. A close around $6,350 today would not only be a weekly retest of demand but also a daily retest of the trading range. A move below support today would spell trouble so it’s definitely a close to watch,” said technical analyst Don Alt, suggesting that if BTC drops below the $6,350 mark, it could trigger a further drop into the $6,200 region. Story continues Decentraland Surges 10 Percent Possibly due to increasing property sales on its virtual reality world powered by the Ethereum blockchain, Decentraland, the 63rd largest cryptocurrency in the market, increased by more than 10 percent in value. The rise in the price of Decentraland follows yet another high profile property sale in its virtual reality world for more than $100,000. In the past month, MANA, the native cryptocurrency of Decentraland, has risen from $0.067 to $0.098, by more than 46 percent. The strong performance of MANA and several other tokens like Maker comes during a period in which the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating into various token sales to evaluate whether tokens can be considered as securities under existing regulatory frameworks. The post Crypto Market Stable as Bitcoin Stabilizes at $6,350, Decentraland Surges 10% appeared first on CCN . || The Apple Watch Series 4 Gets a Massive Chip Upgrade: One of the reasons Apple 's (NASDAQ: AAPL) in-house chip-development efforts is such a strategic asset is that the company can custom tailor processors to serve the requirements of its products. Not only can this help Apple gain competitive advantages in the markets in which it currently participates, but it can bring those chops to bear as it tries to create and shape new product categories. When Apple released its first-generation Apple Watch more than three years ago, the device was powered by a custom-designed chip that Apple dubbed the S1. With the launch of each new Apple Watch, the company also has delivered new chip technology, which has led to dramatic performance improvements. Apple COO Jeff Williams on stage in front of an image of the Apple Watch Series 4. Image source: Apple. With the introduction of the Apple Watch Series 4, which is powered by a chip known as the S4, Apple may have delivered the most interesting chip upgrade in the history of the product category. Let's take a closer look. Vertical integration for the win According to Apple, the S2 chip inside of the Apple Watch Series 2 incorporated a dual-core processor, which Apple said boosted CPU performance by as much as 50%. The company also said that the chip received a new graphics processor, "which delivers up to two times greater graphics performance." About a year after the Apple Watch Series 2 launched, Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Series 3. Apple said in its press release announcing the device that the Series 3 had a "70 percent faster dual-core processor" than the one found in the Series 2. (Apple also used the processor from the Series 2 in the Series 1 product line.) The S4 chip in the newly announced Apple Watch Series 4 seems to offer the biggest jump in performance yet. "S4 contains a powerful new dual-core 64-bit processor and a new [graphics processing unit], both custom designed by our Apple silicon team to deliver up to two times faster performance," said Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer. Story continues According to AnandTech's Andrei Frumusanu, Apple's previous S-series chips used processor cores licensed from semiconductor intellectual property specialist Arm . Considering that Apple has done a phenomenal job developing its own in-house processor cores for the iPhone and the iPad, it's only natural that it would leverage its in-house processor expertise to build custom cores for the Apple Watch, too. It's also worth noting that Apple has transitioned the Apple Watch from a 32-bit processor to a 64-bit processor with this generation. As you might remember, Apple transitioned the iPhone from a 32-bit processor to a 64-bit one with the introduction of the iPhone 5s in 2013 -- something that generated a lot of buzz at the time. A mystery that remains One thing that Apple didn't unveil was the manufacturer of the main processor that's part of the S4 chip. As you may know, Apple doesn't manufacture its own chips in-house -- it designs them and relies on third-party contract chip manufacturers to build them. The questions that remain, then, are the following: Which company is building this chip, and which manufacturing technology is being used to craft it? Given that Apple has been relying on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE: TSM) to build its iPhone chips -- it's believed to be the exclusive manufacturer of the A10 Fusion, A11 Bionic, and A12 Bionic chips inside of the iPhone 7, iPhone 8/X, and iPhone XR/Xs/Xs Max devices -- it wouldn't surprise me to learn that TSMC was building the processor inside of the S4, too. More From The Motley Fool 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Ashraf Eassa has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Apple. The Motley Fool has the following options: long January 2020 $150 calls on Apple and short January 2020 $155 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . || Who Created Bitcoin? Early Developer Jeff Garzik Gives His Best Guess: jeff garzik bitcoin Jeff Garzik, historically one of the major early contributors to the Bitcoin codebase and later a lead developer at BitPay, doesn’t know who created the flagship cryptocurrency. However, he has an educated guess. Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg , he spoke to his suspicions of the actual creator of Bitcoin. He has one of the less popular theories — the major contenders for the title of Satoshi Nakamoto are Nick Szabo, Adam Back, and/or a group of people likely involving one or both of these people. The hunt for Satoshi Nakamoto is still very much on, despite the possible negative impact it could have on the Bitcoin ecosystem. A limited and dwindling number of people have bought into the belief that Australian outlier Craig S. Wright , who is spearheading the Bitcoin SV (“Satoshi Vision”) hard fork in 6 days, is actually the person behind the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. The upcoming fork has even pushed Wright and early Bitcoin adopter and evangelist Roger Ver apart. Ver now says that even solid proof of Wright’s identity as Satoshi wouldn’t heal the division . Jeff Garzik: Dave Kleiman Was [Likely] Satoshi Garzik told Bloomberg that his “personal theory” places Dave Kleiman , a Florida man who passed away in 2013 and whose estate is currently engaged in a lawsuit against Craig S. Wright, as the man behind the $110 billion currency. Wright, per the suit, had worked with Kleiman — a computer security expert — as a CCN contributing editor wrote at the time the lawsuit was filed: “Kleiman and Wright had allegedly acquired these coins by mining them through W&K Info Defense Research LLC. The ownership structure of W&K is in dispute, though Kleiman’s estate claims that he was either the sole owner or held it in partnership with Wright. Either way, they claim that Wright stole at least 550,000 BTC, or 1.1 million if W&K was wholly owned by Kleiman.” Garzik says that, for him, the dots connect and paint a picture of Kleiman as Satoshi. Kleiman was a self-taught coder who had previously worked for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. Garzik says: Story continues “It matches his coding style, this gentleman was self taught. And the Bitcoin coder was someone who was very, very smart, but not a classically trained software engineer.” Craig Wright has previously claimed that Kleiman helped him create Bitcoin. He did not come forward with his assertion that he was Satoshi Nakamoto until after Kleiman’s death. There are several factors that do weigh heavily in the column of Kleiman as being Satoshi, but the world may never know the truth. Featured Image from Chamber of Digital Commerce/ YouTube The post Who Created Bitcoin? Early Developer Jeff Garzik Gives His Best Guess appeared first on CCN . || The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Details of One of Bitcoin’s Nastiest Bugs Yet: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Details of One of Bitcoin’s Nastiest Bugs Yet For well over a year, versions of Bitcoin Core — Bitcoin’s leading software implementation — contained a severe software bug. The bug was fixed with Bitcoin Core 0.16.3 (and 0.17.0rc4 ), released this week, and the status of the Bitcoin network now appears to be safe, with no harm done. The Bitcoin Core project has since released a full disclosure report, revealing that the bug was even worse than previously thought. These are the good, the bad and the ugly details about one of Bitcoin Core’s nastiest bugs to date. (But not in that order.) The Bad The bad, of course, is the bug itself, now documented as CVE-2018-17144 in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures databank. The bug was introduced as part of a block relay-related performance improvement deployed in Bitcoin Core 0.14.0, officially released in March of 2017. In short, the bug would have nodes fail to reject a block containing a transaction that spends the same coins (“inputs”) multiple times. Indeed, it would allow for an (irregular) form of double-spending: arguably the very thing Bitcoin was designed to prevent . It posed a serious problem, which could have manifested in several ways. First, Bitcoin Core versions 0.14.0 through 0.14.2 (and, in some cases, newer versions), would have accepted the block but, at the same time, recognized that something was wrong. However, they wouldn’t be able to tell what was wrong, exactly. As a result, the node would stop operating altogether and shut down. If an invalid block caused by this bug had made its way to such nodes, they would have, in effect, crashed. That’s bad. But it gets much worse. Bitcoin Core versions 0.15.0 through 0.16.2 included another performance improvement, making it such that, in some cases, these nodes would no longer have realized something was wrong. Specifically, if the double-spent coin had not been moved in the same block already (which is often the case), these nodes would have accepted the transaction and block as normal. In a hypothetical, worst-case scenario, a malicious miner could have inflated Bitcoin’s money supply by copying his own coins, and anyone relying on Bitcoin Core versions 0.15.0 through 0.16.2 would have accepted these coins as valid. Story continues Technically, the bug could also have caused a blockchain fork between affected nodes (Bitcoin Core 0.15.0 through 0.16.2 and codebase forks of it) and unaffected nodes (most notably Bitcoin Core 0.13.2 and older, as well as some alternative Bitcoin implementations). This is unlikely, however, since the latter category probably doesn’t have sufficient hash power behind it to generate even a single block within a couple of days — let alone several blocks. These nodes would have instead stalled, waiting for a valid block. Still, the bug in question could have allowed for one of the worst attacks on Bitcoin in years. It’s sobering for many that this bug made it into a release of Bitcoin’s leading software implementation, as well as several codebase forks of it, and remained unnoticed for about 18 months. The Good Now, the good news. The first and main piece of good news is that the bug has never been exploited in any way. The second piece of good news is that it was not very likely the bug would ever have been exploited in the first place. This is because the attack could only have been exploited by a miner intentionally creating an “attack” block — not by a miner doing so by accident and also not by a regular user. This means that a miner would have had to knowingly risk forfeiting a regular block reward worth some $80,000. An attack like this would have been noticed fairly quickly — everything happens on a public blockchain, while crash reports would probably have flooded chat rooms and forums. At that point, the Bitcoin user base would certainly agree that the added inflation was, in fact, caused by a bug — and should not be accepted as a new protocol rule. Therefore, like with the bug that caused the value overflow incident in 2010 or the bug that split the Bitcoin network in 2013 , a majority of miners (by hash power) would have either upgraded or downgraded their software quickly, rejecting the “attack block” to mine on the “honest chain” instead. As soon as this honest chain overtook the “attack chain,” even vulnerable nodes would have switched to the honest chain and disregarded the attack chain, leaving the attacking miner without any block reward. Further, coins on the attack chain would presumably have dropped in value rather quickly: Markets are unlikely to value a coin that can be copied “out of thin air” by a malicious miner. As such, this miner would have immediately undermined the value of the same coins being copied, possibly defeating the point of the attack. (Granted, the miner could also make money by shorting the markets, but this still comes with significant risks.) The third piece of good news is that the bug was responsibly disclosed by an unknown person on Monday to several developers working on Bitcoin Core (as well as Bitcoin Cash implementations Bitcoin ABC and Bitcoin Unlimited ). It was originally presented as a denial of service (DoS) bug which, as mentioned, is accurate for Bitcoin Core versions 0.14.0 through 0.14.2. But on further examination, Bitcoin Core contributor and Chaincode Labs employee Matt Corallo found that the same bug was also an inflation vulnerability. The bug was quickly patched and released on Tuesday in a new Bitcoin Core minor release: Bitcoin Core 0.16.3. The bug is also patched in the fourth and latest release candidate for Bitcoin Core’s upcoming major release, 0.17.0. Meanwhile, the select group of Bitcoin Core contributors that were aware of the bug started reaching out to key players in the Bitcoin ecosystem, most notably miners and large businesses, asking them to upgrade to Bitcoin Core 0.16.3. Regular users were also urged to upgrade. The fourth piece of good news is that a majority of miners on the network has probably upgraded to get rid of the bug by now. This means that even if an attacker were to try and exploit it, he wouldn’t get very far. The honest miners would overtake the attack chain sooner rather than later, at which point even non-upgraded nodes would accept the honest chain as the only valid chain. To err on the side of safety, users are currently recommended to wait for extra confirmations before accepting a payment, however. (In technical terms, the effects on the Bitcoin protocol are as follows: Bitcoin Core 0.15.0 introduced an "accidental hard fork " that was never triggered or acted on by miners and, therefore, never led to a blockchain fork. This “hard fork” has practically been undone by an intentional, miner-enforced soft fork over the past couple of days, possibly also enforced by the Bitcoin economy at this point in time.) The Ugly The severity of a bug like this can be tricky to deal with on an open, decentralized, continuously operating network, supported by open-source software. As exemplified when Bitcoin Unlimited patched a bug in early 2017, the very act of fixing a vulnerability in the code might reveal it to potential adversaries, opening a window of attack until the fix is widely deployed on nodes in the field. To avoid such attacks, those Bitcoin Core contributors aware of the problem decided not to make the severity of the bug public right away. Initially omitting some information from miners, companies and the greater public, they opted to disclose the DoS vulnerability — but not the inflation vulnerability. They hoped that the DoS vulnerability ( and some strong recommendations ) would be enough reason for users to upgrade, without tipping off a potential attacker. A full disclosure would follow later. However, not everyone shared this approach. As the bug came under the spotlight, more people started to figure out on their own that the bug was more severe than just a DoS vulnerability. It’s rumoured that some started to leak the full extent of the vulnerability, arguably putting the Bitcoin network at greater risk of attack. When the vulnerability was reported on Hacker News (though later retracted), there was little reason to keep it under the covers much longer. Fortunately, by then, it seemed to the Bitcoin Core contributors in the know that most miners had upgraded, meaning that the Bitcoin network was safe. While sooner than originally planned, the Bitcoin Core project opted to publish the full disclosure by Thursday evening. A number of altcoins based on Bitcoin’s codebase are possibly still vulnerable to the attack, however, and the fact that the weakness is now publicly known probably does not help. While the leading implementations of the biggest Bitcoin codebase-based cryptocurrencies — most notably Bitcoin Cash’s Bitcoin ABC — deployed fixes and are also safe by now, smaller coins may still be at risk. Update Saturday, September 22nd: Pseudonymous Bitcoin Unlimited developer "awemany" has come forward as the person who found the bug. For more details also see the CVE-2018-17144 Full Disclosure by the Bitcoin Core project. It is still recommended that users and miners upgrade to Bitcoin Core 0.16.3 (or Bitcoin Core 0.17.0rc4 ). This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine . || Emerging Technologies Set to Change the Fixed-Income Market: This article was originally published onETFTrends.com. As the stock market continues to make record highs, the infusion of robotics and artificial intelligence in the bond market is giving the fixed-income space its own renaissance as more emerging technologies are changing the landscape of the industry. A recentForbes articlehighlighted the bout of changes happening in the fixed-income arena, such as more reliance on machine learning, automation and algorithms. Adopting this technology can allow for better liquidity and enhanced speed when it comes to identifying trends within the bond market. "After having experienced both the sell-side and the buy-side as a bond trader, it was clear to me that asset managers needed a more resilient market structure with more independent avenues to access liquidity, especially with reduced capital commitment and risk-taking by traditional intermediaries," explains Constantinos Antoniades, the Head of Fixed-Income at Liquidnet. "Equally important, asset managers until relatively recently had no tools to access liquidity directly from their peers for a better implementation of their investment strategies." Related:Embracing Disruption with the Disruptive ETF Virtual Summit Other breakthroughs with the incorporation of these emerging technologies include the ability to forecast the performance of a set of bonds via indexing. Machine learning technology can extrapolate news data and determine whether a story is positive or negative, giving bond traders market research to make trading decisions. ""The corporate bond market has evolved dramatically over the last few years, with electronic trading playing a much bigger role in liquidity and price formation," said Antoniades. "Nevertheless, what we have seen so far is just the beginning." Senior Loan ETF Rises The Invesco Senior Loan ETF (BKLN) was up 0.34% as the ETF continues its solid performance for the year with a 2.71% return YTD and 3.51% within the past 12 months. BKLN is based on the S&P/LSTA U.S. Leveraged Loan 100 Index, which tracks the market-weighted performance of the largest institutional leveraged loans according to market weightings, spreads and interest payments. Senior loans are typically used for business recapitalizations, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, and re-financings. BKLN’s loan portfolio includes the purchase of loans from banks or other financial institutions through assignments or participations. Additionally, BKLN may acquire a direct interest in a senior loan from the agent or another lender via an assignment or an indirect interest in the loan by participating in another lender’s portion of a loan. BKLN sells the loans within the portfolio through an assignment, but it may also sell participation interests in the loans in order to fund redemption requests. The inherent risks associated with senior loans are similar to the risks of junk bonds, but have seniority in the event of borrower default so if the business is forced to sell its assets in a liquidation scenario, the senior loan will be paid first. In addition, senior loans are secured by assets whereas junk bonds are not, making them a more attractive investment option when constructing a loan portfolio. For more trends in fixed income, visit theFixed Income Channel. POPULAR ARTICLES FROM ETFTRENDS.COM • Latest Round of Tariffs Impacting Homebuilder ETFs • Leveraged ETF Hinging on Positive U.S.-Japan Trade Talks • ETFs with General Electric Down as Company Struggles with Turbine Issues • Dow Stumbles as U.S.-China Trade Talks Stall • Bitcoin Will Lose 50% of Its Market Share to Ethereum in Five Years READ MORE AT ETFTRENDS.COM > || Bitcoin firm: 'Altcoins have the largest potential': Bitcoin illustration via FX Empire At the end of 2017, when the entire cryptocurrency market was soaring, scores of new crypto businesses launched to service the frenzy. And then 2018 happened . It has been a brutal year for cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin ( BTC ) is down 54% this year, which is better than how the rest of the larger market-cap coins have fared: ether ( ETH ) is down 74%; XRP is down 78%, bitcoin cash ( BCH ) is down 82%; litecoin ( LTC ) is down 78%. And some, like BitMEX CEO Arthur Hayes, believe the crypto bear market could last another 12-18 months . Nonetheless, New Wave Capital , which launched in July and calls itself the first crypto robo-advisor, says it hasn’t had any customers close their accounts, and instead has seen many customers invest more money. “The kind of customers who would sign up during a downturn,” CEO Eric Campbell says, “have more of a long-term approach to investing.” New Wave’s sales pitch: crypto investing for regular folks, not just the accredited investors (people with minimum annual i ncome of $200,000 or net worth of $1 million) to whom institutional firms have limited their crypto products. New Wave’s minimum investment is $100. Campbell and his cofounders Albert Cheng and Stewart Hauser all previously worked at Chariot, the shuttle-bus startup Ford bought in 2016 for $65 million. Still, it is not exactly an appealing time to invest in crypto. New Wave invests customers’ funds across 15 cryptocurrencies ( b itcoin, ether, XRP, bitcoin cash, stellar lumens, litecoin, ethereum classic, Zcash, OmiseGo, golem, TenX, Numeraire, Civic, Basic Attention Token, and 0x ) and rebalances quarterly, with the weighting based on a risk survey and an algorithm. Amid this bear market, the weighting is heaviest on bitcoin, but Campbell is still most bullish on the smaller-cap coins—the ones that most people, even those who’ve dipped a toe into bitcoin, have never heard of. “ The smaller-cap altcoins have the largest potential, we think,” says Campbell. “In a bear market, everyone moves away from altcoins and they go back to what has been traditionally more resilient, which is bitcoin. They think it’s a safer asset. But when we come back to another bull market in the future, we think people will go back to altcoins.” Story continues Prices of bitcoin, ether, and XRP in 2018, through Oct. 30. As for why the crypto market has been so brutal this year, theories abound : The initial coin offering (ICO) boom peaked; those ICOs that raised tons of money cashed out quickly; the SEC has cracked down on fraudulent ICOs , both publicly and behind the scenes; and the SEC has rejected a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) multiple times. The hype around banks using “ blockchain without bitcoin ” has also dampened. “ I think people are realizing about the ‘blockchain for x’ type of thing,” New Wave chief product officer Albert Cheng says, “it’s difficult to build and it’s quite unnecessary unless there’s some reason for the underlying crypto protocol. If there’s not a particular need for it and you’re just creating a decentralized application for the sake of it, people won’t care.” More simply than all of that, there were many hasty speculators who bought crypto high, then sold low in a panic. “ A lot of people entered thinking the price was going to go up forever,” Cheng says. “And once the price went down, they weren’t thinking and just dumped it quickly.” As the crypto world celebrates the 10-year anniversary of the original bitcoin white paper , bitcoin may see a bounce this month. But businesses like New Wave have to bank on bitcoin not being the only long-term winner in the market. “W hen a market is bearish, there’s a flight to quality, and that’s bitcoin today,” says Cheng. “But our service is intended to drive long-term thinking. And if people are holding their portfolios for a long time, I think it’s prudent to have exposure to multiple coins. True paradigm shifts take a long time.” — Daniel Roberts covers bitcoin and blockchain at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter at @ readDanwrite . Read more: Exclusive: Coinbase cuts staff Coinbase will add cryptocurrencies more rapidly, plus ratings and reviews SEC widens its crackdown on ICOs Blockchain CEO on ‘Just Hodl’ bitcoin mantra: ‘I don’t believe in that’ Chain CEO: Public and private blockchains will soon converge Lightning Labs CEO: We are back to a ‘bitcoin, not blockchain’ world || Bitcoin Trading Strategies: If there were no cryptocurrencies, someone would need to invent them. Indeed, daily changes of Bitcoin price are usually bigger than those of currency pairs like EUR/USD, USD/JPY, and other majors. As Bitcoin’s price makes bigger moves, it means that you can profit more and faster. The mechanics of trading cryptocurrencies withFBSis simple. You can trade Bitcoin, LiteCoin, Ethereum and Dash vs. the USD just like any currency pair using MetaTrader. To increase your chances for success, you have to be systematic. In this article, we present 2 strategies that will help you gain an edge in trading Bitcoin. The strategies take into account its high volatility. Choose the one that suits you the most and start earning! Bitcoin doesn’t usually react to the news from the economic calendar. You will need to follow specific news about Bitcoin. Such news seems to have a more long-lasting impact than some economic news like US nonfarm payrolls. For instance, if you learn that a large fund invested hundreds of millions in Bitcoins, consider buying the cryptocurrency during the next few days. If a big cryptocurrency exchange was hacked, consider selling Bitcoin. Let’s illustrate this idea with the recent examples. Bitcoin price made a turn up at the beginning of April. The cryptocurrency’s advance was caused by several reasons. Firstly,Bitcoinwas announced compliant with Sharia law. Secondly, there were reports that famous investor George Soros was interested in trading cryptocurrencies. In addition, traders were looking forward to World Blockchain Forum which was to take place in Dubai on April 16-17. The green arrow marks the start of Bitcoin’s swing up. The cryptocurrency rose by 30% during a month on the positive news. Then, however, new factors came into play. Microsoft-owned search engine Bing joined the ranks of other internet giants in banning crypto-related ads from its network by July 2018. Moreover, cryptocurrencies came under criticism by European financial authorities. The red arrow marks the start of Bitcoin’s selloff. The negative trend has been continuing up to date. Notice that this strategy requires following special websites and blogs which track Bitcoin-related events. You will also have to filter the really important news from the noise that doesn’t lead to any trends. Technical analysis can also be a great source of Bitcoin trade ideas. We don’t recommend scalping or, in other words, trading during the most short-term time periods. Better focus on timeframes exceeding H1 as they will allow you to get the biggest best of this market. Bitcoin tends to move in trends. The most promising strategy is to choose a trend-trading system for Bitcoin. It can be as simple as trading on the basis of a moving average or a combo of MAs. Here’s an example of Bitcoin trading strategy. Timeframe: H4 Indicators: 200, 26 and 12 EMA (Exponential Moving Averages) The strategy generates a SELL signal, when: 1. The market is in a downtrend. The price should be below 200 EMA (the orange line on the chart). 2. 12 EMA (red line) goes below 26 EMA (blue line). Take profit when price moves back and touches the 12-period EMA. Place a Stop Loss above the swing high. Don’t forget about money management. Do the opposite for a BUY trade. To minimize your risk and maximize your profit while trading cryptocurrencies, diversify your capital among several of them. Different cryptocurrencies have different purposes. For example, Bitcoin and Litecoin act directly as currencies. Ethereum represents a decentralized application platform, while DASH is focused on the privacy of its users. These all are cryptocurrencies with high liquidity and market capitalization, and you can trade them with FBS. It’s wise to pick cryptocurrencies representing different industries: if one of them shoots to the moon, you’ll be prepared!The conclusion is simple: diversify, follow the news, and use technical analysis to profit on cryptocurrencies! Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • DAX defended the neckline • Crude Oil Price Update – Testing Key Short-Term Retracement Zone at $69.34 to $69.71 • Natural Gas Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Quick Restoration of Power after Hurricane Could Fuel Short-Covering Rally • E-mini S&P 500 Index (ES) Futures Technical Analysis – September 17, 2018 Forecast • Bitcoin and XRP – Temporary Price Recovery Coming? • EUR/JPY Bullish Configuration Spotted on H4 Time Frame || Bitcoin Trades Slightly Higher; India Considers Imposition of Ban on Crypto: Investing.com - Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrency prices gained slightly on Friday. Reports that India is considering imposing a ban on virtual coin received some focus. Bitcoin was trading at $6,418.40 on the Bitfinex exchange by 1:22 AM ET (05:22 GMT), up 0.5%, continuing what has been a relatively subdued period for the world’s largest digital currency. Bitcoin has not traded outside the $6,200-to-$6,800 range since October 16. It ended October with a decline of 3.8%. Beyond Bitcoin, the price of the other major cryptocurrencies also increased. Ethereum, the world’s second largest cryptocurrency by market cap, traded 1.1% higher to $200.2. It lost 14.7% last month. Meanwhile, XRP was trading at $0.46200, up around 1.3%. It slumped 22.1% in October, making it last month's worst-performing digital currency. Litecoin was also higher, up 2.1% at $51.101. India’s central authorities are considering imposing a ban on virtual coins, a press release published by the central government’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) revealed this week. Indian regulators would continue to encourage the use of blockchain technology, although they would seek to ban “private” virtual coins, according to the statement. Meanwhile, Cryptovest suggested that Indian authorities do not want to completely close the door on central bank digital currencies (CBDC). Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the country’s central bank, announced earlier this year that it is working on a CBDC project. Related Articles Apps for Kik's Crypto Are Beginning to Appear on Apple and Google Stores ‘Godfather of ETFs’ Says Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Funds Will be Approved ‘No Time Soon’ Binance Signs Up 40,000 Crypto Traders in Its First Week in Uganda [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] 2018/09/16 21:00 #Binance 格安コイン 1位 #HOT 0.00000018 BTC(0.13円) 2位 #NPXS 0.00000022 BTC(0.16円) 3位 #BCN 0.00000029 BTC(0.21円) 4位 #DENT 0.00000034 BTC(0.25円) 5位 #NCASH 0.00000082 BTC(0.6円) #仮想通貨 #アルトコイン #草コイン || Cotización del Bitcoin Cash: 525 00.€ | -0.19% | Kraken | 06/11/18 18:00 #BitcoinCash #Kraken #BCHEUR || 10/26 07:00 現在のビットコインの価格 BTC/JPY ask: 729,085 / bid: 712,000 || #Estonia is leading the way to the all digital society. #startups #fintech #entrepreneurship #tech #cryptocurrency #bitcoin #digitaltransformation #business #blockchain #AI #digitalmarketing #bigdata https://t.co/NjpaOmObJ0 || Don’t #play on @Carbonpoker, they make it impossible to get your money out, if you win, they close your account, confiscate your #money. #poker #carbonpoker #carbongaming #bitcoin #btc #pokergames #games #gaming #withdrawl #carbonpokerwithdraw #pokeronline #onlinegaming #craps || #BTCUSD Market #1H timeframe on November 7 at 22:00 (UTC) is #Bullish. #cryptocurrency #bitcoin #btc #crypto #trading #idea #report technical analysis || USD: 113.670 EUR: 130.970 GBP: 149.158 AUD: 80.160 NZD: 73.215 CNY: 16.547 CHF: 114.587 BTC: 742,072 ETH: 25,375 Sun Oct 07 18:00 JST || 09/16 00:30 現在のビットコインの価格 BTC/JPY ask: 742,126 / bid: 724,694 || 11-04 05:00(GMT) #SPINDLE price $SPD (BTC) Yobit :0.00000040 HitBTC :0.00000039 LiveCoin:0.00000025 $SPD (JPY) Yobit :0.28 HitBTC :0.27 LiveCoin:0.18 || 1hr Report : 08:00:49 UTC Top 10 Mentions $BTC, $ETH, $XRP, $LTC, $NEO, $XLM, $EOS, $BCH, $ADA, $BNBpic.twitter.com/uUxDn1Egyb
Trend: down || Prices: 6359.49, 5738.35, 5648.03, 5575.55, 5554.33, 5623.54, 4871.49, 4451.87, 4602.17, 4365.94
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2015-03-26] BTC Price: 248.53, BTC RSI: 40.70 Gold Price: 1205.10, Gold RSI: 58.95 Oil Price: 51.43, Oil RSI: 60.25 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin Shop, Inc. Deploys Transaction Verification Servers in New Facility Resulting in 30% Cost Reduction Over Previous Operations: ARLINGTON, VA--(Marketwired - Mar 25, 2015) - Bitcoin Shop, Inc. ( OTCQB : BTCS ) ("BTCS" or the "Company"), which is undertaking the build-out of a universal digital currency ecosystem, announced today that the Company has successfully deployed its transaction verification services servers in its new facility which will result in a 30% reduction in operating costs going forward when compared to the Company's previous operations. BTCS has also acquired additional servers, which represent a 10% increase over its previously announced hashing power. The Company is now running transaction verification servers with hashing power of over 900 Th/s and should have an additional 80 Th/s online in a few days. Pictures of the new facility can be seen on the Company's Facebook page here: http://on.fb.me/18TpbN5 Charles Allen, CEO of BTCS, commented, "Following our well timed entry into the transaction verification services segment we have now completed the transition to our new facility. We plan to expand this segment of our business and believe it will be the revenue driver for our business as we continue to develop our universal digital currency ecosystem." The Company's transaction verification services business, or digital currency mining, entails running specialized servers which solve a set of prescribed calculations to add a block of verified information to the blockchain and thereby confirm bitcoin transactions. When BTCS is successful in adding a block to the blockchain, it is issued new bitcoins. About BTCS: BTCS plans to build a universal digital currency platform with the goal of enabling users to engage in the digital currency ecosystem through one point of access. The Company currently operates its public beta site ( www.btcs.com ) where consumers can purchase products using digital currency such as bitcoin, litecoin and dogecoin, by searching through a selection of over 250,000 items. Customers can access competitive pricing options from 256 retailers through BTCS's "Intelligent Shopping Engine." All ecommerce customer orders are fulfilled by third party vendors. The Company plans to use its ecommerce platform as a customer on-ramp for a broader digital currency platform. BTCS actively partners with strategic digital currency companies who have technologies, services or products that are complementary to its business strategy by making investments in them and integrating with them. Forward Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, not limited to Risk Factors relating to its digital currency business contained therein. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. View comments || Free Bitcoin Debit Card Offered by AltoCenter Bitcoin and Litecoin Exchange: Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Trading Platform AltoCenter is Pleased to Announce Free Bitcoin Debit Cards for Users; AltoCenter Provides Simple Solutions for New Traders, and Plenty of Advanced Tools for More Experienced Bitcoin and Litecoin Traders PANAMA CITY, PA / ACCESSWIRE / February 11, 2015 / Transparent Bitcoin and cryptocurrency exchange platform AltoCenter combines simplicity and user friendliness with cutting-edge technology to enable businesses and enthusiasts to trade Bitcoin, Litecoin and an array of other digital currencies with ease . Convenient features such as automatic cryptocurrency deposits and withdrawals, 'Perfect Money' payment system, wire transfers and SEPA payments in Europe ensures there is plenty of features for novice traders and crypto enthusiasts alike. For a limited time period AltoCenter offer a free debit card for new customers that open and fund their account on the website. AltoCenter operates under KYC policies and does not process third party deposits or withdrawals. "We try to look at the bitcoin industry from a trader's point of view and believe that cryptocurrency trading process should be simple and straightforward. Here at AltoCenter we are doing our bit to provide such trading environment," says Michael Vernik, AltoCenter Business Development Manager. AltoCenter enables easy to use web interface in English, Russian and Chinese and users do not need to be tech savvy or have previous expertise in trading . To get started the user simply creates an account, uses one of the deposit options to add funds, chooses the currency pair to trade and places either a buy or a sell order. AltoCenter do not charge anything for depositing cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin; other depositing methods such as Perfect Money may require low fees which are clearly listed and easy to find. Deposits using Perfect Money are instant while digital money may take up to an hour to show in balance. Other deposit methods such as bank transfers may take 2-5 working days. Story continues For a limited time AltoCenter offers free ATM debit cards which can be connected to the AltoCenter account provided the user passes certain conditions and country restrictions. The ATM debit card is accepted in all Maestro certified ATMs and merchants worldwide . Each card can load a maximum of USD 10,000 per day with a withdrawal limit of USD 2500 per day. AltoCenter also allows card holders to check their card balance online for free. Long time AltoCenter users can also get a card issued and shipped for free with certain deposits to the trading account or at a flat rate if the user does not make a deposit. As more and more people are adopting Bitcoin after the recent years of media attention there is a void in exchange platforms for the mainstream audience. AltoCenter aims to aid mainstream adoption by providing an exchange that is easy to use for ordinary people but still offers plenty of options for experienced traders. With withdrawal and deposit options ranging from bank transfers to one of the world leading financial service providers 'Perfect Money', and even the possibility to have debit card connected to the account: AltoCenter might very well be on their way to filling that void. For more information about us, please visit https://altocenter.com . Contact Info: Name: Michael Vernik Email: [email protected] Organization: AltoCenter Address: Ricardo J. Alfaro Ave., The Century Tower Bldg., 4th Floor, Panama City, Rep. of Panama SOURCE: AltoCenter || What The World's Richest Person Thinks Of Bitcoin: Bill Gates on Wednesday gave his thoughts on bitcoin and digital currencies in a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) session Gates commented that “Bitcoin is an exciting new technology” and that digital currencies are a part of his Foundation’s work in connecting banking services to the poor. Bill Gates’ Foundation, however, does not utilize bitcoin for two reasons. “One is that the poor shouldn't have a currency whose value goes up and down a lot compared to their local currency. Second is that if a mistake is made in who you pay then you need to be able to reverse it so anonymity wouldn't work.” Related Link: Bill Gates On Microsoft: 'More Progress Than Ever In Next 30 Years' The billionaire philanthropist did note that financial transactions will become cheaper using digital currencies and “Bitcoin related approaches” although ensuring “that it doesn't help terrorists is a challenge for all new technology.” Progress is being made in getting digital currencies adopted in poor countries, according to Gates, and he is “hoping to have India and Nigeria going in the next 2 years if things go well." Kenya, Tanzania and Bangladesh still need improvements but “have grown a lot,” said Gates. See more from Benzinga General Growth Properties Beats On Q4 Revenue Vertex Pharmaceuticals Beats Q4 Revenue Expectations How 3 Technical Experts Are Preparing For Facebook Earnings © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Colorado's Marijuana Sales Under Fire From All Angles: Although Colorado's voters elected to allow the sale of recreational marijuana within their state, opponents of marijuana legalization are taking the new legislation to court in an effort to shut down the growing industry. With marijuana still considered a criminal substance under federal law, the cases have drawn national attention as most expect the outcomes to set a precedent for the industry as a whole in the US. Controlled Substances Act Using the federal Controlled Substances Act and the Constitution's Supremacy Clause, lawmakers in neighboring Nebraska and OklahomaclaimColorado's decision to allow marijuana sales is illegal. Both states say their law enforcement officials have struggled as marijuana, deemed illegal in Nebraska and Oklahoma, crosses the border frequently. The argument claims that federal drug laws trump state laws, making Colorado's weed industry a criminal offense. However, many see Nebraska and Oklahoma's claims falling through when they make it to court. Legal experts say that although the federal government is able to dictate drug policy, it doesn't have the power to make states to enforce it. Related Link:Marijuana Remains The 'Wild West' Of Investing Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act Another group is also taking aim at Colorado's pot sales, but from another angle. Colorado property owners are using the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act in a lawsuit claiming that pot-dispensaries are bringing down their property values. The RICO act allows business and property owners to sue an illegal operation if it is harming their interests. In this case, the homeowners claim that RICO applies as marijuana is considered illegal under federal law. See more from Benzinga • IBM Working On 'A Bitcoin Without The Bitcoin' • New Investment App Targets Millennials • Hacking Fears Boost Cybersecurity Shares © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || UK Could Become Bitcoin Hub With New Regulations: The UK treasury pushed digital currencies one step closer to mainstream adoption this week after releasing a report detailing plans to prevent money laundering scams that operate using cryptocurrencies. The proposedregulationswould put the UK at the center of the digital currency revolution as they are likely to attract businesses dealing in bitcoin to the region. UK Interested In Cryptocurrency Earlier this year, theBank Of Englandreleased a research paper detailing the benefits of a central bank issuing a digital currency. The paper suggested that the BOE was considering the possibility of regulating digital currencies alongside the pound and demonstrated England's growing interest in cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin Businesses Cheer Regulations UK Chancellor George Osborne's budget package included rules that will help regulate digital currencies and protect against money-laundering scams. While many say the lack of regulation in the cryptocurrency world is part of its draw, others say mainstream adoption is impossible without some regulatory intervention. Related Link: IBM Working On A 'Bitcoin Without The Bitcoin' Businesses dealing in bitcoin have found it difficult to engage with banks as the industry still carries a great deal of risk that financial institutions are not willing to take on; the UK's regulations could help change that. Treasury Says Blockchain Has Potential The UK Treasury also noted the potential for innovation in other sectors using blockchain, the ledger-like technology that cryptocurrencies run on. Like most bitcoin enthusiasts, the UK noted that the ability of blockchain to carry out real-time transactions without the costs associated with a middle man could make it a useful tool in a range of industries outside the financial sector. See more from Benzinga • Conflicting Data Makes Rate Increase Difficult To Predict • Juniper Sees Bitcoin Usage Growing, But Not Among Retailers • Legal Weed Sparks Pot Tourism Industry © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || StrategaBiz Announces Execution of Conditional Agreement to Purchase CryptoCorum, the Originator of the Cryptocurrency "LXCcoin": LEHI, UT--(Marketwired - Mar 2, 2015) - On the 27 of February, 2015, StrategaBiz Inc. ( OTCQB : SGBZ ) entered into a Share Exchange and Purchase Agreement ("Agreement") with the shareholders of CryptoCorum Ltd to acquire all of the capital shares of that company. The CryptoCorum Ltd. Group, which consists of CryptoCorum Ltd. (Malta holding company) and its wholly owned subsidiaries, Prostaker (Malta limited company) and LXCcoin (United Kingdom limited company), is the developer and promulgator of the crypto coin LXCCoin (ticker:ticker::XWBC), a virtual wallet solution, and a number of associated strategic crypto currency technology platforms. The closing of the Agreement is conditioned upon the satisfactory completion by StrategaBiz of its due diligence, regulatory and board of director approval and the completion by StrategaBiz of its "Super 8k" which will be filed in connection with the closing of the transaction. The estimated purchase price of approximately USD $40 million will be paid by the issuance of 10,500,000 StrategaBiz common shares; which shares will be subject to a 12 month lock-up agreement following the closing. CEO of StrategaBiz, Mr. Brian Palm Svaneeng Mertz, commented : "Spending the last 5 months researching the Bitcoin and the virtual coin industry, I think that we have succeeded in finding and making an agreement that can turn StrategaBiz into a growth company and to establish new disruptive business areas. Crypto currencies might be the most promising investment opportunity of our age and it is my belief that the crypto coin industry has potential to change several other industries. It is our vision that StrategaBiz with the agreement made today will become a major player in the crypto coin industry." CEO of the CryptoCorum Ltd. Group, Mr. Henrik Ellefsen , commented: "We're excited to be able to take this necessary step forward with one more serious level for crypto currencies, of becoming a listed entity. We see the digital currency technology as a core for the future of money transactions. We plan to build trust, full transparency, and develop the most solid cryptocurrency technology in the world. We expect to join forces with many similar operations in the future, either together or side-by-side; creating the framework for a new generation of borderless money on a worldwide scale. A listed entity with broad support will make that possible." Story continues About StrategaBiz Inc. StrategaBiz ( www.strategabiz.com ) is a Delaware smaller reporting public company that has most recently focused on finding and vetting opportunities that will preserve and increase its present value. About CryptoCorum Ltd. Group The LXCCoin ( www.lxccoin.com ) has a different business model from any other available crypto coin, by digitalizing existing funds instead of creating empty digital currency units. Every circulated LXCCoin has an asset value and a yield mechanism behind it. All cash going into the LXCCoin base asset value is being used for person to person (P2P) lending, earning interest and thereby increasing the value of the coin. The yearly interest is expected to be up to 12%. All issued LXCCoins will be held in personal wallets developed by CryptoCorum on a wallet platform. The company runs a network of transaction nodes to support speed and transact ability of the coin. There is no "mining" which often incurs vast expenses in most known crypto currencies, but a "Proof of Stake" staking system encouraging users to participate in the transaction network with any normal computer. Costing a fraction of the transaction paradigm of mining-based coins, this makes the coin economic and eco-friendly. To encourage the use of LXCCoins, the company is constructing its own coin ecosystem alone and with its partners, comprising P2P lending, mobile banking, money transfers and online payments and other proprietary solutions within gaming/entertainment industries that will ensure longevity and viability of the coin. Containing around 80% Bitcoin code, the coin can be used for all digital currency purposes like all other crypto currencies; only with a much higher degree of stability as the coin price is supported by its underlying fiat value and the controlled growth in that asset value. The LXCCoin can be traded on the Swypto Exchange ( www.swypto.exchange ) owned by CryptoCorum and which is built on the software formerly powering the CoinNext crypto coin exchange. The coin is also expected to become listed on other crypto currency exchanges, and will encourage and support third-party trading facilitation. Request Press kit by sending a mail to the Investor Relation department [email protected] . Forward-Looking Statements Statements about the expected timing, and all other statements in this press release, other than historical facts, constitute forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and are based on current expectations and involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. A number of the matters discussed herein that are not historical or current facts deal with potential future circumstances and developments which may or may not materialize. This press release speaks only as of its date, and except as required by law, we disclaim any duty to update the information herein. || Wave goodbye to these 4 high-flying stocks: Investors should start shedding some rallying stocks as U.S. markets linger near highs, CNBC's "Fast Money" traders said. U.S. stocks were mixed on Thursday, but the Dow (Dow Jones Global Indexes: .DJI) closed at a record on Wednesday and the Nasdaq (NASDAQ: .IXIC) is threatening to break 5,000 for the first time in 15 years. The performance has created some profit-taking opportunities, traders said. Target (NYSE: TGT) got a boost by reporting stronger-than-expected quarterly sales Wednesday, said trader Tim Seymour. The stock closed around $77 per share on Thursday, which marks a wise jumping-off point, he said. "I don't need to own it anymore," Seymour said. Another rallying name, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) , will "stall" soon, said trader Guy Adami. Amazon has surged nearly 25 percent this year, bringing it to about $384 per share. Adami believes the stock will flatline at around $400 per share, where investors should "take profits." Read More Four survivor CEOs since Nasdaq last hit 5,000 Tesla Motors has struggled to inspire investor confidence, said trader Steve Grasso. Tesla stock closed nearly nearly 2 percent higher around $207 per share on Thursday, a level that he said isn't appealing. "I think the competition is extreme for them. It's lost its mojo. I would stay out of the name," Grasso said. Read More Apple car: 5 reasons it's intriguing, 5 reasons it's nuts Another technology name, Texas Instruments (NASDAQ: TXN) , is currently expensive relative to other names in its sector, trader Brian Kelly said. The semiconductor maker has "huge negative exposure" to a stronger dollar, he said. It closed Thursday just below $60 per share. "You want to start taking some profits here," Kelly said. Disclosures: Tim Seymour Tim Seymour is long AAPL, T, BAC, C, KO, DIS, F, GE, GM, GOOGL, INTC, JCP and SUNE. Tim's firm is long BABA, BIDU, MCD, NKE, NOK and SBUX. Story continues Steve Grasso Steve Grasso is long AAPL, BA, CLVS, EVGN, FB, GDX, GOOGL, IMMR, KBH, KDUS, MHY, MJNA, NVIV, PFE, POT, SO, T, TMUS, TWTR and YHOO. His kids are long EFA, EFG, EWJ, IJR and SPY. His firm and some of its partners are long AER, AMD, AMZN, CUBA, FCX, FNMA, HSPO, IBM, ICE, KDUS, KO, MAT, MCD, MJNA, NE, NEM, OXY, RIG, SALT, STAG, TAXI, TITXF, TSE, USO, VALE and ZNGA. Brian Kelly Brian Kelly is long BTC=, U.S. dollar, GLD, CTRL calls, HYG puts, BBRY, BBRY call spreads and TLT. He is short EWA, EWG, EWQ, EWZ, EWW, JJC, Australian dollar, British pound, Canadian dollar, euro, yen and yuan. Today he shorted euro and JJC. Guy Adami Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS and INTC. Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. More From CNBC CNBC.com News Page CNBC.com Blogs Page CNBC.com Earnings Central || Hacking Fears Boost Cybersecurity Shares: One of the most watched industries this year has been cybersecurity as several high-profile cyber attacks have drawn attention to the fact that hackers seem to be one step ahead of the programs protecting companies' data. Not only have private firms been spending more on new security tools to keep their customer data safe, but cybersecurity businesses are also being granted large government contracts in order to thwart hacking attacks from foreign countries as well. Threats Rise On Wednesday, a survey showed that security threats against American, British and Canadian companies are quickly rising and businesses are struggling to keep up. The move toward cloud-based computing has created an entirely new range of cybersecurity threats that most firms are not prepared to deal with. Additionally, a lack of training among employees has made it easier for hackers to get inside company databases through workers' personal phones and computers. Investors Get On Board Investors have also taken notice of the industry setting shares of cybersecurity companies on fire over the past couple months. FireEye Inc. (NASDAQ: FEYE ) saw its fourth quarter revenue jump by 150 percent last year and shares of CyberArk Software Ltd (NASDAQ: CYBR ) have increased by more than 40 percent so far this year. A relatively new ETF has emerged in the sector called PureFunds Cyber Security (NYSE: HACK ) in order to give investors a way to play the sector as a whole; FireEye, CyberArk and Infoblox Inc. (NASDAQ: BLOX ) make up the fund's largest holdings. Related Link: How Contract Management Helps Hedge Against Financial Services Cyber Threats A Bubble About To Burst? Many worry that the recent rise in cybersecurity share prices can't be sustained. However, some analysts say the rise has been warranted as the firms aren't just trading on headlines. The hacking attacks like those carried out at Sony Inc. (NYSE: SNE ) and Anthem Inc. (NYSE: ANTM ) not only dominated the news, but genuinely boosted security firms' balance sheets. Story continues FireEye was hired by both companies to clean up the aftermath of the attacks, while other firms saw an influx of new corporate customers looking to prevent similar situations. Also, with more and more businesses taking their data online, the threat of a breach is set to keep rising— making the demand for security firms likely to continue. See more from Benzinga Declining Euro Stokes Currency War Fears Marijuana Remains The 'Wild West' Of Investing Meet The 3 Companies Goldman Sachs Says Are Leading The Bitcoin Revolution © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Hong Kong's Central Bank Warns Against Investing in Bitcoin in Wake of Alleged Pyramid Scheme: If you play withBitcoin, watch out -- you could get burned. That’s essentially the warning Hong Kong central bank is urging consumers to heed in the wake of reports that Chinese Bitcoin exchangeMyCoinallegedly stole some $387 million ($3 billion in Hong Kong dollars) in investor funds. Officials suspect that the Hong Kong-based trading platform might have been a sketchy pyramid scheme all along. “Such investments may involve fraud or pyramid schemes,” the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) cautioned in a statement released late last night, referring to MyCoin’s meltdown, likely the worst since Mt. Gox bit the dust. “Given the highly speculative nature of Bitcoin, we have all along urged the public to exercise extra caution when considering making transactions or investments with Bitcoin.” Related:Coinbase Just Launched America's First Regulated Bitcoin Exchange In what smacks of fraud, MyCoin’s estimated 3,000 clients were promised a return of $1 million Hong Kong dollars (or $128,976 U.S. dollars) on a $400,000 investment over a span of four months, reports theSouth China Morning Post.MyCoin investors were also reportedly offered additional profits and prizes, including a Mercedes-Benz vehicle, in exchange for sourcing more clients. MyCoin did not immediately respond toEntrepreneur’s request for comment. Word of the exchange’s unexpected shutdown emerged last Friday, when some 30 MyCoin clients informed a local Hong Kong legislator, Leung Yiu-chung, that they believed they were the victims of fraud at the hands of the company. The jilted customers will reportedly file police reports tomorrow, alleging that MyCoin roped them into a pyramid scheme cloaked within a legitimate bitcoin trading operation. Related:NYC Wants Drivers to Pay For Parking Tickets Via Apple Pay, Mobile Apps and Bitcoin “No one seems to know who is behind this,” a woman claiming to be a MyCoin investor told theSouth China Morning Post. “Everyone says they too are victims...but we were told by those at higher tiers [of the scheme] that we can get our money back if we find more new clients.” Adding fuel to whatTech In Asiahas dubbed a “pyramid scheme,” is the fact that last month MyCoin shuttered its office in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. A note was left on the door, blocked by a wooden plank, stating that the location would be closed for renovation starting on Jan. 3. Without written records to track their investments, MyCoin customers might never see the money they entrusted the exchange with. Meanwhile, the price of Bitcoin is trading at $217.59, per theCoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index, a far cry from its December 2013 peak of $1,130. Related:16 Startup Trends That Will Be Huge in 2015 || FitCoin Shows How Having A Hot Body Can Literally Pay Off: Chaotic Moon Studios is giving the public another reason to get into shape with their latest offering— FitCoin, an app designed to capitalize on the growing trend of biomonitoring. The company allows anyone with a compatible fitness tracking gadget to sign up for a bitcoin wallet and convert the energy they're expending during a workout into freshly minted bitcoins. How Does It Work? The software requires users to have a wearable with a heart rate monitor and an open API, so that rules out Apple's new smartwatch, but includes several other popular offerings like Jawbone's UP3 and the Mio heart rate monitor. Once the app has been installed and set up, users can send in their heart rate measurements during their workout and the FitCoin algorithm will take that data and calculate the amount of energy expended and its worth in bitcoin. Get Fit, Die Mining FitCoin's tagline, "Get fit, die mining" was unveiled over the weekend at a demonstration of the app's functionality. Designer Grant Nicol put the device to the test on a treadmill to give spectators an idea of just how much their sweat was worth. Nicol's 40 second workout got his heart rate up to 115 beats per minute, earning him $0.05. Related Link: IBM Working On 'A Bitcoin Without The Bitcoin' What's Next While FitCoin is currently just a novelty, Nicol says the possibilities for this type of technology could be endless. Companies sponsoring athletes can use a blockchain-based system like FitCoin to reward dedication in the gym, or insurance companies could use it to reward healthy behavior with reduced premiums. The app highlights a growing trend among bitcoin enthusiasts who say the blockchain technology that powers cryptocurrencies is likely to gain mainstream adoption before the currencies themselves. See more from Benzinga 'March Madness' For Markets? Where Do Oil Prices Stand? What You Need To Know About The Euro Heading Toward Parity With The Dollar © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] Current price: 237.04$ $BTCUSD $btc #bitcoin 2015-01-29 22:00:03 EST || BTCTurk 615.5 TL BTCe 247.79 $ CampBx 258.00 $ BitStamp 252.44 $ Cavirtex 277 $ CEXIO 246.19 $ Bitcoin.de 223.27 € #Bitcoin #btc || buysellbitco.in #bitcoin price in INR, Buy : 15073.00 INR Sell : 14591.00 INR. Buy and sell bitcoin in #India using #buysellbitcoin || In the last 10 mins, there were arb opps spanning 20 exchange pair(s), yielding profits ranging between $0.00 and $326.13 #bitcoin #btc || In the last 10 mins, there were arb opps spanning 22 exchange pair(s), yielding profits ranging between $0.00 and $42.07 #bitcoin #btc || BTCTurk 565 TL Koinim 571 TL CampBx 225.00 $ BTCe 219.64 $ BitStamp 222.71 $ SCounter #Bitcoin #btc http://bitcoindunyasi.com  || Current price: 226.13€ $BTCEUR $btc #bitcoin 2015-01-28 17:00:07 CET || buysellbitco.in #bitcoin price in INR, Buy : 15988.00 INR Sell : 15829.00 INR. Buy and sell bitcoin in #India using #buysellbitcoin || BTCTurk 660 TL BTCe 246.793 $ CampBx 252.00 $ BitStamp 248.56 $ Cavirtex 345 $ CEXIO 250 $ Bitcoin.de 228.30 € #Bitcoin #btc || @ID_AA_Carmack, congratulations! @spocek just sent you a bitcoin tip for 4,038 bits ($1.00)! Claim it here ➔ http://changetip.com/c/BuZD?m=6 
Trend: up || Prices: 247.03, 252.80, 242.71, 247.53, 244.22, 247.27, 253.01, 254.32, 253.70, 260.60
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2022-12-07] BTC Price: 16848.13, BTC RSI: 45.92 Gold Price: 1785.50, Gold RSI: 62.61 Oil Price: 72.01, Oil RSI: 31.28 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] US Consumer Price Index for September Could Provide Push for Bitcoin to Break Out of Its Recent Range: A U.S. inflation report due Thursday might be the catalyst that finally snaps bitcoin (BTC) out of an unusually long spell of uncharacteristically low price volatility, analysts say. The Labor Department on Thursday isexpectedto report that the core consumer price index (CPI) accelerated to a year-on-year pace of 6.5% in September, from August's 6.3%, according to FactSet. This “core” inflation rate strips out the impact of volatile food and energy prices; the “headline” CPI, which includes food and energy items, is already running hot above 8%. A core CPI of 6.5% would be the highest in four decades – helping to explain the alarm among Federal Reserve officials who have been attempting to restore price stability by tightening monetary policy – and in the process, putting downward pressure on prices of risky assets from stocks to cryptocurrencies. Analysts at the big U.S. bank JPMorgan say a too-hot CPI would put equities at risk of a 5% tumble. Depending on the CPI number, both equities and risk assets like cryptocurrencies could move either 3% up or down, according to Florian Giovannacci, head of trading for Covario. “A higher/lower CPI could easily give us a -3%/+3% on equity, and risk-on assets such as cryptocurrency would react instantly with high correlation,” said Giovannacci. Bitcoin has been trading in a range between $18,000-$22,400 since the start of September. So the inflation report could be the push the cryptocurrency needs to break out. The largest cryptocurrency by market cap is performing similarly to 2018, when in the period of March-November bitcoin’s price remained around $6,000 and people thought the market had already bottomed, according to Pablo Jodar, a crypto analyst at GenTwo. “Soon after, it dropped another 50% to $3,000,” said Jodar. “It stayed at that level for several months until the bull market started again.” “If the CPI data is strong tomorrow, which I think it will be, bitcoin will see another drop to $17,000,” said Jodar. Conversely, any decrease in the CPI could generate a big rally for the crypto market. “This is against the backdrop of extreme bearishness in sentiment indicators and positioning, and the rally should last into the start of the Q3 earning season,” said Nauman Sheikh, head of protocol and treasury management at early-stage VC investment and asset manager firm Wave Financial. Sheikh says he sees a greater risk that the inflation number comes in slightly above expectations. “For me, the surprise scenario is if we have softer numbers and the market is primed to rally in that scenario," Sheikh said. || Purpose Investments Inc. Announces November 2022 Distributions: TORONTO, Nov. 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Purpose Investments Inc. (“Purpose”) is pleased to announce distributions for the month of November 2022 for its open-end exchange traded funds and closed-end funds (“the Funds”). The ex-distribution date for all ETFs is November 25, 2022, with the exception of Purpose Bitcoin Yield ETF and Purpose Ether Yield ETF, which will have an ex-distribution date of November 28, 2022, as well as Purpose High Interest Savings ETF and Purpose US Cash Fund, which have an ex-distribution date of November 29, 2022. The ex-distribution date for all closed-end funds is November 29, 2022. [["Purpose Core Dividend Fund - ETF Series", "PDF", "$", "0.10501", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Enhanced Dividend Fund \u2013 ETF Series", "PDIV", "$", "0.05221", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Total Return Bond Fund - ETF Series", "PBD", "$", "0.05201", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Real Estate Income Fund \u2013 ETF Series", "PHR", "$", "0.07201", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Monthly Income Fund - ETF Series", "PIN", "$", "0.08301", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Premium Yield Fund \u2013 ETF Series", "PYF", "$", "0.08301", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], {"Open-End Funds": "Purpose Premium Yield Fund Non-Currency Hedged USD \u2013 ETF Series", "TickerSymbol": "PYF.U", "Distributionpershare/unit": "US $ 0.08851", "RecordDate": "11/28/2022", "PayableDate": "12/07/2022", "DistributionFrequency": "Monthly"}, ["Purpose Premium Yield Fund Non-Currency Hedged \u2013 ETF Series", "PYF.B", "$", "0.08851", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Canadian Financial Income Fund \u2013 ETF Series", "BNC", "$", "0.10251", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Conservative Income Fund \u2013 ETF Series", "PRP", "$", "0.05401", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Enhanced Premium Yield Fund \u2013 ETF Series", "PAYF", "$", "0.11811", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose International Dividend Fund \u2013 ETF Units", "PID", "$", "0.0780", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose US Dividend Fund \u2013 ETF Units", "PUD", "$", "0.0650", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose US Dividend Fund Non-Currency Hedged \u2013 ETF Units", "PUD.B", "$", "0.0760", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Global Bond Fund \u2013 ETF Units", "BND", "$", "0.0585", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose High Interest Savings ETF", "PSA", "$", "0.1787", "11/29/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], {"Open-End Funds": "Purpose US Cash Fund \u2013 ETF Units", "TickerSymbol": "PSU.U", "Distributionpershare/unit": "US$ 0.3428", "RecordDate": "11/29/2022", "PayableDate": "12/07/2022", "DistributionFrequency": "Monthly"}, ["Purpose Strategic Yield Fund \u2013 ETF Units", "SYLD", "$", "0.0970", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Multi-Asset Income Fund \u2013 ETF Units", "PINC", "$", "0.0840", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Global Bond Class \u2013 ETF Units", "IGB", "$", "0.06021", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Canadian Preferred Share Fund \u2013 ETF Units", "RPS", "$", "0.0950", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Core Equity Income Fund \u2013 ETF Series", "RDE", "$", "0.08001", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose US Preferred Share Fund \u2013 ETF Units", "RPU", "$", "0.0940", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose US Preferred Share Fund Non-Currency Hedged \u2013 ETF Units2", "RPU.B / RPU.U", "$", "0.0940", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Emerging Markets Dividend Fund \u2013 ETF Units", "REM", "$", "0.0580", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Global Flexible Credit Fund \u2013 ETF Units", "FLX", "$", "0.0297", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], {"Open-End Funds": "Purpose Global Flexible Credit Fund - Non-Currency Hedged USD \u2013 ETF Units", "TickerSymbol": "FLX.U", "Distributionpershare/unit": "US$ 0.0375", "RecordDate": "11/28/2022", "PayableDate": "12/07/2022", "DistributionFrequency": "Monthly"}, ["Purpose Global Flexible Credit Fund - Non-Currency Hedged \u2013 ETF Units", "FLX.B", "$", "0.0365", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Black Diamond Global Equity Fund \u2013 ETF Units", "BDEQ", "$", "0.0112", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Black Diamond Distressed Opportunities Fund \u2013 ETF Units", "BDOP", "$", "0.0075", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Credit Opportunities Fund \u2013 ETF Units", "CROP", "$", "0.0875", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Credit Opportunities Fund \u2013 ETF USD Units", "CROP.U", "$", "0.0975", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Bitcoin Yield ETF \u2013 ETF Units", "BTCY", "$", "0.0230", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Bitcoin Yield ETF \u2013 ETF Non-Currency hedged Units", "BTCY.B", "$", "0.0250", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], {"Open-End Funds": "Purpose Bitcoin Yield ETF \u2013 ETF Units Non-Currency Hedged USD Units", "TickerSymbol": "BTCY.U", "Distributionpershare/unit": "US$ 0.0300", "RecordDate": "11/28/2022", "PayableDate": "12/07/2022", "DistributionFrequency": "Monthly"}, ["Purpose Ether Yield ETF \u2013 ETF Units", "ETHY", "$", "0.0210", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], ["Purpose Ether Yield ETF \u2013 ETF Non-Currency hedged Units", "ETHY.B", "$", "0.0250", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], {"Open-End Funds": "Purpose Ether Yield ETF \u2013 ETF Units Non-Currency Hedged USD Units", "TickerSymbol": "ETHY.U", "Distributionpershare/unit": "US$ 0.0275", "RecordDate": "11/28/2022", "PayableDate": "12/07/2022", "DistributionFrequency": "Monthly"}, ["Purpose Healthcare Innovation Yield ETF \u2013 ETF Units", "HEAL", "$", "0.1330", "11/28/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"], {"Open-End Funds": "", "TickerSymbol": "", "Distributionpershare/unit": "", "RecordDate": "", "PayableDate": "", "DistributionFrequency": ""}, {"Open-End Funds": "Closed-End Funds", "TickerSymbol": "TickerSymbol", "Distributionpershare/unit": "Distributionpershare/unit", "RecordDate": "RecordDate", "PayableDate": "PayableDate", "DistributionFrequency": "DistributionFrequency"}, ["Canadian Investment Grade Preferred Share Fund \u2013 Class T", "RIGP.UN", "$", "0.1146", "11/30/2022", "12/14/2022", "Monthly"], ["Big Banc Split Corp \u2013 Class A", "BNK", "$", "0.06621", "11/30/2022", "12/14/2022", "Monthly"], ["Big Banc Split Corp \u2013 Preferred Shares", "BNK.PR.A", "$", "0.05001", "11/30/2022", "12/14/2022", "Monthly"]] Estimated November 2022 Distributions for Purpose Cash Management Fund The November 2022 distribution rate for Purpose Cash Management Fund isestimatedto be as follows: [["Purpose Cash Management Fund - ETF Units", "MNY", "$", "0.3301", "11/29/2022", "12/07/2022", "Monthly"]] Purpose expects to issue a press release on or about November 28, 2022, which will provide thefinaldistribution rate for Purpose Cash Management Fund. The ex-distribution date will be November 29, 2022. [{"": "", "(1)": "(2)", "Dividend is designated as an \u201celigible\u201d Canadian dividend for purposes of theIncome Tax Act(Canada) and any similar provincial and territorial legislation.": "Purpose US Preferred Share Fund Non-Currency Hedged \u2013 ETF Units have both a CAD and USD purchase option. Distribution per unit is declared in CAD, however, the USD purchase option (RPU.U) distribution will be made in the USD equivalent. Conversion into USD will use the end-of-day foreign exchange rate prevailing on the ex-distribution date."}] About Purpose Investments Inc. Purpose Investments is an asset management company with over $14 billion in assets under management. Purpose Investments has an unrelenting focus on client-centric innovation and offers a range of managed and quantitative investment products. Purpose Investments is led by well-known entrepreneur Som Seif and is a division of Purpose Unlimited, an independent technology-driven financial services company. For further information, please contact:Keera [email protected] Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investment fund investments. Please read the prospectus and other disclosure documents before investing. Investment funds are not covered by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government deposit insurer. There can be no assurance that the full amount of your investment in a fund will be returned to you. If the securities are purchased or sold on a stock exchange, you may pay more or receive less than the current net asset value. Investment funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. || Bitcoin Clings to $16K Ahead of Fed Minutes: Bitcoin held its $16,000 ground as traders anticipated the expected release at 2 p.m. ET (19:00 UTC) of minutes from theFederal Reserve's last monetary-policy meeting. The minutes might hold clues on the pace of future interest rates, a key factor in prices for risky assets from stocks to cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin (BTC) was trading as high as $16,634 early Wednesday but had settled back to $16,300 as of press time, up 1.3% in the past 24 hours. The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization has recovered somewhat since hitting a two-year low of $15,480 on Monday amidjitters over the future of the crypto financial firm Genesis. “The situation with Genesis itself is likely to have been priced in already,” said Joe DiPasquale, CEO of crypto fund manager BitBull Capital. “However, we will want to see if other names come to the fore as well.” (Genesis is a CoinDesk sister company.) Ether (ETH) followed a similar trend, up 2.5% to $1,160. TheCoinDesk Market Index(CMI) was up 1.4%. Some altcoins notched double-digit gains: Solana’sSOLtoken jumped 11%, while Binance's in-houseBNBtoken was also up 11%. Zcash’sZECtoken was up 10%. Equities also edged up ahead of the Fed’s minutes, with the Standard and Poor's 500 index up 0.4%. U.S. weekly jobless claimsreached a three-month high, which is reflected in the recent layoff wave in the tech sector. The U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) showed weakness, sliding 0.7%. There has been adebatein both traditional and digital-asset markets over how much the Fed will raise interest rates at its December meeting to curb hot inflation. TheCME FedWatch toolcurrently shows that traders see roughly a 71% chance that the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) will raise rates by just 50 basis points (0.5 percentage point) in December – slowing from the 75 basis-point hikes at recent meetings. Any dovish signs from the Fed minutes may “help markets maintain these levels at the very least,” DiPasquale told CoinDesk. Craig Erlam, senior market analyst at the foreign-exchange brokerage Oanda, wrote in a Wednesday note that bitcoin’s next area of resistance falls around $17,500, though it could be “very difficult to overcome.” “There's arguably a greater case for the price to fall to $10,000 at the moment than rising to $20,000,” Erlam wrote. || World stocks slip, await CPI, U.S. midterms outcome: By Herbert Lash NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell sharply and the dollar rose on Wednesday as investors awaited both the results of the U.S. midterm elections and key data on consumer prices that could impact the Federal Reserve's policy on interest rates. A deal for major cryptocurrency exchange FTX collapsed late in the session as bigger rival Binance said it was pulling out, news that heightened concerns about the sector's stability. Stocks in Europe and on Wall Street fell as the outcome of the midterm elections remained unclear as a better-than-expected showing by Democrats muddied the outlook for fiscal spending and regulation. "After a few days of positive market performance, the fact that there's some uncertainty about the midterm election outcome is resulting in declines today," said Michael Arone, chief investment strategist at State Street Global Advisors in Boston. "Markets crave certainty, they don't have it yet." Stock markets have tended to perform better under a split government. Average annual S&P 500 returns have been 14% in a split Congress and 13% in a Republican-controlled Congress under a Democratic president, according to data since 1932 analyzed by RBC Capital Markets. That compares with 10% when Democrats controlled both the presidency and Congress. "The market is going to get what it wants: it's going to get divided government. It means gridlock is the agenda item for the next two years," said Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise Financial in Troy, Michigan. "It's not going to seriously alter spending, but it's also going to block any material increases in spending," he said. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.95%, the S&P 500 slid 2.08% and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 2.48%. MSCI's all-country world index shed 1.64% and the pan-European STOXX 600 index fell 0.30%. Overnight in Asia shares had edged up as the election results first rolled in. Story continues Graphic: GRAPHIC: Post-midterm perfection for U.S. stocks https://graphics.reuters.com/USA-STOCKS/MIDTERMS/gdpzqrdoqvw/chart.png Walt Disney Co tumbled 13.16%, its biggest one-day decline in 21 years, after the entertainment heavyweight reported more losses from its push into streaming video, while Meta Platforms Inc gained 5.18% after the Facebook parent said it would cut 13% of its workforce. Investors cheered Meta's decision to reduce spending, but a weak advertising market for the company points to a difficult economic outlook as the Fed hikes rates to tame high inflation. Graphic: What affected Meta? https://graphics.reuters.com/META-LAYOFFS/zgpobwgogvd/chart.png Data on the U.S. consumer price index (CPI) is due on Thursday, with economists polled by Reuters forecasting a decline in both the monthly and yearly core numbers for October to 0.5% and 6.5%, respectively. Many in the market believe the U.S. central bank can reduce its target lending rate if data shows inflation ebbing, but others see it moving "higher for longer" as Fed Chair Jerome Powell indicated last week. "Clearly investors are hoping that the rate of inflation begins to roll over, and if that does not happen, I do think that causes some additional volatility in markets," Arone said. Federal fund futures show the Fed's target rate will peak at 5.096% next June, indicating policymakers must hike rates by more than 125 basis points from their current 3.75%-4.0% range. Bitcoin, the biggest cryptocurrency by market value, fell 13.42% to $16,061.00, lows last seen in November 2020. Graphic: Top crypto exchanges by volume https://graphics.reuters.com/FINTECH-CRYPTO/jnpwygnndpw/chart.png The euro was lower, down 0.59% to $1.0013, just off the $1.0096 hit overnight, its highest level since Sept. 13. The yen weakened 0.45% versus the dollar at 146.36, after weakening overnight to 145.17, its lowest level against the Japanese currency this month. The yield on 10-year Treasury notes was down 3.1 basis points to 4.097%. Oil prices sank after industry data showed U.S. crude stockpiles rose more than expected and on concerns a rebound in COVID-19 cases in top importer China would hurt fuel demand. U.S. crude futures fell $3.08 to settle at $85.83 a barrel and Brent futures settled down $2.71 at $92.65. Gold dipped as an uptick in the dollar nudged bullion prices off a more than one-month high. U.S. gold futures settled 0.1% lower at $1,713.70. (Reporting by Herbert Lash in New York; Additional eporting by Dhara Ranasinghe, Nell Mackenzie and Lucy Raitano in London, Ankur Banerjee in Singapore; Editing by Alex Richardson and Matthew Lewis) || Boeing And China Based Planemaker Agree To Expand Joint Research Pact: • China-basedCommercial Aircraft Corporation of China(COMAC) andBoeing Co(NYSE:BA) signed an agreement to expand cooperation on their joint research center. • Citing the state media Shanghai Securities News, Reutersreportedthat the pact aims to support aviation's sustainable development further. • The deal comes as Boeing remains determined to maintain a strong presence in China, even though it no longer factors the country into its financial forecasts because China will not accept deliveries of new MAX planes. • COMAC said it hadsecured330 orders for its C919 narrowbody and ARJ21 regional jets and raised its 20-year aircraft demand forecast at the Zhuhai airshow. • No delivery dates were provided. • Related:Boeing's Jeppesen Unit Sees Potential Ransomware Attack, Causes Flight Planning Disruptions. • The Chinese plane maker's forecast is higher than Boeing's, which predicted last month that China would require 8,485 new planes in the next 20 years. • Boeing forecasts China would need 6,370 single-aisle airplanes to support its growing network of international and domestic routes in that time, while COMAC said that 6,896 such planes would be needed. • Price Action:BA shares are down 0.08% at $169.48 during the premarket session on the last check Wednesday. See more from Benzinga • Musk Reportedly Suspends Twitter Work On Crypto Wallet, Boeing's Jeppesen Hit By Potential Ransomware Attack, Lyft Cuts Workforce: Top Stories Friday, Nov. 04 • Boeing's Jeppesen Unit Sees Potential Ransomware Attack, Causes Flight Planning Disruptions • Crypto Collapse: Why Bitcoin And Ethereum Are Crashing - Bitcoin (BTC/USD) Don't miss real-time alerts on your stocks - joinBenzinga Profor free!Try the tool that will help you invest smarter, faster, and better. © 2022 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Crypto-Minded Blackcatcard Completes a Major Update: Blackcatcard come to a swift completion in its recent game-changing update Griza, Malta, Oct. 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As Blackcatcard’s recent, game-changing update comes to a swift completion, it’s important to reflect on the whats, the whys and the hows. Indeed, this major, global update of the integrated cryptocurrency service provided by DigiNord OÜ took place on 5th October, as well as updating the main user functions and focused on revamping the existing system to improve the user experience, bolstering overall security and responding to the burning desires of the community. Let’s dive in to the update’s nitty gritty: First of all, the currencies USDT (ERC-20) and USDT (TRC-20) have been added to the service, with a removal of USDT (TetherUS), BitcoinCash, Ripple CRP, Litecoin and Dash. Secondly, Blackcatcard has implemented localisation on the client side. This means that the language chosen by the user will be the same for the mobile application and the desktop version. This update is made to improve the quality of the user experience when using the product. Thirdly, a single user ID has been added so that in the event that a mobile phone number is lost, the account holder may continue to work with the service. On the corporate side, an account can be accessed by several proxies at once, which will prove to be incredibly useful. Next, the crypto service has been sped up; transactions are now quicker and more convenient; Security has been improved with additional biometric confirmation steps when purchasing and selling cryptocurrencies, be it internal or external; New fields have been added to improve security and in order to comply with European cryptocurrency regulations, a secondary task for the company. Namely, the ‘Recipient Name’ field has been added for outbound external transactions, and the ‘Sender Name’ field has been added for the confirmation of incoming external transactions. Lastly, a variety of small amendments to the platform’s code aim to smooth out the user experience from A-Z. Story continues To restore cryptocurrency balances excluded from the Blackcatard service, users need to contact the Support service on the website or the mobile application and provide an external wallet where the cryptocurrency previously stored on balance will be sent. Blackcatcard has many customers who are unfamiliar with cryptocurrencies, and this update takes major steps in making the platform accessible to them. Indeed, the improved stability of the service, familiarity and security has meant that the bridges to Web3 have never been clearer. Translation errors that were observed in test versions of the platform have been thoroughly eliminated, while delayed ETH transactions and those taking place in currencies to be excluded from the final list are being completed and delivered to their final addresses. Already hailed as a modern-minded and MFSA (Malta Financial Services Authority) licensed company, Blackcatcard adheres to all EU regulations and GDPR, making sure that its customers are able to bank quickly, conveniently and stress-free with a high level of security. For any questions regarding the new update and how this will affect the user flow, feel free to contact Blackcatcard’s 24/7 support via the in-app support function or via blackcatcard.com . About Blackcatcard Blackcatcard is a neo-banking solution that aims to bring fintech services closer to European clients. Founded in 2019, Blackcatcard offers a physical and virtual Euro-denominated card that can be used for payments worldwide and can work with any ATM that accepts Mastercard. The electronic card can be used immediately after you set up and top up your account. Blackcatcard now offers a hot crypto wallet and an exchange for use by clients who are over the age of 18. Standard accounts can also be attained by those under the age of 18. Visit https://blackcatcard.com for more information. Disclaimer : There is no offer to sell, no solicitation of an offer to buy, and no recommendation of any security or any other product or service in this article. This is not investment advice. Please do your own research. CONTACTS Contact Person : Timofey Fortunatov Contact email : [email protected] Location : Griza, Malta Company : Blackcatcard Newsroom: socials.submitmypressrelease.com || nChain Signs Agreement With NAGEX to Develop Blockchain-Based Carbon Exchange Platform: ZUG, Switzerland, Dec. 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- nChain announces today the signing of an agreement with NAGEX to assess the viability of a global CO2 index based in North America that incorporates physical storage of CO2 and digital blockchain ledger technology. Finding a global carbon price Despite being one of the largest commodities in the world, carbon dioxide is rarely included in the primary indices designed to represent global production, consumption, and trading. Governments are imposing more taxes and fees on carbon emissions, but these are not based on a realistic, global free market price—and without that, financial markets struggle to allocate funding to sustainability projects. NAGEX hopes to accelerate CO2 trading volumes and encourage CleanTech investment with a revolutionary platform to first capture the provenance data of CO2 before digitizing the carbon market and developing a CO2 pricing mechanism and trading platform. "nChain is excited to be working with NAGEX on this ground-breaking project that aligns well with our ESG strategy. Over The Counter CO2 commodity trading needs reform, especially when it comes to liquidity, transparency and pricing. Blockchain technology can help secure that, and we're proud to have built one of the most scalable and energy-efficient ledger designs globally," nChain's Chief Commercial Officer Leandro Nunes commented. Tokenising data with blockchain Blockchain technology ensures data is securely stored in a public and immutable way, and the NAGEX platform uses this to create digital Carbon Warrants Passports (CWPs) by issuing a unique 'token' for each carbon credit, permit and offset that cannot be altered or replicated and, whilst they can be traded an endless number of times, are "spent" only once. The unique benefit of NAGEX's platform is scalability: where competitors bundle thousands of permits into lots, nChain's technology allows the trading of individual permits—microtransactions—for low fees. The exchange is also transparent by design and more easily regulated. NAGEX's CEO Brian de Clare stated, "To enable the CO2 carbon credit market to function in a manner that attracts significant capital to the CleanTech sector globally, the industry, governments, financiers, regulators and other participants need a global standardized and verifiably trustworthy price for CO2 that has been neutralized from its harmful effect on the environment. NAGEX is excited to leverage nChain's blockchain expertise to assist us in creating the CWPs that will serve as the backbone of NAGEX's value proposition. With the immutable nature of the blockchain along with a network of storage locations in North America, NAGEX will be able to offer clients certified carbon credits that capture data from the first emission, through every trade, regardless of size, down to the very end of the supply chain, where the price discovery can rely less on governmental influence and more on the supply and demand for those credits, permits and offsets." Engaging relevant experts NAGEX has engaged the services and expertise of nChain and is in the process of engaging one of the leading consulting firms globally for a consultancy phase before moving to develop the blockchain-based platform. NAGEX is in the process of building and securing rights to a series of storage facilities in North America where CO2 can be permanently sequestered. The objective is to begin the process of moving CO2 emissions pricing away from governments to a more free market model influenced by supply and demand. Once it has been successfully rolled out to the North American market, the plan is to expand the model globally. --ENDS-- About nChain nChain is a leading global blockchain technology company and was voted one of the Top 100 most innovative firms in the world in 2022. We offer software solutions, consulting services and IP licensing for clients in various industries looking to benefit from the security and scalability of the blockchain. Our mission is to secure the internet of value. Founded in 2015, nChain employs more than 240 staff, holds over 534 patents and is the developer of the Bitcoin SV Node software, Teranode, LiteClient and more. Learn more at:nchain.com About NAGEX NAGEX is a fintech commodity exchange building a standardized, accountable and trustworthy platform that institutions, governments, consumers and producers can rely on for global pricing. NAGEX brings a team of seasoned commodity, trading, financial and clearing experts to the growing carbon emissions markets, which blockchain will significantly enhance in the coming years. Behind the formation of NAGEX lies almost 20 years of experience in the environmental industries along with over three years of research and analysis of the CleanTech and blockchain businesses. Founded in 2022, NAGEX's leadership has over 200 years of combined knowledge in financial markets and is working with key partners with whom it intends to build this exchange with. Learn more at:www.nagex.ca Contact Information:Carlos LeiraDirector, Marketing & [email protected] This content was issued through thepress release distribution service at Newswire.com. || Australia’s New Climate Politics Will Reshape its Entire Economy: (Bloomberg) -- Subscribe to Zero on Apple, Spotify, Google, and Stitcher. Most Read from Bloomberg Stocks Surge in Wild Ride After CPI Data Selloff: Markets Wrap Core US Inflation Rises to 40-Year High, Securing Big Fed Hike World Faces New Threats From Fast-Mutating Omicron Variants Intel Is Planning Thousands of Job Cuts in Face of PC Slump Bitcoin Becoming Less Volatile Than Stocks Raises Warning Flag Long accused of being a laggard on climate action, Australia in September passed its first binding emissions reductions target, enshrining into law a 43% cut from 2005 levels by 2030 and net zero by 2050. But the bill has already been criticized for its lack of teeth, and how effective it will be at moving the country — one of the world’s largest exporters of coal — away from fossil fuels. “It's historic in Australia, just to actually legislate the target,” says David Pocock, a first-time senator elected on a climate mandate, on the latest episode of Bloomberg Green’s Zero podcast. “But this is nothing to sit around patting ourselves on the back about, and even the business community here in Australia has been pushing” for higher ambition on climate. The legislation was passed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his Labor government, which rose to power in federal elections — dubbed the “climate elections” — held in May. The incumbent Liberal government saw its support crumble as an electorate battered by fires, droughts and floods shifted toward parties that pledged climate action. The Australian Greens and a group of independent candidates like Pocock, known as the teals, saw gains alongside the Labor party. “The science says that, for Australia to do its fair share to limit global warming to 1.5C, it would have to be cutting pollution by 74% by 2030,” says Adam Bandt, leader of the Australia Greens, on this week’s episode of Zero. For Australia to meet its current target, and more ambitious targets in the future, it must now begin to transform its entire economy, says Pocock: “You know, that's the challenge — this has never been done before. But that's the opportunity.” David Pocock and Adam Bandt joined Akshat Rathi on Zero to discuss why Australia’s electorate voted for climate candidates, how the country can wean itself off coal, and what their red lines are when working with the new Labor government. This is an edited and condensed version of Zero’s interview with Bandt and Pocock. You can listen to the full conversation below, and read a full transcript here. Akshat Rathi: Australia now has what some are calling the climate supermajority, with Greens getting their biggest haul. What's changed in the Australian political discourse that means these candidates succeeded? Story continues Adam Bandt: There's always been an appetite in Australia to take action on climate change because people see its impacts playing out. We've just come off the back of three years of drought and bushfires that gained international attention. We were also seeing international movement even from conservative governments like in the UK, as well as the US which was starting to act. There was a real sense that enough was enough and it was time for Australia to act on climate. Akshat Rathi: What do you see as the priority legislation to pass to ensure Australia meets its emissions reductions target? David Pocock: We have to ensure that 43% reduction in emissions by 2030 is just a starting point. It's largely symbolic. And now we've got to get on with the business of transforming our entire economy. Working with households to ensure that they reap the significant benefits of electrifying their households. I'd like to see the target ramp up over time, but then to focus on the integrity of it: the offsets that we're allowing companies to use; the communities that for generations have had jobs in fossil fuels, ensuring that they have secure, well-paid jobs into the future. Akshat Rathi: Do you support the calls to end all fossil fuel projects? And do you believe there's any chance that the Labor government will agree to such a proposal? David Pocock: If you're going to listen to scientists, we can't have any new coal and gas projects. That's clear. The challenge for Australia is to be building these industries for the future at the same time as we're phasing out fossil fuels. Politically, to be blunt: No, I can't see the government going for it in the current political climate. But attitudes towards the social license that fossil fuel companies have is changing so fast, that hopefully it will be possible very soon. Akshat Rathi: The Liberal party lost some of its safest seats to climate candidates. Is being anti-climate action now a dead position in Australia? Adam Bandt: If it's not dead, it's on life support. And I think people shouldn't underestimate the significance of this. You get rewarded politically in Australia now for having a better policy on climate. And I don't think the penny has quite dropped with the new government yet. There is now space for them to go further and faster. Read the full transcript of this episode. Check out more episodes of Zero, and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Google or Stitcher to hear new episodes every Thursday. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek Exxon’s Exodus: Employees Have Finally Had Enough of Its Toxic Culture America Is Unleashing Its Economic Arsenal Coming Soon on Netflix: A New Netflix The Twitter Deal Has Pierced Elon Musk’s Reality Distortion Field Hedge Fund Managers Paid for Stockpicking Genius Aren’t Showing Much of It ©2022 Bloomberg L.P. View comments || Market Wrap: Bitcoin Marches Past $20K as Investors Regain Their Appetite for Riskier Assets: Bitcoin (BTC)took a rare trip upward on Tuesday. The largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization was recently trading at about $20,300, up nearly 5% over the past 24 hours as chronically risk-averse investors drew encouragement from a number of big brands’ third-quarter earnings reports. BTC last topped $20,000 on Oct. 5. Ether (ETH)was even more buoyant, sprinting past $1,500, up more than 11% from Monday, same time, and its highest level since the Merge. The technological overhaul of the Ethereum blockchain on Sept. 15 shifted the protocol from proof-of-work to more energy-efficient proof-of-stake. Other major altcoinswere solidly in the green, with ADA and SOL recently rising more than 13% and 11%, respectively. UNI, the native token of the Uniswap decentralized exchange, recently jumped more than 8%. The CoinDesk Market Index (CMI), a broad-based market index that measures the performance of a basket of cryptocurrencies, climbed 5.59% over the past 24 hours. In traditional markets, U.S. stocks continued their recent winning ways, rising for a third consecutive day as investors savored the upbeat third-quarter earnings reports from the likes of Coca-Cola and automotive giant GM. The tech-focused Nasdaq jumped 2.2%, while the S&P 500, which has a strong tech component, and Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) climbed 1.6% and 1.1%, respectively. In commodities, Brent crude oil, a measure of energy markets, continued to trade over $91 per barrel, down slightly over the past 24 hours but up more than 15% from the start of the year. Safe-haven gold was flat at $1,652 per ounce. Theearnings seasoncontinues, with beleaguered social media monolith Meta reporting its latest quarterly results on Wednesday. Tech firms have been among the hardest hit in this year’s stock bloodbath. Following two consecutive monthly gains, the widely watched Conference BoardConsumer Confidence Indexsank. “Consumers’ expectations regarding the short-term outlook remained dismal,” said Lynn Franco, senior director of economic indicators at The Conference Board. Investors will scrutinize housing starts and durable goods orders on Wednesday and the University of Michigan’s monthly Consumer Sentiment Index on Friday. ●CoinDesk Market Index (CMI): 992.99+4.9% ●Bitcoin (BTC): $20,069+3.8% ●Ether (ETH): $1,461+8.3% ●S&P 500 daily close: 3,859.11+1.6% ●Gold: $1,658 per troy ounce+0.6% ●Ten-year Treasury yield daily close: 4.11%−0.1 Bitcoin, ether and gold prices are taken at approximately 4pm New York time. Bitcoin is the CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index (XBX); Ether is the CoinDesk Ether Price Index (ETX); Gold is the COMEX spot price. Information about CoinDesk Indices can be found atcoindesk.com/indices. By Glenn Williams Jr Institutional investor appetite for bitcoin may be rising despite BTC’s persistently flat trading range. The “Commitment of Traders” report, released each Friday and reflecting data as of the prior Tuesday, shows that asset managers’ open interest in BTC is now 84% long (expectations of a rise) and 16% short (expectations of a decline). The latest figures represent a slight increase from the prior week’s report where asset managers were 80% long and 20% short. We’ve seen this metric trend moderately higher since Sept. 6, when asset managers were 74% long BTC. Read the full article by CoinDesk analyst Glenn Williams Jr. • Compound Pauses YFI, ZRX, BAT and MKR Supply to Protect Against Potential Exploits:Decentralized finance(DeFi) application Compound has paused the supply of four prominent tokens to protect users against a potential market manipulation attack. Attackers have recently been exploiting DeFi protocols by manipulating thinly traded tokens and eventually draining liquidity.Read more here. • Polygon's MATIC Closes In on $1 Level After Recent Breakout: Chart Analysts:Polygon'sMATICtoken has cleared daily cloud resistance and its 200-day moving average in a short-term bullish development, one observer said. MATIC recently also broke above a trendline connecting the August and September highs, confirming a bullish breakout.Read more here. • Fan Tokens of Peruvian, Spanish and Brazilian National Soccer Teams Rally as FIFA World Cup Nears:In the past seven days, fan tokens of the Peruvian national football team (FPFT), Spain's national team (SNFT) and Brazil's national team (BFT) have rallied 29%, 17% and 12%, respectively, according to data source CoinGecko. While the tokens don't represent ownership of national teams, they provide holders access to several fan-specific perks.Read more here. • Listen 🎧:Today’s "CoinDesk Markets Daily" podcast discusses the latest market movements and a look at how Terra’s missing founder says he’s been here all along. • UK Lawmakers Vote to Recognize Crypto as Regulated Financial Instruments:The lower house of the Parliament voted in favor of adding crypto to the scope of activities to be regulated via the proposed Financial Services and Markets Bill – which already seeks to extend payments rules to stablecoins. • Polygon-Based DeFi Platform QuickSwap Closes Lending Service After Exploit:Over $220,00 in tokens was stolen on Monday with the use of a flash loan. • Warren, Ocasio-Cortez Ask Regulators to Clarify Stance on Crypto Hires:The U.S. lawmakers asked how long an individual is barred from seeking employment in an industry he or she has regulated. • Hodlonaut Expects Craig Wright to Appeal Verdict in Norway:The Bitcoin advocate won a defamation case against Wright, who claims to be the founder of Bitcoin, but said the legal fight isn't likely over. • Celsius Once Solicited Donations for Ukraine. Here’s What Happened Next:After Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year, several digital-asset platforms rushed to publicize the address of Ukrainian government wallets for crypto donations. Celsius took a different path, setting up its own wallets to accept donations. But how much was donated? • Reddit NFTs Challenge Bored Apes on OpenSea With Trade Surge:As of Tuesday, three Reddit collections ranked within the top 10 non-fungible token(NFT)projects on OpenSea, reaffirming the massive appeal of PFP collections. [{"Asset": "Rally", "Ticker": "RLY", "Returns": "+7.93%", "DACS Sector": "Culture & Entertainment"}, {"Asset": "Enzyme", "Ticker": "MLN", "Returns": "+7.07%", "DACS Sector": "DeFi"}, {"Asset": "Axie Infinity", "Ticker": "AXS", "Returns": "+6.29%", "DACS Sector": "Culture & Entertainment"}] [{"Asset": "Render Token", "Ticker": "RNDR", "Returns": "-6.49%", "DACS Sector": "Computing"}, {"Asset": "Polygon", "Ticker": "MATIC", "Returns": "-5.81%", "DACS Sector": "Smart Contract Platform"}, {"Asset": "Chiliz", "Ticker": "CHZ", "Returns": "-5.64%", "DACS Sector": "Culture & Entertainment"}] Sector classifications are provided via theDigital Asset Classification Standard (DACS), developed by CoinDesk Indices to provide a reliable, comprehensive and standardized classification system for digital assets. TheCoinDesk Market Index (CMI)is a broad-based index designed to measure the market capitalization weighted performance of the digital asset market subject to minimum trading and exchange eligibility requirements. || US Sanctions 3 Individuals, Dozens of Bitcoin, Ether and Bitcoin Cash Addresses on Opioid Allegations: The U.S. Treasury Department's sanctions watchdog added three people to its blacklist, alleging they used crypto to facilitate the supply of illegal and synthetic drugs into the U.S. In a press release Wednesday, Treasury's Office of Foreign Asset Control announced it was adding Dutch citizens Alex Adrianus Martinus Peijnenburg and Martinus Pterus Henri De Koning and British national Matthew Simon Grimm to its sanctions list, alongside more than 50 bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH) and bitcoin cash (BCH) addresses. The three individuals are accused of providing drugs in the U.S., including fentanyl, stimulants, cannabinoids and opioids. The three sold the drugs through darknet marketplaces and other internet stores,OFAC alleged. The sanctions watchdog is also adding a number of businesses tied to the three to its blacklist, meaning Americans are prohibited from conducting any transactions with the three. "The Treasury Department will continue to deploy its counter-narcotics authorities to disrupt those involved in the fentanyl global supply chain," Brian Nelson, the Treasury's undersecretary for terrorism and financial crimes, said in the press release. More than30 of the addresseswere tied to Grimm, with the remainder tied to Peijnenburg. “Treasury is identifying over 50 virtual wallet addresses associated with this network’s drug trafficking activities as we take further action to counter the abuse of virtual currency. I would like to thank our Dutch and U.K. partners and U.S. law enforcement counterparts for their partnership and for enabling today’s action," Nelson said. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: down || Prices: 17233.47, 17133.15, 17128.72, 17104.19, 17206.44, 17781.32, 17815.65, 17364.87, 16647.48, 16795.09
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2020-07-02] BTC Price: 9123.41, BTC RSI: 44.03 Gold Price: 1784.00, Gold RSI: 61.56 Oil Price: 40.65, Oil RSI: 62.53 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Trio of Bitcoin Tokens Lures DeFi Yield Farmers to New Pastures: The number three decentralized finance (DeFi) application, Synthetix, is also enjoying the current boom times in bankless banking. (Warning: This post is going to go a lot of places, so buckle in.) Synthetix is a platform for minting and exchanging synthetic tokens that mirror the price of other assets. On June 19, Synthetix joined the Ren Project and BitGo in creating a pool of bitcoin-backed tokens, for smooth liquidity between three crypto products that should be all but interchangeable. Plus, each of the DeFi platforms is promising token rewards in order to get more participation in the pool. Related: DeFi Platform Opyn Launches Put Options on Compound Token This pool of sBTC, renBTC and WBTC lives on Curve , an automated market maker that has extremely low price slippage thanks in part to its specialization in stablecoins. Note: The three versions of BTC are distinct. WBTC is minted by BitGo, which serves as a centralized custodian; renBTC is minted with a trustless smart contract; and sBTC never touches BTC – it is synthetic, backed by an 800% collateralization of Synthetix Network Token (SNX). The promotion will run till Sept. 28. And though it started on June 19 , the hockey stick growth on Synthetix only got going on June 22. In short, Synthetix appears to have successfully attracted the itinerant and growing horde of yield farmers , each doing their best to outrun the coming DeFi dust bowl. Related: Market Wrap: Bitcoin Tests $9K as Market Struggles With Uncertainty Read more: Some Numbers That Show Why Yield Farming COMP Is So Seductive There are many incentives to joining the pool on Curve. Participants will split up a weekly award of 10,000 SNX and 25,000 REN, plus BAL from a liquidity pool of REN and SNX that the two teams made. Users also get promises for CRV, the forthcoming governance token from Curve. The new interest in Synthetix has strengthened its position relative to Compound and MakerDAO, the top two DeFi protocols. Synthetix has never previously had more than $200 million in assets on the application. As of this writing, it has an all-time high of $263 million, according to DeFi Pulse . Story continues That said, it’s unclear how much of that is due to this specific promotion. SNX is the asset one stakes to use Synthetix, and its price is at $1.88 as of this writing, up from $1.15 before the promotion began. “I think there is a general surge in DeFi awareness and this new incentive taps into a number of aspects of it. BTC on ETH, yield farming and AMMs,” Kain Warwick, founder of Synthetix, told CoinDesk via email. “So I think they are probably somewhat related but it is always hard to pinpoint a specific reason for a sudden spike in project awareness.” Read more: RenBTC Quietly Goes Live in Latest Bid to Bring Bitcoin to Ethereum The promotion has also benefited Ren, whose renBTC token went live on May 22 . “We’ve seen a large growth in volume on Ren this week,” Ren CEO Taiyang Zhang told CoinDesk in an email. “Since launch a few weeks ago we’ve had $19 million volume flow through RenVM and over $8 million locked up now. $15 million in volume is from the last week, with users mostly tokenizing BTC.” The promotion is not the whole story for Ren, however; DeFi is experiencing a rising tide moment . “Seems like COMP mining created a large demand for WBTC and renBTC is the easiest on-ramp into it via the Curve pool,” Zhang added. Users just need to deposit any of the three Ethereum-based versions of BTC onto Curve’s BTC pool, and then account for their contribution on Synthetix. The new pool currently shows a daily USD volume of $774,577 or 83.18 BTC. “This pool does a great deal of stabilizing sBTC price which is very valuable for Synthetix, as well as makes it possible to enter the Synthetix ecosystem right from Bitcoin – very valuable for both REN and Synthetix,” Michael Egorov of Swiss Stake, the company behind Curve, explained to CoinDesk in an email. Related Stories Trio of Bitcoin Tokens Lures DeFi Yield Farmers to New Pastures Trio of Bitcoin Tokens Lures DeFi Yield Farmers to New Pastures || BitPay Launches Prepaid Crypto Mastercard for US Customers: Look below at the map of public nodes on Bitcoin’s Lighting Network. Europe and the U.S. are filled with them. The rest of the world is an ocean of blankness with a few scattered islands. Africa appears to have eight nodes total. From this map, entrepreneur and IT guru Chimezie Chuta inferred that he is the only person in Nigeria known to be running a Lightning node. A crucial caveat is that many users might be running nodes without exposing them to the world. But, all told, Lightning activity looks sparse on the planet’s second-largest and second-most populous continent. Chuta wants to change this. Like many Bitcoiners, he believes running a network node is one of the best ways to become truly financially independent. A Lightning node in particular, while experimental and maybe risky to use, allows Africans to earn a little cash by way of fees for relaying money across the network, he said. To that end, BlockSpace Technologies Africa Inc., Chuta’s company, has released a kit for a Bitcoin and Lightning node, including all the hardware pieces for assembly, called SpaceBox, in the hopes of expanding the technology’s use across the continent. See also: This Bitcoin Documentary From Africa Is Streaming on Amazon Prime “I think this will help many people living in low-income regions of the world to become part of the Bitcoin ecosystem. Beyond trading and speculation, Africa seems to have zero representation,” Chuta said. Related: One Man’s Mission to Deploy Solar-Powered Bitcoin Nodes Across Africa Many Africans don’t have access to financial services like traditional bank accounts. In 2015, the World Bank estimated that 350 million people living in Sub-Saharan Africa were “unbanked.” In theory, running the pair of nodes could connect Africans to a more modern financial system – and do so in a way that gives them greater visibility and control over their funds than relying on third parties. Story continues The SpaceBox sells for 210,000 naira, the Nigerian currency, worth roughly $541. The main component of the kit is a tiny hobbyist computer called the Raspberry Pi running the open-source Raspblitz software for Lightning nodes. It also has a solar panel component, since many Africans lack electricity. “Our goal is to raise an army of full Bitcoin Lightning node operators to dot every nook and cranny of the continent in the next one year,” Chuta said. “We plan to sell and deploy at least 250 of these nodes … in the next six months.” So far, over the last month BlockSpace has received seven orders, one from British Columbia, five from Nigeria, and one from Ghana. Financial sovereignty Some readers may feel deja vu. Half a decade ago, Africa was touted as fertile ground for cryptocurrency adoption. Back then, cheaper remittances were supposedly the killer app. Compliance costs , along with bitcoin’s scaling challenges , complicated that narrative. While some people, including in Nigeria , indeed use bitcoin for remittances today, it hardly put a dent in Western Union. Chuta’s pitch is different, emphasizing the autonomy that comes with running a full Bitcoin node, and the income from a Lightning one. It’s a way to earn and safeguard money, not just zap it to someone else. Operating a Bitcoin full node basically means running the underlying infrastructure for the world’s largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization. Unlike mining, which requires significant investment in specialized chips, electricity and cooling, anyone can run a node on a laptop with enough space. At least 10,000 people are running nodes today – a conservative estimate since not all nodes show the world they are running. See also: Why Binance and Akon Are Betting on Africa for Crypto Adoption While there’s no direct financial reward for running a Bitcoin node, it has an advantage over both custodial services (where a third party holds the private keys ) and simplified payment verification wallets (which verify only their own transactions). A full node “self-validates” by retrieving every transaction recorded on the blockchain. With this information and the node rules downloaded, users can verify firsthand that transactions follow the network rules. As the ultimate bullshit detector, it can tell if you’re getting false data. “Being financially sovereign has become a necessity and Bitcoin offers the primary tool to attain that,” Chuta said. SpaceBox’s Lightning node component is built on top of the Bitcoin node. Lightning attempts to solve one of Bitcoin’s biggest problems: increasing scalability so more people can use the network at once. If successful, it might become the main method of making everyday payments in the cryptocurrency – and generate revenue for those running nodes. “Although operating a full Bitcoin Lightning node is more like a hobbyist engagement, some people are already making some money by positioning their nodes as [a] Lightning payment routing channel,” Chuta said. Solar-powered There are several options for building Lightning nodes, such as RaspiBlitz, or just purchasing them already put together from vendors like myNode. Most node makers assume that users will have a stable electric source to plug into, which isn’t a safe assumption in Sub-Saharan Africa where, according to The World Bank , more than one half of the population lacks electricity. “With regards to infrastructure, Nigeria (and a number of other African countries) have very poor electricity supply so keeping a full node running is very difficult,”  Bitcoin Core contributor Tim Akinbo told CoinDesk. Hence the solar panel that comes with the SpaceBox kit. “This lack of regular electricity has denied most bitcoin enthusiasts in the continent the opportunity to participate in the global bitcoin multi-billion dollar industry as miners or routing node operators,” Chuta said. “By integrating [an] affordable solar power kit into bitcoin node operation, we expect that many more people across the world, especially Africans, can participate.” See also: Money Reimagined: The Ongoing Crisis Is Stirring a Crypto Awakening in Developing Nations Beyond electricity, Akinbo notes there are other costs to running a full node. They require a lot of storage space, for instance. “It’s just untenable for most Africans at the moment,” Akinbo said, arguing that only wealthy bitcoins in Africa could afford a node. But in Chuta’s vision, not everyone will necessarily run a node themselves. Perhaps there will be specialists that learn to run them, he said, who then pass the benefits on to their local community. “The main point of this project … is to educate and train capable node operators across Africa, who then can help their small communities maintain ‘friends and family node’ in order to secure a healthy financial future for them,” Chuta said. He hopes orders will snowball after the coronavirus fades, since the pandemic has hurt BlockSpace’s hardware suppliers. “As soon as COVID-19 issues settle, we will launch a full campaign that will make a significant impact based on our vision,” Chuta said. Related Stories CME Bitcoin Options Market Grew 10x in the Past Month Inactive Bitcoin Supply Reaches 4-Year High, Pointing to Bullish Sentiment || HyperBlock Provides Update on Bitcoin Halving Impact on Operations: Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 13, 2020) - HyperBlock Inc. (CSE: HYPR) ("HyperBlock" or the "Company") today provided an operational update to shareholders related to the risks associated with the recent Bitcoin algorithm halving — which occurred on May 11, 2020 — and has significantly reduced Bitcoin mining compensation rewards earned by the Company. The Company confirmed that the algorithm halving, which occurs approximately every four years to create scarcity by limiting the number of Bitcoin in circulation, has cut the Company's reward for mining each block by half. The Company cautions that this has resulted in making its operations uneconomical, based on current Bitcoin pricing, overall network hashrate, and the Company's ability to continue to access reliable, affordable power. Electricity Provider Intends to Terminate Contract The Company also announced that its electricity provider, Energy Keepers, Inc., has indicated that it intends to terminate its long-term power contract with the Company effective as of May 14, 2020. The Company is exploring power supply alternatives and cautions that an inability to secure power would require it to pause or cease mining operations. The Company and its Board continue to explore strategic and financing options and will continue to provide further updates. About HyperBlock Inc. HyperBlock is a crypto-asset enterprise operating a North American cryptocurrency datacenter and providing complementary product offerings, which include cryptocurrency mining, Mining-as-a-Service (MAAS), server hosting, and server hardware sales, depending on market conditions. HyperBlock operates sustainably, purchasing electricity for its flagship US datacenter from a hydro-electricity generator — and employs advanced recycling technology to minimize environmental impact. Learn more atwww.hyperblock.co. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Future-Orientated Financial Information Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements under applicable securities law. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "plan", "believe", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "intend", "forecast" and similar expressions. The forward-looking information contained in this press release includes, but is not limited to, statements related to: the profitability and growth of the Company as a result of the recent deployment of Bitmain servers; the future status of the Company's current power contracts; the impacts of the Company's liquidity, debt maturities, and trade payables; and the potential revocation of the cease trade orders on the Company's securities. These forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and are based on assumptions and estimates of management, which management considers reasonable, based on information available on the date hereof. Such assumptions may be incorrect. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: general economic, market and business conditions will be consistent with expectations, fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; risks relating to the Company's ability to execute its business strategy and the benefits realizable therefrom; the ability to retain personnel to execute the Company's business plans and strategies; the ability to retain auditors to perform an audit of the Company's financial statements; the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on the ability of the Company to operate its business, including securities laws applicable to the Company; the speculative nature of cryptocurrency mining and blockchain operations including but not limited to cryptocurrency prices, block rewards, and mining difficulties; and those factors described under the heading "Risks Factors" in the Company's listing statement dated July 10, 2018 and the risks described in the Company's Management's Discussion & Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2018 dated December 12, 2019, each of which is available on the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR. There may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information, or the material factors or assumptions used to develop such forward-looking information, will prove to be accurate. The Company does not undertake any obligations to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities law. All forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. For more information: Debra [email protected] Ronald R. Spoehel, Bryan [email protected] To view the source version of this press release, please visithttps://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/55803 || The Crypto Daily – Movers and Shakers – June 27th, 2020: Bitcoin fell by 0.91% on Friday. Following on from a 0.52% decline on Thursday, Bitcoin ended the day at $9,173.1. A bullish start to the day saw Bitcoin rise to an early morning intraday high $9,299.0 before hitting reverse. Falling short of the first major support level at $9,400.33, Bitcoin slid to an early afternoon intraday low $9,054.1. Finding support at the first major support level at $9,062.33, Bitcoin briefly recovered to $9,200 levels before easing back. The near-term bullish trend remained intact in spite of the recent pullback to sub-$9,300 levels. Bitcoin continues to hold above the 23.6% FIB of $8,900. For the bears, Bitcoin would need to slide through the 62% FIB of $6,400 to form a near-term bearish trend. The Rest of the Pack Across the rest of the majors, it was a mixed day on Friday. EOS (+0.06%), Litecoin (+1.73%), and Ripple’s XRP (+0.63%) bucked the trend on the day. It was a bearish day for the rest of the majors, however. Bitcoin Cash SV and Tezos slid by 2.51% and 3.57% respectively to lead the way down. Bitcoin Cash ABC (-1.59%), Cardano’s ADA (-1.31%), and Ethereum (-1.11%) also saw relatively heavy losses. Binance Coin (-0.82%), Monero’s XMR (-0.44%), Stellar’s Lumen (-0.47%), and Tron’s TRX (-0.02%) saw modest losses on the day. Through the current week, the crypto total market cap rose to a Monday high $272.54bn before falling to a Thursday low $251.99bn. At the time of writing, the total market cap stood at $255.72bn. Bitcoin’s dominance jumped to a Monday high 66.24% before sliding to a Wednesday low 65.52%. At the time of writing, Bitcoin’s dominance stood at 65.76%. This Morning At the time of writing, Bitcoin was down by 0.21% to $9,154.2. A bearish start to the day saw Bitcoin fall from an early morning high $9,179.9 to a low $9,130.0. Bitcoin left the major support and resistance levels untested early on. Elsewhere, it was a mixed start to the day for the majors. Story continues Bitcoin Cash SV and Ripple’s XRP bucked the trend early on, rising by 0.59% and by 0.04% respectively. It was a bearish start for the rest of the majors, however. Stellar’s Lumen and Tezos were down by 1.17% and by 0.93% to lead the way down early on. For the Bitcoin Day Ahead Bitcoin would move through the $9,175 pivot to support a run at the first major resistance level at $9,296.7. Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Bitcoin to break out from $9,200 levels. Barring another extended crypto rally, the first major resistance level and Friday’s high $9,299.0 would likely cap any upside. In the event of a crypto breakout, Bitcoin could test the second major resistance level at $9,240.3. Failure to move through the $9,175 pivot level could see Bitcoin struggle later in the day. A fall back through to sub-$9,100 levels would bring the first major support level at $9,051.8 into play. In the event of another extended crypto sell-off, the second major support level at $8,930.5 and 23.6% FIB of $8,900 could come into play. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: European Equities: A Week in Review – 27/06/20 Asia-Pacific Markets: Hong Kong Down Ahead of New US Sanctions on China; Australia’s Quantas Plunges Over 9% E-mini Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM) Futures Technical Analysis – Testing Major Fib Level at 25107 S&P 500 Price Forecast -Stock Markets Continue to Test Major Level Unilever Latest Advertiser to Jump Ship on Facebook, Twitter Amid ‘Polarized Atmosphere’ in US Natural Gas Weekly Price Forecast – Natural Gas Markets Testing Major Support Level || Bitcoin sell-off looms ahead of block reward halving: The highly-anticipated Bitcoin halving is just one week away leaving traders and investors undecided on whether it will break out above $10,000 or suffer a correction back down to around $5,900. The indecision has been reflected in the past week of price action with Bitcoin struggling to close daily candles above $9,000 while remaining firm consistently closing above $8,600. The Bitcoin halving is undeniably a bullish event. However, if you look at previous block reward halving events price always seems to correct in the months following the halving before picking itself back up later on in the year. In 2016 Bitcoin suffered a 30% sell-off after the halving before taking a year to begin its rally to a new all-time high. During an event like this it is important to factor in three variables; the fundamental impact of the halving on Bitcoin’s supply, the worryingly bullish sentiment and the technical aspect of Bitcoin’s chart. The former is common knowledge, if you cut the supply of any asset in half price will eventually rise if demand remains the same. The second point can be perceived in a few different ways, when investors are overly bullish and optimistic about an asset price action often goes the other way in order to cause the maximum amount of pain. But it can also have a positive impact on price action if the positive sentiment brings in more investors to a point where there are far more buyers than sellers, which would cause the price to rise. From a technical standpoint Bitcoin needs to break above $9,600 to confirm a bullish breakout, this would bring around initial targets of $10,300 and $10,550, although it could go far higher as the diagonal trendline would be broken for the first time since it began in 2017. However, if Bitcoin begins to sell off as it has done on each touch of $9,200 it could cause a cascade of sells and liquidations of long positions, which brings price targets of $7,800 and $5,900 into the frame. For more news, guides and cryptocurrency analysis, click here . || Panxora CEO Gavin Smith comments Bitcoin’s lack of volatility: As noted in Coin Rivet’s daily technical analysis , Bitcoin is enjoying a period of relative calm following the turbulent sell-off in March that saw it fall to as low as $4,000. It continues to establish a level of support beneath the $10,000 mark, which can be considered bullish considering it has recovered by more than 100% in three months. According to Gavin Smith, CEO of cryptocurrency consortium Panxora, the lack of recent volatility is “unsurprising”. He added: “Since Black Thursday on March 12th, Bitcoin seems to have reached relative stability. That said, the experienced traders will know that pro-longed periods of calm have often signified a dramatic price swing on the horizon – in either direction. “While Bitcoin is set for a multi-year upwards trend following the Halving in May, the climb won’t be plain sailing. Therefore, investors should proceed with caution as the fall could be steep.” At the time of writing Bitcoin is trading at $9,735 one of its most stable weeks of the year as it struggles to make a major move in either direction. However, as noted by Gavin Smith, the period of stability will likely come before a moment of extreme volatility, which could take out the $10,500 level of resistance on the fourth attempt as the impact of reduced supply from the halving begins to take hold. For more news, guides and cryptocurrency analysis, click here . || Why Monetary Debasement Is Here to Stay, Feat. Dr. Vikram Mansharamani: From technology to aging demographics, some of the most important trends shaping the economy have been deflationary. What happens when that rapidly changes? For more episodes and free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe with Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Pocketcasts , Google Podcasts , Castbox , Stitcher , RadioPublica , iHeartRadio or RSS . This episode is sponsored by Bitstamp and Ciphertrace . Today on the Brief: FTX lists two Compound tokens Reddit partners with Ethereum Foundation on Layer 2 scaling Black-In Freedom Festival reimagines Juneteenth Our main topic: Related: Bitcoin Only Matters Because the Game Is Rigged Dr. Vikram Mansharamani is a lecturer at Harvard and author of “Boombustology: Spotting Financial Bubbles Before They Burst” as well as the just released “Think for Yourself: Restoring Common Sense in an Age of Experts and Artificial Intelligence.” See also: 6 Things Jobless Claims Tell Us About the State of the Real Economy In this wide-ranging conversation, he and NLW discuss: Why our relationship with experts and expertise is leading us astray How COVID-19 shows the downside of both over-reliance on, and complete rejection of, experts How the economic crisis surrounding COVID-19 is bursting bubbles and moving us from a period defined by deflation to one defined by inflation Why “monetary debasement is here to stay” Why the U.S.-China relationship is the key backdrop for understanding the next 10 years of global economic reality Why inequality threatens the fabric of our economy and our society, and what might be done about it Find our guest online: Twitter: @mansharamani Website: Vikram Mansharamani | “THINK FOR YOURSELF” Related: For more episodes and free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe with Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Pocketcasts , Google Podcasts , Castbox , Stitcher , RadioPublica , iHeartRadio or RSS . Related Stories Why Monetary Debasement Is Here to Stay, Feat. Dr. Vikram Mansharamani Why Monetary Debasement Is Here to Stay, Feat. Dr. Vikram Mansharamani || Bootstrapping Mobile Mesh Networks With Bitcoin Lightning: The best Sundays are for long reads and deep conversations. Recently the hosts of theLet’s Talk Bitcoin! Showwere joined by Richard Myers to discuss the current state of mesh networks and how Bitcoin’s Lightning may be the missing ingredient to their success. Listen/subscribe to the CoinDesk Podcast feed for unique perspectives and fresh daily insight withApple Podcasts,Spotify,Pocketcasts,Google Podcasts,Castbox,Stitcher,RadioPublica,IHeartRadioorRSS. The episode is sponsored byeToro.comandThe Internet of Money Vol. 3 On today’s episode of Let’s Talk Bitcoin! you’re invited to join Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Adam B. Levine, Stephanie Murphy and special guest Richard Myers for an in-depth look at the past, present and future of Mobile Mesh Networking technology and the open source LOT49 protocol built on top of Bitcoin’s Lightning Network. Just as cryptocurrencies like bitcoin don’t rely on static infrastructure and professional providers, mobile mesh networking allows the creation of inexpensive, high range, low-bandwidth and low-power networks that’ll let your phone send text messages or even bitcoin micro-transactions, even in areas with no coverage. According to Myers, Bitcoin’s Lightning Network is what’s needed to make mobile mesh networks catch on by bootstrapping on top of the payment routing infrastructure. “The Lightning Network currently sends payments from A to B to C and then all those intermediate nodes can collect a small fee if the payment is delivered at the end. All we’re doing is saying ‘Not only [can you send] a payment, but [you can send] a small message.’ In our case, it’d be a SMS message. So you’re sending an SMS message along with a Lightning payment from A to B to C to D, and when D receives that message they return proof that it was delivered and that’s what flows back through the network. In the Lightning sense, that’s your pre-image. It’s computed from the message, that’s how the nodes are able to collect payment even if they lose touch with the original person who sent it.” Related:Bootstrapping Mobile Mesh Networks With Bitcoin Lightning See also:Grasping Lightning: Mapping the Key Players in Bitcoin’s Next Phase But the way the Lightning Network uses data natively isn’t ideal for mobile mesh. The open sourceLot49 protocolis another layer on top of Lightning that Myers says is necessary to make it work at scale while using mesh devices as an extremely low-bandwidth TOR-like privacy layer. “In many ways we’re not making a new protocol, we’re literally using Lightning.Lot49is ca ustom communication protocol that’s optimized for mesh. For example, right now there’s a 1300-byte onion that’s used to route messages over the internet and that’s very important because you lose a lot of privacy … you lose all your privacy … if you were to just send messages over the internet without onion routing. We’re sending over more or less a physical TOR network since it’s going from node to node, not through a central ISP who can associate who you’re trying to pay. We’re also doing it over a low bandwidth network, so if you were sending 1300 bytes it may not sound like much in the age of the internet but we’re talking about devices that [have a maximum data transmission capacity of] about a kilobyte a minute so that’s a significant amount of the bandwidth that you have [tied up just in the web’s onion routing] So, for example with LOT49, we take out the onion and we use the native routing at the mesh device [level] which is optimized for mesh communications. And there are a few other little changes we make like that in order to reduce the bandwidth by chunking up messages. … The ultimate goal is to minimize the Lightning protocol overhead so that there is more bandwidth available for data … for things like sending an SMS and as bandwidth increases there may be things like internet protocol.” Credits This episode of Let’s Talk Bitcoin features Stephanie Murphy, Andreas M. Antonopoulos, Adam B. Levine and Richard Myers. Music provided by Jared Rubens and Gurty Beats, with editing by Jonas. • JPMorgan Analysts: Bitcoin Is Likely to Survive (as a Speculative Asset) • The Chad Index Versus Doomer Internet Money: The Breakdown Weekly Recap || Louisiana State Senate to Consider Crypto Business Licensing Bill: The Louisiana State Senate is about to consider a bill to regulate and license virtual currency businesses. Sponsored by state Rep. Mark Wright (R-77), HB701 sailed through the state House of Representatives with unanimous approval, and is being referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and International Affairs. If passed,the legislationwould establish Louisiana’s first crypto licensing regime. Related:New Jersey Lawmaker Wants to Create a Crypto License Crypto businesses would have to apply with the state’s Office of Financial Institutions (OFI), fork over executives’ fingerprints, subject their “experience, character and general fitness” to investigation – and perhaps the business premises as well – and pay a nonrefundable registration fee, among other requirements. Registrants licensed by states with comparable regimes would not need a Louisiana license under the bill. Individuals dealing with less than $35,000 annually would only need to register with OFI. OFI projected charging a $2,000 application fee and $1,000 for annual renewal. Louisiana’s budget gurusestimatedthe bill would cost the agency nearly $150,000 in its first year and about $1.3 million over five as OFI ramped up enforcement. Bill sponsor Rep. Wright first called upon the OFI to study virtual currency regulation in 2019,according to The Advocate. During that session, he also introduced adifferent crypto licensing bill. Related:Luxembourg Passes Bill to Give Blockchain Securities Legal Status That bill died in the House committee. Andrew Hinkes, a lawyer with Carlton Fields, said the 2020 bill appears to derive from the Virtual Currency Business Act (VCBA), alicensure regimeby the non-partisan Uniform Law Commission (ULC). ULC drafts model laws meant to bring statutory uniformity across state lines. California, Oklahoma and Hawaii are all considering versions of the VCBA, he said. See also:The Uniform Law Commission Has Given States a Clear Path to Approach Bitcoin “The ULC releases model laws which sometimes are quickly adopted by multiple states and sometimes are not adopted at all,” he said. “State legislatures ultimately make policy decisions for their states and decide whether model laws are appropriate.” The 23-page bill has ‘significant’ differences from the ULC’s 50+ page VCBA. Hinkes said it does not include reporting requirements, enforcement mechanisms, compliance programs and consumer protections that the VCBA put forth. Rep. Wright did not immediately return a request for comment. • US Lawmaker Reintroduces Bill Seeking ‘Safe Harbor’ for Some Crypto Startups • Wyoming Lawmakers Advance Blockchain ‘Sandbox’ Bill || Bitmain Co-Founder Offers Share Buyback at $4B Valuation to End Power Struggle: Zhan Ketuan, the once-ousted Bitmain co-founder who returned to power earlier this month, is proposing a solution to end the firm’s internal war. In a letter Sunday, Zhan, who as Bitmain’s biggest shareholder owns 36% of its stock, offered to buy back shares possessed by rival co-founder Wu Jihan, several founding members and some of Bitmain employees, at a company valuation of $4 billion. Wu controls about 20% of Bitmain and three other founding members own about 15% in total. Bitmain’s employee stock option pool has another 19% and the remaining 10% belongs to external investors. Related: Bitmain Read more: How Was It Possible for Bitmain to Oust Its Largest Shareholder Overnight? But Zhan’s $4 billion valuation of the firm is significantly down from a market high seen in the summer 2018. Bitmain had been valued at around $1 billion in September 2017 during its Series A round. When it went into high-profile fundraising in August 2018, it was valued at $12 billion and eventually $14.5 billion in a pre-IPO round. The offer comes in an effort to bring about negotiations that could end the divisions that have been tearing the company apart since Zhan clawed his way back into the firm after being ousted by Wu last October. Chip threat In addition to causing division among employees, the power struggle is endangering the firm’s miner manufacturing processes. Related: Bitcoin Miner Maker Ebang Estimates $2.5M Loss for Q1 in IPO Prospectus Update Zhan’s letter had been in response to a Sunday statement on Beijing Bitmain’s official website, which is controlled by Wu, saying its Hong Kong parent entity had cut off the chip processor supply chain to its Shenzhen factory. “Bitmain Hong Kong has suspended the chip supply for the time being to Century Cloud Core, which is now controlled by Zhan’s relatives, until we are assured, through negotiation with Zhan’s relatives, that they are committed to protecting the interest of Bitmain’s customers and of the company as a whole,” the statement reads. Story continues Bitmain Technologies Limited in Hong Kong is Bitmain’s offshore sales and procurement center for crypto mining hardware. The bitcoin miner’s manufacturing business relies on computing chips supplied by semiconductor companies. Since Zhan’s forceful return to the firm, he had seized control of Century Cloud Core, Bitmain’s packaging factory and warehouse in Shenzhen, and paused shipments to customers. According to a former employee at Beijing Bitmain who is familiar with the matter, Zhan’s brother-in-law, Zhou Feng, has been placed in charge of the Shenzhen entity. In his letter, Zhan responded that, if necessary, he would procure chips directly via Beijing Bitmain, even if that would cause a great deal of loss for the company as a whole. He further accused Wu of, among other things, forging a resolution passed by a claimed “shareholder meeting” last November at the Bitmain’s Cayman Islands-based holding entity. In fact, the meeting was never held because “several other shareholders including Zhan Ketuan as the biggest stakeholder never received a notice of such meeting ever,” Zhan claimed. Read more: Bitmain’s Power Struggle Takes Toll on Customers as Co-Founder Halts Shipments Beijing Bitmain Technology Ltd. is a fully owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Bitmain Technologies Ltd. That, in turn, is fully owned by the ultimate controlling entity, BitMain Technologies Holding, which incorporated in the Caymans but also registered in Hong Kong. When ousting Zhan in October last year, Wu filed to the Hong Kong government to have Zhan’s name removed as a board director at the Cayman holding company. The two sides now have an ongoing legal case in the Cayman Islands with regards to disputes over Zhan’s 60% voting power at Bitmain. Related Stories Bitmain Co-Founder Offers Share Buyback at $4B Valuation to End Power Struggle Bitmain Co-Founder Offers Share Buyback at $4B Valuation to End Power Struggle [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: up || Prices: 9087.30, 9132.49, 9073.94, 9375.47, 9252.28, 9428.33, 9277.97, 9278.81, 9240.35, 9276.50
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2015-12-02] BTC Price: 359.19, BTC RSI: 57.42 Gold Price: 1054.20, Gold RSI: 30.34 Oil Price: 39.94, Oil RSI: 36.62 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin flounders in Australia as regulatory worries bite: By Byron Kaye and Swati Pandey SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian businesses are turning their backs on bitcoin, as signs grow that the cryptocurrency's mainstream appeal is fading. Concerns about bitcoin's potential crime links mean many businesses have stopped accepting it, a trend accelerated by Australian banks' move last month to close the accounts of 13 of the country's 17 bitcoin exchanges. The development is a blow to hopes of bitcoin fans that the currency can play a significant role in everyday business transactions in developed economies, with Australia once seen as one of its most promising markets. It is estimated to hold 7 percent of the currency's $3.5 billion global value, a sizeable figure in a country of just 24 million people. "We've got a squeaky clean reputation, and that's actually worth a lot more to us than dipping into this," said James Snodgrass, principal of Sydney's Forsyth Real Estate, which ditched the currency in late 2014 after the firm was investigated by the federal tax office. Forsyth had offered to collect home deposits and other realtor fees via bitcoin to cater to international buyers. The tax office probe found no wrongdoing but Forsyth was burned by the negative publicity and bailed out before ever taking a bitcoin payment. Although most mainstream banks in Europe and the U.S. already refuse to keep bitcoin-affiliated accounts, developments in Australia represent the first coordinated shutdown of bitcoin exchanges by a country's banking system. The move makes it much harder for people to convert regular currencies in to or out of bitcoin, threatening its long-term value. "It really runs on people using bitcoin, and if nobody uses it then it's worthless," said University of Technology Sydney senior finance lecturer Adrian Lee. BANK SHUTDOWN The banks' shutdown appears at odds with a government inquiry which in August recommended removing sales tax for people who buy bitcoin. The Australian anti-money laundering agency, AUSTRAC, told Reuters that banks have no legal obligation to close bitcoin accounts. The so-called "Big Four" banks - Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Westpac Banking Corp, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group and National Australia Bank - directed inquiries about bitcoin to the Australian Bankers' Association. Tony Pearson, the association's acting chief executive, wouldn't confirm the coordinated rejection of bitcoin but said in an email that its "lack of transparency and regulatory oversight raises a number of risks for users and also poses risks for the payments system, the integrity of the financial system and the erosion of the tax base". Australia's organised crime agency has said it is concerned the currency's untraceable nature makes it attractive for money laundering and selling illicit drugs. In the U.K. and the U.S., most large banks have already cut ties with bitcoin account holders, but lack of industry co-ordination has left room for individual lenders to support the currency, including Germany's Fidor Bank AG, which operates in Britain, and tech-focused Californian lender Silicon Valley Bank. CLOSE, MOVE OFFSHORE OR SNEAK AROUND The 13 Australian bitcoin exchanges whose accounts were closed by the banks have shut operations. The remaining four have had their accounts frozen, and now face three options: close, move overseas or spread their business into several smaller bank accounts to avoid detection by their banks. Buyabitcoin.com.au, one of the remaining four exchanges, said it is still considering its options. "It makes it, obviously, hard to take payments from our customers, but we have a couple of relationships left," said Andrew Smith, general manager of the Melbourne-based exchange. Smith declined to identify which bank his firm is now using from fear of repercussions but said he plans to move the business offshore. Two sources told Reuters that regional lender Bank of Queensland still held some bitcoin accounts. The bank said in an email that "virtual currencies fall outside of our risk appetite" but did not deny or confirm it had these accounts. RETAIL PULLOUT Some industry watchers believe ambivalence may be bitcoin's biggest problem. At least six Australian retail businesses, which as recently as 2014 courted publicity for offering sales by bitcoin, told Reuters they were considering exiting the currency. "If governments begin to aggressively attack the whole idea of cryptocurrencies and give it a bad name, it might have an adverse effect on our brand by accepting it," said David Brim, co-founder of off-road vehicle maker Tomcar Australia, which has sold one car using bitcoin since introducing it in November 2014. Grant Fairweather, owner of the Metropolitan Hotel in Sydney, said he started accepting bitcoin when a group of digital currency fans chose his pub as their regular meeting venue. "They tell me that it's doing quite well, but that doesn't transpose into here," said Fairweather, who sells about A$100 ($70) worth of drinks via bitcoin from the meetings and does no other bitcoin trade. An online clothing retailer told Reuters she had made no bitcoin sales since introducing the service in 2013 and asked not to be named, saying "since bitcoin's going out anyway, we'd rather not throw our name back into it". (Additional reporting by Nathan Lynch in SYDNEY and Jemima Kelly in LONDON. Editing by Jane Wardell and Rachel Armstrong) || 10 things you need to know today: man on pig (https://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult Farmer Zhang Xianping with pig Big Precious during an interview with the media in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, China. Here is what you need to know. Volkswagen has another emissions scandal . The German automaker announced that an internal investigation had discovered "irregularities in CO2 levels" in as many as 800,000 vehicles. It is unclear whether the irregularities are related to the recently discovered emissions scandal related to nitrogen-oxide testing. " Under the ongoing review of all processes and workflows in connection with diesel engines it was established that the CO2 levels and thus the fuel consumption figures for some models were set too low during the CO2 certification process," Volkswagen said in a statement. "The majority of the vehicles concerned have diesel engines." Tesla is flying high after its latest outlook . Shares of Tesla were up 10% in after-hours trade after the company announced it expected to deliver 17,000 to 19,000 vehicles in the fourth quarter, outpacing the Wall Street consensus. For all of 2015, Tesla said it would deliver 50,000 to 52,000 vehicles, narrowing its range from its previous estimate of 50,000 to 55,000. On the earnings front, the electric-car maker lost $0.58 per share, which was slightly worse than the $0.56 loss that was anticipated. Revenue jumped 33.4% to $1.24 billion, in line with estimates. US auto sales are at the highest level in a decade . The latest Autodata showed US auto sales rose at an annualized pace of 18.24 million in October, the best in a decade. The number easily surpassed the Wall Street consensus of 17.7 million vehicles . Mazda (+35.4%) saw the biggest gains, while General Motors (+16%) and Ford (+13%) posted solid results. BMW USA (-6.6%) was the lone decliner. Honda is dumping Takata airbags . The AFP reports that Takata's largest client, Honda, has severed its relationship with the company after US authorities announced a $200 million fine against the airbag maker. Takata airbags have been linked to eight deaths and even more injuries around the world. "On a global basis, no new Honda and Acura models currently under development will be equipped with a front driver or passenger Takata airbag inflator," Honda said in a statement. Shares of Takata were down as much as 20% in Tokyo. Story continues Iceland raised rates . Iceland's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate 25 basis points to 5.75%. The central bank noted that domestic demand was expected to increase by more than 7% this year and that gross domestic product was forecast to grow at 4.6%. As for inflation, the central bank said: "It is still expected that large pay increases will cause inflation to rise above the target as 2016 progresses and the effects of low global inflation taper off. Inflation will not return to target until 2018." The Icelandic krona is weaker by 0.2% at 128.90 per dollar. European services data was strong . October Services PMI for the eurozone was released, and it showed that every country outpaced expectations except for Germany. Spain saw the biggest month-over-month increase, as its reading climbed from 54.6 in September to 55.9 in October and easily beat the 54.6 that was expected. Germany's number ticked up to 54.5 from 54.1 but missed the 55.2 that economists were expecting. The eurozone as a whole improved to 54.1 from 53.7. The euro is down 0.3% at 1.0935. Bitcoin has gone parabolic . On Tuesday, bitcoin rallied 10% to close just shy of the $400 mark. On Wednesday morning, bitcoin is up another 15% near $454. The digital currency has surged 89% since the beginning of October. Stock markets around the world are higher. China's Shanghai Composite (+4.3%) surged after the People's Bank of China released some dated comments from governor Zhou Xiaochuan. In Europe, Spain's IBEX (+1.2%) leads the gains. S&P 500 futures are higher by 2.75 points at 2,105.75. US economic data is moderate. ADP Employment Change is due out at 8:15 a.m. ET before the trade balance crosses the wires at 8:30 a.m. ET and ISM Services is released at 10 a.m. ET. Crude-oil inventories will be announced at 10:30 a.m. ET. The US 10-year yield is down 1 basis point at 2.20%. Earnings reporting remains heavy. 21st Century Fox, Allergan, CDW, Honda Motor, Michael Kors, and Time Warner highlight the names scheduled to release their quarterly results ahead of the opening bell. Facebook, Marathon Oil, MetLife, Prudential, Qualcomm, Sturm Ruger, and Whole Foods are among the companies reporting after markets close. NOW WATCH: Here's the Bill Cosby joke Eddie Murphy did at the Kennedy Center that everyone's talking about More From Business Insider 10 things you need to know today 10 things you need to know today 10 things you need to know today || Jamie Dimon thinks bitcoin is doomed—but here’s what he does like about it: Jamie Dimon doesn't think highly of this whole bitcoin thing. Bitcoin might be the hottest topic in financial technology, but Jamie Dimon isn’t impressed. “It’s just not going to happen…there is no government that is going to put up with it for long,” the CEO of JPMorgan Chase said about virtual currency at the Fortune Global Forum yesterday (Nov. 4), adding: “It’s kind of cute now, a lot of senators and congressmen will say ‘I support Silicon Valley innovation,’ But there will be no currency that gets around government controls.” ExxonMobil faces a New York investigation into whether it hid the risks of climate change The “blockchain” technology that makes bitcoin possible, on the other hand, could be a potential game changer, Dimon admitted. JPMorgan and 22 other major banks have recently partnered with R3, a blockchain startup, to study blockchain technology and possibility of idea of a shared, private ledger. Blockchain is essentially a shared database where people can exchange information—as well as virtual currencies like bitcoin, stock certificates, contract agreements, and even securities. For something like sending money across borders, using blockchain technology can make the process much faster and cheaper. “If it is cheaper, effective, works, and secure, then we are going to use it,” said Dimon. The IRS and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) both consider bitcoin a commodity , instead of a currency—essentially a piece of property you pay taxes on. Yet, more recently, government agencies outside the US have been more receptive of bitcoin as a currency, and not taxable. Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief , our free daily newsletter with the world’s most important and interesting news. More stories from Quartz: A nuclear war between India and Pakistan is a very real possibility Explore the complicated network of allies and enemies in Syria’s civil war || Bitcoin Seeks To Right Music-Industry Wrongs: The music industry has been plagued by problems ever since the advent of the Internet and digital file sharing. Free file sharing, illegal downloads and streaming services that offer unlimited listening for a low monthly fee have all contributed to a growing resentment among artists who say that the value their work isn't being recognized adequately. However, the bitcoin community is looking to all of that by using blockchain, the ledger-like technology that the cryptocurrency runs on, to create more transparent contracts. Royalty Distribution As many artists have their royalty fees negotiated by their labels, undesirable contracts with streaming services are often outside of their control. That means that their music can be played on services like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL )'s Apple Music or Spotify for a minor fee that the artist often find insufficient. In order to combat this, Ujo Music is working to create a system in which artists contracts are secured via blockchain. That way, transparency between the artist, the label and the streaming service is ensured and artists have more control over how and where their music is sold. Related Link: Is Adele Giving Pandora's Stock A Boost? Maybe, But A Major Copyright Overhang May Have Just Been Removed Peer-To-Peer Sharing A service called Peertracks is looking to use an alt-coin in order to deliver value to artists that choose to share their music on the service. The company uses "artist tokens" which increase in value as a particular track gains popularity. Music that doesn't reach many people would generate tokens with less value. In such a system artists are paid for the consumption of their music and rewarded for songs that are particularly catchy. Bitcoin Payments Bittunes is another startup aiming to the music industry, only this service is hoping to keep things simple and use bitcoin as a form of payment. The company allows users to play new tracks for $0.50, half of which goes to the artist while the other half is redistributed to a group of buyers. That way, the company's managing director Simon Edhouse has said, the transaction remains between an artist and their fans. Songs that make it to the service's Top 100 increase in price to $1.00, leaving the artist with 40 percent of the sale, the buyers sharing an additional 40 percent between themselves while Bittunes collects the remaining 20 percent. Story continues A World Outside Of Cryptocurrency Blockchain's entrance into the music space underscores the growing enthusiasm surrounding the technology. While bitcoin itself has raised questions about safety and reliability, the technology behind the cryptocurrency is often dubbed one of the most important technological advances of the decade. For that reason, many startups are focusing on how to implement blockchain into new industries rather than on ways to help spread the word about bitcoin. Many believe that bitcoin may never make it as a widely accepted form of currency, but on the other hand blockchain has the potential to revolutionize several different industries. See more from Benzinga 6 Ways Blockchain Could Change The World 8 Ways To Add Solar To Your Portfolio Obamacare Is Still Under Pressure; Here's Why © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Caribbean Students to Benefit From Flow, One-on-One Education Partnership: MIAMI, FL--(Marketwired - Oct 21, 2015) - Cable & Wireless, operator of the Flow and LIME brands, has signed a landmark five-year exclusive partnership with One on One Education Services aimed at offering Caribbean students greater access to a wide variety of study materials for GSAT, CSEC and CAPE examinations. One on One Education Services will provide a variety of educational materials including video tutorials for full online courses, video lectures, and past paper solutions, as well as other examination preparation materials such as notes, question and solutions banks. This education programme will also include a Digital Encyclopaedia, Virtual Labs -- a unique visual and interactive way of learning. As part of this partnership, Flow customers will receive the basic education package at no additional cost with their Broadband service and will be able to upgrade at exclusively discounted prices. The education content will be available seamlessly across a Flow Study website, exclusive Flow Study apps, as well on the Flow Video On Demand TV platform. "This is yet another demonstration of our commitment to technology investment for the development of the region," said John Reid, President of C&W Consumer Group. "Through initiatives such as One on One we have a tremendous opportunity to provide our customers with access to high quality education tools across multiple platforms that would have otherwise been costly and unattainable," he added. Reid also said, "We went through a vigorous process to determine which provider had the best overall education solution in the region. Our quest led us to One on One, and we are truly delighted to be able to deliver the best to our customers." Ricardo D. Allen, President & CEO of One on One Educational Services, also noted, "We are very excited about this partnership with Cable & Wireless/Flow. This will propel our education programme to new heights, new markets and provide access that was considered unattainable." Allen further explained that in just a few years, his Company has enabled over 2,000 students in Jamaica alone, to enhance their performance at the CSEC/CAPE examination. He stated that several students have gained scholarships and grants toward their tertiary education. Allen added, "Our vision has always been to expand our business model through enabling greater access to our products as well as to continue in our effort to create even more online learning content which we will be doing through this deal. Cable & Wireless Communications is the market leader in the Caribbean for the provision of mobile, broadband and TV and therefore this deal fits nicely into our strategic objective to educate students anywhere, at any time. Through this deal, in addition to Internet access, students will be able to prepare for their exam from the comfort of their living room, on their TV, or on-the-go via Flow's mobile platform. The partnership is expected to continue the efforts of past initiatives of One on One to reduce the cost of education and increase the participation rate of children, and adults in learning. "Our objective is to have everyone learning something; now it's GSAT, CSEC & CAPE and tomorrow it may well be CPA, ACCA & CFA. Wherever there is learning, Flow & One on One will be your partner," Allen stated. About C&W CommunicationsCable & Wireless Communications Plc (CWC) is a full service communications and entertainment provider, operating in the Caribbean and Latin America. With annual sales of over US$2.4 billion, it operates both mobile and fixed networks, supported by submarine and terrestrial optical fibre backhaul capacity. Through the acquisition of Columbus International Inc on 31 March 2015, C&W now delivers superior high-speed mobile data, broadband and TV/video services. It has leading market positions in Mobile, Fixed Line, Broadband and TV consumer offers. Through its business division, C&W provides data centre hosting, domestic and international managed network services, and customised IT service solutions, utilising cloud technology to serve business and government customers. The company also operates a state-of-the-art subsea fibre optic cable network that spans more than 48,000 km -- the most extensive in the region -- as well as 38,000 km of terrestrial fibre providing wholesale and carrier backhaul capacity and a growing suite of wholesale managed services. C&W has more than 7,500 employees serving over 6 million customers (Mobile 3.8m; Fixed Line 1.1m; Video 460k and Broadband 665k) as well as over 125k corporate clients and 225 wholesale customers across 42 countries. The Company's leading brands include: LIME and Flow in the Caribbean; BTC in The Bahamas; Mas Movil in Panama; C&W Business and C&W Networks. C&W is the market leader in most products offered and territories served. It is a major contributor to local communities through its corporate social responsibility programmes. Cable & Wireless Communications' shares are quoted on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker CWC. The company is headquartered in London with its operational hub located in Miami, within close proximity to the Caribbean and Latin America. For more information visit:www.cwc.com. || Is The Video Subscription Space Saturated?: The way consumers watch TV has changed drastically over the past few years as the popularity of Internet video sites like YouTube have skyrocketed. Dedicated streaming services like Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX ) and Hulu emerged and their warm reception from American viewers caused traditional broadcasters to rethink their own operations. Now, several big name networks have created their own online, subscription-based services in an effort to give customers more choices for web-based viewing. However, with so many fragmented viewing options out there, many are wondering if the space is starting to become crowded. The All Important Millennial The younger generation is increasingly switching to online viewing, a troublesome sign for traditional cable. Services like Netflix and Amazon offer a wide range of content geared toward that demographic and have become popular choices for Millennials who are cutting the cord. Related Link: Why Netflix's Initial Selloff Was "Correct" However, in an effort to maintain a youthful audience, firms like NBC Universal and CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS ) have launched their own subscription services with content aimed at younger viewers. Stiff Competition NBC Universal recently unveiled a new streaming offering called Seeso, which will focus on comedy programming. The firm has been working together with non-traditional media companies like BuzzFeed and Vox to attract younger viewers, but the firm will have to compete with a host of other networks that are all doing the same thing. Dish Network's Sling TV, CBS' All Access service and Time Warner's HBO Now are just some of the many online subscription services that Seeso will have to compete with. Cutting The Cord While online viewing is gaining popularity, most agree that at the present moment there is no good way to cut the cord completely. Subscribing to the many online services that have saturated the streaming space would typically cost more than paying a traditional cable bill, so most consumers are choosing one or two online services to enhance their programming. That makes it difficult for new entrants like Seeso as more established names like Netflix are often a top choice. Story continues Image Credit: By Taro the Shiba Inu [ CC BY 2.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons See more from Benzinga Virtual Reality Becomes An Actual Reality With New Oculus Headset Netflix Viewing Stats Reveal That All Shows Aren't Created Equally 21 Inc's Bitcoin Computer Seeks To Redefine The Internet © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Liberal Interpretation Of IPO Helps This ETF Enjoy Facebook's Surge: There are a few certainties surroundingFacebook Inc(NASDAQ: FB)'s meteoric rise. It is irrefutable that the stock is up more than 17 percent over the past month. Likewise, it cannot be debated that now home to a market value north of $306 billion (as of Thursday's close), Facebook is worth more than all but a handful of S&P 500 companies. What can be debated is whether or not Facebook is a “new” stock. Three and a half years removed from its initial public offering, Facebook might be new compared to some public companies, but in this case, it depends on what one's view of “new” actually is. In the eyes of theFirst Trust US IPO Index Fund(NYSE: FPX) and the IPOX®-100 U.S. Index, that ETF's underlying index, Facebook still qualifies as an IPO. In fact, FPX currently possesses the largest weight to Facebook of any U.S.-listed ETF. With a Facebook allocation of 10.9 percent as of November 4, FPX's weight to Mark Zuckerberg's weight just nudges past the weights to that stock found in theFirst Trust Dow Jones Internet Index Fund(NYSE: FDN) and theGlobal X Social Media Index ETF(NASDAQ: SOCL). Approximately 80 ETFs currently hold shares of Facebook. Related Link: A New Sector ETF Defends Against Rising Rates On The Cheap Indeed, FPX and its index are somewhat liberal when it comes to viewing how long a new stock is, well, new. For example,AbbVie Inc.(NYSE: ABBV) is coming up on its third anniversary as a public company whilePhillips 66(NYSE: PSX) is more than three and a half years removed from its debut as a public company. Yet those companies combine for 14.5 percent of FPX's weight. FPX's primary rival, theRenaissance IPO ETF(NYSE: IPO), is more strict. It limits components' stays in the fund to two years, meaning Facebook no longer resides in IPO. FPX's underlying index “is a rules based value-weighted index measuring the average performance of U.S. IPOs during the first 1000 trading days. Index constituents are selected based on quantitative initial screens,” . The bit about 1,000 trading days is important because investors looking to use FPX as a proxy on further upside in shares of Facebook do not need to worry about the ETF suddenly dropping the stock. Based on FPX allowing stocks to stay for 1,000 trading days and how many trading days Facebook has currently been around for, it will be sometime in 2017 before FPX has to part ways with the stock. See more from Benzinga • Ferrari Races Into Its First ETF Home • Buy Some Bitcoin With This ETF • Tech ETFs Depend Heavily On Apple Earnings © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Bitcoin to be major reserve currency by 2030: Research: Bitcoin(: BTC=)industry insiders have issued an optimistic prediction for the cryptocurrency over the next few decades, suggesting it could be as widely used as the Swiss franc or the Australian dollar. U.K.-based Magister Advisors, which advises the technology industry on mergers and acquisitions, interviewed thirty of the leading bitcoin companies from across the globe. It found a consensus view that bitcoin will become the sixth largest global reserve currency within 15 years. A reserve currency is a currency that is held in large amounts by governments and institutions as part of their foreign exchange reserves, with the U.S. dollar(Intercontinental Exchange US: .DXY)currently being the most popular. Bitcoin is a virtual currency that allows users to exchange online credits for goods and services. It was trading at $374 on Tuesday morning, just off its year-to-date high, according to industry websiteCoinDesk. However, many observers believe the real value of the cryptocurrency lies in the technology behind the coin known as the blockchain, a public and transparent ledger of all bitcoin transactions. The survey found that an estimated $1 billion will be spent by the top 100 financial institutions on blockchain-related projects over the next 24 months. Jeremy Millar, partner at Magister Advisors who led the research, said that the blockchain was the most significant advancement in enterprise IT in the last decade. "We have now reached a fork in the road with bitcoin and blockchain. Bitcoin has proven itself as an established currency. Blockchain, more fundamentally, will become the default global standard distributed ledger for financial transactions," he predicted in an accompanying press release on Tuesday morning. In September, 13 of the world's leading banks joined a project to explore the possibilities behind using a type of distributed ledger in the mainstream financial world. Institutions like Bank of America, Citi and Deutsche Bank joined others like Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan which had already signed up. For many, it's the ledger that shows the real promise while the cryptocurrency itself is seen by some as having more of a shelf life. Aside from financials, the public ledger has a host of other useful applications. Pantera Capital in the U.S. is investing in a firm that is using the technology to help detect counterfeiting in the luxury goods industry. Simon Derrick, chief currency strategist at BNY Mellon, told CNBC via email Tuesday that he suspects the interesting part to the bitcoin story will be the underlying technology and whether it facilitates the introduction of truly digital currencies. Bitcoin is also renowned for its volatility and has been heavily criticized for facilitating illegal activity, given that it can be used anonymously. Jeffrey Robinson, the author of "BitCon: The Naked Truth about Bitcoin" is one such notable critic. He has told CNBC previously that he believes it is a "pretend currency masquerading as a pretend commodity" and says bitcoin advocates are akin to "snake oil salesmen." The report by Magister Advisors on Tuesday directly tackled this issue of volatility. It said that the primary usage of bitcoin today in developed markets was for speculation. The survey's respondents estimated that 90 percent of bitcoin by value is being held for speculation, not for commercial transactions. More From CNBC • Top News and Analysis • Latest News Video • Personal Finance || Bitcoin to be major reserve currency by 2030: Research: Bitcoin (: BTC=) industry insiders have issued an optimistic prediction for the cryptocurrency over the next few decades, suggesting it could be as widely used as the Swiss franc or the Australian dollar. U.K.-based Magister Advisors, which advises the technology industry on mergers and acquisitions, interviewed thirty of the leading bitcoin companies from across the globe. It found a consensus view that bitcoin will become the sixth largest global reserve currency within 15 years. A reserve currency is a currency that is held in large amounts by governments and institutions as part of their foreign exchange reserves, with the U.S. dollar (Intercontinental Exchange US: .DXY) currently being the most popular. Bitcoin is a virtual currency that allows users to exchange online credits for goods and services. It was trading at $374 on Tuesday morning, just off its year-to-date high, according to industry website CoinDesk . However, many observers believe the real value of the cryptocurrency lies in the technology behind the coin known as the blockchain, a public and transparent ledger of all bitcoin transactions. The survey found that an estimated $1 billion will be spent by the top 100 financial institutions on blockchain-related projects over the next 24 months. Jeremy Millar, partner at Magister Advisors who led the research, said that the blockchain was the most significant advancement in enterprise IT in the last decade. "We have now reached a fork in the road with bitcoin and blockchain. Bitcoin has proven itself as an established currency. Blockchain, more fundamentally, will become the default global standard distributed ledger for financial transactions," he predicted in an accompanying press release on Tuesday morning. In September, 13 of the world's leading banks joined a project to explore the possibilities behind using a type of distributed ledger in the mainstream financial world. Institutions like Bank of America, Citi and Deutsche Bank joined others like Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan which had already signed up. Story continues For many, it's the ledger that shows the real promise while the cryptocurrency itself is seen by some as having more of a shelf life. Aside from financials, the public ledger has a host of other useful applications. Pantera Capital in the U.S. is investing in a firm that is using the technology to help detect counterfeiting in the luxury goods industry. Simon Derrick, chief currency strategist at BNY Mellon, told CNBC via email Tuesday that he suspects the interesting part to the bitcoin story will be the underlying technology and whether it facilitates the introduction of truly digital currencies. Bitcoin is also renowned for its volatility and has been heavily criticized for facilitating illegal activity, given that it can be used anonymously. Jeffrey Robinson, the author of "BitCon: The Naked Truth about Bitcoin" is one such notable critic. He has told CNBC previously that he believes it is a "pretend currency masquerading as a pretend commodity" and says bitcoin advocates are akin to "snake oil salesmen." The report by Magister Advisors on Tuesday directly tackled this issue of volatility. It said that the primary usage of bitcoin today in developed markets was for speculation. The survey's respondents estimated that 90 percent of bitcoin by value is being held for speculation, not for commercial transactions. More From CNBC Top News and Analysis Latest News Video Personal Finance || Sub-zero interest rates have floor nearby, albeit a shaky one: By Mike Dolan LONDON (Reuters) - Zero is clearly not the floor for central bank interest rates, but there's still a lower limit nearby, however shaky it may be. For anyone assuming official interest rates would not or could not go below zero, it's been a sobering year. Four central banks in Europe have broken the taboo and are experimenting with the slightly puzzling concept of negative interest rates. The European Central Bank as well as the Swiss, Swedish and Danish central banks all now employ negative deposit rates - charging their commercial banks for holding reserves on deposit as yet another way of forcing them to lend more. Even though this upside-down world of negative rates appears to many to be just a technical quirk in the banking system, households and firms may start to wonder whether negative rates will spread to them given the obvious reluctance of central bankers to admit a floor and draw the line here. ECB chief Mario Draghi electrified markets last week by holding out the prospect of yet another cut in the ECB's deposit rate of minus 0.2 percent as it battles to get flat lining euro-zone inflation back up to its target of near 2 percent. Whether negative rates excite or terrify you, most economists reckon there's a limit. They insist a so-called 'lower bound' for rates - only debated in academic circles between the 1930s Depression and the credit crash of 2008 - is still a major and worrying constraint on monetary policy and that the floor is likely just a little below where we are now. For all the wonkish detail, it's no pinpoint science. Bank of England studies put the limit about minus 0.5 percent, for example. That's below the current ECB rate, though not as deep as the Swiss National Bank's minus 0.75 percent. National variations clearly apply, however. The BoE itself has, until recently at least, declined to cut its rates below 0.5 percent - due to the plethora of UK mortgage rates that track the policy rate but also because UK banks have typically never charged customers for current accounts. Story continues But the argument for an interest rate floor that's just slightly negative is relatively simple. If banks are charged ever larger penalties for depositing reserves with the central bank, the assumption is they will simply transfer the money into physical cash, which even at zero interest would still give them a better return. And their tolerance for negative rates is estimated to be the additional cost of securely stashing those crisp notes away in private vaults. "The source of the zero lower bound constraint lies in the unrestricted convertibility into cash of reserve accounts at the central bank," according to the annual 'Geneva Report' on the world economy from the UK-based think tank Centre for Economic Policy Research. But the report - authored by former BoE policymaker Charles Bean, former New York Federal Reserve economist Christian Broda, former Japanese financial diplomat Takatoshi Ito and former Fed governor Randall Kroszner - said the relatively high security cost of holding vast quantities of banknotes meant that this switching doesn't happen immediately that rates go below zero. "Banks are more likely to decide that it will be worth investing in setting up such secure facilities if central bank deposit rates are likely to be negative frequently and for substantial periods," they wrote, adding the "true floor" is probably close to BoE calculations of minus 0.5 percent. This is no stone floor, however. Reviewing the report, SNB Vice Chairman Fritz Zurbruegg said "the tipping point is not clearly defined; markets and businesses are very innovative." BLUFF? But if the zero bound does exist and it's at least close to where we are right now, what happens if inflation still won't rise back to target and further easing is needed? Was Mario Draghi just bluffing by saying he could do whatever it takes? Facing the risk of a deflationary trap, more bond buying and quantitative easing can at least try to push down long-term borrowing rates. But there are practical and political limits here too on what and just how much bonds to buy, while the benchmark 10-year German bund already yields less than 0.50 percent. Others suggest inflation targets could be raised to provoke a change in expectations and underline central bank determination. But if you're struggling to get inflation from zero to 2 percent, will it be any easier getting it to 4? That leaves more radical moves to overcome the lower bound. One includes getting rid of physical cash altogether to prevent banks switching into it - a plausible idea given the rise of card payments and electronic money. Another proposal involves abandoning the automatic 1-for-1 exchange between cash and reserves. One more alternative suggests banknotes would have to be stamped periodically to retain their legal tender. Spotlighting Bitcoin's emergence, BoE chief economist Andy Haldane said last month that some form of digital money wallets could be the future for new government-backed currency too and have the advantage of being able to absorb negative rates. "Perhaps central bank money is ripe for its own great technological leap forward, prompted by the pressing demands of the zero lower bound," he said. But, even if switching can be avoided, deeply negative rates may cause more problems than they solve by damaging bank balance sheets and stability, fueling increases in risky lending or leading to unintended consequences of banks recouping costs through higher mortgage or corporate lending rates - as seen in Switzerland. Deeply negative interest rates for a protracted period will also create distortions in asset markets. Together these fears may act as powerfully as any limit on just how negative rates can go. (Editing by Hugh Lawson) [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] #RDD / #BTC on the exchanges: Cryptsy: 0.00000003 Bittrex: 0.00000003 Average $1.0E-5 per #reddcoin 00:30:01 via #p…pic.twitter.com/0EM7mGh4O5 || Current price: 328.23$ $BTCUSD $btc #bitcoin 2015-11-19 10:00:05 EST || Current price: 334.37€ $BTCEUR $btc #bitcoin 2015-11-10 16:00:04 CET || $378.33 at 08:00 UTC [24h Range: $367.11 - $383.00 Volume: 13996 BTC] || In the last 10 mins, there were arb opps spanning 9 exchange pair(s), yielding profits ranging between $0.00 and $49.56 #bitcoin #btc || #RDD / #BTC on the exchanges: Cryptsy: 0.00000003 Bittrex: 0.00000003 Average $1.0E-5 per #reddcoin 05:45:00 || $251.71 #bitfinex; $251.26 #coinbase; $250.89 #bitstamp; $249.00 #btce; #bitcoin #btc || Current price: 231.99£ $BTCGBP $btc #bitcoin 2015-11-27 08:00:05 GMT || BTCTurk 1074.4 TL BTCe 362.356 $ CampBx $ BitStamp 363.25 $ Cavirtex 489 $ CEXIO 366.50 $ Bitcoin.de 345.00 € #Bitcoin #btc || Current price: 303.21€ $BTCEUR $btc #bitcoin 2015-11-22 10:00:12 CET
Trend: up || Prices: 361.05, 363.18, 388.95, 388.78, 395.54, 415.56, 417.56, 415.48, 451.94, 435.00
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2021-03-11] BTC Price: 57805.12, BTC RSI: 68.92 Gold Price: 1722.30, Gold RSI: 39.35 Oil Price: 66.02, Oil RSI: 68.32 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] New Emerging Markets Fund Targets Blockchain, DeFi Startups: Asset management firms Alpha Innovations and Arcanum Capital have launched a $10 million venture capital fund focused on driving blockchain innovation in emerging markets. The Arcanum Emerging Technologies Fund is to be the first of a series, with an initial close expected in late February, according to a company statement. The fund will provide seed and series A financing to blockchain firms in emerging markets, the companies said in a statement on Monday. According to James McDowall, a founding partner at Arcanum, the fund is geared towards finding, supporting as well as incubating blockchain startups that are exploring decentralized finance (DeFi) and building on Web 3.0. The fund also hopes to tackle social issues in emerging markets, McDowall said. Related: All About Bitcoin - Feb 17, 2021 “DeFi is hot right now. But there is a lot of financial inclusion to take place in India and other emerging markets, and that’s something we’re passionate about,” McDowall told CoinDesk. The fund will initially focus on blockchain projects in India, although not exclusively, McDowall said, adding that Arcanum founding partner Rahul Andra is based in Bangalore, India, where he is working directly with the blockchain communities to find promising projects. According to McDowall, India has one of the largest pools of talented developers in the world, and with around half of the country’s population under the age of 25, he expects a substantial spike in innovation and entrepreneurship. “At first glance it’s not exciting because it’s only $10 million. But we can do so much with that in India,” McDowall said. Related: The Hash - Feb 17, 2021 Despite India’s lack of regulatory clarity when it comes to crypto, and its recent decision to move forward with a blanket ban on mining, trading and crypto investments in the country, the local blockchain space is attracting substantial capital investment. Story continues In October, bitcoin investor Tim Draper backed a $5 million Series A funding round for Bangalore-based crypto exchange Unocoin. In December, India’s largest crypto exchange CoinDCX raised $13.9 million in Series B funding. According to Alpha Innovations Chief Operating Officer Nicole Biernat, what drew her towards a partnership with Arcanum was its global team. Arcanum founding partners are based in New York, Zurich, Bangalore and Beijing. “What’s so powerful about that is that each of them have these very deep networks and connections in their respective areas. So there’s a lot of different places to draw talent from,” Biernat said. All of the partners in the fund are veteran blockchain investors, McDowall said, adding that he has been investing in the space since 2016. Bermuda-based Alpha Innovations and U.S.-based Arcanum Capital have partnered with service providers including Bermuda’s Apex Fund Services, Walkers and KPMG for the launch of the fund. Related Stories New Emerging Markets Fund Targets Blockchain, DeFi Startups New Emerging Markets Fund Targets Blockchain, DeFi Startups || Microstrategy CEO says Bitcoin will subsume gold market cap: Feb 23 (Reuters) - Microstrategy Chief Executive Michael Saylor told CNBC on Tuesday that Bitcoin is going to subsume the entire gold market cap. “There’s $10 trillion dollars worth of gold in there, $1 trillion in bitcoin. The bitcoin is going to flip gold and it’s going to subsume the entire gold market cap," he said in the CNBC interview. "Then it’s going to subsume negative yielding sovereign debt and other monetary indexes until it grows to $100 trillion dollars.” Saylor also told CNBC that Bitcoin is not for spending and not really a currency and that it's for saving. MicroStrategy is a major corporate backer of the digital currency, and is engaged in an almost $1 billion convertible note offering with proceeds going to buying bitcoin. (Reporting By Sinéad Carew; Editing by Alden Bentley and Chizu Nomiyama) || World equity index gains for 8th day; U.S. bond yields fall after data: By Caroline Valetkevitch NEW YORK (Reuters) - MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe rose on Wednesday for an eighth straight session even as the S&P 500 eased, and U.S. Treasury yields tumbled on data showing inflation remained tame in January. U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, in remarks to the Economic Club of New York, called for a more comprehensive approach to end the jobs crisis while reassuring investors interest rates will remain low to spur the economy and jobs growth. "Basically Powell is saying he's not changing his tune, and that simply means between the combination of an overly friendly Fed and stimulus, that's just adding more enthusiasm to the marketplace," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Spartan Capital Securities in New York. Bets on more fiscal aid have powered Wall Street's main indexes to a series of all-time peaks, with investors moving into sectors such as energy, banks and industrials that are poised to benefit from a recovering economy. On Wednesday, the S&P consumer discretionary and technology sectors ended lower and were the biggest drags on the S&P 500 in a volatile session. The S&P 500 hit a record high at the opening. Interest from retail investors appeared to broadly lift cannabis stocks, signaling the recent trading frenzy behind Reddit favorites such as GameStop is shifting to other companies. Shares of Tilray jumped 50.9%. Supporting the S&P 500, Twitter Inc shares rose 13.2%, a day after the company beat Wall Street estimates for quarterly sales and profit and followed its social media peers to forecast a strong start to 2021 as ad spending rebounds from a rock bottom. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 61.97 points, or 0.2%, to 31,437.8, the S&P 500 lost 1.35 points, or 0.03%, to 3,909.88 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 35.16 points, or 0.25%, to 13,972.53. The pan-European STOXX 600 index lost 0.23% and MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe gained 0.20%. The MSCI index also registerd a record high. Bitcoin, meanwhile, consolidated recent gains on Wednesday, trading 3.7% lower at $44,780. It hit a new high of $48,216 on Tuesday following Tesla's disclosure of a $1.5 billion investment in the virtual currency. The dollar fell to a two-week low, weighed down by U.S. inflation data, while benchmark U.S. Treasury yields also tumbled. The data showed that inflation stayed benign in January, disappointing investors betting that price pressures would increase more. The Labor Department said its consumer price index increased 0.3% last month after climbing a revised 0.2% in December. Story continues Benchmark 10-year notes last rose 10/32 in price to yield 1.1242%, from 1.157% late on Tuesday. The dollar index =USD drifted to a two-week low of 90.249, posting its third day of losses. It last traded 0.1% lower at 90.377. Oil rose, extending its rally for a ninth day, its longest winning streak in two years, helped by producer supply cuts and hopes vaccine rollouts will drive a recovery in demand. Brent crude rose 38 cents to settle at $61.47 a barrel, while U.S. crude climbed 32 cents to settle at $58.68. Spot gold added 0.3% to $1,842.11 an ounce. (Additional reporting by Jessica Resnick-Ault and Karen Brettell in New York and Elizabeth Howcroft in London and Devik Jain and Medha Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Larry King, Steve Orlofsky, Peter Graff, Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio) View comments || Jack Dorsey's Square Commences Operations As An Industrial Bank: Fintech companySquare Inc.(NYSE:SQ) has officially commenced banking operations, nearly a year after receiving conditional approval to operate a bank. What Happened: Square, historically known for its card reader and point-of-sale solutions,saidMonday that its industrial bank has commenced operations after completing the charter approval process with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Utah Department of Financial Institutions. Known as Square Financial Services, the primary purpose of the Salt Lake City, Utah-based bank will be to offer business loan and deposit products. The bank will initially underwrite and originate business loans for Square Capital’s existing lending product. Moving forward, Square Financial Services will be the primary provider of financing for Square sellers across the U.S. Square Financial Services will continue to sell loans to third-party investors and limit balance sheet exposure. Square said it does not expect the bank to have a material impact on its consolidated balance sheet, total net revenue, gross profit, or adjusted EBITDA in 2021. Why It Matters: Square CFO Amrita Ahuja noted that bringing banking capability in-house will enable the company to “operate more nimbly.” Earlier, Square Capital used to issue loans under a partnership with Celtic Bank, another industrial bank based in Utah. Fintech companies are increasingly looking to get approval to operate banks. Some of these companies already offering products typically offered by banks, including credit products to small businesses, in order to diversify their source of revenue. The products are intended to provide their customers with quick access to funding to meet their business needs. The vision of Square Co-Founder and CEO Jack Dorsey is for the company to become a collection of multiple businesses under one corporate structure, Bloombergreportedin December last year. Square announced purchasing 3,318 bitcoins (CRYPTO: BTC) in February over the 4,709 bitcoins purchased in October last year. See Also:Square CFO Says Bitcoin 'Is Aligned With Our Purpose' Of Economic Empowerment Price Movement:Square closed 4.8% higher on Monday at $241.00. See more from Benzinga • Click here for options trades from Benzinga • Tesla's Share Of European EV Market Reduced To 3.5% • Disney+ Subscriptions Are Growing Beyond Expectations, Thanks To Adults With No Kids At Home: CEO © 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || RBI has 'major concerns' over cryptocurrencies: Governor Shaktikanta Das: By Swati Bhat and Nupur Anand MUMBAI (Reuters) - The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has "major concerns" about cryptocurrencies, Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Wednesday, flagging potential risks to financial stability. Das said he had communicated his concerns to the government, which has largely opposed trading in private cryptocurrencies in recent years. He said the RBI's plans to launch its own digital currency remained a "work in progress". "We have major concerns from the financial stability angle," Das told news channel CNBC-TV18 in an interview, adding that the RBI was "targeting to launch" a digital currency. "It will be very difficult and not possible for me to give a date as there are several loose ends that need to be tied up and it is receiving our full attention." Bitcoin pared gains following Das' comments. It was up 1.5% at $49,622 by 0715 GMT, having traded 5% higher in early trade. The comments come as India's parliament is due to discuss the potential introduction of a law to ban private cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin in the current session of Parliament, according to a legislative agenda. An Indian government panel in 2019 recommended banning all private cryptocurrencies with a jail term of up to 10 years and heavy fines for anyone dealing in digital currencies. The central bank told lenders in 2018 they could not offer any banking services to any cryptocurrency traders or exchanges, but the order was challenged in court and eventually reversed by the top court. "The premise that crypto will be a competitor to the Indian rupee and so will lead to financial instability is incorrect," said Nischal Shetty, chief executive of the WazirX cryptocurrency exchange. "In order to ensure that there is financial stability we have the option of regulating it." Rashmi Deshpande, partner at law firm Khaitan & Co, which has represented crypto firms in the top court, also said the way forward was to regulate the market. "We have made recommendations to the government to treat crypto as an asset class just (like) other securities ... which (are) then governed by the market regulator or any other regulatory body." (Reporting by Swati Bhat and Nupur Anand; Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa) || From Inception To Date: How Bitcoin Touched $50,000: The first cryptocurrency was created in 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto. Despite its strong volatility, some analysts think that the value of Bitcoin is set to grow. While the European Central Bank (ECB) doesn't consider it as a currency,Tesla Inc.(NASDAQ:TSLA) has decided to accept it as a payment method. One Record After Another:Bitcoin(BTC) almost reached the $50,000 mark, stopping just one step away from the finish line at $49,716.44. As it’s always the case when it comes to cryptocurrencies, volatility is still very high, but the increase in price - between ups and downs – has been a constant trend since September. After the record high reached at the end of 2017, Bitcoin value collapsed to $4,000. Today, it reached again the highest level, increasingly attracting interest among both private and institutional investors. See Also:Bitcoin Crosses ,000 For The First Time Ever When It All Began:It was 2009 when Satoshi Nakamoto created the most famous cryptocurrency in the world. Unlike a fiat currency, it is not distributed by a central bank, but it’s based on a network of PCs that distributes it based on a cryptography mechanism that is used to validate transactions. Another feature is the limited amount: only 21 million Bitcoins are available on the net. What Is Blockchain:The blockchain is a technology born together with Bitcoin. It is a decentralized system based on an open, shared, and distributed ledger that relies on peer-to-peer technology in order to ensure the security of every single transaction. Among other things, the use of this technology also ensures the transparency and immutability of the content of the ledger. First Bitcoin Transactions:Will Bitcoin ever be used for everyday payments? There’s still a debate in this regard. What is sure is that it was used to pay for a pizza. On May 22, 2010 the programmer Laszlo Hanyecz paid for two pizzas with the cryptocurrency by offering 10,000 BTC, which at the time were only worth $30 - today almost $500 million. Buying A Tesla With Bitcoin:With speculation and investments, Bitcoin is increasingly in the spotlight. Tesla founder Elon Musk said he will accept Bitcoin payments in the future, but he will rely on third parties to mitigate its volatility. The Wall Street Journal also explained the reasons why Bitcoin is unlikely to become a currency for the payments of everyday spending. At the moment, the main issue limiting this use is the strong volatility that can change the value of an asset from the moment of purchase to the delivery of the asset itself. What’s Next?Some people think Bitcoin is set to rise, while other analysts suggest it will experience a halt. Full-fledged currency or a mere speculative asset? The debate is getting underway. It is difficult to imagine what to expect in the near future. According to Bradley Duke, co-founder & CEO of ETC Group — the company that launched BTCetc Bitcoin Exchange Traded Crypto (BTCE) listed on Deutsche Boerse - "one of the main factors explaining the strong acceleration of Bitcoin is the basic change of the risk premium for asset managers, who now need to be able to access the safest way possible to invest in Bitcoin”. However, the decision on Bitcoin's risk premium is now "much less that of an asset class on the edge when compared to the Tesla case, which rallied 8.2 times in 2020 to reach a bigger market capitalization than the seven largest car manufacturers in the world, albeit at a fraction of their revenues.” See Also:This Is How Tesla Could Let You Buy An EV With Bitcoin "It Is Not A Currency:"In the past few days, the ECB has taken a stand against cryptocurrency. "Bitcoin is not a currency, and it is out of question that it will somehow become part of an effort to create an official digital currency in the future," said Christine Lagarde in recent days. Besides, Janet Yellen, former president of the Federal Reserve and now head of the U.S. Treasury Department, took a similar stance. Among the new trends of the near future, cloud-mining could get a foothold: it’s about the possibility of mining cryptocurrencies by renting a small part of the mining capacity of a third party and paying for the actually consumed power. This is also why, Criptomining - an Italian Bitcoin miner based in Milan - is tripling its mining capacity and aims to become a benchmark in the field of shared mining. The issue of consuming electricity to mine Bitcoin appears to some as another restriction to the global spread of the cryptocurrency. This article originallyappearedon Financialounge.com and was translated from Italian to English. It does not represent the opinion of Benzinga and has not been edited. For news coverage in Italian or Spanish, check outBenzinga ItaliaandBenzinga España. See more from Benzinga • Click here for options trades from Benzinga • Audi Challenges Tesla With New Electric Sedan E-Tron GT • Apple Car: After Hyundai Fallout, Rumors Of Renault Partnership Appear © 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Warren Buffett: 'It’s easy to overlook the many miracles occurring in middle America': Billionaire investing icon Warren Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK-B , BRK-A ), reiterated his “never bet against America” maxim on Saturday in his annual letter to shareholders . “Today, with much of finance, media, government and tech located in coastal areas, it’s easy to overlook the many miracles occurring in middle America,” Buffett wrote in the widely-read letter. The 90-year-old Omaha, Nebraska native, who has an estimated net worth of $92.7 billion , is widely considered the greatest investor of all time. Buffett, who has long been bullish on America, wrote that “success stories abound throughout America.” “Since our country’s birth, individuals with an idea, ambition and often just a pittance of capital have succeeded beyond their dreams by creating something new or by improving the customer’s experience with something old,” he said. In his letter, he highlighted two communities that “provide stunning illustrations of the talent and ambition existing throughout our country.” Omaha To no surprise, he began with Omaha, sharing a story about a 1940 Omaha Central High School graduate named Jack Ringwalt. According to Buffett, Ringwalt started a property/casualty insurance company with $125,000 called National Indemnity. This “pipsqueak operation” competed with the “big boys” by focusing on “odd-ball risks.” “Jack was honest, shrewd, likeable and a bit quirky," Buffett wrote. "In particular, he disliked regulators. When he periodically became annoyed with their supervision, he would feel an urge to sell his company." In 1967, after a 15-minute conversation, Ringwalt sold National Indemnity to Berkshire Hathaway on a handshake deal. “I never asked for an audit," he said. "Today National Indemnity is the only company in the world prepared to insure certain giant risks. And, yes, it remains based in Omaha, a few miles from Berkshire’s home office." Buffett pointed out that Berkshire has purchased four additional Omaha-based businesses, most famously the Nebraska Furniture Mart, founded by the legendary Rose “Mrs. B” Blumkin, a Russian immigrant who arrived unable to speak or read in English. Story continues Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett (L) walks with Kevin T. Clayton, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary Clayton Homes, out of one of the company's houses prior to the Berkshire annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska May 2, 2015. Billionaire investor Buffett on Saturday defended his Clayton Homes unit against accusations that the manufactured home seller had preyed on lower-income purchasers with its lending practices. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (Rick Wilking / reuters) Knoxville The next city he pointed to was Knoxville, Tennessee, where Berkshire now owns 100% of Clayton Homes and 38% of Pilot Trade Centers, with plans to own 80% by 2023. The respective founders — Jim Clayton of Clayton Homes and “Big Jim” Haslam of Pilot Travel Centers, graduated from the University of Tennessee and chose to build their businesses in Knoxville. “Neither had a meaningful amount of capital nor wealthy parents. But, so what? Today, Clayton and Pilot each have annual pre-tax earnings of more than $1 billion. Together they employ about 47,000 men and women,” Buffett wrote. Buffett emphasized that there’s an “army of successful entrepreneurs who populate every part of our country.” What’s more, entrepreneurs need America’s “framework for prosperity” and America needs people willing to build businesses. “In its brief 232 years of existence, however, there has been no incubator for unleashing human potential like America," he wrote. "Despite some severe interruptions, our country’s economic progress has been breathtaking. Beyond that, we retain our constitutional aspiration of becoming ‘a more perfect union.’ Progress on that front has been slow, uneven and often discouraging. We have, however, moved forward and will continue to do so. Our unwavering conclusion: Never bet against America." Read more from the Daily Journal Meeting: Charlie Munger on Robinhood and GameStop frenzy: 'It's a dirty way to make money' Munger diverges from Buffett on Wells Fargo: 'Warren got disenchanted' Munger: 'The world would be better off without' SPACs ‘I have a bust of him’: Charlie Munger on why he admires Singapore's first prime minister Munger compares Bitcoin to what Oscar Wilde said about fox hunting Charlie Munger says Costco 'has one thing that Amazon does not' Munger: It's 'absolute insanity' to think owning 100 stocks makes you a better investor than owning five Munger: A little inequality is good for the economy || UPDATE 3-MicroStrategy to borrow $600 million to buy more bitcoin: (Adds background on bitcoin holdings) Feb 16 (Reuters) - Major bitcoin corporate backerMicroStrategy will borrow $600 million to buy more ofthe currency, it said on Tuesday, as the cryptocurrency surgedpast $50,000 in a rally fueled by wider acceptance amonginvestors. The company, whose Chief Executive Michael Saylor is one ofthe most vocal proponents of bitcoin, spent last year steadilyamassing more of the currency after making its first investmentin August as it soared in value. Bitcoin received its most recent boost when Elon Musk'sTesla Inc bought $1.5 billion of the currency earlierthis month. It has also attracted endorsements from businesspeople and celebrities, who have bet it will become analternative to central-bank issued currencies. Shares of MicroStrategy, the world's largest publicly tradedbusiness intelligence company, rose more than 4% on the news,adding to their meteoric 580% surge in the past year. Bitcoin,which was worth around $7,200 at the start of last year, rosemore than 5% to briefly break past the $50,000 mark. The company already owns close to 72,000 bitcoin, aregulatory filing showed on Feb. 2, valuing its bitcoin holdingsat about $3.6 billion, according to a Reuters calculation. Many cryptocurrencies have struggled to win the trust ofmainstream investors and the general public due to theirspeculative nature and potential for money laundering. However, major firms such as BNY Mellon, assetmanager BlackRock Inc, credit card giant Mastercard Incand payments companies Square and PayPal,have backed certain cryptocurrencies in recent weeks. MicroStrategy bought nearly 25,000 bitcoin for $250 millionin August last year, the company's foray into thecryptocurrency. Saylor at the time called bitcoin an attractiveinvestment asset, with more long-term appreciation potentialthan cash. MicroStrategy said last week that it views its bitcoincoffers as long-term holdings and does not plan to regularlytrade in the currency or to hedge or enter into derivativecontracts. https://bit.ly/37gpzGw https://bwnews.pr/3s4YwpP The company said it plans to issue $600 million inconvertible notes to fund its bitcoin purchase, after issuing$650 million in notes in December as well to buy the currency.(Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; Editing byBernard Orr, Patrick Graham and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty) || Two bars for bitcoins: owner in New York's Hell's Kitchen selling out for cryptocurrency: By Aleksandra Michalska NEW YORK (Reuters) - Patrick Hughes has put his two side-by-side bars in New York's Hell's Kitchen, Hellcat Annie's and Scruffy Duffy's, up for sale - for 25 bitcoins or 800 Ethereum tokens, now worth up to $1.12 million. He listed the bars in the western Manhattan neighborhood - which like other eating and drinking establishments have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic - for sale in early January. "This would be a good time for somebody young, fresh blood to get in here and go for it, like I did when I was 26 years old and opened my first place," Hughes said in an interview. "Now I'm 56, and maybe it's time for somebody else, because I am tired." A niche investment only few years ago, bitcoin has became the world's most popular cryptocurrency. Last year, it rose 304% in value, prompting investment banks to predict more future gains. JPMorgan Chase said it would reach $146,000, while Citigroup said bitcoin could hit $318,000. Bitcoin is currently trading at nearly $36,000 apiece, putting the price for Hellcat Annie's and Scruffy Duffy's at nearly $900,000. Paying 800 tokens of the second biggest cryptocurrency, Ethereum, would make it nearly $1.12 million. Hughes said he has had "a number of inquiries," but not for a bitcoin deal, and said he would also consider selling the bars for dollars. "Perhaps we will ceremoniously add one bitcoin to the deal, you know, just to kind of top it off," Hughes said. He closed both bars in March as the pandemic began battering New York. In November, Hughes reopened Hellcat Annie's with an outdoor dining area that brings in enough business to support the establishment even with indoor dining shut down. He uses Scruffy Duffy's to store furniture removed from Hellcat Annie's. Before the pandemic, the bars had a combined staff of 50 people. Now it's about five. Hughes said COVID-19 had not hurt his personal finances badly. "I was fortunate enough to have saved my money over the years," Hughes said. "And I've been able to weather the storm." He said he has one bitcoin. "It's fun to watch it," he said. "And we'll see what happens in the future. But cryptocurrency is the future." (This story corrects spelling of Ethereum in paragraphs 1 and 6) (Reporting by Aleksandra Michalska; Writing by Jonathan Oatis; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien) View comments || Immersion (IMMR) to Report Q4 Earnings: What's in Store?: Immersion CorporationIMMR is scheduled to release fourth-quarter 2020 results on Mar 4. The company projects fourth-quarter revenues to lie between $10.5 million and $11 million, reflecting a year-over-year decline of 4.5-8.7%. The company anticipates non-GAAP earnings in the band of 27-29 cents per share. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings is pegged at 28 cents, indicating a year-over-year surge of 180%. Notably, the company’s earnings surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters and missed in the other, the average surprise being 27.8%. Immersion Corporation price-consensus-chart | Immersion Corporation Quote In the last reported quarter, Immersion delivered non-GAAP earnings of 15 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 25%. Moreover, the reported figure marked solid improvement from the year-ago quarter’s earnings of a penny. However, net revenues of $7.6 million slid 28.3% on a year-over-year basis. Let’s see how things have shaped up prior to the announcement. Immersion’s top line is likely to have been negatively impacted by weak demand across its multiple end markets, including automotive due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the third quarter, revenues from the automotive segment plunged 42.8% year on year to $911.5 million. Nonetheless, the company’s efficient cost management is expected to have boosted the bottom line during the period in discussion. Over the past 12 months, Immersion has significantly reduced its non-GAAP operating expenses from $9.1 million in fourth-quarter 2019 to $3.7 million projected for the fourth quarter of 2020. Our proven model does not predict an earnings beat for Immersion this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP, and Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold), increases the chances of an earnings beat. But that’s not the case here. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell, before they’re reported, with our Earnings ESP Filter. Immersion currently carries a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) and has an Earnings ESP of 0.00%. Here are some companies, which, per our model, have the right combination of elements to post earnings beats this quarter: Winnebago Industries, Inc.WGO has an Earnings ESP of +7.69% and sports a Zacks Rank of 1, at present. You can seethe complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The ExOne CompanyXONE has an Earnings ESP of +27.59% and carries a Zacks Rank of 3, currently. Gogo Inc.GOGO has an Earnings ESP of +10.00% and carries a Zacks Rank of 3 at present. Blockchain and cryptocurrency has sparked one of the most exciting discussion topics of a generation. Some call it the “Internet of Money” and predict it could change the way money works forever. If true, it could do to banks what Netflix did to Blockbuster and Amazon did to Sears. Experts agree we’re still in the early stages of this technology, and as it grows, it will create several investing opportunities. Zacks’ has just revealed 3 companies that can help investors capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly. See 3 crypto-related stocks now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free reportImmersion Corporation (IMMR) : Free Stock Analysis ReportGogo Inc. (GOGO) : Free Stock Analysis ReportThe ExOne Company (XONE) : Free Stock Analysis ReportWinnebago Industries, Inc. (WGO) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: no change || Prices: 57332.09, 61243.09, 59302.32, 55907.20, 56804.90, 58870.89, 57858.92, 58346.65, 58313.64, 57523.42
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2017-04-24] BTC Price: 1250.15, BTC RSI: 64.27 Gold Price: 1275.80, Gold RSI: 59.20 Oil Price: 49.23, Oil RSI: 38.23 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Sports Fans Score as CONCACAF U-17s Kick Off on Flow Sports and Flow Sports Premier: MIAMI, FL--(Marketwired - Apr 21, 2017) - Flow customers score again as the 2017 Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) Men's Under-17 World-Cup Qualifiers kick off on Flow Sports and Flow Sports Premier with multiplatform, on-the-go access via the Flow Sports app and website . Earlier this year Flow signed a partnership with CONCACAF to give customers a front row seat at both the Men's U-20 and U-17 championships. The winners of each division will go on to compete in the 2017 FIFA World Cup in India in October. The U-20s wrapped up on March 5 th , while the U-17s are set to take place in Panama from April 21 st to May 7 th . Sports fans can tune into Flow Sports , Flow Sports Premier and Flow 1 (for one game only 1 ) to watch all 25 live matches as twelve (12) teams from the Caribbean, Central America and North America vie to lock down their spot in the U-17 World Cup. Four (4) teams will advance. This year's line-up includes five (5) Caribbean nations -- Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, Curacao and Suriname. "In keeping with our commitment to deliver high quality, relevant and unmatched Caribbean content, Flow Sports' viewers can look forward to yet another major sporting event to light up their screens," said Garry Sinclair, President of Cable & Wireless Caribbean. "Needless to say, the CONCACAF World Cup qualifier is one of the most important events for emerging Caribbean superstars and, as the Home of Sports in the Caribbean , it's only natural that football fans in the region would look to us to catch the action. We will continue to raise the bar and serve up great content like the CONCACAF championships for football lovers across the Caribbean." Along with the live segments, Flow Sports will also produce a pre-, post- and halftime show for the final on May 7 th . Hosts of the show include former professional footballer and Flow Sports Premier Weekly host Terry Fenwick , along with Trinidad & Tobago's U-17 coach Russell Latapy . Together they'll serve up detailed match discussions and provide fans with an expert perspective on tomorrow's Caribbean football stars. Story continues Commenting on the partnership with Flow, CONCACAF General Secretary Philippe Moggio said, "Ensuring the broadcast reach of our tournaments into the Caribbean has always been a priority for CONCACAF, and this deal with Flow helps us to immediately achieve that." Editor's Note: CONCACAF U-17 BROADCAST SCHEDULE 2017 Match Ups Broadcast Dates Time ECT Station 1 Curacao v Haiti Friday April 21 7:30 PM Flow Sports 2 Panama v Honduras 10:00 PM Flow Sports 3 Cuba v Suriname Saturday April 22 1:30 PM Flow Sports 4 Costa Rica v Canada 4:00 PM Flow Sports 5 Jamaica v USA Sunday April 23 1:30 PM Flow Sports 6 Mexico v El Salvador 4:00 PM Flow Sports 7 Honduras v Curacao Monday April 24 6:00 PM FS Premier 8 Panama v Haiti 8:30 PM Flow Sports 9 Canada v Cuba Tuesday April 25 3:00 PM Flow Sports 10 Costa Rica v Suriname 5:30 PM Flow Sports 11 1 El Salvador v Jamaica Wednesday April 26 4:00 PM Flow 1 12 Mexico v USA 6:30 PM FS Premier 13 Honduras v Haiti Thursday April 27 6:00 PM Flow Sports 14 Panama v Curacao 8:30 PM Flow Sports 15 Canada v Suriname Friday April 28 6:30 PM Flow Sports 16 Costa Rica v Cuba 9:00 PM Flow Sports 17 El Salvador v USA Saturday April 29 11:30 PM FS Premier 18 Mexico v Jamaica 2:00 PM Flow Sports 19 TBD Monday May 1 6:30 PM Flow Sports 20 TBD 9:00 PM Flow Sports 21 TBD Wednesday May 3 4:30 PM Flow Sports 22 TBD 7:00 PM Flow Sports 23 TBD Friday May 5 6:30 PM Flow Sports 24 TBD 9:00 PM Flow Sports 25 TBD Sunday May 7 (FINALS) 4:00 PM Flow Sports About CONCACAF The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) is the governing body for soccer in the region, and one of six continental authorities that administer the game along with FIFA. Formed in 1961 from the merger of the Football Confederation of Central America and the Caribbean and the North American Football Confederation, CONCACAF now has 41 member associations, from Canada in the north to Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana on the South American continent. As the administrative body for the region, CONCACAF organizes competitions, offers training courses in technical and administrative aspects of the game, and helps to build football throughout the region. About C&W Communications C&W is a full service communications and entertainment provider and delivers market-leading video, broadband, telephony and mobile services to consumers in 18 countries. Through its business division, C&W provides data center hosting, domestic and international managed network services, and customized IT service solutions, utilizing cloud technology to serve business and government customers. C&W also operates a state-of-the-art submarine fiber network -- the most extensive in the region. Learn more at www.cwc.com , or follow C&W on LinkedIn , Facebook or Twitter . About Liberty Global Liberty Global is the world's largest international TV and broadband company, with operations in more than 30 countries across Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. We invest in the infrastructure that empowers our customers to make the most of the digital revolution. Our scale and commitment to innovation enable us to develop market-leading products delivered through next generation networks that connect our 25 million customers who subscribe to over 50 million television, broadband internet and telephony services. We also serve over 10 million mobile subscribers and offer WiFi service across 5 million access points. Liberty Global's businesses are comprised of two stocks: the Liberty Global Group ( NASDAQ : LBTYA ) ( LBTYB ) and ( NASDAQ : LBTYK ) for our European operations, and the LiLAC Group ( NASDAQ : LILA ) and ( NASDAQ : LILAK ) ( OTC PINK : LILAB ), which consists of our operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Liberty Global Group operates in 11 European countries under the consumer brands Virgin Media, Unitymedia, Telenet and UPC. The Liberty Global Group also owns 50% of VodafoneZiggo, a Dutch joint venture, which has 4 million customers, 10 million fixed-line subscribers and 5 million mobile subscribers. The LiLAC Group operates in over 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean under the consumer brands VTR, Flow, Liberty, Más Móvil and BTC. In addition, the LiLAC Group operates a sub-sea fiber network throughout the region in over 30 markets. For more information, please visit www.libertyglobal.com . || Is a Bitcoin ETF a Good Investment?: The Securities and Exchange Commission denied approval of the Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust ETF, an exchange-traded fund that would track the value of digital currency bitcoin. Friday's highly anticipated decision came nearly four years - and a dozen amendments - after the fund was first proposed and delayed indefinitely making gaining access to the currency as easy as logging into your online brokerage account. QUIZ: Test Your Knowledge of ETFs Bitcoin is a so-called "cryptocurrency" - an encrypted digital currency created by computer programmers that can be exchanged electronically for goods and services. It serves as an alternative to traditional currencies, such as the U.S. dollar or the euro. For now, you can buy bitcoins on online exchanges, which often require an involved registration process and premium prices. Or you can "mine" them (create them), using extremely sophisticated computer codes. The value of a single bitcoin is determined by investor speculation. Worth almost nothing when it was created eight years ago, bitcoin hit a record high above $1,300 this week, topping the price of an ounce of gold, before tumbling on the heels of the SEC rejection. The rise of bitcoin has been volatile, marked by steep dips that were triggered, in some cases, by high-profile hacks of online bitcoin exchanges. The ETF proposed by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (yes, the same set of twins who claimed Mark Zuckerberg stole their idea for Facebook and sued him over it) would have traded on the Bats Global Markets exchange under the symbol COIN. The fund would have tracked the value of bitcoins, backed by "baskets" of the virtual currency. Like any other ETF, the fund could have been bought or sold through a brokerage account. The SEC expressed concern over the unregulated nature of bitcoin markets, though ETF Trends Editor Tom Lydon said investors could've been relatively confident that the ETF would be structurally sound. That's to say, it would have accurately tracked the price of bitcoin and would have sufficient security measures in place to deter the sorts of hacks that have cropped up at online bitcoin exchanges. Eight years into a bull market, Lydon says, the appeal of such an instrument is apparent. "Alternative investing is something that individual investors, advisers and institutions are thinking about. Bitcoin is an area of the market that's not well-correlated with stocks, bonds or even other currencies," he says. But even if the ETF had been deemed suitable for individual investors, like any investment, Lydon says, you need to look under the hood. Two other bitcoin ETFs are currently under review by the SEC, and it's unclear what, if any, next steps the Winklevoss brothers will take. Bitcoin is surprisingly widely held and regularly traded -- but nowhere near the level of mainstream ETFs. Because of the way they're created, bitcoins are available on a limited basis, which, based on increased demand, would help increase the price. These factors check many investors' boxes for alternative investments. But investors who own any bitcoin ETF would need to understand the factors that cause prices to fluctuate and have a plan in place for rapid swings in the marketplace. For individual investors, tracking the complex world of digital currencies might be too much to ask. The risk factors listed in the prospectus include attacks by malicious actors and botnets that could corrupt the bitcoin code, among other things. Story continues Even if the bitcoin ETF had been approved, the wisest move an investor could have made would be to hold off, says Ben Johnson, director of global ETF and passive strategies research at Morningstar. "The reason ETFs tracking the U.S. dollar work is that there are more than 7 billion people who think it's worth something. That may not always be the case with bitcoin," he says. If you're looking for "non-correlated" investing instruments, you might explore precious metals, via SPDR Gold Shares ETF ( GLD ), or more active strategies, such as Merger Fund ( MERFX ), a mutual fund that aims to capture upticks in stock price when mergers are announced. As for bitcoin, says Johnson: "It's every bit as suitable to an individual investor as a lottery ticket." See Also: Should I Be Tempted to Invest in Bitcoin? EDITOR'S PICKS Should I Be Tempted to Invest in Bitcoin? Why Do People Still Pay Bills With Paper Checks? 10 Reasons Gold Will Outperform Stocks in the Next Decade Copyright 2017 The Kiplinger Washington Editors View comments || Gartman: Don't Buy Stocks, Consider Gold: Dennis Gartman is the man behind The Gartman Letter, a daily newsletter discussing global capital markets. For almost 30 years, The Gartman Letter has tackled the political, economic and social trends shaping the world's markets. ETF.com recently caught up with Gartman to discuss the latest developments in the financial markets. ETF.com: The stock market continues to hit record highs on a daily basis, with the Dow up 11-straight sessions through Friday [Feb. 24]. You characterized this rally as a "melt-up." Should investors be happy about it, or should they be concerned?Dennis Gartman:They should be egregiously concerned, because they have to ask themselves if they honestly believe all of the benefits that have been put forth by the Trump administration are going to absolutely come to fruition. Will there be tax cuts as consequential as Mr. Trump has indicated? There'll be tax cuts, but will they be as consequential? Probably not. Will there be infrastructure spending? Not a question. But will there be as much infrastructure spending as the markets seem to anticipate? Probably not. Those things make it difficult to remain bullish of stocks at these levels. The market can go higher, but it is at levels I find to be nosebleed territory. People should be very careful up here. New purchases are to be avoided; old purchases should be hedged up in some fashion using derivatives or options; and bring stop orders up close behind the market. ETF.com: From what I gather, you think Trump's agenda is going to be bullish for stocks, but not as bullish as the market is anticipating. Gartman:Mr. Trump's agenda is bullish for the economy, but not necessarily bullish for stocks. That sounds illogical, but it's not illogical at all. Why do stocks go up before economies come out of a recession? Because at the bottoms—when the monetary authorities become expansionary—that money finds its way into the capital markets, because it isn't needed in plants, equipment and labor. You get that period of time that stocks take off on the upside and the economy continues to dwindle, and everybody wonders how stocks can continue to go up. That's what happens at bottoms. On the other hand, at the tops of economic expansions, when there’s demand for plants and equipment and labor, money has to come from somewhere―especially if the monetary authorities are starting to err on the side of being restrictive rather than expansionary, as the Fed currently is. At that point, money comes out of the capital markets and goes into plants and equipment and labor. Trump's proposals and his agenda are very bullish for the economy. By definition, therefore, it's somewhat bearish for equity prices after this sort of extended rally. ETF.com: Do you think we're close to the end of this bull market we've been in for eight years? Gartman:We are; I would counsel people not to be a buyer of equities up here. If you’re an owner of equities, I would counsel strongly to bring stops up behind your positions, buy puts to protect those positions, sell futures to protect those positions, or write covered calls to protect those positions. I would tell you not to be a buyer of new equities. And anything that you had in the past, do something to protect those profits. ETF.com: Another bull market that seemed to come to an end recently was in the bond market. Bonds sold off sharply last year and interest rates spiked up. Do you think the 30-year run in bonds is over, and will rates continue to head higher? Gartman:Yes, I do. That 30-plus-year bull market, which began in August 1982, is over. It's hard to believe, but I was there at the beginning. I was there at the end of the previous bear market, and I was there at the beginning of this long, protracted bull market in bonds (or the long, protracted decline in interest rates). It's hard for me to make people remember, but in 1982, the 30-year bond had a coupon of 14.75%, and you couldn't give them away at the time. It was astonishing how bad the psychology was. But since 1982, we've been in a 30-plus-year bull market; that bull market has ended. The trend is for higher interest rates, not lower. But you must also remember the bond market tends to move in multidecade, long-term trends. If we're in for 20, 30 or 40 years of higher rates, for the first 15 or 20 years, we'll see rates go up very slowly, and very marginally. It's at the end of this next bear market―the last quarter―that rates will go up the fastest and prices of bonds will fall the most dramatically. So while interest rates are going higher, there's no reason to be panicky about that right now. ETF.com: In this environment, where stocks are overvalued and bonds go down slowly, are there any assets you like right now? Gartman:For the first time in a while, I think you should own commodities in general. You should own gold in dollar terms; you should own gold in euro terms; you should own gold in yen-denominated terms. Gold has started to be a bull market. Also, for the first time in almost four or five years, I'm actually bullish of the crude oil market. Because the term structure had shifted and crude oil prices don't break on bearish news any longer, I'm starting to find myself turning bullish on that commodity. Contact Sumit Roy [email protected]. Recommended Stories • SEC Rejects Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF • Swedroe: Political Biases Can Impact Your Investing • Big Bitcoin ETF Decision Coming Today, Or Maybe Not • This Fallen Angel ETF Really A Rising Star • What Snap’s Pop & Drop IPO Means For ETFs Permalink| © Copyright 2017ETF.com.All rights reserved || How Hedge Funds Use ETFs: Eric Balchunas is a senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg, where he has more than a decade of experience working with ETF data, designing new functions and writing ETF research for the Bloomberg terminal. He also writes articles, feature stories and blog posts on ETFs for Bloomberg.com and appears each week on Bloomberg TV and Radio to discuss ETFs. ETF.com recently caught up with him to discuss how hedge funds are using ETFs. ETF.com: You've recently talked a lot about how hedge funds use ETFs, so I wanted to pick your brain about that. I found it interesting that you said hedge funds have more short positions than long positions in ETFs. Why is that? Eric Balchunas:Correct; they have $104 billion in short positions compared to $30 billion in long positions.A lot of people think hedge funds are out there trying to swing for the fences and return 100% every year. But most of them are looking to isolate certain things in the market, whether they're using merger arbitrage, event-driven or long/short strategies. To do the short side of those trades, they’ll use ETFs so they can cancel out the beta of the market and isolate their positions. Yes, some of the shorting is just straight-up betting against the market. But most of it is this use of the ETFs as a hedging vehicle. It's interesting that the $104 billion worth of short positions is over half of the total short interest in ETFs, so it’s significant. ETF.com: Which ETFs are they shorting? Balchunas:Goldman Sachs lists the short positions, and it's exactly what you would think. It's the old-school products like the Sector SPDRs, thePowerShares QQQ Trust (QQQ)and theSPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)―all the most liquid ones. They've also started to use theiShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG)now that it's gotten more liquid. None of the names on the most-shorted list are surprising, but I was surprised a little by the funds that they are long. ETF.com: Which ones were those? Balchunas:VWO is a good example. That's the ETF with the most net long among hedge funds. ETF.com: You noted Vanguard is the only issuer where hedge funds are net long. That's an interesting pairing, because Vanguard ETFs have a reputation for being buy-and-hold types of investments, while hedge funds have a reputation for being relatively active. Balchunas:That number is really fascinating to me and it speaks to, in my opinion, Vanguard's wide appeal. Who doesn't like cheap? That's just so universal. Also, Vanguard may be the only one net-long, because iShares and SPDR have so many really liquid products that hedge funds love to short. On the other hand, Vanguard's products are usually the second- or third-most-liquid in a category, but rarely are they the first. It says a little bit about the cost-consciousness of hedge funds, but it also says a little bit about how Vanguard still has yet to really break through that liquidity barrier where they become the most liquid of a category.They're getting there. Vanguard ETFs have tripled in daily volume over the last five years. This is a big development, because if Vanguard starts to get that mass liquidity, it gets bigger fish attracted to it, and that just beefs up the liquidity exponentially. ETF.com: What ETF is owned by the largest number of hedge funds? Balchunas:SPY; it's owned by 154 hedge funds. TheSPDR Gold Trust (GLD)is No. 2, at 112. GLD is punching above its weight, because it's not the second-biggest in assets or volume. It speaks to the convenience factor of ETFs. You can go get physical gold, but you have to store it and insure it. It's kind of a pain. The ETF comes along, and even a hedge fund would say that it's just easier and cheaper to own GLD. ETF.com: We talk about hedge funds as a monolith, but they each have very different investment philosophies. Some have claimed that ETFs are dangerous and they wouldn't touch them. Can you tell us about that? Balchunas:They usually have two complaints. One is on the high-yield debt stuff. They ask, "How can something be liquid when the holdings aren't as liquid?" The other complaint is on the general rise of passive investing creating inefficiencies. But on the flip side, as we discussed, hundreds of hedge funds use the products, including HYG. Carl Icahn, who's the king of the hedge funds, says, and I'll quote him here, "There is no liquidity"—this is about HYG—"That's what's going to blow this up." Now, you have 50 hedge funds that hold HYG. So either they don't listen to him, or he has another motivation. Bill Ackman, another big hedge fund manager, also expressed some complaints about ETFs, but that was after a rough year for his hedge fund. You might want to factor that in. Either way, the hedge fund relationship with ETFs is a layered one. They use them in certain cases; they complain about them in other cases. The term I use is "frenemies." ETF.com: Do some of them feel threatened by ETFs, with all the alternative ETFs and smart-beta ETFs coming out?Balchunas:I don't think they feel threatened. Liquid alts—which are hedge fund strategies in passive structures like ETFs—just haven't done much. There are two reasons for this. One is that when you're doing sophisticated strategies that involve shorting―especially since shorting can be costly, and you have to time it―putting that into a rules-based index might not be the most efficient way to exercise that. And No. 2 is, when you buy a hedge fund, you're kind of buying the brain of the manager. Where smart beta has really made a threat to active is in the factors. CalPERS is a high-profile example: They fired their hedge funds and employed a factor strategy in-house. That didn't involve ETFs, but it tells you it's possible you could swap out some hedge fund strategies and use factor ETFs in their place. Smart beta assets are $500 billion. That's real money. So if anything was a threat to hedge funds, it would probably be in the factor area―not the liquid alts. I just don't see the merger arb ETF taking any assets from a real merger arb hedge fund. Contact Sumit Roy [email protected]. Recommended Stories • How Hedge Funds Use ETFs • Bitcoin ETFs For Dummies • The Most Interesting New Gold ETF Since GLD • HACK & ROBO Funds On A Technical Roll • The Innovative Side Of Dividend ETFs Permalink| © Copyright 2017ETF.com.All rights reserved || Venezuela is cracking down on 'bitcoin fever': Opposition supporters take part in a rally against President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela, October 26, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins (Opposition supporters take part in a rally against President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela, October 26, 2016.Thomson Reuters) Venezuela's economy has seen its currency, the bolivar, plummet as inflation has spiraled into the triple digits , causing people there to struggle to meet their daily needs. In response, some Venezuelans have chosen to cross international borders to stock up on needed supplies, as others turn to a black market where goods are often sold in US dollars. Another alternative that has gained traction is bitcoin, a cryptocurrency whose value wobbles frequently and which can be used for clandestine purchases, both licit and illicit. Bitcoin has been embraced in Venezuela as the economy has faltered over the last few years, providing both a way of buying essential goods and resisting the unpopular government of President Nicolas Maduro. The number of users has surged from 450 in 2014 to 85,000 in 2016, according to Venezuelan bitcoin trading exchange Surbitcoin. "Bitcoin is a way of rebelling against the system," Caracas-based software developer John Villar told Reuters in October 2014, not long after he started using the cryptocurrency for online purchases. Bitcoin had dropped 70% between November 2013 and October 2014, but Venezuela's own currency had dropped 60% against the US dollar on the black market in the country over roughly the same period. "Even though bitcoin is volatile, it's still safer than the national currency," Kevin Charles, then a recent economics graduate, told Reuters . (Many Venezuelans still converted their bitcoin immediately into dollars, however.) "In Venezuela, we have a gold fever: a bitcoin fever!" a bitcoin miner — someone who uses a complex computer setup to create bitcoins using elaborate algorithms — said to Reuters in October 2014. Venezuela bitcoin cryptocurrency currency bolivar money Surbitcoin (The website of bitcoin trading exchange SurBitcoin on a computer in Caracas, October 5, 2014.REUTERS/Stringer) Now the Venezuelan government, long caught up in battles with the political opposition and in bloody struggles with rampant crime , has turned its attention to bitcoin users and producers. Story continues A recent post on a related subreddit by someone claiming to be a Venezuelan bitcoin miner, cited by The Washington Post , said the government was jailing miners and accusing them of terrorism, money laundering, and computer crimes. Two brothers in Caracas, who spoke to The Post anonymously, said police had raided their home in November, demanding $1,000 bribes for each of their more than 90 mining terminals. They paid up, they said. Despite its other turmoil, Venezuela, which has no laws against bitcoin, had been amenable to bitcoin miners, for whom electricity can be their biggest expense. Electricity is heavily subsidized in the Caribbean nation, where the longstanding socialist government has provided many services and goods to the population at low cost. (Those subsidies have also inspired profligate use by residents.) Caracas Venezuela blackout (Buildings left unlit during a partial blackout in Caracas, January 13, 2010.Reuters) The intense power demands of mining terminals may be the undoing of some miners, however. State power authorities can reportedly detect outsize power usage , and some miners who have been arrested were charged with electricity theft. The chief of the federal police agency said recently that bitcoin miners were imperiling the electrical service in a town south of Caracas, which is not implausible, considering that the country's electrical service, plagued by underinvestment and graft, has often been overwhelmed in times of high demand . (Thieves have also started pilfering electrical and communications gear for valuable components.) Despite enthusiasm for bitcoin in Venezuela, its spread may be hindered by the seemingly wide net of the authorities' crackdown and by the one-third of Venezuelans who don't have bank accounts. NOW WATCH: Here's how to use one of the many apps to buy and trade bitcoin More From Business Insider In the world's biggest cocaine producer, cultivation reportedly surged again in 2016 Italy and Mexico tracked down a fugitive mafia leader using his Facebook posts Ecuador's presidential election could have big consequences for the fate of Wikileaks’ Julian Assange || Bitcoin could hit $3,000 by the end of the year after recent rally: Analyst: The price of bitcoin(Exchange: BTC=-USS)could hit $3,000 by the end of the year after recentlytrading above goldand hitting a fresh record high, an analyst told CNBC on Tuesday. A rise on this scale would represent a near 150 percent increase from bitcoin's current price of $1,204 at the time of publication, and a more than 130 percent increase from the fresh $1293.47 high it set last week, according to CoinDesk data. The price of bitcoin at time of publication is not trading above an ounce of gold(Exchange: XAU=), but the recent rise in price, which is up 195 percent in the past 12 months, has been attributed to a number of geopolitical and broader market factors. These include: • Increased regulation from Chinese authorities to clamp down on money laundering • Demonetization in India which has caused bitcoin to be seen as an alternative store of value • Volatility in other currencies and uncertainty in the global economy Now Adam Davies, a consultant at Altus Consulting, who works with large financial institutions on technology, is predicting bitcoin can go even higher. "In terms of price this year, I think it will go up to $3,000. As it becomes more pervasive and more generally accepted, I think you'll see rapid growth in adoption," Davies told CNBC in an interview on Tuesday. "People are unsure about what is going on in the world, and digital currencies unlike the U.K. pound sterling have been hit badly because of Brexit, so people are looking to divest into bitcoin. There is a definitely upward trend. So the drivers will be hedging against currency fluctuations and insecurity in the markets." Peter Smith, CEO of Blockchain, a bitcoin wallet, told CNBC by email that his company is seeing "unprecedented volume and sign ups", adding that at the current price appreciation, a £3,000 dollar price by the end of the year is "feasible". Experts said a number of other factors could help boost bitcoin this year. These include: • The expected approval of a bitcoin-basedexchange traded fundcreated by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss. This could lead to a "flood of institutional funds" entering the market, according to Thomas Glucksmann, head of marketing at cryptocurrency trading platform Gatecoin. • Japan has recently passed a bill that deems digital currencies as similar to fiat money and can be used as methods of payments, which could further the credibility to the cryptocurrency, which was once seen as just a means to buy illegal drugs Glucksmann said that $3,000 by the end of the year seems "realistic" but somewhere in the region of $2,000 to $2,500 is a safer prediction. "The bitcoin price will continue to rise this year although it's difficult to say by exactly how much," Glucksmann told CNBC. Disclosure: Adam Davies of Altus Consulting owns bitcoin || USD/CNH Patterns to Watch after PBOC Talks on U.S.- China Relationship: DailyFX.com - This daily digest focuses on Yuan rates, major Chinese economic data, market sentiment, new developments in China’s foreign exchange policies, changes in financial market regulations, as well as market news typically available only in Chinese-language sources. - The USD/CNH is testing a major support. Watch key levels next. - The PBOC Governor addressed on investment negotiations between China and the U.S. -Looking for more trade ideas? Review DailyFX’s2017 Trading Guidesand watchDailyFX webinars. To receive reports from this analyst,sign up for Renee Mu’ distribution list. Yuan Rates Prepared byMichael Boutros. USDCNH is testing the monthly opening-range lows with key support seen at the 61.8% retracement of the January rally at6.8391. The pair has been trading within the confines of a well-defined descending pitchfork formation with the upper median-line parallel highlighting resistance & near-term bearish invalidation at6.8839-note that this level also converges on the February high. The near-term focus remains weighted to the downside while below this region with a break lower targeting confluence support at6.8048where the 61.8% extension of the decline off the yearly high converges on the 50-line of the operative slope. Subsequent support targets at6.7765-6.7818(38.2% retracement & the 2017 opening-range low). From a trading standpoint we’ll favor fading strength while below the upper parallel with a break of the range lows targeting subsequent support objectives. Market News PBOCNews:China’s Central Bank. -China’s Central Bank released the full text of Governor Zhou Xiaochuan’s speech at Boao Forum this weekend. “China has been conducting negotiations on a bilateral investment treaty with the U.S., though some of the talks have been suspended. China is waiting for the new U.S. government to decide how to move forward on these talks”, according to the Governor. Mr. Zhou also said that “if the U.S. adopts valued added tax [on imported goods], China welcomes; however, implementing a border adjustment tax is controversial.” This indicates that the outlook of trade and investment between the two countries still has some uncertainty. This may not be good news for the Chinese economy, as it has already experienced slow growth in exports and imports. - The PBOC announced on Monday that it has hosted a supervision work conference last week for cross-border Yuan business and set targets for the 2017: the regulator will guide the development of offshore Yuan markets and promote cross-border Yuan business to develop in a healthy way. The Chinese regulator has been strengthening oversight on cross-border Yuan transactions and this is likely continue to be the case in 2017. As of March 27th, the “Big Three” Chinese Bitcoin trading platforms, BTCChina, OKCoin and Huobi, have not yet removed restrictions on Bitcoin withdrawals, which came into effect following a series of inspections on illegal cross-border transactions launched by the PBOC. Sina News: China’s most important online media source, similar to CNN in the US. They also own a Chinese version of Twitter, called Weibo, with around 200 million active usersmonthly. - In the first two months of 2017, China’s state-owned enterprises (SOEs) made a profit of 201.86 billion Yuan, rising +40.3% compared to the same period last year, according to China’s statistics bureau. In specific, oil, petrochemical, coal and steel industries that experienced major losses last year, all reported gains this January and February. This is likely driven by soaring energy prices. On the other hand, machinery and electricity companies reported significant drops in profits, likely led by the same reason -higher energy costs. To receive reports from this analyst,sign up for Renee Mu’ distribution list. original source DailyFXprovides forex news and technical analysis on the trends that influence the global currency markets.Learn forex trading with a free practice account and trading charts fromIG. || Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights: Alamos Gold, Avino Silver, Fortuna Silver and Great Panther Silver: For Immediate Release Chicago, IL – March 14, 2017 – Today, Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights Features: Alamos Gold ( NYSE: AGI – Free Report ), Avino Silver ( NYSEMKT: ASM – Free Report ), Fortuna Silver ( NYSE: FSM – Free Report ) and Great Panther Silver ( NYSEMKT: GPL – Free Report ) . Bitcoin Crash Creates Golden Opportunity I’ve been wrong about my timing of the silver and gold trade twice now. Once to my followers in Momentum Trader and another time in a much more public way, on Bloomberg the end of last year. My fundamental investment thesis surrounding gold hasn’t been wrong just my timing. And now, with gold prices bouncing off $1,200 and last week’s Bitcoin debacle I’m taking another stab at it. The Bitcoin debacle I’m referring to is last week’s decision by the SEC to reject the Winklevoss Twins’ proposal for a Bitcoin ETF. An ETF would have helped to legitimize the cryptocurrency and expose it to an entire new market of potential investors. The SEC’s decision was based on the unregulated nature of the Bitcoin market itself. With no way of overseeing the underlying investment, there was no way the SEC could give it a stamp of approval. You could argue that Bitcoin and gold are both alternatives to global fiat currencies. Neither has a central bank which governs them nor do they pay interest. They are both a store of value and can be held anonymously. Gold and silver have a tendency to track with each other so I’m including it when I look for stock ideas. Of course there’s one giant difference between the two. Gold has been a historic store of value for ages and something you can physically possess. Bitcoin is a digital currency that was created from nothing a few years ago. There is still a huge amount of skepticism surrounding Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. A rash of high profile hacks, essentially digital bank robberies, have loomed like a cloud over Bitcoin for years. This ETF would have been something like a Bitcoin coming out party. However, that was not the case and Bitcoin’s value plunged in Friday trading. Nearly simultaneous there was a huge rally in gold prices with the metal bouncing from just under $1,200 an ounce, an obvious psychological support level. Gold still does have an inverse relationship with yields. As interest rates rise you tend to see pressure on gold prices. We all know the Fed is going to hike rates next week. That is a huge negative on gold pricing. But if the metal can rally even in the face of that hike, then there could be overpowering fundamentals at play. Story continues One way to play a potential continuation of silver and gold’s move higher is to look at the silver and gold miners. A lot of these companies got lean and mean in order to survive the plummet in prices and have emerged with much stronger balance sheets. They have found ways to minimize their acquisition costs and streamline their mining process. I’ve put together a list here of gold stocks that are Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stocks for you to investigate a little further. Alamos Gold ( NYSE: AGI – Free Report ) Alamos Gold Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and extraction of gold deposits in North America. It also explores for silver and precious metals. The company holds interests in the Young-Davidson mine, which includes contiguous mineral leases and claims totaling 11,000 acres located in Northern Ontario, Canada; the Mulatos mine located within the Salamandra Concessions in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range in the east-central portion of the State of Sonora, Mexico; and the El Chanate mine that comprises 22 mineral concessions covering 4,618 hectares situated in the State of Sonora, Mexico. It also holds interests in a portfolio of development stage projects in Mexico, Turkey, Canada, and the United States. Avino Silver ( NYSEMKT: ASM – Free Report ) Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. engages in the production and sale of silver, gold, and copper bulk concentrates; and the exploration, evaluation, and acquisition of mineral properties. The company owns 42 mineral claims and leases 4 mineral claims in the state of Durango, Mexico. It also holds 100% interests in the Bralorne mine located in the Lillooet mining division, British Columbia, Canada; and the Eagle property located in the Mayo mining division of Yukon, Canada. Fortuna Silver ( NYSE: FSM – Free Report ) Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. engages in the exploration, extraction, and processing of mineral properties in Latin America. The company explores for silver, gold, lead, and zinc deposits. It holds interests in the Caylloma mine located in the Arequipa Department in southern Peru; and the San Jose mine located in the State of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. Great Panther Silver ( NYSEMKT: GPL – Free Report ) Great Panther Silver Limited, a silver mining and exploration company, engages in the mining of mineral properties in Mexico. It explores for silver, gold, lead, and zinc. The company holds interests in the Topia Mine and Guanajuato Mine Complex properties. It also holds mineral property interests in the exploration stage, such as the El Horcon and Santa Rosa projects located in Mexico, and Coricancha Mine Complex located in the Central Andes of Peru. Bottom Line I think Bitcoin blowing up here could benefit gold and silver over the short run. That being said, a great way to play the rise in these metals could be to look at the silver and gold miners. This is a short list to start researching the best one to buy. Looking for Ideas with Even Greater Upside? Today's investment ideas are short-term, directly based on our proven 1 to 3 month indicator. In addition, I invite you to consider our long-term opportunities. These rare trades look to start fast with strong Zacks Ranks, but carry through with double and triple-digit profit potential. Starting now, you can look inside our home run, value, and stocks under $10 portfolios, plus more. Click here for a peek at this private information>> Get the full Report on AGI - FREE Get the full Report on ASM - FREE Get the full Report on FSM - FREE Get the full Report on GPL - FREE Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZacksResearch Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZacksInvestmentResearch Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates. Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 [email protected] https://www.zacks.com/performance Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Alamos Gold Inc. (AGI): Free Stock Analysis Report Avino Silver (ASM): Free Stock Analysis Report Fortuna Silver Mines Inc. (FSM): Free Stock Analysis Report Great Panther Silver Limited (GPL): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. View comments || Bitcoin’s civil war threatens to blow up the cryptocurrency itself: People walk next to a crack along a damaged road leading to Alto Hospicio commune, after a series of aftershocks, in the northern port of Iquique It is not uncommon for a new technology still finding its footing to undergo periods of tumult—witness the long ago war over videotape formats VHS and Betamax. Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency growing in popularity, turns out to be no different. For the last several years, technical experts have been arguing over how to adapt the currency’s software to allow it to handle more transactions and meet the increased demand. The debate has recently become so heated that it threatens to throw bitcoin itself into chaos, a phenomenon most clearly seen in the recent plunge in bitcoin’s price. Uber has taken its self-driving cars off the road after one flipped over in Arizona The conflict threatens to “fork” bitcoin, splitting it in two. Each branch would run a different version of the cryptocurrency’s software. Bitcoin’s principal innovation has been its blockchain, an immutable ledger of all the transactions ever performed with the cryptocurrency. A fork would generate two versions of the ledger, creating practical problems, like coins that could vanish , and philosophical ones, like agreeing on which blockchain represents the one, true, bitcoin. The tension reached a fever pitch last week when bitcoin’s top exchanges (with some notable exceptions, such as Coinbase) issued a joint statement explaining how they would deal with the split, called a hard fork. This acknowledgement of the very real possibility of a fork sent bitcoin traders scrambling to sell their holdings. Bitcoin fell 24% over two days, from March 16, though it has recovered significantly . The most useful language for English speakers to learn, according to an economist Both camps have doubled down on their positions, and the saber rattling is growing louder. There is talk of of changing the proof-of-work algorithm that bitcoin runs on, which could render the bitcoin mining industry, which earns millions a day in revenue, useless in one fell swoop. Miners—who process transactions and also increase the total supply of bitcoin in circulation—are now threatening legal action against developers who are working on such a proposal. There’s also a widely circulated conspiracy theory that involves John McAfee, the anti-virus entrepreneur who’s embroiled in a murder case in Belize . McAfee is supposedly colluding with a powerful Chinese miner to force a fork. The arguments The bickering over the right way to grow bitcoin’s transaction capacity is known as the block size debate. It has been raging for years. Last January it claimed a famous victim: longtime Core developer Mike Hearn, who quit the bitcoin world dramatically (paywall) because of the block size impasse. As if on cue, Hearn’s departure was dismissed as a “ whiny ragequit ” and the battle continued. Story continues The squabble over block size has divided the bitcoin world into the Bitcoin Core and Bitcoin Unlimited camps. The Core group, trading under the current BTC ticker, wants to solve the transaction problem by implementing a clever workaround called Segregated Witness, or SegWit, that will effectively increase the block size from the current 1 megabyte to 2 megabytes. The 1 MB restriction was an arbitrary limit put in place by bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto; some speculate it was to ensure that the bitcoin blockchain could be easily downloaded by users, and thus encourage adoption. In any case, it was a problem to be dealt with only if bitcoin succeeded. The Bitcoin Unlimited camp, which would trade under a new ticker symbol BCU, wants to remove any restriction on block size and thus transaction capacity. But that would force a hard fork and two bitcoins would then inhabit the Earth. The Unlimited camp is backed by Roger Ver, an early bitcoin adopter whose relentless evangelizing for the cryptocurrency earned him the moniker “ Bitcoin Jesus .” Unlimited is also backed by major miners, and part of its pitch is that miners should decide on block sizes. It proposes to do this by letting miners set their own caps for blocks, reasoning that eventually, miners will come to an agreement about what the optimal block size should be. Supporters of Core argue that the Unlimited code is riddled with bugs. Indeed, last week a bug was exploited, sending 70% of Unlimited nodes offline thus reducing the amount of processing power devoted to implementing it. But Core is making a larger, philosophical point, about who controls the bitcoin network. They don’t like the idea of miners setting block sizes because they believe it increases centralization of bitcoin. Without a block size cap, powerful miners can simply mine bigger blocks, and thus be responsible for larger chunks of the bitcoin network, entrenching themselves further. Coffee money or digital gold? There’s also a struggle about bitcoin’s function. As Adam White, who runs the GDAX exchange, tells Forbes , the Core camp wants to treat bitcoin as digital gold: a finite resource whose fundamental properties can’t be changed. The Unlimited folks want bitcoin to be digital cash, with limitless transaction capacity so that everyday payments can be recorded on the blockchain. Vinny Lingham, a noted analyst of the bitcoin industry, observes : “Roger [Ver] wants cheap coffee transactions, Core wants to ensure [bitcoin is] sufficiently decentralized and secure.” Still, bitcoin’s blocks are getting filled up, meaning transactions can’t be processed quickly enough—hence the urgency for a solution. Critics say that Core developers’ proposal for a 2 MB block size, SegWit, simply delays the inevitable—a hard fork—because it doesn’t raise the cap enough. A solution to Satoshi’s block size limit can no longer be avoided. Who’s winning? So who’s winning? One exchange has opened what is effectively a prediction market for a hard fork. It lets traders buy tokens representing the adoption of either Core or Unlimited. If Unlimited isn’t adopted, and a fork doesn’t occur, Unlimited tokens become worthless. By this measure Core is winning: tokens representing its adoption are worth four times the Unlimited tokens. But Unlimited is gaining ground among miners. About 40% of the processing power, or hashrate, on the bitcoin network supports Unlimited, compared to 60% supporting Core, according to analytics site Coin Dance . And the gap is rapidly closing. The picture isn’t as simple as who’s got more hashing power. In order for Core’s SegWit proposal to be adopted, 95% of hashing power must be devoted to it, according to a threshold set by its developers. Unlimited doesn’t have a fixed threshold. Instead, it relies on a rather circular logic: It can only be adopted if miners decide to admit blocks larger than the current 1 MB, but miners would only have an incentive to so if other miners did the same. “It’s kind of like people getting together to cross a road. Everyone holds hands and then someone decides to cross and everybody crosses with it,” one Redditor explained . A hard fork isn’t unprecedented for a major cryptocurrency. Ethereum experienced this after a hack , birthing what’s now known as ethereum classic . The fork also arose from ideological disagreements: The solution to the hack was to undo some transactions, which struck some ethereum users as an unprincipled move. A blockchain’s immutability is one of the pillars of the cryptocurrency world. Today the two coexist; there is even a publicly traded ethereum classic fund for the over-the-counter markets, although the value of all ethereum in circulation is about 18 times greater than ethereum classic. But ethereum is a lot younger than bitcoin; it was only a year old when it split. The value of all ethereum in circulation is about a quarter of bitcoin’s current $17 billion value. A messy hard fork for bitcoin could mean serious disruptions for miners, who operate industrial-scale facilities, the well-funded exchanges, and the myriad startups who have raised $1.5 billion in venture capital collectively since 2012. A lot is riding on the question of how to scale bitcoin, and the conflict is showing no signs of easing up. Read this next: Bitcoin might just be a plausible response to the “war on cash” declared by governments around the world Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief , our free daily newsletter with the world’s most important and interesting news. More stories from Quartz: Employee burnout is becoming a huge problem in the American workforce IBM, remote-work pioneer, is calling thousands of employees back to the office View comments || U.S. regulators reject Bitcoin ETF, digital currency plunges: By Trevor Hunnicutt and Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday denied a request to list what would have been the first U.S. exchange-traded fund built to track bitcoin, the digital currency. Investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss have been trying for more than three years to convince the SEC to let it bring the Bitcoin ETF to market. CBOE Holdings Inc's Bats exchange had applied to list the ETF. The digital currency's price plunged, falling as much as 18 percent in trading immediately after the decision before rebounding slightly. It last traded down 7.8 percent to $1,098. Bitcoin had scaled to a record of nearly $1,300 this month, higher than the price of an ounce of gold, as investors speculated that an ETF holding the digital currency could woo more people into buying the asset. Bitcoin is a virtual currency that can be used to move money around the world quickly and with relative anonymity, without the need for a central authority, such as a bank or government. Yet bitcoin presents a new set of risks to investors given its limited adoption, a number of massive cybersecurity breaches affecting bitcoin owners and the lack of consistent treatment of the assets by governments. "Based on the record before it, the Commission believes that the significant markets for bitcoin are unregulated," the SEC said in a statement. "The commission notes that bitcoin is still in the relatively early stages of its development and that, over time, regulated bitcoin-related markets of significant size may develop." The regulators have questions and concerns about how the funds would work and whether they could be priced and trade effectively, according to a financial industry source familiar with the SEC's thinking. "We began this journey almost four years ago, and are determined to see it through," said Tyler Winklevoss, CFO of Digital Asset Services LLC. "We agree with the SEC that regulation and oversight are important to the health of any marketplace and the safety of all investors." The Winklevoss twins are best known for their feud with Facebook Inc founder Mark Zuckerberg over whether he stole the idea for what became the world's most popular social networking website from them. The former Olympic rowers ultimately settled their legal dispute, which was dramatized in the 2010 film "The Social Network." Since then they have become major investors in the digital currency, which relies on "mining" computers that validate blocks of transactions by competing to solve mathematical puzzles. The first to solve the puzzle and clear the transaction is rewarded with new bitcoins. Solutions to the puzzle come roughly every 10 minutes. Advocates of the currency and the technology it relies on to document transactions, blockchain, were dismayed by the ruling. "How do we develop well-capitalized and regulated markets in the U.S. and Europe if financial innovators aren't allowed to bring products to market that grow domestic demand for digital currencies like bitcoin?" asked Jerry Brito, executive director of Coin Center, an advocacy group. Spencer Bogart, head of research at Blockchain Capital, said bitcoin's price could fall as much as 20 percent but that its long-term adoption will continue. A Bats spokeswoman said the exchange is reviewing the SEC's statement and would have no further comment. There are two other bitcoin ETF applications awaiting a verdict from the SEC. Grayscale Investments LLC's Bitcoin Investment Trust, backed by early bitcoin advocate Barry Silbert and his Digital Currency Group, filed an application last year. SolidX Partners Inc, a U.S. technology company that provides blockchain services, also filed its ETF application last year. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Additional reporting by Sarah N. Lynch in Washington and John McCrank in New York; Editing by Sandra Maler and Jennifer Ablan) [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] Gana bitcoins, super facil!! , cada 20 minutos hasta 500 Satochis #Bitcoin https://cards.twitter.com/cards/18ce53yr6xi/1eiul … || One Bitcoin now worth $1232.37@bitstamp. High $1243.00. Low $1170.91. Market Cap $19.979 Billion #bitcoin || #UFOCoin #UFO $0.000011 (4.12%) 0.00000001 BTC (0.00%) || 2017/04/02-17:00 ZaifExchange BTC:122895JPY(-10) XEM:1.9458JPY(±0) MONA:6.1JPY(±0) #monacoin #bitcoin #nem || $1006.51 at 06:30 UTC [24h Range: $992.00 - $1054.40 Volume: 7918 BTC] || The current price of a #bitcoin is $1153.00. Have a nice day! || 1 BTC Price: BTC-e 1258.744 USD Bitstamp 1278.00 USD Coinbase 1284.86 USD #btc #bitcoin 2017-03-06 19:30 pic.twitter.com/J6bmbta5MA || Who is "they" is this tweet?? BTC is the only crypto currency to use here. The Block Chain is anonymous but BTC must be converted to USD || #bitcoin #miner KNC Jupiter ASIC Bitcoin Miner 2x CPUs $50.00 http://ift.tt/2mQ6S7x pic.twitter.com/x2NLgcRisK || 1 #BTC (#Bitcoin) quotes: $1152.00/$1153.39 #Bitstamp $1134.11/$1135.00 #BTCe ⇢$-19.28/$-17.00 $1149.10/$1160.78 #Coinbase ⇢$-4.29/$8.78
Trend: up || Prices: 1265.49, 1281.08, 1317.73, 1316.48, 1321.79, 1347.89, 1421.60, 1452.82, 1490.09, 1537.67
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] DeFi Summer; Bitcoin Fall: The attention may have been with DeFi when it was warm, but as the cold winds of COVID-19 return fears and election volatility blow, bitcoin is resuming narrative dominance. For more episodes and free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe with Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Pocketcasts , Google Podcasts , Castbox , Stitcher , RadioPublica , iHeartRadio or RSS . This episode is sponsored by Crypto.com , Bitstamp and Nexo.io . Today on the Brief: Coinbase offers severance to employees who want to leave over new politics policy Long-term job cuts hamper any idea of V-shaped recovery Last chance for a stimulus package before the U.S. presidential election Our main discussion is a narrative shift from DeFi back to bitcoin. Related: CipherTrace Outlines Regulatory Gray Zones Plaguing Booming DeFi Sector Over the summer, DeFi led the crypto charge. From growth in total value locked to narrative dominance to even leadership in the all important category of crypto drama, DeFi was it. Now, as a potentially turbulent macro environment rears its head, the narrative is shifting back to a focus on bitcoin . For more episodes and free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe with Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Pocketcasts , Google Podcasts , Castbox , Stitcher , RadioPublica , iHeartRadio or RSS . Related Stories DeFi Summer; Bitcoin Fall DeFi Summer; Bitcoin Fall DeFi Summer; Bitcoin Fall || The Guaranteed Easiest Way to $10 Million in the Stock Market...: There is one guaranteed way to end up with $10 million in the stock market. Start with $100 million! If you don’t have $100 million lying around, having a great connection to the market is a great start. 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Dough steps it up with smart ideas on how to use all of that freedom. The easiest way to $10 million in the stock market is through proper and timely interpretation of the news cycle. The day to day news is what controls a large part of the short term behavior in the market. If you want to win consistently, you need to be the first to the news and the first to properly gauge its effect on the market. If you do not have time to analyze every stock pick yourself, the Dough Stock Report Card™ connects you to buy and sell ratings from professional Wall Street analysts. You can take those results through the Idea Feed to filter according to your personal interests. Stock Stories from Dough fills in any informational void you might have concerning a prospect. By the time you get done with all of these features, you will be on the cutting edge of any information about the stocks in your crosshairs. Bringing Headlines to Life In most cases, clickbait only benefits the person writing the bait. If you know how to use the news, however, clickbait can actually make you money. Instead of having to manually filter through the noise to get what you came for, Dough lets you follow your favorite companies just like your friends’ Instagram pages. The proprietary 3Cap™ squawk feature gives you the most important summaries of headlines. The Dough Selects™ gives you suggestions about how to turn your hobbies into money. Whether you love Monday morning quarterbacking, watching politics on a loop in the afternoons, experimenting with cutting edge cannabis products or following the gaming industry, there is no knowledge that is not power. That knowledge is your edge. You just need the proper tool to connect it to the markets. You can also follow the Social Currency™ podcast for cutting edge information on the market from morning coffee to evening bubble bath. 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Here's How. • Farming is Cool Again - Invest While You Can © 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || European Equities: Futures Point Lower, with COVID-19 and Geopolitics in Focus: Economic Calendar : Monday, 21 st September ECB President Lagarde Speaks Tuesday, 22 nd September Eurozone Flash Consumer Confidence Wednesday, 23 rd September GfK German Consumer Climate (Oct) Spanish GDP (QoQ) (Q2) French Manufacturing PMI (Sep) Prelim French Services PMI (Sep) Prelim German Manufacturing PMI (Sep) Prelim German Services PMI (Sep) Prelim Eurozone Manufacturing PMI (Sep) Prelim Eurozone Markit Composite PMI (Sep) Prelim Eurozone Services PMI (Sep) Prelim Thursday, 24 th September German IFO Business Climate Index (Sep) The Majors It was a bearish end to the week for the European majors on Friday. The CAC40 slid by 1.22%, with the DAX30 and EuroStoxx600 ending the day with losses of 0.70% and 0.66% respectively. A fresh spike in new COVID-19 cases across EU member states weighed on the European majors on the day. Ahead of the European session, the WHO had warned of a “very serious situation” developing in Europe. In a bid to revive consumption and tourism, governments have been active in reopening the respective economies. With a reliance on consumption to deliver an economic recovery, the latest spikes raise the chances of fresh lockdown measures. Adding further pressures on the majors at the end of the week were Brexit and U.S – China tensions. The Stats It was yet another quiet day on the Eurozone economic calendar . Key stats included August wholesale inflation figures from Germany. Germany’s producer price index stalled in August, after having risen by 0.20% in July. Whilst beating forecasts of a 0.1% decline, market jitters over deflationary pressures tested the majors going into the European open. With stats on the lighter side, there was little to distract the markets from the latest U.S-China spat, Brexit, and COVID-19, however. From the U.S Key stats included prelim September consumer sentiment and expectations figures. While both stats were skewed to the positive, both indicators remained well below pre-pandemic levels. Story continues In September, the Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index rose from 74.1 to 78.9, according to prelim figures. While coming in ahead of a forecasted 75.0, the indicator had stood at 101.0 for January. The Market Movers For the DAX: It was a bearish day for the auto sector on Friday. Continental and Volkswagen slid by 3.97% and by 3.52% respectively. BMW and Daimler saw more modest losses of 1.72% and 1.91% respectively. It was also a bearish day for the banks. Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank fell by 1.38% and by 3.11% respectively. From the CAC , it was a bearish day for the banks. Credit Agricole and Soc Gen fell by 3.16% and by 3.05% respectively. BNP Paribas ended the day down by 2.34%. It was a particularly bearish day for the French auto sector, however. Peugeot and Renault ended the day with losses of 4.35% and 4.03% respectively. Air France-KLM fell by 1.93%, with Airbus SE sliding by 3.54%. On the VIX Index It was back into the red for the VIX, bringing to an end a run of 2 consecutive days in the green. On Friday, the VIX fell by 2.38%. Reversing a 1.61% gain from Thursday, the VIX ended the day at 25.83. U.S – China tension over TikTok and WeChat, rising COVID-19 cases, and the FED’s dovish outlook weighed on the majors. The NASDAQ and S&P500 fell by 1.07% and by 1.12% respectively, with the Dow seeing a more modest loss of 0.88%. The Day Ahead It’s a quiet day ahead on the Eurozone economic calendar . There are no material stats due out to provide the majors with direction. With no material stats from the U.S, talk of retaliation from Beijing over Trump’s targeting of Chinese companies will test the majors. There is also Brexit to factor in and the recent spike in new COVID-19 cases to consider. A continued rise in new cases could see a reintroduction of containment measures that would throw cold water over any sustainable economic recovery. On the monetary policy front, Lagarde is due to speak late in the day. There are unlikely to be too many surprises, however, following the latest ECB press conference. That’s assuming that Lagarde holds back from talk of exchange rate risk to the Eurozone economic recovery… The Futures In the futures markets, at the time of writing, the Dow was up by 15 points, while the DAX was down by 32 points. For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out our economic calendar . This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: The Crypto Daily – Movers and Shakers – September 20th, 2020 Oil Price Fundamental Weekly Forecast – Bearish Demand Outlook Should Outweigh Hurricane-led Production Issues Oil Traders Remain Wary Amid Crude Oil Prices Bouncing Up EOS, Ethereum and Ripple’s XRP – Daily Tech Analysis – September 19th, 2020 European Equities: Futures Point Lower, with COVID-19 and Geopolitics in Focus Bitcoin and Monero’s XMR – Weekly Technical Analysis – September 21st, 2020 || GLOBAL MARKETS-Asia shares sluggish after Wall Street's tech-inspired rally: * Asian stock markets : https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4 * Dollar weakens on disappointing data * Nikkei slips 0.24%, Chinese blue chips up 0.18% * Safe haven gold rises on Buffet move * Oil gives up some gains after output cut By Alun John and Chibuike Oguh HONG KONG/NEW YORK, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Asian shares made cautious gains on Tuesday as the lift from Wall Street's tech-fueled rally was checked by investors' fresh concerns about Sino-U.S. tensions. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan gained 0.43%, edging closer to its pre-pandemic late January high, though European markets were set to open slightly down as EUROSTOXX 50 futures eased 0.27% and FTSE futures fell 0.35%. E-Mini futures for the S&P 500 were flat. The Trump administration announced on Monday it would further tighten restrictions on China's Huawei Technologies Co , aimed at cracking down on its access to commercially available chips, a move set to disrupt global supply chains. However, sentiment was supported by the Nasdaq, which surged to a record high close on Monday and the S&P 500, which approached its own record level, both lifted by technology stocks. "It is likely for the rest of this year we will see a continued push into technology and technology related areas of the market," said Daniel Gerard, senior multi asset strategist at State Street Global Markets, based in Singapore. "In order for areas like energy or financial services to take off we need an economy that’s returning to normal." Most Asian markets traded in a narrow band. Chinese blue chips rose 0.18%, Japan's Nikkei dipped 0.24%, both continuing directions of travel set on Monday. Australia's benchmark rose 1% as new coronavirus infections in the country eased although news China, the country's largest trading partner, had launched an anti-dumping probe into imports of Australian wine weighed on winemaker shares. Investors had to balance the moves against Huawei with Trump's comments that China was meeting its obligations under the trade deal, and news that a review of the deal was postponed. "No one wants to disrupt the careful ballet that’s going on right now, as we are very close to the U.S. elections and disrupting markets on either side doesn’t help anyone," said Gerard. The U.S. dollar softened against most currencies after disappointing manufacturing and mortgage data, Commonwealth Bank of Australia analyst Joseph Capurso wrote in a note. Moves were generally cautious ahead of Wednesday's release of the Federal Reserve minutes, with speculation that the Fed will adopt an average inflation target, which would seek to push inflation above 2% for some time. Bitcoin hovered near the 13 month high it hit on Monday. On the commodities front, oil prices edged lower on Tuesday, giving up a slice of their recent gains after OPEC+ said the producer grouping was almost fully complying with output cuts. Brent crude was down 11 cents, or 0.24%, at $45.27 a barrel, after gaining 1.3% on Monday. U.S. crude was down 0.35%, at $42.74 a barrel, having risen 2.1% in the previous session Safe haven gold closed higher after Berkshire Hathaway also disclosed a stake in Toronto-based Barrick Gold Corp, one of the world's largest mining companies. Spot gold added 0.26% to $1,990 an ounce. (Reporting by Chibuike Oguh in New York and Alun John in Hong Kong; Editing by Sam Holmes & Simon Cameron-Moore) || Crypto Savings Accounts Are Coming to Fintech Firms That Use Wyre: Crypto payments startup Wyre is offering white-labeled savings accounts that dole out interest on crypto, the company announced Friday. Wyre’s client list includes startups including crypto custody firm Casa, wallet provider BRD and traditional enterprises such as banks. “Partners of Wyre are able to offer their users a crypto savings account by simply creating a new savings sub-wallet via the Wyre API,” the company wrote. Related: Epic Games Blasts Apple's 'Anti-Competitive' Payments Practices in Lawsuit The new product’s interest rates are meant to be more stable than interest rates at crypto lenders because Wyre will manage funds between MakerDAO, Compound and two centralized crypto lenders, said Jack Jia, Wyre’s vice president of business. Like most things in crypto, the interest rates at crypto lenders are vulnerable to market drops or borrower supply . With Wyre’s new savings product, called Wyre Savings API, the company is aiming “to offer stable yield that has the least counterparty risk,” Jia said. Read more: BRD Partners With Wyre to Build Bank Transfer Wallet Feature For the new product, Wyre is only working with crypto lenders that have lending licenses, SOC1 and SOC2 audits and work with licensed custodians. Related: Facebook Taps David Marcus to Lead Payments Initiatives “In the traditional markets we’re seeing a lot of instability and Treasury yields are down,” Jia said. “There are a lot more traditional financial institutions looking for yield.” In the initial stages of the product’s development, Jia’s team had envisioned releasing the product as a smart contract but chose an application programming interface (API) instead to make it more accessible to businesses unfamiliar with crypto, he added. As of Aug. 12, interest rates were 2.4% on bitcoin (BTC), 2.4% on wrapped bitcoin (WBTC), 3.3% on ether (ETH), 5.8% on USDC and 5.7% on dai . Wyre has plans to roll out more tokens in the future. Story continues Funds can be pulled out any time, and interest is accrued instantly and paid out weekly on the product, Jia said. Related Stories Crypto Savings Accounts Are Coming to Fintech Firms That Use Wyre Crypto Savings Accounts Are Coming to Fintech Firms That Use Wyre || Bitcoin Should Be Regulated Like Stocks in India, Says Think Tank Founder: India should legitimize bitcoin by regulating it like a corporate stock and define cryptocurrency crimes to deter misuse of the technology, according to think-tank founder Deepak Kapoor. • Since it is similar to other financial assets, “Bitcoin should be traded like a stock. That is the only legal status that it can get, and it should get this status,” Kapoor, who created the BEGIN India think tank,told BusinessWorldon Monday. • Kapoor was against the idea of legalizingbitcoinas currency, however. • “You make it legal and you might put the entire economy of the country at stake,” he argued, describing bitcoin as a “private currency.” • Nischal Shetty, CEO of Mumbai-based crypto exchange WazirX, opposed the idea of regulating bitcoin like stocks. • “Bitcoin is not a slice of a company that you can buy or invest in. Rather, it is seen as an asset, like gold for example. Hence, it can’t be seen a stock,” Shetty told CoinDesk. • Kapoor’s call for regulation came as part of an interview about fears around the use of cryptocurrencies in terrorism-financing schemes. • The U.S.recently seizedmillions of dollars in bitcoin and more than 300 cryptocurrency wallets controlled by the terrorist organizations al-Qaeda and Hamas. • Kapoor pointed out India has yet to officially recognize cryptocurrency-based crimes. • “I would want senior people from investigative and law enforcement agencies to first at least know about it and to know what is the world moving towards,” he said. • At present, the regulatory environment in India remains uncertain, with the government said to have been considering an outright ban. • As per a Nikkei articleretweeted by Syed Akbaruddin, India’s former United Nations envoy, the government is now preparing to debate the possible cryptocurrency options. • Ratan Sharda, author, editor and TV panelist, told BusinessWorld for the same article that banning would not work, and the ideal way is to make cryptocurrencies legal and ensure everything is tracked. • “Just like you cannot ban porn, you cannot ban cryptocurrency,” Sharda said. • The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is currently developing a code of conduct for cryptocurrency firms in the nation. • “This will also curb illegal activities as well as scams,” said Shetty, whose exchange is a member of the association. • Despite the regulatory uncertainty, cryptocurrency exchanges servicing Indian clientshave been witnessingsolid growth since the March overturning of a central bank ban on banking services for crypto companies. Also read:India’s Rumored Crypto Ban May Be Overblown, Say Industry Pros • Bitcoin Should Be Regulated Like Stocks in India, Says Think Tank Founder • Bitcoin Should Be Regulated Like Stocks in India, Says Think Tank Founder • Bitcoin Should Be Regulated Like Stocks in India, Says Think Tank Founder • Bitcoin Should Be Regulated Like Stocks in India, Says Think Tank Founder || ALT 5 Sigma Digital Instrument Market Summary for BTC, ETH, LTC, BCH: NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / October 2, 2020 /ALT 5 Sigma Inc. an emerging leader in blockchain powered financial platforms provides its daily digital instruments market summary for Bitcoin (BTC/USD), Ether (ETH/USD), Litecoin (LTC/USD). Real-Time Market Data is available atwww.alt5pro.comand Real-Time Market Data feed is also available atwww.alt5sigma.comALT 5 Sigma Digital Instrument Market Summary for BTC, ETH, LTC, BCH About ALT 5 Sigma Inc. ALT 5 is a fintech company specializing in the development and deployment of digital assets trading and exchange platforms. Alt 5 was founded by financial industry specialists out of the necessity to provide the digital asset economy with security, accessibility, transparency and compliance. ALT 5 provides its clients the ability to buy, sell and hold digital assets in a safe and secure environment deployed with the best practices of the financial industry. ALT 5's products and services are available to Banks, Broker Dealers, Funds, Family Offices, Professional Traders, Retail Traders, Digital Asset Exchanges, Digital Asset Brokers, Blockchain Developers, and Financial Information Providers. ALT 5's digital asset custodian services are secured by GardaWorld. GardaWorld is the world's largest privately-owned business solutions and security services company, offering cash management services. For more information, visitwww.alt5sigma.com. CONTACT: Andre BeauchesneTel. [email protected] For more information on ALT 5 Pay, visitwww.alt5pay.comFor more information on ALT 5 Pro, visitwww.alt5pro.com SOURCE:ALT 5 Sigma Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/608963/ALT-5-Sigma-Digital-Instrument-Market-Summary-for-BTC-ETH-LTC-BCH || Ethereum’s Pending Transactions Jump 30% After Uniswap’s Token Claim Begins: The number of pending transactions on Ethereum per minute jumped 30% after the claim for Uniswap’s UNI token began. The decentralized trading platformannouncedaround 00:30 UTC time Thursday it launched its governance token, dubbed UNI, with 1 billion coins that will be released over the next four years. While the liquidity mining for the governance token will not start until Friday, Uniswap said historical users and liquidity providers on the platform are now able to claim for 400 UNI per each address. Related:Ethereum Gas Fees Drive Gnosis-Powered Prediction Market to xDai's Layer 2 “15% of UNI [150,000,000 UNI] can immediately be claimed by historical liquidity providers, users, and SOCKS redeemers/holders based on a snapshot ending Sept. 1, 2020, at 12:00 am UTC,” Uniswap said in a blog post. Following the announcement, the number of pending transactions on the Ethereum network per minute has jumped from around 160,000 to over 210,000 as of writing, according to data on blockchain explorerEtherscan. Within three hours after the claim started, over 18,000 transactions were sent to the smart contract address of the UNI governance token, with more than 5,000 of them pending at the time. The total number of transactions has now reached over 26,000 while the pending ones have dropped to around 3,700 as of writing. The increasing number of transactions sent to the UNI smart contract appears to have led to a surge of the gas fee on the Ethereum network, which Uniswap’s protocol is built on. Related:First Mover: Federal Reserve Does What It Wants to Do as Bitcoin Hits $11K The current averagegas feeon Ethereum has reached 650 Gwei, compared to the average 152 Gwei on Wednesday UTC time, based on Etherscan’s data. In fact, the UNI token’s smart contract address is now ranking third in terms of the overall transaction fees in the past three hours, with a total of 534ETHworth over $200,000 as of writing, according to Etherscan. Even the site traffic on the blockchain explorer has reached a peak. “The last time Etherscan site traffic peak to the current level was during the 2017-2018 ICO mania. Kudos to Uniswap for the successful launch of the UNI token,” said Etherscan’s founder and CEO Matthew Tan in atweet. Within hours of Uniswap’s announcement, major centralized exchanges including Binance, Huobi and OKEx listed trading pairs for the governance token, which is now changing hands at around $2.90. • Ethereum’s Pending Transactions Jump 30% After Uniswap’s Token Claim Begins • Ethereum’s Pending Transactions Jump 30% After Uniswap’s Token Claim Begins || Blockchain Bites: Uniswap’s Token, Kraken’s Bank, Bitcoin’s Newbies: Uniswap issued a governance token, Kraken is the world’s first crypto bank and there are more “newbie” bitcoin investors than any time in the past two years. Crypto’s bankKraken Financial,a newly formed division of the popular crypto exchange, has become the first firm to receive a special type of charter making it a bank.On Wednesday, the Wyoming Banking Board approved the exchange’s application for a special purpose depository institution (SPDI) charter – making it a licensed bank in the state, replete with access to federal payments infrastructure and opening the doors to issuing digital-asset debit cards and savings accounts as well as securities and commodities services. Kraken Financial beat out Wyoming blockchain pioneer Caitlin Long’s application for Avanti Financial, and is the first bank established in Wyoming since 2006. Non-public informationThe China state-sponsored Blockchain-Based Service Network (BSN), a standardized internet services provider for decentralized applications (dapp) developers,plans to make 24 public chains available in its network for Chinese users beginning in November.These public chains will look quite different after being “localized” for the Chinese market, CoinDesk’s David Pan reports, who gained access to a leaked memo. Inspired by Ant Financial’s permission blockchain, these chains will replace their native tokens with the renminbi, be renamed after the 24 Chinese solar terms and will be supervised by the Public Permissioned Blockchain consortium – ensuring the state reaps the benefits of blockchain tech’s traceability and efficiency, without the decentralization embraced by public chains like Bitcoin and Ethereum. “BSN strictly follows related laws and regulations and will remove any chain that violates them from the network,” the memo reads. Related:First Mover: Federal Reserve Does What It Wants to Do as Bitcoin Hits $11K Welcome newbiesNew investors areentering the bitcoin market at a faster pace and possibly creating upward pressure on prices,on-chain data shows. The number of “young investment” wallets (those that are one to three months old and rarely sendbitcoins) has jumped to 2,254,667 this month, the highest level since February 2018, according to data provided by the blockchain analysts firm Chainalysis. That’s double from 1,162,632 six months ago. “It looks like new people are entering the market, buying bitcoin and putting it in wallets for long-term investment,” Chainalysis’ economist Philip Gradwell told CoinDesk. Investors took advantage of the 40% price drop to levels below $4,000 observed on March 12 and have continued to pour money into the top cryptocurrency ever since. Beefing upWyoming’s chief banking regulator says he’s “beefing up” his division’smonitoring capabilities on illicit cryptocurrency with Chainalysis.Under a one-year deal, Chainalysis will train senior examiners on crypto tracing practices and grant two monitoring software licenses – plus investigatory support – to the Division of Banking as it eases into its new, crypto-facing compliance duties, according to Commissioner Albert Forkner. Those rules are no different than the ones governing traditional American banks: Watch out for signs of money laundering, don’t transact with sanctioned individuals, keep tabs on customer identities and uphold the minutiae of the Bank Secrecy Act. Patent gameAlibaba ison track to supersede U.S. computer giant IBM by becoming the single-largest holder of blockchain-related patents,according to a new study. Consultancy KISSPatent found the Chinese tech conglomerate has published ten times more blockchain patents than IBM, its nearest rival. Should Alibaba continue at its current pace, the study predicted it would become the biggest patent holder in blockchain by the end of 2020. The firm also found the majority of patents were filed by traditional Fortune 500 companies, rather than companies that exist wholly within the blockchain space. • How Normies Are Getting Crypto-Rich With DeFi(Leigh Cuen/CoinDesk) • Libra Association Hires Former HSBC CEO(Daniel Palmer/CoinDesk) • The $55M Hack That Almost Brought Ethereum Down(Matthew Leising/Wiley) • You Can Now Get Ethereum NFTs Inspired by The Godfather(Scott Chipolina/Decrypt) • Based.Money: DeFi’s ‘Game of Chicken’(Robert Stevens/Decrypt) Unified?After surviving the “vampireattack” fomented by its forked rival SushiSwap, decentralized trading platformUniswap launched its own governance token, UNI,on Wednesday. Related:Blockchain Bites: The SEC's Chilling Effect on Crypto Development The platform has minted 1 billion coins to be distributed to founders, early users and future community members over the next four years. The token will be used to power on-chain governance decisions. “UNI officially enshrines Uniswap as publicly owned and self-sustainable infrastructure while continuing to carefully protect its indestructible and autonomous qualities,” the firm wrote. SushiSwap, a genetic twin to Uniswap, appeared on the scene as a real competitive threat – offering an incentive to participants to siphon liquidity from the dominant automated market maker (AMM). SushiSwap migrated over $800 million in crypto assets from Uniswap last week, with promises to be a fully decentralized rival to the “VC-backed” Uniswap. Observers of the battle expected Uniswap to respond by issuing its own governance token. Though some may be surprised at the speed at which this was executed. Following the announcement, the number of pending transactions on the Ethereum network spiked, and within three hours after the claim started,over 18,000 transactions were sent to the smart contract address of the UNI governance token. Binance, Huobi, OKEx,FTX(which is led by Sam Bankman-Fried, who has played a pivotal role in the SushiSwap saga) andCoinbase Pro have all added trading support for the new token. Both Sushi and Uni distinguish themselves from centralized exchanges like Coinbase by allowing users (called liquidity providers, or LPs) to deposit any digital asset onto the platform, receive interest and a cut of transaction fees in return. Coinbase, on the other hand, uses the more traditional order book format – where a user’s trade is matched up against a list, or book, of buys and sells, and executed at the best available price. Doubt prevailsCoinDesk data showsbitcoin’s price fell to just under $10,900 in the Asian trading hours– not long after it had climbed to near $11,100. The drop is bitcoin’s latest failure around the key psychological hurdle and could be the result of prevailing doubts over the Federal Reserve’s ability to hit the 2% inflation target. Prevailing doubts over whether the Fed has what it takes to hit its 2% inflation target hit traditional markets and may have contributed to a bitcoin price drop early on Thursday. On average,officials don’t expect 2% inflation until 2023. Found funds • PowerTrade, a mobile bitcoin options trading platform,raised $4.7 million via token salesin a round led by Pantera Capital and joined by Framework Ventures, CMS Holdings and QCP Capital among others. • ParaSwap, a decentralized exchange (DEX) aggregator, has completed a$2.7 million seed funding roundjoined by 32 investors including Blockchain Capital, Alameda Research, Arrington XRP Capital, Coinfund, CoinGecko, Aave founder Stani Kulechov and others. Polemics and dotsA token minting system – Polimec – is coming to the Polkadot blockchain ecosystem,promising to be a leaner, meaner version of Ethereum’s ERC-20 standard,the mechanism that launched a thousand token sales, CoinDesk’s Ian Allison reports. Launched by the team behind blockchain identity protocol KILT, the token issuance and transfer framework is thought to eventually spur development on the Ethereum-competing layer 1. “If you look at what ERC-20 actually did to the Ethereum ecosystem, then you can imagine what will possibly happen with Polimec,” Ingo Ruebe, CEO of BOTLabs and project lead for KILT Protocol said. “It’s an absolutely essential part of the ecosystem, I would say.” The KILT mainnet, an identity solution expected to launch in 11 months, will be the first project to mint tokens using Polimec. Cascading blockchainsAva Labs islaunching its Avalanche blockchain next Monday, Sept. 21, with aspirations of creating a new front for the development of decentralized finance applications.“Avalanche aims to enable new systems defined by velocity, efficient use of capital, and innovation in new products and services that aren’t possible with the current wait times to finalize transactions,” Ava Labs CEO Emin Gün Sirer told CoinDesk. “DeFi is certainly part of our motivation in the short term, with our long-term sights set on traditional finance.” The upcoming launch comes on the back of $60 million in funding, $45 million of which came from a July 2020 public token sale and private sale led by Mike Novogratz’s Galaxy Digital, Bitmain and Initialized Capital, CoinDesk’s Colin Harper reports. Vinay Gupta is CEO of Mattereum, an Ethereum-based physical asset management platform. He coordinated the Ethereum launch process and first worked in cryptocurrencies in the 1990s. Theessay excerpted belowis part of CoinDesk’s “Internet 2030” series exploring the ongoing digital revolution. Ecological Sanity Is Compatible With Human FreedomIn the early days, Bitcoin proposed a simple model of how the world could be transformed: The free market was going to produce inflation-proof money with strong privacy features, which could be used to avoid taxes. Over time, people would sell their dollars, replace them with cryptocurrency and the State would wither away to be replaced with an anarchic paradise. That was one Bitcoin theory of change. It seems improbable now, as it did before, despite the current risk of game-changing inflation in America. The ship may be going down, and Bitcoin may be a life-raft for some (as it is in Venezuela), but the collapse was not caused by Bitcoin. It was caused by good old-fashioned mismanagement over decades. Still, given the waste and excess in society, it’s never been clearer how much the world needs cryptographic transparency. So what is our theory of change? How are we really going to get a better world out of all this exquisite technology? Our freedom rests on our ability to use technology to dig our way out of this hole: to increase our options by creating and deploying new supply-side technologies to create clean energy, and by radically re-engineering the demand side to hit our necessary consumption limits. The creativity of the market economy works, but instead of mere “price signaling” we need high-quality, multidimensional data so we can run a multidimensional market: money, carbon, other forms of impact, all inside of a single global budget, with infinite room for human creativity to prove we met our targets and live as well as we are able. Neither utopian nor dystopian, this is reality: You have markets, or you have authoritarianism. Carbon is a new constraint, and we either handle it like money and instruments well enough for creative response or face a future of blundering mandates. Ecological sanity is compatible with human freedom, but only if we deploy cryptography to manage the resource allocation. My hope is that, by 2030, these systems will be ready in  enough countries that they’ll become standardized across the world, and we can go on together.Read the full story here. CoinDesk’s “Internet 2030”series examines the future of the medium and what role blockchain and crypto will play in it with content and conversations on the future of the decentralized web. If you are interested in submitting an op-ed for the series, please reach out directly [email protected]. Governance battlesIn this episode of The Breakdown, NLW looks at the powercompetition between governments on the one hand and the decentralized network-driven finance alternativesthat would reshape that power. Interestingly, in this competition corporations may play a role that benefits both sides at different times and in different ways. • Blockchain Bites: Uniswap’s Token, Kraken’s Bank, Bitcoin’s Newbies • Blockchain Bites: Uniswap’s Token, Kraken’s Bank, Bitcoin’s Newbies || U.S. Dollar Index (DX) Futures Technical Analysis – Nearing Potential Fibonacci Support Level at 91.760: The U.S. Dollar is inching lower early Monday, while poised to produce its fourth consecutive monthly decline, it longest losing streak since the summer of 2017. Although the dollar is trading weaker against a basket of major currencies, it relatively steady when compared to last Friday’s heavy selling pressure. After several days of consolidation early last week, the greenback began to retreat last Thursday after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell outlined an accommodative shift in the central bank’s approach to inflation. Investors interpreted the announcement to mean U.S. interest rates would stay lower for longer. Lower rates tend to make the dollar a less-desirable investment. At 04:23 GMT, September U.S. Dollar Index futures are trading 92.270, down 0.109 or -0.12%. The main trend is down according to the daily swing chart. A trade through the last main bottom at 93.110 will reaffirm the downtrend. A trade through 93.480 will change the main trend to up according to the daily swing chart. The nearest potential support is a long-term Fibonacci Level at 91.760. The early price action suggests the direction of the September U.S. Dollar Index on Monday is likely to be determined by trader reaction to Friday’s close at 92.379. A sustained move under 92.379 will indicate the selling pressure is getting stronger. The next downside target is the August 18 main bottom at 92.110. This is followed closely by the long-term Fibonacci level at 91.760. The latter is a potential trigger point for an acceleration to the downside with the next major target the September 21, 2018 main bottom at 90.805. We’ve already had a lower-low, so turning higher for the session on a trade through 92.379 will indicate the buying may be a little greater than the selling at current price levels. This price action won’t change the main trend to up, but it could signal the start of a 2 to 3 day short-covering rally. For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out oureconomic calendar. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Bitcoin and Ethereum Weekly Technical Analysis – August 31st, 2020 • Gold Is Flagging Out – Breakout Rally Targeting $1,950 Or Higher Is Next • USD/JPY Fundamental Daily Forecast – Fed Policy Shift, Abe Surprise Resignation Equals Volatility • Crude Oil Price Update – Needs to Hold $42.62 to Sustain Upside Momentum • A Quiet Day Ahead on the Economic Calendar Leaves COVID-19 and Geopolitics in Focus • AUD/USD and NZD/USD Fundamental Daily Forecast – Pro-Risk Aussie, Kiwi Should Benefit from Accommodative Fed [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: up || Prices: 10793.34, 10604.41, 10668.97, 10915.69, 11064.46, 11296.36, 11384.18, 11555.36, 11425.90, 11429.51
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2016-02-25] BTC Price: 424.54, BTC RSI: 58.79 Gold Price: 1238.20, Gold RSI: 68.31 Oil Price: 33.07, Oil RSI: 56.26 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] JPMorgan launches blockchain trial project -FT: Jan 31 (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase is partnering with start-up Digital Asset Holdings to launch a trial project using blockchain technology that could reduce the cost and complexity of trading, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The agreement comes as another sign that blockchain, which is best known as the basis of the digital currency Bitcoin, has wide-ranging applications for some of Wall Street's biggest banks. One potential use for the technology is addressing liquidity mismatches in some of JPMorgan's loan funds, the Financial Times said. "To sell a loan is a very cumbersome, time-consuming process; settlement can take weeks," Daniel Pinto, head of JPMorgan's investment bank, told the Financial Times. It "makes all the sense in the world" to explore blockchain's potential to improve that process. Digital Asset Holdings is run by Blythe Masters, JPMorgan's former head of commodities. (Reporting by Carl O'Donnell; Editing by Peter Cooney) || Ledger Fights For Bitcoin's Staying Power At CES 2016: The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is a chance for electronics and technology firms to debut their latest offerings and future prospects. Everything from self-driving cars to mind-blowing virtual reality sets have made their debut at CES, and each year the show tends to set the tone for what kind of tech will be big in the coming year. This year, bitcoin startupLedgeris keeping the cryptocurrency in the spotlight by hosting the only bitcoin startup booth at the event. Physical Bitcoin Storage Ledger created a hardware wallet product in 2015 that provides customers with a safe and secure way to store and use their bitcoins. Ledger takes some of the worry out of using bitcoin by giving users a physical way to store bitcoins – a lightweight smart card. They can then use a USB to make secure payments, and the company offers a simple backup system that provides users with a microchip and pin code encrypted system in case they lose their card. Related Link:Can The Bitcoin Foundation Last? This year, Ledger is planning to exhibit new offerings at CES including a new technology that will strengthen the security of online authentication by reducing the reliance on passwords. Bitcoin's Year Ledger's presence at CES suggests that although bitcoin had a rough year in 2015, the cryptocurrency isn't dead yet. Concerns about privacy and security have increased skepticism about cryptocurrencies, making it difficult for bitcoin firms to push mainstream approval. However, many believe that as security improves and more and more vendors open up to the possibility of bitcoin transactions, the public will get on board. Image Credit: Public Domain See more from Benzinga • Virtual Reality In 2016 • Is Tesla A Good Investment For 2016? • 3 CEOs Who Made Headlines In 2015 © 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Digatrade Executes Bitcoin Debit Card Development Contract: Digatrade Bitcoin Debit Card Set to Launch VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 25, 2016 /BITX FINANCIAL CORP (BITXF) and its 100% owned and operated digital asset-currency exchange DIGATRADE™ (digatrade.com) today announced the execution of a technology development agreement with ANX Technologies. Under terms of the agreement Digatrade will have a bitcoin debit card developed by ANX Technologies, one of the world's first financial technology companies to have developed a bitcoin debit card and one of the largest distributors of debit cards in the market offering customers as well as businesses a fast and reliable payment solution. The Digatrade debit card will provide a gateway between digital assets and traditional payments processing. The reloadable debit card can be used to make purchases in any retail, point-of-sale devices or withdraw cash from ATMs that support the global payment network. Digatrade customers will be able to add funds to their debit card via the Digatrade exchange platform and will empower digital assets to be accepted worldwide. More information will be made available as it materializes. ABOUT DIGATRADE: DIGATRADE is a global digital asset-currency exchange located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Company is owned and operated 100% by Bit-X Financial Corp which is publically listed on the OTC.QB under the trading symbol BITXF. BITXF is a reporting issuer in the Province of British Columbia, Canada with the British Columbia Securities Commission "BCSC" and in the United States with the Securities Exchange Commission "SEC". Digatrade has now become a global platform offering its customers instant card-based transactions worldwide. CORPORATE CONTACT INFORMATION: Brad Moynes, CEOBit-X Financial CorpDigaTrade.com838 West Hastings Street, Suite 300Vancouver, BC V6C-0A6CanadaTel: +1(604) 200-0071Fax: +1(604) 200-0072www.digatrade.com Media inquiries: [email protected] Forward-Looking Information This press release contains certain "forward-looking information". All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or development that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future constitute forward-looking information. This forward-looking information reflects the current expectations or beliefs of the company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking information is subject to a number of significant risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, the possibility of unanticipated costs and expenses. Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such information due to the inherent uncertainty therein. SOURCE:Bit-X Financial Corp || Digatrade Executes Bitcoin Debit Card Development Contract: Digatrade Bitcoin Debit Card Set to Launch VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / February 25, 2016 /BITX FINANCIAL CORP (BITXF) and its 100% owned and operated digital asset-currency exchange DIGATRADE™ (digatrade.com) today announced the execution of a technology development agreement with ANX Technologies. Under terms of the agreement Digatrade will have a bitcoin debit card developed by ANX Technologies, one of the world's first financial technology companies to have developed a bitcoin debit card and one of the largest distributors of debit cards in the market offering customers as well as businesses a fast and reliable payment solution. The Digatrade debit card will provide a gateway between digital assets and traditional payments processing. The reloadable debit card can be used to make purchases in any retail, point-of-sale devices or withdraw cash from ATMs that support the global payment network. Digatrade customers will be able to add funds to their debit card via the Digatrade exchange platform and will empower digital assets to be accepted worldwide. More information will be made available as it materializes. ABOUT DIGATRADE: DIGATRADE is a global digital asset-currency exchange located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Company is owned and operated 100% by Bit-X Financial Corp which is publically listed on the OTC.QB under the trading symbol BITXF. BITXF is a reporting issuer in the Province of British Columbia, Canada with the British Columbia Securities Commission "BCSC" and in the United States with the Securities Exchange Commission "SEC". Digatrade has now become a global platform offering its customers instant card-based transactions worldwide. CORPORATE CONTACT INFORMATION: Brad Moynes, CEOBit-X Financial CorpDigaTrade.com838 West Hastings Street, Suite 300Vancouver, BC V6C-0A6CanadaTel: +1(604) 200-0071Fax: +1(604) 200-0072www.digatrade.com Media inquiries: [email protected] Forward-Looking Information This press release contains certain "forward-looking information". All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or development that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future constitute forward-looking information. This forward-looking information reflects the current expectations or beliefs of the company based on information currently available to the Company. Forward-looking information is subject to a number of significant risks and uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information, and even if such actual results are realized or substantially realized, there can be no assurance that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on the Company. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to, the possibility of unanticipated costs and expenses. Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such information due to the inherent uncertainty therein. SOURCE:Bit-X Financial Corp || 16 Bold ETF Predictions for 2016: 2015 wasn’t exactly a great year for fund investors. A few choice companies dominated and left their competitors in the dust, making it a pretty poor year to be a sector investor. For example, stocks likeAmazon (AMZN)orNetflix (NFLX)more than doubled in 2015 while not a single major SPDR sector looks to finish the year with gains in excess of 11%. However, 2016 looks to be a bit brighter, assuming of course it isn’t going to be a ‘stock picker’s market’ again in the New Year. Beyond that though, it looks to be another exciting and prosperous year for the ETF industry, and one that looks to see plenty of changes, as well as new funds. In terms of what specifically the New Year might hold, I offer up 16 predictions on what I think 2016 will hold for the world of ETFs, and what investors need to watch for in the New Year: Hedged currency trend finally ends One of the most annoying trends in 2015 has been the surge in every type of hedged currency ETF you could think of, be it half hedged, dynamic hedged, or Chinese currency hedged. While I think the dollar will strengthen a bit more, I think the second half of 2016 will see the flow of hedged ETFs slow to a trickle—if not an outright halt—as the dollar levels out and investors look elsewhere for gains in foreign markets (see Flurry of New Currency Hedged ETFs Fuels Price War ). ETMFs Debut, but stumble out of the gate Exchange Traded Mutual Funds are going to be a big buzzword in 2016 as companies like Eaton Vance look to launch this product type which seeks to provide the exchange-traded benefits of ETFs, with the closed-off holdings aspects of mutual funds to prevent front-running. While I think these will one day have a place in the fund world, they will stumble out of the gate as they confuse investors, unless of course big name players jump on this category and can bring their brand name following with them. More specialized sectors funds look to catch fire, but struggle After the insane rise of thecybersecurity ETF (HACK)in the past year, a number of ETF issuers are looking to strike it rich with similar products in the New Year. As of late, I have seen filings for e-commerce funds, 3D Printing ETFs, and an Internet of Things product, with all of them looking to catch fire like HACK did. However, HACK had a massive catalyst, and without that, the new funds will struggle for a bit to gain popularity in 2016 (see Invest in Booming Technologies with These 3 ETFs). IWM will beat SPY in 2016 Large caps led the way in 2015, mostly thanks to incredible performances from well-known companies. I think this trend reverses in 2016 and we see a return of thesmall cap ETF (IWM)and its outperformance over its large cap counterparts in the New Year. RSP will beat SPYin 2016 In that same vein, theequal weight S&P 500 fund (RSP)had long beaten its cap-focused counterpart,SPY. However, this trend ended in 2015 thanks to those surging mega cap securities. I am also looking for this trend to reverse in 2016 and to see a resurgence of equal weight product demand in general for the New Year as well. Surge in duration hedged/negative duration ETF interest A few years ago, hedged Japan ETFs (likeDXJ) hit the market and many thought they were too sophisticated for retail investors. However, as this turned out to be the best way to play the Japan story, investors of all stripes flocked to these products, making them ultra-popular choices in the Japan market. The same concerns are present now with hedged/negative duration bond funds and I think as interest rates rise these will have their time in the sun (by being the best bond ETF plays) and surge in popularity in 2016 ( Worried About Higher Interest Rates? Buy These 4 ETFs to Profit ). Ex-sector funds hit $100 million under management If 2016 is anything like 2015, we will see at least one major sector stumble. That is why I think the lineup from ProShares of ex-sector ETFs (ex-energy, ex-financials, ex-health care, and ex-technology) will finally surge in 2016 after languishing in anonymity for much of Q4 in 2015. With a year under their belt, these will finally see some interest from investors and will go from a combined AUM of under $20 million today, to a combined AUM of at least $100 million by year’s end. New SPDR Select Sector ETFs hit $100 million in assets State Street’s SPDR lineup has proven to be very popular, but the company recently launched two new products to round out its financial ETF offering;XLFS(focus on financial services) and XLRE (focus on real estate). Both of these made their debut in Q4 but haven’t really seen a surge in assets. I think this will change in 2016 as the interest rate picture becomes clearer, making at least one of them a $100 million product, up from roughly $16 million total right now. Oil-free in 2016 The trend against oil investing will continue in 2016 and I think we will see at least a few more fossil-free funds hit the market as investors look to avoid this space in their portfolios. I also think we could see an oil-free bond ETF (or fossil free bond ETF) as issuers look to cash in on the trend against oil investments and over the concerns of defaults in the high yield market in this corner of the fixed income world (read Support the Environment and Profit with Fossil Fuel Free ETFs ). ETF Closures Go Over 100 and Hit/Approach a Record There are nearly 20 funds that have less than $1 million in assets under management, while about 300 have less than $5 million under management. There is basically no way these are profitable and I am sure we will see a host of closures in 2016 as the writing on the wall becomes clear for many of these strategies. This will make 2016 another big, if not the biggest, year for ETF closures on record. Someone Will Close Down Too Early The flip side of this is that a fund will close down too early. In 2016, I predict a fund will shut its doors only to see its segment go on to great popularity within the next few months. We saw this with FAA and the airline space (among others) and it is hard to discount the importance of timing in the ETF world right now, so look for this to happen to a country or sector fund in the New Year (see Finally a New Airline ETF Prepares to Take Off). Two similar ETFs will launch within a one month window You know when Hollywood launches two similar movies pretty close together (White House DownandOlympus Has FallenorA Bug’s LifeandAntzback in the day)? Well, the ETF industry likes to do that too, putting out funds that target pretty much the same area within a few weeks of each other. The idea is to dilute the first-mover advantage (or to race andbecomethe first mover) and I’d look for that trend to continue in 2016 at least once. Wearable ETF hits the market (or at least a filing) Thanks to the ubiquitous nature ofFitbit (FIT)and a boost in interest in all technology connected devices that are ‘wearable’, a number of companies are jumping into this market. As we saw in recent months with cyber security and cloud computing ETFs, I’d expect to see a wearable (ticker WEAR?) before too long, or at least a filing that will get this fund to market eventually. Bitcoin fund finally comes out For quite some time now, there has been a filing in the pipeline for a bitcoin ETF (COIN) from the Winklevoss twins of all people. The first filing was in 2013, an index was launched earlier in 2014, and I think 2016 will finally mark see this idea pass regulatory hurdles as well as the launch of this product which should help to make bitcoins more easily tradable and liquid for the masses, much like whatGLDdid for gold (read Believe It or Not: Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF on the Horizon ). Price war continues As the ETF space starts to round out, many ETF issuers have launched ‘me-too’ products which target substantially similar segments of the market. The way they differentiate has largely been on the price front and this has forced issuers to slash costs in order to remain competitive. This war has been great for consumers who look to save more money, and I expect to see more fee cuts and price competitive products in 2016 as well. You’ll see more calls of an ETF Bubble… These will be wrong Every couple of months, ETF pundits will write articles or go on TV saying that the end is near for the ETF world and that the category cannot support more products. These predictions have been wrong before and they will be wrong again in 2016. While there are a lot more ETFs than there were a few years ago, there is still plenty of more sector specific and active ETF opportunities out there, meaning that investors shouldn’t be worried about a bubble again in the New Year either (see Best and Worst ETFs of 2015). Happy New Year and best of luck to fund investors in 2016! Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free reportFITBIT INC (FIT): Free Stock Analysis ReportPURFDS-ISE CYBR (HACK): ETF Research ReportsISHARS-R 2000 (IWM): ETF Research ReportsSPDR-FS SELS (XLFS): ETF Research ReportsSPDR-SP 500 TR (SPY): ETF Research ReportsGUGG-SP5 EQ ETF (RSP): ETF Research ReportsTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report || First Bitcoin Capital Corp. Signs Evaluation Agreements with Emercoin International Development Group, To Develop and Market Solutions to Provide Distributed Blockchain Services For Business and Personal Use: VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January, 28, 2016 /First BITCoin Capital Corp. (BITCF) announced today that it has signed an evaluation agreement with Emercoin International Development Group, a leader in solutions to provide distributed blockchain services for business and personal use. First BITCoin has signed certain evaluation agreements to promote Emercoin technology for wide spectrum of blockchain based technologies: 1. EMC/SSH- Secure shell management system needed by every site admin. 2. EMC/DNS- Uncensored domain name system, peering with OpenNIC. 3. EMC/LNX-- Decentralized pay-per-click advertising network. 4. EMC/SSL- System for password less authentication on the world wide web. 5. Info/Card- Storage for electronic business cards for use with EMCSSL. 6. EMC/TTS- Trusted storage for digital timestamps on the blockchain. 7. MAGNET - Distributed torrent tracker for internet file sharing. 8. EMC/DPO- Digital proof of ownership solution for physical or digital goods and services. First BITCoin is also evaluating investing in Emercoin to support Emercoin's market expansion and acceptance worldwide. Oleg Khovayko, Emercoin Lead Developer, said, "Key difference in Emercoin from other cryptocurrencies is that we are using blockchain not just for transfer credit values. We consider Emercoin as a technological platform for distributed, censorship–proof and scalable services. So we developed a suite of services running on top of the Emercoin blockchain that will be very useful for a lot of companies and even private persons." In addition, our goal is provide stable, robust and easy to integrate services. Hence, our solutions are compatible with industry standards, proven their efficient and security. "We are excited to have the opportunity to evaluate and possibly invest in EMERCOIN , especially due to their recent partnership with Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) to deliver their blockchain services to the Azure cloud's Blockchain-as-a-Service marketplace, also known as BaaS Platform," the Company spokesperson said. "We are always looking for disrupting, new and promising technologies, and are ready to invest in those companies to help them to market their technology worldwide." About EMERCOIN Group EmerCoin (EMC) is a decentralized, open-source cryptocurrency created in late 2013 and based on technologies from Bitcoin, Namecoin and Peercoin. It utilizes both Proof-of-Work and Proof-of-Stake mining. Emercoin, a leading digital currency and blockchain platform has just partnered with Microsoft to become a member of the Azure marketplace. With demand growing for innovative, scalable blockchain services that are ready to implement, Emercoin is a natural fit for the Azure cloud platform. They have developed a robust suite of ready-to-use features that offer real world solutions for business and consumer use. Emercoin will be delivering their suite of blockchain services into the Azure cloud later this year. This will give Azure cloud users the ability to install and make use of Emercoin's many services such as digital proof of ownership and identity, passwordless authentication on the internet, network security, the first distributed advertising network and many E-commerce solutions like the Emercoin secure micropayment service. For more information please visitwww.Emercoin.com. About First BITCoin Capital Corp. First Bitcoin Capital Corp. is a development-stage Canadian-based mining company currently holding concessions of Gold in Venezuela and is developing technology for the crypto-currency industry. It is the first vertically-integrated consolidation company of the Bitcoin and crypto-currency marketplace. The Company is developing the following digital assets www.CoinQX.com- online cryptocurrency Exchange. www.BITessentials.com- online shopping mall (in Beta testing) allowing multiple vendors to place their products ans sell for cryptocurrency. Company has partnered with GoCoin , A global leader in Blockchain payments and innovation, GoCoin was the first international platform for enabling merchants to Blockchain currency payments including Bitcoin and popular altcoins Litecoin, Dogecoin and Tether at checkout. www.iCOINews.com - Real time crypto currency news aggregator platform. www.BITminer.cc- Mining and equipment sales for cryptocurrency miners. The Company currently develops other innovative projects. SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS: This press release includes various "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which represent the Company's expectations or beliefs concerning future events. Statements containing expressions such as "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "intends," or "expects," or similar expressions or statements regarding intent, belief of current expectations used in the Company's press releases and in Disclosure Statements and Reports filed with the Over the Counter Markets through the OTC Disclosure and News Service are intended to identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes its expectations are based upon reasonable assumptions within the bounds of its knowledge of its business and operations, there can be no assurances that actual results will not differ materially from expected results. The Company cautions that these and similar statements included in this report are further qualified by important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date thereof. Contacts: [email protected] SOURCE:First Bitcoin Capital Corp. || BofA, Wells Fargo & JPMorgan to Roll Out Cardless ATMs?: Individuals may soon be able to use their smart phones to withdraw cash from ATMs. According to Reuters, which cited technology website TechCrunch, banking majors Bank of America Corp. BAC and Wells Fargo & Company WFC are working to integrate Apple Inc.’s AAPL Apple Pay, a mobile payment system, into their ATM network, thereby eliminating the use of plastic cards.Betty Riess, a press representative for BofA, confirmed that the company is presently developing “a new cardless ATM solution,” which is expected to be available in selected ATMs in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Charlotte, New York and Boston by the end of this month. Moreover, the facility will likely be available to a larger customer base by the end of 2016.Wells Fargo, which currently supports Google’s Android Pay, is considering alternative wallets for its customers. Similar to BofA, Wells Fargo is expected to offer the facility initially at limited ATMs, and expand the same to a broader network by the end of 2016.The ATMs will incorporate near-field communication or “NFC” technology, which will allow customers to carry out their ATM transactions through smart phone-generated PIN codes. Notably, ATM users will be able required to log in to the respective mobile wallets, and then tap their smart phones to the machine’s NFC point in order to confirm the transaction.Currently, half of BofA’s 16,100 ATMs are already NFC-equipped. Wells Fargo, on the other hand, intends to install NFC readers in at least one-third of its total 13,000 ATMs by the end of 2016.Apart from BofA and Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPM is also headed toward rolling out cardless ATMs in 2016. At present, the company is working on a code-based system that will generate a temporary password to facilitate the transaction through its mobile banking application. Notably, such a feature prevents pass codes from being misused or stolen.This apart, BofA and JPMorgan intend to incorporate additional features like pre-setting ATM transactions, which will not only help customers save time, but also lower security concerns owing to shorter duration.Why this Change?We believe higher dependence on smart phones will help banks capitalize on the growing number of active mobile users. During fourth-quarter 2015, the active mobile user headcount at BofA and JPMorgan surged 8% and 13% year over year, respectively. At Wells Fargo, the annual tally increased 14% from 2014.Further, the strategy is in line with the industry-wide focus on right-sizing retail network to curb expenses, as well as enhance customer experience. More importantly, smart phones offer better security compared with desktops and laptops, given their relatively higher protection layers.Bottom LineIn this era of digitalization, customers’ appetite for mobile banking encourages banks to provide sophisticated mobile banking services.Moreover, since traditional methods are gradually taking a backseat, the financial institutions are making consistent efforts to attract and retain clients by offering better digital experience amid a competitive environment.Apart from smart phones, banks are also known to have shown interest in Blockchain, the “digital ledger” or the underlying technology behind Bitcoin, given its significant potential to revamp the extensive and complex network of bank payments as well as settlements.Recently, JPMorgan partnered with start-up firm Digital Asset Holdings to launch a trial project that utilizes the blockchain technology. According to Financial Times, the technology will likely aid in resolving liquidity mismatches in some of the company’s loan funds. Moreover, it is expected to lower cost and complexities related to trading.Notably, in Dec 2015, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. filed a patent application with the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) – Cryptographic Currency For Securities Settlement – for a new cryptocurrency called SETLcoin.Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free reportJPMORGAN CHASE (JPM): Free Stock Analysis ReportWELLS FARGO-NEW (WFC): Free Stock Analysis ReportBANK OF AMER CP (BAC): Free Stock Analysis ReportAPPLE INC (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research || 10 Tech Predictions for 2016: As I always say, predicting what will happen in the tech industry over a short time horizon is a lot like shooting darts at Jell-O. But someone’s got to do it and it may as well be me. Besides, my prophecies for 2015 didn’t do nearly as well as in 2014 , and I’m itching to redeem myself. I did hit a number of forecasts out of the park, including the success of Apple Pay and the demise of Twitter CEO Dick Costolo. And my prediction that the Nasdaq would break its all-time high and then fizzle out turned out to be reasonably accurate. But a few of the calls I made, including those about net neutrality and the Comcast – Time Warner Cable merger – were thwarted by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and federal regulators. [Sigh.] And my bet on cinematic reality startup Magic Leap never made the jump from virtual to reality. Let’s see if I can do better this year. Here’s what my crystal ball says will happen in 2016: Users will develop smart gadget fatigue. While smartphones and tablets, to a lesser extent, will continue to see strong growth in emerging markets, the growth curve will continue to flatten out in mature markets – especially among Android devices. Wearables will get a boost from Apple Watch 2 but unit sales will remain unimpressive compared with the incomparable iPhone. Jack will tweak Twitter. O Twitter, Twitter! Wherefore art thou Twitter? The return of Jack Dorsey as CEO will see the cofounder do a lot of Facebook-like (move fast and break things) tweaking to Twitter, starting with increasing the 140 character tweet limit. Jack will continue to tweak the product until something good happens, as in renewed user growth and engagement. Apple and Google car hype will reach fever pitch. Car tech is heating up in a big way. And since the market’s response to Apple’s first new products since Steve Jobs – Apple Watch and Apple TV (the product, not the hobby) – has been muted, fanboys will be clamoring for rumors on the car front. And Google will likewise be pressured to show progress on at least one of its massive Alphabet ventures, notably its self-driving car. Drones will continue to bug neighbors, privacy buffs and the FAA. Drones will remain an annoying hobby for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, nobody in desperate need of a midnight pizza or a six-pack will be getting one delivered by drone anytime soon. And definitely not anytime this year. The digital and real worlds will meet in augmented reality (AR). Virtual reality has been the next big thing for as far back as I can remember, but the technology behind Facebook Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard is becoming more real all the time. A breakthrough, however, is more likely in the AR space, where the digital and real worlds meet. That means something will pop from Magic Leap, Microsoft HoloLens, Google Glass 2, or who knows, maybe Apple. Story continues The tech bubble will correct. With notable exceptions like Netflix and Amazon, tech stocks took a breather in 2015 after an impressive six-year bull run. But the slowing global economy, the Fed’s monetary tightening, and terrorism concerns will let some air out of the private equity bubble and take the Nasdaq down into correction territory. Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious Bitcoin founder, will not be found. Wired, Gizmodo and every other tech media outlet have been hot on the trail of identifying Satoshi Nakamoto , the pseudonym of Bitcoin’s mysterious founder. They thought they had it figured out a few weeks ago, but that turned out to be an elaborate hoax. Still, it was nowhere near as embarrassing as Newsweek’s Dorian Nakamoto debacle of 2014. The IPO market will be weak. The private equity bubble is keeping late-stage startups that would ordinarily go public out of the IPO market. That will change when there’s a unicorn shakeout, investors get burned and VCs stop throwing money at startups at crazy valuations. That’s when tech companies will once again see public markets as viable exits. That’s when you’ll see unicorns stampede on Wall Street . And it won’t be in 2016. M&A activity will be strong. With the bull market running out of steam and private investors becoming more cautious, M&A exits will be on the rise. Unfortunately, a lot of them will be companies that maintain high burn rates until it’s too late and end up going for dimes on a dollar in fire sales. Yahoo will sell its core business and Marissa Mayer will be out as CEO. Here’s a fun little rhyme for 2016, courtesy of Humpty Dumpty: Yahoo Yahoo sat on a wall Yahoo Yahoo had a great fall All the Valley’s CEOs and all the Valley’s chairmen Couldn’t put Yahoo Yahoo together again Jerry Yang, Carol Bartz, Roy Bostock, Tim Morse, Scott Thompson, Ross Levinsohn, Fred Amoroso, Maynard Webb. I’m sure I missed a CEO or chairman somewhere in there, but in any case, enough is enough. It’s long past time to put this company, its board, and Marissa Mayer out of their misery. Yahoo will be acquired or taken private in 2016. Related Articles GM Eyes the Future With $500M Bet on Lyft Where You Can Watch and Participate in the GOP Debate The Most Annoying Aspects of Our Tech-Crazed Culture View comments || Blockchain Gets A Much-Needed Stamp Of Approval: Finance firmGoldman Sachs Group Inc(NYSE:GS) has become a pillar of the financial sector with traders looking to the bank's advice for everything from investing to saving. For that reason, Goldman Sachs Director Don Duet'spositive remarksregarding blockchain could be a catalyst for the technology's success. Blockchain Potential Bitcoin has had a rough ride over the past year, as many of the coin's users suffered losses due to volatile prices and exchange collapses. However, the technology that bitcoin runs on – a ledger-like system called blockchain – has been gaining momentum. This is especially true in the financial sector, where banks say blockchain could improve their operations and make things like cross-border payments more streamlined. Related Link:Blockchain Moves Forward In The Financial Industry Using Blockchain Earlier this month, Duet commented on blockchain, saying that he sees the technology as both exciting and groundbreaking. He said blockchain systems have the potential to revolutionize banking operations and the technology could help banks share information and conduct asset transfers more easily and securely. A Single Truth Duet said blockchain provides banks with a "single truth," meaning that it creates one constant system that all banks can use. One of the problems with the banking sector as it currently stands, he said, is that every bank is operating with different systems and protocols. Because of this, banks have to spend a lot of time reconciling differences in order to conduct transactions. However, using blockchain could change all of that by providing banks with one single ledger updated with each transaction. A Bright Future While Duet's comments were general in nature, many saw his optimism regarding blockchain as a positive sign for the future. Banks like Goldman Sachs,Morgan Stanley(NYSE:MS) andCitigroup Inc(NYSE:C) have been exploring how blockchain might fit into their operations in recent months, and Duet's remarks suggest the outlook is promising. See more from Benzinga • Can Bank Stocks Recover? • Banks' Earnings Tell A Tale Of Cost Cutting • Is Bank Of America Ripe For A Turnaround? © 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || How big banks are paying lip service to the blockchain: IBM has high hopes for blockchain technology. The IT giant announced on Tuesday a laundry list of plans to use blockchain tech and to help developers do the same. IBM ( IBM ) will offer tools through its cloud service for building blockchain apps, and it will open up IBM "Garages" in London, New York, Singapore and Tokyo for experts to collaborate with developers on blockchain tech. Taken in tandem with the recent flurry of banks and financial institutions expressing public interest in blockchain, the technology is having a moment. In September, a slew of banks including BBVA, Citi, Credit Suisse, JPMorgan, Royal Bank of Scotland, and UBS all joined a coalition, led by a firm called R3 , to implement blockchain technology in banking. In December, five more big names hopped on board, including BNP Paribas, ING, and Wells Fargo. But the great irony of the banks' interest in blockchain is that the idea of a blockchain for traditional banking defeats the purpose of the blockchain—at least as it has been used thus far, with the digital currency bitcoin. And top executives from some of the very same institutions that have signed on to R3 have separately disparaged bitcoin. To understand what it is that banks claim to want to do with blockchain, you first need to understand the bitcoin blockchain, which is a public, decentralized ledger that records every single bitcoin transaction. Think of it like a library card in the cloud (not the card you use to take out a book, but the slip inside a book that lists all the borrowers). If you send a friend $5 worth of bitcoin, the transaction goes on the blockchain. If one bitcoin startup acquires another bitcoin startup for $500,000 in bitcoin, that, too, goes on the blockchain. And you can view the blockchain in real time, as transactions are uploaded, at blockchain.info . Transactions are added in bundles, called "blocks," by "miners," who receive a tiny fee in bitcoin as an incentive to mine. Miners use large, expensive computers to find and mine the blocks. The excitement of the bitcoin blockchain, to people in the digital currency world, is the potential for decentralized applications to be built on top of it that cut out the middle man. And the blockchain can be used to store and send anything of value, so there are companies using it to store documents like property deeds and even marriage licenses. And now: Enter the banks. They've long stayed away from bitcoin, which has a toxic public image thanks to headlines about bitcoin being used in embezzlement and Ponzi schemes. (Think of Mt. Gox and Silk Road .) MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga said he believes bitcoin "starts bumping up against societal rules, which I worry about," and that, "it doesn’t give me the safety and security of knowing that I am who I am, and I’m paying who I know, which is what traditional currency does." And yet, MasterCard ( MA ) invested in Digital Currency Group, a venture firm that has itself invested in 65 different bitcoin and blockchain-enabled businesses. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said bitcoin "is going nowhere... There is nothing behind a bitcoin, and I think if it was big, the governments would stop it." And yet, JPMorgan ( JPM ) has signed on with R3. Story continues Forget bitcoin, embrace blockchain Bitcoin is doomed, if you ask Dimon. But the blockchain—now that's exciting. As Dimon said on CNBC last month, "The blockchain is a technology, which we’ve been studying... and yes, it’s real. If it proves to be cheap and secure it will be adopted for a whole bunch of stuff." Translation: Blockchain is hot, bitcoin is not. We are seeing this sentiment again and again. IBM, in its extensive press release this week about its blockchain efforts, does not use the word "bitcoin" once. Bitreserve, a cloud banking vault launched by CNET founder Halsey Minor and led by former Barclays CIO Anthony Watson , was so eager to shed the stink of bitcoin that it changed its name to Uphold. Blockchain "is so hot right now," writes Erik Voorhees , the CEO of bitcoin startup Shapeshift, while bitcoin "has been left by the wayside, ignored like an embarrassing relative at a family gathering.” (And yet the price of bitcoin is up 24% in the last six months, 85% in the last six.) What will using blockchain tech even look like for banks? R3's web site says its mission is "building and empowering the next generation of global financial services technology." That's pretty vague. David Rutter, CEO of R3 and a former executive at London-based electronic brokerage ICAP, has said R3 will help banks and financial firms use the "fabric" of blockchain technology. You might think that people in the bitcoin world are pleased to see big, incumbent financial institutions embracing the underlying technology behind the leading cryptocurrency. They are not. Most of them see the banks' stated interest as empty lip service so far. What most people believe the banks want to do is employ something like the blockchain in their record-keeping processes: record customer deposits and withdrawals on a blockchain as opposed to whatever (likely outdated) software they currently use. Sounds simple enough. But it would have to be a closed ledger, accessible only to customers of the banks. And therein lies the contradiction: the bitcoin blockchain is public and open-sourced; nothing about it is closed. "I can see why banks are interested in using permissioned ledgers, and maybe it will make their back office more efficient," says Jerry Brito, executive director of digital currency nonprofit Coin Center. "But at the end of the day, it's not a very exciting innovation. The real innovation is a completely open and global ledger that is permission-less. Having a closed, permissioned ledger run by banks, that might allow for better auditing, but there’s no innovation there, you still have to go through a consortium to use the ledger." That is, what banks seem to want to do is incongruous to the purpose of the blockchain. Digital Currency Group's Barry Silbert, who founded SecondMarket, which allowed for the trading of stocks in non-public companies, is similarly dubious of the "blockchain for banking" theme. "I’ve spoken quite publicly about my skepticism around the private blockchain approach," he tells Yahoo Finance. If R3 doesn't yield innovative fruit, then why are banks rushing to join up? For starters, as a PR effort: once a few were involved, the others looked stodgy by delaying. But Brito also believes the interest will subside once banks actually learn more about blockchain technology. " I think right now investors are kind of waiting for Wall Street to get through this blockchain phase," he says. "They have blockchain fever and they need to just get over it. Because if they develop their own closed blockchains, soon they’ll all realize they want to talk to each other, and they’ll be back to square one, doing banking." The bitcoin blockchain is open, global and permissionless. It has potential to serve as the backbone for additional exciting applications. If traditional banks want to employ it in their way, by acting as gatekeepers, it defeats the purpose. But don't expect that to dampen their public expressions of interest just yet. This is the first in a three-part Yahoo Finance series about blockchain technology. The second part is about how you can invest in the blockchain; the third part is about the biggest names in the industry. -- Daniel Roberts is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering sports business and technology. Read more: Bitcoin advocacy group scores funding from biggest names in industry Bitcoin industry consolidates: Why Kraken bought Coinsetter Bitcoin's biggest investor bought its biggest news site Here's a sign that PayPal is embracing Bitcoin View comments [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] LIVE: Profit = $175.53 (8.28 %). BUY B5.48 @ $410.00 (#VirCurex). SELL @ $420.00 (#Kraken) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || Bitstamp: $373.42/BTC - last trade of USD/BTC at https://www.bitstamp.net/  (high: 375.00, low: 369.06) #bitcoin #BTC http://bitcoinautotrade.com  || #RDD / #BTC on the exchanges: Cryptsy: Error Bittrex: 0.00000005 Average $1.9E-5 per #reddcoin 00:30:01 via #priceo…pic.twitter.com/3MHjmn73lX || Current price of Bitcoin is $382.00. || LIVE: Profit = $780.33 (9.28 %). BUY B20.41 @ $420.00 (#VirCurex). SELL @ $450.46 (#Bitfinex) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || 1 MUE Price: Bittrex 0.00000032 BTC YoBit 0.00000032 BTC Bleutrade 0.00000030 BTC #MUE #MUEprice 2016-02-10 06:00 pic.twitter.com/erjyzpShTo || $443.71 #coinbase; $442.28 #bitfinex; $442.05 #bitstamp; $438.00 #btce; #bitcoin #btc via #ThePriceOfBTCpic.twitter.com/RoErWLTi16 || In the last 10 mins, there were arb opps spanning 12 exchange pair(s), yielding profits ranging between $0.00 and $215.49 #bitcoin #btc || LIVE: Profit = $33.71 (2.47 %). BUY B3.58 @ $380.00 (#VirCurex). SELL @ $387.65 (#HitBTC) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || One Bitcoin now worth $377.43@bitstamp. High $383.99. Low $372.00. Market Cap $5.716 Billion #bitcoin
Trend: down || Prices: 432.15, 432.52, 433.50, 437.70, 435.12, 423.99, 421.65, 410.94, 400.57, 407.71
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2019-12-09] BTC Price: 7400.90, BTC RSI: 40.53 Gold Price: 1459.30, Gold RSI: 43.70 Oil Price: 59.02, Oil RSI: 58.81 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Northern Bitcoin Merges with Leading US Competitor: - Merger with Whinstone US, Inc. leads to significant leap in growth - Building the world's largest Bitcoin Mining Facility in Texas - Joint company positions itself as a leading global player FRANKFURT, GERMANY / ACCESSWIRE / November 18, 2019 / Northern Bitcoin AG (XETRA:NB2, ISIN: DE000A0SMU87) has entered into a merger agreement with its US competitor Whinstone US, Inc. The company already successfully operates its own Bitcoin Mining Site in the US state of Louisiana and is currently building by far the largest Bitcoin Mining Facility worldwide with a capacity of one gigawatt on an area of over 100 acres in Texas. The Whinstone Group and its management team have a successful track record in the blockchain industry since 2014 and have established and operated their own mining facilities in the Netherlands, Sweden and the USA. A few weeks ago, the company started building its latest site in Texas. On an area of 100 acres (equivalent to around 57 soccer fields), the largest data center in North America and the largest Bitcoin mining facility in the world are built in three phases with local construction partners. With the completion of the first construction phase planned for the first quarter of 2020, the company will already have over 300 megawatts of capacity and will rank number one worldwide. The total capacity of one gigawatt is expected to be available in the fourth quarter of 2020. The first customers of the new site are two stock-listed corporations that will use a significant portion of the capacity for Bitcoin mining. In addition to its highly specific focus on blockchain applications such as Bitcoin mining, the infrastructure of the largest data center - after completion - in the USA can also be used for video rendering and artificial intelligence applications in the future. "With stock-listed Northern Bitcoin AG, we have found the ideal partner to position our successful business development on the capital market from now on. The joint company has the immediate potential to shape the future course of the global mining industry," explains Aroosh Thillainathan, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Whinstone US. Story continues "With this merger, we are catapulting ourselves faster than originally planned to the top of the world in Bitcoin mining. Whinstone's team has done a great job over the past few years and is proving its leadership in the blockchain industry by building the world's largest mining facility," said Mathis Schultz, CEO of Northern Bitcoin AG. "Together, we have a dominant leadership position in this fast-growing industry and are well-positioned to benefit significantly from the future development of blockchain technology." By completing the transaction at the beginning of 2020, the joint venture will establish itself as a global leader in Bitcoin mining. It is intended that parts of the experienced Whinstone management will complement the management board of Northern Bitcoin AG at short notice. Northern Bitcoin AG, based in Frankfurt, started in 2018 as a sustainable Bitcoin Miner and is recording a rapid growth thanks to the strong global distribution of Bitcoin and its blockchain. The Company among other things operates a mining site based on renewable energy sources in Norway and benefits from the rapid adaptation of Bitcoin as "digital gold" and new means of payment. With the offer of its own wallet, the Company becomes the operator of a 360-degree Bitcoin ecosystem. About Northern Bitcoin: Northern Bitcoin AG is a technology company focused on the Bitcoin blockchain. It is challenging the status quo of Bitcoin mining and redefining it. As a pioneer, it provides Bitcoin and blockchain technology with a sustainable infrastructure. To this end, it operates its own state-of-the-art mining hardware based on renewable energy sources under extremely cost-efficient and secure conditions as well as a self-developed mining pool. The company is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. Further information under www.northernbitcoin.com . Disclaimer: This press release represents neither an offer to sell nor a request to submit an offer to purchase Northern Bitcoin AG securities; nor does it constitute a securities prospectus for Northern Bitcoin AG. The information contained in this press release is not intended to serve as a basis for financial, legal, tax-related or other business decisions. Investment or other decisions should not be taken solely on the basis of this press release. As in all business and investment matters, please seek qualified professional advice. This press release and the information it contains are not intended for direct or indirect communication to or within the United States of America, Canada, Australia or Japan. Press Contact: Northern Bitcoin AG Dr. Hans Joachim Dürr Head of Corporate Communications Thurn-und-Taxis-Platz 6 60313 Frankfurt Mail: [email protected] Phone: +49 69 348 752 89 Investor Relations: Sven Pauly Mail: [email protected] Phone: +49 89 125 09 03 31 SOURCE: Northern Bitcoin AG View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/567092/Northern-Bitcoin-Merges-with-Leading-US-Competitor || Bitcoin Cash – ABC, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 25/10/19: Bitcoin Cash ABC rose by 1.44% on Thursday. Partially reversing a 7.55% tumble from Wednesday, Bitcoin Cash ABC ended the day at $213.29. A bearish start to the day saw Bitcoin Cash ABC fall to a mid-morning intraday low $206.27. Steering clear of the first major support level at $196.34, Bitcoin Cash ABC rallied to a late afternoon intraday high $217.71. Falling short of the first major resistance level at $225.88, Bitcoin Cash ABC fell back to $212 levels before finding late support. At the time of writing, Bitcoin Cash ABC was up by 0.47% to $214.3. A bullish start to the day saw Bitcoin Cash ABC rise from an early morning low $212.56 to a high $214.53. Bitcoin Cash ABC left the major support and resistance levels untested early on. For the day ahead, Bitcoin Cash ABC would need to steer clear of $212 levels to support a run at the first major resistance level at $218.58. Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Bitcoin Cash ABC to break out from Thursday’s high $217.71. Barring a broad-based crypto rally, we would expect Bitcoin Cash ABC to come up sort of $220 levels. Failure to steer clear of $212 levels could see Bitcoin Cash ABC hit reverse. A fall through the morning low $212.56 to sub-$212.40 levels would bring the first major support level at $207.14 into play. Barring an extended sell-off through the day, however, Bitcoin Cash ABC should steer clear of the second major support level at $200.98. Litecoin rose by just 0.3% on Thursday. Following a 7.23% slide on Wednesday, Litecoin ended the day at $49.66. Tracking the broader market, Litecoin fell to a mid-morning intraday low $48.4 before making a move. Holding above the first major support level at $46.69, Litecoin struck an early afternoon intraday high $50.36. Falling well short of the first major resistance level at $52.92, Litecoin fell back to $49 levels. Through the 2ndhalf of the day, resistance provided to be too great at $50, pinning Litecoin back from any recovery. At the time of writing, Litecoin was down by 0.28% to $49.52. A relatively range-bound start to the day saw Litecoin fall from an early morning high $49.78 to a low $49.52. Litecoin left the major support and resistance levels untested early on. For the day ahead, Litecoin would need to move back through the morning high $49.78 to support a run at the first major resistance level at $50.55. Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Litecoin to break out from Thursday’s high $50.36. Barring a broad-based crypto rebound, Litecoin would likely come up short of the second major resistance level at $51.43. Failure to move back through the morning high could see Litecoin slide deeper into the red. A fall through the morning low $49.50 would bring the first major support level at $48.59 into play before any recovery. Barring a broad-based crypto sell-off, however, Litecoin should steer clear of sub-$48 support levels on the day. Ripple’s XRP rose by 1.3% on Thursday. Partially reversing a 6.10% slide on Wednesday, Ripple’s XRP ended the day at $0.27705. Relatively range-bound through the morning, Ripple’s XRP fell to an early morning intraday low $0.26677 before finding support. Steering clear of the first major support level at $0.2519, Ripple’s XRP rallied to a late intraday high $0.28100. Falling well short of the first major resistance level at $0.2943, Ripple’s XRP fell back to sub-$0.28 levels late in the day. At the time of writing, Ripple’s XRP was up by 0.04% to $0.27715. A mixed start to the day saw Ripple’s XRP fall to an early morning low $0.27515 before striking a high $0.27820. Ripple’s XRP left the major support and resistance levels untested early on. For the day ahead, Ripple’s XRP would need to steer clear of sub-$0.2750 levels to support further upside. A move through the morning high $0.27820 would bring the first major resistance level at $0.2831 into play. Ripple’s XRP would need the support of the broader market, however, to break out from Thursday’s high $0.2810. Barring a broad-based crypto rally, Ripple’s XRP would likely fall short of the second major resistance level at $0.2892. Failure to move through the morning high $0.27820 could see Ripple’s XRP slide back into the red. A fall through the morning low $0.27514 to sub-$0.2750 levels would bring the first major support level at $0.2689 into play. Barring a crypto meltdown, Ripple’s XRP should steer clear of sub-$0.26 levels on the day. The second major support level at $0.2607 would likely limit any downside. Please let us know what you think in the comments below Thanks, Bob Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • U.S. Dollar Index Futures (DX) Technical Analysis – In Position to Post Weekly Closing Price Reversal Bottom • European Equities: Brexit, Earnings and Stats to Influence • Gold Price Prediction – Prices Rise Following ECB Decision as Momentum Turns Positive • Rational Optimism Wanes • Crude Oil Price Forecast – Crude Oil Markets Continue To Grind Higher • US Stock Market Overview – Stock Close Mixed, Buoyed by Technology; Twitter Tumbles on Earnings Miss || Ripple invests $750K in crypto wallet BRD to increase XRP usage: Cryptocurrency wallet provider BRD (formerly Bread) has received a $750,000 investment from blockchain payments firm Ripple to boost the adoption of its XRP cryptocurrency. The investment, made via Ripple’s Xpring program, will allow BRD to build on the XRP Ledger and integrate XRP into its wallet apps - both Andriod and iOS, according to an announcement Friday. One the integration is complete, BRD users can buy, sell, hold and send XRP across the world. Switzerland-based BRD claims to have over 2.5 million users in 170 countries. Its top six markets are the U.S., Canada, Australia, Germany, the U.K., and Japan, Adam Traidman, BRD’s co-founder and CEO, told The Block. The wallet currently supports bitcoin (BTC), bitcoin cash (BCH), ether (ETH) and several other ERC-20 tokens. Traidman said it’s the time to support the "large" XRP community, adding: “It is our plan to have BRD be the cheapest and easiest place to buy XRP moving forward.” Ethan Beard, senior vice president of Ripple’s Xpring unit said that BRD has helped consumers on-ramp $6 billion worth of traditional currencies into digital currencies, which makes it “an ideal partner” to continue the adoption of XRP to solve “real-world problems.” Traidman told The Block that BRD’s “unique” attribute is that it's a “complete non-custodial” wallet, which allows users to control their own funds, while also enabling them to trade cryptocurrencies when required. “This way, users can install the app and store assets without providing any personal information.” Today’s investment brings BRD’s total funding to date to $56 million, Traidman told The Block. He, however, did not disclose the firm’s valuations, nor revenues. Earlier this year, BRDraiseda $15 million Series B, led by Japanese financial services giant SBI Holdings. Previously, it raised $32 million via an initial coin offering of its token BRD, and $1 million in a seed round. Traidman told The Block that BRD is a utility token and is used to reward token holders with discounts on trading and other perks. “The token has been instrumental in building our community and generating enthusiasm about the app.” He added that the liquidity of tokens is ensured via listing it on top exchanges, including Binance. The firm is not looking to raise any more funds in the next few years, and is now all focused on bringing “an entirely new product” to the market, Traidman said, without giving any specific details. “It is geared towards crypto developers and large financial enterprises” and will be announced within this quarter, he added. BRD currently has a headcount of 60, spread across North America, Japan, and Europe, and is not looking to add more members to its team. || The bugs that almost killed Bitcoin: Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency, being introduced to the world by the anonymous developer or group of developers that go by the name Satoshi Nakamoto. BTC has had a long history of ups and downs, some of which were quite good for the community as it allowed folk to further accumulate additional Bitcoin. Others, however, almost destroyed the original crypto. Today I aim at looking at some of the toughest bugs Bitcoin developers had to deal with, why did they happen, what went wrong and how they were mitigated. I will do my best to keep things simple and not technical. Ready to hear some of the most disturbing stories surrounding Bitcoin? Emperor evil laugh How bugs happen Software is created through scripts. In Bitcoin, the original version was programmed in a low-assembly language called ‘c++’. Even though developers, especially in the open-source world, make tons of runs at the code, some bugs tend to happen. This may be due to changes that make some functions incompatible with the new code, due to errors in the new code or even due to functions that do stuff they shouldn’t. Whatever the reason may be, you must realise that Bitcoin, being open-source software, is also prone to some bugs and errors. Even though most issues are easily fixed (BTC is lucky enough to have top-notch devs looking at it), sometimes bugs that arise may cause unforeseeable problems. Below I will look into the top three bugs and errors that almost led to Bitcoin’s demise. Bug 1: OP_LSHIFT crash One of the original instructions that you could run in the scripting language was OP_LSHIFT which would shift a number a certain set of places to the left. It was discovered that when using OP_LSHIFT on some machines, processing the transaction would cause the machine to crash. The way that this bug works is that you would simply make an evil transaction and send it to a bitcoin node, effectively causing the node to crash. The way developers fixed the bug was to invalidate certain functions, making the script return ‘false’ – essentially not running the program (the transaction). Story continues Bug 2: Inflation error Inflation bugs allow you to print more money. It’s almost like you are able to become a central bank within the Bitcoin protocol. The code that originated the problem was about adding up all the outputs and all the inputs in the transaction. You subtract all the inputs from the outputs, and if you got a negative number then that meant your outputs were greater than your inputs. Basically an inflation bug is caused by an overflow, as in when the absolute value of the number is too high for the computer to represent it. So this allowed the user to print money, and this bug was exploited on main net. Billions of BTC were produced. To solve the issue the code was patched and every miner switched to a new fork, using the last block before the exploit. In essence, there was a hard-fork of the Bitcoin code. Bug 3: Netsplit The netsplit bug exploits the fact that you can have two alternative blocks with different transactions in it, that hash to the same value. This doesn’t mean the hash value is broken. It means that there are two blocks, with different transactions that collide, which have the same hash. This bug has an easy fix. Miners simply need to eventually reject one of the blocks, making those transactions invalid. Collisions may happen, and are known to happen, to a certain extent. One of the worst times there were two valid blockchains for around eight blocks. Meaning some miners were mining one chain, while others were mining a different chain. These splits may happen but eventually get resolved, as one of the chains will get more work done and replace the other. The post The bugs that almost killed Bitcoin appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Bitcoin holds ground after China voices support for blockchain: By Tom Wilson LONDON (Reuters) - Bitcoin held ground on Monday near a one-month high scaled over the weekend after China's president Xi Jinping said the world's second biggest economy should accelerate the development of blockchain technology. Blockchain, a digital ledger that forms the backbone of many cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, should be the core for innovation in China, Xi said on Thursday. Bitcoin <BTC=BTSP> surged 24% between Friday and Saturday after Xi's comments, touching $10,350 in its biggest two-day jump since the height of its retail-driven bubble in December 2017. Other major cryptocurrencies including ethereum <ETH=BTSP> and Ripple's XRP <XRP=BTSP> also soared. In early London trading, bitcoin - the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization - was down 1.6% at $9,403. Cryptocurrency exchanges are banned in China, though trading is popular on over-the-counter venues, and Chinese buyers account for major volumes on platforms elsewhere, market players say. "The positive comments from the Chinese leader will continue to support the broader crypto prices to maintain at current levels, as China remains a major player when it comes to global crypto trading," said Andy Cheung, head of operations of OKEx, a Malta-based exchange popular among Chinese, in an email. China-based Google searches for bitcoin and blockchain also spiked after Xi's comments, suggesting that the remarks had piqued intense interest in cryptocurrencies. "There have definitely been more conversations since the weekend," said Anthony Wong of Hong Kong-based crypto investment firm Orichal Partners. Bitcoin has slumped in recent months as politicians and regulators across the world have criticized Facebook's planned Libra cryptocurrency. It had lost a third since it touched its highest this year in June on hopes that Libra would hasten the mainstream acceptance of virtual coins. (Reporting by Tom Wilson; Editing by Alison Williams) || Naspers-backed crypto exchange Luno re-entering Singapore after banks opened its accounts: Cryptocurrency exchange Luno is going to resume its service in Singapore, a few years after it stopped operating in the country. Lunoannouncedthe news on Wednesday,sayingthat users will only be able to deposit and withdraw Singapore dollars and buy and sell three cryptocurrencies at launch - bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH) and bitcoin cash (BCH). Luno Asia head Vijay Ayyar and Singapore country manager Sherry GohtoldBloomberg in a report published Friday that two local banks in Singapore have opened the firm’s corporate bank accounts, which allow it to operate in the country. Ayyar and Goh did not disclose the names of the banks but said that the bank accounts will help Luno to pay salaries and hold money raised from investors. However, it won’t yet allow the firm to hold money for clients. London-headquartered Luno previously operated as BitX in Singapore and its bank accounts were blocked in recent years as banks were concerned about potential illegal flows and other criminal activities through cryptocurrency trading. Luno is backed by notable investors, including Naspers Ventures, and hasraised$13.8 million in total funding to date, according to Crunchbase. It also operates across Africa, South East Asia and Europe. || Quras, World’s First Anonymous Smart Contract Platform, Lists on BiKi: TOKYO, JAPAN / ACCESSWIRE / November 1, 2019 / Quras , the world's first public blockchain that allows anonymous transactions in smart contracts, has announced a partnership with Singapore-based digital assets trading platform, BiKi . As of November 1 st , Quras' native token (XQC) is listed and active on BiKi's trading platform. This strategic partnership strengthens Quras' position in the Asian market, expanding its market share through BiKi's large and growing user base of over 2 million people globally. Together, Quras and BiKi look to bring blockchain privacy technology to the global stage. By launching anonymous transactions in public blockchain smart contracts, Quras supports versatile privacy protection for consumer users and commercial companies. The Quras platform uses two industry-leading privacy technologies, zero-knowledge proof and ring signature, which enables data privacy, consumer and business protection, and large-scale encryption of assets. Quras' privacy technologies permit the necessary confidentiality conditions for universal application across a wide range of major industries. Having started in 2017, Quras is a relatively mature blockchain project. XQC is supported by a network of more than 100 stores in Japan for payment. According to official statistics, there are about 340 stores in Japan that accept Bitcoin, with another 94 stores accepting other digital currencies, making Quras' token one of the most popular digital currencies in Japan. Quras' main network is expected to go live in the first quarter of 2020. Beginning in the second quarter of 2020, Quras will further enhance privacy protection so that its platform can track blockchain transactions in large organizations through ring signature technology. Quras addresses the most critical privacy issue in the blockchain industry by enabling smart contract and digital asset transaction privacy protection to meet cryptographic infrastructure requirements. Today, all data stored in smart contracts on a public blockchain are viewable by anyone, which is a failure point that is preventing blockchain from being adopted at mass scale. Anonymous transactions on Quras allow only the parties involved to view a particular transaction while utilizing a public blockchain in areas where privacy protection is not required. Story continues When asked about the partnership with BiKi, Ken Misuma, the Chief Marketing Officer of Quras, said: "We are very pleased that the XQC token will be launched on the BiKi platform. In the initial stage, we hope to focus on expanding further into the Asian market and make Asia the cornerstone of the global Quras brand." Ken added, "BiKi is our ideal partner to help Quras expand from the Chinese market to the huge potential Southeast Asian market. BiKi is building a new platform, and we are creating new technologies. More importantly, both parties share a common vision and we dually strive to improve the blockchain ecosystem." Ethan Ng, the CEO of BiKi Southeast Asia, said: "I am very pleased to have Quras partner with BiKi. We're already seeing one use case of XQC in the mainstream market, as a form of in-store payment in Japan. I believe that more people will start paying active attention to Quras given their upcoming main network launch. BiKi is actively expanding to overseas markets and we welcome growing our presence in the Japanese encryption community." About Quras Founded in 2017, Quras is a secret contract platform for ‘Privacy 2.0'. Privacy protection and security are significant challenges to implementing blockchain into society. Since privacy protection is hard to execute by using only a transparent approach, Quras implements two privacy protection technologies, zero-knowledge proof and ring signature. Quras provides privacy for the asset transfer of Quras Coin (XQC), transaction fees (XCG), non-native tokens that utilize the platform, and other functions that are provided by a smart contract. For more information, please visit https://quras.io/ About BiKi Headquartered in Singapore, BiKi is a global digital asset trading platform. With a strong technical team and operations team, the platform is committed to creating the safest, most stable and efficient digital asset exchange for users around the world. Since its inception in June 2018, BiKi.com has accumulated over 2 million registered users, 130,000 daily active users and 200,000 active community members. Today, the digital assets platform provides for trading more than 50 digital currencies and over 120 trading pairs. For more information, please visit https://www.biki.com/ For press inquiries, please contact: Ken Misuma Chief Marketing Officer, Quras [email protected] https://quras.io/ SOURCE: Quras View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/564987/Quras-Worlds-First-Anonymous-Smart-Contract-Platform-Lists-on-BiKi || Ethereum lingers near $170 as BTC, BCH and BSV soar: Ethereum (ETH), the primary competitor to Bitcoin and the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, is once again on the way down today, heading toward $170 per token, according to data from Messari . Currently, ETH is trading for around $173 per token. Meanwhile, unlike the current trajectory of Ethereum, Bitcoin and several of its forks are in the green today. Bitcoin is currently trading at around $8,200 per coin, while Bitcoin Cash has jumped nearly $20 since yesterday and is now trading for just under $230 per coin. Bitcoin SV is up nearly 10 percent and is today trading for approximately $105 per coin. Trading volume for Ethereum sat at roughly $6 billion over the weekend, according to data from CoinMarketCap. That figure has gone up slightly today to just above $7 billion—a far cry from the $11 billion in volume traded the day before the crypto market crashed in late September and ETH’s price hovered around $200 per token. The last time ETH got near that price point came at the start of the highly anticipated Devcon 5 conference . The highest price recorded for Ethereum this October occurred on the 10th, when the digital currency was trading for roughly $193. Since then, Ethereum has lost roughly $20 in value as ETH bulls have failed to gain momentum. View comments || Former CEO of Nasdaq says cryptocurrency’s betting element should end: Bob Greifeld, former CEO of Nasdaq, doesn't own any Bitcoin. He told The Scoop that he neither believes nor doubts its value as a speculative investment, but said to reach its potential, the betting element must go. Listen on Spotify , iTunes , Google Play , or Stitcher . However, he said he believes digital currencies provide value to society reducing friction costs. "If I could buy and sell in bitcoin, but not have to worry about whether it's at $9,000 or $6.000 today, then that would be a great thing," he said. "So when I think about digital currencies, I like the stablecoin concept." In the vein of a stablecoins, Greifeld said he sees value in digital currencies tied to sovereign wealth. In the U.S., he said many don't see the importance of transacting in multiple currencies because the country is a one currency environment. "For a lot of the world, we deal across multiple currencies and there's friction associated with that," he said. "And to the extent you have a digital currency that's more and more global, then I certainly think you can take a bit of friction out of the system and it'd be a great thing." || EUR/USD Daily Forecast – Euro Holds Gains Above 1.10: EUR/USD Price Action Signals Reversal Potential After grinding lower in a downtrend since early 2018, EUR/USD is showing signs of making a bottom, or at least an interim one. The pair broke higher from a major confluence of resistance last week as the dollar fell under pressure. The pair might have a slow start to the week as some of the US markets are closed today in observance of Columbus Day. This could trigger unusual volatility in the session ahead. Volatility is likely to pick up on Thursday as inflation data will be released from the Euro area and retail sales figures from the US. The exchange rate has not had much of an impact on news late last week that China and the US have reached a partial trade deal. The news has brought the return of risk appetite with equity markets rallying around the world. A notable advance was seen in the German DAX on Friday as it rallied to fresh two-month highs and broke above a declining trend line which originates from the July peak. Technical Analysis EUR/USD rallied for a second consecutive week and broke above an area of resistance that includes three important technical indicators. First is the 1.1000 psychological handle which has generally been respected as of late. Second is a declining trend channel which has contained price action since late June. EURUSD Daily Chart Lastly, the pair has broken above its 20-day moving average. This particular indicator has been crossed a few times since August. However, none of the prior attempts resulted in a sustained break. In this context, the indicator is an important area to watch in assessing bearish reversal potential. The moving average currently resides at 1.0983. The rally on Friday was blocked by horizontal resistance at 1.1059. This level  remains a hurdle in the near-term. The 50-day moving average is near the level to create a bit of a confluence. EURUSD 4-Hour Chart Support for the session ahead comes in around 1.1010 as a rising trend line is in play. This trend line originates from the low printed at the start of the month. Bottom Line EUR/USD might fall into a range in the session ahead with some markets closed in observance of Columbus Day. Resistance at 1.1059 remains a major hurdle in the near-term. Volatility is likely to pick up later in the week as Euro CPI and US retail sales will be reported on Thursday. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Bitcoin Cash – ABC, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 14/10/19 A Light Economic Calendar Puts the GBP and Brexit in the Limelight U.S. Stocks Turn Lower as Investors Sour on ‘Phase One’ Trade Deal Oil Floats Above 60 USD NZD/USD Forex Technical Analysis – Triangle Formation with .6341 Resistance, .6294 Support GBP/USD Daily Forecast – Sterling Edges Lower After Sharp Surge View comments [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] Sex olympic games! . &gt; . &gt; . &gt; #KCPE2019 #TeamCuppy #nutting #bitcoin #earthquake #HazbinHotel #olympiacos #whoareyoucallingfat #TheQueenMzanzi #Barcelona #Olympics #games #sports #tundeednut #burnaboy #wizkid #Davido #ALAYEJORJORJOR https://t.co/qfO9tDEwob || @codeyisfun Some of my friends are slower than bitcoin, honestly I don't have the time or the patience || https://t.co/3tzliEpsnA #Alibaba #deals #sanFransico #funding #Ethereum #Moscow #chicago #lasvegas #venture #platform #ICOs #portland #ether #spain #abraaj #techcrunch #louiesville #BitCoin #TokenSales #money #omaha #charleston #washington #philadelphia #nashville #boston #tezos || Hurry to play new games integrated from the Novomatic provider in our bitcoin casino! https://t.co/NnWDkhhxss || New bitcoin report for block 598897, there were 7 transactions over $500,000 USD totaling $4,217,906 USD. Full report here: https://t.co/Msjw675qsi || Crypto Analyst Tone Vays Unveils $100K Bitcoin (BTC) Timeline – Plus Ethereum, XRP and Ripple Updates https://t.co/diIcTZcB9r || Woke up this morning in a good mood, poured some coffee, and decided to re-read the #bitcoin white paper. 9 pages that will change history and our futures forever. #0doubt || @akarb74 @Mikosoph @PeterSchiff @SchiffGold If your too dumb to use bitcoin safely, it probably isn't for you ..... Yet || #BitcoinCash #Bitcoin #OhNoCrypto Despite securing $7 million in funding to expand its blockchain voting app, the future of Voatz may be on shaky ground as FBI investigates. Voatz Hack Unsuccessful But Triggers FBI Investigation If you’ve been touting… https://t.co/Yf9US0ggcg || @Sebasti67180134 @danielao_guzman @AXELKAISER Compren Bitcoin.
Trend: down || Prices: 7278.12, 7217.43, 7243.13, 7269.68, 7124.67, 7152.30, 6932.48, 6640.52, 7276.80, 7202.84
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] The Bitcoin Fund - In-Kind Annual Redemptions Available: Not for distribution to U.S. newswire services or for dissemination in the United States . This announcement and the information contained herein is restricted and is not for release, publication or distribution, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly in, or into or from the United States or any other jurisdiction in which the same would be unlawful. Further, this announcement is for information purposes only and shall not constitute an offer to sell or issue or the solicitation to buy, subscribe for or otherwise acquire any securities of The Bitcoin Fund in any jurisdiction in which any such offer or solicitation would be unlawful. TORONTO, March 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Bitcoin Fund (the “Fund”) is pleased to announce an in-kind redemption feature on annual redemptions of Class A Units and Class F Units (the “Units”) of the Fund. Under the terms of the Fund’s declaration of trust dated March 31, 2020, as amended on March 8, 2021, unitholders holding 20,000 Units or more who wish to redeem their Units and who have accounts with the sub-custodian of the Fund, Gemini Trust Company, LLC, may, with the consent of the manager of the Fund, redeem their Units for bitcoin. Bitcoin delivered pursuant to an in-kind redemption will be valued at the net asset value of the Units on the applicable annual redemption date. The first annual redemption date of the Fund is the first business day following June 15, 2021. A copy of the declaration of trust, as amended will be made available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . About 3iQ Corp. Founded in 2012, 3iQ Corp. (“3iQ”) is Canada’s largest digital asset investment fund manager with more than C$1.85 billion in assets under management. 3iQ was the first Canadian investment fund manager to offer a public bitcoin investment fund, The Bitcoin Fund (TSX:QBTC, QBTC.U). Gaining access to digital assets such as bitcoin can be daunting, costly, and inconvenient. 3iQ offers investors convenient and familiar investment products to gain exposure to digital assets. For more information about 3iQ and The Bitcoin Fund, visit www.3iQ.ca or follow us on Twitter @3iQ_corp. Story continues Contact Information Fred Pye - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer E: [email protected] P: +1 (416) 639-2130 You will usually pay brokerage fees to your dealer if you purchase or sell units of the Fund on the Toronto Stock Exchange or other alternative Canadian trading system (an “exchange”). If the units are purchased or sold on an exchange, investors may pay more than the current net asset value when buying units of the Fund and may receive less than the current net asset value when selling them. There are ongoing fees and expenses associated with owning units of an investment fund. An investment fund must prepare disclosure documents that contain key information about the fund. You can find more detailed information about the Fund in its public filings available at www.sedar.com. Investment funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Certain statements contained in this document constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information may relate to matters disclosed in this document and to other matters identified in public filings relating to the Fund, to the future outlook of the Fund and anticipated events or results and may include statements regarding the future financial performance of the Fund. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by terms such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “expect”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “intend”, “estimate”, “predict”, “potential”, “continue” or other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Actual results may vary from such forward-looking information. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and we assume no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. IMPORTANT NOTICES THIS ANNOUNCEMENT AND THE INFORMATION CONTAINED THEREIN, IS RESTRICTED AND IS NOT FOR PUBLICATION, RELEASE OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO OR FROM THE UNITED STATES OR ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE SAME WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. The distribution of this announcement and any offering or issue of the Fund’s securities in any jurisdiction other than Canada may be restricted by law and therefore persons into whose possession this announcement comes should inform themselves about and observe any such restrictions. Any failure to comply with any such restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities laws or regulations of such jurisdictions. In particular, subject to certain exceptions, this announcement should not be distributed, forwarded, transmitted or otherwise disseminated in or into the United States. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or issue or the solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction. The Fund’s securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or under the applicable securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, and may not be offered, sold, resold, transferred or delivered, directly or indirectly within, into or in the United States, absent registration or an applicable exemption from, or except in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and in compliance with the securities laws of any relevant state or other jurisdiction of the United States. Neither this announcement, nor the fact that it has been disseminated, shall form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any future information that we distribute. || Graph Blockchain Announces Details of Altcoin Cryptocurrency Purchase and Staking Strategy: Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 10, 2021) - Graph Blockchain Inc. (CSE: GBLC) (" Graph " or the " Company ") is pleased to announce the first two altcoins that it will be purchasing and staking through its wholly owned subsidiary, Babbage Mining Corp. ( "Babbage" ). The Company will be acquiring Cardano (ADA) and Polkadot (DOT), for the purpose of staking in their respective networks, over the following weeks. Graph believes that these two smart contract platforms are both pivotal to the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Both have top tier development teams, funding, community support and show enormous potential for significant increase in user adoption, market share and asset value. For all the aforementioned reasons, Graph is proud to name these two projects as the first altcoins to be supported through investment and staking. Further updates on deployment and detailed educational materials for both projects will be released over the coming weeks. About Graph Blockchain Inc. The Company is a blockchain development company that provides high performance blockchain solutions that include graphic data analysis and consulting services, implementation of data mining analysis through the use of graph databases and speed enhancements of blockchain control systems for businesses and government. This includes the Babbage Mining Corp. which will focus on altcoins, alternative cryptocurrencies to Bitcoin. Graph will be the first publicly tradable altcoin Proof of Stake ( "POS" ) miner, which will generate revenue while providing exposure to several top digital assets by market capitalization. By mining Altcoins through Proof of Stake, Babbage can provide to its investor's exposure to the vast emerging market of cryptocurrencies with the significant technological disruption and potential gains that Altcoins represent. Additional Information on the Company is available at www.graphblockchain.com and www.babbagemining.com . Story continues For further information, please contact: Jamie Hyland Phone :604.442.2425 Email : [email protected] Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as "may", "will", "expect", "likely", "should", "would", "plan", "anticipate", "intend", "potential", "proposed", "estimate", "believe" or the negative of these terms, or other similar words, expressions, and grammatical variations thereof, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" happen, or by discussions of strategy. Readers are cautioned to consider these and other factors, uncertainties, and potential events carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Such statements may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and reflect the Company's expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change thereafter. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events, or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law. ### To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/76725 || Cathie Wood On Bitcoin: '$1 Trillion Is Nothing Compared To Where This Will Ultimately Be': ARK Invest CEOCathie Wood’s most recent statements about Bitcoin suggest that the digital asset’s trillion-dollar valuation is nowhere close to where it might be in the near future. What Happened:Speaking at aCBOEpanel, she said, “If we add all of the potential demand relative to the limited supply, we come up with incredible numbers over the long term. We have just begun. One trillion dollars is nothing compared to where this ultimately will be.” Wood also described the current market conditions as favorable for a Bitcoin ETF, with the right amount of liquidity and demand from institutional investors. “We are now moving into what I believe will be prime time,” she said. In fact, ARK CEO believes that the demand from institutions will be the driving force of Bitcoin’s rise in valuation. Why It Matters:According to research from ARK based on “a million Monte Carlo simulations,” if institutions want to minimize volatility and maximize their Sharpe ratio, they should put something between two and a half and six and a half percent of Bitcoin in their portfolios, because of its low correlation to any other asset class. As large institutions likeTesla Inc(NASDAQ:TSLA) andSquare Inc(NYSE:SQ) have already allocated a portion of their cash reserves to Bitcoin, ARK’s prediction of institutional adoption has already begun taking shape. Wood’s fellow CBOE panel member Kevin O’Leary too had some thoughts on Bitcoin’s present and future valuation. “Even at a trillion dollars, it's tiny,” said O’Leary, commenting that if Bitcoin is going to grow, it’s going to be because it becomes compliant to ethics committees around the world. Price Action:Bitcoin was up by 4.05% in the past 24-hours, trading at $58,148 at the time of writing. The market-leading cryptocurrency resumed its upward rally, with some increased volatility after the $6 billion options expiry last Friday. Benzinga's recent interview with Cathie Wood See more from Benzinga • Click here for options trades from Benzinga • Visa Allows Payments To Be Settled With Crypto Using Ethereum Network • Controversial Crypto Project BitClout Faces Legal Charges Over Selling Social Tokens Without Users Consent © 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Bitcoin hits record before landmark Coinbase listing on Nasdaq: LONDON (Reuters) -Bitcoin hit a record of $62,741 on Tuesday, extending its 2021 rally to new heights a day before the listing of Coinbase shares in the United States. The largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange's listing on the Nasdaq on Wednesday is considered a landmark victory for cryptocurrency advocates. Bitcoin is the world's biggest cryptocurrency, with growing mainstream acceptance as an investment and a means of payment. It rose as much as 5% on Tuesday. Smaller rival Ethereum also reached a record high of $2,205. The overall cryptocurrency market capitalization hit an all-time peak of $2 trillion earlier this month, according to data and market trackers CoinGecko and Blockfolio. Major firms including BNY Mellon, Mastercard Inc and Tesla Inc are among those to have embraced or invested in cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin topped $60,000 early last month, fuelled by Tesla's move to buy $1.5 billion of the digital currency for its balance sheet. For the past two weeks, it had traded in a tight range. "When bitcoin markets create new highs, the price often range-trades and we witness a round of profit-taking," said James Butterfill of digital asset manager CoinShares. "During this most recent period, have witnessed a similar profit-taking round, which now looks to have run its course." Simon Peters, analyst at multi-asset investment platform eToro said "demand is flooding the market from institutions just as large amounts of bitcoin and ethereum are increasingly being taken offline and holders are transferring them to their own wallets." "There is only one outcome from that, and investors should expect higher highs and higher lows throughout the year," he added. The multifold rise in cryptocurrencies is also driven by investors seeking high-yielding assets amid low interest rates. However, the meteoric rise of bitcoin, which traded at a few hundred dollars only five years earlier, has led major investment banks to warn of a speculative bubble. Several fund managers surveyed by BofA and Deutsche Bank have said Bitcoin was in "bubble" territory and expect it to pull back sharply. At 1044 GMT on Tuesday, bitcoin was at $62,505.27, up around 4.5% on the day. (Reporting by Thyagaraju Adinarayan and Tom Wilson; editing by Larry King and Bernadette Baum) || CORRECTION: Marathon Digital Holdings to Launch the First North American-Based Bitcoin Mining Pool, Fully Compliant with U.S. Regulations: Marathon to Produce Bitcoin that is Fully AML and OFAC Compliant by Exclusively Processing Transactions that Meet U.S. Regulatory Standards LAS VEGAS, March 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a release issued under the same headline earlier today by Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MARA ), please note that in the fifth paragraph of the release, the date of 100% hashrate direction should be May 1, 2021, not May 1, 2020, and the pool will begin accepting other U.S.-based Bitcoin mining companies on June 1, 2021 and not June 1, 2020 as previously stated. The corrected release follows: Marathon Digital Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MARA ) (“Marathon" or "Company") , one of the largest enterprise Bitcoin self-mining companies in North America, today announced that the Company will be launching the first Bitcoin mining pool based in North America that is fully compliant with U.S. regulations, including anti-money laundering (AML) and the Office of Foreign Asset Control’s (OFAC’s) standards. “The geopolitical value of moving mining pools to North America cannot be understated. Bitcoin is now no different than any other strategic or rare earth commodity. In fact, given the number of businesses now leveraging the potential and promise of Bitcoin both for distributed ledger benefits and as a reserve and hedge against inflation points to Bitcoin being with few peers in how important it is for long-term U.S. interest. With the work of the Future of Digital Currency Initiative at Stanford, the team here believes this infrastructure will help further decentralize Bitcoin and secure the fidelity of the network in both the short and long-term,” stated Atticus Francken - Co-Founder and Senior Fellow, Future of Digital Currency Initiative at Stanford University. To set up its pool, Marathon has exclusively licensed technology from DMG Blockchain that allows the Company to filter transactions. Marathon intends to leverage this technology to ensure that its mining pool adheres to AML regulations and that all transactions are compliant with OFAC’s standards. As such, the pool will refrain from processing transactions from those listed on the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN). By excluding these transactions, all bitcoin Marathon mines will be compliant with U.S. regulatory standards. Story continues “While institutional interest in Bitcoin is accelerating, many large funds and corporations have expressed concerns over purchasing Bitcoin that may have been tainted by nefarious actors,” said Merrick Okamoto, Marathon’s chairman and CEO. “Our pools’ initiatives are grounded on decentralization, transparency, legal compliance with U.S. rules and regulations, and independent auditability under U.S. auditing standards. While we appreciate some miners’ appetite for processing transactions indiscriminately, it is our belief that as a publicly listed company based in the United States, and as one focused on enabling more institutional adoption of Bitcoin, it is our responsibility to follow U.S. regulations. We believe that such regulatory compliant mining will allow us to produce ‘clean’ Bitcoin, which will enable a greater number of institutions to gain exposure to this new asset class, ultimately benefiting our organization, our shareholders, and the broader network.” On May 1, 2021, Marathon will begin directing 100% of its hashrate to the new mining pool. Marathon expects all 103,120 of its miners to be deployed by the first quarter of 2022, at which point, the Company will be directing 10.37 EH/s to the mining pool. On June 1, 2021, the pool will begin accepting other U.S.-based Bitcoin mining companies. Okamoto continued, “Currently, more than two thirds of Bitcoin’s global hashrate is concentrated in pools with little transparency and most reside in one country. It is our belief that this concentration of hashrate outside the United States, where central authorities could interfere with mining operations without due process, poses a risk to the network. We believe shifting more mining power to the U.S. could reduce these risks, potentially strengthening the network and benefitting all who participate in it. If all 10.37 EH/s of our potential hashrate were pointed towards this pool today, our mining pool would be the seventh largest bitcoin mining pool in the world, putting North America on the map as a digital-asset mining hub.” Dan Reitzik, DMG Blockchain’s CEO, added, "Merrick Okamoto's vision for this mining pool is exactly what is needed in the crypto mining industry today. We are excited to provide Marathon with our proprietary software tools and ongoing technological support to help realize this vision." Investor Notice Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the risks, uncertainties and forward-looking statements described under "Risk Factors" in Item 1A of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020. If any of these risks were to occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations would likely suffer. In that event, the value of our securities could decline and you could lose part or all of your investment. The risks and uncertainties we describe are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations. In addition, our past financial performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance, and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results in the future. Future changes in the network-wide mining difficulty rate or Bitcoin hashrate may also materially affect the future performance of Marathon's production of Bitcoin. Additionally, all discussions of financial metrics assume mining difficulty rates as of March 2021. See "Safe Harbor" below. Forward-Looking Statements Statements made in this press release include forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “plan,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “continue,” or comparable terminology. Such forward-looking statements are inherently subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties, many of which the Company cannot predict with accuracy and some of which the Company might not even anticipate and involve factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or suggested. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements and are advised to consider the factors listed above together with the additional factors under the heading “Risk Factors” in the Company's Annual Reports on Form 10-K, as may be supplemented or amended by the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement forward-looking statements that become untrue because of subsequent events, new information or otherwise. About DMG Blockchain Solutions Inc. DMG is a vertically integrated blockchain and cryptocurrency company that manages, operates, and develops end-to-end digital solutions to monetize the blockchain ecosystem. DMG’s businesses are segmented into three main divisions: data centre operations, data analytics and forensics and developing enterprise blockchains. DMG’s data centre operations focus on earning revenues from block rewards and transaction fees by mining primarily bitcoin as well as providing hosting services for industrial mining clients entirely powered by renewable energy. DMG’s data analytics and forensic services provide technical expertise software products such as Blockseer Pool, Mine Manager and Walletscore, as well as working with auditors, law firms, and law enforcement organizations. DMG’s permissioned blockchain technology is focused on developing enterprise software for the supply chain management of controlled products. DMG’s strategy is to become the domain experts across the business verticals it focuses on. DMG’s environmentally committed management team includes seasoned crypto experts, forensic & financial professionals and blockchain developers with deep relationships throughout the industry. Future changes in the Bitcoin network-wide mining difficulty rate or Bitcoin hashrate may materially affect the future performance of DMG’s production of Bitcoin, and future operational results could also be materially affected by the price of Bitcoin and an increase in hashrate mining difficulty. For more information on DMG Blockchain Solutions visit: www.dmgblockchain.com . About Marathon Digital Holdings Marathon is a digital asset technology company that mines cryptocurrencies with a focus on the blockchain ecosystem and the generation of digital assets. Marathon Digital Holdings Company Contact: Jason Assad Telephone: 678-570-6791 Email: [email protected] Marathon Digital Holdings Investor Contact: Gateway Investor Relations Matt Glover and Charlie Schumacher Telephone: 949-574-3860 Email: [email protected] || SEC Publishes VanEck’s Bitcoin ETF Application, Kicking Off Decision Clock: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) acknowledgedVanEck’s 19b-4 Formfor itsbitcoinexchange-traded fund (ETF) application on Monday, formally kicking off its 45-day window to make an initial decision on the proposal. If approved, the ETF would be the first open bitcoin exchange-traded product in the U.S., though there has long been demand for such a product from the crypto community. Historically, the SEC has rejected every bitcoin ETF application, including VanEck’s past efforts, citing the potential for market manipulation and a host of other concerns. However,industry punditsbelieve the agency may finally be ready to approve one under incoming Chair Gary Gensler, a former Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) chairman who has been fairly bullish on crypto and blockchain, teaching courses on the technology at MIT in recent years. Related:Lindsay Lohan Partners With Justin Sun to Release NFTs on Tron VanEckfiled for the ETFwith Cboe BZX Exchange earlier this year, with Cboe publishing the 19b-4 at the beginning of March. Once the document is published in the Federal Register (the nation’s logbook), the general public will have 21 days to submit comments onthe SEC’s portal. The SEC can extend the review period up to 240 days before it has to make a final decision. When evaluating past applications, it has always extended these decisions to their full time limit. A number of other companies, includingValkyrieandWisdomTree, have filed for bitcoin ETFs in recent months, after several applications were rejected in late 2019 and early 2020. Grayscale, a subsidiary of CoinDesk’s parent firm Digital Currency Group, recently posted a number of job listings for ETF specialists as well. Recent ETFapprovals in Canadamay also hint an ETF is on its way in the U.S. Three have already begun trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange, marking the first North American bitcoin ETFs, with one seeing nearly $500 million in assets under management within its first few days. • SEC Publishes VanEck’s Bitcoin ETF Application, Kicking Off Decision Clock • SEC Publishes VanEck’s Bitcoin ETF Application, Kicking Off Decision Clock • SEC Publishes VanEck’s Bitcoin ETF Application, Kicking Off Decision Clock || Neptune Digital Assets to Receive Its First Order of Bitcoin Mining Machines and to Complete Private Placement: VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Neptune Digital Assets Corp. (TSX-V:NDA) (OTC:NPPTF) (FSE:1NW) (“Neptune” or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has confirmed the delivery date for its first tranche of 300 of the previously announced 1,500 ASIC bitcoin mining machines for April 12th(see news release dated March 19, 2021). The first 300 ASIC S17s will produce approximately 50 terahash per machine, or 15 petahashes per second for the set of 300. At $0.04 per KWH of power and a 10% all-inclusive lease and maintenance fee with Link Global (CSE:LNK); (FSE:LGT); (OTC:LGLOF), there will be a profit margin of approximately USD$4,000 per day at the current Bitcoin price of $55,000 USD. Subsequent deliveries will continue as the Company scales to 1,500 units on the initial build out of Neptune Bitcoin mining operations. “We are very optimistic on the future of our growing revenue channels and want investors to know that we are committed to execution of these plans. We will continue to scale our mining operations to add to our existing income streams as we move through 2021,” stated Cale Moodie, CEO of Neptune. Neptune has also arranged a private placement of units of the Company with certain directors and other investors of the Company for aggregate proceeds of $500,000 at $0.80 per unit (the "Private Placement"). The Company anticipates that closing of the private placement will take place on or about March 31, 2021. Each unit issued under the private placement consists of one common share and one half of one common share purchase warrant, with each whole warrant entitling the holder to acquire one common share at a price of $1.00 for a period of three (3) years from the closing date. The Private Placement is subject to the final approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company intends to use the proceeds from the Private Placement for strategic cryptocurrency acquisitions, bitcoin mining equipment and to co-develop the previously announced 5MW renewable energy Bitcoin mining facility in Alberta, Canada. The securities sold in this Private Placement will be subject to a four-month resale restriction from the date of closing. About Neptune Digital Assets Corp. Neptune Digital Assets aims to be a cryptocurrency leader with a diversified portfolio of investments and cryptocurrency operations across the digital asset ecosystem including Bitcoin mining, tokens, proof-of-stake cryptocurrencies, decentralized finance (DeFi), and associated blockchain technologies. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Cale Moodie, President and CEONeptune Digital Assets Corp.1-800-545-0941www.neptunedigitalassets.com Forward-Looking Statements This release contains certain “forward looking statements” and certain “forward-looking information” as defined under applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “intend”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “continue”, “plans”, “proposes” or similar terminology. Forward-looking statements and information include, but are not limited to, the completion of the private placement; the anticipated closing date of the Private Placement; TSXV approval of the private placement; the potential profit margin of USD$4,000 per day at current Bitcoin pricing, the development of the 5MW renewable energy Bitcoin mining facility in Alberta, Canada; the Company’s future earnings and operating costs; the Company’s future growth in total assets; the Company’s strategy to purchase crypto currency and optimize its crypto portfolio; the Company’s ability effectively dollar cost average its purchases of crypto currency; and the future outlook of the crypto currency market generally. Forward-looking statements and information are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions that, while believed by management to be reasonable, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Forward-looking statements and information are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the ability of the Company to control or predict, that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied thereby, and are developed based on assumptions about such risks, uncertainties and other factors set out herein, including but not limited to: the inherent risks involved in the cryptocurrency and general securities markets; the Company’s ability to successfully mine digital currency; revenue of the Company may not increase as currently anticipated, or at all; the Company may not be able to profitably liquidate its current digital currency inventory, or at all; a decline in digital currency prices may have a significant negative impact on the Company’s operations; the volatility of digital currency prices; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses, currency fluctuations; regulatory restrictions, liability, competition, loss of key employees and other related risks and uncertainties. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. Such forward-looking information represents management's best judgment based on information currently available. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. || Riot to Acquire Whinstone, Creating a US-Based Industry Leader in Bitcoin Mining: Combination of leading US-based Bitcoin miner with owner and operator of America’s largest Bitcoin hosting facility will create leading US-based corporate pillar in support of the Bitcoin mining network Whinestone Facility Whinestone Facility Castle Rock, CO, April 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Riot Blockchain, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIOT) ("Riot”, “Riot Blockchain” or the “Company") announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement pursuant to which Riot will acquire Whinstone US, Inc. (“Whinstone”), including all of its assets and operations, for consideration of $80 million cash plus a fixed 11.8 million shares of Riot common stock, equal to an implied total transaction value of approximately $651 million based on Riot’s last closing price of $48.37. Whinstone is the owner and operator of North America’s largest Bitcoin hosting facility, with 300 MW in developed capacity and an attractive long-term power purchase agreement Diversifies Riot’s revenues and catapults Riot into a market-leading position in the Bitcoin mining and hosting business Creates significant financial and operational synergies for Riot Provides a clear, and significantly de-risked, path to growth for Riot, as Whinstone’s facility can be rapidly expanded by an additional 450 MW Transaction valued at $651 million, $80 million payable in cash and remainder in shares of Riot common stock The acquisition of Whinstone is a transformative event for Riot and its shareholders. Riot views Whinstone as a foundational element in its strategy to become an industry-leading Bitcoin mining platform, on a global scale. Upon the closing of this acquisition, Riot is expected to be the largest publicly-traded Bitcoin mining and hosting company in North America, as measured by total developed capacity. “The acquisition of Whinstone is the most significant achievement in Riot’s growth to-date and positions Riot as an industry leader in Bitcoin mining,” said Jason Les, CEO of Riot. “After the consummation of this transaction, we will have created a very clear path for the Company’s future growth. Riot will wholly own the largest Bitcoin mining facility in North America, with very low power costs, and one of the most talented development teams in the industry. Whinstone will serve as the foundation of Riot’s Bitcoin mining operations, upon which we will drive our goal of increasing the American footprint in the global Bitcoin mining landscape.” Riot will be able to continue rapidly scaling its self-mining business with Whinstone’s industry-leading team. Led by Chad Harris, the Whinstone team has become an industry-leading developer and operator of Bitcoin hosting facilities over the past two years, as Bitcoin mining has reached institutional scale. The Whinstone team is comprised of approximately 100 employees who have built Whinstone’s Texas operations from greenfield to commercialization in less than twelve months. The talented Whinstone team, combined with the facility’s substantial expansion capacity significantly de-risks Riot’s future operational and financial growth. Story continues Whinstone is based in Rockdale, Texas and its facility is located on an 100-acre site, hosting Bitcoin mining customers in three buildings totaling 190,000 square feet. An additional 60,000 square foot building is also under development. The site is subject to a long-term lease agreement, with electricity provided via a long-term power supply contract. Whinstone’s site has a total power capacity of 750 MW, with 300 MW currently developed. Whinstone’s facility is believed to be the largest single facility, as measured by developed capacity, in North America for Bitcoin mining. In pursuit of achieving the most efficient power strategy, Whinstone combines fixed low-cost power agreements, real-time spot power procurement and income from ancillary power services revenue. Bitcoin miners benefit from low-cost energy to maximize production margins, benefiting from an electricity supply with the flexibility to respond rapidly to supply and demand events in the power market. Whinstone currently hosts Bitcoin mining operations for three institutional clients who, by the end of 2021, are expected to utilize up to 300 MW of aggregate power capacity. In addition to hosting revenue, Whinstone generates engineering and construction services revenue from hosting clients on site, including revenue derived from the fabrication and deployment of immersion cooling technology for Bitcoin mining. “We are excited to be joining Riot, as both Riot and Whinstone share a vision for the future of Bitcoin mining in America,” said Chad Harris, co-founder of Whinstone. “Riot’s strategic vision and resources combined with Whinstone’s infrastructure strength will allow our combined teams to achieve our shared growth plans.” Northern Data AG, a leading developer and operator of High-Performance-Computing (“HPC”) infrastructure solutions, acquired Whinstone in 2020 and has successfully demonstrated its set of capabilities in establishing one of the world’s largest HPC centers. “With Whinstone we have built and established one of the largest HPC centers in the world with significant potential and scale to further ramp up capacity. The transaction will provide Riot with the opportunity to not only utilize Whinstone’s existing operational capacity for their own mining operations but also to scale capacity and establish themselves as the leading bitcoin miner in the US. By becoming a minority shareholder in Riot going forward, through its equity stake in Riot, Northern Data will be able to benefit from the synergies generated by the transaction and continues to directly participate in the growth of Bitcoin value potential. Simultaneously, Northern Data will be able to use the cash proceeds from the transaction to focus on, and further implement, its decentralized, multi-site, scalable and ESG-focused strategy. The transaction will allow both companies to further strengthen their respective core businesses and to substantially accelerate their strategies,” said Aroosh Thillainathan, CEO of Northern Data. Upon closing of the transaction, Northern Data will own approximately 12% percent of the total outstanding common stock of Riot. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions, including receipt of required regulatory clearances. XMS Capital Partners, LLC is serving as exclusive financial advisor and Sidley Austin LLP is serving as legal advisor to Riot. Riot will host a live conference call at 8:30 am ET on April 8, 2021 to discuss the transaction. Further details may be found at www.tinyurl.com/RiotIR . The presentation will also be available on the Riot website . About Riot Blockchain, Inc. Riot Blockchain (NASDAQ: RIOT) focuses on cryptocurrency mining of bitcoin. The Company is expanding and upgrading its mining operations by securing the most energy efficient miners currently available. Riot is headquartered in Castle Rock, Colorado, and the Company’s mining facility operates out of upstate New York, under a co-location hosting agreement with Coinmint. For more information, visit www.RiotBlockchain.com . Safe Harbor The information provided in this press release may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including as to the completion and effects of the contemplated acquisition by the Company of Whinstone and the future financial performance and operations of the Company. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Words such as "anticipates," “believes,” "plans," "expects," "intends," "will," "potential," "hope" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations of the Company and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the benefits of the contemplated acquisition of Whinstone, including financial and operating results, and the Company’s plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. Among the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in the forward-looking statements are: (1) the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions precedent to the consummation of the contemplated acquisition, including receipt of required regulatory clearances; (2) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the definitive purchase agreement; (3) unanticipated difficulties or expenditures relating to, of the failure to realize the benefits of, the contemplated acquisition; (4) legal proceedings, judgments or settlements in connection with the contemplated acquisition; (5) disruptions of current plans and operations caused by the announcement and pendency of the contemplated acquisition; and (6) the response of employees, customers, suppliers, business partners and regulators to the announcement of the contemplated acquisition. Detailed information regarding other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by statements in this press release relating to the Company may be found in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including in the sections entitled "Risk Factors" and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, which was filed with the SEC on March 31, 2021, copies of which may be obtained from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Attachment wb CONTACT: PR Contact Riot Blockchain, Inc. [email protected] Investor Contact - Phil McPherson Riot Blockchain, Inc. 303-794-2000 ext. 110 [email protected] View comments || Mark Cuban Backs Crypto Data Startup Esprezzo in $2M Funding Round: Esprezzo, a decentralized finance (DeFi) startup building data automation tools, raised $2 million from Mark Cuban, Arrington Capital and CMS Holdings, among others. The round gives this three-year-old Boston company a capital boost ahead of its data automation suite rollout planned for later this year. It signals continued investor interest in the companies working to monetize the DeFi space through secondary applications. Cuban’s investment is his third bet on DeFi and blockchain projects since becoming an outspoken advocate for decentralized tech late last year. Since then he has introduced crypto payment options to the Dallas Mavericks, previewed a digital non-fungible token (NFT) art gallery and toured the podcast circuit talking up collectible digital assets. Related: Coinbase Announces New Presence in India Even as Potential Ban on Crypto Looms “Everything is driven by fast and accurate access to data. Which is exactly what Esprezzo excels at. Their product is ‘fungibility at its best. It’s adaptable. It’s straightforward. It’s easy to configure and use,” said Cuban in an email to CoinDesk. Founder Remy Carpinito said Esprezzo’s automation tools simplify data pull requests for on-chain sources like smart contracts, an essential DeFi building block. He said the tool’s no-code user interface offers veteran users a means to feed data to trading bots and gives newcomers a workaround for technical pitfalls. Esprezzo, data and the DeFi boom DeFi refers to an ecosystem of products for lending, trading and exchanging digital assets, mostly through protocols atop the Ethereum blockchain. Traders are hungry for data that could give them an edge in the $43 billion DeFi sector. After holding steady to a three-member team since pivoting to crypto in 2018, Carpinito said Esprezzo now plans to greatly expand its ranks to keep up with the DeFi boom. Its user base of 1,500 is growing rapidly, in large part due to the accelerating popularity of Esprezzo’s Uniswap trading pair discovery bot. Related: Bitcoin Stabilizes After Selloff, Resistance Seen Around $56K “Searching through block explorers was really the only method to see any on-chain data,” in 2018, Carpinito said, pointing to what he called a huge barrier to entry for retail traders and even experienced users. “We just want to make that as simple as possible.” Carpinito said the funding from Cuban and other investors will go toward continued development of upcoming products like a more expansive notification platform called Dispatch that will cover protocols atop the Ethereum and Binance Smart Chain blockchains when it launches in Q2. Story continues Dispatch is “protocol agnostic,” said Carpinito. He said Ethereum’s ongoing gas crisis, which has emboldened competing networks to vie for expat DeFi protocols, highlights the importance of casting a wide net for projects like Esprezzo. Related Stories Mark Cuban Backs Crypto Data Startup Esprezzo in $2M Funding Round Mark Cuban Backs Crypto Data Startup Esprezzo in $2M Funding Round View comments || Mortgage Your House With Mogo, Get Bitcoin Reward: Why This Matters: Mogo Inc(NASDAQ:MOGO) has extended itsBitcoin(CRYPTO: BTC) cashback program to include MogoMortgage, according to a Mondaypress release. What Happened:The program, which Mogo initially offered as part of its Mogo Visa Platinum Prepaid Card and digital spending account, will allow customers to get a new mortgage with Mogo or refinancing an existing mortgage to receive up to $3,100 in bitcoin. The bitcoin would be deposited to the customers' bitcoin and rewards accounts. Why It Matters:As aVancouver-based fintech company, Mogo is unique because it is the only mortgage, personal loan and investment services business that allows its customers to directly invest in bitcoin. With the mortgage market in Canada estimated to be worth $1.7 trillion, Mogo hopes to gain market share by offering its clients the ability to buy bitcoin securely through its services to help customers increase their wealth. “Unlike traditional reward programs, bitcoin rewards have the unique characteristic of being an asset class that can rise in value over time — $3,100 invested in bitcoin 5 years ago would be worth over $350,000 today,” said David Feller, founder and CEO at Mogo. To calm customer fears around directly investing in bitcoin, Mogo hopes its mortgage reward program will also draw in new but more crypto-weary customers. “Given the volatility and speculative nature of bitcoin, there’s an increasing number of Canadians who are looking for ways to participate without risking their own money, and our bitcoin rewards program meets this demand, Mogo said in the release. What’s More:The move comes as more companies and banks are offering customers options to invest and pay for products using bitcoin. RecentlyMorgan Stanley(NYSE:MS)announcedit would offer its wealthiest clients the ability to invest in certain cryptocurrencies, and last weekTesla Inc(NASDAQ:TSLA)announcedit would allow customers to pay for electric vehicles using bitcoin. Related Link:Why Buying A Tesla With Bitcoin Isn't Really A Good Idea — For Now (Photo byDmitry DemidkoonUnsplash) See more from Benzinga • Click here for options trades from Benzinga • 5 Canadian Tech Companies To Watch As US Companies Continue to Seek M&A © 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: down || Prices: 55724.27, 56473.03, 53906.09, 51762.27, 51093.65, 50050.87, 49004.25, 54021.75, 55033.12, 54824.70
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2019-04-18] BTC Price: 5298.39, BTC RSI: 71.24 Gold Price: 1271.90, Gold RSI: 36.58 Oil Price: 64.00, Oil RSI: 65.79 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin Cash – ABC, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 03/04/19: Bitcoin Cash ABC surged by 45.69% on Tuesday. Rebounding from a 1.38% fall on Monday, Bitcoin Cash ABC ended the day at $243.77. Bullish from the start of the day, Bitcoin Cash ABC rallied from an intraday low $166.76 to a late in the day intraday high $248. Breaking through the day’s major resistance levels, Bitcoin Cash ABC smashed through the 62% FIB of $181. The moves saw Bitcoin Cash ABC form a near-term bullish trend having recovered from a late January swing lo $105. At the time of writing, Bitcoin Cash ABC was up by 4.22% to $254.07. Bitcoin Cash ABC broke through the first major resistance level at $282.26 to hit a new swing high $290 before easing back. For the day ahead, a hold onto $250 levels through the morning would support another rally later in the day. A move through to $265 levels would bring the first major resistance level at $272.26 back into play. Barring a broad-based crypto breakout, however, we would expect Bitcoin Cash ABC to come up short of the morning high $290 later in the day. Failure to hold onto $250 levels could see Bitcoin Cash ABC hit reverse later in the day. A pullback through the morning low $241.41 could see Bitcoin Cash ABC hit $235 levels before any recovery. Barring a mass sell-off, however, we would expect Bitcoin Cash ABC to hold well above the first major support level at $191.02. Avoiding sub-$220 levels will be key. Litecoin rallied by 28.4% on Tuesday. Following a 0.03% gain on Monday, Litecoin ended the day at $77.5. Bullish from the early hours, Litecoin rallied from an intraday low $60.17 to a late intraday high $79.38. Supported by a broad-based crypto rally, Litecoin broke through the major resistance levels on the way through to $70 levels. The breakout saw Litecoin come within range of the 38.2% FIB of $83 before easing back. The day’s major support levels were left untested early in the day. At the time of writing, Litecoin was up by 3.72% to $80.38. Another bullish start to the day saw Litecoin rally from a morning low $77.02 to a high $85.07 before easing back. Steering clear of the major support levels, Litecoin broke through the 38.2% FIB of $83 and first major resistance level at $84.53 before sliding back. For the day ahead, a hold onto $80 levels through the morning would support another breakout later in the day. Another crypto rally would bring the second major resistance level at $91.56 into play. Barring a crypto rally, however, we would expect Litecoin to face plenty of resistance at the 38.2% FIB later in the day to limit the upside. Failure to hold onto $80 levels could see Litecoin fall back through the morning low $77.02 to $75 levels. Steering clear of $72 levels will be key on the day. A broad-based reversal could pull Litecoin through to $72 levels, which would bring sub-$70 levels into play. Barring a crypto meltdown, however, we would expect Litecoin to steer well clear of the first major support level at $65.32. Ripple’s XRP rallied by 12.07% on Tuesday. Following on from a 1.04% rise on Monday, Ripple’s XRP ended the day at $0.35542. Tracking the broader market, Ripple’s XRP rallied from an intraday low $0.3159 to an intraday high $0.36226. While breaking through the day’s major resistance levels, Ripple’s XRP came up well short of the 23.6% FIB of $0.4164. Bucking the trend from across the broader market, Ripple’s XRP had a relatively range-bound afternoon. At the time of writing, Ripple’s XRP was down by 0.48% to $0.35372. A bullish start to the day saw Ripple’s XRP rise to a morning high $0.37469 before hitting reverse. Hitting the first major resistance level at $0.3732, Ripple’s XRP slid to a morning low 0.35006 before steadying. Ripple’s XRP left the day’s major support levels untested early on. For the day ahead, a hold onto $0.35 levels would support a recovery later in the day. A move back through the first major resistance level would bring $0.38 levels into play before any pullback. Barring another crypto breakout, we would expect Ripple’s XRP to come up short of $0.39 levels on the day. Failure to hold onto $0.35 levels could see Ripple’s XRP stay in the red through the day. A fall through $0.3450 levels would bring $0.33 levels into play before any recovery. Barring a mass sell-off, we would expect Ripple’s XRP to steer clear of the first major support level at $0.3268. Buy & Sell Cryptocurrency Instantly Please let us know what you think in the comments below Thanks, Bob Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • The Bulls are out in Force. Brexit could be the only Curve Ball • Cardano’s ADA Technical Analysis – Resistance Levels in Play – 03/04/19 • GBP/USD Daily Price Forecast – The Cable Arouse In The Asian Session On Brexit Relief Hopes • EUR/USD Mid-Session Technical Analysis for April 3, 2019 • European Equities: The Majors Are Set for another Jump at the Open • EUR/USD Daily Price Forecast – The Euro Pair Rebounded From Lows On Optimistic US-Sino Trade Talks || Exclusive: Minds CEO Challenges Twitter’s Jack Dorsey to Walk the Walk on Bitcoin: ByCCN.com:Minds.comCEO Bill Ottman recently appeared on theJoe Rogan Experience, where he talked about the importance of open source and decentralization. While these are subjects near and dear to his heart, they are more a vehicle for his true passion – building a social infrastructure that respects people’s rights. We caught up with Bill shortly after the podcast to talk about the growth Minds has experienced as a result of the appearance, as well as the recent forays into Bitcoin and cryptocurrency made by two other social media CEOs:Jack Dorseyof Twitter andMark Zuckerbergof Facebook. Ottman told CCN that Zuckerberg and Dorsey demonstrated a philosophical conflict by adopting cryptocurrency – or in the case of Dorsey,pumping Bitcoin– without building open systems into their own products at Facebook and Twitter: “I think that there’s a disconnect between how Dorsey is supporting Bitcoin but at the same time Twitter is a closed platform. The philosophy of Twitter is in conflict with the philosophy of Bitcoin. I do think it’s good that more high profile are using Bitcoin. It’s good that they’re doing that. But the Cash App, as well, is a closed system. Twitter is a closed system. It seems like they’re trying touseBitcoin as opposed to build on it.” Ottman warns crypto users against having any illusions that big tech companies like Facebook actually care about the values that underly the Bitcoin revolution. | Source: AP Photo/Alex Brandon Then it occurs to Ottman that perhaps the situation can be rectified. What if users challengeFacebookandTwitterto walk the walk? Read the full story on CCN.com. || Bitcoin Climbs Over $5,100 as Top Cryptos See Solid Gains: Sunday, April 7 — most of the top 20 cryptocurrencies are seeing moderate to notable gains on the day by press time, as Bitcoin ( BTC ) climbs over the $5,100 mark. Market visualization courtesy of Coin360 Market visualization courtesy of Coin360 Bitcoin’s price has seen a gain of two and a half percent on the day, trading at around $5,156 by press time, according to CoinMarketCap. Looking at its weekly chart, the current price is a solid 20% higher than $4,095, the price at which Bitcoin started the week. Bitcoin 7-day price chart Bitcoin 7-day price chart. Source: CoinMarketCap Bloomberg analyst Mike McGlone claimed earlier this week that Bitcoin is at its most overbought level since its record highs in December 2017. Also, leading United States derivative market CME Group pointed out that its Bitcoin futures reported record trading volumes on April 4. Ethereum ( ETH ) is holding onto its position as the largest altcoin by market cap, which is currently at about $17.7 billion. The second-largest altcoin, Ripple ( XRP ), has a market cap of about $15 billion by press time. ETH is up by 2.12% over the last 24 hours. At press time, ETH is trading around $168, after having started the day at $163. On its weekly chart, ETH has seen its value increase by almost 19%. Ethereum 7-day price chart Ethereum 7-day price chart. Source: CoinMarketCap Second-largest altcoin Ripple has gained one and a half percent over the 24 hours to press time, and is currently trading at around $0.36 . Looking at the coin’s weekly chart, its current price is over 16% higher than the price at which it started the week. Ripple 7-day price chart Ripple 7-day price chart. Source: CoinMarketCap Among the top 20 cryptocurrencies, the one reporting the most notable gains is Ethereum Classic ( ETC ), which is up over 20% on the day to press time. Bitcoin Cash ( BCH ) has also seen notable daily growth, up 11% to press time. On the week, BCH has seen massive growth of 91%. The total market cap of all cryptocurrencies reached $180 billion today, which is almost 25% higher than $144.3 billion, the value it saw one week ago. Story continues Earlier this week a Japanese news outlet reported that G20 member countries will meet to discuss international cryptocurrency Anti-Money Laundering ( AML ) regulation on June 8 and 9 in Fukuoka, Japan. Related Articles: Bitcoin Briefly Breaks New $5,300 Support as Traditional Markets Grow Bitcoin Dips Below $5,000 as Crypto Market Trend Slightly Reverses to Red BTC Tests $5,000 Amid 2019’s First Major Crypto Market Recovery Crypto Markets Continue Rising While Bitcoin’s Dominance Continues to Drop || Bitcoin Private sends legal letter to HitBTC; claims “questionable, unjustifiable” delisting: Bitcoin Private, the privacy-centric cryptocurrency, has sent alegal letterto cryptocurrency exchange HitBTC, the projectannouncedon Saturday. The legal letter details the events that led up to the coin'sdelistingfrom HitBTC. According to the letter, in May 2018, Bitcoin Private paid HitBTC "a listing fee in the amount of $500,000.00 USD, to be paid in bitcoin." Subsequently, in December 2018, a CoinMetrics analysis uncovered the existence of approximately 2 million additional BTCP units that were covertly mined. In response, Bitcoin private core developers pushed for acoinburnto remove these units from circulation. The coinburn event required exchanges and users to move their current BTCP tokens to a new wallet before block 480,000, otherwise, their tokens would be also be removed from circulation. According to Bitcoin Private, the HitBTC team failed to take the appropriate measures and "lost its BTCP [58,920] holdings due to the coinburn." The exchange then "demanded that BTCP compensate those lost coin— stating that the reason they were unable to protect their BTCP from the Coinburn was the fault of BTCP responsibility." The exchange then delisted BTCP from its platform. HitBTC, however,claimsthat its team "reached out to BTCP developers team with a request to help moving BTCP coins from a wallet that would not be safeguarded from a coin burn" but the team "could not provide us a reliable secure instrument to move the funds from the segwit addresses before the hard fork, which resulted in them burning a part of the funds still remaining in our custody." || McDonald’s in the Philippines has partnered with Loyalcoin: McDonald’s lovers in the Philippines can now nab themselves a free burger by signing up to the Loyalcoin crypto-rewards system. Loyalcoin is a blockchain-based customer loyalty program that rewards users in crypto for being loyal to brands registered with the service. Users are able to use Loyalcoins to redeem rewards from affiliated brands and can convert them to other cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ether, and XEM through Loyalcoin’s partner institutions. According to a Facebook post by Loyalcoin, the company has now partnered with fast-food giant McDonald’s in the Philippines. Users who download the Loyalcoin wallet app on their mobile phones can even receive a free ‘McDo’ burger. To get the free burger, users will need to download the app, complete two-factor authentication, and have 10 Philippine pesos worth of Lcredits (Loyalcoin credits) on the app. Finally, upon approval, users can claim the free McDo burger. The promotion period began on March 18th and will end on April 30th 2019. The redemption period will end on June 30th 2019. This isn’t the first time McDonald’s has ventured into the crypto space. In 2017, McDonald’s Thailand partnered with Omise . Omise is building an Ethereum-based Proof-of-Stake (PoS) platform with the aim of decentralising payment networks and creating an open, public financial system. The partnership with Omise meant McDonald’s Thailand could enhance its online payment channels by leveraging the payment technology offered by Omise. It remains to be seen how much impact the partnership with Loyalcoin will have, but it should help bring more adoption and awareness to the crypto space. Interested in reading more about global companies getting involved in crypto? Discover more about the rumours that Starbucks could soon be accepting crypto payments. The post McDonald’s in the Philippines has partnered with Loyalcoin appeared first on Coin Rivet . View comments || GBP/USD Price Forecast – British pound rally significantly to kick off week: The British poundhas rallied significantly during the trading session on Monday, reaching towards 1.31 handle. This of course is a good sign, as the market had pulled back rather stringently during the previous week. We found the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level supportive enough to turn things around, and it now looks as if we are ready to go looking towards the highs again. This is a market that has recently broken above a downtrend line, pulled back to test it, rallied again, and now looks like it’s going to rally to form a “higher low.” This is the very essence of an uptrend. As we go through the Brexit process, there will of course be headlines to be concerned about, but those pullbacks continue to be buying opportunities for those who are quick enough to take advantage of them. Overall, it looks as if the market continues to see pullbacks as value that can be taken advantage of, as the British pound is historically cheap currently. The Federal Reserve on the other side of the equation of course has stepped away from a hawkish stance, so it’s very likely that we will continue to see a “buy on the dips” mentality going forward. There are some very serious votes coming over the next couple of days as to whether or not British Parliament is going to go along with Teresa May, but quite frankly I believe that unless it’s obvious that we are going to have a “no deal Brexit”, we have seen the bottom. Please let us know what you think in the comments below Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Asia Rebounds On Monday, Europe Higher Ahead Of Key Brexit Vote, Boeing Leads Dow Lower • Bitcoin And Ethereum Daily Price Forecast – Cryptos Continue Consolidative Price Action • Brexit Still Frightens Pound • Stock Market Forecast – Technology and Energy Lead US Market Higher • GBP/USD Price Forecast – British pound rally significantly to kick off week • Crude Oil Price Forecast – Crude oil markets continue to stagnate || An Alternative to The Basic China ETF: This article was originally published on ETFTrends.com. With Chinese stocks leading the emerging markets rebound this year, many advisors and investors are reconsidering China ETFs. While some China ETFs are tactical options, other China ETFs are classified as more traditional fare. In the realm of traditional China ETFs, one of the potentially better options is also one of the group's newer funds: the Global X MSCI China Large-Cap 50 ETF ( CHIL ) . CHIL debuted last December as an alternative to old guard China ETFs that usually feature significant allocations to financial services stocks. CHIL tracks the MSCI China Top 50 Select Index. That index “incorporates all eligible securities as per MSCI’s Global Investable Market Index Methodology, including China A, B and H shares, Red chips, P chips and foreign listings, among others,” according to Global X . The primary trigger event is still a U.S.-China trade deal that’s at the tail end of negotiations. While some analysts feel a trade deal is already priced into the markets, investors are hoping it could continue to help sustain the strong start for U.S. equities. Points To Consider Regarding China CHIL, which hit a record high Monday, provides more leverage to the Chinese consumer and the country's efforts to drive domestic consumption than rival, traditional China ETFs. Noticeable shifts in its economy include a move to a more consumer-based model. This has spurred a rise in the middle class, which will be China’s primary driver of growth moving forward. While CHIL does allocate about 23% of its weight to bank stocks, the fund also features large weights to communication services and consumer discretionary names, traits that position CHIL investors to benefit from China's booming e-commerce market. China has been looking to increase internal consumption to reduce the economy’s sensitivity to exports and those efforts appear to be paying dividends. While some data points indicate the Chinese economy and consumer spending are slowing, policymakers remain proactive. Story continues China is becoming less resistant to safeguarding its businesses, which will open the pathways to more foreign investment. China equities have also been the beneficiaries of index provider MSCI Inc. announcing recently that it would quadruple its weighting of large-cap Chinese shares in its benchmark indexes. For more on thematic ETFs, please visit our Thematic Investing Channel . POPULAR ARTICLES AND RESOURCES FROM ETFTRENDS.COM SPY ETF Quote VOO ETF Quote QQQ ETF Quote VTI ETF Quote JNUG ETF Quote Top 34 Gold ETFs Top 34 Oil ETFs Top 57 Financials ETFs ETF Industry Game Changer: SEC Gives Nod To Non-Transparent ETFs Using Merger Arbitrage as a Hedge Against Market Volatility A Better Way to Determine Risk Exposure for Growth ETF Investors Report Findings Highlight Fake Bitcoin Trading on Unregulated Exchanges How to Manage A Mature Bull Market With Macro-Themed ETF Strategies READ MORE AT ETFTRENDS.COM > || Bitcoin is Surging but Hacked Crypto Exchange Cryptopia’s Users Remain Seething: Hacked New Zealand cryptocurrency exchange Cryptopia is yet to offer 'rebates' to customers who lost funds following a hack earlier this year. | Source: Shutterstock Despite having promised to compensate customers who lost crypto assets following a security breach in January, New Zealand crypto exchange Cryptopia is yet to provide concrete details on the process. In a statement that was released on March 17, Cryptopia announced that it was taking steps to compensate affected users. In this regard, the crypto exchange promised to offer ‘more details around the rebates’ by the end of March. This is yet to happen three days into April. Consequently, users are still wondering when the compensation will take place. @Cryptopia_NZ when shall we get rebate for the lost coins balance as per ur given timeline is over last month already — @Waqas Ali (@wqsali) April 2, 2019 What’s holding Cryptopia back – the rally? With Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies having rallied to yearly highs, the compensation matter is likely to be a thorny one. At the time of the security breach, the price of one bitcoin was under $3,600. Currently, bitcoin is above $4,900 having appreciated by nearly 40 percent. Cryptopia Bitcoin woke up from a 3-month slumber while turning April. | Source: Coin Market Cap According to The New Zealand Herald , the crypto exchange has announced that the amount that each affected user will get will be based on the price of the particular cryptocurrency lost as of January 14 when the hack occurred. Read the full story on CCN.com . || Bitcoin Price Pounds Toward 5-Month High – Here’s Why $6,000 is Next: Now that bitcoin has stormed past $5,000 for the first time in 2019, is the key $6,000 level in play? | Source: Shutterstock The bitcoin price finally broke above an extended resistance channel to establish a new yearly high above the psychologically-significant $5,000 mark. Coinbase data shows that BTC/USD spiked during the early Asian trading session, surging almost 23 percent in just two hours to $5,120. The rally accompanied substantial volume, confirming a positive breakout scenario for the cryptocurrency. It also negated some portion of the losses caused by the notorious bitcoin cash hard fork , which prompted the previous crash in November last year. BTC USD, BITCOIN PRICE, BTC PRICE BITCOIN PRICE JUMPS UP TO 23-PERCENT | SOURCE: COINMARKETCAP.COM On the technical front, the latest crypto market rally pulled bitcoin out of an overlong long bearish stretch below $4,414. It further rattled three strong bearish indicators, as discussed in our previous analysis , that had prevented the cryptocurrency from extending its upside momentum since November. As of 12:25 UTC, the bitcoin price was trading at $4,794, down 6.07 percent from its intraday high. At the same time, bitcoin’s market capitalization had surged from $73.85 billion to $84.21 billion. The Bullish Case for a $6,000 Bitcoin Price There is no denying that the ongoing crypto market surge is almost too sudden. But unlike altcoins, a price rally in the bitcoin market is historically more durable from an intraday perspective. The jump has certainly brought $6,000 back in the conversation of bitcoin bulls. The level supported the cryptocurrency on multiple downside attempts until the November capitulation broke it. The fact that bitcoin came hundreds of dollars closer to $6,000 could influence traders to keep one eye open towards it. Read the full story on CCN.com . || Powell Sees Strong Economic Fundamentals but Yield Curve Leaning Toward Recession: In the wake of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates unchanged and to slash all projections of a rate hike this year comes a couple of completely different assessments of the moves. According to U.S.-based financial services giant S&P Global Ratings, the Fed is “not yet done” with rate hikes. However, government fixed income yields are delivering, by one measure, a possible recession indication that hasn’t happened since 2007. All this suggests is be prepared for volatility in the Treasury markets with one camp indicating the possibility of at least one rate hike, and the other indicating lower rates. S&P Global Ratings Analyst Sees Another Rate Hike Speaking to CNBC’s “Capital Connection” on Thursday, Chief Asia-Pacific Economist Shaun Roache said he thinks another increase may come sometime this year or early next year. He also said better-than-expected economic growth and strong labor markets leave room for a hike. “Given the ‘soft patch’ the global economy is going through, Roache acknowledged that ‘it makes sense for the Fed to pause to watch the data to see how things evolve.’ Still, he said he felt that concerns about global growth were ‘a little bit overdone.’” S&P Global expects growth to be “something north of 2 percent this year” and jobs to be created to the tune of about 130,000 per month – a number Roache said is above the “natural rate” of employment growth for the American economy. “It means the unemployment rate will continue to edge lower, wage growth will continue to edge higher, and that’s a scenario in which the Fed probably will hike maybe one more time this year, maybe early next year,” Roache added. Yield Curve Predicting Something Else So while Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell still sees a strong U.S. economy as well as S&P Global Ratings, bond traders sees the economy differently. According to Bespoke Investment Group, the spread, or yield curve, between the 3-month and 10-year Treasury notes just broke the longest streak ever of being above 10 basis points, or 0.1 percentage point. “The two maturities were last below that level in September 2007, a run of 3,009 trading days.” In Thursday afternoon trading, the spread was just 5 basis points, or as close to inversion as just before the financial crisis. The yield compression is being described as a “dark signal” for an economy coming off its best year since the recovery began in mid-2009. Story continues “Yield curves are responding to what they see, to what I believe is a global economic slowdown,” said Peter Boockvar, chief investment officer at Bleakley Advisory Group. “You don’t see this kind of move in curves, not just here but everywhere, unless you get one.” Fed Chair Powell’s Finds Middle Ground On Wednesday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell seemed to be unfazed by the sudden change in policy. He said that despite the recent dip in economic growth that “economic fundamentals are still very strong,” adding that Fed officials “see a favorable outlook for this year.” Powell went on to say that “We foresee some weakening, but we don’t see a recession.” Based on these comments, Powell falls smack in the middle of the S&P Global Ratings conclusion and the yield curve predictions. He doesn’t see a recession like the yield curve is predicting, but he doesn’t see a rate hike coming either. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Private Sector PMI Numbers Put the EUR into the Spotlight Bitcoin Cash – ABC, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 22/03/19 Bitcoin And Ethereum Daily Price Forecast – Bitcoin & Major Crypto Coins See Dovish Breakout Price Action Two-Sided Trade in China Highlights Concerns Over Fed Policy, Trade Relations Crude Oil Price Update – Trying to Establish Support Over Major 50% Level at $59.63 USD/CAD Daily Price Forecast – USD/CAD Trades Upwards As Dovish Fed Update Failed To Have Lasting Impact View comments [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] 1H 2019/03/29 13:00 (2019/03/29 12:00) LONG : 23907.57 BTC (-2.18 BTC) SHORT : 18216.1 BTC (-44.64 BTC) LS比 : 56% vs 43% (56% vs 43%) || #BTCUSD Market #1H timeframe on March 15 at 20:00 (UTC) is #Bullish. #cryptocurrency #bitcoin #btc #crypto #trading #idea #report technical analysis || #BTCUSD Market #1H timeframe on March 23 at 14:00 (UTC) is #Bearish. #cryptocurrency #bitcoin #btc #crypto #trading #idea #report technical analysis || One Bitcoin now worth $5070.00@bitstamp. High $5173.900. Low $4948.570. Market Cap $89.473 Billion #bitcoin pic.twitter.com/uViCoFHlh6 || 03/28 09:00現在 #Bitcoin : 444,360円↑ #NEM #XEM : 5.5758円↑ #Monacoin : 134円→ #Ethereum : 15,370円↑ #Zaif : 0.1636円↑ || 2019/02/23 00:30 #Binance 格安コイン 1位 #NPXS 0.00000017 BTC(0.07円) 2位 #BCN 0.00000022 BTC(0.1円) 3位 #BTT 0.00000025 BTC(0.11円) 4位 #DENT 0.00000025 BTC(0.11円) 5位 #HOT 0.00000034 BTC(0.15円) #仮想通貨 #アルトコイン #草コイン || Patents, law-suits, and fear does not make a cryptocurrency gain real long term value... a positive community does. #bitcoin #BTC $btc #crypto || #cryptocurrency Price Analysis for #Bitsend #BSD : Last Hour Change : -0.12 % || 12-03-2019 22:00 Price in #USD : 0.0488714066 || Price in #EUR : 0.043265221 New Price in #Bitcoin #BTC : 0.00001253 || #Coin Rank 748 || जैसा की बहुप्रतीक्षित #69000_शिक्षक_भर्ती का फैसला उच्च न्यायालय से आया है हम सभी BTC/B.E.D.अभ्यर्थी आशा करते है कि आप अतिशीघ्र #न्यायालय के आदेश का सम्मान करते हुए भर्ती को तत्काल पूर्ण करने की कृपा करें हम आपके सदैव आभारी रहेंगे @PKumar59 @drdineshbjp @anupmajaisbjp @PMOIndia || #ZEC Buy at #Vebitcoin and sell at #Cex. Ratio: 1.00% Buy at #Vebitcoin and sell at #Bitfinex. Ratio: 2.05% Buy at #Bittrex and sell at #Bitfinex. Ratio: 1.34% #bitcoin #arbitrage #arbitraj #arbingtool http://arbing.info 
Trend: no change || Prices: 5303.81, 5337.89, 5314.53, 5399.37, 5572.36, 5464.87, 5210.52, 5279.35, 5268.29, 5285.14
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2021-06-21] BTC Price: 31676.69, BTC RSI: 34.71 Gold Price: 1781.80, Gold RSI: 32.53 Oil Price: 73.66, Oil RSI: 72.79 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] UPDATE 4-Bitcoin sinks below $50,000 as cryptos stumble over Biden tax plans: (Updates prices, comments) By Stanley White and Anna Irrera TOKYO/LONDON, April 23 (Reuters) - Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies suffered hefty losses on Friday on concern that U.S. President Joe Biden's plan to raise capital gains taxes will curb investment in digital assets. The selloff came after reports that the Biden administration is planning a raft of proposed changes to the U.S. tax code, including a plan to nearly double taxes on capital gains to 39.6% for people earning more than $1 million. Bitcoin, the biggest and most popular cryptocurrency , slumped 5% to $48,8867, falling below the $50,000 mark for the first time since early March, while smaller rivals Ether and XRP fell around 7%. The tax plans jolted markets, prompting investors to book profits in stocks and other risk assets, which have rallied massively on hopes of a solid economic recovery. Levies on investment gains were reported to be in line for record increases. "Bitcoin headed South today after President Biden signalled that he wanted to raise capital gains tax in the US," said Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst, Asia Pacific, at OANDA. "Now whether that happens or not, many bitcoin investors are probably sitting on some substantial capital gains if they stayed the course over the past year." "I firmly believe that developed market regulation and/or taxation remain the crypto markets' Achilles Heel," he added. Bitcoin is on track for a 15% loss on the week, though it is still up 65% since the start of the year. Ether dropped more than 10% on the day to as low as $2,107, a day after climbing to a record $2,645.97. But while social media lit up with posts about the plan hurting cryptocurrencies, and individual investors complaining about losses, some traders and analysts said declines are likely to be temporary. "I don't think Biden's taxes plans will have a big impact on bitcoin," said Ruud Feltkamp, CEO at automated crypto trading bot Cryptohopper. "Bitcoin has only gone up for a long time, it is only natural to see a consolidation. Traders are simply cashing in on winnings." Others also remained bullish on bitcoin's long term prospects, but noted it might take time before prices start increasing again. "There are reasons to believe the overall trend will remain bullish unless the price drops below $40k," said Ulrik Lykke, executive director at crypto hedge fund ARK36. "At the moment, we are not convinced that the trend will reverse into a bear market but we acknowledge it may take some time before the demand overtakes the supply again in the medium to short term." Shares of cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase also fell around 4% to $282 in U.S. pre-market trading, marking the lowest level since its listing earlier this month. The listing had driven bitcoin prices to $65,000, before pulling back 25% in the following days. "The Coinbase listing – the ultimate poacher-turned-gamekeeper moment - might have been the high watermark for Bitcoin," said Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at Markets.com. (Reporting by Stanley White and Kevin Buckland in Tokyo, Anna Irrera in London Additional reporting by Thyagaraju Adinarayan, Sujata Rao and Karin Strohecker in London Editing by Kenneth Maxwell, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Frances Kerry) || UPDATE 1-CME says more than 100,000 micro bitcoin futures traded in first six days: (Adds comment from company, bitcoin price) NEW YORK, May 11 (Reuters) - Exchange operator CME Group Inc said on Tuesday more than 100,000 micro bitcoin futures were traded in the first six days after the contract's launch. The micro contract is aimed at smaller, sophisticated, active traders, and represents 1/10th of a bitcoin, versus the more pricey regular contract, which represents 5 bitcoins. "Together with our existing, full-sized Bitcoin futures, this new, smaller contract further strengthens our ability to help a broad array of clients, from institutions to sophisticated, active traders, to manage their bitcoin price risk," said Tim McCourt, CME's Global Head of Equity Index and Alternative Investment Products. Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency, was trading slightly above $55,000 early on Tuesday, well off its all-time high of nearly $65,000 hit on April 14. (Reporting by John McCrank; Editing by Catherine Evans and Nick Zieminski) View comments || MicroStrategy plunges after Bitcoin buys: Shares of MicroStrategy plunged in early trading Monday, falling 7.5% as investors showed more wariness of the company’s cryptocurrency investments. Earlier Monday, MicroStrategy announced it had completed another round of Bitcoin purchases , bringing its total holdings to over 100,000. In its latest purchase, the company spent roughly $489 million on 13,005 tokens. That announcement comes as Bitcoin prices continue to lose ground—and MicroStrategy’s purchase is already worth roughly $63 million less than the company paid. Investors are also possibly getting concerned about the company’s debt offerings, which it has used to raise money to buy more cryptocurrency. Earlier this month, MicroStrategy announced it was raising $500 million in junk bonds to buy thousands of more Bitcoin. MicroStrategy jumped onto people’s radar last year, when it made a massive bet on cryptocurrency , spending $250 million at a time most other companies were staying on the crypto sidelines. At the time, Bitcoin was in the $12,000 range, so as it began its astonishing run over the first third of 2021, investors flocked to the company. At one point, shares were as high as $1,315. With Monday’s dip, they’re down to $587. Michael Saylor, CEO of MicroStrategy has been and remains one of the biggest boosters of Bitcoin to date, recently telling Fortune he was thrilled over El Salvador’s decision to accept Bitcoin as legal tender . "I can't see it as anything other than a cause to rejoice," he said. The new law gives "property rights to everybody in El Salvador that are beyond the interference of the government, or a bank, and so I think it's a good thing." This story was originally featured on Fortune.com || Iran Central Bank to Allow Money Changers, Banks to Pay for Imports Using Mined Crypto: What is enterprise DeFi? It depends on who you ask. If you ask Paul Brody, at EY, it’s about enterprises using DeFi (decentralized finance). If you ask Cordite’s Richard Crook , it’s about corporations operating a slightly less centralized network using “DLT” (distributed ledger technology) in a consortium environment. Related: Iran Central Bank to Allow Money Changers, Banks to Pay for Imports Using Mined Crypto If you ask me, it’s about creating new, decentralized web-scale enterprise structures and effective internet-based coordination mechanisms among known or unknown legal and natural persons. In other words, governance is everything . Paul’s and Richard’s perspectives are entirely valid and certainly part of the picture. From my perspective, enterprise DeFi must decentralize the enterprise, not centralize DeFi software in the hands of legacy corporate structures. The operative word is decentralized, not finance Thanks to the army of mathematics and physics PhDs whom Wall Street hired between 1970 to 2008, it is incredibly difficult to invent new finance. With the rare exception of, say, flash loans, any competent quant can map financial innovations in DeFi 1:1 to a previous financial innovation on Wall Street. Ajit Tripathi, a CoinDesk columnist, is the head of Institutional Business at Aave. Previously, he served as a fintech partner at ConsenSys and was a co-founder of PwC’s U.K. Blockchain Practice. Related: Tesla Sold Some Bitcoin for Big Profit in Q1 and Crypto Critics Pounce That means the real innovation in DeFi is decentralization, and even that has roots and parallels in the history of money and commerce. Decision-making by token-holder voting is not entirely different from proxy voting, and traders guilds in ancient India and medieval Italy ran mutualized lending, trading, insurance, money and asset management services using similar decision-making systems. Public blockchain technology enables decentralization to work at internet-scale among pseudonymous participants who don’t need to trust or even know each other, and that’s a pretty big deal. Ergo, if becoming enterprise means losing this core aspect of decentralization at web-scale, then it’s just CeFi (centralized finance) or legacy-Fi on the blockchain, not DeFi. Story continues So what exactly is decentralization? I have written about the topic over the years. The key question to ask in assessing if something is decentralized is the governance question, i.e. who has control over decision-making and to what extent? That has two dimensions – technical decentralization and economic decentralization. Technical decentralization Technical decentralization means that anyone can use or contribute to the software or technical infrastructure created for the decentralized product or service. In DeFi, the deployment, enhancement and operation of the software is not controlled by any one legal or natural person. The open-source nature and public blockchain deployment of DeFi is therefore non-negotiable. Using a public permissionless blockchain helps because it exposes the functionality to everyone who cares to examine or reuse it, but it’s not sufficient. If a crypto exchange builds and runs smart contract-based applications on a public permissionless blockchain, but 95% of the commits to the blockchain come from employees or contractors of the exchange, the blockchain is not very decentralized. Also, if the exchange can reorganize the blockchain at will, then such DeFi applications are certainly not decentralized. In fact, Linux and MySQL are more decentralized than such dapps. Similarly, if the founding team of a DeFi protocol controls the admin key that can be used to make arbitrary code changes, then such a protocol is not very decentralized. As it turns out, not all open-source software is the same, and some open-source software ships with licensing that gives special rights or even control to the creators of the software. The fewer such rights and restrictions embedded in DeFi software, the more decentralized such software is. In essence, I believe no license is more decentralized than GNU licensing , which in turn is more decentralized than MIT licensing , which again is more decentralized than Apache licensing . The legal rights and restrictions embedded in the software licensing are much more important. Taking technical decentralization to enterprise requires some compromise because enterprise needs to be commercially incentivized to use the software and because enterprise entities often assume liability for non-performance of the software or the service . That is why Geth (which allows anyone to run an Ethereum node) ships under GNU licensing and Hyperledger Besu ships under Apache 2.0 licensing. Economic decentralization Economic decentralization has two core aspects: control and liability. The less concentrated each of these is, the more decentralized the protocol. Enterprise structures, whether sole trader businesses, partnerships or corporations, are defined by who makes the decisions that govern the operation of the service offered and who has the liability for nonperformance. A limited liability corporation, which is the most popular enterprise structure, assigns limited liabilities to principals, i.e. owners/shareholders. The liabilities for nonperformance often sit with agents, i.e. managers whom shareholders hire to make decisions on their behalf. When the agents’ incentives are not aligned with the principals’, it leads to principal-agent conflict. A classic example: When Wall Street execs make decisions to maximize their bonuses, rather than long-term shareholder value. Indeed, there are even aspects of decentralization within centralized corporations. The level of economic decentralization depends on the level of concentration in stakeholder voting. Before the existence of blockchain technology, internet-scale coordination of stakeholder votes was practically nonviable. Shareholders had to elect a board of directors to represent them. In such a structure, if the CEO of a corporation can push any decision through on a whim without any pushback from a board looking out for long-term value, such a corporation is more centralized. Similarly, there are elements of centralization even within DeFi protocols, and as Securities and Exchange Commission commissioner Hester Peirce’s safe harbor proposal recognizes, nearly everything starts centralized. Bitcoin, the first ever DeFi protocol, started with one guy writing a white paper on an obscure internet channel and then a few developers, like Gavin Andresen, writing the bulk of the code. Over the next few years, bitcoin ( BTC ) became widely distributed, and the number of contributors to bitcoin core grew from three people to a few hundred people. The fact that bitcoin was practically worthless but practically brilliant in the early days meant people weren’t hoarding as many bitcoins as they could or running giant mining pools next to hydropower dams. In fact, one could even argue that after the initial years of rapid decentralization, bitcoin has become more economically and technically centralized as its value has gone up hundreds of times. In the case of a DeFi protocol, the exam question is how much more decentralized it is than when it started and what’s the rate of increase in decentralization? Are tokens becoming less concentrated in the hands of whales? Is the team using treasury to force decisions? Is the team controlling an admin key to force decisions through? Are a few large whales making decisions? Does a participant need to buy tokens on an exchange before they can vote, or if they have a good idea that benefits the community, can they just ask the community to delegate votes to them? So what is enterprise DeFi? DeFi and enterprise have a lot to learn from each other. The most important thing enterprises can learn from DeFi is how to use public permissionless blockchain technology to become more technically and economically decentralized to enable much greater fairness and inclusion in economic activity. For example, corporations can employ public blockchain technology for shareholder voting and limit the role of the board of directors to guardians rather than often conflicted intermediaries. Corporations can further enable shareholders to delegate votes to other stakeholders in the society and thus alleviate the externalities and ill effects of shareholder capitalism. Then there is a lot of technical innovation and practices to be shared. Specifically in enterprise blockchain, a lot of work has been done on security, data privacy and software engineering practices. In DeFi, there’s an infinite library of robust, battle-tested smart contracts built by highly motivated and talented engineers that enterprises can simply adapt or use. DeFi protocols can also benefit from robust software development, testing and deployment practices established in enterprise software. And yes, of course, enterprises can simply plug into DeFi and benefit from the growing asset liquidity, the return generation opportunities and the entire category of peer-to-peer and peer-to-protocol web 3 commerce that is coming online with non-fungible tokens. Most of all, forward-thinking enterprises can facilitate the legal innovation that’s required to provide a firm legal foundation for decentralized protocols. A recent and extremely pertinent example is the Wyoming DAO (decentralized autonomous organizations ) Law . As DeFi goes to enterprise, we will use more of such legal innovation to decentralize the enterprise rather than building centralized, hierarchical, rent-seeking entities on decentralized technology. Related Stories US Bank Quietly Emerges as a Crypto Player Golden State Warriors Become First NBA Team to Issue NFT Set || KnitFinance Secures $1 Million in Funding to Pave the Way for a Trillion Dollar DeFi Market: ROAD TOWN, British Virgin Islands, May 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KnitFinance, the first Polkadot-based cross-chain wrapped protocol is pleased to announce that it has successfully raised $1 million from its latest fundraising round. There is a lot of excitement as KnitFinance approaches its SHO on Dao Maker on 17th of May. The project is ultra-low cap with immense scope to grow. KnitFinance bridges DeFi on Multiple Chains by bringing multiple assets to every compatible blockchain network, Knit allows a real-world insured wrapped token feature to ensure any digital and lockable asset can be stacked to get yield, lent, borrowed, margin traded, and farmed enabling billions of dollars of idle assets to be productive and make the overall DeFi more productive. Knit locks assets with custodians in the real world, which are insured up to $350 million, bringing real-world and reliable insurance into DeFi. KnitFinance thus enables the next wave of liquidity, real world assets expected worth of nearly a trillion dollars to enter the DeFi world onto multiple chains. The lead investors of this round included Dao Maker, AU21 Capital, LD Capital, Orion, x21, Nabais Capital, Insight Capital, Momentum 6, Bitcoin.com, pSquare Capital, Chronos Ventures, and also includes CXOs of many big projects as investors. The fundraising attracted immense participation, leading to more than 50 x commitments. KnitFinance team consists of highly respected veterans of the Crypto industry. Beta version of the Product has been live since December supporting wrapped assets on 5 chains already. Additionally, 30 more renowned projects with some of them being multi-billion dollar cap have partnered with KnitFinance who will announce partnerships soon. Apart from providing capital, investors have joined hands with them to bootstrap liquidity on platforms like Uniswap to offer a smooth experience to users right from the start. They have also partnered with them to help engage in global and regional marketing efforts to generate awareness of the platform and mission worldwide. Story continues KnitFinance is elevating the financial inclusion quotient of DeFi to much higher levels and reducing the entry barriers and asset risk for potential users at the same time. It is 100% decentralized and is solely dependent on user consensus for governance. The KnitFinance team is working tirelessly to give shape to this belief. Together with an enthusiastic community and network of partners, they are charged up in their mission to unlock the true potential of DeFi. Furthermore, KnitFinance plans to list the Knit tokens on top-tier centralized crypto exchanges. It's primarily keen to list on Binance, Huobi Global, OKEx, Kucoin, Gate.io, etc., enhancing the global liquidity of Knit tokens and as well as wrapped assets in the future. Social Links Telegram community: https://t.me/knitfinance Announcements channel: @knitfinanceann Twitter: https://twitter.com/KnitFinance Media Contact Company: KnitFinance Inc Contact: Sainath G, Director E-mail: [email protected] Website: https://knit.finance/ SOURCE : KnitFinance Inc || Argo and DMG Join Group Working to Lower Bitcoin Miners’ Carbon Emissions: Argo Blockchain and DMG Blockchain, cryptocurrency mining firms that are publicly traded in the U.K. and Canada, respectively, have joined the Crypto Climate Accord (CCA), an advocacy group that pushes for lower carbon emissions in the crypto-mining industry. The two firms said Friday they are now working with the CCA to develop a new working group to promote the accord’s objectives, while also working to increase transparency around energy sourcing by crypto mining operations. The CCA is a private sector-led initiative that sets out to reduce overall emissions in cryptocurrency mining, which has become a cause for concern for some high-profile investors such as Elon Musk . The organization is encouraging the industry to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. Related: Upstate NY Bitcoin Miner Greenidge to Offset Rigs&#8217; Carbon Emissions “The Crypto Climate Accord helps lay the groundwork for real, tangible action to address Bitcoin mining’s impact on the environment, and we are both eager and determined to ensure that Supporters and Signatories remain committed to the group’s goals,” Argo Blockchain CEO Peter Wall said. Argo and DMG said it’s estimated that crypto mining worldwide accounts for up to 0.5% of global power usage, though they did not provide a source for the data. The two firms are already working on environmental initiatives, having signed an agreement in March to launch a bitcoin mining pool that would be completely powered by clean energy. On Thursday, Argo Blockchain announced the purchase of two data centers in Canada that are largely powered by hydroelectricity. See also: What Bloomberg Gets Wrong About Bitcoin’s Climate Footprint Related Stories Renaissance Technologies Amassed $140M Position in Mining Stocks In Q1 Bitcoin Miner Argo Blockchain Purchases Hydro-Powered Data Centers in Canada Bitcoin’s Mining Difficulty Hits New High; Taproot Begins Its Second Signaling Attempt || Bitcoin falls 5.2% to $33,849, Ether down 6.3%: May 29 (Reuters) - Bitcoin dipped 5.16% to $33,849.47 at 18:00 GMT on Saturday, losing $1,842.99 from its previous close. Ether, the coin linked to the ethereum blockchain network, dropped 6.26% to $2,262.06 on Saturday, losing $151.11 from its previous close. Bitcoin, the world's biggest and best-known cryptocurrency, is down 47.8% from the year's high of $64,895.22 on April 14. It has been less volatile in the past week but losses this month have been heavy at 38%, driven by growing regulatory pressures on the sector. It is trading at levels last seen in January and at roughly half its peak value. (Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Richard Chang) || Is Dogecoin Dead? Elon Musk and Mark Cuban Say ‘So Much No’: WhenDogecoin(CCC:DOGE-USD) enthusiasts created #DogeDay, many hoped that Dogecoin prices would go to $1. Even fifty cents would have been acceptable. Source: Shutterstock Instead, Apr. 20 marked one of Dogecoin’s worst days on record. Within hours, the coin had dropped from its open of around 40 cents to a close of 32 cents. By the end of the week, the “meme coin” had sunk below 20 cents, wiping out $25 billion of investor wealth. “There was anxiety with larger investors who had big positions that the dog had its day coming and wanted to exit,”said Eric Schiffer, the head of a private equity firm called The Patriarch Organization. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips For all purposes, it looked like Dogecoin was dead. But momentum bulls would have the last laugh. As celebrities like Mark Cuban and Elon Musk began tweeting about the cryptocurrency, investors began to buy back in. Almost magically, Dogecoin prices started to rise again. • 10 of the Top Nasdaq Blue-Chip Stocks to Buy Now, as investors try to make sense of an asset with “zero intrinsic value,” momentum investors will continue to confound traditional ones. As this week has shown, Dogecoin might be dead — but just not quite yet. Cryptocurrency’s biggest inside joke has long confused conventional investors. All coins already have zero intrinsic value and Dogecoin made a point to satirize that fact. Its original 2013 code awarded up to one billion coins per solved block, making DOGE virtually unusable as a form of currency. Fast forward to 2021, however, and DOGE has emerged as one of the most serious money-makers of the year. $10,000 invested in Dogecoin at the start of the year would have turned to over $870,000 at its peak. Ordinary retail investors becameovernight millionaires. Technologically, Dogecoin has also grown up. Its once ludicrous mining reward system now runs on a system that mimics a 2.5% inflation rate. A “merged mining” ability also allows miners to process DOGE in parallel withLitecoin(CCC:LTE-USD), significantly increasing its mining pool. Yet, Dogecoin prices seem to have a life of their own. Its major technological overhauls in 2014 coincided with a huge collapse in value. Three years later, the opposite was true; though developmentvirtually ceasedin Q1 2017, Dogecoin prices would rise 3700% by the end of that year. Theexplanation for these movementsvaries, from a failedRedditinvestment scheme to a broader cryptocurrency mania. Recently, DOGE price movements have become stranger still. On Jan. 28,Tesla(NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk tweeted the first of many posts referencing Dogecoin — a photoshopped issue of“Dogue”magazine with Cinza the Whippet on the cover. DOGE prices jumped 500% by the next day, creating a pattern of price rises following any mention by the new Tweeter-in-Chief. Source: Thompson Reuters Dogecoin prices after Elon Musk tweet Other celebrities have since jumped on board. In February, billionaire Mark Cuban toldForbesthat he had bought Dogecoin for his son. “It’s fun, it’s exciting and educational for him,” Cubansaid during the interview. “It gives you a better chance of winning than a lottery ticket.” That educational lesson might have earned investors billions. By mid-April, Dogecoin’s prices rose so high that itbriefly replacedXRP(CCC:XRP-USD) as the world’s fourth-largest currency. When cryptocurrencies took off in the early 2010s,Bitcoin(CCC:BTC-USD) dominated. Creating new wallets was a cumbersome process and few investors ventured beyond what they already knew. As such, Bitcoin held at least95% market dominance through 2016. As high-quality exchanges started appearing, however, Bitcoin’s early lead became less critical. Newer exchanges allowed customers to buy dozens of different coins without creating a new wallet for each currency. The technological barriers to new altcoins started to crumble. In its place, the power of celebrity started taking over. Coins likeCardano(CCC:ADA-USD),Polkadot(CCC:DOT-USD) andStellar(CCC:XLM-USD) soon climbed the crypto ranks thanks to their all-star development teams. In some cases, technology didn’t even seem to matter. In March,Tron(CCC:TRON-USD) CEO Justin Sun made headlines after losing a high-profile$69 million auctionfor the most expensive NFT (non-fungible token) artwork to date. The currency of the well-known“hype man of the century”would go on to nearly quadruple by mid-April, despite Tron’s severe plagiarism issues (Sun would go on to blame this on bad“translation”). Today, these same celebrity forces are now driving Dogecoin prices higher. It doesn’t seem to matter that Dogecoin has virtually no development team, nor that its technology is practically identical to Litecoin’s. As more high-profile names jump on board, the cryptocurrency’s price only seems to go in one direction: up. Dogecoin’s “celebrity effect” has also coincided with a broader shift towards momentum investing — a byproduct of social media’s role in promoting cryptocurrencies. Many coins now have dedicated fan bases who unwittingly create feedback loops in a coin’s price. Rising prices draw more social-media interest, which causes more buyers to join and so on. The results have been nothing short of breathtaking. An investor who bought one thetop-10 mentioned new coins on Twitterin mid-2020 could have seen their investment triple the return of Bitcoin. (Only one of these typically risky initial coin offerings, or ICOs, would sink from its initial price.) The rise of momentum investing has even caught several experienced crypto investors off guard. In May 2020, California-based Cryptolab Capitalshuttered its doorsafter a string of poor Bitcoin returns. Firms like Virgil Capital wouldresort to fraudto keep the illusion of success going. Momentum, however, is a double-edged sword. The same“hot money”investors are often the first to sell, creating an unrelenting downward spiral. That’s why Dogecoin’s 50% decline last week had investors concerned. Without intervention, the coin was surely set to fall further. Fortunately for Dogecoin holders, though, the coin’s backers had other plans. As Elon Musk and fellow celebrities took to social media in support, DOGE prices started to rise. By the time Musk tweeted“The Dogefather”at 2:20 a.m. on Apr. 28, prices would hit 32 cents the following morning. For Dogecoin, these recoveries matter. Most late-game cryptocurrency investors are“buyers looking to make money,”notes Richard Partington, economics correspondent atThe Guardian. Price declines tend to trigger more selling. Trading volume makes the case. DOGE’s initial run to 40 cents coincided with a flurry of buying. As prices came down, volumes remained elevated. In other words, investors were selling out faster than new buyers were entering. Chartists often frustrate fundamental stock pickers with terms like“breakouts”to describe initial price gains leading to further rises (or vice versa to the downside). In the case of Dogecoin, they have a point — a small nudge by a well-timed tweet can become the catalyst to send DOGE to the moon. So, with Dogecoin, invest thoughtfully. It’s no longer investors who are in control of the rocket ship; it’s the famous backers who support the currency of this strange new world. On the date of publication, Tom Yeung did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. Tom Yeung, CFA, is a registered investment advisor on a mission to bring simplicity to the world of investing. • Why Everyone Is Investing in 5G All WRONG • It doesn’t matter if you have $500 in savings or $5 million. Do this now. • Top Stock Picker Reveals His Next Potential 500% Winner • Stock Prodigy Who Found NIO at $2… Says Buy THIS Now The postIs Dogecoin Dead? Elon Musk and Mark Cuban Say ‘So Much No’appeared first onInvestorPlace. || The World's First Cryptocurrency (Co2Bitcoins) to benefit Climate Change Now Trading on Stex Exchange.: Co2Bitcoin is now available at the STEX Exchange, which is also licensed in the USA to support American traders! New York, NY, May 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A decentralized group of innovators and visionaries focused on mitigating the causes and potentially cataclysmic effects of climate change have introduced a new financial instrument. A cryptocurrency, Co2Bitcoin (Co2B), will help Countries to finance local projects to combat global warming's negative effects on our environment and inhabitants. In order to do that, Co2Bitcoins have been used to acquire and protect over 100 million trees in the Brazilian Rainforest, bring energy to remote villages, and change the lives of those less fortunate. Co2Bitcoins The World's First Cryptocurrency (Co2Bitcoins) to benefit Climate Change Now Trading on Stex Exchange Co2Bit has already signed partnerships with many countries across the globe. It has many advantages that point to its sustainable impact on the global environment: It is the first cryptocurrency that has the formal support of many countries. The governments are the main crypto coin holders, giving the coins a more secure stature. It has a comprehensive objective to protect the planet and its inhabitants through the financing of projects aimed at reducing the impacts of global warming in the near term and long term in a sustainable manner. It will make it possible to create a more efficient and liquid voluntary carbon credit option, which will allow large emitters to come and buy Co2Bitcoins with its humanitarian focus on projects not just measurable in tons of Co2, in addition to carbon credits. This will have a stronger impact as they strive to maintain positive brand images. The price of carbon credit certificates has steadily increased over the past 4 years. As many polluting actors are obliged (legally, or more often by market forces) to offset their carbon footprint. Co2Bitcoin could become a new financial instrument used by companies as a voluntary carbon credit. This Co2Bitcoin asset could, specifically, be mentioned in the environmental annual reports of companies to raise their ESG rating. This will ultimately result in this currency being used more and more, increasing its liquidity and utility. Story continues The Co2Bit cryptocurrency, when injected into climate mitigation project financing, facilitates technological innovations in solar, wind, and hydroelectric power stations, new technologies for making steel and plastics, advancing agricultural yields, and other projects impacting deforestation and reforestation globally. The Co2Bit currency will benefit from strong overlapping trends as significant interest from private and institutional players in cryptocurrencies are multiplying across the entire asset class. In the words of Anatoly Karpov, International Statesman & Ten-Time World Chess Champion, " Co2Bitcoin is a real, practical step to try and solve the problem of Global Warming which disturbs the whole world." Co2B coins are now available on the highly respected STEX Exchange ( https://app.stex.com/en/trading/pair/USDC/CO2B/1D ) Media contact Company: Co2Bitcoin Contact: Ron Henley, IGM Email: [email protected] Telephone: +1 (917) 612-7416 (GMT -5) Website: https://co2bit.com/contactus/ Content Disclaimer: The above review statements are those of the sponsor (Source of content) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position or views of the content publisher. 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In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on Volkswagen AG VWAGY, Daimler AG DDAIF and Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft BAMXF.Here is a synopsis of all five stocks: I last wrote aboutNVIDIAas the Bull of the Day in late April after their annual GPU Tech Conference (GTC). I started by addressing the elephant in the room:valuation. Here's some of what I wrote... With a $380 billion market cap and projected revenues in 2022 of $25 billion, the stock trades at a 15X price-to-sales multiple -- quite rich for a semiconductor player. But NVIDIA isn't just any chip maker. They lead the field in multiple areas, from gaming, machine learning, and autonomous driving technology to artificial intelligence, medical imaging, and hyperscale computing for scientific research. In that April 29 report, I highlight how Gaming Drives GPU Innovation for NVIDIA andwhythat matters so much. I also raised my price target on NVDA shares, which were trading near $600, to $700 for this year and $750 in the next 12 months. Since then -- and another stellar beat-and-raise quarter reported on May 26 -- the majority of Wall Street analysts have followed my lead. In this report, I want to focus on the shift that's going to occur as the Datacenter segment grows faster than Gaming. Last fall, Jefferies semiconductor analyst Mark Lipacis wrote a powerful research report where he described that the former is growing at 40% CAGR vs just 10% for the latter. Based on that math, this is the year that Datacenter (DC) takes over Gaming in revenues. And based on his 5-year projections, Lipacis sees Gaming growing to a nearly $12 billion business while DC blows the doors off to $34 billion. For perspective, this year's total revenue is only expected to be in the neighborhood of $25 billion. To be clear, Lipacis was inspired to write this new report after NVIDIA announced it had an agreement to buy UK-based ARM Holdings for $40 billion. That deal remains controversial -- for everyone but NVDA -- and also uncertain in terms of the probability of actually closing any time soon. The primary issues revolve around ARM's technology for mobile devices which is licensed to everyone from Apple to Qualcomm. ARM also deals in CPUs (serial processing), which is part of what made it attractive to NVIDIA's GPU (parallel processing) expertise. I covered some of the issues here on Sep 17: NVIDIA Strikes an ARMs Deal to Take All the Chips. Believe it or not, even though I published the above-linked vlog within days after the Jefferies report from Lipacis that same week, I didn't read his full analysis until this week. And it's a shame I didn't because I would have been buying every dip under $500 and not selling any shares since then! Thankfully I added to our NVDA position under $540 (we bought near $200 during the Corona Crash last year) but here's what I am finally understanding from an analyst with deep technology-trend knowledge that allows him to make astonishingly bold forecasts... Lipacis is modeling an adjacent category he calls Datacenter Ecosystem which will grow in tandem with the processor half -- also to hit $34 billion in 5 years at a 40% CAGR! That's $67 billion in revenues -- under his bull case potential -- where NVIDIA tops $85 billion in total topline by 2026. Again, this is assuming the ARM deal goes through and gets past regulators and tech behemoth competitors on 3 continents. Here's how he explains this growth and dominance... "Consistent with the PC framework where Intel + Microsoft capture 80% of the industry profits, we estimate that NVDA could capture and additional $34 billion from its ecosystem. We believe a similar concept is playing out in handsets today." I assume in that second sentence that Lipacis is referring to the dominance of Apple and Samsung. In another part of his September report, he explains the forecast... "Using the Wintel PC framework, which shows that the processor accounts for 50% of the ecosystem value and the software accounts for the other 50%, we estimate that NVDA could capture another $34bn in revenues from the rest of its ecosystem, including CUDA, cuDNN and vertical market software it has created like CLARA, DRIVE, ISAAC, MERLIN and JARVIS." It's easy to look at Amazon and Microsoft dominating the world of the cloud. But NVIDIA has the stack to make all that data storage meaningful with the best tools for mining and modeling. Plus, the trends in industrial automation and robotics virtually guarantee that NVIDIA's tools will be in high demand for the factory floor of the future. Why? Because they make a workbench for developers that is highly efficient, productive and irresistible. This is why software developers love NVIDIA and never want to leave their tech funhouse of tools. NVDA reported solid beats on May 26, and more importantly, current quarter sales guidance of $6.3 billion when the consensus was $5.5B. Here's what I wrote to my TAZR Trader members, where we hold NVDA shares... The only reason the beats weren't bigger is because Jensen gave such clear pre-announce guides at GTC last month. Now, it's all about a slow & steady climb to 3X datacenter revs in the next 5 years, as DC overtakes gaming with a higher CAGR. As GTC got rolling, I wrote to you on April 13 that "NVDA Lights the Way." Well, now we know more about the core manufacturing laser-based technology -- photolithography from ASML -- that let's NVDA dive into the "nanocosm." Thus, connecting NVDA to ASML is easy. It's all about Taiwan Semi as the premier foundry that uses ASML photolithography to get NVDA circuitry down to 5nm. You'll see all the Semi Ecosystem connections in my recent article and video Bitcoin Investing vs. Invisible Hardware of the Nanocosm. Immediately after the NVDA report, we saw lots of price target bumps for NVDA over $700 by several analysts and I share a few of the i-bank notes here... NVIDIA price target raised to $775 from $700 at KeyBanc:Analyst John Vinh commented that NVDA's strong beat and raise results were consistent with the company's positive preannouncement at its analyst day. Upside in the quarter was due to strength in hyperscale data center demand, gaming, and crypto. In Q2, all segments are expected to grow quarter-over-quarter, with the majority of growth led by crypto, data center, and gaming. NVIDIA price target raised to $740 from $680 at Jefferies:Analyst Mark Lipacis upgraded his outlook after the company's April quarter EPS and its July quarter EPS outlook both beat consensus forecasts. Data center revenues are expected to accelerate in the the second half and he thinks the probability of "a bust" in gaming revenues is mitigated by the RTX product cycle. Lipacis also thinks the risk to Nvidia's gaming GPU business from crypto-miners is lower today than in 2018. NVIDIA price target raised to $750 from $675 at Evercore ISI:Analyst C.J. Muse observed the company once again posted a strong beat and raise with its quarterly report, led by strength across its data center and gaming segments. He is less worried around a "crypto fall-off" in the gaming segment through the year and thinks such fears are overdone. On the data center side, Muse believes Nvidia's commentary was "exceptionally positive." NVIDIA price target raised to $768 from $700 at Truist:Analyst William Stein noted the company posted a good Q1 but its guidance for Q2 was even more impressive,  adding that while its crypto upside portends some future volatility, he is "embracing" Nvidia's broadening datacenter growth trends. Stein is probably my favorite Semi analyst and he echoes what I talked about with Lipacis: datacenter is on pace to overtake gaming this year and grow much faster for the next 5 years. It's why my PT for NVDA went to $750 in April after GTC and we added more shares under $540. Disclosure: Author Kevin Cook owns NVDA shares for the Zacks TAZR Trader portfolio. I last wrote aboutQuidelas the Bear of the Day on April 30 right before their quarterly report on May 6 that may have helped put a bottom in shares near $100. But the reason that QDEL remains a Zacks #5 Rank is due to the new round of downward EPS revisions by Wall Street analysts. In just the past few weeks since that report, the full-year consensus for 2021 has dropped a whopping 30% from $23.22 to $16.28. And prior to the company's Q1 earnings miss and reality-check, that profit projection stood at $28.15. Quidel is a $5 billion maker of medical diagnostics that vaulted to unprecedented success during the height of demand for COVID-19 testing kits. Quidel discovers, develops, manufactures and markets point-of-care, rapid diagnostic tests for detection of medical conditions and illnesses. These products provide accurate, rapid and cost-effective diagnostic information for acute and chronic conditions that affect women's health throughout the phases of their lives including reproductive status, pregnancy management and osteoporosis. Quidel also provides point-of-care diagnostics for infectious diseases, including influenza A and B, strep throat, H. pylori infection, chlamydia and infectious mononucleosis. Sales vaulted over $1 billion -- nearly 200% -- last year for their rapid COVID-19 test. Here's what I wrote in April... And I was one investor who was captivated by the story, believing that not only would such testing demand persist but also that the new influx of cash flow would enable this small company to expand many of its R&D and product avenues in diagnostics. In fact, we took gains of 64% and 48% in the past few quarters riding the wave of demand for testing, and buying the dips when others doubted the sustainability of those sales. But the fable would not last. And as much as I wanted to believe in the $5 billion company sustaining a new valuation above $10 billion, the revenue growth disappointments from the company and the downward estimate revisions from analysts kept coming in. In the past few months, the EPS consensus among four Wall Street analysts covering the company has dropped 33% from $39 to $26. (end of excerpt from my April article) While many investors (myself included) believed that COVID-19 testing would be a constant part of our lives as travel and shopping attempted a return to normal this spring, the spike in QDEL sales led to a hard reversal. Current top-line estimates are for an 11% drop to $1.5 billion this year and another 23.5% decline to $1.13B next year. QDEL remains an innovative diagnostics company with BIG potential for M&A/partnership interest from Big Pharma. But until the estimates stop going down, and start heading back up, the stock is still untouchable. The Zacks Rank will let you know. Germany’s automotive industry is the biggest industry sector in the country, with a turnover of 379.3 billion euros in 2020, which is around 20% of total German industry revenues. In fact, per Germany Trade & Invest, Germany is Europe’s number one automotive market, accounting for approximately 25% of all passenger cars manufactured (3.5 million) and roughly 20% of all new car registrations (2.9 million) in 2020. Germany shares space with the United States, China and Japan as one of the four biggest automotive manufacturers in the world. German auto industry’s reputation for quality, reliability, efficiency and innovation in world-leading car brands is globally unparalleled. The country’s leading R&D infrastructure, end-to-end value-chain integration and highly skilled workforce together create an undefeatable international automotive domain. The year 2020 has been a turbulent year for the global auto industry. The coronavirus mayhem wreaked havoc in the German auto industry in the latter half of the first, second and third quarters of 2020 amid factory closures, low footfall at dealerships and supply-chain distortions. In fact, in April 2020, nearly the entire production of passenger cars was at a standstill in the country. Apart from the pandemic, other factors which caused catastrophe in the German automotive sector in 2020 include structural factors such as the transition to electric powertrains, an unfavorable segment mix and production site conditions, resulting in a further rollback in production. In fact, the rising frenzy of electric mobility worldwide hit the German auto sector hard due to its dominant position in diesel-powered vehicles. Reportedly, new passenger-car registrations in Germany came in at 2.9 million in 2020, dipping 19% year on year, being the lowest since German reunification. Also, the domestic production of passenger cars of 3.5 million in 2020 marked a 25% plunge year on year, reaching the trough since 1975. Moreover, the German automotive industry, which is highly dependent on exports, witnessed a decline of 24% year on year in passenger-car exports in 2020. Nonetheless, the stimulus package enacted in Europe in June 2020, which included a temporary lowering of the VAT rate until the end of the year and an increase in the government's share of the environmental bonus, expedited the recovery of the German auto sector. This turned out to be a ray of hope in the otherwise gloomy scenario in the German auto industry. Resultantly, a positive result was achieved in the fourth quarter of 2020, with the month of December being the strongest December of all time for the German passenger-car market. Moreover, last November, the German government offered Germany’s embattled auto industry 5 billion euros ($5.9 billion) in order to help tame the coronavirus crisis and foster the transition to electric cars. Also, the cash bonus for purchasing EVs was extended till 2025 in the country. This further accelerated the transition to electric powertrains in the economy. While new registrations of electric passenger cars (battery EVs, plug-in hybrid EVs and fuel-cell cars) jumped 97% in the first half of 2020, the metric skyrocketed 392% in the second half of the year. Bidding farewell to a year of unprecedented obstacles, Germany's auto industry managed to rebound in 2021. Encouragingly, in May 2021, surging sales of plug-in hybrid and full-electric cars triggered momentum in German vehicle sales. Per the KBA federal motor transport authority, approximately 26,800 passenger cars with battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs) were newly registered, representing an astonishing 380% year-on-year rise, and roughly 27,200 new plug-in hybrids were sold, jumping 300%. New passenger car registrations in Germany totaled 230,635 during the month, up 37% from May 2020. Also, registrations grew 13% to 1.12 million in the first five months of 2021. German carmakers, once world leaders in automotive innovation, have been lately revving up their electrification strides, taking cues from the EV behemoth Tesla. In March 2021,Volkswagenunveiled its roadmap to longer range EVs, cheaper batteries, and better charging during its Power Day presentation. This highlighted the Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company’s ambitious EV plans, and made clear that the company will leave no stone unturned in becoming the undisputed leader in the EV landscape. In fact, in April, Volkswagen’s ID.4 reached 7,565 registrations, topping the plug-in car sales in Europe for the month. You can seethe complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Recently, the German government issued a green signal to the use of fully autonomous robotaxis, allowing driverless vehicles to operate, without a human safety operator behind the wheel, on public roads by 2022. With this, Germany is set to become the world’s first major economy to legalize the commercial use of fully autonomous vehicles, beating the United States and China. However, amid this improving scenario, the global upheaval of the pandemic prompted a supply-chain crisis in the economy, resulting in a worldwide crunch in the supply of semiconductor chips. In fact, the massive shortage in semiconductors threatened to cripple production in one of Germany’s biggest industries— the auto industry. This forced major auto companies in the nation, such as Volkswagen,DaimlerandBMW, to trim vehicle production in recent months. Moreover, the deficit in the semiconductor market delayed the economic rebound after the coronavirus pandemic. As a major sigh of relief, German technology company, Bosch, opened a 1-billion-euro ($1.2 billion) chip factory in the city of Dresden, last week, to cater to the rising demand for semiconductors. The factory marks the largest single investment in Bosch’s 130-year track record. The state-of-the-art plant, which received a 200-million-euro ($243million) aid under an EU investment scheme, will start making chips for power tools in July, with output of chips to begin from September. This, in turn, will support the revival of the European semiconductor industry. The automotive industry is the backbone of German industries. The year 2020 will be etched as a doomed year in the history of Germany’s automotive sector, with the pandemic-enforced shutdown taking its toll. In fact, the economic rebound in 2021 has also been shaky due to the supply-chain woes. Nonetheless, as we look through the second half of 2021, the German auto sector remains cautiously optimistic, given the nation’s fueled transition to electric mobility, thanks to the government’s stimulus package. Blockchain and cryptocurrency has sparked one of the most exciting discussion topics of a generation. Some call it the “Internet of Money” and predict it could change the way money works forever. If true, it could do to banks what Netflix did to Blockbuster and Amazon did to Sears. Experts agree we’re still in the early stages of this technology, and as it grows, it will create several investing opportunities. Zacks’ has just revealed 3 companies that can help investors capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly. See 3 crypto-related stocks now >> Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 [email protected] https://www.zacks.com Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss.This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free reportDaimler AG (DDAIF) : Free Stock Analysis ReportNVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) : Free Stock Analysis ReportQuidel Corporation (QDEL) : Free Stock Analysis ReportBayerische Motoren Werke AG (BAMXF) : Free Stock Analysis ReportVolkswagen AG (VWAGY) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: up || Prices: 32505.66, 33723.03, 34662.44, 31637.78, 32186.28, 34649.64, 34434.34, 35867.78, 35040.84, 33572.12
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2022-06-02] BTC Price: 30467.49, BTC RSI: 46.43 Gold Price: 1866.50, Gold RSI: 51.80 Oil Price: 116.87, Oil RSI: 62.33 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Lightning Labs Launches Taro To Compete With SWIFT and Global Banks: Key Insights: Lightning Labs created protocol Taro will enable the global transaction capabilities for Bitcoin. Taro was made possible thanks to Bitcoin’s core ‘Taproot’ update. In places where Bitcoin’s volatility is a concern, Taro will act as a useful payment rail. Bitcoin has always been painted as a great store of value asset, but over the last two years, that tag has been replaced with the emerging description of “medium of exchange”. Despite the high prices and higher volatility, stores and merchants worldwide accept Bitcoin where regulations allow them to. And now, Lightning Labs intend on expanding that globally. Here Comes Taro In an announcement yesterday, Lightning Labs, the Lightning Network-focused company, revealed the new protocol Taro which will amplify Lightning Network’s capacity to reach individuals worldwide. Lightning Network came into being as a Layer-2 solution to Bitcoin’s scalability problem enabling faster transactions on the network. Building on the same concept, Taro will enable the possibilities of issuing and transferring crypto assets, including the likes of stablecoins ( Tether , etc.). The protocol designed by the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Lightning Labs, Olaoluwa Osuntokun, aims to provide nearly free, virtually instant global transaction capacity to all the Lightning Network users while at the same time escaping Bitcoin’s volatility. Commenting on the goal that Lightning Labs aims to achieve Taro, the company’s CEO Elizabeth Stark said, “One of our core tenets at Lightning Labs is solving real problems for real people, and we’ve talked to myriad community members in emerging markets who’ve told us what a big difference stablecoins on bitcoin and Lightning would make in their economies.” The way Taro would work is that in populations where people have a much more difficult time finding financial stability, the protocol would make for a good payment solution. Plus, Lightning Labs’ Pool product will also support liquidity for issued assets by the end of this year. Users can earn in USDT/BTC through the same, depending on which asset they hold their funds in. This way, Taro will be acting as a competitor to both SWIFT and Commercial Banks. Lightning Network Notes a Rise in Usage This month, the number of unique nodes on the Lightning Network peaked at their all-time high of 83,930 as the duplicate channels slipped slightly. But that did not affect the total Bitcoin capacity across all the channels, unique and duplicate. The cumulative Bitcoin present on these channels stood at 3,687 BTC, which amounts to approximately $161.5 million. Story continues Thus farther reach of the network will only further increase the capacity and make Lightning Network more preferable over other means of transactions. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: USD/CAD Edged Higher as Dollar and Benchmark Yields Strengthen Bitcoin and ETH Turn Red, Why XRP Could Nosedive Gold Prices Consolidate as Yields Surge ESPN Enters the NFT Space with Tom Brady’s Startup S&P 500 Pulled Back to the 50 Day EMA Dollar Index Dragged Lower by Euro Rebound View comments || Pound slides under $1.30 as war clouds outlook: Pound sterling dollar Bank of England Federal Reserve inflation interest rates - REUTERS/Peter Nicholls 'Enough is enough': Tories accused of betraying the countryside in net zero revolution Cambo oil field back in play as developer snapped up for $1.5bn FTSE 100 jumps 1.6pc Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: Britain could be Europe's energy powerhouse - if ministers really deliver Sign up here for our daily business briefing newsletter ​ The pound has dropped below $1.30 for the first time since November 2020 as Putin’s invasion of Ukraine clouds the outlook for central banks. Sterling fell as much as 0.6pc to $1.2999, extending a two-day loss against the US currency. The Bank of England began lifting interest rates in December, but has recently softened its guidance for further moves amid heightened uncertainty caused by the war. By contrast, the Federal Reserve, which has moved more slowly than its UK counterpart, has signalled a rapid series of interest rate rises in a bid to curb surging prices. 05:05 PM Wrapping up The business blog is closing for the weekend, but we will see you on Monday! Before you go, have a look at today's stories from our reporters: Traders panic over prospect of Marine Le Pen victory Waitrose starts to ration cooking oil Legal battle threat over TM Lewin Former Labour minister ousted from Sensyne Health Warren Buffett branded a ‘sociopathic grandpa’ trying to block Bitcoin 05:03 PM Ethical investing losing steam as Ukraine crisis sparks energy security concerns A boom in green investing has started to run out of steam as the war in Ukraine sparks a wave of money being plunged into defence and oil and gas stocks. Tom Rees has more: The amount of money being ploughed into ESG (ethical, social and governance) investment funds halved to $75bn (£58bn) in the first three months of 2022, according to the Institute of International Finance. Just $15bn was pumped into ethical stock and bond funds in March, the weakest total since March 2020 when Covid lockdowns first struck, while sustainable debt issuance has fallen 30pc to $285bn in the first quarter compared to the previous three months. There has been a stampede into ESG-friendly investments in recent years with the amount of money in sustainable funds rising by more than 50pc to $2.7 trillion in 2021, Morningstar data suggests. However, the war has sparked debate over the importance of ethical investing as countries scramble to arm Ukraine and ramp up fossil fuel production to wean themselves off Russian energy supplies. Story continues 04:47 PM FTSE 100 touches two-month high The FTSE 100 has closed at a eight-week high, lifted by commodity and banking stocks at the end of a volatile week that saw concerns about higher US interest rates and the Ukraine conflict rattle investors. The blue-chip index added 1.6pc to 7,669, its highest level since mid-February, with oil majors BP, Shell and miner Anglo American leading the gains. "The make-up of the FTSE 100 is the biggest reason why the market is outperforming," said Maarten Geerdink, head of European equities at NN Investment Partners. "We've a very different landscape for commodities at this time ... and the natural reaction from equity investors is if you want to hedge yourself against inflation, you want to buy into commodity exposure." 04:29 PM 1MDB fraud scheme alleged mastermind Jho Low still at large Jho Low - Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Gabrielle's Angel Foundation The alleged mastermind of the 1MDB fraud scheme, Jho Low, is still at large. The US says he bribed government officials to win the business for Goldman and a $1.4bn (£1bn) jackpot for himself. Proceeds from the scam were used on items including a $200m super-yacht and to finance “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Roger Ng's conviction is a hard-won victory for the US in the aftermath of fraud surrounding the sovereign wealth fund, set up to help Malaysia’s people and economy but instead was used to line the pockets of government officials, bankers and intermediaries with an estimated $2.7bn. The case was a black mark on Goldman. In 2020, a Goldman unit admitted it had conspired to violate US anti-bribery laws, the first guilty plea ever for the firm, founded in 1869. 04:12 PM Former Goldman banker Ng found guilty in 1MDB fraud scheme Roger Ng - Wes Bruer/Bloomberg Roger Ng, the only Goldman Sachs banker to go to trial over the global 1MDB scandal, was found guilty for his role in the epic looting of the Malaysian fund. Ng, 49, was convicted of all three counts in the case, including conspiring to violate US anti-bribery laws and conspiring to launder money. He faces as many as 30 years in prison. The verdict came after an eight-week federal trial in New York that featured startling confessions from Tim Leissner, Ng’s boss at the time. Leissner, who pleaded guilty, was the key witness against the former Goldman Sachs banker. On the stand, he admitted to telling a raft of personal and professional lies in the multibillion-dollar plunder of 1Malaysia Development, for which Goldman arranged a trio of bond deals. 03:54 PM British supermarkets struggle with oil supplies Supermarkets in Britain have been struggling with oil supplies due to the war in Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia account for 80pc of global exports of sunflower oil, widely used by households to cook and by manufacturers in products such as chips. 👀 pic.twitter.com/coYtmMo8PK — Bryan Roberts (@BryanRoberts72) April 8, 2022 03:35 PM Deliveroo suffers setback in dark kitchen expansion plan Deliveroo - David Davies/PA Wire Deliveroo has suffered a setback to its dark kitchen expansion plan as councillors rejected permission for a North London site after a flood of complaints. The rapid delivery specialist applied for permanent commercial kitchens and delivery centre on Finchley Road, Swiss Cottage. Council planning officers recommended the councillors sign off on permanent permission before a meeting yesterday evening. However, residents raised concerns over riders coming out of the site and submitted objections documenting about 1,800 alleged breaches of conditions over a nine-month period, according to the Hampstead & Highgate Express. Deliveroo said it will appeal the decision and said there are no implications for other sites as a result of the decision. 03:15 PM Decision on Chinese takeover of Newport Wafer Fab delayed Kwasi Kwarteng has delayed a decision on the Chinese takeover of microchip plant Newport Wafer Fab until ministers outline their wider plans for Britain’s semiconductor industry. James Titcomb writes: Officials at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport are drawing up a semiconductor strategy, which is expected to be published next month. The strategy is expected to contain plans to improve the supply of semiconductors to key UK industries as well as measures to support domestic production. Read the full story here 02:55 PM World's oldest building society posts record results The world's oldest remaining building society has posted record results for the last financial year. Scottish Building Society, established in 1848, has seen its balance sheet grow by nearly 40pc in the last two years, leading to profits of £2.4m and mortgage assets worth £454m for the financial year ending in January. Chief executive Paul Denton praised staff for their "immense work" during the pandemic as one of the reasons the mutual has performed strongly. "It has been without doubt two enormously difficult years from an economic and operational perspective, but our staff have delivered outstanding results despite these major challenges," he said. 02:42 PM Handing over That's all from me for the week – thanks for following! Giulia Bottaro will take things from here. 02:30 PM Lord Drayson ousted from Sensyne Health as investors secure rescue deal Lord Paul Drayson Sensyne - David Rose The Labour peer and former science minister Lord Drayson has been ousted from the healthcare company he founded as it scrambles to secure a lifeline that will all but wipe out its shareholders. Hannah Boland has more: Lord Drayson, who was science and business minister under Gordon Brown from 2008 to 2010, will quit his role as chief executive with immediate effect. His departure was announced alongside a major refinancing which would hand control to three of Sensyne Health shareholders and result in the company being delisted. Activist Gatemore, Lansdowne and Sand Grove Capital are understood to be in line to end up with between 90pc to 95pc of the business under the mooted rescue deal. Sensyne has been battling a dwindling cash pile and has been racing to find a buyer. The company was set up to help use NHS data better, striking deals with various NHS Trusts for anonymous data to help pharmaceutical companies discover new medicines. However, it has struggled to turn a profit and has been fast running out of cash. Read Hannah's full story here 02:12 PM Travel chaos continues The start of the Easter school holidays continues to be mired by travel chaos today, with more queues building up on motorways and at ports and airports. Thousands of lorries are queueing on the M20 in Kent due to delays in crossing the Channel. Operation Brock has been in place to manage traffic since P&O ferry services were suspended at the end of last month. Meanwhile, passengers at Manchester, Heathrow and Gatwick airports are facing long waiting times to check in amid staff shortages, while BA and easyJet cancelled more than 100 flights again today. M20 Kent travel chaos - UkNewsinPictures M20 Kent travel chaos - UkNewsinPictures Heathrow Airport travel chaos - SplashNews.com 01:44 PM Wall Street drifts after tough week US stocks drifted as markets opened, with stocks deepening losses amid concerns about aggressive tightening of monetary policy by the Federal Reserve. Wall Street's main indices have had a tough week after the Fed outlined plans to pare its balance sheet by more than $1 trillion a year alongside interest rate rises. The benchmark S&P 500 opened 0.2pc lower, while the Dow Jones was little changed. The tech-heavy Nasdaq fell 0.5pc. 01:24 PM Proxy adviser hits out at Goldman Sachs boss' special bonus Goldman Sachs David Solomon DJ - Kevin Mazur/Getty Image A high-profile shareholder advisory firm has raised the alarm over a special bonus granted to Goldman Sachs' boss and a top deputy. Glass Lewis is recommending investors vote against a pay package that puts David Solomon and John Waldron, the bank's president, in line for around $50m (£38.4m) in one-off bonuses. The group questioned whether the reason for the payouts – guaranteeing leadership continuity and talent retention – warranted such large payouts. In a note to clients seen by Bloomberg, Glass Lewis wrote: "We are critical of the awards given their excessive sizes. Such awards have the potential to undermine the integrity of a company's regular incentive plans, the link between pay and performance or both." Banks across Wall Street are splashing out to find and retain top talent amid huge pandemic profits. But rising pay hasn't gone down well with shareholders. Goldman's shares are the worst performing among major US banks, losing 18pc in value this year. 01:04 PM Russia slashes interest rates in surprise move Russia's central bank unexpectedly announced the biggest cut to its key interest rate in nearly two decades, suggesting it's shifting focus to rebuilding the economy. The central bank lowered rates to 17pc from 20pc at an unscheduled meeting today and said further cuts could be made in the mounts ahead. The rouble briefly halted its rebound against the dollar following the move. Tough western sanctions have fuelled inflation in Russia and put the country on track for a two-year recession, while pushing the government to the edge of a debt default. But continued revenue from energy combined with a raft of capital controls have helped to prop up the rouble. The central bank said: External conditions for the Russian economy are still challenging, considerable constraining economic activity. Financial stability risks are still present, but have ceased to increase for the time being, including owing to the adopted capital control measures. 12:49 PM Traders panic over prospect of Marine Le Pen victory French far-right candidate Marine Le Pen - Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP Market fears of Marine Le Pen pulling off a shock upset in the French presidential election are mounting after a key risk gauge jumped to its highest level since Covid struck. Tom Rees reports: Tightening polls have caused investors to ditch French government debt, widening the gap between yields on its bonds and German bunds ahead of Sunday’s vote. The gap between German and French bond yields is regarded by investors as a key measure of political risk in Paris and has widened substantially in the past week. Fears are mounting of the far right Le Pen achieving a surprise victory after one poll put her in front of Emmanuel Macron in the second round. France’s 10-year bond yield has jumped 23 basis points this year to hit a seven-year high of 1.25pc while Germany’s 10-year yield has climbed 14 basis points to 0.68pc. It is the widest this spread has been since March 2020. Economists warned of big moves in the euro and French borrowing costs if Ms Le Pen is elected president. ​Read Tom's full story here 11:59 AM Zelensky shares graphic video slamming Russian energy buyers Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky Russia sanctions energy Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has shared a damning video on Twitter that accuses buyers of Russian energy of financing war crimes against civilians. The graphic video cuts between drivers filling up their cars in the sunshine and images of bloodshed in Ukraine. A caption states: "You don't pay in euros or roubles for Russian gas and oil. You pay in the lives of the same Europeans as you." In the tweet, Mr Zelensky wrote: "By buying Russian oil and gas, you are financing the killings of Ukrainians. Act more decisively. It is enough to feed the Russian military machine." 11:52 AM Germany warns it will step in if gas storage isn't filled Germany will step in if gas storage operators fail to fill facilities sufficiently to comply with new requirements, as the government takes a tougher line to secure supplies for next winter. Under new rules that come into effect in May, operators must fill storage facilities to 90pc capacity by the beginning of November. Energy Minister Robert Habeck said that with gas storage 26pc full now, the current daily additions of 0.3 to 0.5 percentage points mean it could take until late October to reach capacity. He warned that the government would take action if sufficient progress isn’t made over the summer. Mr Habeck said: “I would never have thought that an energy minister would have to say such things in the Bundesrat, but that’s the hard, brutal mathematics of energy policy.” The new legislation is part of Berlin’s reaction to concerns about energy security following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government has said it wants to cut the share of Russian gas to around 10pc of total imports of the fuel by mid-2024, from around 40pc now. 11:29 AM Why the affordable family car is an endangered species Car makers’ shift to more profitable models amid higher costs, a crippling shortage of parts and the push for electric vehicles is threatening the death of the budget family car, writes Howard Mustoe . Volkswagen, the German pioneer of the people’s car, is slashing its combustion engine range by the end of the decade to focus on fewer, more high-end vehicles. It abandons a long-held ambition to make the most cars in the world and a departure from its roots of offering ordinary families an affordable option. The move makes financial sense in the scramble to increase profits, as rivals such as Mercedes, BMW and Volvo prioritise pricier models. Read Howard's full story here 11:15 AM Russian billionaires flee UK fintechs Two British fintechs are exploring sale options after sanctions on their Russian billionaire backers left them struggling to find funding. FIBR Tech, and online lender to businesses, and Anna Money, which offers business accounts and administrative services, began searching for buyers in recent weeks. It comes after indirect shareholders including Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven were hit by sanctions, Bloomberg reports. The sale process comes amid efforts to find new sources of capital for the tycoons. It mirrors other deals taking place throughout the financial world as a number of Russians looks to sell assets. 11:11 AM US futures steady as stocks recover Markets appear to be ending the week on a positive note, with US futures holding steady after inflation fears rattled investors. Futures tracking the S&P 500 and Dow Jones rose 0.1pc and 0.2pc respectively, while the Nasdaq was little changed. It follows gains for stocks across Europe, with the FTSE 100 and Stoxx 600 indices both up more than 1pc. 10:59 AM Manchester Airport admits it can't hire staff quickly enough Manchester Airport travel chaos staff - REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo Manchester Airport bosses have admitted they have not been able to hire staff quickly enough after a week of disruption that has left passengers forced to queue for hours and others facing last-minute cancellations. Hannah Boland has the story: Charlie Cornish, chief executive of Manchester Airports Group, apologised to customers in an open letter, saying he understood "passengers’ frustrations with the queues and congestion they’ve experienced in recent weeks". Earlier this week, the airport urged passengers to arrive three hours early for flights, after complaints that the queues meant some were missing their flights. Mr Cornish said: "The simple fact is that we don’t currently have the number of staff we need to provide the level of service that our passengers deserve. Despite our efforts since last autumn, the tight labour market around the airport has meant we have just not been able to hire people quickly enough to establish a full-strength team." This had resulted in too few security lanes operating, a problem that was likely to persist over the next few months, with waiting times rising to between 60 and 90 minutes from less than 40 minutes. Mr Cornish said the airport was struggling to recruit at pace given the "rightly demanding", more difficult vetting process. 10:43 AM Europe's power crunch set to continue into 2023 The energy crunch rattling European markets is set to extend into at least next year, with benchmark German power contracts for 2023 trading at the highest level ever. A more downbeat outlook for energy supplies to Europe following sanctions targeting Russian imports mean German power has surged 63pc this year to nearly 400 per megawatt-hour. That would be more than twice as high as last year's average price in the daily market. With a new ban on Russian coal, and potential future sanctions against oil and gas imports, the EU has been forced to find new sources of energy. The UK this week unveiled its new energy security strategy, aimed at speeding up the shift to renewable sources and reducing reliance on Russia. But Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng warned it could be five years before household bills start to come down. 10:26 AM Ukraine ambassador blasts Germany over 'shameful' reliance on Russia Meanwhile, Ukraine's ambassador to Berlin has accused the German government of half-hearted support for Kyiv and said his country had become a victim of Germany's "shameful" energy dependence on Russia. Andrij Melnyk said: "It's not just Russian gas, it's oil, coal, metals, diamonds and other raw materials. We have become the biggest victim of this perverted relationship. Ukrainians are paying for this failed German policy with their lives." The comments mark the growing frustration with Chancellor Olaf Scholz's government, which has dragged its heels over energy sanctions. Mr Melnyk told Reuters: "This kind of hypocrisy with Russia dates back to Nord Stream 1 [gas pipeline]. Germany's huge dependence on Russia, at a time of the worst aggression since the Second World War, is shameful." Germany has put the Nord Stream 2 pipeline on hold, but has been urged to shut down the original Nord Stream 1 as well. The EU this week agreed to ban imports of Russian coal as part of a wider range of sanctions, but the measure was watered down by Germany. 10:11 AM German regulator to prop up Gazprom operations Germany's energy regulator has said it will ensure ongoing operations at Gazprom Germania and urged market operators not to cut ties. The Russian state energy giant abandoned the division earlier this week, prompting the German state to step in and take control. It's the parent company of UK-based Gazprom Marketing & Trading and other subsidiaries across Europe, so its activities are key to ensuring supplies for businesses and households across the continent. In a letter to operators, seen by Reuters, the regulator said: "The Bundesnetzagentur will ensure that all payments of Gazprom Germania GmbH may only be made to maintain business operations and will thus prevent an uncontrolled outflow of funds. "It will also ensure that the company can, and will, meet its payment obligations to continue its business operations." 09:55 AM Vodafone among suitors in TalkTalk takeover rush TalkTalk Vodafone telecoms Toscafund - REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth The owners of telecoms firm TalkTalk are said to have received takeover approaches from a number of suitors, including Vodafone. The company, which was taken private by asset manager Toscafund in a £1.1bn deal in 2020, has hired Lazard to review potential options, according to reports from the Financial Times and Sky News. Vodafone is said to have looked at a potential deal multiple times in the past, but progress has been impeded by questions over the value of the business. 09:42 AM Tories accused of betraying the countryside in net zero revolution Nestled on the western edge of Devon, the pretty but obscure village of Pyworthy has made a name for itself. For years, its most notable feature has been a 13th-century church. Today, however, it is on the frontlines of Britain’s energy revolution in a battle over the construction of several gigantic solar farms. My colleague Matt Oliver delves into the row overshadowing the UK's energy shift. ​Read the full story here 09:32 AM EU adopts new sanctions including coal ban The EU has formally adopted its fifth package of sanctions against Russia, including a ban on coal imports. The measures also prevent many Russian vessels and trucks from accessing the EU, further crippling trade, and will ban all transactions with four Russian banks, including VTB. It came as EU leaders headed to Kyiv in a show of support for President Volodymyr Zelensky. Josep Borrell, the bloc's foreign affairs chief, said the visit was a sign that "Ukraine is in control of its territory" and the government was still in charge. На шляху до Києва! Going to Kyiv. #StandWithUkraine @vonderleyen @eduardheger pic.twitter.com/Lw8UaQUZgB — Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) April 8, 2022 09:15 AM UK sanctions Putin's daughters Katerina Tikhonova, one of Putin's daughters - REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File Photo Britain has added Vladimir Putin's daughters to its list of sanctioned individuals, following the same move by the US earlier this week. Katerina Tikhonova and Maria Vorontsova will now be subject to an asset freeze, alongside the daughter of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Yekaterina Vinokurova. The UK warned that Russia was headed for the deepest recession since the collapse of the Soviet Union, estimating that over £275bn of Russian money had been frozen by international sanctions in recent weeks. The Government said: "The lavish lifestyles of the Kremlin's inner circle will be further targeted from today as the UK sanctions the adult daughters of President Vladimir Putin and his Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov." 09:08 AM Russian inflation will keep rising, warns central bank Russia's central bank has warned that inflation in the country will continue rising "due to the base effect". The central bank decided to cut its key rate by 300 basis points to 17pc from April 11. It said the tightening of monetary policy already in place would help to limit inflation. Russia's economy has been plunged into chaos amid sweeping western sanctions imposed following its invasion of Ukraine. While the rouble has now recovered its post-invasion losses, analysts have described the rally as "artificial" due to a string of restrictions on trading put in place by Moscow. 08:47 AM CMC Markets surges as trading boom continues CMC Markets shares jumped almost 9pc this morning after the retail trading platform continue to cash in on stock market volatility. The company said it expected full-year operating profit to hit the top end of previous estimates at £280m. Analysts said CMC would deliver revenue and profit well above consensus, driven by a strong end to the year. 08:30 AM Startup Netomnia raises £295m to take on BT British broadband startup Netomnia has raised £295m as it looks to challenge BT's dominance in the telecoms market. The funding round was led by DigitalBridge Investment Management, alongside previous investors Soho Square Capital and Advencap, and takes its total cash raised so far to £418m. Netomnia was founded by Jeremy Chelot, who previously led London-focused internet firm Community Fibre, which was sold in 2020 to private equity firm Warburg Pincus and Deutsche Telekom. Mr Chelot and Community Fiber co-founder Callum Dick used money from that deal to start Netomnia, as well as a new broadband firm called YouFibre, which will share the funding. The Netomnia boss told Bloomberg her wants to build fibre broadband to a million homes across the UK in the next two years. 08:17 AM Pound falls as interest rate bets boost dollar Sterling has dropped to its lowest in more than three weeks as expectations of aggressive monetary policy tightening by the Federal Reserve boosted the dollar. The pound fell 0.3pc to $1.3030. Against the euro it was down 0.3pc to 83.33p. The dip followed hawkish comments from Fed officials, who indicated the US central bank would start to reduce its balance sheet from next month. 08:07 AM Volvo takes £320m hit from Russia exit Volvo Russia sales sanctions Volvo has revealed it's taken a 4bn krona (£323m) hit from its decision to pull out of Russia. The Swedish carmaker has halted all sales, service and production in the country, which accounted for around 3pc of its net sales last year. Volvo said it has total assets worth about 9bn krona related to Russia, of which 6bn krona are classified as cash items, which are related to its leasing business that is financed through the bond market. A spokesman said: “As we believe that customers’ credit losses will increase, we will of course receive lower income from clients but still pay on the bonds as they mature.” Volvo is one of a number of major car brands to suffer losses after halting business in Russia, including Volkswagen, Ford and Renault. 07:47 AM Ukrainian miner Ferrexpo jumps despite war Shares in Ukrainian iron-ore miner Ferrexpo have surged this morning after delivering what analysts described as a "surprisingly strong" first quarter. The company reported total iron ore pellet production of 2.7m tonnes in the first three months of the year – similar to the same period last year. Analysts at Liberum said the numbers implied 70pc of capacity in March despite the "horrific" conditions in Ukraine. Shares leapt as much as 13pc to the top of the FTSE 250. 07:37 AM Jet2 hails summer booking boost Jet2 summer holidays Covid - Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg Holiday group Jet2 said the relaxation of travel restrictions has sparked a sharp rise in bookings over the last two months, but it's still expecting to post a big loss for the year. The company said bookings had approached seasonal norms over the period, while huge summer holiday demand meant its flight capacity was 14pc higher than pre-pandemic levels. Still, an extended period of restrictions and a resurgence in Covid cases over the festive period mean Jet2 expects a pre-tax loss of up to £383m for the year to the end of March. Shares rose 4.3pc in early trading. 07:26 AM FTSE 100 heads for fifth week of gains The FTSE 100 looks set to end the week on a high after inflation worries and the Ukraine war rattled investors. The blue-chip index jumped 1pc in early trading, putting it on track for its fifth consecutive week of gains. Shell was the biggest driving force behind the rise, clawing back yesterday's losses after it said its withdrawal for Russia has cost it as much as $5bn so far. Rival BP also pushed higher, alongside miner Anglo American and financial stocks. The domestically-focused FTSE 250 rose 0.6pc. Ferrexpo leapt 13.5pc after it said it was looking at alternative methods to deliver its iron ore pellets to seaborne markets, as ports in Ukraine remained shut due to Russia's invasion. 07:08 AM Deloitte resigns as Polymetal's auditor Accounting giant Deloitte has resigned as auditor of Polymetal International over the miner's ties to Russia. The London-listed firm, which mainly operates in Russia, has seen its shares nosedive since Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine in February. Last month Deloitte said it would no longer operate in Russia and started a process to sever ties with its operations in Russia and Belarus. The auditor confirmed today that it is unable to work with the Anglo-Russian gold and silver miner. Polymetal's shares fell a further 4pc to around 277p. They were trading at around 1,100p before the invasion. The company has been hammered by western sanctions, while it was forced to appoint a string of new directors after its entire board walked out. 07:02 AM FTSE 100 opens higher The FTSE 100 has made a strong start to the day, jumping firmly into positive territory after Wall Street closed higher overnight. The blue-chip index rose 0.9pc at the open to 7,616 points. 06:50 AM US sanctions world's biggest diamond miner The US has slapped sanctions on the world's largest diamond miner in its latest financial assault on the Kremlin. The Treasury last night said it had blacklisted Alrosa, which accounts for 28pc of global diamond mining and 90pc of Russia's capacity. It also targeted United Shipbuilding Corporation, which develops and constructs the majority of Russia's warships. Brian Nelson, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, said: These sanctions will continue to apply pressure to key entities that enable and fund Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine. These actions, taken with the Department of State and in coordination with our allies and partners, reflect our continued effort to restrict the Kremlin’s access to assets, resources, and sectors of the economy that are essential to supplying and financing Putin’s brutality. 06:41 AM Tesco hikes pay; Sainsbury's set to follow Tesco wage increase Sainsbury's pay - Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images The latest job figures come amid planned wage increases at the UK's two biggest supermarkets. Louis Ashworth has more details: It came as Tesco announced a 5.8pc hike in pay for shop floor and warehouse staff, the biggest increase by the supermarket in at least a decade. Those workers will see their hourly pay increase from £9.55 to £10.10 from July 24. Britain’s biggest supermarket, and largest private employer, said it had made the increase, which will cost £200m, “despite significant cost pressures across our industry”. Tesco said the rate, which was agreed following negotiations with trade union USDAW, would last one year, rather than two, owing to “uncertainty in the economic environment”. Daniel Adams, national officer at USDAW, said the agreement “delivers the highest hourly rate of pay in the sector”. He said: “This deal is both a welcome boost and testament to the value of employers working positively with trade unions.” Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s is expected to announce a pay rise for retail staff in outer London today, taking their wages from £10.50 an hour to £11.05. The increase means those Sainsbury’s and Argos staff will be receiving the Real Living Wage for their location, in line with the supermarket’s staff elsewhere in the UK. 06:36 AM Employers struggle to fill jobs The fall-off in staff supply was the most severe since November, with companies mentioning the generally tight job market, as well as uncertainty related to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Claire Warnes of KPMG, said: Once again this month, job vacancies are increasing while there are simply not enough candidates in all sectors to fill them. With fewer EU workers, the ongoing effects of the pandemic, the economic impacts of the war in Ukraine and cost of living pressures, many employers will continue to struggle to hire the talent and access the skills they need. 06:30 AM Skills shortage and inflation drive up wages Good morning. The latest survey from the REC and KPMG has revealed starting salaries surged last month at the fastest pace since records began in October 1997. The jump in pay reflects both huge demand from employers and the impact of soaring prices, with firms stepping up salaries for all staff to compensate for the fastest inflation in three decades. Companies in sectors from IT to hospitality are struggling to fill vacancies, citing low unemployment, fewer EU workers and uncertainty over the war in Ukraine, which has made many employees hesitant about switching jobs. While sharp wage increases would usually be positive news for workers, soaring energy prices and inflation mean most will still suffer a sharp fall in living standards. 5 things to start your day 1) Sunak orders Bank of England to drop opposition to fossil fuels Bank of England should consider “important role” of lenders in boosting North Sea investment 2) Cambo oil field back in play as developer snapped up for $1.5bn Ithaca, which is buying Siccar Point Energy, will look into the controversial North Sea project 3) Globalisation is dead, declares Levi's boss Supply chain issues and geopolitical forces have thrown businesses into disarray 4) Tories risk shires backlash over wind and solar push Government's renewable energy push means building unpopular projects near countryside homes 5) P&O's Dubai owner loses crucial role in Brexit freeports initiative Role of DP World questioned amid anger over mass sacking of 800 seafarers What happened overnight Asian markets have ended Friday limping following a tough week dominated by the Federal Reserve's hawkish tone that set up an aggressive tightening of monetary policy, while oil drifted after another series of losses. The region struggled to take a lead from Wall Street, which recovered from steep intraday losses to end on a positive note, having plunged in previous sessions as traders fretted over the prospect of higher interest rates. Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, Singapore, Bangkok and Wellington were in the red, though Sydney, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta edged up. Coming up today Corporate: CMC Markets, Ferrexpo (trading update) Economics: No major scheduled events || Jack Mallers’ Strike Announces Shopify Integration for Bitcoin Lightning Payments: Don't miss CoinDesk'sConsensus 2022, the must-attend crypto & blockchain festival experience of the year in Austin, TX this June 9-12. MIAMI — Strike CEO Jack Mallers unveiled a litany of high-powered partnerships for Bitcoin’s Lightning Network at the Bitcoin 2022 conference in Miami on Thursday – including an integration with ecommerce giant Shopify. “You’re gonna be able to walk into” millions of American storefronts that plug into the payments stalwarts and pay across the Lightning Network. Mallers said Strike partnered with NCR (NCR), the world’s largest point-of-sale (POS) supplier, and payments firm Blackhawk. Speaking before a packed house at the Miami Beach Conference Center main stage, Mallers, an ardent bitcoiner and Lightning Network advocate, said his “King’s Gambit” would bring Bitcoin back to its payments roots. “If we can help make the Bitcoin network more accessible and usable we believe we can change the world,” he said. Leveraging Bitcoin as a cheap payments network is critical to that, he said, contrasting it with the “caviar-eating” history of boomer bank-issued credit cards that he said hasn’t innovated (beyond onboarding middlemen and their fees) in years. “There’s not been since 1949 a superior payments network that allows us to innovate” for consumers, he claimed. “Let’s build the superior payments network from scratch.” His lead-up laced in sarcasm, Mallers’ payoff was simple: Bitcoin’s Lightning Network “carries all the properties” for homegrown success. He said Strike would partner with Shopify’s global network of merchants to allow for payments across the Bitcoin Lightning network – for those merchants who want to opt in. “Strike’s integration enables Shopify merchants to diversify their existing payment options and reach untapped global markets and purchasing power. Strike’s integration also allows Shopify merchants to generate savings through low-cost payment processing. By instantly converting bitcoin (BTC) payments to dollars, Strike removes certain complexities merchants face in holding bitcoin,” a press release said. Maller’s announcement could supercharge an explosion in mainstream adoption for Lightning Network. Earlier Tuesday, stock and crypto trading hubRobinhood Markets(HOOD) said its new wallet would add support for bitcoin transactions on the Lightning Network. “This is about America and we need to protect our ability to innovate,” Mallers said. “I’ve also been working with policymakers to ensure that we have the right to build freely in this country,” he said, adding he has been working with Wyoming’s bitcoin-loving Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R) on such legislation. || 3 Tricky Tax Filing Issues — And How To Handle Them: Unless you’re an accountant with a passion for work, it’s hard to imagine that anyone enjoystax season. But 2021 threw several curveballs that could make this year’s returns a chore even by the standards of settling up with the IRS. Here’s a look at a few sticky situations that taxpayers across the country might find themselves staring down over the next few months — and what to do about it if you’re one of them. See:Do I Have to File Taxes? 3 Times You Can Skip ItFind Out:The Wildest Things Your Taxes Are Paying For Anyone who missed out on pandemic support money that they had coming to them in 2021 needs to watch out for some hidden traps when they do their taxes in 2022. “An easy error people can make when requesting a Recovery Rebate Credit (RRC), if they did not receive the full amount of the third stimulus payment they were entitled to in 2021, is reporting their stimulus payment received incorrectly and, therefore, over or understating the RRC amount they may be due,” said Robbin E. Caruso, partner and co-lead ofPrager Metis’National Tax Controversy Practice. “Similarly, if advance Child Tax Credit (ACTC) payments received are not correctly tracked and reported, then the tax return will be incorrect. In either of these cases, the return will require additional review by the IRS, and this may cause significant delays in processing and issuing any refunds that may be due to the taxpayer.” In this case, an IRS error on an important tax document could lead to a costly mistake on your returns. “Some taxpayers received their December ACTC payments in late December 2021 or in early 2022,” Caruso said. “Other ACTC payments may have been lost, sent to incorrect addresses, or were deposited to closed bank accounts and not received. As a result of these types of situations, the IRS has indicated that in limited instances, the Letters 6419 sent out to report advance Child Tax Credit payment amounts may contain misinformation.” The IRS started the process of mailing these letters early in an effort to provide information on a timely basis for use in tax return preparation, according to Caruso. “However, because these letters may contain incorrect amounts, it is very important that taxpayers verify their ACTC payments received in their Child Tax Credit Update Portal,” Caruso said. “It is also highly recommended that taxpayers consider setting up and/or logging into their online IRS account via IRS.gov to verify that they are including the correct information, such as stimulus payments received, within their tax return.” If you trade Bitcoin or some other digital token, the IRS wants you to know that your profits are not flying under the radar this year — but reporting crypto can be tricky, particularly if you trade on more than one platform. “The IRS is targeting cryptocurrency taxpayers who hide their cryptocurrency income,” said Augy Arbulu, managing tax attorney and president of theW Tax Group. “Unfortunately, many cryptocurrency exchange platforms do not provide consolidated reports to their users in terms of gains and losses for the year. Some do provide these reports, but many users leverage multiple cryptocurrency exchanges because some cryptocurrencies are only available in certain exchanges. Therefore, many users will need to export transaction history reports from different platforms and calculate the capital gains or losses themselves — scary!” There are services that allow users to import crypto transactions from many different platforms in order to accurately calculate capital gains or losses, but according to Arbulu, many users simply don’t know about them. One of them isCoinTracker, a cryptocurrency portfolio tracker and tax calculator where Shehan Chandrasekera works as an accountant and the head of tax strategy. He cautions users to prevent mistakes by taking ownership of the numbers that appear on the tax returns they file. “Don’t blindly rely on the 1099-Bs you receive from exchanges,” Chandrasekera said. “Make sure the numbers make sense to you. If the numbers don’t seem correct or you see a missing cost basis, make sure to reconcile them using a tool like CoinTracker before adding them to the tax return. Otherwise, you will end up paying more taxes than necessary.” Even if you hire a tax pro, the crypto calculations that appear on the return are your responsibility — and crypto is still alien to many accountants. “Don’t expect your CPA to calculate these numbers manually,” Chandrasekera said. “It’s virtually impossible to calculate the amounts correctly if you have multiple wallets and exchanges with transfers in and out.” Also, don’t spend all that time making sure the difficult math is accurate only to sink the ship with an avoidable mistake. “Make sure to answer the virtual currency question on the front page correctly,” Chandrasekera said. “The 2021 question is slightly different from the 2020 version. If you dealt with crypto during 2021, you will most likely have to say ‘yes’ to this question.” Finally, the labor-market drama of 2021 will leave a whole lot of question marks on a whole lot of retirement plans. “With the Great Resignation, many workers have completed a rollover of their employer retirement account, such as a 401k, to a new employer plan or an individual retirement account (IRA),” said Stephanie Spies, CFP, a financial advisor withModera Wealth Management. “There are tax forms associated with this type of transaction, and while the rollover may not have tax implications, not properly indicating this on your tax return could result in the rollover being taxed as income and leave you with a tax bill.” 401(k) rollovers are reported as distributions, even when they’re moved into an eligible retirement account, which is a nontaxable event. Even so, you must report the rollover to the IRS through Form 1099-R. It’s a fairly simple process unless you have a special circumstance. In those cases, the stakes are so high — your retirement — that it’s worth enlisting the help of a pro to make sure you report your rollover correctly. For example, “[i]f you have started a side-hustle or a business, you may be able to reduce your current tax liability by starting or contributing to a retirement plan,” Spies said. “A tax professional can help you better understand the pros and cons of this as well as the potential tax savings.” More From GOBankingRates • 27 Ugly Truths About Retirement • 25 Things You Should Never Do With Your Money • 7 Things You Can Do Right Now to Protect Against Inflation • 18 Reasons Why You Should Be Using Your Credit Cards More This article originally appeared onGOBankingRates.com:3 Tricky Tax Filing Issues — And How To Handle Them || Finixio Bullish on Crypto and Increases Acquisitions and Investments: UK-based Finixio is rapidly becoming one of the biggest crypto media and customer acquisition companies worldwide. London, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - April 23, 2022) - Founded by Adam Grunwerg, and Sam Miranda in November 2018, Finixio has grown considerably, now owning a portfolio of more than 60 websites, with a combined monthly visitor count of 10 million unique visitors per month. Finixio is highly aggressive when it comes to expanding its crypto portfolio of websites. In the last few months alone, it has acquired one of the largest crypto news sites in Czech Republic, Cryptosvet.cz , and it has launched its own B2B division for high value clients. Major companies that partner with Finixio now include Binance, eToro, Crypto.com, and one of the world's leading crypto exchanges, Coinbase. Finixio Bullish on the Future of Crypto Alongside many other venture capital companies, Finixio has announced that it is very bullish on the future of crypto. According to Grunwerg, CEO of Finixio, "As a company, we're extremely bullish on the future of crypto. This doesn't just include Bitcoin; it includes other market developments and tokens as well. NFTs and the Metaverse are two huge new areas of growth that create entire new industries. We see huge growth in Defi products and services in which users can earn interest and rewards for the crypto they hold, as well as Crypto-friendly debit cards to spend their money." When questioning the growth and criticism of cryptocurrencies, Grunwerg said, "The numbers speak for themselves. Nearly a third of the world's adult population doesn't have access to a bank account. In order to open one, they have to visit their local branch, which are all closing down by the way. Those who successfully wait 1-2 months to open an account then have to deal with an array of unexpected bank fees and charges (including 2-3% spreads on international payments)." Grunwerg continues, "Then along comes crypto, you can open a new account and send instant transactions within minutes. Your funds are readily available and secured on the blockchain. They're immutably stored, unlike a bank." Story continues Finixio speculates on the risk of investing in cryptocurrencies Finixio admits there are risks and unknowns in the crypto industry. According to Adam Grunwerg: "Of course, there are risks in crypto, and until regulation catches up with it all users will be forced to conduct their own due diligence. Digital communities such as Discord, Reddit and Quora are a great place to research entities. At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself a number of things before investing in crypto such as: - Does the product or service add tangible value? What is its main utility? - Who is the team behind it? Do they have a successful track record? - Is there any institutional investment behind them? - Are they licensed? Has it ever been subject to a 3rd party audit? - Who are its main promoters and beneficiaries?" What will the future hold for cryptocurrency regulation? An increase in regulation will also make crypto safer for venture funds and private equity to invest, which will drive institutional investment into the industry. Source: Finixio.com Media Details Lucas Davison [email protected] PR Contact Newscall [email protected] To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/121435 || Happy 420 Day! Buy This Top Pot Stock Now to Celebrate Later.: Thecannabis sector, which has been responsible for therapeutic and recreational highsacross millenniums, have contributed to devastating lows for many investors. Truth be told, that goes for Canada’sOrganiGram(NASDAQ:OGI), which is quite possibly the best pot stock to pick up now for long-term gains. True, OGI is down over 8% year-to-date and is even negative against the trailing five years. Still, it has plenty of speculative punch. For one thing, the technical setup is rather compelling. Since hitting a few pennies above a buck in October 2020, OGI stock has kept above this critical level. That is despite the geopolitical turmoil of Russia’s unsettling decision to invade Ukraine, the residual impact of the coronavirus pandemic and stifling inflation that has pressured consumer sentiment worldwide. On resilience alone, it is an excellent candidate for top pot stock. Even more encouraging, if you broaden the horizon to OrganiGram’s “lifetime” chart, you’ll notice that the rock-bottom price of OGI stock is around 18 cents. Therefore, the security is charting a series of rising lows. Finally, on the technical angle, between December 2017 and October 2019, OGI printed a bearish broadening wedge pattern. Now that the negative implications have likely been fleshed out, the cannabis firm could possibly build back better. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Speaking of which, domestic cannabis firms are eyeballing apotential landmark federal legalization of marijuana. There is reason to be hopeful considering that the Houserecently passed legislationfor legalizing the much-maligned plant nationwide. Still, if the bill gets caught up in the Senate, speculative investors will still have a reason for banking on OGI as a top pot stock. Mainly, this narrative boils down to the encouraging fundamentals. While growth potential for the sector has largely avoided criticism, it’s the profitability — or lack thereof — that has drawn much criticism. Historically, OrganiGram hasn’t been the best performer in this regard. • 7 High-Quality Dividend Stocks With High Yields On a trailing-12-month basis, the company has a loss of $28 million due to sharp reductions in selling and general and administrative expenses. Nevertheless, it has also grown top-line sales to $85.7 million during the same period, comparing favorably to fiscal 2021’s tally of $63 million. Given that the business has become a leaner, meaner machine and that investors are slowly recognizing its upside potential, OGI could very well be the best pot stock that will have you patting yourself on the back on this happy 420 day. On the date of publication, Josh Enomotodid not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines. • Stock Prodigy Who Found NIO at $2… Says Buy THIS • It doesn’t matter if you have $500 in savings or $5 million. Do this now. • Get in Now on Tiny $3 ‘Forever Battery’ Stock • Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” The postHappy 420 Day! Buy This Top Pot Stock Now to Celebrate Later.appeared first onInvestorPlace. || 5 Things You Should Always Pay For With Cash: Banks issue rewards credit cards for all kinds of spending categories, from flights, hotels, rental cars and entertainment to groceries, dining, warehouse clubs and e-commerce. With all of those ways to benefit from using credit -- and with cash having such a 20th-century feel in today's digital economy -- it's easy to write off old-school money as obsolete. Those green paper rectangles, after all, are one of the last remaining payment methods that don't pay you back. 2022 Stimulus Checks:Is Your State Giving Out Money This Year?Cash App Borrow:How To Borrow Money on Cash App In most cases, that's probably true -- but there are still a few times and places in the era of Bitcoin and Venmo where it still makes more sense touse cold, hard cashto complete your transaction. In every case except one, it's services -- not products -- where cash favors the buyer. Here's a look at the small handful of remaining transactions that you should conduct with cash as the medium of exchange -- or expect to pay more if you don't. Big-time expenditures such as paying for college might seem like the perfect time to swipe your card and rake in beaucoup bucks in the form of points, miles, cash back or other rewards. The bursar's office, however, is one place where you don't want to bust out the plastic. About 85% of colleges and universities now accept credit cards as payment, according to CNBC -- but the privilege usually comes with a 2% to 3% surcharge. Presuming 2.5%, that's a $250 fee on a $10,000 tuition bill. That kind of upcharge will quickly chew away at any rewards you were imagining earning. Top cash-back cards such as Citi Double Cash, for example, pay cardholders only 2%. Most states no longer restrict merchants from charging extra to customers who pay with credit to cover the fees that credit card processing companies charge for every swipe -- those surcharges can be as high as 4%. According to Pymnts, small businesses widely adopted credit card surcharges -- often advertised as "cash discounts" -- as soon as the states began allowing them to do so. While the healthcare industry had long lagged behind, that's all changing now that new technology is making it easier for doctors, dentists, hospitals and other healthcare providers to build the cost of using a credit card into their price structures. Even the handful of states that still forbid retailers from charging credit card surcharges generally make an exception for government offices, which are usually allowed to pass the cost of credit card processing on to you. That means it's almost always cheaper to use cash at your local DMV, post office or when making payments at your local court. Nowhere is the difference between the cash price and credit card price more obvious than at the gas station. That, according to The Sun, is because they're among the only businesses that sell just one product. Before 2013, when Visa and Mastercard began allowing merchants to charge customers a fee for paying with a credit card, gas stations offered a cash discount. Today, however, most gas stations simply advertise two different prices side by side -- a lower price for cash and a higher price for credit. If you find that you owe Uncle Sam a bill when tax season rolls around, you'll want to pay what you owe in the form of a direct ACH payment straight from your checking account. Paying your taxes with plastic -- including debit cards -- will cost you even more, and who in history has ever wanted to pay more than they owe to the IRS? If you do, for whatever reason, opt for paying your taxes with a card, the IRS uses three payment processors, all of which have different price structures: • ACI Payments:$2.20 for debit card transactions, 1.98% with a minimum fee of $2.50 for credit cards • Pay1040:$2.50 or 1.87% for debit cards, depending on the type of card, and 1.87% for credit cards with a minimum fee of $2.50 • payUSAtax:$2.55 for debit cards, 1.96% with a minimum fee of $2.69 for credit cards. More From GOBankingRates • 13 Best Places on the West Coast for Couples To Live on Only a Social Security Check • Nominate Your Favorite Small Business To Be Featured in GOBankingRates' 2022 Small Business Spotlight • 6 Fastest Ways To Save $20k, According to Experts • 10 Reasons You Should Claim Social Security Early This article originally appeared onGOBankingRates.com:5 Things You Should Always Pay For With Cash || Lloyd’s-Licensed Broker Launches Crypto Insurance Product: Don't miss CoinDesk's Consensus 2022 , the must-attend crypto & blockchain festival experience of the year in Austin, TX this June 9-12. Superscript, a U.K. startup and Lloyd’s of London insurance market broker , has launched a dedicated product for crypto businesses. “Daylight,” as the new insurance offering for digital-asset firms is called, begins with technology liability and cyber insurance, which serve as protection against everything from ransomware attacks to unintentional copyright infringement. In recent years, cryptocurrency and insurance have been uneasy bedfellows, with a shortage of capacity in the market and many large crypto exchanges simply opting to self-insure, holding reserves of bitcoin ( BTC ) to cover their losses, typically in case of a hack of “hot” wallets, or those connected to the internet. Superscript, which was part of last year’s Lloyd’s Lab accelerator , said the first crypto businesses in line to buy tech and cyber cover are Argent, Chiliz and CEX. “As well as protecting the actual physical digital assets, there’s a whole other world of risk that also needs to be covered,” said Superscript digital assets lead Ben Davis in an interview. “So, if a platform goes down ... there are privacy breaches, ransomware attacks, breaches of contract, copyright and IP infringement. All that needs to be covered for crypto companies to move into the mainstream.” As of 2021, there were just 350 brokers licensed to deal with Lloyd’s . Superscript says it’s the first Lloyd’s broker to provide a digital assets dedicated product; Lloyd’s-approved coverholder status was granted to Evertas earlier this year. (Lloyd’s policy is not to promote individual products and therefore it did not provide a quote for Daylight, a Superscript representative said via email.) That said, Lloyd’s is slowly but surely coming round to crypto, according to Davis. “I would say the winds are changing a little bit for Lloyd’s in terms of digital asset risk,” he said. || Crypto crash: Bitcoin ad director says he has ‘no idea how cryptocurrency works’: A Super Bowl ad for the FTX crypto exchange featured actor and comedian Larry David (FTX/ Screengrab/ YouTube) The director of a multi-million dollar ad campaign for a bitcoin exchange has said he has “no idea how cryptocurrency works” after being questioned about the recent market crash. FTX’s Super Bowl commercial featured the comedian Larry David, who played different characters throughout history dismissing revolutionary technologies like the wheel and the light bulb. It was one of several high-profile adverts featuring celebrity endorsements over the past year, broadcast amid record-breaking price rallies and billions of dollars pouring into the space from both institutional and retail investors. Since peaking in November, there has been a major downturn that has wiped more than $1.7 trillion from the overall crypto market, including more than $600 billion from bitcoin. The capitulation was compounded last week after a leading cryptocurrency completely collapsed, wiping more than 99 per cent from its value. Celebrities who promoted cryptocurrencies are now facing criticism for not properly highlighting the risks for investors. The New York Times reached out to many of the famous backers, including actors Matt Damon, Reese Witherspoon and Gwyneth Paltrow, as well as basketball star LeBron James, however few responded. Those that did either refused to comment or claimed to not know anything about the technology. “Unfortunately I don’t think we’d have anything to add as we have no idea how cryptocurrency works (even after having it explained to us repeatedly), don’t own it, and don’t follow its market,” Jeff Schaffer, who directed the FTX ad, wrote in an email to the publication. “We just set out to make a funny commercial.” FTX did not respond to a request for comment from The Independent before the time of publication, though its founder recently spoke to the Financial Times about the perceived limitations of bitcoin. Sam Bankman-Fried, who also serves as the firm’s CEO, said he did not believe the world’s most popular cryptocurrency could serve as a mainstream form of payment, despite both El Salvador and Central African Republic adopting it as an official currency. “The bitcoin network is not a payments network, and it is not a scaling network,” he said. “Things that you’re doing millions of transactions a second with have to be extremely efficient and lightweight, and lower energy cost.” || This week in Bidenomics: Everything’s going the wrong direction: High inflation moderated a wee little bit in April, satisfying nobody. President Biden now saysfighting inflation is his top priority, but markets don’t seem to believe him. Stocks are manic, gas prices are at new record highs, homes are getting more expensive and something weird is happening in crypto that may or may not spill into the broader economy. Inflation in April was 8.3%, down from 8.5% in March. Okay sure, it went down, not up, great, but economists thought it would drop by more, given improvements in clogged supply chains and other hopeful signs. Stubbornly high inflation means the Federal Reserve has no choice but to keep hiking interest rates, to cool spending. The higher rates go, the more likely the Fed screws up and tips the economy into recession. Stocks hate that. The S&P 500 index (^GSPC) has dropped 13% since late March and 16% since its early January peak, nearing a bear market. The NASDAQ index (^IXIC) and its high-flying tech stocks are already in a bear market, down 26% from the November peak. There’s still the occasional rally, such as the 2% gain in the S&P on May 13. But selloffs have swamped rallies all year, as the Fed deactivates the turbocharger and slams on the brakes and the market reprices shares downward. The stock selloff could get worse. Thirty-year mortgage rates have surged from 3% to 5.3% in less than six months, and couldhit 6% before long. Rates still aren’t high by historical standards, but they rarely rise this much this quickly. Homebuyer heads are spinning. Higher borrowing costs could cool the hot housing market eventually, but there aren’t enough houses to start with, so for the time being, affordability will just get worse. Are you tired of hearing about high gas prices? Too bad, because they keep going higher. The average price for regular is now$4.43 per gallon, the highest nominal price ever. Diesel prices have risen by even more than gasoline, and now average $5.56 per gallon. Trucking costs are surging, and there’s a shortage of diesel on the East Coast that could lead torationing and delivery disruptions for all kinds of goods. This is not a thing that’s supposed to happen. [Follow Rick Newman on Twitter,sign up for his newsletterorsend in your thoughts.] How’s your crypto portfolio doing? If you have one, bad. Astablecoin most people have never heard of, called Terra (LUNA1-USD), has basically collapsed, triggering a selloff in bitcoin and most other cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin (BTC-USD) is down even more than stocks, to around $30,000, a 55% tumble from its high last November. There’s schadenfreude among traditionalists who think crypto is a sham and cryptonauts deserve to lose all their money, but it would be better if billions of dollars of crypto wealth evaporated when other things were going right. If you ran the Republican National Committee and you could scheme up one more way to sabotage the Biden presidency, what would it be? Baby formula? Brilliant! We now get to find out if it works, becausethere’s a nationwide shortage of baby formula. A big Abbott factory linked to contaminated formula shut down in February and still hasn’t reopened, leaving shelves bare in many stores. It’s not clear why nobody has solved the problem, but there’s now a new entry on the list of presidential don’ts: DON’T STARVE BABIES. Consumer confidenceis lower than at the outbreak of COVID and back to levels of 2011, when the scars of the Great Recession were still raw. The economy is not that bad. The job market is still hot, unemployment is very low and output is still growing. But many things are moving in the wrong direction, and while it’s not an economic recession it’s a political one for Biden. The window for Biden and his fellow Democrats getting a break on the economy and forestalling disaster in the November midterm elections is getting very small. Voter choice tends to solidify about six months before the election, barring dramatic change. That gives Democrats just a couple months for inflation to fall sharply and Americans to see some relief at the gas pump and the grocery store. Economists think inflation has peaked, but they also don’t foresee a dramatic drop in prices. The Russian war in Ukraine is stalemated and sanctions on Russian energy are only likely to intensify, putting more stress on global energy prices. The Fed has indicated it will hike rates aggressively for at least the next several months, regardless of what inflation does. The Fed is trying to depress demand by raising the cost of borrowing, and it usually works. Sometimes it works too well, which is why markets are increasingly worried about a recession. Biden isn’t the first president to be stung by high inflation. Beacon Policy Advisors points out that several other post-war presidents had low approval ratings similar to Biden’s, at the same point in their presidency. Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan were all unpopular because of unusually high inflation. Ford and Carter lost their reelection bids, while Truman and Reagan won. So it’s possible for things to improve for Biden, and the rest of us. It can’t come soon enough. Rick Newman is the author of four books, including “Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success.” Follow him on Twitter:@rickjnewman. Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Follow Yahoo Finance onTwitter,Instagram,YouTube,Facebook,Flipboard, andLinkedIn [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: down || Prices: 29704.39, 29832.91, 29906.66, 31370.67, 31155.48, 30214.36, 30112.00, 29083.80, 28360.81, 26762.65
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Ethereum Price Roars Past $700 as Crypto Market Value Rivals That of Facebook: The Ethereum price crossed a major milestone on Tuesday, surpassing the $700 mark for the first time in more than a month. The rally was far from an isolated occurrence, as the cryptocurrency market cap achieved an eight percent advance, adding nearly $33 billion to its rapidly expanding waistline. In the past week, the market has added almost $100 billion. ethereum price At present, the combined value of all cryptocurrencies is $430 billion, which puts the nascent asset class within striking distance of Facebook, who incidentally, a recent MIT Technology Review article suggested could take down Bitcoin if it made a coordinated effort. Bitcoin Price Continues Push Toward $10,000 The Bitcoin price continued to lose market share to its peers, and the flagship cryptocurrency now accounts for just 37.1 percent of the index’s total valuation. Nevertheless, Bitcoin continued to post a steady advance, rising approximately six percent to $9,367 on cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex. Bitcoin now has a $159.5 billion market cap, and many analysts predict that it will continue to grow throughout the year. bitcoin price Ethereum Price Leaps Past $700 The Ethereum price , meanwhile, beat the index by nearly two percentage points en route to a 10 percent surge that carried the coin above $700 for the first time since mid-March. The Ethereum price is now trading at $704, which translates into a $69.7 billion market cap and a 16.3 percent share of the index. ethereum price EOS Price Continues to Lead Large-Cap Index as Market Swells The bullish wave continued throughout the wider cryptocurrency markets, and the majority of top-tier altcoins outpaced Bitcoin’s single-day performance. bitcoin price The Ripple price swelled by seven percent, brushing off accusations from a former Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) chairman that XRP is likely a security under US law. If the rally continues much longer, Ripple will likely reach dollar parity. Fourth-ranked Bitcoin Cash matched the index with an eight percent climb, and the BCH price is currently valued at a global average of $1,488. Story continues The EOS price, meanwhile, continued to post the large-cap tier’s most impressive single-day performance, exploding by 26 percent and racing to a nearly $12 billion market cap. The Litecoin price increased by nine percent to just under $164, while Cardano’s similar advance carried its price to $0.31. Stellar rose by seven percent to $0.39 and now boasts a $7.4 billion market cap. IOTA returned the top-tier’s worst performance, increasing just four percent to $2.19, while NEO rounded out the top 10 with a 10 percent rally to $83.40. Featured image from Shutterstock. The post Ethereum Price Roars Past $700 as Crypto Market Value Rivals That of Facebook appeared first on CCN . || The USD is in the Hands of Trump, with Iran and China’s Trade Surplus in Focus: Earlier in the Day: Economic data released through the Asian session this morning was on the heavier side and including March household spending figures out of Japan, Australia’s March retail sales numbers, April trade figures out of China and 2 nd quarter inflation expectation numbers out of New Zealand. For the Japanese Yen , there was more bad news for Prime Minister Abe and the BoJ, with household spending taking an unexpected turn for the worse at the end of the 1 st quarter. Month-on-month, spending fell by 0.1%, following February’s 1.5% slide, falling short of a forecasted 0.7% rise, while Year-on-year, spending fell by 0.7%, more than reversing February’s 0.1% rise and falling short of a forecasted 1.2% increase. The weaker than expected year-on-year spending figures were attributed to an 18.1% fall in spending on housing, a 3.2% fall in spending on culture & recreation, with spending on food falling by 0.7%. Household incomes were down 3.8%, to leave disposable incomes down 2.7% year-on-year in March. In spite of lower disposable incomes, spending on education and furniture & household utensils saw the largest increases, up 9.9% and 9.4% respectively, with spending on medical care (6.8%) and clothing & footwear (4.4%) providing some support. The numbers certainly supported the BoJ’s decision to remove a target date to hit its 2% objective, all hopes now being on an uptick in spending in the 2 nd quarter following this year’s Shunto. To make matters worse, a 2 nd consecutive month of decline in household spending will weigh on GDP numbers, the Japanese economy expected to contract in the 1 st quarter, bringing an end to 8 consecutive quarters of growth, its longest stretch of growth since the 80’s. The Japanese Yen moved from ¥109.099 to ¥109.009 against the Dollar upon release of the figures, before easing back to ¥109.08 at the time of writing, down just 0.01% for the morning. For the Aussie Dollar , retail sales were flat in March, falling short of a forecasted 0.2% increase, following February’s 0.6% rise. Story continues According to the ABS, a 0.7% rise in food retailing was offset by a fall in spending across all other sectors, with café, restaurants and takeaway seeing the largest fall in sales, down 0.8%, while other retailing (-0.6%), household goods retailing (-0.3%), department stores (-0.5%) and clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (-0.2%) also declined. For the 1 st quarter, turnover rose by 0.2%, easing from a 4 th quarter of last year 0.8% rise. The Aussie Dollar moved from $0.75217 to $0.74962 upon release of the figures, domestic consumption continuingly identified as a key risk to the Aussie economic outlook. Out of China, trade data impressed with China’s April USD balance jumping from a $4.98bn deficit to a $28.78bn surplus, widening beyond a forecasted $27.50bn surplus. Exports rose by 12.9% year-on-year, coming in ahead of a forecasted 6.3% rise, following March’s 2.7% fall. Imports surged by 21.5% year-on-year, coming in ahead of a forecasted 16% rise, following March’s 14.4% rise. China’s trade surplus with the U.S expanded from March’s $15.43bn to $22.19bn in April. The Aussie Dollar moved from $0.75044 to $0.75038 upon release of the figures, with the positive stats unable to bring an end to morning’s Aussie Dollar reversal, with the widening in the trade surplus with the U.S likely to get a negative reaction from the U.S administration, in spite of supporting a positive outlook for growth through the 2 nd quarter. At the time of writing, the Aussie Dollar was down 0.27% to $0.7497. For the Kiwi Dollar , inflation expectations softened, with the RBNZ’s survey showing firms expect prices to rise by 1.8% over the coming year, down from 1.86% that had been predicted in the 1 st quarter, with firms expecting inflation for 2-years out to rise by 2.01%, down from March’s 2.11%. The Kiwi Dollar moved from $0.70203 to $0.70191 upon release of the figures, which come ahead of the RBNZ’s monetary policy decision on Thursday, before easing to $0.7011 at the time of writing, down 0.09% for the session. In the equity markets, the CSI300 and Hang Seng led the way through the early part of the Asian session, with gains of 1.29% and 1.18% respectively, while the Nikkei and ASX200 were up 0.36% and 0.24% respectively at the time of writing. The equity markets were on the move in response to gains in the U.S on Monday, China’s trade figures doing no harm to risk sentiment through the session, while the markets await Trump’s decision on Iran The Day Ahead: For the EUR , it’s a busy day ahead, with key stats scheduled for release this morning including March industrial production and trade figures out of Germany, together with the EU’s economic forecasts. Following yet another set of disappointing numbers out of Germany on Monday, with factory orders taking an unexpected fall, weak numbers this morning will raise further concerns over the economic outlook, which has certainly softened going into the 2 nd quarter. Whether the EU economic projections can ease some of the pain remains to be seen, but if the economic indicators and data are anything to go by, even the projections will need to be on the bearish side for the 2 nd quarter and that’s before considering the possibility of a trade war between the U.S and China. At the time of writing, the EUR was down 0.08% to $1.1913, with $1.18 levels now on the cards, with a downward revision to February’s factory orders suggesting that Germany’s industrial production may have seen further decline in in March. For the Pound , it’s another quiet day ahead on the data front, with key stats this morning limited to April’s Halifax price index figures that are unlikely to have a material impact on the Pound this morning. Focus is on this week’s monetary policy meeting and, with no material stats scheduled for release until production and trade data on Thursday, there’s little to shift sentiment on policy At the time of writing, the Pound was down 0.05% to $1.3550, with the Pound giving up gains from Monday, monetary policy divergence remaining in favour of the Dollar. Across the Pond, it’s a quiet day on the data front, with stats limited to March’s JOLTs job openings out of the U.S, while FED Chair Powell is also scheduled to speak this morning, which will have some influence on the Dollar should there be any policy talk. At the time of writing, the Dollar Spot Index was up 0.13% to 92.866 and, while both Powell and the jobs data can influence, Trump’s decision on whether the U.S will remain within the Iran nuclear agreement will also have impact later in the day. Across the borders, stats out of Canada are limited to April’s housing start figures that will have a relatively muted impact on the Loonie this afternoon, with NAFTA the key focus for the markets this week. At the time of writing, the Loonie was down 0.24% to C$1.2912 against the U.S Dollar. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: EURUSD on Bearish Free Fall Post Disappointing Macro Data on Monday Bitcoin Struggles as Investor Focus Returns to Regulatory Risk Daily Market Forecast – All Eyes on Trump Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, NASDAQ And Others Have Big Plans for Cryptocurrencies Oil at Four-Year High Ahead of US President’s Iran Deal Announcement Price of Gold Fundamental Daily Forecast – Trump Decision on Iran Likely to Fuel Volatile Reaction || Here's What Bill Gates Just Said About Bitcoin: Berkshire Hathaway(NYSE: BRK-A)(NYSE: BRK-B)recently held its annual meeting, and not surprisingly, CEO and Chairman Warren Buffett and Vice Chairman Charlie Munger didn't exactly have kind words to say about bitcoin (BTC-USD) and other cryptocurrencies. However, in a Monday interview with CNBC,Microsoftco-founder and Berkshire board member Bill Gates had some negative words of his own for would-be cryptocurrency investors. Image source: Getty Images. Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett has beencritical of bitcoinand other cryptocurrencies several times in recent months. Buffett's main problem with cryptocurrencies is that they aren't productive assets. In other words, stocks can generate profits from their business, farms produce crops, etc. Bitcoin (BTC-USD) and other cryptocurrencies, for that matter, are therefore only valuable because of investor interest. "Cryptocurrencies will come to bad endings," Buffett said at Berkshire Hathaway's recent annual meeting. Berkshire's Vice ChairmanCharlie Munger has referred to bitcoinas "total insanity" and has cautioned would-be investors to avoid it "like the plague." Speaking to CNBC on Monday along with Buffett and Munger, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates echoed their criticism, referring to bitcoin (BTC-USD) and ICOs (initial coin offerings) as some of the "crazier, speculative things." "As an asset class, you're not producing anything and so you shouldn't expect it to go up. It's kind of a pure 'greater fool theory' type of investment," Gates said. Gates also said that he would short bitcoin "if there was an easy way to do it." Cryptocurrencies have generally performed well over the past few weeks, so it's possible that the market is just taking a breather. And to be fair, bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies had a difficult weekend before Gates's comments. However, I'd be inclined to say that the comments of Buffett, Munger, and Gates could be weighing on the cryptocurrency markets on Monday. As of 10:30am EDT Monday, all of the 10 largest cryptocurrencies were in the red. Bitcoin is down by more than 3% over the past 24 hours, and has lost about $100 since Gates' interview aired [{"Cryptocurrency Name (Code)": "Bitcoin (BTC)", "Price in U.S. Dollars": "$9,311.60", "Day's Change": "(2.9%)"}, {"Cryptocurrency Name (Code)": "Ethereum (ETH)", "Price in U.S. Dollars": "$718.20", "Day's Change": "(8.5%)"}, {"Cryptocurrency Name (Code)": "Ripple (XRP)", "Price in U.S. Dollars": "$0.81", "Day's Change": "(6.2%)"}, {"Cryptocurrency Name (Code)": "Bitcoin Cash (BCH)", "Price in U.S. Dollars": "$1,609.63", "Day's Change": "(7%)"}, {"Cryptocurrency Name (Code)": "EOS (EOS)", "Price in U.S. Dollars": "$17.68", "Day's Change": "(0.2%)"}, {"Cryptocurrency Name (Code)": "Litecoin (LTC)", "Price in U.S. Dollars": "$160.62", "Day's Change": "(5.9%)"}, {"Cryptocurrency Name (Code)": "Cardano (ADA)", "Price in U.S. Dollars": "$0.32", "Day's Change": "(7.1%)"}, {"Cryptocurrency Name (Code)": "Stellar (XLM)", "Price in U.S. Dollars": "$0.38", "Day's Change": "(8.2%)"}, {"Cryptocurrency Name (Code)": "IOTA (MIOTA)", "Price in U.S. Dollars": "$2.12", "Day's Change": "(6.7%)"}, {"Cryptocurrency Name (Code)": "TRON (TRX)", "Price in U.S. Dollars": "$0.08", "Day's Change": "(2.8%)"}] Data source: www.investing.com. Prices and daily changes as of 10:30am EDT on 5/7/18, and prices are rounded to the nearest cent where appropriate. There are certainly valid arguments to be made that Buffett and Munger "just don't understand" bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. After all, the two men aren't exactly known for being tech-savvy, and have missed out on big trends in the past, such as e-commerce. For example, Buffett has acknowledged that he regrets not getting in onAmazonyears ago. Bill Gates could be another story. Most high-profile bitcoin naysayers have been Wall Street types, such asJPMorgan ChaseCEO Jamie Dimon and billionaire investors like Buffett and Carl Icahn, all of whom have been generally dismissed by cryptocurrency advocates as old-timers who just don't get it. A tech heavyweight like Gates could be another matter. More From The Motley Fool • 16 Cryptocurrency Facts You Should Know • Experts Warned – The Crypto ‘Bloodbath’ Is Here • How to Buy Bitcoin John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Teresa Kersten is an employee of LinkedIn and is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft.Matthew Frankelowns shares of Berkshire Hathaway (B shares) and has no position in any cryptocurrencies mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon and Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), and has no position in any cryptocurrencies mentioned. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || Oil CEOs: Higher Oil Prices Haven’t Increased Our Appetite for M&A: Oil prices have been scorching hot over the past year, up nearly 50% and recently reaching into the $70s. Because of that, oil companies are flush with cash. However, after getting burned by plowing all their money into more wells in the past,they're holding backthese days. That leaves them with an interesting dilemma of what to do with the gusher of free cash flow they're generating at current prices. One thing a couple of oil company CEOs made clear on their first-quarter conference calls is that they have no desire to use that money for large-scale acquisitions. Instead, they're focusing on a variety of other options for their windfalls that they believe will create more value for investors over the long term. Image source: Getty Images. EOG Resources(NYSE: EOG)is cashing in on higher oil prices. The company repositioned its business to deliver strong oil growth along with some free cash flow, as long as oil was around $50 a barrel. Meanwhile, with crude well above that level now, the company is in the position to generate substantial free cash flow this year, which gives it lots of financial flexibility. However, on the company'sfirst-quarter conference call, CEO Bill Thomas had this to say concerning its flexibility: "Let me be clear on one point. We have no interest in expensive corporate M&A; [mergers and acquisitions] in any commodity price environment." That's because "EOG is an organic exploration company" and as such, it only plans to expand its opportunity set through "low-cost organic leasing and low-cost tactical property additions," not by paying up to buy other companies. Instead of making deals, the company plans to use its growing excess cash flow to "reduce total debt outstanding by $3 billion over the next several years," which would cut it about 50%. In addition to that, EOG "will target dividend growth above our historical 19% compounded annual rate." The company firmly believes that by allocating its excess cash to shoring up its balance sheet, boosting the dividend, and leasing land in compelling locations, it will create more value for shareholders over the long term than it could by acquiring another company. Image source: Getty Images. Marathon Oil(NYSE: MRO)CEO Lee Tillman feels the same way. He stated on the company's first-quarter call that: "Our financial flexibility is at the top of our peer group and was further strengthened by receipt of proceeds from Libya and our final Canadian oil sands payment. This flexibility allows us to pursue multiple high-return uses of free cash, but we are taking a disciplined approach and we are not considering large-scale M&A." Instead of pursuing an acquisition, the company could repurchase shares, since it already has a $1.5 billion authorization in place. In addition to that, it could look to boost its "already competitive $170 million annual dividend." Meanwhile, like EOG, Marathon plans to organically grow its opportunity set by leasing land in compelling new plays. Tillman pointed out that, "We have successfully added quality operated locations in theNorthern Delawarethrough trades and a small bolt-on and have captured over 250,000 acres across multiple onshore exploration plays, including a material position in the emerging Louisiana Chalk at less than $900 an acre." The company plans to continue going down this route because it "offer[s] the potential to generate outsized full cycle returns." The reason a growing number of CEOs in the oil patch are choosing to avoid M&A is that those transactions tend to destroy more value than they create because companies need to pay a high premium to buy competitors. EOG Resources, on the other hand, has found that it can generate higher returns by investing its capital into finding new resource plays early in their lifecycle rather than paying up to buy those properties after others have de-risked them. It's an approach that Marathon and others are now starting to follow given EOG's success. That growing focus on generating returns for investors instead of empire building could enable these oil stocks to outperform their acquisitive peers over the long term. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Matthew DiLallohas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || Yahoo Finance Morning Brief: May 5, 2018: Saturday, May 5, 2018 Watch live today Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK-A, BRK-B ) is holding its 2018 Annual Shareholder Meeting in Omaha, Nebraska Saturday starting at 9:45 a.m. ET. Tune into Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett and Vice Chairman Charlie Munger as they share their views on the company, market, economy and more. Buffett’s remarks will likely move markets. Just yesterday Apple ( AAPL ) shares hit a record high after Berkshire disclosed that it bought 75 million shares in the first quarter of this year. Watch the livestream here Our exclusive with Buffett How you could’ve turned $114 into $400,000 with a simple long-term investment : Many of us know the magic of investing money in the stock market — just letting it sit and watching it grow — but few of us really grasp just how powerfully enriching this can be. Not surprisingly, Warren Buffett, the world’s greatest investor, has a vivid example of this which he shared with Yahoo Finance Editor in Chief Andy Serwer. Good habits may be more important than IQ : When asked if young people — who are often saddled with student loan debt and high rents — should be expected to start saving and investing, Buffett said, “I think the habits you develop are terribly important. They may be more important than IQ or something.” Why Buffett is not afraid of the stock market : The Berkshire Hathaway CEO is one of the most ardent bulls when it comes to the U.S. stock market and the economy at large. But it’s his steadfast belief in the U.S. economy that ultimately bolsters Buffett’s view on our financial markets. And why Buffett doesn’t fear the sometimes scary volatility that can come to the market. Buffett: Women make me ‘very optimistic’ about this country : Buffett is bullish on the potential of women in the U.S. to boost the economy. “I have two sisters that are absolutely smart as I am and better personalities,” Buffett told Yahoo Finance’s Editor in Chief Andy Serwer in a wide-ranging interview. Story continues Driverless cars will dramatically reduce insurance premiums : By now, the question for driverless cars is when, not if. For Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway , which owns Geico, that prompts the question: what does this mean for car insurance? Buffett on buying bitcoin : When Warren Buffett speaks, investors listen. And Buffett is still not sold on bitcoin. “There’s two kinds of items that people buy and think they’re investing,” he says. “One really is investing and the other isn’t.” Bitcoin, he says, isn’t. For more of the latest news, go to Yahoo Finance — Like what you just read? Get the Morning Brief sent directly to your inbox every Monday to Friday by 6:30 a.m. ET. And feel free to share it with a friend! The Morning Brief provides a quick rundown on what to watch in the markets, top news stories, and the best of Yahoo Finance Originals. || Facebook's Workplace Just Got a Meaningful Enterprise Partner: Social networking behemothFacebook(NASDAQ: FB)predominantly offers consumer-facing products and services, but its most significant foray into the enterprise -- Workplace -- continues to make progress. Late last year, the company said it had30,000 organizationsusing the service, although it opted not to disclose what proportion were paying customers. (Certain organizations like non-profits and educational institutions get to use Workplace for free.) Facebook has just inked a new partnership that could bolster its presence in the enterprise. Image source: Facebook. Okta(NASDAQ: OKTA)announced today that it has partnered with Facebook Workplace. Okta is one of the leading companies providing identity access management (IAM) to enterprises, allowing employees to leverage a single sign-on (SSO) to access all of the various third-party services that their company may use and integrate with. Workplace will be one of Okta's initial partners for its new Project Onramp, which was also announced earlier today. Project Onramp seeks to help IT administrators better manage their internal users through Okta integrations. For example, the new partnership will allow Workplace to integrate with on-premises infrastructure like directory services. "At Workplace, we're committed to helping organizations evolve and communicate quickly and securely. Enterprise customers want to be able to provision and deprovision their users from a single source of truth, and Okta will enable our joint customers to simplify and secure the experience," Facebook VP of Workplace Julien Codorniou said in a statement. "Together we offer a pre-integrated solution to customers so they can connect and collaborate in a secure and easy way, enabling them to drive their business forward." Importantly, the new partnership is direct acknowledgment by Facebook that there is considerable value provided by companies that specialize in enterprise software. Facebook has had its own consumer-facing SSO service for years, initially called Facebook Connect but since rebranded as Facebook Login (all of those "Login with Facebook" buttons you see on third-party sites). Instead of trying to offer an enterprise version of Facebook Connect, it's choosing to partner with one of the pros. The news is just the latest in a series of small steps that Facebook has taken to strengthen its enterprise credibility. Facebookexpanded third-party integrationswith Workplace pretty early on while alsogrowing its stable of channel partners. In enterprise software, channel partners play an incredibly important role in distribution. Meanwhile, pricing is extremely aggressive compared to alternatives like Slack orMicrosoftTeams, even after a recent revamp of the pricing structure. The old structure offeredprice concessions for larger teams, but Facebook has now eliminated these tiers and simply offers two tiers: standard for free, or premium for $3 per user per month. Facebook may be grappling with all sorts of scandals related to its core service, but its enterprise strategy continues to evolve. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Teresa Kersten is an employee of LinkedIn and is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft.Evan Niu, CFAowns shares of Facebook and Okta. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Facebook and Okta. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || Here’s Why Investors Should Be Wary of Bitcoin, According to This $52 Billion Hedge Fund Cofounder: The cofounder of hedge fund giant Two Sigma is no fan of cryptocurrencies--though he does see promise in its underlying technology, blockchain. “I guess I’m a little skeptical that [cryptocurrencies] are going to hold value the way that people expect that they will,” David Siegel, co-chairman of Two Sigma, a hedge fund with $52 billion under management, said at the Bloomberg Invest conference Tuesday . However, he was careful to clarify that the technology behind digital currencies, an information database called blockchain that is said to be secure and immutable, has promise. “I think the blockchain is a really fantastic technology…the blockchain is really going to have genuine applications.” When asked if he preferred any specific cryptocurrency, he answered, “They’re all about equal in my mind.” Then he dropped his palm toward the floor, signaling the level of prestige the asset held in his mind. “You know.” The comments come from a billionaire with one foot in Wall Street and the other in technology. Two Sigma is known for its strategy of trading based on algorithms and artificial intelligence. And unlike many other hedge funds, the firm’s staff is chock full of Ph.Ds. Siegel himself holds a PhD in computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. And the strategy has paid off for Siegel. Siegel has regularly been featured among t he top hedge fund earners on an annual basis. Investing in cryptocurrencies has made others wealthy. Over the last 12 months, the value of all cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin, has swelled to roughly $350 billion. While that’s a far cry from its $816 billion peak in January, the value is still roughly three times its $101 billion value a year earlier. But Siegel thinks this influx of investments in cryptocurrencies--which he thinks would be better defined as crypto assets--are a symptom of a larger problem: Investors storing their money, rather than putting it to work in innovative projects. Story continues “You already see certain kinds of assets inflating in price,” he said pointing to real estate markets and cryptocurrencies. “People are looking for new ways to store value, rather than new ways to invest and create new things. I think there’s a little bit too much interest in storing value, and not enough interest in creating new value and expanding the pie.” Still, while it is hard to cleanly separate cryptocurrencies from blockchain ( many blockchain projects are raising funding by offering the digital currencies), Siegel notes that it is blockchain technology itself, which effectively distributes copies of the same, constantly updating database to multiple parties, that he thinks has the most potential. “The math behind [blockchain] is pretty cool,” Siegel said. “There’s an awful lot of hype around the blockchain, but think the blockchain will ultimately create new business models. I think it will be particularly helpful in the developing world where registries are not as established as here in the more developed economies.” In 2018 at least, some investors appear to concur with his analysis. Venture capital funding to cryptocurrency and blockchain-related startups has soared in new heights, reaching $1.4 billion as of June , according to Pitchbook, compared to $964 million raised through all of 2017. See original article on Fortune.com More from Fortune.com Crypto Firms Turn to "Airdrops" to Boost Blockchain Projects Is Bitcoin Better than Business Blockchains? They're More Alike Than You Think The Ledger: Free Money in the Age of Airdrops Cryptocurrency Hackers Are Stealing from EOS's $4 Billion ICO Using This Sneaky Scam This 'Uber of China' Creator Is Building a Ride-Hailing App Based on Bitcoin Technology || Why iQiyi Is (and Isn't) Netflix: Chinese streaming giant iQiyi Inc. (NASDAQ: IQ) was recently spun off from China's search leader Baidu Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) , raising an estimated $2.25 billion in the process. Investors love a good comparison, and in that vein have taken to calling the streaming service "the Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) of China." While it's true that both companies provide streaming video to consumers, there are some significant differences between their business models. Let's look at the ways in which iQiyi is different from Netflix, and how they are similar. A man laying on a couch watching streaming video on a tablet. iQiyi streams video, but is it really "the Netflix of China"? Image source: Getty Images. The biggest difference Netflix began as a DVD-by-mail service in the U.S., but added streaming just over a decade ago, and it has become the company's primary business. Netflix has never used advertising on its streaming platform. iQiyi began as an ad-supported video-on-demand service. In mid-2015, iQiyi added a paywall for a variety of its new releases, giving its subscriber growth a strong boost. iQiyi's subscribers quadrupled over the next year. Even in light of the popularity of its subscription service, the vast majority still use the ad-supported model. The biggest differentiator between the two models is the use of commercials. Show me the money More than 97% of Netflix's revenue comes from streaming, while the remainder comes from subscriptions to its DVD-by-mail service and licensing of its intellectual property (IP). iQiyi generates revenue from a combination of advertising, subscription revenue, and content distribution. During 2017, the majority of its sales -- nearly 47% -- came from advertising, while 37% was subscription revenue, and the remainder came from content distribution and other sources. Where their viewers live Netflix has nearly 57 million subscribers in its home market, but that's just the beginning. The company also boasts another 68 million customers in international markets, for a running total of 125 million subscribers worldwide. Story continues After perfecting its model in the U.S., Netflix began its international expansion in late 2010, crossing into Canada. It added Latin America in mid-2011, and numerous other countries before adding 130 new countries in early 2016 -- bringing its services to 190 countries worldwide. iQiyi operates only in China, though it has achieved similarly remarkable scale in its home market. An estimated 845 million customers access the platform each month, though the vast majority of viewers use the free, ad-supported model. The company boasts 421 million monthly active users on mobile devices, as well as 424 million on personal computers. Of those, iQiyi reported nearly 51 million paying subscribers in documents it filed with the SEC prior to its initial public offering. iQIYI landing page, showing the cast of Blade Attack: Yang Shuo. iQiyi is investing heavily in content, like its U.S. counterpart. Image source: iQiyi. There's more While Netflix has focused almost exclusively on content thus far, iQiyi provides its users with a growing ecosystem of interrelated products and services. In addition to streaming video, customers have access to online games, graphic novels, and merchandise based on the company's IP. Netflix has cautiously waded into licensing its IP, with a line of Stranger Things products in stores just in time for last year's holiday season. Comcast 's Universal Studios recently announced that it would be bringing Stranger Things to life as part of its Halloween Horror Nights attraction at its theme parks. This revelation marks Netflix's first major foray into licensing, though I think it's just the beginning. Then there's this ... When reporting its fourth-quarter and full-year results for 2017, Netflix revealed that its international segment had achieved its "first full year of positive contribution profit in our history," ending the year with both its international and domestic operations profitable. The company generated $560 million in net income for 2017. iQiyi isn't yet profitable, generating a loss of $574 million in 2017, a 22% greater loss than in 2016. The company has stated that over the short term, the cost of revenue would continue to outpace revenue growth as it worked to improve its streaming technology and invest in additional content. It is, but it isn't There are a lot of similarities between the two streaming companies, but many differences as well. iQiyi may be a closer match to Hulu than to Netflix, due to its hybrid-freemium and subscription model. It's important to understand the differences in the business models of the two companies, as well as the markets they serve, before deciding to invest. More From The Motley Fool 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Danny Vena owns shares of Baidu and Netflix. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Baidu and Netflix. The Motley Fool recommends Comcast. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . || Better Fuel Cell Stock: Plug Power (PLUG) vs. Ballard Power Systems (BLDP): Now more than at any point in history, governments, industries, and companies are investing to reduce the carbon intensity of their respective growth and consumption. Electric modes of transportation and portable power sources are often seen as some of the best ways to accomplish that, and their rising popularity could finally create a sustainable market for fuel cells. Despite being around for decades, fuel cell technology has gained relatively little traction outside of specialty applications. That much becomes clear after taking a look at fuel cell stocksPlug Power(NASDAQ: PLUG)andBallard Power Systems(NASDAQ: BLDP). The companies generated just $235 million in revenue combined last year. While that would seem to indicate that the technology has a ways to go, a closer look shows both companies are on an upward trajectory as they position to exploit decarbonization trends. It also reveals two different growth strategies. Given those differences, one question remains: Is Plug Power or Ballard Power Systems the better buy? Image source: Getty Images. Plug Power is focused primarily on designing portable power systems for material handling equipment, such as forklifts in warehouses. It's a great application for fuel cells because forklifts require relatively little power (compared to passenger vehicles or trucks) and can easily return to a central base to refuel. Since fuel cell forklifts don't produce harmful emissions, they can also be used in certain industries, such as food handling, where even propane-based machines are forbidden. Material handling is shaping up to be a promising market for Plug Power. It was the driving force behind a 20% year-over-year leap in total net revenue in 2017 as the two largest customers,AmazonandWalmart, put more of the company's products to the test. While boasting blue chip customers is lucrative, the extreme level of dependency on the two -- which represented nearly 72% of all revenue in 2017 -- is a huge risk. And it's not the only source of discontent for shareholders. The fuel cell provider is definitely enjoying the benefits that come from economies of scale for its maintenance services business, whichcould be profitable as soon as 2018thanks to a growing number of the company's products in the wild. But Plug Power is not deriving any benefit from two other parts of its business, purchase power agreements (PPA) and fuel delivery services, which continue to lose money as they grow. Without these two segments, the company would have posted a gross profit of $15.6 million in 2017 (barring a provision for common stock warrants). Instead, it delivered a gross profit of $1.6 million (again barring the provision). It seems shareholders would be better off if management simplified its strategy. Nonetheless, this year's strong first quarter puts Plug Power on track to meet its full-year total revenue guidance of $155 million to $180 million. Image source: Getty Images. Ballard Power Systems is taking a different approach to exploit the industry's near- and long-term growth potential. The company manufactures the stacks that make up a fuel cell (similar to how a lithium-ion battery is composed of many individual cells) and its own brand of fuel cells for various applications. In fact, the company supplies the stacks that go into Plug Power's core product for material handling markets, called GenDrive, although the peer is also ramping up sales of its own stack products for different applications. That said, supplying stacks is really just a way to more fully monetize its expertise. Thecore businessis focused on supplying its fuel cell products to small-scale portable power, material handling, power backup systems for the grid, and transportation applications. Management is going all-in on the two biggest opportunities: power backup andtransportation. That's demonstrated by the fact that Ballard Power Systems generated 94% of product revenue from these sources in the first quarter of 2018. While total revenue slipped compared to the year-ago period, the business has gained traction in recent years -- even posting positive adjusted EBITDA in 2017. Revenue growth is expected to be stagnant as the company focuses on developing markets for longer-term opportunities, such as through the deployment of hundreds of commercial trucks in China this year and 40 buses in Germany in 2019. The company's products are even being tested in unmanned submarines and boats. Investors should know that management's bold bet may amount to an all-or-nothing strategy. Most collaboration programs are still in testing or demonstration phases. Although they could generate profitable business and growth in the coming years, the markets in which Ballard Power Systems is competing may choose lithium-based batteries as the portable power source of the future. That could leave fuel cells with a significantly reduced market opportunity relegated to niche applications. Image source: Getty Images. If Plug Power jettisoned its PPA and fuel delivery segments, then it might have the opportunity to build a formidable business in the niche material handling industry. Unfortunately, those two money-losing parts of the business might be the only way the company can keep its large customers on board (Amazon and Walmart probably don't want to be bothered with the logistics of sourcing fuel). That, and the fact that it's so dependent on just two customers in the first place, increases the risks of owning the stock. Ballard Power Systems has a stronger, higher-margin business than its peer as it focuses on supplying fuel cells for portable power applications in material handling, commercial trucking, urban buses, and more. The number of shots on goal bode well for its future potential and make it the better buy in this matchup. That said, I would strongly encourage investors to avoid fuel cell stocks altogether, or at the very least to approach them with extreme caution. There are inherent risks to fuel cell technologies that are likely to limit the share of the portable power applications market they can capture in the long term. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors.Maxx Chatskohas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || Tyler Winklevoss Calls For Bill Gates to “Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is” on Bitcoin: Early Bitcoin investor Tyler Winklevoss challenged Bill Gates to “put your money where your mouth is” after the founder said on Monday that he would he would short the currency “if there was an easy way to do it.” That comes after Gates said the technology underlying Bitcoin, blockchain, is promising, though Bitcoin itself is “not a good thing” as it is used by criminals trying to fly under the radar. Winklevoss, who with his twin brother, Cameron, has become a billionaire following a surge in the value of Bitcoin surge, hit back on Twitter (The Winklevoss’ Bitcoin stash is estimated to be worth about $1.1 billion based on Monday’s Bitcoin price). “Dear [Bill Gates], there is an easy way to short Bitcoin,” he wrote Monday. Then, he pointed to Bitcoin futures that Winklevoss-backed cryptocurrency exchange Geminilaunchedwith the Chicago Board Options Exchange: “You can short XBT, the CBOE Bitcoin Futures contract, and put your money where your mouth is!” The Winklevoss twin, who gained notoriety for suing , also mentioned CEO Warren Buffett, another known Bitcoin skeptic. Buffett said in January that said he expects Bitcoin to come “to a bad ending” because it doesn’t produce anything and is a purely speculative asset. However, Buffett has said thathe has no plans to go short on the asset, though he’d be glad to buy a less risky derivative to hedge against a potential fall in Bitcoin. The price of Bitcoin is now around $9,115, down about 3% Tuesday, and down from its all-time high near $20,000 in December. See original article on Fortune.com More from Fortune.com • Why NYSE's Parent Company Is Building a Bitcoin Exchange • 'Rat Poison Squared.' Warren Buffett Really Doesn't Like Bitcoin • How to Value Bitcoin and Invest in the Crypto Economy: New Advice from Chris Burniske • J.P. Morgan Files Patent for Blockchain-Powered Payments • Reddit Plans to Take Bitcoin Once Again--Along With Litecoin and Ethereum [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] Customers can pay with #cryptocurrencies without divulging personal information such as name, address, or sensitive account information. Pseudonymity allows for safe account based loyalty programs. #Crypto #cryptocurrency #bitcoin #Blockchain #eth #market #news #coin #altcoin || http://www.Organicco.co.uk  #Blockchain #ethereum #Bitcoin #cryptocurrency #TokenSale #invest #Organicco #icohttps://twitter.com/Organiccouk/status/1003353534723772417 … || NEW AIRDROP(05.06.2018)#Airdrop 1000 SAX (1stx 0.08$) Sign up Verify your email address. Airdrop Link = https://www.standix.io/user/home/register?ref=a010f2299e5027200fe3c9f9ec55388dec9351ac … #airdrop #airdropwallet #crypto #btc #eth || Current price of Bitcoin is $7685.00 https://ift.tt/1EHAmFQ  || What could possibly go wrong? Cryptocurrency prices sputtered in 2018. Bitcoin is down 45%.#bubble #cryptocurrency #blockchain #prerevenue #preproduct #ico #ipo https://lnkd.in/dPmP6tM https://cnb.cx/2JgpRCr  || 2018/05/20 23:00 #Binance 格安コイン 1位 #BCN 0.00000107 BTC(0.99円) 2位 #NCASH 0.00000397 BTC(3.66円) 3位 #POE 0.00000433 BTC(3.99円) 4位 #STORM 0.00000527 BTC(4.86円) 5位 #TNB 0.00000559 BTC(5.16円) #仮想通貨 #アルトコイン #草コインhttps://wp.me/p9uE3r-u  || You should submit your Bitcoin address into following link: http://bit.do/ef6LX  || Instalar o CryptoTab e minerar o Bitcoin! https://getcryptotab.com/1499464  || 5 min #RSI Signals: $BTC - $SWT: 7.21 $BTC - $OMNI: 8.77 $BTC - $SHIFT: 10.67 $BTC - $NXC: 11.15 $BTC - $XWC: 14.36 $BTC - $GEO: 15.19 $BTC - $GBG: 17.08 $BTC - $DMD: 17.52 $BTC - $BLT: 18.39 $Crypto $ETH #masternodes #crowdsale #Blockchain $LTC #AI #BTC #LEO #trading #NLC2 || 1/ Position Sizing: You have to decide what account risk you're comfortable with. Say 2%, so if you have a portfolio of $10,000, you would enter each trade with $200. That way, even if you have 10 losing trades in a row, you've only lost 20% of your total portfolio. $btc $crypto
Trend: no change || Prices: 6786.02, 6906.92, 6582.36, 6349.90, 6675.35, 6456.58, 6550.16, 6499.27, 6734.82, 6769.94
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2021-12-31] BTC Price: 46306.45, BTC RSI: 38.57 Gold Price: 1827.50, Gold RSI: 60.76 Oil Price: 75.21, Oil RSI: 53.98 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Market Wrap: Altcoins Underperform as Bitcoin Dips Below $48K: Bitcoin was trading around the lower end of its weeklong range as bullish sentiment began to fade. BTC is down about 7% over the past 24 hours compared with a 10% drop in ether and a 12% decline in Solana’s SOL token over the same period. Recent declines across cryptocurrencies has some analysts concerned about near-term price direction, especially ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting Dec. 14-15. Market participants expect the central bank to accelerate the pace of asset purchases, which could cause some investors to reduce their exposure to speculative assets including equities and cryptocurrencies. Tighter monetary policy remains a cyclical headwind that “may continue to dominate performance in the weeks ahead,” crypto exchangeCoinbasewrote in a newsletter to institutional clients. The exchange also mentioned that “investors should be prudent about their level of risk exposure.” • Bitcoin (BTC): $46,366, -7.79% • Ether (ETH): $3,728, -10.09% • S&P 500: $4,668, -0.91% • Gold: $1,786, +0.21% • 10-year Treasury yield closed at 1.41% From a technical perspective, bitcoin’s price appears vulnerable to a breakdown if currentsupport levelsfail to hold up. “A significant short-term indicator for the market promises to be the 200-day average for bitcoin,” Alex Kuptsikevich, an analyst atFxPro, wrote in an email to CoinDesk. “An ability to bounce back above that line would indicate bullish sentiment prevails and promises new attempts to climb above $50K or $60K this month. A sharp fall would formally clear the way for a deeper correction to $41K or even $30K,” Kuptsikevich wrote. Digital asset investment products saw inflows drop 52% last week to $88 million as crypto markets saw a downturn. The inflows into crypto funds during the week ended Dec. 10 compared with $184 million the prior week, according to areportMonday from CoinShares. Funds focused on bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency, accounted for the bulk of the week’s inflows at $52 million, CoinDesk’s Lyllah Ledesmareported. The prior week, bitcoin-focused funds saw $145 million of inflows. Meanwhile, SOL, the token of the blockchain-based smart contracts platform, saw inflows of $17 million. SOL is down 35% on the month after reaching an all-time high in November. • SUSHI jumps 10%:Sushi tokens jumped as much as 10% in early European hours to over $6.19 from a low of $5.30 on Sunday night, data from market tool CoinGecko shows. Prices retraced slightly afterwards as some traders took profits. The move came shortly after Daniele Sestagalli, a top application developer on base layer (layer 1) blockchain Avalanche, proposed joining the platform in aposton the project’s governance forum, CoinDesk’s Shaurya Malwareported. • Tezos ‘Exchange-Traded Cryptocurrency’ launches on German exchange:Digital asset manager ETC Group has launched an institutional-grade tezos exchange-traded exchange-traded product (ETP) on Europe’s Deutsche Börse XETRA under the ticker symbol EXTZ. The launch of EXTZ brings XTZ, the native token of the Tezos blockchain, to investors across 16 European Union countries as institutional appetite for accessible altcoin products rapidly grows, CoinDesk’s Tracy Wangreported. • Twitch Co-Founder Justin Kan Launches gaming NFT marketplace on Solana:Web 3 gaming received another boost on Monday with the announcement ofFractal, a marketplace for gaming-related NFTs led by Twitch co-founder Justin Kan. The platform will serve as a primary marketplace for players to buynon-fungible tokensdirectly from game companies to use in-game, as well as a secondary marketplace for peer-to-peer trading, CoinDesk’s Eli Tanreported. • SEC’s Gensler Says Crypto ‘Fits in Our Broad Remit’: Report • Robinhood Turns to Chainalysis for Data, Compliance Tools • Wells Fargo, HSBC to Settle Forex Transactions Using Blockchain • Bank of Russia Bars Mutual Funds From Investing in Crypto Most digital assets in the CoinDesk 20 ended the day lower. Notable losers as of 21:00 UTC (4:00 p.m. ET): • Chainlink (LINK): -14.16% • Polygon (MATIC): -14.00% • Algorand (ALGO): -13.82% || Federal Regulator Says Credit Unions Can Partner With Crypto Providers: Federally insured credit unions (FICUs) can partner with third-party digital asset service providers, the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA)announcedThursday. “This includes facilitating member relationships with third parties that allow FICU members to buy, sell and hold various uninsured digital assets with the third-party provider outside of the FICU,” according to the statement from the NCUA. The NCUA is a U.S. regulator that oversees credit unions, acting as a counterpart to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), which regulates national banks. The NCUA said it wants to offer clarity around the existing authority that FICUs have when it comes to building relationships with third-party digital asset providers. The NCUA said further guidance may be necessary as digital assets and technologies evolve, and the association will continue to study and address issues that arise. Kyle Hauptman, vice chair of NCUA, said the guidance was the result of two things that have been happening in the marketplace. “Credit unions have been watching endless outflows of cash to crypto exchanges, and many people would rather use their primary financial institution for their first foray into crypto investing,” Hauptman told CoinDesk. “Today’s guidance helps both concerns and gives a new revenue stream to credit unions [that] want to try it out. Financial services has always been ‘adapt or die’ and I don’t want credit unions to go the way of Blockbuster Video because we, the regulators, prevented innovation.” Federal credit unions may continue to act as finders to bring together their members with providers of third-party services, including those related to digital assets, the NCUA added. In July, the NCUApublished a request for information (RFI)after its three board members unanimously voted to do so. These requests asked how distributed ledger technology (DLT) and decentralized finance (DeFi) might affect the credit union system, and how the NCUA’s regulated entities might interact with these technologies and other crypto-related tools. Read more:Bitcoin at Your Bank: NYDIG Names First 2 Firms to Roll Out BTC Buys || Crypto mining platform Bitdeer to go public through $4 billion SPAC merger: (Reuters) - Bitdeer Technologies said on Thursday it plans to go public by merging with blank-check firm Blue Safari Group Acquisition Corp in a deal valuing the cryptocurrency mining platform at $4 billion. The Singapore-based company was spun-off from Chinese bitcoin mining giant Bitmain in January and has been doubling down on its adoption of renewable technology in digital asset mining. The special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), Blue Safari Group, went public in June, raising $57.5 million from its initial public offering. A SPAC is a listed firm with no business operations but a pool of capital that it uses to merge with a private company. The deal then takes the private company public. This year, several companies in the digital asset space have chosen the blank-check route to public markets. In July, cryptocurrency miner Core Scientific Holding Co agreed to such a merger with a SPAC backed by BlackRock Inc. In the same month, crypto firm Bullish also agreed to merge with a blank-check company in a $9 billion deal. Bitdeer said it plans to list on the Nasdaq stock exchange after the deal closes in the first quarter of next year. Bitcoin, the most popular cryptocurrency, has continued to see wild price swings in recent months. Earlier this week, it fell below $60,000 for the first time in more than two weeks, after reaching a record high of $69,000 on Nov.10. (Reporting by Mehnaz Yasmin in Bengaluru; Editing by Ramakrishnan M.) || Leveraged Derivatives Traders Liquidated in $5,000 Bitcoin Flash Crash: BeInCrypto – Bitcoin prices have slumped hard since surging to a new all-time high on Nov 10, and the usual culprits appear to be the catalyst for the fall yet again. This story was seen first on BeInCrypto Join our Telegram Group and get trading signals, a free trading course and more stories like this on BeInCrypto || Global Markets in 2021: Recoveries, reflation and wrecking balls: By Marc Jones and Saqib Iqbal Ahmed LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - For global financial markets, the second year of the COVID pandemic has been nearly as dramatic as the first. The stocks bulls have stayed firmly in charge, surging energy and food prices have turbo-charged inflation, rattling the bond markets, while China has seen $1 trillion wipeouts in its heavyweight tech and property sectors. On top of all that, Turkey exits 2021 in currency chaos, bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have crushed it, small-time traders gave some hedge funds a drubbing and though green has gone mainstream, dirty oil and gas have been the big winners, up about 50% and 48%, respectively. 1/STOCKS TILL YOU DROP MSCI's 50-country world index has added more than $10 trillion, or 20%, thanks to COVID recovery signs and the torrent of central bank stimulus that has continued to flow. The S&P 500 has gained 27%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq is up 22%. European banks have had their best year in over a decade with a 34% gain, but emerging market equities have lost a woeful 5% , led by a 30% plunge in Hong Kong-listed Chinese tech hit by Beijing's moves to limit their influence. "We think U.S. equities are absolutely bonkers," said Tommy Garvey, a member of asset manager GMO's asset allocation team, adding that valuations in most other parts of the world were also expensive. (Graphic: World stocks have seen $10 trillion surge in value in 2021, https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/mypmnaejdvr/Pasted%20image%201640093340625.png) 2/OIL TAKES THE SPOILS Commodity markets have had a blinder as the world's big resource-hungry economies have tried to get back to some kind of normal. Respective 50% and 48% gains for oil and natural gas are their best in five years and left prices well above pre-pandemic levels. Key industrial metal copper hit a record high back in April and has jumped nearly 25% for the second year in row. Zinc has seen a similar gain, while aluminium has made about 40% in its best year since 2009. Precious metal gold has dipped but the agri-markets have blossomed with corn up by nearly 25%, sugar up 22% and coffee 70%. (Graphic: Oil, gold, bitcoin, coffee and stocks, https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/dwpkrzwmnvm/Pasted%20image%201640120980934.png) 3/BEARS IN THE CHINA SHOP China's crackdown on its big online firms, combined with a property sector crisis, have wiped over a trillion dollars off its markets this year. Alibaba, China's equivalent to Amazon, has tumbled nearly 50%. The golden dragon index of U.S.-listed Chinese stocks is down 42%, while homebuilder Evergrande has just become its biggest-ever default. Story continues That has sent a wrecking ball crashing into the Chinese high-yield or 'junk' bond market, which has lost roughly 30%. Property firms' bonds account for 67% of the main ICE Chinese high-yield index.. "If home sales keep dropping at the rate they are at the moment you could easily shave another 1% off of (Chinese) GDP," cautioned AXA Investment Managers' Head of Active Emerging Markets Fixed Income Sailesh Lad. (Graphic: Chinese stocks battered by Beijing clampdown, https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/gkvlgloqmpb/Pasted%20image%201640102441723.png) 4/BONDS - NO TIME TO BUY Booming inflation and big central banks starting to turn off the money taps has made it a difficult year for bond markets. U.S. Treasuries - the global benchmark for government debt investors - are set to deliver a loss of around 3%, their first red result since 2013, while German Bunds were down around 9% as of Dec. 22. On the positive side, the most risky band of corporate 'junk' bonds - those rated CCC and below - have made around 10% in both the U.S. and Europe.. Inflation-linked bonds have also done well, unsurprisingly, with U.S. TIPs returning 6%, euro-denominated equivalents earning 6.3% and British linkers making 3.7%. (Graphic: Negative returns for most major bond markets in 2021, https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/myvmnalbapr/returnsdec21.PNG) 5/MEME MADNESS Retail traders took to Wall Street in a big way this year, driving eye-popping moves and huge trading volume in the so-called 'meme' stocks. Shares of GameStop rose nearly 2,500% in January, but will end the year up 700%. AMC Entertainment, another meme favourite, is still up about 1,200% for the year, although it was up as much as 3,200% in early June. Tesla, doyen of the electric car sector, recovered from a skid early in the year. But other funds or stocks linked to innovation – such as the ARK Innovation Fund and some solar energy stocks, BioTech shares and special purpose acquisition companies or SPACs – are down 20% to 30%. (Graphic: Meme madness, https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/mopanqrlava/Pasted%20image%201639710413899.png) 6/TURKISH LIRA TAKES A BATH Turkish lira slumps are hardly rare these days, but this year's blow-up has been spectacular even by its standards. Things started to turn ugly in March when self-declared enemy of interest rates, President Tayyip Erdogan, replaced another central bank governor. But it has gotten worse since his new head of the bank started slashing rates in September. Despite a modest bounce after the government sketched out an unorthodox plan to limit the pain, the lira is still down over 40% for the year and the government's bonds have been hammered. (Graphic: Turkey's turbulent 2021, https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/lbpgnlaywvq/Pasted%20image%201640105944633.png) 7/INFLATION PALPITATIONS A surge in inflation became a major concern for investors in 2021 as the pandemic disrupted the global supply chain and made it difficult to meet demand for everything from microchips to potato chips. With U.S. inflation ramping to its highest since the 1980s, the Federal Reserve announced this month it will end its pandemic-era bond purchases sooner than previously expected and the Bank of England became the first G7 central bank to hike interest rates since the COVID outbreak. Other major central banks are expected to follow next year, but some of the major emerging markets are already well advanced in the process. (Graphic: Global inflation surged in 2021, https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/gdvzymojdpw/Pasted%20image%201640103430004.png) 8/SUBMERGING MARKETS Investors had high hopes for emerging markets coming into the year, but many have been disappointed. China's struggles and the persistence of COVID have seen EM stocks lose 5%, which looks even worse when compared to a 20% rise in the world index and the 27% leap on Wall Street. Local currency EM government bonds have fared badly too, losing 9.7%. Dollar-denominated bonds have performed a bit better, especially in countries that produce oil, but J.P. Morgan's EM currencies Index, which excludes China's yuan, has shed almost 10% . "China was the huge story of the year," said Jeff Grills, Aegon Asset Management's head of emerging markets debt, adding next year was likely to be all about how quickly and far interest rates rise and how growth holds up. (Graphic: Global FX in 2021, https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/klvykqkonvg/Pasted%20image%201640972753218.png) 9/CRYPTO CRUSHES IT Bitcoin at nearly $70,000; "memecoins" worth billions of dollars; a blockbuster Wall Street listing and a sweeping Chinese crackdown: 2021 was the wildest yet for cryptocurrencies, even by the sector's freewheeling standards. Bitcoin's near 60% jump may look paltry compared to last year's 300% rise, but that has come despite a Chinese crackdown in May which saw it nearly halve in price. Dogecoin, a digital token launched in 2013 as a joke bitcoin spin-off, soared over 12,000% from the start of the year to an all-time high in May - before slumping about 80% by mid-December. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) - strings of code stored on the blockchain that represent unique ownership of digital art, videos or even tweets - have also exploded in the mainstream. A digital collage by U.S. artist Beeple sold for nearly $70 million at Christie's in May, making it one of the top three most expensive pieces by a living artist ever sold at auction. (Graphic: Peaks and troughs: Bitcoin's 2021 rollercoaster, https://graphics.reuters.com/FINANCE-YEARENDER/zjpqkyzaepx/chart_eikon.jpg) 10/GREEN DREAM The dream to go green has remained front and centre this year. Green bond issuance is set for yet another record year, at nearly half a trillion dollars. The "ESG" version of MSCI's flagship world stocks index is up more than 2 percentage points than the standard version while China's most environmentally friendly stocks index has surged more than 45% even as other sectors there have crumpled. (Additional reporting by Yoruk Bahceli in Amsterdam, Noel Randewich in San Francisco and Tom Wilson and Elizabeth Howcroft in London; Editing by Dan Grebler) View comments || Unreleased Whitney Houston track to be auctioned as NFT via Quincy Jones platform: Whitney Houston uber fans, rejoice— there’s a new way to own a part of the singing legend’s legacy. A never-before-heard song recorded by Houston when she was just 17 is being auctioned off as part of a non fungible token (NFT) collection, which is being released on the Quincy Jones-backed NFT platform OneOf. It’s the latest in the booming digital trend, which isreshaping the economics of the music industry. Bidding on the song begins on December 1 through OneOf, during Art Basel in Miami. The winner of the auction will be the only person to have access to the recording along with a one-of-a-kind video NFT. “It turns out there was a real unreleased song, and not only that, a really good one,” Adam Fell, co-founder of OneOf and president of Quincy Jones Productions, told Yahoo Finance in an interview. “This is a celebration of Whitney Houston that’s important to Quincy Jones.” The 27-time Grammy award winning record producer for legendary artists from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson met Houston when she was 16 years old — after being introduced by Motown songwriters Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. Just prior to that, Jones worked with the duo on thefilm “The Wiz,” the 1978 projectwhere he first worked with Michael Jackson. A year later, Houston recorded the unreleased song at the tender age of 17. The drop includes more than just the new recording, and will be tiered. The collection includes digital artwork and video NFTs using rarely-seen archival photos from Houston's early life and career. OneOf is offering a pre-sale limited edition of 300 tokens Wednesday, November 17 as part of the Whitney collection for $17 — symbolizing Houston’s age at the time of the recording. Artist Diana Sinclair who designed the NFTs and shares Houston’s values, is also 17 years old. You’re creating an entirely new category that stands on its own and you are giving the fans something collectible like a baseball card that has value.Adam Fell, co-founder OneOf OneOf is the brainchild of Fell, blockchain technology executive Lin Dai, and Joshua James, who created a company called Zig Media often referred to as the “Instagram of news” for distilling information into video and photos. The trio wanted to make buying NFTs of various artists eco friendly, easy and accessible to everyone. Big name artists to emerging artists will be spotlighted on the platform. Built on the Tezos (XTZ-USD) blockchain, minting a NFT on OneOf's platform uses two million times less energy than other proof-of-work networks. That means minting an NFT on OneOf takes about the same amount of electricity as one Twitter post, whereas minting an NFT on a “proof-of-work” platform uses the amount of electricity of the average U.S. household over a period of 5.3 days. Lower energy prices allow the platform to offer NFTs at lower prices than other platforms. “Minting and gas costs on etherium can range from $75-$150,” Fell explained. “If you’re spending $100 to mint your NFT you’re not going to sell it for less than a couple hundred bucks because you need margin. Does the average fan have a couple $100 to spend on an NFT? Probably not,” he added. OneOf accepts Bitcoin (BTC-USD), Ethereum (ETH-USD) and tezos for purchase, but you don’t have to use cryptocurrency, or have a crypto wallet to purchase an NFT on this platform — you can use a credit card. “We wanted it to be very simple,” Fell stated. “The average music fan might not hold crypto. We wanted a teenage music fan to be able to come on to our platform and spend no more than three minutes to buy his or her first NFT without realizing they were in the crypto space.” With decades of experience in the music industry and foresight to understand trends in music, Jones and Fell were early adopters of Spotify – investing in 2010. They also saw the ability of that technology to eviscerate piracy. And when the opportunity to create an eco friendly NFT music platform arose it was a no brainer. “It’s not like Quincy hasn’t been on the forefront of technology and this is no different,” Fell told Yahoo Finance. The Houston NFT release comes as the market for NFTs are unearthing new revenue streams for the music industry, and providing opportunities for new ownership of songs by bidders and fans. Fell said that NFTs are revolutionizing the way artists can finance their music careers. Traditionally, artists have had to seek out a record deal or publishing deal to get capital to record songs in a professional studio or make professional videos. While crowdfunding platforms gave artists the opportunity to raise some funds to help finance their production costs for making songs and promoting themselves, NFTs are the next frontier. Some artists may use NFTs to avoid signing a record deal all together. Others will use them to raise capital to postpone signing with a label so that when they do the record deal they’re able to negotiate a better deal. “For the artist who’s trying to have their career take off it’s empowering. I see it as a win for everyone,” Fell stated. NFTs also offer labels a new revenue stream, he said. Labels are planning to use NFTs to help the artists they work with by offering more opportunities to monetize an artist’s merchandise, while also creating more buzz and interaction with fans through special token offerings, including around concerts. “You’re creating an entirely new category that stands on its own and you are giving the fans something collectible like a baseball card that has value,” Fell stated. “That is game changing. It’s the ability to start your career in the music industry.” Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Read the latest cryptocurrency and bitcoin news from Yahoo Finance Follow Yahoo Finance onTwitter,Instagram,YouTube,Facebook,Flipboard, andLinkedIn || 7 Meme Cryptos to Buy for Gamblers Tired of the Stock Market: Although the equities sector has provided incredible gains for those contrarians who bought during the doldrums of 2020, the market also may be stretched. In that case, shifting funds over into cryptocurrencies might make sense. But here too, several major digital assets have soared to incredible and in some cases unprecedented heights. That fact leaves many potential modern gamblers seeking answers as to which meme cryptos to buy. Now, let me be clear about the last point. I mention that meme cryptos to buy — or those assets that have meme-ish qualities — are dangerous not to disparage the action. You just got to look at the situation from my perspective. I don’t want to be the guy recommending a risky investment, only for the less well versed to suffer devastating consequences. I care about my readers managing their risks and understanding their investments. Especially with speculative cryptos to buy, you’ve got to do your homework. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips That said, as the stock market continues to reach toward ever higher record valuations, the math for meme cryptos to buy starts to be more intriguing. As major benchmark indices rise, the law of large numbers kicks in. Put simply, you need more energy to lift a heavier object. On the other hand, speculative digital assets benefit from the law of small numbers: it doesn’t take much to swing the needle. Again, let’s be careful. The law of small numbers does not guarantee that meme cryptos to buy will be profitable. While something fundamentally inconsequential as an unsubstantiated rumor can skyrocket valuations, a similar non-event could send less-established digital assets cratering back down to earth. It’s truly a live-by-the-sword, die-by-the-sword arena. Nevertheless, with popular meme stocks — you know which ones they are — printing disappointing consolidation patterns, it’s possible that more money will filter into riskier virtual currencies and tokens. If so, here are the cryptos to buy: • Shiba Inu(CCC:SHIB-USD) • Dogecoin(CCC:DOGE-USD) • Taboo Token(CCC:TABOO-USD) • Axienomics(CCC:AXIN-USD) • Kodi(CCC:KODI-USD) • Ariva(CCC:ARV-USD) • Kitty Inu(CCC:KITTY-USD) Let me lawyer up by declaring clearly that when I say cryptos to buy, I’m cynically using a rhetorical device in the aim of catching the eye of Google algorithms. Never buy any of the above cryptos — or any digital asset period — without having conducted extensive due diligence. And when you’ve finished your due diligence, do it again. Seriously. Source: Shutterstock Are you tired of reading Shiba Inu content? No? Well, good because I’m not tired of writing about Shiba Inu. I’m not saying that as a threat. Rather, I’ve been tasked to write non-stop about this most popular of meme cryptos to buy and I never back down from a worthy challenge. As you might be aware from my earlier articles about the topic, I wasn’t a big fan of SHIB. Honestly, when you work hard for your money, you don’t want to just throw your funds — even if they’re earmarked for speculation — toward any junk asset. Without acohesive ethosbehind Shiba Inu tokens (other than the obvious), I didn’t see the point. However, that might be the charm. As you’ll soon see in an article I wrote forInvestorPlace, SHIB’s extreme riskiness is ironically the organic calling card for prospective traders to not get themselves in over their heads. Put another way, because SHIB is so dangerous, it makes people come to their senses. Therefore, Shiba Inu is a play on the greater fool theory. If you’re okay with that, then trade away. Source: Wollertz / Shutterstock The one that started it all — at least I think it did — Dogecoin initially entered the decentralized arena as a joke. And while people were laughing at the coin (including fortuitous holders like yours truly), this year certainly shut critics up. Still, aKiplingerarticle warned that those just learning about the “opportunity”shouldn’t make themselves the punchline. Frankly, for the longest time that was my argument and in spirit, it remains the case. Nevertheless, even theWall Street Journal— which of course is not in the business of supporting frivolous trades —admitted to Dogecoin’s resilience. Thanks to strong celebrity backing fueling an already ravenous community, DOGE took on a life of its own. So, is the canine-inspired meme one of the cryptos to buy for the speculative side of your digital portfolio? It very well could be under a narrow context. As established leaderBitcoin(CCC:BTC-USD) climbs further into the stratosphere, BTC investors take on greater risk for limited rewards. In Dogecoin’s case, speculators are indeed absorbing substantial risk but in exchange for robust profitability potential. Source: BabLab / Shutterstock.com Taboo Token is apparently one of the hottest digital assets among meme cryptos to buy. Given its name, I imagined that the asset was tied to the seedy side of the decentralized market. If that’s what you were looking for, you will not be disappointed. I’m not going to go into the gory details to keep this discussion above the board. However, perCoinMarketCap, Taboo is a non-fungible token (NFT) and streaming media project with aspecialty in the fabric-free industry. And while decentralized protocols brag about their frictionless transactions, Taboo Token incorporates friction-based transactions, if you know what I mean. The core reason why you may want to leave a deposit in Taboo is the prevalence of “questionable” content on the internet. To be fair,statistical data on the topic varies depending on the source. However, I think it’s safe to say that there’s very easy access to the stuff. So, demand in a cynical sense will theoretically be robust so long as humans exist. That basic thesis alone shouldn’t be the reason why you buy TABOO, but the choice is yours. Source: Shutterstock Another one of the top-trending cryptos to buy that flashed at the time of this writing, Axieonomics seems to provide an intriguing narrative, although how workable it will be is a massive question mark. Still,CoinMarketCapdescribes AXIN as follows: “Axienomics is anelastic supply token designed with holders in mind, with an ever-increasing price. Holders are vastly rewarded as the smart contract is hard coded to increase the price. Different than just a normal pegged token/stable coin rebases make price-elastic tokens into synthetic commodities with fluctuating values and supplies that gradually stabilize. Ultimately, rebases are designed to be tradable and potentially extremely profitable.” Now, you might be wondering how elastic coins differ from stablecoins. Well, stablecoins are pegged to the U.S. dollar while elastic coins “aim for a target pricethrough a time-varying token supply.” Thus, assets like AXIN seem to imply that they rebalance to intrinsically establish their value. As I said, it’s an intriguing concept. However, Axienomics and others like it are highly experimental. It’s not my cup of tea, but if you want to throw some coffee-break money here, you could. Source: Shutterstock Another one of the meme-inspired cryptos to buy, Kodi has really caught on. In the past seven days, KODI tokens have gained nearly 700%. Yes, we often use exaggerative terms to describe the volatility of virtual assets but that is a very impressive gain. As with so many of these meme cryptos to buy, this research is the first time I’m hearing about many of these assets, including Kodi. Considering that there are well over 13,000 coins and tokens today, I can’t possibly know them all. To shortcut, here’sCoinMarketCap’s explanation: “Kodi provides its users with the first ever crypto based Entertainment Network. Parallel to this, Kodi is operating a one stop shop Advertisement/Marketing Agency known as ‘PITCH’, which will function as a subsidiary company. Both entities will encompass a use case that will directly benefit $KODI holders.” Before you laugh off Kodi, keep in mind that the blockchain in media, advertising, and entertainment industry reached avaluation of nearly $167 million in 2020. By 2026, experts project the sector to hit nearly $4.4 billion. Source: Shutterstock When internet-based bookings took off, travel agents must have surely felt the pressure starting to creep up around their necks. With easy access to flights and hotels, anybody could log in and cut out the middleman. To be sure, the occupation’s numbers have gone down dramatically,yet it’s not quite dead. In fact, it’s rather robust considering the circumstances. However, it appears that Ariva, a new decentralized travel-industry project, would like to finish what the internet started. “ARV has beenproduced for active use in global and local tourismand travel networks in the near future. Project is a worldwide B2C travel & tourism network where members can meet with global and local tourism service providers in the light of previous travelers’ experiences and shares, make bookings with Cryptocurrency and earn crypto money from both their reservations and valuable content sharing.” It’s almost as if dedicated travel agents can’t get a break. With Ariva, not only is the middleman cut out, its blockchain architecture allow for travel agency services to be distributed publicly, allowing for each participant to earn a cut. Now, I’m not sure how successful this project will be, but my goodness is it creative. Source: Iness_la_luz / Shutterstock.com Among the various projects undergirding cryptos to buy, a common theme that arises is democratization. In other words, by deleveraging the power of economics away from central banks and government agencies and to the people, the blockchain as a broad concept can help promote social equity. If you want my opinion, I think this is libertarian madness at its absolute peak. Nevertheless, as a microcosm, risky cryptos to buy are indeed democratic and inclusive. Why should the dogs have all the fun when cats are equally deserving of attention in the digital asset space? Thus, we have the ironically labeled Kitty Inu. What is Kitty Inu, you ask? The heck if I know, so I’ll shamelessly quoteCoinMarketCaponce again: “Inspired by the rise of Shiba Inu and Floki Inu, Kitty Inu is an ERC-20 Cryptocurrency joining the cryptoverse to teach an old doge some new tricks! Kitty’s mission is tobuild one of the best and biggest crypto communitiesin the world backed by one of the best teams in Defi. Part Kitty, Part Inu, Kitty Inu will woof and meow its way to the moon.” Folks, KITTY is simply a play on the greater fool theory. You buy it hoping that some poor chump will buy at a higher price before the token implodes. On the date of publication, Josh Enomotoheld a LONG position in DOGE and BTC.The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines. A former senior business analyst for Sony Electronics, Josh Enomoto has helped broker major contracts with Fortune Global 500 companies. Over the past several years, he has delivered unique, critical insights for the investment markets, as well as various other industries including legal, construction management, and healthcare. • Stock Prodigy Who Found NIO at $2… Says Buy THIS Now • Analyst Who Found Microsoft at $0.38 Names #1 Pick for the AI Boom • America’s #1 EV Stock Still Flying Under the Radar The post7 Meme Cryptos to Buy for Gamblers Tired of the Stock Marketappeared first onInvestorPlace. || Crypto.com Becomes First Crypto Firm To Sponsor a Women Sports Team: The cryptocurrency mania has taken the professional women’s sports as Crypto.com , a major crypto exchange, has announced that it became Angel City FC’s (ACFC) exclusive partner to support financial education and independence for players and fans. Angel City FC’s founders include Natalie Portman, Alexis Ohanian, Serena Williams, Jennifer Garner, Eva Longoria, Casey Neistat, and like 15 former members of the female US National soccer team. With the announcement, Crypto.com sets the ground to become the team’s crypto and NFT founding partner. Building Web3 The partnership will have a focus on community engagement, financial equity, and social impact initiatives, Crypto.com commented in the press release shared with FXEmpire. Moreover, Kris Marszalek, co-founder and CEO of Crypto.com, pointed out that ACFC’s deal seeks to build the future of the internet, which is the Web3. Alexis Ohanian, Seven Seven Six Founder and ACFC’s Leading Founding Investor, commented: “Since day one Angel City has committed to being a leader in women’s football by promoting innovation that propels the game forward. This thinking has driven our decision-making – from our community outreach efforts to our partnerships, down to the personnel we’ve hired – we continue to deliver on that promise daily. As an early adopter of crypto myself, today I’m proud that Angel City continues to lead the way as the first women’s professional sports team to partner directly with a major crypto platform. This partnership is a turning point for women’s sports and signifies the growing recognition of the power and influence they wield.” Crypto.com Recent Deals Recently, Crypto.com partnered with Silvergate, the leading provider of innovative financial infrastructure solutions to the digital currency industry. The companies have introduced USD deposits and withdrawals to their institutional clients. Silvergate is a Federal Reserve member bank and one of the top providers of innovative financial infrastructure solutions and services for the growing cryptocurrency industry . Story continues This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Gold Price Forecast – Gold Markets Give Up Initial Gains USD/CAD Daily Forecast – Canadian Dollar Rebounds After Two-Day Sell-Off Bitcoin and Ether Spike Higher Amid Profit Taking, LUNA Enters Top 10 Crude Oil Price Forecast – Crude Oil Markets Recover Slightly Natural Gas Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Traders Waiting to See Which Way Canadian Cold Moves S&P 500 Price Forecast – Stock Market Hanging Just Below 50 Day EMA || Silver Price Daily Forecast – Silver Remains Stuck Near $22.60: Silvercontinues its attempts to settle above the resistance level at $22.60 while U.S. dollar is under pressure against a broad basket of currencies. Meanwhile,iShares Silver Trustmade an attempt to get above the $21 level. The U.S. Dollar Index has recently managed to settle below 96.50 and is trying to settle below the next support level at 96.25. In case this attempt is successful, the U.S. Dollar Index will move towards the next support level at 96 which will be bullish for silver and gold price today. Goldremains stuck in a very tight range between $1785 and the resistance at the 50 EMA at $1795 whileSPDR Gold Trustis trying to get below the 20 EMA at $167.30. If gold declines below $1785, it will move towards the support level at $1775 which will be bearish for silver. Gold/silver ratio settled below 79.50 and is trying to settle below the 20 EMA at 79.05. In case gold/silver ratio manages to settle below this level, it will gain additional downside momentum which will be bullish for silver. Silver continues to test the major resistance level at $22.60. If silver manages to settle above this level, it will get to the test of the next resistance which is located at $22.75. A move above the resistance at $22.75 will push silver towards the resistance level at $22.90. In case silver settles above this level, it will head towards the next resistance which is located near the 50 EMA at $23.20. On the support side, silver needs to settle below the support level at $22.30 to have a chance to develop downside momentum in the near term. RSI remains in the moderate territory, so there is plenty of room to gain additional downside momentum in case the right catalysts emerge. If silver gets below this level, it will head towards the support at $22.10. A successful test of the support at $22.10 will push silver towards the next support at $21.90. For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out oureconomic calendar. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Payroll Provider Paychex Stock Soared to a Record After Q2 Earnings Beat, Revised Outlook • GBP/JPY Price Forecast – British Pound Reaching Towards 50 Day EMA • USD/JPY Price Forecast – US Dollar Grinding Higher • GBP/USD Price Forecast – British Pound Reaches Top of Consolidation Range • Pro-Communist Party News Outlet to Launch an NFT Collection Despite China’s Crypto Stance • Bitcoin Mining Profitability Falling with More Drops to Come, Says Arcane || Why Arista Networks Shares Are Rising: Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE: ANET ) shares are trading higher after the company reported better-than-expected third-quarter earnings per share and sales results and issued fourth-quarter sales guidance above analyst estimates. The company expects fourth-quarter sales in the range of $775 million and $795 million which is above analyst estimates of $754.06 million. Arista Networks reported quarterly earnings of $2.96 per share which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $2.73 and sales of $748.70 million which beat the analyst consensus estimate of $737.94 million. View more earnings on ANET The company also announced a four-for-one stock split, effective on or about November 18, 2021. Arista Networks, Inc. develops, markets, and sells cloud networking solutions in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific. Arista Networks shares were trading about 21% higher at $494.81 per share on Tuesday at the time of publication. The stock set a new 52-week high of $525 and has a 52-week low of $239.24. See more from Benzinga Click here for options trades from Benzinga Why Avis Budget Shares Are Rising Why Bitcoin-Related And Ethereum-Related Stocks Are Rising © 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: down || Prices: 47686.81, 47345.22, 46458.12, 45897.57, 43569.00, 43160.93, 41557.90, 41733.94, 41911.60, 41821.26
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2015-12-23] BTC Price: 442.40, BTC RSI: 61.06 Gold Price: 1069.40, Gold RSI: 46.62 Oil Price: 37.50, Oil RSI: 45.21 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Meet Pine A64, a 64-bit quad-core supercomputer that costs just $15: As recently as a few short years ago, the notion of a fully functional “supercomputer” the size of a smartphone would have been thought ridiculous. And even if such a device did exist, it would have undoubtedly been priced well out of the reach of most users. Fast-forward to 2015 and we’ve seen incredible progress made in the single-board computer space. There is a full-fledged Windows 10 PC called the Kangaroo that’s the size of a phablet and costs just $99, and of course the Raspberry Pi was introduced at a shockingly low price point. Now, the company behind the Raspberry Pi pushed boundaries even further with the $5 Raspberry Pi Zero . But Raspberry Pi products aren’t as much about power as they are about breaking down barriers for entrepreneurs and engineers. This left an opening in the market for a new type of ultra-low cost computer that takes the spirit of the Raspberry Pi and injects it with a shot of adrenaline. Beginning today, a new single-board computer called Pine A64 will look to answer the call. MUST SEE: Remarkable new sensor chip pulls power out of the air so it never needs to be charged The new Pine A64 is a tiny little computer with great big ambitions. The expandable single-board device runs either Linux or Android and features impressive specs that outshine comparable products by a substantial margin. Highlights include a 1.2GHz quad-core ARM processor, a Mali 400 MP2 GPU, 512MB of DDR3 RAM, a microSDXC slot and support for 4K ultra high-definition video. More specs follow below. 64 Bit Quad Core ARM Cortex A53 1.2 Ghz CPU Dual core Mali 400 MP2 GPU 512MB DDR3 SDRAM MicroSD slot supports up to 256GB expansion 10/100 Mb Ethernet port (2) USB 2.0 hosts 4K high-definition video playback 4K x 2K HDMI port and multi-channel audio output Bluetooth 4.0 with 802.11BGN connectivity optional 3.5mm Stereo Output mini-jack with microphone support Built-in 3.7V Lithium Battery Charging Circuit Hardware security enables trustzone security system, Digital Rights Management (DRM), information encryption/decryption, secure boot, secure JTAG and secure efuse Story continues An upgraded Pine A64+ version bumps the device up to 1GB of DDR3 RAM and adds a 5-megapixel camera port, a MIPI video port and a touch panel port. “PINE64 set out to create a simple, smart and affordable computer that gives people access toward making their next big idea come to life,” PINE64 co-founder Johnson Jeng said. “We provide a powerful 64 Bit Quad Core single-board computer at an exceptional price and remain compatible with multiple open source software platforms to build a community of creativity and innovation.” Now, for the bad news — though it’s not as bad as similar announcements have been. The Pine A64 and Pine A64+ are part of a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, so you can’t actually purchase one right now. The good news, however, is that the campaign has a low finding goal of $31,416 that will undoubtedly be reached quickly. Better yet, both Pine models are ready for primetime and they will begin shipping to backers in about two months. Not in six months and not in a year, but in February. Pine A64 costs just $15 while the upgraded Pine A64+ model costs $19. More information can be found on the company’s Kickstarter page , and a video featuring Apple employee No. 12 Daniel Kottke is embedded below along with a spec grid that compares the Pine A64 and A64+ to the Raspberry Pi-2B and Pi-1A+. Related stories Verizon exec in charge of FiOS TV confesses that she cut the cord Bitcoin creator revealed to be Australian genius Craig Wright; subsequently has house raided by police 12 Days of Amazon Deals: Half off a 14-inch Core i5 laptop More from BGR: Apple’s secrets: How Apple’s legal fight with Samsung revealed a gold mine of top-secret information This article was originally published on BGR.com || Bitcoin Investor, Taking Things to a New Level: Bitcoin Exchange Offices to Be Opened in 6 Countries: WILMINGTON, DE--(Marketwired - November 01, 2015) -Digital currency markets, especially those of Bitcoin, continue to be surrounded by a lot of hype these days and while some skeptics claim that Bitcoin will always remain the currency of the future, without ever embodying that so much expected future, the tech industry businessmen who take the enthusiast side are putting money down on the table to invest in Bitcoin and the development of the opportunity they see attached. Miners Center Inc., a Delaware based cryptocurrency trading company, has taken bold action in the direction of digital currency, as they do not only see it being in a sweet spot, but they also believe it will deliver according to Bitcoin believers' expectations in the near future. Since it has been established in 2014, the company has been buying large amounts of Bitcoin, at higher market price, in order to achieve their targeted volumes for what is boldly outlined within their business plan as the next step. By the end of Q4, Miners Center will have opened ten small Bitcoin exchange offices throughout the globe: three of them in the USA, two in Canada, two in Australia, one in the UK, one in Germany and one in Hungary. Although the company has planned everything in detail, specific information related to the exact location of the exchange offices and their operational means will be revealed at their actual launching, which will be handled by the company with proper PR and marketing exposure. However, besides the news of taking things further with Bitcoin, Miners Center does state that the rates policy within the physical exchange offices will not bring over-the-market-price revenues to its clients, as the company's actual customers have been accustomed up to this point. The current 10% higher-than-the-market-price rate for Bitcoin purchase offered by Miners Center via their official web-site (www.minerscenter.com) has taken so far the shape of a different business unit within the company, governed by a targeted volume-buying strategy and both the exclusively buyer orientation and hot offer itself, will be discontinued as soon as the company reaches enough Bitcoin resources to start operating what was intended as their core business in the first place. Miners Center state that they are very close to reaching the desired purchase volumes and such turn is expected in the near future. The CEO of Miners Center, Emilian Tourey, an enthusiast, true believer and an advocate of the Bitcoin currency claims that he's proud of having seen the opportunity and having invested his money into something he strongly believes will bring both a substantial return of investment and a tremendous personal satisfaction for being among the first who's supported building up an alternative to the current financial system. "I am not naive, nor am I a dreamer. I am business man and I do see the flaws attached to Bitcoin, together with the security issues and I also hear the skeptics' arguments. However, I also see the need of more and more people for an alternative to what is now the mainstream financial system. Businesses involved with Bitcoin now need to understand that in order to gain exposure to a larger public, we have to make Bitcoin easily understandable and available to a broader audience and in order to do that, we have to use some of the traditional ways, but without pushing them too far and aiming to become the new bankers at the table. This is one of the major challenges I see for Bitcoin to achieve a widespread adoption, together with the legal legitimacy and a fair, non-opposing regulations," states Tourey. Taking the Bitcoin deal from exclusively online to the physical, traditional exchange office may be indeed considered the cornerstone of creating the alternative system Tourey aims at. More information about Miners Center Inc. may be found at their official web-site:www.minerscenter.com || SEC Targets Connecticut Bitcoin Companies: The Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday charged two Connecticut-based Bitcoin mining companies and their founder with running a Ponzi scheme that defrauds investors. Homero Joshua Garza allegedly committed the fraud through two companies, one called GAW Miners and the other ZenMiner, by purporting to offer shares of a digital Bitcoin mining operation, according to the SEC’s complaint filed in federal court in Connecticut. The complaint describes “mining” for Bitcoin or other virtual currencies as applying computer power “to try to solve complex equations that verify a group of transactions in that virtual currency.” The first computer or collection of computers to solve an equation is awarded new units of that virtual currency. Garza allegedly lied to investors about his companies’ ability to mine for Bitcoin. In a statement, the SEC said GAW Miners and ZenMiner in fact didn’t own enough computing power for the mining they promised to conduct, “so most investors paid for a share of computing power that never existed.” In classic Ponzi scheme form, returns paid to some investors came from proceeds generated from sales to other investors, according to the SEC. “As alleged in our complaint, Garza and his companies cloaked their scheme in technological sophistication and jargon, but the fraud was simple at its core: they sold what they did not own, misrepresented what they were selling, and robbed one investor to pay another,” said Paul G. Levenson, director of the SEC’s Boston Regional Office. The SEC’s complaint charges that from August 2014 to December 2014, Garza and his companies sold $20 million worth of purported shares in a digital mining contract they called a Hashlet. Investors were misled to believe they would share in returns earned by the Bitcoin mining activities when in reality Garza’s companies “directed little or no computing power toward any mining activity,” according to the SEC. Garza and his companies allegedly sold far more computing power than they actually owned and paid out daily returns collected from other investors rather than from currency derived from “mining” for currencies. Most Hashlet investors never recovered the full amount of their investments, and few made a profit, the SEC said. Related Articles Wall Street Flat as Investors Await Yellen Speech Oil Falls on Rising U.S. Stockpiles The 10 Biggest Strikes in American History || Consumer growth lagging as mobile payments battle rages on: The battle over the future of consumer payments raged on at the Money 20/20 conference in Las Vegas this week, just without consumers, most of whom seem quite content to keep swiping their credit cards or handing over cash instead of adopting the latest in mobile payment technology. JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ) announced that it would offer its own smartphone-based payments service to compete head on with Apple ( AAPL ), Google ( GOOGL ), Samsung and others. Scheduled to arrive in the middle of next year, Chase Pay will be available for all 94 million of the bank's credit and debit card customers. And Chase has signed on a huge array of retailers -- from Walmart ( WMT ) to CVS Health ( CVS ) and Target ( TGT ) — that haven't supported other programs. Samsung said 14 more banks had joined its payments service including Chase, SunTrust Banks ( STI ) and PNC Financial Services ( PNC ). It didn't disclose how many U.S. customers had signed up for the service in its first month but said participating consumers made an average of eight transactions. The company said three out of four transactions used Samsung's unique magnetic secure transmission, or MST, technology, which works at almost any checkout terminal by mimicking an ordinary credit card swipe. "We are seeing early signs of customer adoption and we are very, very encouraged by that," Thomas Ko, general manager of Samsung Pay, told the conference on Wednesday. Apple didn't speak at the conference. Meanwhile, Sridhar Ramaswamy, senior vice president at Google overseeing Android Pay, offered few details on the early performance of that service, revealing only that "millions" of users have signed up for Android Pay since the program launched Sept. 10. When it comes to convenince, cash and credit rule Despite all the talk of mobile payments, consumers are still sticking with their more traditional forms of payment. Two thirds of consumers used cash on a daily basis, 59% used a debit card and 50% used a credit card, according to a survey by Accenture. Only 8% said they used Apple Pay or Google Pay, the prior name of Android Pay, "regularly," while 16% said they used PayPal. Story continues Less than 1% of transactions used Apple Pay at American Eagle Outfitters ( AEO ), an early Apple supporter, Joe Megibow, American Eagle's chief digital officer, revealed on Monday. The reasons are fairly obvious — cash and credit cards are quick and convenient ways to pay that are accepted almost everywhere. Some mobile payments systems work only at a small fraction of all stores, others work with only certain credit cards and none are as convenient as a traditional credit card yet. "We're still plagued by how is this really different in the end from plastic," Greg Weed, director of research at Phoenix Marketing, said. Asked what they'd like to see added to mobile payments services, 64% of consumers said they want to be able to redeem loyalty or rewards program points at the time of purchase, Weed said. And 52% said they wanted the ability to view discounts and deals while at a specific store. All of the announced services have pledged to include loyalty and rewards programs but very few have been offered so far. Consumers are "looking for something beyond the digitization of the swipe," Brian Mooney, CEO of the Merchant Customer Exchange, said. The three year old group, formed by leading retailers, is piloting its own payments app, called CurrentC, which intends to integrate loyalty and rewards programs. Mooney didn't say when the long-delayed service would be generally available but the group is also partnering with Chase's new service. The evolution of Bitcoin Amid all the excitement around digital payments, there was still plenty of talk about the financial world's favorite cryptocurrency, bitcoin. But unlike past years, entrepreneurs are now focused less on bitcoin as a replacement for buying and selling goods and more on the digital currency's infrastructure for securely recording all kinds of dealings. Every bitcoin transaction is recorded in a public ledger known as the blockchain. Nasdaq ( NDAQ ) announced that its pilot using the blockchain to record private stock transactions was a success . The exchange said it had signed up six clients, including messaging service Tango and data security specialist Vera, to use the transaction system as the basis for actual private trades in their shares. Some entrepreneurs are looking to add considerably more transactions onto the block chain, particularly the trillions of dollars per day of trades in public stocks and bonds. The current system makes traders wait three days for transactions to formally settle, but some at the Money conference said a blockchain-based solution could complete deals in a fraction of the time and with improved security and transparency. Three day settlement is "silly, it's downright dumb," famed venture capitalist Vinod Kholsa, who has backed numerous financial technology and bitcoin related start ups, said. || DAN LOEB: These 5 fears have 'overwhelmed' the market: Dan Loeb (Reuters / Steve Markus) Daniel Loeb, founder and CEO of Third Point. Activist investor Daniel Loeb, the founder of Third Point, laid out five fears that have "overwhelmed" the market in his third-quarter investor letter: "A weakening China, where the new question is not whether but how severe the slowdown of the world's foremost growth machine will be. In August, we saw for the first time the limits of the Chinese government's ability to manipulate the economy as animal spirits triumphed over central planning. While the situation has stabilized somewhat since, the downside scenario for China seems more intimidating than ever before; "Janet Yellen may have inadvertently checked herself and the Fed into the Hotel California. It is increasingly difficult to see how the Fed can justify raising rates in 2015, particularly considering recent employment weakness in the U.S. (an unwelcome surprise) and similar softness in manufacturing figures. Unlike the concerns that weighed on the Committee earlier in the year — that a rate hike might damage the fragile environment outside of the U.S. — recent data undermining consensus U.S. growth assumptions requires different analysis. If the U.S. consumer is weaker than had previously been believed, the Fed needs to be careful not to push the world into a recession. Ms. Yellen cannot afford to get this wrong; "With 2016 looming on the horizon, market participants see some inexperienced, unserious candidates leading on the GOP side and economically unfriendly Democrats on the other. Republicans in the House are now also deeply divided and relying on Paul Ryan's leadership to pull them back from the brink. None of this increases market confidence; "The Middle East is in shambles; a situation spilling over increasingly into Europe with potentially far-reaching consequences for both regions; "Investors feel there is no longer a monetary safety net, as a tidal shift in fund flows from central banks has removed the 'Fed put', creating headwinds instead of tailwinds." Story continues Third Point fell 8.9% in the third quarter, while the S&P 500 fell 6.4%. Third Point was down 4.5% for the first nine months of the year, while the S&P fell 5.3% in that same period. As a group, activist investors — who take large positions in companies and agitate for shareholder-friendly changes — were among the most publicized losers in the third quarter, according to performance data from HSBC. Names such as Greenlight Capital, Glenview Capital, Pershing Square, and Marcato got bruised, according to HSBC. In the letter, dated October 30, Loeb noted that short selling has become more attractive. He currently has more single short names than longs in his portfolio. He still has significant positions in the fund's "highest conviction, event-rich names." "The conviction to keep and add to our core healthcare names during the sell-off enabled us to re-establish ourselves on positive footing this month," he wrote. NOW WATCH: Everyday phrases that even smart people say incorrectly More From Business Insider Bitcoin hit a new high for 2015 Wall Street is going to listen in to Bill Ackman defend his Valeant investment Valeant's largest shareholder: 'It hurts' || Trading Bitcoin Binary Options: Bitcoin. This may be something you wish you knew more about. You may have heard about trading Bitcoin and wondered how you could do it. It may seem unreal since it does not involve anything tangible. A visit to the web page informs the visitor, “Bitcoin is an innovative payment network and a new kind of money.” It further notifies the public, “Bitcoin uses peer-to-peer technology to operate with no central authority or banks; managing transactions and the issuing of bitcoins is carried out collectively by the network. Bitcoin is open-source; its design is public, nobody owns or controls Bitcoin and everyone can take part. Through many of its unique properties, Bitcoin allows exciting uses that could not be covered by any previous payment system.” Bitcoin was invented in 2008. In early 2010, each Bitcoin was worth only $0.04. Just last week, on October 29, it was reported that Bitcoin was trading above $314, near the highest since December 2014. This rise in price was thought to be related to the Fed statement that had been released the day before, but also strongly tied to China easing which appears to go straight to Bitcoin. Today, reported Bitcoin trading at more than $410, a price jump of more than 70 percent in one month. According to an article on , after the price jump, there was a massive sell off causing the digital currency to drop by nearly $50. This article attributes the volatility to the influx of new Chinese buyers who have caused this surge “in order to bypass China’s tightened capital controls.” As you can see from the news reports above, Bitcoin can be insanely volatile. It can move 40 percent in one day. In checking current charts, Bitcoin has rebounded and is currently trading around $470. In order to illustrate different ways Bitcoin can be traded, let’s look at how Bitcoin was trading on October 29. Look at the chart below. To view a larger image, click HERE. This is a Nadex Bitcoin daily chart, which can be accessed from their trading platform. You can see that Bitcoin has surged up through 314. There was some long-term resistance at 314. The market had tested that level in January, February, June and July before breaking through on October 29. When this happens, you can usually expect that it will meet a little more resistance and then pullback. There are a couple of different ways you can play this. You could expect it to expire below the high of the day at 319. If so, you could check out available strikes that you could sell. When you check for a contract, sometimes there may not be many contracts left, because of the surge in the market. Nadex offers bitcoin binary options with 21 strike prices for the 3:00 PM ET daily expiration, except on Fridays, which lists 15 strike levels. The interval width between each strike level is 1.5. The next image shows the different strike prices that were available at the time. When you look for the sell strike, you see that there is a 315.5 available for around $21. Choosing this trade would allow you to make a little bit of premium if you wanted to go short. To view a larger image, click HERE. If you believe the market will stay above 314, you can look at buying a contract. Again, checking the strike prices, there is one available at 314 for about 65, with the profit potential of $35. For October 29, it appears that 314 is the magic number, the resistance level right now. By knowing this information, you can have a better understanding of the expectations of the market. Here is another image taken a short time after the other image, which showed strike prices. You may notice that both the buy and sell prices have increased as has the indicative index. To view a larger image, click HERE. However, for this example, with the strike 314 at 70.75, it is $0.76 above the strike. There is a high expectation of the market staying above 314. Remember, the first chart was a daily chart. For a better analysis on either of these trades, it would be wise to look at a smaller time frame chart in order to see what you could actually do. When you look at a five-minute chart, it shows how the market popped up and then promptly turned around and went down. Here is a five-minute chart: To view a larger image, click HERE. Further analysis using the five-minute chart shows that if there was a shark in the waters and they wanted to push the market a little farther, it is possible they could have caused the big green bar that broke through the 314 resistance. The next green bars are other traders coming in thinking there is a big rally. Take note here, all of a sudden at the short red bar, they start getting rid of their trades. Next, they dump off the rest and everybody bails. This is how it usually goes in trading. This is how you learn to follow the sharks without getting eaten by them and staying out of their way. The sharks will go in, pump up the market and then sell it off. You get your one warning shot, the short red bar, and then BAM! It is over. With any trade, but especially one with high volatility, make sure that you define your risk when you trade. Risk management is essential to being a profitable trader. To further your trading education, visit , a service of Darrell Martin. See more from Benzinga • An Evening For A Scheduled News Trade With The USD/CHF • Reports Of The Aussies Employed And Unemployed Provide After Work Trade Opportunity For US • Record Highs Reported By Nadex For Three Consecutive Quarters © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Not in Your Grandma’s Wallet: Bitcoin Redefining Money: Will Bitcoin replace paper money? During an interview on the FOX Business Network’s Mornings With Maria ,Digital Currency Group CEO Barry Silbert, who’s considered the most active investor in Bitcoin companies, said: “[Bitcoin] it’s going to change the way that people send money, spend money -- even think about money. It’s kind of redefining what is money.” As an investor of companies in over 20 countries, he sees the most Bitcoin action in places where people use mobile devices for transactions. “We are seeing dramatic adoption in places like Kenya, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa -- places where people have mobile devices, but they don’t have bank accounts,” he said. He also discussed how regulation is impacting the digital currency. “[Regulators] are certainly paying attention… I used to think that regulation was Bitcoin’s biggest threat -- I actually think it’s the biggest opportunity now… Running a bank, operating a bank -- you cannot be innovative. You can’t think outside the box. You can’t do anything creative. Whereas you have hundreds of thousands of startups around the world that are looking to, again, kind of disintermediate… It is really going to eat banks alive.” With only $5B in market cap, Silbert believes Bitcoin’s technology is very valuable. “I’ll be the first to admit that Bitcoin as a digital currency is either going to be worth zero or it’s going to be worth a whole lot more money than it is today… it’s a very, very, risky investment. But this ecosystem is amazing that’s being built. There’s been a billion dollars in investment by venture capital in this industry so far.” He also discussed how the financial services industry will change in the next 5 to 10 years. “The definition of a bank is going to change. Banks are being disintermediated -- they are being attacked from every different angle… from startups, all the way up to different types of approaches, to finance like Bitcoin.” Number of Bitcoin Transactions | FindTheData Related Articles SEC Targets Connecticut Bitcoin Companies 3 Reasons Its Dumb to Take Social Security Benefits at 70 Oil Plunge Raises Fears of Societal Unrest || 10 things you need to know today: man on pig (https://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult Farmer Zhang Xianping with pig Big Precious during an interview with the media in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, China. Here is what you need to know. Volkswagen has another emissions scandal . The German automaker announced that an internal investigation had discovered "irregularities in CO2 levels" in as many as 800,000 vehicles. It is unclear whether the irregularities are related to the recently discovered emissions scandal related to nitrogen-oxide testing. " Under the ongoing review of all processes and workflows in connection with diesel engines it was established that the CO2 levels and thus the fuel consumption figures for some models were set too low during the CO2 certification process," Volkswagen said in a statement. "The majority of the vehicles concerned have diesel engines." Tesla is flying high after its latest outlook . Shares of Tesla were up 10% in after-hours trade after the company announced it expected to deliver 17,000 to 19,000 vehicles in the fourth quarter, outpacing the Wall Street consensus. For all of 2015, Tesla said it would deliver 50,000 to 52,000 vehicles, narrowing its range from its previous estimate of 50,000 to 55,000. On the earnings front, the electric-car maker lost $0.58 per share, which was slightly worse than the $0.56 loss that was anticipated. Revenue jumped 33.4% to $1.24 billion, in line with estimates. US auto sales are at the highest level in a decade . The latest Autodata showed US auto sales rose at an annualized pace of 18.24 million in October, the best in a decade. The number easily surpassed the Wall Street consensus of 17.7 million vehicles . Mazda (+35.4%) saw the biggest gains, while General Motors (+16%) and Ford (+13%) posted solid results. BMW USA (-6.6%) was the lone decliner. Honda is dumping Takata airbags . The AFP reports that Takata's largest client, Honda, has severed its relationship with the company after US authorities announced a $200 million fine against the airbag maker. Takata airbags have been linked to eight deaths and even more injuries around the world. "On a global basis, no new Honda and Acura models currently under development will be equipped with a front driver or passenger Takata airbag inflator," Honda said in a statement. Shares of Takata were down as much as 20% in Tokyo. Story continues Iceland raised rates . Iceland's central bank raised its benchmark interest rate 25 basis points to 5.75%. The central bank noted that domestic demand was expected to increase by more than 7% this year and that gross domestic product was forecast to grow at 4.6%. As for inflation, the central bank said: "It is still expected that large pay increases will cause inflation to rise above the target as 2016 progresses and the effects of low global inflation taper off. Inflation will not return to target until 2018." The Icelandic krona is weaker by 0.2% at 128.90 per dollar. European services data was strong . October Services PMI for the eurozone was released, and it showed that every country outpaced expectations except for Germany. Spain saw the biggest month-over-month increase, as its reading climbed from 54.6 in September to 55.9 in October and easily beat the 54.6 that was expected. Germany's number ticked up to 54.5 from 54.1 but missed the 55.2 that economists were expecting. The eurozone as a whole improved to 54.1 from 53.7. The euro is down 0.3% at 1.0935. Bitcoin has gone parabolic . On Tuesday, bitcoin rallied 10% to close just shy of the $400 mark. On Wednesday morning, bitcoin is up another 15% near $454. The digital currency has surged 89% since the beginning of October. Stock markets around the world are higher. China's Shanghai Composite (+4.3%) surged after the People's Bank of China released some dated comments from governor Zhou Xiaochuan. In Europe, Spain's IBEX (+1.2%) leads the gains. S&P 500 futures are higher by 2.75 points at 2,105.75. US economic data is moderate. ADP Employment Change is due out at 8:15 a.m. ET before the trade balance crosses the wires at 8:30 a.m. ET and ISM Services is released at 10 a.m. ET. Crude-oil inventories will be announced at 10:30 a.m. ET. The US 10-year yield is down 1 basis point at 2.20%. Earnings reporting remains heavy. 21st Century Fox, Allergan, CDW, Honda Motor, Michael Kors, and Time Warner highlight the names scheduled to release their quarterly results ahead of the opening bell. Facebook, Marathon Oil, MetLife, Prudential, Qualcomm, Sturm Ruger, and Whole Foods are among the companies reporting after markets close. NOW WATCH: Here's the Bill Cosby joke Eddie Murphy did at the Kennedy Center that everyone's talking about More From Business Insider 10 things you need to know today 10 things you need to know today 10 things you need to know today || The unofficial Goldman Sachs guide to New Year’s resolutions: (REUTERS/Keith Bedford)Workmen clean up confetti and garbage left from New Year celebrations in Times Square in New York January 1, 2013. Exercise. Read more. Save money. Travel. Those are the staple resolutions. But if it’s not that complicated, why are there so many fat, dumb, poor people who don’t even have passports? So, forget about all of the tired, regurgitated resolutions that you recycle unfulfilled year in and out. Here are twenty practical and realistic goals for 2016 that will fundamentally make your life better: • Return your hoverboard.You look likeajackassMartin Shkreli. • Write down your goals.Less than 10% of people fulfill their resolutions, but the ones who write them down have a much higher success rate. Take it a step further and make a list of what you want to accomplish each day, week, and month. Forget an app;go old school. • Turn off Netflix at midnight.Just chill. • Get a comprehensive health exam.If possible, fromDonald Trump’s physician. • Read more. Hardly an original idea, but it’s seldom accomplished. This year, try being specific. Make a list of 10-15 books - a healthy mix of fiction, non-fiction, and a few classics you should have read in college. I’ll get you started with Joseph Conrad’sHeart of Darkness, Mark Bowden’sKilling Pablo, Ron Chernow’sAlexander Hamilton, orthis one. • Stop drinking soda.While you are at, give up orange juice too. Instead, drink green tea with fresh ginger and manuka honey. It cancels out the ten drinks you had the night before. • Stay in on Friday nights. Your weekend will become infinitely better, and your bank account will benefit too. It’s time to act like an adult; get drunk at brunch on Sundays instead. • Invest in a Bitcoin wallet. Because it will be the best-performingcurrency in 2016. • Come back to Twitter. Sure, engagement is down and relevance has peaked. But there is still no better way to efficiently curate news and information. • Spend more time with old people. The Greatest Generation now makes up less than1% of the US population. Find aWorld War II veteranand take him to lunch from time to time. • Plan regular FBTs (Fake Business Trips).Get away from your life for a few days to relax, and, if need be, let some bad out. It’ll make you a better partner and parent. • Get promoted. Forget about LinkedIn; it’s the Match.com for the underemployed. Invite your seniors out, get them into a bar and network the old fashioned way. • Freshen up your wardrobe. There’s a reason Michael Jordan wore a brand new pair of shoes every game. While you’re at it, donate your old clothes toCareer GearorDress for Success- non-profits that provide clothing and career guidance to low-income men and women. • Take a class.Sign up with a friend to make it more fun and help you see it through. It could be anything - cooking, coding, or photography. TheNikon D810 SLReven comes with free classes. • Forget about unrealistic health pledges.You don’t need some insane diet or detox regime. They don’t actually make you live longer. It just seems longer. Eat sensibly, drink in moderation, and exercise; it’s not rocket science. • Laugh more. Socialize. Drink. Throw parties. Host drunken game nights. Upgrade your friends if necessary. It’s the life in your years, not the years in your life. • Say no to fitness gimmicks. You don’t need to start taking the stairs or parking as far away from the Whole Foods entrance as possible. And don’t prepay for thirty personal training sessions. Take up a competitive sport instead. Remember that feeling as a kid when you’re on the field, not thinking about anything else? Most of us have forgotten how great that feels. So join a basketball league or find someone to play tennis with. And get some ofthese. • Skip the dramatic savings scheme. Giving up the $5 daily latte? Bringing your lunch to work? That just makes you the office pariah. Don’t go crazy with anti-social or unrealistic goals. Keep it simple; spend less than you make, and save up for the big-ticket items until you can afford them. • Declare the bedroom technology free.Does this even need an explanation? It means more time for reading, sleep, and sex. And go ahead andupgrade your mattress. We’re talking about 1/3rd of your life. • Stay in on New Years Eve. It’s amateur night and it rarely lives up to your expectations anyhow. This year, stay home with a bottle of something nice. Then start January 1 early and productively. John LeFevreis the creator of@GSElevatoron Twitter, and the author of the New York Times bestselling book,Straight To Hell: True Tales of Deviance, Debauchery, And Billion-Dollar Deals NOW WATCH:How the buying power of your dollar has changed over the past 60 years More From Business Insider • This guy gave up sugar and got 80% of his calories from fat — here's what happened • Donald Trump left Joe Scarborough stunned after being asked about Vladimir Putin killing journalists • Here's the ISIS message the female San Bernardino shooter posted on Facebook during the attack || Stakes are high in hunt for bitcoin's 'messiah': By Jeremy Wagstaff SINGAPORE (Reuters) - The stakes are high in the hunt for Satoshi Nakamoto, the person or people behind bitcoin, not just for the journalist who gets it right first, but also for the cryptocurrency itself. An Australian entrepreneur and academic, Craig Steven Wright, is the latest candidate, outed in articles by Wired magazine and technology news website Gizmodo hours before his home and office in Sydney were searched by police. Both articles said investigations based on leaked emails, documents and web archives pointed strongly to Wright being "Nakamoto". "Either Wright invented bitcoin, or he's a brilliant hoaxer who very badly wants us to believe he did," said Wired. But the search has already tripped up several journalists, most famously Newsweek's Leah McGrath Goodman, who identified Japanese American Dorian Prentice Satoshi Nakamoto in March 2014 as bitcoin's creator. Dorian Nakamoto denied it - as has nearly everyone else alleged to be the mastermind credited with writing the paper, protocol and software in 2008 that gave rise to bitcoin and its underlying blockchain technology. Unmasking the "real" Nakamoto would be significant both for the future development of bitcoin and, potentially, the currency's market value. While any changes to the bitcoin protocol can only be implemented by consensus, the proven founder of the cryptocurrency could hold considerable sway. "Decision-making power doesn't rest with any individual, but Nakamoto is such a mythical figure, if he appears he could become a sort of messiah to the community," said Roberto Capodieci, a Singapore-based entrepreneur focusing on the blockchain. ELECTRONIC MINERS Persuading that community is not easy: while the system is decentralised by design, a cluster of so-called bitcoin miners based in China are key, Antony Lewis, a Singapore-based bitcoin consultant, said. Unlike traditional currency, bitcoins are not distributed by a central bank or backed by physical assets such as gold, but are "mined" using computers to calculate increasingly complex algorithmic formulas. Story continues Miners run pools of computers that process transactions and create new bitcoins, an energy intensive business that has frozen out all but a handful of players. The group effectively scuttled a recent effort by one key bitcoin thinker to make processing simpler and cheaper, Lewis said. David Moskowitz, Singapore-based founder of start-up bitcoin brokerage Coin Republic, said knowing who Nakamoto was would be significant "because people are looking for a core voice behind (bitcoin). It would help us understand what Satoshi thought". Then there's the fact that bitcoin researchers believe he or she may be holding up to 1 million bitcoins, which if sold today would fetch $414 million. If Nakamoto chose to sell out, or even hinted that he might, that would push the price down, reducing the incentive to mine which might in turn provoke a steeper fall in the currency, Lewis said. On the other hand, Nakamoto could help reduce uncertainty by reassuring bitcoin users he was not going to sell his holdings in one go or, more drastically, do something called "burning" — publicly deleting the coin by sending them to a bitcoin address to which he or she did not have the key. "It would be like throwing the money into the bottom of the sea, and reduces the uncertainty of dumping onto the market," said Lewis. "MR BITCOIN" Wright has not commented publicly on the Wired and Gizmodo reports, and Reuters attempts to contact him using various listed email addresses were unsuccessful. Fellow tenants at the north Sydney office building listed as the address of one of his companies described him as "an outgoing guy", who they nicknamed "Mr Bitcoin" because he had once offered to pay for some work in the currency. And even if Wright did admit to being Nakamoto, he would still have to prove it. That could be done by announcing he would move some of the bitcoin believed to belong to him, and then doing so, or signing a message with one of the encryption keys used in emails known to have been written by Nakamoto when bitcoin first appeared. Wright has not been a prominent member of the bitcoin community, but he has appeared at several gatherings in the past year or two. Moskowitz, who met him at a Singapore conference last year, said he was interesting and pleasant to talk to. "He's clearly very intelligent and fits the profile," he said. "But that doesn't necessarily mean he is Nakamoto." Hints as to Wright's own feelings on unmasking Nakamoto can be found on Quora, a website where users answer questions posed by other users and vote for the best answer. In September someone with his name, position and profile picture "upvoted" another Quora user's comment that "as a currency that is meant to be 'for the people, by the people', it is probably smart that no one knows who exactly started this coin. It is perfect that Satoshi Nakamoto founded it and vanished." (Adds full name of start-up in paragraph 13 and corrects date (to 'last' year from 'this' year) in paragraph 23.) (Reporting by Jeremy Wagstaff, with additional reporting by Colin Packham in Sydney; Editing by Alex Richardson) [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] #RDD / #BTC on the exchanges: Cryptsy: 0.00000004 Bittrex: 0.00000004 Average $1.8E-5 per #reddcoin 16:00:01 || LIVE: Profit = $273.58 (4.35 %). BUY B15.98 @ $400.00 (#VirCurex). SELL @ $404.97 (#HitBTC) #bitcoin #btc - … pic.twitter.com/bufQkMlL2H || Current price: 312.96€ $BTCEUR $btc #bitcoin 2015-11-14 07:00:06 CET || One Bitcoin now worth $314.70@bitstamp. High $327.77. Low $294.00. Market Cap $ 4.668 Billion #bitcoin pic.twitter.com/7UuisQg8qq || #Bitcoin last trade @bitstamp $298.60 @bitfinex $298.74 @coinbase $299.00 Set #crypto #price #alerts at http://AlertCo.in  || LIVE: Profit = $69.47 (2.28 %). BUY B9.53 @ $318.33 (#BTCe). SELL @ $324.00 (#HitBTC) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || In the last 10 mins, there were arb opps spanning 16 exchange pair(s), yielding profits ranging between $0.00 and $650.98 #bitcoin #btc || LIVE: Profit = $15.36 (0.05 %). BUY B91.36 @ $360.00 (#BTCe). SELL @ $362.28 (#Bitfinex) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || Current price: 293.39£ $BTCGBP $btc #bitcoin 2015-12-22 14:00:21 GMT || 1 #BTC (#Bitcoin) quotes: $322.06/$323.20 #Bitstamp $319.90/$320.00 #BTCe ⇢$-3.30/$-2.06 $323.21/$323.25 #Coinbase ⇢$0.01/$1.19
Trend: down || Prices: 454.98, 455.65, 417.27, 422.82, 422.28, 432.98, 426.62, 430.57, 434.33, 433.44
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2018-02-06] BTC Price: 7754.00, BTC RSI: 32.42 Gold Price: 1326.10, Gold RSI: 50.94 Oil Price: 63.39, Oil RSI: 50.55 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Commodities gain, equities pause 2017 rally in holiday trading: By Trevor Hunnicutt (Reuters) - Investors scooped up commodities on Tuesday during a holiday-shortened week, but took a far more mixed view of equities as shares of Apple Inc (AAPL.O) sagged. The main equity gauges on Wall Street closed down following a 2.54 percent drop in Apple's shares on reports of weak iPhone X demand. Many markets around the world, including in parts of Europe and Asia, were shut on Tuesday after the Christmas Day holiday, and trading volumes were light. U.S. stock exchange share volumes for the day were their lowest since Nov. 24, another post-holiday trading session, according to Thomson Reuters data. Commodities firmed, with oil moving to its highest since 2015, supported by an explosion on a crude pipeline in Libya and voluntary supply cuts led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. U.S. crude (CLcv1) rose 2.21 percent to $59.76 per barrel and Brent (LCOcv1) was last at $66.19, up 2.26 percent on the day. Gold prices hit more-than-three-week highs, and palladium hit its highest since February 2001 on supply worries. Spot gold (XAU=) added 0.7 percent to $1,283.15 an ounce. Bitcoin (BTC=BTSP) rebounded from a brutal selloff last week. The wild-trading digital asset gained 13.79 percent as of Tuesday afternoon, after sinking by more than a quarter from Dec 16 to 25. [nL4N1OQ1PI] Apple put a damper on an equity market that has posted double-digit percentage gains in 2017 on the back of a U.S. tax bill signed into law last week and stronger sales that were expected to extend into the holiday season. Yet, bearish brokerage calls on iPhone X demand pushed the company's shares to their worst single-day percentage fall since Aug. 10. The company will slash its sales forecast for its flagship phone in the current quarter to 30 million units, down from what it said was an initial plan of 50 million units, Taiwan's Economic Daily reported, citing unidentified sources. The news hit shares of Apple suppliers, too, including Broadcom Ltd (AVGO.O), Skyworks Solutions Inc (SWKS.O), Finisar Corp (FNSR.O) and Lumentum Holdings Inc (LITE.O). Story continues "There probably are a good number of U.S. investors that have slight to moderate overexposure to domestic stocks - we've had a great performance year," said Invesco Ltd (IVZ.N) Chief Global Market Strategist Kristina Hooper. "It could be an opportunity to do some profit-taking, a little bit of trimming, and moving to areas that have lower valuations." The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) fell 7.85 points, or 0.03 percent, to 24,746.21, the S&P 500 (.SPX) lost 2.84 points, or 0.11 percent, to 2,680.5 and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) dropped 23.71 points, or 0.34 percent, to 6,936.25. MSCI's measure of stocks across the globe shed 0.05 percent. Volatility, notably lacking in U.S. markets in 2017, gained during the light trading day. The CBOE Volatility Index (.VIX), an options-based gauge, rose 0.35 points, to 10.25. TWO-YEAR YIELDS RISE Two-year U.S. Treasury yields rose to nine-year highs, exacerbating a collapse of the gap in yields between short and long-term bonds. The gap between 2-year and 10-year yields shrank to 56.7 basis points as the United States sold $26 billion in the shorter-duration notes. Benchmark 10-year notes last rose 5/32 in price to yield 2.472 percent, from 2.488 percent late on Friday. The 2-year note (US2YT=RR) last fell 1/32 in price to yield 1.9033 percent, from 1.895 percent the previous trading day. Currencies changed little during the day. The dollar index (.DXY), tracking the U.S. unit against a basket of major currencies, fell 0.09 percent, with the euro (EUR=) also down 0.05 percent to $1.1862. Sterling (GBP=) was last trading at $1.3375, up 0.05 percent versus the greenback, while the Japanese yen strengthened 0.07 percent on the day. Japan's households spent more than expected in November while consumer inflation ticked up and the jobless rate hit a fresh 24-year low, according to data earlier on Tuesday, offering the nation's central bank some hope an economic recovery will drive up inflation to its 2 percent target. (Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Susan Thomas) || Sweeping new cryptocurrency trading rules come into force: Anonymous trading of cryptocurrencies is no longer permitted in South Korea (Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto/Getty Images) Sweeping new rules governing cryptocurrency trading came into effect in South Korea on Tuesday. The regulations aim to address concerns about fraudulent trading by anonymous players that government ministers believed raised the risk of crime gangs exploiting the cryptocurrency sector . South Korea’s Financial Services Commission will now only allow trade in cryptocurrencies from real-name bank accounts, starting January 30. Those rules will enable banks to comply anti-money laundering obligations. MORE: Nine out of 10 cryptocurrency firms will fold, says Dogecoin founder The value of bitcoin in particular plunged when the plans were first outlined earlier this month but market watchers said today the introduction had not had any further dramatic impact on prices. A spokesman for the South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb, which adopted the new rules today, said operations had “gone smoothly”, adding: “Nothing has changed in terms of coin transaction.” South Korea had threatened to ban trading in cryptocurrencies entirely but seems, for now, to have stepped back from that as it waits to see how the new rules are applied. Julian Hosp, co-founder and president of cryptocurrency startup TenX, told CNBC’s The Rundown , that this was the first move to crackdown on illegal use of cryptocurrencies. “If, afterwards, investors and companies have more legal security working in the ecosystem, it’s going to have some short-term downsides, but long term, it’s going to have a really, really big boost,” Hosp said. A man walks past an electric board showing exchange at a cryptocurrencies exchange in Seoul, South Korea (REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji) And John Sarson, managing partner at Blockchain Momentum, which invests in cryptocurrencies, said the steps taken by South Korea were addressing areas where the market was lacking in terms of protecting investors. “It’s a good thing anytime an investment exchange knows their client and makes sure that their clients are doing things that are above board legally,” he told CNBC. MORE: What is Bitcoin, how do you buy it – and is it a safe investment? Cryptocurrencies have been very much the darlings of alternative investors and traders over the past year or so, with thousands launching. The values of most virtual coinage has climbed, no more so spectacularly than bitcoin which reached almost $20,000 at the end of 2017. The bosses of Coincheck which lost $500m in virtual currency to hackers apologise (AFP Photo) However, as authorities in Asia, Europe and North America hinted they were prepared to step in and regulate the sector amid concerns about crime and tax evasion, the value plunged. Bitcoin fell to as low as $9,200 at one stage – still way ahead of where it stood this time last year – but a dramatic fall from its pre-Christmas highs. Story continues This morning it was trading at around $11,000, according to the Coindesk exchange. MORE: Japan to punish hacked cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck on Monday Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck admitted over the weekend it had fallen victim to a $530m hack where some 523 million units of the XEM virtual currency belonging to 260,000 customers was stolen. While Coincheck has pledged to pay back victims, it’s not clear how it can or, indeed, if has “real” money to do so. The hack also emphasised the vulnerability of virtual currencies held by little-known, unregulated ‘banks’. View comments || Bitcoin Miners on Track to Use More Electricity Than All of Argentina: The global power needed to create cryptocurrencies this year could rival the entire electricity consumption of Argentina and be a growth driver for renewable energy producers from the U.S. to China. Miners of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies could require up to 140 terawatt-hours of electricity in 2018, about 0.6 percent of the global total,Morgan Stanleyanalysts led by Nicholas Ashworth wrote in a note Wednesday. That’s more than expected power demand from electric vehicles in 2025. “If cryptocurrencies continue to appreciate we expect global mining power consumption to increase,” Ashworth wrote in the note. While the figure is too small to be a major driver of global utility shares, it represents an important growth story for companies investing in wind and solar power combined with energy storage — a list that includesNextEra EnergyInc., Iberdrola SA and Enel SpA, according to the note. Other potential beneficiaries include big oil companies that are investing in renewable energy and green-power developers that are backed by initial-coin-offering capital raises. Miners will probably concentrate in low-cost power regions, including China and the U.S. Midwest and Pacific Northwest. Miners earn bitcoin-denominated rewards for performing the complex calculations needed to confirm transactions in the cryptocurrency. The report did, however, offer some caution. “There are plenty of uncertainties which means energy consumption could inflect in either direction,” Ashworth wrote. “This is clearly not an exact science.” || Bitcoin and Ethereum Price Forecast – Prices Move Higher on Bullish Momentum: Bitcoin prices have picked themselves up from the lows and have moved higher over the last 24 hours as the prices have moved from the $13000 region and are now in the vicinity of the $15000 region which is likely to pose some kind of resistance for it, atleast in the short term. The prices have been boosted by news that the co-founder of Paypal, Peter Thiel, and his fund had invested millions in bitcoins and this helped to grant further credibility to the bitcoin industry. TThe bitcoin prices have been driven by news over the last couple of weeks with the news of more regulations on the industry from South Korea leading to a fall in the prices. Suggested Articles • Why Bitcoin Cash is Better than Bitcoin? • How to Buy Bitcoin Cash? • How to Short Bitcoin? It is a fact that many regulators are now looking at the bitcoin industry pretty seriously and are looking to push through regulations to restrict the trading in bitcoins. This is good and bad in equal measure as more and more regulations would reduce the amount of speculation and trading in the bitcoin market, which could affect its prices. But it would also make it more legitimate and bring in the bigger investors and prove that it is here to stay. That is the quandary that the bitcoin industry is facing at this point and that is the reason why we are seeing some choppy trading in the markets over the last couple of weeks. The ETH prices continued to move higher through the $850 region and stopped just shy of the $900 region before correcting lower. We continue to believe that the $1000 price mark is only a matter of time before it is achieved and with the ETH mining likely to subside, the market would be driven by traders and investors and with limited supply, it should help the prices move higher in the medium term. Looking ahead to the rest of the day, we expect the bullish momentum in the BTC and ETH markets to continue for the rest of the day and it should keep the prices high and should begin to draw in more investors and traders as they start returning back from their holidays. Buy & Sell Cryptocurrency Instantly Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • First signs of a correction on the USD • Gold Prices Continue to Trade Strong • Commodities Daily Forecast – January 3, 2018 • Betex is the First Peer-to-Peer Binary Option Platform • Dow Jones 30 and NASDAQ 100 Price Forecast January 3, 2018, Technical Analysis • DAX Index Daily Fundamental Forecast – January 3, 2018 || Bitcoin cash adds to its big gains after Coinbase disables trading 2 minutes in: Markets Insider • Bitcoin cash is trading higher after a slate of announcements from Coinbase. • The popular trading platform is working on enabling bitcoin cash trading on its platform but is facing volatility troubles. • Watch bitcoin cash's price move in real time here. Bitcoin cashis up 32.03% on Wednesday to $3,5456.90 after Coinbase, the popular crypto trading app, enabled and then disabledenabled then disabledtrading of the cryptocurrency. Coinbase said it would enable bitcoin cash trading for the first time Tuesday evening, anddid so for about two minutes.But the company said action was too volatile and it temporarily shut down trading and cleared all orders. Trading is set to resume at 9 a.m. PT Wednesday, though initial trades will be made in "post only" mode to establish liquidity in the market,according to the company. Bitcoin cash was created as an offshoot of the originalbitcoinin August. The new coin was designed to be faster than its predecessor and was built on bitcoin's existing transaction history. That meant people who owned bitcoin before the split were eligible to receive an equivalent number of bitcoin cash tokens when the cryptocurrency was created. Coinbase originally opted not to allow bitcoin cash tradingon its platform, but surprised users by reversing its decision on Tuesday. The price of bitcoin cash popped on the news and made additional gains on Wednesday as Coinbase readies to resume trading on its platform. The company isinvestigating the possibility of insider tradingby its employees who had prior knowledge of the announcement. Bitcoin cash started rising before Coinbase's announcement, which led CEO Brian Armstrong to announce he was looking into the potential activity. Armstrong said he will not hesitate to terminate any employees who violated company policies. NOW WATCH:THE BOTTOM LINE: Bitcoin mania, a Nobel Prize-winning economist talks Trump, and a deep dive on unstoppable tech stocks See Also: • BANK OF AMERICA: Bitcoin is the 'most crowded' trade • The 29 cryptocurrencies with a market cap of more than $1 billion • CRYPTO INSIDER: Bitcoin slips as CME futures go live SEE ALSO:Bitcoin cash soars above $3,000 after Coinbase says it will offer trading of the cryptocurrency || Why Cboe Global Markets, Clearwater Paper, and 8point3 Energy Partners Slumped Today: The stock market bounced back on Tuesday, with theDowfinishing with a gain of 567 points to claw back a portion of the more than 1,800 points it lost on Friday and Monday. Wall Street seemed to get more optimistic about the market's prospects after interest rates on Treasury bonds stopped going up, and some concluded that the size of Monday's sell-off had been linked more to the collapse of financial instruments linked to measures of volatility than to any fundamental concerns about the economy or the business world. Nevertheless, some stocks did have bad news that sent their shares lower even on such a positive day.Cboe Global Markets(NASDAQ: CBOE),Clearwater Paper(NYSE: CLW), and8point3 Energy Partners(NASDAQ: CAFD)were among the worst performers. Below, we'll look more closely at these stocks to tell you why they did so poorly. Shares of Cboe Global Markets dropped 10%as investors played through the potential second-order effects of theblowup in inverse volatility ETFsthat occurred Monday afternoon. Cboe didn't operate the ETFs in question, but their huge losses turned the spotlight on whether it makes sense to use volatility-linked investments in the way that users have done in the past. With Cboe providing the exchange for futures on the most commonly used index of market volatility, bearish investors fear that the exchange could see less trading volume for what had become an important market niche. That seems like a short-term overreaction, but if regulators do take further steps, Cboe will have to respond persuasively to protect its business. Image source: CBOE. Clearwater Paper stock plunged 22.5% after the company reported fourth-quarter financial results late Monday. The Spokane-based paper products manufacturer said that sales were up 3% from year-ago levels, helping to push adjusted net income higher by between 4% and 5%. Yet investors seemed to focus on the company's weakness in the consumer products area, where segment sales dropped 3% and caused consequent declines in margin and pre-tax operating income. For years, investors have turned toClearwater as a defensive investment, but today's move suggests that shareholders aren't satisfied with the tepid growth that Clearwater has delivered recently. Finally, shares of8point3 Energy Partners fell 11.5%. After a long search, a private buyer for the investment vehicle for solar energy generation projects emerged, as Capital Dynamics made an offer for the limited partnership. However, the $12.35-per-share cash bid was well below the $13.83-per-share closing price for the stock on Monday, leading to today's substantial decline. Majority ownersSunPower(NASDAQ: SPWR)andFirst Solar(NASDAQ: FSLR)control almost 65% of 8point3, and although the deal still requires approval of other shareholders, the share-price decline almost exactly matches the bid. Solar yieldcos haven't worked out the way that investors had wanted, but shareholders who stick around will have the ability to collect another couple of dividend distributions before getting cashed out. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Dan Caplingerhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Cboe Global Markets and First Solar. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || Ripple Solves Business Problems: Bitcoin Bubble and the First Mover Advantage Problem: Could Ripple be a better choice than Bitcoin? If I had to bet on one crypto coin, then the case for Ripple is far stronger. Most people do not dig into the technicalities. Ripple has a strong advantage when it comes to technology. Whereas Bitcoin was principally established for peer to peer money transfer between individuals, Ripple was established to handle interbank transfer at the larger size. That means more volume and therefore more value of the coin. Of course, it has the basics of any decent Cryptocurrency; first, connectivity across payments networks, second, the speed of instant on-demand settlement, third, real-time traceability of funds and finally, low operational and liquidity costs. But what caught my attention is the global network of customers. Ripple has customers such as Santander, Standard Chartered, Credit Agricole, UBS, American Express, India’s Axis Bank, BBVA among others. That’s impressive and Ripple’s investors know that with a solid costumers portfolio, Ripple’s future is bright. FYI, Ripple is not the original name of the coin, XRP is the name of the coin. Ripple is a private company, different than other cryptocurrencies, meaning, XRP is a centralized coin. Suggested Articles How to Buy Stellar Lumens (XLM) A Basic Introduction to Ripple What is IOTA and How Can you Buy it? Who Solves the Bigger Problem? Ripple was created to solve an important problem, the transaction’s delays between banks. Currently when my business wires fund abroad through my bank, if any information is incorrect, the payment is returned and delays accrue. The chances of error are huge. If you’ve never sought an MT103 trace from your bank, you will not truly appreciate the problems of international corporate money transfer and the ensuing stress. Ripple ensures both banks validate critical information such as customer ID, fees, rates, time of delivery before funds are transferred. This allows the bank to know beforehand if the transaction will pass or not and so remove the failed transaction problem. By removing the correspondent bank, we remove risk management issues too. But unlike Bitcoin, which can take over an hour to settle, (still better than traditional systems taking 3-5 days, if you get to your bank before 1530!), Ripple settles in 4 seconds. By the way, Ethereum takes over two minutes. Ripple handles about 1,500 transactions per second, 24×7. They do claim they can do match Visa scale of 50,000 per second. Who is behind Ripple? As mentioned above, Ripple is a private company and that XRP is a private cryptocurrency. As an asset manager running a private equity fund, I like to know who is investing a backing a company. Ripple’s shareholders include Andreessen Horowitz. Not heard of them? They backed PayPal as an original founding investor. How about Google Ventures, Santander InnoVentures, Standard Chartered and Accenture – all investors as shareholders in Ripple. Story continues Traction A traction of any technology is not just if the public is interested, but the big entities. In the case of Ripple, it does not get bigger than the Bank of England. The Bank of England Accelerator has published a report on how they may be able to use Ripple for real-time settlements. This article was written by Alpesh Patel, a hedge fund manager and author of Trading Online (Financial Times). Patel is a partner to 24option, offering CFD trading on Cryptocurrencies. The content of this article constitutes Marketing Communication and does not qualify as Investment Advice or Investment Research. 24option accepts no liability for the content of this article, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: The Future of Cryptocurrencies: There’s a 20% Chance of a Significant Correction Tokenized Asstes vs. High-Yield Bonds: Which is the New Way to Increase Trust While Decrease Costs? Wednesday Support and Resistance Levels – January 04, 2018 Price of Gold Fundamental Daily Forecast – Upbeat U.S. data, Fed Minutes Pressuring Gold Daily Market Forecast, January 4, 2017 – EUR/USD, Gold, Crude Oil, USD/JPY, GBP/USD Natural Gas Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Bullish Over $3.030, Bearish Under $2.941 View comments || Here's Why Renren Inc. Stock Is Down 19% Today: Shares of Chinese social-media companyRenren Inc.(NYSE: RENN)were down 19% at 2:07 p.m. EST on Jan. 4, after gaining an absurd 76% during the first two trading days of 2018. So why the big jump preceding today's sell-off? The underperforming Chinese social networking company is set to enter the cryptocurrency fray, having announced it islooking to raise cash with an ICO-- initial coin offering -- along with plans for an "open social network platform based on blockchain." Today's sell-off is very likely profit-taking by traders exiting after big gains the past couple of days. This isn't the first time Renren has mentioned blockchain and social media in recent press releases, but it's far from clear how (or if) the company will make money from them. Renren announced it was acquiring Trucker Path, a social-media app aimed at professional truckers, in late December; it tossed "blockchain" and even "artificial intelligence" into that release. Image source: Getty Images. However, its decision to use an ICO (which happens to be illegal in China, though the company is using its listing on the NYSE to attempt to sidestep Chinese law) is a full-fledged move into the mania that cryptocurrency has become. Renren was once expected to be a dominant social-media platform in China, but has fallen to the wayside whileTencentandWeibohave become the dominant players. Despite that lack of success, the company's acquisitions of Trucker Path and load-matching app Truckloads have added 600,000 active users in a specific industry, with prospects for growth. Furthermore, there are likely legitimate benefits of blockchain technology for logistics and transportation users. But it's still unclear if the company's planned ICO will even happen, especially since it is tied to plans to launch a social-media platform based on blockchain. The Chinese government could clamp down hard on this before it even happens. The reality is that Renren's big stock jump was almost certainly caused by speculators looking to make a quick buckon anything crypto/blockchain, not the company's actual prospects of growing profits from the moves. In my estimation, the risk of losses far outweighs any chance of greater returns at this point. Until the company can demonstrate it can actually use cryptocurrency and blockchain to make money, I would avoid the stock. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Jason Hallhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Tencent Holdings. The Motley Fool recommends Weibo. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || The Coincheck Cryptocurrency Hack: Everything You Need to Know: Hackers have stolen roughly 58 billion yen ($532.60 million) from Tokyo-based cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck, raising questions about security and regulatory protection in the emerging market of digital assets. The following are some questions and answers about one of the largest heists of cryptocurrencies in the history: What Is NEM? NEM is a cryptocurrency launched in March 2015 by a team of five developers identifying themselves as Pat, Makoto, Gimre, BloodyRookie and Jaguar. Its acronym stands for New Economy Movement and, like other cryptocurrencies, markets itself as a digital coin outside the control of governments and central banks, which can be used for fast, global transactions. It is now the tenth largest cryptocurrency, with $9 billion worth of NEMs in circulation, trading at just below $1 per coin. NEM was launched to rectify the high concentration of wealth that some in the cryptocurrency community believe to be one of the key weaknesses of bitcoin, the world’s most widely known cryptocurrency, whose early adopters have turned into multi-billionaires. Read: Starbucks Chairman Schultz Rambles About Bitcoin on Earnings Call For bitcoin transactions to clear, computers compete to find the solution to a computational problem, which NEM developers say makes the rich richer as those who have money can afford more hardware to solve such problems. NEM rewards accounts that participate in the economy. The balance of an account, who transacts with that account, and how much it transacts with others are all combined to calculate an account’s importance, based on which transactions are cleared. How Was Coincheck Hacked? Many details are still unclear. Yusuke Otsuka, Coincheck’s chief operating officer, said on Friday that around 523 million NEM coins were sent from a NEM address at Coincheck at around 3 a.m. local time. Over eight hours later, Coincheck noticed an abnormal decrease in the balance. Coincheck said the NEM coins were stored in a “hot wallet” instead of a “cold wallet.” Company President Koichiro Wada cited technical difficulties and a shortage of staff. Story continues What Is a Hot Wallet Hot wallets are connected to the internet, therefore vulnerable to hacking. Experts warn that holding large sums in hot wallets is the equivalent of carrying large amounts of cash in person. Cold wallets, such as Trezor and Ledger Nano S, are devices which can be as small as a USB stick and can be stored offline. Some keep them in a safe. How Are Crypto Exchanges Regulated in Japan? Japan’s government in April recognized bitcoin as a legally accepted means of payment, and required exchange operators to register with the financial regulator. The move — which came in the wake of the 2014 collapse of Tokyo-based Mt. Gox, then the world’s largest bitcoin exchange — was designed to protect consumers and clamp down on illegal use of cryptocurrencies. It also formed part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s push to stimulate growth via the fintech sector. The Financial Services Authority’s requirements for would-be exchanges include robust computer systems and segregation of cash and cryptocurrency accounts, checks on traders’ identities and risk management systems. As of Jan. 17, the FSA had approved the registration of 16 Japanese cryptocurrency exchanges. A further 16 or so exchanges that were operating before the regulation was introduced — including Coincheck — have been allowed to continue operating on a provisional basis as their applications are assessed. For more on cryptocurrency, watch Fortune’s video: Can Stolen NEMs Be Tracked? The NEM.io Foundation, a Singapore-based organization supporting NEM blockchain technology, says it has a full account of the whereabouts of Coincheck’s hacked NEM, tracing the currency on the blockchain shared ledger. The hacker has not moved any of the funds, the foundation said in a statement posted to the Medium publishing site, adding it would create an automated tagging system within two days to follow the coins and identify any account which receives them. It is unclear how the holders would be identified. How Can Investors Avoid Being Hacked Bitcoin evangelists recommend steering clear of centralized exchanges, arguing that the whole point of decentralized currencies was to not hand over control to third parties, such as central banks, commercial banks and exchanges, which raises the risk of mismanagement, scams or hacking. Experts say only money needed for upcoming transactions should be kept in hot wallets. Even then, trading one cryptocurrency for another can be done over decentralized exchanges, such as Shapeshift, Changelly or Waves Dex, directly from the holder’s wallet and not from a wallet controlled by an exchange in their name. Risks of fraud or hacking then only occur when a holder wants to exchange crypto assets for fiat currencies, but these can be minimized. Transactions can be done peer-to-peer in a safe, public place amongst members of the local crypto community rated by reputation on websites such as localbitcoins.com or via a centralized exchange, with the risk of hacking limited to the amount of time spent online to perform the transaction. || Friday’s Vital Data: Bank of America Corp. (BAC), Micron Technology, Inc. (MU) and Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL): U.S. stock futures are trading broadly higher this morning, as Wall Street prepares for the start of another earnings season. Big banks will kick earnings into high gear today.J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.(NYSE:JPM) has already stepped into the earnings confessional this morning. Following on its heels areGoldman Sachs Group, Inc.(NYSE:GS) andMorgan Stanley(NYSE:MS) andBank of America Corp.(NYSE:BAC) reporting next week. Heading into the open,Dow Jones Industrial Average Futuresare up 0.23%,S&P 500 futureshave lost 0.03% andNasdaq-100futures have dropped 0.12%. Turning to the options pits, Thursday’s volume was brisk. Overall, about 22.3 million calls and 15.1 million puts changed hands. The CBOE single-session equity put/call volume ratio rose to 0.63. The 10-day moving average ticked lower to 0.56. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Taking a closer look at yesterday’s options activity, Bank of America drew heavy call activity amid the plethora of financial firms releasing quarterly earnings. BofA reports Wednesday next week. Meanwhile,Micron Technology, Inc.(NASDAQ:MU) options traders loaded up on calls despite the stock’sIntel Corporation(NASDAQ:INTC) driven plunge. Finally,Delta Air Lines, Inc.(NYSE:DAL) volume ramped up following a solid quarterly report. There is a wave of reports from the financial sector today, but you’ll have to wait until next week to hear from Bank of America. BofA will release its fourth-quarter report ahead of the open on Wednesday next week. Analysts are expecting a profit of 44 cents per share on revenue of $21.53 billion.EarningsWhispers.computs the whisper number at 48 cents per share. • 7 High-Risk, High-Reward Stocks to Buy Now Options traders are already gearing up for the report. On Thursday, BAC options volume topped 486,000 contracts, or roughly 1.5 times the stock’s daily average. Calls accounted for a whopping 82% of the day’s take. Currently, expectations are a bit muted for Bank of America. The January 2018 put/call open interest ratio arrives at 1.02, with puts just outnumbering calls for the series. This ratio is trending lower, however, as calls are being added at a faster pace with earnings less than a week away. MU stock’s bull rally hit a snag earlier this week. After shaking off NAND and DRAM pricing/demand concerns, Micron was faced with the end of it’s partnership with Intel. MU stock fell sharply on the news, as investors expressed concerns that Intel would could now source cheaper chips from China. However,J.P. Morgan reiteratedit’s “overweight” rating on MU yesterday. The brokerage firm stated that Intel/China fears were overblown. “Micron continues to have ownership rights to the developed technology for many years and any licensing agreement that Intel would enter into with a third party would have to be approved by Micron,” J.P. Morgan noted. MU options traders took heart in the note, sending more than 182,000 contracts across the tape yesterday. Calls accounted for 76% of that volume. MU’s January 2018 put/call OI ratio reinforces this bullish backdrop, arriving at 0.66. While profit taking has had some impact on call trading, a rebound in MU stock should drive this ratio lower once again. Delta stock flew the friendly skies yesterday, rallying nearly 5% in the wake of asold fourth-quarter earnings report. For the quarter, Delta said earnings rose 17% to 96 cents per share, topping the Street’s view for 88 cents. Revenue increased 8% to $10.245 billion, also topping the consensus estimate for $10.16 billion. • Thinking Beyond EVs Will Boost Ford Motor Company Stock Looking ahead, Delta raised its 2018 earnings guidance to $6.35-$6.70 per share, up from $5.35-$5.70. Analysts were expecting 2018 earnings of $5.75 per share. Options volume was extremely brisk for DAL stock yesterday. More than 170,000 contracts changed hands, quintupling DAL’s daily average. Calls were responsible for 72% of that volume. As a result, the February put/call OI ratio fell to 0.91 from a reading north of 1.0 roughly a month ago. As of this writing, Joseph Hargett was long on Micron Technology, Inc. (MU) stock. • 3 Vanguard ETFs for Retired Investors to Buy Right Now • The 5 Best Dow Jones Stocks to Buy for 2018 • 4 Bitcoin Alternatives That You Need for 2018 Compare Brokers The postFriday’s Vital Data: Bank of America Corp. (BAC), Micron Technology, Inc. (MU) and Delta Air Lines, Inc. (DAL)appeared first onInvestorPlace. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] #BTC Average: 11116.37$ #Bitfinex - 11014.00$ #Poloniex - 11047.00$ #Bitstamp - 10960.78$ #Coinbase - 10966.04$ #Binance - 11071.00$ #CEXio - 11681.90$ #Kraken - 10987.90$ #Cryptopia - 11099.57$ #Bittrex - 11065.00$ #GateCoin - 11270.50$ #Bitcoin #Exchanges #Price || Coinbase Confirms 4 Banks Blocking Bitcoin Purchases on Credit Cards http://dlvr.it/QFDb0F  #Bitcoin #Crypto || https://www.binance.com/?ref=11765875  buy them quickly!!! #currency #ico #btc #ETH #BCH #BCC #crypto #bitcoin #Ethereum #altcoin #altcoins #blockchain #airdrops #bounties #bounty #XEM #IOTA #Ripple #Verge #Cardano #Tron || #Bitcoin Accepted! Japanese Electronics Retail Giant Begins Crypto Payments https://www.ccn.com/bitcoin-accepted-japanese-electronics-retail-giant-begins-crypto-payments/ … || Bitcoin price CRASH: Cryptocurrency PLUMMETS 13 per cent in just FIVE hours amid sell off http://bit.ly/2E5fPOT  #bitcoincrash #bitcoin || Well that meeting went surprisingly well. Pamp it $btc || PR: Pivx Brings Absolute Privacy to Proof of Stake Cryptocurrencies with Zerocoin Protocol Implementation https://news.bitcoin.com/pr-pivx-brings-absolute-privacy-to-proof-of-stake-cryptocurrencies-with-zerocoin-protocol-implementation/ … #bitcoin || Would Warren Buffett buy Bitcoin? http://dlvr.it/Q56H4R pic.twitter.com/gsC6f4IJp2 || Cuando ves este tipo de noticias donde una comunicadora social dice en televisión abierta que el motivo de la caída del Bitcoin a nivel mundial es causada porque Nicolas Maduro anunció el “petro” es cuando te das cuenta que Venezuela es una Corea del Norte Tropical https://twitter.com/youranonvzla/status/960965976757063680 … || Hoy Martes 30 de Enero USD - $ 18.62 EUR - $ 23.08 BITCOIN - $ 206,658.00 ETHER - $ 21,805.00 XRP - $ 23.15 #TipoDeCambio #FelizMartes
Trend: up || Prices: 7621.30, 8265.59, 8736.98, 8621.90, 8129.97, 8926.57, 8598.31, 9494.63, 10166.40, 10233.90
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2015-10-27] BTC Price: 293.79, BTC RSI: 80.73 Gold Price: 1166.80, Gold RSI: 56.69 Oil Price: 43.20, Oil RSI: 38.50 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] How To Invest In The Blockchain Boom: ROCHESTER, NY / ACCESSWIRE / October 27, 2015 / In 2014, Marc Andreessen, the famous Silicon Valley's venture capitalist, listed blockchain technology as the most important invention since the Internet itself. And if watching where savvy institutional investors place their bets is any indication of future potential, it looks like he may be right. Blockchain technology is arguably the hottest trend in modern finance. According to CoinDesk nearly 200 VC firms have invested more than $800 Million dollars in blockchain companies since 2012. Startups and VC's aren't the only ones all excited about blockchain either, well established mainstream companies are also investing heavily in Blockchain technology projects as well. Just last month 13 more banks joined a coalition lead by Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Credit Suisse, and Barclays of banks looking to take blockchain technology to the mainstream financial sector. These are big banks like Bank of America, BNY Mellon, Mitsubishi , UFJ Financial Group, Citi, Commerzbank, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Morgan Stanley, National Australia Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, SEB, Societe Generale, and Toronto-Dominion Bank With so much buzz around betting on blockchain, it's no wonder that Main Street investors are now asking themselves how they can join Wall Street and Silicon Valley and invest in this technology in order to enjoy a piece of the profits from this 'next tech revolution'. Investing in Blockchain How you invest in Blockchain depends on how much risk you're looking to take and what kind of upside you are looking to reap. For conservative investors, the lower risk play is investing in the stocks of any of the major financial services companies that are increasingly experimenting with blockchain technology to improve the services they are able to offer clients at the same time as reducing costs because improving the customer experience and reducing costs is a sure fire way to improve earnings which will ultimately bring in buyers over the long haul. Story continues However, if you are willing to accept more risk in exchange for higher returns, invest in more pure Blockchain technology plays, like BTCS, Inc. (BTCS), Hashing Space Corporation (HSHSE), or Global Arena Holding, Inc. (GAHC). Of the bunch, we have our eye on Global Arena Holding Inc. GAHC. Global Arena Holding, Inc. announced Monday they have acquired a stake in New York City's Blockchain Technologies Corporation ("BTC"). BTC is a blockchain and cryptocurrency software technology company and startup accelerator with several startups and patents already in place. One of the startups in the accelerator is Blockchain Apparatus LLC., who is creating a voting application based on blockchain technology. This is very interesting because GAHC already operates in the voting space and their subsidiary would be the perfect vehicle to roll out this new technology to market giving GAHC a big leg up on the competition. Investing in Global Arena Holding Inc. may be a smart strategy because with one investment in GAHC you get multiple kicks at the cat. If any one of the Blockchain Technology portfolio companies hits it big GAHC shareholders will benefit as well. For more information about the blockchain, click here: http://globalarenaholding.com/blockchain-news/the-beginners-guide-to-blockchain/ Legal Disclaimer/Disclosure: This is a sponsored article. This document is not and should not be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for any investment. No information in this Report should be construed as individualized investment advice. For The Full Disclaimer, click here http://capitalgainsreport.com/disclaimer/ SOURCE: CapitalGainsReport.com || Small Businesses Turn To Online Lenders: The tech sector has reached into a new industry over the past year, as more firms rush tomake loansto small businesses. Despite the U.S.'s recovery since the financial crisis, banks have been cautious about doling out small business loans. In 2008, banks held $711 in small business loans; that figure has decreased significantly to just $599 billion as of the second quarter of 2015. For that reason, there has been a gap in the marketplace as entrepreneurs look for ways to fund their growing companies. Lending To Well Known Firms While small business owners might be required to make a pitch to a bank or private investor in order to secure funding, some companies are using their existing relationships with entrepreneurs in order to make loans. Intuit Inc.(NASDAQ:INTU) together withOn Deck Capital Inc(NYSE:ONDK) havelaunched a financing productthat allows users of the firm's QuickBooks to secure small loans. Related Link:Intuit And OnDeck To Launch 0M Small Business Lending Fund The firm is able to use existing data from the user to determine how risky the loan would be, making it easier to deliver lower-rate loans for businesses with strong financials. Knowledge Is Power Other firms have created similar programs that use data gathered from customers in order to determine whether a loan is worthwhile. Online lender Kabbage Inc. has partnered withUnited Parcel Service, Inc.(NYSE:UPS) to make loans using the firm's shipping history as a gauge of how many orders they're fulfilling.PayPal Holdings Inc(NASDAQ:PYPL) similarly uses vendors' transaction history to determine whether a loan would be high-risk. High Interest Rates However, such loans can be difficult for small business owners to repay. As online lenders become plentiful, many are jockeying for clients by offering more money at higher rates. The ease of borrowing money online has also given rise to a slew of cash advance firms that are able to approve huge sums of money quickly, but charge annual percentage rates of more than 100 percent. Image Credit: Public Domain See more from Benzinga • Logistics Firms Prepare For 3D Printing's Future • The Biggest Losers From Monday's Market Meltdown • Louis C.K. Embraces Bitcoin © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Is Snoop Dogg's Marijuana Platform Good For The Industry?: Snoop Dogg's persona has long been synonymous with marijuana as the 43-year-old has always been open about his drug use, even before the drug became legal. However, with the marijuana industry growing rapidly and many trying to spread awareness of the drug's medical benefits, some wonder if icons like Snoop Dogg are good for the industry. Merry Jane On Monday, Snoop Dogg announced plans to create a pot-lifestyle platform called Merry Jane. The site will include news and information about marijuana and is intended to give marijuana enthusiasts a dedicated place to share and read about their hobby. When describing the website, Snoop Dogg said he intends to include cooking tutorials, celebrity appearances and even business advice for gangaprenuers. Related Link: Marijuana Posts A Major Win On The Campaign Trail A Good Move? While Snoop's website will likely appeal to a large number of the nation's pot users, some worry that it sends the wrong message at a time when marijuana needs to be taken seriously. With the 2016 elections coming up, many in the marijuana industry are worried about how a change to the administration could affect their business. Some of the candidates have pledged to reverse decisions regarding pot laws, while others have said they are uncertain about relaxing cannabis laws at a federal level. In order for the marijuana industry to continue growing, federal laws labeling marijuana as a dangerous, criminal substance need to change. One argument for marijuana has been widespread acceptance as more and more people come out in support of the drug. That acceptance has changed the portrait of an average pot smoker from a teenage burnout to an elderly pain patient or a working professional. Such shifts in perception are necessary, some say, in order to convince policy-makers in Washington to take the drug seriously. See more from Benzinga 21 Inc's Bitcoin Computer Seeks To Redefine The Internet Apple Moves Forward On Auto Plans Forget The 2016 Election Candidates, CEOs Are Driving Change © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Bitcoins Officially Deemed A Commodity: It’s official: Bitcoins are a commodity in the U.S. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said today that bitcoin, the cryptocurrency that has been gathering traction globally since the financial crisis of 2008, will be treated as a commodity for regulatory purposes, much like gold and oil. As such, trading in bitcoins should come under the same type of scrutiny that commodity trading does. The ruling is aimed specifically at derivatives trading firms that have been transacting in bitcoins without complying with CFTC rules. Must Follow Rules Like Others“While there is a lot of excitement surrounding bitcoin and other virtual currencies, innovation does not excuse those acting in this space from following the same rules applicable to all participants in the commodity derivatives markets,” Aitan Goelman, CFTC’s director of enforcement, said in apress release. For a long time, there’s been a debate on whether bitcoins should be classified as a currency or a commodity. The distinction matters to the extent that it dictates regulatory standards that apply to the still largely unregulated cryptocurrency. Last year, the Internal Revenue Service began to offer some clarity about the status of bitcoins bysayingthat virtual currencies such as bitcoins are “treated as property for U.S. federal tax purposes.” Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust In the ETF space, the ruling should have little—if any—impact on theWinklevoss Bitcoin Trust (COIN), which is currently in registration. COIN, if approved, could be the first bitcoin ETF in the market. TheARK Web x.0 ETF (ARKW | D-30)hasan allocation to bitcoins, but it’s an Internet equity fund. According to theprospectusfiled with the Securities and Exchange Commission, COIN is designed under the assumption that bitcoin is a “digital commodity,” much like theSPDR Gold Trust (GLD | A-100)is a physical commodity trust that owns gold, or the smallerMerk Gold ETF (OUNZ | B-100), which owns physical gold and allows individual investors of any size to redeem shares for actual assets. “The trust [COIN] is expected from time to time to issue baskets in exchange for deposits of bitcoins and to distribute bitcoins in connection with redemptions of baskets,” according to the prospectus. Contact Cinthia Murphy [email protected]. Recommended stories • Gold Vs Platinum: ETF Prices Diverge • ETFs To Consider As US Oil Output Tumbles • Bitcoins Officially Deemed A Commodity • How An ETF Can Drop 100% In A Day • Bitcoins In This ETF Not What It Seems Permalink| © Copyright 2015ETF.com.All rights reserved || Your Old Credit Card’s Now Obsolete. Now What?: (Rob Pegoraro/Yahoo Tech) Something weird has been happening to our wallets: Computers have invaded them, one credit card at a time. This overdue migration from cards with magnetic stripes on the back to “EMV” cards that add a tiny computer chip on the front reached a semi-important point Thursday: the “liability shift,” a rebalancing of powers between card issuers and merchants in the U.S. that may change who eats the cost of a bogus transaction. For most of us, Liability Shift Day should be the most boring holiday ever. Only a minority of debit and credit cards have EMV chips (“EMV” stands for “Europay, MasterCard and Visa,” the three parents of the system ), and the share of retailers taking chip payments is even smaller. But over time, things will change. Here’s how: How exactly do I pay with a chip? Instead of swiping a card with that satisfying flick of the wrist, you pop the card into a slot in a card terminal. Then you leave it there as the chip generates a one-time code (like the three- or four-digit number on your card for online purchases), the terminal processes the transaction, and you sign to complete it. In my experience, that takes a few seconds longer than a mag-stripe card—assuming the stripe was able to read on the first try, which we all know doesn’t always happen. Where can I pay with the chip? Your chip transactions may be confined to major merchants like Walmart, Home Depot, and Target. It’s not enough to see a “point of sale” terminal with an EMV slot; that part may be inactive. For example, my neighborhood’s Whole Foods accepts Apple Pay and other phone payments but not EMV. Spokesman Michael Silverman said the chain plans to fix that across its stores… by the end of 2016. A complete upgrade across U.S. retail will take longer. On a conference call Wednesday, Visa vice president Stephanie Ericksen said 314,000 establishments take chip payments, up from 55,000 last September—but that’s out of a total of maybe 6 million to 8 million. Story continues How do I get EMV versions of my cards? If you haven’t already been issued chipped versions of your cards—those in my wallet reached that blessed state in July —you’ll have to ask your issuer what the holdup is. While you wait, you might as well use that time to shop around and see if you can switch to a card with better cash-back or travel rewards . Will chip cards stop data breaches? Sorry, no. With EMV, your card number and expiration date still get sent in the clear to the store and beyond. If somebody hacks the terminal or the software upstream, they can still go to town with your card. “It does not take care of making sure that the data is protected as it travels through the various layers of payment systems,” explained Erik Vlugt, a vice president at the payment-processing firm VeriFone . EMV cards also remain usable if lost or stolen unless they’re further secured with a PIN. That’s common with European but not U.S. cards. (More on that later.) So what security problem does EMV actually solve? Chip cards can’t be cloned the way stripe cards can. Counterfeiting is a huge problem, accounting for 37 percent of all U.S. credit-card fraud in 2014 —second only after “card not present” theft staged online or over the phone, according to the research firm Aite Group . Crooks have had a clear economic incentive to clone cards, security researcher Brian Krebs noted in a 2014 explainer : A counterfeiter “walks into a big box store and walks out with high-priced electronics or gift cards that he can easily turn into cash.” Who pays with the liability shift? Definitely not you — just like today, fraud isn’t your problem as long as you report it. But merchants can pay more, subject to various rules. As National Retail Federation general counsel Mallory Duncan summed up in an e-mail: “Whomever has the more evolved equipment (in a counterfeit situation) wins.” That is, if the bank issued a chip card, the crook shows up with a counterfeit version of it, and the merchant doesn’t process chip transactions, the merchant is liable to eat the cost. But it can get complicated: “There are scenarios where both parties accept a certain percentage of the responsibility,” MasterCard product-delivery head Carolyn Balfany said over e-mail. Note, too, that retailers already pay for some fraudulent transactions, as you can see in Visa’s “chargeback” rules . In turn, all of us pay in the form of slightly higher prices, same as we collectively pay for the “shrinkage” of shoplifting and employee theft. What if a store doesn’t take EMV? Good luck judging a store’s security, although some modern payment gadgets like Square’s card readers do encrypt card numbers automatically. If you can use your phone to pay for things, do it. Apple Pay and Android Pay do “tokenization,” meaning they generate a new card number for each transaction. Or you could pay with cash, Bitcoin , bartered chickens , or any other mutually agreeable medium of value. What about chip-and-PIN? You may have read that chip-and-PIN cards are more secure because you have to type a number matching the one stored on the chip. But that’s not why they exist: When EMV cards arrived in Europe, many establishments didn’t have online access to verify transactions with issuers and so needed authentication that worked offline. U.S. banks have avoided PIN because, hey, who wants to remember another number? (A few months ago, Underwriters Laboratories innovations director Maarten Bron said he’d seen too many chip-and-PIN holders write down their PIN on the back of their cards .) International travelers have complained that signature EMV cards don’t work at kiosks in Europe. Visa’s rules now require those unattended terminals to waive the PIN; it says that in a recent test across five EU states, 90 percent of signature-card transactions worked . So how do we stop online fraud? Payment-processing systems can ensure they have nothing worth stealing by not keeping card numbers intact—what Visa calls “devaluing” that data. In that respect, the slow adoption of EMV security could give lagging merchants a chance to jump to an Apple Pay level of security. Said PCI Security Standards Council chief technology office Troy Leach: “We’re hoping that they buy the next generation of security, which is encryption and tokenization.” I hope he’s right. But I won’t be too surprised if five years from now, a shop with connectivity issues still has to dust off a “knuckle buster” card imprinter to take my payment on a slip of carbon paper. Email Rob at [email protected] ; follow him on Twitter at @robpegoraro . || Amazon Turns To The Sharing Economy With Part-Time 'Flex' Service: This holiday season there has been much concern over how firms will cope with the lack of seasonal employees. As unemployment rates have fallen dramatically across the United States, there is a much smaller pool of part-time employees, leaving many firms to decide whether to pay more and sacrifice margins or brave the shopping season without extra hands. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN ) is one such firm which will likely feel the effects of fewer employees as the company's one-day shipping promises often attract droves of last-minute shoppers. However, the e-commerce giant is hoping to fill the gap using the sharing economy . Related Link: What Could Amazon And Lear Mean For Detroit? Sharing Economy In Seattle, Amazon has been piloting a new program which allows everyday people to become Amazon delivery representatives in their free time. Much like Uber, Amazon is tapping into the sharing economy in order to fill a need without taking on new employees. The service, called Amazon Flex, allows people to pick up packages from Amazon warehouses and deliver them to customers' homes for a reasonable $20 per hour. On Demand Workers The program is expected to catch on quickly as the rise of on-demand workers has been huge over the past year. College students, part-time workers and low paid employees are often looking for ways to earn extra cash in their free time and programs like Amazon Flex allow them to do so without locking them in to set hours. Not only does it give the delivery people a bit of extra income, but it significantly reduces Amazon's shipping costs and allows the company to offer its customers faster delivery times even when the hiring pool is shrinking. See more from Benzinga Boeing's Muilenburg Sees Space, Drones And China In Company's Future Bank Of America Prepares For Bitcoin Revolution Logistics Firms Prepare For 3D Printing's Future © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || May the force be with you: 2 Star Wars trades: Disney's (NYSE: DIS) stock may have had a rough time recently, but " Fast Money " traders see an opportunity. Trader Guy Adami said that with the stock down more than 20 percent in the last couple of weeks, the valuation is reasonable. He also has faith the CEO Bob Iger will "figure it out." "I understand the problems they are having on the cable sides of things, but I also think he's one of the best managers out there. You've got to give him the benefit of the doubt. If the market stabilizes in any way, it goes to $110," he said on Friday. Trader Steve Grasso is long Disney. "I do believe it's going to work its way up and I do believe they [Disney] are the king of content." He also said that Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) too could benefit from its deal with Disney. "The Netflix deal with Disney kicks in 2016, so they're going to get Star Wars, Marvel and superheroes. There's a lot of content that is going to save both stocks," he said. Read More Why it might not be time to dump Disney shares Trader Brian Kelley said that Disney is a place to buy when the market gets stronger. "You have a great risk-to-reward ratio. You could get it up to $115. Disney is where you look when the market starts to rip," he said. Disclosures: STEVE GRASSO Steve is long AAPL, BA, BAC, CC, DD, DIS, DECK, EVGN, FIT, KBH, MJNA, MU, PFE, PHM, T, TWTR, GDX, firm is long MAT, MCD His kids own EFA, EFG, EWJ, IJR, SPY. BRIAN KELLY Brian Kelly is long BBRY, TWTR calls, Bitcoin, U.S. Dollar; he is short British Pound, Euro, Ruble, Yen, Yuan, US Treasuries. GUY ADAMI Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, INTC, Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. More From CNBC Top News and Analysis Latest News Video Personal Finance View comments || Bitcoin Takes A Hit In Australia: Bitcoin has gained popularity across the globe in recent years, but concerns about safety have kept the cryptocurrency from becoming a mainstream means of payment. For that reason, banks in Australia have begun to move away from cryptocurrency, deciding last month to close the accounts of 13 of the continent's 17 bitcoin exchanges. The decision has had a ripple effect on the bitcoin industry in Australia as more and more businesses similarly turn their backs on digital currencies. Bye-Bye Bitcoin In Australia, many businesses began accepting bitcoin payments when the coin gained popularity. As the digital payments trend expanded, some firms hoped to use bitcoin in order to tap into a greater pool of potential clients and make it easier for international customers to pay. However, the nation's banks' decision to shut bitcoin exchanges out has led many Australian firms to rethink their decisions. Many worry that the banks are only the beginning of a backlash against cryptocurrencies, and that by participating in the trend they could tarnish their reputations. Related Link:Bitcoin Gains Deeper Foothold In Latin America Through MercadoLibre Big Blow To Cryptocurrencies Although cryptocurrencies are still receiving a lot of positive attention in places like Europe and the US, the changing attitude in Australia could put a dent in the industry's momentum. Australia makes up around7 percentof bitcoin's $3.5 billion global value, a significant portion. Not only will a negative attitude toward bitcoin affect the Australian market, but it could spread further afield. Some worry that the negative reputation could eventually influence the opinions of consumers and lawmakers in other countries as well. See more from Benzinga • Small Businesses Turn To Online Lenders • As California's Drought Drags On, Winners And Losers Emerge • Is Europe Recovering Or Not? © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Caribbean's Next Top Model Set for Season 2 Premiere: MIAMI, FL--(Marketwired - Oct 15, 2015) - On October 19, young women from all over the Caribbean will begin chasing their dreams of success as career models, when the second season of Caribbean's Next Top Model (CNTM) makes its premiere on Flow TV. Cable and Wireless, which operates both the Flow and LIME brand, is the premium sponsor for the show's sophomore season, which will run for 11 episodes, starting on October 19. The Caribbean reality show is based on the successful original production -- America's Next Top Model. This regional program follows the stories of young women seeking to launch a career in the competitive world of modelling, and is produced and presented by Wendy Fitzwilliam, a former Miss Universe, successful model and entrepreneur. "We are extremely excited to be partnering with Wendy Fitzwilliam and her Caribbean's Next Top Model team," said John Reid, President of the C&W Communications, Consumer Group. "We are not just committed, but we are also proud to support Caribbean producers who generate quality local content for the region." Reid also noted that customers now have more options to access the exciting regional programme across multiple platforms, including their TV and other smart devices, where the mobile option was available. Customers in Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados, Cayman, and Curacao will also be able to access the show at their convenience using Flow's Video on Demand (VOD) feature. Aside from the many viewing options, Flow customers, will also be able to participate in other exciting promotions including weekly SMS competition to win a new iPad, tablet, or other great prizes. Commenting on the partnership, Fitzwilliam said, "It is so refreshing when a corporate entity recognises the need for support and undertakes the responsibility of enabling the development of Caribbean talent and content -- Flow has definitely got it right. With Flow you get more -- CNTM's fans will get a wholesome entertainment experience, one that is as interactive and engaging as possible. With Flow's quad play technology, viewers can truly enjoy the upcoming season to the fullest extent." Story continues Caribbean Next Top Model will be broadcast simultaneously on the Flow TV platform across the region on Monday nights from October 19 at 7:30 p.m. in Curacao, Jamaica, Cayman Islands and at 8:30 p.m. -- in Trinidad, Jamaica, Barbados, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda and The Bahamas. As the season unfolds, each CNTM episode will first air on Flow TV and will then air on other stations, five days after the initial Flow airing. Season Two of Caribbean's Next Top Model will premiere with a star-studded fashion event at the Betsy Hotel on South Beach, Miami on October 19. About C&W Communications Cable & Wireless Communications Plc (CWC) is a full service communications and entertainment provider, operating in the Caribbean and Latin America. With annual sales of over US$2.4 billion, it operates both mobile and fixed networks, supported by submarine and terrestrial optical fibre backhaul capacity. Through the acquisition of Columbus International Inc on 31 March 2015, C&W now delivers superior high-speed mobile data, broadband and TV/video services. It has leading market positions in Mobile, Fixed Line, Broadband and TV consumer offers. Through its business division, C&W provides data centre hosting, domestic and international managed network services, and customised IT service solutions, utilising cloud technology to serve business and government customers. The company also operates a state-of-the-art subsea fibre optic cable network that spans more than 48,000 km -- the most extensive in the region -- as well as 38,000 km of terrestrial fibre providing wholesale and carrier backhaul capacity and a growing suite of wholesale managed services. C&W has more than 7,500 employees serving over 6 million customers (Mobile 3.8m; Fixed Line 1.1m; Video 460k and Broadband 665k) as well as over 125k corporate clients and 225 wholesale customers across 42 countries. The Company's leading brands include: LIME and Flow in the Caribbean; BTC in The Bahamas; Mas Movil in Panama; C&W Business and C&W Networks. C&W is the market leader in most products offered and territories served. It is a major contributor to local communities through its corporate social responsibility programs. Cable & Wireless Communications' shares are quoted on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker CWC. The company is headquartered in London with its operational hub located in Miami, within close proximity to the Caribbean and Latin America. For more information visit: www.cwc.com . || WeedLife Steps Up To Fill Marijuana Advertising Gap: The marijuana industry has grown exponentially over the past decade as more and more states legalize the drug for both medicinal and recreational use. However, cannabis-based firms are extremely limited when it comes to getting their names out there as state and federal laws prohibit most forms of advertising. Companies like Google Inc (NASDAQ: GOOG ) and Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO ) are reluctant to engage with marijuana-related firms, leaving very few options for a pot company trying to get noticed. Advertising regulations for marijuana firms are stricter than that of tobacco and alcohol, making it difficult for dispensaries to reach their target audiences. Related Link: Surprised? Marijuana Use On The Rise At College Campuses Working Together The WeedLife Network is hoping to fill that gap by opening its network to allow legal marijuana advertising. WeedLife Network is a collection of over 40 different websites and apps for marijuana businesses and consumers that generates over 4.5 million page views each month. The company hopes that by expanding its network to include marijuana-based advertisers, it will help propel the industry further by giving cannabis startups the tools they need to reach their customers. The Google Of Marijuana WeedLife Network co-founder Shawn Tapp said he hopes this new offering will draw in new businesses who are struggling to gain exposure. Tapp said that WeedLife will "aim to be the industry's replacement for Google's AdWords." The network will give businesses an easy way to reach their target audience as it already encompasses businesses and consumers interested in the marijuana industry. See more from Benzinga Apple Aims To Read Your Mind Is Europe The New Home For Bitcoin? U.S. Tech Firms Hope To Have A Say In New EU Digital Market Rules © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] #RDD / #BTC on the exchanges: Cryptsy: Error Bittrex: 0.00000004 Average $9.0E-6 per #reddcoin 16:00:01 || ★MONA/JPY 6.65~19.9【もなっくす】 13.3~13.4【Zaif】 ★MONA/BTC 0.00043~0.00049【AllCoin】 0.00043~0.00049【もなとれ】 0.00047~0.00048【bittrex】 00:30現在 || Current price: 233.08$ $BTCUSD $btc #bitcoin 2015-09-17 16:00:02 EDT || Bitcoin Price Weekly Analysis – 200.00 as Pivot: Bitcoin price struggled to hold ground and continued... http://bit.ly/1IuTe80  #Bitcoin || Gold $1,105.23 | Silver $14.34 | Platinum $958.00 | Bitcoin $229.79 Call us toll free 800-874-9760 or shop online http://RRBI.co  || $BTC Current price of Bitcoin is $238.00 #bitcoin || Current price: 158.47£ $BTCGBP $btc #bitcoin 2015-09-07 13:00:02 BST || #bitcoin #currency Bitcoin Price Weekly Analysis – 200.00 Played Well - newsBTC: newsBTCBitcoin Price ... http://bit.ly/1OmW7gg  #mining || 1 #BTC (#Bitcoin) quotes: $227.00/$228.43 #Bitstamp $226.51/$227.65 #BTCe ⇢$-1.92/$0.65 $230.15/$230.18 #Coinbase ⇢$1.72/$3.18 || 00 Bitcoin computer that lets you buy and sell things using Bitcoin goes on sale in http://is.gd/w5QqT3 
Trend: up || Prices: 304.62, 313.86, 328.02, 314.17, 325.43, 361.19, 403.42, 411.56, 386.35, 374.47
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Want to Buy Bitcoin With a Credit Card? You May Be In for a Surprise: Buying bitcoin and other digital currencies is risky enough. After all, double-digit percentage moves in a single day are quite common, and during particularly volatile periods, major swings are possible. For example, after a few bad news items, many cryptocurrencies have been roughly cut in half over the past week alone. However, if a speculator risks money that he or she can afford to lose, it's not such a big deal. On the other hand, buying bitcoin with debt is a recipe for financial disaster -- especially if high-interest credit cards are used. Fortunately, many banks are starting to protect would-be speculators from themselves. Woman holding credit card while using laptop. If you try to buy bitcoin with your credit card, there's a good change your bank will reject the transaction. Image source: Getty Images. Wait -- have people really been buying bitcoin with credit cards? Eighteen percent of bitcoin investors say they used credit cards to fund the purchase, according to a December LendEDU survey . Alarmingly, 22% of respondents who said they used credit cards could not pay off their balance after buying their bitcoin. A staggering 90% of these bitcoin buyers were relying on selling the digital currency at a higher price to pay off their debt. At the time, bitcoin's rise was parabolic, and many people seem to have assumed it would continue. Obviously, this is a bad idea. In fact, since the LendEDU survey was conducted, bitcoin's price has fallen by more than half. So it's fair to assume that many of the respondents who said they couldn't afford to pay off their balance still owe considerably more than their bitcoin is now worth. As LendEDU research analyst Mike Brown wrote in the survey findings, buying bitcoin on credit "is not a wise decision no matter which way it is spun." Some of the biggest banks just said "no" to bitcoin credit card purchases To be clear, you can technically still use credit cards to buy bitcoin and other digital currencies. It's still an available payment option on major exchanges. Story continues However, that is only one part of a potential credit card purchase. A credit card's issuing bank needs to approve all purchases. And the list of banks that won't allow purchases on cryptocurrency exchanges is growing rapidly. On Friday, Feb. 2, JPMorgan Chase , Bank of America , and Citigroup , three of the largest U.S. credit card issuers, announced that they would stop processing digital currency purchases. Lloyds Banking Group announced on Monday that all 8 million of its credit cards would no longer be usable on exchanges. What could this mean for the cryptocurrency market? First and foremost, this is certainly a financially responsible move on the part of the credit card companies. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are highly volatile investments whose prices can rise and fall rapidly. If you can't buy less volatile investment assets, like stocks, on a credit card, why should you be able to buy bitcoin? Having said that, this could have a big impact on cryptocurrency market, which could put negative pressure on prices. Keep in mind that the other 78% of credit card buyers can afford to pay the bill, or buy in cash -- but using a credit card is often the easiest way to instantly buy digital currencies on major exchanges. On Coinbase, for example, it takes roughly a week to buy digital currencies through bank draft. With a credit card, the transaction is instantaneous. The first of the banks to ban cryptocurrency purchases announced their decision on Friday. Since then, most digital currencies are down by double-digit percentages without any other significant negative news. So it's reasonable to say that while it could keep many would-be cryptocurrency speculators out of trouble, the move by some of the world's largest credit card issuers to shut down cryptocurrency transactions is a negative catalyst for the volatile market. More From The Motley Fool 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Matthew Frankel owns shares of Bank of America and has no position in any cryptocurrencies mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Lloyds Banking Group and does not own or recommend any cryptocurrencies mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . || Could Freeport-McMoRan, Inc. Be a Millionaire Maker Stock?: Shares of copper and gold miner Freeport-McMoRan, Inc. (NYSE: FCX) rocketed 36% higher in December . That's a massive gain in a short period of time, and shows just how quickly this miner could turn investors into millionaires. But it's also evidence of risk if you take the time to look past the headline numbers. And then there are some company-specific issues that you'll want to know about before you jump aboard. In the end, Freeport-McMoRan could be a millionaire maker stock, but I don't think it's worth the risk for most investors. Here's why. About that huge advance Freeport-McMoRan investors were treated to a stock price advance at the end of 2017 that was nothing short of incredible. However, the stock would have been up in the mid-single digits last year if it weren't for that December price gain. In other words, almost all of the 44% gain in the year that just ended came in a single 31-day period. Copper pipes Image source: Getty Images So it's important to understand what happened. There was no dramatic ore discovery or some key technological advance in mining. The rally was driven by a swift increase in copper prices that led investors to push related mining stocks higher. The impetus for this advance was the expectation that copper demand out of China would remain robust even as the giant nation moved to reduce its own copper production. The risk here is that China changes its mind, or that investors overreacted to the positive news. Commodities are notoriously volatile, with often swift and dramatic price moves in both directions. Yes, Freeport could end up making investors a lot of money, but it could lose investors a lot of money too. So unless you have a constructive view of commodities, specifically copper, you should tread cautiously here. Some more bad news But that's just a look at Freeport's broad commodity exposure; I could say the same about almost every miner. There's a couple of other risks investors need to know about when looking at Freeport specifically. Story continues FCX Chart FCX data by YCharts For example, Freeport made an ill-timed $20 billion bet on the oil and gas business in 2013. When oil prices fell in mid-2014 the investment quickly turned into a material drag on performance. The miner has since extracted itself from the energy space, but it's still dealing with this mistake. The big concern for me is on the balance sheet. Before the pair of 2013 oil acquisitions, Freeport's long-term debt stood at roughly $3.5 billion. That figure rose to more than $20 billion in a single year, a massive increase. Now, having largely exited the oil space, long-term debt stands at around $12.5 billion. In other words, investors are still paying for that mistake with nothing to show for it. Interest expense ate up 30% of the company's operating income through the first nine months of 2017. A series of mine images showing that Grasberg makes up 30% of Freeport McMoRan's copper reserves and all of its gold reserves Freeport's largest assets, which shows just how important the Grasberg mine is to the company. Image source: Freeport-McMoRan, Inc. You'll also want to consider that Freeport is currently in tense negotiations with Indonesia over its ownership of the giant Grasberg mine . This single asset holds roughly 30% of Freeports copper reserves and all of its gold reserves. To simplify a complex issue, Indonesia wants to get more financial benefit from Grasberg, which basically means that Freeport will get less. There's a broad framework for a solution, but nothing concrete just yet. I'm certain something will get worked out, but the outcome for Freeport is still unclear. The answer is yes, but... Freeport-McMoRan could easily turn an investor into a millionaire. The December advance shows that it could happen quickly, too. But there are huge risks that come along with that potential, most notably that often volatile commodity prices go both up and down. But there's also a material debt overhang at Freeport, the result of an ill-timed investment, and ongoing troubles at a key mine. Most investors would be better off avoiding the risks here for now. More From The Motley Fool 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . || Ripple is sitting on $80 billion and could cash out hundreds of millions per month -- but isn't: Sixteen months ago, Ripple raised $55 million by selling equity in a typical Silicon Valley funding round that included Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) 's GV (Google Ventures), Andreessen Horowitz and some strategic investors. The round placed the value of the company around $400 million . Today the San Francisco start-up could bring in many times that amount of cash every month -- if it wanted to -- without giving up any company ownership or control. Ripple develops software that banks use for fast global financial settlements. But almost all of its current value comes from being the creator and majority holder of XRP , a digital currency that was obscure a year ago, but now has a total market value of about $130 billion. XRP, which trades publicly like bitcoin, went on an inexplicable rally starting last year. Even after plummeting from a high of $3.84 in early January to $1.30 (including a 30 percent drop on Tuesday), it's still up almost 200-fold in the past 12 months.Ripple owns about 60 billion of the 100 billion XRP created, giving it a market value -- based just on its holdings -- of close to $80 billion.The company's revenue is unknown, although CEO Brad Garlinghouse told CNBC that some banks are paying the company millions of dollars for its software. Regardless, $80 billion is far ahead of where any reasonable investor would value the company.A tough company to value Ripple has placed limitations on how much XRP it can sell each month to remove the concern that it will suddenly flood the market with tokens. The company placed 55 billion of its XRP in a "cryptographically-secured" escrow account and can release up to 1 billion every month. Ripple has never come close to selling that amount in a month and said in December that it's averaged selling 300 million XRP a month since mid-2016. By selling a tiny fraction of its holdings each month, the company brought in over $90 million in the first three quarters of 2017.Ripple hasn't released its fourth-quarter XRP report yet, but if it continued selling the same amount programmatically, as a percentage of overall XRP traded, it would have raised more than $75 million in the fourth quarter and another $150 million just in the first half of January. That doesn't include money made from direct sales.The company can dial back how much XRP it puts on the market, so there's no reason to expect that it's reeling in hundreds of millions of dollars a quarter. But just having that ability puts Ripple in a cash position that's extremely rare -- particularly for a start-up with just 170 employees -- and gives it the flexibility to quickly bring in money for a pricey acquisition, fund an ambitious new project or invest in other start-ups.Ripple executives just invested some of their XRP as part of a $25 million funding round in a storage start-up called Omni. "In all likelihood, they need cash less than any other company on the planet," said Timothy Enneking, managing director of Crypto Asset Management , a crypto hedge fund in San Diego with about $70 million in assets. Jeremy Liew of Lightspeed Venture Partners invested in Ripple in 2013 , before the currency had any value and when the company was focused on consumer peer-to-peer payments. He doesn't have a board seat and isn't close to the company, but is suddenly looking at a potentially very valuable stake. Figuring out exactly how to value that stake is no easy task: Lightspeed owns illiquid shares in a private company, whose soaring paper value is derived from a highly volatile asset that it plans to monetize in small chunks over the course of many years. "It's absolutely unprecedented," said Liew, who's best known for his early bet on Snap (NYSE: SNAP) . "It hadn't been material until the end of last quarter, so now we have to think it through." Seagate (NASDAQ: STX) , through an investment in Ripple in 2016, could own a stake worth close to $8 billion, according to a report last week from Deep Value Research. The stock has rallied 20 percent since the report on Jan. 8, even though the company has said nothing about it publicly. The anti-bitcoinWhile Ripple's ability to practically print money puts it in an admirable place, the start-up has attracted plenty of controversy in the world of cryptocurrencies and blockchain.Bitcoin is a decentralized currency that has to be mined to enter circulation and was created by a mysterious and still unidentified person using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.XRP, by contrast, is the creation of a single company that owns the majority of the currency and has defined its parameters. Critics on Reddit and elsewhere comment on how crazy it is that Ripple just created a currency "out of thin air." Additionally, the currency is hardly being used, making it even more difficult to justify the price surge. Ripple's core product, xCurrent, is used by banks as a messaging solution that allows them to settle cross-border payments quickly. But they're not using XRP for that. A newer and still nascent Ripple product called xRapid allows financial institutions to convert fiat currencies to XRP quickly and cheaply, and transact digitally in real time. Last week Ripple made its first significant customer announcement for xRapid. It said that MoneyGram will use the technology and XRP to speed up and reduce the cost of transferring money. Viamericas, a money transmitter focused on sending money to Latin America and Asia, said that that it's testing XRP. Ripple claims an average transaction on its network takes between two and three seconds to process. Bitcoin transactions take around 51 minutes on average, according to data by industry website Blockchain.info."Bitcoin showed us what's possible, but it's not going to solve every use case," said Garlinghouse, Ripple's CEO, who personally owns billions of dollars worth of combined Ripple equity and XRP at the current price. "I'm personally long bitcoin, because I think it solves a problem around the store of value."In other words, Garlinghouse sees bitcoin as a form of digital gold, attracting investors looking to diversify their holdings. But XRP has a specific use and, if he's right, it will be the way that financial firms transact over blockchain."We're driving velocity and demand of XRP," Garlinghouse said.None of that makes it any easier to grasp the value of XRP, which helps explain the wild price swings. The best explanation for its surge is the increasing global interest in cryptocurrencies and the proliferation of online exchanges that make it possible to buy, sell and hold these types of assets.Enneking said that for his Crypto Asset Management fund he recently shorted XRP, and he's been more bullish on bitcoin and ethereum."I have a tough time understanding, even if a lot of banks use Ripple to move billions of dollars, why does that increase the value of XRP?" he said. "I don't understand what drives price formation."If 2017 (and 2018 so far) has taught us anything about cryptocurrency, it's that extreme volatility is the norm. XRP could crash below 10 cents just as quickly as it soared past $3 for any number of reasons, or no reason at all.With that sort of risk, it would make sense for Ripple to maximize its monthly XRP sales and pad its cash position as much as possible. But Garlinghouse gave no indication that he's pushing in that direction."For everything I do, I think what is in the best interest of the XRP ecosystem," he said.WATCH: How to buy ripple, one of bitcoin's hottest competitors Sixteen months ago, Ripple raised $55 million by selling equity in a typical Silicon Valley funding round that included Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) 's GV (Google Ventures), Andreessen Horowitz and some strategic investors. The round placed the value of the company around $400 million . Today the San Francisco start-up could bring in many times that amount of cash every month -- if it wanted to -- without giving up any company ownership or control. Ripple develops software that banks use for fast global financial settlements. But almost all of its current value comes from being the creator and majority holder of XRP , a digital currency that was obscure a year ago, but now has a total market value of about $130 billion. XRP, which trades publicly like bitcoin, went on an inexplicable rally starting last year. Even after plummeting from a high of $3.84 in early January to $1.30 (including a 30 percent drop on Tuesday), it's still up almost 200-fold in the past 12 months. Ripple owns about 60 billion of the 100 billion XRP created, giving it a market value -- based just on its holdings -- of close to $80 billion. The company's revenue is unknown, although CEO Brad Garlinghouse told CNBC that some banks are paying the company millions of dollars for its software. Regardless, $80 billion is far ahead of where any reasonable investor would value the company. A tough company to value Ripple has placed limitations on how much XRP it can sell each month to remove the concern that it will suddenly flood the market with tokens. The company placed 55 billion of its XRP in a "cryptographically-secured" escrow account and can release up to 1 billion every month. Ripple has never come close to selling that amount in a month and said in December that it's averaged selling 300 million XRP a month since mid-2016. By selling a tiny fraction of its holdings each month, the company brought in over $90 million in the first three quarters of 2017. Ripple hasn't released its fourth-quarter XRP report yet, but if it continued selling the same amount programmatically, as a percentage of overall XRP traded, it would have raised more than $75 million in the fourth quarter and another $150 million just in the first half of January. That doesn't include money made from direct sales. The company can dial back how much XRP it puts on the market, so there's no reason to expect that it's reeling in hundreds of millions of dollars a quarter. But just having that ability puts Ripple in a cash position that's extremely rare -- particularly for a start-up with just 170 employees -- and gives it the flexibility to quickly bring in money for a pricey acquisition, fund an ambitious new project or invest in other start-ups. Ripple executives just invested some of their XRP as part of a $25 million funding round in a storage start-up called Omni. "In all likelihood, they need cash less than any other company on the planet," said Timothy Enneking, managing director of Crypto Asset Management , a crypto hedge fund in San Diego with about $70 million in assets. Jeremy Liew of Lightspeed Venture Partners invested in Ripple in 2013 , before the currency had any value and when the company was focused on consumer peer-to-peer payments. He doesn't have a board seat and isn't close to the company, but is suddenly looking at a potentially very valuable stake. Figuring out exactly how to value that stake is no easy task: Lightspeed owns illiquid shares in a private company, whose soaring paper value is derived from a highly volatile asset that it plans to monetize in small chunks over the course of many years. "It's absolutely unprecedented," said Liew, who's best known for his early bet on Snap (NYSE: SNAP) . "It hadn't been material until the end of last quarter, so now we have to think it through." Seagate (NASDAQ: STX) , through an investment in Ripple in 2016, could own a stake worth close to $8 billion, according to a report last week from Deep Value Research. The stock has rallied 20 percent since the report on Jan. 8, even though the company has said nothing about it publicly. The anti-bitcoin While Ripple's ability to practically print money puts it in an admirable place, the start-up has attracted plenty of controversy in the world of cryptocurrencies and blockchain. Bitcoin is a decentralized currency that has to be mined to enter circulation and was created by a mysterious and still unidentified person using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. XRP, by contrast, is the creation of a single company that owns the majority of the currency and has defined its parameters. Critics on Reddit and elsewhere comment on how crazy it is that Ripple just created a currency "out of thin air." Additionally, the currency is hardly being used, making it even more difficult to justify the price surge. Ripple's core product, xCurrent, is used by banks as a messaging solution that allows them to settle cross-border payments quickly. But they're not using XRP for that. A newer and still nascent Ripple product called xRapid allows financial institutions to convert fiat currencies to XRP quickly and cheaply, and transact digitally in real time. Last week Ripple made its first significant customer announcement for xRapid. It said that MoneyGram will use the technology and XRP to speed up and reduce the cost of transferring money. Viamericas, a money transmitter focused on sending money to Latin America and Asia, said that that it's testing XRP. Ripple claims an average transaction on its network takes between two and three seconds to process. Bitcoin transactions take around 51 minutes on average, according to data by industry website Blockchain.info. "Bitcoin showed us what's possible, but it's not going to solve every use case," said Garlinghouse, Ripple's CEO, who personally owns billions of dollars worth of combined Ripple equity and XRP at the current price. "I'm personally long bitcoin, because I think it solves a problem around the store of value." In other words, Garlinghouse sees bitcoin as a form of digital gold, attracting investors looking to diversify their holdings. But XRP has a specific use and, if he's right, it will be the way that financial firms transact over blockchain. "We're driving velocity and demand of XRP," Garlinghouse said. None of that makes it any easier to grasp the value of XRP, which helps explain the wild price swings. The best explanation for its surge is the increasing global interest in cryptocurrencies and the proliferation of online exchanges that make it possible to buy, sell and hold these types of assets. Enneking said that for his Crypto Asset Management fund he recently shorted XRP, and he's been more bullish on bitcoin and ethereum. "I have a tough time understanding, even if a lot of banks use Ripple to move billions of dollars, why does that increase the value of XRP?" he said. "I don't understand what drives price formation." If 2017 (and 2018 so far) has taught us anything about cryptocurrency, it's that extreme volatility is the norm. XRP could crash below 10 cents just as quickly as it soared past $3 for any number of reasons, or no reason at all. With that sort of risk, it would make sense for Ripple to maximize its monthly XRP sales and pad its cash position as much as possible. But Garlinghouse gave no indication that he's pushing in that direction. "For everything I do, I think what is in the best interest of the XRP ecosystem," he said. WATCH: How to buy ripple, one of bitcoin's hottest competitorsMore From CNBC • Facebook Messenger head says the app is 'cluttered,' and a new design is coming • Amazon is hiring a health privacy expert for 'new initiative' • Exec who runs Facebook's NewsFeed says changes don't spell doom for publishers || These 13 Banks Got the Fewest Complaints. Did Yours Make the Cut?: All banks are not created equal. Some bend over backward to help their customers, some are impersonal and hard to deal with, and some are downright predatory. Fortunately, there are records of the complaints consumers make against banks, and they can help steer us toward banks that are more customer-friendly. Here are the results of a recent look at major banks and which ones received the fewest (and most) complaints. Image source: Getty Images. You may be familiar with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which was created in 2010 by President Obama after being proposed by Senator Elizabeth Warren (before she was a senator). Its mission is to advocate for consumer rights and push for consumer-friendly legislation. The agency's future is uncertain these days, with some in Washington in favor of eliminating it entirely, but for now it is still the repository of myriad consumer complaints about financial institutions. The complaints varied widely and related to a broad range of banking products and services, such as checking and savings accounts, student loans, virtual currencies, credit cards, credit reporting, mortgages, money transfers, vehicle loans, and much more. The folks at LendEDU recentlystudiedmore than 200,000 complaints from 2017 in the CFPB's Consumer Complaint Database and ranked 57 national and regional banks by how many complaints they had received. Here are the 13 that had no complaints: [{"Financial Institution": "SVB Financial Group (Silicon Valley Bank)", "Total Deposits": "$44.8 billion"}, {"Financial Institution": "Signature Bank", "Total Deposits": "$33.7 billion"}, {"Financial Institution": "Wintrust Financial Corporation", "Total Deposits": "$22.9 billion"}, {"Financial Institution": "Hancock Holding Co. (Whitney Bank)", "Total Deposits": "$21.5 billion"}, {"Financial Institution": "Texas Capital Bancshares", "Total Deposits": "$19.1 billion"}, {"Financial Institution": "Pinnacle Financial Partners (Pinnacle Bank)", "Total Deposits": "$15.8 billion"}, {"Financial Institution": "Hope Bancorp (Bank of Hope)", "Total Deposits": "$11.0 billion"}, {"Financial Institution": "Home BancShares (Centennial Bank)", "Total Deposits": "$10.4 billion"}, {"Financial Institution": "United Community Banks", "Total Deposits": "$9.1 billion"}, {"Financial Institution": "Community Bank System", "Total Deposits": "$8.6 billion"}, {"Financial Institution": "Columbia Banking System", "Total Deposits": "$8.3 billion"}, {"Financial Institution": "Glacier Bancorp", "Total Deposits": "$7.8 billion"}, {"Financial Institution": "CVB Financial Group (Citizens Business Bank)", "Total Deposits": "$6.6 billion"}] Source: LendEDU.com. That's the "nice" list. So which banks are on the "naughty" list? The table below lists the top 10 offenders. They're ranked by complaints per $1 billion of deposits, because the biggest banks naturally receive the highest volume of complaints, even if the majority of their customers are happy. [{"Rank": "1", "Financial Institution": "TCF Financial (TCF National Bank)", "Number of Complaints": "246", "Total Deposits": "$18.1 billion", "Complaints per $1 Billion in Deposits": "13.59"}, {"Rank": "2", "Financial Institution": "SunTrust Banks", "Number of Complaints": "1,159", "Total Deposits": "$162.7 billion", "Complaints per $1 Billion in Deposits": "7.12"}, {"Rank": "3", "Financial Institution": "Citizens Financial Group", "Number of Complaints": "782", "Total Deposits": "$113.2 billion", "Complaints per $1 Billion in Deposits": "6.91"}, {"Rank": "4", "Financial Institution": "Fifth Third Bancorp", "Number of Complaints": "698", "Total Deposits": "$101.5 billion", "Complaints per $1 Billion in Deposits": "6.88"}, {"Rank": "5", "Financial Institution": "Citigroup", "Number of Complaints": "6,600", "Total Deposits": "$964.0 billion", "Complaints per $1 Billion in Deposits": "6.85"}, {"Rank": "6", "Financial Institution": "U.S. Bancorp", "Number of Complaints": "2,338", "Total Deposits": "$342.6 billion", "Complaints per $1 Billion in Deposits": "6.82"}, {"Rank": "7", "Financial Institution": "Comerica", "Number of Complaints": "380", "Total Deposits": "$57.8 billion", "Complaints per $1 Billion in Deposits": "6.57"}, {"Rank": "8", "Financial Institution": "Wells Fargo", "Number of Complaints": "8,465", "Total Deposits": "$1.3 trillion", "Complaints per $1 Billion in Deposits": "6.48"}, {"Rank": "9", "Financial Institution": "KeyCorp", "Number of Complaints": "670", "Total Deposits": "$103.4 billion", "Complaints per $1 Billion in Deposits": "6.48"}, {"Rank": "10", "Financial Institution": "Bank of America", "Number of Complaints": "8,069", "Total Deposits": "$1.3 trillion", "Complaints per $1 Billion in Deposits": "6.28"}] Source: LendEDU.com. One thing you might notice is that the banks without complaints tend to be smaller ones. The largest one with no complaint is smaller than all but one of the top 10 offenders. The banks with the most complaints include many ofthe biggest banksin the U.S., such as Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America. Note, however, that all three of those did improve their standing on the list between 2016 and 2017. The largest offender, TCF Financial, had nearly twice the number of complaints per $1 billion in deposits as the No. 2 bank, SunTrust. It's the smallest bank by far on the list, making it clear that a small size doesn't guarantee customer satisfaction. You needn't close out your bank account if it's on the baddie list, but youshouldpay attention to the service you're getting. If you're not happy with your bank,switchingto a different one is worth considering. Consider smaller local banks, as well as credit unions. Here are some things to look for when seeking the best bank or credit union for your needs: • Low fees or no fees.Banks make billions by charging you fees, many of which, including overdraft and ATM fees, can be avoided. Some banks charge monthly account "maintenance" fees, which you can avoid by direct-depositing a certain number of checks per month or by maintaining a certain minimum account balance. • Generous interest rates.We're in an environment of ultra-low interest rates, but that seems to be changing. So compare rates of any banks your considering and favor ones with higher rates. If interest rates are meaningfully higher in a few years, you'll benefit. Credit unions tend to have higher rates than for-profit banks, and online-only banks (ones with no brick-and-mortar locations) also often have higher rates, as they don't have branches to staff and maintain. • Access to a broad network of free-to-use ATMs.If you use ATMs a lot, you don't want to be charged for the privilege of accessing your money just because you're not near one of your bank's branches. • Mobile and/or Web banking.These days, many of us do a lot of our banking online, including paying bills and even depositing checks. If that's a valuable feature for you, make sure any bank you're considering has robust online services. It's a good idea to review your bank's offerings and compare them with other banks, even if you're not annoyed with your bank. You never know -- you may be even happier with another bank. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Selena Maranjianhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || Bitcoin Has a Dirty, Dirty Secret: Bitcoin has a dirty secret. The cryptocurrency has wowed markets this year with breakneck gains as investors flocked to an asset that exists only in cyberspace. But the laborious creation of each digital bitcoin by private computer networks has real-world consequences in the form of massive energy use—including from fuels that cause the most pollution. Eight 100-meter-long metal warehouses in northern China are a case in point. Bitmain Technologies runs a server farm in Erdors, Inner Mongolia, with about 25,000 computers dedicated to solving the encrypted calculations that generate each bitcoin. The entire operation runs on electricity produced with coal, as do a growing number of cryptocurrency “mines” popping up in China. The global industry’s power use already may equal 3 million U.S. homes, topping the individual consumption of 159 countries, according to the Digiconomist Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index. As more bitcoin is created, the difficulty rate of token-generating calculations increases, as does the need for electricity. “This has become a dirty thing to produce,” said Christopher Chapman, a London-based analyst atCitigroup. Energy has always been part of bitcoin’s DNA. The person credited with creating the currency, identified only as Satoshi Nakamoto, devised the system that awards virtual coins for solving complex puzzles and uses an encrypted digital ledger to track all the work and every transaction. As the market grew from a hobbyist culture in 2009 to a global phenomenon this year, ever-more computing power was needed by large networks. Bitcoin prices have surged more than 2,000% in the past year on some exchanges and touched a record of more than $17,800 on Friday. Cboe Global Marketscboebegan offering bitcoin futures on Dec. 11, reaching $18,850 on the first day of trading.There are other cryptocurrencies, such as ethereum and litecoin, but bitcoin is by far the largest. Read:An American Woman Used Bitcoin to Send Money to Islamic State China, which gets about 60% of its electricity from coal, is the biggest operator of computer “mines” and probably accounts for about a quarter of all the power used to create cryptocurrencies, according to a study of the industry published in April by Garrick Hileman and Michel Rauchs at Cambridge University. About 58% of the world’s large cryptocurrency mining pools were located in China, followed by the U.S. at 16%, the researchers said. China is the biggest producer and consumer of coal, and server farms in provinces such as Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Heilongjian are heavily reliant upon the fuel. Estimates of how much electricity goes into making cryptocurrencies vary widely—from the output of one large nuclear reactor to the consumption of the entire population of Denmark. But analysts agree that the industry’s power use is expanding rapidly—especially after a price rally that made bitcoin almost four times more valuable than just three months ago. Total electricity use in bitcoin mining has increased by 30% in the past month, according to Alex de Vries, a 28-year-old blockchain analyst for accounting firm PwC. “The energy-consumption is insane,” said de Vries, who started the Digiconomist blog to show the potential pitfalls in cryptocurrency. “If we start using this on a global scale, it will kill the planet.” Read:‘Be Prepared to Lose Your Money.’ A British Regulator Has a Warning for Bitcoin Buyers Some analysts dismiss such claims as overly alarmist, noting that even the high-end estimates of demand account for only about 0.1% of what the world uses. Advances in technology also may make operations more energy efficient. Still, it’s getting more expensive to produce cryptocurrency as the energy use of the process rises. Miners—especially the big ones—will look for the cheapest power to better weather price volatility, according to the Cambridge study. Electricity costs in China, which has surplus capacity of coal-fired generators and vast reserves of the fuel, is well below what consumers pay in the U.S. or Europe. Bitcoin’s algorithm dictates that after a certain number of tokens are created, more work is required for the next batch, said James Butterfill, the head of research and investment strategy at ETF Securities in London who has been studying cryptocurrency markets. Using estimates of electricity prices and the rising speed with which calculations must occur, Butterfill estimates the marginal costs of each bitcoin will more than double from $6,611 in the fourth quarter to $14,175 in the second quarter of 2018. At the start of 2017, the cost was $2,856. With costs rising, there’s a greater risk for miners should prices tumble. Read:Why Bitcoin is Surging in the Countries Trying Hardest to Stop It “You’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere where it isn’t profitable to mine,” said Butterfill, who set up computers at his home in England to mine tokens in his spare time and joined a network of 120,000 others to boost processing capacity and returns. “But if you’re investing in a bitcoin rig, you have to look at the long term, and with the volatility as high as it is, it’s probably still doesn’t make sense to mine bitcoin in Europe.” Not all cryptocurrency mining is dirty. Computers in Iceland get power from geothermal plants. Even in China, some are clustered around hydroelectric facilities in Sichuan and Yunnan. In Austria, Hydrominer IT-Services put servers inside hydro-power plants. It was the cheapest option, said Michael Marcovici, a company founder, who began mining in 2013. “Frankly, we didn’t start this as an environmental project,” Marcovici said. “It is bad for bitcoin to have this news all the time about this dirty energy. People don’t want dirty energy to be used. But the problem is, in Europe, the energy is just too expensive.” || Only 26% of Americans Know This Key Retirement Number: Social Security is a crucial source of income for millions of seniors, which is why eligible recipients should take steps to maximize their benefits . Unfortunately, a large number of Americans lack the knowledge to make informed decisions about Social Security, and as such, end up losing out on large sums of money in their lifetime. Now, given that Social Security has more than 2,700 distinct rules on the books, it's not surprising for beneficiaries to be clueless about the program to some extent. But what's troubling is that almost 75% of Americans are missing one key piece of information that could significantly impact the amount of money they collect as seniors: their full retirement age. Older man reading a newspaper IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES. In a 2017 Fidelity survey , only 26% of respondents could correctly identify their full retirement age for Social Security purposes. But without knowing that number, you're likely to make a huge mistake when it comes to filing for benefits. Why your full retirement age matters You may have heard that your Social Security benefits are based on how much you earned during your career, and that's true. Specifically, your 35 highest years of earnings on record are taken into account when calculating your full monthly benefit. That said, the age at which you first file for Social Security can cause that number to go up, go down, or stay the same -- which is why you need to know your full retirement age. Your full retirement age is based on your year of birth, as follows: 1943-1954 66 1955 66 and 2 months 1956 66 and 4 months 1957 66 and 6 months 1958 66 and 8 months 1959 66 and 10 months 1960 and after 67 DATA SOURCE: SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION. Once you reach full retirement age, you're eligible to collect the full monthly benefit amount you're entitled to based on your earnings record. This means that if you're eligible for $1,600 a month in Social Security based on your work history, and you were born in 1961, you can collect that $1,600 in full provided you wait until age 67 to claim benefits. File sooner, and your monthly payments will end up being slashed. Story continues How much of a hit might you take? It depends on how early you decide to file. You're allowed to start collecting Social Security as early as age 62. But because benefits are reduced by about 6.67% a year for the first three years you file early, and by 5% for each year thereafter, filing at 62 when your full retirement age is 67 would reduce your benefits by 30%. Using our example, that would take a monthly payment of $1,600 all the way down to $1,120. There's a flip side as well. If you hold off on filing for Social Security past full retirement age, you'll get an 8% increase in payments for each year you wait, up until you reach 70. Either way, knowing your full retirement age is the first step to making the right decision based on your personal needs and circumstances. Should you file at full retirement age? Although waiting until full retirement age to take benefits guarantees that you won't face any sort of reduction on your full monthly benefit, filing at that point isn't necessarily your best move. If you're relying on Social Security to provide the bulk of your retirement income, then it often pays to wait on those benefits as long as possible (meaning, hold off until 70) to collect the highest monthly payout. On the other hand, if you wind up losing your job and find yourself desperate for money come age 62, it pays to start taking benefits early rather than rack up costly credit card debt to keep up with your living expenses. Your health should be a factor in the decision to sign up for Social Security as well. Though the program is technically designed to pay you the same total lifetime amount regardless of when you first file, that formula assumes that you'll live an average lifespan. If your health is notably poor, then it generally pays to start taking benefits as early as possible, which means you don't actually want to wait until full retirement age. Conversely, if you have reason to believe you'll live to a later age than most (say, a family history of longevity), it often pays to hold off past full retirement age and start taking benefits at 70. There are numerous scenarios to play with, but the point is that without knowing your full retirement age, you'll be ill-equipped to make the best decision. So memorize the above chart and know what you're dealing with as far as that age goes. It's the best way to ensure that you get the most out of the benefits you've earned. More From The Motley Fool 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . || New Tax Law Closes Bitcoin Loophole: Bitcoin has defied financial gravity in 2017 but, in one respect, it’s just like any other investment: Uncle Sam expects a cut of the profits when you sell it. And starting in 2018 it will get a little harder to avoid paying up. That’s because the major tax reform passed in Congress this week contains a tweak that eliminates an exemption for many “like kind exchanges,” which lets people swap an asset for a similar one without triggering a tax obligation. Until now, some investors have relied on the law to exchange one digital currency for another without paying taxes. For instance, someone who owned Bitcoin could diversify their holdings into Ethereum or Litecoin, and plausibly tell the IRS it created no tax obligations. As Suzanne Walsh , a partner at the law firm Murtha Cullina, explained to Fortune , this is no longer the case because of a tweak to definition of property eligible for the exemption: The tax act in Sec. 13303 amends IRC Section 1031 (a)(1) to delete "property" and replace it with "real property" … So, you can see that now I can no longer take the position that my Bitcoin to Litecoin exchange was a like kind one under Sec. 1031, and I have to recognize the gain when I do it. Walsh added that the “in kind” exemption can now only apply to real estate transactions, effectively closing a loophole that has been open to other sort of property transaction such as those involving Bitcoin. Digital currency owners are currently obliged to pay taxes when they exchange it for dollars or physical goods, but the new rule now effectively means all crypto transactions are a taxable event. This doesn’t mean, of course, that everyone will heed the rule, especially as an IRS investigation revealed that only 802 customers of Coinbase, a popular digital currency exchange, filed a 8949 form related to Bitcoin-related activity in 2015. For law-abiding investors, however, the process of reporting digital currency profits--which are taxed as ordinary income in the short term and as capital gains in the long term--will be arduous since Bitcoin exchanges have yet to provide customers with a 1099 form. These forms, which are used by brokerage firms like Fidelity, provide a summary of investment income and are given both to customers and the IRS. Story continues Meanwhile, the tax headaches for digital currency investors are only going to increase as they must figure out how to account for spin-off currencies like Bitcoin Cash , and as the IRS deploys special software to identify Bitcoin tax cheats. While elected officials like Rep. Jared Polis (D-Co.) proposed an amendment to lighten the reporting requirements for digital currency, the measure did not get included in the final bill. President Trump is expected to sign the major tax overhaul, which passed both houses of Congress this week, in the next few days. This is part of Fortune's new initiative, The Ledger, a trusted news source at the intersection of tech and finance. For more on The Ledger, click here . See original article on Fortune.com More from Fortune.com Mystery Investor Bets $1 Million on Bitcoin Hitting $50,000 Bitcoin Price Drops 22% in Four Days As Infighting Goes Public Some Investors Think Bitcoin Could Reach $50,000 Next Year Artificial Scarcity of Bitcoin Won't Justify Its High Price Data Sheet--Artificial Scarcity of Bitcoin Won't Justify Its High Price || What to Expect From Apple in 2018: ForApple(NASDAQ: AAPL)fans, 2017 was the year of the iPhone X, the 10th-anniversary edition of the iPhone that was originally released when Steve Jobs was at the helm. While Apple's stock recently took a hit after sources said the pricey iPhone X wasless popularthan originally estimated, the phone that starts at $999 has still received pretty stellar reviews across the board. Apple's stock price rose an impressive 46% in 2017, closing the year at $169 per share, near its all-time high of $177, which was also hit in 2017, as investors hopped on the tech giant's train ahead of its big product launch in September. Meanwhile, theS&P 500climbed a less impressive 19% in 2017. Some people think Apple could be the first company to hit $1 trillion inmarket capin 2018, a 14% jump from where the stock is now. What could drive the stock higher in 2018? Here's a quick look at some of the new products and services you can expect from Apple in 2018. 2017 gave us the iPhone X. Image source: Apple. Apple is expecting to start 2018 out with a bang, with the release of its first home speaker, called the HomePod. The company originally planned to release it in December, but announced in November that it waspushing back the release dateto early 2018 because "a little more time" was needed before it was ready. This is a big move for Apple, because it will be competing withAmazon.com's line of Alexa products, as well asAlphabet's Google Home. Apple is going to have to carve out its own niche in a market that has already been around for some time. As usual, Apple is coming in late, but is hoping that sleek design and superior sound quality will persuade people to spend $349 on its version of the home speaker. Apple has a lot riding on this product as a way to help it boost Apple Music subscriptions to compete with market leader Spotify. In September, Apple toldBillboardit had over 30 million Apple Music paying subscribers, while Spotify said it hit 65 million in September. Apple's recent purchase of music discovery app Shazamcould also play into an updated version of the HomePod. I'm hoping the release of a smart speaker that has to listen closely to questions and answer accordingly will help Apple improve its Siri voice assistant to better compete with Alexa and Google Assistant. Apple first announced the AirPower wireless charging pad at a September event. The device isn't ready quite yet and Apple said it will work with only three of its iPhones: the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X. In the past, iPhone users have had to buy a special case to make their phones work with wireless chargers from other makers. While Apple hasn't released many details, rumor has it the pad could cost around $199 and have the ability to charge up to three devices at once. That could be a game changer if Apple makes it compatible with its future iPads and Apple Watches. The charging base will also be compatible with the second-generation AirPods case that was announced in September and is due out in 2018. Apple has made its September unveiling event an annual event, suggesting we should see a lineup of new iPhone models again in September 2018. Based on past events and early rumors, Apple will probably unveil an updated iPhone X, a larger model of the iPhone X, and aless expensive iPhone model with an LCD screento counterbalance the pricey OLED screen models. Of course, Apple typically releases yearly updates to a number of its other products. We can expect Apple to work on making its product lineup more seamless and integrating some of its new technology, such as Face ID, into some of these new models. We can expect Apple to ramp up its spending on content in 2018 as it looks to cover lost ground in the content race withNetflix, Amazon, and other players. According to an August report, the company had set a $1 billion budget for original content over the next 12 months. Because Apple is releasing content to its Apple Music subscribers, this is another way to beat out Spotify and to keep customers within its ever-growing ecosystem. Some analysts covering Apple are feeling extra optimistic and see the company as being thefirst to hit $1 trillion in valuationin the next year. GBH Insights released a note in November arguing that the upgrade cycle around Apple's new iPhones, as well as its growing services business, could push it to the $1 trillion mark. RBC's famed Apple analyst, Amit Daryanani, released a note in August saying he could see Apple reaching $1 trillion valuation in the next 12 to 18 months. Apple's market cap is currently at about $875 billion, while Alphabet's is at $730 billion and Amazon's is at $565 billion. Hitting a $1 trillion market cap in the next 12 months may sound like a lofty prediction, but Apple remainsthe most valuable brandand has some exciting products coming out. Hey, we can dream, right? More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors.Natalie Waltershas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), Amazon, Apple, and Netflix. The Motley Fool has the following options: long January 2020 $150 calls on Apple and short January 2020 $155 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || Why GNC Holdings Stock Lost 66.6% in 2017: What happened GNC Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: GNC) shares lost 66.6% of their value in 2017, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence , as mounting challenges from online competitors, declining earnings, and heavy debt hurt the bull case for the stock. GNC Chart GNC data by YCharts . So what GNC got off to a rough start in 2017. In January, a Goldman Sachs analyst published a note that revised his rating on the stock from a neutral to sell rating and lowered his price target from $12 to $8. The note cited skepticism about the company's attempts to relaunch its brand and shift its business model were seemingly validated by uneven fiscal performance later in the year. A woman working out with a rope. Image source: Getty Images. October saw the company report third-quarter results that missed sales and earnings expectations, with revenue down 3% year over year and earnings per share sliding 46% compared to the prior-year period. Shares lost roughly 23% of their value in the month. Mounting concerns about the company's debt load also weighed on the stock and sell-offs continued through November and December. Now what Growth in online shopping is reducing foot traffic at American malls and putting the squeeze on GNC's business. With Amazon.com focusing more on the vitamins and supplements space and a range of other online competitors to contend with, GNC faces huge challenges going forward. The company is valued at just 0.1 times its forward sales estimates, but a grim business outlook and lots of debt on the books suggest the stock still carries significant downside risk. GNC has a market cap of roughly $240 million and carries $1.4 billion in debt against $40 million in cash and short-term equivalents. Closing underperforming stores looks to be the most promising avenue to increasing earnings, and that's a prospect that's hard to get excited about even after steep valuation declines in recent years. More From The Motley Fool 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Keith Noonan has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . || A US financial watchdog is warning investors about crypto 'pump and dump' schemes: Thomson Reuters • FINRA, the US financial regulator, put out an alert on Thursday to warn investors about risks associated with investing in companies linked to the cryptocurrency space. • Share prices of companies connected to the booming crypto market have skyrocketed recently. • Even companies with no history in the space have jumped on the crypto bandwagon. Cryptomania is in full swing and one US regulator wants investors to be vigilant about scammers and fraud in the booming market for digital coins and blockchain technology. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) said in an alert Thursday investors should consider the risks associated with putting money into companies linked to the cryptocurrency space. "Cryptocurrencies (such as Bitcoin) are in the news daily,"the agency said. "FINRA is issuing this Alert to warn investors to be cautious when considering the purchase of shares of companies that tout the potential of high returns associated with cryptocurrency-related activities without the business fundamentals and transparent financial reporting to back up such claims." Pivoting to blockchain is proving to be lucrative for some otherwise unheard of companies. On Thursday,The Long Island Iced Tea Corporationannounced it was changing its name to Long Blockchain. Gaming company Veltyco saw its stock price leap higher on Thursday aftertelling investors it has "commenced discussions with blockchain and cryptocurrency providers"about potential partnerships. The growing trend isreminding some people of the dot-com bubble of the late 1990's. MI FINRA said investors should do their research before investing in such companies, warning about potential "pump and dump" schemes. "And don’t be fooled by unrealistic predictions of returns and claims made through press releases, spam email, telemarketing calls or posted online or in social media threads," the agency said. "These actions may be signs of a classic "pump and dump" fraud." The US Securities and Exchange Commission, another US financial regulator, has also up its scrutiny of the cryptocurrency space. It temporarily suspended trading of securities of The Crypto Company, a California-based firm whose shares have skyrocketed more than 17,000% since it first began trading in September. NOW WATCH:Economist Jim Rickards on gold versus bitcoin — intrinsic value is meaningless for both but the bitcoin prices aren't real See Also: • UK gaming company's stock jumps 20% after it says it's getting into 'blockchain and cryptocurrency' • UBS: Bitcoin 'has all the hallmarks of a bubble' • Bitcoin 101: Your essential guide to cryptocurrency [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] my long bitcoin plays over 1.00 are $GHHC $BEGI $NXCN chase my ask baby || Bitcoin-Konferenz akzeptiert keine Bitcoins - https://alternativewelle.com/business/bitcoin-konferenz-akzeptiert-keine-bitcoins/ … || this guy's hodling bitcoin || Order your secure and smart BTC/ETH/Altcoin hardware wallet - Only 94.80 EUR https://www.ledgerwallet.com/r/4518?path=/products/ledger-nano-s … #bitcoin #btc #eth #altcoin 04:17pic.twitter.com/1mDQ1Fn68m || DURBAN GET READY TO TRIPLE YOUR EARNINGS IN 2018. #BecomeABear and financially fit in three different ways. Take part in our FOREX SHARES & BITCOIN event on the 10 February 2018 @ our offices in Umhlanga from 11h00. Email [email protected] and BOOK YOUR SEAT NOW!! pic.twitter.com/t6Kp4POuHP || Güncelleme: 7:37 - 6-2-2018 #USD ALIŞ - 3.7891 #USD SATIŞ - 3.7911 #EUR ALIŞ - 4.6862 #EUR SATIŞ - 4.688 #BTC - #TRY 23500 #BIST100 - 116852.68 #ALTIN ALIŞ - 1344.24 #ALTIN SATIŞ - 1344.69 #GBP ALIŞ - 5.2873 #GBP SATIŞ - 5.2899 || Bitcoin falls below $6,000 http://bbc.in/2nGB03t  || Did you miss Digitex & Electronium? Get 100 FREE GYM Reward tokens by signing up to their Airdrop! https://t.me/gymrewards  #ico #cryptocurrency #blockchain #bitcoin #ethereum #token #fintech #airdrop https://ico.gymrewards.io/did-you-miss-digitex-electronium-get-100-free-gym-reward-tokens-by-signing-up-to-their-airdrop-https-gymrewards-io-ico-cryptocurrency-blockchain-bitcoin-ethereum-token-fintech-airdrop/ … || Do you think Bitcoin will pick up? || 12/23 10:00 Crypto currency sentiment analysis. BTC : Neutral BCC : Neutral ETH : Neutral ETC : Positive https://goo.gl/5hp6Cz  #BTC
Trend: up || Prices: 8926.57, 8598.31, 9494.63, 10166.40, 10233.90, 11112.70, 10551.80, 11225.30, 11403.70, 10690.40
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2016-10-03] BTC Price: 612.13, BTC RSI: 57.23 Gold Price: 1309.00, Gold RSI: 41.53 Oil Price: 48.81, Oil RSI: 61.07 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Exchanges Propose New Unified Trading Rules: The country’s three major exchanges announced today they have agreed to work together for new common trading procedures when reopening after a trading halt. Bats Global Markets, owner of ETF.com, the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq said they will be filing a new set of exchange rules with the SEC that propose to unify how all three resume trading when a halt occurs with ETFs and stocks. This comes nearly a year after more than 1,000 ETFs and stocks were halted on Aug. 24, 2015, causing dozens of ETFs to be traded well below fair value . Currently the exchanges do not have the same procedures to resume trading after such a halt, which fueled the market swings and price dislocation on that day. Beyond the unified reopening procedures, the exchanges also propose to eliminate the time periods where securities could trade without the limit up/limit down (circuit breaker) bands in place, reduce the number of trading pauses, and remove the “Clearly Erroneous Execution” rules when the limit up/limit down bands are in place. Getting Ahead Of Regulators “Last year’s flash crash wasn’t necessarily ‘ caused’ by chaos between the exchanges, but it certainly was exacerbated by it,” said Dave Nadig, director of exchange-traded funds at FactSet and ETF trading expert. “It’s to the exchanges’ credit that in many ways they’re getting ahead of the regulators and trying to coordinate their disparate rule sets to minimize the chances of the same thing happening again. The work they’re doing about initial opening, limit up/limit down triggering and reopening is exactly what needs to happen.” Nadig added that while the details are just coming out, the proactive nature of the exchanges in making these proposals is admirable. “The devil can sometimes be in the details, so we’ll see the final suggestions in a few weeks, but overall, I’m enormously impressed at the way these competitors have pulled together to improve the system,” he added. Industry Call To Action In March In March, leaders of the ETF industry joined a group in writing a letter to the SEC ( Why This ‘Open Letter’ To SEC Matters ) petitioning for overhauls to the market microstructure to prevent further flash crashes in ETFs and stocks. Story continues At the heart of the matter on Aug. 24, 2015 were the inconsistencies between how different exchanges handled big swings in securities (the limit up/limit down circuit breakers) and how securities were reopened after those breakers were hit. The problem spoke to the fragmentation of exchanges and the difference in how each exchange resumed trading, resulting in price discovery problems. Today’s announcement aims to address those problems. Drew Voros can be reached at [email protected] . Recommended Stories Behind The Wait For The Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF The ETF As A Political Weapon Aug. 24, 2015 Flash Crash Part Of Wall St. History What The New Real Estate Sector Means For ETFs ETF Asset Growth In 2016 Par For The Course Permalink | © Copyright 2016 ETF.com. All rights reserved || The dark web marketplace where you can buy 200 million Yahoo accounts is under cyberattack: (Shutterstock) The popular dark web marketplace where a hacker is selling 200 million user accounts stolen from Yahoo says it is currently under cyberattack. The site, called The Real Deal, is one of the go-to spots for hackers trying to sell off databases in exchange for Bitcoin. In the case of thereported Yahoo hack, that means upwards of 200 million user credentials are available for sale on the site for 3 Bitcoin, or roughly $1,800. Yahoo is expected to confirm the breach of its service soon,accordingto a report from Recode published Thursday. That reporting comes as the site hosting the database is under cyber attack and inaccessible to users. It's unknown who is behind that attack; The Real Deal only says "Market under DDoS" when a user goes to the login screen on its site, which is only accessible throughthe Tor browser. Keeping up the site isn't affected by a possible influx of dark web users looking for the goods from Yahoo. Instead, as the message indicates, The Real Deal is being hit by a DDoS, or distributed denial-of-service attack, a crude way to take down a website by flooding it with traffic. Here's what The Real Deal looks like now: (The Real Deal) (The Real Deal) NOW WATCH:NASA just took these incredible images of mysterious rock formations on Mars More From Business Insider • Hackers Steal £3.4 Million From UK Bitcoin Exchange Bitstamp • UPDATE 1-Yahoo to provide details on massive data breach - Recode • Notes From Yahoo-Microsoft Conference Call On Search Deal || Hacking group claims to offer cyber-weapons in online auction: By Joseph Menn Aug 15 (Reuters) - Hackers going by the name Shadow Brokers said on Monday they will auction stolen surveillance tools they say were used by a cyber group linked to the U.S. National Security Agency. To arouse interest in the auction, the hackers released samples of programs they said could break into popular firewall software made by companies including Cisco Systems Inc, Juniper Networks Inc and Fortinet Inc. The companies did not respond to request for comment, nor did the NSA. Writing in imperfect English, the Shadow Brokers promised in postings on a Tumblr blog that the auctioned material would contain "cyber weapons" developed by the Equation Group, a hacking group that cyber security experts widely believe to be an arm of the NSA. [ http://reut.rs/2aVA7LD ] The Shadow Brokers said the programs they will auction will be "better than Stuxnet," a malicious computer worm widely attributed to the United States and Israel that sabotaged Iran's nuclear program. Reuters could not contact the Shadow Brokers or verify their assertions. Some experts who looked at the samples posted on Tumblr said they included programs that had previously been described and therefore were unlikely to cause major damage. "The data [released so far] appears to be relatively old; some of the programs have already been known for years," said researcher Claudio Guarnieri, and are unlikely "to cause any significant operational damage." Still, they appeared to be genuine tools that might work if flaws have not been addressed. After examining the code released Monday, Matt Suiche, founder of UAE-based security startup Comae Technologies, concluded they looked like "could be used." Other security experts warned the posting could prove to be a hoax. The group said interested parties had to send funds in advance of winning the auction via Bitcoin currency and would not get their money back if they lost. The auction will end at an unspecified time, Shadow Brokers said, encouraging bidders to "keep bidding until we announce winner." (Editing by Cynthia Osterman) || Indian bitcoin company raises $1.5 million from U.S., Indian investors: NEW YORK (Reuters) - Unocoin, a Bangalore-based bitcoin startup, has raised $1.5 million in funding from a mix of Indian and U.S. investors, the company announced on Thursday. The company, which runs a trading platform to buy, sell, and store bitcoins for Indian customers, said the money raised was the largest for an Indian bitcoin startup. Unocoin, which has 100,000 users and more than 30 employees, has been in operation since December 2013. Unocoin describes itself as the Coinbase of India. San Francisco-based Coinbase is the largest U.S. bitcoin company and runs an exchange and a wallet service, among other businesses. Funding came from Indian entities such as Blume Ventures, Mumbai Angels and ah! Ventures along with U.S. investors such as Digital Currency Group, Boost VC, Bank to the Future, and FundersClub. Digital Currency Group was founded by one of the top U.S. bitcoin investors Barry Silbert, while Boost VC is run by U.S.-based Adam Draper, the son of billionaire entrepreneur Tim Draper. "We needed a separate exchange for India. A few years ago when we wanted to buy bitcoin, there was nothing available in India," Sunny Ray, Unocoin's co-founder and president told Reuters in an interview. "So if you want to buy bitcoin from an international exchange, you will have to do a wire transfer from India to these international exchanges and get your bitcoin and oftentimes it takes three to five days." Unocoin raised about $200,000 in its first financing round. It started from a small hometown called Tumkur, near Bengaluru. Bitcoin, a digital currency, was trading at $604.50 on the Bitstamp platform. (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Lisa Shumaker) || Hacking group claims to offer cyber-weapons in online auction: By Joseph Menn (Reuters) - Hackers going by the name Shadow Brokers said on Monday they will auction stolen surveillance tools they say were used by a cyber group linked to the U.S. National Security Agency. To arouse interest in the auction, the hackers released samples of programs they said could break into popular firewall software made by companies including Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O), Juniper Networks Inc (JNPR.N) and Fortinet Inc (FTNT.O). The companies did not respond to request for comment, nor did the NSA. Writing in imperfect English, the Shadow Brokers promised in postings on a Tumblr blog that the auctioned material would contain “cyber weapons” developed by the Equation Group, a hacking group that cyber security experts widely believe to be an arm of the NSA. [ http://reut.rs/2aVA7LD] The Shadow Brokers said the programs they will auction will be “better than Stuxnet,” a malicious computer worm widely attributed to the United States and Israel that sabotaged Iran’s nuclear programme. Reuters could not contact the Shadow Brokers or verify their assertions. Some experts who looked at the samples posted on Tumblr said they included programs that had previously been described and therefore were unlikely to cause major damage. “The data [released so far] appears to be relatively old; some of the programs have already been known for years,” said researcher Claudio Guarnieri, and are unlikely “to cause any significant operational damage.” Still, they appeared to be genuine tools that might work if flaws have not been addressed. After examining the code released Monday, Matt Suiche, founder of UAE-based security startup Comae Technologies, concluded they looked like "could be used." Other security experts warned the posting could prove to be a hoax. The group said interested parties had to send funds in advance of winning the auction via Bitcoin currency and would not get their money back if they lost. The auction will end at an unspecified time, Shadow Brokers said, encouraging bidders to "keep bidding until we announce winner." (Editing by Cynthia Osterman) || Your first trade for Friday, September 16: The " Fast Money " traders shared their first moves for the market open. Tim Seymour was a buyer of Nike (NYSE: NKE) . David Seaburg was a seller of Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) . Brian Kelly was a buyer of Disney (NYSE: DIS) . Steve Grasso was a buyer of Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK) . Trader disclosure: On September 15, 2016, the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "Fast Money" traders: Tim Seymour is long APC, AVP, BAC, BBRY, CLF, DO, DVYE, EDC, EWZ, F, FB, FCX, FXI, GM, GOOGL, GRMN, GE, INTC, LQD, M, MCD, MPEL, NKE, RACE, RAI, RH, RL, SINA, T, TWTR, UA, VALE, VZ, XOM. short: SPY, XRT; Tim's firm is long ABX, BABA, BIDU, CBD, CLF, EWZ, F, HD, KO, MCD, MPEL, NKE, PEP, PF, SAVE, SBUX, SINA, VALE, VIAB, WMT, WEN, X, YHOO, short HYG, IWM, UAL. Brian Kelly is long Bitcoin, CME, DXJ, GDX, KBE, SLV, TLT, VXX, XLF, XOP, US Dollar UUP; he is short EUR=, JPY=. Steve Grasso is long BA, CC, CHK, EVGN, KBH, MJNA, MON, MU, OLN, PFE, PHM, T, TWTR, GDX Grasso's Kids Own EFA, EFG, EWJ, IJR, SPY NO SHORTS Stuart Frankel & Co Inc. and some of its Partners have a financial interest in DVN, LDP, WDR, AVP, CVX, FCX, ICE, KDUS, KO, MAT, MCD, MJNA, NE, NEM, OLN, OXY, RIG, STAG, TAXI, TEX, TITXF, URI, VALE, WDR, WYNN, ZNGA, CUBA, HSPO, ICE, AMZN, MJNA, TITXF, NXTD, SPY, QQQ, DIA, XLI, BGCP, VIRT, JCP, GE, AIR FP . David Seaburg: Opinions expressed by David Seaburg are solely his own and do not reflect the views and opinions of Cowen Group, Inc. David Seaburg and Cowen have a financial interest in EDIT. Diamond Offshore: an employee of Cowen and Company, LLC serves on the Board of Directors of Diamond Offshore. EXPE, HZNP, VA – Not Approved. More From CNBC Top News and Analysis Latest News Video Personal Finance || Your first trade for Friday, August 26: The "Fast Money" traders gave their final trades of the day. Steve Grasso is a buyer of Dollar General (DG(DG)). Karen Finerman is a buyer of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY(NYSE Arca: SPY)). David Seaburg is a buyer of Bank of America (BAC(NYSE: BAC"A)). Brian Kelly is a buyer of the Gold Miners ETF (GDX(NYSE Arca: GDX)). Trader disclosure: OnThursday, August 25the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "Fast Money" traders: STEVE GRASSOis long BA, CC, EVGN, KBH, MJNA, MU, OLN, PFE, PHM, T, TWTR, GDX Grasso's Kids Own EFA, EFG, EWJ, IJR, SPY No Shorts Stuart Frankel & Co Inc. and some of its Partners have a financial interest in LDP, WDR, AVP, CVX, FCX, ICE, KDUS, KO, MAT, MCD, MJNA, NE, NEM, OLN, OXY, RIG, STAG, TAXI, TEX, TITXF, URI, VALE, WDR, WYNN, ZNGA, CUBA, HSPO, ICE, AMZN, MJNA, TITXF, NXTD, SPY, QQQ, DIA, XLI, BGCP, VIRT, JCP, GE, AIR FP KAREN FINERMANis long AAL, BAC, C, DAL, DRII, DRII calls, FB, FL, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, LYV, KORS, KORS, KORS puts, M, MA, SEDG, SPY puts, UAL, URI, WIFI long call spreads. Her firm is long ANTM, AAPL, BAC, C, C calls, DRII, DRII calls, FB, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, JPM calls, KORS, LYV, M, MOH, PLCE, SPY puts, URI, WIFI, her firm is short IWM, MDY. Karen Finerman is on the board of GrafTech International. Opinions expressed by David Seaburg are solely his own and do not reflect the views and opinions of Cowen Group, Inc. David Seaburg and Cowen have a financial interest in EDIT. BRIAN KELLYis long Bitcoin, CME, DXJ, GDX, KBE, SLV, TLT, VXX, XLF, XOP, US Dollar UUP; he is short EUR=, JPY= || High Prices and Expensive Gifts Offered by PowerBTC to Bitcoin Sellers: NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Aug 8, 2016) - With the rise in popularity of Bitcoin commerce, many online firms are finding creative new ways to take advantage of this valuable virtual resource. However, none are more market-savvy than PowerBTC, an up-and-coming financial world star that is taking e-commerce by storm. PowerBTC LLC (http://www.PowerBTC.com), an already well known cryptocurrency trader on the virtual market, has its on-going offer of higher-than-the-market-price premiums on Bitcoin purchase. Their offer is time-limited but comes along with a bunch of benefits for 10+ or larger transactions. While their standard approach of Bitcoin sellers remains a bonus of 10% more than the market's official rate, the company has added few more additional premiums and gifts for volume business. While having listed all of them below, customers can be assisted and given additional information at any time. POWERBTC CURRENT PROMOTIONAL OFFERS: 10+ BTC (24-karat gold coin);20+ BTC (24-karat gold coin +3 %);30+ BTC (24-karat gold coin +5 %);50+ BTC (24-karat gold coin +8 %) 24-karat gold coin worth of 450 USD based on the gold market price. Tom Clark, the CEO of PowerBTC, commented: "We are happy that with this promotional offer we will be able to help the Bitcoin community. By riding on this next wave of digital technology, we hope to become a major leader of the Bitcoin community, and offer exceptional deals for all Bitcoin purchases. It's about staying in-step with the times, and we know that Bitcoin is a wise investment and are confident that it can take us to the top." A visit tohttp://www.PowerBTC.comreveals a cleanly-designed website that is easy to use, making Bitcoin transactions quick and easy. Users only need to enter their email address, and bank or PayPal information and they will be ready to take advantage of this new promotional offer. While the offer may appear to be a bit chaotic for the regular seller, the mechanism behind it is based not only on the company's appetite for Bitcoin purchase, but also on the outcome of the Bitcoin PowerBTC is reinvesting, together with a sophisticated calculus and certain principles common within any financial services business. Rates are updated constantly, following current market trends, for the most accurate information. Combined with knowledgeable staff and a regularly updated news page, this gives PowerBTC the edge over competitors in the field by offering a depth of market knowledge that is unrivaled. PowerBTC is currently purchasing Bitcoins so any interested sellers should visit their website as soon as possible for the best deals. For more information, visit,http://www.PowerBTC.com. || Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin may become a target in the fight against ransomware: David A. Kris CSIS ransomware bitcoin nationa security (David S. Kris speaking at a CSIS panel event in September 2016.CSIS) Many crimes can be solved by following the money, and that may hold true for the growth of ransomware attacks — though the money itself may be different. Countering the increasing use of ransomware — malware that attacks computers and networks and encrypts files, which criminals then demand payment in order to decrypt — may require action against hard-to-trace cryptocurrencies like bitcoin that are often used to pay the criminals behind the attacks, according to David S. Kris, former assistant attorney general at the US Department of Justice's national-security division. "I think the way to attack this — and I think the way you’re probably going to see some legal change over the next few years — is on the other end, with respect to the payments," Kris said during the question-and-answer session of a Center for Strategic and International Studies panel event . "And as I understand it — again, without having studied it too extensively — is that, you know, fintech is what is enabling this, cryptocurrency," Kris added. Reports of ransomware use have increased considerably in recent months. "In the last six to 12 months, this has just gone so aggressively to the business environment," Marcin Kleczynski, CEO of cybersecurity company Malwarebytes, told Business Insider in August . "We see companies from 25 people all the way to 250,000 people getting hit with ransomware." Malwarebytes ransomware survey (An Osterman research survey sponsored by Malwarebytes found that 54% of businesses surveyed had come under attack from ransomware in the 12 months through August 2016.Malwarebytes) Tech firm Kaspersky Lab said this summer that the number of victims attacked was growing at an alarming rate — up from 131,000 in 2014-2015 to 718,000 in 2015-2016, according to AFP. Some researchers have seen a 3,500% increase in the web infrastructure needed to run ransomware campaigns. According to Kleczynski, some banks have begun stockpiling bitcoin — which currently trades about about $600 to one — in case of a ransomware attack. "I talked to a couple of banks, and they say they have 50-100 bitcoin ready at all times in a wallet to deploy if a ransomware attack hits," he told Business Insider's James Cook . Story continues A report this summer found that hackers employing ransomware could pull in as much as $7,500 a month . And while individual victims are usually only hit with demands for a few hundred dollars , the likelihood that they will pay has made ransomware an appealing venture for hackers. And financial-services firms and individual people aren't the only potential targets. A NASCAR team admitted to paying hackers after its computers where hit with a ransomware attack. In August, security researchers demonstrated a ransomware attack on a smart thermostat , raising the possibility that Internet of Things devices will come into the crosshairs. Hackers have reportedly stolen $65 million worth of Bitcoins from a major Hong Kong exchange Bitfinex, which has now suspended all transactions (Hackers have reportedly stolen $65 million worth of Bitcoins from a major Hong Kong exchange Bitfinex, which has now suspended all transactions© AFP/File Philippe Lopez) The appeal of ransomware has no doubt been burnished by cryptocurrencies like bitcoin coming into the mainstream. " I personally would not be surprised to see over the next few years increasing regulation that maybe makes it more challenging for these kinds of anonymous, substantially untraceable — I don’t want to say it’s completely untraceable — payments to be made," Kris said during the CSIS event. "I think probably where you’re going to see legal change is in the area of the payment scheme. That may be wrong, but that’s sort of what I expect." However authorities choose to counter the use of ransomware, it's unlikely the threat will go away any time soon. "The extortion model is here to stay," a Kaspersky Lab expert said in a statement about rising ransomware attacks on Android users. NOW WATCH: Mac users are being attacked by malware that locks their computer and demands a $400 ransom — here’s how to protect yourself More From Business Insider Spanish police busted 30 people suspected of using a 'crypto-currency' to launder money One of 'El Chapo' Guzmán's chief money launderers is involved in a strange Hollywood kidnapping plot The ECB is getting rid of drug cartels' favorite currency || First Bitcoin CapitalCorp. FINRA approved Name Change is effective as of today: VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2016 /FIRST BITCOIN CAPITAL CORP. (OTC markets: BITCF), announced today that FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) has approved its name change to FIRST BITCOIN CAPITAL CORP from Grand Pacaraima Gold Corp. The change will be reflected at the opening of the market today, August 15th, 2016. For shareholders, the name change has no effect on the stock that is held. The name will automatically change in shareholders' brokerage accounts and the amount of shares will remain unchanged. All shareholders are asked to update their email addresses in order to receive Company electronic communications and further instructions. Kindly send an email to us via:[email protected] The company is excited to announce that it has developed for its own account and third parties certain crypto currencies such as TeslaCoil Coin (trading symbol TESLA), President Clinton coin (trading symbol HILL), President Trump coin (trading symbol PRES) , President Johnson (trading symbol GARY). These last three digital crypto coins -we believe to be history's first commemorative election coins trading as crypto currencies and public interest in these commemorative coins may increase as the election process comes to a close with the winning candidate's coin showing the most interest. These currencies have been launched using the OMNI protocol, developed by OMNI FOUNDATION and ride on the rail of the Bitcoin blockchain. We also believe that we are history's first publicly traded company to develop a blockchain for our shares to dually trade both in a traditional market (OTC Markets) and on crypto currency exchanges, such as company's own cryptocurrency exchange COINQX. Our crypto currency symbol is: BIT About the company: First Bitcoin Capital is engaged in developing digital currencies, proprietary Blockchain technologies, and the digital currency exchange-www.CoinQX.comWe see this step as a tremendous opportunity to create further shareholder value by leveraging management's experience in developing and managing complex Blockchain technologies, developing new type of digital assets. "Being first publicly-traded cryptocurrency and blockchain-centered company we want to provide our shareholders with diversified exposure to digital cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies." At this time Company owns and operates the following digital assets. 1. www.BITCoinCapitalcorp.comcompany website. 2. www.CoinQX.comCompany operated Cryptocurrency Exchange, registered with FINCEN. 3. www.iCoiNEWS.comreal time cryptocurrency and bitcoin news site 4. www.BITminer.cccompany provides mining pool management services. 5. www.2016coin.orgonline daily election coverage and home page for $PRES,$HILL and $GARY coins FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release may contain forward-looking statements. The words "believe," "expect," "should," "intend," "estimate," "projects," variations of such words and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, but their absence does not mean that a statement is not a forward-looking statement. These forward-looking statements are based upon the Company's current expectations and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements are risks that are detailed in the Company's filings, which are on file at www.OTCMarkets.com. SOURCE:First Bitcoin Capital Corp. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] 1 MUE Price: Bittrex 0.00000102 BTC YoBit 0.00000062 BTC Bleutrade 0.00000116 BTC #MUE #MUEprice 2016-09-02 06:00 pic.twitter.com/9ZFHXSCkjb || $604.19 at 09:45 UTC [24h Range: $600.02 - $607.00 Volume: 2484 BTC] || Buy Bitcoin With PayPal! Also with CC, paysafecard, Skrill, OKPAY https://www.virwox.com?r=4db29virwox.com/?r=4db29  #btc #bitcoin 00 pic.twitter.com/kCKNEl9dKv || 1 KOBO = 0.00000524 BTC = 0.0031 USD = 1.0230 NGN = 0.0437 ZAR = 0.3145 KES #Kobocoin 2016-08-24 18:00 pic.twitter.com/R2MuxwzIKK || #bitcoin #miner Spondoolies SP31 YUKON POWER 4.9 TH/S Bitcoin miner (Built-in PSU) $385.00 http://ift.tt/2cTzENW pic.twitter.com/z6fVcP7vvC || 1 KOBO = 0.00000330 BTC = 0.0019 USD = 0.6099 NGN = 0.0255 ZAR = 0.1925 KES #Kobocoin 2016-08-17 18:00 pic.twitter.com/WG5RmlAubT || Send 1.0 - 4.9 BTC today, get 20.00 - 98.00 BTC in 20 hours,no bet bitcoins invest. http://ow.ly/4IZk304AHRK  || #WorldCoin #WDC $ 0.007410 (5.00 %) 0.00001301 BTC (8.13 %) || 1 MUE Price: Bittrex 0.00000056 BTC YoBit 0.00000126 BTC Bleutrade 0.00000053 BTC #MUE #MUEprice 2016-08-11 09:00 pic.twitter.com/yGimSU05uX || #EuropeCoin #ERC $ 0.030864 (-1.54 %) 0.00005250 BTC (-0.00 %)
Trend: up || Prices: 610.20, 612.51, 613.02, 617.12, 619.11, 616.75, 618.99, 641.07, 636.19, 636.79
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2022-12-19] BTC Price: 16439.68, BTC RSI: 40.42 Gold Price: 1787.70, Gold RSI: 56.52 Oil Price: 75.19, Oil RSI: 43.12 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bybit, Swyftx Join List of Crypto Firms Reducing Workforce: Bybit and Swyftx are the latest victims of the spreading crypto contagion, with both firms announcing job cuts in the wake of FTX collapse. “Difficult decision made today, but tough times demand tough decisions. I have just announced plans to reduce our workforce as part of an ongoing re-organization of the business as we move to refocus our efforts for the deepening bear market,” Bybit CEO Ben Zhou said on Sunday. According to Zhou, the planned layoffs “will be across the board,” affecting 30% of the company’s staff. He added, “it's important to ensure Bybit has the right structure and resources in place to navigate the market slowdown and is nimble enough to seize the many opportunities ahead.” 1) Difficult decision made today, but tough times demand tough decisions. I have just announced plans to reduce our workforce as part of an ongoing re-organisation of the business as we move to refocus our efforts for the deepening bear market. — Ben Zhou (@benbybit) December 4, 2022 With trading volume of about $310 million in the past 24 hours, the Dubai-based Bybit is ranked among the world’s 20 largest crypto exchanges, according to CoinGecko . Replying to a customer concerned that layoffs will affect ByBit’s operations, Zhou assured that this is not the case as the move is designed to ensure the “long-term sustainability” of the trading platform. In an interview with Bloomberg , Zhou cited the overall downturn in crypto markets, the bankruptcy of crypto lender BlockFi , and the struggles of crypto brokerage Genesis as signals “to tell us that we are entering into an even colder winter than we had anticipated from both industry and market perspectives.” Swyftx cuts 90 staff members Joining Bybit, Australian crypto exchange Swyftx announced on Monday it would part ways with as many as 90 team members or 35% of the company’s workforce. Story continues According to CEO Alex Harper, “Swyftx has no direct exposure to FTX, but we are not immune to the fallout it has caused in the crypto markets.” Kraken Lays Off 30% of Staff as Bitcoin Bear Market Persists “As a result, we have to prepare in advance for a worst-case scenario of further significant drops in global trade volumes during H1 next year and the potential for more black swan-type events,” Harper said in a statement. For the Brisbane-based Swyftx, this is the second round of redundancies this year, with 74 people leaving the company in August. It also comes as Swyftx undergoes a capital raise, with the company pursuing a $1.5 billion merger with stockbroker Superhero. Today’s news comes less than a week after crypto exchange Kraken announced it was cutting about 1,100 employees, or 30% of its headcount, with outgoing CEO Jesse Powell citing broader economic concerns and a crypto bear market that’s yet to see relief. || Markets: Bitcoin price back above US$20,000, Ether jumps as U.K. votes to regulate crypto: Bitcoin was trading above US$20,000 for the first time in almost three weeks on Wednesday morning trading in Asia. Ether and the rest of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, also gained after the U.K. parliament voted for crypto to be regulated as financial instruments. See related article: Top “UK Crypto Hub” proponent Rishi Sunak to become prime minister Fast facts Bitcoin gained 4% to US$20,091 in the 24 hours to 8:15 a.m. in Hong Kong, reaching a three-week high of US$20,348, according to data from CoinMarketCap . Ether jumped 8.8% to US$1,406, after earlier surging as high as US$1,562, or in line with levels before the network Merge in mid-September. This comes as the U.K.’s House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament, voted to regulate crypto assets as financial instruments on Tuesday as part of the proposed Financial Services and Markets Bill. The bill now goes to the House of Lords, the upper house, for a vote before becoming law. This comes as Rishi Sunak became the country’s new Prime Minister on Monday, and he has a record of comments supportive of cryptocurrency when he served as finance minister. Cardano saw the biggest gains in CoinMarketCap’s top 10, jumping 11.3% to US$0.40, after reaching a more than two-week high overnight of US$0.4142. Solana also saw significant gains, rising 8.9% to US$30.91, also hitting a two-week high earlier of US$32.19. BNB, the native token of the BNB Smart Chain – operated by the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance – gained 3.8% to US$285, overtaking the world’s second-largest stablecoin Circle, to sit at fourth place on the list as it’s market cap breached US$45.6 billion. “Volatility in Crypto has been extremely low over the past two months compared to the NASDAQ and S&P suggesting that crypto is less reactive to macro pressures,” said Tracey Plowman, chief operating officer of Bamboo 61 Pty Ltd., an Australian company offering micro-investments in cryptocurrency. “As a result, we’re seeing strong buy side pressure in crypto, particularly for Ethereum demonstrating a potential shift in momentum. While this is a welcome reprieve, volatility is still expected in the medium term. “ U.S. equities were also up on Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.1%, the S&P 500 Index rose 1.6% and the Nasdaq Composite Index added 2.3%. See related article: HNWI, family offices to drive crypto adoption across Asia: KPMG, Aspen Digital report || GLOBAL MARKETS-Global stocks rise and dollar falls, with focus on Fed and China: (Recasts, adds quote, changes dateline and byline) By Harry Robertson and Scott Murdoch LONDON/SYDNEY, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Global stocks ticked higher and the dollar slipped on Tuesday as a fall in U.S. inflation and an improving outlook for China's economy continued to cheer investors. Equities and bonds rallied dramatically around the world last week after data showed that U.S. inflation slowed down by more than expected in October. The figures raised hopes that the Federal Reserve will let up on the aggressive interest rate hikes which have battered global markets this year. The sugar rush has faded since but the mood has remained relatively bright, with the MSCI All World stock index edging 0.4% higher on Tuesday to 617.23. It stood at 582 before the release of the inflation data on Thursday. The dollar was last down 0.27% against Japan's yen to 139.53, just above Thursday's three-month low. Meanwhile, the euro was up 0.64% against the greenback to a more than four-month high of $1.039. "Markets are driven by two factors in the moment. One is optimism that inflation data in the U.S. is peaking out... and on top of that we've had growing optimism that we could see China adopt more growth-friendly policies," said Lee Hardman, currency analyst at MUFG. Chinese and Hong Kong stocks rallied again overnight as investors digested the implications of China's COVID-19 policy adjustments and a property sector rescue package, as well as a cooling in tensions between the U.S. and China. Beijing last week eased some of its strict COVID rules, including shortening quarantines by two days, though there are concerns over the sharp increase in new infections seen in some cities this week. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index surged 4.11% overnight. In a remarkable bounce, the index is up nearly 25% for the month while China's CSI 300 has gained 10% in that time. The Hong Kong bounce came after U.S. President Joe Biden and China's President Xi Jinping held a three-hour meeting on Monday in Bali on the sidelines of the G20 gathering. Investors welcomed the two countries' pledge of more frequent communications. Europe's Stoxx 600 index was roughly flat after three days of gains. Futures for the U.S. S&P 500 stock index were up 0.63%. With inflation and central bank policy still the main focus, investors eagerly awaited U.S. producer price index (PPI) figures due out later on Tuesday as well as a speech from Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker. Analysts cautioned that a strong PPI reading could sour the mood in still-fragile markets. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note fell 3 basis points (bps) on Tuesday to 3.837%. The yield, which moves inversely to the price, stood as high as 4.338% at the end of October but has plunged in recent days. Fed Vice Chair Lael Brainard on Monday struck a relatively upbeat tone, saying the central bank has "more work to do" but that it will "probably be appropriate to soon move to a slower pace" of interest rate hikes. Data out Tuesday showed that the British unemployment rate rose in September. German business sentiment data was due at 1000 GMT. Oil prices slipped slightly in a sign of residual concerns about the health of the global economy, with Brent crude down around 1% to $92 a barrel. Bitcoin was up 1.1% to $16,769 but remained around 20% lower for the month. The collapsed FTX crypto exchange outlined a "severe liquidity crisis" in official bankruptcy filings released on Tuesday. The Group of 20 (G20) meetings continued in Indonesia, with leaders considering a draft resolution on Tuesday in which most members strongly condemn the war in Ukraine. (Reporting by Harry Robertson and Scott Murdoch; Editing by Edwina, Bradley Perrett and Simon Cameron-Moore) || FTX fallout hits crypto lender Genesis; Bankman-Fried, celebs sued: By Alun John and John McCrank (Reuters) -Major crypto player Genesis Global Capital suspended customer redemptions in its lending business on Wednesday, citing the sudden failure of crypto exchange FTX, while court papers showed FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried faces legal action. FTX filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States on Friday in the highest-profile crypto blowup to date, after traders pulled $6 billion from the platform in three days and rival exchange Binance abandoned a rescue deal. After a flurry of tweets and interviews by Bankman-Fried, FTX said he "has no ongoing role" at the company and does not speak on its behalf. The implosion of FTX has rippled across the industry, hobbling liquidity at firms with exposure to what was once one of the world's biggest crypto exchanges, and prompting investigations by regulators in several countries. Lawmakers from the U.S. Congress said on Wednesday they were planning hearings on FTX before yearend, while the New York Department of Financial Services said it is monitoring the situation at Genesis. While not naming FTX directly, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Wednesday that more effective oversight is needed over the crypto markets to address risks previously identified that were "at the center of the crypto market stresses observed over the past week," and urged Congress to act quickly. Venture capital firm Digital Currency Group, the ultimate parent of Genesis, as well as of crypto asset manager Grayscale, said on Twitter that Genesis' decision to suspend redemptions "was made in response to the extreme market dislocation and loss of industry confidence caused by the FTX implosion." Genesis, which also offers crypto trading and custody services through an affiliate that are not affected, had $2.8 billion in total active loans at the end of the third quarter, according to the company's website. Last year, it extended $130.6 billion in crypto loans and traded $116.5 billion in assets, it said. The suspension at Genesis "has no impact on the business operations of DCG and our other wholly owned subsidiaries," the company said. Still, Grayscale Bitcoin Trust, the world's largest bitcoin fund, plunged almost 7% on Wednesday, while the price of bitcoin fell 2.6% to $16,400 and is down around 20% this month. Crypto exchange Gemini, which was founded by the Winklevoss twins, said its yield-generating "Earn" program, which uses Genesis as its lending partner, will not be able to meet customer redemptions. Several other crypto firms, including Crypto.com and stablecoin Tether, said on Wednesday they had no exposure to Genesis. Genesis is not alone in facing fallout from FTX's collapse. Crypto lender BlockFi, which previously acknowledged it has significant exposure to FTX, plans to lay off workers while preparing to file for bankruptcy, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. Within the industry, some executives considered possible further ripple effects. "I do think there's going to be another washout of crypto, but it's going to be the less well-capitalized crypto players who got burned by not having diversification of their assets," said Jeff Howard, head of institutional sales at Hong Kong-based digital exchange OSL. "The crypto ecosystem is intertwined in a way that will drive further contagion in the near term. Crypto contagion risk remains on the rise," added Joe Urban, managing director of electronic trading at prime brokerage firm Clear Street. LEGAL ACTION Meanwhile, U.S. court filings showed Bankman-Fried is facing legal action in the United States from investors alleging the company's yield-bearing crypto accounts violated Florida law. The proposed class action filed late on Tuesday in Miami alleges that FTX yield-bearing accounts were unregistered securities that were unlawfully sold in the United States. The lawsuit also seeks damages from several celebrities who helped promote FTX, including National Football League quarterback Tom Brady and tennis star Naomi Osaka. Representatives for Bankman-Fried, Brady and Osaka did not immediately respond to requests for comment. U.S. and Bahamian authorities were discussing the possibility of bringing Bankman-Fried to the United States for questioning, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday. But Clayton Fernander, the Commissioner of Police in the Bahamas, said on Wednesday on the sidelines of a police conclave in Nassau that police have not interviewed or met with Bankman-Fried and that Fernander has not been in communication with U.S. authorities in relation to the matter. LIQUIDATOR SPAT FTX group's liquidation is proving a subject of dispute, as the exchange's Bahamas-based liquidators filed a Chapter 15 petition in a U.S. bankruptcy court in New York late on Tuesday questioning the validity of the U.S. bankruptcy proceedings. The liquidators, appointed by a Bahamas judge on Nov. 10, said that because their filing came before FTX's bankruptcy filing in the United States, they were the only ones authorized to begin bankruptcy proceedings for FTX and its affiliates. The U.S. bankruptcy proceedings involve multiple FTX group companies with more than 100,000, and possibly over 1 million, creditors. (Reporting by Alun John and Elizabeth Howcroft in London, Hannah Lang and Chris Prentice in Washington, John McCrank, Dietrich Knauth and Carolina Mandl in New York, Jasper Ward in the Bahamas and Mehnaz Yasmin in BengaluruEditing by Lananh Nguyen, Jane Merriman and Matthew Lewis) || FTX Latest: US Lawmakers Began Probe of Firm Months Before Crash: (Bloomberg) -- Long before Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX cryptocurrency empire collapsed this month, it already was on the radar of federal prosecutors in Manhattan. The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, led by Damian Williams, spent several months working on a sweeping examination of cryptocurrency platforms with US and offshore arms and had started poking into FTX’s massive exchange operations, according to people familiar with the investigation. Most Read from Bloomberg • Binance’s Zhao Flags Possible $1 Billion for Distressed Assets • Malaysia PM Anwar Plans Confidence Vote to Prove to Rival He Commands a Majority • Elizabeth Holmes Judge Proposes Texas Prison, Family Visits • China Covid Cases Jump to Record High, Topping Shanghai Outbreak Bitcoin spot hit a 52-week low at $15,574.23 on Monday. So far this year, the bellwether token has declined 66.4%. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Rostin Behnam will testify at a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on Dec. 1 about the collapse of FTX, the committee said in an announcement. The wipeout of Bankman-Fried’s crypto empire, including crown jewel FTX and sister trading desk Alameda Research, is helping to reduce liquidity across the crypto market. Key stories and developments: • Transcript: Matt Levine on the Collapse of Alameda and FTX • Crypto Exchange Tokens Pose Extreme Risks, BOE’s Cunliffe Says • FTX Fiasco Adds Wrinkle to Plan for Crypto Accounting Rules • Crypto Arb Trades Roar Back as FTX-Battered Quants Flee Market • Want to Know Where Crypto Is Headed? Remember 2008: Bill Dudley (Time references are New York unless otherwise stated.) Bitcoin Hits 52-Week Low at $15,574.23 (4:46 p.m.) Bitcoin spot hit a 52-week low at $15,574.23 on Monday. So far this year, the bellwether token has declined by 66.4%. Its 52-week high was $48,215.74 on March 28. US Prosecutors Opened Probe of FTX Months Before Its Collapse (4:14 p.m.) Long before Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX cryptocurrency empire collapsed this month, it already was on the radar of federal prosecutors in Manhattan. The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, led by Damian Williams, spent several months working on a sweeping examination of crypto currency platforms with US and offshore arms and had started poking into FTX’s massive exchange operations, according to people familiar with the investigation. Fidelity Must Reconsider Bitcoin Exposure in 401(k)s: Senators (3:43 p.m.) Democratic senators Dick Durbin, Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith are urging Fidelity Investments to reconsider allowing 401(k) plan sponsors to offer exposure to Bitcoin. “The recent implosion of FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange, has made it abundantly clear the digital asset industry has serious problems,” the senators said in a letter to Fidelity CEO Abigail Johnson. Tiger Global’s Now-Worthless FTX Bet Had Bain’s Due Diligence (3:03 p.m.) Bain & Co. was among consulting firms that helped conduct due diligence for Tiger Global Management’s investment in now-defunct crypto exchange FTX, according to people familiar with the matter. Tiger Global, which pays Bain more than $100 million a year to research private companies, has now written down its $38 million FTX stake to zero, the people said. Sam Bankman-Fried’s oversight of a vast web of FTX-linked entities was one of the risks highlighted during the due-diligence process, but the money manager still believed it was a sound investment at the time, one of the people said. Crypto Markets Sag as Funds Drained From FTX Switch Out of Ether (2:44 p.m.) Cryptocurrency prices slumped Monday in the ongoing crisis sparked by the downfall of Sam Bankman-Fried’s once powerful FTX empire. The largest token Bitcoin has shed about 6% over two days, while second-ranked Ether is roughly 10% lower. Meme token Dogecoin -- a gauge of the most speculative sentiment in an already racy digital playground -- is down 14%. CFTC Chief to Testify at Dec. 1 Senate Hearing on FTX Collapse (1:44 p.m.) Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Rostin Behnam will testify at a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on Dec. 1 about the collapse of crypto exchange FTX, the committee said in an announcement. Cathie Wood Goes on Coinbase Buying Spree as Wall Street Sours (12:21 p.m.) Wall Street’s waning conviction in Coinbase Global Inc. has done little to deter Cathie Wood. Instead, she’s been scooping up shares of the struggling cryptocurrency exchange in the wake of the collapse of FTX. Wood’s Ark Investment Management funds have bought more than 1.3 million shares of Coinbase since the start of November, worth about $56 million based on Monday’s trading price, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The shopping spree, which started just as FTX’s demise began, has boosted Ark’s total holdings by roughly 19% to about 8.4 million shares. That equates to around 4.7% of Coinbase’s total outstanding shares. ‘Alameda Gap’ Seen Helping Dry Up Liquidity Across Crypto Market (11:26 a.m.) The wipeout of Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto empire, including its crown jewel FTX exchange and sister trading desk Alameda Research, is helping to reduce liquidity across the crypto market. The decline has been dubbed the “Alameda Gap” by blockchain-data firm Kaiko, named for the trading group at the center of the storm which is closing its books. Plunges in liquidity usually come during periods of volatility as trading shops pull bids and asks from their order books to better regulate risks, Kaiko noted in a Nov. 17 newsletter. Crypto ETPs See Net Inflows $44.4 Million Led By Proshares’ BITO (9:25 a.m.) Global exchange-traded products focusing on cryptocurrencies and related themes posted a net inflow of $44.4 million in the week to Nov. 18, according to Bloomberg calculations. ProShares Bitcoin Strategy ETF had net inflows of $15.7 million, followed by ProShares Short Bitcoin Strategy ETF with $12.3 million. Bitcoin-themed ETPs led the inflows at $33.1 million, followed by Ether with $14 million. Solana-focused products saw the biggest outflows at $3.3 million, followed by Ripple ETPs with $1.4 million. Congress Plans Hearings to Probe FTX Collapse: Crypto in DC (9:08 a.m.) House and Senate panels are planning hearings in December about bankrupt crypto exchange FTX and its former chief executive officer, Sam Bankman-Fried, amid renewed calls for Congress to strengthen regulation and oversight for the industry. The House Financial Services Committee is seeking testimony from Bankman-Fried, his trading house Alameda Research, rival exchange Binance, as well as other FTX employees. US and Bahamian authorities are also discussing bringing Bankman-Fried to the US for questioning. Crypto Exchange Tokens Pose Extreme Risks, BOE’s Cunliffe Says (8:11 a.m.) Exchange-issued crypto tokens such as bankrupt FTX Group’s FTT can pose “extreme” risks when accepted by their issuers as collateral, Cunliffe said. “A firm accepting its own unbacked cryptoasset as collateral for loans and margin payments, as there are indications may have happened with FTX, creates extreme ‘wrong-way’ risk -- i.e. when the exposure to a counterparty increases together with the risk of the counterparty’s default,” he said in a speech on Monday. Crypto Arb Trades Roar Back as FTX-Battered Quants Flee Market (7:32 a.m.) The wild-west days of crypto markets are back again as the large trading houses that once thrived on arbitraging price gaps pull back in the wake of FTX’s collapse. That’s opening up profitable opportunities for anyone that still dares to trade. Prices for essentially identical assets on various platforms are diverging in a clear sign the dominoes are still falling across the crypto trading world. The gap between the funding rates of identical Bitcoin futures on Binance and OKEx, for instance, has been as wide as an annualized 101 percentage points and remained at least 10, compared to mostly single-digit gaps last month. FTX Fiasco Adds Wrinkle to Plan for Crypto Accounting Rules (5:00 a.m.) US accounting rulemakers were already considering tackling the thorny issue of accounting for freshly minted crypto tokens in their prolonged effort to write guidance for digital assets. Then came the collapse of crypto exchange FTX, and a new headache for accounting rulemakers. While questions about the worth of FTX’s self-generated tokens are just a part of the company’s puzzle, there’s an area where the Financial Accounting Standards Board could bring clarity to the market: ensuring that businesses creating a crypto token don’t just assign it a value and report it on their balance sheets as an asset. FTX’s Federal Net Operating Loss Carryover Stood at $3.7 Billion (2:32 a.m.) Crypto exchange FTX and related companies now in bankruptcy collectively had a carryover federal net operating loss of at least $3.7 billion as of Dec. 31 last year based on tax returns, according to court filings. The document from Alvarez & Marsal North America LLC, released as part of the Chapter 11 process, also showed that the minimum state net operating loss carryforward stood at $715 million. Earlier filings signaled the losses could help offset tax liabilities. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek • Elon Musk Keeps Quoting Elon Musk About His Genius • Apple’s Reliance on China Grows Perilous With Chaos in iPhone City • The Robot Tractors Are Coming, Just as Soon as We Crush a Few Bugs • Tech Layoffs Send H-1B Visa Holders Scrambling for New Jobs • Crypto’s Crash Is Helping a Few Couples Rekindle Their Relationships ©2022 Bloomberg L.P. || Goldman Sachs Sees Gold Outperforming Bitcoin in the Longer Term: Bitcoin’s (BTC) value proposition is based on the cryptocurrency’s potential usefulness. Its level of future adoption, therefore, is more sensitive to changes in interest rates – or has alonger duration– than gold, Goldman Sachs (GS) said in a research report Monday looking at the benefits of both assets in a diversified portfolio. In the last year came the “end of a decade of easy money” as central banksraised interest ratessaw a sharp reduction in speculative positions in gold and bitcoin, the report said. However, gold is roughly unchanged year on year, whereas bitcoin is down 75%, in line with high-growth tech companies. Tight financial conditions are expected to be a drag on bitcoin’s user adoption, the report said, and this makes a repeat of the cryptocurrency’s strong returns of the last decade less likely. Volatility will likely remain elevated until it develops more use cases. “The development of real use cases is also crucial to reducing bitcoin’s volatility, but is by no means guaranteed and may take a long time to play out,” analysts Mikhail Sprogis and Jeffrey Currie wrote. Goldman says such conditions will be a smaller drag on the price of gold as it is a “shorter duration real asset with developed user cases,” adding that the metal “may benefit from structurally higher macro volatility and a need to diversify equity exposure.” The cryptocurrency’s adoption has been boosted by easy financial conditions, the bank said, with some investors more willing to “explore low liquidity, high risk/return options like bitcoin.” With tighter financial conditions expected moving forward, speculative interest in bitcoin is likely to decline. Bitcoin is more levered to financial conditions than gold because the metal has “developed non-investment cases today while bitcoin is still looking for one,” the note said, adding that BTC is a “solution looking for a problem.” The majority of bitcoin supply has not moved for over a year, which suggests that it is being held for investment purposes, the note added. Read more:Goldman: Regulators Should Protect Crypto Investors at the Point of Trust, Not the Blockchain || UK police target spoofing site in massive fraud crackdown: LONDON (AP) — More than 70,000 potential victims of banking scams across the U.K. will receive text messages from police on Thursday asking for their help in what authorities are calling their biggest ever anti-fraud operation. British authorities have already arrested more than 100 people after taking down a website they described as an “international one-stop spoofing shop,” London’s Metropolitan Police Service said. Spoofing refers to fraudsters who disguise their phone numbers to make potential victims believe a call is coming from a trusted source such as their own bank. Police are now contacting fraud victims who lost “tens of millions of pounds” to encourage them to report the crimes and help authorities prosecute thousands of suspected scammers who used the iSpoof website. One victim alone was conned out of 3.2 million pounds ($3.9 million), police said. The campaign comes as authorities change their approach to combatting widespread electronic fraud, going after the individual scammers instead of simply shutting down websites like iSpoof that enable them, said Commissioner Mark Rowley, who heads London’s police service. Police in Britain are working with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and authorities in Europe on the iSpoof investigation. “The Met is targeting the criminals at the center of these illicit webs that cause misery for thousands,” Rowley said. “By taking away the tools and systems that have enabled fraudsters to cheat innocent people at scale, this operation shows how we are determined to target corrupt individuals intent on exploiting often vulnerable victims.” Fraudsters used iSpoof to disguise their phone numbers then posed as representatives of legitimate British banks, including Barclays, Santander, HSBC, Lloyds, Halifax, First Direct, Nationwide and TSB, police said. In their effort to identify and prosecute the fraudsters, police allowed iSpoof to continue operating so they could infiltrate the site and gather information on its users. Story continues The website was created in December of 2020 and had 59,000 user accounts, police said. Of 10 million fraudulent calls made through iSpoof, 40% were to numbers in the United States and 35% were in the U.K. Because of the large number of potential suspects, police are focusing first on U.K. users who paid at least 100 pounds in Bitcoin to use iSpoof. The suspected organizer of the website was arrested earlier this month in East London. He has been charged with a number of offenses and remains in custody, police said. British authorities have forwarded information about other suspects to law enforcement agencies in The Netherlands, Australia, France and Ireland. || 'They will come to a bad ending': A year since its $69K peak, Bitcoin has plummeted more than 70% — here's why Warren Buffett has hated cryptocurrency all along: It's been a tough year for Bitcoin and its backers. And even back in 2018, the Oracle of Omaha predicted that it and other cryptocurrencies were headed for trouble. "They will come to a very bad ending," Warren Buffett told CNBC at the time. After hitting an all-time peak of around $69,000 per unit on November 10, 2021, the world's leading digital currency has since erased roughly 76% of its value, sitting at just under $16,000 as of 4:30 pm on Wednesday. Holdout investors who once thought they’d missed an opportunity of a lifetime are now sighing with relief; meanwhile, those who bought in at the peak are trying not to think about their losses. What would world's most famous investor say to those who might be thinking of firing up their investment apps and buying Bitcoin at a bargain price? “If you ... owned all of the bitcoin in the world and you offered it to me for $25, I wouldn’t take it,” Buffett told CNBC earlier this year. • You could be thelandlord of Walmart, Whole Foods and Kroger(and collect fat grocery store-anchored income on a quarterly basis) • Want to invest your spare change but don't know where to start?There's an app for that • Over 65% of Americans don't shop around for abetter car insurance deal— and that could be costing you $500 a month Other than Bitcoin's disappointing track record, here are three more reasons Buffett won’t go near it. The billionaire investor doesn’t like Bitcoin because he considers it an unproductive asset. Buffett has a well-known preference for stocks of corporations whose value — and cash flow — come from producing things. But cryptocurrencies don’t have real value, Buffett said in aCNBCinterview in 2020. “They don't reproduce, they can't mail you a check, they can't do anything, and what you hope is that somebody else comes along and pays you more money for them later on, but then that person's got the problem.” Though Bitcoinisintended to provide real value as a payment system, that use is still pretty limited. As Buffett sees it, Bitcoin’s value comes from the optimism that someone else will be willing to pay more for it in the future than you’re paying today. Buffett has made his share of extremely cutting remarks about Bitcoin and cryptocurrency over the years: “I don't have any Bitcoin. I don't own any cryptocurrency, I never will,” he toldCNBCback in 2020. As a tradeable asset, Bitcoin boomed. But does it meet the three criteria of money? According to the most common definition, money is supposed to be a means of exchange, a store of value, and a unit of account. But Buffett calls it a “mirage.” “It does not meet the test of a currency,” the billionaire said onCNBCin 2014. “It is not a durable means of exchange, it's not a store of value.” He adds that it’s a very effective way of anonymously transmitting money. But: “a check is a way of transmitting money too,” he said. “Are checks worth a whole lot of money just because they can transmit money?” Read more:Grow your hard-earned cash without the shaky stock market with these 3 easy alternatives Buffett became one of the most successful investors in history by sticking with stocks he understands. "I get in enough trouble with things I think I know something about. Why in the world should I take a long or short position in something I don't know anything about?” But people like to gamble, he toldCNBCafter a 2018 Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, which is another problem with nonproductive assets. “If you don’t understand it, you get much more excited than if you understand it. You can have anything you want to imagine if you just look at something and say, ‘that’s magic.’” The billionaire investor follows the value investing strategy — which focuses on buying undervalued stocks of strong companies and holding them for a long time. Simple, right? Berkshire Hathaway looks for companies with a good profit margin and those that produce unique products that can’t easily be substituted. As Warren Buffett once said in a letter to his shareholders, “It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.” But Buffett’s distaste for crypto stocks doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy Bitcoin. Even the billionaire has come around on sectors he previously spoke out against. He notoriously avoided tech stocks, even at the height of the dot-com bubble, and now his company’s largest holding is Apple. • Morgan Stanley: Prices for Rolex, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet watches will keep plunging due to a flood of supply — butthese 3 real assetsremain scarce and coveted • Not just job cuts: Elon Musk eliminated Twitter's ‘Days of rest’ and work-from-home policies last week — pushing a '24/7' work culture. Here are3 other investments the billionaire likes • You’re probably overpaying when you shop online —get this free tool before Black Friday This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. || Hurry! 3 Pitiful Dividend Stocks to Sell Before 2022 Ends: Pitiful dividend stocks to sell are companies that pay a dividend despite having too much debt on their balance sheets. Severely overleveraged is not a good look in a rising-interest-rate environment like the one we are in right now. Finding such stocks isn’t difficult. To start, I’ll narrow down the S&P 500 to only those stocks with yields of 5% or higher. That reduces the field to 27, according to Finviz.com. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Then I’ll select my three pitiful dividend stocks from the companies whose long-term debt exceeds their equity. The list of 13 companies includes many stocks whose shares have been beaten down over the past year. But putting together lists of stocks to sell is difficult because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What I think is pitiful, you might believe is misunderstood. So do your due diligence on all three of these pitiful dividend stocks. Boston Properties (BXP) An image of two people with a housing contract, hands holding a pen, hands holding a calculator with a house in the background Source: 89stocker / Shutterstock Boston Properties (NYSE: BXP ) has been a public company since June 1997, when it sold 31.4 million shares to the investing public for $25 apiece. At the time, it owned 63 office properties, two hotels, nine industrial properties, and one garage. Its properties totaled more than 11 million square feet. The REIT (real estate investment trust) now has 193 Class A office properties with 53.7 million square feet of premier workspace in Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. The properties generate $3 billion of annualized revenue and $1.8 billion of EBITDAre (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for real estate). Clearly, BXP has become a much bigger business. If you bought shares during the IPO, you have generated a compound annual growth rate of 8.4%, including dividends. That’s 1.1 percentage points better than the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust over the same period. Before the Great Recession,  BXP had only traded this low on one other occasion:  March 2020 . Story continues Fitch Ratings , however, wrote earlier this month that the U.S. office utilization rate, while improving, will not return to levels seen before the pandemic. As a result, weaker properties face obsolescence under the “new normal.” Since the beginning of 2010, BXP stock has moved sideways. Its 5.4% yield shouldn’t be enough to get you to bite on this stock. Oneok Inc. (OKE) Illustration of oil pump jacks on sunset sky background to represent oil and gas stocks Source: Shutterstock In 2022, Oneok Inc. (NYSE: OKE ) is up 2.5%. That’s much better than the S&P 500 has done, but it’s nowhere near the performance of the S&P 500 energy sector, which was up 62% in 2022 as of Oct. 28. Analysts are relatively lukewarm about OKE stock. The average rating of the 22 who cover it is “hold,” and their mean price target is $67. Morningstar.com sector strategist Stephen Ellis likes the Oklahoma-based midstream service provider. “Oneok brings together high-quality assets, some of the strongest near- to medium-term growth prospects in our coverage as Rockies volumes continue their ongoing rebound, a C-Corporation structure, and a well-respected management team in a compelling package,” Ellis wrote in August. While the company’s financial results in 2022 have been good, it’s difficult to determine why the stock has barely moved at a time when most energy stocks are up 20% or more in 2022. One possibility is its net debt. At the end of June, its total debt was $13.88 billion while it had just $135.77 million of cash for net debt of $13.74 billion, nearly four times its annualized EBITDA. Its shareholders can’t absorb another decline of oil and gas prices. Whirlpool (WHR) the Whirlpool (WHR) logo on a corporate building Source: Grand Warszawski / Shutterstock.com Earlier in 2022, I included Whirlpool (NYSE: WHR ) on a list of ten stocks that I thought had enough pricing power with consumers to pass on rising input costs to the end buyers of their household appliances. At the time, I argued that regression to the mean would eventually move its stock higher. I suggested that buying WHR stock under $200 would make investors money over the next two to three years. Since the end of February, it has tumbled more than 30%. On Oct. 20, Whirlpool reported that its Q3 results were affected by inflation and slowing demand for its products. However, it also said that 2022 would be the second-best year in its 111-year history. There is, however, no way around the fact that, through the nine months that ended on Sept. 30, its sales in 2022 were down by a double digit-percentage year-over-year.  Meanwhile, its free cash flow has fallen by more than $1 billion, dropping to -$24 million from $988 million a year ago. The company says it has a plan to overcome its current difficulties. I’m not so sure if it will work and neither are analysts. Their average rating on WHR stock is “ hold “ with a median target price of $140, just barely higher than its current share price. If you don’t want to sell WHR, at the very least, I would wait for some confirmation that it’s on the right path to recovery before buying any more of its shares. On the date of publication, Will Ashworth did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines . Will Ashworth has written about investments full-time since 2008. Publications where he’s appeared include InvestorPlace, The Motley Fool Canada, Investopedia, Kiplinger, and several others in both the U.S. and Canada. He particularly enjoys creating model portfolios that stand the test of time. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. More From InvestorPlace Buy This $5 Stock BEFORE This Apple Project Goes Live The Best $1 Investment You Can Make Today Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” It doesn’t matter if you have $500 or $5 million. Do this now. The post Hurry! 3 Pitiful Dividend Stocks to Sell Before 2022 Ends appeared first on InvestorPlace . || US stock slide as unexpectedly strong payroll data adds pressure on the Fed to stay hawkish: • US stocks slipped Wednesday ahead of the Fed's interest rate announcement. • Wednesday payroll data came in better than expected, and wages rose 7.7%, per ADP. • Markets are expecting a 75 basis-point increase, which would raise the benchmark rate to 3.75%-4%. US stocks slipped Wednesday morning amid strong payroll data ahead of this afternoon's policy announcement from the Federal Reserve. Companies added 239,000 positions in October, which beat estimates of 195,000, and showed an increase from the previous month. Data also revealed that wages climbed 7.7% from a year ago. Stronger-than-expected payroll data weighed on stocks, adding pressure to the central bank to maintain a hawkish policy stance. At 2 p.m. ET, the Federal Reserve will announce its interest rate decision which is largely expected to be thefourth consecutive 75-basis-point move. A hike of that size would bring the benchmark rate into the 3.75%-4% range, which would be the highest mark since 2008. Here's where US indexes stood as the market opened 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday: • S&P 500: 3,841.64, down 0.37% • Dow Jones Industrial Average: 32,521.17, down 0.4% (132.03 points) • Nasdaq Composite:10,850.07, down 0.4% Here's what else is going on this morning: • Amazon dropped out of the trillion-dollar market cap club for the first time since 2020.That leaves just four stocks with 13-figure valuations. • Shipping giant Maersk warned "dark clouds" on the horizon threaten toslow down the global economy. • Wells Fargo said that Americans' pandemic savings will make it harder for the Fed to cool down inflation, as US households hold around$1.2 trillion in excess savings still. • Market veteran Ed Yardeni said the Fed could signal a 75-basis-point hike in Decemberand then pause to see what happens. In commodities, bonds, and crypto: • Oil prices climbed, withWest Texas Intermediateup 0.11% to $88.47 a barrel.Brent crude, the international benchmark, inched higher by 0.15% to $94.97 a barrel. • Goldclimbed 0.61% to 1,659.70 per ounce. • The10-year Treasury yieldticked lower by four basis points to 4.048%. • Bitcoindropped 0.28 % to $20,396. Read the original article onBusiness Insider [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: down || Prices: 16906.30, 16817.54, 16830.34, 16796.95, 16847.76, 16841.99, 16919.80, 16717.17, 16552.57, 16642.34
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Market Snapshot – It’s all about Bitcoin, North Korea and the Pound for Now: It’s not looking good for Bitcoin and those that may have jumped on the bandwagon in recent weeks, many an investor coming in late to avoid missing out on the party. With the Chinese government having banned initial coin offerings, in one of the largest markets, the latest news is of the PBoC’s intent on suspending Bitcoin trading on all of China’s exchanges. Small gains made earlier in the day have reversed with China’s Bitcoin prices all sitting at sub-$3,000 levels, pulling back BTC to $3,094.98 at the time of writing. That’s quite a drop from the start of the month’s $4950.72 all-time high and it could get a lot worse as panic begins to set in and talks of the tulip reverberate. North Korea has managed to upset the applecart once more and the U.S and Japan have called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting to discuss this morning’s missile test, which comes just days after the Security Council had approved quite aggressive sanctions. The North Koreans had said that they would respond to sanctions and they did just that, with the markets now having to wait for a response. The UN will likely want to avert any military response, though it is quite clear that sanctions alone are not enough to bring an end to the continued threat that now goes beyond the Korean Peninsula. A sure fired way for the BoE to ease inflationary pressures is to talk up the prospects of a near-term rate hike and Thursday’s hawkish commentary has the markets looking towards a rate hike in the coming months, with the UK economy having continued to stand its ground despite some quite dire forecasts. There are no material stats to throw the Pound off its intraday gains, with stats out of the U.S this afternoon unlikely to have a material impact on the pair through the day. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • The Crypto Future of Currencies • Market Snapshot – It’s all about Bitcoin, North Korea and the Pound for Now • North Korea Fires Another across the Bow with the USD and U.S Retail Sales in Focus this Afternoon • Gold Steadies as Markets wait on the U.S for a Response to North Korea’s Taunts • AUD/USD Forex Technical Analysis – Risk Off Scenario Triggered by North Korean Missile Launch • US Dollar Index (DX) Futures Technical Analysis – Risk Sentiment Controlling the Price Action || Top 5 Things to Know in the Market on Friday: Investing.com - Here are the top five things you need to know in financial markets on Friday, September 15: 1. North Korea launches another missile Markets were jittery following newsNorth Korea fired a missile over Japaninto the Pacific Ocean late Thursday. It was the peninsula's second missile launch over Japanese territory in just over two weeks. Japan reacted by saying that Pyongyang has “no bright future” and called for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called for the international community to take “new measures” against North Korea, singling out Russia and China as the countries best placed to apply pressure on the regime. Demand for safe-haven assets, such as gold, the yen and Swiss Franc initially reacted to the upside as the geopolitical tension reemerged, but calm slowly returned to markets with all three giving back most gains. 2. Global stocks show calm over missile launch Global stocks appeared to hold up under the pressure from the latest military move from North Korea, recovering from an earlier dip as investors digested the news. U.S. futures pointed to a flat to lower open Friday as investors remained cautious but shrugged off the latest show of force from Pyongang. At 5:51AM ET (9:51GMT), the blue-chip Dow futures slipped 4 points, or 0.02%, S&P 500 futures dropped 3 points, or 0.11% while the Nasdaq 100 futures gave up 6 points, or 0.10%. Elsewhere,European bourses also made a recoveryfrom the initial risk averse reaction, pulling off intraday lows and suggesting that markets are becoming more accustomed to escalating tensions from North Korea. At 5:53AM ET (9:53GMT), the European benchmark Euro Stoxx 50 lost 0.11%, Germany’s DAX fell 0.03%, while London's FTSE 100, punished by rate hike fears and a terrorist incident in the UK’s capital, led losses, down 1.05%. Earlier, Asian shares closed mostly lower Friday in their initial reaction to the news. China’s Shanghai Composite ended with losses of 0.53%.Japan’s Nikkei 225 pared earlier gains to end with a 0.51% rise. 3. Slew of data to drive U.S. session Amid a slew of data to be released on Friday, investors will likely focus on the Commerce Department’s release of August retail sales at 8:30AM ET (12:30GMT). The consensus forecast is that the report will show retail sales inched up0.1%last month, after a stronger 0.6% advance in the preceding month. Core sales are forecast to gain0.5%, matching July’s increase. Rising retail sales over time correlate with stronger economic growth, while weaker sales signal a declining economy. Consumer spending accounts for as much as 70% of U.S. economic growth. Besides retails sales, markets will also keep watch on theindustrial productionfor August andpreliminary Michigan consumer sentimentfor September out at 9:15AM ET (13:15GMT) and 10:00AM ET (14:00GMT), respectively. Ahead of the data, he U.S. dollar index, which measures the greenback’s strength against a trade-weighted basket of six major currencies, dropped 0.16% at 91.89 by 5:54AM ET (9:54GMT). 4. Bitcoin continues slump as second exchange announces closure Bitcoin sank deeper into bear market territory Friday as the fallout from China’s plans to shut down domestic cryptocurrency exchanges continued to take its toll. A senior executive at China's state-backed internet finance body said on Friday "stateless" digital tokens such as bitcoin posed risks as they could be used for illegal actions, and rules are needed to support the development of "legal" digital currencies. ViaBTC, a smaller Chinese bitcoin exchange, on Friday became thesecond to announce it will closeat the end of September. That came after BTCChina, a major Chinese bitcoin exchange, said on Thursday it would stop all trading from September 30, citing tightening regulation. With losses of around 5% on Friday, bitcoin prices are now down more than 30% from the record high of $4,969.00 set on September 2. Even with those losses, bitcoin prices have still more than tripled in value since ending 2016 at $966.60. 5. Cable breaks 1.35 on rate hike odds The pound busted through the $1.35 psychological level on Friday for the first time since June 27, 2016, just days after the Brexit vote, as investors were convinced that the first rate hike by the Bank of England since before the financial crisis may arrive in November. Though theBoE kept rates on hold Thursday, the Monetary Policy Committee indicated that the time for “some withdrawal of monetary stimulus is likely to be appropriate over the coming months". MPC member Gertjan Vliegh repeated that time frame in a speech delivered on Friday. “Until recently, I thought the appropriate response of monetary policy was to be patient, given modest growth and subdued underlying inflationary pressure,” he said. “But the evolution of the data is increasingly suggesting that we are approaching the moment when bank rate may need to rise,” Vliegh explained. GBP/USD jumped 1.33% to 1.3574 by 5:55AM ET (9:55GMT). Separately, pound strength was unfazed by an explosion on the London subway early Friday.British counter-terrorism officers were on the scenein Parsons Green where the incident took place on the London underground train and UK Prime Minister Theresa May was scheduled to give a briefing at 8:00AM ET (12:00GMT). Related Articles Bank of England unlikely to raise rates only once: Vlieghe No reason to discuss now next chairmanship of Eurogroup: Dijsselbloem Nail euro zone problems first, fix institutions later, ministers say || Bitcoin cash is crashing: (Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) Bitcoin cash, the new cryptocurrency, is crashing. Bitcoin cash has dropped 33%, to $290 a coin, over the past day, according to data from Coinmarketcap.com. That's down from its all-time high of $727 set on Wednesday, a day after its debut. Meanwhile, bitcoin is up 1.92%, to $2,852. On Tuesday, bitcoin split in two after a years-long battle in the cryptocurrency community over the rules that should guide bitcoin's network. That split resulted in the creation ofbitcoin cash, which was spun out of the same blockchain network as bitcoin — almost like a copy of it — but built to process more transactions more quickly. Many folks in the community think bitcoin cash's price has beeninflated by issues with the technologyunderpinning the coin. When the cryptocurrency split, investors who stored their bitcoin in digital wallets that supported bitcoin cash received one bitcoin cash coin for every bitcoin. But many of them can't access their bitcoin cash coins, so they can't transfer them to exchanges where they can actively be bought and sold. According to Aaron Lasher, the CMO of Breadwallet, a bitcoin wallet, the price of bitcoin cash could drop even further once those coins enter the exchanges, based on simple economics — when more people look to sell a good than to buy it, the price falls. Samson Mow, the chief strategy officer at Blockstream, told Business Insider the bitcoin cash house of cards could fall apart and that the cryptocurrency was unlikely to "survive at prices above $100 in the long term." Sebastian Quinn-Watson, a venture partner at Blockchain Global, a bitcoin exchange operator based in Australia, said, "We have some of our key traders telling us that they will be getting out of their BCC positions by 8 August." August 8 is when SegWit, a software update for the original bitcoin blockchain, is set to go into effect. "We see 8 August as the day the bell tolls for bitcoin cash," Quinn-Watson said. "If the prices of BCC remain strong post the 8th then it is likely to be a currency for a long period. "Alternatively, we could see a consolidation in bitcoin and see it run well past its peak," he concluded. NOW WATCH:Stocks have shrugged off Trump headlines to hit new highs this week More From Business Insider • Bitcoin's meteoric rise is costing some investors billions • Bitcoin cash may be a house of cards that comes crashing down • Bitcoin's explosive gains could spell good news for stocks || Chevron CEO John Watson Expected to Step Down: John Watson, who has led Corp. since 2010, is planning to step down as the oil major seeks a new chief executive officer, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter. While the San Ramon, California-based producer has not made a final decision on a successor, Michael Wirth, a 56-year-old Chevron lifer whose elevation was telegraphed in January when the company announced his promotion to vice chairman, has been seen as a leading candidate. An announcement will likely be made next month, the Journal said. Kent Robertson, a Chevron spokesman, declined to comment on the report. Watson, 60, was named CEO after he oversaw the integration of Texaco Inc. and Unocal Corp. into Chevron. They were purchased by his acquisitive predecessor and mentor, David O'Reilly. Since the global oil rout began in earnest in 2014, though, Watson has struggled to protect dividend payouts from the ravages of tumbling crude prices and shrinking cash flow. Watson has resorted to job cuts, project cancellations and billions of dollars in asset sales to cope with an industry downturn that erased $50 billion from Chevron's market value. In 2016, Chevron posted its first annual loss in at least 37 years. One of Wirth's crowning achievements was the restructuring of Chevron's sprawling refining business by selling off billions of dollars in assets from Africa to Europe. Under his leadership, the company quit processing crude in Western Europe as that market matured and growth slowed, and sharpened its focus on expanding demand centers in East Asia and Latin America. Watson later expanded Wirth's portfolio-trimming template to Chevron's worldwide oil and natural gas unit. Watson was an unlikely oil executive, having majored in agricultural economics at the University of California-Davis, before obtaining his MBA from the University of Chicago. Chevron's mandatory retirement age for employee directors like Watson is 65. See original article on Fortune.com More from Fortune.com • Ray Dalio Warns Markets: 'Death Probably More Likely Than Reconciliation' • Mark Cuban Backs Cryptocurrency Fund After Saying Bitcoin Is a Bubble • Elon Musk and Bill Gates Share This Daily Routine Habit • HSBC Currency Scheme May Have Involved 11 Other Bank Employees • Blue Apron Fires Recruiting Staff and Implements Hiring Freeze || China hits booming cryptocurrency market with coin fundraising ban: By John Ruwitch and Jemima Kelly SHANGHAI/LONDON (Reuters) - China on Monday banned and deemed illegal the practice of raising funds through launches of token-based digital currencies. The move was targeted at so-called initial coin offerings (ICO) in a market that has exploded since the start of the year. ICOs have become a bonanza for digital currency entrepreneurs, globally and in China, and have provided the fuel for a rapid ascent in the value of cryptocurrencies this year that has driven fears of a bubble that could burst. [L5N1KV4DN] Individuals and organizations that have completed ICO fundraisings should make arrangements to return funds, said a joint statement from the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the securities and banking regulators and other government departments that was posted on the central bank's website. In total, $2.32 billion has been raised through ICOs, with $2.16 billion of that being raised since the start of 2017, according to cryptocurrency analysis website Cryptocompare. Bitcoin rival Ethereum, which token-issuers usually ask to be paid in and which has therefore seen unprecedented growth this year, fell sharply on the news, last trading down almost 20 percent on the day at $283, according to trade publication Coindesk. Bitcoin was also down 8 percent, while the total value of all cryptocurrencies was down around 10 percent, according to industry website Coinmarketcap.com. "The large price falls can be attributed to panic amongst traders and profit-taking," said Cryptocompare founder Charles Hayter. The rapid ascent of ICOs prompted the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to warn in July that some ICOs should be regulated like other securities. Singapore and Canada followed with similar warnings. Zennon Kapron, director of the Shanghai-based financial technology consultancy Kapronasia, said he suspected regulators were putting the brakes on ICOs in order to better understand the phenomenon, but could ease off in the future. "Regulators globally are struggling to understand what ICOs are, what the risks are, and how to ring-fence and regulate them," he said. "China, in many ways, is no different than the U.S. or Singapore in saying, ok, we need to push back on these for now until we figure out how to deal with them...I think it will be slightly a temporary measure." "THE MUSIC HAS STOPPED" By creating and issuing digital tokens, entrepreneurs can raise large sums quickly -- sometimes hundreds of millions of dollars in minutes -- with little or no regulatory oversight. But unlike traditional fundraising, token holders are generally not given any share in the particular project, nor any security. For the buyer, therefore, the main reason for buying these highly risky tokens is often simply a bet that their value will rise. Once the tokens have been issued they can be traded against other cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, the first successful digital-only currency. The popularity of coin offerings has surged in China this year. In July, the state news agency Xinhua cited data from a government organization that monitors online financial activity to report that there had been 65 ICOs so far during the year raising a combined 2.62 billion yuan ($394.6 million) from 105,000 individuals in the country. Oliver Bussman, previously chief innovation officer at UBS and now president of the Switzerland-based "Crypto Valley Association" that promotes blockchain-based technology, said Chinese authorities had to be especially vigilant about protecting consumers because of the lack of financial advice in the country, compared with Europe or North America. Reaction to the ban was swift online. "The music has stopped," said one member of a chat group on the social networking platform WeChat that was set up last week for an upcoming ICO for a fundraising platform called SelfSell. "Hurry up and sell your bitcoin," said another. The organizer of the ICO project, who recently went on a six-city roadshow, said the project had been suspended. But Bussman said that once there was some regulatory clarity, and once it had been worked out how to classify different types of ICO, the token-based fundraising would continue. "The initial coin offering is a new business model leveraging blockchain technology and it will remain," he said. "This is not the end of the ICO – absolutely not." (Reporting by Jemima Kelly in London, John Ruwitch in Shanghai, Elias Glenn and Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Richard Borsuk and Sam Holmes/Jeremy Gaunt) || Tech Sector Weakness Drives S&P 500, NASDAQ Composite Lower For Week: U.S. stock equity futures closed mixed for a second day on Friday. The Dow was the sole winner of the day, posting intraday and closing highs. The NASDAQ Composite ended lower with tech giants Facebook, Netflix and Google-parent Alphabet a drag on the index. The S&P 500 Index also eased, driven lower by the weak Consumer Staples sector, but supported by the Energy sector. In the cash market, the blue chip Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 21830.31, up 33.76 or +0.15%. The technology-based NASDAQ Composite settled at 6374.38, down 7.81 or -0.12% and the benchmark S&P 500 Index ended the session at 2472.10, down 3.32 or -0.13%. The NASDAQ and the S&P 500 were under pressure early in the session, led by a drop in Amazon.com. The on-line retail giant fell as much as 4.3 percent on the back of much weaker-than-expected quarterly results. Sales came in above expectations, but second-quarterly earnings were below expectations, $0.40 vs the $1.42 a share estimate. The major indexes also posted mixed weekly results, with the S&P 500 Index and NASDAQ Composite Index finishing slightly lower while the Dow rose 1 percent during the time period. In economic news, according to the U.S. Commerce Department, the second-quarter Gross Domestic Product grew at an annualized rate of 2.6 percent, matching pre-report estimates. The Employment Cost Index came in at 0.5%, below the 0.6% estimate and 0.8% previous read. A separate report showed the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, increased at a rate of 0.9 percent. Revised University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment was 93.4, slightly above the 93.2 estimate and 93.1 previous read. This indicates that Americans appear the most optimistic about the current economic situation in the U.S. than they have in 12 years. In other news, Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari said on Friday that the Federal Reserve’s $4.5 trillion balance sheet is not doing a lot to boost the U.S. economy at this time and trimming it gradually is the right thing to do. “I think the big, big balance sheet isn’t doing a lot to boost the economy right now, but I do think there are costs in terms of public confidence in the Federal Reserve,” Kashkari told a business group in Woodbury, Minnesota. “I have been in favor of us slowly bringing that balance sheet back down to a more normal size even though I’m still concerned about inflation,” he said. “We can focus on inflation with our short-term interest rate.” Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Will Bitcoin Network Split to Two on August 1st? All the Things You Need to Know About it • Tech Sector Weakness Drives S&P 500, NASDAQ Composite Lower For Week • Market Snapshot – Euro and Dollar in Focus • Technology Stocks and Earnings Weigh on European Shares • Morning Market Update – USD/JPY • The EUR and USD in Focus, with GDP Figures in the Spotlight || JPMorgan's Dimon says bitcoin 'is a fraud': By David Henry and Anna Irrera NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bitcoin "is a fraud" and will blow up, Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N), said on Tuesday. Speaking at a bank investor conference in New York, Dimon said, "The currency isn't going to work. You can't have a business where people can invent a currency out of thin air and think that people who are buying it are really smart." Dimon said that if any JPMorgan traders were trading the crypto-currency, "I would fire them in a second, for two reasons: It is against our rules and they are stupid, and both are dangerous." Dimon's comments come as the bitcoin, a virtual currency not backed by any government, has more than quadrupled in value since December to more than $4,100 (3,086.65 pounds). Bitcoin is a digital currency that enables individuals to transfer value to each other and pay for goods and services bypassing banks and the mainstream financial system. While banks have largely steered clear of bitcoin since it emerged following the financial crisis, the virtual currency has a range of people who support it, including technology enthusiasts, liberterians skeptical of government monetary policy and speculators attracted by its price swings. "Like it or not, people want exposure to bitcoin," Edward Tilly, chairman and CEO of exchange group CBOE Holdings Inc. (CBOE.O), said at the same conference. CBOE has applied with U.S. regulators to launch a bitcoin futures contract and a bitcoin exchange traded fund on its venues. Any good trade is started with a difference of opinion, Tilly added. "So Jamie can be on the short side and the issuers and those trading in physical can be on the long side, and it sounds like we have a great trade.” Dimon may also be on the other side of another bitcoin trade closer to home. At another conference about two hours later, Dimon said that one of his daughters had bought some bitcoin. "It went up and she thinks she's a genius now," Dimon said at the CNBC Institutional Investor Delivering Alpha Conference. "WORSE THAN TULIP BULBS" Banks and other financial institutions have been concerned over bitcoin's early association with online crime and money laundering. The supply of bitcoin is meant to be limited to 21 million, but there are clones of the virtual currency in circulation which have made the market for it more volatile. "It is worse than tulips bulbs," Dimon said, referring to a famous market bubble from the 1600s. JPMorgan and many of its competitors, however, have invested millions of dollars in blockchain, the technology that tracks bitcoin transactions. Blockchain is a shared ledger of transactions maintained by a network of computers on the internet. Story continues Dimon said such uses will roll out over coming years as it is adapted to different business lines. Financial institutions are hoping blockchain can be adapted to simplify and lower the costs of processes such as securities settlement, loan trading and international money transfers. Dimon predicted big losses for bitcoin buyers. "Don't ask me to short it. It could be at $20,000 before this happens, but it will eventually blow up." he said. "Honestly, I am just shocked that anyone can't see it for what it is." Bitcoin’s price fell as much as 4 percent following Dimon's comments and was last trading at $4,164. Rumors that the Chinese government is planning to ban trading of virtual currencies on domestic exchanges has weighed on bitcoin recently. "It feels like we are in the midst of a negative news cycle, but even considering all this, we are still trading above $4,000." said John Spallanzani, chief macro strategist at GFI Group. (Reporting by David Henry and Anna Irrera in New York Additional reporting by John McCrank, Angela Moon and Lawrence Delevingne; Editing by Steve Orlofsky and Jonathan Oatis) View comments || Bitcoin Fans Are Firing Away at Jamie Dimon for Calling It a ‘Fraud’: The price of bitcoin dipped below $3,000 in early trading Friday, shedding some $2,000 over the course of two weeks as Chinese authorities began cracking down on cryptocurrencies and CEOJamie Dimon dubbed bitcoin a “fraud,”arguing that it was a matter of time before world governments begantaking action against digital coins. Reports today confirmed investors fears, asChinese authorities ordered Beijing cryptocurrency exchangesto stop trading and immediately alert users of their closure. China is one of the world’s major cryptocurrency traders. But fans of the digital coin have not taken the criticism sitting down, and some are taking aim at the J.P. Morgan CEO. Fans pointed out that Dimon’s firm had in fact gotten involved with bitcoin and blockchain (a digital ledger commonly used for bitcoin transactions) in the past. The banking giant at one point tried to file a patent for a bitcoin-style payment system--an applicaitonthat was reportedly rejected. In response to Dimon’s comments, J.P. Morgan’s former global trading macro head tweeted: “Jamie, you’re a great boss and the GOAT bank CEO. You’re not a trader or tech entrepreneur. Please, STFU about trading BTC.” J.P. Morgan’s blockchain lead Amber Baldet meanwhile responded with a virtual shrug to the news: Bitcoin backer and creator of McAfee Associates John McAfee also weighed in , telling CNBC thatBitcoin was no fraud. “You called bitcoin a fraud,” McAfee said Thursday. “I’m a bitcoin miner. We create bitcoins. It costs over $1,000 per coin to create a bitcoin. What does it cost to create a U.S. dollar? Which one is the fraud? Because it costs whatever the paper costs, but it costs me and other miners over $1,000 per coin. It’s called proof of work.” Barry Silbert, the CEO of Digital Currency Group meanwhile shot back: A former stock trader who was convicted of insider trading--Michael Kimelman--meanwhile pointed out the irony of J.P. Morgan’s head calling bitcoin a “fraud.” Finally, one Twitter user characterized the fury directed toward Dimon as something of a digital mob: This is part ofFortune'snew initiative,The Ledger,a trusted news source at the intersection of tech and finance. For more onThe Ledger,click here. See original article on Fortune.com More from Fortune.com • Bitcoin's Price Is Bouncing Back After Falling • China Is Shutting Down All of Beijing's Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Exchanges • Bitcoin Is Plummeting After an Exchange in China Said It Would Halt Trading • John McAfee to JPMorgan CEO: Bitcoin Is 'Certainly Not a Fraud' • Think Bitcoin Is a Bubble? 5 Ways to Short It || Bitcoin splits, but clone off to slow start: By Anna Irrera and Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bitcoin's underlying software code was split on Tuesday, generating a new clone called "Bitcoin Cash," but the new virtual currency got off to a slow start due to lackluster support for its network. The initiative was headed by a small group of mostly China-based bitcoin miners - programmers who essentially operate the bitcoin network - who were not happy with scheduled improvements to the currency's technology meant to increase its capacity to process transactions. These miners, who get paid in the currency for contributing computing power to the bitcoin network, initiated what is known as a "fork" on Tuesday, where the underlying blockchain splits into two potential paths, creating a new digital currency. The blockchain is a shared online ledger of all bitcoin transactions and has spawned a range of financial and business applications. Bitcoin's split has created a new competitor to the original digital currency, which remains the oldest and most valuable in circulation. Yet only a small fraction of bitcoin miners have been contributing their computing power to the new blockchain, and it took nearly six hours for the first batch of Bitcoin Cash coins to be mined this afternoon, according to Blockdozer Explorer, a firm providing data on digital currencies. "It's been a slow start for Bitcoin Cash," said Iqbal Gandham, managing director at trading platform eToro. "The delay ... could be a result of a lack of miner support for the new cryptocurrency." Bitcoin Cash on Tuesday traded on certain exchanges at a median price of $146.37, according to bitinfocharts.com, while bitcoin was at $2,729 (BTC=BTSP) on the BitStamp platform, down 4.6 percent from Monday. After the split, Bitcoin Cash has all the history from bitcoin's blockchain, creating the same number of tokens, plus the new currency created. People who held bitcoins before the split now have access to an equal amount of Bitcoin Cash for free, which they will then be able to trade for fiat currencies - legal tender such as euros and dollars - or other digital tokens. Story continues The creation of new tokens may speed up as less computing power will be required to mine new blocks, said Jeff Garzik, co-founder of blockchain startup, in an email. Ryan Taylor, chief executive of Dash Core, a firm that manages the development of the Dash digital currency, said Bitcoin Cash may yet be short-lived. "Bitcoin Cash has not solved scaling," Dash said. "It has merely kicked the can down the road with slightly larger blocks, but still lacks a credible technology to scale to massively larger numbers of users." (Reporting by Anna Irrera and Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Bill Rigby) || Oil and Stocks Rebounds as Risk Returns to the Markets: European stock markets bounce back as risk appetite stabilizes and the focus moves away from North Korea to central bank outlooks and data. In Asia Hang Seng, CSI 300 and ASX 200 held steady as the RBA left rates unchanged, while Japan and South Korea remained under pressure. A stronger Yen continued to weigh on exporters, while a weaker than expected services PMI added to the pressure. In the Eurozone, meanwhile, the downward revisions to an already weak August Services PMI added to signs that the ECB will remain firmly on hold this week and take a very cautious stance as it prepares to take the foot off the accelerator. The DAX is leading the way with a 0.50% gain that left the index slightly above the 12150 mark. The FTSE 100 underperforms and is nearly unchanged on the session. U.S. stock futures are down on the day, as markets return from the Labor Day holiday. Oil prices are higher, as risk appetite stabilizes. Oil prices are up over 1% as reopening oil refining facilities in storm-stricken locations in the U.S. generate demand for crude. WTI is presently showing a gain of 1.3%, at near 48. The return of refinery activity has concomitantly caused gasoline prices to fall back to pre-hurricane levels. The UK August services PMI missed expectations, falling to an 11-month low of 53.2 in the headline reading after 53.8 in July. The median forecast had been for a more modest dip to 53.5. Survey respondents noted that subdued client demand and heightened uncertainty about the domestic economic outlook had weighed on business activity during August. New orders rose at the second slowest pace since September last year, and some respondents in the sector reported delayed spending decisions among clients. Despite this, job creation was at its strongest since early 2016, while input price inflation rose by the quickest pace in six months, with the blame falling on sterling’s weakness. Business confidence was at a three-month high but remained subdued compared to levels seen prior to last year’s Brexit vote, and once again the uncertainties stemming from the process to leave the EU got a mention as being a confidence-damping factor. The composite PMI worked out at 54.0 in August, fractionally down on the 54.1 reading seen in July, and consistent with Q2 GDP growth of 0.3% quarter over quarter. Eurozone retail sales dropped -0.3% month over month, broadly in line with expectations and correcting from a rise of 0.6% month over month, which was revised up from 0.5% month over month reported initially. The three months trend rate eased slightly to 0.7% from the 0.8% where it has been since April. The annual rate dropped back to 2.6%, which is still a robust number, with growth in non-food sales outpacing food and tobacco, which dropped over the month in July. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • The Jury is Out on Bitcoin • IronFX Successfully Concludes agreement to raise US$100 million from strategic family office investor • Oil and Stocks Rebounds as Risk Returns to the Markets • Dallas Fed President Robert Kaplan Speech Awaited on by Investors • The RBA Holds Rates, With Service Sector PMIs in the Spotlight through the Day, Bringing the EUR and GBP into Focus • U.S. Investors Return to Markets after Long Weekend, Global Stocks Mixed amid Risk Off Sentiment [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] #Bitcoin (#BTC) USD 3878.02 EUR 3252.93 UAH 94968.76 RUB 222339.8 #Litecoin (#LTC) USD 46.26 EUR 39.03 UAH 1132.03 RUB 2650.29 || Курс биткоина впервые в истории превысил $4 тысячи http://www.rosbalt.ru/business/2017/08/13/1638057.html … #Bitcoin #биткоин #криптовалюта #максимум #рекорд || Current price of Bitcoin is $3386.00 via Chain August 8, 2017 at 12:00PM || 先ほどのツイートにもありますが、ノルマや煩わしい人間関係などがないのがすごく魅力的ですね。自分のペースでコツコツ稼げますし、なんというか仕事に集中できます。 お金に余裕がでてくるとチャットにも余裕がでてくるのか、私の場合は指数関数的に収入が増えていきました(^-^; || Что такое SegWit и откуда появился Bitcoin Cash - максимально... http://youtu.be/zAYqEbki2iw?a  || $4289.00 at 13:30 UTC [24h Range: $4125.99 - $4549.50 Volume: 25157 BTC] || Sep 04, 2017 12:00:00 UTC | 4,364.50$ | 3,664.30€ | 3,369.90£ | #Bitcoin #btc pic.twitter.com/v0NsTuEGw2 || Bitcoin Prices Break the $4,000 Barrier for the First Time - http://www.allcryptocurrencies.news/bitcoin/bitcoin-prices-break-the-4000-barrier-fo …... || Jul 21, 2017 07:30:00 UTC | 2,765.90$ | 2,371.60€ | 2,128.00£ | #Bitcoin #btc pic.twitter.com/RcWqCZ0j6v || Jul 27, 2017 11:30:00 UTC | 2,606.90$ | 2,226.70€ | 1,982.90£ | #Bitcoin #btc pic.twitter.com/hPyUeztn2s
Trend: up || Prices: 3582.88, 4065.20, 3924.97, 3905.95, 3631.04, 3630.70, 3792.40, 3682.84, 3926.07, 3892.35
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Ripple’s XRP Isn’t Making Western Union’s Payments Cheaper, CEO Says: Since began testing a cryptocurrency from Ripple called XRP for payments six months ago, the money transfer company has yet to see a financial benefit. Ripple has long touted its blockchain technology--and the cryptocurrency XRP, of which it still owns a majority--as a faster and cheaper way to move money internationally. But Western Union CEO Hikmet Ersek said that while his company is still experimenting with Ripple’s product xRapid--which uses XRP as a conduit to transfer money between foreign currencies--for payment settlements, it has not saved money so far. “ We are always criticized that Western Union is not cost-efficient, blah blah blah, but we did not see that part of the efficiency yet during our tests,” Ersek told Fortune in an interview Wednesday at the Economic Club of New York. “The practical matter is it’s still too expensive,” Ersek added, noting that Western Union would only be interested in adopting XRP for payments if it proved that it could lower the company’s costs. That assertion could amount to a setback for Ripple, which has built its business--and turned the cryptocurrency XRP into the third most valuable on the market, worth more than $20 billion--on the potential advantages its technology offers over other payment methods. Still, Ersek cautioned that the pilot may be too early on and “too small” to draw conclusions, as Western Union has only tested the cryptocurrency for t ransfers between two currencies--U.S. dollars and Mexican pesos--so far. Indeed, Western Union has sent just 10 payments using xRapid to date--far too few to reap significant results, according to Asheesh Birla, Ripple’s senior vice president of product. “If they were to move volume at scale, then maybe you would see something, but with 10, it’s not surprising that they’re not seeing cost savings,” Birla said. “They do millions of transactions a month, and I’m not surprised that with 10 transactions it didn't have earth-shattering results.” Birla calculates that if Western Union were to expand the pilot to all of its payments, the firm would cut down on at least 50% of costs per transaction. Moreover, Western Union’s foreign exchange costs have also “ been on average better than what they normally see,” Birla added. The problem, Birla explained, is that Western Union is still “straddling” both legacy costs from transferring money the traditional way--including maintaining staff abroad for treasury operations and other functions--which are eating into the benefits they’re able to see with xRapid: “Unless you’re going to take those fixed costs out of the ecosystem, it’s not going to be worth it for them to move on.” Story continues Ripple said last month that in pilots of xRapid by companies including Viamericas and Mercury FX, the technology had reduced costs by 40 to 70%. Ersek, for his part, isn’t ruling out that blockchain technology could lead to lower costs for Western Union, noting that he is currently committed to its program with Ripple. “I don't want to kill it,” Ersek said of the partnership, adding that the Ripple team working with Western Union “are good people” who are “very innovative.” The pilot program has also been a positive sign for some cryptocurrency investors who have viewed Western Union's payments transfer tests with Ripple as a boon to digital asset XRP. Most financial firms testing blockchain-based payments via Ripple have opted to use its software product, xCurrent, which functions without using XRP, rather than the firm's XRP-reliant technology, xRapid . That preference has raised doubts about the cryptocurrency’s viability--helping push XRP’s value down 77% in 2018 to 50 cents. Western Union’s experience underscores a major hurdle the blockchain and cryptocurrency industry will have to overcome in order to gain widespread adoption in existing institutions: Explaining why it is superior to existing payment tools. Western Union’s own payments transfer system is “so efficient,” Ersek says, that “to replace that with a blockchain” has not yet yielded meaningful improvements. Currently, to facilitate digital payments, Western Union uses a 10-digit “money transfer control number,” a code that corresponds to an individual payer or receiver, which Ersek likened to Western Union’s own digital currency. The company first implemented it in the early ’90s, he said. And in that sense, “We have the cryptocurrency definitely more than 30 years,” he said. See original article on Fortune.com More from Fortune.com Ripple Vet Launches Codius, an Easy-to-Use Smart Contract Tool Why Classes on Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, and Bitcoin Are About to Boom at Colleges Ripple CEO Says Bitcoin Could Be the 'Napster of Digital Assets' Is the SEC Gunning for Ethereum and Ripple? Fat Chance Cryptocurrencies Post Huge Gains in April, Nearly 70% in Some Cases View comments || VanEck Responds to SEC’s Bitcoin ETF Concerns In New Letter: bitcoin etf Money management firm VanEck has responded to the SEC’s concerns over bitcoin exchange-traded funds (bitcoin ETF) in a letter to the regulator made public on the agency’s website. Addressed to Dalia Blass, director of the SEC’s division of investment management, the letter tackles the five points of order from the SEC’s previous communication with the industry, namely: valuation, liquidity, custody, arbitrage, and potential manipulation. Valuation On this issue, the company states that it does not see valuation as a “novel issue” for a futures-based bitcoin ETF because it is already common practice to use futures to build an investment profile in an asset. The valuation of such contracts VanEck says, is a well-established practice, with more than 100 exchange traded products currently listed on U.S. exchanges basing their value on futures contracts. In the company’s opinion, prices from CBOE and CME are enough to adequately determine an ETF’s net asset value (NAV). Liquidity Responding to concerns about the proposed ETF’s liquidity, VanEck points out that the bitcoin market is a very liquid one, with an average trading spread of less than five basis points. It also makes the point that the bitcoin futures market has been efficient against the physical bitcoin market, with the total volume of the CBOE and CME coming up to $200 million. The company also mentions that it has no intention for its proposed ETF to invest in physically-settled bitcoin futures contracts should they become available. Custody cold storage vault Moving on to custody, VanEck restates that its ETF will not invest in physically settled bitcoin contracts, but it could engage with market players to find a solution to satisfy direct custody requirements. Until such arrangements are possible and viable, it says, the status quo remains in effect. Arbitrage Speaking on the subject of arbitrage trading, VanEck’s letter states that the diversified, decentralised nature of bitcoin exchange activities allows for arbitrage trading due to price differentials and inefficiencies across different exchange platforms. Story continues In VanEck’s opinion, bitcoin markets are not significantly more volatile than gold miner stocks or comparable equities. An excerpt reads as follows: “We believe that neither the volatility nor the current volume in the bitcoin futures market will inhibit the creation and redemption process by authorized participants and that these creations and redemptions will keep the proposed ETF’s market price in line with its NAV.” Potential Manipulation and Other Risks In the company’s opinion, such risks with its ETF are overwhelmingly mitigated by its nature as a regulated product traded on a US exchange. A quote from the letter reads: “While one cannot rule out manipulation in the underlying spot market, we believe that, due to the diversified ownership and volume of trading, the market does not have major, structural vulnerabilities. Therefore, the Commission’s increased enforcement and regulatory actions can reduce the number of bad actors in a basically sound market.” CCN earlier reported about VanEck’s interest in launching a bitcoin ETF and the SEC’s subsequent hesitance on the issue, as well as the agency’s decision to deny the Winklevoss twins’ latest bid to create a cryptocurrency ETF. To read the letter in full, click here . Images from Shutterstock The post VanEck Responds to SEC’s Bitcoin ETF Concerns In New Letter appeared first on CCN . || Bitcoin Slips; China’s Crypto Ban Proven Successful, PBOC Says: Investing.com – Bitcoin slipped on Monday and continued to hover near $7,000 amid a lack of meaningful data. Although not a directional driver, a report by the PBOC caught some attention as it indicated the country’s tough stance on crypto trading has proven to be successful. Bitcoin was trading at $6,640.4 by 10:45AM ET (02:45 GMT) on the Bitfinex exchange, down 1.1% over the previous 24 hours.Ethereum, the world’s second largest cryptocurrency by market cap, slipped 5.0% to $459.99 on the Bitfinex exchange.Ripple’s XRP token fell 2.6% to $0.46557 on the Poloniex exchange.Meanwhile, Litecoin traded 4.1% lower to $78.927. A report published by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) revealed that the cryptocurrency ban imposed by regulators in China seemed to be rather successful, as the PBOC said crypto trading in China has “all but gone away”. The PBOC also noted in the report that Chinese regulators are not planning to lift the ban on crypto trading in the near future, as such trading pose large financial risks for Chinese investors. Hong Kong-based media source The Asia Times recently reported that the Chinese yuan is now utilized in only less than 1% of all Bitcoin exchange trade, compared with over 90% of all global trades a year ago before the crypto ban in China took place. “This indicates that the policy has been very successful. It is within expectations that the yuan’s share in global Bitcoin transactions would drop after China announced the ban,” said Guo Dazhi, research director at Zhongguancun Internet Finance. In other news, Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz warned on Monday that the anonymity nature of Bitcoin opens the door for criminal enterprises. "You cannot have a means of payment that is based on secrecy when you’re trying to create a transparent banking system," said Stiglitz. "If you open up a hole like bitcoin, then all the nefarious activity will go through that hole, and no government can allow that.” Stiglitz then said further growth in the crypto market would likely bring more regulation from authorities: “Once it becomes significant they will use the hammer.” Related Articles Metal Concentrates Exchange to Form Blockchain Consortium for Minerals Trading Study: Crypto Could Become Mainstream Means of Payment Within Next Decade EOS Falls 11.74% || How David Gardner's Biggest Losers Demonstrate Why Long-Term Investing Wins: For David Gardner, theRule Breaker Investingpodcast isn't so much a monologue as it is an extended chat with you, his listeners and readers, which is one reason he ends every month with a mailbag episode -- so that he can bring your viewpoints and questions directly into the conversation. In this segment, he shares an email -- and a scorecard -- from a listener who took a bit of a leap of faith. At the beginning of 2017, he opened positions in the five biggest losers in theRule Breakeruniverse for 2016:Restoration Hardware(NYSE: RH), Juno Therapeutics,FireEye(NASDAQ: FEYE),GoPro(NASDAQ: GPRO), andCelldex Therapeutics(NASDAQ: CLDX). True, the Fool doesn't usually suggestaddingto your losers, but as Arlo points out, they were still active recommendations, and he didn't own any shares of them. So how'd those stocks do from there? Well, without spoiling it, let's say he didn't bat 1000 -- but Foolish investors don'thaveto. A full transcript follows the video. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This This video was recorded on June 27, 2018. David Gardner:Rule Breakermailbag item No. 2. This one came in from Arlo Randall by email. Our email address is [email protected]. Arlo, I'm truncating this a little bit, but you were talking about the benefit of having a scorecard. We have a lot of scorecards atfool.com. You were talking about how interesting and fun it would be to look at some of those scorecards and opine about them and see some of the more popular scorecards on the site. I can totally understand how that would be fun. In a way, when we look at scorecards, we're giving you or me a peek into how other people are investing. Of course, anybody who has a scorecard stored on our site, we don't take any peeks into that, and we wouldn't give anybody else peeks into that. One scorecard you called out, which I thought was a lot of fun, wasDavid's Biggest Losers. You're sharing a scorecard that you made on our site. What you did, Arlo, is that you listened to our podcast on January 5th of 2017 -- about a year and a half ago. At the start of every year, I lead off each year with a look at my biggest losers from the year before. Arlo, in his wisdom -- or, in this case, I'll go with his Foolishness -- he decided, "Let me actually track those five biggest losers from 2016." You wrote, Arlo, the rationale would be, "I listened to theBiggest Loserspodcast and then bought all five of the stocks after. I really like your philosophy of not adding to losers, but since I did not own any of them, I decided to buy them because of your comment that they were all still active recommendations, and you thought they could turn around." Those five were: Restoration Hardware, RH; Juno Therapeutics, JUNO; FireEye , FEYE; GoPro , GPRO; and Celldex Therapeutics , CLDX. Here's how those five have done in the scorecard that you've created, Arlo, from worst to best. Let's go in reverse order. Celldex, minus 85%. Yep, it got even worse for that tiny biotech company. GoPro, down 28% from that date. FireEye, up 51% from that date. It's about to get even better. Juno Therapeutics, up 331% and bought out -- which was not a bad 18-month return. Finally, RH, Restoration Hardware, up 429%. Arlo goes on. "This may be a bad example to highlight, since buying losers is generally not good practice to encourage," and not something we do on this podcast, "but," Arlo goes on to conclude, "this was a fun scorecard to share." Well, I'm glad that you took the time to share that. You can create a scorecard on our site and many other sites. You could even just do it in Evernote or in an Excel spreadsheet. I think everybody who's a Motley FoolRule Breakerknows that I love scoring. I think we should all be scoring. I want people to score me. I'm going to score you. I love what you did, Arlo. Thanks a lot for sharing that. What a bounce-back it was for those companies. It makes you want to look back at our list from this January. This is not a five-stock sampler. These are not stocks that I'm actively saying, "I think these are awesome." I'm actually going over my worst picks from the years before. They do all still remain active recommendations, though, so perhaps there is something to these turnarounds. It only takes one 300% spike or so to wipe out a whole bunch of losers. Anyway, thank you, Arlo! David Gardnerowns shares of FireEye. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends GoPro. The Motley Fool recommends Celldex Therapeutics, FireEye, and RH. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || ETF of the Week: ARK Genomic Revolution Multi-Sector Fund (ARKG): This article was originally published on ETFTrends.com. ETF Trends publisher Tom Lydon discussed the ARK Genomic Revolution Multi-Sector Fund (ARKG) on this week’s “ETF of the Week” podcast with Chuck Jaffe on the MoneyLife Show. Drug stocks are also getting the Trump bump Drug maker stocks rallied after President Donald Trump vowed to end “global freeloading” that put American medicine manufacturers at a disadvantage President Donald Trump backing biotech space In line with President Trump’s “America Patients First” rhetoric Trump plans to lessen drug prices in a way that doesn’t appear to threaten drugmakers Said the administration plans to lower prescription drug prices and pledge to end global freeloading that has allowed foreign buyers to pay less for drugs Trump argued that Americans, through higher drug prices at home, are basically subsidizing the “enormous cost of research and development” for the benefit of other countries, which are able to acquire the same drugs for cheap. “In some cases, medicine that costs a few dollars in a foreign country costs hundreds of dollars in America for the same pill, with the same ingredients, in the same package, made in the same plant,” Trump said. Trump also wants the government to cut down “regulatory burdens so drugs can be gotten to the market quicker and cheaper.” Innovation will continue to support future growth For example, the investment opportunity found in the Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, or CRISPR, genome-editing platform. CRISPR is a genome-editing platform that will address the world’s most salient health issues. It is like a ‘molecular swiss army knife’ with a rapidly expanding number of tools that perform different functions Research shows the number of human genomes sequenced is expected to surge to 170 million by 2022 from 422,000 back in 2016. Meanwhile, costs could decline to $100 per genome sequenced from the thousands of dollars it costs now. Additionally, the cost of CRISPR, or “editing” DNA, is also falling , along with its time-to-manufacture, which could accelerate the pace of further innovation in the space. ARK Genomic Revolution Multi-Sector Fund Actively managed a thematic multi-capitalization exposure to innovative elements that cover advancements in gene therapy bio-informatics, bio-inspired computing, molecular medicine, and pharmaceutical innovations. sub-sectors like Gene Therapy (21.3%), Targeted Therapeutics (17.7%), Beyond DNA (15.6%), Bioinformatics (13.7%), Instrumentation (13.5%), Molecular Diagnostics (8.9%), Next Generation Oncology (6.7%), Stem Cells (1.7%) and Agricultural Biology ( Top holdings include Intellia Therapeutics 10.5%, Illumina 7.8%, Editas Medicine 6.9%, Invitae Corp 6.6%, Celegene 3.8% and Bluebird Bio 3.6%. Story continues For more podcast episodes feature Tom Lydon, visit our podcast category . POPULAR ARTICLES FROM ETFTRENDS.COM When Can I Retire? Two Calculations to Find the Answer Start Understanding Your Mortgage in Fewer Than 10 Minutes Bettinger on Schwab’s Evolution And Important Industry Trends Gen Z Employees Are Stressed About Money, but Remain Confident Are You Shopping for a Home With Bitcoin? READ MORE AT ETFTRENDS.COM > View comments || All Banks Just Passed the 2018 Stress Tests -- 3 Things Investors Need to Know: The Federal Reserve just announced the results of this year's banking stress tests, and the tests found that all of the banks examined would survive in a severe global recession. Here's a rundown of which banks are affected by the stress tests, what exactly they're "testing" for, and why the most important part for shareholders is still to come. The Federal Reserve's stress tests don't apply to all banks that do business in the U.S. In fact, they apply to even fewer banks this year than they did previously. Image Source: Getty Images. The stress tests are designed to prevent banks that are "too big to fail" from requiring government bailouts during economic downturns. The technical term for these banks is Systemically Important Financial Institutions, or SIFIs. Since theDodd-Frank banking reformswere implemented, the SIFI threshold has been defined as banks with $50 billion or more in total assets. However, a recentrollback of the SIFI ruleswill gradually raise this threshold to $250 billion. For the 2018 stress tests, an asset threshold of $100 billion applied. So, of the 38 banks that were examined, three became exempt because of the new law. In other words, the stress tests only applied to the 35 largest banks in the U.S. market. In a nutshell, the Federal Reserve stress tests are designed to determine how the largest U.S. banks would fare in a severe global recession. Specifically, the 2018 stress test used the following "severely adverse" scenario: • Negative 7.5% GDP growth over seven quarters • 10% unemployment by the third quarter of 2019 • 65% drop in equity prices by early 2019 • The VIX volatility index moves above 60 • 30% drop in housing prices • 40% drop in commercial real estate prices • A sharp global downturn, including severe recessions in the U.K., most of Europe, and Japan. The 35 banks that were subject to the stress tests this year would lose a total of $578 billion over nine quarters under this hypothetical scenario. Two things to remember: First, this is essentially a worst-case scenario, and any actual recession is unlikely to be nearly this bad. Second, all 35 of the banks would be able to survive such a scenario and without government bailouts or other outside help. From an investor's perspective, the most important reason for the stress tests is to determine if each bank is adequately capitalized to pay dividends and buy back shares. For these 35 banks, the Federal Reserve will have to approve their capital plans for the coming year. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until next week to find out whether the banks have Fed approval, as well as to see how much each bank plans to pay in dividends and how much they plan to use to buy back shares. Since the end of the financial crisis and the implementation of the stress tests, two clear trends have emerged. First, banks are generally building their dividends back up, as you can see in the chart below. BAC Dividenddata byYCharts. Second, most of the big banks are choosing toemphasize buybacks over dividends, and I don't expect that to change anytime soon. For example, in 2017,Bank of Americareturned $16.8 billion to shareholders, but $12.8 billion (76%) of this amount was in the form of share buybacks. Banks have generally felt that their shares have been undervalued in recent years, plus it's less harmful to a stock to modify a buyback program than it is to slash a dividend in case the company's profits fall. So, in a nutshell, banks are emphasizing large buybacks and easily sustainable dividends, and when the capital plans are revealed next week, I'd expect this trend to continue. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Matthew Frankelowns shares of Bank of America. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || Earnings: 3 Tech Stocks to Watch This Week: Earnings season will continue this week as some major names in tech are set to report results, includingAlphabet(NASDAQ: GOOGL)(NASDAQ: GOOG),Facebook(NASDAQ: FB), andTwitter. The stakes are high for all three companies. Each has outperformed the market over the past 12 months, with Alphabet and Facebook up 21% and 28%, respectively, and Twitter up an incredible 116%. Ahead of these companies' earnings reports, here's a quick preview for each. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, will kick off next week with its second-quarter update after the market closes on Monday. After reporting a solid 26% year-over-year increase in its first-quarter revenue (23% growth in constant currency), investors will be looking for more strong growth in Q2. On average, analysts expect Alphabet's second-quarter revenue to climb 24% year over year. For Alphabet's earnings per share, analysts expect $9.59 -- up from $8.90 in the year-ago quarter when adjusted to exclude the impact of a European Commission fine that was booked during the period. Image source: Alphabet. Investors should closely watch Alphabet's "Google other" segment, which includes revenue from cloud, hardware, and the Android App store. Though the segment accounted for just 14% of first-quarter revenue, its strong 36% year-over-year growth during the period meant it played a key role in Alphabet's overall growth. Can Google other keep growing at this high rate? Reporting its second-quarter results after market close on Wednesday, investors are expecting monstrous growthas usual. On average, analysts expect revenue to rise about 44% year over year -- a conservative outlook considering Facebook's revenue increased 47% year over year in 2017 and 49% year over year in the first quarter of 2018. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Image source: Facebook. The big question for Facebook is how much the social network's earnings per share will increase by. In the past, Facebook has consistently seen its earnings-per-share growth outpace its revenue growth since its revenue rose at a higher rate than operating expenses. But with Facebook guiding for full-year operating expenses to increase50% to 60%, earnings-per-share growth could decelerate significantly in Q2. On average, analysts expect Facebook's second-quarter earnings per share to rise 30% year over year -- down from 63% growth in Q1. After returning to revenue growth andswinging to a profit for the first timejust a few quarters ago, Twitter will need to prove that its positive momentum is here to stay. Image source: Getty Images. Twitter's first-quarter year-over-year revenue growth rate accelerated to 21% -- up sharply from 2% growth in Q4. Even more impressive, Twitter swung from a net loss of $62 million in the first quarter of 2017 to a profit of $61 million in the first quarter of 2018. This translates to first-quarter EPS and non-GAAP EPS of $0.08 and $0.16, respectively. For Twitter's second quarter, the consensus analyst estimate calls for 21% year-over-year growth in revenue and non-GAAP EPS of $0.17 -- up from non-GAAP EPS of $0.08 in the year-ago quarter. One key area Twitter investors will want to be sure to check on is the company's daily active user growth. While the company's six consecutive quarters of double-digit year-over-year growth in daily active users is notable, the key metric has decelerated for the last three quarters. Twitter's daily active users increased 10% year over year in Q1 -- down from 14% growth in the third quarter of 2017. If Twitter's daily active user growth keeps decelerating, this could mean strong growth in the metric recently was only a temporary trend. Twitter is scheduled to report its second-quarter results before market open on Friday, July 27. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors.Daniel Sparkshas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A shares), Alphabet (C shares), and Facebook. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || New Tech Support Subscription Is Boosting Best Buy's Image: Best Buy(NYSE: BBY)launched itstechnical support subscription servicea month ago, and it's already paying dividends for the electronics superstore chain. Even though such services only represent a small proportion of its total revenues, because they have the potential to encourage consumers to make additional purchases, the ripple effect of the program might be felt across sales, profits, and margins. Total Tech Support is the Geek Squad program on steroids. For $200 a year, Best Buy provides you with unlimited access to tech support for all of your electronics and gadgets, regardless of whether you purchased them at Best Buy. Image source: Best Buy. Although subscribers may run into some pitfalls, especially considering that the hefty fee doesn't cover many of the services you might need when setting up your connected home -- mounting, installation, and wiring cost extra, although subscribers do get a discount -- people like the idea. Data from YouGov BrandIndex suggests Total Tech Support powered by Geek Squad is giving Best Buy a much-needed boost in brand perception. YouGov surveys ask consumers to rank their impression of a brand on a scale ranging from 100, which is "very positive," to -100, which is "very negative." Between May 21 (the day before Total Tech launched) and June 11, Best Buy's consumer satisfaction score surged over 23%, hitting a better than two-year high of 47. The latest survey also revealed that consumers were now much more likely to shop at the electronics retailer, with 49% of adults saying they were interested in making a purchase from Best Buy compared to 37% of adults who had considered it prior to the service's launch. Services like Geek Squad directly provided only a small percentage of Best Buy's $9.1 billion in total first-quarter revenues -- about 5%, or $432 million -- yet they are a key offering because the electronics giant is relying on service to differentiate itself from the competition, particularly e-tailers likeAmazon.com(NASDAQ: AMZN), which last year began offering its own in-home tech support service. As Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly emphasized in last year's annual report, one of Best Buy's three growth pillars is "to meet the significant technical support needs of customers across their homes, without regard to where they may have purchased their technology products. We also plan to offer more complete solutions to our customers that meet their underlying needs." While word of Amazon's entrance into the tech support business initially took a bite out of Best Buy's stock price, the shares have long since recovered, and the retailer even went on to partner with Amazon on initiatives such as the forthcoming Fire TV. Best Buy will be theexclusive retailerfor the device: Even if you search for the TV on Amazon, you'll be redirected to the Best Buy website, which should make selling a service contract for it much easier for Best Buy than for Amazon. Tech support subscriptions will remain a hard sell, considering the limited number of times we're actually likely to need a Geek Squad pro to make a house call. And though 24/7 online support is a benefit, at $200 a year, it's going to have a limited appeal. Still, by indicating to consumers it is paying attention to their needs as the connected home becomes more of a reality, Best Buy is beginning to see a payoff. The real question will be if it can turn its higher brand perception into higher sales. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors.Rich Dupreyhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || Dell Wants to Go Public Again, Tech ETFs Pop: This article was originally published onETFTrends.com. Technology stocks and sector-related tech ETFs were among the few areas bucking the broader market down trend Monday as Dell is set to become a pubic company again with a deal to acquire the track stock of its majority-owned VMware. The iShares North American Tech-Software ETF (IGV) was among the best performers Monday, rising 1.4%. Dell Technologies is simplifying its portfolio and ended a months-long review of the company as it is set to acquire the tracking stock, VMware,Reutersreports. The world's largest private technology company owns 80% of VMware and issued the tracking stock back in 2016 to fund its purchase of EMC corp, the previous biggest stakeholder of VMware. The Dell Deal Dell will exchange each share of DVMT for 1.3665 of its Class C common stock. It will then list its Class C shares on the New York Stock Exchange following the completion of the deal that will eliminate the tracking stock. “We believe that this development is positive for VMW’s shares not only because it avoids the reverse merger scenario, but also because there is the possibility of VMW being taken out by Dell in the future as a ‘second step’ following this transaction,” FBN Securities analyst Shebly Seyrafi wrote in a note. Related:4 Popular Tech ETFs Attract Heavy Inflows Upon completion of the deal, Dell Technologies could assume control over VMware directly, which could lead Dell to pursue a merger with VMware further down the road. Basically, a deal for DVMT could be seen as the first step in a later VMW takeover. Dell Technologies (DVMT) jumped 9.0% and VMware (VMW) surged 9.3% Monday on the buyout plans. IGV includes a 2.0% position in DVMT and 1.2% in VMW. For more information on the tech sector, visit ourtechnology category. POPULAR ARTICLES FROM ETFTRENDS.COM • Bitcoin Price Prediction: It’s Getting Ugly • 7 Must-Have Technologies for Holistic Financial Planners • Facebook’s Lifting of Bitcoin Ban Will Boost Cryptocurrency Market • If You Want Certainty, You’ll Pay Dearly • In Investing, as in Politics, It’s Wise to Stay Focused on the Evidence READ MORE AT ETFTRENDS.COM > || Best ETFs to Hedge Further Weakness in China: This article was originally published on ETFTrends.com. The escalating trade-war rhetoric is dragging on Chinese markets. Investors who believe the increasing tariffs will weigh on further growth in China's economy can look to a number of bearish exchange traded fund plays to capitalize on this emerging country's misfortunes. The iShares China Large-Cap ETF ( FXI ) , the largest China-related ETF, continued to decline 2.0% Thursday after falling off 7.9% over the past three months. “Global stocks were pressurized by the Asian markets, as most indices were down more than 1 per cent due to worries about the trade war and the slowdown of China’s economy leading to a possible credit crunch, as evidenced by recent data,” Louis Wong, dealings director at Philip Securities Hong Kong, told South China Morning Post . “Yesterday’s rebound was very short-lived, but due to lingering investor concerns over the trade war, I see no sustainable rebound in the short term.” China's Yuan Currency Depreciates Against U.S. Dollar Pressuring Chinese markets, China's yuan currency has depreciated against the U.S. dollar for a sixth consecutive session Thursday, to 6.5088 yuan per dollar, or close to this year's low of 6.5449 in early January. “The worry of a trade war is to blame for the drop of the yuan. The US has threatened to impose the tariffs on Chinese exports, which has led to worries about the outlook of the yuan,” Ben Kwong Man-bun, director of KGI Asia, told the SCMP. Related: Reality Shares Launches China Blockchain ETF With no real end to the trade spate in sight, investors may continue to capitalize off the weakness in Chinese markets or at least hedge against further risks through bearish or inverse ETFs. For instance, the Direxion Daily CSI 300 China A Share Bear 1x Shares ( CHAD ) was the first inverse A-shares ETF to trade in the U.S. The ETF is designed to deliver the daily inverse performance of the CSI 300 Index. The ProShares Short FTSEChina 50 ( YXI ) takes the simple inverse or -100% daily performance of the FTSE China 50 Index, the same underlying benchmark for FXI. The ProShares UltraShort FTSE China 50 ( FXP ) attempts to deliver double the daily inverse or -200% returns of the same index. More aggressive traders may look to something like the Direxion Daily FTSE China Bear 3X Shares ( YANG ), which takes three times the inverse or -300% daily performance of the FTSE China 50 Index. Story continues For more information on the Chinese markets, visit our China category . POPULAR ARTICLES FROM ETFTRENDS.COM Disney Raises Fox Offer to $71.3B, Outbids Comcast’s $66B Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein: Bitcoin ‘Not for Me’ Waning Bitcoin Volatility Could be a Good Thing Small-Cap ETFs: Not as Volatile as They Used to Be When Can I Retire? Two Calculations to Find the Answer READ MORE AT ETFTRENDS.COM > [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] 08月03日 12時過ぎ 仮想通貨JPY建てレート BTC→822995 ETH→44978 XRP→48.4 XEM→16.7 BCH→79380 LTC→8419 DASH→26433 ETC→1619 MONA→219 #BTC #ETHpic.twitter.com/y9rSEjk2sC || @Bitcoin_Post || @btc_fan || @Bitcoin_Stats || @bitcoin_reddit || @btc_reddit || @bitcoin_reddit || @btc_update || @whats_a_bitcoin || @bitcoin_reddit
Trend: up || Prices: 6322.69, 6297.57, 6199.71, 6308.52, 6334.73, 6580.63, 6423.76, 6506.07, 6308.53, 6488.76
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] SEC’s Latest Crypto Hire is Just a Bitcoin Smokescreen: U.S. regulators may appear to have finally come to terms with the fact that the crypto industry isn’t going anywhere, but they are stalling nonetheless. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is on the hunt for a crypto specialist attorney, one who will seemingly provide yet more clarity as the agency navigates the choppy market terrain. While it’s good to see the agency dedicating resources to the future of bitcoin and blockchain, these developments have yet to result in any real progress toward regulatory clarity. The crypto specialist will brief Chairman Jay Clayton on “salient developments” in the industry. | Source: Shutterstock The SEC’s job posting coincides with the securities regulator announcing days ago it would delay its decision on a pair of bitcoin ETFs until May. According to the job posting, which was listed on the government’sUSA Jobs board: “The Crypto Specialist provides expertise and coordinates the Division of Trading and Market’s activities regarding crypto and digital asset securities.” This is not the first time the SEC is making crypto-related appointments. So far, given the lack of any clear regulatory framework, however, these moves are little more than a smokescreen. Despite the creation of a FinTech Working Group and a Digital Assets Working Group, the securities watchdog appears no closer to crafting crypto and blockchain regulation today than it was a year ago, let alone approving abitcoin ETF. They continue to rely on archaic formulas such as the 1946 “Howey Test” to determine if a digital asset fits the bill as a security and should be registered as such. Incidentally, the crypto specialist will be tasked with working alongside both working groups as well as attending industry events. Read the full story on CCN.com. || Four places you can find cryptocurrency exchange rates: Depending on which exchange you use, the price of a cryptocurrency will be different. This can be due to fees, the spread, or the volatile market affecting the APIs of exchanges. It is possible to use the price difference between exchanges for arbitrage – buying cheaply on one exchange and selling on another exchange for profit. Cryptocurrency exchange rates do not always have to be compared to dollar denominations either – many are often compared to their BTC value. There are many services that provide cryptocurrency exchange rates. Here are four of the most popular. Coinmarketcap.com Coinmarketcap.com is the most popular cryptocurrency exchange rate site. It has been around for many years now and lists over 2,000 cryptocurrencies. The site also provides the overall market cap of all cryptocurrencies as well as the market dominance percentage. It is also possible to compare the exchange rate to Bitcoin rather than dollars. Coinmarketcap.com has come in for criticism in recent years though. Its data for exchanges often includes what has since been suggested as fake volume. This can make smaller and less legitimate exchanges look more popular than they actually are. Another issue for coinmarketcap.com has been its lax attitude toward advertising on the site. Infamously, the pyramid scheme Bitconnect was allowed to advertise on coinmarketcap.com despite a whole lot of evidence pointing to its questionable behaviour. Further to this, while many people might use ad blockers to get around internet advertising, Coin Rivet recently reported that coinmarketcap.com is now asking people to disable their ad blockers when they visit the website. Despite coinmarketcap.com having first mover advantage, there are now many contenders to its throne. Coinpaprika.com Coinpaprika.com is a newcomer on the scene and has coinmarketcap.com firmly set within its sights. Despite many websites suffering from diminishing traffic due to the bear market, coinpaprika has been gaining popularity in the cryptocurrency exchange rates market. Story continues Compared to coinmarketcap, coinpaprika provides a few more metrics to help you compare cryptocurrencies, such as statistics on the amount of commits as well as a mining calculator. It also offers a useful tool to provide the latest price of cryptocurrencies in a variety of currencies from the Norwegian Krone to the South African Rand, and also lists the variety of exchanges where you can purchase any cryptocurrency. Coinmarketbook.cc Coinmarketbook is another competitor to coinmarketcap’s authority. Its unique selling point is that it provides a buy support indicator for each cryptocurrency. Data is collected from a wide variety of exchanges including Binance, Bittrex, BitMEX, and Poloniex, as well as many others. The site is a lot sleeker than both coinmarketcap and coinpaprika as it provides slightly less detail. This does make the site more attractive on the eye. However, this “less is more” approach may not be suitable if you want to gather as much information as possible for your trades. Coinlib.io Coinlib has followed the coinmarketbook approach by providing a sleek user interface for its platform. One interesting metric it provides is to show the flow of money from altcoins through Bitcoin and back through to other altcoins. Using this tool, you can see where the majority of trades are going to and from. It also provides an easy-to-use interface that shows the different exchange rates from various exchanges, which can help you find where to get the most bang for your buck. Coinlib has an extensive list of cryptocurrencies on its website. Whereas coinmarketcap lists just over 2,000 cryptocurrencies, coinlib has more than double this at over 5,000. Finally, coinlib provides users that sign up the ability to create their own portfolio, which allows you to easily keep track of how your cryptocurrencies are performing. This in itself is a very competitive space – there are numerous cryptocurrency portfolio trackers available, as noted here . Finding cryptocurrency exchange rates Whilst coinmarketcap.com stole the march on its competitors to become the most notable site for comparing cryptocurrency prices, the new actors on the rise are going to provide a stiff challenge to its throne. Each site listed above provides different unique selling points, and which one you use will depend on your own needs and wants. Should you be looking for plenty of detail and an open source system, then coinpaprika is a viable option. For more user-friendly designs, then coinmarketbook.cc and coinlib.io could be your preferred options. The post Four places you can find cryptocurrency exchange rates appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Considering Muni Bond ETFs at Tax Time: This article was originally published onETFTrends.com. With tax time here, some investors may want to consider revisiting municipal bonds and ETFs, such as theiShares National Muni Bond ETF (MUB) , in search of some tax advantages. MUB seeks to track the investment results of the S&P National AMT-Free Municipal Bond IndexTM, which also measures the performance of the investment-grade segment of the U.S. municipal bond market. "Municipal bonds, which are issued by state and local governments, occupy a special place in the investing landscape,”said BlackRock in a recent note.“The income from these bonds is exempt from federal income tax and sometimes state income taxes as well. This treatment can make them especially attractive for investors looking for ways to minimize their tax burden.” Munis also help diversify fixed-income portfolios. Investors who typically follow the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index will not have municipal bond exposure, so a muni bond ETF can complement core fixed-income positions. More Muni Advantages Municipal bonds continue to experienced robust demand from U.S. investors as reliable source of yield, especially among taxable accounts due to the debt securities’ favorable tax-exempt status. The calendar indicates investors may want to give munis a look over the near term. “For many investors in high tax states, such as California or New York, only $10,000 of state income taxes can be deducted. State-specific funds let investors deduct bond income from their federal and state tax returns,” according to BlackRock. State-specific municipal bond ETFs include theiShares California AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF (CMF) and theiShares New York AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF (NYF) . Tax-conscious investors should also be aware of securities that are subject to the alternative minimum tax (AMT). “Income from bonds issued by non-governmental entities, such as a development project for a municipal airport, might be subject to the alternative minimum tax,” according to BlackRock. “These bonds might yield more to make up for this tax treatment, but the bond holder will have to report this income and potentially pay tax on the interest. When evaluating an individual bond, mutual fund or ETF, make sure to check for the AMT exposure.” For more information on the munis market, visit ourmunicipal bonds category. Have you signed up for the ETF Trends Virtual Summit on Wednesday, April 17? It's complimentary for financial advisors (earn up to 5 CE Credits)!Register now to learn about fixed income strategies for a changing debt world.POPULAR ARTICLES AND RESOURCES FROM ETFTRENDS.COM • SPY ETF Quote • VOO ETF Quote • QQQ ETF Quote • VTI ETF Quote • JNUG ETF Quote • Top 34 Gold ETFs • Top 34 Oil ETFs • Top 57 Financials ETFs • Using Merger Arbitrage as a Hedge Against Market Volatility • A Better Way to Determine Risk Exposure for Growth ETF Investors • Report Findings Highlight Fake Bitcoin Trading on Unregulated Exchanges • How to Manage A Mature Bull Market With Macro-Themed ETF Strategies • In the Know: Building a Low Cost, Defensive Portfolio READ MORE AT ETFTRENDS.COM > || Russian President Putin Orders Government to Adopt Crypto Regulation by July 2019: Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued another deadline for the government to adopt regulations for the digital assets industry, according to instructions for the Federal Assembly. The document was published on the official website of the President of Russia, Kremlin.ru, on Feb. 27. According to the document, Pres. Putin has ordered the government to enforce crypto-related regulation by July 1, 2019. The President has required the Council of the Federation of Russia and the lower house the Federal Assembly of Russia (Russian State Duma) to adopt the regulation during the spring session of 2019. Specifically, the document requires the adoption of federal legislation that aims to develop the digital economy, including regulation of civil-law digital settlements. The legislation should also include a regulatory framework for digital financial assets, as well as attract greater financial resources based on digital technologies, the document says. The recent instruction by the Pres. Putin echoes his previous statement in 2018, when he ordered the government to set up regulations for the trade of Bitcoin ( BTC ) and other cryptocurrencies, initial coin offerings ( ICOs ) and crypto mining by July 2018. The Russian parliament passed crypto legislation in its first reading in May 2018, however, in autumn, all crypto- and token-related terms had been eventually replaced with the term “digital rights,” while the definition of crypto mining had also been cut out from the bill. As such, Russia’s crypto regulation bill was sent back to the first reading stage in December 2018. Recently, Russian financial outlet Rambler reported that the Russian State Duma plans to review and adopt new cryptocurrency regulations in March. Previously, the Russian Minister of Justice argued that the ministry does not see the need to legally define the concept of cryptocurrency, since cryptocurrencies cannot be used as a payment method in the country. Related Articles: Russian Supreme Court Classifies Illicit Crypto Use Under Money Laundering Laws Report: Russian State Duma to Review Crypto Regulation, Oil-Backed Crypto in Development Russian Minister of Justice: Cryptocurrency Doesn’t Yet Need to Be Legally Defined Thai SEC Added 3 Cryptos to List of Crypto Assets Suitable for ICOs and Trading || It’s becoming easier to buy Bitcoin in Australia – Find out how: Who doesn’t want a piece of the Bitcoin pie? If you’re looking to buy the cryptocurrency in Australia, then you’ve come to the right place. In a world where cryptocurrency is slowly but surely garnering attention, it is now becoming easier to buy Bitcoin in Australia. In this guide, we list several ways through which Australians can get their hands on some Bitcoin. Buy Bitcoin in Australia Recently, crypto exchange Binance announced its plans to expand its business into Australia. The service is called ‘ Binance Lite Australia ‘ and allows residents of Australia to easily purchase Bitcoin. Binance Lite Australia is a cash-to-Bitcoin brokerage service where users can purchase Bitcoin by depositing cash at one of a network of 1,300+ supported vendors across Australia. The exchange is dubbing the new service as the “easiest way to buy Bitcoin with cash in Australia”. The service marks Binance’s first fiat gateway on the “blockchain continent”. Binance believes the move will help foster crypto adoption in Australia. Currently, Binance Lite Australia offers the option to buy Bitcoin using Australian dollars, with plans to support more cryptocurrencies in the future. All users need to do is register with Binance before placing their order. Users can then deposit their cash at their nearest store that supports Bitcoin purchases. It is then only a matter of minutes before users will have their Bitcoin. LocalBitcoins.com Another method you can use to buy Bitcoins in Australia is to purchase them through a site called LocalBitcoins.com . LocalBitcoins is an escrow service which helps pair buyers and sellers together to facilitate transactions. LocalBitcoins enables users to conduct peer-to-peer or in-person trades. This is otherwise known as over-the-counter ( OTC ) trading. OTC trades are simple, and can be as rudimentary as a friend selling you $20 worth of Bitcoin. LocalBitcoins matches buyers and sellers through their geographical location, which makes it easy to connect with another trader in your local area. Story continues Like with Binance Lite Australia, to use the LocalBitcoins service, all users must do is register and get verified. LocalBitcoins was one of the first Bitcoin peer-to-peer (P2P) exchange sites ever made. It is also one of the world’s largest P2P marketplaces. To help users have peace of mind, there are forums in place through which users can leave reviews to help build credibility among its user base. There are also tips and tricks in the forums to help newcomers feel more comfortable beginning their trading/purchasing endeavours. Another benefit of using LocalBitcoins is that if you conduct an in-person trade, you don’t need to provide any personal information upfront like you do with an exchange, where you will need to provide several documents such as a utility bill to verify your identity. Bitcoin ATMs Another viable option to buy Bitcoin in Australia is to locate a Bitcoin ATM . A Bitcoin ATM is no different to a regular cashpoint except it allows you to purchase and withdraw Bitcoin rather than cash. Locating a Bitcoin ATM can be difficult. However, there are some sites available which map out where you can find them. For example, coinatmradar.com displays a map of Australia showcasing where Bitcoin ATMs are located. According to coinatmradar.com, there are 21 Bitcoin ATMs in Australia. There are two in Brisbane, nine in Sydney, eight in Melbourne, and two in Adelaide. Typically, Bitcoin ATMs are linked to the Bitcoin network through a working internet connection. Users will be able to pay for Bitcoin and withdraw it to their wallets on the spot. One thing to keep in mind when using a Bitcoin ATM is that the fees tend to be on the higher side. Fees can vary, but using a Bitcoin ATM will, in most cases, result in a drastically higher fee than say using LocalBitcoins or an OTC broker. There is a benefit to using them however in that there is no registration or ‘ Know-Your-Customer ‘ (KYC) check required. KYC is commonplace in the world of crypto exchanges because they assess how likely a customer is to commit an illicit activity such as money laundering. If you are looking for a quick and simple way to purchase Bitcoin on the move, then a Bitcoin ATM is a viable option providing you are not bothered about the fees. It pays to do research We hope this guide has helped you understand how to buy Bitcoin in Australia. As an independent publication, we do not recommend any cryptocurrency or company in particular, and we always suggest you conduct your own research before committing to any decisions. Interested in reading about ways you could sell Bitcoin? Discover more with our article on how to sell the popular cryptocurrency for cash. The post It’s becoming easier to buy Bitcoin in Australia – Find out how appeared first on Coin Rivet . || This Crypto Art Auction Lets Venezuelans Dismantle Maduro Bolivar by Bolivar: cryptograf venezuela.jpg To donate to causes aiding those in Venezuela, please visit #AirdropVenezuela’s website or Bitcoin Venezuela’s website . To partake in cryptograffiti’s charity auction, please visit the donation page and tune in to the live stream here . “Literally and figuratively, the Venezuelan people are bringing down Maduro.” This is how cryptograffiti described his latest work, a charity piece that he will be auctioning off online through a live stream in Colombia. The mural, constructed entirely of 1,000 bolivars, is painted over with a portrait of Nicolas Maduro, the autocratic leader of Venezuela whose power has been constitutionally challenged by opposition leader Juan Guaido since January of this year. In the painting, Maduro’s mouth is censored with a blue bar bearing the hashtag #AirdropVenezuela, an ironic nod to the political and economic repressions the Venezuelan people have endured while also applauding their ability to persevere through this hardship. As usual with the crypto artist’s symbolic and subversive work, the auction comes with a twist — a deconstructive one. With each donation, a bolivar from the mural will be torn off by a Venezuelan citizen. Broadcasted from Cúcuta, Colombia, a city bordering Venezuela, the cross-border protest will allow the Venezuelans to vent political frustrations and simultaneously attract donations for aid. “The piece-by-piece dismantling of the bolivars by those choosing to donate crypto is meant to represent a new beginning made possible by a new form of money not controlled by any one authority. There is also symbolism in how these donations have the ability to come from outside of a region known for heavily regulated currency controls,” cryptograffiti told Bitcoin Magazine . The auction will also accompany a live art session where Venezuelan children will create pieces to be sold at a later date. Since the death of Hugo Chavez in 2013, the policies of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro have thrown the country into economic and social turmoil. With an economy ravaged by hyperinflation, rampant poverty and crime have furnished a worsening humanitarian crisis . The crisis reached a bloody impasse on February 21, 2019, as Venezuelan forces opened fire on protesters at the Brazilian border after the government refused to accept humanitarian aid. Story continues It’s proven difficult for aid to penetrate the country’s borders. But bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have become a vestige of monetary hope for Venezuelan expats who want to send money back home, and cryptograffiti’s auction will leverage crypto’s borderless nature to buy aid from within the country. In a partnership with AirTM as part of their #AirdropVenezuela campaign , cryptograffiti is directing all donations, which can come by way of cash deposits on AirTM , bitcoin and a host of altcoins, to the philanthropic campaign. As a wider effort, AirdropVenezuela’s goal is to send $1,000,000 worth of cryptocurrencies to 100,000 families in Venezuela. Even just $10 worth of cryptocurrencies “can help a family purchase food, medicine, and scarce imported goods. Access to digital money can help introduce Venezuelans to cryptocurrencies, online freelancer platforms, ecommerce, investments, donations and other income generating web-based opportunities,” the campaign states. For the art auction in particular, the charity collective has set its fundraising goal at $10,000. Fifty percent of these funds will go to rebuilding the auction venue, the Fundación Renacer , a daycare that provides support for families affected by the financial crisis, while the remaining 50 percent will be distributed with the rest of the funds raised by AirdropVenezuela at the end of April. I'm in Cúcuta where Venezuelan refugees are arriving by the thousands for food, medical aid & to live free from oppressive rule. @theAirtm & I have teamed up as part of their #AirdropVenezuela campaign to raise funds for those in need via an interactive mural live-streaming now pic.twitter.com/NDVlHCAgId — cryptograffiti (@cryptograffiti) February 26, 2019 Crypto education company Cripto Conserje will oversee the reconstruction of the daycare, and during the auction, it will host information sessions on how to access, use and store cryptocurrencies, including teaching attendees how to use coins distributed at the event to purchase food kits from one of the auction’s partners. This education will hopefully unlock crypto’s potential for an economically disenfranchised population that needs it most. For Venezuelans, bitcoin and the like can provide a censorship-resistant method to store and transfer value, something AirTM’s services are trying to make more accessible for Latin American and, more urgently, Venezuelan citizens who lack access to robust banking and a sound currency. The application accommodates more than 200 deposit and withdrawal methods, including crypto, to convert currencies to USD in order to store value and protect it “from possible devaluations.” When bitcoin is used in Venezuela, it is often as a go-between for a foreign currency and the bolivar or some other, stronger one like the dollar. Eduardo Gomez, head of support at Purse.io, for example, told Bitcoin Magazine that when Venezuelan expats send money back home with bitcoin, they will typically sell it through LocalBitcoins to a Venezuelan trader, who will then deposit bolivars into the bank account of the expat’s relative. As the economic situation has only degraded further in 2018-2019, LocalBitcoins has seen rapidly increasing trading volumes in Venezuela. Occasionally, your technically minded Venezuelans will sell the bitcoin themselves for USD (or another foreign currency) and deposit that money into a foreign bank account as savings. Either way, cryptocurrencies typically serve just as an intermediary for value transfer, one that circumvents the tight remittance controls and fee gouging that the Venezuelan government effects with its monopoly over currency conversion and international money transfers . The AirdropVenezuela campaign wants to take the extra step in getting beneficiaries to use crypto instead of relying on Venezuela’s failing fiat currency. The campaign will donate and educate these citizens on crypto’s significance in their situation, as well as alerting them to online economies that may allow them to receive crypto as payment, such as freelancing. This is how Gomez, who has been living on bitcoin since 2012, is pulling his family out of poverty. He began receiving bitcoin for freelance translation work online, and after leaving Venezuela, he trades bitcoin for bolivars on LocalBitcoins to send his family funds. Cryptograffiti hopes his latest work will expose a grim situation which has continued to experience much deserved attention under the international spotlight as of late. But as much as it exposes the severity of the situation, he hopes that the part-performance art, part-visual art will reveal (and convince people of) the solution to these economic woes. “After reciting the tired ‘maybe it doesn't apply as directly to you, but Bitcoin is important in authoritarian regimes’ line one too many times, I wanted to do something to contribute to Venezuela and experience the situation first-hand,” he said. “I’ve been thinking a lot about collaborative art as of late and how it helps spread the message and engage viewers. This led me down the path of a mural that was made up of many different parts that would be interactive in some fashion.” After the auction is over, two pieces — Maduro’s left and right eyes — will be signed by cryptograffiti and one will be sent to the highest bidder based on his or her preference. The other will go to another donor chosen at random. Cryptograffiti’s auction is the latest in artist-led philanthropy efforts. Billionaire business mogul Richard Branson hosted a charity concert in Cúcuta last Friday. Branson hoped the concert would raise awareness and some £100 million for the people of Venezuela, and it attracted an appearance by opposition leader Guaido. In the realm of crypto philanthropy, Bitcoin Venezuela , a charity organization founded by Randy Brito, also exports bitcoin funding for aid inside the country. Subsisting on donations in the ballpark of $100, the organization sends funds into the country to workers on the ground who provide food, clothes, medical supplies and other provisions to struggling Venezuelans. Once the Lightning Torch , a Lightning network payment experiment that has been making global rounds, reaches the network’s channel limit, its creator, hodlonaut, intends to have the final sum donated to the charity. Image courtesy of cryptografitti. This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine . || Your first trade for Thursday, April 4: The " Fast Money " traders shared their first moves for the market open. Pete Najarian was a buyer of Intel INTC . Karen Finerman was a buyer of Capri Holdings CPRI . Tim Seymour was a buyer of AT&T T . Guy Adami was a buyer of Southwest Airlines LUV . Trader disclosure: Pete Najarian is long calls AAL, ASHR, BP, BSX, CFX, CSCO, CVE, DVN, EPD, EWZ, FB, GDX, JD, JEF, KNX, KRE, MCD, MRO, MS, MSFT, NLSN, PAGS, QCOM, QEP, QQQ, TECK, TSLA, UAL, XLE, XLF, XOP. Pete is long stock AAPL, ABBV, BAC, DIS, FB, FUL, GM, GOOS, HAL, HD, IBM, INTC, JPM, KMI, KO, LEN, LULU, LUV, LVS, MRK, MSFT, NFLX, PEP, PFE, QCOM, TGT, UAL, UPS, UPWK, USB, XOM. Karen Finerman's firm is long ANTM, C, CBS, CPRI, FB, FDX, FL, FNAC, GOOG, GOOGL, GLNG, GMLP, JPM, LYV, SPY puts, SPY put spreads, TBT, URI, WIFI. Her firm is short IWM. Karen Finerman is long AAL, BAC, BOT Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, C, CAT, CBS, DAL, DVYE, DXJ, EEM, EPI, EWW, EWZ, DVYE, FB, FL, GM, GMLP, GLNG, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, LOW, LYV, KFL, KORS, KORS calls, MA, MTW, PRCP, SEDG, SPY puts, TACO, TGT, WIFI, WFM. Karen Finerman is long FB, GOOG, GOOGL spread calls. Karen Finerman is short KRE, TBT calls. Karen Finerman is long SPY puts. Bitcoin and Ethereum are in her kids' Trust. Tim Seymour is long AMZN, AAPL, ACBFF, ACRGF, AMZA, ACB, APC, APH, BA, BABA, BAC, BIDU, BX, C, CCJ, CGC, CLF, CMG, CNTTF, CRON, CSCO, CWEB, CURLF, DAL, DIS, DPZ, DVYE, EEM, EUFN, EWM, FB, FDX, FXI, GE, GILD, GM, GOOGL, GTBIF,GTII, GWPH, HAL, HEXO, HK.APH, HVT, HYYDF, INTC, ITHUF, JD, KHRNF, KRO, KSHB, LEAF, LNTH, MAT, MCD, MJNE, MO, MOS, MPEL, MPX, MRMD, NKE, OGI, ORGMF, OTC, PAK, PHM, PYPL, RH, RL, SBUX, SQ, STZ, T, TER, TIF, TGOD, TNYBF, TRSSF, TRST, TWTR, UA, UAL, VALE, VIAB, VOD, X, XRT, YNDX, 700. Tim is on the advisory board of Green Organic Dutchman, Kushco, Dionymed, Tikun Olam, CCTV, and Canndescent. Tim is short IWM, RACE, SPY, TSLA. Tim's firm is long CGC, HEXO, CRON, APH. Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, GDX, INTC. Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. More From CNBC New market highs are coming soon, says JP Morgan's Kolanovic Chinese stocks hit a 2019 high and one technician says China rally's just getting started Maddox: A lot of people tried to protect Steve Wynn || Cash system in the UK on the brink of collapse: Is this the beginning of the end?: The cash system in the United Kingdom is “on the verge of collapse” according to a report by Access to Cash Review . The report was written by former financial ombudsman Natalie Ceeney and was paid for by cash machine network operator Link. It claims that the use of cash has been falling dramatically in recent years due to the emergence of contactless card payments, with debit card use overtaking cash for the first time in 2017. If the current rate of decline continues, the UK could become a cashless society by 2026. Cash is still a necessity for many While this may seem an attractive option for retailers and businesses, it would alienate eight million people who use banknotes and coins as a necessity in the UK. Sweden has been leading the charge for a cashless society over the past decade, with most high street banks in Stockholm and Gothenburg no longer handling cash. The movement has faced a rebellion of sorts, with many citizens worried about the impact of a cashless society on the elderly and vulnerable. When was the last time you paid with cash? A study, has found that almost one-in-five of us would struggle if we become a cashless society. How much cash do you have in your packet? (DON'T TAKE A PICTURE OF ANYTHING IDENTIFIABLE) Here’s how much cash some of our staff have. pic.twitter.com/hoRMWoEGxm — BBC Radio 5 Live (@bbc5live) March 6, 2019 “As long as there is the right to use cash in Sweden, we think people should have the option to use it and be able to put money in the bank,” says Ola Nilsson, a spokesperson for the Swedish National Pensioners’ Organisation, as quoted by the BBC . The desire to move towards a cashless society is driven by a younger generation who may have never seen the need to use cash when mobile and contactless payments are so simple and efficient. Story continues In Sweden, 85% of 16 to 74-year-olds use online banking. This is a remarkable amount compared to the EU average of 51%. Privacy, data, and other concerns The abundance of fintech banking apps like Monzo, Revolut, and Sterling allow users to track their spending and even exchange their money for a foreign currency instantly, but there are concerns about privacy and data protection. In 2013, Barclays Bank confirmed that it would start to sell customers’ data, admitting that it could share data with government departments and MPs. The bank went on to confirm that it has permission to share images and even voice recordings of its customers. 8 million adults would not cope in a cashless society according to the findings of the Access to Cash Review Now is the time for action. We are calling on the government to appoint a single regulator with a statutory duty to protect access to cash https://t.co/decbLW9HGX — Which? (@WhichUK) March 6, 2019 The intrusive nature of banks will not only drive punters away, it could cause a revolution similar to what happened in 2009 when Bitcoin was created. There are also issues for those living in rural communities where quality mobile and broadband connections are lacking. A cashless society would also accelerate issues of homelessness, as many of those living on the street cannot get a bank account due to not having a fixed address. If the cash in circulation was to suddenly dry up, it would have a potentially devastating impact on the 320,000 homeless people in the UK who currently rely on receiving cash What is being done to protect cash? Consumer group Which? has called for action to protect the ability to withdraw and use cash in day-to-day life. It has called for a regulator to enforce a statutory duty to protect access to cash as well as to build a sustainable cash infrastructure in the UK. However, Eric Leenders from UK Finance says work is already being done on a regulatory level. In our latest blog post, Mike Conroy discusses some of the many and varied benefits Open Banking will provide for small to medium-sized businesses. https://t.co/FXY1KKl7xQ pic.twitter.com/V3gZ5E1MBt — UK Finance (@UKFtweets) March 6, 2019 He said: “The finance industry is using a range of solutions to ensure cash can still be accessed, including over the counter withdrawals through 11,500 Post Offices and cash-back from retailers, to investment in ATMs and mobile bank branches to reach more rural communities. “We will continue to work with the review team, government, and regulators to take forward this important work.” Would a cashless society drive the adoption of cryptocurrencies? One of the main benefits of holding and using cash is the self-sovereignty aspect. When you hold cash in your hand, it is yours – no bank or custody service can take that away from you. If your money is held in a bank, the bank has control over whether they want to freeze your funds, halt withdrawals, or even charge a monthly fee. Cryptocurrencies work in a very similar way to cash. If you can securely store your private keys, you are the only person who will have access to your coins or tokens. A cashless society would, in theory, give governments and banks absolute control over citizens, which could drive another shift towards digital assets. The South Korean Central Bank is planning to use cryptocurrencies to achieve a truly cashless society by 2020. The governments that fight this will be left behind. 👊🏽 — Pomp 🌪 (@APompliano) May 2, 2018 The risks of a digital society can be mitigated with the use of cryptocurrencies. For example, Facebook is considering its own token that would allow users to send money via its Messenger app. Whether or not the UK takes the drastic step to remove all cash from circulation or not remains to be seen, but it’s imperative that the people stand up for their freedom over their private data, wealth, and money. For more news, guides, and cryptocurrency analysis, click here . The post Cash system in the UK on the brink of collapse: Is this the beginning of the end? appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Warren Buffett: The ‘Oracle of Omaha’ Needs to Shut Up about Bitcoin: Warren Buffett claims crypto“attracts charlatans.”This is funny since the word has no truly fixed meaning. Subjective at best, a charlatan is “a person falsely claiming to have a special knowledge or skill; a fraud.” While the Bitcoin world isn’t lacking for such people, the fact is that we have plenty of native experts. People who’ve watched crypto markets throughout their tenure. He’s called the“Oracle of Omaha”because many people take his advice. Amazonwas not a pick of his, and now it’s the most valuable company in the world. It takes more than $3,800 to acquire a single Bitcoin these days, but he reportedly remains against it. We have to question what makes someone qualified to speak on the subject of cryptocurrencies. Any metrics we develop will immediately discount someone like Warren Buffett, who admittedly has no direct knowledge of how Bitcoin works. Doesgetting rich in Bitcoinmake someone a Bitcoin expert? Nope, that doesn’t work either. There areplenty of Bitcoin millionaires out there, and most of them couldn’t generate a custom transaction or set up a cryptocurrency miner. The technological side of Bitcoin is extremely important if we’re going to take someone’s opinion of the cryptocurrency seriously. A lack of understanding the actual limitations of the Bitcoin network has driven plenty of people to the folly of some altcoins which boast “throughput.” There are many times that Bitcoin makes no economic sense, but perfect blockchain sense. Why should someone pay three times the price to send a transaction as the day before? Block congestion, of course, and the block size limit. Read the full story onCCN.com. || Canadian drug dealer ordered to forfeit $1.9 million in Bitcoin: A Canadian drug dealer has been ordered to forfeit $1.9 million in Bitcoin earned through criminal activities, according to the Toronto Star . It is believed this is Canada’s largest forfeiture of Bitcoin. Superior Court Justice Jane Kelly has ordered the forfeiture of 281.41 Bitcoins to the Ministry of the Attorney General after hearing expert evidence earlier this year. The evidence details how Matthew Phan (30) used the Bitcoin to buy a gun and illegal narcotics on the dark web . Phan pleaded guilty in December of attempting to import a gun alongside possessing cocaine, PCP, and ketamine for the purpose of trafficking. During a forfeiture hearing in February, Crown Attorney Erin Pancer argued that given clear evidence Phan had used Bitcoin to finance his criminal activities, the Bitcoin should therefore be seized. Phan had attempted to appeal the forfeiture, arguing not all of the Bitcoin had been used for illegal purposes and that some of them were used to buy and sell gold. He also claimed he was selling the crypto itself on various exchange platforms. Superior Court Justice Jane Kelly has reportedly said there is no doubt that at some point Phan was trading crypto. However, she ruled: “There is overwhelming evidence to suggest that Mr Phan was using the dark markets to purchase illegal items such as firearms and silencers. “It is clear from the evidence found during searches, particularly of his condominium unit, that he was conducting large sales of illegal narcotics.” The judge concluded that the crypto had been obtained through criminal activities and as a result ordered that they be forfeited. Interested in reading more crypto crime-related news? Discover how elite cops from Europe, Canada, and the US joined forces to crack down on dark web crooks. The post Canadian drug dealer ordered to forfeit $1.9 million in Bitcoin appeared first on Coin Rivet . [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] #Bitcoin $3,897.91 v #BitcoinCash $277.92 (BTC/BCH 14.0), Avg Transaction fee for #Bitcoin ~$0.32 v #BitcoinCash ~$0.00 - 2019/02/19 11:00JST || #Doviz ------------------- #USD : 5.3153 #EUR : 6.0679 #GBP : 7.0693 -------------------------------------- #BTC ------------------- #Gobaba : 22564.63 #BtcTurk : 20549.00 #Koinim : 20615.00 #Paribu : 20534.99 #Koineks : 20566.96 || https://t.co/HFw9pJ0LFX For sale at https://t.co/UJpv92ZQAC #Global #technology #investment #foreclosure #investors #realtor #funding #crowdfunding #entrepreneurs #RealEstate #marketing #branding #Domaining #bitcoin #BitcoinCash #Crypto #cryptocurrency https://t.co/CQ6FI4HS5m || Don't make this bet in USD! if you win $10,00, you only win 1.53 Bitcoin, but if you lose you lose 6.66 Bitcoin. denominate the bet in BTC! || 2019/04/15 23:00 BTC 576303円 ETH 18563.9円 ETC 711.8円 BCH 33262.2円 XRP 36.5円 XEM 7.4円 LSK 227.7円 MONA 71.7円 #仮想通貨 #ビットコイン #Bitcoin #bitFlyer #Coincheck || “Bitcoin SV is a node software, Bitcoin is the protocol” Like that. || 03/15 19:00現在 #Bitcoin : 431,425円↑ #NEM #XEM : 5.67円↑ #Monacoin : 134円→ #Ethereum : 14,830円↑ #Zaif : 0.1794円↓ || #cryptocurrency Price Analysis for #Bitsend #BSD : Last Hour Change : -5.76 % || 28-03-2019 14:00 Price in #USD : 0.0723717838 || Price in #EUR : 0.064468785 New Price in #Bitcoin #BTC : 0.00001778 || #Coin Rank 673 || 1 BTC = 15710.00000000 BRL em 25/03/2019 ás 11:00:02. #bitcoin #bitcoinbr #bitcoinexchangebr || Total Market Cap: $139,072,987,531 1 BTC: $4,027.05 BTC Dominance: 50.97% Update Time: 22-03-2019 - 07:00:06 (GMT+3)
Trend: down || Prices: 5337.89, 5314.53, 5399.37, 5572.36, 5464.87, 5210.52, 5279.35, 5268.29, 5285.14, 5247.35
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Mike Tyson Dives Deeper Into Bitcoin: Former boxing star Mike Tyson is deepening his interest in the bitcoin space by creating a digital bitcoin wallet that will allow users to store, purchase and sell the cryptocurrency. The wallet was developed by Bitcoin Direct in partnership with BitPay and will be one of the first wallets that allows users to buy and sell from inside the app. Tyson's Bitcoin Projects This is not Tyson's first foray into the bitcoin space. He partnered with Bitcoin Direct last year to launch a line of bitcoin ATMs that gave people the ability to turn cash into bitcoins at any machine's location. Now, with Tyson endorsing a wallet as well, many are wondering whether or not celebrity attention will drive mainstream usage. The new wallet will feature Tyson's tribal face tattoo as the background image and is available for download on iOS. An Android version is expected to be released in the coming weeks. Celebrity Appeal Bitcoin Direct believes that Tyson's popularity around the world and across several generations makes him a good option to engage the masses, saying that his "potential to expand the Bitcoin market is dramatic." However, it remains unknown whether or not the power of celebrity will be enough to encourage new users. Safety Still A Concern Although celebrity endorsements often get products more notoriety, bitcoin itself has struggled with safety and security issues that some believe can't be overcome by a recognizable face. Tyson may bring more attention to the cryptocurrency community, but he may not be able to convince the public that it is trustworthy. Instead, many believe that more regulation is the real key to taking bitcoin mainstream as that would provide users with more protections. Image credit: Eduardo Merille , Flickr See more from Benzinga Court Case Means Emissions Scandal Isn't Going Away For Volkswagen What To Make Of Monday's Market Selloff General Motors Kicks Off The Year With A Bang © 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Your first trade for Friday: The " Fast Money " traders delivered their final trades of the day. Dan Nathan was a seller of Wal-Mart ( WMT ) . Steve Grasso was a buyer of American Eagle Outfitters ( AEO ) . Brian Kelly was a seller of Deutsche Bank (XETRA:DBK-DE) . Guy Adami was a buyer of the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (NYSE Arca: GDX) after picking Macy's (NYSE: M ) three days in a row. Trader disclosure: On January 7, 2016, the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "Fast Money" traders: Dan Nathan is l ong MCD Feb put spread, long PFE buy-write, long TWTR March risk reversal, long UUP March call, long XLU Feb call spread, long PYPL Jan risk reversal, long M Jan16 call spread, long NTAP Jan risk reversal, long QCOM Feb calls, short SPY, long UUP, long WMT puts. Steve Grasso is long AAPL, BA, BAC, CC, DD, DIS, DECK, EVGN, KBH, MJNA, MBLY, MU, OLN, PFE, PHM, T, TWTR, GDX firm is long APC, CXO, OXY, BP, CVX, MCD, RIG, AMZN kids own EFA, EFG, EWJ, IJR, SPY. Brian Kelly is long BBRY, Bitcoin, GDX, GLD, Hong Kong Dollar, TLT, US Dollar; he is short British Pound, Euro, Yuan, Canadian Dollar, GSG, EEM, EWC, EWH, KRE, SPY, DB. Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, GDX, INTC, Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. Wolfe Research Sr. Analyst Paul Sankey: No disclosures. More From CNBC Top News and Analysis Latest News Video Personal Finance || Dividend stocks to watch in sluggish markets: After markets barely gained ground Thursday, "Fast Money" traders looked to dividend-paying stocks that could potentially boost returns. Major U.S. averages finished slightly positive on the day, but the S&P 500(INDEX: .SPX)has fallen more than 6 percent this year. In that environment, some investors have started to search for yield. "Fast Money" traders focused on stocks with steady recent performance and above-average yields, avoiding the oil industryas some companies trim dividends. Verizon(NYSE: VZ), which has climbed 9 percent this year and has a 4.5 percent dividend yield, looks appealing, said trader Karen Finerman. Trader Guy Adami touted shares of toy maker Mattel(NASDAQ: MAT), which have climbed 18 percent this year, boosted by stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings. The stock also rose Thursday amid reports that it held talks with Hasbro(NASDAQ: HAS)about a possible merger. Mattel has a yield of 4.8 percent. Traders Brian Kelly and Steve Grasso looked to tobacco company Philip Morris(NYSE: PM), which has a yield of 4.6 percent. The stock has ticked 1 percent higher this year, but Kelly believes it has more room to run. Disclosures: Guy Adami Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, GDX, INTC, Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. Karen Finerman Karen is long BAC, C, FL, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, LYV, KORS, M, SEDG, SPY calls, URI, she is short SPY. Her firm is long ANTM, AAPL, BAC, C, C calls, FINL, FL, GOOG, GOOGL, JPM, KORS, LYV, M, MOH, NRF, PLCE, URI, her firm is short IWM, MDY, SPY. Karen Finerman is on the board of GrafTech International. Steve Grasso Steve is Long AAPL, AEO, BA, BAC, CC, DD, DIS, DECK, EVGN, KBH, MJNA, MU, OLN, PFE, PHM, T, TWTR, GDX firm is long CXO, OXY, BP, CVX, RIG kids own EFA, EFG, EWJ, IJR, SPY Brian Kelly Brian Kelly is long BBRY, Bitcoin, GLD, SLV, TLT, US Dollar; he is short Aussie Dollar, British Pound, CS, DB, EWH, Hong Kong Dollar, UBS, SPY, Yuan. More From CNBC • Top News and Analysis • Latest News Video • Personal Finance || Sprott Out At Namesake Gold Fund As Price Collapse Takes Toll: With gold's decline, an entire precious metals industry is in peril. And Eric Sprott's just the canary in the gold mine. [This article first appeared on IndexUniverse.com and is republished here with permission.] For those of you who regularly read my stuff, you know I love to write about charts and numbers and all sorts of nerd-ery. In this blog, I'm only going to use a single chart. If you're a gold investor, you know which chart I'm talking about: Gold Prx since Fall 2011 Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com This is the nightmare chart for gold investors. The price of gold has collapsed from all-time highs of slightly more than $1,900 an ounce in fall of 2011 to near $1,235 today. Just this year, gold investors, a lot of them investing through ETFs like the SPDR Gold Trust ( GLD | A-100 ), are down almost 27 percent, while investors in the SPDR S&P 500 Trust ( SPY | A-98 ) are up 27 percent. You don't need to be a math whiz to recognize that this has been a terrible, terrible year for anyone who made a big rotation out of equities in the last few years and into the shiny stuff. And while it's easy to kick people when they are down, here's the thing: It's not just gold investors who got hammered. It's an entire industry that's been built on the back of the gold rally. Consider GLD all by itself for a moment. GLD's peak NAV in August last year was $184.59. On that day, there were 424 million shares outstanding, for net assets of more than $78 billion, with an implied annual fee due of $313 million a year. Today assets stand at just $33 billion—well under half their peak, with an implied fee base of $131 million a year. That's nearly $200 million that's leaving the GLD management ecosystem. I'm not expecting anyone to feel sorry for the poor ETF issuer here (State Street and the World Gold Council). Rather, I'm pointing out that decline in gold has made for some rather dramatic shifts in the investment economy. Consider Eric Sprott. I first came to know of Sprott when his Physical Gold Trust launched in 2010—right in the froth of the run-up—and it was being called an "ETF" by various media sources (it's not; it's a closed-end fund). At the time, I ripped it apart for tax issues, poor marketing and various other shortcomings. That's nothing to the savaging Sprott received at the hands of one of the smartest bloggers on the Web, Kid Dynamite. Kid Dynamite has made a kind of sport out of watching how Sprott's closed-end funds magically become un-closed and issue new shares when they trade to large premiums. Story continues Nothing wrong there, other than the fact that the big recipient of those nonpremium shares tended to be other Sprott funds, who could then sell them for the premium price . Nice work if you can get it. But while the various shenanigans may have worked on the way up, they've brutalized the company—and Eric Sprott—on the way down. Take their flagship closed-end gold fund, PHYS. It launched on Feb. 26, 2010. GLD investors are up 9.09 percent since then. PHYS investors are up 6.36 percent. I don't know how you leave 1 percent a year on the table when your only job is to buy gold and stick it in a vault, but there you have it. The good news (if you're actually in one of Sprott's many funds) is that Sprott himself has gotten the ax, as noted by the extraordinarily unkind headline at Business Insider this morning: " One Of The Most Famous Gold Bug Fund Managers Has Gotten Obliterated ." The Wall St. Journal article is a bit more professional—" Gold Drop Is Blow to Prominent Hedge-Fund Manager Sprott "—but makes hay out of the fact that his namesake hedge fund is down 50 percent in 2013. That takes work. In the end, Sprott's getting the boot, and being replaced by new management. There's a whole lot of that going on in gold circles: people getting the boot and making way for turnaround specialists to come in and clean up business. The gold miner industry is awash in panic: The bellwether ETF in the space, the Market Vectors Gold Miners fund ( GDX | A-54 ), is down 66.4 percent since gold's peak in 2011, and down 54.49 percent just in 2013. That collapse is driven by very real work being done in the gold miner space to deal with the collapsing gold prices. Anglo American, for instance, brought in a new CEO to help make huge cuts, effect write-downs and position the company for a longer-term business. In some sense, that's all healthier than bubble economics. But that's small solace to any investor who's actually ridden Anglo American, PHYS, GDX or GLD to the ground these past few years. Of course, the question any rational investor should ask is, What's next? And that's where it becomes very difficult to read the news. In most rational sectors of the global economy, analysts are analysts. You read the reports from agricultural experts or retail-stock experts, and they generally call things as they see them. In the precious metals space, nearly every article you get off any kind of Google search will always be telling you why "Now is the time!" It's important to remember that gold—and the entire gold investment economy—is unique. Gold, by itself, is useless and valueless. It has value only because it's scarce, and then only because enough people believe its scarcity can make it a useful medium of representing value and making transactions. Gold is, essentially, an idea that people assign value to. Lots of folks believe? It goes up. Crisis of faith? It tanks. Which makes it surprisingly similar to that other highly volatile source of questionable stored-value: Bitcoin. Maybe that's where Sprott's next adventure will take him. I'll be camped firmly on the sidelines with a bowl of popcorn. At the time this article was written, the author held no positions in the securities mentioned. Contact Dave Nadig at [email protected] . Recommended Stories Bearish Inventory Report Doesn’t Change Bullish Outlook For NatGas Record Silver Investing, Record Silver Mine Output In 2014 NatGas Tests Top End Of Price Range After Demand Soars Natural Gas Will Eventually Fall Below $3 Potential Takeover Targets In The Mining Sector Permalink | © Copyright 2016 ETF.com. All rights reserved View comments || The myth of Mariana's Web, the darkest corner of the internet: Chances are, like me, the first time you heard about the Dark Web it was described as a foul and depraved marketplace, where children, drugs, and pirated movies could be bought for mere Bitcoin. Tabloids paint it as a place where a veritable "Top 10" of our biggest fears resides. Opportunistic security companies sell threat intelligence services that allude to hunting for bad guys in dark dens that deal in organ harvesting, involuntary human experiments, and more. Like most people, I find the siren song of lurid, spooky bullshit to be irresistible. And the Dark Web's boogeyman aura is all about spooky bullshit. That's despite the fact that the Dark Web is host to a lot of communities that aren't doing anything nefarious (unless you think furries are evil; there's a huge Dark Web furry social network that simply wants privacy). But the organ harvesting dramatics are nothing until we get tothe"deepest part of the web, where people don't want you to go," the so-called "Mariana's Web." The legend of Mariana's Web appears to get its name from the deepest part of the ocean, Mariana's Trench. It's supposedly the deepest part of the web, a forbidden place of mysterious evil -- or at least, that's the mythos a subset of online believers has cultivated. Depending on where you get your Mariana's Web myths, it's where you'll find "thedarkest secretshumanity has in its history," thesecret locationof Atlantis and "the Vatican secret archives," or a database of archives belonging tothe most powerful intelligence agencieson Earth. Many believe that Mariana's is home to an all-powerful,female artificial intelligence entity. Mariana's Web is certainly the definition of spooky BS, especially because it's technically impossible; it's supposedly only accessible through quantum computers -- which currently only exist in science fiction. Yet to the chagrin of people who love facts, it's slowly starting to bereportedas fact. Copy or Embed This Whisper Direct Link Embed Download on theApp Store Download onGoogle Play Get App That's probably not a surprise if you've been watching infosec-challenged traditional media try to cover the finer points of hacking, let alone anything outside Google's reach. But seeing anecdotes and myth start to bubble up into areas that may affect people's actual decisions about risk and safety ... Well it's entertaining, but also worrying when anecdote is substituted for data in an area that often involves law enforcement. That infosec firm clients are asking for threat intelpackagesto include Mariana's Web is information that is also anecdotal, though it's my anecdote, and one I recently heard first-hand. But that new twist, my friends, isn't just the result of clickbait or security company sales drama -- it's the result ofthis fake infographic. An epic troll that people haveinterpreted as fact. I don't know why people don't read things carefully, or avoid fact checking, or want to believe in Atlantis and invisible beings. But I'm glad they do, because it sure makes doing research on dry-as-desert threat intel services way more entertaining. Fingers crossed that the TV take on the very fictional Mariana's Web comes fromThe X-Files, and notCSI: Cyber-- or CNN. [Image credit: Shutterstock] || Cable & Wireless Communications and Huawei Have Successfully Tested the First Trial of the Fastest Copper Based Broadband Service With G.fast Across Latin America: MIAMI, FL--(Marketwired - Jan 6, 2016) -Cable & Wireless CommunicationsPlc's (CWC) business unit in Panama,Cable & Wireless PanamaSA (CWP) andHuawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, today announced the first successful trial of the fastest copper based broadband service across Latin America using leading G.fast technology. As a market leader in mobile and broadband services in Panama, CWP is also the largest telecom service provider in the country with a market leading brand, superior network coverage and excellent customer service. CWP partnered with Huawei to deploy CWC's first trial of the G.fast technology on its existing copper infrastructure. "We are excited to be partnering with Cable & Wireless Communications and together pioneering the first trial of the fastest copper fixed line broadband service with G.fast across Latin America," said Mr. Stephen Ma, CEO of Huawei for the Caribbean. "G.fast is the right way to extend the existing fixed line infrastructure to the gigabit access era by accelerating a future oriented ultra-broadband solution with unparalleled user experiences," he added. The G.fast technology trial ran for two months in Panama deploying Huawei's latest multi-service access node equipment. CWP's trial successfully achieved high speeds averaging 500 Mbps to download and 150 Mbps to upload, over its existing copper fixed lines. "We are thrilled to announce that Cable & Wireless Panama was the first market across Latin America to have successfully completed testing of the G.fast technology, which can deliver high speeds, to its customers through the fastest copper based fixed line broadband technology across the region reaching speeds of 500 Mbps," said Carlo Alloni, EVP Technology and Group CTIO, Cable & Wireless Communications. "Our strategic partnership with Huawei has strengthened our commitment to consider solutions that deliver high-speeds," added Alloni. G.fast technology is based on the Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) method with an improved algorithm that cancels the noise in the lines, reducing the effects of crosstalk and allowing transmission of higher rates of bits with a better quality, increasing the speeds of the information transmitted. Huawei's G.fast solution can complement the other technologies selected for its HFC (Hybrid fiber-coaxial) and Fibre delivery platforms. CWP's G.fast technology is providing a fivefold increase in speeds compared to any existing internet copper residential service in Panama and empowering the fastest copper fixed line broadband service across Latin America. About HuaweiHuawei is a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider. Driven by customer-centric innovation and open partnerships, Huawei has established an end-to-end ICT solutions portfolio that gives customers competitive advantages in telecom and enterprise networks, devices and cloud computing. Its innovative ICT solutions, products and services are used in more than 170 countries and regions, serving over one-third of the world's population. Founded in 1987, Huawei is a private company fully owned by its employees. About G.fastG.fast is a digital subscriber line (DSL) standard for local loops, with performance targets between 150 Mbps and 1 Gbps, depending on loop length. Since the launch of the world's first G.FAST prototype by Huawei in December 2011, G.FAST technology has become highly anticipated by the ICT industry and has maintained strong development momentum. About C&W CommunicationsCable & Wireless Communications Plc (CWC) is a full service communications and entertainment provider, operating in the Caribbean and Latin America. With annual sales of over $2.4bn, it operates both mobile and fixed networks, supported by submarine and terrestrial optical fibre backhaul capacity. Through the acquisition of Columbus International Inc. on 31 March 2015, CWC now delivers superior high-speed mobile data, broadband and video services. It has leading market positions in Mobile, Fixed Line, Broadband and Video consumer offers. Through its business division, CWC provides data centre hosting, domestic and international managed network services, and customised IT service solutions, utilising cloud technology to serve business and government customers. The company also operates a state-of-the-art subsea fibre optic cable network that spans more than 42,000 km -- the most extensive in the region -- as well as 38,000 km of terrestrial fibre providing wholesale and carrier backhaul capacity. CWC has more than 7,200 employees serving over 6.3 million customers (Mobile 4.1m; Fixed Line 1.1m; Video 465k and Broadband 680k) as well as over 125k corporate clients across 42 countries. The Company's leading brands include; LIME and Flow in the Caribbean; BTC in The Bahamas; Mas Movil in Panama; C&W Business and C&W Networks. CWC is the market leader in most products offered and territories served. It is a major contributor to local communities through its corporate social responsibility programmes. Cable & Wireless Communications' shares are quoted on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker CWC. The company is headquartered in London with its operational hub located in Miami, within close proximity to the Caribbean and Latin America. For more information visit:www.cwc.com. About CWPCable & Wireless Panama (CWP) is the market leader in mobile, broadband and fixed line services in Panama. The Company's mobile business operates under the brand name +Movil and the other businesses under + internet and +TV Digital in Panama. CWP is also a leading regional player in enterprise and managed services as well as being a leader in carrier services in partnership with our Caribbean business. || What's In Store For Bitcoin In 2016?: This year was a difficult one for cryptocurrencies as they struggled with volatile prices and negative press. Many view currencies like bitcoin as tools for criminals and investors tended to shy away from the currency as volatile price swings made it difficult to make accurate predictions. However, many believe that 2016 could be a monumental year for bitcoin as and the underlying technology that the coin runs on gains notoriety. Supply Cut Unlike traditional currencies, the number of bitcoins available to the public is controlled by mining computers. The computers essentially solve mathematical puzzles in order to release new bitcoins. The system was also designed to keep the number of bitcoins finite at 21 million coins, a figure to be reached in the next 125 years. Not only that, but the reward for mining bitcoins would be cut in half every four years, and July 2016 marks the next time that cut is set to take place. Related Link:Ben Bernanke Sees Serious Problems With Bitcoin Price Increase Many believe that halving the number of bitcoins received from each mining transaction will give the cryptocurrency's price a boost. While it has been well known for years that bitcoin supply would be reduced, the fact that the bitcoin market is still so new has kept traders from fully pricing the event in. Blockchain Investments Bitcoin could also see a boost in the coming year as blockchain gains popularity across several industries. The ledger-like system that bitcoin runs on has been touted as one of the most important technological advances of the decade, and many see it revolutionizing the way several industries do business. Blockchain has been suggested as a way to improve the real estate market, make the music industry more transparent and improve the speed and efficiency of financial transactions. See more from Benzinga • FedEx Gets The Blame For Holiday Delays • How Blockchain Can Reform The Real Estate Industry • Not All Of Clinton's Policies Are Bad For Pharmaceuticals © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || MarilynJean Interactive (MJMI.QB) Shareholder Update: Marilynjean Interactive ( MJMI ) Is Pleased To Update Its Shareholders on Its Business Plan for the Coming Year HENDERSON, NV / ACCESSWIRE / January 18, 2016 / The crypto-currency space saw major strides forward in 2015 with ground-breaking developments in its underlying technology and regulation as well as an unexpected rise in Bitcoin prices. The space appears poised for a quantum leap forward in 2016 and MarilynJean is excited to be a part of what will likely be tremendous growth in the industry. From a technology standpoint, Bitcoin's blockchain is envisioned to revolutionize the settlement of securities and payments for both financial and non-financial institutions alike. Major stock and futures exchanges, clearing houses, and other technology organizations are exploring the use of blockchain technology to underpin their transaction verification systems. Bloomberg estimates that approximately $373 million was invested in Bitcoin start-ups in 2015. As investment in Bitcoin and blockchain technology grew, new regulation evidenced that Bitcoin is on track to become a widely used and accepted currency. New York issued its first Bitlicense allowing Goldman Sachs backed Circle Internet Financial to offer digital currency services in the state. The advent of regulated exchanges and trading instruments may have been a factor in driving demand for Bitcoin, its value having increased over 40% in 2015. While price volatility remained higher than traditional FIAT currencies, 2015 was overall a more stable year than its predecessor for Bitcoin. Looking ahead to 2016, MJMI plans to continue its focus on the key verticals of exchange, remittance and gaming. In addition, the Company plans to seek partnerships with firms involved specifically in development of applications based on blockchain technology. The Company plans to continue to expand its management and advisory board in 2016, advance the partnerships it began negotiating last year and continue to forge new alliances in the space. Story continues Peter Janosi, MJMI's president said: "We believe that MJMI's best avenue for growth is via acquisitions and strategic partnerships. We expect the industry to continue to expand and evolve rapidly and, as such, we expect our publicly traded currency to be a key strategic tool for growth and financing." About MJMI MJMI is in the business of providing safe and accessible services for the users of Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies. Crypto-currencies are a medium of exchange using cryptography to secure transactions and control the creation of new units. Bitcoin became the first decentralized crypto-currency in 2009. Crypto-currency is produced at a rate which is defined when the system is created and publicly known. By contrast, in centralized banking and economic systems, such as the Federal Reserve System, corporate boards or governments control the supply of currency by printing units or demanding additions to digital banking ledgers. However, neither companies nor governments can produce units of crypto-currency and as such the value of crypto-currencies are completely based on supply and demand, free from any governmental control. Many people believe crypto-currencies, and in particular Bitcoin, hold the promise of being the most significant advancement in global finance in modern history. The advent of Bitcoin creates a secure, easily accessible and transferable transnational currency that is completely liberated from political influence. MJMI is currently exploring partnerships in several verticals within the crypto-currency space. Management believes that several industries, including international remittances, currency exchange and online gambling are on the verge of being revolutionized by the use of Bitcoin to effect transactions. MarilynJean Media Interactive is among the first publicly traded companies focused on Bitcoin and the crypto-currency space. The company's trading symbol is OTCQB: MJMI. Website: www.marilynjean.com Press Contact: [email protected] SOURCE: MarilynJean Media Interactive || Here's a sign that PayPal is embracing Bitcoin: PayPal was the hot new thing in payments when it launched in 1998, but in the era of digital currency, crowdfunding, micro-crowdfunding, and peer-to-peer lending, most people no longer see the company that way. So its newest board appointment is an effort to embrace the new landscape in digital payments. To that end, PayPal (PYPL) has named Wences Casares to its board of directors, the company announced on Wednesday. Casares is founder and CEO of Xapo, a wallet provider for the digital currency bitcoin, and before Xapo he founded Lemon, another digital wallet company. He is an unusual addition to a board that includes executives from AT&T (T), the American Red Cross, Enzon Pharmaceuticals (ENZN), and eBay (EBAY) cofounder Pierre Omidyar. It's likely a sign that PayPal is ready to embrace bitcoin and its technology. That's especially interesting considering that it is a company some bitcoin entrepreneurs often point to as "Web 1.0" and too slow because of its transfer delays and fees. One of the biggest selling points of bitcoin is the ability to send money to another country with little or no delay, and a fractional fee. "We’ve entered a period of unprecedented disruption in payments and financial services driven by the mass adoption of mobile technology and the digitization of cash," said PayPal CEO Dan Schulmanin a statement. "Wences’ long and successful track record as international fintech entrepreneur with a focus on next-generation payment and crypto-currency is a perfect fit for PayPal at this time." PayPal declined to comment beyond the press release. Casares does not come without controversy. He is a serial entrepreneur who founded an Argentinian brokerage in 1997 and sold it to Banco Santander in 2000 for $750 million. Then he founded a Chilean videogame developer in 2002 and sold it to Activision (ATVI) in 2006. But he is currently being sued by LifeLock (LOCK), a $1.3 billion public company that offers online-identity protection. In December 2013 LifeLock acquired Casares's company Lemon for $42.6 million. In a lawsuit filed in August 2014, LifeLock says Casares built and launched Xapo, his current company, while working at Lemon, "developed by Lemon employees, in Lemon’s facilities, on Lemon’s computers, and on Lemon’s dime.” Casares and four Xapo employees (each of whom previously worked at Lemon) are named as defendants in LifeLock's suit. The company wants him to pay back “the value of the Xapo product attributable to Defendants’ misrepresentations, omissions, breaches of duty, and other wrongful conduct.” It does not specify an amount it is seeking, but assessing damages would involve placing a value on Xapo. Meanwhile, Casares has fought back, filing a cross-complaint of his own this past July, alleging poor management by LifeLock. (And LifeLock itself was forced to pay a $12 million fine to the FTC this past summer for false advertising of its product.) Some in the bitcoin community believe that LifeLock is upset that it overpaid for Lemon, while Casares has moved on to Xapo, which has raised $40 million in venture capital and might have more promise than Lemon ever did. What does all of this legal drama have to do with PayPal? Perhaps nothing—but if Casares is found guilty of the civil fraud that LifeLock alleges, it would be bad for not just Xapo, but now PayPal as well. Moreover, Fortunereported last yearthat some of Xapo's investors are angry that they were never made aware of the ongoing litigation against Casares. So PayPal has taken a risk in appointing Casares to its board, not only because of his current legal situation, but on a broader scale it has more strongly associated itself with bitcoin, an industry that is not without its negative headlines. (Just this week, Ross Ulbricht, the mastermind of Silk Road, the online drug marketplace that used bitcoin as its form of payment, appealed his recent life sentence.) Just over one year ago, PayPal made partnerships with some prominent bitcoin startups, like BitPay and Coinbase, but the noise of that move has since died down. PayPal now might want to explore a larger form of implementation around bitcoin, or it is intrigued by its underlying technology, the bitcoin blockchain, a public, decentralized ledger that records every single bitcoin transaction. Financial heavyweights like JPMorgan and Nasdaq have both expressed interest in harnessing the blockchain. Or maybe PayPal wants to buy Xapo. || Now You Can Play The Lottery With Bitcoin: While bitcoin has faced several obstacles in its journey toward mainstream adoption, the cryptocurrency appears to be starting the New Year off on the right foot. Not only has bitcoin seen its value increase steadily over the past three months, but the coin has gained some fame, as merchants continue to adopt the cryptocurrency as a valid form of payment. The latest place consumers can find use for their bitcoins is the lottery, which has gotten a lot of attention recently due to its $1.6 billion Powerball Jackpot prize. Bitcoin Payment Mobile lottery ticket app Jackpocket has integrated bitcoin as a payment option within the app, meaning that people can purchase their Powerball tickets using the cryptocurrency. On Wednesday, the app announced its bitcoin addition, which garnered a lot of attention for the coin, as the Powerball Jackpot also reached a record high on the same day. Related Link: UPDATE: Winning Powerball Tickets Sold In California, Florida, Tennessee --ABC News Bullish On Bitcoin For Jackpocket, the move was a great way to reach another demographic of lottery players and represents the company's faith in bitcoin's success. Jackpocket CEO Peter Sullivan announced the decision to incorporate bitcoin into the app saying that he and his team are "very bullish on cryptocurrencies and the blockchain in general." Speedy Transactions Not only will bitcoin add to Jackpocket's pool of potential users, but Sullivan says he hopes it will help speed up transaction times and reduce glitches. Heavy volumes of users trying to buy tickets have been hindered by regulations, according to Sullivan, and those issues have strained the app's relationship with credit card processors and banks. Related Link: No Luck On Winning Powerball? Learn The Skill Of Trading More Customers It remains to be seen whether many Jackpocket users will use the bitcoin payment option, but Sullivan is hoping it will attract more affluent customers who have experience with technology, a group he says is likely to buy more tickets. Story continues Image Credit: Public Domain See more from Benzinga Google Is Seeking Autonomous Car Partnerships U.S. Automakers Struggle With Skeptical Investors Netflix Continues To Deliver On Promises That 2016 Will Be A Big Year © 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] LIVE: Profit = $381.90 (4.54 %). BUY B20.42 @ $420.00 (#VirCurex). SELL @ $430.88 (#Bitfinex) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || LIVE: Profit = $179.08 (8.44 %). BUY B5.49 @ $410.00 (#VirCurex). SELL @ $417.96 (#HitBTC) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || #RDD / #BTC on the exchanges: Cryptsy: 0.00000005 Bittrex: 0.00000005 Average $2.3E-5 per #reddcoin 18:00:01 via #p…pic.twitter.com/dBKlcK9XCe || $431.60 at 04:15 UTC [24h Range: $424.50 - $434.00 Volume: 7220 BTC] via #btcusdpic.twitter.com/Wl4fCFXUhq || LIVE: Profit = $232.56 (4.94 %). BUY B11.62 @ $420.00 (#VirCurex). SELL @ $421.40 (#HitBTC) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || #RDD / #BTC on the exchanges: Cryptsy: 0.00000005 Bittrex: 0.00000005 Average $2.1E-5 per #reddcoin 00:00:02 via #p…pic.twitter.com/4d333P2mG8 || #RDD / #BTC on the exchanges: Cryptsy: Error Bittrex: 0.00000006 Average $2.3E-5 per #reddcoin 12:45:00 || $388.00 #btce; $381.32 #bitstamp; $380.68 #bitfinex; $380.38 #coinbase; #bitcoin #btc || 1 EGC Price: Bittrex 0.00001205 BTC YoBit 0.00001400 BTC #egc #evergreencoin 2016-02-02 08:00 pic.twitter.com/aZtu8AJHVs || 1 #bitcoin 1369.99 TL, 444.731 $, 413.484 €, GBP, 32068.00 RUR, 52000 ¥, CNH, 639.88 CAD #btc
Trend: up || Prices: 400.18, 407.49, 416.32, 422.37, 420.79, 437.16, 438.80, 437.75, 420.74, 424.95
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2022-04-22] BTC Price: 39740.32, BTC RSI: 40.54 Gold Price: 1931.00, Gold RSI: 46.86 Oil Price: 102.07, Oil RSI: 49.17 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Drops Amid Retail Accumulation: • Bitcoin mining difficulty saw a 1.49% pullback for the first time this year. • The -1.49% adjustment breaks away from BTC’s six positive adjustment streak. • While BTC’s price is still around the $40K mark, retail crowds are flocking back to the network. After charting a full recovery since China’s mining ban last year, theBitcoinmining difficulty has seen another drop after almost four months. Since November 2021, the Bitcoin (BTC) mining difficulty adjustment has gradually increased; however, it dropped by 1.49% on March 3. Bitcoin mining difficulty measures how difficult it would be to mine a block on the BTC network. When more miners flock to the network, the mining difficulty increases, and difficulty declines when miners exit the network. Approximately every two weeks or 2,016 confirmed blocks, the difficulty for mining a new block ‘adjusts’ based on the average of the last 2,016 blocks, making it easier or difficult to mine blocks. In mid-February, the mining difficulty and hash rate hit all-time highs. The recent fall in difficulty saw the metric drop by 1.49% after six consecutive positive difficulty adjustments since November-end. Notably, over the last two weeks, the average hash rate fell to 197.19 exahashes per second (EH/s), making the average block time exceed the 10-minute target at 10 minutes 9 seconds. Thus, miners competing to solve the next valid block found it relatively easier to do so, resulting in the recent difficulty correction. The difficulty adjustment saw different reactions from the crypto space. Well-known BTC miner Denver Bitcoin speculated whether the recent 1.49% correction ‘could be the only one for the year.’ He further noted that experts were still hopeful of a 300 EH/s average by December. Apart from the recent negative difficulty adjustment, price-wise, the top asset oscillated at $40,884.23, noting a 3.77% drop in price. BTC’s short-term pullback in the recent days saw a return of retail investors to the Bitcoin landscape. Notably, addresses holding at least 0.1 BTC made a new all-time high, while addresses containing at least one BTC were at a 10-month peak, as per data from Glassnode. The gradual rise in the addresses having at least one BTC highlighted an accumulation trend from retail crowds. While the retail push is essential for BTC rallies, for now, retail euphoria hasn’t reached the levels spotted in 2017. Interestingly, in 2017 when the retail mania was on the rise, BTC’s price entered a bull run making a new price all-time high. Notably, one of the darkest times for BTC mining was from May to July 2021, when China banned Bitcoin mining, causing a massive drop in the hash rate. Over the last year, however, the hash rate rose by 31% as countries like Kazakhstan and Canada picked up. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Euro Gets Obliterated • Euro Has Had a Horrible Week • Stock Markets Fall Again • Gold Markets Threatening Massive Move • Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Drops Amid Retail Accumulation • War in Ukraine Weighs Down on Germany’s Growth Prospects in 2022 || Apple Laptop Maker Joins Growing Covid Plant Closures in China: (Bloomberg) -- More than 30 Taiwanese companies including Pegatron Corp. and Macbook maker Quanta Computer Inc. have now halted production in the electronics hubs of eastern China to comply with local Covid-related restrictions, spelling more trouble for an already fragile global tech supply chain. Most Read from Bloomberg • In Defense of Elon Musk's Managerial Excellence • U.S. Stops Mask Requirement on Planes After Judge’s Ruling • Putin Calls Time on Foreign Listings in Fresh Hit to Tycoons • Twitter Has a Poison Pill Now • Ukraine Update: Russia Assault in Donbas, EU Mulls Postwar Costs On Wednesday, Quanta said it was suspending a Shanghai plant to comply with government restrictions. At least 30 other companies are suspending output in nearby Kunshan until April 19, they said in filings to Taiwan’s stock exchange. Some said the effect on their finances is still unknown, while others expect no major impact. Kunshan, a bustling city that hosts Apple Inc. suppliers including Pegatron and Luxshare Precision Industry Co., began a city-wide lockdown in early April. The companies make parts for consumer electronics products ranging from PCs and smartphones, with many of the components critical for their global customers. The global supply of key tech has already been hobbled by China’s zero tolerance toward the virus and its measures to stamp it out in cities such as Shanghai and Kunshan. On Tuesday, Pegatron suspended its iPhone assembly campuses in those two cities as China struggles to control the worst virus outbreak in two years. Other key Apple Inc. manufacturing partners including Luxshare and Compal Electronics Inc. also have major operations in Kunshan. Widespread Chinese lockdowns have begun to exact an unquantifiable toll on the world’s No. 2 economy, the biggest buyer of semiconductors and the largest producer of electronics from iPhones to PCs. Disruptions to local manufacturing are set to worsen the logistics hurdles of global companies already grappling with a shortage of cargo capacity that’s pushed shipping costs to record highs and a prolonged chip crunch. Gaming consoles, server computers and electric vehicles are among products facing further supply challenges. Many of the most critical factories in Kunshan and Shanghai have managed to keep humming by operating so-called closed-loop systems that are quarantined from much of the outside world. But worsening logistics jams are constricting shipments of components, draining inventories to the point where some manufacturers including Pegatron and Quanta are down to just a few weeks’ stocks, Taipei-based consultancy TrendForce estimated. Local officials on Wednesday placed two Kunshan districts with significant electronics manufacturing into lockdown for an indefinite period, while for certain other districts the lockdown was extended by seven days. Some contract electronics makers have been unable to secure CPUs, battery modules and panels amid prolonged lockdowns, and certain manufacturers are facing a shortage of multilayer ceramic capacitors for servers and automotive products. “The biggest problem for MLCC suppliers at this stage is they cannot deliver materials to Shanghai and Kunshan,” TrendForce said in a note on Tuesday. “Limited manpower and logistics and suspended transportation options mean [contract electronics makers] can only rely on onsite inventory to barely meet the needs of production lines, further exacerbating component mismatches.” Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek • Beijing Crackdown Derails Alibaba’s Bid for Amazon-Size Profit • Alzheimer’s Trials Exclude Black Patients at ‘Astonishing’ Rate • America’s Favorite Truck Is About to Test Tesla’s Dominance • How Two Ex-Cops Cracked a $100 Million Maritime Mystery • How Jack Dorsey Quit Twitter to Become Bitcoin’s Spiritual Leader ©2022 Bloomberg L.P. || E-mini NASD-100: Still Testing Short-Term Retracement Zone: June E-mini NASDAQ-100 Index futures are edging higher early Thursday after posting a lower-close the previous session. The tech-heavy index fell on Wednesday as streaming giant Netflix slumped after shedding subscribers for the first time in a decade, stoking worries among investors about their bets on high-growth companies set to report results. At 03:10 GMT, June E-mini NASDAQ-100 Index futures are trading 14106.75, up 102.00 or +0.73%. On Wednesday, the Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1 ETF (QQQ) settled at $341.05, down $5.21 or -1.50%. In stock-related news, Netflix Inc plunged 36.6% and was set for its worst day since October 2004, as it blamed inflation, the Ukraine war and fierce competition for the subscriber loss and predicted deeper losses ahead, Reuters reported. Megacap stocks including Amazon.com Inc , Tesla and Meta Platforms Inc fell between 2.3% and 5.3%, while streaming peers Walt Disney , Roku and Warner Bros Discovery dropped between 4.5% and 8.3%, according to Reuters. Daily June E-mini NASDAQ-100 Index Daily Swing Chart Technical Analysis The main trend is down according to the daily swing chart, however, momentum has been trending higher since the formation of the closing price reversal bottom on April 18. A trade through 15198.00 will change the main trend to up. A move through 13729.50 will negate the closing price reversal bottom and signal a resumption of the downtrend. The minor trend is up. It changed to up on Wednesday when buyers took out 14296.25. This confirmed the shift in momentum. The short-term range is 12942.50 to 15268.75. The index is currently testing its retracement zone at 14105.75 to 13831.00. This zone is controlling the near-term direction of the index. The minor range is 15198.00 to 13729.50. Its 50% level at 14539.75 is the nearest resistance. The main range is 16700.00 to 12942.50. Its retracement zone at 14821.25 to 15264.75 is the major resistance. Daily Swing Chart Technical Forecast The direction of the June E-mini NASDAQ-100 Index early Thursday is likely to be determined by trader reaction to 14105.75. Story continues Bullish Scenario A sustained move over 14105.75 will indicate the presence of buyers. The first upside target is 14298.00. Taking out this level could trigger a surge into 14539.75. This is followed by another minor top at 14642.25 and the main 50% level at 14821.25. Bearish Scenario A sustained move under 14105.75 will signal the presence of sellers. The first downside target is the short-term Fibonacci level at 13831.00, followed by the main bottom at 13729.50. A trade through 13729.50 will reaffirm the downtrend. It could also trigger the start of an acceleration to the downside with 12942.50 the next major target price. For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out our economic calendar . This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Ashton Kutcher and Mark Cuban’s Baked Ink Targets Autograph NFTs Ripple CEO Blames Bitcoin Tribalism For Holding Crypto Back Turkey Fast Tracks Black Sea Gas To Wean From Russian Supplies GBP/USD Tests Resistance At 1.3075 Crude Oil Supported by Unexpected Drop in US Inventories Coinbase NFT Beta Goes Live With No Transaction Fees || Bitcoin Miner TeraWulf Sets 2022 Hashrate Guidance: TeraWulf (WULF), the environmentally minded bitcoin (BTC) miner thatwent public in December, sees itself reaching a hashrate range of 4.7 to 5.1 exahash per second (EH/s) by the end of 2022,according to a statement. • The Easton, Md.-based company, backed by celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, also expects to be able to successfully build out over 400 megawatts of mining facility in 2023, raising its hashrate to 12.1 to 17.2 EH/s. • The miner reiterated its expectations of reaching 800 MW and 23 EH/s of mining capacity by 2025. • The Bitcoin network’s total hashrate was 209.7 EH/s as of March 16, according to Glassnode data. By comparison, Marathon Digital (MARA), one of the largest bitcoin miners, said it sees reaching a hashrate of 23.3 EH/s byearly 2023. • For this year, TeraWulf is expecting a total of 210MW of power capacity, but notes the company could expand to raise power capacity to 235MW if the macroeconomic and capital markets improve. • “Our focus in 2022 remains on continuing to build out our Lake Mariner facility in New York and Nautilus Cryptomine in Pennsylvania, ensuring we are well positioned to create as many plugs as possible to take advantage of significant Infrastructure and supply chain constraints facing the market,” CEO Paul Prager said in the statement. • The company has raised a total of about $295 million to date and said it continues to take “an opportunistic approach” to raising capital. • The shares of the miner have declined about 47% this year, while the price of bitcoin fell 15%. || Bitcoin Approaching Resistance at $48K-$51K, Support at $45K: Don't miss CoinDesk'sConsensus 2022, the must-attend crypto & blockchain festival experience of the year in Austin, TX this June 9-12. Bitcoin (BTC) is testingresistanceat the 200-day moving average, which could trigger a brief pullback. The cryptocurrency was trading at about $47,300 at press time and is roughly flat over the past 24 hours. Upside momentum is starting to fade on intraday charts, which could keep buyers on the sidelines into the Asia trading day. Still, lowersupportat around $45,000 could stabilize pullbacks. The relative strength index (RSI) on the daily chart isoverboughtfor the first time in five months, which means sellers could return at the $48,000-$51,000 resistance zone – a 50% reversal of the prior downtrend. Further, BTC is two days away from registering acountertrendsell signal, according theDeMarkindicators, similar to what occurred last August. At that stage, short-term buyers will likely defend support, especially because momentum signals turned positive on the weekly chart. || Bitcoin's Quick Reversal of Two-Day Rally Leaves Price Back at $41K: Don't miss CoinDesk'sConsensus 2022, the must-attend crypto & blockchain festival experience of the year in Austin, TX this June 9-12. A two-day rally of nearly $2,000 in the bitcoin (BTC) price appears to have quickly petered out. As of press time the largest cryptocurrency by market value was down 1% in the past 24 hours, wiping out some of its recent gains. Bitcoin was changing hands at $41,064, off from a high of $42,209 reached earlier Wednesday. • 21Shares and ETF Securities announced Wednesday they will both launch spot exchange-traded products for bitcoin and ether in Australia next week. • There’s alsooptimism for a spot bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the U.S.following the Securities and Exchange Commission’s approval of Teucrium Futures Fund. Teucrium’s application was approved under the “34 Act” (the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) instead of the “40 Act” (the Investment Company Act of 1940) under which all previous bitcoin futures ETFs were approved. With some spot bitcoin ETF applications filed under the 33 and 34 Acts, some analysts see the Teucrium decision as opening the way for a spot bitcoin ETF to win approval. • “I don't think there's any one major catalyst for price movement up or down right now,” said Jason Deane, bitcoin market analyst at Quantum Economics. “There are those who are trying to connect today's earlier jump with Australia's ETF announcement or Commerzbank's crypto custody application, but I think those are more of the steadily improving macro backdrop for bitcoin generally than reasons behind specific moves right now.” • “Medium- to long-term outlook remains very bullish,” Deane said. “Immediate to short term is uncertain and may well stay range-bound for some time yet.” • Investors appear to be confident in bitcoin’s long-term value. • “On-chain data shows long-term holders continue to accumulate and more bitcoin than ever is now 'locked,’” Deane said. • Among long-term bitcoin holders, “the BTC accumulation is not only a whales' game,” IntoTheBlock Insights wrote in a Telegram message. Blockchain data shows that “addresses holding less than 10 bitcoins have increased their holdings dramatically in 2022,” according to the firm. • “Bitcoin on-chain metrics continue to be bullish as bitcoin exchange reserves plummet further,” wrote Marcus Sotiriou, analyst at the UK based digital asset brokerGlobalBlockin a newsletter. “This signals that the proportion of long-term holders are increasing as fewer people are willing to leave their Bitcoin on exchanges.” • Ether (ETH) fell 1.6% in the past 24 hours, still trading just above $3,000. • U.S. stocks were mixed, with the S&P 500 up 0.16% and the Nasdaq down 1.04%. || Short-Term Riot Blockchain (RIOT) Call Spread For Bitcoin Breakout: I presented a couple of highly-liquid naked call option contracts to take advantage of Riot Blockchain’s RIOT momentum-fueled rally following a blow Q4 report on Friday (3/18). Today (3/25), after a period of post-earnings volatility abatement, I’ve got a bullish spread with an upside volatility kick that will provide you with a leveraged opportunity on an upside move along with downside protection. The Fallibility Of Fiat Currencies The fallibility of fiat currencies has been brought to the forefront of the financial markets, with economists convinced that the Federal Reserve let inflation run too hot for too long and geopolitical uncertainty reaching a 2-decade peak as Putin invades its former ally on the western front. Bitcoin (BTC), also known as Gold 2.0, and the novel fiat currency alternative it offers with its decentralized blockchain has never looked more attractive to financial institutions. Investors are wrestling with the hard truth that fiat currencies are far less safe than we think and that cash under your mattress will do nothing but lose value over time. The 40-year high inflation pace that we’ve reached is causing that uninvested cash to lose value at an accelerating pace. Cryptocurrencies will be a part of our new economy whether you like it or not, and it would be prudent to invest today before their mass adaptation. Riot Blockchain, one of the world’s largest Bitcoin miners, is a perfect way to take advantage of rocketing bitcoin price in an excellent short-term momentum-fueled options trade. Bitcoin, which underpins RIOT’s daily high-beta price action, is finally looking like it’s materially broken out back above its 50-day moving average (which itself is reversing its trend after a 3-month tailspin). Impending institutional demand is swelling in the wake of Biden’s crypto-focused executive order, a rare case where more regulation is a positive sign for an asset class as it only further legitimizes this increasingly lucid digital currency space as the fallibility of the world’s 180+ distinct fiat currencies become more evident than ever. After a tremendous forward-looking quarter of profitable progress coupled with reviving Bitcoin demand, total open interest (the number of open contracts) on the call side of RIOT’s option chain is surging as more and more traders place bullish bets. The Trade RIOT’s option opportunities are ripening as contract liquidity improves across strike prices and expirations. I am looking at a short-term trade (<1 month) to take advantage of near-term momentum and RIOT’s post-earnings IV compression with options contracts pulling volatility out of the premium. The trading strategy that I am employing here is called acallratio backspread, which involves selling a single lot of in/at-the-money call options while buying 2x/3x as many out-of-the-money calls at the same expirations with a strike price that you deem as more than attainable within the contracts life cycle. This bullish ratio backspread allows one to generate an immediate account credit and limit downside while leveraging the upside potential to an increase in the stock’s volatility (unfortunately, this spread works in the opposite direction when IVs decline). Call Ratio Backspread For RIOT’s April 14th2022 Expiration: Buy 2x $25 Call @ $0.75 Sell 1x $21 Call @ 2.10 Collect an immediate $60 credit from the transaction while likely risking only about $100.Though, a max loss of -$340 is possible if held till expiration and RIOT closes on the dot at $25 prior to Good Friday weekend (4/14), which I deem to be extremely unlikely considering its history of borderline-egregious volatility with the breakeven levels at expiration being $21.60 & $28.40. Below is a daily payout breakdown (from today to exp.), assuming no changes in underlying volatility. Image Source: Option Profit Calculator And here is the payout assuming a 25% increase in its currently inhibited IV(which I view as likely considering its current IV is nearly half of its average). Image Source: Option Profit Calculator The probability of profitability on this trade is elevated with volatility. At the current levels of volatility, this trade has a 62.2% chance of generating a positive return (which could be north of $1k per spread). I’m more bullish than ever on RIOT, with Bitcoin breaking out on the heels of bullish regulation coupled with another solid quarterly report. Riot Blockchain continues to prove its ability to rapidly expand operations, take market share, and persistently outpace its aggressive guidance. 12-month price targets are sitting between $30 and $50 a share, with most of these price targets made under the assumption that Bitcoin continues to trade at $40k. Meaning that if you are bullish on Bitcoin this upside could be significantly greater. The Business Riot Blockchain, now one of the world's largest publicly traded bitcoin miners following its recent acquisition of Whinstone US, is positioned to provide us with the rare and exciting opportunity to profit off the resurging crypto market's already prolific rally. Trillions in value is yet to be added to this legitimizing asset class as institutional investors (the big money) begin to deploy capital into this ambiguous market. The opportunity cost of not being a part of this rapidly appreciating asset class is just too great not to have some exposure. RIOT, which is closely tied to the performance of bitcoin, had initially overshot the crypto rally in the first month and a half of the year as momentum chasing traders such as the (self-proclaimed) "degenerates" on r/WallStreetBets drove this leading miner's shares far above their intrinsic value. RIOT surged as much as 385% at the beginning of 2021, but its momentum-driven valuation bubble has since deflated. The stock is now trading over 80% below its overzealous highs to the value trading opportunity we see today. All 8 of the covering sell-side analysts call RIOT a strong buy as of this writing, with an average price target of $44 a share, with some more bullish analysts giving it targets north of $50. The China Growth Catalysts U.S. cryptocurrency miners were given one of the greatest gifts they could have asked for when China and President Xi’s increasingly autocratic regime announced a reinforced ban on crypto mining earlier this year. At the end of 2020, China controlled roughly 70% of the global bitcoin mining market, which is measured using hash rates. Hash rates are the speed at which cryptocurrencies are mined (attained through machine-based problem solving) and represent a measurement of computing power and efficiency (performance) of both individual and total market operations. The strict crypto mining banned in Asia’s largest economy created a massive market hole, which U.S. miners like Riot Blockchain quickly filled. The U.S. is now the leading bitcoin miner by hash rate, controlling over 35% of this market, according to Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index (CBECI). Riot Blockchain currently controls 12% of the U.S.'s highly fragmented bitcoin mining market and is taking more share on a seemingly daily basis, with guidance indicating a controlling market share of more than 20% by the end of 2022. This blockchain innovator's hash rate has more than quadrupled in the past year. Riot's savvy management team is projecting its hash rate will reach 12.8 EH/s (quadrupling its output in a matter of months) by the end of the year, marking its third increase in just a few months (materially above the initial guidance of 7.7 EH/s). Its recent acquisition of Whinstone (the largest crypto mining facility in the U.S.) is the primary catalyst for its rapidly improving economies of scale-driven forecast. Crypto Mining & Hash Rates Cryptocurrency mining, contrary to what your intuition tells you, is the process of verifying new transactions made with a given digital currency, and in turn, being “rewarded” for this act with new coins. Verifying a transaction involves immense computing power to validate each node on a blockchain network and an accurately updated ledger (a new block in the chain). This crypto-mining process is referred to in the cryptographic world as Proof-of-Work (PoW), which Bitcoin (the most heavily mined and leading cryptocurrency on the market) and Ethereum both employ. The practice of mining Bitcoin is often described to laymen as solving a highly complex math problem, and the computers that help find the solution are awarded newly minted Bitcoin. In reality, it’s a speed-driven guessing game to decrypt a random code, with the fastest computers being the most successful. Mining is a necessary operation to ensure the security of Bitcoin’s (or any other PoW digital currency’s) blockchain network, and the more miners the more secure the coin. The caveat here is that Bitcoin is becoming incrementally less lucrative to mine, with 90% of the coins (roughly 19 million) having already been mined and only 2 million of these digital coins are left to be mined (expected to be mined by 2040), and incremental PoW rewards are slowly dwindling. Furthermore, the costs associated with mining bitcoin (energy and processing power) are extremely high and only provide profits when the cryptocurrency is trading above a threshold price. Crypto mining is all about scale, with just a few operators controlling most of this market. Miners market share is represented by hash rates, which signifies the computing efficiency of the business). The higher the hash rate the more nodes that can be verified per second, meaning that hash rates and mining efficiency are directly correlated. Unfortunately, this positive hash rate correlation is also a factor of energy usage (higher hash rates require more energy). Hash rates are measured in seconds (hash per second or H/s), and you will often see kH/s, MH/s, or even EH/s, which are in terms of 1,000 hashes per second, 1 million hashes per second, or 1 quintillion hashes a second, respectively. The total global Bitcoin mining market has a hash rate of 120 EH/s, with U.S. miners controlling more than 1/3rdof it after China’s recent regulatory-fueled exit from crypto mining. Energy Concerns There has been growing attention surrounding the excessive use of energy required to power bitcoin mining facilities. Elon Musk is the most notable character voicing concerns about the use of fossil fuels to power digital asset mining operations, deciding to halt Tesla's bitcoin usage earlier this year because of it. Energy is also the most significant variable cost for blockchain-based enterprises like Riot, so it's central to assessing an investment in this unique space. Riot's primary operations are in Texas, ironically one of the cleanest and cheapest energy states (considering it's the oil capital of the U.S.). The Electric Reliable Council of Texas (ERCOT) powers one of the few deregulated energy markets with a vast competitive push towards inexpensive and sustainable sources. Wind and solar make up nearly 30% of the ERCOT market's energy capacity, with relatively lower-carbon natural gas generating just over half. Free-market energy in Texas provides Riot with relatively inexpensive variable costs from increasingly clean sources. Final Thoughts on Riot Like it or not, bitcoin is here to stay, and it's time to get some portfolio exposure if you haven't already. RIOT presents us with a unique opportunity to acquire bitcoin exposure at a sizable discount as its underlying profit driver takes flight and its controlling market share proliferates. RIOT has a significant competitive advantage in a market where scale means everything, with its recent acquisition of Whinstone leapfrogging its hash rate expansion. I would jump on this trade today before the window of opportunity for this rare high-growth value-play disappears. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free reportRiot Blockchain, Inc. (RIOT) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment Research || Market Wrap: Cryptos Rise as Russia Mulls Bitcoin for Oil Payments; Dogecoin Rallies: Don't miss CoinDesk's Consensus 2022 , the must-attend crypto & blockchain festival experience of the year in Austin, TX this June 9-12. Most cryptocurrencies traded higher on Thursday after Russia's Duma committee chairman suggested during a news conference that bitcoin ( BTC ) could be accepted as payment for the nation's oil and other resource exports. Russia's announcement contributed to a spike in BTC above $44,000, although cryptos were already tracking upside moves in equities earlier in the New York trading day. Still, traditional safe-haven assets, such as gold and the U.S. dollar, also rose on Thursday, suggesting some caution among global investors. Sign up for Market Wrap , our daily newsletter explaining what happened today in crypto markets – and why. Coming April 4. Alternative cryptocurrencies (altcoins) remain in the lead, evidenced by a decline in bitcoin's market cap relative to the total crypto market cap over the past two weeks. Dogecoin ( DOGE ), the popular dog-themed meme token, rallied as much as 6% in the past 24 hours, compared with a 4% rise in BTC over the same period. Meanwhile, Solana's SOL token was up 10% and Axie Infinity's gaming token AXS surged by 20% on Thursday. Typically, a rally in altcoins signals a turnaround in the overall crypto market as investors increase their appetite for risk. Latest prices ● Bitcoin (BTC): $43,877, +3.86% ● Ether (ETH): $3,106, +4.75% ● S&P 500 daily close: $4,520, +1.43% ● Gold: $1,962 per troy ounce, +1.33% ● Ten-year Treasury yield daily close: 2.34% Bitcoin, ether and gold prices are taken at approximately 4pm New York time. Bitcoin is the CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index (XBX); Ether is the CoinDesk Ether Price Index (ETX); Gold is the COMEX spot price. Information about CoinDesk Indices can be found at coindesk.com/indices. Meme stocks pump ahead of bitcoin Elsewhere, meme stocks tend to lead traditional equities higher, similar to the risk-on nature of altcoins in the crypto market. Story continues Meme stocks are popular among retail investors who exchange trading ideas through social media. In 2020, internet memes were created to symbolize periods of sky-high prices. The chart below shows a recent uptick in the correlation between bitcoin and an index of meme stocks, created by Lev Borodovsky, editor of The Daily Shot newsletter . Several meme stocks, such as AMC Entertainment (AMC), rallied as much as 30% over the past week. Meme stocks, bitcoin correlation (The Daily Shot) DeFi still lagging Decentralized finance (DeFi) tokens, however, continue to lag behind large market cap cryptos. The chart below plots CoinDesk's DeFi Index ( DFX ) versus CoinDesk's Large Cap Index ( DLCX ). Over the past few months, the gap between DLCX and DFX has widened, which could indicate less appetite for risk among crypto investors. Still, recent rallies in DeFi tokens could lead to outperformance versus large-cap tokens, similar to what occurred in mid-2021. For example, DeFi tokens such as AAVE and AMP have rallied as much as 9% over the past week, compared with a 7% rise in BTC over the same period. Altcoin roundup Dogecoin leaps to 1-month high as ATM operator adds to crypto lineup: Dogecoin (DOGE) touched a one-month high Thursday, a day after Bitcoin of America announced plans to add support for the doggy-themed cryptocurrency to its network of more than 1,800 ATMs across 31 U.S. states. DOGE’s price rose as much as 6% in the past 24 hours, touching $0.141 at one point during the day, the highest since Feb. 21. Read more here . Diplo joins Nas with NFT drop on tokenized royalties platform Royal: Crypto music startup Royal has nabbed Diplo as its latest star, announcing Thursday the DJ and electronic musician will be releasing one of his new songs on the tokenized royalties platform. The single, “Don’t Forget My Love,” will have its royalty rights embedded in what the platform calls “Limited Digital Assets (LDAs),” which are essentially Polygon-based non-fungible tokens (NFTs), according to CoinDesk’s Eli Tan. Read more here . South Korea's SK Square will launch crypto token this year: SK Square, an affiliate of SK Group, South Korea's third-largest conglomerate by revenue, plans to launch a cryptocurrency by the end of the year. The token will be the first of its kind launched by any company under the purview of South Korea's top 10 conglomerates. The cryptocurrency is aimed at integrating virtual economies across the group's businesses, the Korea Economic Daily reported. It will be used in SK Telecom's metaverse platform Ifland , SK Planet’s membership program and 11ST's e-commerce services according to CoinDesk’s Eliza Gkritsi. Read more here . Relevant news Spot Bitcoin ETFs Could See Approvals by 2023: Bloomberg Intelligence Russian Lawmaker Suggests Nation Could Accept Bitcoin for Oil Payments Securities Regulators Cast Doubt on DeFi's Decentralization Claims ‘Correctly’ Was Wrong: Circle’s Accountant Tweaks Fine Print of USDC Attestation CME Bitcoin Futures Premium Hits Highest Level Since Early January Qualcomm Sets Up $100M Fund for Metaverse Investments Other markets Digital assets in the CoinDesk 20 ended the day higher. Largest winners: Asset Ticker Returns Sector Ethereum Classic ETC +15.0% Smart Contract Platform Cardano ADA +10.7% Smart Contract Platform Solana SOL +10.6% Smart Contract Platform Largest losers: There are no losers in CoinDesk 20 today. Sector classifications are provided via the Digital Asset Classification Standard (DACS) , developed by CoinDesk Indices to provide a reliable, comprehensive, and standardized classification system for digital assets. The CoinDesk 20 is a ranking of the largest digital assets by volume on trusted exchanges. || Gold Prices Rally but Remain Rangebound: Key Insights Gold prices moved higher and continue to trade sideways The dollar moved higher against most major currencies U.S. Treasury yields pulled back from a multi-year high Gold prices moved higher as yields pulled back from multi-year highs. Rising inflation has accounted for 300 basis points of Fed hikes by 2023. Weaker than expected New Home Sales were the catalyst that took some of the wind out of Treasury yields. New home sales unexpectedly fell in February amid rising mortgage rates. According to the Commerce Department, New home sales decreased 2% to an annual rate of 772,000 units last month, declining for a second straight month. January’s sales pace was revised down to 788,000 units from the previously reported 801,000 units. Expectations were for new home sales to rise to 810,000 units. Technical Analysis Gold moved slightly higher on Wednesday. Resistance is seen near the 10-day moving average at $1,943. Support is seen near the 50-day moving average at 1,882. Short-term momentum has turned positive as the fast stochastic generated a crossover buy signal. The medium-term momentum has turned negative as the MACD (moving average convergence divergence) index generated a crossover sell signal. This scenario occurs as the MACD line (the 12-day moving average minus the 26-day moving average) crosses below the MACD signal line (the 9-day moving average of the MACD line). This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Solana-backed Stablecoin Cashio Loses $28M in Exploit Bitcoin and Ether Reach Key Support, Why ADA Could Surge To $1.2 Gold Prices Rally but Remain Rangebound E-mini Dow in Position to Post Closing Price Reversal Top Biden’s Future Depends On Reducing Oil (And Gas) Prices Fast EUR/USD: Weakens Under 1.0972, Strengthens Over 1.1019 || Stock Markets Rally Waiting for Fed: The S&P 500 has rallied a bit during the trading session on Wednesday in anticipation of the Federal Reserve statement. Ultimately, it looks as if buyers are trying to bet on a rally based upon a peace agreement in Ukraine being possible, as they continue to talk it out. However, we are not at this point ready to call and into the war, so that is yet another narrative to get stock traders excited. That being said, we are also getting ready to form the so-called “death cross”, so be interesting to see if that plays out. S&P 500 Video 17.03.22 When you look at this chart, we are still very much in a downtrend, so it would not surprise me at all to see this market go looking towards the 4200 level. That being said, if we close above the 200 Day EMA during the trading session or over the next couple of days, then we could go higher. Nonetheless, there are a lot of concerns around the world based upon inflation, earnings, and of course the potential of a slowdown at the same time. In this scenario, it is very difficult to get overly excited about owning stocks, so I do think that this continues to be a very trying environment. Nonetheless, if we do break out to the upside, arguing with price never works out. Because of this, I would have to follow the market regardless. All things being equal, this is a market that I think continues to be very choppy and it is worth noting that we are close to the top of the short-term trading range. For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out our economic calendar . This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Natural Gas Markets Continue to Consolidate Bitcoin and ETH Show Signs of Life, WAVES Could Rally To $38 USD/CAD Is Losing Ground Ahead Of Fed Decision Silver Retreats Despite Weaker Dollar Buyers Tentative Despite E-mini S&P 500 Bullish Trend Change Gold Markets Have Further Pressure [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: down || Prices: 39486.73, 39469.29, 40458.31, 38117.46, 39241.12, 39773.83, 38609.82, 37714.88, 38469.09, 38529.33
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2020-10-13] BTC Price: 11425.90, BTC RSI: 62.78 Gold Price: 1888.50, Gold RSI: 45.34 Oil Price: 40.20, Oil RSI: 50.80 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin DeFi Expands as the RSK Infrastructure Framework (RIF) integrates DAI: GIBRALTER / ACCESSWIRE / October 6, 2020 /The RSK Infrastructure Framework (RIF) development team is happy to announce the DAI stablecoin is now available on the popular Bitcoin-powered smart contract platform. This was achieved by utilizing theRSK-Ethereum token bridge, which was launched earlier this year. The projects expect to boost decentralized financial services on Bitcoin. DApp developers are able to create apps on RSK that connect to the Ethereum ecosystem and tap into its network effects and liquidity, while benefiting from its scalable and low cost smart contract framework. By bringing the tools and assets that power decentralized finance to a Bitcoin environment, MakerDAO and RSK, together with the RIF token community, can fuel growing demand for defi assets and applications without being hampered by Ethereum's high fees. DAI on RSK will bring the crypto-collateralized stablecoin to a scalable smart contract network while maintaining a connection with Ethereum and its valuable community of users and developers. As a result of DAI's integration with RSK, DAI is now accessible for all BTC-backed defi products including the RIF token and its variety of protocols. Users will be able to send microtransactions and interact with smart contracts for services such as staking and lending. A number of BTC-adjacent dApps have already integrated DAI including Sovryn, Aave, AvalDAO and Chainlink. In addition,rskswap.comhas created liquidity pools for RBTC-DAI and RIF-DAI, enabling the stablecoin to be swapped for 1000x less than on Ethereum (http://rskgasstation.info). "RIF integrating DAI creates a new world of opportunity for the bitcoin community to participate in DeFi," said Rune Christensen, Co-founder of MakerDAO and CEO of the Maker Foundation. Developed by the RSK team, The Bitcoin-Ethereum bridge has been audited by ToB and reviewed by the Maker Foundation Integrations Team. The interoperability bridge locks the original token such as DAI on the Ethereum blockchain while minting an ERC777 ‘side token' that can move freely on the RSK network. This maintains the existing supply of tokens while allowing them to be distributed between chains. Diego Gutierrez Zaldivar, IOVlabs CEO and co-founder, said: "The DAI integration is another key step towards Bitcoin DeFi's adoption. We are confident the growth of the Bitcoin ecosystem and its DeFi opportunities has only just begun, with much more to come." About RSK The RSK network is one of the most secure smart contract platforms in the world, designed to leverage Bitcoin's unparalleled hash power via merge-mining while extending its capabilities. It is complemented by RIF's suite of open and decentralized infrastructure protocols that enable faster, easier and scalable development of distributed applications (dApps) within a unified environment. The RSK and RIF platforms are powered byIOVlabs. For more information please visit:https://www.rsk.co/ About MakerDAO MakerDAO enables the generation of Dai, the world's first user-created, unbiased currency and leading decentralized, asset-backed stablecoin. Dai has a stable price and lives completely on the blockchain, making it borderless and available to anyone, anywhere. These and other blockchain benefits allow Dai to extend the power of traditional currency: It can be freely sent to others, used as payments for goods and services, or locked in a smart contract to earn savings. For more information please visit:https://makerdao.com/en/ Contact Dan [email protected] SOURCE:RSK View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/609323/Bitcoin-DeFi-Expands-as-the-RSK-Infrastructure-Framework-RIF-integrates-DAI || Wasabi Wallet Patches Flaw That Could Have Thwarted Bitcoin Privacy Feature: Wasabi Wallet users need to upgrade to the latest version if they want to continue using the CoinJoin feature to keep their Bitcoin transaction histories private. That’s because those running older iterations of the wallet can no longer use this feature to mix their coins with users who have the newest version. The Wasabi Wallet team hard-forked the wallet Thursday to address a vulnerability discovered by a team member at Trezor, a leading maker of hardware wallets. A hard fork is a code change that makes older versions of a software incompatible with newer ones. Related:Wasabi Wallet Is Revamping Its CoinJoin Design to Allow Bitcoin Mixing With Differing Values The flaw’s discovery is another example of the open-source community’s camaraderie and cooperation. Developers are constantly tinkering to improve their peers’ software, and manyvulnerabilitieshave beenresponsibly disclosedduring these processes to patch flaws before they can be exploited by bad actors. (Sometimes, however, the disclosures by rival teams are less-than-cordial, as evidenced by thelong-running tensionsbetween Wasabi and rival Samourai Wallet.) Read more:Hardware Wallet Flaw Lets Attackers Hold Crypto for Ransom Without Touching Device According to a Wasabi Walletblog post, Trezor hardware wallet developer Ondřej Vejpustek responsibly disclosed the potential denial-of-service (DoS) attack to the Wasabi team on May 10 (a DoS attack entails an attacker spamming a network or protocol with the hopes of stymying its operations, hence “denial of service”). “Vejpustek has been very cooperative since the beginning and left us total freedom on how to manage the disclosure, both in terms of time and communication. This demonstrates the importance of proper communication between security researchers and dev teams. This is how a responsible disclosure should be,” Wasabi Wallet contributor and marketing strategist Riccardo Masutti told CoinDesk, adding that Vejpustek was paid a bitcoin bounty for his efforts. Related:Twitter Hacker Is Mixing Bitcoin Loot Using a Wasabi Wallet, Elliptic Says This hypothetical DoS attack, whichWasabi Walletassumes has never been carried out, would have interfered with the wallet’s implementation of CoinJoin, a privacy protocol that allows users to mix their bitcoin with others’ to obscure the coins’ transaction histories. Wasabi Wallet’s CoinJoin implementation requires each participant to take out as much as they put in. If, for instance, 10 participants join a mix for 0.1 BTC, then each user must send exactly that amount (plus a miner fee) and must receive that exact amount for the mix to be successful and to retain CoinJoin’s privacy protections. Mixing coins makes it harder for blockchain snoops and nosy parkers to pin bitcoin transactions to known addresses and their owners’ identities. Read more:Wasabi Wallet Is Revamping Its CoinJoin Design to Allow Bitcoin Mixing With Differing Values The disclosed DoS vulnerability would have halted the mixing process. The attacker would register bitcoin for a mix without that bitcoin being signed (verified) by the mix’s coordinator, while at the same time submitting a real, verified transaction to the mix. The result would be an incongruity between the total value of inputs made to the CoinJoin and the value of expected outputs. As a result, the coordinator would unwittingly “build a transaction that can’t be valid, since the sum of all inputs is less than the sum of all outputs,” according to Vejpustek’s analysis. If the attack were pulled off, it would foil the CoinJoin, though it would not have given the attacker the ability to steal any coins nor could they deanonymize any peers in the mix. Wasabi Wallet patched the fix with the hard fork deployed Thursday. This upgrade was applied tov.1.1.12of the wallet, which was released on Aug. 5. • Wasabi Wallet Patches Flaw That Could Have Thwarted Bitcoin Privacy Feature • Wasabi Wallet Patches Flaw That Could Have Thwarted Bitcoin Privacy Feature || Think Quant Trading Doesn’t Work in Crypto? Think Again: Marc P. Bernegger started his first internet company in 1999 and had two successful exits. He began working with Bitcoin in 2012, is on the board ofCrypto Finance Group,Swiss Blockchain FederationandCfC St. Moritzand is a member of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Expert Network for blockchain. The recent CoinDesk opinion article “10 Reasons Quant Strategies for Crypto Fail” by Jesus Rodriguez makes for a great headline, but it overlooks relevant developments and key data in the sector. While Rodriguez makes reasonable points about the weakness of quant technology for crypto, a growing number of professional crypto quant fund managers address these through their strategies, demonstrating clear success. Going forward, crypto assets are set to become the perfect asset class for quant strategies. Related:Data Ownership Should Be About Software, Not Lawsuits See also:Crypto Long & Short: The Surprisingly Sunny Outlook for Crypto Hedge Funds The 2020PwC–Elwood Crypto Hedge Fund Reportsays the most common crypto hedge fund strategy (48% of those surveyed) is quantitative (or taking a systematic approach to the market in either a directional or a market neutral manner), followed by discretionary long only (19% of funds; meaning funds that are long only and whose investors have a longer investment horizon), discretionary long/short (17% of funds; meaning funds that cover a broad range of strategies including: long/short, relative value, event driven, technical analysis and some strategies that are crypto specific, such as mining), and multi-strategy (17% of funds; meaning funds adopting a combination of the above strategies). To understand why almost half of all crypto hedge funds worldwide are focused on quant strategies requires a look at the broader (crypto) hedge fund sector. It is important to note that the models used by quantitative funds usually extend beyond digital asset datasets. Many quantitative crypto fund managers come from the traditional finance world, their strategies are defined based on decades of data from traditional asset classes, and these strategies are tested thoroughly before being applied to the crypto market. Related:The Importance of Randomness in the Internet Age Additionally systematic strategies are superior to human decision-making procedures in an environment of irrational and volatile markets, which is definitely the case with most cryptocurrencies. The crypto market is still dominated by traders making decisions by monitoring the price action on the charts. This increases the strength of trends and favors a quantitative approach based on time series analysis. Traders can retrieve a vast amount of  information by analysing digital asset datasets – particularly when taking on-chain metrics into account (e.g. transaction values, miner fees, etc.). That can be used by quantitative funds to garner some element of predictability instead of relying on technical price data alone. While Rodriguez makes reasonable points about the weakness of quant technology for crypto, a growing number of professional crypto quant fund managers address these through their strategies. With outliers, most quantitative strategies can take advantage of the short-term inefficiencies presented by digital assets and actually profit from the outlier events. The key attraction of many quantitative funds is their informational market advantage and the hedging capabilities they offer, particularly during down-markets. As such, outliers may present a challenge, but these periods have been proven quite profitable for some quantitative crypto funds as evidenced by their track records. Quant funds that generally trade very liquid exchange-listed crypto assets provide better liquidity to investors than a fundamental investor targeting early-stage projects or a multi-strategy, where the fund manager needs to consider the various strategies and instruments in its portfolio. Most serious and regulated systematic crypto hedge funds are quite transparent with their numbers so investors are able to find actual assets under management or monthly performance figures on platforms like Barclay Hedge orNilsson Hedge. Based on available data, systematic crypto funds are outperforming “passive HODLing strategies” (meaning long only), discretionary long/short and multi-strategies significantly and generate sustainable alpha: In2019, the average crypto hedge fund performance by strategy was as follows: Quantitative +58%Discretionary Long/Short +33%Discretionary Long Only +42%Multi-strategy +19% In2018, which was a very challenging year for digital assets, quant trading was the only strategy generating positive returns: Median quant fund +8%Median all funds -46%Median fundamental fund -53%Median discretionary fund -63%Bitcoin-72% So looking at the performance of crypto hedge funds in 2018 and 2019, it is obvious that crypto quant funds are working. A growing number of investors, including more and morefund of funds, are investing in systematic crypto hedge funds and crypto quants exclusively, which enables the whole ecosystem to evolve quickly. With most regulated crypto hedge funds that accept money from external investors being quite transparent about fund performance and assets under management, the growth in investments is becoming apparent. Increases in assets being allocated to crypto hedge funds in the last few months and increasing indications that bitcoin is a digital store of value and a new hedge against inflation, show that the demand from investors is accelerating. A majority of today’s crypto hedge funds, including crypto quants, were created less than three years ago, illustrating that this industry is still very young. See also: Jesus Rodriguez –10 Reasons Quant Strategies for Crypto Fail Assets under management of crypto funds worldwidedoubled from 2019 to 2020(from $1 billion to $2 billion) and there are clear indications that they willroughly triple till the end of this year. A big part of this new money will be allocated to systematic crypto funds. As CoinDesk’sNoelle Achesonwrote recently, “the outlook for crypto hedge funds is sunny.” Investing in a crypto hedge fund instead of direct investment in the market is a more attractive option for many investors: they do not need to worry about custody, best execution, or liquidity crunches. These elements can be especially important for traditional investors, who are not deeply involved in the underlying technology and look at crypto assets primarily as a new alternative asset class to diversify their existing portfolio. With these arguments, and professional crypto quant fund managers that address known challenges with their strategies to achieve both performance and growth today, the potential for systematic crypto funds to surpass other investment strategies and outperform the market by the end of 2020 looks increasingly probable. • Think Quant Trading Doesn’t Work in Crypto? Think Again • Think Quant Trading Doesn’t Work in Crypto? Think Again || The Crypto Daily – Movers and Shakers – August 16th, 2020: Bitcoin, BTC to USD, rose by 0.70% on Saturday. Reversing a 0.19% loss from Friday, Bitcoin ended the day at $11,858.5. It was a mixed start to the day. Bitcoin rose to an early morning intraday high $11,991.5 before hitting reverse. The early rally saw Bitcoin break through the first major resistance level at $11,874 and the second major resistance level at $11,972.5. A pullback through the morning saw Bitcoin slide to a mid-day intraday low $11,689.5. Steering clear of the first major support level at $11,667, Bitcoin revisited $11,980 levels before easing back. Bitcoin broke back through the first and second major resistance levels before wrapping up the day at sub-$11,900 levels. The near-term bullish trend remained intact, supported by the latest move through to $11,000 levels. For the bears, Bitcoin would need to slide through the 62% FIB of $6,400 to form a near-term bearish trend. The Rest of the Pack Across the rest of the majors, it was a mixed day for the majors on Saturday. EOS rallied by 14% to lead the way, with Bitcoin Cash SV (+4.82%) and Litecoin (+5.38%) seeing solid gains. Bitcoin Cash ABC (+1.60%), Stellar’s Lumen (+2.02%), and Tron’s TRX (+2.1%) also joined Bitcoin in the green. Binance Coin (-0.13%), Cardano’s ADA (-0.01%), Ethereum (-1.43%), Monero’s XMR (-1.92%), Ripple’s XRP (-0.55%), and Tezos (-1.16%) saw red on the day, however. In the current week, the crypto total market cap fell to a Tuesday low $328.26bn before rising to a Saturday high $368.44bn. At the time of writing, the total market cap stood at $361.29bn. Bitcoin’s dominance rose to a Monday high 62.63% before sliding to a Saturday low 60.06%. At the time of writing, Bitcoin’s dominance stood at 60.58%. This Morning At the time of writing, Bitcoin was down by 0.21% to $11,833.5. A mixed start to the day saw Bitcoin rose to an early high $11,872.5 before falling to a low $11,829.5. Bitcoin left the major support and resistance levels untested early on. Story continues Elsewhere, it was a mixed start to the day. Monero’s XMR and Tezos bucked the trend with gains of 0.10% and 0.89% respectively. It was a bearish start for the rest of the majors, however. At the time of writing, Stellar’s Lumen was down by 1.17% to lead the way down. For the Bitcoin Day Ahead Bitcoin would need to move back through the pivot level at $11,847 to support a run at the first major resistance level at $12,003.5. Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Bitcoin to break out from the Saturday’s high $11,991.5. Barring an extended crypto rally, the first major resistance level would likely cap any upside. In the event of a crypto breakout, Bitcoin could eye the second major resistance level at $12,149 before any pullback. Failure to move back through the $11,847 pivot level would bring the first major support level at $11,702 into play. Barring another extended crypto sell-off, however, Bitcoin should avoid sub-$11,600 support levels. The second major support level sits at $11,545. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: European Equities: A Week in Review – 15/08/20 S&P 500 Weekly Price Forecast – S&P 500 Likely to Break Out Silver Weekly Price Forecast – Silver Markets Show Huge Candle for the Week The Crypto Daily – Movers and Shakers – August 16th, 2020 Chip-Maker Gains Boost Japan’s Nikkei; Chinese Investors Worried About Valuation, Tighter Monetary Policy Jump in US Yields Boosts Dollar/Yen; RBA Calls for Fiscal Stimulus; RBNZ Boosts QE || 11 Million Bitcoin Holders Can Earn Interest Following Cred Partnership with Bitcoin.com: One of the world’s most popular bitcoin wallets has been boosted by an integration with lending platform Cred. The partnership with Bitcoin.com Wallet, which boasts 11 million downloads, means that BTC and BCH holders can earn a passive income through lending out their assets. Moreover, they can claim the interest payments they receive in a range of digital currencies, including stablecoins. The integration between the crypto finance platform and Bitcoin.com arrives at a time when interest in cryptocurrency lending is at an all-time high. A Cred spokesperson told Insider Monkey: “Cred’s partnership with Bitcoin.com proves that Bitcoin innovation doesn’t have to occur at the protocol level. By building lending capabilities directly into the Bitcoin.com Wallet, we’ve provided a way for BTC and BCH holders to earn an attractive ROI, while operating within a familiar and secure environment.” Best, Easiest Mining Software for Beginners Copyright: pogorelovaolga / 123RF Stock Photo Crypto Lenders Bypass Gatekeepers In the traditional financial world, credit is controlled by agencies such as Equifax (NYSE: EFX ) and Experian (LON: EXPN ), whose scoring system determines who’s eligible for a loan and who isn’t. In the world of cryptocurrency, things work a little differently. Due to the design of crypto assets and blockchain, tokens can be pledged as collateral and used to obtain fiat currency loans. They can also be loaned to borrowers via platforms such as Cred , earning the lender a fixed fee for the duration of the loan. The integration of lending directly into Bitcoin.com Wallet enables bitcoiners to start earning yield on their holdings directly within the iOS and Android app. “At Bitcoin.com, we strive to offer our customers with the top-tier blockchain services,” explained the company’s Head of Product, Corbin Fraser. “Through Cred, our customers will continue benefiting from earning interest on their crypto via a secure and licensed financial services platform.” Bitcoin.com is a news site, wallet service, mining pool, and cryptocurrency hub for supporters of Bitcoin (BTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH). Its Executive Chairman and former CEO, Roger Ver, remains one of the most controversial figures in the industry, although he has taken a step back from the limelight, and is now content to advocate his favored strain of bitcoin – Bitcoin Cash – from afar. The Bitcoin.com Wallet has proven to be one of the company’s most successful products to date, adding new features such as the ability to buy bitcoin with credit card, and now a lending portal administered with the support of Cred. Story continues Lending Platforms Compete for Market Share Decentralized exchanges (DEXs) and centralized exchanges (CEXs) have been engaged in a fierce battle for market share this year, with the growth in decentralized finance generating huge volume on Uniswap and Mooniswap. A similar battle is being fought between centralized lending platforms – including exchanges – and defi platforms to offer the highest APR. Cryptocurrency holders have found themselves jumping from platform to platform, chasing down the greatest yield. Cred has built its crypto lending business through integrating with leading wallets including Bitcoin.com Wallet, Huobi Wallet, and Edge. Cryptocurrency holders – or hodlers – have no desire to sell their assets in the near future. Lending provides them with a means to grow their holdings without participating in the high risk game of trading. Disclosure: None. View comments || Mastercard launches digital currency kit for central banks: Our mission to help you navigate the new normal is fueled by subscribers. To enjoy unlimited access to our journalism, subscribe today . In the 10 years since Bitcoin came on the financial scene, central banks have quietly been dabbling in digital currencies of their own. Now, Mastercard has unveiled a tool designed to simulate how those currencies would work in the real world. The payments giant announced the project on Wednesday morning, calling it the Central Bank Digital Currencies Testing Platform—a bland title to be sure, but one likely to find favor with cautious central bankers. For central banks, including the Federal Reserve, a purely digital currency—one not linked to coins or paper bills—would represent a step beyond the existing system of electronic money transfer. A central bank could, for instance, distribute money directly to consumers without relying on commercial banks as intermediary. State-backed digital money also offers the potential for greater efficiency in payments and money transfers, letting merchants settle deals instantly, and avoid the current patchwork of banks and clearing houses, which can take days. Mastercard’s platform—or “sandbox” in tech parlance—will let central banks issue digital versions of their currency in a controlled environment, and test how those currencies plug into existing bank and payment networks, and to see if they are practical for consumers to buy goods and services. In an interview with Fortune , Mastercard EVP Raj Dhamodharan said the company is already working with a number of central banks, and that it is inviting various third parties, from banks to tech companies, to join its testing platform. The Mastercard initiative comes at a time of growing interest in digital currency among central banks. A 2018 survey by the International Monetary Fund, cited by the Wall Street Journal , found government bankers are experimenting with the technology as a way to lower costs and to blunt the rise of private cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. A more recent survey by the Bank for International Settlements found that 80% of the world’s central banks are engaged in some form of digital currency research. Story continues The advent of state-backed digital currencies is also fraught with geopolitical significance. The People’s Bank of China is on the cusp of launching a digital yuan, which many believe will help China weaken the influence of the greenback in global trade. Meanwhile, the outgoing governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, speculated last year that a group of companies could back a new digital currency to challenge the dollar’s role as the preeminent reserve currency. Not to be outdone, a consortium of companies led by Facebook is working on a new form of digital money called Libra, which is pegged to traditional currencies, and could offer the social network’s billions of users a new way to shop and pay. Projects like Libra and, especially, the digital yuan also pose significant privacy risks, as the networks on which the currencies travel can also track who is spending money and where. According to Dhamodharan, Mastercard is sensitive to privacy issues and is building its testing kit to reflect that. He declined to provide any details about the software Mastercard is using to deploy its test network, other than to say it involves blockchain —the same technology on which Bitcoin is built. More must-read finance coverage from Fortune : Investors are pouring record amounts into Wall Street’s new favorite “safe haven” First he took energy trading and the NYSE electronic. Now Jeff Sprecher of ICE shares his plans to digitize your mortgage The bizarre reason Amazon drivers are hanging phones in trees near Whole Foods The humbling of Europe’s most-hyped startup incubator: Rocket Internet Fortune’s 2020 40 Under 40 This story was originally featured on Fortune.com || SEC Charges Rapper TI With Securities Violations for Promoting 2017 ICO: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged two crypto startups and eight individuals including rapper Clifford Harris Jr., more commonly known as T.I., with violating the Securities Act of 1933 and other charges due to their involvement with a pair of initial coin offerings (ICOs). The SEC alleged Friday that film producer Ryan Felton misappropriated funds and wash traded cryptocurrencies using the proceeds from two ICOs: FLiK, a digital streaming platform, and CoinSpark, a digital asset trading platform. TI and Atlanta residents Owen Smith, Chance White and William Spark, Jr. are charged with violating securities law for recommending investors buy tokens from one or the other of the sales without disclosing they were paid by the projects. There are three relief defendants as well. Seven of the individuals, including T.I., settled their charges with the ICO. Related: Bitcoin News Roundup for Sept. 14, 2020 The FLiK ICO raised about 539 ether (ETH), worth $164,665 at the time (late September 2018), while the CoinSpark ICO raised about 460 ether, worth about $282,418 in 2018, the SEC said in a separate complaint . Felton now faces fraud and manipulation charges, according to the SEC. T.I. “offered and sold FLiK” tokens, pretending to co-own the business and encouraging his followers to invest in the project. At least one of the other respondents appears to be T.I.’s employees – social media manager Sparks. Read more: Self-Help Firm That Mostly Took Bitcoin as Payment Mostly Just Helped Itself, SEC Charges Related: How to Watch INX's IPO in Real Time on the Ethereum Blockchain The rapper has agreed to pay a $75,000 fine and not participate in any digital asset sales for at least five years; Sparks agreed to pay a $25,000 fine and likewise refrain from participating in any securities sales for five years. Friday’s actions continue the SEC’s trend of bringing charges against founders who took investor funds for personal use after the 2017 and early 2018 cryptocurrency bull run. Related Stories SEC Charges Rapper TI With Securities Violations for Promoting 2017 ICO SEC Charges Rapper TI With Securities Violations for Promoting 2017 ICO || Why bitcoin and altcoins are hot again this summer: In cryptocurrency markets, it feels like 2017 again. Bitcoin ( BTC ) is up 35% since Memorial Day, and 133% since March 15, the date when widespread U.S. closures of schools and businesses began. That has helped bitcoin rebound to 64% up for the year so far, after crashing in March along with stocks . That’s better than double the gains of the Nasdaq, which is up 26% for the year. The S&P 500 is up only 5% for the year, and the Dow is still negative (down 1.2%) in 2020. Bitcoin was around $6,500 on March 24. Five months later, it’s near $12,000. The gains by so-called “ altcoins ” have been even more impressive—or alarming. Ether ( ETH ), the token of the Ethereum network and the No. 2 cryptocurrency by market cap, is up 210% in 2020. Stellar Lumens ( XLM ), token of the Stellar network , is up 130%. Cardano ( ADA ) is up 274%. Algorand ( ALGO ) is up 200%. Dogecoin ( DOGE ), a meme-based cryptocurrency with no business purpose, is up 68%. You’d be excused for not having heard of many of those tokens, even if you follow bitcoin prices. Some crypto onlookers fear that the huge gains for no-name coins signal another risky bubble akin to 2017. Coin Telegraph is calling this summer a new “altseason.” CoinDesk on Monday called it an “anything-goes token market.” Andy Bromberg, president of Coinlist, which vets and lists new token sales, sees glimmers of 2017, but thinks this period might be different. Near, a new token that offered its initial sale through Coinlist, had so much demand it crashed the site. “There’s some great stuff happening, and things that are compelling and have legitimate long term promise, but also there are a lot of people who just see an opportunity to grab cash,” says Bromberg. “Just like in 2017, it’s really hard to vet these things. Some are obviously idiotic. The noise comes along with the signal. So as an investor in the space, you should be cautious, because the more good things that come out, the more scammy things come out too. But you should also be excited.” Story continues An Uber Eats courier wearing a protective mask passes in front of a Bitcoin exchange shop in Krakow's city center on April 18, 2020, in Krakow, Poland. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images) Now to the obvious question: Is the rise in crypto prices thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic? Cryptocurrency investors are saying yes—in part. Most of them point to the actions of the Federal Reserve, and of other central banks globally, as fuel for the appeal of bitcoin as a hedge. (Gold, a more mainstream hedge, is up 29% in 2020.) “There’s so many uncertainties in this pandemic, but one thing that seems almost assured is when you print trillions of dollars more paper money, it’s going to drive up bitcoin and other cyptocurrencies,” says Dan Morehead, CEO of crypto investment firm Pantera Capital. “Gold’s going to go up, bitcoin’s going to go up. It is a hedge to paper currency being debased.” Pantera’s digital asset fund is up 130% in 2020, and Morehead believes that in the next year, “The non-bitcoin cryptocurrencies will outperform bitcoin.” In the same spirit, Pantera still believes in ICOs (initial coin offerings), the token sales that exploded in 2017 , then shrunk after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in 2018 made clear it saw most ICOs as unregistered securities offerings . “We have a fund that invests in pre-auction ICOs, and instead of seeing 50 white papers a week like we were doing at the peak in 2017, we invest in one or two every quarter. So the market is still there, it’s just much more selective.” It also helps bitcoin when mainstream Wall Street names voice public support. In May, Paul Tudor Jones surprised skeptics when he said that he sees bitcoin as “a great speculation” and has moved 2% of his hedge fund’s money into bitcoin. That stands in direct contrast to Warren Buffett’s staunch view of bitcoin speculation: “ That is not investing .” — Daniel Roberts is an editor-at-large at Yahoo Finance and closely covers bitcoin and blockchain. Follow him on Twitter at @ readDanwrite . Read more: Bitcoin scams on Twitter are nothing new—and they work Former CFTC chair says Ripple's XRP token is not a security—but Ripple is his client What the third bitcoin halving means for crypto investors Fed Chair Jay Powell grilled on China’s cryptocurrency plans and U.S. response Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian: We are entering a 'crypto spring' || The Most Pro-Bitcoin Politicians in the US: Whether fighting for reduced taxes for staking or regulatory sandboxes for tokens, these politicians break the mold when it comes to digital assets. Formore episodesand free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe withApple Podcasts,Spotify,Pocketcasts,Google Podcasts,Castbox,Stitcher,RadioPublica,iHeartRadioorRSS. This episode is sponsored byCrypto.com,BitstampandNexo.io. • Markets react to FOMC notes • Taiwan blocks China streaming services • Initial jobless claims back on the rise Related:Bitcoin News Roundup for Aug. 21, 2020 See also:Preston Pysh on Why We’ve Entered a Fundamentally New Era of Bitcoin Accumulation • Rep. Thomas Massie • Governor Jared Polis • Andrew Yang • Rep. Ted Budd • Rep. Trey Hollingsworth • Rep. Darren Soto • Rep. Stacey Plaskett • Rep.Tom Emmer • Senate CandidateCynthia Lummis • Rep. Warren Davidson • Rep. Patrick McHenry Formore episodesand free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe withApple Podcasts,Spotify,Pocketcasts,Google Podcasts,Castbox,Stitcher,RadioPublica,iHeartRadioorRSS. • The Most Pro-Bitcoin Politicians in the US • The Most Pro-Bitcoin Politicians in the US • The Most Pro-Bitcoin Politicians in the US || Latest Ripple price and analysis (XRP to USD): Ripple’s XRP token suffered a brutal sell-off back below the $0.30 level of support overnight as it reacted to a wider market correction. The corrective move to the downside comes after a double top at $0.327 on the daily chart, which is indicative of a trend reversal. It’s worth noting that XRP has enjoyed one of its best months in terms of price action since 2017, with it rallying from a $0.1692 low at the end of June before rising by 93.13%. When looking at the chart for XRPUSD it remains in a bullish posture from a macro perspective as long as it doesn’t slump below $0.268 to form a lower high. If XRP can begin to climb back above the $0.30 level in the coming days it would demonstrate a strong level of support in the $0.282 region, which was a point of resistance in February. However, arguably the most important indicator for confirmation of a bull market would be if XRP can form a crucial higher low above $0.35 as this would also mark a new yearly high. The fact that XRP has been rising so confidently in spite of token sales from the Ripple Foundation indicates a notable level of interest from both retail and institutional investors, which has been spurred by Ripple’s partnerships over the past year. Aside from opening up more remittance corridors , the Ripple Network is being by Banco Santander payment solution One Pay FX, who c onfirmed it will expand use of the platform to six more countries this year. For more news, guides and cryptocurrency analysis, click here . Latest Ripple price Current live XRP price information and interactive charts are available on our site 24 hours a day. The ticker bar at the bottom of every page on our site has the latest Ripple price. Pricing is also available in a range of different currency equivalents: US Dollar – XRPtoUSD British Pound Sterling – XRPtoGBP Japanese Yen – XRPtoJPY Euro – XRPtoEUR Australian Dollar – XRPtoAUD Russian Rouble – XRPtoRUB Bitcoin – XRPtoBTC About Ripple (XRP) Ripple is a real-time gross settlement system (RTGS) developed by the Ripple company. It is also referred to as the Ripple Transaction Protocol (RTXP) or Ripple protocol. It can trace its roots to 2004 when a web developer called Ryan Fugger had the idea to create a monetary system that was decentralised and could effectively allow individuals to create their own money. Story continues Ripple is one of the largest cryptocurrencies and is one of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalisation. More Ripple news and information If you want to find out more information about Ripple or cryptocurrencies in general, then use the search box at the top of this page. Here’s a recent article to get you started: https://coinrivet.com/ripple-ceo-brad-garlinghouse-hits-back-at-critics-xrp-is-not-a-security/ As with any investment, it pays to do some homework before you part with your money. The prices of cryptocurrencies are volatile and go up and down quickly. This page is not recommending a particular currency or whether you should invest or not. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: up || Prices: 11429.51, 11495.35, 11322.12, 11358.10, 11483.36, 11742.04, 11916.33, 12823.69, 12965.89, 12931.54
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] 16 Bold ETF Predictions for 2016: 2015 wasn’t exactly a great year for fund investors. A few choice companies dominated and left their competitors in the dust, making it a pretty poor year to be a sector investor. For example, stocks likeAmazon (AMZN)orNetflix (NFLX)more than doubled in 2015 while not a single major SPDR sector looks to finish the year with gains in excess of 11%. However, 2016 looks to be a bit brighter, assuming of course it isn’t going to be a ‘stock picker’s market’ again in the New Year. Beyond that though, it looks to be another exciting and prosperous year for the ETF industry, and one that looks to see plenty of changes, as well as new funds. In terms of what specifically the New Year might hold, I offer up 16 predictions on what I think 2016 will hold for the world of ETFs, and what investors need to watch for in the New Year: Hedged currency trend finally ends One of the most annoying trends in 2015 has been the surge in every type of hedged currency ETF you could think of, be it half hedged, dynamic hedged, or Chinese currency hedged. While I think the dollar will strengthen a bit more, I think the second half of 2016 will see the flow of hedged ETFs slow to a trickle—if not an outright halt—as the dollar levels out and investors look elsewhere for gains in foreign markets (see Flurry of New Currency Hedged ETFs Fuels Price War ). ETMFs Debut, but stumble out of the gate Exchange Traded Mutual Funds are going to be a big buzzword in 2016 as companies like Eaton Vance look to launch this product type which seeks to provide the exchange-traded benefits of ETFs, with the closed-off holdings aspects of mutual funds to prevent front-running. While I think these will one day have a place in the fund world, they will stumble out of the gate as they confuse investors, unless of course big name players jump on this category and can bring their brand name following with them. More specialized sectors funds look to catch fire, but struggle After the insane rise of thecybersecurity ETF (HACK)in the past year, a number of ETF issuers are looking to strike it rich with similar products in the New Year. As of late, I have seen filings for e-commerce funds, 3D Printing ETFs, and an Internet of Things product, with all of them looking to catch fire like HACK did. However, HACK had a massive catalyst, and without that, the new funds will struggle for a bit to gain popularity in 2016 (see Invest in Booming Technologies with These 3 ETFs). IWM will beat SPY in 2016 Large caps led the way in 2015, mostly thanks to incredible performances from well-known companies. I think this trend reverses in 2016 and we see a return of thesmall cap ETF (IWM)and its outperformance over its large cap counterparts in the New Year. RSP will beat SPYin 2016 In that same vein, theequal weight S&P 500 fund (RSP)had long beaten its cap-focused counterpart,SPY. However, this trend ended in 2015 thanks to those surging mega cap securities. I am also looking for this trend to reverse in 2016 and to see a resurgence of equal weight product demand in general for the New Year as well. Surge in duration hedged/negative duration ETF interest A few years ago, hedged Japan ETFs (likeDXJ) hit the market and many thought they were too sophisticated for retail investors. However, as this turned out to be the best way to play the Japan story, investors of all stripes flocked to these products, making them ultra-popular choices in the Japan market. The same concerns are present now with hedged/negative duration bond funds and I think as interest rates rise these will have their time in the sun (by being the best bond ETF plays) and surge in popularity in 2016 ( Worried About Higher Interest Rates? Buy These 4 ETFs to Profit ). Ex-sector funds hit $100 million under management If 2016 is anything like 2015, we will see at least one major sector stumble. That is why I think the lineup from ProShares of ex-sector ETFs (ex-energy, ex-financials, ex-health care, and ex-technology) will finally surge in 2016 after languishing in anonymity for much of Q4 in 2015. With a year under their belt, these will finally see some interest from investors and will go from a combined AUM of under $20 million today, to a combined AUM of at least $100 million by year’s end. New SPDR Select Sector ETFs hit $100 million in assets State Street’s SPDR lineup has proven to be very popular, but the company recently launched two new products to round out its financial ETF offering;XLFS(focus on financial services) and XLRE (focus on real estate). Both of these made their debut in Q4 but haven’t really seen a surge in assets. I think this will change in 2016 as the interest rate picture becomes clearer, making at least one of them a $100 million product, up from roughly $16 million total right now. Oil-free in 2016 The trend against oil investing will continue in 2016 and I think we will see at least a few more fossil-free funds hit the market as investors look to avoid this space in their portfolios. I also think we could see an oil-free bond ETF (or fossil free bond ETF) as issuers look to cash in on the trend against oil investments and over the concerns of defaults in the high yield market in this corner of the fixed income world (read Support the Environment and Profit with Fossil Fuel Free ETFs ). ETF Closures Go Over 100 and Hit/Approach a Record There are nearly 20 funds that have less than $1 million in assets under management, while about 300 have less than $5 million under management. There is basically no way these are profitable and I am sure we will see a host of closures in 2016 as the writing on the wall becomes clear for many of these strategies. This will make 2016 another big, if not the biggest, year for ETF closures on record. Someone Will Close Down Too Early The flip side of this is that a fund will close down too early. In 2016, I predict a fund will shut its doors only to see its segment go on to great popularity within the next few months. We saw this with FAA and the airline space (among others) and it is hard to discount the importance of timing in the ETF world right now, so look for this to happen to a country or sector fund in the New Year (see Finally a New Airline ETF Prepares to Take Off). Two similar ETFs will launch within a one month window You know when Hollywood launches two similar movies pretty close together (White House DownandOlympus Has FallenorA Bug’s LifeandAntzback in the day)? Well, the ETF industry likes to do that too, putting out funds that target pretty much the same area within a few weeks of each other. The idea is to dilute the first-mover advantage (or to race andbecomethe first mover) and I’d look for that trend to continue in 2016 at least once. Wearable ETF hits the market (or at least a filing) Thanks to the ubiquitous nature ofFitbit (FIT)and a boost in interest in all technology connected devices that are ‘wearable’, a number of companies are jumping into this market. As we saw in recent months with cyber security and cloud computing ETFs, I’d expect to see a wearable (ticker WEAR?) before too long, or at least a filing that will get this fund to market eventually. Bitcoin fund finally comes out For quite some time now, there has been a filing in the pipeline for a bitcoin ETF (COIN) from the Winklevoss twins of all people. The first filing was in 2013, an index was launched earlier in 2014, and I think 2016 will finally mark see this idea pass regulatory hurdles as well as the launch of this product which should help to make bitcoins more easily tradable and liquid for the masses, much like whatGLDdid for gold (read Believe It or Not: Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF on the Horizon ). Price war continues As the ETF space starts to round out, many ETF issuers have launched ‘me-too’ products which target substantially similar segments of the market. The way they differentiate has largely been on the price front and this has forced issuers to slash costs in order to remain competitive. This war has been great for consumers who look to save more money, and I expect to see more fee cuts and price competitive products in 2016 as well. You’ll see more calls of an ETF Bubble… These will be wrong Every couple of months, ETF pundits will write articles or go on TV saying that the end is near for the ETF world and that the category cannot support more products. These predictions have been wrong before and they will be wrong again in 2016. While there are a lot more ETFs than there were a few years ago, there is still plenty of more sector specific and active ETF opportunities out there, meaning that investors shouldn’t be worried about a bubble again in the New Year either (see Best and Worst ETFs of 2015). Happy New Year and best of luck to fund investors in 2016! Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free report >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free reportFITBIT INC (FIT): Free Stock Analysis ReportPURFDS-ISE CYBR (HACK): ETF Research ReportsISHARS-R 2000 (IWM): ETF Research ReportsSPDR-FS SELS (XLFS): ETF Research ReportsSPDR-SP 500 TR (SPY): ETF Research ReportsGUGG-SP5 EQ ETF (RSP): ETF Research ReportsTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report || Can The Bitcoin Foundation Last?: The Bitcoin Foundation was launched in 2012 as a way to provide legitimacy to bitcoin and cryptocurrencies at a time when they were relatively unknown. For two years, the foundation worked to lobby lawmakers, create public awareness and help bitcoin technology advance with the changing times. However, in 2014 when the price of bitcoin dropped dramatically, the foundation lost a great deal of its funding and now almost two years later, it continues to struggle. Money Issues One of the foundation's largest problems lies in its finances. The Bitcoin Foundation's board members have proven inexperienced at raising money and managing finances, an issue that has caused the organization to lose around $7 million over the course of the past two years. Related Link:What's In Store For Bitcoin In 2016 On December 15 when the Bitcoin Foundation held its board meeting, Executive Director Bruce Fentonadmittedthat the organization was in dire straits and that more funding would be required in order to keep the foundation up and running, according to Bloomberg. A Bad Reputation However, while the bitcoin community strongly supports spreading the word about cryptocurrencies, the Bitcoin Foundation has found it increasingly difficult to recruit new members and drum up donations. One of the reasons for this has been the organization's deteriorating reputation. As bitcoin itself was dragged through the mud due to high profile scams, some Bitcoin Foundation board members were wrapped up in scandals of their own. Former Vice Chairman of the Bitcoin Foundation Charlie Shrem is serving time in prison for his involvement in the illegal Silk Road marketplace, and founding member Mark Karpeles, the brain behind failed exchange Mt. Gox, was arrested on charges of embezzlement in August 2015. Does Bitcoin Need A Foundation? While the Bitcoin Foundation has been instrumental in helping the cryptocurrency advance, many believe the currency is likely to survive even without the organization. While the Bitcoin Foundation represents the first major entity to advocate cryptocurrencies, several others have since emerged and will likely take on the organization's role should it deteriorate further. Hanging On By A Thread On December 22, the Bitcoin Foundation voted to continue into the New Year and appointed three new board members. In an effort to turn things around, the foundation is working to revamp its mission statement and focus on maintaining healthier financials. Image Credit:Public Domain See more from Benzinga • What Does The End Of The Oil Export Ban Mean For Investors? • Could 2016 Be The Year Of Drone Deliveries? • Are Bank Stocks The Way Forward In 2016? © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Can The Bitcoin Foundation Last?: The Bitcoin Foundation was launched in 2012 as a way to provide legitimacy to bitcoin and cryptocurrencies at a time when they were relatively unknown. For two years, the foundation worked to lobby lawmakers, create public awareness and help bitcoin technology advance with the changing times. However, in 2014 when the price of bitcoin dropped dramatically, the foundation lost a great deal of its funding and now almost two years later, it continues to struggle. Money Issues One of the foundation's largest problems lies in its finances. The Bitcoin Foundation's board members have proven inexperienced at raising money and managing finances, an issue that has caused the organization to lose around $7 million over the course of the past two years. Related Link:What's In Store For Bitcoin In 2016 On December 15 when the Bitcoin Foundation held its board meeting, Executive Director Bruce Fentonadmittedthat the organization was in dire straits and that more funding would be required in order to keep the foundation up and running, according to Bloomberg. A Bad Reputation However, while the bitcoin community strongly supports spreading the word about cryptocurrencies, the Bitcoin Foundation has found it increasingly difficult to recruit new members and drum up donations. One of the reasons for this has been the organization's deteriorating reputation. As bitcoin itself was dragged through the mud due to high profile scams, some Bitcoin Foundation board members were wrapped up in scandals of their own. Former Vice Chairman of the Bitcoin Foundation Charlie Shrem is serving time in prison for his involvement in the illegal Silk Road marketplace, and founding member Mark Karpeles, the brain behind failed exchange Mt. Gox, was arrested on charges of embezzlement in August 2015. Does Bitcoin Need A Foundation? While the Bitcoin Foundation has been instrumental in helping the cryptocurrency advance, many believe the currency is likely to survive even without the organization. While the Bitcoin Foundation represents the first major entity to advocate cryptocurrencies, several others have since emerged and will likely take on the organization's role should it deteriorate further. Hanging On By A Thread On December 22, the Bitcoin Foundation voted to continue into the New Year and appointed three new board members. In an effort to turn things around, the foundation is working to revamp its mission statement and focus on maintaining healthier financials. Image Credit:Public Domain See more from Benzinga • What Does The End Of The Oil Export Ban Mean For Investors? • Could 2016 Be The Year Of Drone Deliveries? • Are Bank Stocks The Way Forward In 2016? © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Your first trade for Friday: The "Fast Money" traders delivered their final trades of the day. Dan Nathan was a seller of Wal-Mart(WMT). Steve Grasso was a buyer of American Eagle Outfitters(AEO). Brian Kelly was a seller of Deutsche Bank(XETRA:DBK-DE). Guy Adami was a buyer of the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF(NYSE Arca: GDX)after picking Macy's(NYSE:M)three days in a row. Trader disclosure: On January 7, 2016, the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "Fast Money" traders: Dan Nathan is long MCD Feb put spread, long PFE buy-write, long TWTR March risk reversal, long UUP March call, long XLU Feb call spread, long PYPL Jan risk reversal, long M Jan16 call spread, long NTAP Jan risk reversal, long QCOM Feb calls, short SPY, long UUP, long WMT puts. Steve Grasso is long AAPL, BA, BAC, CC, DD, DIS, DECK, EVGN, KBH, MJNA, MBLY, MU, OLN, PFE, PHM, T, TWTR, GDX firm is long APC, CXO, OXY, BP, CVX, MCD, RIG, AMZN kids own EFA, EFG, EWJ, IJR, SPY. Brian Kelly is long BBRY, Bitcoin, GDX, GLD, Hong Kong Dollar, TLT, US Dollar; he is short British Pound, Euro, Yuan, Canadian Dollar, GSG, EEM, EWC, EWH, KRE, SPY, DB. Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, GDX, INTC, Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. Wolfe Research Sr. Analyst Paul Sankey: No disclosures. More From CNBC • Top News and Analysis • Latest News Video • Personal Finance || Sprott Out At Namesake Gold Fund As Price Collapse Takes Toll: With gold's decline, an entire precious metals industry is in peril. And Eric Sprott's just the canary in the gold mine. [This article first appeared on IndexUniverse.com and is republished here with permission.] For those of you who regularly read my stuff, you know I love to write about charts and numbers and all sorts of nerd-ery. In this blog, I'm only going to use a single chart. If you're a gold investor, you know which chart I'm talking about: Gold Prx since Fall 2011 Chart courtesy of StockCharts.com This is the nightmare chart for gold investors. The price of gold has collapsed from all-time highs of slightly more than $1,900 an ounce in fall of 2011 to near $1,235 today. Just this year, gold investors, a lot of them investing through ETFs like the SPDR Gold Trust ( GLD | A-100 ), are down almost 27 percent, while investors in the SPDR S&P 500 Trust ( SPY | A-98 ) are up 27 percent. You don't need to be a math whiz to recognize that this has been a terrible, terrible year for anyone who made a big rotation out of equities in the last few years and into the shiny stuff. And while it's easy to kick people when they are down, here's the thing: It's not just gold investors who got hammered. It's an entire industry that's been built on the back of the gold rally. Consider GLD all by itself for a moment. GLD's peak NAV in August last year was $184.59. On that day, there were 424 million shares outstanding, for net assets of more than $78 billion, with an implied annual fee due of $313 million a year. Today assets stand at just $33 billion—well under half their peak, with an implied fee base of $131 million a year. That's nearly $200 million that's leaving the GLD management ecosystem. I'm not expecting anyone to feel sorry for the poor ETF issuer here (State Street and the World Gold Council). Rather, I'm pointing out that decline in gold has made for some rather dramatic shifts in the investment economy. Consider Eric Sprott. I first came to know of Sprott when his Physical Gold Trust launched in 2010—right in the froth of the run-up—and it was being called an "ETF" by various media sources (it's not; it's a closed-end fund). At the time, I ripped it apart for tax issues, poor marketing and various other shortcomings. That's nothing to the savaging Sprott received at the hands of one of the smartest bloggers on the Web, Kid Dynamite. Kid Dynamite has made a kind of sport out of watching how Sprott's closed-end funds magically become un-closed and issue new shares when they trade to large premiums. Story continues Nothing wrong there, other than the fact that the big recipient of those nonpremium shares tended to be other Sprott funds, who could then sell them for the premium price . Nice work if you can get it. But while the various shenanigans may have worked on the way up, they've brutalized the company—and Eric Sprott—on the way down. Take their flagship closed-end gold fund, PHYS. It launched on Feb. 26, 2010. GLD investors are up 9.09 percent since then. PHYS investors are up 6.36 percent. I don't know how you leave 1 percent a year on the table when your only job is to buy gold and stick it in a vault, but there you have it. The good news (if you're actually in one of Sprott's many funds) is that Sprott himself has gotten the ax, as noted by the extraordinarily unkind headline at Business Insider this morning: " One Of The Most Famous Gold Bug Fund Managers Has Gotten Obliterated ." The Wall St. Journal article is a bit more professional—" Gold Drop Is Blow to Prominent Hedge-Fund Manager Sprott "—but makes hay out of the fact that his namesake hedge fund is down 50 percent in 2013. That takes work. In the end, Sprott's getting the boot, and being replaced by new management. There's a whole lot of that going on in gold circles: people getting the boot and making way for turnaround specialists to come in and clean up business. The gold miner industry is awash in panic: The bellwether ETF in the space, the Market Vectors Gold Miners fund ( GDX | A-54 ), is down 66.4 percent since gold's peak in 2011, and down 54.49 percent just in 2013. That collapse is driven by very real work being done in the gold miner space to deal with the collapsing gold prices. Anglo American, for instance, brought in a new CEO to help make huge cuts, effect write-downs and position the company for a longer-term business. In some sense, that's all healthier than bubble economics. But that's small solace to any investor who's actually ridden Anglo American, PHYS, GDX or GLD to the ground these past few years. Of course, the question any rational investor should ask is, What's next? And that's where it becomes very difficult to read the news. In most rational sectors of the global economy, analysts are analysts. You read the reports from agricultural experts or retail-stock experts, and they generally call things as they see them. In the precious metals space, nearly every article you get off any kind of Google search will always be telling you why "Now is the time!" It's important to remember that gold—and the entire gold investment economy—is unique. Gold, by itself, is useless and valueless. It has value only because it's scarce, and then only because enough people believe its scarcity can make it a useful medium of representing value and making transactions. Gold is, essentially, an idea that people assign value to. Lots of folks believe? It goes up. Crisis of faith? It tanks. Which makes it surprisingly similar to that other highly volatile source of questionable stored-value: Bitcoin. Maybe that's where Sprott's next adventure will take him. I'll be camped firmly on the sidelines with a bowl of popcorn. At the time this article was written, the author held no positions in the securities mentioned. Contact Dave Nadig at [email protected] . Recommended Stories Bearish Inventory Report Doesn’t Change Bullish Outlook For NatGas Record Silver Investing, Record Silver Mine Output In 2014 NatGas Tests Top End Of Price Range After Demand Soars Natural Gas Will Eventually Fall Below $3 Potential Takeover Targets In The Mining Sector Permalink | © Copyright 2016 ETF.com. All rights reserved View comments || Now You Can Play The Lottery With Bitcoin: While bitcoin has faced several obstacles in its journey toward mainstream adoption, the cryptocurrency appears to be starting the New Year off on the right foot. Not only has bitcoin seen its value increase steadily over the past three months, but the coin has gained some fame, as merchants continue to adopt the cryptocurrency as a valid form of payment. The latest place consumers can find use for their bitcoins is the lottery, which has gotten a lot of attention recently due to its $1.6 billion Powerball Jackpot prize. Bitcoin Payment Mobile lottery ticket app Jackpocket has integrated bitcoin as a payment option within the app, meaning that people can purchase their Powerball tickets using the cryptocurrency. On Wednesday, the app announced its bitcoin addition, which garnered a lot of attention for the coin, as the Powerball Jackpot also reached a record high on the same day. Related Link:UPDATE: Winning Powerball Tickets Sold In California, Florida, Tennessee --ABC News Bullish On Bitcoin For Jackpocket, the move was a great way to reach another demographic of lottery players and represents the company's faith in bitcoin's success. Jackpocket CEO Peter Sullivanannouncedthe decision to incorporate bitcoin into the app saying that he and his team are "very bullish on cryptocurrencies and the blockchain in general." Speedy Transactions Not only will bitcoin add to Jackpocket's pool of potential users, but Sullivan says he hopes it will help speed up transaction times and reduce glitches. Heavy volumes of users trying to buy tickets have been hindered by regulations, according to Sullivan, and those issues have strained the app's relationship with credit card processors and banks. Related Link:No Luck On Winning Powerball? Learn The Skill Of Trading More Customers It remains to be seen whether many Jackpocket users will use the bitcoin payment option, but Sullivan is hoping it will attract more affluent customers who have experience with technology, a group he says is likely to buy more tickets. Image Credit: Public Domain See more from Benzinga • Google Is Seeking Autonomous Car Partnerships • U.S. Automakers Struggle With Skeptical Investors • Netflix Continues To Deliver On Promises That 2016 Will Be A Big Year © 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Sprott Out At Namesake Gold Fund As Price Collapse Takes Toll: With gold's decline, an entire precious metals industry is in peril. And Eric Sprott's just the canary in the gold mine. [This article first appeared onIndexUniverse.comand is republished here with permission.] For those of you who regularly read my stuff, you know I love to write about charts and numbers and all sorts of nerd-ery. In this blog, I'm only going to use a single chart. If you're a gold investor, you know which chart I'm talking about: Chart courtesy ofStockCharts.com This is the nightmare chart for gold investors. The price of gold has collapsed from all-time highs of slightly more than $1,900 an ounce in fall of 2011 to near $1,235 today. Just this year, gold investors, a lot of them investing through ETFs like the SPDR Gold Trust (GLD | A-100), are down almost 27 percent, while investors in the SPDR S&P 500 Trust (SPY | A-98) are up 27 percent. You don't need to be a math whiz to recognize that this has been a terrible, terrible year for anyone who made a big rotation out of equities in the last few years and into the shiny stuff. And while it's easy to kick people when they are down, here's the thing: It's not just gold investors who got hammered. It's an entire industry that's been built on the back of the gold rally. Consider GLD all by itself for a moment. GLD's peak NAV in August last year was $184.59. On that day, there were 424 million shares outstanding, for net assets of more than $78 billion, with an implied annual fee due of $313 million a year. Today assets stand at just $33 billion—well under half their peak, with an implied fee base of $131 million a year. That's nearly $200 million that's leaving the GLD management ecosystem. I'm not expecting anyone to feel sorry for the poor ETF issuer here (State Street and the World Gold Council). Rather, I'm pointing out that decline in gold has made for some rather dramatic shifts in the investment economy. Consider Eric Sprott. I firstcame to knowof Sprott when his Physical Gold Trust launched in 2010—right in the froth of the run-up—and it was being called an "ETF" by various media sources (it's not; it's a closed-end fund). At the time, I ripped it apart for tax issues, poor marketing and various other shortcomings. That's nothing to the savaging Sprott received at the hands of one of the smartest bloggers on the Web, Kid Dynamite. Kid Dynamite has made akind of sportout of watching how Sprott's closed-end funds magically become un-closed and issue new shares when they trade to large premiums. Nothing wrong there, other than the fact that the big recipient of those nonpremium shares tended to be other Sprott funds,who could then sell them for the premium price. Nice work if you can get it. But while the various shenanigans may have worked on the way up, they've brutalized the company—and Eric Sprott—on the way down. Take their flagship closed-end gold fund, PHYS. It launched on Feb. 26, 2010. GLD investors are up 9.09 percent since then. PHYS investors are up 6.36 percent. I don't knowhowyou leave 1 percent a year on the table when your only job is to buy gold and stick it in a vault, but there you have it. The good news (if you're actually in one of Sprott's many funds) is that Sprott himself has gotten the ax, as noted by the extraordinarily unkind headline at Business Insider this morning: "One Of The Most Famous Gold Bug Fund Managers Has Gotten Obliterated." The Wall St. Journal article is a bit more professional—"Gold Drop Is Blow to Prominent Hedge-Fund Manager Sprott"—but makes hay out of the fact that his namesake hedge fund is down 50 percent in 2013. That takes work. In the end, Sprott's getting the boot, and being replaced by new management. There's a whole lot of that going on in gold circles: people getting the boot and making way for turnaround specialists to come in and clean up business. The gold miner industry is awash in panic: The bellwether ETF in the space, the Market Vectors Gold Miners fund (GDX | A-54), is down 66.4 percent since gold's peak in 2011, and down 54.49 percent just in 2013. That collapse is driven by very real work being done in the gold miner space to deal with the collapsing gold prices. Anglo American, for instance, brought in a new CEO to help make huge cuts, effect write-downs and position the company for a longer-term business. In some sense, that's all healthier than bubble economics. But that's small solace to any investor who's actually ridden Anglo American, PHYS, GDX or GLD to the ground these past few years. Of course, the question any rational investor should ask is, What's next? And that's where it becomes very difficult to read the news. In most rational sectors of the global economy, analysts are analysts. You read the reports from agricultural experts or retail-stock experts, and they generally call things as they see them. In the precious metals space, nearly every article you get off any kind of Google search will always be telling you why "Now is the time!" It's important to remember that gold—and the entire gold investment economy—is unique. Gold, by itself, is useless and valueless. It has value only because it's scarce, and then only because enough people believe its scarcity can make it a useful medium of representing value and making transactions. Gold is, essentially, an idea that people assign value to. Lots of folks believe? It goes up. Crisis of faith? It tanks. Which makes it surprisingly similar to that other highly volatile source of questionable stored-value: Bitcoin. Maybe that's where Sprott's next adventure will take him. I'll be camped firmly on the sidelines with a bowl of popcorn. At the time this article was written, the author held no positions in the securities mentioned. Contact Dave Nadig [email protected]. Recommended Stories • Bearish Inventory Report Doesn’t Change Bullish Outlook For NatGas • Record Silver Investing, Record Silver Mine Output In 2014 • NatGas Tests Top End Of Price Range After Demand Soars • Natural Gas Will Eventually Fall Below $3 • Potential Takeover Targets In The Mining Sector Permalink| © Copyright 2016ETF.com.All rights reserved || The myth of Mariana's Web, the darkest corner of the internet: Chances are, like me, the first time you heard about the Dark Web it was described as a foul and depraved marketplace, where children, drugs, and pirated movies could be bought for mere Bitcoin. Tabloids paint it as a place where a veritable "Top 10" of our biggest fears resides. Opportunistic security companies sell threat intelligence services that allude to hunting for bad guys in dark dens that deal in organ harvesting, involuntary human experiments, and more. Like most people, I find the siren song of lurid, spooky bullshit to be irresistible. And the Dark Web's boogeyman aura is all about spooky bullshit. That's despite the fact that the Dark Web is host to a lot of communities that aren't doing anything nefarious (unless you think furries are evil; there's a huge Dark Web furry social network that simply wants privacy). But the organ harvesting dramatics are nothing until we get tothe"deepest part of the web, where people don't want you to go," the so-called "Mariana's Web." The legend of Mariana's Web appears to get its name from the deepest part of the ocean, Mariana's Trench. It's supposedly the deepest part of the web, a forbidden place of mysterious evil -- or at least, that's the mythos a subset of online believers has cultivated. Depending on where you get your Mariana's Web myths, it's where you'll find "thedarkest secretshumanity has in its history," thesecret locationof Atlantis and "the Vatican secret archives," or a database of archives belonging tothe most powerful intelligence agencieson Earth. Many believe that Mariana's is home to an all-powerful,female artificial intelligence entity. Mariana's Web is certainly the definition of spooky BS, especially because it's technically impossible; it's supposedly only accessible through quantum computers -- which currently only exist in science fiction. Yet to the chagrin of people who love facts, it's slowly starting to bereportedas fact. Copy or Embed This Whisper Direct Link Embed Download on theApp Store Download onGoogle Play Get App That's probably not a surprise if you've been watching infosec-challenged traditional media try to cover the finer points of hacking, let alone anything outside Google's reach. But seeing anecdotes and myth start to bubble up into areas that may affect people's actual decisions about risk and safety ... Well it's entertaining, but also worrying when anecdote is substituted for data in an area that often involves law enforcement. That infosec firm clients are asking for threat intelpackagesto include Mariana's Web is information that is also anecdotal, though it's my anecdote, and one I recently heard first-hand. But that new twist, my friends, isn't just the result of clickbait or security company sales drama -- it's the result ofthis fake infographic. An epic troll that people haveinterpreted as fact. I don't know why people don't read things carefully, or avoid fact checking, or want to believe in Atlantis and invisible beings. But I'm glad they do, because it sure makes doing research on dry-as-desert threat intel services way more entertaining. Fingers crossed that the TV take on the very fictional Mariana's Web comes fromThe X-Files, and notCSI: Cyber-- or CNN. [Image credit: Shutterstock] || REUTERS AMERICA NEWS PLAN FOR TUESDAY FEB 2: REUTERS AMERICA MIDDAY NEWS PLAN FOR TUESDAY FEB 2 LATEST AND PLANNED U.S. NEWS COVERAGE (ALL TIMES ET) Top stories as of 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday. To find stories, search by Slug or Headline Keyword in your CMS or Advanced Search in Media Express. For story queries, please contact [email protected] For photo queries use [email protected] TOP STORIES Cruz calls Iowa win a victory for 'conservative grass roots' DES MOINES - Relishing his victory in the first Republican nominating contest of the U.S. presidential election, Senator Ted Cruz called his defeat of Donald Trump in the Iowa caucuses a tribute to "conservative grass roots." (USA-ELECTION/ (WRAPUP 5, PIX, TV, GRAPHIC), moved at 10:33 a.m., by Ginger Gibson, 636 words). See also: USA-ELECTION/TRUMP (PIX, TV), moved at 7 a.m., by Steve Holland, 765 words and USA-ELECTION/RUBIO (PIX), moved at 7 a.m., by James Oliphant, 586 words) Virtual tie raises doubts: Can Hillary Clinton close the deal? DES MOINES, Iowa - Hillary Clinton's struggle in Iowa to fend off underdog Bernie Sanders, a self-described democratic socialist, reignited questions about her ability to close the deal with Democratic voters and turned up the pressure on her high-profile White House campaign. USA-ELECTION/DEMOCRATS (PIX, TV), moved at 7 a.m., by John Whitesides, 718 words. FBI joins Flint, Michigan water contamination probe WASHINGTON - The FBI is joining a U.S. criminal investigation into Flint, Michigan's water contamination crisis, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit said on Tuesday. (MICHIGAN-WATER/ (UPDATE 2), moved, 599 words) Punxsutawney Phil predicts early spring PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. - Punxsutawney Phil, the Pennsylvania groundhog renowned for his ability to forecast the onset of spring, did not see his shadow after emerging from his burrow on Tuesday morning, predicting an early spring. (USA-GROUNDHOG/ (UPDATE 1, PIX, TV), moved at 7:54 a.m., 497 words) Story continues Africa, Asia vulnerable to spread of Zika virus -WHO GENEVA - The Zika virus linked to a microcephaly outbreak in Latin America could spread to Africa and Asia, with the world's highest birth rates, the World Health Organization warns as it launches a global response unit against the new emergency. (HEALTH-ZIKA/ (UPDATE 1, TV, PICTURE), moved, by Stephanie Nebehay, 305 words). See also: HEALTH-ZIKA/OLYMPICS, moved, 100 words and HEALTH-ZIKA/AUSTRALIA, moved, by Jane Wardell, 380 words Nine migrants, including two babies drowned off Turkish coast- coastguard ISTANBUL - Nine people, including two babies, are found drowned off the coast of western Turkey after a boat carrying people to Greece partly capsizes, the coast guard says. (EUROPE-MIGRANTS/TURKEY (UPDATE 1), moved, 181 words) PM resigns as Haiti scrambles for interim government before deadline PORT-AU-PRINCE - Haiti's prime minister has resigned, government sources said, in an attempt to clear the way for a temporary government to replace outgoing President Michel Martelly after a botched election and violent street protests last month. (HAITI-ELECTION/ (UPDATE 2, TV, PIX), moving shortly, 391 words) Bill Cosby fighting sex assault charge in Pennsylvania court NORRISTOWN, Pa. - Bill Cosby appeared at a suburban Philadelphia courthouse on Tuesday to fight sexual assault charges, which his lawyers say violate a decade-old agreement with a former district attorney not to prosecute the disgraced comedian. (PEOPLE-COSBY/ (UPDATE 3, PIX, TV), moved, 485 words) CAMPAIGN Bernie Sanders shows strong momentum on social media NEW YORK - It may be too close to call between Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in the Iowa caucuses on Monday but the senator from Vermont was the clear winner on social media. (USA-ELECTION/SOCIALMEDIA (UPDATE 3, PIX), moved, 370 words) Cruz's Iowa victory could be big blow to Big Corn NEW YORK - Ted Cruz's victory on Monday in corn-rich Iowa could represent a major blow to the nation's controversial biofuels program, reflecting its waning influence over politicians even in the U.S. farming heartland. (USA-ELECTION/ETHANOL (UPDATE 1, PIX), moved, 670 words) WASHINGTON Pentagon's 2017 budget reshapes spending amid changing security environment WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Tuesday the Pentagon would seek a $582.7 billion defense budget next year and reshape its spending priorities to reflect a new strategic environment marked by Russian assertiveness and the rise of Islamic State. (USA-DEFENSE/BUDGET (UPDATE 1, PIX, TV), moving shortly, 404 words) U.S. military leaders: women should have to register for draft WASHINGTON - U.S. armed forces leaders said on Tuesday that women should be required to register for the military draft, along with men, as the military moves toward integrating them fully into combat positions. (USA-MILITARY/WOMEN (UPDATE 1, PIX), moved, 390 words) IS pushed back in Iraq, Syria, but a threat in Libya -Kerry ROME - An international coalition is pushing back Islamic State militants in their Syrian and Iraqi strongholds but the group is threatening Libya and could seize the nation's oil wealth, U.S Secretary of State John Kerry says. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/COALITION (UPDATE 1, PICTURE, TV), moved, by Arshad Mohammed, 590 words). See also: MIDEAST-CRISIS/IRAQ-IS (INSIGHT, PICTURE), moved, by Samia Nakhoul, 1,515 words New European, U.S. data transfer pact imminent - sources BRUSSELS - European and U.S. negotiators are on the brink of clinching a new transatlantic data transfer pact which should prevent EU regulators from restricting data transfers by firms, two people familiar with the talks say. (EU-DATAPROTECTION/USA (EXCLUSIVE, UPDATE 2), moved, by Julia Fioretti, 525 words) China defends law enforcers as U.S. calls for clarity on booksellers BEIJING/WASHINGTON - China's Foreign Ministry says its law enforcement officials will never do anything illegal, especially not overseas, after the United States calls on China to clarify the status of five missing Hong Kong booksellers. (HONGKONG-BOOKSELLERS/USA (UPDATE 1, TV), moved at 5 a.m., 430 words) OTHER U.S. NEWS Leader of Oregon occupation to appear in court PORTLAND, Ore. - Ammon Bundy, who led a group of armed protesters in the occupation of a wildlife refuge in remote Oregon, will appear in federal court in Portland where his attorneys will argue that he should be released on bail ahead of his trial. (OREGON-MILITIA/COURT, expect by 3 p.m. 400 words) White Michigan ex-cop to be sentenced in beating of black motorist DETROIT - A white former suburban Detroit police officer is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday for the beating last year of a black motorist during a traffic stop caught on video. (MICHIGAN-POLICE/SENTENCE, moved at 9:28 a.m., 221 words, will be led) Controversial Detroit school manager to step down this month DETROIT - Detroit Public Schools' emergency manager Darnell Earley is stepping down later this month, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder said on Tuesday. (DETROIT-EDUCATION/ (UPDATE 1), moving shortly, about 400 words) Ferguson, Mo., to hear from public on proposed justice reforms FERGUSON - Residents of Ferguson, Missouri, which has a proposed agreement with the U.S. Justice Department to reform its police department after the 2014 shooting by a white officer of a black teenager, will voice their opinions on the deal at a meeting on Tuesday night. (MISSOURI-FERGUSON/, moved at 1019 am ET, 270 words) Georgia to execute its oldest death row inmate for 1979 murder ATLANTA - A 72-year-old man convicted of murdering a convenience store manager in a 1979 robbery in Atlanta's suburbs is set to be executed on Tuesday in Georgia. (USA-EXECUTION/GEORGIA (PIX), moved at 7 a.m., 281 words) Three teenagers arrested in fatal shooting at Seattle homeless camp -- Three teenagers were arrested on Monday in connection with a shooting at a Seattle homeless encampment where two people were killed and three wounded, police said. (SEATTLE-SHOOTING/, moved, 181 words) Teacher arrested in Southern California jail escape freed LOS ANGELES - A teacher arrested in connection with the escape of three inmates from a Southern California jail was freed from custody on Monday after prosecutors said they did not have enough evidence to charge her with a crime. (CALIFORNIA-ESCAPE/ (UPDATE 1), moved at 11:45 p.m., 383 words) SUPER BOWL Super models, super heroes add up to Super strange Media Day SAN JOSE - Media Day was transformed into Opening Night for Super Bowl 50 but the switch to prime time did nothing to change the zany tone as super models and super heroes mingled with giants of sports journalism. (NFL-SUPERBOWL/MEDIA (PIX), moved at 2:15 a.m., 397 words) Newton shows serious side at media night SAN JOSE - Cam Newton became known for his on field celebrations during the Carolina Panthers march to Super Bowl 50, but the quarterback says preparation is what brings him real joy. (NFL-SUPERBOWL/NEWTON (PIX), moved at 2:20 a.m., 368 words) Broncos' Manning says no decision yet on retirement SAN JOSE - Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning said on Monday he has not yet decided whether he will retire following Super Bowl 50 and that he is strictly focused on winning his second NFL championship. (NFL-SUPERBOWL/MANNING (PIX), moved, 360 words) MIDDLE EAST Syrian army threatens to encircle Aleppo as talks falter BEIRUT/AMMAN/GENEVA - A Syrian military offensive backed by heavy Russian air strikes threatened to cut critical rebel supply lines into the northern city of Aleppo on Tuesday while the warring sides said peace talks had not started despite a U.N. statement they had. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/SYRIA (WRAPUP 3, TV, PICTURE), moved, by Tom Perry, Suleiman Al-Khalidi and John Irish, 1,059 words) Iraqis running out of food and medicine in besieged Falluja BAGHDAD - Tens of thousands of trapped Iraqi civilians are running out of food and medicine in the western city of Falluja, an Islamic State stronghold under siege by security forces. (MIDEAST-CRISIS/IRAQ-FALLUJA (UPDATE 2), expect by 1530 GMT/10,30 AM ET, by Stephen Kalin, 900 words) Jordan needs international help over refugee crisis-King Abdullah LONDON - King Abdullah says Jordan needs long-term aid from the international community to cope with a huge influx of Syrian refugees, warning that unless it received support the "dam is going to burst". (MIDEAST-CRISIS/JORDAN, moved, 320 words) WORLD Proposal unveiled to keep Britain in EU, sceptics unmoved LONDON/BRUSSELS - European Council President Donald Tusk presents proposals for keeping Britain in the European Union to a mixed response, underlining the challenges Prime Minister David Cameron faces to win over his people and other EU leaders. (BRITAIN-EU/ (UPDATE 4, PICTURE), expect by 1530 GMT/10.30 AM ET, by Elizabeth Piper and Jan Strupczewski, 900 words) Socialists ready to lead talks to form government in Spain MADRID - The leader of Spain's Socialists offers to lead talks between parties to form a government in a bid to break political deadlock and avoid a new national election in the next few months. (SPAIN-POLITICS/ (UPDATE 2, PICTURE, TV), expect by 1900 GMT/2 PM ET, by Julien Toyer and Blanca Rodriguez, 500 words) Cuba open for business, ministers tell French executives PARIS - Cuba seeks to drum up foreign investment as ministers on a state visit to Paris promise French business leaders that the Communist-run country is open for business. (CUBA-FRANCE/, moved, 280 words) China's nuclear envoy in North Korea amid sanctions push SEOUL - China's envoy for the North Korean nuclear issue arrives in the capital, Pyongyang, the North's KCNA news agency reports, amid a push by the United States and South Korea for tougher sanctions on the North after its fourth nuclear test. (NORTHKOREA-NUCLEAR/CHINA, moved, 370 words) EU to step up checks on Bitcoin, prepaid cards to fight terrorism BRUSSELS - The European Commission will propose by the end of June stricter rules on prepaid cards and virtual currencies in a bid to reduce anonymous payments and curb the financing of terrorism, documents released show. (EU-TERRORISM/FINANCING (PICTURE), moved, by Francesco Guarascio, 464 words) North Norea notifies IMO of planned satellite launch SEOUL - North Korea has notified the International Maritime Organization of plans to launch a satellite between Feb. 8 and Feb. 25, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported late on Tuesday. (NORTHKOREA-SATELLITE/ (UPDATE 1), moving shortly, 150 words) Australia PM weighs early poll to break political deadlock SYDNEY - Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull raises the possibility of dissolving both houses of Parliament and calling an early election to break a political deadlock that has stymied the government, say government officials aware of the matter. (AUSTRALIA-POLITICS/ELECTION, moved, 430 words) India's Supreme Court will review law criminalising gay sex NEW DELHI - India's top court says it will review a decision over whether to uphold a colonial-era law that criminalises gay sex in a victory for homosexual rights campaigners at a time when the nation is navigating a path between tradition and modernity. (INDIA-COURT/ (UPDATE 2, PICTURE, TV), moved, by Aditya Kalra and Andrew MacAskill, 410 words) HEALTH AND SCIENCE Long shifts for young surgeons don't threaten patient safety -- Controversial rules that limit the hours young surgeons can work while in training aren't needed to protect patient safety, a nationwide experiment finds. (HEALTH-SURGERY/RESIDENT-HOURS, moved, 753 words) ENTERTAINMENT AND LIFESTYLE Britain's James Corden to host 2016 Tony Awards NEW YORK - British actor James Corden will host the Tony Awards for theater for the first time at a ceremony in New York in June, organizers announced on Tuesday. (AWARDS-TONYS, moved, 186 words) Baggy but futuristic looks kick off NY men's fashion week NEW YORK - Following a successful debut in July, New York hosts its second menswear fashion week, with dozens of established fashion names as well as new designers showcasing their autumn/winter offerings - from slick suits to more casual wear. (FASHION-NEWYORK/MEN (TV), expect by noon, 238 words) CONSUMER TECH Spin-off or sale? Yahoo turnaround plan in focus as earnings awaited SAN FRANCISCO - Yahoo Inc's plans to turn around its struggling core business are set to dominate its earnings report after the bell on Tuesday, with investors keen to see if CEO Marissa Mayer will push ahead with a proposed spin-off or entertain calls for a complete sale. (YAHOO-RESULTS/PREVIEW, moved at 7 a.m., 355 words) Lower costs nudge Nintendo's profit higher TOKYO - Japan's Nintendo reported a 5.3 percent increase in third-quarter operating profit, in line with analysts forecasts, as lower costs helped offset a decline in overall sales. (NINTENDO-RESULTS/, moved at 2:30 a.m., 134 words) BUSINESS TRENDS Fearing lean times, U.S. companies tighten purse strings NEW YORK - The capital spending slump that originated in the hard-hit energy sector appears to be spreading more widely across other U.S. industries. (USA-RESULTS/CAPEX (ANALYSIS), moved, 600 words) A new global oil deal could draw lessons from 1998 LONDON - After a year of secret diplomacy and hushed-up private talks around the world, OPEC's mighty Saudi Arabia and rival Venezuela were persuaded to cut a deal by non-OPEC Mexico which overcame mutual acrimony and led to a much-needed rise in oil prices. (OPEC-RUSSIA/DEAL (ANALYSIS, PIX), moved, 1,345 words) See also: GLOBAL-OIL/ (UPDATE 6), moved, 365 words BUSINESS AND MARKETS ChemChina close to striking deal for Syngenta -sources China's state-owned ChemChina is nearing a deal to buy Swiss seeds and pesticides group Syngenta for $42.2 billion, two people familiar with the matter say, two people familiar with the matter say. (SYNGENTA AG-M&A/CHEMCHINA (UPDATE 3), moved, Arno Schuetze and Pamela Barbaglia, 350 words) Exxon's profit tumbles 58 percent, slashes capex by one-quarter Exxon Mobil Corp reports its smallest quarterly profit in more than a decade and says it will cut 2015 spending by one-quarter and suspend share repurchases as it copes with a prolonged downturn in crude prices. (EXXON MOBIL-RESULTS/ (UPDATE 2), moved, by Anna Driver, 340 words) GM January U.S. sales up slightly, Ford's down DETROIT - U.S. auto sales appeared to fare better than expected in January, early returns show, as the industry benefited from low gasoline prices, easy credit and moderate economic growth. (USA-AUTOS/ (UPDATE 2), moved, Bernie Woodall, 410 words) Dow Chemical CEO Liveris to step down by mid-2017 Dow Chemical Co Chief Executive Andrew Liveris said he will retire from the company by mid-2017, months after activist investor Daniel Loeb called upon him to step down from the company, which is merging with rival DuPont. (DOW-RESULTS/ (UPDATE 4), moving shortly, by Amrutha Gayathri and Swetha Gopinath, 400 words) Stocks snap winning streak as oil pressure returns LONDON - World stocks end three days of gains as lackluster global economic data lead to another slump in oil prices. (GLOBAL-MARKETS/ (WRAPUP 5), updated throughout the day, 600 words). See also: USA-STOCKS/ (UPDATE 3), updated throughout the day, 460 words) Oil slides more than 5 percent as hopes for output cut fade LONDON - Brent oil falls more than 5 percent, while U.S. crude slides below $30 per barrel, on worries about future demand and rising supply, while hopes for a deal between OPEC and Russia on output cuts fade. (GLOBAL-OIL/ (UPDATE 9), updated throughout the day, 460 words) Low metals prices sink zinc producer Horsehead Holding Corp WILMINGTON, Del. - U.S. zinc miner Horsehead Holding Corp files for bankruptcy protection, becoming the latest victim of a commodity price crash that has claimed scores of U.S. energy exploration companies, miners and metals producers. (HORSEHEAD HLDG-BANKRUPTCY/, moved, by Tom Hals, 320 words) Argentina says reaches provisional debt deal with Italian creditors BUENOS AIRES - Argentina has reached a preliminary deal with a group of Italian creditors who hold 30 percent of unpaid sovereign debt stemming from Argentina's record $100 billion default in 2002, Finance Minister Alfonso Prat-Gay says. (ARGENTINA-DEBT/ (UPDATE 1), moving shortly, 300 words) Brazil industrial output plunges 8 percent in 2015 BRASILIA - Industrial output in Brazil fell for a seventh straight month in December, capping the worst year for manufacturers in more than a decade as they struggle with inflation, high interest rates and political uncertainty. (BRAZIL ECONOMY/INDUSTRY (UPDATE 1), moved, by Silvio Cascione, 300 words) German jobless rate falls to lowest on record BERLIN - German unemployment fell more sharply than expected in January and the jobless rate dropped to a record low, suggesting private consumption will help offset a slowdown in emerging markets to keep growth in Europe's largest economy steady. (GERMANY-ECONOMY/UNEMPLOYMENT (UPDATE 1), moved, 290 words) Alphabet overtakes Apple in market value - for now Alphabet Inc might win the market cap battle against Apple Inc, but will it win the war? Maybe not. (APPLE-ALPHABET/RESEARCH (UPDATE 1), moved, by Sayantani Ghosh and Supantha Mukherjee, 510 words) Pfizer 2016 forecasts disappoint; shares fall U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc forecasts 2016 revenue and earnings below analysts' estimates, largely because of the strong dollar. (PFIZER-RESULTS/ (UPDATE 3), moved, 350 words) UPS fourth-quarter profit surges, gives robust outlook CHICAGO - United Parcel Service Inc reports a significantly higher quarterly net profit on a solid holiday season performance and gives a solid earnings outlook for 2016 despite warning of uncertain economic conditions. (UPS-RESULTS/ (UPDATE 1), moved, 330 words) ***************** For story queries, please contact us.general- [email protected] For photo queries use [email protected]) ***************** || New Study Shows Bitcoin Still Has A Long Way To Go: Bitcoin has gained notoriety quickly over the past few years, as more people become familiar with cryptocurrencies. While the majority of the public is still skeptical regarding the safety and security of the currency, bitcoin's user base has been growing. However, although bitcoin enthusiasts say the payment system has made major gains over the past few years, a new study shows the cryptocurrency is still widely misunderstood, even by those who use it. Limited Understanding A peer-reviewed study conducted by Janne Lindqvist of Rutgers Wireless Information Network Laboratory showed both users and non-users of the cryptocurrency have only a basic understanding of how bitcoin works and how safe it is to use. Related Link: Interest In Bitcoin Mining Returns For those who have yet to try bitcoin, the study indicated they worried about adopting the currency and saw setting up an account as too difficult. Users Misinformed Surprisingly, the study also showed that many of those who use bitcoin regularly also found the system difficult to understand. Not only were bitcoin users misinformed about the level of security bitcoin transactions provide, but they also struggled to wrap their minds around how bitcoin transactions are carried out. Government Backing Important Another factor from the study that garners attention was that both users and non-users were keen for further government intervention for Bitcoin. While users typically expressed anti-government views and said less regulation was important to them, they still said that backing from the government would make the bitcoin system more secure. Image Credit: Public Domain See more from Benzinga Under Armour's Partnership With IBM Could Revive Both Brands Can Bank Stocks Recover? A New Way To Advertise © 2016 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. View comments [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] #RDD / #BTC on the exchanges: Cryptsy: 0.00000004 Bittrex: 0.00000003 Average $1.3E-5 per #reddcoin 07:00:01 || #RDD / #BTC on the exchanges: Cryptsy: 0.00000006 Bittrex: 0.00000004 Average $2.2E-5 per #reddcoin 00:30:02 via #p…pic.twitter.com/PKWGGg5lL7 || $448.00 at 00:00 UTC [24h Range: $438.00 - $451.13 Volume: 7983 BTC] || #RDD / #BTC on the exchanges: Cryptsy: Error Bittrex: 0.00000006 Average $2.2E-5 per #reddcoin 22:00:01 via #priceo…pic.twitter.com/Op8ExIFAxZ || #RDD / #BTC on the exchanges: Cryptsy: 0.00000005 Bittrex: 0.00000005 Average $1.9E-5 per #reddcoin 00:00:01 via #p…pic.twitter.com/Him2sjOMJB || LIVE: Profit = $69.08 (5.04 %). BUY B3.60 @ $380.00 (#VirCurex). SELL @ $398.82 (#HitBTC) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || LIVE: Profit = $26.13 (0.19 %). BUY B35.18 @ $382.00 (#BitStamp). SELL @ $385.25 (#Kraken) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || In the last 10 mins, there were arb opps spanning 23 exchange pair(s), yielding profits ranging between $0.00 and $186.23 #bitcoin #btc || LIVE: Profit = $170.64 (8.04 %). BUY B5.49 @ $410.00 (#VirCurex). SELL @ $416.72 (#HitBTC) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || In the last 10 mins, there were arb opps spanning 9 exchange pair(s), yielding profits ranging between $0.00 and $1.52 #bitcoin #btc
Trend: up || Prices: 407.23, 400.18, 407.49, 416.32, 422.37, 420.79, 437.16, 438.80, 437.75, 420.74
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2018-12-03] BTC Price: 3894.13, BTC RSI: 29.69 Gold Price: 1233.90, Gold RSI: 58.79 Oil Price: 52.95, Oil RSI: 34.99 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin or Altcoins: What Should You Invest in?: The cryptocurrency industry is packed full of different coins. Seemingly, every day we have a new altcoin bursting onto the scene that could potentially change the crypto landscape. So, knowing how to invest your money can save your nerves and time. With so many different currencies available for purchase, how can you hope to make the right choice? In reality, there is no right or wrong option in the cryptocurrency market, as it all depends on goals and application areas. Arming yourself with knowledge can allow you to make an informed decision and minimize your investment risk. Let’s look at the pros and cons of various options available, which might help you to decide on whether you shouldbuy Bitcoinor opt for altcoins instead. Before we examine Bitcoin and altcoins, we can look briefly at why there are so many cryptocurrencies on the market. Bitcoin is hugely successful – no one ever thought it would take off in the way it has. Furthermore, the underlying technology, such as blockchain, has proven relatively easy to recreate. Due to these factors, many budding entrepreneurs and Bitcoin enthusiasts created their own coins. They saw an opportunity to rival Bitcoin or to create their own legacy. As a result, we now have an abundance of altcoins on the market. Bitcoin is the original cryptocurrency. Initially created and released in 2009, it introduced blockchain technology and the proof-of-work principle to the world. Since inception, Bitcoin has grown to become the most prominent cryptocurrency. There are over 17 million coins in circulation valued at over $113 billion. This figurevastlyoutnumbersany other altcoin – the second largest cryptocurrency after Bitcoin is Ethereum and its market cap totals only $21 billion. Bitcoins are mined, and this mining process is an integral part of the coin’s existence. Miners find new Bitcoins and bring them into circulation for rewards. Furthermore, they are responsible for validating Bitcoin transactions on the ledger. The main advantage of Bitcoin is its widespread use and acceptance. It is by far the most accepted as an actual form of payment. Manyfinancialinstitutionsare backing Bitcoin, and it is certainly the currency that most people have heard of. Moreover, Bitcoin has a vast community of users who are dedicated to its long-term development. Finally, it also has an immense pool of miners who maintain the network and ensure it is secure. Although Bitcoin undoubtedly has a host of advantages, it has its flaws. The price of Bitcoin has taken a large hit since December 2017 when it rose to stratospheric heights of around $20,000. The price still remains positive, but many analysts wonder if it will ever return to those numbers. Another major drawback that is becoming increasingly evident is the Bitcoin transaction fees. Bitcoin was meant to have ultra-low transactions fees – this was one of its main selling points. Since miners can choose which transactions to process, they will opt for ones with higher fees. Finally, many people comment on heavy energy consumption that Bitcoin mining requires – they see this a damage to our environment and would prefer to use a more ‘eco-friendly’ alternative. Bitcoin is seen as the original cryptocurrency, therefore any new currency has deemed an alternative. There are currently thousands of altcoins available to invest in, and more are developed on a regular basis. Some of them prevail and remain in high demand, for example, Ethereum and XRP; whilst others fizzle out. The following are some of the altcoins and their market cap (as of October 18, 2018): • Ethereum:$21 Billion • XRP:$18 Billion • Bitcoin Cash:$7.7 Billion • EOS:$4.9 Billion • Stellar Lumens:$4.5 • Litecoin:$3.1 Billion • Monero:$1.7 Billion • Dash:$1.3 Billion As you can see, there are many altcoins available, and each offers something slightly different. One of the main advantages of altcoins is that by their nature they serve as an alternative to Bitcoin. If the almighty Bitcoin crumbles, there are altcoins to fall back on. Furthermore, many altcoins actually have a unique function. For instance,Po.et(POE)is built around a platform where publishers and content creators can easily manage their licensing. Finally, many altcoins offer different systems and processes to Bitcoin and have a greater scope to evolve in the future. XRP and Ethereum, for example, are two different altcoins that have been widely adopted and used in many industries. The main disadvantage of altcoins is their relative lack of exposure and acceptance. While Ethereum, XRP, and Bitcoin Cash have great support, others just don’t have the same scope. Moreover, there is a limited number of outlets and ways in which you can use many altcoins as they simply haven’t been adopted to the same degree that Bitcoin has. Just because Bitcoin is the largest currency in supply and has the best support, it doesn’t necessarily mean that altcoins are worthless. You could consider diversifying your investment portfolio and purchasing some Bitcoin and some of the major altcoins. The main consideration is to minimize your risk and make an informed purchase. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Economic Events to Trade This Week • Is the Technology Sector Going to Drive the Market Down? • AUD/USD Forex Technical Analysis – November 6, 2018 Forecast • Trading plan for November 6 • FBS Highlights at Cairo Investment Expo 2018 • Oil Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Democratic Party Win Means Slower Growth, Lower Demand, More Weakness || Why Bahrain is attracting more businesses: Banking on its strong assets of innovative human capital and an attractive regulatory environment,Bahrainhas emerged as the hub for tech entrepreneurs. In recent years, tech startups – consisting of new-generation Arab entrepreneurs and immigrant business operators – have leveraged their talents and technology to gain a market foothold in the Arab Middle East in the era of digitization. Tech startup firms have mushroomed to tap into tech-savvy, connected consumers, particularly in Dubai. Places like Dubai have attracted not only enterprising locals butimmigrant entrepreneursor global technology players such as Amazon, Facebook, Google where their expanded presence have led to brisk business. Bahrain’s strength in attractingtechnologists and entrepreneurs is also hinged on low operating costs, a competitive taxation system, and the 100 percent foreign ownership allowed in most sectors, apart from the sound regulatory system. Recent trade show turnouts also attest to how Bahrain has become fertile ground for financial or tech startup entrepreneurs. It helps that most Bahraini tech talents have adopted a flexible business mindset, and that there are entrepreneur-friendly economic places set in place. Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) Chief Executive Khalid Al Rumaihi recently noted that more than 50 new international firms have set up business in Bahrain, creating more than 2,300 jobs. Such developments underscore how economic development continues to be robust. Since EDB’s inception in 2001, Al Rumaihi said, Bahrain’s non-oil sector has posted an average7.5 percent annual growth. Among the companies that have cashed in on rising new technologies and market receptivity to digitalization is telecom player Batelco Group.Batelco Bahrain CEO Muna Al Hashemi takes pride in saying that the company has kept its ear on the ground, focusing on what its target consumers want rather than merely keeping an eye on what competitors are doing. Batelco pioneered a series of cloud-based services, explored applications of the Internet of Things (IoT), mobile payments and other current technologies. To further stay ahead of the game, companies like Batelco have braced themselves fortransformative technologythat will take shape a few years from now. Partnering with Ericsson, the telecom firm successfully conducted a 5G trial in Bahrain last May. Al Hashemi said 5G will be ready to roll out for Bahrain commercial use by 2019, with a possible launch by end-2018. It is interesting to note that more established firms in their home countries have tapped into local talents (with skill sets) in hubs for tech enterprises, notably Dubai. What entrepreneurs need to continue to work on, if you go with reports like the Global Entrepreneurship Development Institute’s rankings of countries soaring in terms of global enterprise, is to be less risk-averse and moreadept in adopting technologyvis-à-vis other counterparts across the world. Despite the perceived weaknesses of some of Bahrain’s local start-ups, international firms continue to gravitate to that part of the world and ink deals with entities that show much promise. American multinational tech firm Microsoft, for instance, sealed a partnership agreement with Bahrain start-up firm CH9, that assists new small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in acquiring the needed resources for business takeoff. It can be noted that about 90 percent of Bahrain enterprises are SMEs. Their economic contribution to the Kingdom’s GDP is around 30 percent. Hence, the support for such small-scale enterprises has been forthcoming. A few months ago,Bahrain SME Fundwas bolstered with a whopping $100 million, facilitated by investment bank Ibdar Bank and public-government organization Labour Fund (Tamkeen) in partnership with the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector. Big companies’ investments in local startups has been driven by several key factors. Foremost among these is the Middle Eastern government’s adoption of legal and socio-economic measures to encourage entrepreneurship. Dubai, in particular, has embraced technology and is set to improve efficiency in government documentation. Being continually exposed to best business practices, apart from hurdling obstacles like language and gender barriers, has also set the stage for entrepreneurial success. Clear-cut illustrations are the thriving companies Jamalon, which ventured into online book business; Unifonic, the cloud communications firm that introduced the innovative mobile marketing business of sending millions of messages instantaneously; BitOasis, which introduced one of the first Bitcoin wallets and exchanges in the Middle East. Notwithstanding the geopolitical risks and fragility of the Middle East and North African region (MENA), the prospects of expanded partnerships have not dimmed. Companies like Proxera, which tailors solutionsto empower businesses with toolsthat analyze customer behavior and measure results, have increased awareness for digital tools. Proxera was a participant at a Dubai trade show, where it highlighted trends and developments in the e-commerce and retail sector in the MENA region. || Ripple (XRP) Marks the Best Correction as Crypto Market Recovers: Ripple price Uber Ripple price Uber The Ripple-to-Dollar (XRP/USD) exchange rate on Friday was the earliest to recover from its latest downtrend move. It surged as much as 19 percent from yesterday’s low at 0.377-fiat, which is higher than other top coins. Ripple, the company that issues XRP tokens, is reportedly heading towards forming a partnership with SWIFT, a global banking protocol. Spain-based Santander, one of the Ripple’s partners, has partnered with SWIFT to expand its banking services to Argentina, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Ripple is scheduled to attend SWIFT’s SIBOS 2018 Conference this year where both the payment protocol organizations could enter an agreement. XRP/USD, meanwhile, has formed a new intraday high towards 0.449-fiat and is in a pullback action at the time of this writing. XRP/USD Technical Analysis The beginning of XRP/USD pullback action has brought the previous intraday low in sight, with 0.402-fiat providing an intermediary support to hold the near-term uptrend. XRP/USD is now capped by a near-term descending trendline, which also brings potentially profitable long opportunities on a bounce back from the said support. It should not be forgotten than XRP is still inside a strong bearish bias and the recent recovery could only be a knee-jerk reaction to the SWIFT fundamental. The pair is still trading below its 50, 100 and 200H SMAs and the RSI is showing signs of an extreme pullback action towards the strong selling area. The Stochastic Oscillator is also pulling back the pair from its overbought region, signaling a downtrend towards 0.402-fiat. BTC/USD Intraday Analysis The range we are watching out today has 0.444-fiat acting as interim resistance and 0.402 as interim support. The pullback from resistance has already allowed us to speculate a short towards 0.402-fiat. As we exit our position, we will enter a long one towards the resistance on a bounce back from support, while maintaining a stop loss order just marginally below the entry level. Story continues In the case of a breakdown action, in which XRP/USD breaks below the support level, we would enter a short towards 0.378-fiat, our intraday low and primary downside target, while keeping a stop loss order near 0.376-fiat. It would define our risk management perspective. An extended upside action, in the meantime, is also in cards if price closes above 0.444-fiat. If it happens, we will enter a quick long position towards 0.464-fiat, also in hopes of establishing an inverse Head-and-Shoulder formation. In this position, a stop loss around 0.424-fiat will protect our risks. Featured Image from Shutterstock. Charts from TradingView . The post Ripple (XRP) Marks the Best Correction as Crypto Market Recovers appeared first on CCN . || VanEck Subsidiary Launches Bitcoin Index Based on US Spot Indices: Investment management firm VanEck subsidiary MV Index Solutions has launched its own Bitcoin (BTC) index based on three major over-the-counter (OTC) desks, according to a press releasepublishedNov. 20. MV Index Solutions is a firm that develops, monitors and licenses the MVIS Indices, which cover several asset classes, including equity, fixed income markets anddigital assets. The new MVIS Bitcoin U.S. OTC Spot Index (MVBTCO) is based onU.S.price feeds from major OTC liquidity providers, includingCircleTrade, Cumberland and Genesis Trading. Gabor Gurbacs, Director of Digital Asset Strategies at VanEck/MVIS, said that “the index may pave the way for institutionally oriented products, such asETFs[exchange-traded-funds] as well as provide further tools to institutional investors to execute institutional size trades at transparent prices on the OTC markets.” Earlier this year, VanEck and financial services company SolidX jointlyappliedfor a physically-backed Bitcoin ETF to be listed on Chicago Board Options Exchange’s (CBOE) BZX Equities Exchange. However, the  U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) decision on the ETF is still pending since it waspostponedin August. In October, the SECpublisheda memorandum from a meeting regarding the BTC ETF proposal from the two companies. In it, the parties comprehensively address the grounds the regulator gave in its 2017 disapproval of SolidX’s previous ETF application: a perceived failure to be consistent with [...] the Securities Exchange Act, which focuses on “prevent[ing]  fraudulent and manipulative acts and practices.” Last week, Cointelegraphreportedthat Switzerland's principal stock exchange SIX Swiss Exchange announced it will list the world’s first multi-crypto-based exchange-traded product (ETP). Backed by the Swiss startup Amun AG, the first global multi-crypto ETP will be listed under index HODL and managed by VanEck. • Amidst Recent Market Crash, Susquehanna ‘Crypto King’ Emphasizes Crypto Is a ‘Long Game’ • Report: Crypto and Oil Market Slumps Are Sign of Approaching ‘Flash Crash’ in Markets • Options Are the Answer for Dealing with ‘Bearish’ Crypto Market, Trading Platform Says • Crypto Venture Capital Exec Compares Bitcoin to Post Dot-Com Bubble Amazon || Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 04/11/18: Bitcoin Cash gained a further 3.33% on Saturday, following Friday’s 8.98% rally, to end the day at $481.3, the gains coming in anticipation of support at the 15thNovember hard fork. A relatively range bound start to the day saw Bitcoin Cash ease back to a late morning intraday low $459.4 before resuming Friday’s upward trend, the first major support level at $436 left untested on the day. Rallying through the 2ndhalf of the day, Bitcoin Cash broke through the first major resistance level at $485.8 to strike an intraday high $488 before easing back, with resistance at $500 pinning Bitcoin Cash back from a run at the second major resistance level at $505.8. At the time of writing, Bitcoin Cash was up 0.26% to $482.1, with upward momentum from Saturday continuing into Sunday, Bitcoin Cash rising from a start of a day morning low $480.4 to an early morning high $482.9, the day’s major support and resistance levels left untested early on. For the day ahead, a hold onto $480 levels through the morning would support further gains through the day, with a break through to $490 levels to test the first major resistance level at $493.07 to bring $500 levels back into play quite likely should the news wires remain crypto friendly. Failure to hold onto $480 levels through the morning could see Bitcoin Cash reverse some of the weekend gains ahead of the start of the week, with a pullback through to sub-$480 levels likely to bring the first major support level at $464.47 into play before any recovery, more material losses unlikely in the event of a reversal, barring materially negative news hitting the wires. Litecoin fell by 1.02% on Saturday, partially reversing Friday’s 1.93% gain, to end the day at $50.61, the day’s loss bring to an end 4 consecutive days of gains to take Litecoin deeper into the red for the week. A bearish morning saw Litecoin fall from a start of a day intraday high $51.3 to a late morning intraday low $50.34 before steadying, the day’s low coming within range of the first major support level at $50.25, while the major resistance levels were left untested through the day. At the time of writing, Litecoin was down 0.2% to $50.51, with Litecoin easing from a start of a day morning high $50.61 to a morning low $50.49, early moves leaving the day’s major support and resistance levels untested. For the day ahead, a move through the morning high $50.61 to $50.75 would support a run at $51 levels to bring the first major resistance level at $51.16 into play, with any shift in sentiment likely to see the second major resistance level at $51.71 come into play before any pullback. Failure to move back through the morning high to $50.75 could see Litecoin extend the week’s losses, with a fall through the morning low $50.49 bringing the first major support level at $50.2 into play, with the day’s second major support level at $49.79 in play should Litecoin fail to make a move by late morning. Ripple’s XRP fell by 1.12% on Saturday, reversing Friday’s 0.35% gain with interest, to end the day at $0.4573, the day’s loss also ending 4 consecutive days of gains. Tracking the broader market, Ripple’s XRP pulled back from a start of a day intraday high $0.46455 to an early afternoon intraday low $0.45525, calling on support at the first major support level at $0.4585 before steadying. While the day’s major resistance levels were left untested, Ripple’s XRP was unable to break back through the first major support level by the day’s end to leave the day’s bearish trend intact going into Sunday. At the time of writing, Ripple’s XRP was down 0.23% to $0.45585, with Saturday’s pullback continuing into the early hours, Ripple’s XRP easing from a start of a day morning high $0.4573 to a morning low $0.45537, the day’s major support and resistance levels left untested early on. For the day ahead, a move back through the morning high $0.4573 to $0.4590 would support a run at $0.46 levels to bring the first major resistance level at $0.4628 into play, while we would expect Ripple’s XRP to fall short of the second major resistance level at $0.4683 and $0.47 levels on the day. Failure to move through the morning high could see Ripple’s XRP take a bigger hit later in the day, with a pullback through the morning low $0.45537 to the day’s first major support level at $0.4535 likely to bring sub-$0.45 levels and the second major support level at $0.4497 into play before any recovery. Buy & Sell Cryptocurrency Instantly Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Price of Gold Fundamental Weekly Price Forecast – Democrat Victory Could Spell Doom for Stocks, Increase Gold’s Appeal as Safe Haven Asset • Gold Monthly Forecast -November 2018 • Oil Price Fundamental Weekly Forecast – Iran Sanctions Begin, Nearby WTI Closes Below 200-D Moving Average • U.S Mortgages – Rates Ease Back on October’s Risk Aversion • S&P 500 Weekly Price Forecast – stock traders turn bullish for the week • Kiwi, Aussie Surge as Investors Ramp Up Hope for More China Stimulus, Trade Deal || Bitcoin tanks as cryptocurrencies join in global market bloodbath: Screen Shot 2018 10 11 at 09.49.16 Markets Insider Cryptocurrencies across the board are nursing big losses on Thursday as the global market sell-off hitting traditional assets spreads. All major crypto assets are down on Thursday, with the likes of ethereum and bitcoin cash losing more than 10% of their value. Bitcoin plunged more than 7% overnight, but has now recovered a little, and is trading down roughly 5%. You can follow all the latest cryptocurrency prices at Markets Insider. Cryptocurrencies across the board are nursing big losses on Thursday as the global market sell-off hitting traditional assets spreads. Bitcoin, the benchmark cryptocurrency, dropped suddenly and sharply in Asian trading overnight, losing as much as 7%, before rebounding a little. It is now holding at a loss of around 5% on the day, trading at $6,266 per coin. While bitcoin has led the way lower on Thursday, other major cryptocurrencies including Ether, Ripple, and bitcoin cash have witnessed even larger falls. Here's the scoreboard: Ether -11.2% at $200.28 Ripple's XRP -11.5% at $0.4097 Bitcoin cash -12.6% at $450.80 Litecoin -10.8% at $51.79 Previously, bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies tended to rally during periods of poor performance for traditional assets like stocks, reflecting their status as something of a haven. However, in recent months that has flipped, with cryptocurrencies tending to follow traditional stock markets in their moves. NOW WATCH: Why horseshoe crab blood is so expensive See Also: MICHAEL JORDAN: How the richest NBA player ever spends his $1.65 billion 12 signs your boss is impressed with you, even if it doesn't seem like it These haunting photos of the retail apocalypse reveal a new normal in America as Sears reportedly prepares for bankruptcy SEE ALSO: Global markets are getting pounded as fear grips investors || Market Morning: FANGs Defanged, Merkel Bails, Pot Stocks Smashed, Trade War Standoff: FANG Stocks Just got Defanged Nasdaq bellwethers Facebook ( NASDAQ:FB ), Amazon ( NASDAQ:AMZN ), Netflix ( NASDAQ:NFLX ) and Alphabet ( NASDAQ:GOOGL ) have lost a collective $200 billion in market cap over the last two trading sessions. Netflix is down nearly 20% in October, Amazon about 17%, Facebook and Alphabet over 10%. The four stocks are heavily weighted in the popular Nasdaq Invesco QQQ Trust ( NASDAQ:QQQ ) and make up about 22% of the fund’s holdings. The fund, which tracks the Nasdaq 100 index, is down 13% in the month of October, though a rally at the close saw 2.2% gains in the space of about 18 minutes on very heavy volume. The dizzying moves were mimicked in the broader indexes though not as amplified. Futures are up slightly as bargain hunters have swooped in, but who knows what they’ll be by the time Wall Street opens… SEE: Malta Moves Into The Blockchain Space With 10-Story Building CryptoTower One Firm Remains Bullish on the “Plus A” Part of FANG Despite the defanging of the FANGs, the popular addendum to the most popular group stocks in recent years, and the only one above $1 trillion in market cap, is still impressing one Wall Street firm. Jefferies put a buy rating on Apple ( NASDAQ:AAPL ) at $265, a 25% upside from current prices, citing the Apple Services segment as a recurring high margin business. This consists of the iCloud, the App Store, and Apple music. The firm projects that services could compose 25 percent of Apple’s business and 40 percent of its gross profit by the year 2022. “Applying a higher multiple compared to the lower margin hardware business, we see a significant opportunity for investors as Services alone could be worth $111 to $177 per share,” a Jefferies analyst wrote. Pot Stocks Going Down With the Ship, Though Still Way Up Along with the FANG stocks, pot stocks are getting hammered just as badly. Market leader Aurora Cannabis ( NYSE:ACB ) got slaughtered yesterday, down 16% on average volume. Unlike the FANG stocks though, there was no late day rally. The good news however is that on a long term chart, the move isn’t much, as these pot stocks move a lot like Bitcoin. Aurora is still up 145% on the year, and 36% since August. The Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences ETF ( HMMJ.TO ) is a similar story, with most of the July-September rally now being retraced. In a way, the dip looks almost bullish as long term charts look more stable than daily price movements. If 52 week lows get taken out though, that would be a different story. Story continues Germany’s Angela Merkel to Step Down German Chancellor Angela Merkel will step down rather than seek reelection in 2021. Merkel has been the political lynchpin and stabilizing force of the entire European Union since the sovereign debt crisis exploded in 2010. She is basically the Queen of Germany and the EU, having ruled the Eurozone’s economic powerhouse since 2005. Her absence could accelerate the decline of the Euro and the European Union itself, which admittedly may not survive past 2020 anyway depending on the aftereffects of Brexit and whether Brexit will be deal or no deal, and what happens to Italy in the mean time. She is likely to be replaced with a more nationalist figure that does not want to continue paying the debts of other European countries, which will have a sizeable impact on the European bond market, if stability continues as far as 2021, which is itself in doubt. US Plans More Tariffs Against China If Meeting Fails This could be a big one. The art of the deal is getting messy and dangerous. President Trump has made clear that if November’s scheduled talks with Chinese premier Xi Jinping go south. That would put incredible economic stress on US consumers and would certainly further damage the already beleaguered stock market. Trump, in an interview with Fox News late Monday, said “I think we will make a great deal with China, and it has to be great because they’ve drained our country.” Which raises the question, drained it of what? They are by far the biggest exporter of products into the United States, the opposite of draining, which is what Trump is railing against. They have drained it of dollars, exported to China in the form of trade deficits, but if those dollars come back to the US, inflation would skyrocket. The post Market Morning: FANGs Defanged, Merkel Bails, Pot Stocks Smashed, Trade War Standoff appeared first on Market Exclusive . || Bitcoin Prices Down; Leaders Call for Crypto Taxation: Bitcoin and other major cyptocurrencies all slipped on Monday in Asia Investing.com - Bitcoin and other major cyptocurrencies all slipped on Monday in Asia, pressured by reports that G20 leaders had called for taxes on cryptocurrencies during a summit over the weekend in Argentina. Bitcoin lost 5.04% to $4,041.3 by 10:31 PM ET (03:31 GMT) on the Investing.com index. Ethereum was down 4.59% to $114.34, and XRP dropped 3.37% to $0.36319 on the Poloniex exchange. Litecoin also slid 5.53% to $32.10 on the Bitifinex exchange. Bitcoin continues to hover at the $4,000 range after losing roughly 40% of its value since mid-November. On Monday morning, media reported that members of the G20 agreed to work on international effort to regulate cryptocurrencies in line with standards stipulated by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an intergovernmental organization launched in 1989. The move is seen as an effort to curb tax evasion by investors and traders of crypto-assets. G20 members, included crypto-assets in the joint declaration at the end of the summit. “We will regulate crypto-assets for anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism in line with FATF standards and we will consider other responses as needed,” reads a section of the declaration. G20 members are also looking to build a system of taxation for cross-border electronic services, with the joint declaration noting that the group will “work together to seek a consensus-based solution to address the impacts of the digitalization of the economy on the international tax system with an update in 2019 and a final report by 2020.” Related Articles Fintech company Calastone to shift fund network to blockchain G20 Country Leaders Call for International Cryptocurrency Taxation Get Ready for Crypto Sanctions Enforcement || Billionaire Mike Novogratz’ Crypto Fund is Fidelity’s First Custodian Client: Galaxy Digital, a crypto merchant bank operated by billionaire investor Mike Novogratz listed on Toronto-based stock exchange TSX-V, has become the first alpha crypto custody client of Fidelity Digital Assets. This week, Fidelity, the world’s fourth-largest asset manager with $7.2 trillion in assets under administration as of October 2018,launched Fidelity Digital Assets, a subsidiary of Fidelity that will provide crypto custodian solutions to institutional investors and accredited investors. Through the platform, all 27 million customers and 23,000 businesses of Fidelity will be provided with sufficient infrastructure and services to invest in the cryptocurrency market. In an official press release, Fidelity CEO Abigail Johnson said that the long-term mission of the firm in the sector of cryptocurrency is to increase the accessibility and improve the infrastructure surrounding the asset class. “Our goal is to make digitally-native assets, such as bitcoin, more accessible to investors. We expect to continue investing and experimenting, over the long-term, with ways to make this emerging asset class easier for our clients to understand and use.” The core operations of Fidelity Digital Assets include assisting institutional investors such as hedge funds, pensions, and academic institutions to invest in the cryptocurrency market with appropriate institutional products. Fidelity Digital Assets founding head Tom Jessopsaidthat the establishment of the company’s digital asset arm can be considered as the recognition by Fidelity of sufficient demand from institutions for cryptocurrencies. Within less than 24 hours since its launch, Fidelity Digital Assets secured Galaxy Digital as its first custody client, a company that aims to achieve a similar objective as Fidelity to institutionalize the cryptocurrency market. Jessop stated: “This is a recognition that there is institutional demand for these assets as a class. Family offices, hedge funds, other sophisticated investors, are starting to think seriously about this space.” In January of this year, Novogratz contributed $302 million to Galaxy Digital to build a full-service merchant banking business in the crypto and blockchain space. Months later, Galaxy Digital was listed on Canada’s stock market, enabling investors to directly invest in the cryptocurrency market. Apart from its core business of investing in cryptocurrencies and blockchain projects, Galaxy Digital offers high profile investors and institutional clients consultancy to facilitate large investments into the market. “The resulting firm will have over 70 employees with deep institutional experience spanning across technology, investing, advisory, and trading. The Firm has also invested significantly in its management, operations, legal, and finance departments,” he added. The partnership between Fidelity and Galaxy Digital is expected to lead to clients of the Novogratz-led firm to invest in the cryptocurrency market through Fidelity, similar to how prior to the launch of Fidelity Digital Assets, clients of Fidelity purchased cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum through Coinbase, a partner company of Fidelity. The infrastructure of the cryptocurrency market, specifically pertaining to the institutionalization of the asset class, has improved exponentially in the past nine months. Increasing efforts to strengthen the infrastructure of the cryptocurrency market suggest that regulated financial institutions are seeing solid demand for crypto from their existing client base, which could fuel the next major movement of the sector. Featured image from Youtube/Bloomberg. The postBillionaire Mike Novogratz’ Crypto Fund is Fidelity’s First Custodian Clientappeared first onCCN. || Cryptocurrency theft hits nearly $1 billion in first nine months: report: By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - Theft of cryptocurrencies through hacking of exchanges and trading platforms soared to $927 million in the first nine months of the year, up nearly 250 percent from the level seen in 2017, according to a report from U.S.-based cyber security firm CipherTrace released on Wednesday. The report, which looks at criminal activity and money laundering in the digital currency market, also showed a steadily growing number of smaller thefts in the $20-60 million range, totaling $173 million in the third quarter. Digital currencies stolen from exchanges in 2017 totaled just $266 million, according to a previous report from CipherTrace. Bitcoin's popularity and the emergence of more than 1,600 other digital coins or tokens have drawn more hackers into the cryptocurrency space, expanding opportunities for crime and fraud. "The regulators are still a couple of years behind because there are only a few countries that have really applied strong anti-money laundering laws," Dave Jevans, chief executive officer of CipherTrace, told Reuters in an interview. Jevans is also the chairman of the Anti-Phishing Working Group, a global organization that aims to help solve cyber crime. He said there are likely 50 percent more criminal transactions than those that were traced for this report. For instance, CipherTrace is aware of more than $60 million in cryptocurrency that was stolen but not reported. The data also showed that the world's top cryptocurrency exchanges from countries with weak anti-money laundering regulations (AML) have been used to launder $2.5 billion worth of bitcoins since 2009. The top 20 virtual currency exchanges in terms of volume were analyzed for the report. The CipherTrace report declined to name those exchanges. These money-laundered funds represent transactions that CipherTrace was able to directly monitor and designate as criminal or highly suspect. In estimating the $2.5 billion, CipherTrace looked at about 350 million transactions from the 20 exchanges and found 100 million of those with counterparties. From there, the firm was able to cross-check the 100 million transactions with its own data on criminal activity. Story continues At the same time, these exchanges have also been used to purchase 236,979 bitcoins worth of criminal services, equivalent to approximately $1.5 billion at current prices, the report showed. "All exchanges get these money-laundered funds. You really can't stop them," said Jevans. "And here's the reason why. We learn about the criminal stuff often times after it actually happened. So there's no way to know in real time. You can know 80-90 percent of the time, but it's impossible to know 100 percent," he added. (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Andrea Ricci) [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] 最も安くBTC/JPYを買えるのは？(2018-10-12 00:30:01 現在) Zaif 690635.00 Liquid 697941.24 bitFlyer 698709.00 bitbank 698926.00 coincheck 699085.00 || Reddit_BTC : Binance will enable deposits & withdrawals for BCHABC and BCHSV starting 2018/11/30 10:00 AM (UTC). http://zpr.io/6eFKd  || 12/01 11:00 現在のビットコインの価格 BTC/JPY ask: 460,363 / bid: 446,881 || A profit of 2000.00 mBTC has been made on Darian King vs. Maxime Janvier at https://fairlay.com/  #Fairlay #Bitcoin #Crypto || #LIZA #LAMBO price 12-01 18:00(GMT) $LIZA BTC :0.00000 ETH :0.00000 USD :0.0 RUR :0.0 JPY(btc) :0.0 JPY(eth) :0.0 $LAMBO BTC :0.004 ETH :0.124 USD :13.0 RUR :1200.0 JPY(btc) :1866.1 JPY(eth) :1655.2 || Defensor do Bitcoin SV Craig Wright diz que o Bitcoin tem um bug destrutivo em entrevista exclusiva https://bitcoinfeed.news/pt/criptomoedas-facil/2018/11/28/defensor-do-bitcoin-sv-craig-wright-diz-que-o-bitcoin-tem-um-bug-destrutivo-em-entrevista-exclusiva/ …pic.twitter.com/Ubwsa9nlVh || at the moment its only corelated to btc - unfortunately it needs some solid news to secede... || Make money even when Bitcoin is going down by shorting 100x ! Click here: https://www.bitmex.com/register/6vXB0G  $NANO $BTC $ETH $BCH $XLM $LTC $BNB $WAVES $STEEM $XVG $SC $DGB $GNT $STRAT $HOT $OMG $NEO $KCS $IOST $WAN $AION $LINK $FUN $GXS $ELA $NAS 1539950733pic.twitter.com/mOGvnKESKH || Bitcoin @bitfinex 60 min chart $BTC #BTC pic.twitter.com/hs9RjC1lrP || 2018/11/16 17:00 #Binance 格安コイン 1位 #BCHABC 0.00000000 BTC(0円) 2位 #BCHSV 0.00000000 BTC(0円) 3位 #HOT 0.00000014 BTC(0.09円) 4位 #BCN 0.00000022 BTC(0.14円) 5位 #NPXS 0.00000022 BTC(0.14円) #仮想通貨 #アルトコイン #草コイン
Trend: down || Prices: 3956.89, 3753.99, 3521.10, 3419.94, 3476.11, 3614.23, 3502.66, 3424.59, 3486.95, 3313.68
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2018-03-29] BTC Price: 7165.70, BTC RSI: 31.30 Gold Price: 1322.80, Gold RSI: 48.16 Oil Price: 64.94, Oil RSI: 58.35 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Petroleum (COIN:OIL) As Managed Ethereum Smart Contract Token Designed By First Bitcoin Capital Corp To Be Launched With Each Token Indicative Of A Barrel Of Oil: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL / ACCESSWIRE / February 21 2018 / First Bitcoin Capital Corp (OTC PINK: BITCF), a prolific generator of more than 100 unique cryptocurrencies has launched "Petroleum" coin designed to become a commodity-based utility token employing the Ethereum ERC20 BlockChain protocols with trading symbol "OIL" in order to provide a liquidity and management solution to global petroleum industry participants. In order to capitalize on the excitement surrounding Venezuela's move to back its own cryptocurrency with that country's oil reserves and to fulfill BITCF's preparations prior to the oil-producing nation's announcement, First Bitcoin Capital Corp wasted no time in setting the stage to beat Venezuela to market. The Petroleum (COIN:OIL) Smart Contract development creation occurred 2 months ago, as can be witnessed in the following Etherscan explorer link: https://etherscan.io/token/0xd938959d215d84b668d39848785d76d298466f19#readContract While a small amount of activity regarding Petroleum (COIN:OIL) may be seen on Ethereum explorers, those issuances and test transfer amounts identifiable are not available for cryptocurrency markets nor are any of these tokens yet backed by oil or any other asset. The Petroleum tokens will only begin trading on exchanges upon 1 barrel of oil supporting each outstanding OIL token through legally binding trust agreements in conformity with all relevant laws, rules, and regulations. The Company intends to exclusively incorporate Petroleum (COIN:OIL) into and have it function as an integral part of the upcoming PetroBloq energy trading platform which is being developed as a joint venture between Petroteq Energy, Inc and First Bitcoin Capital Corp. The growing trend and potential for tokenization of commodities is significant based on the success of Tether (a coin that is backed by $USD and is trading more than $2 billion per day on international cryptocurrency exchanges in more than 400 markets) combined with the massive size of global oil reserves. Story continues First Bitcoin Capital's CEO, Greg Rubin stated that "Petroteq's and First Bitcoin's revenue model for our joint venture known as "PetroBloq" includes earning fees from those oil producers that elect to utilize our Ethereum tokens as a means to achieve greater liquidity and manageability of their oil production. Interested oil producing nations and companies are invited to join us in this decentralized revolution by emailing [email protected] "or [email protected] About PetroBloq Petrobloq ( www.petrobloq.com ) will be the first Blockchain based platform developed exclusively for the supply chain needs of the Oil & Gas sector. The Upstream, Midstream and Downstream industries each have their own challenges and complexities. Petrobloq anticipates that its users will enjoy cost and time savings, increased transparency and the ability to mitigate the constantly evolving geopolitical atmosphere and market fluctuations. PetroBloq enjoys membership in the Enterprise Ethereum Consortium which is made up of 200 prominent members including major firms such as Accenture, BBVA bank, Deloitte and Microsoft. A subsidiary of Pemex was the first oil producer to join the Petroloq consortium. ABOUT PETROTEQ ENERGY INC. Petroteq Energy Inc. is a Canadian-registered holding company, publicly trading on the TSX Venture Exchange (PQE) and the OTCQX trading platform (PQEFF). Its offices are located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Los Angeles, California and its initial oil sands processing plant is in Vernal, Utah. Petroteq is engaged in the development and implementation of its proprietary environmentally friendly heavy oil processing and extraction technologies. The proprietary process produces zero greenhouse gas, zero waste and requires no high temperatures. The Company is currently focused on developing its oil sands resources and expanding production capacity at its Facility at Asphalt Ridge, Utah. The Company also is developing through PetroBloq an advanced blockchain solution for the energy industry, with a goal of optimizing petrochemical industry workflow processes, (ii) has a joint venture with Recruiter.com and Oilprice.com that provides internet-based job placement and career services to the increasingly skilled and specialized energy sector, and (iii) owns a minority stake in an exploration and production play located in southwest Texas held by Accord GR Energy Inc. About First Bitcoin Capital Corp First Bitcoin Capital Corp (OTCM PINK: BITCF) began developing digital currencies, proprietary Blockchain technologies, and the digital currency exchange - www.CoinQX.com (in Beta) in early 2014. We saw this step as a tremendous opportunity to create further shareholder value by leveraging management's experience in developing and managing complex Blockchain technologies and in developing new types of digital assets. Being the first publicly-traded cryptocurrency and BlockChain-centered Company, we provide our shareholders with diversified exposure to digital cryptocurrencies and BlockChain technologies. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors as may be disclosed in company's filings. In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic conditions, and governmental and public policy changes. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of the press release. Such forward-looking statements are risks that are detailed in the Company's filings, which are on file at www.OTCMarkets.com . Contact us via: [email protected] or visit http://www.bitcoincapitalcorp.com Twitter @First_Bitcoin Telegram: @OTC_BITCF SOURCE: First Bitcoin Capital Corp. || Match Group Inc Revenue Surges 28%: Millions of people are turning toMatch Group(NASDAQ: MTCH)for help finding love. That's driving solid increases in sales and profits for the world's leading provider of dating products, as can be seen in its strong fourth-quarter results. [{"Metric": "Revenue", "Q4 2017": "$378.9 million", "Q4 2016": "$294.8 million", "Year-Over-Year Change": "28%"}, {"Metric": "Operating Income", "Q4 2017": "$127.6 million", "Q4 2016": "$112.9 million", "Year-Over-Year Change": "13%"}, {"Metric": "Adjustedearnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization", "Q4 2017": "$153.2 million", "Q4 2016": "$127.5 million", "Year-Over-Year Change": "20%"}] Data source: Match Group Q4 2017earnings release. Tinder -- Match Group's most popular dating app -- added a record 544,000 paid members in the fourth quarter and a total of 1.5 million in 2017. That brought the popular dating app's average subscriber base to 3.1 million members. Moreover, Match Group's overall total rose to more than 7 million subscribers, representing year-over-year growth of 24%. People are flocking to Match Group's apps in search of love. Image source: Getty Images. Better still, Match Group enjoyed a 4% rise in average revenue per user (ARPU) to $0.55. The increase was primarily driven by thesuccess of Tinder Gold, which helped to boost Tinder's ARPU by 32%. In all, Match Group's revenue surged 28% year over year to $379 million. The company's international growth was particularly strong; Match Group's international direct revenue soared 51%, to $161 million, fueled by a 36% jump in average subscribers and an 11% increase in ARPU. Still, operating costs ballooned by 38%, to $251 million. With more of its sales now coming via app stores, which are subject to revenue share agreements, Match Group paid out $27.2 million more in in-app purchase fees. As a result, its cost of revenue increased to $86 million, or 23% of revenue, compared to $54 million, or 18% of revenue, in the fourth quarter of 2016. In turn, operating income rose 13% to $128 million, with operating margin falling to 34% from 38% in the year-ago period. All told,EBITDA-- adjusted to exclude stock-based compensation expense and acquisition-related items -- increased 20% to $153 million. And adjusted net income, which was negatively impacted by charges related to tax reform, fell 31% to $54 million, or $0.18 per share. More importantly, Match Group's full-year operating cash flow jumped 24% to $321 million in 2017, while its free cash flow soared 37% to $292 million. Match Group expects first-quarter revenue of $380 million to $390 million and adjusted EBITDA of $115 million to $120 million. For fiscal 2018, the company expects full-year revenue of $1.5 billion to $1.6 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $550 million to $600 million. That compares to revenue of $1.3 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $469 million in 2017. "While reporting results like these is a great way to kick off 2018, there are still plenty of untapped market opportunities, products, and features that we'll be rolling out," CEO Mandy Ginsberg said in a press release. "I feel great about this team's ability to execute and drive continued growth." More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Joe Tenebrusohas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Match Group. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || Tesla, Disney, All Markets Summit — What you need to know in markets this week: New year, new markets. After a 2017 that saw stocks drift higher while markets exploded to the upside in the early weeks of 2018, this past week’s trading showed that another placid does not appear to be in store for investors. Punctuated by Friday’s sell-off, the major averages lost over 3% this past week to begin February on a downbeat note. The selling on Friday was relentless as markets broke lower at the open and continued to slide throughout the day. When the dust settled, the Dow lost 2.5%, or 665 points, while the S&P 500 lost 2.1%, or 59 points, and the Nasdaq lost just under 2%, or 144 points. Meanwhile, Treasury yields continued their climb higher during the week with the 10-year hitting a four-year high of 2.85% after Friday’s jobs report. It was only back in the summer of 2016 that the 10-year hit a record low of 1.37%. In the week ahead, earnings will continue to be the big market story with notable reporters including Tesla (TSLA), Disney (DIS), Nvidia (NVDA), General Motors (GM), Gilead (GILD), Chipotle (CMG), 21st Century Fox (FOXA), Viacom (VIAB), Yum Brands (YUM), Expedia (EXPE), and Philip Morris (PM) among dozens of other S&P 500 members. All told, 92 members of the S&P 500 are expected to report results this week. The economic calendar will slow some after a week that saw both a Federal Reserve policy announcement and a jobs report, with the monthly reading on job openings the only economic reading of any note. Meanwhile cryptocurrencies, once-biggest story in markets, were decimated this week with bitcoin (BTC-USD) at one point on Friday falling below the $8,000 mark while smaller coins including Litecoin (LTC-USD), Bitcoin Cash (BCH-USD), Cardano (ADA-USD), and Ripple (XRP-USD) each lost more than 30% this week. And amid this latest decline in cryptocurrency prices, Yahoo Finance will host itslatest All Markets Summitin New York on Wednesday, with this edition of the event focused solely on cryptocurrencies. And of course on Sunday, Super Bowl LII will take place in Minneapolis, pitting the Philadelphia Eagles against the New England Patriots. Many investors will be familiar with the “Super Bowl Indicator,” which says it is better when a team from the NFC — in this year’s case, the Eagles — wins the game, with markets gaining, on average, 10.8% in years the NFC team wins against an average rise of 5.8% when the AFC wins. Of course, last year the Patriots won and the market gained 20%, which just proves that therealSuper Bowl Indicator says stocks tend to go up in years a Super Bowl is played. • Monday:Markit services PMI, January (53.3 expected; 53.3 previously); ISM non-manufacturing PMI, January (56.5 expected; 55.9 previously) • Tuesday:Trade balance, December (-$52 billion expected; -$50.5 billion previously); Job openings and labor turnover survey, December (5.88 million jobs open previously) • Wednesday:Consumer credit, December ($19.3 billion expected; $27.95 billion previously) • Thursday: Initial jobless claims (232,000 expected; 230,000 previously) • Friday:Wholesale inventories, December (+0.2% expected; +0.2% previously) There is no reason to scoff at the market action this week. Stocks had their worst week in two years, the Dow lost 665 points on Friday, and the kind of volatility that so many had warned would inevitably return to markets has, well, returned. The increase in Treasury yields — from record lows back in the summer of 2016 — to four-year highs this week is the most obvious catalyst sending markets lower. The benchmark 10-year Treasury rate, so often used as the risk-free rate for investors that must be exceeded to find an attractive risk-adjusted investment, is now at 2.85%. We are now firmly in a rising-rate environment. And on the heels of Friday’s jobs report that saw wage growth top expectations markets are now anticipating a more aggressive Federal Reserve, with marketsnow pricing ina 50% probability, or more, of a rate in each quarter of 2018. Yet after this ugly week for investors, the stock market is still up nicely for the year — each of the major indexes are up better than 3%. But after more than a year of markets havingnotseen a 3% decline, the recent action feels perhaps more traumatic than it really is. “A pullback doesn’t have to mean the bull market is over,” said analysts at Bespoke Investment Group in a note published Friday afternoon. And with therecent chorus of analystslooking for a decline, part of this week’s action is surely a self-fulfilling prophecy. If enough market participants call for and expect a market decline, there will in time be a market decline. But if the fundamental reasons for the market going up over the last year was lower taxes, better corporate earnings, and good economic data, than nothing has really changed. “On the earnings front, this season couldn’t look much better, even with analysts hiking estimates at their fastest pace in years as we entered this reporting period,” Bespoke writes. “Both the earnings and revenue beat rates this season are at their highest levels in at least a decade. And while beat rates are backwards looking, the guidance spread this season is at a record as well.” The economic view from corporate America, in other words, is stellar. And so while it is notable any time the market rises or falls 3% in a week, these moves need not — and often do not — change the story of why the market’s current trend is what it is. Right now, the market trend is up. And this week’s action does not change that story. — Myles Udland is a writer at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter@MylesUdland Read more from Myles here: • One candidate for Amazon’s next headquarters looks like a clear frontrunner • Tax cuts are going to keep being a boon for the shareholder class • Auto sales declined for the first time since the financial crisis in 2017 • The markets story of 2017 — real returns, fake news • Evidence shows corporate tax cuts don’t work • Foreign investors might be the key to forecasting a U.S. recession • It’s been 17 years since U.S. consumers felt this good about the economy || 3 Mistakes That Could Derail Your Retirement: According to a Gallup poll, less than a third of Americans have long-term financial plans, which is concerning. Failing to consider critical factors could lead to not saving enough money and watching the well run dry during your golden years. Man sitting at table with dollar bills and coins in front of him Image source: Getty Images There are plenty of big questions to ask yourself when planning for retirement, such as what age you plan to retire at and how much you'll be earning in Social Security benefits. But there are also less obvious factors to consider as well, and making these mistakes can have a serious impact on your retirement. 1. Forgetting about inflation It's hard enough to create a budget for the next 30 days, so of course figuring out how much you'll need during retirement 30 years in advance may seem like an impossible task. It doesn't stop there, though -- inflation can further complicate things. The U.S. inflation rate typically hovers around 2% to 3% per year, That may not seem like much, but when you consider how many years you have until retirement and how many years you'll spend in retirement, it adds up. For example, say you're 40 years old and have $50,000 saved for retirement. By the time you turn 65, assuming an inflation rate of 2% per year, that $50,000 will only be worth around $30,476. Once you turn 80, that $50,000 will be worth approximately $22,644. In other words, while you may think you're saving a ton of money, that's in today's dollars; in a few decades, that money won't go nearly as far as you may think. What does that mean for your retirement roadmap? Basically, you'll need to save a lot more than you may have initially thought. While that news probably doesn't have you jumping for joy, if you catch this mistake early and start accounting for inflation in your savings plan, you will be a much happier retiree. The best way to plan for inflation is to begin with a retirement budget. Look at the last few months of bank and credit card statements to get an idea of how much you spend now, then use that as a basis for how much you'll be spending during retirement. Once you have that number, you can add in inflation costs . So, for instance, if you calculate that you'll be spending $3,000 per month during retirement, assuming a 2% inflation rate, in 20 years your cost of living will increase to around $4,458 per month. Story continues It's also a good idea to experiment with different inflation rates, because even small differences in inflation can affect your long-term savings. For instance, if you expect to spend $3,000 per month when you retire, if the inflation rate is closer to 4% your cost of living will jump to $6,573 per month after 20 years. 2. Not accounting for long-term care costs Around 70% of Americans turning 65 in the near future will require long-term care at some point according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Furthermore, those who require long-term care will each pay an average of $138,000 to cover those costs. You may only need long-term care for a year or two toward the end of your life, but those costs are significant. And if you don't budget them into your savings, your savings may run dry too early. While there's no way to predict exactly how much you'll need to pay in long-term care costs (or whether you'll need long-term care at all), it's best to assume the worst and prepare accordingly. The good news is that if you plan early, it's won't take as much effort to save more to cover these costs. For example, say you're 35 years old and plan on retiring at 65. If you currently have $40,000 saved and are contributing $150 per month earning a 7% annual rate of return on your investments, you'll have around $480,900 by the time you retire. But if you were to contribute an extra $50 per month, you'd end up with about $539,703 after 30 years -- a difference of nearly $60,000, which can go a long way toward covering long-term care costs. Long-term care insurance is another option, though it can be pricey. If you anticipate needing long-term care in the future, though, it may be a good choice. While long-term care insurance rates vary widely, typically the earlier you sign up, the lower your rates will be. For example, the average 55-year-old couple pays around $2,500 per year combined, while a 60-year-old couple will pay on average $3,400 per year, according to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance. 3. Underestimating how long retirement will last Though it may feel as if you spend far more time in the workforce than in retirement, for some people that may not be the case. The average worker leaves the workforce at 63 years old, according to Aperion Care, and the average life expectancies for men and women turning 65 today are 84 and 86, respectively. That means the typical retiree spends around 20 years in retirement. However, a quarter of today's 65-year-olds are expected to live past age 90, according to the Social Security Administration, and one in 10 will make it past 95. While that's great news, it can be detrimental to your retirement fund if you don't plan ahead. If you plan for a 20-year retirement that ends up lasting more than 30 years, those last few years won't be as enjoyable as you'd hoped. While you'll likely have Social Security benefits to help cover costs, the average beneficiary receives around $1,400 per month -- which may not be enough to cover everything. Especially considering the fact that you'll likely develop more (expensive) health issues as you age. The safest bet is to plan ahead for a long retirement. If you assume you'll spend, say, 30 years in retirement and only end up living 25 years, you'll just end up with some extra cash -- which is far better than the alternative of outliving your money. Once you do retire, it's also important to do a yearly checkup on your budget and retirement fund. Are you spending about as much as you had planned? Maybe you find that your monthly expenses are higher than you had anticipated, in which case your retirement savings may not last as long as you had hoped. If you notice these discrepancies early, you can do something about them before it's too late. Perhaps pick up a part-time job to boost your savings, or downsize to a smaller home to cut costs. The worst case scenario is to have no idea how long your savings will last until you run out of money -- when it's too late to go back to work or save more. Saving for retirement is a science, and it's not easy. There are a multitude of factors to consider, and even small mistakes can compound over time. But the more prepared you are before retirement, the more enjoyable your golden years will be. More From The Motley Fool 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . || In Your 70s? 3 Stocks You Might Want to Buy: Even in your 70s, you may very well havetwo decades or moreahead of you. That type of potential long-term future means you should really consider owning stocks, even if you're already retired. But not every stock is fit for the portfolio of an investor in their 70s, as it's much more difficult to recover from a severe downturn if you're relying on your portfolio to cover your costs. The ideal stocks for a 70-something investor are ones that: • Have solid balance sheets, improving their chances of withstanding typical economic downturns. • Are reasonably valued, helping reduce the downside risk from a market correction. • Paywell-covereddividends, providing investors with direct cash rewards for their financial risks. • Look capable of growing at least in line with inflation over time, giving investors a chance to protect their buying power. These three stocks fit the bill, making them worthy of your consideration. Image source: Getty Images. Johnson & Johnson(NYSE: JNJ)can trace its history back to 1886. A leader in medical devices ranging from bandages toleading-edge robotic surgery, Johnson & Johnson has both a proven track record of success and a path of innovation that should serve it well in the future. As befitting of an industry titan, Johnson & Johnson has a solid balance sheet with a debt to equity ratio below 0.5 and around $16 billion in cash. That's an incredible war chest to protect it against an economic downturn or to provide capital for acquisitions or research and development. Even with that strong financial foundation, its shares are available at a reasonable price of around 17 times the company's expected future earnings. With those earnings expected to grow by around 7.8% annualized over the next five years, Johnson & Johnson looks capable of continuing to reward its shareholders. Those shareholders currently receive $0.84 per share per quarter in dividends, for a yield of about 2.3%. That dividend represents less than 60% of the company's earnings, adding to its flexibility and providing room for its dividend to continue to grow as its earnings do over time. Image source: Getty Images. Supplemental insurance titanAflac(NYSE: AFL)may be best known for its famous spokesduck, but the company's quirky advertising certainly doesn't detract from its dominant position in its industry. Aflac is so powerful in Japan's cancer insurance market, for instance, that even the Japanese post office markets its policies. It also happens to be the largest supplemental insurance provider in the United States. As befitting an insurance company where catastrophic events could cause large, unexpected payments, Aflac has a strong balance sheet, with a debt to equity ratio below 0.3 and nearly $5 billion in cash. Investors can buy that solid foundation for around 12 times the company's expected forward earnings, providing a reasonable value for the money. Aflac's shares are available at that reasonable price despite the fact that it is expected to be able to grow its earnings at a healthy 13.5% annualized clip over the next five years. That gives investors reason to believe that Aflac will be able to continue its trend of increasing its dividend annually. That dividend yields 2%, sits at $0.45 per share per quarter, and is 25% of the company's earnings. That reasonable payout and expected earnings growth strongly suggest Aflac can continue to raise its dividend. Image source: Getty Images. Unless you live in its Pennsylvania or small sliver of the Maryland service area, you may never have heard of natural gas and electric utility companyUGI(NYSE: UGI). Chances are better, though, that you know theAmeriGas(NYSE: APU)propane distribution business that operates nationwide. UGI owns the general partner of AmeriGas and thus directly benefits from its operations. UGI's propane distribution business also extends into Europe, giving it international reach in the business of moving energy around. UGI's balance sheet isn't burdened by too heavy a debt load. It does carry a debt to equity ratio of around 1.2, which is reasonable for a utility. It also has a current ratio of around 1.0, indicating that it has sufficient cash and short-term assets on hand to cover its financial obligations coming due in the near term. That solid balance sheet supports a business available on the market at a reasonable 18 times its expected forward earnings, a decent value for a strong business in a critical industry. Those earnings are expected to grow by around 6.2% annualized over the next five years, a decent clip that should outpace inflation -- but isn't exactly rapid growth. Those earnings support a dividend of $0.25 per share per quarter, for a yield around 2.1%. At a 40% payout ratio, UGI has room to continue increasing its dividend over time as its earnings grow. In your 70s, you may very well havedecadesahead of you. While youshouldn't rely on stocks for money you need in the next few years, they can have a place in the longer-term part of your portfolio. By owning solid companies with decent prospects, reasonable valuations, shareholder-friendly dividend policies, and solid balance sheets, you can get stock-like returns with less worry than if you own high-flying businesses. That balance can serve you well as you plan your financial future and retirement. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Chuck Salettaowns shares of Aflac and UGI. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Johnson & Johnson. The Motley Fool recommends Aflac and UGI. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || Bitcoin's Price Drops $1K in Sharp Break Below $10K: Bitcoin's price fell sharply during mid-day trading on Wednesday, dropping more than $1,000 amid reports of exchange issues. CoinDesk's Bitcoin Price Index (BPI) hit a low of $9,494.45 - representing a decline of more than $1,200 from the day's opening price of $10,709.53. The sharp drop is notable, considering that the cryptocurrency's price had risen above $10,800 earlier in the day. At press time, bitcoin's price had recovered slightly, and was trading at $9,714. While it's not entirely clear at this time what factors sparked the sell-off, the timing coincides with reports of unauthorized sells on cryptocurrency exchange Binance. The exchange has since suspended withdrawals, according tostatements, with the situation coming less than a month aftera prolonged systemupgrade raised fears of a hack. "We are investigating reports of some users having issues with their funds. Our team is aware and investigating the issue as we speak," a representative wrote on Reddit Wednesday, adding: "As of this moment, the only confirmed victims have registered API keys (to use with trading bots or otherwise). There is no evidence of the Binance platform being compromised." Similarly, cryptocurrency derivatives exchange BitMEX announced that some users were having difficultylogging intoits platform and that it was investigating the issue. BitMEX later reported that it wasback online, citing a spike in load as the underlying cause. Market data indicates that other cryptocurrencies are experiencing price declines as well. With the exception of monero, all of the top-10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization have fallen in excess of 10 percent in the past 24-hours, according toCoinMarketCap. Roller coaster image via Shutterstock • Ex-Trump Adviser Bannon Says Cryptocurrency Will Bring 'True Freedom' • Comcast Makes First Big Bet on a Multi-Blockchain Future • Bitcoin Eyes $10K After High Volume Drop • North Carolina Orders Crypto Mining Firm to Halt Share Sale || Why SunPower Corporation's $568.7 Million Loss Isn't as Bad as It Seems: Solar tariffs have been the headline story for SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ: SPWR) for almost a year now. The Trump administration's 30% tariff on solar imports will impact SunPower more than most solar manufacturers because of its premium-priced products and focus on the U.S. as an end market. What fourth-quarter 2017 results told us was a lot more about SunPower's strategy for the future than the impact of tariffs . In fact, the decision to focus more on component sales could have a much bigger impact on the company's finances over the next year. And it's those underlying results that are more important than the accounting that drove a $568.7 million loss in the quarter. Solar installation with the Washington Monument in the background. Image source: SunPower. Fourth-quarter headline numbers On a non- GAAP basis, fourth-quarter revenue was $824 million, gross margin was 11.9%, and net income was $35.8 million, or $0.25 per share. Results were in line with guidance for $800 million to $850 million of revenue and gross margin of 13% to 15% (once you account for one-time margin costs related to tariffs). The one-time costs were related to bringing solar panels into the U.S. to avoid tariffs. Management said they have between three-and-a-half and six months of solar panels to fill U.S. demand, which means the company could last into the summer with tariff-free solar panels. There's also a process to evaluate products that should be excluded from tariffs, which SunPower will seek. Management said they expect to complete the exclusion application in the next month, and after a 30-day public comment period, the decision should come soon after. Why SunPower's loss is misleading SunPower's $568.7 million loss on a GAAP basis is what gave some in the investing community a little heartburn . But it has more to do with the strange accounting in the solar industry than anything else. Management made the decision in the fourth quarter to sell about 45,000 solar leases, which are backed with $1.4 billion of long-term contracted payments. They anticipate the proceeds to be about $200 million in cash and the buyer will assume or pay off $436 million of debt for total proceeds of $636 million. Story continues This decision led SunPower to re-evaluate whether leases were properly valued on its balance sheet. Based on accounting rules when the leases were distributed, SunPower had put the contracted payments on the balance sheet at a very low discount rate (based on real estate rules), which was lower than the 7% or 8% ballpark rate the leases are being sold for. The difference resulted in a $474 million charge to write down the assets on the balance sheet. It's accounting, not fundamental weakness in the business, that drove the massive loss in the fourth quarter. The sale of leases is part of a larger strategy to exit the project finance business. SunPower wants its business to be almost entirely the sale of solar panels and solutions in the future. That'll make its income statement easier to read in the long term, but will lead to some odd accounting in the short term. Distributed generation is still the name of the game The residential and commercial solar business continued to be the highlight for SunPower . Residential revenue was $174.3 million with a gross margin of 16.7%. Commercial revenue was $318.2 million with a gross margin of 9.9%. But management also said residential and commercial margins were negatively impacted by about 4 and 2 percentage points, respectively. Without that, margins of around 21% and 12% would have been in the ballpark of what investors should expect long term. Utility scale solar installation in a grassy field Image source: SunPower. SunPower also said it expects to gain market share in the U.S. residential and commercial markets in 2018, which is a bit of a surprise given the impact of tariffs. But the company wants to keep a big presence here, and that's probably a good move in the long run, even if it sinks margins in the near term. Power plants are growing, but not very profitable The distributed solar business is SunPower's bread and butter, but power plants are what could drive its long-term profitability . Power plant bookings for 2018 exceed 600 MW, and during the year nearly 1 GW of P-Series solar panels will be produced in China and Mexico. I say this is the growth business because management expects to exit 2018 with about 2 GW of P-Series capacity, which will drive growth into 2019. Power plants won't generate the revenue per watt or margin of a residential or commercial solar business, but 1 GW of sales could drive $600 million of sales or more, potentially doubling in 2019. SunPower is a company in transition The income statement and balance sheet will continue to be in flux in 2018 as SunPower sells assets like leases and its stake in 8point3 Energy Partners (NASDAQ: CAFD) . But the company could reduce debt from $1.55 billion at the end of 2017 to around $811.1 million just from paying off 2018 convertible notes and reducing lease debt. The next step for SunPower will be growing the power plant business and adding energy storage to more residential and commercial installations, which will drive incremental revenue without adding manufacturing capacity. If it can do that with strong margins, the company could return to sustainable profitability by the end of 2018. More From The Motley Fool 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Travis Hoium owns shares of 8point3 Energy Partners and SunPower. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . || Why Las Vegas Sands, Matson, and Ballard Power Systems Jumped Today: The stock market gave up ground on Monday, losing steam after setting the stage for an extraordinarily strong January. Rising interest rates finally seemed to spook Wall Street, with the 10-year Treasury bond seeing its yield move above the 2.7% mark. Some fear that rising bond yields could lure income investors out of stocks, pointing to the influx of investors that came when rates fell so far that dividend stocks offered a more attractive combination of income and growth. Despite the negative sentiment, several stocks posted strong advances during the session. Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) , Matson (NYSE: MATX) , and Ballard Power Systems (NASDAQ: BLDP) were among the best performers on the day. Below, we'll look more closely at these stocks to tell you why they did so well. Sands enjoys earnings, stays out of controversy Shares of Las Vegas Sands picked up 5%, gaining momentum from a positive earnings report late last week . After dealing with a multiyear struggle in Macau, Sands finally saw a pickup in performance there, with its mass-market audience helping to give the casino giant a solid quarter at its four main resorts in the former Portuguese colony. It's also likely that some investors chose to shift their holdings away from Sands' primary rival in the wake of allegations against that rival company's CEO . With solid fundamentals underpinning its stock, Sands is in a good position to see further gains if Macau keeps growing. Venetian resort in Las Vegas, with streaks of cars on Strip going by. Image source: Las Vegas Sands. Matson gets positive reviews Matson stock jumped 21% after the shipping company received positive comments from analysts. One upgrade from Seaport Global Securities sent the stock from neutral to buy and named a price target of $40 per share, which is just 6% or 7% above where shares currently trade after the jump. Seaport believes that Matson's competitive picture with respect to its focus on Hawaii is now looking more favorable now that a potential rival has chosen not to enter the market. Meanwhile, analysts at Stifel kept their buy rating on the stock and sent their target to $38. Matson should now be able to keep its lucrative position in serving the mainland-to-Hawaii shipping market without further deterioration in profit potential. Story continues Ballard powers up Finally, shares of Ballard Power Systems launched higher by 34% . The fuel-cell specialist bounced back from weakness late last week as it answered allegations from short-selling specialist Spruce Point Capital Management. Spruce Point had said that Ballard's announced partnerships with companies in China aren't likely to be as successful as bullish investors think, but Ballard responded with facts about the size and potential for its Chinese joint venture operations. Time will tell how successful the venture is, and in the meantime, investors can expect further turbulence from Ballard shares as this gets sorted out. More From The Motley Fool 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Dan Caplinger has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . || Bitcoin Looks for $10,000 after a Wednesday Tumble: Bitcoin took a dive on Wednesday afternoon, in response to the SEC issuing a statement calling for all crypto exchanges to register with the SEC, with cryptocurrencies being classified as securities. Upon the news hitting the wires, Bitcoin fell 11.6% to an intraday low 9,450, with Bitcoin hitting sub-$10,000 levels for the first time since the end of February. The only good news for Bitcoin investors was the fact that Bitcoin’s 3rdsupport level of $9,188 was not tested on the day, but that was about it, with Bitcoin closing out the day with a 7.8% fall to $9,886.35. The decline from Monday’s $11,688 high had started well before the SEC issued its statement on Wednesday, with a bearish trend having formed late in the day on Monday. Bitcoin’s failure to break out beyond its ranges through the weekend and early Monday weighed through to Wednesday’s tumble. Support levels are certainly of little use when regulatory news hits the wires and when considering the content of the SEC statement, one can only imagine how Bitcoin will respond to more significant demands from the SEC. Get Into Cryptocurrency Trading Today If investors were looking for a turnaround this morning, things have not got much better, with Bitcoin was down 1.31% to $9,782.99 at the time of writing. An early move through to $10,000 levels, with an intraday high $10,037 fell short of Bitcoin’s first major resistance level of $10,715 and Bitcoin has struggled to make a move back through to $10,000 levels since. Current levels may be considered attractive to investors looking to recover losses from the week, which hit 19.15% from Monday’s high to Wednesday’s low, though the possibility of more news from the SEC will certainly test investor resolve through the day. With so much uncertainty now plaguing the markets, Bitcoin will need to break out beyond its 23.6% FIB Retracement Level of $9,978.17 and move through today’s intraday high $10,037 to have a run at its first major resistance level of $10,715. A failure to break through $9,978.17 will likely lead to Bitcoin testing its first major support level of $9,254.64 later in the day. As things stand a move back through to $10,000 levels may well be all that investors can hope for in what is likely to be another choppy day for Bitcoin. Looking across at the Cboe Bitcoin futures, with the March contract down $65 to $9,770, investors are certainly not going to get any help from there… Elsewhere in the cryptomarket, Ripple’s XRP has managed to recover losses from earlier in the day to move into positive territory at the time of writing, up 0.52% to $0.8563, while NEM’s XEM steals the show this morning, up 1.75% to $0.2996. NEM’s XEM gains will be of little consolation for investors that got in over the weekend, with NEM’s XEM having tumbled 27% from Monday’s high to yesterday’s low. With a choppy day ahead, we can expect investors to be quick to lock in any profits in fear of further regulatory notices from the SEC and elsewhere. Buy & Sell Cryptocurrency Instantly Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • DAX Index Daily Fundamental Forecast – March 8, 2018 • European Share Markets: Investors Await ECB Press Conference • NEM’s XEM Technical Analysis – NEM’s XEM Breaking Resistance Barriers 08/03/2018 • Bitcoin Looks for $10,000 after a Wednesday Tumble • Crypto Update: Apprehension as SEC and Hacking News Swirl, Bitcoin under Pressure • USD/CAD Daily Fundamental Forecast – March 8, 2018 || Why Oclaro Inc. Stock Popped Today: Shares ofOclaro Inc.(NASDAQ: OCLR)climbed 20.9% on Tuesday, after the optical communications specialist announced stronger-than-expected fiscal second-quarter 2018 earnings. More specifically, Oclaro's quarterly revenue declined 9.5% year over year to $139.3 million, in line with the company's expectations. On the bottom line, that translated to adjusted earnings of $23.1 million, or $0.14 per diluted share. That's down from $36.3 million, or $0.21 per share, in the same year-ago period, but above the $0.12 per share investors were expecting. IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES. Oclaro CEO Greg Dougherty noted that while revenue declined, the company enjoyed "strong" profitability and cash flow during the quarter. "While we project March quarter revenue to be down sequentially, we anticipate another quarter of solid operating income," Dougherty added. "As the headwinds facing the industry begin to subside, and we ramp new products, our revenue is expected to resume growth in the June quarter." For the quarter ending March 31, Oclaro expects revenue to be in the range of $120 million to $128 million, which technically stands below consensus estimates for sales of $132.8 million. But it's also worth noting that shares of Oclaro had fallen nearly 40% over the past year leading up to this report. And it's no surprise to see the market so aggressively bidding shares up, with management calling for the optical industry to effectively turn for the better before the end of the first half of 2018. If that turn is effectively the start of a longer-term trend, today's gains could be just the beginning for patient Oclaro investors. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Steve Symingtonhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] You Can Buy Houses With Bitcoin Now — Here’s How Much it Would Take #real_estate http://cmun.it/h1m69h  - get content from: https://commun.it/?aid=content_9&tc=n … || mining #Bitcoin #Ethereum #Litecoin #Dogecoin #Ripple or any cryptocurrency. with eobot: REGISTER HERE https://www.eobot.com/user/252099  safe and reliable .. INVEST NOW! pic.twitter.com/4INZieFPPa "Connor McDavid",#5SOS3ISCOMING || Bitcoin reached $ 8,900.00 #bitcoin $BTC #cryptocurrency https://coinranking.com/c/btc/7d pic.twitter.com/EeZHU964gh || #Work4ESHT Here's why bitcoin is the future of money! http://bit.ly/2EaWmgz pic.twitter.com/6JQ86rR4is || Soon we’ll be trading only for BTC gains again. || It's February 06, 2018 at 09:00AM #ETHLEND $LEND $KCS $PPT $QSP $BTC $ETH. 90% FEE back to user. I will always support that: http://bit.ly/buy-ethlend  || ちぅ太@pon骨さんからnomad_btcさんに888satoshi(1円)送金されました。 || "The ramifications of the creation of #Bitcoin are so profound for both economics and computer science that Satoshi Nakamoto should rightly be the first person to qualify for both a Nobel Prize in Economics and the Turing Award." by @real_vijay || XCP-BTCが＋10％に到達。上昇中。 現在の価格 「0.00199000(+13.71) xcp-btc」 「1,550.00(-9.30) xcp-jpy」 ⇒http://kasoutuka-navi.com/counterparty/  #XCP #Counterparty #カウンターパーティー #仮想通貨なび #ZAIF #ザイフ || $8K Again? Bitcoin Is Up Nearly $2K from Today's Low https://coinvedi.com/8k-again-bitcoin-is-up-nearly-2k-from-todays-low/ … #Bitcoin #Blockchain #Cryptocurrency #Ethereum
Trend: up || Prices: 6890.52, 6973.53, 6844.23, 7083.80, 7456.11, 6853.84, 6811.47, 6636.32, 6911.09, 7023.52
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin Price Rises Above $12K to Hit One-Month High: • Bitcoin’s move above $12,000 is backed by an uptick in trading volumes and bullish readings on the daily chart. • BTC could close well above $12,000 today, confirming a falling channel breakout on the daily chart and extend gains toward $13,200 (July 10 high) in the short-term. • The 4-hour chart is reporting overbought conditions and a bearish indicator divergence. So, prices may pull back to $11,800–$11,600 and the bullish UTC close above $12,000 may be delayed till Wednesday. • The bullish case would weaken if prices drop below key average support, currently at $10,545, although that looks unlikely. Bitcoin (BTC) is trading above $12,000 for the first time in four weeks and is reporting gains for the eighth consecutive day. The top cryptocurrency by market value rose above $12,000 at 06:45 UTC and soon hit a high of $12,298, the highest level since July 10, according to Bitstamp data. As of writing, BTC is changing hands at $12,185 on Bitstamp, representing 3.26 percent gains on the daily opening price of $11,800. The cryptocurrency has scored 2–7 percent gains in each of the preceding seven days. Related:Bitcoin Eyes $12K Price Hurdle as Dominance Rate Hits 28-Month High If BTC prints a UTC close above $11,800 today, then the resulting eight-day winning streak would be the longest since June. Back then, prices had rallied for eight straight days, starting from June 19 to June 26. Prior to that, BTC eked out gains for eight consecutive days in December 2017. The latest winning runlooks sustainableas it is accompanied by a rise in bitcoin’s dominance rate – the cryptocurrency’s share of the total cryptocurrency market. The gauge, as calculated by data sourceCoinMarketCap, currently stands at 68.5 percent, the highest level since April 2017. Further, the cryptocurrency seems to have found acceptance above key resistance at $12,000, as seen in technical charts. So, with the path of least resistance to the higher side, BTC could extend the ongoing rise toward the next major hurdle at $13,200 in the short-term. Related:Bitcoin’s Price Jumps Back Above $11K for the First Time In 3 Weeks BTC is currently trading above the upper edge of the falling channel, currently at $12,000. A UTC close above that level would confirm the breakout and signal a revival of the rally from lows near $4,000 seen on April 1. The breakout looks likely as the 5- and 10-day moving averages (MAs) are rising, indicating a bullish setup. The 14-day relative strength index (RSI) is also reporting bullish conditions with an above-50 print. Further, the moving average convergence divergence histogram continues to produce higher highs above the zero line, a sign of strengthening bullish momentum. And, last but not least, buying volumes (green bar) ticked higher yesterday, violating the downtrend line and validating the bullish move in prices. So, the July 10 high of $13,200 could come into play over the next few days. The RSI on the 4-hour chart is reporting overbought conditions with an above-70 print, while the MACD has produced lower highs as opposed to higher highs on price (bearish divergence). So, a brief pullback may precede a rally to $13,200. That said, the bullish case would weaken only if the cryptocurrency finds acceptance below the ascending 10-day MA, currently located at $10,545. Disclosure: The author holds no cryptocurrency assets at the time of writing. Bitcoinimage via Shutterstock; charts byTrading View • From Ghana to the Bronx, These Teen Bitcoiners Are Building the Future • Bitcoin Won’t Be a Global Reserve Currency. But It’s Opening the Box || Napster Creator’s Blockchain Firm Helium Releases IoT Hotspots: Napster creator Shawn Fanning’s new company Helium has released its internet of things (IoT) wireless hotspot devices with ablockchain-based incentives program, according to an official blogpostby Helium on June 12. According to the post, a Helium Hotspot provides wireless connectivity to theInternet; one node on its own will cover about 1/50 to 1/150 of a city, according to the company’s research. The nodes are intended to support a network of internet coverage, one which isdecentralizedand powered by individual contributors. Contributors are rewarded by an incentives program on the Helium blockchain, which is powered by the hotspots themselves — one hotspot is one node for the blockchain. According to the companywebsite, the hotspots’miningmechanism within the blockchain is much less energy-intensive than traditionalconsensusalgorithms used for blockchains such asproof-of-work. The mining works by verifying the legitimacy of other nodes using a “Proof-of-Coverage” protocol, which purportedly is no more energy-consuming than an LED light bulb. Energy concerns have been an issue voiced by critics of blockchain tech in the past, as a recent studysuggestedthat carbon emissions from bitcoin (BTC) mining are comparable to the whole of Kansas City. There are also a number of potential use cases mentioned, on the post and the website, that go beyond typical internet services via Helium’s sensors, such as using smoke or heat sensors to prevent wildfires, tracking pets, or even preventing bike theft via location-detecting sensors. Helium Hotspots are only available for purchase in Austin, Texas upon release, but national coverage is reportedly planned for the fourth quarter of 2019. The company also intends to sell the hotspots globally in the future. Asreportedby Tech Crunch, Helium has raised at least $51 million in funding for its IoT network. One issue noted in the report is that there needs to be a large number of hotspots, sufficiently spread out, in order for there to be a functioning network at all. Last month, engineering and electronics manufacturer Boschsaidthat it would aid the development of the IoT space by defending it from censorship. Board member Dr. Michael Bolle said: “We cannot accept a situation in which the overwhelming reaction to digital innovations is mistrust and fear.” • Blockchains Acquires Development Firm Behind ‘The DAO’ Project • McAfee Trading Platform Suffers DOS Attack Upon Launch • Trend Micro: Outlaw Hacking Group’s Botnet Is Now Spreading a Monero Miner • Bitcoin Generates More Carbon Emissions Than Some Countries, Study Warns || EUR/USD Mid-Session Technical Analysis for August 2, 2019: The Euro is trading higher against the U.S. Dollar on Friday as a plunge in U.S. Treasury yields is making the greenback a less-attract asset. The catalyst behind the move is the announcement of additional tariffs against China by the United States. The escalation of tensions between the two economic powerhouses likely means the Fed will cut rates again in September. This is also putting pressure on the dollar. At 12:13 GMT, theEUR/USDis trading 1.1105, up 0.0020 or +0.18%. At 12:30 GMT, the U.S. will release its highly anticipated non-farm payrolls report for July. It is expected to show the economy added 164,000 jobs in July, down from 224,000 in June. Average Hourly Earnings are expected to have risen 0.2% and the Unemployment Rate may have dipped to 3.6%. The main trend is down according to the daily swing chart. However, yesterday’s closing price reversal bottom and today’s subsequent confirmation shifted momentum to the upside. This could lead to a 2 to 3 day counter-trend rally. A trade through 1.1027 will negate the chart pattern and signal a resumption of the downtrend. The minor trend is also down. A trade through 1.1188 will change the minor trend to up. This will also shift momentum to the upside. The short-term range is 1.1282 to 1.1027. Its retracement zone at 1.1155 to 1.1185 is the first upside target. Since the main trend is down, sellers are likely to come in on the first test of this area. Based on the early price action and the current price at 1.1105, the direction of the EUR/USD is likely to be determined by trader reaction to the downtrending Gann angle at 1.1082. A sustained move over 1.1082 will indicate the presence of buyers. If this creates enough upside momentum then look for a potential rally into the next downtrending Gann angle at 1.1133, followed closely by the short-term 50% level at 1.1155. A sustained move under 1.1082 will signal the presence of sellers. If this generates enough downside momentum then look for a pullback into the minor pivot at 1.1071 then the closing price reversal bottom at 1.1027. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • E-mini Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM) Futures Technical Analysis – August 2, 2019 Forecast • GBP/USD Weekly Price Forecast – British pound looks soft yet again • Grains Recovers Ground as Dollar Resumes Downside, New Trade War Chapter • Bitcoin Keeps Growing • AUD/USD Price Forecast – breaks major support • The Trump Effect: Will Beijing Buckle or Retaliate || Venezuela Turned Airport Taxes Into Bitcoin to Avoid Sanctions: Report: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his administration appear to be leveraging tax revenue and cryptocurrencies as part of a broader effort to evade economic sanctions, aninvestigationby Spanish newspaper ABC has found. As detailed in a story published Monday, the newspaper asserts it uncovered a scheme by which Maduro and his associates were using a digital wallet app to turn tax revenue from domestic airports into bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies that were then transferred to exchanges in Hong Kong, Hungary, Russia and China. There, the funds were converted and sent back to Venezuela, according to the report. Related:Bitcoin Price Retakes $10K But Remains Short of Bull Revival The effort is the latest example of how the ban onMaduro’s governmentfrom using US bank accounts and from participating in the open international market has forced it to look at cryptocurrenciesas a way to obtain dollars. The newspaper alleges that the tax revenue in question came from the Maiquetia International Airport (IAIM) located near Caracas, the country’s capital, and that taxes were collected through an automated system that works with an app called Jetman Pay. Maduro’s administration is said to be in talks to expand its use of the app, including for proceeds it collects from refueling airplane that traffic the airport. In a contract – allegedly yet to be signed – the Jetman Pay app would be used to directly defy the U.S. ban again. Under the scheme, a plane would land at IAIM, at which point it would transfer fiat currencies in exchange for fuel. Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A, the state’s oil and natural gas company, would then use the app to pay government taxes, upon which it would be sent abroad as cryptocurrency. Related:Andrew Yang Super PAC Will Accept Lightning-Powered Bitcoin Donations The automated system has been used at IAIM since February 2018 for airport tax collection. The report concluded by speculating that Maduro may be looking to expand the scheme to other airports across the country. Nicolas Maduro via cryptograffiti • US Treasury Secretary Mnuchin Thinks Outlook for Bitcoin Is Bleak • People in US Trust Bitcoin More Than Facebook’s Libra: Report || Natural Gas Price Fundamental Daily Forecast – Weakens Under $2.203, Strengthens Over $2.227: Natural gas futures are trading lower on Friday after posting a steep reversal to the downside the previous session. Not only did the market close lower, but it also erased an earlier rally that took the market to its highest level since July 16. If the downside momentum continues today then sellers may take a shot at the contract low at $2.101. At 11:35 GMT,September natural gasfutures are trading $2.163, down $0.039 or -1.77%. This week’s early rally was killed and prices retreated on Thursday after a government report showed a weekly injection into U.S. natural gas stocks on the high side of the estimates. The EIA reported Thursday that domestic supplies of natural gas rose by 65 billion cubic feet for the week-ended July 26. The average forecast of analysts had called for an increase of 52 billion cubic feet. Energy Aspects called for a 55 Bcf injection. Intercontinental Exchange EIA Financial Weekly Index futures settled Tuesday at 60 Bcf. Last year the EIA recorded a 31 Bcf injection for the period, and the five-year average build is 37 Bcf. Total stocks now stand at 2.634 trillion cubic feet, up 334 billion cubic feet from a year ago, but 123 billion cubic feet below the five-year average, the government said. According to NatGasWeather for August 1 to August 7, “Hot high pressure will rule the West and Plains with highs of upper 80s to 100s, hottest over the Southwest & Texas. Temperatures will be quite comfortable the next several days across the Midwest and Northeast with highs of 70s and 80s as a cool front pushes through. Additional weather systems with showers and cooling will arrive next week again over the Midwest and East while very warm to hot elsewhere. Overall, national demand will be moderate.” We’re going to be watching the $2.203 to $2.227 area closely since this is the retracement zone that will determine the direction of the September natural gas futures market today. A sustained move under $2.203 will indicate the presence of buyers. This could drive the market through this week’s low at $2.101. A sustained move over $2.227 will signal the return of buyers. Profit-taking and short-covering will also contribute to the rally. It looks like temperatures will be cooler next week, but this has been priced into the market for days. The catalyst for the next move in the market will be the forecast for after August 15. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • The Trump Effect: Will Beijing Buckle or Retaliate • GBP/USD Price Forecast – British pound continues to hang at low levels • GBP/JPY Weekly Price Forecast – British pound continues to collapse • USD/JPY Price Forecast – US dollar falls against safety currency • Bitcoin Keeps Growing • AUD/USD Weekly Price Forecast – Australian dollar breaks down significantly || IBM, MIT and Elliptic release world’s largest labeled dataset of bitcoin transactions: Blockchainforensics startupElliptichas teamed up with researchers atMIT’s IBM-funded AI Labto produce the world’s largest set of labeled bitcoin transaction data. The labeling highlights unique transaction characteristics, and can be used to identify illicit actors in the crypto space. Elliptic's datasetcomprises 200,000 bitcoin transactions, with a total value of $6 billion. It will be publicly available from today, andcan now be used by open-source developers and other researchers to train machine learning algorithms to spot characteristics that are unique to illicit or legitimate transactions. By helping to keep crypto within the law, it should boost its legitimacy in the eyes of governments around the world. “Based on our own research we have labeled those transactions made by illicit actors (dark marketplaces, ransomware operators, fraudsters) and those made by legitimate actors (regulated exchanges, merchants, wallet services etc.,)” Elliptic Co-Founder Tom Robinson toldDecryptin an email. “When applied to new data [the software] can pick out any transactions that match these patterns,” he further explained. The same techniques could be used on a range of cryptocurrencies and blockchain-based assets, from Ethereum to Libra, according to the company’s statement. Elliptic aims to help its clients better identify illicit transactions, reducing compliance costs and driving criminal activity out of the industry. Billions of dollars are laundered through cryptocurrencies each year. But while such advancements in deep learning for graph or network structured data show great promise in identifying bad actors in complex money laundering schemes, they have also raised concerns amongproponents of privacy. In response, the company hasclaimedthat the data it receives from exchanges and financial service providers does not include any personally identifiable information about users, such as names, addresses or social security numbers. However, it can still be used to connect multiple transactions to the same customer ID—one of the main techniques used to prevent financial crime. To compliment their dataset, the researchers have published a paper, “Anti-Money Laundering in Bitcoin: Experiments with Graph Convolutional Networks for Financial Forensics.” It will be presented at theKnowledge Discovery and Data Mining Conferenceon August 5, 2019. Elliptic has previously worked with the FBI and DEA to investigate illicit blockchain activity, and recently highlighted the use of bitcoin as amethod of fundraisingby Palestinian militant group Hamas. || Federal Reserve Throws Water On Facebook’s Crypto Dreams: Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told Facebook to pump the breaks on its cryptocurrency plans, citing a number of red flags about the impending launch of the social network's upcoming Libra. Strange Currencies In June, Facebook announced it would launch its very own cryptocurrency, called Libra. The currency would not be fully controlled by Facebook, and instead would be run by a coalition of companies including Stripe, Uber, Mastercard, Visa, PayPal and Spotify as well as the nonprofit Switzerland-based Libra Association. Facebook further signaled its dedication to the project by launching Calibri, a new subsidiary that would create a wallet for the Libra coin. The plan was to launch in next year, but that’s (crypto)currently not looking so likely. What’s The Hold Up? You’re likely aware that Facebook has been embroiled in its share of scandals lately, and its public goodwill is fast evaporating. Coupled with the problems that Bitcoin, crypto’s most high-profile e-cash company, has been having, and it is no surprise that regulators are a bit skittish. In a Congressional committee meeting earlier this morning, Powell raised concerns about privacy, money laundering, consumer protection, financial stability — all issues the crypto community is still working through. Powell said the project can’t go forward until Facebook has addressed these weak spots, and called for a Libra oversight that is “careful one, not a sprint to implementation.” Bit by Bit Cryptocurrency has captured the imagination of investors and financial analysts, with some calling Libra a validation for crypto-currency and a sign that it will go mainstream. Maybe. And Facebook could no doubt use a win these days. But for now red tape, regulator concerns and the still sketchy reputation crypto has in the public eye (there’s just so much money laundering) suggests it’s not ready for prime time just yet. -Michael Tedder Photo: Brendan McDermid/Reuters || BitMEX Hits $1 Trillion Annual Trading as Bitcoin Futures Explodes: BitMEX, a bitcoin derivatives exchange, has surpassed $1 trillion in annual trading volume, according to a tweet by founder Arthur Hayes. It comes as bitcoin futures trading volumes explode to record highs on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) platform. Demand for bitcoin derivatives, which allow users to open up long and short positions on bitcoin’s price movement, is booming. BitMEX is popular for its high-leverage margin trading. Users can execute 100x leveraged trades on bitcoin futures and perpetual swaps On June 26th, the exchange boasted a record day as the bitcoin price shot to almost $14,000. Open interest for perpetual swaps hit $1 billion while total volumes hit $16 billion across the board. Cumulatively, the exchange has now seen more than $1 trillion traded in the last year. It’s a stunning feat, considering bitcoin languished at bear-market lows for most of the 365 trading days. TheCME bitcoin futuresplatform, which launched in late 2017, has also seen record interest. The exchange traded arecord notional value of $1.7 billionon Wednesday last week on the day bitcoin hit a 2019 high. Read the full story on CCN.com. || Bitcoin Price Eyes Move Above $13K as Dominance Rate Hits 2-Year High: View • Bitcoin’s violation of recent bearish lower highs with a move above $12,061 has opened the doors for a retest of $13,880. • Prices reinforced the bull breakout with a successful defense of the former resistance-turned-support of $12,061 soon before press time. • Bitcoin’s dominance rate has spiked to 27-month highs, backing the uptrend in prices. • A high-volume UTC close below $12,000 would abort the bullish view. Bitcoin’s break above a key price hurdle looks to have set the tone for a retest of recent highs above $13,800. The top cryptocurrency bu market cap printed a UTC close above $12,061 on Monday, invalidating a bearish lower highs pattern created on July 4, according to Bitstamp data. Related:Investor Fortress Will Buy Mt Gox Creditor Claims for $900 Per Bitcoin Further, with Monday’s close, BTC cemented the bullish view put forward by the strong dip demand below $10,000 observed a week ago. More importantly, the latest breakout looks sustainable, as bitcoin’s dominance rate (percentage of the market in relation to other cryptocurrencies) has ticked up to 64 percent, the highest level since April 2017, according to data sourceCoinMarketCap. A rise in price accompanied by a surge in the dominance rate indicates that investors are pouring money into the bitcoin market for a long haul and not merely to fund purchases of relatively cheap alternative cryptocurrencies. Related:KuCoin Launches Bitcoin Derivatives Trading With 20x Leverage Put simply, rise in dominance adds credence to the upward trend in prices. As a result, doors look open for a rise toward the recent high of $13,880. At press time, BTC is changing hands at $12,600 on Bitstamp, representing 7.55 percent gains on the day. Prices hit a high of $12,883 earlier on Tuesday. Bitcoin violated the bearish lower-highs pattern with a close above $12,061 yesterday on the back of an uptick in buy volumes (green bar). The 14-day relative strength index is currently holding well above 50, indicating bullish conditions. Further, the Chaikin money flow indicator, which takes into account both prices and trading volume, continues to print positive numbers – a sign of sustained buying pressure. BTC could rise above $13,000 in the next 24 hours and extend the gains toward $13,880 (June 26 high) in the short-run. BTC dived out of the ascending channel soon before press time, establishing a bearish lower high at $12,700. Prices, however, soon bounced up from the former resistance-turned-support of $12,061, keeping the bulls in the game. A break above $12,700 would further strengthen the bull grip and allow a rally to levels above $13,000, as suggested by the daily chart. The bullish view, however, would be aborted if prices close today below the former resistance-turned-support of $12,061. Disclosure:The author holds no cryptocurrency at the time of writing Bitcoinimage via Shutterstock; charts byTradingView • Bitcoin Price Nears $12K After Rising $500 in Minutes • XRP Was Worst Performing Top-10 Crypto in H1 – But BNB Shone || Above $9.3K: Bitcoin’s Price Prints 13-Month High: The price of bitcoin (BTC) hit a 13-month high above $9,300 on Sunday. The leading cryptocurrency by market capitalization rose to $9,381 at 05:55 UTC – the highest price since May 10, 2018, according to CoinDesk’s Bitcoin Price Index . BTC was last seen trading at $9,250 representing 6.4 percent gains on the day. On a month-to-date basis, the cryptocurrency is up 8 percent. Bitcoin Surpasses 1 Million Daily Active Addresses More than $19 billion worth of bitcoin has been traded across cryptocurrency exchanges in the last 24 hours, according to Messari data . Meanwhile, major exchanges included in the calculation of Bitwise’s “real” bitcoin trading volume are currently reporting the 24-hour volume figure at $867,697,751. With the price rise, Bitcoin’s dominance rate , or its share of the total cryptocurrency market, has ticked higher to 57.1 percent from lows near 55 percent see on Friday. The bitcoin price rally is boding well for the broader market. At press time, litecoin is up 2.3 percent on a 24-hour basis. Names like ethereum’s ether token, XRP and bitcoin cash are up 4 percent, according to CoinMarketCap. Facebook’s GlobalCoin May Be A ‘Historic Initiative,’ Say RBC Analysts Meanwhile, EOS is the best performing top 10 cryptocurrency of the past 24 hours with 7 .4 percent gains. However, on a seven-day basis, litecoin is leading the top 10 cryptocurrencies with 18.29 percent gains followed by bitcoin, which has appreciated by 17.20 percent. Looking forward, BTC may rise further toward the next major resistance at $10,000, as long-term technical studies are biased bullish . For instance, bitcoin’s 50- and 100-candle moving averages on the three-day chart look set to produce a bullish crossover – a sign of bull market momentum. Back in October 2015, the same cross marked the start of a long-term bull market. Disclosure: The author holds no cryptocurrency assets at the time of writing. Bitcoin image via CoinDesk archives; charts by Trading View Related Stories A Protocol for Issuing Tokens Launches on Bitcoin’s Lightning Network Bull Trap? Bitcoin’s Price Rise to $8,300 Isn’t Backed by High Volumes [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] You guys should see #Bitcoin as hyperinflation insurance rather than speculation. Always make sure that the ratio - (Bitcoin/CCE) is not less than 1% and you will be fine. CCE Definition - https://t.co/Kqa6A8uH6H @Investopedia || @CryptoizOffice || $PHB TP2 hit!💥 For Free crypto signals https://t.co/e9CELG0FKO $SCC $LRC $BAT $XZC $XMR $NEW $DGD $BNT $ZIP $AST $CVT $TEN $KEY $PIVX $BCO $KNC $NEXO $XRP $CELR $CS $REPO $POE $BTC $GAS $BAT 603436744 https://t.co/c3ndYjEC8V || Derivativos com Bitcoin são o próximo passo do mercado https://t.co/QVZyg4qD8n https://t.co/QGoe5cSHWj || (XP/BTC) [CB] 0.00000000 [CE] 0.00000001 [TS] 0.00000001 [CH] データ取得エラー (XP/DOGE) [CE] 0.00180000 [TS] 0.00175000 || @happymlm111 #securypto yes.. Get bitcoin = get wealth.. Let's do that man.. And happy together.. #cryptocurrency #bitcoin #altcoin || #freecoin #freebitcoin #BTC #free https://t.co/q3HrXWWNHs https://t.co/nNledyS6Dv || @kashlieshea come onnnnnn || $EPAZ's Bitcoin Sharing &amp; Blockchain Social Media App Webbeeo Is In Alpha Testing Phase https://www.owltmarket || @StefanMolyneux You spelt bitcoin wrong.
Trend: down || Prices: 11523.58, 11382.62, 10895.83, 10051.70, 10311.55, 10374.34, 10231.74, 10345.81, 10916.05, 10763.23
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2022-10-10] BTC Price: 19141.48, BTC RSI: 43.68 Gold Price: 1667.30, Gold RSI: 43.63 Oil Price: 91.13, Oil RSI: 58.79 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Don’t Be Tempted by the Low Price. Avoid MULN Stock at All Costs.: As has been the case lately, investors are continuing to bail on Mullen Automotive (NASDAQ: MULN ) stock. Just in the past month, shares in the fledgling electric vehicle (EV) maker are down around 50%. While you can blame market volatility for some of these price declines, the bulk of them are due to decreased confidence in Mullen’s future. Like I discussed earlier in September, the market is now well-aware that the stock’s many risks far exceed the possible rewards . Mullen’s current risk/return proposition could become even more unfavorable if the company’s bid to buy a struggling peer out of bankruptcy goes through. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Put simply, this deal stands to worsen what is already a bad situation. MULN may look cheap with its current sub-$1 share price, but if the company is able to close on this transaction, the stock could remain in free-fall mode. Here’s why. MULN Stock and the Latest M&A News As InvestorPlace Financial News Writer Samuel O’Brient reported on Sept. 20, Mullen Automotive continues to be in deal-making mode. Just coming off its deal to buy a majority stake in Bollinger Motors , Mullen now has its eyes on another acquisition target : the assets of bankrupt EV maker Electric Last Mile Solutions (OTCMKTS: ELMSQ ). The company has put in a $55 million bid for Electric Last Mile’s inventory, intellectual property rights, as well as its manufacturing plant located in Mishawaka, Indiana. While it’s not guaranteed that Mullen will win the bankruptcy auction, so far the company has placed the highest bid. Much like other recent news, this development has done little to improve sentiment for MULN stock. Instead, it’s having the opposite reaction. In my view, this makes perfect sense. Sure, in theory this deal may be a great opportunity for Mullen to obtain manufacturing capacity on the cheap. However, along with the above-mentioned grab bag of assets, the Electric Last Mile deal also comes with $37 million in assumed liabilities, bringing the total price up to around $92 million. Already stretched thin, the need to raise more capital could arise sooner, and to a far greater extent, than previously anticipated. Story continues Why Mullen Is Dropping on This News Investors appear to be pricing in an inevitable capital raise. As of Aug. 8, the company only had $99 million in cash on hand, barely enough to cover cash burn in the coming quarters, as well as the above-mentioned Bollinger deal. Now, Mullen is taking on another relatively large financial commitment. This means a Mullen capital raise may happen sooner. If the company wins the Electric Last Mile bankruptcy auction, it will likely need to quickly raise the funds, most likely through the sale of new convertible debt. This will dilute existing shareholders. That’s not all. Mullen could follow up this deal with a series of similar transactions, all of which entail shareholder dilution and questionable long-term benefit. It’s very uncertain whether this company will be able to turn this burgeoning collection of EV assets into an enterprise that can take on established EV makers like Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA ). Put simply, the market is responding appropriately to this news by selling MULN stock. This deal increases downside risk, adding little upside potential. The Takeaway Mullen shares have dropped nearly 30% on news of the Electric Last Mile bid. The stock could keep dropping, as the market continues to price in the prospect of more dilution, all in the pursuit of a deal with an uncertain chance of paying off. That’s why it’s wise to stay away and avoid this stock completely. Don’t be fooled by Mullen’s super-low stock price. If it continues to finance its expansion via dilutive methods, the stock could remain in its current death spiral. If it loses its ability to raise money through convertible debt financing, it may even one day find itself facing the same fate as its latest acquisition target. Far from overreacting, investors are making the right call in selling low-quality MULN stock. Follow their lead, and stay away. MULN stock earns a D rating in my Portfolio Grader. On the date of publication, neither Louis Navellier nor the InvestorPlace Research Staff member primarily responsible for this article held (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. Louis Navellier, who has been called “one of the most important money managers of our time,” has broken the silence in this shocking “tell all” video … exposing one of the most shocking events in our country’s history… and the one move every American needs to make today . More From InvestorPlace Buy This $5 Stock BEFORE This Apple Project Goes Live The Best $1 Investment You Can Make Today Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” It doesn’t matter if you have $500 or $5 million. Do this now. The post Don’t Be Tempted by the Low Price. Avoid MULN Stock at All Costs. appeared first on InvestorPlace . || 7 Vaccine Stocks to Sell ASAP Now That the ‘Pandemic’s Over’: As people acclimatize to the new normal, it’s time to look at some vaccine stocks to sell. Instead of relying primarily on vaccines and antiviral drugs, the government let people manage infections. Once infected with the less fatal strain, Omicron, people would isolate themselves for a few days and then return to work. By shifting away from its reliance on drug companies, investors must recognize there are vaccine stocks that it’s time to sell. The government cut orders for vaccines and antiviral drugs, which already is hurting vaccine stocks. People realized that the vaccine specific to the Delta variant offered minimal protection against the current strains. As Omicron sub-variants emerge, health organizations will evaluate the effectiveness of bivalent vaccines first. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Investors should brace for a sharp drop in vaccine and test kit sales. Those are the vaccine stocks to sell. In addition, companies that depend on antiviral sales risk underperforming. Still, their revenue drop is less severe. The population at the greatest risk of mortality and lingering effects of infection needs antiviral drugs. [{"ABT": "AZN", "Abbott Laboratories": "AstraZeneca", "$99.79": "$52.79"}, {"ABT": "BNTX", "Abbott Laboratories": "BioNTech", "$99.79": "$128.00"}, {"ABT": "CODX", "Abbott Laboratories": "Co-Diagnostics", "$99.79": "$2.98"}, {"ABT": "NVAX", "Abbott Laboratories": "Novavax", "$99.79": "$19.46"}, {"ABT": "PFE", "Abbott Laboratories": "Pfizer", "$99.79": "$43.90"}, {"ABT": "VALN", "Abbott Laboratories": "Valneva", "$99.79": "$11.01"}] Source: testing / Shutterstock.com Abbott Laboratories(NYSE:ABT) traded below $100 for the first time in two years. The company, which makes Covid test kits, fell out of favor in May amid its baby formula manufacturing suspension. The Food and Drug Administrationhad 15 key findingsfor Abbott’s baby formula production including increasing the company’s workforce, training more staff and having more safety equipment. Abbott also needs a modern information technology system to supply the response team with real-time data. In the last quarter, Abbott recorded Covid test sales of $2.3 billion. BinaxNOW in the U.S. accounted for95% of those sales. Ironically, Covid surges and lockdowns in China slowed Abbot’s Medical Devices revenue. Device sales grew by 7.5% in the quarter. As the lockdown eases in China, the devices sector could improve later this year. Source: Roland Magnusson / Shutterstock.com AstraZeneca(NASDAQ:AZN) is down more than 20% this month. Investors dumped the stock despite positive news related to Covid-19 treatments. On Sept. 16 the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended theapproval of AstraZeneca’s Evusheld. The drug is for people aged 12 years or older with Covid-19 who did not need supplemental oxygen but are at increased risk of progressing to severe Covid. Outside of Covid treatment, the European Union recommended theapproval of Beyfortus (nirsevimab). This drug offers protection against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease. The positive news failed to encourage investors to buy AZN stock. Shares now trade at a forwardprice-to-earnings of 15 times. In addition, the $1.90 a share dividend yields 3.48%. Still, the attractive yield is not enough to offset the nearly 20% stock drop in the last month. Source: Palatinate Stock / Shutterstock.com BioNTech(NASDAQ:BNTX) andPfizerfiled for Swissmedic authorization of a second bivalent COVID-19 vaccine. The companies updated the vaccine with half the mRNA coding for the spike protein from the original variant. BioNTech designed the other half of the mRNA to stimulate the production of neutralizing antibodies against Omicron. Even though this submission will target Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, investors ignored the news. BNTX stock faced severe resistance at the 20-daysimple moving average. Shares are down 45% so far this year. More recently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the updated Covid boostershots for children should be available beginning in early to mid-October. Despite the implications of a higher addressable market for vaccine sales, investors are unimpressed. They are betting that people will not subject their children to the next vaccine this fall season. Source: Shutterstock Co-Diagnostics(NASDAQ:CODX) lost eight cents ashare in the second quarter. Revenue plunged by 81.7% from last year to $5.02 million. The company praised its strong execution during the second quarter. For example, it progressed further on the development and optimization of theCoDx PCR Home testing platform. Investors expected more. Lower volumes of its Logix Smart Covid-19 Test resulted in sharply lower revenue. Public funding assistance for testing programs is falling. The government requires few if any, travel and public venues. The overall downtrend for test kits is unstoppable. Investors are assuming that another wave is unlikely. Co-Diagnostics pointed to experts believing other waves of Covid variants are inevitable. If mutations increase the danger of catching the infection, it might reverse the negative downtrend in test kit demand. The company may pivot its business on developing a platform for affordable, decentralized PCR testing. However, it cannot rely on detecting only Covid. More diseases will emerge from other viruses. Yet the company is not ready to rely on testing anything other than Covid. Source: rarrarorro / Shutterstock.com Novavax(NASDAQ:NVAX) plunged by 31% in the last week. Bearishness accelerated after JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM)downgraded the stock. It cited the company has weak long-term prospects making it one of the vaccine stocks to sell now. Regulators approved Novavax’s first protein-based vaccine in 2022. However, demand for a vaccine peaked in the first and second wave more than 12 months ago. Weak product sales will increase the risks of quarterly losses. Countries that ordered the vaccine may cancel or cut the number of units. Novavax faces operational risks when costs exceed revenue. If Novavax runs at negative cash flow, it will need to raise cash by selling shares. Unfortunately, the bear market is unreceptive to biotechnology companies with uncertain prospects. The company might need to re-align its efforts in developing a vaccine for another disease, such as Influenza. This strategic change will come at a higher cost. Investors are wary of holding a company that might lose more money. NVAX stock is a stock to avoid holding. Source: Manuel Esteban / Shutterstock.com Pfizer(NYSE:PFE) said that it cut the cycle time ofdeveloping drugs by 2.5 years. Paxlovid is an antiviral drug that is an example of quick development, but markets are bearish on the drug’s prospects. The stock is showing signs of heading lower as itheads near its 52-week low. The company’s overall prospects do not depend on the pandemic. For example, it projected a revenue potential of $25 billion from 2025 to 2030. It has the cash flow and financial flexibility to deploy its capital. In a bearish market, investors are bearish about higher expenses, even when Pfizer is spending on research and development. Source: 89stocker / Shutterstock In June,Valneva(NASDAQ:VALN) received approval from the European Commission for marketing authorization inEurope for its vaccine, VLA2001. Since then, investors became more convinced that the pandemic is over. Even if Valneva has the best drug against covid with fewer side effects, people may still not want it. In August, the company cut its revenue for the fiscal year. It cited lower Covid vaccine demand fromthe EU member states. In the first half of the year, the firm lost EUR 150.4 million. Since EU member states lowered order volume, Valneva suspended manufacturing of the vaccine. Furthermore, it took a EUR 100.6 million write-down. Investors have no patience to hold a company that loses money. In this bearish environment, they demand profitable companies with strong prospects in the drug space. Demand for vaccines is weak worldwide. Valenva’s dependency on the European market hurts its potential market size. Avoid VALN stock. On the date of publication, Chris Lau did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines. Chris Lau is a contributing author for InvestorPlace.com and numerous other financial sites. Chris has over 20 years of investing experience in the stock market and runs the Do-It-Yourself Value Investing Marketplace on Seeking Alpha. He shares his stock picks so readers get actionable insight to achieve strong investment returns. • Buy This $5 Stock BEFORE This Apple Project Goes Live • The Best $1 Investment You Can Make Today • Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” • It doesn’t matter if you have $500 or $5 million. Do this now. The post7 Vaccine Stocks to Sell ASAP Now That the ‘Pandemic’s Over’appeared first onInvestorPlace. || Intel Unveils New Chips and Software as It Chases a Comeback: (Bloomberg) -- Intel Corp., looking to regain its footing in the chip industry, introduced new personal-computer processors and graphics semiconductors, as well as software that makes it easier to use the company’s technology. Most Read from Bloomberg • Credit Suisse CEO Seeks to Calm Markets as Default Swaps Climb • Gazprom Halts Gas Supplies to Italy in Latest Energy Battle • Get Ready for Another Bear-Market Rally, Strategist Emanuel Says • Tesla Deliveries Miss Estimates, Slowed by Logistic Snarls • OPEC+ to Consider Output Cut of More Than 1 Million Barrels Intel’s latest Core desktop processors will provide gamers and other high-performance users with a significant boost, the company said at its Innovate event Tuesday in San Jose, California. A new graphics chip for data centers, meanwhile, is aimed at challenging Nvidia Corp.’s hold on that market. That product, called Ponte Vecchio, has been shipped for use in a new government super computer. Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger is trying to restore Intel to its former dominance, and the Innovate presentation is part of that. The chipmaker had hosted a well-attended product showcase called the Intel Developer Forum until 2017, when then-CEO Brian Krzanich scrapped the event. Now Gelsinger, in his second year at the helm, is bringing the stage show back. The stakes are high. Intel lost its status as the world’s largest chipmaker in recent years and fell behind rivals in manufacturing prowess. Gelsinger, a longtime Intel executive who left to run VMware Inc. for more than a decade, returned to the company in 2021 to orchestrate a turnaround. During Gelsinger’s time away, delays in product introductions led customers to look elsewhere for supplies and technological leadership. A company that once had market share of more than 80% has been losing ground, and customers such as Amazon.com Inc. have increasingly started to design their own chips. Gelsinger’s challenge: getting the industry to follow Intel’s lead without first proving that its products are the best again. He also faces a slump in demand for PCs, the biggest end market for Intel’s products. And the stock has fallen 48% in 2022, underperforming its peers during a bleak year for the overall chip industry. Gelsinger’s pitch to investors has been that Intel still leads in many areas and the industry needs its innovations. Under his stewardship, the sleeping giant will take back its technical superiority and resume its central role, he has said. But computing has changed, and Intel is trying to use the San Jose event to show it’s more open to working with partners. The company is letting its offerings work in tandem with those of others, a break from the past. “Fostering this open ecosystem is at the center of our transformation and the developer community is essential to our success,” Gelsinger said. One of the company’s new products is the Intel Developer Cloud, a program that gives software makers and other customers early access to new chips -- in particular, its forthcoming Xeon server products. Intel is making the announcements just days after rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. debuted its new range of processors, a lineup that experts say is among the industry’s best. At the event, Gelsinger acknowledged that Intel -- like its peers -- is facing slowing demand for its main product. But he reiterated his belief that the company shouldn’t pull back on investments needed for its long-term strategy. “You cannot be driven by near-term financials,” he said. “You have to be investing for the future.” (Updates with additional Gelsinger comment in final two paragraphs.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek • The Unstoppable Dollar Is Wreaking Havoc Everywhere But America • The World Sees Brazil’s Election as a Climate Flashpoint. Brazilians Have Other Concerns • Jay Powell Needs Investors to Lose Money • Twitter Is in This Mess Because Jack Dorsey Was Too Busy Being a Bitcoin Influencer • Cash Retakes Its Crown as the Fed Wrestles With Inflation ©2022 Bloomberg L.P. || Bitcoin's Weekly Chart Shows Bear Market Likely to Worsen, or Does It?: There may be more pain ahead for bitcoin (BTC). That is the message from a weekly chart momentum indicator, which is about to flash the first bearish signal in over three years. Bitcoin's 50-week simple moving average (SMA) is trending south and looks set to drop below the 100-week SMA in a week or two, confirming the so-called bearish crossover, the first since February 2019. While in theory the upcoming bearish cross would imply strengthening of bearish momentum, the indicator has a perfect record of trapping sellers on the wrong side of the market,similar tothe negative SMA crossover confirmed on the three-day chart last month. Bearish crossovers dated April 2015 and February 2019 proved to be contrary indicators – those that tell you to bet against the herd. It remains to be seen if upcoming crossover marks peak selling. Per Delphi Digital, the cryptocurrency could bottom out in November. "From the previous two cycles, BTC bottomed out 59 and 53 weeks following its cycle top. Based on this, history suggests a bottom sometime around the end of November 2022 and a new cycle top in August 2025," Delphi Digital's Andrew Krohn wrote in a daily update sent to clients. Past performance is no guarantee of future results, more so, as the cryptocurrency has become sensitive to macro factors like central bank policies and traditional market sentiment over the past two years. || Ethereum Merge Brings 'Sell-the-Fact' Price Move in Crypto Markets: The price of ether (ETH) tumbled suddenly in cryptocurrency markets Thursday, ending a stretch of price stability that prevailed in the hours after the Ethereum blockchain completed its historic shift to a more energy-efficientproof-of-stakeblockchain, known asthe Merge. At press time, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market value was down 9.1% to $1,489, its biggest daily decline since Aug. 26. By contrast, bitcoin (BTC), the largest cryptocurrency, was down only about 2% on the day. TheCoinDesk Market Indexwas down about 4%. The sudden price dump looks like a "buy-the-rumor, sell-the-fact" response, said Riyad Carey, a research analyst at crypto data firm Kaiko. “There is still a lot of leverage in ETH markets, so volatility should be expected and will probably be welcomed by traders who watched the Merge go by without much of a move up or down,” Carey told CoinDesk in a written note. “We’ve also seen market depth decrease and spreads increase, so that will likely factor into larger price movements.” CoinDesk reported earlier onblockchain datashowing that investors were sending ETH to crypto exchanges in droves – often taken as a sign that holders are getting ready to dump. The cumulative inflow of $1.2 billion was thelargest in six months. By most accounts, the Ethereum blockchain appears to have dodged major technological snafus that might have led to a much deeper price crash. “Many believe that the Merge might make Ethereum faster or cheaper," Will Harborne, founder and CEO of therhino.fiprotocol, told CoinDesk. "This is not the case. For end users or developers, there should be no noticeable difference between Ethereum before and after the Merge.” CoinDesk Special Coverage:The Ethereum Merge Data from crypto futures markets shows that many investors appear to haveclosed out hedged positions in the hours after the Merge went through– a sign that they are wrapping up trades they had made during the previous month or past few weeks to bet on possible outcomes of the event – including thepossibility of a revolt by crypto miners who want to keep working on a "proof-of-work" systemsimilar to Bitcoin's, which Ethereum used until early Thursday. Some investors were jockeying to maximize their rewards from a new "airdropped token" from whatever proof-of-work change continues on, referred to colloquially as ETHPOW. “I think that you wouldn’t have to throw many rocks to find a fund that has a healthy nine-figure position on the Merge, long spot short derivatives or something like that," said Abraham Chaibi, co-founder of Dexterity Capital. "They’re going to unwind, that’s definitely going to happen.” Meanwhile,the price of Ethereum Classic's ETC token– thr native token of another proof-of-work blockchain that some miners see as a viable alternative – was down 2% to $36.34. In the crypto options market, traders were selling out of contracts designed to profit from high volatility. Ironically, that volatility is arriving now. “ETH peaked at $2,000 one month ago and has seen a sharp drop today once the Merge was deemed successful. The market had priced in a successful Merge, and so far this seems to have come to fruition," Marc Arjoon, a research associate at CoinShares, said. “The level of asymmetric information around the Merge creates several pockets of narratives, so I expect a lot of volatility. Investors should definitely be cautious, as always, and expect volatility in price and narrative," he added. In the two-week run-up to the Merge, the price of ether was up 4%, but it remains down 16% on the month, according to market data. Ethereum co-founderVitalik Buterinhad beenquoted on the "Bankless" podcast as sayingthe Merge was “not going to be priced in pretty much until after it happens.” According to EtherNodes, 88% of ether nodes were Merge-ready and synced in the moments leading up to the event. In total, 12%, or 305, nodes appeared to be recalcitrant, with the transition with the majority from the Geth network. “Although it (the Merge) happened without any technical hitches, there are also some other undercurrents, such as the new EthereumPoW (ETHW) network, a new form off of the old Ethereuem that will retain mining,” Bitbull Capital CEO Joe DiPasquale told CoinDesk in an email. “We expect this volatility for at least the next 24 hours.” Investors were quick to point out that crypto markets remain under the shadow of the crash earlier this year, and bitcoin in particular, which often dictates the overall industry's price direction, is under pressure from monetary-policy tightening at the U.S. Federal Reserve. In the weeks before the Merge, bitcoin and ether appeared to be traveling on separate trajectories. It's possible that ether might now recouple with its larger rival's price action. “If this happened last year, we’d be at $8,000 already,” March Zheng, a Shanghai-based partner at Bizantine Capital, said to CoinDesk via WeChat. Brent Xu, founder and CEO at Cosmos-based borrowing and lending platform Umee, said despite some choppiness in the market environment, he has a bullish outlook on Ethereum’s growth in the long term with the network’s switch to PoS, versus bitcoin remaining a good store of value. “Think of cars. All the engines are like gasoline engines. It wasn’t until the first electric engine was created that cars can go really fast and for long amounts of time. And this is the same with crypto,” he told CoinDesk in a video interview. “First, we have proof-of-work, which is like gasoline engines. But now Ethereum is the first protocol to have a big upgrade to use electric engines, and the possibilities with electric engines are so much bigger. And this is the moment ... it can skyrocket in terms of value, new dynamics, scalability, interoperability and privacy.” Oliver Knight contributed to this report. || 7 Dow Stocks With Superior Fundamentals: Today I’m writing about Dow stocks to buy. Seasoned investors are realizing that many of the 30 members of theDow Jones Industrial Average(DJIA) are now trading at low valuation levels and prices. The index serves as a bellwether that tracks investors’ sentiment. These large-cap, well-known companies are widely regarded as safe havens from market volatility. With their remarkable longevity and solid fundamentals, these companies tend to be among the first businesses to recover from economic uncertainties. So far in 2022, the DJIA has lost about 13.5% of its value. By comparison, theNasdaq 100index and theS&P 500index have fallen around 25% and 18%, respectively, so far this year. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Today’s list of Dow stocks to buy includes prominent blue-chip names that have sold off significantly in 2022. As investors continue to flock to safe  bets, these Dow-30 members could be primed for significant rebounds throughout the rest of the year. Here are the seven Dow stocks to buy that offer compelling buying opportunities for patient investors. [{"AXP": "AMGN", "American Express": "Amgen", "$148.21": "$242.57"}, {"AXP": "CAT", "American Express": "Caterpillar", "$148.21": "$180"}, {"AXP": "CVX", "American Express": "Chevron", "$148.21": "$157"}, {"AXP": "KO", "American Express": "Coca-Cola", "$148.21": "$61"}, {"AXP": "JNJ", "American Express": "Johnson & Johnson", "$148.21": "$164"}, {"AXP": "WMT", "American Express": "Walmart", "$148.21": "$132"}] Source: Shutterstock Global financial powerhouseAmerican Express(NYSE:AXP) offers  credit card payment solutions. Bypurchase volume, its market share in the U.S. is slightly below 20%. On July 22, American Express released itsQ2 results. Its revenue grew 31% year-over-year to a record $13.4 billion. AXP’s earnings per share fell 8% YOY to $2.57, while its cash and equivalents ended the period at $26 billion. The company’s card member spending jumped 30% YOY to a record. Its management noted that there was a robust rebound in travel and entertainment spending, with outlays in those areas exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Meanwhile, Q2 card-member spending by AXP’s millennial and Gen Z card members jumped 48% YOY. The company’s focus on millennial and Gen Z customers could provide long-term positive catalysts. Finally, the firm increased its full-year revenue growth guidance from a previous range of 18% to 20% to a range of 23% to 25%. AXP stock is down about 8% in 2022, and it currently has a 1.4% dividend yield. The shares’valuation is moderate, as they are tradingat 16 times its forward earnings and 4.9 times its book value. Analysts’ average 12-month price forecast for AXP stock stands at$175. Source: Shutterstock Biotech heavyweightAmgen(NASDAQ:AMGN) focuses on oncology, cardiovascular disease, inflammation. bone health, neuroscience, and nephrology. Among its flagship drugs are the red blood cell boosters Epogen and Aranesp, along with immune system boosters Neupogen and Neulasta. With a market-capitalization of about $130 billion, Amgen is one of the most important biotech names that investors follow. Management announced the firm’sQ2 financials resultson Aug. 4. Its revenue increased by just 1% YOY to $6.6 billion. Amgen’s EPS, excluding certain items,  came in at $4.65 per share, up from $1.77 in the same quarter a year earlier. The company generated $1.7 billion of free cash flow. Like most drug makers, Amgen’s long-term success primarily is based on its ability to launch new therapies. Among  its drugs that have been approved by regulators in recent quarters are the lung cancer treatment Lumakras, its asthma drug, Tezspire and its cholesterol medication, Repatha. In early August, Amgen announced that it plansto acquireChemoCentryx(NASDAQ:CCXI) in an all-cash transaction valued at $3.7 billion. Analysts believe that ChemoCentryx’sTavneos, which is used to treat a rare type of blood-vessel inflammation, should contribute meaningfully to Amgen’s top line. So far in 2022, AMGN stock is up nearly 8%, and it currently has a dividend yield of 3.2%. The shares aretrading at13 times its forward earnings and 5 time its sales. Analysts’ average 12-month price forecast for Amgen stands at$252. Source: Shutterstock Construction and mining equipment manufacturerCaterpillar(NYSE:CAT) has a vast global footprint. It is one of the largest equipment suppliers for the construction, energy, mining, and transportation industries. Around 40% of itsglobal revenuecomes from the construction industry. Caterpillar released itsQ2 resultson Aug. 2. Its top line increased 11% YOY to $14.25 billion, and CAT reported EPS, excluding some items, of $3.18, up from $2.60 during the same period a year earlier. CAT’ finished the quarter with cash and equivalents of $6 billion. In Q2, Caterpillar used its pricing power to compensate for sluggish demand and rising costs. Meanwhile, it is working to steadily increase its services and aftermarket parts revenue to compensate for the cyclicality of its business. However, like many manufacturers, Caterpillar has been suffering from significant supply chain issues. Investors have been debating whether the slowdown in the U.S. residential construction market and the slowing economic growth of China could create further challenges for CAT. Meanwhile, the company returned $1.7 billion to its shareholders through share repurchases and dividends last quarter. Its dividend yield currently stands at 2.7%. CAT stock is down more than 12% this year. Its shares look fairlyvalued at15. times its forward earnings and 1.9 times its sales. Analysts’ average 12-month price forecast for CAT stock stands at$210. Source: Jeff Whyte / Shutterstock.com The next stock on our list isChevron(NYSE:CVX), one of the largest integrated energy companies with a  market capitalization of well over $300 billion. Its business is diversified across the energy industry, from exploration and production to refining and chemicals. The oil major released itsQ2 metricsin late July. Its revenue soared 83% YOY to $68.8 billion, while the firm’s earnings, excluding some items, jumped to $5.82 per diluted share, up from $1.71 in the same period a year earlier. Chevron ended the quarter with cash and equivalents of $12 billion. Higher energy prices combined with production increases helped to drive CVX’s top-line growth. In Q2, the average sales price of the  company’s  crude oil and natural gas jumped 65% YOY and 188% YOY, respectively. In addition, Chevron expanded its production in the Permian Basin by 15% YOY. The oil titan has increased its dividend for 35 consecutive years. CVX currently generates a robust dividend yield of 3.6%. In addition, the Dividend Aristocrat boosted its share repurchase guidance to $15 billion a year. CVX stock is up nearly 35% in 2022. Its shares aretrading at8.7 times its forward earnings and 1.5 times its sales. Analysts’ average 12-month price target for Chevron stands at$180. Source: Fotazdymak / Shutterstock.com Coca-Cola(NYSE:KO) is one of the most iconic beverage brands worldwide. Thanks to its brand recognition and wide moat,, Coca-Cola’s market share in the U.S. is well over40%. The soft-drink giant reported itsQ2 financial resultsin late July. Its revenue grew 12% YOY to $11.3 billion. The firm’s EPS, excluding some items, grew 4% to 70 cents, while its free cash flow came in at $4.1 billion, and it ended the period with cash and equivalents of $9 billion. With its away-from-home segment rejuvenated, Coca-Cola has delivered significant growth. KO  claims that its market share in developed countries is 14%, but only 6% in developing countries, which accounts for roughly 80% of the global population. As a result, the company is likely to launch an increasing number of new initiatives in emerging markets. So far in 2022, KO stock is up 3%, and the Dividend King currently supports a yield of 2.9%. The shares arechanging handsat 23.5 times its forward earnings and 6.4 times its sales. Meanwhile, analysts’ average 12-month price forecast for KO stock is$70. Source: Alexander Tolstykh / Shutterstock.com Healthcare conglomerateJohnson & Johnson(NYSE:JNJ) has diversified operations, including consumer products, pharmaceutical drugs, and medical devices. The firm plans to spin off its consumer health business to focus on its higher-margin segments. Johnson & Johnson announced its fiscalQ2 resultson July 19.  JNJ’s revenue increased 3% YOY to $24 billion, and its sales jumped 8% YOY, excluding the impact of foreign currency fluctuations. Its EPS, excluding some items,  increased 4.4% YOY to $2.59. As in previous quarters, JNJ’s pharmaceutical segment accounted for the bulk of its sales, growth, and operating margin. The unit’s sales rose  12.3% YOY to  $13.3 billion, mainly driven by its cancer drugs Darzalex and Erleada, along with its immunosuppressants Stelara and Tremfya. J&J continues to get more of its drugs approved thanks to its robust pipeline. In 2022, the company anticipates that its operating sales will climb between 6.5% and 7.5%. JNJ stock is down almost 5% in 2022, and the Dividend King generates a yield of 2.8%. The sharestradeat 15.6 times its forward earnings and 4.6 times its sales. Analysts’ average 12-month price forecast for Johnson & Johnson stock stands at$186. Source: Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.com Walmart(NYSE:WMT) is the biggest retailer by revenue worldwide, operating around 11,500 stores. In the U.S., its share of the grocery sector exceeds 55%. The retail giant announced itsQ2 financials resultson Aug. 16. WMT’s revenue grew 8.4% YOY to $152.9 billion. Its EPS, excluding certain items, came in at $1.77, staying almost flat compared to $1.78 in the same quarter a year earlier. The company ended the quarter with cash and equivalents of $13.9 billion. Red-hot inflation levels have caused  an increasing number of people, including higher-income shoppers, to visit Walmart either in person or online. Higher spending on lower-priced food and essentials has boosted  its top line in Q2. Walmart’s U.S. comp sales rose 6.5% YOY, more than double the increase in the previous quarter. Meanwhile, its online sales climbed 12%. However, like many other retailers, Walmart has been sitting on a substantial surplus of merchandise. So the mega-cap retailer has had to cut its prices, causing its profit margins to fall. For FY’23, management expects the giant’s sales to climb roughly 4.5%, along with a 9%-11% decline in its adjusted EPS. WMT stock is down 8% in 2022. The shares arechanging hands for22.5 times its trailing earnings and 0.6 times its trailing sales. Finally, analysts’ average 12-month price target for WMT stands at$151. On the date of publication, Tezcan Gecgil, Ph.D., did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to theInvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines. Tezcan Gecgil has worked in investment management for over two decades in the U.S. and U.K. In addition to formal higher education in the field, she has also completed all 3 levels of the Chartered Market Technician (CMT) examination. Her passion is for options trading based on technical analysis of fundamentally strong companies. She especially enjoys setting up weekly covered calls for income generation. • Buy This $5 Stock BEFORE This Apple Project Goes Live • The Best $1 Investment You Can Make Today • Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” • It doesn’t matter if you have $500 or $5 million. Do this now. The post7 Dow Stocks With Superior Fundamentalsappeared first onInvestorPlace. || US Inflation Data Could Test Bitcoin’s Rally: The U.S. consumer price index report is expected to show slower inflation in August, which is one of the reasons why the price of bitcoin (BTC) has been rising since Friday. But the new data could show that while price pressures are cooling, they are still too hot for Federal Reserve officials to ease off on tightening monetary policy. “August inflation gauges will likely be very soft, but that won’t change the bottom line," economists at Bloombergwrote. "The ‘totality’ of the data that Fed Chair Jerome Powell will follow shows few signs of cooling in the economy, and perhaps even some acceleration.” The latest CPI report will be released by the Labor Department on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. ET (12:30 p.m. coordinated universal time). According to a survey by FactSet, the CPI in August was probably up 8.1% over the past 12 months. That pace would represent the second straight monthly decline, down from 8.5% in July and a four-decade high of 9.1% in June. The expectation is that prices for gasoline, airfares, hotels and used cars were down last month, while food prices were up. The Federal Reserve's target is 2% annually. Bitcoin gained 15% over the weekend in a rally that started after the European Central Bank raised interest rates by 75 basis points, or a 0.75 percentage point, the largest increase in ECB history. In addition, Chicago Federal Reserve President Charles EvanssaidThursday that the U.S. Federal Reserve will likely move ahead with an aggressive rate hike on Sept. 22 even if the latest CPI number shows cooling price pressure Still, he said the Fed might not have to push rates above 3.5% “that soon,” implying that the Fed could take a more dovish stance in the future. Thefederal funds rateis now between 2.25% and 2.5%. Bitcoin (BTC), the largest crypto asset by market capitalization, was trading at $22,153 at press time, its highest price since mid-August. “It may take some time for inflation to return back to the Fed’s target, but even a moderation from the current torrid pace should be very good for overall consumer sentiment,” said Brendan Murphy, head of global fixed Income, North America, at Insight Investment. “The Fed has spent most of 2022 coming to grips with the implications of higher prices and committing to tighten monetary policy as much as needed to ensure those price increases return to target. This means higher rates and tighter financial conditions until inflation is under control,” Murphy said. A report by the International Monetary Fund showed that the U.S. unemployment rate, now at 3.7%, may need to go as high as 7.5% in order for inflation to slow to the central bank’s target of 2%,Reutersreported. Even though the Fed is convinced that a “soft landing” is still possible, the research concluded that "a painful and prolonged increase in unemployment" is inevitable to tame inflation. From a technical standpoint, the recent rally in bitcoin might not last very long. “BTC technicals continue to look bearish in the short term,” David Duong, head of institutional investment at crypto exchange Coinbase wrote in a report. “A further rally may be capped from here.” || Futura Token ($FUTURA) Announces s Successful Launch on the Ethereum ERC-20 Blockchain: Los Angeles, CA - ( NewMediaWire ) - August 30, 2022 - Futura Token ($FUTURA), a new form of decentralized finance (DeFi) token utilizing a "smart liquidity pool," successfully launched and began trading on Uniswap on the 8th of August 2022. Assessing current market sentiment, the company believed this an ideal climate to launch a new form of DeFi token, which adjusts the usage of the transaction fees intelligently, based on live market data. The company believes this "smart liquidity pool" can deliver optimum price performance to investors, even in market volatility. The team has provided numerous updates and revelations in the first week since launch, establishing FUTURA as an investor-focused DeFi project. First-week Chainlink Integration To ensure accurate market information is continuously being assessed, the $FUTURA contract is directly reading Chainlink Price Feed data. This innovative approach to liquidity pool management was developed in partnership with well-respected Ethereum blockchain developer Sir Tris (Twitter:@SirTrisCrypto), who counts amongst his most successful recent projects Clifford Inu ($CLIFF), which was the first ERC-20 token to utilize native burns from the liquidity pool. New Generation Smart Contracts Many investors have temporarily pulled out of the DeFi space out of concern for fraud since, according to market analysis tools like the BTC F&G index, the overall market mood is highly unfavorable. Future-focused at $FUTURA, the business is spending money to create a next-generation contract analyzer, utilizing the skilled crew at their back. The company claims that several other cutting-edge solutions that are presently under development will continue to prioritize enhancing the safety of the typical investor in the occasionally hazy DeFi field. By refining existing mechanics and expanding the capabilities of smart contracts, FUTURA works to usher in a new generation of smart contracts by optimizing them from the inside out. Story continues Programmed Growth The FUTURA smart contract was designed from the bottom up to offer a dynamic taxing scheme as a countermeasure to the prevailing market attitude. As investors flock into FUTURA, the contract takes a portion of the taxes into the LP, storing them in the contract itself. This, in essence, ensures that on any price drop, the contract automatically removes the generated LP and purchases it on market value, subsequently burning the supply. Deflationary Dynamic Taxation Through Futura's dynamic tax system, the contract buybacks automatically get burnt, taking the tokens out of circulation permanently, which results in more scarcity and a higher PPC overall. This mechanic provides a price cushion and prevents significant drops on the chart, ensuring that the price floor is up with any contract interaction. Furthermore, this solution also results in higher liquidity, providing more overall stability to the token. About Futura Futura is a decentralized finance project on the ERC20 network, launched on the 8th of august. Futura was created from the ground up by SirTris, who is known for developing safe, reliable, and innovative smart contracts. SirTris's prior contracts have garnered over 5 billion dollars when combined with their top market price. Futura is a first-of-its-kind smart contract that utilizes dynamic taxation and liquidity to raise the price floor permanently, higher LP % as the market cap rises, and lower LP % as the market cap reduces. The contract is not renounced, as manual LP rebalancing is one of the core functions of the project. Futura has been developing since late 2021, with a core focus on providing a haven against the permanent market volatility in the cryptosphere. The primary aim of FUTURA has remained firm since its inception bridging the gap between the safety of traditional blue cap cryptocurrencies and the dynamic world of decentralized finance projects, all while encouraging safety, reliability, and positive growth through development. At this time, $FUTURA has applied for listing status with Coinmarketcap.com and CoinGecko.com. The contract has just completed a security audit with Asfalia ( http://Asfalia.xyz ). $FUTURA is currently trading at $0.004060 per token. Social Links: TG: https://t.me/futura_portal Chinese: https://t.me/Futura_CN Twitter: https://twitter.com/FuturaToken Media Contact Brand: Futura Token Contact: Kevin Bryant, VP of PR Website: https://www.futuratoken.com/ Email: [email protected] SOURCE : Futura Token View the original release on www.newmediawire.com || Crypto Markets Stabilize After Steep Weekly Declines, Traders Show Near-Term Bearish Bias: Crypto markets remained flat on Tuesday, stabilizing after a weekend sell-off that saw majors like bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH) lose over 15% in value over the past week. Among layer 1 blockchain tokens, Solana’s SOL and Polkadot’s DOT took hits of nearly 18% in the past week as investors took profits on August’s rallies. Dogecoin (DOGE) and shiba inu (SHIB) tokens slid 15% as meme coin hype generated by the likes of Dogechain waned, even as the network’s total value locked doubled in the past week to $9 million. Matt Weller, head of research for Forex.com , told CoinDesk in an email that there was “little in the way of fundamental or macroeconomic news to drive the sell-off, but rather traders’ appetite for risk assets has simply collapsed across the board.” Weller added bitcoin price charts showed the asset broke under its 50-day exponential moving average (EMA) last week, creating a bearish near-term bias for a potential retest of the “summer lows near $18,700” among market traders. Bitcoin trading under its daily 50-day EMA has created a bearish near-term bias for a potential retest of the “summer lows near $18,700” among market traders. (TradingView) Broader equity markets also dropped on Tuesday ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's annual economic symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on Friday. The Fed's July meeting minutes actively pushed back against hopes of liquidity easing in 2023, with traders turning bearish ahead of the Wyoming event. Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed 1.19% lower, the Hang Seng dropped 0.78%, while Singapore shed 0.50%. In Europe, DAX gained a slight 0.04% while Stoxx 600 lost 0.26% since Tuesday’s open. U.S. premarket futures inched higher, however, pointing to possible gains in the U.S. session. Meanwhile, Bitfinex market analysts said in a note Tuesday that on-chain selling from bitcoin miners also seemed to have slowed, with only 6,200 bitcoin sold in July, or half of what was sold the previous month. “The hash rate, however, is not growing as weaker bitcoin prices do not encourage production,” the analysts said, adding that overall interest and activity were growing, with some 928,000 active addresses on a seven-day average recorded this month compared to 834,000 in mid-June. || Best Stocks 2022: Bet on the Return to Normal With EPR Properties (EPR) Stock: What a year. EPR Properties (NYSE: EPR ) stock, my pick for InvestorPlace’s Best Stocks for 2022 , is down 19%. And yet I still find myself in fourth place. It’s just been that kind of year. I’m good with that. EPR could still enjoy a nice run in the fourth quarter and take the crown. Stranger things have happened. But regardless of where the stock places in this year’s contest, I still consider EPR one of the very best ways to play a return to normal. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Return to Normal With EPR Stock EPR Properties is a specialty real estate investment trust ( REIT ) with a focus on experiential properties. Its portfolio consists of movie theaters, Top Golf driving ranges and other “eat and play” properties, ski resorts, amusement parks, concert venues — just about everything that was restricted or outright shut down during the pandemic. And that’s precisely what makes EPR so interesting. Even with the economy looking rocky and investors strapped for cash due to inflation, Americans are starved for experiences after being denied them for the better part of two years. A deep recession might slow down this trend, but it’s not going to reverse it. Furthermore, this isn’t EPR’s first rodeo. The REIT has been in business since the late 1990s and has seen its share of recessions and other upheavals in the quarter century that has followed. Consumer spending tends to slow during recessions, but the cutbacks tend to be concentrated in big-ticket items like cars, appliances or furniture. Frivolous little expenses like a night at the movies or an afternoon at the batting cages provide a form of escape, and we see this in the data. Spending on experiences — the services that EPR’s tenants are selling — tends to hold up well during recessions. As explained in EPR’s Q2 investor presentation , consumer spending on experiences never materially declined during the 2000-2001 downturn. And as nasty as the 2008 Great Recession was, the drop-off in spending on experiences was hardly catastrophic. Spending dropped to the levels of approximately two years before and then quickly recovered. Story continues The only significant decline in experience spending happened during the pandemic, and this was due in large part to forced closures. What Comes Next? EPR is a real estate investment trust, and the dividend has always been a big part of its appeal. Let’s talk about that. At current prices, EPR yields a massive 9%. And while a yield like that might normally be cause for concern, remember that we are in a bear market and prices often reach ridiculous extremes in such conditions. EPR was confident enough in its ability to maintain its dividend that it raised it this past March. Bearishness toward EPR tends to center around its exposure to movie theaters, which make up about 40% of the portfolio . Personally, I’d prefer to see that allocation drop, and EPR has been actively diversifying out of movie theaters for years. But it remains high, and movie theaters continue to suffer from a post-Covid dearth of new movies. I would counter the bears by pointing out that EPR tends to own higher-end movie theaters. As the company noted in its second-quarter investor presentation, EPR owns about 3% of all of the movie theaters in America, yet it generates about 8% of all box office revenues. And that says nothing of food and drink sales, which tend to be higher in top-tier theaters. Plus, 96% of EPR’s theaters are in the top half of the U.S. by box office sales. So, even if the movie business is going through a transition, EPR would seem to be on the right side of it. EPR’s shares could double from current prices and still be below their old pre-2020 highs. The shares are dirt cheap and priced to massively outperform the broader market. Win or lose the Best Stocks for 2022 contest, EPR is one you’ll want to hold onto for years. On the date of publication, Charles Sizemore held a LONG position in EPR stock. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines . More From InvestorPlace Buy This $5 Stock BEFORE This Apple Project Goes Live The Best $1 Investment You Can Make Today Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” It doesn’t matter if you have $500 or $5 million. Do this now. The post Best Stocks 2022: Bet on the Return to Normal With EPR Properties (EPR) Stock appeared first on InvestorPlace . [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: no change || Prices: 19051.42, 19157.45, 19382.90, 19185.66, 19067.63, 19268.09, 19550.76, 19334.42, 19139.54, 19053.74
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] A Cryptocurrency Primer: Is Bitcoin a Good Investment?: In the realm of economics, there are plenty of terms that might confuse the layperson, but most of us probably know what the word "money" means. "Cryptocurrency," by contrast, can be baffling. It's money, but not government-backed money? It gets mined almost magically by a process that does nothing else of value? How does that work? Given the level of investor interest in cryptocurrencies, for this episode ofMotley Fool Answers, Alison Southwick and Robert Brokamp brought in Motley Fool analyst Aaron Bush to give their listeners the lowdown. In this segment, they try to answer a question many Foolish investors have: Should I invest in bitcoin now, wait for its price to drop, or simply avoid it like the plague? A full transcript follows the video. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Why You're Smart to Buy Shopify Inc. (US) -- Despite Citron's Report This video was recorded on Nov. 21, 2017. Alison Southwick:Bitcoin as an investment idea. Wall Street has definitely, in the last few months, started to talk about bitcoin and dip their toes in. Jamie Dimon over atJ.P. Morganis quoted as saying bitcoin will eventually blow up. It's a fraud. It's worse than tulip bulbs and it won't end well. He also said that he would fire any trader for trading bitcoin just for being stupid. On the other side, other Wall Street figures [for example,Goldman SachsCEO Lloyd Blankfein] said he had a level of discomfort with bitcoin, as I have a level of discomfort with anything that is new. I thought, "Well, that's keeping your options open." And then I also read this other great quote in an article inThe New York Times(about a guy who invests in cryptocurrencies, digital currencies, and assets. That's his full-time job. He was talking about bitcoin and whether or not it was a bubble. He said, "If my landscaper ever asks me about crypto, that's the day I get out." I feel like we're very close to that day, but maybe not. Like I said, we've got a 22-year-old family member who wants to get into bitcoin without any idea of what that even means. Bitcoin. Speculation? Bubble? What are your thoughts? Aaron Bush:It is absolutely speculative, and the whole cryptocurrency market beyond bitcoin is also very speculative. That said, the technology that underpins everything is very real. It's very real for what blockchains can do outside of cryptocurrency, but I also think it is very real for what cryptocurrencies can be in the future. In my opinion, this is classic hype cycle, where we've seen this several times before across history. The internet bubble was the last big example of something like this. All of these companies are rushing to sell tokens instead of stocks, and a lot of companies are putting blockchain in their titles. That's very similar to companies who used to put .com in their names before. I do think there are a lot of similarities with there being hype, so investors absolutely need to be careful. This also is a very small asset class. It's brand new, and because the technology running it is very real, I personally do believe it will be significantly larger over time as new applications are found, but it's probably going to be a very rocky road getting there. Southwick:I saw that only 2% of Americans own or have ever owned bitcoin, and it's a limited quantity. There's only ever going to be so much bitcoin in the world. Bush:There's only going to be 21 [million] bitcoin total, and I do understand the sentiment of when everyone suddenly becomes interested, it makes sense to be a little skeptical; but at the same time, I think there's something like 11 or 12 million millionaires in the U.S., and there's only enough bitcoin, in total, as the end goal essentially for bitcoin, that they can't even own two of them, and the market cap is about $120 billion. So, even if this just becomes a small piece of a lot more people's portfolios, which really isn't that much out of the question, this can be worth so much more. Southwick:So, don't focus on the immediate bitcoin and what people are freaking out about right now. What are you focusing on? What are you looking at as an investor, not a speculator? Bush:I'll disclose I actually do own some bitcoin. Southwick:When did you buy it? Bush:I bought in early 2017. It was just more about being interested in it. I wanted to learn more about it. But I've been following it for a while. I also own some Ethereum, which is the second-largest cryptocurrency. My approach for investing is I'm willing to invest very small percentages of my portfolio -- less than 1% of my portfolio -- in order to learn more about this. I recognize that the upside is significantly larger than the downside, potentially. What I'm really looking for are the next hundred billion-dollar ideas. Trillion-dollar ideas. I'm not just jumping around buying a bunch of different things. I'm taking a very slow and measured approach to figure out which ideas stick, because at the end of the day this is not investing in stocks. This is closer to venture investing. This is more like seed-stage investing because many of these new cryptocurrencies, when you buy them, actually don't function, yet. I do think it's good to take it slow. That's what I'm doing personally, but I also am taking a very open-minded approach and trying to surf the learning curve. Trying to stay on the very steep end of things so that I can spot these opportunities before they turn into something much bigger. Southwick:We have a friend who, as a lark, bought a bitcoin for $50. Bush:Nice. Southwick:What did we say? Today bitcoin is like $7,500? $7,600? What is it today? Bush:It's about $7,500. That's not a bad investment. Southwick:That's why everyone wants it, but he bought it a really long time ago just for the heck of it because he's a tech-savvy kind of guy. He never expected this to happen, but he's going to hold onto it for a very long time and see where it takes him. Bush:That's awesome. I do think people should be very open-minded about this. I think just it being something new and something hype makes it easy to laugh at, but I haven't met anybody who's dug into this that became a skeptic. Everyone who digs into this becomes far more optimistic and I think that's pretty telling. Southwick:Now when you say digs into it, you're talking more specifically around... Bush:Understanding the technology, understanding how essentially the monetary system of this works, and understanding where it can go from here. Southwick:I think it's possible I'll pay for my lack of vision one day, but I think this isn't for me. That's OK, though. Bush:Oh, yes, that's fully OK. Robert Brokamp:That's perfectly fine. Aaron Bushhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned.Alison Southwickhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned.Robert Brokamp, CFPhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends The New York Times. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || Buffalo Wild Wings Stock Dips on Downgrade Amid Takeover Talk: Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD ) stock was down today following a downgrade during talk of a takeover. Buffalo Wild Wings Stock Dips on Downgrade Amid Takeover Talk Source: Shutterstock Analysts at UBS have downgraded BWLD stock from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating. The firm also has a price target of $148 for Buffalo Wild Wings stock. The company’s stock was trading at $145.85 when the markets closed on Friday. UBS downgraded BWLD stock on Monday due to concerns of the lack of visibility regarding the recent takeover talk with Roark Capital. Roark Capital is reportedly looking to acquire Buffalo Wild Wings, reports Seeking Alpha . InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips News of a deal with Roark Capital has been spreading for a couple of weeks now. The company was originally looking to acquire Buffalo Wild Wings for $150 per share. However, a new report claims that it is now offering $155 per share for BWLD stock. Buffalo Wild Wings and Roark Capital are remaining quiet about the deal. However, some reports claim that it is likely the wings chain will accept the takeover offer . The current offer represents a roughly 6% premium to BWLD’s closing price on Nov. 24. The previous offer was a 28% premium from its Nov 10 closing price. 7 Marijuana Stocks to Buy That Won’t Burn You Deutsche Bank was another firm that downgraded BWLD stock following news of its takeover talks with Roark Capital. Stephens also weighed in the stock recently to reiterate its “Equal-Weight” rating. However, it did increase its price target for the stock to $155  from $115, Benzinga notes. BWLD stock was down 1% as of Monday morning and is down 7% year-to-date. More From InvestorPlace 5 Blue-Chip Stocks to Buy for December The 10 Best ETFs to Buy for Yield-Starved Investors 8 Bitcoin Stocks That You Won't Lose Your Shirt Over As of this writing, William White did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. The post Buffalo Wild Wings Stock Dips on Downgrade Amid Takeover Talk appeared first on InvestorPlace . || Ignore the risks of initial coin offerings at your peril, Europe regulator warns: JP Morgan's chief executive Jamie Dimon has said he would fire anyone trading bitcoin because it is The EU markets watchdog has warned investors rushing to join so-called initial coin offerings (ICOs) that they are at a "high risk" of losing all of their money. Sounding an alert after four days of violent swings in the value of digital currency Bitcoin , the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) said digital coins are extremely volatile, with ICOs vulnerable to money laundering and potentially falling outside the scope of EU laws and therefore investor protection. For those reasons, the watchdog said it was "alerting investors of the high risk of losing all of their invested capital as ICOs are very risky and highly speculative". A way of raising funds from the public, ICOs have boomed in popularity this year: more than $2bn (£1.5bn) was raised in the first nine months of the year versus just $54m for the same period a year ago, according to CB Insights, with celebrities such as reality TV star Paris Hilton recently announcing an investment. To date, investors have pumped more than $3.2bn into ICOs, according to Coinschedule.com, with September by far the busiest month of the year. The craze has forced regulators around the world to outline the risks involved. The UK did so earlier this year. Media personality Paris Hilton tweeted earlier this year that she was "looking forward to participating in the new" LydianCoin via an ICO ESMA, which has also issued a set of guidelines for firms involved in ICOs to make sure they comply with the relevant laws such as rules around anti-money laundering, is the latest to weigh in to the fundraising technique. Jordan Belfort, the American stockbroker who spent 22 months in prison for crimes including fraud and was then immortalised in the film The Wolf of Wall Street, said last month that ICOs are " far worse than anything I was ever doing " and  "the biggest scam ever". Rising interest in ICOs has helped digital currencies such as Bitcoin to record highs in recent months. However Bitcoin crashed by more than a fifth - from a high of over $7,800 (£6,000) last Wednesday to just over $5,500 on Sunday morning - after plans to alter the underlying technology were abandoned. JP Morgan boss Jamie Dimon said in September that he would fire any of his staff who were trading bitcoin because it is "stupid" and "will blow up" although industry critics hit back by saying big banks viewed the rise of bitcoin as a threat. || How to Buy Bitcoin in Australia?: What is Bitcoin? How to Buy Bitcoin in Australia? How to Trade Bitcoin in Australia in 4 Easy Steps Where can I Use Bitcoin in Australia? Bitcoin ATMs in Australia Conclusion What is Bitcoin? Bitcoin is a virtual currency that lives on the internet highways and does not have the physical characteristics of fiat money. It was the brainchild of Satoshi Nakamoto, with Bitcoin being released in 2009 in the wake of the global financial crisis. Satoshi’s intent was to eliminate the control of governments and central banks on currencies and payment systems, by creating a decentralized digital currency. The independence of Bitcoin through its decentralization is evidenced by the need for each and every transaction within the Bitcoin world to be logged and then independently verified. The verification of transactions is a process called mining. Miners will use computer software and hardware to solve puzzles, which is essentially the verifying and placing in order of transactions, and once complete add the information through a new block onto Bitcoin’s blockchain. The blockchain is the much talked about decentralized public ledger that sits on all of the computers linked to the Bitcoin network and each computer has a synchronized ledger, with no master ledger in existence. The miners receive Bitcoins as a reward for the verification process and it’s quite a lucrative though somewhat monopolized business. In addition to the decentralized nature of Bitcoin, anonymity for buyers, sellers, and holders of Bitcoin has also made it attractive, with investors clear of government agency access to public information held on centralized banking and investment platforms. How to Buy Bitcoin in Australia? There are a number of ways acquiring Bitcoin, the most common method to purchase Bitcoin being via a Bitcoin exchange . Purchasing Bitcoin via exchange might be difficult for some and restrict trading strategies. For that reason, one can choose brokers like FXTM as an alternative to exchanges as brokers provide a contract for differences (CFD’s) as a way to buy and sell bitcoin . Yet, if you wish to invest in Bitcoin and hold the currency as in an exchange, here is a list of Recommended Australian Bitcoin exchanges: One of the top leading and reliable Bitcoin exchanges is CEX.IO . The exchange has a low trading fee of just 0.2% and allows customers to buy Bitcoins with credit cards, bank transfers, SEPA transfers, cash or AstroPay. Credit card purchases are immediate. Below is a complete guide to buying Bitcoin via CEX.IO in 4 easy steps. Step 1 – Open a Digital Wallet A digital wallet is where you hold your cryptocurrencies and interacts others via the blockchain technology. There are many providers of digital wallets, however, it is important to make a deep research before you decide which one is the best for you. Currently, the most popular digital wallets provider is Blockchain.info . Story continues Step 2 – Register & Open an Account Once you enter CEX.IO website , register and open an account that can provide you with their service. CEX.IO Login Step 3 – Receive the 2FA Code This is the authentication code as well as your password when you access CEX.IO. The code will be generated by an application and will be delivered to you by SMS. CEX.IO F2A Code Step 4 – Purchase Bitcoin Now you can easily purchase Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Note that you can always buy fractions of Bitcoin and CEX.IO allows you to choose fixed amounts with your own currency. CEX.IO – Buy Bitcoin Choose the payment option that is most convenient for you. CEX.IO Payment In order to complete the purchase, the broker will ask you to verify your identity with documents and various details. CEX.IO Verification Apart from CEX.IO, there are other Bitcoin exchanges that provide their services in the US: Coinbase – Supports 32 countries with more than 10m customers served and allows the purchase of Bitcoin for Australian Bitcoin buyers using credit and debit cards. The fees are 3.99% per purchase and the Bitcoins are delivered almost immediately. For purchases of more than A$130 via one of its links, Coinbase rewards buyers with A$13 worth of free Bitcoins. The only issue with using Coinbase is the length of time it takes to purchase Bitcoin with bank transfers. Coinmama : For purchases of under $150, there is no requirement to verify identity, though there is a transaction fee of around 6% for customers buying Bitcoins with credit or debit cards, which is very high. GDAX: Considered to be one of the larger U.S Bitcoin exchanges and customers can transfer funds via bank transfer, SEPA or bank wire. The exchange is also considered competitive from a fee perspective. CoinCorner – Allows the use of 3D secure enabled credit to immediately purchase Bitcoins, debit cards to deposit funds into an account for the purchase of Bitcoins or currency deposits made by SEPA bank transfers. There are others and it does require some amount of research to find the best exchange that addresses buy and seller requirements on fees, security, etc. If the sound of a Bitcoin exchange is off-putting, the alternative is to buy and sell Bitcoins via a Bitcoin ATMs, though most will only accept cash for a purchase, or face-to-face. Where can I Use Bitcoin in Australia? The use of Bitcoin is relatively limited in Australia when considering the size of the country. Vast areas of the country are remote and made up of farmland, which will not be Bitcoin-friendly. Merchants accepting Bitcoin range from bars and restaurants, hotels, with Subway Australia the largest merchant accepting Bitcoin, with 1,400 stores in Australia. Retailers that are currently accepting Bitcoin are located in the country’s biggest cities including Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. Melbourne and Sydney have been leading the Bitcoin evolution across the retail space. How to Trade Bitcoin in Australia in 4 Easy Steps As is the case in other asset classes, the digital characteristic of Bitcoin means that access to Bitcoin is global and can reach anyone with access to a computer and the internet. Compared with the more advanced markets of the U.S, Asia, and Europe, Australia’s Bitcoin evolution has been slower but certainly not missing, with Bitcoin exchanges and Australian brokers provide investors and traders with the necessary platforms to buy, sell and trade Bitcoin. For the Bitcoin trader, these are likely to be less sticking points than the fees, security, and liquidity of the exchange. Bitcoin traders can ill afford to wait days for proceeds from sales to reach their accounts or for it to take days for Bitcoins to be released into the trader’s Bitcoin wallet. For traders looking to take advantage of an increased Bitcoin product offering, with Bitcoin CFDs and leverage on offer, FXTM provides cryptocurrency trading. Below is a complete guide to buying Bitcoin via FXTM in 3 steps: Step 1 – Register and Open an Account To open an account with FXTM is a simple process. Click here to proceed. FXTM 1 Step 2 – Download FXTM Trading Platform Following your registration and funding the account, you can download FXTM’s trading platform (MT4) in order to start to buy and sell Bitcoin as well as other cryptocurrencies. FXTM 2 Trading Platform Step 3 – Fund Your Account The next step is to fund your account. Following your registration, you will be able to insert the funds into your account. FXTM accepts various payment methods such credit card, wire transfer, Skrill, Bitcoin, Qiwi, etc.. fxtm deposit Step 4 – Buy and Sell Bitcoin Now you are ready to go. Choose Bitcoin as your preferred instrument and click on the trade button. You can choose the size of the position and the amount you wish to invest. Suggested Articles How to Buy Bitcoin Cash? What is an ICO (Initial Coin Offering) and How Does it Work? The Next Cryptocurrency Evolution: Countries Issue their Own Digital Currency Bitcoin ATMs in Australia Bitcoin ATMs provide buyers and, on occasion, sellers of Bitcoin to buy and sell Bitcoin away from the Bitcoin exchanges. The ATMs are linked to the Bitcoin network via the internet and are not linked to the banking networks, as is the case with the more traditional ATM. Fees for transactions tend to be on the higher side, whilst the limits on buying and selling Bitcoins are on the lower side. The process is particularly generic and with no need for verification of identity, provides anonymity to those looking to buy and sell Bitcoins. There are a total of 23 Bitcoin ATMs in Australia. 7 are in Melbourne, 6 in Sydney, 5 in Perth and 4 in Brisbane. In Australia, the buying fees are perhaps slightly more competitive than the global average, while the fees for the sale of Bitcoins, though few in number, are particularly competitive and as low as 1.5% of the value of Bitcoins being sold. The average buy fee is 8.54% (based on 1,126 ATMs that support the purchase of Bitcoins), while the average sell fee is 7.03% (Based on 410 ATMs that support the sale of Bitcoins) To find the nearest Bitcoin ATM, Coin ATM Radar is a good website to search for the nearest Bitcoin ATM. For many, the distances will certainly too great to travel in order to buy or sell Bitcoin, which would leave buying and selling via an exchange or on sites such as LocalBitcoin . Conclusion It’s perhaps unsurprising that the use of Bitcoin is less widespread in Australia, with the number of merchants accepting Bitcoin for purchases on the lower side. The country has vast expanses of farmland and desert, with the majority of the wealth concentrated in the largest and wealthiest cities located on the coasts. When also considering the wealth demographics, Australia is likely to remain a smaller Bitcoin market when compared with the U.S, Europe, and Asia, though when only considering the big cities, we will expect the use of Bitcoin to widen, whilst not completely replacing the Aussie Dollar. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Gold Price Prediction for December 15, 2017 EURUSD, Gold and USDSGD. Situation between major central banks announcments Gold Price Futures (GC) Technical Analysis – December 14, 2017 Forecast EUR/USD Mid-Session Technical Analysis for December 14, 2017 ECB Leaves Rates Unchanged – Confirms QE Until September – Lifts Growth and Inflation Forecasts How to Buy Bitcoin in Australia? View comments || Is This Apple Inc.'s Secret New Chip Supplier?: One of the big features thatApple(NASDAQ: AAPL)advertises quite aggressively is a technology known as the Neural Engine. This Neural Engine, Apple says, is a processor embedded inside ofApple's A11 Bionic processorthat's designed to perform what Apple refers to as "hardware that's purpose-built for machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence that enables computers to learn from observation." Per Apple, this Neural Engine is "a dual-core design that recognizes people, places, and objects" and can perform these machine-learning computations "at up to 600 billion operations per second." Image source: Apple. "It is the driving force behind innovative new features like Face ID and Animoji," Apple says. While I, and perhaps many others, were working under the impression that the Neural Engine was developed by Apple (Apple has been bringing a lot of chip technology in-house),SemiAccurate'sCharlie Demerjian recently claimed that this isn't the case. According to Demerjian, the Neural Engine inside of the A11 Bionic processor is "pretty obviously licensedCEVA(NASDAQ: CEVA)DSP cores." Demerjian also indicates that he was able to confirm this with sources inside of Apple. CEVA is a small semiconductor intellectual property vendor that stays in business by licensing specialized processors known as digital signal processors (DSPs) for integration into larger chips. CEVA licenses a wide set of DSPs targeting many different applications including wireless communications (think cellular modems and cellular base stations), audio/voice processing, Wi-Fi connectivity, Internet of Things applications, imaging,, and computer vision. Image source: Apple. If the Neural Engine inside of the A11 Bionic is, indeed, a CEVA design, it's probably either the CEVA-XM6 (a DSP that CEVA says is aimed at "vision & deep learning") or the CEVA-XM4 (an "imaging & vision DSP"). If I had to put money on it, if the Neural Engine in the A11 Bionic is a CEVA DSP, it's the CEVA-XM6 or some customized derivative of it for Apple. I recently examined CEVA's most recent quarterly filing and noticed that in its most recent quarter, 16% of the company's revenue came from licensing and royalty payments from DSPs sold into "non-baseband" (a baseband refers to the processor found inside of a cellular modem) products such as "audio, imaging and vision." This was up only 2% from where it was in the third quarter of 2016, implying modest year-over-year growth in non-baseband DSP revenue. More interestingly, while CEVA reported a surge in "licensing and related revenue" during the third quarter, the company's total royalty revenue -- that is, the ongoing revenue streams from licensing deals that were already inked -- was down slightly year over year. To get a sense of whether these financial results would've included revenue from shipments of Apple's A11 Bionic chip, I dug into CEVA's most recent form 10-K filing and found this bit about when CEVA recognizes royalties (emphasis added): "Revenues that are derived from the sale of a licensee's products that incorporate our IP are classified as royalty revenues.Royalty revenues are recognized during the quarter in which we receive a report from the licensee detailing the shipment of products that incorporate our IP, which receipt is in the quarter following the licensee's sale of such products to its customers." So, if I understand this correctly, if Apple sells a bunch ofiPhone 8/8+/X phones with an A11 Bionic chip to customers in one quarter, it will let CEVA know just how many of those chips that it shipped in that quarter in the following quarter. CEVA would then recognize the royalty revenue from the A11 Bionic chips in the quarter that it receives the information from Apple. Apple didn't begin shipping A11 Bionic-powered processors to customers until the middle of September. CEVA's most recent quarter ended on Sept. 30, so it is unlikely that its financial results for that quarter would've included much, if any, A11 Bionic-related revenue if it is indeed inside of the chip. Apple's first full quarter of A11 Bionic chip shipments is going to be the quarter that ends in late December or early January, so it'll likely be sometime in January when Apple lets CEVA know (again, that'sifCEVA is supplying the Neural Engine) how many A11 Bionic chips it shipped. CEVA's current quarter likely ends either in late December or early January so its next earnings reportmightcontain A11 Bionic-related royalty revenue (though those royalties could be pushed out to the following quarter). Indeed, if we see a large spike in non-baseband DSP revenue in CEVA's financial results when it next reports earnings or in the report after that, then the odds that the Neural Engine inside of the A11 Bionic is a CEVA-made DSP would look quite good. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Ashraf Eassahas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Apple. The Motley Fool has the following options: long January 2020 $150 calls on Apple and short January 2020 $155 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || Thank Kim Jong Un for your crypto gains: Due to heavy sanctions placed on the country for its nuclear weapons testing,North Korea has long run a series of “side businesses”like drug trafficking, endangered species trading, money laundering, and currency counterfeiting to provide hard cash to the Kim regime. Naturally, bitcoin trading came next. There are a couple of ingredients needed to perfect the North’s cyber-piracy scheme. The regime first needs to gain access to cryptocurrencies, then it must pump up the prices of those assets to maximize its returns. Finally, it needs to dispose of its coins and receive the hard currency the Kim regime so desperately desires. North Korea is essentially bankrupt, so opening a Coinbase wallet was never going to be the right approach. Instead, the country has taken advantage of its skillsets to steal bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies from around the world. Earlier this week, Secureworks announced that it had determined that the Lazarus group, which it assessed to be behind the late 2014 Sony cyber attack, was likely the party responsible fora spearfishing campaign targeting bitcoin traderswith an email offering a CFO job for an unnamed bitcoin company. Clicking on a link would install software that would allow a hacker to seize control of the device, presumably to steal wallet accounts. In addition, the South Korean bitcoin exchange Youbit has allegedly faced multiple waves of attacks from North Korean hackers.In April, hackers stole more than $72 million in cryptocurrenciesfrom the exchange, and it was hacked again earlier this week, losing $35 million in the process. On Tuesday,the exchange collapsedand officially shut down. Youbit’s misfortunes areshared by other South Korea-based crypto exchanges like Bithumb, and the South Korean government has dramatically increased its investigations into these hacks and is consideringissuing additional regulations on cryptocurrenciesto partially stanch the damage. While we don’t know with precision who is behind each of these hacks, the pattern is quite clear according to security researchers: North Korea is actively hacking the bitcoin and cryptocurrency ecosystem in a push to gain as much cryptocurrency for the regime as possible. If that were the entire story, it would be interesting, but not devilish. Where North Korea gets even more interesting is how it pumps up the price of crypto assets by increasing uncertainty and distrustfulness through its nuclear weapons testing and traditional bank hacking. Retail Asian investors are key to the dizzying gains made by bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies this year. Asthe Wall Street Journal and CryptoCompare noted, “by the end of November, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam accounted for nearly 80% of bitcoin trading activity globally,” with South Korea being a particularly large hotspot. Crypto’s rise in the region is certainly fueled by a desire for quick returns, a lack of access to strong investment opportunities, a fear of capital controls particularly in China, and a wide familiarity with digital payment tools. But there is also the instability and uncertainty of North Korea, which has aggressively expanded its nuclear missile testing over the past three years. Before 2014, the country had launched a total of 39 missile testsaccording to a dataset from the Center for Nonproliferation Studies. There were then 19 tests in 2014, 15 in 2015, 24 in 2016 and 20 so far this year, totaling 78 tests in the last three years, or exactly double the number of all tests conducted in the previous six decades. While South Koreans are largelyinured to the antics of their northern neighbor, the increasing scale of the missile tests has increased the general awareness in the region that the Kim regime could create vast economic instability, and on a particularly short time scale. On top of that, North Korea’s hacks of traditional banks have increased awareness of the brittleness of our financial infrastructure.North Korea is believed to be behind the hacks of more than a dozen banks, including a $101 million heist from the central bank of Bangladesh. It’s also believed to be behindthe debilitating hack of South Korea’s banking infrastructure in 2013, which led to wide computer outages at major Seoul-based banks. Fear, uncertainty, and doubt are a powerful elixir, and together, they have assisted with the reception of cryptocurrencies in Asia. Now that the price of Bitcoin and many other cryptocurrencies has jumped, the North Koreans are presumably trying to end their exposure and translate their hard hacking work into real currency. While Bitcoin is not anonymous, various techniques can be used to limit exposure. Who better to launder money than a country that hasspecialized in that businessfor decades? Kim Jong Un may not literally own a Coinbase account (or does he?). But the North’s hacking and provocations have synchronized to create a potential windfall for the regime. Kim may well be the next crypto-millionaire, and might have helped thousands of others in the process. • This article originally appeared onTechCrunch. Related Video: WatchHardball With Chris MatthewsonYahoo View. || Bitcoin futures are now tradable on the CBOE: Bitcoin futures trading onCBOE, theworld's largest futures exchange,just launched at 5pm CT. Within a minute of the launch bitcoin spiked about 10% from ~$14,700 all the way up to $16,200 before settling a few minutes later to around $15,500, up about 5%. Now an hour after launching the actual price of bitcoin is still up, trading around $15,350. Currently the settlement priceof the January 1st, 2018 futures contract is pegging the digital currency's future price at $15,700 with relatively little volume being traded. Each contract is pegged at one bitcoin, meaning volume exchanged has totaled about $7.7M with actual dollars traded being less since the contract only requires a 30% margin requirement. The circuit breaker was hit at least once after trading started, which stops trading for 2 minutes after a 10% move and 5 minutes after a 20% move up or down. 516 contractshave traded for the January settlement date, with only acouple of contractsfor the March 2017 settlement date have traded so far. CBOE's website went down as futures trading launched, but this was mainly because of a spike in interest and not necessarily trading volume. Trades need to be made through brokerage platforms, so CBOE's site really only providesquotesand information and not the functionality to actually trade options. In a statement provided to TechCrunch, CBOE said "due to heavy traffic on our website, visitors towww.cboe.commay find that it is performing slower than usual and may at times be temporarily unavailable. All trading systems are operating normally.". Regardless, volume has still been low in the 30 minutes since options launched. While there's a chance activity will spike tomorrow when the trading week starts, so far this volume is much less than most expected. As a refresher, CBOE is launching three futures contracts, with the settlement price being bitcoin's trading price on January 1st, February 1st and March 1st, respectively. The CME group will launch their futures product later in December, and as of now these two products will be the only way for investors to trade the digital currency without actually holding it themselves. Many think that the futures product will help stabilize the price of bitcoin, as well as hasten its adoption by Wall Street. Others think it's a sign regulators are easing their view on the digital currency, which could lead to approval for future products like a bitcoin ETF. || Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 05/12/17: Bitcoin Cash Needs to Make a Move Bitcoin’s thinking about making a run for $12,000 and Bitcoin Cash is looking to move into the slip stream and bypass what has been strong resistance levels this week. At the time of writing, Bitcoin is up 1.15% at $11,747, while Bitcoin Cash has made a stronger move, up 1.95% to $1,570. We will need to see Bitcoin Cash to break through last night’s $1,6380 high for any chance of a run at $2,000, which has been a long time coming. The gains in Bitcoin are coming in spite of news hitting the wires of the UK government looking to bring Bitcoin into its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regulations. The Indonesia government has also stepped out to say that they are looking to ban cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, at some point in 2018. While the reference to regulation tends to have a material impact on the cryptoworld, neither country is particularly big in the market and would have little impact on Bitcoin appetite. If China or the U.S looked to introduce similar measures, it would be a whole different story, particularly China. Bitcoin and the other cryptos took it on the chin before bouncing back. It’s looking like a strong day for Bitcoin Cash and a break through to $1,700 levels is due. BCHUSD051217 Get Into Bitcoin Cash Trading Today Litecoin Holds above $100 Litecoin managed to break through to $104 levels overnight before falling back to a $101.6 intraday low this morning. At the time of writing, Litecoin’s down 1.72% at $102.49, with the new lows on an upward trajectory. There’s plenty of support at $101 levels and that’s good news for Litecoin holders looking for another step up. A move towards $110 levels may be a step too far, but a run at $107 spike would be a good start and lift the ranges further over the near-term. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast springs to mind. Litecoin’s ascendancy has not been as spectacular as Bitcoin’s, but it’s not one to brush aside. We could see demand on the rise over the near-term, though today may not be the day, as Litecoin looks to hold on to $102 levels this morning. Could be a different story this afternoon… Story continues LTCUSD 051217 Buy & Sell Cryptocurrency Instantly Ripple is barely making a splash Following what had looked like a promising weekend, the start of the week has been far from impressive. We’ve seen Ripple fall back to $0.24 levels, down 2.38% at $0.242 at the time of writing. There seems to be a general lack of interest at the moment with buyer demand focused more on the Bitcoin family today. Things are likely to remain a little choppier for Ripple through the day and it’s likely to test the support levels. Any fall to below $0.24 levels could see a more significant decline to sub-$0.23 levels. Ripple tested the support levels on Sunday, with a dip into the $0.22s before bouncing back. Having failed to break into new ranges in recent days, a rally looks unlikely today and Ripple investors may need to wait for another day. Never say never however and if we see Ripple hit the higher end of $0.24 then some optimism may creep in to lend a hand. XRPUSD 051217 Buy & Sell Cryptocurrency Instantly This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Forex Trading Signals – December 5, 2017 Tuesday Support and Resistance Levels – December 5, 2017 Moderate Gains for USD Brexit Developments Becoming Intriguing, Pound Reverses on Northern Irish News Daily Market Forecast, December 5, 2017 – EUR/USD, Gold, Crude Oil, USD/JPY, GBP/USD SimpleFX – The Best Cryptocurrency Trading Platform 2017 || AUD/USD Forex Technical Analysis – .7654 Trigger Point for Acceleration to the Upside: The AUD/USD surged on Friday on reports Michael Flynn may implicate President Donald Trump in the Russian investigation. According to ABC News, retired General Michael Flynn would testify that he was directed by the Trump administration to make contact with Russia. Early Friday, Flynn pleaded guilty to knowingly making materially false, fictitious and fraudulent statements to FBI agents, in a plea hearing in Washington, D.C. federal court. This surprise news drove down the U.S. Dollar as investors took protection in so-called safe haven or lower-yielding assets. Daily AUD/USD Daily Swing Chart Analysis The main trend is down according to the daily swing chart. However, momentum shifted to the upside on Friday with the formation of a closing price reversal bottom. A trade through .7644 will change the main trend to up. This could lead to an eventual rally into the next main top at .7729. A move through .7551 will negate the closing price reversal bottom and signal a resumption of the downtrend. This could lead to a test of the next main bottom at .7532. Taking out this bottom could trigger an acceleration to the downside. The daily chart is wide open under .7532 with the next major target the June 2 bottom at .7572. The AUD/USD is trading inside a major retracement zone bounded by .7642 and .7527. This zone is controlling the longer-term direction of the Forex pair. The main range is .7729 to .7532. Its retracement zone is .7630 to .7654. This zone stopped a rally on November 27 at .7644. Daily Swing Chart Forecast Although the rally on Friday was news driven, we could see a continuation of the move if the Russia investigation starts to get inside Trump’s inner circle. Longer-term, the market has priced in a Fed rate hike in December and probably the passing of the tax reform bill so the Russia investigation will be the wild card the next few weeks. Furthermore, there is also the possibility of a government shutdown on December 8. The chart indicates that the trigger point for a surge to the upside is .7654. Watch the price action and read the order flow on a test of that level. Given the shift in the short-term fundamentals, this price may be the most important level of the week. Story continues The trigger point for a steep sell-off is .7532. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Crude Oil Price forecast for the week of December 4, 2017, Technical Analysis BTC/USD Price forecast for the week of December 4, 2017, Technical Analysis USD/JPY Price forecast for the week of December 4, 2017, Technical Analysis AUD/USD Forex Technical Analysis – .7654 Trigger Point for Acceleration to the Upside Dow Jones 30 and NASDAQ 100 Price forecast for the week of December 4, 2017, Technical Analysis USD/CAD Fundamental Analysis – week of December 4, 2017 || Is Bitcoin a Good Investment at Today's High Price?: People who invest in bitcoin would be excused for disliking Jamie Dimon, the chairman and CEO ofJPMorgan Chase(NYSE: JPM), who called the crytocurrency a "fraud" earlier this year and intimated that people who buy it are "stupid." It wasn't the best choice of words, if for no other reason than that it makes anyone who would benefit from his advice less inclined to listen to it. But if you look at bitcoin's price today, and considerDimon's experienceat the head of one of the world's most revered financial institutions, you would be doing yourself a disservice to ignore his general sentiment. Image source: Getty Images. Does this mean that bitcoin isn't a good investment? Not necessarily, but buyers should go into it with their eyes wide open about the risks involved in buying it at today's price. Since the beginning of this year, bitcoin prices have climbed by a factor of eight, going from $998 per bitcoin at the beginning of January up to $8,255 today. Regardless of what type of asset you're talking about, that's an incredibly rapid ascent that shouldn't be ignored by anyone thinking about buying bitcoin today. Just on the surface, bitcoin looks like a bubble -- though, of course, the problem with calling anything a bubble, is that you don't know if you're in one until it has popped and it is thus too late. Add in the fact that bitcoin has no intrinsic value, sharing more in common with tulips than real estate, and the volume of one's alarm bells should increase in decibels. None of this is to say that bitcoin won't climb from here. It could continue in the current direction for another year. Or two years. Or three years. Or it could crash next week. Or it could plateau and stay at its current price, though this option seems the least likely. Data source: Coindesk. Chart by author. One way to think about bitcoin is that it is a way to short other currencies. When people buy bitcoin, they buy it with dollars or some other currency. This reduces demand for traditional currencies, shifting it to bitcoin. And because a currency's value operates in a similar fashion to any other type of commodity, when demand falls, so too will the price. Considerthis analysisfrom Howard Marks, the co-chairman ofOaktree Capital Group(NYSE: OAK)and one of the country's most astute investors: Specifically, the U.S. money supply is almost $14 trillion, so if people and businesses decide to hold just one-third of their wealth in Bitcoin rather than dollars, (and who wouldn't want to do so given all the advantages described above?), the value of the Bitcoin in circulation will rise to $4.5 trillion, from today's $73 billion, for a gain of roughly 60x. Marks wasn't citing this as evidence that bitcoin is a good investment. Instead, it is as an example of "'lottery-ticket thinking,' under which it seems smart to bet on an improbable outcome that offers a huge potential payoff." Again, none of this is to say that bitcoin won't continue heading higher. If you think about what's going on in the world right now, in fact, you may be tempted to short the major world currencies. Politics in the United States and Europe are particularly volatile right now, with other financiers such as the head of JPMorgan Chase's investment bank, speculating that asset markets couldsoon experience a shock, which could hit everything from currencies to stocks, bonds, and real estate. If that were to happen, it's tempting to think that bitcoin would behave similarly to gold -- to act as a hedge, that is, by gaining in value as turmoil and volatility infects other asset classes. But the fact of the matter is that we don't know how bitcoin would respond in that situation. The data doesn't go back far enough to even determine how it performed in thefinancial crisis of 2008. The point being, the market for bitcoin is uncharted territory. Anybody who says it will continue to go up, or that it is about to fall, shouldn't be listened to. That's noise, not signal. But for people with an interest in cryptocurrencies and a high risk tolerance, I have to admit that I understand why they'd be interested in putting some skin in the game, if only to learn more about it. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Why You're Smart to Buy Shopify Inc. (US) -- Despite Citron's Report John Maxfieldhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Oaktree Capital. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] meeting today at Basically Books at 10am re Bitcoin ATM || Bitcoin futures: when will CTAs jump in? https://hfm.global/ctaintelligence/analysis/bitcoin-futures-will-ctas-jump-in/ …pic.twitter.com/L4PNMeom1d || こんばんは。 bitcoin priceという || こんばんは。 bitcoin priceという || Tiffany Haddishちゃんが || The first bitcoin futures depend on trading at the Winklevoss twins' tiny exchange — and that's a problem http://cyberageonline.com/the-first-bitcoin-futures-depend-on-trading-at-the-winklevoss-twins-tiny-exchange-and-thats-a-problem/ … || J'aime une vidéo @YouTube : "BitCoin For Beginners - Cloud Mining & Cloud Hashing - Part 4 - Free BitCoin Contest ROUND 2" à l'adresse || Tiffany Haddishちゃんが || bitcoin priceってゆうか、 || こんばんは。 bitcoin priceという
Trend: up || Prices: 13657.20, 14982.10, 15201.00, 15599.20, 17429.50, 17527.00, 16477.60, 15170.10, 14595.40, 14973.30
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] What to Expect from Overstock.com (OSTK) in Q3 Earnings?: Overstock.com Inc. OSTK is slated to report third-quarter 2016 results on Nov 3. It is an online retailer that sells brand-name merchandise at deep discounts. Its offerings include bed-and-bath goods, kitchenware, watches, jewelry, electronics, sporting goods and designer accessories. Let’s see how things are shaping up for this announcement. Factors to Consider The company’s second-quarter revenues were up 8% year over year. It has intensified its efforts on expanding its product reach, building its customer base and strengthening its international foothold. The company has partnered with Tmall in China, 11Street in Korea, Mercado LibreIguama in Latin America, Trade Me in New Zealand and Australia and Rakuten in the UK. Management has also indicated more partnerships in the near future. It has launched a trusted partner marketplace as part of its global expansion efforts. However, the company’s business has been hit by changes in Google search algorithms and rising competition in the e-commerce sector. It has also been engaged in legal battles with several brokerage firms over stock price manipulation issues. Overstocks’ continuous efforts to reduce illegal stock manipulation and reform capital markets could boost its results in the to-be-reported quarter. Also, management confirmed Overstock’s continued focus on improvement of customer experience as well as customer attraction and retention efforts. For this, the company is trying to bring in absolute customization and personalization of its marketing message and develop customer-friendly mobile platforms and applications. Overstock has been a Bitcoin supporter for more than two years and has successfully leveraged the blockchain technology. The company is trying to establish relationships with major financial and capital market institutions to achieve the expected level of synergy between blockchain and cryptocurrency. We expect customer-friendly initiatives, product and geographical expansion efforts, and reform capital markets to act as major positives for Overstock in the to-be-reported quarter. Story continues OVERSTOCK.COM Price and EPS Surprise OVERSTOCK.COM Price and EPS Surprise | OVERSTOCK.COM Quote Stocks That Warrant a Look Ashford Hospitality Prime, Inc. AHP is slated to report third-quarter earnings results on Nov 2. The company has an Earnings ESP of +9.76% and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here . Avon Products Inc. AVP with an Earnings ESP of +33.33% and a Zacks Rank #1. The company is slated to report third-quarter earnings results on Nov 3. Glaukos Corporation GKOS with an Earnings ESP of +100.0% and a Zacks Rank #1. The company is slated to report third-quarter earnings results on Nov 10. Confidential from Zacks Beyond this Analyst Blog, would you like to see Zacks' best recommendations that are not available to the public? Our Executive VP, Steve Reitmeister, knows when key trades are about to be triggered and which of our experts has the hottest hand. Click to see them now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AVON PRODS INC (AVP): Free Stock Analysis Report ASHFORD HOSP PR (AHP): Free Stock Analysis Report GLAUKOS CORP (GKOS): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research || The 'failure' of election polling was about 3 key things: Before voting began on Election Day, nearly every major poll was predicting a Hillary Clinton win by 2-4 percentage points. When the smoke cleared Wednesday morning, Donald Trump had won. In the wake of Trump’s surprise win, arguably the biggest fascination has been the failure of the polls. Politico asked, “How did everyone get it so wrong?” Fusion asked how it went “so, so, so wrong?” Harvard Business Review wrote that pollsters were “completely and utterly wrong.” Yes, the polling was wrong—but the reasons why are numerous, and nuanced, and will take a long time to fully parse and understand. In addition, it wasn’t just the polls that went wrong, but also the media’s interpretation of the polls. 1. Polls did not fully account for the Shy Trump Voter One of the biggest theories as to what the polls missed was the idea of “shy Trump voters” who didn’t want to say when polled that they were planning to vote for Trump, but always knew. White women, in particular, proved to be a surprise: 53% of them voted for Trump overall, led by those without a college degree, who went for Trump by a 2-1 margin. White women with a college degree went for Clinton, but only barely, by six percentage points. “There’s your shy Trump vote,” tweeted Kristen Soltis Anderson , a pollster at Echelon Insights. Anderson later added that a bigger problem than secret Trump voters was “a phony mirage of a Clinton vote.” Trump got fewer votes than McCain did in 2008 and Romney did in 2012 and won anyway, because too many Democrats didn’t vote. Indeed, polling also fails to account for turnout, which was the lowest overall it has been since 2000. (Latino turnout was up from 2012 and skewed toward Clinton, but not by enough to beat Trump.) All non-white ethnic groups went for Clinton, as did millennials—but not enough of them voted. As Harvard Business Review points out, “People tend to say they’re going to vote even when they won’t… the failure of a complex likely voter model is why Gallup got out of the election forecasting business.” Story continues 2. Polling methods need to change As much as big data (and the technology to sift through it) has advanced, our methods of gathering data are still dated. Most of the national polls are still done by landline telephone. And that has been a problem for over a decade now. In 2003, Gallup wrote a post about the falling response rates in polls. If you start with a target sample size of 1,000 households, Gallup wrote, at least 200 households fall out because they are businesses or non-working numbers. Of the 800 left, another 200 “may be unreachable in the time frame allocated by the researcher… household members at these numbers may use caller ID or other screening devices and refuse to answer.” Now you’re down to 600, of which 200 more people may pick up the phone but refuse to participate in the poll. Suddenly, the sample size has shrunk from 1,000 to a mere 400 households. Declining to pick up the phone, or declining to participate in the poll, may have been a particular problem with this election polling. The shrinking sample size is a significant problem. As pollster Anderson tweeted , the “only way you can bring down margin of error is to raise sample size.” That’s not easily done. In an interview with Bloomberg , Iowa pollster J. Ann Selzer pointed to “the continuing barrier of the lack of landlines, the erosion of landlines” as a particular problem this cycle. Bloomberg wrote it in October : “Your mobile phone is killing the polling industry.” And Matthew Nisbet at The Breakthrough noted back in 2012, “Other under-reported sources of error also factor into a poll’s accuracy, including the greater reliance on cell phones.” Online polling is a newer method, but has its own problems. Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said back in August , after a Trump dip in the polls, that the candidate “performs consistently better in online polling where a human being is not talking to another human being about what he or she may do in the elections.” The Washington Post pointed out that this wasn’t the case overall—on average, Trump wasn’t doing better in online polls than in telephone polls. However, a Morning Consult post from Nov. 3 (with nearly the now-suspect headline, “Yes, there are shy Trump voters. No, they won’t swing the election”) pointed out that Trump was doing 1% better in online polls than phone polls, a difference small enough to be dismissed. But here was the key line in the Morning Consult post: “Trump’s edge over Clinton online instead of in phone polling is especially pronounced among people with a college degree or people who make more than $50,000… more-educated voters were notably less likely to say they were supporting Trump during a phone poll than in an online survey.” That was the exact slice of voters that went for Trump more than anyone expected. So it isn’t black-and-white whether phone or online polls are better, and it isn’t clear that phone polls should die; but it is clear that methods of polling need to evolve and improve, and that the best route to get as many data sets as possible is a combination of different methods. 3. The bigger failure was interpretation of the polls After an initial immediate backlash to the polls, a newer narrative is already emerging: the polls didn’t fail as terribly as everyone is saying they did. Many are pointing out that Clinton looks likely to win the popular vote (although barely, and by a smaller margin than Gore won it in 2000). If Clinton does win the popular vote by around one percentage point, then polls that showed Clinton winning by two or three points were only one or two points inflated. Moreover, polls come with a margin of error that in many cases did cover the eventual difference. Now that dust has settled, I'm going back and comparing poll avgs to final results. In most places they were "off" within margin of error… — Kristen S Anderson (@KSoltisAnderson) November 10, 2016 The problem is that in a 140-character media landscape, margin of error is often left out, or squeezed into posts and articles as an asterisk. The election polls were actually off by less than Brexit polls were off. And Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight pointed out on Thursday morning that this year’s polls were in fact more accurate than in 2012. That year, polls generally predicted a slim Obama win margin of 1 percentage point, and he won by 4 points. This time, the polls gave Clinton a margin of 3-4 points, and she looks likely to win the popular vote by 1 or 2. National polls will wind up being **more accurate** than they were in 2012: 2012: Obama up 1, won by 4 2014: Clinton up 3-4, will win by 1-2 — Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) November 9, 2016 Of course, that defense won’t exactly quell outrage over the polling (just look at the replies to Silver’s tweet), because the polls in 2012 didn’t call the wrong winner. There’s a big difference between Obama winning by a larger margin than polls said he’d win by, and Trump winning when polls said Clinton would win. And to be sure, a fair retort to Silver and others claiming that the polls weren’t that wrong is that the result here was binary: polls could either predict the right winner or the wrong winner. Almost all of them predicted the wrong winner. Polls are estimates. They are a projection of what appears likely to happen, within a margin of error. But we take them too literally. As Fairleigh Dickinson University professor Peter Woolley told Bloomberg , “We tend to over-report the accuracy of the poll, and tend to forget very quickly that it’s an estimate within a range.” The biggest problem with the polls this time around, then, wasn’t actually the polls, but our interpretation of them. Because the vast majority of the polls (all of them but two, from USC/LA Times and IBD/TIPP) had Clinton winning, the media and the public counted on a Clinton win, ignoring the fact that most polls had her winning only slightly, and many had a margin of error that allowed for the opposite result. The volume and noise drowned out nuance. In a September article in The Atlantic (appropriately headlined, “Taking Trump seriously”), Salena Zito wrote of Trump, “The press takes him literally, but not seriously; his supporters take him seriously, but not literally.” The media spent time picking over everything Trump said as though he were serious, when he often wasn’t, and didn’t take him seriously as a legitimate threat to Clinton; his voters didn’t worry too much about each individual shocking sound bite, but took him seriously as a candidate. In a column published after Trump’s victory, Maureen Dowd of The New York Times pointed to Zito’s line as a “prescient” one, and it truly was—it describes not just the result of the election, but the problem with how the media embraced the polls. Pundits – and the public – took the polls literally. Many are now asking whether polls are even useful if they can be so wrong. Does the Trump surprise win kill the polling industry? Hardly. Polling isn’t going anywhere, but the methods need to improve, and we must temper our embrace of the predictions they yield. They are only that: predictions. — Daniel Roberts is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering sports business and technology. Follow him on Twitter at @ readDanwrite . Read more: Trump ‘trounced’ Clinton in his use of Facebook video Facebook and Twitter played very different roles in the 2016 election Bitcoin price flies after Trump is elected What it was like to listen to Trump and Clinton debate on the radio || Winklevoss brothers name State Street as bitcoin ETF administrator: (Adds dropped word "bitcoin" in 7th paragraph, fixes typographical error in 10th paragraph and corrects source to say ... according to company data ... instead of ... Gemini said on Tuesday) By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss on Tuesday filed amendments to their proposed bitcoin exchange-traded fund, naming State Street as administrator, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Winklevoss brothers, identical twins, had filed their first application for a bitcoin ETF called Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust three years ago. Investors have shown keen interest in the Winklevoss ETF. If approved by the SEC, this would be the first bitcoin ETF issued by a U.S. entity. According to the amended filing, State Street will provide the fund administration and accounting services, including calculating the bitcoin trust's net asset value (NAV). Another major change involved the ETF's custodian, Gemini Trust Company, doing monthly "proof of control" exercises and publishing the reports on the ETF's website. "Custodian's cold storage system was purpose-built to demonstrate 'proof of control' of the private keys associated with its public bitcoin addresses," the filing said. "The sponsor and the custodian have engaged an independent audit firm to verify that the custodian can demonstrate 'proof of control' of the private keys that control the Trust's bitcoin on a monthly basis." Burr Pilger Mayer, based in San Francisco and known for working with venture-backed digital currency companies, has been named the ETF's auditor, the filing said. In addition, the SEC filing said Gemini's daily auction price at 4 p.m. EDT will now be used to price the NAV of the ETF. The previous pricing mechanism was the Gemini spot price. Gemini runs a digital currency trading venue. Since its launch in September, the Gemini auction has transacted more than 1,900 bitcoin on average per business day, which represents more than 16 percent of all U.S.-based bitcoin exchange volume, according to company data. Story continues The daily auction along with Gemini's expansion has increased the company's market share to about 9 percent of all U.S. dollar-denominated exchange-traded bitcoin volume. The ETF would trade under the ticker symbol COIN. Late on Tuesday, bitcoin traded at $632.88 on the BitStamp platform. (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Tom Brown) || Here's how traders are positioned ahead of Election Day: The "Fast Money" traders shared their strategies before Americans pick eitherDonald TrumporHillary Clintonas the next president. Trader Steve Grasso cautioned investors to wait for closure from the election before shuffling their portfolios. He said he would mostly hold cash going into the election. Trader Brian Kelly said he is holding gold going into the election. For one, it works as a tail-risk hedge in the situation where Trump wins, but Kelly explained that both major party candidates will push up inflation expectations. For investors looking to stay long in the financial sector, trader Guy Adami said to look at U.S. Bancorp as it's "the most conservative bank out there." Disclosures: GUY ADAMI Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, GDX, INTC. Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. BRIAN KELLY Brian Kelly is long Bitcoin, SLV and silver futures, US Dollar UUP. He is short the Japanese yen and the euro. STEVE GRASSO Steve Grasso is long: BA, CC, CHK, EVGN, KBH, MJNA, MON, MU, OLN, PFE, PHM, T, TWTR, GDX. His children own: EFA, EFG, EWJ, IJR, SPY. No shorts. Grasso's firm is long: APC, VIRT, DVN, LDP, WDR, AVP, CVX, FCX, ICE, KDUS, KO, MAT, MCD, MJNA, NE, NEM, OLN, OXY, RIG, STAG, TAXI, TEX, TITXF, URI, WDR, WYNN, ZNGA, CUBA, HSPO, ICE, AMZN, MJNA, TITXF, SPY, QQQ, DIA, XLI, BGCP, VIRT, GE, AIR FP. TIM SEYMOUR Tim Seymour is long ABX, APC, AVP, BAC, BBRY, CLF, CVX, DO, DVYE, EDC, EWZ, F, FB, FCX, FXI, GM, GOOGL, GE, INTC, LQD,MCD, MUR, OIH, PG, RACE, RAI, RH, RL, SINA, T, TWTR, VALE, VZ, XOM and short: EEM, SPY, XRT. His firm is long ABX, BABA, BIDU, CBD, CLF, EWZ, F, KO, MCD, MPEL, NKE, PEP, PF, TCEHY, SAVE, SBUX, SINA, VALE, VIAB, WMT, WEN, X, YHOO, and short EWG, HYG, IWM. More From CNBC • Top News and Analysis • Latest News Video • Personal Finance || Winklevoss brothers name State Street as bitcoin ETF administrator: By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss on Tuesday filed amendments to their proposed bitcoin exchange-traded fund, naming State Street as administrator, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Winklevoss brothers, identical twins, had filed their first application for a bitcoin ETF called Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust three years ago. Investors have shown keen interest in the Winklevoss ETF. If approved by the SEC, this would be the first bitcoin ETF issued by a U.S. entity. According to the amended filing, State Street will provide the fund administration and accounting services, including calculating the bitcoin trust's net asset value (NAV). Another major change involved the ETF's custodian, Gemini Trust Company, doing monthly "proof of control" exercises and publishing the reports on the ETF's website. "Custodian's cold storage system was purpose-built to demonstrate 'proof of control' of the private keys associated with its public bitcoin addresses," the filing said. "The sponsor and the custodian have engaged an independent audit firm to verify that the custodian can demonstrate 'proof of control' of the private keys that control the Trust's bitcoin on a monthly basis." Burr Pilger Mayer, based in San Francisco and known for working with venture-backed digital currency companies, has been named the ETF's auditor, the filing said. In addition, the SEC filing said Gemini's daily auction price at 4 p.m. EDT will now be used to price the NAV of the ETF. The previous pricing mechanism was the Gemini spot price. Gemini runs a digital currency trading venue. Since its launch in September, the Gemini auction has transacted more than 1,900 bitcoin on average per business day, which represents more than 16 percent of all U.S.-based bitcoin exchange volume, according to company data. The daily auction along with Gemini's expansion has increased the company's market share to about 9 percent of all U.S. dollar-denominated exchange-traded bitcoin volume. The ETF would trade under the ticker symbol COIN. Late on Tuesday, bitcoin traded at $632.88 on the BitStamp platform. (This version of the story adds the dropped word "bitcoin" in the 7th paragraph, fixes a typographical error in the 10th paragraph and corrects source to say 'according to company data' instead of 'Gemini said on Tuesday') (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Tom Brown) || Flow CARIFTA Games 2017: Exciting on-the-go access, more broadcast hours for Caribbean sports fans: MIAMI, FL--(Marketwired - Nov 11, 2016) - As Caribbean sports fans gear up for theFlow CARIFTA Games 2017, they have something new to be excited about. Flow is once again raising the bar for sports viewership by providing fans with anytime, anywhere access with the new Flow Sports App. For the first time ever, fans of the Flow CARIFTA Games will not have to miss a single stride of the action whether they choose to be in the stadium in Curacao, watch from the comfort of their living rooms or tune in on the go -- they simply need to download the Flow Sports app on theirAndroidoriOSsmart devices, or visit the online microsite atwww.flowsports.cofrom any lap top or tablet device. Flow now in its 2ndyear as theOfficial Broadcast Partner and Sponsorof the Flow CARIFTA Games, is alsoextending the live coverage to six hours each dayto bring fans even more of their favourite sports action. Additionally, the coverage will feature commentary from veteran Caribbean journalists from across the region, includingNadine Liverpool, internationally renowned sports broadcaster and host of Flow Sports Premier Weekly, andDalton Myers, Director of Sports at the University of the West Indies. So, now, track and field fans can have the best seats in the houseandget expert insights just by tuning into Flow Sports. Wendy McDonald, Senior Director Communications -- Consumer Group, Flow said, "We are changing the game in sports viewership in the region, delivering more options and more content than ever before by any provider. This is the essence of what we bring to the Flow CARIFTA Games 2017. We are absolutely delighted to be able to work withThe North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association(NACAC) and to have this opportunity to wow sports fans even while we contribute to the development of our athletes and the sport in general. Our mission is simply connecting communities, transforming lives, and we see our role as lead sponsor of the Flow CARIFTA Games as delivering on that commitment." Commenting on the importance of their partnership with Flow, NACAC President, Victor Lopez said, "The IAAF-NACAC Athletics Association is proud of the invaluable partnership with Flow Sports for the sponsorship and broadcast of the Flow CARIFTA Games throughout the Caribbean." This year, The Flow CARIFTA Games 2017 will be held on Easter Weekend in Curacao and will feature the Caribbean's elite up-and-coming athletes who will compete in various track and field events. Now in its 46thyear, the Flow CARIFTA Games has served as a spring board for many of the Caribbean's athletic stars, includingFlow Brand Ambassadors, two-time Olympian, gold and silver medallist, Kirani James of Grenada, Trinidadian Khalifa St. Fort, who holds the CARIFTA 100m women's record and Jaheel Hyde, Jamaican sprinter. The Flow CARIFTA Games 2017 was launched at a press conference at the Hilton Curacao on November 10th. Flow Curacao Country Manager, Didier Renault, thanked the local organising committee, as well as Mr. Lopez and his team, and added, "As we say here in Curacao, 'Bon Bini!' We're proud to host this huge regional sporting event, and once again show that we're committed to helping develop sports across the Caribbean. With so many young athletes vying to inscribe their names in the Caribbean sports history books, the upcoming Flow CARIFTA Games is set to be intense, electrifying and fun --and you can catch it all onFlow Sports." Tune in to Flow Sports -- The Home of Sports in the Caribbean. Click hereto watch press conference highlights. Watch Showreel here About C&W CommunicationsCWC is a full-service communications and entertainment provider and delivers market-leading video, broadband, telephony and mobile services to consumers in 18 countries. Through its business division, CWC provides data center hosting, domestic and international managed network services, and customized IT service solutions, utilizing cloud technology to serve business and government customers. CWC also operates a state-of-the-art submarine fiber network -- the most extensive in the region. Learn more atwww.cwc.com, or follow C&W onLinkedIn,FacebookorTwitter. About Liberty GlobalLiberty Global is the world's largest international TV and broadband company, with operations in more than 30 countries across Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. We invest in the infrastructure that empowers our customers to make the most of the digital revolution. Our scale and commitment to innovation enable us to develop market-leading products delivered through next-generation networks that connect our 29 million customers who subscribe to over 59 million television, broadband, internet, and telephony services. We also serve 11 million mobile subscribers and offer WiFi service across seven million access points. Liberty Global's businesses are comprised of two stocks: the Liberty Global Group (NASDAQ:LBTYA) (NASDAQ:LBTYB) (NASDAQ:LBTYK) for our European operations, and the LiLAC Group (NASDAQ:LILA) and (NASDAQ:LILAK) (OTC PINK:LILAB), which consists of our operations in Latin America and the Caribbean. The Liberty Global Group operates in 12 European countries under the consumer brands Virgin Media, Ziggo, Unitymedia, Telenet and UPC. The LiLAC Group operates in over 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean under the consumer brands VTR, Flow, Liberty, Mas Movil and BTC. In addition, the LiLAC Group operates a subsea fiber network throughout the region in over 30 markets. For more information, please visitwww.libertyglobal.com. Image Available:http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3079655Image Available:http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3079657 || First Bitcoin Capital Solves Medical Cannabis Dispensary Cash Dilemma Via INNOVATIVE Merchant Credit Card Services: VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / October 27, 2016 /FIRST BITCOIN CAPITAL CORP. (BITCF), a leading bitcoin and cryptocurrency developer, specializing in both blockchain and online merchant payment solutions for medical marijuana dispensaries and other high-risk merchant accounts and services, today announced the signing of a merchant account processing agent agreement with a credit card processor for the states of California and Oregon. Under the agreement, BITCF will provide a full suite of financial services for the medical marijuana industry: merchant processing and POS solutions through its alliance network, a fully compliant, user friendly solution to accept Credit and Debit Cards through traditional Merchant Card Processing networks. We intend to add more states as additional legal opinions are provided by our credit card processor provider’s counsel. First Bitcoin is also developing a system that will enable dispensaries to accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as a form of legal payment. Stater of California has already enacted legislation that makes Bitcoin and similar digital currencies legal tender. BITCF has developed specific programs to meet the unique needs of the medical cannabis industry. Offering merchant services at competitive rates for businesses operating legally under state law of California and Oregon, the company can now provide financial services not typically available from conventional banks. While legalization of marijuana in many forms – and in many states – garnered over $5 billion dollars in 2016, the sums are expected to grow for 2017. More innovative and unique products are being created, and the stigma that once surrounded cannabis is slowly fading. These changes are helping the medical cannabis industry to prosper now that federal policies allow dispensaries to sell, grow, or possess cannabis while compliant with state laws. BITCF will only provide these services where federal policies allow our business model to proceed for dispensaries that are fully compliant with state and country laws, rules and regulations. Should your dispensary be interested in these services please contact us by email:[email protected] According to our merchant processor: Our processor introduces the first completely sanctioned credit card solution for the Marijuana Industry. Unlike most merchant accounts that are currently being used by many dispensaries, our processor Acquirers approve, accept and fully acknowledge their engagement with State licensed legal Marihuana Dispensaries. Our processor is an "IaaS". Infrastructure as a Service ("IaaS") and provider of an innovative array of synergistic services that include, advertising, affiliate marketing, consortium of vendors in various markets including the high risk sector and payment processing into a seamless comprehensive solution. Their mission is to utilize IaaS to provide protection and enhanced privacy for online consumers as well as all participating contractual Partners within their Network. Our processor employs a proprietary method of transacting on behalf of their Partners. Our processor also manages the customer database with its Partners and offers consumer protection services for their registered Users. They also operate through clearance and settlement systems that admit only BSA-regulated financial institutions. Our processor is also fully PCI compliant. About the company: First Bitcoin Capital is engaged in developing digital currencies, proprietary Blockchain technologies, and the digital currency exchange-www.CoinQX.comWe see this step as a tremendous opportunity to create further shareholder value by leveraging management's experience in developing and managing complex Blockchain technologies, developing new type of digital assets. "Being first publicly-traded cryptocurrency and blockchain-centered company we want to provide our shareholders with diversified exposure to digital cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies." At this time Company owns and operates the following digital assets. www.BITCoinCapitalcorp.comcompany website. www.CoinQX.comCompany operated Cryptocurrency Exchange, registered with FINCEN. www.iCoiNEWS.comreal time cryptocurrency and bitcoin news site www.BITminer.cccompany provides mining pool management services. www.2016coin.orgonline daily election coverage and home page for $PRES, $HILL and $GARY coins Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors as may be disclosed in company's filings. In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic conditions, and governmental and public policy changes. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of the press release .Such forward-looking statements are risks that are detailed in the Company's filings, which are on file atwww.OTCMarkets.com. SOURCE:First Bitcoin Capital Corp. || Bitcoin is flying after Donald Trump's victory: In May, a Juniper Research study (“Will Bitcoins Bite Back?“) predicted that the price of the digital currency bitcoin would jump if Donald Trump were elected. On Tuesday, Trump was elected, and bitcoin jumped. The currency is up nearly 3% since Tuesday night, hovering around $725. “If Donald Trump becomes President of the US,” said Dr. Winslow Holdenin a statement with the study, “there is the very real prospect of turmoil on world markets… Bitcoin would thrive in such an environment.” Bitcoin has in fact been on the rise all fall,not only because of the election. The price is up 19% in the last month, 23% in the last three months, and 68% in 2016. But in the next few days and perhaps months, the uncertainty after Trump’s win will likely serve as an accelerant. Investors see bitcoin as a safe haven from fiat currencies (hence why it rises when the Chinese yuan falls), and an asset largely untied to mainstream markets. Gold typically behaves the same way, and indeed,gold shot up to $1,320 on Tuesday night as Trump closed in on the presidency, though it fell back to earth on Wednesday and is now at $1,275. Bitcoin’s October rise has been mostly due to heightened activity in China, where the yuan is falling and the government has tightened capital controls. Bitcoin prices also spikedduring the bank shutdown in Greecelast year. Juniper Research says the Brexit vote, back in June, is still having an impact as well: “The ongoing ramifications around Brexit are also likely to act as an additional spur for higher activity levels.” IfBrexit helped contribute to a bitcoin bump, then Trump’s win is likely to do it, too. Many were quick to compare the surprising result of the US election to the EU referendum result. Trump, in the days before the election, told crowds that his win would be like “Brexit plus plus plus,” and nicknamed himself “Mr. Brexit.” While Trump and bitcoin might seem to have something in common (Coin Telegraphmade the case that Trump would eventually cozy up to the coin), his campaign never accepted donations in bitcoin. Hillary Clinton’s campaign considered accepting donations in bitcoin, aleaked email thread revealed,but John Podesta was more intrigued by the digital currency Ven, writing that bitcoin suffers from a “libertarian Ayn Rand schtick.” Sen. Rand Paul and Gov. Gary Johnson were the only two presidential candidates to accept bitcoin. It doesn’t matter now: Trump won, and bitcoin benefited without his support. The coin doesn’t need Trump to champion it in order to succeed. The defining word of this US election is the same word that defined the Brexit vote: “uncertainty.” As the Juniper Research report noted, bitcoin’s price rose in the weeks leading up to the Brexit vote, then fell a little bit just before the vote when the outcome looked clear, then spiked when the outcome was, in fact, a big surprise. Expect the same to happen after Trump’s win. — Daniel Roberts is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering technology and sports business. Follow him on Twitter at@readDanwrite. Read more: The latest bitcoin price surge isn’t just about Brexit Here’s where big banks stand on blockchain Why 21.co is the most exciting bitcoin company right now Coinbase is more bullish on bitcoin than ever || Your first trade for Wednesday, October 19: The "Fast Money" traders gave their final trades of the day. Pete Najarian is a buyer of Citi (C). Tim Seymour is a buyer of Avon (AVP). Brian Kelly is a buyer of Chevron (CVX). Guy Adami is a buyer of SuperValu (SVU). Trader disclosure: OnTuesday, October 18the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "Fast Money" traders: PETE NAJARIAN is long AAPL, BAC, DIS, DISCA, GE, KMI, KMIA, KO, LUX, MRK, PEP, PFE CALLS: AAL, ABT, AMD, ATVI, BABA, BAC, BBY, BHI, BSX, CNX, COP, COTY, CRM, CS, CSCO, CXW, DAL, DISH, ECA, ETP, gm, GS, HAL, INTC, JBLU, JCP, KBE, KGC, KMI, KO, LLY, LOW, M, MOS, MRO, MRVL, MUR, NAV, NBR, P, RIO, SBUX, SLV, TMUS, TTS, TV, TWTR, VRX, WFT, WLL, XLF. Puts: CLF, EEM, MBLY, WFC Tim Seymour is long ABX, APC, AVP, BAC, BBRY, CLF, DO, DVYE, EDC, EWZ, F, FB, FCX, FXI, GM, GOOGL, GE, INTC, LQD,MCD, MUR, OIH, PG, RACE, RAI, RH, RL, SINA, T, TWTR, VALE, VZ, XOM. short: SPY, XRT; Tim's firm is long ABX, BABA, BIDU, CBD, CLF, EWZ, F, KO, MCD, MPEL, NKE, PEP, PF, SAVE, SBUX, SINA, VALE, VIAB, WMT, WEN, X, YHOO, short EWG, HYG, IWM Brian Kelly is long Bitcoin, SLV and Silver Futures, US Dollar UUP; he is short EUR=, JPY= Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, GDX, INTC, Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. More From CNBC • Top News and Analysis • Latest News Video • Personal Finance || Winklevoss brothers name State Street as bitcoin ETF administrator: By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) - Investors Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss on Tuesday filed amendments to their proposed bitcoin exchange-traded fund, naming State Street as administrator, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Winklevoss brothers, identical twins, had filed their first application for a bitcoin ETF called Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust three years ago. Investors have shown keen interest in the Winklevoss ETF. If approved by the SEC, this would be the first bitcoin ETF issued by a U.S. entity. According to the amended filing, State Street will provide the fund administration and accounting services, including calculating the bitcoin trust's net asset value (NAV). Another major change involved the ETF's custodian, Gemini Trust Company, doing monthly "proof of control" exercises and publishing the reports on the ETF's website. "Custodian's cold storage system was purpose-built to demonstrate 'proof of control' of the private keys associated with its public bitcoin addresses," the filing said. "The sponsor and the custodian have engaged an independent audit firm to verify that the custodian can demonstrate 'proof of control' of the private keys that control the Trust's bitcoin on a monthly basis." Burr Pilger Mayer, based in San Francisco and known for working with venture-backed digital currency companies, has been named the ETF's auditor, the filing said. In addition, the SEC filing said Gemini's daily auction price at 4 p.m. EDT will now be used to price the NAV of the ETF. The previous pricing mechanism was the Gemini spot price. Gemini runs a digital currency trading venue. Since its launch in September, the Gemini auction has transacted more than 1,900 bitcoin on average per business day, which represents more than 16 percent of all U.S.-based bitcoin exchange volume, according to company data. The daily auction along with Gemini's expansion has increased the company's market share to about 9 percent of all U.S. dollar-denominated exchange-traded bitcoin volume. Story continues The ETF would trade under the ticker symbol COIN. Late on Tuesday, bitcoin traded at $632.88 on the BitStamp platform. (This version of the story adds the dropped word "bitcoin" in the 7th paragraph, fixes a typographical error in the 10th paragraph and corrects source to say 'according to company data' instead of 'Gemini said on Tuesday') (Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Tom Brown) [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] GRT/BTC ฿0.00000089 Vol.1811041.69745030 | Bittrex ฿0.00000089 || Bitcoin Stock Investment 8800% ROI after 48 hours, christmas eve traditions. http://ow.ly/lHgA307d5ed  || 現在の価格は 89511円(http://blockchain.info )です。前回比は0円(0.00%)です。http://konvert.in/currency/1-bitcoin-to-japanese-yen … #ビットコイン #bitcoin via @konvertin || Will you be the next Bitcoin Casino Billionaire? $BTC $ETH $XMR | https://goo.gl/ijU5Oe pic.twitter.com/PTXm5QuElK || LIVE: Profit = $271.63 (25.48 %). BUY B1.82 @ $713.00 (#VirCurex). SELL @ $733.99 (#Bitfinex) #bitcoin #btc - http://www.projectcoin.org  || Overall direction of #bitcoin still continuing up. Was hoping for a pull back to buy more! https://twitter.com/ElixiumCapital/status/810176108138209280 … || #UFOCoin #UFO $0.000007 (4.67%) 0.00000001 BTC (-0.00%) || $724.35 at 03:16 UTC [24h Range: $702.85 - $737.00 Volume: 6287 BTC] || Attualmente il valore del #Bitcoin è $715.00 via @Chain || One Bitcoin now worth $788.97@bitstamp. High $790.88. Low $779.66. Market Cap $12.661 Billion #bitcoin pic.twitter.com/6ICcwEbY0y
Trend: up || Prices: 790.53, 792.71, 800.88, 834.28, 864.54, 921.98, 898.82, 896.18, 907.61, 933.20
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2019-11-26] BTC Price: 7218.37, BTC RSI: 28.99 Gold Price: 1459.80, Gold RSI: 41.35 Oil Price: 58.41, Oil RSI: 58.63 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] What is it with the price of Bitcoin and avocados?: Bitcoin has been having another avocado moment. Bizarrely, the popular cryptocurrency’s summer spike and recent downward trend have closely resembled the fortunes of Mexican avocados. A spooky coincidence? Not everyone is so sure. And the price of the fruit has plummeted this month. Eagle-eyed Bloomberg analyst Tracy Alloway sounded the Avocado Alarm early today on Twitter . She joked that it was the avocados that forewarned her of Bitcoin’s drop to its lowest level since last June. *BITCOIN DROPS TO LOWEST LEVEL SINCE JUNE The avocados told me this would happen. pic.twitter.com/5rOyE3Ohak — Tracy Alloway (@tracyalloway) October 24, 2019 However, almost as if to escape her absurd but hugely popular avocado analogy, Bitcoin has since bounced back an astonishing 12 points. And, as Alloway’s chart shows, while the price of bitcoin has mirrored avocados between February and September, the fruit has experienced a much sharper decline following its boom in the last quarter of 2019. Avocado and crypto watchers have worked hard—if not entirely seriously—to suggest possible reasons for the uncanny price similarities. One of them is that millennials—lovers of both avocado toast and Bitcoin—pushed up the price during the summer, and they’ve since got bored of both. But that’s almost as strained as the avocado metaphor in one of the dumbest crypto Twitter spats ever —between Tron’s Justin Sun and Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin. Looking deeper into the fortunes of Mexico’s avocado trade, analysts put the blame for the slump at the door of U.S. President Trump, who in June announced new import tariffs against Mexico to counter immigration. The U.S. purchases around 75% of Mexico’s avocado crop. A 5% increase in import tariffs, rising 5% each month to reach a maximum of 25% on October 1st, means a big hit for the $2.4 billion-a-year market. Trump also took aim at Bitcoin only a month later. While the market bounced back, it proved only a temporary rally. To compound matters for the avocado trade, Mexico’s “green gold” has attracted the attention of violent cartels, who were quick to see the potential in the cash crop. As a result, the U.S., has recently issued a warning that it could also withdraw dozens of avocado orchard inspectors, who are stationed in Mexico, sending further shivers through the export industry. Story continues Will the fact that the cartels are now threatening Mexico’s avocado market finally put an end to the odd correlation with Bitcoin? Nobody knows. But if the bitcoin-avocado pair does stay relatively constant, millennials may breathe a sigh of relief. View comments || Bitcoin Dips Below 8,141.7 Level, Down 1%: Bitcoin Dips Below 8,141.7 Level, Down 1% Investing.com - Bitcoin fell bellow the $8,141.7 level on Saturday. Bitcoin was trading at 8,141.7 by 14:58 (18:58 GMT) on the Investing.com Index, down 1.31% on the day. It was the largest one-day percentage loss since September 27. The move downwards pushed Bitcoin's market cap down to $147.1B, or 66.70% of the total cryptocurrency market cap. At its highest, Bitcoin's market cap was $241.2B. Bitcoin had traded in a range of $8,031.1 to $8,241.9 in the previous twenty-four hours. Over the past seven days, Bitcoin has seen a drop in value, as it lost 18.34%. The volume of Bitcoin traded in the twenty-four hours to time of writing was $14.3B or 28.12% of the total volume of all cryptocurrencies. It has traded in a range of $7,773.6040 to $10,075.0146 in the past 7 days. At its current price, Bitcoin is still down 59.03% from its all-time high of $19,870.62 set on December 17, 2017. Elsewhere in cryptocurrency trading Ethereum was last at $173.46 on the Investing.com Index, up 3.99% on the day. XRP was trading at $0.24245 on the Investing.com Index, a gain of 1.18%. Ethereum's market cap was last at $18.8B or 8.52% of the total cryptocurrency market cap, while XRP's market cap totaled $10.5B or 4.77% of the total cryptocurrency market value. Related Articles ConsenSys and WWF Roll Out Platform for Transparency in Philanthropy Custody Services for Digital Assets: Everything You Need to Know The Story Behind the Explosive Growth of Crypto Funds || BitPay to add support for XRP later this year: Blockchain payments provider BitPay will add support for XRP, the world’s third-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, by the end of this year. Revealing the news exclusively to The Block on Wednesday, BitPay said it has partnered with Ripple’s Xpring unit to integrate XRP on its platform so that businesses and merchants can accept the cryptocurrency. “XRP can offer a payment option that is fast, cost-effective and scalable,” said Sean Rolland, director of product at BitPay. With the partnership, BitPay’s wallet users, as well as its prepaid cardholders, will also be able to store and spend XRP via its merchants and businesses. Just last month, BitPay added support for ether (ETH) cryptocurrency. The firm also supports payments in bitcoin (BTC) and bitcoin cash (BCH), as well as three stablecoins - Circle and Coinbase-led USD Coin (USDC), Gemini Dollar (GUSD), and Paxos Standard Token (PAX). BitPay processed over $1 billion in payments last year from global merchants including Microsoft, Dish Networks, FanDuel and Avnet. “BitPay’s B2B business continues to grow rapidly as our solution is cheaper and quicker than a bank wire from most regions of the world,” Stephen Pair, co-founder and CEO of BitPay, said at the time. || Binance lists new trading pairs for BUSD, including XRP and ETH: Binance today announced new pairings for BUSD, its dollar-pegged stablecoin. BUSD can now be traded for XRP , Litecoin , Ethereum , Ethereum Classic, Bitcoin Cash ABC, and Chainlink. BUSD launched last month as part of a partnership with Paxos, which is best known for creating its own stablecoin. In its agreement with Binance, Paxos issues the coin and looks after the reserves of dollars. BUSD can also also be traded for BNB and Bitcoin. BUSD has regulatory approval by the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), meaning that New Yorkers can buy it. Binance.US, however—Binance’s US outpost that launched last month—does not support BUSD, favoring Tether. Since its launch, BUSD has had middling success. It traded over $10 million in the last 24 hours, and has a market cap of $11 million. It has also stayed relatively close to the US dollar, with highs of $1.06 and lows of $0.99. These figures are dwarfed by Binance’s own cryptocurrency, BNB, which traded $215 million in the past 24 hours, and Tether , the gas-guzzling stablecoin that traded over $19 billion. Other stablecoins issued on Binance’s native blockchain include StableUSD and a stablecoin backed by the pound, Binance GBP. Binance is continuing development of Venus —which Binance described in a press release as an “independent version of Libra”—with which it plans to develop multiple stablecoins on Binance Chain. While Binance continues its development on stablecoin, a G7 report last week cautioned against them, suggesting that development should not take place until regulatory concerns were addressed. || Bitcoin Cash – ABC, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 03/11/19: Bitcoin Cash – ABC – On the Move Bitcoin Cash ABC rallied by 3.73% on Saturday. Reversing a 1.39% fall from Friday, Bitcoin Cash ABC ended the day at $289.17. Bullish through much of the day, Bitcoin Cash ABC rallied from an early intraday low $277.81 to a late intraday high $295.03. Bitcoin Cash ABC broke through the first major resistance level at $283.41 and second major resistance level at $289.21. Coming up short of $300 levels, Bitcoin Cash ABC slid back through the second major resistance level to $287 levels. While finding support late in the day, the second major resistance level capped the upside on the day. At the time of writing, Bitcoin Cash ABC was up by 3.21% to $298.44. A bullish start to the day saw Bitcoin Cash ABC rally from a morning low $291.16 to a high $304.03. Steering clear of the major support levels, Bitcoin Cash ABC broke through the first major resistance level at $296.86. Coming up against the second major resistance level at $304.56, Bitcoin Cash ABC fell back to sub-$300 levels. For the day ahead, Bitcoin Cash ABC would need to hold above the first major resistance level at $296.86 to support another run at $300 levels. Bitcoin Cash ABC would need the support of the broader market, however, to break out from the second major resistance level at $304.56. Barring an extended rally through the day, the second major resistance level at $304.56 would likely cap any upside. Failure to hold above the first major resistance level could see Bitcoin Cash ABC give up the morning gains. A fall through to sub-$288 levels would bring the first major support level at $279.64 into play. Barring a broad-based crypto reversal, however, we would expect Bitcoin Cash ABC to steer clear of sub-$290 levels. Litecoin Struggles for Direction Litecoin rose by just 0.05% on Saturday. Following a 0.09% fall from Friday, Litecoin ended the day at $58.38. Bearish through the morning, Litecoin fell to a late morning intraday low $57.86 before finding support. Story continues Steering clear of the first major support level at $57.00, Litecoin rallied to a late afternoon intraday high $59.32. Coming up against the first major resistance level at $59.34, Litecoin fell back to sub-$58 levels before finding late support. A late move back through to $58 levels left Litecoin flat on the day. At the time of writing, Litecoin was up by 0.02% to $58.39. A mixed start to the day saw Litecoin rise from an early morning low $58.13 to a high $58.80 before easing back. Litecoin left the major support and resistance levels untested early on. For the day ahead, a move back through to $58.50 levels would support a run at the first major resistance level at $59.18. Litecoin would need the support of the broader market, however, to break out from this morning’s high $58.80. Barring a broad-based crypto rally, the first major resistance level at $59.18 and Saturday’s high $59.32 would likely limit any upside. Failure to move back through to $58.50 levels would bring the first major support level at $57.72 into play. Barring a crypto meltdown, Litecoin should steer clear of the second major support level at $57.06. Ripple’s XRP Falls Short of $0.30 Ripple’s XRP rose by 0.92% on Saturday. Reversing a 0.82% fall from Friday, Ripple’s XRP ended the day at $0.29599. A mixed start to the day saw Ripple’s XRP fall from an early morning intraday low $0.29329 to a high 0.29613. Steering clear of the major support and resistance levels early on, Ripple’s XRP eased back to sub-$0.2940 levels before finding support. An early afternoon rally saw Ripple’s XRP strike a late afternoon intraday high $0.29947 before easing back. Ripple’s XRP broke through the first major resistance level at $0.2972 before sliding back to sub-$0.2960 levels at the day end. At the time of writing, Ripple’s XRP was down by 0.33% to $0.29500. A mixed start to the day saw Ripple’s XRP rise to an early morning high $0.29738 before sliding to a low $0.29500. Ripple’s XRP left the major support and resistance levels untested early on. For the day ahead, a move through to $0.2960 levels would support a run at the first major resistance level at $02992. Ripple’s XRP would need the support of the broader market, however, to break out from the morning high $0.29738. Barring a broad-based crypto rally, Ripple’s XRP would likely fall short of $0.30 levels for a 4 th consecutive day. Failure to move through to $0.2960 levels could see Ripple’s XRP fall deeper into the red. Ripple’s XRP would likely test the first major support level at $0.2930 before any recovery. In the event of an extended sell-off through the day, the second major support level at $0.2901 would likely limit any downside. Please let us know what you think in the comments below Thanks, Bob This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Natural Gas Weekly Price Forecast – Natural Gas Markets Continue To Show Signs Of Bullish Pressure Crude Oil Weekly Price Forecast – Crude Oil Markets Continue To Grind Sideways Silver Weekly Price Forecast – Silver Markets Form Bullish Candle For The Week Bitcoin Cash – ABC, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 02/11/19 Natural Gas Price Fundamental Weekly Forecast – Strengthens Over $2.753, Weakens Under $2.674; Watch for Gap in Either Direction U.S Mortgage Rates Rise Again Supported by Progress in Trade Talks || 5 India ETFs to Watch as Country Continues to Cut Rates: This article was originally published onETFTrends.com. In the U.S., the expectation is that more rate-cutting by the Federal Reserve will take place through the end of 2019, but in the case of India, are further rate declines being instituted to no avail? The country's central bank installed its fifth rate cut in 2019 in an effort to resuscitate growth. PerCNBC, the "Reserve Bank of India (RBI) lowered the repo rate by 25 basis points to 5.15% with five members of its Monetary Policy Committee voting in favor, versus one who backed a 40 basis point cut. The decision came against a backdrop of weaker growth, a resurgence of financial stability risks and a surprise fiscal stimulus in the form of a recent corporate tax cut." Growth in India has been declining for five consecutive quarters, allowing China to overtake it in the month of May as the fastest-growing economy based on data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Currently, inflation in the India stands at 3.2% with 4% being the RBI's target rate. “In the event, the RBI’s decision to deliver a more benign 25 basis point rate cut suggests it is trying to balance growth concerns against limited remaining monetary policy space and a diminishing efficacy of monetary policy in boosting growth (hence the growing role of fiscal policy),”saidNomura Chief India Economist Sonal Varma. One of the main reasons for stagnant growth has been the banking sector where a credit slowdown is taking place. “One possible reason for this constraint is the health of India’s banking and financial sectors, which remains weak,”saidShumita Deveshwar, director of India research at TS Lombard. “A shrinking savings rate and a large public sector borrowing requirement are keeping borrowing costs for banks elevated, and many banks are still dealing with relatively large amounts of bad debt on their books.” “Under-reporting of bad loans evidently continues to be a risk despite the RBI’s actions over the past few years to make the balance sheets of banks more transparent and to stop ever-greening of loans,” she added. As for India-focused exchange-traded funds, here are five to watch based on size (total assets): [{"Symbol": "INDA", "ETF Name": "iShares MSCI India ETF", "Total Assets ($MM)": "$4,938.42"}, {"Symbol": "EPI", "ETF Name": "WisdomTree India Earnings Fund", "Total Assets ($MM)": "$1,173.21"}, {"Symbol": "INDY", "ETF Name": "iShares India 50 ETF", "Total Assets ($MM)": "$730.34"}, {"Symbol": "SMIN", "ETF Name": "iShares MSCI India Small-Cap ETF", "Total Assets ($MM)": "$275.04"}, {"Symbol": "PIN", "ETF Name": "Invesco India ETF", "Total Assets ($MM)": "$133.11"}] At the top of the heap is theiShares MSCI India ETF (CBOE: INDA). INDA seeks to track the investment results of the MSCI India Index composed of Indian equities, which measures the performance of equity securities of companies whose market capitalization, as calculated by the index provider, represents the top 85% of companies in the Indian securities market. For more information on India’s markets, visit ourIndia category. POPULAR ARTICLES AND RESOURCES FROM ETFTRENDS.COM • SPY ETF Quote • VOO ETF Quote • QQQ ETF Quote • VTI ETF Quote • JNUG ETF Quote • Top 34 Gold ETFs • Top 34 Oil ETFs • Top 57 Financials ETFs • ETF of the Week: iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD) • Liquid Strategies Presents Overlay Shares’ New Equity ETF Suite • Schwab Eliminates ETF, Stock and Options Commissions • European Stock ETF Could Offer Investors A Chance To Invest And Hedge Currencies • Bitcoin, Cryptocurrencies Tumble Over Past Week READ MORE AT ETFTRENDS.COM > || What to do when your crypto’s been stolen: Crypto’s so secure, they said. So trustless, so safe. You are your own bank. Well, now the bank’s been robbed and you’ve turned to Decrypt, perhaps the only thing there is left to trust in this broken world. Perhaps someone hacked into your exchange account and bled your account dry; perhaps you sent crypto to someone posing as someone else , perhaps the company you invested in turned out to be a scam, and made off with the cash ? You’re not the only one: According to a 2019 report on cryptocurrencies by security company Kaspersky, almost a fifth (19 percent) of survey respondents said they’d been hacked on exchanges, and a further 15 percent said they were victims of cryptocurrency fraud. We’ve quizzed lawyers, security experts, and world-class academics for their advice on what to do when your crypto’s been stolen — and gathered the accounts of victims so you can learn from their experiences. Act fast to trace your stolen cryptocurrency “The quicker you can act, the better,” Benjamin Sauter, a partner at Kobre & Kim law and a veteran of crypto theft cases, told Decrypt . Wait too long, and you’ll give thieves more time to transfer assets to cold storage, to send funds to less favorable exchanges or to send them through tumblers to mix them up, all of which makes the funds harder to trace. “The more sophisticated you are, and the less sophisticated the thieves are at laundering the assets, the better chance you have,” said Sauter. If the funds sit in an exchange, Sauter said you’d better get on the phone with the exchange quick, and ask them to kindly freeze the funds. With luck, the exchange will comply, buying you some precious time. Unfortunately, you might have to cough up some of your remaining cash to a lawyer, who can flash their teeth at the exchanges to freeze the funds, or convince a court to issue an order for them to be frozen. If you’re completely out of pocket, Sauter said that asking the exchange yourself is worth a try. Story continues Identifying crypto thieves To have the legal system recover your cryptocurrency, you first need to know who stole it. You’d potentially be able to freeze funds against John Doe or Persons Unknown, legal terms for a court case brought against someone you don’t know, but according to Marc Jones, a partner at Stewarts Law in the UK, "In general, to enforce an order requiring fraudsters to pay damages or handover stolen property, ultimately you’ll need to know who they are." Luckily, as Jones reminds us, “One of the benefits of any blockchain currency is you can see where coins have gone.” If a coin’s gone through an exchange, then it’s easy to work out who the wallet holder belongs to. Exchanges have know your customer (KYC) checks, which require users to provide identification to the exchange in order to register. From there you can get a court to order the exchange to reveal the thief’s identity. But hold on, what if the exchange holder is just some punk middleman? When funds enter an exchange, the money is dispersed throughout to provide liquidity, so it’s difficult to trace who owns what. And what about mixers, another common method for people to scramble the identity of coins, programs whereby funds are mixed together to obscure the identity of tokens? First, don’t lose hope, because mixers aren’t necessarily effective; a 2015 paper by Korean computer scientists showed that the popular Helix mixer wasn’t as good as everyone thought it was. The scientists could identify the relationships between the input and output addresses of the Helix mixer with over 99 percent accuracy. Second, there are companies -like Chainalysis , whose customers include the FBI and ICE - committed to finding and tracing stolen crypto funds. For a couple of thousand dollars a pop, these companies trace the flow of stolen crypto through public keys, and then use complex data analysis to work out who owns the wallets. For instance, if a fraudster gave some stolen bitcoin to their friend, and that friend posted their bitcoin wallet address online, it’s fairly obvious whodunnit. Getting your stolen cryptocurrency back Jones knows how to get his clients out of a bind. In a landmark UK court case, he represented Liam Robertson, who owns a huge crypto asset management firm and was defrauded of 100 Bitcoins earlier this year. Robertson had agreed to invest in a crypto project over the phone. It turned out that a hacker had tapped the line, and sent an email to Robertson asking for Bitcoin, spoofing the sender’s address to pretend he was the executive from the project that Robertson planned on investing in. But Robertson’s lawyers convinced the court to issue an asset preservation order on 80 of the Bitcoins which went to Coinbase, freezing the funds. Why care? Jones got the High Court to admit that Bitcoin was “property” . That makes it much, much easier for victims of crypto theft to get stolen funds back. Under English common law — one of the oldest and most revered legal codes —while a victim of fraud can sue a fraudster for damages, victims have a better chance of recovery if they can find and freeze their property wherever the fraudster has hidden it. But whether cryptocurrencies are “property” is a contentious issue. As we speak, a British legal taskforce is devoted to sorting this very issue out. In the US, Sauter said there’s no such problem regarding the legal status of Bitcoin as “property.” Once you figure out who the person is and get a judgment against them, you can go and force that judgment against anything. “You could go try to collect the Bitcoin that was stolen; you could take it to his house and call the sheriff to put a boot on his Lamborghini and give you the Lamborghini...it’s not a problem.” Sauter helped Elizabeth White, CEO of cryptocurrency asset management firm and luxury goods marketplace The White Company , recover millions of dollars worth of Ripple from now-defunct crypto exchange Cointal — which Sauter thinks was run by “essentially fraudsters”. According to a press release put out by The White Company last year, it was the first suit to rule that the misappropriated funds had to be returned to the plaintiff. The thief worked with a Cointal employee to manipulate a transaction on the exchange. White agreed to transfer a large amount of Bitcoin to Ripple’s XRP tokens, but the thief pocketed the funds. “They took her money and were like, ‘Sorry, we're not giving you your end of the transaction back’. And she was like, “What?”,” explained Sauter. White watched her money bounce around the world before it landed at Bittrex, an exchange that’s registered in the U.S. Then, Sauter’s lawyers served a subpoena to work out who owned the wallet, and got a judgment from the court. Because the judgment was against a person, they could use any means necessary to get the crypto back. And they did: White was awarded a total of $2.7 million, according to the press release. And “dozens of Cointal victims have come forward with similar experiences.” It’s also worth checking if you have a right to sue the company responsible for the hacking. Jones tells Decrypt about an ongoing case against telecommunications giant AT&T, in which Bitcoin investor Michael Terpin had $23 million in Bitcoin stolen from him in a SIM card fraud. In response, he is suing AT&T for failing to protect him. “AT&T is therefore directly culpable for these attacks because it is well aware that its customers are subject to SIM swap fraud and that its security measures are ineffective,” reads the lawsuit. No such luck for one victim, though. Kyle Asman, a founder of blockchain advisory firm BX3 Capital, was SIM-jacked, whereby a fraudster impersonated his identity to a mobile phone service provider. With your phone number, a fraudster has access to everything: that two-factor security system you secured your Coinbase wallet with? Useless. Asman said his crypto was stolen from a Coinbase wallet. “There is absolutely nothing they do to help you out—except freeze your account. Tracing wallets is next to impossible...I know a number of people who have been victims of SIM-jacking. Almost no one has been successful in recovering [stolen funds],” he told Decrypt. So, swings and roundabouts. How to protect yourself from crypto hacks Now you know a little more about how to recover your stolen cryptocurrency, how to protect yourself from future attacks? Aleksey Malanov, Malware Expert, Anti-Malware Technologies Development at Kaspersky, has some ideas you might not have thought of. Malanov suggested dividing your funds into "cold" and "hot" wallets. The “hot” wallet contains a small amount of the funds you need for everyday use, and access to it is automated. But Malanov advises that between 95-99 percent of your funds should be stored in a cold wallet that’s not connected to the internet and not automated—a hardware wallet such as a Ledger or Trezor, or a “paper wallet”. “In this case, unauthorized remote access to this wallet and, moreover, the compromise of private keys is excluded,” Malanov told Decrypt. In conjunction with a cold wallet, Malanov suggested using a multi-signature wallet, like CarbonWallet or Xapo , where multiple people have to authorize a transaction for it to go through. In the same way that several people have to authorize a nuclear missile strike at the same time for the launch to occur, you can use an algorithm that would stop a single person from siphoning your funds. “The compromise of only one key also does not lead to loss of funds,” said Malanov. And advice for crypto thieves? “Stop stealing crypto,” said the lawyer, Sauter. You heard it here first. || An Exponential Idea For Blockchain Exposure: Bitcoin has been in the spotlight for both positive and negative reasons this year, but even with increased chatter about the world's largest cryptocurrency, blockchain and related investments seem to be overlooked. What Happened As has been previously noted, there areseveral exchange traded fundson the market today dedicated to blockchain theme. Others offer ample though indirect blockchain exposure, a group that includes theiShares Exponential Technologies ETF(NASDAQ:XT). The $2.53 billion XT, which is almost 5 years old and holds almost 200 stocks, tracks the Morningstar Exponential Technologies Index. “The Morningstar Exponential Technologies Index focuses on finding high-growth companies that are in the early stages of developing technologies that are expected to have a broad impact on society and transform how we live and work,” said Morningstarin a recent note. “The index, which comprises 200 stocks, differs from other tech-focused indexes in a few important ways. For one, the holdings are not limited to the tech sector. They can come from any sector, as long as they are poised to benefit from one or more of the exponential tech themes.” Why It's Important Blockchain is often viewed through the lens of technology and XT reflects that view with a 34.57% weight to that sector, but the fund also offer exposure to blockchain's other applications. The health care and communication services combine for about 41% of XT's roster. While XT is a versatile ETF, what may be keeping some investors at bay regarding blockchain ETFs is perception of an intimate link between blockchain and bitcoin's price action. “Even though blockchain and crypto are fundamentally distinct concepts that may ultimately have different endings, the blockchain hype cycle has very much tracked Bitcoin’s cycles,”according to a recent BlackRock podcast. What's Next Some investors may be burned out on hearing about bitcoin and its various fits and starts, but that could actual be a positive for long-term adoption and prove beneficial to ETFs, including XT. “In the last year and a half, this trough of disillusionment has set in. People have started to tire of the buzz and have started to question it,” according to BlackRock. “But as is typical in that classic Gartner hype cycle, the fundamentals – speed, privacy, security and scalability – are actually improving. That doesn’t mean we’re going to see widespread adoption, and a lot still needs to happen. But we’re certainly starting to see meaningful progress.” Related Links: A New Small-Cap ETF With A Buffer A Nifty Video Game ETF With Exciting Possibilities See more from Benzinga • Another ETF Avenue For Video Game Access • 3 ETFs For Tesla Earnings • A New Way To Minimize Small-Cap Volatility © 2019 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Buterin vs Cohen: Ethereum and BitTorrent creators feud on Twitter: BitTorrent founder Bram Cohen has sparked a Twitter feud with Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin after posting a thread of negative tweets criticising Buterin’s thoughts on scalability, sharding, code obfuscation, and the proof-of-stake consensus. BitTorrent is one of the most popular peer-to-peer file-sharing protocols ever made and was acquired by blockchain protocol Tron last year, with Cohen then moving on to his own project – the Chia Network . Last Friday, Buterin posted a lengthy blog post to his personal website, entitled “Hard Problems in Cryptocurrency: Five Years Later”, where he laid out some of the most difficult challenges cryptocurrency researchers have faced ranked according to how much work had been done on them. However, Cohen disagreed with Buterin’s view of the industry, calling much of his analysis “wrong-headed” and launching a lengthy thread calling out problems in Buterin’s post. Addressing Buterin’s thoughts on scalability and sharding, Cohen said: For 'Blockchain Scalability' he talks about on-chain scaling with sharding as the only option. Of course it isn't the only option, payment channel networks are much more appealing in many ways and are becoming a real thing. — Bram Cohen (@bramcohen) November 25, 2019 Instead, Cohen claims that Ethereum’s approach to sharding doesn’t significantly improve scalability but does compromise on security and erodes the original role of a full node on the network. Cohen also called out the proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, which he believes causes unnecessary security flaws. Proof of stake continues to be a bad idea. It starts with a fundamentally weakened security model and runs into a whole host of deep technical issues on top of that. Progress has been made, but it's more about making decent BFT than real proof of stake. — Bram Cohen (@bramcohen) November 25, 2019 Buterin provided responses to some of Cohen’s claims, replying to Cohen’s criticism of sharding by asserting that the Ethereum protocol is designed to minimise economies of scale: Why? The protocol is being designed explicitly to minimize economies of scale from running a pool in multiple ways… — vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) November 25, 2019 Cohen also likened Buterin’s blockchain economics, and his proposals on how to manage open source protocols, to tech giants such as Facebook and Google, remarking that the governance Buterin proposed was like something “out of the dark ages”. Story continues ongoing operations include the development and maintenance of open source software. Such obscure and esoteric examples as Redhat, IBM, Microsoft, Google, and Facebook have been known to do this in significant amounts, maybe you've heard of them? — Bram Cohen (@bramcohen) November 25, 2019 Instead, Cohen argued that working on governance at all was a “step backward”, as Satoshi Nakamoto’s consensus detailed in the original Bitcoin whitepaper was an effort to avoid human governance. More criticism for Ethereum’s young founder Adam Back, co-founder and CEO of Blockstream, also chimed in to put down Buterin. Back scathingly remarked that looking to Vitalik Buterin for advice about blockchain was like looking to Elizabeth Holmes, founder of now-defunct blood-testing company Theranos, for advice about the state of biotech. it's like looking to elizabeth holmes for the state of biotech. what'd you expect. — Adam Back (@adam3us) November 25, 2019 Buterin neglected to provide detailed responses to all of Cohen’s criticisms, instead choosing to focus on how he had been “personally insulted” by two separate blockchain personalities in the last day. I got insulted by *two* major cryptocurrency figures today! People say fun things about me all the time, but I do think this is a bit of a record. https://t.co/pas4jLkPLk https://t.co/xw6fXXIla4 — vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) November 26, 2019 If you’re interested in more Ethereum news, click here . The post Buterin vs Cohen: Ethereum and BitTorrent creators feud on Twitter appeared first on Coin Rivet . View comments || BNY Mellon Aims to Go Live ‘ASAP’ on Trade Finance Blockchain Marco Polo: Bank of New York Mellon has joined the Marco Polo trade finance consortium running on R3’s Corda, becoming the 28th bank to do so. The $373-billion asset bank is evaluating Marco Polo’s technology with the intention of onboarding clients if the network’s capabilities fit clients’ interests, said Joon Kim, global head of trade finance at BNY Mellon. “Our hope is that the business requirements of our clients will meet with what Marco Polo has to offer, and our intention is to move into live production A-S-A-P,” Kim said, meaning “as soon as possible.” Related: DBS Bank Partners With Singapore Government to Launch Blockchain Trade Platform Kim wouldn’t reveal how many corporate and bank clients are receiving trade services from the bank, but said that BNY Mellon works with 1,400 financial institutions in total. For banks around the globe that want to create their own trade operations but don’t want the hassle of developing a new division, BNY Mellon offers white-labeled trading services. In September of this year, the bank announced at the annual Sibos conference that it had expanded its trade services with KeyBank, a U.S. regional bank with $416 billion in assets. Trade finance is a “critical” part of BNY Mellon’s transaction banking business, which also consists of payments and liquidity products, Kim said. BNY Mellon chose Marco Polo because the blockchain works well for open account financing, which makes up around 85 percent of trade finance, and works well for large corporates, Kim said. (In open account transactions, the goods are shipped and delivered before payment is due; with letter-of-credit financing, the bank guarantees a buyer’s payment ahead of time). Related: Japan’s Third Largest Bank Completes Blockchain Trade Finance Test Among the other blockchain trade finance consortiums that Kim said BNY looked at but didn’t serve the bank’s needs, Voltron is designed around letters of credit, and we.Trade serves small to medium enterprises. Story continues Founded by blockchain companies R3 and TradeIX, Marco Polo aims to create real-time settlements and transparency in trading relationships. In September, Bank of America and Mastercard joined the network. The network executed its first Russia-Germany transactions in October of this year. BNY Mellon has interacted with R3’s Corda in other contexts. In October 2017, the bank participated in a marketplace with four other banks that uses Corda as a hub for administering syndicated loans. The bank is also dipping a toe in the crypto space. In April, BNY Mellon began digital asset safekeeping (different than digital asset custody) by providing private key storage for bitcoin futures exchange Bakkt. BNY Mellon has also been tapped to be the administrator and transfer agent for shares of the VanEck SolidX Bitcoin Trust being sold to institutions as well as Bitwise’s proposed bitcoin exchange-traded fund. Related Stories Trade Finance Blockchain Marco Polo Pilots First Russia-Germany Transactions Banking Giant UBS Goes Live on We.Trade Blockchain for Trade Finance [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] ¿Es #Bitcoin un valor refugio? (Infocoin) Muchos consideran a #Bitcoin como el ‘’Oro digital’’; pero, ¿es realmente #Bitcoin un valor refugio en la actualidad?. Entérate aquí. C... https://t.co/Pt1pMUPUf6 https://t.co/Eckzn1Ld8D || The price of $BTC currently is $9159.05 at the time of this posting. || Crypto allows anyone on planet Earth the option to permanently hide their money in encryption. Governments needed to adapt years ago. Now we all get to live with the consequences. If you are uber rich, dump it into BTC. Leave it in there. That would be awesome! (: || It's the right time to take the risk. Invest $300 and earn $2800 in 7days with the help of binary options. Invest binary trade via bitcoin today and make huge profits after trading prompt me on how to invest DM me for updates on how to trade wisely. https://t.co/BC78XgHAEw || In for the Sats - 100 million per BTC - lotsa Sats to go around || ¡Hola a todos!nuevo navegador CryptoTab! solo usalo como un navegador normal (ver YouTube, navegar por las páginas web y las redes sociales) ¡y ganaras dinero en BTC https://t.co/i9LCwRHSSl || ‘Bitcoin and Ethereum can be dethroned only if it fully fails’, says Andreas Antonopoulos #instacryptocurrency #ripplenews #cryptocurrencymarket #altcoins #mining #ath #softcap #hotwallet https://t.co/SaYtTbVdcp || Ban all cryptocurrency || #BitcoinWallet #blockchainperky Bitcoin Boost By Free Marketing, Can BTC Value Double By 2020 https://t.co/NofqNwpadp || Dolar/TL 10 kuruş ucuz. Yatırım tavsiyesi değildir. #forex #teknikanaliz #trading #fx #bitcoin #borsa #bist100 #bist #btcusd #foreks #altın
Trend: no change || Prices: 7531.66, 7463.11, 7761.24, 7569.63, 7424.29, 7321.99, 7320.15, 7252.03, 7448.31, 7547.00
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2018-07-05] BTC Price: 6639.14, BTC RSI: 50.12 Gold Price: 1257.30, Gold RSI: 38.61 Oil Price: 72.94, Oil RSI: 63.35 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Macy's Stock Upgraded: What You Need to Know: Every day, Wall Street analysts upgrade some stocks, downgrade others, and "initiate coverage" on a few more. But do these analysts even know what they're talking about? Today, we're taking one high-profile Wall Street pick and putting it under the microscope... Macy's (NYSE: M) stock popped more than 10% last week after reporting earnings that " beat analyst estimates on all accounts " -- and that may be only the beginning. Since scoring its 11% gain after earnings last Wednesday, Macy's stock has marched steadily higher as investors took time to digest the results. This task completed, analysts at Susquehanna Financial announced this morning they're upgrading it to positive and assigning a $43 price target to this $35 stock. Here's why. The exterior of the Macy's flagship store in Manhattan Image source: Macy's. What Macy's said Macy's released earnings on Tuesday evening last week. Sales rose only 3.6%, but that was still much better than what analysts had been expecting Macy's to report, and same-store sales among stores Macy's owns did even better -- up 3.9%. All told, Macy's moved $5.54 billion worth of merchandise in the first quarter of 2018 and earned $0.45 per share. Gross margin at the retailer expanded by 70 basis points to 39%, while operating profit margin gained 20 basis points, rising to 4.3%. Profits on the bottom line -- $131 million net of all costs -- increased 70% year over year and gave Macy's a 2.4% net profit margin for the quarter. Macy's credited its ability to maintain a "healthy inventory position" for keeping discounts in check and profit margins high. CEO Jeff Gennette noted that these results "exceeded our expectations," with Macy's showing strength in "all three brands -- Macy's, Bloomingdale's, and Bluemercury -- as well as across all geographic regions and families of business." What Macy's predicted And that good performance could get even better. Gennette promised investors "we have more work to do" in quarters to come. Still, based on how well things are progressing so far, the CEO felt confident enough to raise guidance for both sales and earnings for the rest of this year. Story continues Macy's now expects to earn adjusted earnings per diluted share of $3.75 to $3.95 in fiscal 2018. Granted, this number excludes "anticipated settlement charges related to the company's defined benefit plans as well as impairment and other costs." But even so, Macy's adjusted earnings in Q1 weren't that far off from what it was able to report using more stringent GAAP accounting measures (only $0.03 per share less), so the final GAAP figure should still look pretty good. What Susquehanna had to say about that All in all, Susquehanna considered Macy's to have turned in a fine report. The banker cited the company's positive same-store sales figures and its "unexpected strong operating" margins as being of particular note, according to a write-up today on StreetInsider.com (subscription required). What really seems to get this analyst's attention, though, is the valuation of Macy's stock . As Susquehanna argues, Macy shares "trade at 9.0x current-year earnings." (Note: The stock actually sells for even cheaper than that when valued on trailing earnings -- just 6.6 times earnings.) However, says the analyst, "historically even department stores trade higher, around 11x-12x, particularly when company operations are showing better momentum, when we have seen 13x earnings." As investors begin to key in to this fact, Susquehanna predicts Macy's P/E ratio will grow over time. The analyst bases its prediction of $43 a share on an expectation that investors will pay at least 10.5 times Macy's expected next-year earnings of $4.11 a share. But if the analyst's theory is right, it could theoretically sell for as much as 24% more than that. For example, 13 times $4.11 per share would imply a $53 stock price -- and close to a 50% profit for new investors today. The upshot for investors Is that result likely? I have to say that to me, hoping for 50% profits on Macy's stock seems like a stretch. Still, with shares paying a 4.4% dividend yield, and consensus expectations for the company's earnings growth still very conservative ( S&P Global Market Intelligence data suggest Macy's may grow earnings only 1.5% annually over the next five years), the stock offers a respectable 5.9% total return. Worst case, that at least doesn't seem crazy expensive given Macy's 6.9 P/E ratio. What's more, if Macy's grows anywhere near as fast as Susquehanna seems to think it's capable of -- or even just as fast as it grew last quarter -- the stock really could be a bargain. More From The Motley Fool 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Rich Smith has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . || Better Buy: Altria Group vs. Coca-Cola: Altria Group(NYSE: MO)andCoca-Cola(NYSE: KO)have long been bastions of bountiful dividend income for investors. With the tobacco titan and soda giant currently yielding 5% and 3.6%, respectively, that remains the case today. But which of these dividend stalwarts is the better buy? Let's find out. Image source: Getty Images. Altria once enjoyed a seemingly unassailable competitive position, but the cigarette colossus is now facingpotential disruptionfrom new forms of nicotine inhalation, such asvaping. Altria is attempting to counter this threat by introducing newheated tobacco products, but it's not yet clear whether these moves will be enough to offset declining sales of traditional tobacco products. Like Altria, Coca-Cola finds itself on the wrong side of several trends, as consumers shift away from high-sugar and artificially sweetened beverages. But while its soda business stagnates, Coca-Cola has moved todiversify its beverage empireinto naturally flavored juices, teas, and bottled water, among other areas. Coca-Cola therefore enjoys broader revenue diversification than the largely tobacco-focused Altria and a stronger overall competitive position. Advantage: Coca-Cola Let's now take a look at some key metrics to see how Altria and Coca-Cola stack up in regards to financial fortitude. [{"Revenue": "Operating income", "$19.49 billion": "$9.59 billion", "$35.41 billion": "$9.43 billion"}, {"Revenue": "Operating cash flow", "$19.49 billion": "$4.92 billion", "$35.41 billion": "$7.11 billion"}, {"Revenue": "Free cash flow", "$19.49 billion": "$4.72 billion", "$35.41 billion": "$5.43 billion"}, {"Revenue": "Cash", "$19.49 billion": "$1.25 billion", "$35.41 billion": "$20.68 billion"}, {"Revenue": "Debt", "$19.49 billion": "$13.89 billion", "$35.41 billion": "$47.75 billion"}] Data sources: Morningstar, Yahoo! Finance. Altria and Coca-Cola excel at turning cigarettes and soda into cash for investors. However, Coca-Cola has a far more cash-rich balance sheet, which makes it the more financially sound business. Advantage: Coca-Cola With demand forcigarettesandsodalikely to decline further in the years ahead, revenue growth will remain a challenge for both Altria and Coca-Cola in the coming years. Still, thanks toprice hikesand cost cuts, Altria's earnings per share are forecast to grow by about 10% annually over the next five years. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola's EPS is expected to rise by less than 8% annually over the next half-decade, driven mostly by the company'smargin-expansion initiatives. Thus, Altria has the edge when it comes to expected EPS growth. Advantage: Altria No better-buy discussion should take place without a look at valuation. Let's check out some key value metrics for Coca-Cola and Altria, including price-to-free cash flow, price-to-earnings, and price-to-earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratios. [{"P/FCF": "Forward P/E", "22.56": "12.95", "33.78": "18.99"}, {"P/FCF": "PEG", "22.56": "1.43", "33.78": "2.73"}] Data sources: Morningstar, Yahoo! Finance. On all three metrics, Altria's stock is considerably less expensive than that of Coca-Cola. Investors appear to be pricing in the possibility that a slowdown inheated-tobacco product salescould cause Altria to fall short of analysts' growth projections. That may prove to be the case, but at this point, much of this risk is already baked into Altria's stock price. And at these levels, Altria is the better bargain. Advantage: Altria Ultimately, you'll need to decide which of these factors is more important to you. Investors with low risk tolerance will find Coca-Cola's broader revenue diversification and balance sheet strength more attractive. Value investors will likely be more intrigued by Altria's lower-priced stock. Either way, you'll be buying a proven business that should continue to deliver bountiful dividend income for many years to come. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Joe Tenebrusohas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || This Gold Company Is Beating Alphabet on This Metric, but Does It Matter?: You might assume that Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) , one of the largest internet companies in the world, with dominant positions in search and advertising, gets more productivity out of its employees than most companies. However, Royal Gold Inc. (NASDAQ: RGLD) , a gold streaming and royalty company, produces 14 times more revenue per employee than does Alphabet. That might sound shocking, but it's true -- Royal Gold trounces Alphabet when it comes to this metric of productivity. But what does that really mean? What revenue per employee tells you In a recent company presentation, Royal Gold highlighted the statistic "revenue per employee." It's a little bit obscure, but relatively simple to calculate. You just take a company's revenue and divide that figure by the number of employees. Clearly, every employee at a company doesn't generate revenue, but it's a rough estimate of how efficient a company is at using its employees. The higher the number, the better. A miner panning for gold If this guy worked at Royal Gold, he would have to be a lot more productive. Image source: Getty Images And on the whole, Royal Gold is very, very efficient. Each of the streaming company's employees generates $19 million in revenue. According to the company, that bests 497 of the companies in the S&P 500 Index. Including Alphabet, which generates only around $1.3 million per employee. It also beats Apple Inc. , which generates around $2 million per head. How does Royal Gold achieve such incredible success? It had only 23 employees in 2017 (and revenues of nearly $441 million). For reference, Alphabet has over 80,000 employees. With such a small divisor, Royal Gold has a clear edge in the revenue-per-employee calculation. Even Alphabet's nearly $111 billion in revenue in 2017 can't make up for the disparity in employee headcount. So is Royal Gold a better company than Alphabet? Not exactly. Notice how close Apple and Alphabet are on the revenue-per-employee metric. This is a far more relevant comparison because the business models of these two technology giants are far more similar to each other than either is to Royal Gold's. Which is why you need to consider the business models here. Story continues How does Royal Gold do it? Alphabet is a technology company with lots of employees running servers, writing code, conducting research, and doing a myriad of other things. Without getting too far into the business model, the company requires a lot of employees to keep it running smoothly. Royal Gold is a gold streaming and royalty company . It basically provides cash up front to miners for the right to buy gold and silver at reduced rates in the future. A bar graph showing Revenue per employee for various companies in the S&P 500 index. Royal Gold is near the top of the list. Royal Gold's revenue per employee put up against some of the world's largest companies. Image source: Royal Gold Inc. It's really something of a specialty finance company that owns a portfolio of mine investments. Of the 192 investments in Royal Gold's portfolio, only 39 are operating mines. There are 22 mines in some stage of development, with the rest in pre-development stages. But here's the key: Royal Gold's team of 23 employees evaluates each mining project before investing, and then sits back and lets the mining company do all the rest of the work. Royal Gold doesn't get involved in the day-to-day operation of mines, which is very labor-intensive. Avoiding all the costs of running a mine is one factor that allows Royal Gold to achieve strong margins in both good years and bad (another is contractually locked-in low prices for gold and silver). But it should be pretty clear that comparing Royal Gold in revenue per employee to a company like Alphabet isn't an apples-to-apples comparison -- even if it makes a good headline. The more appropriate comparison for Royal Gold would be to streaming and royalty peers Wheaton Precious Metals Corp. (NYSE: WPM) and Franco-Nevada Corporation (NYSE: FNV) . The chart below lays out the vital stats for these comparisons. Revenue per Employee for Streaming and Royalty Companies Company Employees Fiscal 2017 Revenues Revenue per Employee Royal Gold 23 $441 million $19 million Wheaton Precious Metals 35 $843 million $24 million Franco-Nevada, full time only 32 $675 million $22 million Franco-Nevada, full and part-time* 35.5 $675 million $19 million *Franco-Nevada has seven part-time contractors which I estimated at 0.5 employees each for this analysis. Data source: Company filings Looking at Royal Gold compared to its peers isn't nearly as flattering as comparing it to companies with more labor-intensive businesses. But that's not the only issue here. Revenue at Royal Gold, Wheaton, and Franco-Nevada is tied to highly volatile commodity prices. So when gold prices are relatively high, Royal Gold's revenue per employee will be high. But if gold prices were to tumble, the metric would look worse. Alphabet, which is really something of a service provider with advertising sales making up a huge portion of its revenue, is likely to have a far more consistent top line. Interesting, but not enlightening At the end of the day, looking at revenue per employee can be a useful gauge of a company's efficiency, but only if you compare similar companies. It's a fun statistic that Royal Gold generated over 14 times more revenue per employee than Alphabet in 2017, but it isn't really useful from an investment standpoint. Far more telling is comparing Royal Gold to Wheaton and Franco-Nevada, which both appear to be making better use of their employees when it comes to revenue generation. That doesn't mean Royal Gold is a bad investment , only that you need to take its revenue-per-employee bragging with a grain of salt. More From The Motley Fool 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (C shares) and Apple. The Motley Fool has the following options: long January 2020 $150 calls on Apple and short January 2020 $155 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . || Price of Gold Fundamental Weekly Forecast – U.S.-North Korea Meeting to Take Backseat to Fed Decisions: Gold futures closed higher last week, underpinned mostly by a weaker U.S. Dollar. Volume was relatively light as investors prepared for a series of upcoming events including the G-7 meeting over the week-end and next week’s meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea President Kim Jong-un on June 12. The U.S. Federal Reserve will issue its monetary policy decision on Wednesday. Thursday will feature the European Central Bank and early Friday, the Bank of Japan will release its monetary policy statement. August Comex Gold futures settled at $1302.70, up $3.40 or +0.26%. There was only one major report last week, U.S. ISM Manufacturing PMI came in better than expected at 58.6 versus a 57.9 estimate. Helping to put a lid on the gold market last week was increased demand for higher risk assets. The benchmark S&P 500 Index settled at 2,779.03, up 1.6%. The blue chip Dow Jones industrial Average finished at 25,316.53, up 2.8% and the tech-based NASDAQ Composite closed at 7,644.91, up 1.2%. Steady interest rates also limited the market’s gains with the 10-year Treasury note yield closing at 2.95%, up 0.04%. Weekly August Comex Gold Forecast Economic data will be robust this week, highlighted with May’s inflation report Tuesday, a rate decision from the U.S. Federal Reserve Wednesday, and retail sales Thursday. The Consumer Price Index is expected to show a monthly increase of 0.2%. Core CPI is expected to rise 0.1%. Producer inflation is expected to jump 0.3%, up from April’s 0.1% rise. These reports are not expected to change the outcome of the Fed’s rate decision on Wednesday. The central bank is widely expected to raise its benchmark rate 25 basis points. Retail Sales are expected to come in at 0.4%, up from 0.3%. Core Retail Sales are expected to rise 0.3%, matching the previous gain. Gold traders have fully-priced in the June rate hike. However, there is still some uncertainty over future rate hikes. Traders aren’t sure if there will be one or two more rate hikes after that. Gold traders will be looking for clues about the Fed’s next interest rate moves in the Federal Open Market Committee’s Monetary Policy Statement, Economic Projections and Press Conference. Story continues As far as Trump’s meeting with Kim Jong-un, it’s too hard to tell how the outcome will influence gold prices. Obviously, if there is a so-called “peace agreement” then this will diminish gold’s appeal as a safe haven asset. However, I think gold traders will be paying closer attention to the Fed than to the meeting. Once again, the direction of Treasury yields will exert the most influence on the direction of gold prices. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Blockchain: What comes first? An Opportunity or a Threat Bitcoin – The Bears are Back in Town A Bullish Short-Term View on the Euro The Week Ahead – Trump, The ECB, the FED, North Korea and Trade in Focus Oil Price Fundamental Weekly Forecast – Two-Sided Movement Until OPEC Decision on June 22 AUD/USD and NZD/USD Fundamental Weekly Forecast – FOMC Statement, Economic Projections Will Set Tone || 3 Microsoft ETFs Up After Bonsai Acquisition: This article was originally published on ETFTrends.com. A push for advancement in artificial intelligence continues as Microsoft announced today that it would acquire startup company Bonsai, which creates software focused on reinforcement learning--a trial and error method used to train AI systems for implementation in corporate settings. Microsoft CEO: We're in the midst of a massive transformation from CNBC . Three ETFs heavy with Microsoft Exposure are responding positively to the news: iShares US Technology ETF ( IYW )--13.64% Microsoft exposure--up 0.71% iShares Evolved US Technology ETF ( IETC )--12.47% Microsoft exposure--up 1.21% Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF ( XLK )--11.8% Microsoft exposure--up 0.45% Microsoft's move comes in the midst of somewhat of an artificial intelligence arms race as other tech companies like Google and Amazon are pouring more capital into their AI system developments. The latest acquisition by Microsoft will allow Bonsai's reinforcement learning system to run in conjunction with Azure--Microsoft's public cloud. The Need for Artificial Intelligence Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella cited the inordinate amounts of data available today warrant the need for artificial intelligence technology. "Computing is becoming ubiquitous and that means data is getting generated in large amounts," said Nadella . "And so once you have that is you do AI on it. You reason over large amounts of data using all this computing power." Bonsai was formed in 2014 after raising $13.6 million from venture capital. Bonsai's CEO, Mark Hammond, worked for Microsoft in the late 1990s and early 2000s. For more tech-related ETF news, click here . POPULAR ARTICLES FROM ETFTRENDS.COM Disney Raises Fox Offer to $71.3B, Outbids Comcast’s $66B Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein: Bitcoin ‘Not for Me’ Waning Bitcoin Volatility Could be a Good Thing Small-Cap ETFs: Not as Volatile as They Used to Be When Can I Retire? Two Calculations to Find the Answer READ MORE AT ETFTRENDS.COM > || Sterling Takes a Bearish Hit Post BOE Update: GBPUSD is currently trading around 1.35180 and went as low as 1.3496 in US session on Thursday, slumped by almost 0.40% on dovish hold by BOE and forecast of subdued inflation. GBPUSD made a 4-month low of 1.3455 after the BOE despite some optimistic comments by Carney in the Q&A. The Bank of England left the interest rate unchanged at 0.50% in line with public expectations as MPC members voted 7-2 favoring the current status quo. The UK NIESR GDP estimate dropped to 0.1% this month, from 0.2% expected. That was another disappointing economic occurrence right before the BOE meeting. The BOE did acknowledge the deteriorating economic conditions though. While the outcome so far has been was dovish, BOE attempted to prevent Sterling’s value falling further stating that if economic growth picks up in the Q2, then they will get on with rate hikes in August. However investors have lost faith on sterling post BOE Governor Carney’s recent flip flops and Weak Q1 economic data resulting in huge sell off. While this event could have triggered further bearish slide in GBPUSD exchange rate, disappointing US inflation data released in last two days weakened US dollar’s momentum which resulted in pair seeing range bound performance around 1.34 to 1.35 price range during Asian market hours on Friday. UK’s calendar on Thursday saw an overall mixed outcome and there is no major release scheduled today. US calendar has Preliminary Michigan Consumer sentiment and expectations data & Export / Import Price index data scheduled to release later today. US Federal Budget Balance released yesterday saw better than expected outcome, a hawkish data release could help US dollar break its standstill position with British sterling during American trading hours later today. Expected support and resistance for the pair are at 1.3430 / 1.3400 and 1.3650 / 1.3710 respectively. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • The Bitcoin Bears Take Over the Reins • Monero Technical Analysis – Bears kick off a Friday Sell-off – 11/05/18 • NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) Fails To Maintain Stock Rally After Surpassing Estimates • Sterling Takes a Bearish Hit Post BOE Update • Grains Move Lower Following Latest WASDE Report • USDCAD – Loonie Gains Momentum Post Disappointing US inflation Data & Boost in Oil Price || A Foolish Take: The 5 Most Popular PC Games in the U.S.: Research firm Newzoo recently reported that five games dominated the U.S. PC market in April: Activision Blizzard 's (NASDAQ: ATVI) Hearthstone and Overwatch , Tencent 's (NASDAQOTH: TCEHY) League of Legends , Epic Games' Fortnite , and PUBG Corporation's PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds ( PUBG ). Top 5 PC games in the US in April. Data source: Newzoo. Chart by author. Hearthstone , a free-to-play collectible card game featuring Warcraft characters, was launched four years ago and attracted gamers with its collectible cards and simple gameplay. Overwatch , a first-person shooter that debuted in 2016, eventually overtook Activision's flagship Call of Duty series in sales. Tencent's League of Legends , an online battle arena title launched in 2009, remains one of the most popular games for esports tournaments. Tencent also owns 40% of Epic Games, which released the hit co-op sandbox survival game Fortnite in mid-2017 . Additionally, Tencent publishes the mobile versions of PUBG , a game that popularized the "battle royale" (last man standing) genre. All these games have three things in common: They don't require high-end hardware, they're entertaining to watch, and they're available on multiple platforms. Those factors may force publishers to think twice before launching high-end games with blockbuster budgets. More From The Motley Fool 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Leo Sun owns shares of Tencent Holdings. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Activision Blizzard and Tencent Holdings. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . || What Happened in the Stock Market Today: Stocks climbed on the second trading day of June, extending Friday's gains as the market continued to celebrate last week's encouraging jobs report. When the closing bell rang, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI) had climbed more than 0.7%, while the S&P; 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) gained almost half a percent. Today's stock market Index Percentage Change Point Change Dow 0.72% 178.48 S&P 500 0.45% 12.25 Data source: Yahoo! Finance. Retail stocks led the charge, with the SPDR S&P Retail ETF (NYSEMKT: XRT) jumping 2.2%. Meanwhile, oil stocks pulled back hard on increasing expectations that OPEC will lift crude production limits at its meeting later this month, leaving the SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF (NYSEMKT: XOP) down 2.3%. As for individual stocks, fresh opinions from Wall Street analysts sent shares of Under Armour (NYSE: UAA) (NYSE: UA) and The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD) in different directions today. Positive stock market charts overlaying a digital world map Image source: Getty Images. Is Under Armour undervalued? Class C shares of Under Armour jumped nearly 6% today after Stifel analyst Jim Duffy reiterated the firm's buy rating on the athletic apparel and footwear specialist. Duffy also raised his price target on Under Armour to $27, good for a roughly 32% premium from today's closing price. "Recent discussions with Under Armour leave us highly encouraged by leadership commitments to profitability improvement," Duffy explained. "Evidence is building that leadership is walking the walk." More specifically, he believes that Under Armour's current elevated inventory levels "will be appropriately matched to demand before year-end and margins will inflect and margin improvement can continue in 2019 and beyond." To be sure, following a slowdown in the athletic apparel market last year amid multiple sporting goods retailer bankruptcies, Under Armour's profits have suffered as the company implements an ambitious restructuring in a bid to return to sustained, profitable growth. As CEO Kevin Plank told investors at the company's recent annual shareholder meeting, that required essentially "slowing down to speed up." Story continues If Duffy is correct that Under Armour's turnaround is about to yield more tangible fruit, today's gains could be just the beginning. Trade Desk takes a tumble Meanwhile, Trade Desk stock dropped as much as 7.5% this afternoon, then partially recovered to close down 4% after Wells Fargo analyst Peter Stabler reduced his rating on the banking giant to market perform from outperform. Curiously, Stabler also increased his price target on Trade Desk stock to $88 from $75 -- a roughly 6% premium from today's closing price at just above $83 per share. Stabler elaborated that with Trade Desk stock up 89% year to date at the time of his note, he believes it has "fully captur[ed] the near-term opportunity." Furthermore, he thinks that Trade Desk faces a number of risks including "high concentration of spending with a small number of agency holding companies" and lower overall spending on desktop banner ads. To be fair, Trade Desk skyrocketed more than 70% over a period of just two weeks in May after the company's latest quarterly results absolutely crushed Wall Street's expectations , with revenue climbing 61% to $85.7 million and adjusted earnings nearly doubling to $15.3 million, or $0.34 per share. So in the end, it's not entirely surprising that some of those same Wall Street analysts are tempering their view of the programmatic advertising leader today. More From The Motley Fool 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Steve Symington owns shares of Under Armour (C Shares). The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends The Trade Desk, Under Armour (A Shares), and Under Armour (C Shares). The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . || 3 Top Growth Stocks to Buy Right Now: One of the best-proven ways to profit from stock investing is to buygrowth stocks. There's risk, of course, since growth stocks can be more volatile than bigger, more stable companies. This is especially true if you're not willing or able to buy and hold. But if you're able to take a long-term approach and buy and hold those growth stocks for multiple years, history has proven that growth stocks -- as a group -- tend to outperform the market. In order to help you get started, we asked three real-world investors who also write for The Motley Fool to put forth their best "buy now" growth stock ideas, and they came up with high-growth home builderLGI Homes Inc(NASDAQ: LGIH), return-to-growth restaurant chainChipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.(NYSE: CMG), and upstart immunotherapy developerAtara BioTherapeutics Inc(NASDAQ: ATRA). Image source: Getty Images. Not only are these growing companies with great long-term prospects, but three real-world investors also say they're worth buying right now. Read on to find out why. Jason Hall(LGI Homes):After reaching an all-time high at the start of the year, high-growth home builder LGI Homes has seen its stock price behave like a roller coaster. That is, it's moved both up and down, but mostly down. As of this writing, the share price is down 22% from the high and down 19% since announcing its first-quarter results about three weeks ago. Here's the thing: LGI's beat-down share price isn't because it had a bad quarter. To the contrary, it wasanother sparkling period, with home closings and earnings up 64% and 132%, respectively. The home builder also increased the number of active communities by 14% and reaffirmed its guidance for the full year. So why the sell-off? Fear of higher interest rates keeping millennials out of the housing market, primarily, along with a likely dash of "profit taking" from investors who've enjoyed the big run-up of its share price. Since the start of 2017, LGI Homes' stock price was up more than 150% at the peak, and it is still up 114% even after the recent sell-off. LGIHdata byYCharts. And that sell-off has created a wonderful opportunity for investors. The stock trades for 11.6 times trailing-12-month earnings and between 8.8 and 10.3 times the company's own guidance for full-year 2018 earnings per share. That's a veritable bargain for a company delivering this kind of growth and with prospects to keep it up over the next decade. Chuck Saletta(Chipotle Mexican Grill):The market hates uncertainty and bad news, and it usually punishes companies that don't live up to its expectations. Shareholders of fast-casual food chain Chipotle Mexican Grill have certainly felt that pain as it has suffered through aseries of food safety issuesthat knocked it off its rapid growth trajectory. Chipotle Mexican Grill's shares are still well below the highs they set in 2015, but the company is certainly showing signs that its recovery is under way. For one key sign, it feels confident enough in its prospects that it actually has been raising prices -- something companies in crisis rarely are able to do. Those price hikes have helped the company increase same store sales and earnings, which showcases that its consumers are getting past the company's problems and are willing to pay for its food. CMGdata byYCharts. Additionally, rising prices, same store sales, and profits enable the company to fund more new store openings, which it is doing in 2018 and planning to continue throughout 2019. Adding new stores on top of same store sales growth should drive even more top-line and eventually bottom-line growth for the company. Today, Chipotle Mexican Grill is operating smarter than it did before it faced those food safety problems, and its consumers have clearly shown a willingness to come back and pay a premium for its food. Despite those enhancements and other signs of its return to growth, its shares still trade at a discount to where they were before the crisis emerged. If its growth truly does continue to materialize, that discount to its past glory won't last. That makes it a growth stock worth considering to buy right now. George Budwell(Atara BioTherapeutics):Shares of Atara BioTherapeutics, a leading off-the-shelf allogeneic T-cell immunotherapy company developing novel treatments for patients with cancer, have nearly quadrupled in value this year. Even so, the biotech's stock should only continue to trend upwards for the foreseeable future. What's the backstory? Atara is racing to become the first company with a scalable adoptive cell therapy for cancer. As things stand now, the leaders in the field are limited by the extensive manufacturing processes involved in the current generation of cell-based cancer therapies. So, despite their awe-inspiring levels of efficacy for some patients with various forms of hard-to-treat blood cancers, this first generation of adoptive cell therapies hasn't quite gotten off to the blistering commercial start their developers originally hoped for from the outset. Atara's tab-cel (tabelecleucel) platform, however, is showing strong signs that it could solve this underlying problem, potentially unleashing the latent value of this multi-billion-dollar market. Where do things stand now? Atara is presently in late-stage testing for tab-cel, with the therapy's top-line results, along with a possible regulatory filing in the EU, on track for the first half of 2019. If this timeline holds, there's little doubt that Atara will end up as a top buyout target next year. There are multiple companies vying to become the leader in adoptive cell therapy. And several companies have shown a willingness to pay top dollar for well-differentiated platforms that can produce best-in-class or first-in-class products. As such, this top growth stock comes across as a great buy and hold right now. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Chuck Salettahas no position in any of the stocks mentioned.George Budwellhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned.Jason Hallowns shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill and LGI Homes. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Chipotle Mexican Grill. The Motley Fool owns shares of LGI Homes. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || A Brief History of Blockchain: When Bitcoin entered the market in 2009, the value of one bitcoin was $.06 and few noticed. When the price of one bitcoin rose above $19,000 in December 2017, it and its underlying “blockchain” technology became the newest buzzwords and took the world by storm. Just adopting the word “blockchain” seemingly created value. For example, when Long Island Iced Tea, a company that sells beverages, changed its name to Long Blockchain Corp. in 2017, its stock price rose almost 300 percent in one day even though it had yet to actually be involved with blockchain . While many have invested in bitcoin, few really understand the underlying blockchain technology, where it came from, and where it is going. The Beginning It is widely believed that the first implementation of modern day blockchain technology came from Satoshi Nakamoto. In 2008, a person or group of people identified as Nakamoto published a paper , “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System,” which hypothesized a direct online payment from one party to another without the use of an intermediary third-party. The paper described “an electronic payment system based on cryptographic proof instead of trust.” The paper sought to solve the problem of double spending. That is, the very nature of digital currency allows it to be easily duplicated and spent more than once. The resulting uncertainty was fatal to the adoption of the technology. The Nakamoto paper solved this problem by linking every transaction to the transaction preceding it in a tamper-resistant manner. The tamper-resistant manner described by Nakamoto was the public ledger. With this ledger, a network can examine the transaction history of an electronic coin that a user submits for payment, and can confirm that the coin has not already been spent, thereby preventing the “double spending” problem. Blockchain is a type of database that is duplicated on many computers or “nodes.” All of the nodes have the same information on them. This is vital to the success of the blockchain technology. The information is stored in, as the name implies, blocks. Each block can contain multiple transactions, with each transaction having a unique reference number, a time stamp, a pointer to the immediately previous transaction, as well as information on the transactions themselves. In this way, each node has access to all previous blocks down to the first block of the chain called the “genesis” block. The time stamp gives each block an immutable temporal position in the chain. A hypothetical transaction exemplifies the way blockchain works. In the context of a sales contract, a seller agrees to sell a widget to a buyer for one “coin.” In a network of computers, one node (buyer) broadcasts code that will automatically deduct one coin from the buyer’s account and add it to the seller’s account as soon as the seller ships a widget to the buyer. A smart contract is born. That is, the execution part of a contact was reduced to code that is implemented by computers and verified by a community of computers before it is immutably added to the database. As soon as the widget is shipped, the smart contract is executed. The other nodes receive the transaction and turn to verify it by ensuring that the buyer in fact has the coin it has offered to the seller for the widget. The verification may entail looking at the latest transaction of the buyer’s account to make sure it holds sufficient funds for the purchase. The sequence of transactions is recorded in an immutable record, i.e., a blockchain, by forcing the nodes in the network to compete in solving a mathematical problem for the right to add the next block of transactions to the chain, linking the winner’s new block to the previous block, restarting the competition to add the next block each time a solution is found, and rejecting any attempt to insert or replace blocks earlier in the chain. As such, the buyer cannot spend the coin he has provided to the seller again, as everyone in the system knows the buyer no longer has the asset. The Evolution While blockchain initially garnered interest because of its ability to be anonymous, such as in the case with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, the real appeal of the technology may be due to the complete transparency afforded by it. Indeed, many have found that the underlying blockchain technology has applications in an ever increasing number of applications in nearly every industry. For example, in 2013, Ethereum introduced blockchain in the form of “a decentralized platform that runs smart contracts.” It explained that blockchain “enables developers to create markets, store registries of debts or promises, move funds in accordance with instructions given long in the past (like a will or a futures contract) and many other things that have not been invented yet, all without a middleman or counterparty risk.” While Bitcoin is simply a currency, Ethereum “is a ledger technology that companies are using to build new programs.” It is one of the first expansions of blockchain technology outside of currency. The Future The Economist recently told the story of Mariana Catalina Izaguirre, and how her life might have been different with blockchain technology. She had a home in Honduras and was in possession of the official title to the land; however, the Property Institute had paperwork stating that another person owned the land. A judge signed an eviction order, and by the time Izaguirre proved her case, her home was gone. If Ms. Izaguirre’s deed was recorded with blockchain, no one could subsequently claim ownership of her land. Consider also the application to letters of credit. Banks often issue letters of credit to serve as a guarantee for a payment to be made once certain conditions are met. Using blockchain technology, the need for the bank as an intermediary in such a transaction would be removed. Blockchain technology has evolved and migrated into these fields and continues to grow. It has moved into healthcare, with companies like Hashed Health “leveraging blockchain technologies to solve the most important problems in healthcare.” Blocktix utilizes “Ethereum-based blockchain [to provide] a simple and secure solution to distribute counterfeit-proof event tickets as well as facilitate trustless [peer-to-peer] transfers of ownership.” Follow My Vote is attempting to “build a secure online voting platform that will allow for greater election transparency” using blockchain technology. Blockchain can become useful in any field that includes transactions, which is to say that blockchain can become useful in every field. And while it may never reach that potential, we could be witnessing the largest technological expansion since the Internet. Lewis Popovski is a partner at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, where he focuses on intellectual property litigation. George Soussou is an associate at the firm, where he also focuses on intellectual property litigation. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] 22May2018 06:00 UTC #Bitcoin #Blockchain status - Last 24h: 171 blocks mined - 827,996 BTC output - 205,017 transactions || Market Cap: $347,435,679,522 BTC Dominance: 37.66% BTC: $7662.94 | 1H: -0.52% ETH: $613.707 | 1H: -0.84% XRP: $0.677523 | 1H: -2.02% BCH: $1149.75 | 1H: -2.41% EOS: $14.1111 | 1H: -1.93% 04.06.2018 09:24:34 Powered by #Robostopia || 【Pump情報】 サムライ速報大復活祭 ・6/16(土)22:00～ 取引所：CoinExchange、通貨：BTC建て 今回に限り、運営側の0.3BTC分の買支え有り！ 下記DISCORDチャンネルより登録で参加可。 https://ift.tt/2sIzdxp  || こんな画期的なものがあったなんて。。 すごいですね！！ https://bitregion.com/explainer-video/kazu422 … #Bitcoin #bitcoin || Roger Ver has found a new use for cryptocurrency: crowd-bribing https://thenextweb.com/hardfork/2018/05/21/roger-ver-cryptocurrency-crowd-bribing/ … $BTC #BTC $BCH #BCH || I have been a voipbuster customer for many many years. I now have enough in come in Bitcoin Cash that I can start paying them in Bitcoin Cash. Somebody should let them know to accept Bitcoin Cash, they are already with bitpay anyways. https://criptocurrencycertification.com/i-have-been-a-voipbuster-customer-for-many-many-years-i-now-have-enough-in-come-in-bitcoin-cash-that-i-can-start-paying-them-in-bitcoin-cash-somebody-should-let-them-know-to-accept-bitcoin-cash-the/ … || https://essentia.one/  #Crypto #Blockchain #Crowdfunding #Essentia #dApps #decentralized #ethereum #bitcoin #cryptocurrency #ICO #invest #tokensalehttps://twitter.com/Essentia_One/status/961997433000615936 … || #SouthKorea’s #SupremeCourt: Bitcoin is an Asset http://www.trendolizer.com/2018/06/south-koreas-supreme-court-bitcoin-is-an-asset.html …pic.twitter.com/MK7PPnbSSn || Current BTC Price: $ 6,185.00. The 24H Change is -1.45%, 24H Volume is $ 31,057,742.5 and the current marketcap is $ 105.87 B. #BTC #Ticker #CryptoTickerPro || こんばんは。今夜はBTC-R増刊号をお届けします。22:00からBTC-R(http://blog.goo.ne.jp/t-photo  )二題upいたします。おヒマでしたらお越しください。
Trend: down || Prices: 6673.50, 6856.93, 6773.88, 6741.75, 6329.95, 6394.71, 6228.81, 6238.05, 6276.12, 6359.64
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2020-05-11] BTC Price: 8601.80, BTC RSI: 53.26 Gold Price: 1695.30, Gold RSI: 51.38 Oil Price: 24.14, Oil RSI: 53.46 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Binance Unveils Smart Contract Blockchain but Claims It’s No Ethereum Rival: Binance has released a white paper detailing a new smart contract blockchain it says offers a high-performance base layer for decentralized apps – but might also be a challenger to Ethereum. The cryptocurrency exchange said Friday the new Binance Smart Chain (BSC) would work as a smart contract layer running parallel to its existing Binance Chain. The new blockchain, it said, would have a new consensus mechanism and would be capable of fast trade executions designed to combine fast confirmation times with strong on-chain governance. Although Binance does not explicitly state BSC would be a rival to Ethereum, and the company stressed to CoinDesk this was not the company’s intent, the white paper hints the new smart contract layer could perform better on several key metrics. Related: Market Wrap: Ether Making Big Gains as Stablecoins Proliferate on Ethereum For one thing, its low latency platform will have faster execution times. For another, its consensus mechanism – a hybrid of EOS’ delegated proof of stake (dPoS) system and a proof of authority (PoA) system – is designed to be more efficient and environmentally friendly than Ethereum’s proof of work (PoW). (It’s worth noting that Ethereum is moving to PoS soon, via an upgrade informally dubbed Ethereum 2.0.) Watch: Vitalik Buterin Explains the New Tech Behind Eth 2.0 Furthermore, in a statement to CoinDesk, a spokesperson said BSC was designed to ensure dapps could scale while still running on a high-performance layer to ensure a “fast and smooth user experience.” That might give an edge over Ethereum, where scalability limitations have sometimes created bottlenecks leading to soaring transaction fees and extended confirmation times. Indeed, popular game CryptoKitties quickly became so popular that it managed to put a strain on the network. Binance, which only moved its token Binance Coin off Ethereum in 2019, denied wants to challenge the original “world computer,” however. Story continues Related: Coinbase Custody Doubles Down on DeFi Governance Options On the contrary, the Binance spokesperson said the two would complement one another in growing the blockchain ecosystem: “The industry needs more high-performance infrastructures, not just one single blockchain.” Binance also wants to make BSC fully compatible with Ethereum. As it says in its white paper, it would give the new smart contract layer direct access to an ecosystem filled with “relatively mature applications and community.” One of the main problems that have beset other smart contract protocols is it can be devilishly difficult to convince existing dapps to move away from Ethereum. The process can be long and complicated: developer teams have to familiarize themselves with a new protocol and codebase. At the end of it, there’s no guarantee existing users will follow them onto the new chain. See also: ‘They Have the Users’: Binance CEO Explains Why He Bought CoinMarketCap But by building a door straight into Ethereum, Binance could be looking to smooth the path making it easier for projects to switch protocols. As the exchange says in its white paper, being fully compatible means “most of the [Ethereum] dApps, ecosystem components, and toolings will work with BSC and require zero or minimum changes.” There have, of course, been other contenders for the mantel of “Ethereum Killer,” but Binance’s innovation may be less the potential high-performance capability of the platform and more that it has minimized the risk for dapps migrating onto a new chain. Maybe BSC’s de facto motto should be: “What have you got to lose?” EDIT (April. 18 , 11:25 UTC ): A previous version of this article said Binance Smart Chain had a matching engine, this has since been corrected. Related Stories Ethereum Now Matches Bitcoin on One Key Metric MakerDAO Users Sue Stablecoin Issuer Following ‘Black Thursday’ Losses || Bitcoin Ends Q1 Down 10%, Outperforming Equities in Coronavirus Crisis: Bitcoin ended the first quarter of 2020 down from the start of the year, but not as badly as the record-setting losses suffered by global equities. On a 24-hour basis,bitcoin(BTC) was in the green less than a percent Tuesday afternoon Eastern time andether(ETH) was up slightly as well. The performance of other cryptocurrencies was mixed. Notable assets on CoinDesk’s big board includedecred(DCR) up 3 percent,XRP(XRP) in the green 2 percent andcardano(ADA) gaining 1 percent. Assets in the red includeddash(DASH) slipping 1 percent andbitcoin SV(BSV) in the red 1 percent. All price changes are in the past 24 hours as of 20:30 UTC (4:30 p.m. ET) on March 31. Related:How Coronavirus Is Accelerating the End of Globalism, Feat. Peter Zeihan In the traditional markets, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index closed down slightly, less than a percent. Europe’s FTSE 100 ended the day up 1.3 percent. In the U.S., the S&P 500 closed New York’s trading day down 1.6 percent. But for the full quarter, the Nikkei 225 was down 20 percent, the worst three-month showingfor the Tokyo-based index since 2008. The FTSE lost 14 percent for the period, itssecond-worst quarterly performance ever, beating only the fourth quarter of 1987. The S&P 500 was in the red 18 percent to close out Q1 2020, itsworst quarter since 1938. Cryptocurrencies operate 24/7 and don’t have quarters for closing the books. However, bitcoin, the market bellwether, was down just 10 percent for 2020’s first three months. Despite its relative resilience, bitcoin still has been trending downward over the course of the first quarter along with traditional markets, undermining the narrative that it is a “non-correlated” asset. Related:Online Black Markets’ Bitcoin Revenues Take a Hit Amid Pandemic “I think correlation across assets is still quite high, a telltale sign of when macro matters more than micro,” said Vishal Shah, founder of Alpha5, a new derivatives exchange backed by large crypto funds. See also:Bitcoin’s Recent Recovery Won’t Salvage a Terrible Month for Prices Indeed, the current period of turbulence isn’t the first time bitcoin has behaved similarly to mainstream financial investments. “The lack of correlation to equities was a bit premature to announce. We had periods of high correlation, for example, in 2018, when bitcoin fell along with equities in December of that year,” said Siddhartha Jha, a former Wall Street analyst now working on blockchain-focused startup Arbol. On the other hand, he said, “we have had other periods of higher correlation to gold,” more befitting bitcoin’s aspirations as a hedge against inflation. Since 00:00 UTC Tuesday, bitcoin has been trading in a tight range of $6,300-$6,500. “BitMEX open interest remains low, but Coinbase is reporting great inbound activity. None of the typical signs for a crypto bull-run are there,” Shah said, referring to major derivatives and spot exchanges, respectively. March has produced the lowest level ofoutstanding positions on BitMEX in 18 months, although the derivatives exchange’s volume has seen gains the past four days prior to leveling off Monday. Gold dropped over 2 percent Tuesday as of 20:30 UTC, breaking out of its consolidation pattern on heavy selling volume March 31. While the coronavirus outbreak has dealt a heavy blow to the world economy, analysts are unsure how long it will take for growth to resume. “Recessions typically unfold over a longer period of time – at least two consecutive quarters,” said Guy Hirsch, U.S. managing director of multi-asset platform eToro. For the time being expect bitcoin’s role to keep switching for traders – it all depends on how other markets perform, experts say. See also:Crypto Markets Can Never Close, and That’s a Good Thing “The novel-tech part of bitcoin leads to correlation with Nasdaq, especially as many of the investors have overlaps,” said Arbol’s Jha. “Other times it will go with gold. But if equity markets are crashing, that correlation is going to show up very fast.” How the purchasing power of the U.S. dollar holds up given massive doses of stimulus from Washington is something else analysts are watching keenly. “The economic blow from the coronavirus pandemic has been instant and the impact is unprecedented,” added eToro’s Hirsch. “There is a growing consensus that due to the Fed announcing unlimited QE, investors could soon be looking to BTC as an inflation hedge against a depreciating dollar.“ • Bitfury Latest to Donate Crypto Mining Power to Coronavirus Research • As Crypto Prices Reeled in Q1, These Coins Stood Out || Cardano Falls 10% In Bearish Trade: Investing.com - Cardano was trading at $0.027983 by 23:38 (03:38 GMT) on the Investing.com Index on Saturday, down 10.44% on the day. It was the largest one-day percentage loss since March 12. The move downwards pushed Cardano's market cap down to $733.76602M, or 0.00% of the total cryptocurrency market cap. At its highest, Cardano's market cap was $23.91700B. Cardano had traded in a range of $0.027982 to $0.029069 in the previous twenty-four hours. Over the past seven days, Cardano has seen a drop in value, as it lost 3.08%. The volume of Cardano traded in the twenty-four hours to time of writing was $85.38272M or 0.00% of the total volume of all cryptocurrencies. It has traded in a range of $0.0266 to $0.0314 in the past 7 days. At its current price, Cardano is still down 97.93% from its all-time high of $1.35 set on January 4, 2018. Elsewhere in cryptocurrency trading Bitcoin was last at $6,123.4 on the Investing.com Index, down 10.69% on the day. Ethereum was trading at $126.19 on the Investing.com Index, a loss of 10.24%. Bitcoin's market cap was last at $113.32570B or 0.00% of the total cryptocurrency market cap, while Ethereum's market cap totaled $14.17193B or 0.00% of the total cryptocurrency market value. Related Articles Telegram Seeks Clarity On The Preliminary Injunction Against TON Ethereum Falls 10% In Selloff Litecoin Falls 10% In Selloff || AVA Labs Will Splash Millions to ‘Brain Merge’ DeFi and Traditional Finance: Now that its public testnet is live, Emin Gun Sirer’s AVA Labs wants to invest heavily in building a DeFi space more in its own image. Speaking on Google Hangouts, AVA Labs COO Kevin Sekniqi told CoinDesk the company was focusing its energies on a new grants program, made available through its venture arm, AVA X, that will provide financing of up to $250,000 to selected projects building with its technology. AVA has earmarked a “pretty substantial” amount of cash for projects and initiatives that build out the ecosystem, Sekniqi said. Half of AVA Labs’ allocation of mainnet tokens – with a value “in the many millions of dollars” – would also be available to selected projects as grants, he added. Related: Coinbase Launches Price Oracle Aimed at Reducing Systemic Risk in the DeFi Space The AVA platform is a highly scalable protocol with a claimed thousands of transactions per second throughput – designed to be the basis for a new type of financial infrastructure. Founded by Cornell Professor Emin Gun Sirer, who has previously worked on a scaling solution for bitcoin , AVA had been in private testnet for over a year. It originally had been slated for launch as early as December but this was pushed back until April. The project is now aiming for a full launch sometime in July, according to its roadmap . Since the public testnet launch earlier this month, Sekniqi said the team had been in dialogue with at least five projects interested in applying for grants. See also: Multi-Chain DeFi Protocol Raises $750K in Token Sale With Framework Ventures Related: Market Wrap: Oil Rebounds As Crypto Makes Gains, Especially Ether This sudden ramping up in grants comes as AVA solidifies in the approach to launch. It’s even started to proselytize, offering its own vision of what the nascent decentralized finance (DeFi) space should start to look like going forward. “There is nothing about [DeFi], to be totally honest with you, that is decentralized,” Sekniqi said, as evidenced by the reality of hacks like the attack on dForce at the weekend . DeFi, he added, is just as susceptible to fallible people and relationships built on trust as traditional finance. Story continues However, debates about decentralization detract from DeFi’s real killer app: the compatibility and programmability of capital and new financial products, according to Sekniqi. “Ethereum has effectively shown that there huge power in composability and if you do make financial products standardized then you can compose them in all kinds of new and interesting ways that we’ve never thought of before,” he said. Left to its own devices, DeFi would only rediscover all the “basic instruments that have been known about for many years” in traditional finance. Changing the narrative from decentralization and toward “programmable capital” will attract “finance guys” with the knowledge and experience to realize its potential, he said. “In mainstream finance you may have corporate bonds but they’re not composable with anything else, it’s very much siloed and very much fragmented,” Sekniqi said. “DeFi is really all about the composability of these financial products” – allowing different assets to interact with one another in a frictionless manner, sometimes for the very first time. See also: Crypto Long & Short: DeFi and Traditional Finance Are Forming an Unlikely Friendship AVA Labs may appear like the sort of tech firm found all along the Pacific Coast of the U.S., but its base is in Brooklyn, N.Y., not far from Wall Street. Speaking to CoinDesk earlier this year, Sekniqi said there were even tentative plans to move the office to lower Manhattan so they could be just a stone’s throw away from the global financial hub. As well as the grants program, AVA is running hackathons for students, some specifically aimed at building new applications for finance. The company plans to invite some “very influential” financial experts, many from outside the blockchain space, to judge which products have the most utility. One such event, announced Thursday, will offer $50,000 in cash prizes to students able to build infrastructure tools, identify and fix bugs, or develop “new applications for financial products and services.” Through grants and hackathons, Sekniqi said AVA hopes to conduct a “brain merge” that will bring those in traditional finance and blockchain together. See also: Morgan Creek Invests in Startup Bringing Bitcoin to DeFi CoinDesk asked whether AVA was necessary to this process: do suited Wall Street bankers and hoodie-wearing DeFi developers really need someone to act as matchmaker? “I don’t personally know of financial experts that are currently working on Defi … it’s just lots of innovative technologists,” Sekniqi replied, suggesting that the lack of a charismatic Steve Jobs-like figure meant DeFi may have initially struggled to combine its community of like-minded souls with established businesses. Whatever the reason, the fact of the matter is “nobody else is doing this right now,” he said, adding that if AVA doesn’t intervene now, there’s a danger companies in both the DeFi and traditional finance spaces will continue to miss out on some crucial opportunities to collaborate. Related Stories Multi-Chain DeFi Protocol Raises $750K in Token Sale With Framework Ventures dForce Hacker Returns Almost All of Stolen $25M in Crypto || Facebook’s ‘Scaled Back’ Libra Proposal Is More Dangerous Than You Think: Lex Sokolin, a CoinDesk columnist, is Global Fintech co-head at ConsenSys, a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based blockchain software company. The following is adapted from his Fintech Blueprint newsletter. The war over money is reaching a new height. And yet, the shape of what is to come has never been more obvious. I can’t tell you how the cookie will crumble yet, but I can tell you the ingredients and the flavor. If you are not preparing for this world, your head is in the sand and you will miss a generational opportunity. Related: Bitcoin Can’t Be a Safe Haven and 100x Leverage Is the Reason Why COVID-19 has made transparent the playbook of sovereign states and their macroeconomic responses. Students of history will know that money has always been an instrument of the State, and that debt is how you build an Empire. To wage war, you must borrow from the Iron Bank. Taxes are the royal lifeblood, and we are economic appendages for the body politic. In this frame, regulatory licensing is the granting of monopoly power over State privilege. Privilege enforced by the sword. See also: Money Reimagined: Demand for USD Stablecoins Foreshadows Financial Disruption At times it may be sufficient to regulate reserve banking and oversee money flows with inflation and unemployment targeting. You would bat away at technology upstarts trying to weasel their way into the financial rivers. But sometimes you need to hand out $2 trillion in bailout money for a quarantine that you have mandated. One hand takes, the other hand gives. Sometimes the giving hand allows PayPal, Intuit, and Square to direct money without traditional licensing , because they are faster and more efficient. But sometimes the money runs out and you’ve killed all the small businesses anway. Related: Dutch Central Bank Wants to Be European Union’s CBDC Proving Ground Anyway. The money seems to be doing some weird things these days, if you are a country. Like, some really weird things! For example, the money keeps trying to transform itself into private cash equivalents and hide out in blockchains. Strange new companies, which are definitely not licensed to lend and borrow, keep buying up money, putting it into a box, and launching tokenized versions of units of account. It’s not even clear that it is companies doing this – sometimes it is just a bunch of open source-obsessed strangers on the internet. Story continues About $3 billion of tokenized cash sweep, in large part on the Ethereum blockchain and used in trading and decentralized finance, now sits in crypto exchanges. Tether alone is $7 billion of market capitalization today (not all is on exchanges). This is a sign of people entering the ecosystem to access new financial instruments . Note, these are not investment trends. This is not about a stablecoin ever being worth more than one dollar per unit. Rather, it is about flows and where the money is going. This cash is the rounding error in your asset allocation. Cash should be 5-10 percent of your net worth depending on risk tolerance. Meanwhile, Facebook and Silicon Valley startups with billions of users are also trying to reinvent money. As a country, you may have a few hundred million people here and there. But the technology platforms are global and far better coordinated than international political bodies. They have people’s attentions and hearts; you just have taxes and the sword. If you haven’t seen it yet, the Libra Association released a second version of its white paper reflecting the input of regulators . The initial cut was focused on a technology council that issued a currency basket as an initial reserve, and then tech company users would contribute to that currency basket from across the world. Net interest income would flow to the council, yielding billions as balances reached trillions. The new cut is both more modest, and more dangerous. That is precisely what makes it so dangerous and likely to be adopted. The libra coin will be a mere basket (i.e., an allocation container) of underlying central bank digital currencies represented on the network (for my prior take on CBDCs, see here ). This means there will be a digital dollar, a digital euro and a digital sterling all traveling on the Libra blockchain rails. This is analogous to today’s stablecoins traveling on the Ethereum rails. The white paper update is less ambitious in that it will not create a new form of money, and that the Libra rails will be fully permissioned. There is no decentralization and self-sovereignty in this proposal. And that is precisely what makes it so dangerous and likely to be adopted. You certainly have heard that many central banks across the world are looking into, or already deploying, various digital currencies. The candidate technologies are R3 Corda, IBM Fabric, Libra, and Ethereum (Hyperledger Besu+). No central bank wants the chaos of billions of users having unfettered access to the royal lifeblood of money. Access should be parsed, compliant and rigorous. It makes people safe. And it makes things orderly. The Libra network is a strong candidate to subsume CBDC innovation, and see the launch of various regulated fiat coins on its protocol. The compliance bend highlighted above is not accidental. Features of public chains, like transparent audit and smart contracts language, are replicated and made available to licensed participants. If the crypto ecosystem thinks it will have exclusive rights to distribute small business loans or provide universal basic income in a post-COVID world, it is for a rude awakening on libra’s launch. PayPal, Square and Intuit barely eked through to approval. Facebook will crowbar the wedge further in its favor. Binance and Coinbase will need to wait in line. See also: Why This Global Crisis Is a Defining Moment for Stablecoins The East is using the same playbook, just with more purpose and efficiency. Unlike the girations of animal spirits in American and European stock markets, blockchain rails are being laid by China . Innovation, digital transformation and national growth are core priorities for the Communist Party. Hundreds of billions of dollars are directed towards R&D and experimental technology, the type of technology American regulators see as a systemic threat to sovereign systems. Further, that technology is exported to the smaller Asian economies and given as infrastructure to EMEA. China has just launched the BSN Alliance , a supergroup to rival libra. Members include government powerhouses like the State Information Center, as well as fintechs like Ant Financial, Tencent, and Ping An, which have blockchains that will eventually plug into this group. For example, Ant runs “Open Chain” (irony of ironies!), which was just released to SMEs and developers . Some public chains, like Ethereum and EOS, will also be accessible through intermediation. Interestingly, the BSN is not focused on one particular protocol or network, but instead on a multi-protocol integration layer that allows developers to build Web3 applications above all these infrastructures. So you might build a single application into APIs that write data into Hyperledger Fabric or Ant Open Chain, and abstract away the complexity beneath. The upside is efficiency and an ability to quickly deploy software. The downside is that you are using software with compliance and audit tools built by the CCP . That contrasts with what ConsenSys and Codefi are trying to do. We are working on APIs and developer tools that let anyone use the open, permissionless Ethereum to build decentralized financial machines. Already, Infura provides developers a gateway to deploying on Ethereum , and MetaMask gives access to a massive footprint of users . To get millions of people writing code, a simplifying toolkit is needed. I’d rather have the free market build it, than it be designed and managed as a government service. Similarly, I would rather have free market telecom companies provide us with the internet, rather than sit behind the Great Firewall. This is the war for money. This is the war for finance. Who gets to build the fortress? Related Stories How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Money Printer Dai Lending Rates Rise to One-Month High on DeFi Platform Compound || MAY 4 DEADLINE: The Schall Law Firm Announces the Filing of a Class Action Lawsuit Against Canaan Inc. and Encourages Investors with Losses in Excess of $100,000 to Contact the Firm: LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 28, 2020 /The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces the filing of a class action lawsuit against Canaan Inc. ("Canaan" or "the Company") (NASDAQ:CAN) for violations of the federal securities laws. Investors who purchased the Company's securities pursuant and/or traceable to the Company's initial public offering ("IPO") on or about November 20, 2019, are encouraged to contact the firm before May 4, 2020. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss,click here to participate. We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall of the Schall Law Firm, 1880 Century Park East, Suite 404, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 310-301-3335, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website atwww.schallfirm.com, or by email [email protected]. The class, in this case, has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. According to the Complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements to the market. Canaan claimed to engage in "strategic cooperation" which was really just a related-party transaction. The Company was in a weaker financial position than it reported. The Company removed many distributors immediately before the IPO, many of which were of dubious quality. Many of the Company's Chinese customers were not in the Bitcoin industry and were therefore not likely to buy its products again. Based on these facts, the Company's public statements were false and materially misleading throughout the class period. When the market learned the truth about Canaan, investors suffered damages. Join the caseto recover your losses. The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics. CONTACT: The Schall Law FirmBrian Schall, Esq.,www.schallfirm.comOffice: [email protected] SOURCE:The Schall Law Firm View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/587414/MAY-4-DEADLINE-The-Schall-Law-Firm-Announces-the-Filing-of-a-Class-Action-Lawsuit-Against-Canaan-Inc-and-Encourages-Investors-with-Losses-in-Excess-of-100000-to-Contact-the-Firm || Bitfoliex Sees Record Surge in New Registrations Amid Integration with Megastore-Chain: PANAMA CITY, PANAMA / ACCESSWIRE / April 27, 2020 / Bitfoliex is a platform that allows its user to exchange, send or receive cryptocurrencies intuitively. Launched in October 2018, the platform holds and manages more than 1 Million accounts. ‘'Connecting you to the World'' - The company aims to onboard non-crypto centric users into its platform with ease, for this, they have made their UI very simple and intuitive. With its easy to use and simple yet secured platform, Bitfoliex is said to have struck a deal with a megastore-chain. The megastore chain has about 1050 franchises all around South America and Brazil. ‘'With merchants using our platform, we are likely to onboard many more millions of new users. In fact, since our last announcement about this deal, we already have thousands of new user registrations every day'' - A senior executive, Bitfoliex. Something more to the story As of today the platform currently facilitates only two operations: · Holding cryptocurrencies with top-notch security · And also serving financial institutions to manage crypto assets. It is also gearing up to provide custodial services to institutional clients. This will allow Bitfoliex to expand its market share and cater to a wide variety of clients. The company had announced that it is going to launch OTC trading (Over-the-counter) services soon, and we are waiting for that story to develop as the crisis has slowed down every business process. In addition to its merchant payment system so anyone can accept crypto payments in the world. A Collective Benefit to the overall crypto Market Once the vendor integration is done, as said earlier, it will pump millions of users not only to Bitfoliex platform but also to the overall crypto market. These people will have ‘easy exposure' to Bitcoin, and they would want to learn more about crypto-economics. Like you and us, they may also find the fundamentals of Bitcoin exciting and would want to learn more about other projects. Story continues As this is a historic moment in all of our life, where FIAT is being pumped in the economy, the public is getting robbed out of their own money. This is one of the best times when people learn about Bitcoin and find out that it was made for this very day! Other Useful Resources A collection of Educational Material, Analysis & Reports regarding Blockchain & Cryptocurrency on Blackchain a Cryptocurrency & Blockchain Marketing Company. Due to the increased amount of Crypto & MLM scams, we suggest you follow Crypto & Blockchain Related Interviews with TOP Influencers on Blockspeak , a Cryptocurrency & Blockchain Podcast . Keep yourself up to date on Coinsflare with the latest Cryptocurrency listings across exchanges and market opportunities. Contact Name : Mariela Tan Organization name : Bitfoliex Address (city, state and country ): Panama City, Panama Email : [email protected] Phone numbe r: +1 9494269544 Website URL : www.bitfoliex.com SOURCE: Bitfoliex View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/587131/Bitfoliex-Sees-Record-Surge-in-New-Registrations-Amid-Integration-with-Megastore-Chain || 'An Outlier Event': Experts React To Oil Prices Dropping Below $0: June contract WTI crude oil prices plunged another 24% on Tuesday to $15.32 after May contracts dropped below $0 for the first time in history on Monday. U.S. crude oil storage capacity is maxed out as COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and travel restrictions have pushed oil demand to near zero. The unprecedented oil price action this week has rattled stocks, but experts say this price action is merely a temporary phenomenon. Stocks To Avoid David Trainer, CEO of New Constructs, said investors would be wise to look past the near-term oil market volatility, but that doesn’t mean there’s no risk within the oil space. “Stay away from Exploration and Production firms as well as Oil Services and Equipments firms and focus more on the Refiners and Integrated Oil firms who take less price risk and serve more as middlemen between producers and consumers,” Trainer said Monday. New Constructs is bullish on stocks such asBP plc(NYSE:BP),Marathon Petroleum Corp(NYSE:MPC),Phillips 66(NYSE:PSX),Total SA(NYSE:TOT) andValero Energy Corporation(NYSE:VLO). The Historic Trading Action In Oil, Explained Rebound Ahead DataTrek Research co-founder Nicholas Colas said WTI futures contracts for September and beyond are still priced above $30, suggesting a strong rebound in oil prices once the storage issues have passed. “Those quotes signal confidence that today was an outlier event and energy commodity prices will slowly rise over the balance of 2020; that fits with what equity prices are saying as well,” Colas said. He noted that even with crude prices trading as low as negative $40 per barrel on Monday, energy sector stocks are still well off their 2020 lows. Benzinga’s Take Tuesday’s trading action in crude oil was more a function of market dynamics than an actual representation of the value of a barrel of oil. However, traders looking to buy the dip in oil ETFs like theUnited States Oil Fund LP(NYSE:USO) should understand that, given the economy remains on lockdown indefinitely, there’s a good chance oil prices could experience a similar phenomenon next month as the June futures contract expiration date approaches. Do you agree with this take? [email protected] your thoughts. See more from Benzinga • Another Volatile Week Of Trading Ends On Low Note Following Horrendous Jobs Report • Bitcoin Is Still Failing As A Flight To Safety Investment © 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || 9 Reasons Why Bitcoin Has Never Been Stronger Going Into a Halving: From surging price and all-time-high hashrates toPaul Tudor Jonesand narrative relevance, a look at the strength ofBTCheading into next week’s halving. Formore episodesand free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe withApple Podcasts,Spotify,Pocketcasts,Google Podcasts,Castbox,Stitcher,RadioPublica,IHeartRadioorRSS. This episode is sponsored byErisX,The Stellar Development FoundationandGrayscale Digital Large Cap Investment Fund. Related:Bitcoin News Roundup for May 8, 2020 The bitcoin halving is just a few days away and the growing excitement is palpable. On this episode of The Breakdown, NLW argues the excitement is also legitimate, and looks at nine reasons why bitcoin has never been stronger going into one of its every-four-year issuance reductions: • Price • Hashrate • Mining competition • Accessibility and Services • Infrastructure • Institutional awareness and participation • Narrative relevance • Perceived and real resilience • Lindy effects Oh, and let’s not forget: Hedge fund legend Paul Tudor Jones isreportedlyinvested in bitcoin and sees it as a hedge against “great monetary inflation.” See also:Why the Dollar Has Never Been Stronger or More Set Up to Fail Formore episodesand free early access before our regular 3 p.m. Eastern time releases, subscribe withApple Podcasts,Spotify,Pocketcasts,Google Podcasts,Castbox,Stitcher,RadioPublica,IHeartRadioorRSS. • Bitcoin News Roundup for May 7, 2020 • What the FATF: The Deadline for Complying With New Crypto Exchange Rules Is Coming • Surveying the Carnage: How Real Estate, Travel and Music Are Faring During the Crisis || If Bitcoin Works in Zimbabwe, It Works Everywhere (Part 4 of a Six-Part Documentary Podcast Series): On this episode we join Anita Posch as she discusses bitcoin’s (BTC) potential and realities with a self-described “digipreneur” and teacher in Harare, Zimbabwe. Listen/subscribe to the CoinDesk Podcast feed for unique perspectives and fresh daily insight with Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Pocketcasts , Google Podcasts , Castbox , Stitcher , RadioPublica , IHeartRadio or RSS . With the use of bitcoin outlawed and the state of human rights and free speech rather poor in Zimbabwe, Anita agreed not to mention her guest’s name. In this episode they discuss: The opportunities for bitcoin adoption The shutdown of Golix, the only Zimbabwean crypto exchange The philosophy of Ubuntu and how it relates to bitcoin Hyper-inflation The future of bitcoin in Africa How cryptocurrency feels like luxury in Zimbabwe How to design bitcoin for use in Africa How Libra is a game changer The most used social media tools The need for even more accessibility and ease of use Related: Quantitative Tightening and 5 Key Questions for Our Changing World Selected excerpts from this week’s episode: “If I have a bitcoin, I can send money to my relatives, who are in Malawi or in Namibia or in Ghana. Currently I can’t with our own currency. I can’t send money out freely and quickly. But if we can sit down as a community and say, ‘Okay, we need to buy a new borehole and we can do that just by using our phone,’ that’s an amazing thing. You know, if we look at it from a place of development, if you look at it from a place of helping the community and taking care of each other, if it allows us to take care of each other without having to create so many barriers and so much red tape to get stuff done with money, I feel like when you change that narrative, you speak to something very deep within an African.” – Teacher and Digipreneur, Zimbabwe “Cryptocurrency feels almost like luxury. It’s sad because I don’t think that’s what it’s supposed to be, but it was also bearing in mind cryptocurrency was designed in a functioning environment. It was designed by people who maybe haven’t spent 12 hours in a fuel queue?” – Teacher and Digipreneur, Zimbabwe Story continues “We need to start having more conversations about the future with the people who are actually affected by the future. Hold workshops under a tree in Binga and have someone who is there who can translate into the local language and have a conversation.” – Teacher and Digipreneur, Zimbabwe Related: Rebuilding the Resilience Economy, Feat. Anthony Pompliano You can find the full transcript on the episode page . Listen/subscribe to the CoinDesk Podcast feed for unique perspectives and fresh daily insight with Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Pocketcasts , Google Podcasts , Castbox , Stitcher , RadioPublica , IHeartRadio or RSS . A note from Anita: This podcast special and my trip to Africa would not have been possible without my sponsors and supporters. I want to thank my sponsors first: Thank you: LocalBitcoins.com a person-to-person bitcoin trading site, Peter McCormack and the whatbitcoindid podcast, Coinfinity and the Card Wallet , SHIFT Cryptosecurity , manufacturer of the hardware wallet BitBox02 and many thanks to several unknown private donors, who sent me Satoshis over the Lightning Network. This special is edited by CoinDesk’s Podcasts Editor Adam B. Levine and published first on the CoinDesk Podcast Network . Thank you very much for supporting the Bitcoin in Africa series with your work. Thanks also goes out to stakwork.com . Stakwork is a great project that brings bitcoin into the world through earning. One can do microjobs on Stakwork, earning Satoshis and cash them out without even having an understanding about the lightning network or bitcoin. I think we need more projects like that to spread the usage of bitcoin around the world. Thank you also to GoTenna , for donating several GoTenna devices to set up a mesh network in Zimbabwe and to Team Satoshi , the decentralized sports team for supporting my work. This special is also brought to you by the Let’s Talk Bitcoin Network . Credits: Edited by CoinDesk’s Podcasts Editor: Adam B. Levine Image by: Martina Gruber Photography Idea, content and production: Anita Posch Music: “Start with yes” by Delicate beats Listen/subscribe to the CoinDesk Podcast feed for unique perspectives and fresh daily insight with Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Pocketcasts , Google Podcasts , Castbox , Stitcher , RadioPublica , IHeartRadio or RSS . Related Stories Bitcoin News Roundup for Thursday, April 9, 2020 The Questions We’re Not Allowed to Ask, Feat. Hidden Forces’ Demetri Kofinas [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: up || Prices: 8804.48, 9269.99, 9733.72, 9328.20, 9377.01, 9670.74, 9726.58, 9729.04, 9522.98, 9081.76
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2022-10-04] BTC Price: 20336.84, BTC RSI: 55.79 Gold Price: 1721.10, Gold RSI: 58.55 Oil Price: 86.52, Oil RSI: 52.69 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] The 7 Best Financial Stocks to Buy Now: It’s undoubtedly one of the toughest times for the stock market in years. The rising interest rates have been a thorn for equity investors. However, there are hidden bull markets all the time, and perhaps the best financial stocks are what investors should have a close eye on. Financial stocks have performed impressively regardless of economic cycles. For banks, particularly, the rising rates are a bullish indicator, but it’s perhaps the opposite for asset management companies. Hence, investors must do their due diligence before placing their bets on financial businesses. It’s important to have robust investment criteria based on profitability, top-line expansion, valuation and income. Moreover, it would also be the right move if investors could potentially find strong finance stocks that help make the best out of every adverse situation. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Amidst a myriad of choices at this time, I have curated seven of the best financial stocks you should add to your portfolios. These investments tick all the right boxes and offer a unique blend of the investment criteria mentioned above. OFS OFS Capital Corporation $7.69 MSBI Midland States Bancorp $ 225.81 TRIN Trinity Capital $13.38 CINF Cincinnati Financial $90.26 ITUB Itaú Unibanco $5.14 SBNY Signature Bank $151.00 RJF Raymond James $100.74 OFS Capital Corporation ( OFS ) A laptop, pencil, pair of eyeglasses, and many coins rest on a wooden table. Source: Shutterstock OFS Capital Corporation (NASDAQ: OFS ) is a small-cap financial services firm boasting a track record of incredible financial performance with robust profitability. It has had a penchant for rewarding its shareholders and currently offers a mind-boggling dividend yield of 13.50% . The company focuses on debt and equity financing for middle-market enterprises. The bulk of its portfolio is debt instruments that carry a floating rate, though, effectively protecting it from asset decline in a high-interest rate environment. Its portfolio covers multiple segments of a company’s capital structure, protecting it from major credit risks. Consequently, its recent results are in line with its historical averages, despite the troubling economic conditions while it trades at just 2.4 time’s forward sales estimates. This small-cap gem cannot be ignored at this time. Story continues Midland States Bancorp ( MSBI ) Source: Shutterstock Midland States Bancorp (NASDAQ: MSBI ) operates as a financial services holding company for the Midland States Bank. It offers an array of financial services, including mortgages, retail banking, commercial services and treasury management. Midland has operated a stable business that has grown its top line by roughly 10% over the past five years. Also, it comes with an attractive 4.7% dividend yield. Recent results have been relatively solid and in line with its historical performance. Its loan portfolio grew remarkably by 11% in its first half. However, it’s likely to slow down given the heightened interest rates. Nevertheless, its acquisition plans should keep loan growth stable. It boasts a large balance of variable-rate loans, which points to single-digit earnings growth for the remainder of the year. Trinity Capital ( TRIN ) An image of a businessman standing facing the camera with his hands in his pockets, his shadow projected behind him with his arms up and flexing Source: lassedesignen / Shutterstock Trinity Capital (NASDAQ: TRIN ) is one of the more reputable names in the business development world, providing venture debt and equity financing to high-growth startups. Its business has demonstrated a strong ability to thrive in challenging market conditions and has continued to pay hefty dividends. Business development companies have done significantly better than other financial businesses during a heightened inflation environment. Venture capital funding typically slows down in such an environment, which increases venture debt demand. Therefore, startups have had to turn to venture debt from companies such as TRIN. Reports have shown that venture debt volumes in the U.S. have risen by an impressive 7.5% in the year’s first half. Additionally, TRIN’s investment commitments reached a record $608 million in the first half of this year. Cincinnati Financial ( CINF ) The logo for Cincinnati Financial is shown on a cellphone screen. Source: IgorGolovniov / Shutterstock.com Cincinnati Financial (NADSAQ: CINF ) is one of the leading property and casual insurers in the U.S. It accounts for roughly 1% of the total market, which is a tremendous feat given how fragmented the market is. With over $6 billion in annual premiums, it is among the top 25 insurers in its niche. CINF has had it rough over the past few quarters amidst a tough operating environment. Consequently, its share price has dipped by over 30% in the past six months. Its lackluster performance of late has done little to slow down the pace of shareholder rewards. CINF is one of the most appealing insurance companies and one of the market leaders in its niche in the U.S. It has one of the most attractive portfolios and has grown its payouts by over 60 years . Hence, with its stock trading at multi-year lows, it’s best to load up on it now. Itaú Unibanco ( ITUB ) The logo for Itaú Unibanco is seen on a sign. Source: SERGIO V S RANGEL / Shutterstock.com Itaú Unibanco (NYSE: ITUB ) operates as a full-service bank and has been around for almost a century. It’s the leading Brazilian bank in terms of sales and has more than 4,000 physical branches and a presence in 18 different countries, primarily in the Latin American region. Its business lines are highly diversified, including insurance, trading, credit, and other related services. The diversity allows it to effectively limit its risk exposure and grow its asset base over time. Recently, it’s been going all-in to expand its digital footprint. Its digital bank, called iti Itáu, targets a younger demographic that doesn’t have bank accounts. So far, iti Itáu has been an incredible inclusion to its portfolio, adding 16.7 million customers in the first quarter of this year. Considering how 70% of the Latin American population is unbanked or underbanked, Itaú’s digital arm has an amazing growth runway ahead. Signature Bank ( SBNY ) The logo for Signature Bank is displayed over the entrance to a building. Source: PL Gould / Shutterstock.com Signature Bank (NASDAQ: SBNY ) is a New York-based full-service commercial bank with a client-focused approach. It operates a balanced loan portfolio that has helped mitigate risks to an acceptably low level. Hence, it’s one of the few financial institutions that continue to perform well during these testing times. Its second-quarter results were a blow-out, beating earnings per share estimates by 4%. Loan growth was perhaps the best it’s been in several quarters, with the firm maintaining credit quality at the same time. Net interest income came in at $649.1 million for the quarter , a 42% improvement from the prior-year quarter. The improvement was driven by the expansion in interest-earning assets. Also, non-interest income was up by an amazing 61% to $37.7 million due to a bump in service charges. SBNY also declared a generous dividend of 56 cents per share, yielding a strong 1.43%. Raymond James ( RJF ) The logo for Raymond James (RJF) is seen on the side of a building. Source: JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock.com Raymond James (NYSE: RJF ) is one of the most successful U.S.-based investment management firms. Its banking division has been a consistent performer, and its superior execution has led to it operating a robust margin profile. In the past five years, its gross and net income margins have averaged 94% and 15%, respectively. As expected, its banking division, offering mortgages and commercial loans, has benefitted immensely from high rates. RJF offers its lender greater flexibility in what they can charge clients. Hence, its results have been superb of late, posting yet another earnings beat in its third quarter. It’s the eighth straight quarter where the firm has beat analyst estimates on earnings which is an amazing achievement. Therefore, RJF is one of the soundest investment management firms out there that continues to perform regardless of the market conditions. On the date of publication, Muslim Farooque did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines Muslim Farooque is a keen investor and an optimist at heart. A life-long gamer and tech enthusiast, he has a particular affinity for analyzing technology stocks. Muslim holds a bachelor’s of science degree in applied accounting from Oxford Brookes University. More From InvestorPlace Buy This $5 Stock BEFORE This Apple Project Goes Live The Best $1 Investment You Can Make Today Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” It doesn’t matter if you have $500 or $5 million. Do this now. The post The 7 Best Financial Stocks to Buy Now appeared first on InvestorPlace . || 4 Hot Stocks That Indicate Meme Mania Is on the Rise: Hot stocks took on a whole new meaning during meme stock mania. The question now is: are meme stocks back? It certainly looks like it judging by the way several securities have been trading in recent weeks. While some analysts and investors are labeling a slate of companies, primarily financial firms based in Hong Kong, the new hot stocks, others are ambivalent. They’re warning that retail investors are again executing short squeezes on vulnerable companies and implementing time-worn pump-and-dump schemes. They worry that investors who scramble to get in on the action will be left empty-handed. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips So, should you buy these new hot stocks that are skyrocketing in value or steer clear of them for fear that they will inevitably crash ? In this article, we endeavor to separate the wheat from the chaff and look at what is really going on with stocks whose run higher seems too good to be true. Here are answers to whether you should buy the following four hot stocks. HKD AMTD Digital $192.18 AMTD AMTD IDEA Group $2.28 MEGL Magic Empire Global $17.07 HLBZ Helbiz $1.42 AMTD Digital (HKD) An image of a laptop with financial icons coming off the screen; graph, mail, house, money Source: Sittipong Phokawattana/Shutterstock The only reason to buy AMTD Digital (NYSE: HKD ) is in hopes that it again gets caught in a short squeeze that sends its price up more than 1,000% i n a few weeks, but that is a risky proposition. Right now it looks like the latest squeeze on HKD stock is over. Between July 15 and Aug. 2, AMTD Digital jumped from $16.21 to $1,679.00 per share. The best words to describe that kind of price movement are “shock” and “awe.” However, since then the share price has plunged. Could the stock be squeezed again? Possibly. But there are no guarantees. Beyond the spectacular increase in its stock price , things to know about AMTD Digital is that it is a financial technology (fintech) firm based in Hong Kong. It was founded in 2019 by a former investment banker and mainly provides financial services to institutional clients. Story continues The sharp run-up in HKD stock occurred after AMTD Digital held its initial public offering ( IPO ) on July 15 of this year. The stock debuted on the New York Stock Exchange at $7.80 a share and retail investors quickly went crazy, executing a short squeeze on it. Going forward, investors can continue to put money on AMTD Digital’s stock, or they could go ride a rollercoaster at their local amusement park. AMTD IDEA Group (AMTD) Online banking businessman using smartphone with credit card Fintech and Blockchain concept Source: Joyseulay / Shutterstock.com For investors who like to dabble in penny stocks, there is also Hong Kong-based AMTD IDEA Group (NYSE: AMTD ). This is a sister company of the aforementioned AMTD Digital Both companies were founded and are run by Calvin Choi, who previously worked in the investment banking division of Swiss bank UBS Group (NYSE: UBS ). AMTD IDEA Group is a private equity and asset management firm that caters to a global client base. AMTD stock went public in 2017 and since then it has traveled a rocky road on the stock market. After debuting near $50 a share, the stock has steadily eroded and is now down more than 90%, putting it deep into penny stock territory. However, several times this year the share price of AMTD IDEA Group has been squeezed sharply higher. In February, the stock vaulted 80% higher before crashing back to earth, only to jump 104% higher in July, and 795% higher in early August. Each time the stock has catapulted upwards, it has quickly come crashing back down to trade right around the $2 mark. Trying to time the volatility in this stock looks tricky. Magic Empire Global (MEGL) hand using online banking and icon on tablet screen device in coffee shop Source: PopTika / Shutterstock Magic Empire Global (NASDAQ: MEGL ) held its initial public offering on Aug. 5, and its share price promptly leapt 5,799% , jumping from $4 a share to a peak of $235.95. Magic Empire Global sold five million shares to raise $20 million in proceeds from the IPO. Analysts have noted that Magic Empire Global, like AMTD Digital, has a low float of shares available to trade, which means it doesn’t take much buying to push the stock incredibly high, something retail investors appear to have taken advantage of. But, as is the case with all the stocks on this list, the sharp run higher was short-lived. Within days of its IPO, MEGL stock was plummeting, falling more than 90% in only a few days. The spectacular debut of Magic Empire Global was circumspect given that the company, which was founded in 2016, generated a profit of only $203,000 on revenue of a little more than $2 million. In the investment banking pond, Magic Empire Global is a very small fish. And it looks like the stock is likely to continue trending lower now that retail investors appear to have abandoned it. Helbiz (HLBZ) A row of Helbiz (HLBZ) bikes. Source: MarbellaStudio / Shutterstock.com The lone company on this list that is not based in Hong Kong, Helbiz (NASDAQ: HLBZ ) is a maker of electric scooters and is headquartered in New York City. Helbiz went public a year ago via a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) and its stock was squeezed last September, pushing the share price up 575% to a peak of $41.88. However, since then, it’s been all downhill for HLBZ stock, which now trades in the depths of the penny stock league tables. While HLBZ stock has been trending upwards since late July, rising 159% from 49 cents to $1.27, the stock is still down year to date and about 90% below where it was trading at 12-months ago. In addition to Helbiz being a relatively small scooter business, the company is also embroiled in a shareholder lawsuit that is weighing down the share price. Irate shareholders who bought the company’s cryptocurrency called “HelbizCoin,” are suing and claiming they’ve been defrauded by the digital coin. Given the volatility in the share price , the fact that it’s a penny stock, and the crypto lawsuit that is ongoing, investors may also want to take a pass on Helbiz. On the date of publication, Joel Baglole did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines . Joel Baglole has been a business journalist for 20 years. He spent five years as a staff reporter at The Wall Street Journal, and has also written for The Washington Post and Toronto Star newspapers, as well as financial websites such as The Motley Fool and Investopedia. More From InvestorPlace Buy This $5 Stock BEFORE This Apple Project Goes Live The Best $1 Investment You Can Make Today Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” It doesn’t matter if you have $500 or $5 million. Do this now. The post 4 Hot Stocks That Indicate Meme Mania Is on the Rise appeared first on InvestorPlace . || 3 Airline Stocks to Sell Now: It continues to be a difficult time for airlines and their shareholders. Staff shortages, scheduling problems, and canceled flights made headlines around the world this summer as carriers struggled to keep pace with a surge of travel demand. Further, airlines have been grappling with much higher fuel costs this year and a mountain of debt that they accumulated during the Covid-19 crisis. The International Air Transport Association estimates that airlines globallytook on $340 billion of debtover the past two years. While all major carriers are feeling the strains, a few have unique problems that are making their situation worse than others and further depressing their share prices. Here are three airline stocks to sell  before things get any worse. [{"DLAKY": "JBLU", "Lufthansa": "JetBlue", "$6.34": "$8.10"}, {"DLAKY": "ALGT", "Lufthansa": "Allegiant Travel", "$6.34": "$98.46"}] Source: Shutterstock While most U.S.-based airlines are struggling with a shortage of pilots to fly their planes, Germany’s flagship carrier,Lufthansa(ETR:LHA), has been dealing with a much bigger problem when it comes to pilots: a labor strike. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips The airline recently had tocancel 800 flightsat its hubs in Frankfurt and Munich after more than 5,000 of its pilots staged a 24-hour walkout. The pilots and their union took the job action because they are not satisfied with the direction that contract negotiations with the airline’s management team has been going. The pilots have been demanding a 5.5% pay raise this year and automatic wage increases tied to the inflation rate going forward, as well as better pay for entry-level pilots. Lufthansa has balked at the demands, saying the union’s proposal would increase its staff costs by 40% at a time when the airline is struggling with high fuel costs and $11 billion of debt that it took on during the pandemic. Whilea second pilots strikethat was planned to last two-days was averted after management came back with a new offer, the proposal still needs to be voted on by the rank-and-file pilots. In 2022, Lufthansa’s shares traded on America’s over-the-counter market are down 10%. Source: Roman Tiraspolsky / Shutterstock.com Discount airlineJetBlue(NASDAQ:JBLU) announced this past July that it would spend $3.8 billion to acquire fellow low-cost carrierSpirit Airlines(NYSE:SAVE) in order to become the fifth-largest airline in America. While JetBlue has done its best to herald the acquisition as the best thing to happen to air travel since the advent of in-flight movies, investors’ reaction to the deal has been largely indifferent. Since thepurchase of Spirit Airlineswas announced in late July, JBLU stock has declined 4%. And in 2022,JetBlue’s stock has dropped 43%. If approved, the acquisition of Spirit is expected to close in 2024. However, there are no guarantees that the tie-up will be approved by regulators, which, in this case, includes the U.S. Justice Department. In fact, this is not the first time that JetBlue hastaken a run at Spirit Airlines. Spirit has rejected several previous takeover bids from JetBlue, saying that the deal isn’t likely to be approved by regulators. The big issue is JetBlue’s alliance withAmerican Airlines(NASDAQ:AAL) in the  northeast of the U.S. Given that partnership,  regulators might look at JetBlue’s acquisition of Spirit as being bad for competition and consumers. Source: Angel DiBilio / Shutterstock.com Allegiant Travel Co.(NASDAQ:ALGT), also known as Allegiant Air, specializes in flying people who live in northern U.S. states to warm destinations, primarily during the cold, winter months. An ultra-low-cost carrier, Allegiant Air’s business was devastated by the pandemic, and it has been struggling to recover this year. So far in 2022, ALGT stock hasdeclined nearly 50%. The stock is nearly 55% below its 52-week high of $215.48 per share. In its most recent earnings report, Allegiant stated that itsoperating cost per available seat mile, excluding fuel, rose 42% year-over-year to $6.94. Fuel costs per gallon grew in excess of 100% to $4.33 last quarter, putting a serious strain on the company’s finances. Going forward, there is lingering uncertainty about the impact of Covid-19 next winter. Any resurgence of the respiratory disease during the peak winter travel season could prove to be another blow to Allegiant Air. The recent news that Allegiant Executive Vice-President Robert Wilsonsold 1,800 sharesof ALGT stock at an average price of $101.15 a share didn’t inspire confidence among investors. On the date of publication, Joel Bagloledid not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines. Joel Baglole has been a business journalist for 20 years. He spent five years as a staff reporter at The Wall Street Journal, and has also written for The Washington Post and Toronto Star newspapers, as well as financial websites such as The Motley Fool and Investopedia. • Buy This $5 Stock BEFORE This Apple Project Goes Live • The Best $1 Investment You Can Make Today • Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” • It doesn’t matter if you have $500 or $5 million. Do this now. The post3 Airline Stocks to Sell Nowappeared first onInvestorPlace. || Iris Energy Turns On 41 Megawatts of Bitcoin Mining Machines Ahead of Schedule: Iris Energy (IREN) has brought 41 megawatts of bitcoin mining machines on line in British Columbia more than a month ahead of schedule. The addition doubled the company's operating hashrate, or computing power, on the Bitcoin network to 2.3 exahashes/second (EH/s), it said in a press release on Monday. Another 1.4 EH/s, requiring 50 MW of energy capacity, also in British Columbia, is scheduled to be up and running by the end of September, it said. Rack space has been a major constraint for bitcoin miners, many of which have received mining rigs but have nowhere to plug them in because of construction delays. Iris Energy "continues to work through deployment options for its remaining 2.3 EH/s of miners," including 1.7 EH/s of Bitmain Antminer S19j Pros it bought from Bitmain earlier this month. The Nasdaq-listed shares of Iris Energy were up by more than 10% on Monday morning. UPDATE (Aug. 8, 15:30 UTC): Adds hashrate doubled in first bullet point. || What is the Difference Between Market Cap and Fully Diluted Market Cap?: Companies and blockchain projects represent value in different ways, typically via stocks and digital assets. In both cases, their values differ based on their value being fully accounted for, or just partially. This is the difference between market capitalization (cap for short) and fully diluted market cap. Market capitalization is produced when you multiply the number of circulating coins for a certain cryptocurrency with the price of each coin. Diluted market capitalization is produced when you multiply the number of all coins that could exist with the price of each coin. Let’s dive in deeper to see why diluted caps matter vs. regular market caps. Crypto Market Cap Explained Let’s briefly visit the traditional stock market to ground the terms. When stocks are available for public trading, they are called outstanding shares. This is equivalent to crypto’s circulating supply. The market cap of both would then be calculated by multiplying stocks/coins with the price of each. In contrast, fully diluted market cap accounts for the totality of assets. For example, if a company would convert all of its dilutive securities (options, convertible bonds, warrants) into shares, this would be its fully diluted market cap. In the blockchain world, this dynamic is different because each cryptocurrency has its own way of determining total supply, and some don’t even have a supply cap. In the cryptocurrency world, when we calculate the market cap by multiplying the number of circulating coins with the price of each, we see its value. This is how much investors who bought a crypto asset value the cryptocurrency. Raw Numbers At the end of July 2022, Bitcoin’s market cap was $469B. We arrived at that number by multiplying total circulating bitcoins with the price of each BTC. In raw numbers, this translates to: 19,107,756 BTC (total circulating Bitcoin) x $24,554 (price of each BTC) = $469.17 billion market cap. To accurately represent the current value of Bitcoin, we had to pick the total circulating supply figure. Story continues This is the number of bitcoins that are actually available for trading, either buying or selling. This includes tokens on cryptocurrency exchanges and private non-custodial wallets. In other words, total circulating Bitcoin supply measures those Bitcoins that have already been mined. Presently, 91% of a total 21 million BTC has been mined. In 2035, this percentage will reach 99%, and in 2140 all 21 million bitcoins will be mined and available for trade. Why Do Cryptocurrencies Even Have Circulating Supplies? Each cryptocurrency has a different encoded mechanism to regulate its circulating supplies. Bitcoin uses a halving mechanism to control supply and inflation. Roughly every four years, miners’ reward for securing the network are cut in half. New bitcoins released are reduced on a timed, encoded schedule. But what purpose does this artificial inflation control serve? Imagine that every dollar to ever exist is minted at the same time. That would cause immense inflation, as the USD supply would be so great that it would outstrip the demand. We would then find ourselves in a situation when the same product that once had a price tag of $10 would be priced at $100 or greater. You can see this effect in a more measured way when the U.S. Federal Reserve increases the money supply, as it did between 2020–2022, by about $5 trillion. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Thankfully, the dollar is the world’s global reserve currency, so the inflation only rose to 9.1% in June. When central banks do this in other countries, it can trigger hyperinflation, and banknotes literally become worth less than the paper they are printed on. Image credit: REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins How Do Other Cryptocurrencies Control Their Inflation Rate? While bitcoin uses a halving mechanism to control its inflation, Ethereum has a burning token mechanic. This means that the more ETH is used, the more ETH tokens are removed from circulation by sending them to an unretrievable wallet. Therefore, they are effectively “burned” out of usable existence. But wouldn’t that create ETH scarcity? No, because ETH has unlimited token supply. Just like Bitcoin has a halving mechanism, Ethereum has a set inflation rate. After all, the Ethereum network is supposed to be used as a dApp to recreate all the services available in traditional finance. This makes Ethereum analogous to a nation’s fiat money. But to ensure there isn’t an excessive amount of ETH burned tokens suppress the inflation rate. Since the EIP-1559 burning mechanic was introduced, $4.4 billion worth of ETH has been burned. Source: watchtheburn.com Furthermore, Tim Beiko, one of Ethereum’s chief developers, described Ethereum’s burning mechanic as a counter to miners gaming the system. Because miners/validators in every blockchain network receive fees when they execute transactions, some miners spam the network with transactions to get more fees. This is an additional reason why Ethereum’s burning mechanic is useful, dubbed Ethereum Internet Proposal (EIP) 1559. Lastly, there are cryptocurrencies that do not use mining or an inflation rate. Instead, they rely on token unlock schedules to manage demand. These are usually venture capital (VC) funded projects, such as Yuga Labs’ ApeCoin (APE). Fully Diluted Market Caps Explained Now that you fully understand the concept of circulating supplies and inflation controls, we can turn to the importance of fully diluted market caps. Token inflation is the diluting factor for any cryptocurrency, as we have seen with the previous Bitcoin and Ethereum examples. Diluted Market Cap Therefore, a fully diluted market cap accounts for all coins to ever exist to calculate the market cap. In the case of Bitcoin, we wouldn’t then need its total circulating supply. Instead, we would just multiply the price of each BTC with the total number of bitcoins that can be mined. 21 million BTC x $24,554 = $515.6 billion fully diluted market cap This is 9.9% higher than Bitcoin’s market cap based on its total circulating supply, which matches with ~91% of 21 million BTC mined so far. In cases of cryptocurrencies that don’t have a limited token supply, such as Ethereum, a fully diluted market cap wouldn’t make any sense. That’s because their total circulating supply is in flux. Therefore, ETH would have equal figures for both market cap and a fully diluted market cap. Can Fully Diluted Market Caps Provide Meaningful Insight? Because a fully diluted market cap is greater than the regular one, investors may assume that the market cap of digital assets will increase proportionately. Case in point, ApeCoin (APE) has a $2.14 billion market cap, which is 226% lower than its fully diluted market cap at $6.99 billion. As noted previously, that big difference comes from APE’s token unlock schedule. Presently, only about three out of 10 APE coins are in circulation. An investor may then think that the price of APE will go up by at least three times, as its market cap aligns with its diluted market cap. However, such an assumption doesn’t account for the relationship between inflation and deflation. ApeCoin’s price relies on its metaverse usage as a utility and governance token. If Yuga Labs succeeds in its mission to deploy highly popular play-to-earn games into its Otherside ecosystem, more investors will seek to buy APE coins that power it. In turn, people would create a buying pressure that raises APE’s price. This buying pressure would then counter the inflationary pressure coming from the token unlock schedule. However, if Yuga Labs fails, and Otherdeed becomes mediocre or even a blockchain desert, APE coins will drastically drop in price under the same inflationary pressure. In such a scenario, a fully diluted market cap could even go under its present market cap of $2.14 billion, which only accounts for 30% of APE coins. For this reason, a fully diluted market cap should be taken with a big grain of salt. In the end, its realization would entirely depend on the viability of the project. On the other hand, cryptocurrencies that are decentralized and out of bounds of VC funding and planning, such as Bitcoin, are more resistant to such speculation. Series Disclaimer: This series article is intended for general guidance and information purposes only for beginners participating in cryptocurrencies and DeFi. The contents of this article are not to be construed as legal, business, investment, or tax advice. You should consult with your advisors for all legal, business, investment, and tax implications and advice. The Defiant is not responsible for any lost funds. Please use your best judgment and practice due diligence before interacting with smart contracts. || The 7 Best Micro-Cap Stocks to Buy Now: So you’re interested in the best micro-cap stocks to buy now? Congratulations! You may be on the road to sizable tax deductions from severe capital losses. In all seriousness, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission would like to have a word with you. First, let’s talk about definitions. Whether they are the best micro-cap stocks to buy, the worst, or somewhere in the middle, these securities tied to diminutive companies feature incredible risk. The SEC notes that, generally, equities that feature a market capitalizationbelow $250 million to $300 million represent microcaps. Ultimately, it’s a loose definition, but this one works. Second, this arena presents more opportunities for circumstances going awry. Again, it doesn’t necessarily matter whether ideas command the label of best micro-cap stocks to buy or not. Unfortunately, the smaller profile – with company shares often traded over the counter –enables less-than-honorable activities. That’s according to the SEC, not me. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Still, no one can stop you if you’re committed to gambling some of your funds earmarked for speculation. Below are some of the best micro-cap stocks to buy now. And by “now,” please feel free to think about it. [{"FAT": "INTT", "FAT Brands": "inTEST", "$7.41": "$7.73"}, {"FAT": "UTI", "FAT Brands": "Universal Technical Institute", "$7.41": "$5.49"}, {"FAT": "MGLD", "FAT Brands": "Marygold Companies", "$7.41": "$1.14"}, {"FAT": "FLUX", "FAT Brands": "Flux Power", "$7.41": "$2.73"}, {"FAT": "SCM", "FAT Brands": "Stellus Capital Investment", "$7.41": "$12.05"}, {"FAT": "MIGI", "FAT Brands": "Mawson Infrastructure Group", "$7.41": "$0.47"}] Source: Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.com An American multi-brand restaurant operator,FAT Brands(NASDAQ:FAT) arguably garners the most fame (or notoriety, depending on your persuasions) for its Fatburger fast-food joint. In addition, FAT features several other popular franchises, including Johnny Rockets, Buffalo’s World Famous Wings, and Elevation Burger. Fundamentally, FAT represents one of the best micro-cap stocks to buy for pure cynicism. As health experts broadcast consistently, salt represents a highly addictive taste. As Healthline.comnotes, Our brains and bodies aredesigned to enjoy salt because it’s necessary for survival. Over the course of human history, finding salt was difficult, so craving salt was a survival mechanism. Overeating salt, of course, brings health problems. However, that’s where FAT Brands may rise higher: we’re just so addicted to it. Still, Gurufocus.com labels FAT as apossible value trap. While FAT’s financials demonstrate that it’s in expansion mode, itsnet lossesalso widen. Therefore, only those with solid convictions toward buying the best micro-cap stocks should apply. Source: Shutterstock One of the benefits of searching for the best micro-cap stocks to buy is that you may be able to find diamonds in the rough. Though no guarantees exist,inTEST(NYSEAMERICAN:INTT) could possibly be the diamond that requires some fine processing. The company represents a “global supplier of precision-engineered solutionsfor use in manufacturing and testing across a wide range of markets including automotive, defense/aerospace, energy, industrial, semiconductor, and telecommunications.” Fundamentally, inTEST could potentially ride coattails off several relevant sectors. For instance, Russia’s brazen invasion of Ukraine presents a double shot of cynical catalysts. The military conflict itself bolsters inTEST’s revenue channels targeting the defense sector. In addition, the energy industry blossomed asRussiacutcritical commodity outflows to Europe. While even the best micro-cap stocks tend to feature garbage opportunities (I’m just being honest), Gurufocus.com labels INTT asmodestly undervalued. Intriguingly, inTEST features decent (though not outstanding) longer-term growth and profitability metrics. Source: JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock.com As the name suggests,Universal Technical Institute(NYSE:UTI) represents a leading provider of technical training. Specifically, Universal Technical provides courses to help students get into entry-level positions as technicians in the transportation industry. So, folks looking to build a career as auto or boating mechanics would likely get a step up through its curriculum. Fundamentally, the beauty of UTI as one of the best micro-cap stocks to buy stems from underlying workforce relevance. As the Biden-Harris administration’sstudent debt relief planstrongly implies, the broader academic infrastructure pushes kids to higher education. However, the blunt reality is that everyone qualifies for top-level universities or wants to go the white-collar career route. Indeed, with so many folks pushing into office jobs,blue-collar trades offer excellent opportunities. Very likely, stacking average results between the two workforce segments, the blue-collar may win out, generally speaking. Of course, not counting exceptions like making it as a CEO in a Fortune 500 company. UTI presentsvalue-trap risks, as Gurufocus.com points out. Still, if you’re patient, it could be one of the best micro-cap stocks to buy. Source: IZZ HAZEL / Shutterstock.com While you can always find unorthodox businesses in every public equity market,Marygold Companies(NYSEAMERICAN:MGLD) presents a unique profile. A global holding company, Marygold’smissionis to “identify and acquire established, profitable, undervalued companies in diverse sectors…” It’s certainly got the diversity thing down. From food to trading firms to property security, Marygold has you covered. In particular, Marygold appeals to the forward-thinking investor with its Brigadier Security Systems and Gourmet Foods brands. For the former, the rise in global economic uncertainties may spark crimes of desperation, thus necessitating greater security protocols. Regarding the latter, food products represent inelastic demand at the baseline. Now, for the not-so-pleasant news. Gurufocus.com labels MGLD as apossible value trap. It’s a risky idea because it’s lost about 66% on a year-to-date (or YTD) basis through the Sept. 29 session. But the company does have solid strengths in the balance sheet and decent profitability metrics. Source: Olivier Le Moal/ShutterStock.com Though highly risky, even with the understood context of the best micro-cap stocks to buy,Flux Power(NASDAQ:FLUX) offers incredible relevance. Per itswebsite, Flux “designs, manufactures, and sells advanced lithium-ion energy storage solutions for a range of industrial and commercial sectors.” This includes “…material handling, airport ground support equipment (GSE), and stationary energy storage.” Of course, the fundamental reality is that “Lithium-ion battery packs reduce CO2 emissions and help improve sustainability and ESG metrics for fleets.” With the Pew Research Center noting that two-thirds of Americans believe that thegovernment should do more about climate change, Flux Power certainly barks up the right tree. Still, the narrative of micro-cap stocks to buy is that they often require faith. Gurufocus.com labels FLUX as apossible value trap. Still, in itssecond quarter of 2022, Flux generatedrevenue of $15.2 million(up 83% year-over-year) and mitigated net losses. Source: CodedeatH33 / Shutterstock With a market cap of almost $234 million,Stellus Capital Investment(NYSE:SCM) represents one of the largest micro-cap stocks to buy on this list. However, that status hasn’t prevented the company from suffering sharply. In the trailing month, SCM shares slipped nearly 12%. Further, with red ink recently dominating the broader equity sphere, SCM could still face more volatility. Admittedly, Stellus might “deserve” the pain because it’s a hazardous venture. The company works with “…private equity-backed, lower middle market platforms, providing capital to help them grow and succeed,” per itswebsite. The issue here is the Federal Reserve. With theFed raising rates, borrowing costs inherently rise, putting pressure on commercial expansion. At the same time, small-to-medium-sized businesses may seek Stellus’ services to provide an alternative to traditional funding mechanisms. Though fundamentally risky, Gurufocus.com labels SCM asmodestly undervaluedon a financial basis. Also, TipRanks notes that two out of two analysts hold amoderate buy consensus ratingon SCM. Source: Dilok Klaisataporn / Shutterstock If you’ve noticed a decline in the spam or junk mail urging you to acquire this or that cryptocurrency, it’s because the smelly stuff from the sector hit the proverbial fan. With red ink splashed across virtual currency portfolios everywhere, people simply don’t have the sentiment for cryptos. Still, understanding how volatile the sector can be on both sides of the parity fence line, digital assets could make a comeback. And that potentially bolsters the highly risky bullish narrative forMawson Infrastructure Group(NASDAQ:MIGI). According to itswebsite, Mawson provides a “bridge between traditional capital markets and digital assets.” While an intriguing concept, the main issue is that the company could be incredibly dependent on crypto valuations. Yes, it’s true that for the company’s Q2 2022 earnings report, it postednearly $20 million in revenue, up 233% from the year-ago quarter. However, with cryptos in red ink on a YTD basis, Mawson could struggle in the coming quarters. On Penny Stocks and Low-Volume Stocks:With only the rarest exceptions, InvestorPlace does not publish commentary about companies that have a market cap of less than $100 million or trade less than 100,000 shares each day. That’s because these “penny stocks” are frequently the playground for scam artists and market manipulators. If we ever do publish commentary on a low-volume stock that may be affected by our commentary, we demand thatInvestorPlace.com’s writers disclose this fact and warn readers of the risks. Read More: Penny Stocks —How to Profit Without Getting Scammed On the date of publication, Josh Enomotodid not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article.The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines. A former senior business analyst for Sony Electronics, Josh Enomoto has helped broker major contracts with Fortune Global 500 companies. Over the past several years, he has delivered unique, critical insights for the investment markets, as well as various other industries including legal, construction management, and healthcare. • Buy This $5 Stock BEFORE This Apple Project Goes Live • The Best $1 Investment You Can Make Today • Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” • It doesn’t matter if you have $500 or $5 million. Do this now. The postThe 7 Best Micro-Cap Stocks to Buy Nowappeared first onInvestorPlace. || CleanSpark Acquires Plug-in Ready Bitcoin Mining Facility Scalable to 86 Megawatts, or 2.6 EH/s: The new site in Washington, Georgia, currently at 36 megawatts, is expected to add 1.1 EH/s to CleanSpark’s hashrate in current quarter, a 38% increase Aerial view of CleanSpark's new bitcoin mining facility in Washington, GA Internal view of CleanSpark's new bitcoin mining facility in Washington, GA LAS VEGAS, Aug. 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --CleanSpark, Inc.(Nasdaq: CLSK) (the “Company”), America’s Bitcoin Miner™, today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire an active bitcoin mining facility located in Washington, Georgia, for $16.2 million. The Company has also purchased approximately 3,400 of the latest generation Antminer S19 series of machines for approximately $8.9 million. These machines, already operating at the acquired site, will add over 340 petahashes per second (PH/s) of computing power. The Company will fill the balance of the 36 MW with machines already paid for and on hand. The site has exclusive rights to an additional 50 MW of power, making the site scalable to 86 MW. “We are excited to expand our footprint in Georgia,” said Zach Bradford, CleanSpark’s CEO. “The market has been preparing all summer for consolidation, and we are pleased to be on the acquiring side. Our focus on sustainability and maximizing value for our stakeholders have put us in a unique position to take advantage of the unprecedented opportunities that the current market has created. We are especially excited to be working with the citizens of Washington, GA, who have been so welcoming to us. We look forward to maintaining and growing jobs and infrastructure at our new campus in Washington.” The site is CleanSpark’s third clean-energy campus in Georgia, with other locations in College Park and Norcross. It draws power predominantly from low-carbon sources, such as nuclear energy. “We are thrilled to welcome CleanSpark to Washington, Georgia,” said Washington Mayor Bill deGolian. “This partnership will diversify our local industry, create rural technology jobs, expand our electric customer base, and invest in our community. We look forward to a long and prosperous mutual relationship with CleanSpark.” CleanSpark seized on current market conditions to acquire the site from Waha Technologies, a low-carbon bitcoin miner, which includes the mining facility and machines. The majority of the acquired machines are either the Antminer S19 or S19J Pro models, which are among the most power-efficient bitcoin mining machines on the market. The Company expects to close on the transaction within the next 30 days, subject to customary closing conditions. “We started our first bitcoin mining business in Washington, Georgia, because they had idle infrastructure and excess power,” said Chris Bissell, CEO and Cofounder of WAHA Technologies. “We are proud of what we brought to their community and are very excited to pass the baton to CleanSpark, which will elevate the ability to help the City of Washington thrive.” About CleanSpark CleanSpark (NASDAQ: CLSK) is America’s Bitcoin Miner™. Since 2014, we’ve helped people achieve energy independence for their homes and businesses. In 2020, we began applying that expertise to develop sustainable infrastructure for Bitcoin, an essential tool for financial independence and inclusion. We strive to leave the planet better than we found it by sourcing and investing in low-carbon energy, like wind, solar, nuclear, and hydro. We cultivate trust and transparency among our employees, the communities we operate in, and the people around the world who depend on Bitcoin. CleanSpark is a Forbes 2022 America's Best Small Company and holds the 44th spot on the Financial Times' List of the 500 Fastest Growing Companies in the Americas. For more information about CleanSpark, please visit our website atwww.cleanspark.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release may be forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “intends,” “targets,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “forecasts,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release, but are not limited to statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, industry and business trends, business strategy, expansion plans, market growth and our objectives for future operations. The forward-looking statements in this press release are only predictions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: the success of its digital currency mining activities; the volatile and unpredictable cycles in the emerging and evolving industries in which we operate, increasing difficulty rates for bitcoin mining; bitcoin halving; new or additional governmental regulation; the anticipated delivery dates of new miners; the ability to successfully deploy new miners; the dependency on utility rate structures and government incentive programs; dependency on third-party power providers for expansion efforts; the expectations of future revenue growth may not be realized; the impact of global pandemics (including COVID-19) on logistics and shipping and the demand for our products and services; and other risks described in the Company's prior press releases and in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to us as of the date of this press release, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements. You should read this press release with the understanding that our actual future results, performance and achievements may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, whether as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise. Investor Relations ContactMatt Schultz, Executive [email protected] Media ContactsIsaac [email protected] BlocksBridge [email protected] Attachments • Aerial view of CleanSpark's new bitcoin mining facility in Washington, GA • Internal view of CleanSpark's new bitcoin mining facility in Washington, GA CONTACT: Isaac Holyoak CleanSpark, Inc. 702-989-7694 [email protected] || Coinbase CEO Suggests Exchange Won't Censor Transactions on Ethereum: Crypto exchange Coinbase (COIN) would rather quit the Ethereum staking business than censor the network to comply with sanctions, CEO Brian Armstrong suggested in a tweet on Wednesday. On Twitter, Ethereum developer Lefteris Karapetsas asked Coinbase, Kraken and other centralized exchanges what they would do should the U.S. government demand that they comply with sanctions and block transactions related to blacklisted Ethereum addresses. The question has become a hot topic in the crypto community after last week's sanctioning of Tornado Cash , a crypto mixing service. Centralized exchanges are among the biggest validators on Ethereum's proof-of-stake (PoS) chain, which is now in a testing mode but soon will become the main network as the platform's developers are planning to abandon the current proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism. Karapetsas tweeted on Sunday: "If regulators ask you to censor at the #ethereum protocol level with your validators will you: A) Comply and censor at protocol level B) Shut down the staking service and preserve network integrity," Three days later, Armstrong replied : "It's a hypothetical we hopefully won't actually face. But if we did we'd go with B i think. Got to focus on the bigger picture. There may be some better option (C) or a legal challenge as well that could help reach a better outcome." Armstrong also voiced support for Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev who was arrested in the Netherlands last week. The Coinbase CEO tweeted that "no developer should be arrested for publishing open source software, even if that software is used by bad actors.". But whatever he thinks about sanctioning open-source technology, "hopefully obvious point: we will always follow the law," Armstrong said . Read more: Tornado Cash Fallout: Can Ethereum Be Censored? In proof-of-stake blockchains, validators lock up, or stake, their tokens in a smart contract as a guarantee they will behave honestly. For correct validation, they are rewarded with new tokens. If they fail to validate properly, their stake can be "slashed" by the protocol. Story continues Some centralized exchanges, which already hold their users' tokens, also offer to stake clients' ETH for them within a larger staking pool for a share in the staking rewards. Coinbase, for one, will benefit greatly from its staking business after Ethereum switches to PoS, J.P. Morgan said. However, recent efforts by governments to control even decentralized cryptocurrency projects and enforce sanctions, including the Dutch police's arrest of Pertsev, signal a potential hard choice for exchanges: to impose sanctions on the protocol level or forfeit their staking profits. Eric Wall, chief investment officer at Arcane Assets, believes the community must force centralized exchanges to quit staking altogether, before it's too late. "Make Coinbase, Kraken, Bitcoin Suisse etc. understand that complying with OFAC is not an option. It will result in slashed stakes for all their customers and the end of their business. Make them unstake now if they don't plan to uphold censorship resistance," Wall tweeted , referring to the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. || Coinbase Global (COIN) Q2 Earnings Miss on Lower Trading Volume: Coinbase Global COIN reported second-quarter 2022 loss of $4.95 per share, wider than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $3.04. Results also compared unfavorably with the year-ago earnings of $6.42 per share. In the quarter, Coinbase witnessed lower trading volumes in both retail and institutional as the trend of both lower crypto asset prices and volatility that began in late 2021 continued into the second quarter of 2022. Coinbase Global, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Coinbase Global, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Coinbase Global, Inc. Quote Behind the Headline Total revenues came in at $803.3 billion, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 7.9%. The top line dropped 63.8% year over year, reflecting decreases in transaction revenues, subscription and services revenues as well as other revenues. Monthly Transacting Users (MTUs) were 9 million, up 2.3% year over year, driven by higher retail and institutional volume. The trading volume of $217 billion declined 53% year over year, attributable to lower trading volume in both Retail and Institutional. Total trading volume continued to diversify beyond Bitcoin into Ethereum and other crypto assets. Total operating expenses increased 36.9% year over year to $1.9 billion, attributable to an increase in technology and development, general and administrative, restructuring expense and other operating expense. Adjusted EBITDA was a loss of $151 million in the reported quarter, in contrast to $1.2 billion earned in the year-ago quarter. Financial Update As of Jun 30, 2022, cash and cash equivalents were $5.7 billion, down 20.2% from the figure at 2021 end. Total assets were $105.5 billion, up about five-fold from the level at 2021 end. At the end of the second quarter of 2022, the long-term debt of the company was $3.4 billion, up 0.1% from 2021 end. Total shareholders’ equity was $5.8 billion at the end of the reported quarter, down 8.9% from the value on Dec 31, 2021. Cash used in operations was $3.8 billion in the first half of 2022 versus cash from operations of $7.4 million in the year-ago quarter. Story continues Q3 Guidance Coinbase estimates retail MTU and total Trading volume to be lower in third-quarter 2022 compared with second-quarter 2022. Transaction expenses are expected to be in the lower twenties as a percent of net revenues. Sales and marketing expenses are expected to be about $100 million. 2022 Guidance The annual average retail MTU is expected to be between 7 and 9 million. Average transaction revenue per user is estimated at low $20s. Subscription and services revenues are estimated to be more than $600 million. Transaction expenses, as a percentage of revenues, are expected to be in the low 20%. Sales and marketing expenses are expected between $500 and $600 million. Technology & development and general & administrative expenses are projected to be between $4 and $4.25 billion. Zacks Rank Coinbase Global currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Performance of Other Securities and Exchanges Of the industry players that have reported second-quarter results so far, Nasdaq Inc . NDAQ, CME Group CME and MarketAxess Holdings MKTX beat the respective Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings. Nasdaq reported second-quarter 2022 adjusted earnings per share of $2.07, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.91 by 8.4%. The bottom line improved 8.9% year over year. Nasdaq’s revenues of $893 million increased 5.6% year over year. The top line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.1%. The operating margin of 54% remained unchanged year over year. CME Group’s second-quarter 2022 adjusted earnings per share of $1.97 beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.92 and increased 20.1% year over year due to higher clearing and transaction fees and market data and information services. Revenues of $1.2 billion increased 4.9% year over year and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5%. ADV was 23.1 million contracts, including non-U.S. ADV of 6.3 million contracts, led by 40% growth in Latin America, 36% in Asia and 15% in EMEA. This marks the third-highest quarterly average daily volume. MarketAxess’ second-quarter 2022 earnings per share of $1.78 outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.1% and improved 1% year over year. Total revenues of $182 million increased 3% year over year but fell short of the consensus mark by 1.2%. U.S. high-grade trading volume of MarketAxess increased 11% year over year. Emerging markets' trading volume rose 11.5% year over year. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report CME Group Inc. (CME) : Free Stock Analysis Report Nasdaq, Inc. (NDAQ) : Free Stock Analysis Report MarketAxess Holdings Inc. (MKTX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Coinbase Global, Inc. (COIN) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research || Stock market news live updates: Stocks rally to snap three-week losing streak: U.S. stocks extended a broad-based rebound Friday, capping a sell-off that spanned three consecutive weeks. [Click here to read what's moving markets on Monday, Sept. 12] The S&P 500 jumped 1.5%, building on back-to-back sessions of gains, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 377 points, or about 1.2%. Technology stocks led the way up, with the Nasdaq Composite climbing 2.1%. Oil extended a volatile run as prices resumed their climb Friday. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent crude oil futures each rose 4% to $86.88 per barrel and $92.84 per barrel, respectively. In a stark warning to the West on Friday , Russia said efforts to place price caps on the country’s oil and gas exports in sanctioning Russia for its war in Ukraine would fail and “lead to a slippery floor under its own feet.” Meanwhile in cryptocurrency markets, Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) moved above $21,000, just one day after sliding below $19,000. The coin's rally buoyed shares of crypto stocks, including Coinbaise ( COIN ) — up more than 10% — and MicroStrategy ( MSTR ) — climbing nearly 12%. Investors continued to mull remarks made by Federal Reserve Chair Powell at the Cato Institute’s 40th Annual Monetary Conference in Washington D.C. on Thursday. “The Fed has, and accepts, responsibility for price stability,” Powell said, again affirming the U.S. central bank’s commitment to mitigating inflation. “We need to act right now — forthrightly, strongly.” Wall Street is anticipating with increasing certainty that Fed officials will deliver a third consecutive rate hike of 0.75% later this month, with a flurry of institutions raising expectations for the magnitude of increases on the Fed’s benchmark policy rate. Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., September 7, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid (Brendan McDermid / reuters) Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and Nomura have all lifted their forecasts through year end. “In our view, unchanged guidance about when the pace of rate hikes may slow suggests that Chair Powell and the Fed are comfortable with current market pricing,” BofA economists said. Story continues Elsewhere in markets, shares of DocuSign ( DOCU ) rallied 10.5% after the company reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings late Thursday and raised its subscription revenue guidance for the year. Zumiez ( ZUMZ ) shares reversed losses, rising 3.8% even after the retailer posted disappointing Q2 results and downwardly revised its third-quarter sales guidance. CEO Rick Brooks said “inflation weighed on consumer discretionary spending,” putting pressure on the company’s U.S. business. — Alexandra Semenova is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @alexandraandnyc Click here for the latest trending stock tickers of the Yahoo Finance platform Click here for the latest stock market news and in-depth analysis, including events that move stocks Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Download the Yahoo Finance app for Apple or Android Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , Flipboard , LinkedIn , and YouTube [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: down || Prices: 20160.72, 19955.44, 19546.85, 19416.57, 19446.43, 19141.48, 19051.42, 19157.45, 19382.90, 19185.66
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2019-08-27] BTC Price: 10185.50, BTC RSI: 45.16 Gold Price: 1541.00, Gold RSI: 74.68 Oil Price: 54.93, Oil RSI: 48.27 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin’s ‘Kimchi Premium’ Vanishes Again as Trading Range Tightens: The spread between the price of bitcoin on South Korean and U.S.-based crypto exchanges,which returned in June and hit 16-month highs, has disappeared once again. A measure of how much more South Koreans pay for bitcoin, the spread, known colloquially as the “kimchi premium,” has reached remarkable levels, peaking at 54.48 percent in January 2018,according to researchersat the University of Calgary. From then, it dropped and ultimately vanished into early 2019, only to return again recently, running at around 5 to 10 percent. But last week, local newspapers started to notice that bitcoin was back to trading lower in won terms. The Dong-a Ilbo, one of the country’s major publications,reportedon August 5 that bitcoin was priced just 2.15 percent higher in dollar markets than in won on South Korean exchanges. Related:Shinhan Bank Teams With Kakao’s GroundX for Blockchain Security Boost The deficit persists. On August 13, bitcoin was trading onUpbitat 13,678,000 won and quoted on CoinDesk at $11,429.14, which translates to 13,931,951 won, a difference of 253,951 ($208). That’s about 1.8 percent lower. At the end of the day on Tuesday in Korea, the gap had narrowed, but it remained. The Dong-a Ilbo believes that the end of the kimchi premium has something to do with the fall of the Korean won. Since the end of July, the local currency has lost almost 3 percent of its value against the dollar. At the same time, the regulatory environment is becoming more challenging for crypto exchanges in Korea. The banks are starting to more strictly apply AML guidelines and local regulatory requirements,such as real name accounts, while the authorities have recently said they are going todirectly supervisethe markets. The University of Calgary researchers argue in an April 2019 paper that the kimchi premium is largely structural. Transfers between markets can take time, and this makes arbitrage difficult. Related:Korea Prepaid Card Invests in Blockchain Startup Bezant Profiting on the price difference is a risky trade due to the delay and the volatility of the coin, so the volume of these price correcting transactions is often too low to close the gap. The researchers also said that high transaction costs might disincentivize moves between the markets. Exchange controls in Korea, though primarily administrative these days, do add friction and can slow the movement of funds needed to balance the arbitrage trade. The controls also have a way of making bitcoin more attractive to people in Korea, as the coin is transnational in nature and potentially a good vehicle for bypassing the exchange controls, the researchers added in their paper. Korean won image via Shutterstock • South Korea’s SK Group Proposes Blockchain-Based Donation Platform and Two Tokens • Korean Fintechs Are Creating a Blockchain for Trading OTC Securities || Parabolic Bitcoin Headed for $30,000, Predicts Morgan Creek CEO: Thebitcoinprice is once again trading above the $12,000 level, and the current market cycle could take the price to a new all-time high. Morgan Creek Capital Management CEO Mark Yusko was featured on CNBC, where he emphasized that bitcoin is the best-performing asset since October 2018 by a long shot. "I think we're in the next parabolic move. That will take us probably into the $30,000 level before we get another little correction." He points out that the bitcoin price has soared 70 percent since October 2018, while the stock market over the same period is about flat with those levels. Yusko, who previously ran an endowment fund, didn't stop there, suggesting that bitcoin's "path to $100,000 by 2021 is really quite easy to draw out." That's about a 733 percent increase over the next couple of years, which is unheard of in other asset classes. Yusko's bullish price prediction is not even the most aggressive one out there, with billionaire venture capitalistTim Draperattaching a $250,000 price target on the biggest cryptocurrency in the next few years.Draper expectsthat at the pace that engineers are currently working on bitcoin's scalability issues, the leading crypto could be used instead of the dollar for everyday purchases in as little as two years. Bitcoin has been looking attractive from both a fundamental and technical perspective, with catalysts such as institutional adoption and price momentum helping to fuel the gains. Crypto could also be benefitting from the slowing global economy, the uncertainty of which stands to drive investors into the arms of bitcoin. Read the full story on CCN.com. || How crypto heavyweights including Ripple and Circle pulled in $781 million using a little-known crypto funding tool: Major crypto companies including Coinbase, Kraken and Shapeshift have been using a little-known investment platform called “Bnk to the Future” to raise hundreds of millions of dollars from investors—without having to limit themselves to the regulatory morass of the US market. The platform, which counts Richard Branson among its early sponsors, has brought extraordinary dividends—to some. In total, the some 90 companies listed on the platform have collectively pulled in $781 million, according to the Bnk’swebsite. Looking through the funds generated by the firms using the platform, one can even get a glimpse of how these companies might one day be evaluated on the regular market—if it ever comes to that. Crypto exchange Kraken, for instance, which began to sell shares on May 20 this year, with a minimum investment of $1,000, has already pulled in £10.8 million ($13.49 million), from 2201 investors, out of a speculative total of £12.4 million ($15.59 million). In 2017, 367 investors bought up £43 million ($53.71 million) worth of shares in Bitfinex; beating the goal of £40.1 million ($50.08 million). Then there was ShapeShift, another large exchange, which pocketed £8.2 million ($10.24 million) from a mere 39 investors, as part of its series A round in 2017, hitting its target squarely. Below are several more (it wasn’t always clear how many investors pitched in or on which dates, and, confusingly, in some cases the total funds raised includes investors unrelated to the Bnk): • BitPay raised a modest £107,000 ($133,000), with a goal of the same, from one investor. • Bitcoin credit card company Wirex raised £130,000 ($162,000), with a goal of £250,000 ($312,000), from 88 investors. • Crypto gift card company BitRefill raised £1.6 million ($2 million), with a goal of around £700,000 ($874,000), from 134 investors. • Cross border payments startup Ripple raised £875,000 ($1.1 million), with a goal of the same, from 46 investors. • Crypto payments company Circle raised £723,000 ($903,000), with a goal of the same, from 57 investors. • Crypto investment platform Coinbase raised £441,000 ($550,000) from 56 investors. • Crypto investment platform Abra raised £9.6 million ($11.9 million), with a goal of £9.6 million, from 140 investors. The way the platform works is unique, and elaborate. Bnk to the Future, which is registered in the Cayman Islands, acts as broker between investor and investee. But the investors don’t buy into the companies themselves—rather, the Bnk sets up highly specialized, narrowly focused “special purpose vehicles,” or SPVs, which stand as surrogates for and sell equity on behalf of the companies they represent. Investors can buy shares in these vehicles, with the Bnk handling the raises themselves. SPVs are registered offshore, also in the Cayman Islands, which shields the firms from regulatory constraints faced elsewhere. Though any investor in an SPV must comply with the investment laws of his own country—US-based investors will still have to be accredited, for instance—outsourcing fundraising to an offshore company opens the scope of the raise to a global market. Funds are even raised in multiple currencies, according to one person familiar with how the system works. According to Bnk to the Future CEO Simon Dixon, the Bnk then makes money by functioning as a typical broker, taking five percent of investors’ dividends and exit proceeds, and another five percent of funds “raised to the issuing company.” The majority seem satisfied with Bnk to the Future’s services. Sergej Kotliar, a spokesman at Bitrefill, extolled the platform in the same way one would an ICO—it lets the rabble invest. “We have many thousands of customers and superfans all over the world that appreciate what we do,” he said. “BTTF lets them invest in the round while removing the administrative burden that many small checks would have caused otherwise.” Having users as investors, he added, brings an immediacy and understanding of the product that venture capitalists are sorely lacking. “They likely appreciate the value that we bring more than someone who just heard our pitch,” he said. Others have fared worse, however. A source at a company that managed to raise a whopping $0 toldDecryptthat he had expected a “deep pool” of investors to turn up, based on previously successful sales touted by the platform, but was disappointed. He adds, however, that, “whatever challenges we had fundraising were not limited to Bnk to the Future. Fundraising was never easy.” On the investor side, investing with the Bnk comes with its own risks. SPVs allow financial controllers to “mask crucial information from investors who may not be aware of a company’s complete financial situation,” according to Investopedia, which noted that the notorious energy company Enron misused an SPV to catastrophic effect. And despite its mantra of inclusivity, the Bnk’s compliance with regulation inevitably narrows the pool of possible investors. Though many of the offerings are advertised as serving a hitherto unqualified demographic—Kraken pitched its $1,000 offering as a rare bargain—accredited investment restrictions apply depending on where the investors are based. A US-based investor, for instance, would need a net worth exceeding £1 million, or an income exceeding $200,000, to buy into Kraken’s sale. Bitrefill, meanwhile, excluded US investors outright—“that required a special contract with a US broker dealer,” said Kotliar. Still, with $781 million raised so far, companies unwilling to risk the US regulatory waters are laughing their way to the Bnk. || Japan Creates Working Group to Discuss Facebook Libra Ahead of G7 Meeting: Japan has set up a working group to examine the issues raised by the potential launch of Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency project. The group, which started meeting last week, comprises the nation’s central bank, the Ministry of Finance and the Financial Services Agency, a top finance regulator, Reuters reported on Saturday. The agencies will use the opportunity to discuss the potential ramifications of Libra on fiscal policy, financial regulation, tax and payments ahead of a meeting of the G7 nations’ finance chiefs on July 17-18 in Chantilly, France, the report said. Related: UK Announces ‘Dirty Money’ Crackdown, Including Tougher Crypto Regime With France – which currently holds the G7 presidency– having already moved to set up a task force to look at cryptocurrencies including Libra, the coming meeting will put the issue high on the agenda. When the task force formation was announced in late June, Francois Villeroy de Galhau, governor of the French central bank, said the body would be led by European Central Bank board member Benoit Coeure and would examine at how cryptocurrencies are regulated to avoid money laundering and other problems. However, Facebook’s crypto was criticized by France’s foreign minister, Bruno Le Maire, last month over concerns that Libra might grow to replace traditional currencies. At the time, he called for the G7 central bank governors to draw up a report on Facebook’s project for the July meeting. “It is out of question’’ that Libra be allowed “become a sovereign currency,” Le Maire said at the time. “It can’t and it must not happen.” Related: Hacked Crypto Exchange Bitpoint Discovers More Millions Are Missing Coeure is expected to present a preliminary report on the matter at the Chantilly meeting, Reuters said. Facebook is also facing heavy scrutiny in the U.S. this week as two congressional committees are holding hearings to question Facebook over the Libra project, amid calls from lawmakers in the nation to freeze the project until more can be determined about its potential benefits and risks. Story continues In characteristic style, President Donald Trump also slated the project in tweets last week. Trump said Libra “will have little standing or dependability” and suggested should apply for a banking license and comply with relevant rules if its aim is to become a bank. More generally, the president also tweeted he is “not a fan” of cryptocurrencies, adding that they are “not money.” Japanese Ministry of Finance image via Shutterstock Related Stories US May Bar Large Tech Firms From Issuing Cryptocurrencies US President Donald Trump Says He’s ‘Not a Fan’ of Bitcoin || The price of Bitcoin boosts towards $11,000: The price ofBitcoinis currently $10,700, up three percent for the day. The past week has been a typically volatile time for Bitcoin, which has seen its value fluctuate between as high as $11,300 and as low as $9,650 amidst an uneasy market. Recently it had fallen below the $10,000 mark a number of times. But it is now starting to crawl back up towards $11,000. This has been largely helped by thenews of Bakktgearing up for launch on September 23. Widely seen as a bullish sign for Bitcoin,Bakktwill allow institutional investors to invest in Bitcoin with its physically delivered futures product—while staying compliant with the law. Additionally, e-commerce giant Rakuten today revealed it hasreleaseda mobile app for tradingBitcoin,EthereumandBitcoin Cash. This is the first step of a bigger move into the crypto industry. Bitcoin's growth has also had a knock-on effect on the rest of the market, which is also largely in the green. As it stands, XRP is currently leading the pack with four percent growth in the last 24 hours, while Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash andLitecoinhave all seen gains of up to two percent. || Bitcoin’s Energy Use Isn’t Crazy, Rivals Switzerland’s Power Consumption: The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance has released an index of sorts devoted to macro data about Bitcoin, and it's not as bad as many people think. | Source: Shutterstock The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance has released an index of sorts devoted to macro data about Bitcoin , all of it relating to electricity consumption. China and the U.S. rank No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, for annual electricity consumption. Bitcoin is ranked No. 43. | Source: University of Cambridge Tree Huggers Take Solace Historically, one great objection to Bitcoin has been its perceived large-scale energy consumption . Some question the logic of building out an entirely new system when the existing one appears to work. That Bitcoin effectively uses more energy than some small countries just 10 years into its development may be worrisome to certain mindsets. From the data provided, two things become immediately evident. One, the world does not produce enough energy – and we could fit a few more modern countries. From a macro scale, it appears Bitcoin will be one of those countries unto itself. The distribution of electricity is not unlike the distribution of wealth, on a global scale, meaning that people in advanced countries may have a significant advantage over others. Read the full story on CCN.com . || Bitcoin Price Recovers 20% to Break $11,000; Pullback Done, Huge Rally Next?: Within a week, from June 26 to July 2, thebitcoin pricefell from $13,868 to $9,651, recording a 30 percent pullback against the U.S. dollar. Technical analysts have expressed optimism towards the swift recovery of bitcoin from a large pullback as the dominant crypto asset hasshowna change in trend within a short time frame. According to Josh Rager, a cryptocurrency technical analyst, when the bitcoin price experiences a steep correction, it is often followed by a major rally. Ragersaid: BTC has just hit over 20% gain in less than 24 hours Looking extremely bullish and could be heading towards $11,760 (1 day resistance) Wanting to go to sleep but it’s hard to rest when Bitcoin crushes resistance after resistance on lower time frames. || Bitcoin price sees largest spike ever in Argentina following market crash: Argentina is in crisis—and while its economy languishes,Bitcoinis having itself a moment. Late Sunday night, Argentine President Mauricio Macri suffered anunexpected defeatin a primary election at the hands of his populist nemesis Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. The abrupt turn of events caused the Argentine peso to tank, falling around 45 percent overnight. Meanwhile, however, the price of Bitcoin in Argentina has shown asimilarly surprising movement—in the opposite direction. Bitcoin reached a premium of nearly $12,500 per BTC in the country on Monday, according to data fromLocalBitcoins.com. BTC trading on local exchanges also showed similar behavior, going from 515,000 Argentine pesos per bitcoin to 640,000 pesos in a few hours. By contrast, BTC remained below 550,000 Argentine pesos the previous week, and was hovering around below 525,000 pesos on Saturday. This spike in the price of Bitcoin in Argentina took place within a matter of hours. It appears that the sharp drop in the relative purchasing power of the Argentine peso may have led several locals to turn their attention to cryptocurrencies as a way of protecting themselves against rising inflation. Sunday's electoral results could be viewed, then, as the drop that spilled the glass. Of course, the FUD surrounding the Argentine economy didn’t just manifest itself within the local crypto scene. Argentina's stock market suffered its worst drop in its history, plunging more than 37 percent. This drop in the market, however, is potentially a positive sign for crypto adoption in the region—as digital currency presents an opportunity for locals to hedge against financial calamities. Like Argentina, other countries in crisis, such as Venezuela, also have significant volumes of local Bitcoin trading. "The truth is that here, Bitcoin is better than gold, silver, or any other good. It's easier to sell and trade," said Alfonso, an active LocalBitcoins andPaxful user in Argentina, who preferred to withhold his last name. He said that a significant number of users do not even feel the need to trade on exchanges or even online, as there are Telegram and WhatsApp groups that make the process "less complicated." However, not everyone agrees: "The common citizen [in Argentina] has never heard of bitcoin; [and] the educated citizen has, but is not exposed," said Alex Krüger, an experienced trader and economist. In general, "Argentines do not care much about bitcoin,” he said. “Penetration isextremelylow." Krüger believes the rise of Bitcoin is not caused by migration to crypto but rather a devaluation of the local fiat currency, adding that this is just "the beginning of a real trend, driven by justified panic." Still, the relative ease-of-trading of cryptocurrencies could potentially help Argentines protect themselves from the damage caused by years of misguided monetary policy. Although Kruger believes that the crisis is inevitable, Bitcoin appears to be providing at leastsomeArgentines with a measure of hope in the face of a very bleak economic outlook. || Enjin Coin becomes first utility token listed on SCX: The Swiss Crypto Exchange (SCX) – the first regulated exchange in Switzerland for cryptocurrency and blockchain products – has announced the listing of Enjin Coin (ENJ). Enjin Coin is the first utility token to be listed on the platform. According to a press release on SCX’s website, the Swiss exchange is led by a “veteran team” of financial industry experts with “executive tenure” at Goldman Sachs. The exchange claims to provide a “secure, regulated environment” for accessing cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, as well as utility tokens such as Enjin Coin. SCX recently announced a partnership with a FINMA-regulated Swiss bank with a client base of more than 140,000. The exchange claims that all these clients now have access to Enjin Coin through the SCX platform. FINMA is the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority and is the government body responsible for financial regulation in Switzerland. Through the partnership, the bank’s users can opt-in to SCX and have instant access to trade Swiss francs and euros against Bitcoin and Ethereum. Users will also be able to trade crypto-to-crypto. Enjin CEO Maxim Blagov said: “It’s very exciting to see respected institutions like SCX moving to deliver more transparency and security to people who may have been previously wary of the cryptocurrency market.” “By highlighting trusted cryptocurrencies with tangible adoption prospects, SCX is boosting confidence in the blockchain movement and ensuring projects like Enjin can continue to deliver innovation after innovation for many years to come.” Interested in reading more Enjin-related stories? Discover more about its plans for the blockchain gaming Multiverse in Coin Rivet’s interview with Enjin co-founder and CTO Witek Radomski. The post Enjin Coin becomes first utility token listed on SCX appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Roger Ver Steps Into Chairman Role as Bitcoin.com Adds New CEO: Stefan Rust has replaced Roger Ver as CEO ofBitcoin.com. Longtime CEO and Bitcoin Cash leaderVeris now the Executive Chairman of Bitcoin.com, according to arelease. Ver wasCEOsince 2016. Rust joined Bitcoin.com six months prior to his appointment as Global Head of Corporate and Business Development. Before joining the website, Rust founded Exicon, a marketing automation platform. Related:Judge Rules for Roger Ver in Craig Wright Libel Lawsuit Ver and Rust intend to co-lead Bitcoin.com. Typically, executive chairmen operate in an oversight role for financials and company direction. Information on the former CEO’s new role in the company has not been disclosed, however. Ver and Rustvia Bitcoin.com “I’m hugely excited to take on the role of CEO working alongside Roger. Together we can now turbocharge the awesome team and great brand that is Bitcoin.com,” Rust said. “It’s going to be a wild ride, so don’t miss it!” Related:Craig Wright’s Wife Could Testify Under Oath in Ongoing Kleiman Trial A United Kingdom court struck down a recentlibelsuit against Roger Ver by Bitcoin SV proponent Craig Wright. Wright alleged Ver libelled him in a mid-April video saying he was not pseudo-anonymous bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto. The judge found little evidence to corroborate Wright’s claim of reputational damages. Ver did not respond to a request for comment by press time. Image via CoinDesk archives • Crypto Genius or Fake? The Craig Wright Saga Explained • Monarch Unveils a Marketplace and Crypto Trading Platform [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] The Bitcoin Blockchain Visualized in 3D https://t.co/Efw3zGKMKd (https://t.co/n49d8cuRJ7) || $EPAZ's Bitcoin Sharing &amp; Blockchain Social Media App Webbeeo Is In Alpha Testing Phase https://www.owltmarket || $EPAZ's Bitcoin Sharing &amp; Blockchain Social Media App Webbeeo Is In Alpha Testing Phase https://www.owltmarket || @PlamenDobrev I don’t think every BTC move requires a narrative. || Bakkt launch bears good news for Bitcoin’s price and regulation https://t.co/AIjNg9tWv5 https://t.co/Wx3VMq2JC4 || @APompliano Long Bitcoin Short Banks || @Mattbrais @thomasshearer77 @TeamSatoshi @dfuhriman I deposit fiat for free, convert to Bitcoin at 0.16% fee. Even ATMs charge under 10% fee for conversion and withdrawal in fiat. So there are much cheaper options which the OP chose not to use. Probably to push the most negative narrative he could think of. || $EPAZ's Bitcoin Sharing &amp; Blockchain Social Media App Webbeeo Is In Alpha Testing Phase https://www.owltmarket || $EPAZ's Bitcoin Sharing &amp; Blockchain Social Media App Webbeeo Is In Alpha Testing Phase https://www.owltmarket || A $XMR is worth 0.00796698 BTC
Trend: up || Prices: 9754.42, 9510.20, 9598.17, 9630.66, 9757.97, 10346.76, 10623.54, 10594.49, 10575.53, 10353.30
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2018-09-07] BTC Price: 6467.07, BTC RSI: 40.44 Gold Price: 1193.60, Gold RSI: 42.66 Oil Price: 67.75, Oil RSI: 46.16 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Uber Co-Founder and E*Trade Alum Launch No-Fee Cryptocurrency Trading: More competition is coming to the commission-free cryptocurrency trading market. Voyager, a startup backed by an Uber co-founder as well as an early investor in the ride-hailing company, revealed plans Wednesday to offer no-fee trades of at least 15 different cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum and others. The company will function as a sort of aggregation engine for cryptocurrency prices across more than a dozen trading venues, allowing customers to buy and sell Bitcoin and other digital assets at the best value available among them. By waiving commission fees—the bread and butter of most cryptocurrency trading businesses—Voyager expects to compete with Robinhood, the stock trading app that also currently provideszero-free tradingof five cryptocurrencies. “We saw an opportunity to build a dynamic smart order router that can take advantage of the marketplace and also offer customers no commissions,” Voyager CEO Stephen Ehrlich tellsFortune. In lieu of trading fees, Voyager will make up the difference in revenue “by beating the average price of the coins at the point in time we execute the trade.” By simultaneously connecting to and showing prices from 10 cryptocurrency exchanges plus three additional market makers—including those based in the U.S. as well as abroad—Voyager believes it can consistently execute buy and sell orders at better prices than customers would often get by just visiting one exchange, such as Coinbase or Binance. “Sometimes you go to trade on a certain exchange, but there’s no liquidity there,” explains Ehrlich, the former CEO and founder of retail brokerage Lightspeed Financial who also previously ran the professional trading arm of online stock brokerE*Tradeafter Lightspeed acquired it. Ehrlich says he became interested in cryptocurrency about a year ago, and now plans to bring his experience catering to both individual and professional investors in the traditional equity market to the crypto industry. The startup’s other co-founders include Oscar Salazar, the founding architect and chief technology officer of Uber, who serves as Voyager’s main tech advisor as well as an investor in the company, which has so far raised “”significant capital” from only friends and family, Ehrlich says. Gaspard de Dreuzy, Voyager’s chief product officer, and board chairman Philip Eytan, an early Uber investor, are also co-founders. Voyager is entering beta testing later this week, and aims to release its no-commission mobile trading app to the public by the end of October. It also plans to offer additional functionality for hedge funds and other institutional investors, as well as cryptocurrency news and analysis features in its mobile app to help regular investors make buying and selling decisions. While the list of 15 digital currencies Voyager will trade is still being finalized, it will include the lion’s share of the top 25 most valuable cryptos on the market today, as listed byCoinmarketcap.com, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum Classic and others. “If you see it being traded today by some of the most prominent players, we will definitely have those plus some,” says Ehrlich, adding that Voyager is “leaning towards” listing certain other major cryptocurrencies, such as XRP and Stellar Lumens (whichare not listed by major U.S. exchanges like Coinbase and Circle), but first must ensure that they can be stored securely. The rollout of Voyager’s free trading product will be gradual, as it secures the necessary state licenses in the U.S. It currently is approved in a handful of states including California, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Montana. It also has applications pending with regulators in other states such as New York (where a so-calledBitLicense is requiredfor cryptocurrency exchanges to do business), with a goal of operating in at least 40 U.S. states. While Robinhood currentlydominates in no-fee crypto trading, after launching the product earlier this year with ambitions to take on Coinbase as the market leader, Ehrlich believes there’s still room for Voyager to flourish, in part by offering a greater selection of crypto assets as well as additional services to help investors get comfortable trading cryptocurrencies for the first time. “We don’t think crypto has been adopted yet by the masses in the United States,” he says. “I believe the market space itself is extremely large…We think the opportunity for both retail and institutional is vast, and we want to be part of that, and help the industry grow, and be good citizens to the industry, and help people get more knowledgeable in crypto assets.” || Tom Lee: Bitcoin to Hit $20k in 2018 Despite Struggle of Emerging Markets: Fundstrat’s Tom Lee, a Bitcoin permabull known for his optimistic price targets for the dominant cryptocurrency, has said that Bitcoin will likely end the year explosively higher possibly at $20,000. In an interview with CNBC, Lee stated that over the past year, Bitcoin, which has failed to show a correlation with the broader financial market and traditional assets like gold, has demonstrated a similar mid-term price movement as emerging markets. Specifically, Lee discussed emerging markets ETFs like iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index ETF, which enables investors to allocate funds into a diverse portfolio of assets and stocks in developing markets and regions. “Both really essentially peaked early this year, and they both have been in a downward trend. Until emerging markets begin to turn, I think in some ways that correlation is going to hold and tell us that sort of the risk on mentality is those buyers aren’t buying bitcoin,”saidLee. Lee suggested that the strong performance of assets and ETFs based on emerging markets will likely lead to the increase in the price of Bitcoin, given the correlation between the two dating back to early 2017. The conflict between the US and Turkey, Iran, China, and other countries could lead to a decline in the value of the US dollar, especially if the Federal Reserve slows its interest rate hike policy, and that could also contribute to an increase in the price of Bitcoin, Lee explained. He added: “So why do we think they’re connected? Well, there is two factors. The first is hedge funds — see hedge funds typically rent emerging market stocks. So they do risk-on, risk-off. So when they’re risk-off, Bitcoin also suffers because they are risk off. The second reason has to do with wealth effect. Wealth effect means that if you are living in an emerging market, and you see your stock market fall hugely, that you will have a lot less money to buy Bitcoin.” Last week, CCN reported that Germanyofficially proposedthe development of a global financial system outside of the control of the US, due to the intensifying conflict between the US and Iran. Heiko Maas, German foreign minister serving in the fourth cabinet of Angela Merkel since March of this year, said: “For that reason it’s essential that we strengthen European autonomy by establishing payment channels that are independent of the US, creating a European Monetary Fund and building up an independent Swift system.” Kim Dotcom, a German-Finnish entrepreneur said that considering the announcement of Germany is the first call for an independent financial system in the European finance sector, if Germany pursues its agenda, the value of the US dollar will likely fall, leading to the rise in the price of Bitcoin. Still, despite the weak performance of emerging market ETFs, Lee expects the price of Bitcoin to surpass $20,000 by the end of 2018, expecting a large rally like the December price movement of Bitcoin in 2017. If emerging markets recover by the year’s end and developments in the global finance industry gear towards the devaluation of the US dollar, Lee believes the price of Bitcoin will experience an explosive movement before December. Featured image from Shutterstock. The postTom Lee: Bitcoin to Hit $20k in 2018 Despite Struggle of Emerging Marketsappeared first onCCN. || Italy ETF Strengthens on Relief Rally in Debt Market: This article was originally published on ETFTrends.com. Italy ETFs were among the few areas of strength in international markets Tuesday after the Italian debt market gained and yields declined from four year highs in response to Fitch Ratings decision to leave the country's credit rating unchanged. On Tuesday, the iShares MSCI Italy Capped ETF ( EWI ) rose 1.3%. Italian bond yields dipped after Fitch left its credit rating unchanged at BBB but revised its outlook to negative, Reuters reports. Yields on benchmark 10-year Italian Generic Government bonds dropped 14 basis points to 3.02% on Tuesday, compared to around 3.23% at the end of last week. Yields on Italy's bonds surged to their highest level since August 2014 at the end of last week on concerns over the country's fall budget. The recent move helped trigger buying of Italian government debt after the sell-off. While Fitch maintained its triple-B credit rating for Italy, the ratings agency issued a warning over the populist government’s “new and untested nature” and its promises to hike spending. “Italy is benefitting from only the downgrade of the outlook, which was already priced in, though some investors may have expected a one notch downgrade,” Daniel Lenz, rates strategist at DZ Bank, told Reuters. Italy is not out of the woods yet Nevertheless, some analysts warn that Italy is not out of the woods yet. The conflicting statements from senior officials over Italy’s commitment to the European Union's budget restrictions has kept investors on edge and the ongoing emerging market currency woes continue to pressure the international outlook. “I’m still 100 percent sure the good start will remain,” Lenz added. “We’re already seeing pressure on the (Turkish) lira and expect risk aversion will increase.” On Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio promised to follow the party’s main campaign pledge of universal income for the poor, which add further pressure on the budget deficit. Story continues For more information on global markets, visit our global ETFs category . POPULAR ARTICLES FROM ETFTRENDS.COM Berkshire Hathaway Makes First Direct Investment in India BlackRock Seeking to Disrupt ETFs by Rethinking Sector Classifications Kevin O’Leary on Choosing to Rent or Buy a House SEC Still Holds Concerns Over Bitcoin Before Approving ETFs How to Achieve The Perfect Retirement READ MORE AT ETFTRENDS.COM > || GBP/JPY Price Forecast – British pound climbs against Japanese yen: The British pound has rallied against the Japanese yen, extending to the ¥148.50 level. The market looks likely to extend the run higher, but we are getting a bit overdone so I would anticipate some type of pullback to offer value for those who are patient enough to accept it. I would not jump in right here, but I do believe that eventually the market will go looking towards the ¥150 level. Above there, then the market becomes more of a “buy-and-hold market.” Remember that this market is a bit overextended, so again I believe that we will get an opportunity to pick up this market at a better price. You should also remember that is highly sensitive to global risk appetite, which of course is something that a lot of people are concerned about right now. Headlines will move the market, and quite frankly we need some type of shock to pull the thing back so that we can pick up the pieces on the drop. The ¥150 level above is crucial for the longer-term health of this pair, and I believe that with the lack of monetary tightening coming out of Japan over the foreseeable future, it does make sense of this market goes higher. Another thing that could help is if the conversations between Teresa May and other members of her party and Great Britain become more cordial. GBP/JPY  Video 13.07.18 This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Gold Weekly Price Forecast – Gold markets struggle during the week S&P 500 Price Forecast – S&P 500 continues to find resiliency Despite Reports of Higher Inflation, Treasury Yields Finish Week Flat Amid Consumer Sentiment Concerns EUR/USD Forex Technical Analysis – Bullish Over 1.1680, Bearish Under 1.1675 Bitcoin – Good News is Bad News and That’s Bad for Bitcoin USD/JPY Weekly Price Forecast – US dollar explodes to upside for the week || PBoC’s Digital Currency Unit Opens Research Center in Eastern China: The People Bank of China (PBoC) has accelerated its efforts to promote financial technologies such as blockchain by opening a new research center in Nanjing. The bank’s blockchain front, known asDigital Currency Research Lab, enters the capital city of Eastern Jiangsu Province with a promise to develop finance technologies in partnership with the municipal government. The tools designed in the new facility would power several Jiangsu’s financial and academic institutions, including PBoC’s Jiangsu branch, the Bank of Jiangsu and the University of Nanjing, in their respective FinTech pilot projects. A local news outletreportedthat PBoC is looking to create an economic link between various government entities from politics, manufacturing, research and development, education and whatnot. The Nanjing center would merely allow the Chinese central bank to integrate the government departments, high-tech parks, financial institutions, universities, research institutes, and research and development enterprises into one immutable thread of data sharing – which could mean an extensive deployment of the blockchain technology. The R&D park would also interest researchers from data, mobile, internet and – most importantly – the Artificial Intelligence sector. The goal would be to create viable counterpoints between different technologies for the benefit of PBoC-led government agencies. China was among the first countries to refute Bitcoin and yet rest its national digital currency plans on the foundation of Bitcoin’s underlying technology. The Nanjing FinTech center is also going to push the PBoC’s agenda by testing the digital Yuan prototype before its potential deployment across the nation. The Digital Currency Research Lab has already established a wholly owned branch in the southern city of Shenzen – called Shenzhen Fintech Limited – with a kickstart capital of around $300,000. Like Nanjing, the Schenzen R&D lab has also partnered with its municipal government with an aim to deploy its blockchain tools across the local financial and academy institutions. The lab has filed more than 40 patents related to the development of centralized digital currency already, to project China as a global leader in blockchain development. As per the local media reports, most of these patents focus on loans interest rate management, exchanges, and wallet systems. Nanjing, though behind Schenzen, could only further the research by accelerating the systematic preparation for the Chinese digital currency. PBoC, however, does not have any official launch date of their digital Yuan. Featured image from Shutterstock. The postPBoC’s Digital Currency Unit Opens Research Center in Eastern Chinaappeared first onCCN. || How two car hackers plan to keep GM's self-driving cars safe: LAS VEGAS—Two famed car hackers have a plan to stop people like them from compromising the vehicles of their new employer — and, as outlined ina presentation Thursday afternoonat theBlack Hat USA security conferencehere, it involves security addition through subtraction. Charlie MillerandChris Valasek, both now working as security architects at the GM (GM) subsidiaryCruise Automation, explained how removing such standard car features as Bluetooth, the radio and even the traditional notion of ownership will help them craft self-driving vehicles that don’t easily let a hacker remotely grab the wheel. That approach is grounded firmly in basic information-security principles. But in relying on the plans of the companyGM bought in 2016to offer self-driving vehicles as a for-hire service like Uber or Lyft instead of as a product people buy, this safety architecture also cuts against a century’s worth of auto-industry practice. The duo outlined the complexity of networked gear in an autonomous vehicle, from the array of cameras, radar and LIDAR sensors to computing hardware needed to process those inputs—in Valasek’s words, “a supercomputer in the trunk that would be more fit for Bitcoin mining.” Then they explained how hackers have been able to worm in through cracks opened up by that complexity. * In 2011,researchers at the University of Washington and the University of CaliforniaSan Diegotook over a Chevy Impala, first by exploiting a vulnerability in its Bluetooth software and then by calling its OnStar cellular radio and playing a special sequence of tones. * In 2015, Miller and Valasek gained control of a Jeep Cherokee by reprogramming its vehicle-control systems over the internet.This attackcould have been written to spread from vehicle to vehicle — a possibility that led Miller and Valasek to not-so-humble-brag, “Damn, that was baller,” inthe report they posted after their talk. Fiat Chrysler wound uprecalling 1.4 million vehiclesto fix the flaw. * In 2016, the Chinese software giant Tencent’s Keen Security Lab hacked into a Tesla (TSLA) Model S byexploiting vulnerabilities in its dashboard web browser and onboard WiFi. In 2018, the same lab showed how tocompromise a BMW i3 through such routes as its cellular connection. At that point, the two speakers moved to offer some reassurance. “Chris and Charlie are here to tell you that we’re not screwed,” Valasek said. Their plan forthe autonomous vehicles coming from Cruise, based on theChevy Bolt electric car, starts with a simple premise: Remove the systems that opened up those other vehicles to remote attacks. Bluetooth? Forget it — the car is driving itself, so you don’t need hands-free calling. The radio? You’ll listen to your phone anyway. And that fancy touchscreen hardwired into the dashboard doesn’t need to exist either, not when the passengers can interact with the car via a stripped-down, locked-down tablet. “If you don’t need something, take it out,” Valasek said. It’s Security 101 to reduce a device’s“attack surface” — the parts that respond to outside inputs, and which an adversary could therefore try to exploit. But it hasn’t always been Connected Car 101. Miller’s and Valasek’s formula also includes a healthy dose of paranoia. Their design calls for the car to refuse any inbound connections — no data will come to the vehicle unless it asks for it first. And much as in thelocked-down frameworkApple (AAPL) built for the iOS software inside iPhones and iPads, this autonomous-vehicle system will digitally sign and verify code at all levels, with messages from one component to another encrypted whenever possible. Miller noted one possible speed bump: The wired networking in many cars is too old to support that encryption. “The components in cars are just so far behind,” he complained. If this level of security by design sounds like something worth paying extra for — sorry, you can’t. Cruise Automation will run only as a ride-hailing service, like an Uber or Lyft but devoid of life forms in the driver’s seat. That solves the issue of how you sell a car without a radio or Bluetooth: You don’t have to. It also offers a route around a huge problem with connected devices in general: ensuring that they keep getting updates after a vendor has taken the customer’s money. “You don’t have to design a car that you’re going to sell to somebody and maybe never see again,” Miller said. And because Cruise cars will return to a garage for servicing every night, the company doesn’t have to worry about delivering updates over the air; a technician can plug a flash drive into a hidden port to install each one. GM isn’t the only company working on an autonomous ride-hailing service. TheWaymosubsidiary of Google parent Alphabet, Inc., (GOOG,GOOGL), for instance, will also sellself-driving-car transportation as a service. The car industry isn’t all taking the same road to autonomous driving, though. Partial-autonomy projects asTesla’s Autopilotor theSuper Cruise option on some Cadillacsboth assume individual purchase of cars and continued human operation in some scenarios — meaning stripping out the radio or Bluetooth isn’t an option. Riding in a car more resistant to hacking than competitors may make you feel a little more safe. As Miller said during a press Q&A after the talk, “We’re going to make it so hard that they’re going to want to hack something else.” However, Cruise’s cars will still have to share the same roads as everybody else’s. Read more: Microsoft argues facial-recognition tech could violate your rights Why the Sprint and T-Mobile merger could be good for you Apple’s Safari has dropped the ball on security EmailRobat [email protected]; follow him on Twitter at@robpegoraro. || Bitcoin Price Headed to $500,000 in Six Years: Hedge Fund Mgr.: The year is more than halfway over, but hedge fund manager Mark Yusko isn’t backing down from his prediction that the bitcoin price will reach a new all-time high in 2018, the first rumble of a moonshot that will see the flagship cryptocurrency crack the six-figure threshold in less than a decade. Writing on Twitter, Mark Yusko, the founder of North Carolina-based Morgan Creek Capital Management, said that he is sticking by his year-end price target of $25,000. Yusko originally made this prediction in April, adding that he expects bitcoin to march to $75,000 by 2020, $200,000 by 2022, and ultimately eclipse $500,000 by the end of 2024. Last October, Yusko predicted that the bitcoin price could one dayreach $1 millionper coin, though he said that he did not expect BTC to hit this milestone for at least a decade. Such predictions rank Yusko among the most optimistic of bitcoin bulls, but he says his targets are justified due to the power of the “network effect” — the theory that a communications network becomes increasingly valuable as it onboards more users. As CCNreported, the bitcoin price tumbled below $8,000 last Thursday after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) denied the Winklevoss twins’ second attempt at listing a bitcoin ETF on a regulated exchange. Though the ruling was not a blanket decision on all cryptocurrency ETFs, the reasoning behind the agency’s decision cast significant doubt on whether it will approve any other bitcoin funds in the near future. Despite this downward pressure, bitcoin managed to fight its way back above $8,000 and spent the majority of the weekend trading near $8,200. Commenting on bitcoin’s recent price movements, Yusko said that daily fluctuations are “just noise” because “all that matters is securing ownership of the [Bitcoin] Network.” Earlier this year, Morgan Creek Capital beganraising capitalto launch a $500 million cryptocurrency hedge fund. Anthony Pompliano (perhaps better known by his Twitter handle, “Pomp”), who runs Morgan Creek’s Digital Assets operation,saidrecently that he and his partners have “never sold an investment” from one of their crypto funds, adding that this industry is a “decades long game” that will reward patient investors. Featured image from Youtube/Asset TV U.S. The postBitcoin Price Headed to $500,000 in Six Years: Hedge Fund Mgr.appeared first onCCN. || Australia Could See First Solar-Powered Bitcoin Mining Farm in Coal Town: An Australian data center operator and its cryptocurrency subsidiary are developing what they describe as the country’s first “behind-the-grid data center” powered by renewable energy. Situated in the coal-mining town of Collie, some 200km south of Perth, the new facility is being developed by data center operator DC Two and subsidiary D Coin and will be powered by a solar farm built by a company called Hadouken,IT Briefreports. With the key objective of competitive power rates via primarily renewable source, the company claims it will offer the lowest cost and highest density data center in Australia. The data center will notably offer specific zones customized to host cryptocurrency mining operations. “By providing customised low cost hosting options specifically engineered for cryptocurrency and Bitcoin mining at globally competitive rates, DC Two & D Coin have been able to attract the interest of both the local and international crypto mining community,” the company said. The first stages of the data center and the solar farm will draw an expected power supply of up to 4 megawatts and is will take shape in early 2019. At this stage, the two installations are expected to service 256 IT racks wherein each rack is capable of delivering up to 30 kw of IT load. Through its crypto-mining hosting subsidiary D Coin, DC Two underlined its intent to cater to crypto mining operations. The company said: In complete crypto mining configuration, using the initial 4MW power availability, the data centre could mine about 650 bitcoins per annum worth around $6 million based on current mining and exchange rates. The endeavor is the second instance of a proposed ‘behind-the-grid data center’ in Australia, both taking shape this year. In May, Sydney-based blockchain firm IoT Group – a company listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) –announceda conditional binding agreement with the domestic seller of bitcoin mining hardware giant Bitfury to commence a crypto mining operation. The conditional terms, specifically, relates to a proposed mining center built within a decommissioned coal plant – the Redbank power station in Hunter Valley, New South Wales. The AUD$190 million deal is contingent on the successful acquisition of the power station. Featured image from Shutterstock. The postAustralia Could See First Solar-Powered Bitcoin Mining Farm in Coal Townappeared first onCCN. || Yale: Every Portfolio Should Have Crypto, Method Used by Billionaire Investors: bitcoin wall street Yale economist Aleh Tsyvinski, who has taught economics at the prestigious Yale university for many years, has said that every investor who believes bitcoin can perform as well as it did in 2017 should invest at least six percent of their holdings in crypto. “If you as an investor believe that bitcoin will perform as well as it has historically, then you should hold 6% of your portfolio in bitcoin. If you believe that it will do half as well, you should hold 4%. In all other circumstances, if you think it will do much worse, then you should still hold 1%,” Tsyvinski said, in an interview with Yale PhD candidate Yukun Liu. Billionaires Employ Similar Method In an interview with CNBC last month, Marc Lasry, the billionaire co-founder of Avenue Capital Group, whose net worth is estimated to be at around $1.68 billion, shocked the panels at CNBC Fast Money when he revealed that he has invested more than one percent of his holdings in crypto. Given his family’s $1.68 billion net worth, one percent of Lasry’s holdings would be equivalent to $16.8 million, all invested in cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ether. Said Lasry: “I wouldn’t say [bitcoin is] completely speculative but it is speculative. It is around 1 percent, and [I invested in bitcoin] a few years ago. I bought a lot more in the last year, when probably the average price of bitcoin was $5,000 to $7,500.” Some billionaire investors such as Galaxy Digital’s Mike Novogratz and PayPal founder Peter Thiel are said to have allocated a significant chunk of their net worth in crypto, and notably, Novogratz invested a substantial amount of his personal holdings in other major cryptocurrencies like EOS. Peter Thiel Bitcoin Tsyvinski emphasized that every investor who believes bitcoin or cryptocurrencies as an asset class will survive and have the potential to record similar gains in the long-term must have at least one percent of their holdings in crypto. Currently, as of August 2018, the cryptocurrency market still remains at its infancy, without the involvement of major institutional investors. Trusted custodian solutions like the Coinbase Custody have emerged in the past month, but analysts expect at least three to six months of analysis will be required for institutional investors to commit to the cryptocurrency market. Story continues Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which investors expect to significantly improve the liquidity of digital currencies especially if they hit the U.S. markets, will not arrive until February 2019. In consideration of all these factors, as well as the past performance of BTC in 2015 and 2017, economists believe that investors must hold a small portion of their holdings in crypto as a bet on its sustainability and the infant market. Past Performance of Crypto is No Guarantee of Future Valuation One common misunderstanding cryptocurrency investors make in the exchange market is that past performances are a guarantee of future valuation. “Of course, one has to remember that, as with any other assets, past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Maybe cryptocurrency will completely change its behavior, but currently the market does not think it will,” emphasized Tsyvinski. Hence, expecting the price of a token to reach 0.005 BTC because it did in December of 2017 is illogical, and the performance of digital assets varies on the condition of the market. Images from Shutterstock The post Yale: Every Portfolio Should Have Crypto, Method Used by Billionaire Investors appeared first on CCN . || Benzinga's Bulls & Bears Of The Week: Bitcoin, Intel, Lockheed Martin, Walgreens And More: • Benzinga has featured looks at many investorfavorite stocksover the past week. • Bullish calls included an aerospace leader and a Latin American beverage giant. • Bearish calls included a top semiconductor maker and a specialty retailer. The earnings reporting season was in full swing this past week, and the sting of the trade wars is already being felt by many U.S. sectors and companies. The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones industrial average eked tiny gains again, but the Nasdaq lost ground due to disappointing results from Facebook. As usual, Benzinga continues to feature looks at the prospects for many investors' favorite stocks. Here are just a few of this past week's most bullish and bearish posts that may be worth another look. Bulls "4 Reasons Behind Cowen'sLockheed Martin Upgrade" by Jayson Derrick looks at why one key analyst has now taken a bullish stance onLockheed Martin Corporation(NYSE:LMT), maker of a new stealth fighter. In "SunTrustUpgrades Baker HughesAfter 'Several Solid Quarters'," Bill Haddad examines what has improved the featured analyst's optimism about the earnings power ofBaker Hughes A GE Co(NYSE:BHGE). Wayne Duggan's "Argus Sees EvenMore Upside For AMD" shows why semiconductor makerAdvanced Micro Devices, Inc.(NASDAQ:AMD) is now firing on all cylinders and why its stock still looks cheap after a post-earnings rally. See whyMosaic Co(NYSE:MOS) should see some relief from the near-term negatives, according to "MosaicEarns Double UpgradeOn Sustainable Recovery In Phosphate" by Elizabeth Balboa. In Shanthi Rexaline's "Barclays Turns Bullish On AmBev's Story," see why better-than-anticipated results and an improving outlook turned one analyst upbeat on Brazilian brewerAMBEV S A/S(NYSE:ABEV). Also have a look at "A Running List Of The Companies Blaming Trade Policy For Stifled Earnings, Guidance." Bears "4 Reasons Why BofA Downgraded Intel After The Q2 Print" by Shanthi Rexaline examines why, despite a beat-and-raise quarter, four factors could keepIntel Corporation(NASDAQ:INTC) stock rangebound. In Hannah Genig's "Pivotal Downgrades Spotify, Says YouTube, Facebook Pose Threat," see what underappreciated risks may not be reflected in the current valuation ofSpotify Technology SA(NYSE:SPOT). Bitcoin rose more than 17 percent in the past week, according to "This Technical Indicator Suggests Bitcoin's Rally May Be Overbought" by Wayne Duggan. See what the cryptocurrency's prospects are for the longer-term trend. In "Walgreens Is 'Poorly Positioned' In The Evolving Retail Pharmacy Space, Cowen Says," Jayson Derrick looks at what one analyst sees as the failure ofWalgreens Boots Alliance Inc(NASDAQ:WBA) to fully embrace industry change. Jayson Derrick's "Stifel Downgrades Papa John's To Sell Amid 'Fraternal Corporate Culture'" examines what's hurting the prospects of a turnaround or buyout forPapa John's Int'l, Inc.(NASDAQ:PZZA). Be sure to check out "All The Major Executive Departures Of 2018 — So Far" as well. At the time of this writing, the author had no position in the mentioned equities. Keep up with all the latest breaking news and trading ideas by following Benzinga on Twitter. See more from Benzinga • Insider Buys Of The Week: BlackRock, Dish Network, Walgreens • Benzinga's Bulls & Bears Of The Week: AT&T, Facebook, Intel, Netflix, Twitter And More • Benzinga's Bulls & Bears Of The Week: Amazon, GE, Intel, T-Mobile And More © 2018 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] @btc_0 || @Bitcoin_Stats || @btc_update || @btc_0 || Wow 2500 BTC added to insurance fund that was initially 10 BTC https://twitter.com/OKEx/status/1025282399008112640 … || @btc_fan || @satoshi_BTC || @btc_0 || @btc_reddit || @India_Bitcoin
Trend: no change || Prices: 6225.98, 6300.86, 6329.70, 6321.20, 6351.80, 6517.31, 6512.71, 6543.20, 6517.18, 6281.20
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2018-02-27] BTC Price: 10725.60, BTC RSI: 53.75 Gold Price: 1315.50, Gold RSI: 43.56 Oil Price: 63.01, Oil RSI: 53.66 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] How Hulu Can Afford to Spend Billions Despite Its Small Subscriber Base: Hulu reportedly spent $2.5 billion on content last year. While that's considerably less thanNetflix's(NASDAQ: NFLX)$8 billion content budget for 2018, keep in mind that Hulu only operates in the United States and Japan. It also has just 17 million subscribers, about 100 million fewer than Netflix when you include trial members. The lofty content spending, along with the launch of a virtual pay-TV service last year, resulted in the company losing nearly $1 billion, according toBTIG analyst Rich Greenfield. That showed up in the results of parent companiesDisney(NYSE: DIS),Twenty-First Century Fox,Comcast, andTime Warner. What's more, management at those companies says the losses will increase next year. "We now expect that equity loss for the year to be approximately $250 million higher than last year," Disney CFO Christine McCarthy told analysts on the first-quarter earnings call. Considering Disney's 30% stake in the company, that implies total losses will increase over $800 million this year. That's in line with Greenfield's estimate that Hulu's losses will grow to $1.7 billion. Such a loss could have a big impact on Hulu's parent companies. But here's why investors shouldn't worry. Image Source: Hulu. While Hulu has some original content and licenses the back catalog of certain classic TV shows from a few television studios, most of its content comes from licensing shows from networks owned by its parent companies. So when Hulu "spends" money, it's just a matter of accounting. Last year, Disney generated about $500 million in revenue from licensing its television and film programming to Hulu, according to its 10-K. That $500 million more than covers Disney's $276 million share of Hulu's losses from last year. Other stakeholders don't disclose details on licensing revenue. While expenses are going up considerably this year, the parent companies' revenues should increase, as well. Hulu launched Hulu Live last year, which distributed channels like ESPN, Fox News, NBC Sports, and TNT. Who owns those networks? Hulu's parent companies. Selling a streaming bundle can help offset losses at traditional distributors, even if Hulu itself isn't making money off the service. Netflix generated over half a billion dollars in net income last year. It still spent a ton of cash --more than it brought in-- but from an accounting standpoint, it's profitable. It's significantly more profitable in the United States, where it's more mature. Netflix also is absolutely massive -- about three times bigger than Hulu in the U.S. plus an even bigger audience internationally. But Netflix was still a profitable business back when it was primarily operating in the U.S. and just starting out in streaming. Of course, Netflix didn't have much in the way of competition when it came to subscription streaming-video services. Hulu will certainly require a continued investment from its parent companies for at least the next few years as it works to grow its subscriber base. With the potential for Disney to take control of the service next year after the acquisition of Fox, that investment might continue to climb as it works to attract a substantial subscriber base along with its other forthcomingstreaming services. "It takes an investment for sure," Disney Chief Strategy Officer, Kevin Mayer, said. "And we're happy to undertake that investment for the outcome which we know is going to happen, which would be a big profitable service." If Hulu plans to be profitable at its current level of spending, it needs to grow to a size comparable to Netflix in the U.S. It's done relatively well recently, increasing its subscriber count by 5 million over the last 18 months or so. By comparison, Netflix added 6.8 million subscribers in the U.S. during roughly the same period. In the meantime, Hulu can afford to take some losses on paper because its parent company is putting most of them -- if not all of them -- back into its pockets elsewhere on the income statement. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Adam Levyhas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Netflix and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool recommends Comcast and Time Warner. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || Stock Market News for Jan 30, 2018: Benchmarks ended in the red on Monday following a shift in investment from equities to bonds after Treasury bond yields reached their best level since April 2014. Expectations of an increase in growth and inflation boosted yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury note, following which sectors like real estate and utilities that are considered as alternatives to bonds declined. Additionally, shares of tech giant Apple slumped during the day, which in turn led the tech-based index Nasdaq to post its second worst one-day drop in 2018. Further, both the S&P 500 and the Dow witnessed their biggest one-day drop on Monday since Sept 5, 2017. How the Benchmarks Fared? The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) decreased 0.7%, or 180.19 points to close at 26,439.48. The S&P 500 fell 0.7% to close at 2,853.53. The tech-laden Nasdaq Composite Index closed at 7,475.56, losing 0.4%. The fear-gauge CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) increased 25% to close at 13.84. A total of around 7.1 billion shares were traded on Monday, lower than the last 20-session average of 6.9 billion shares. Decliners outnumbered advancers on the NYSE by a 4.65-to-1 ratio. On Nasdaq, a 2.16-to-1 ratio favored declining issues. What Moved the Benchmarks? Higher rate environment and optimism of a steady economic growth and higher inflation weighed on bond prices. Lower bond prices supported the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield, which increased from 2.661% to 2.695% on Monday, reaching its highest settlement since April 2014. Higher treasury yields weighed on steady dividend paying sectors like real estate and utilities. The Real Estate Select Sector SPDR (XLRE) declined 1.2%, becoming one of the worst performing sectors of the S&P 500. Some of its key holdings, including Equinix, Inc. (REIT) EQIX and Prologis, Inc. PLD declined 1.5% and 1.6%, respectively. Additionally, the Utilities Select Sector SPDR (XLU) decreased 1.3%, with its two major components Duke Energy Corporation DUK and NextEra Energy, Inc. NEE losing 2% and 1.3%, respectively. Following this development, all the 11 key S&P 500 sectors suffered losses during the day. Meanwhile, investors keenly awaited President Trump’s speech on Tuesday, a slew of corporate earnings from key tech giants, monthly jobs report and Fed’s latest policy statement. Apple To Halve iPhone X Production Shares of Apple Inc. AAPL fell 2.1% on news that the tech behemoth decided to halve its production target for the iPhone X in the first three months of the year. Apple was planning to produce 40 million units of its special-edition phone, but now just 20 million units will be produced. Apple’s adjusted production target came on the back of “slower-than-expected sales” in the holiday shopping period in key markets like Europe, U.S., and China. (Read More) Story continues Decline in Apple’s shares led the Technology Select Sector SPDR (XLK) to fall 0.9%. One of its key holdings, Facebook, Inc. FB decreased 2.1%. The social networking giant holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here . Stocks That Made Headlines Hawaiian Holdings Q4 Earnings in Line, Decline Y/Y Hawaiian Holdings ’ HA fourth-quarter 2017 earnings per share were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. (Read More) Dr Pepper Snapple, Keurig to Merge in a $18.7 Billion Deal Shares of Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. DPS soared on Jan 29 after news came out that the beverage company will be acquired by coffee-maker Keurig Green Mountain, Inc. (Read More) Don’t Even Think About Buying Bitcoin Until You Read This The most popular cryptocurrency skyrocketed last year, giving some investors the chance to bank 20X returns or even more. Those gains, however, came with serious volatility and risk. Bitcoin sank 25% or more 3 times in 2017. Zacks’ has just released a new Special Report to help readers capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly. See 4 crypto-related stocks now >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (HA) : Free Stock Analysis Report NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) : Free Stock Analysis Report Facebook, Inc. (FB) : Free Stock Analysis Report Equinix, Inc. (EQIX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc (DPS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Prologis, Inc. (PLD) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research View comments || 36% of Bitcoin Investors Plan to Commit Tax Fraud This Year: Historically, the stock market has been the best creator of long-term wealth. Though it's undergone numerous corrections and bear markets, it's still returned an average of 7% per year, inclusive of dividend reinvestment and adjusted for inflation. For most investors, this means a doubling of their invested nest egg about once every decade, which isn't too shabby at all. That was until cryptocurrencies came along. Last year, the combined market cap of all digital currencies rose from $17.7 billion at the beginning of the year to $613 billion by years' end . For you math-phobes out there, that's a better than 3,300% increase, which might very well be the best single-year performance for any asset class, ever. A physical gold bitcoin lying atop a messy pile of hundred dollar bills. Image source: Getty Images. Bitcoin is making people rich As you might have imagined, bitcoin led the charge higher. After beginning the year at $967 per coin, bitcoin surged, at one point, to nearly $20,000 per coin and a market cap well in excess of $300 billion. As the most traded cryptocurrency in the world, and the one accepted by more merchants than any other digital coin, it's become the face of the crypto craze. Bitcoin has also been a source of incredible profits for investors -- especially those who've held over the long run. For instance, the Winklevoss twins' initial investment of $11 million was actually worth more than $1 billion when bitcoin neared the $20,000-per-coin mark. Of course, most folks aren't tossing $11 million into bitcoin. Instead, the average holding tends to be a little over $2,900, according to a November survey from online student loan marketplace LendEDU. Then again, the value of bitcoin has more than doubled since this November survey, suggesting that the average holding today would be closer to $6,000, assuming no one sold. More than a third of bitcoin investors will commit blatant tax fraud this year However, this great source of profits is also a major source of confusion come tax time . Forget for a moment the fact that more than half of all people have no clue whether or not bitcoin is legal to own in the U.S., and just imagine how little people know about bitcoin's tax status. Capital gains and losses should be (key word there) reported by taxpayers to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on Form 8949, even though bitcoin isn't regulated or recognized as legal tender in the United States. But history has shown that most taxpayers aren't doing this. Story continues An IRS agent analyzing paper tax returns at his desk. Image source: Getty Images. According to the IRS, just 802 taxpayers reported capital gains or losses on their tax returns in 2015, which is pretty consistent with the number of reporting taxpayers between 2013 and 2014. But according to a recently won court case, far more taxpayers were likely basking in profits and not reporting them. A legal victory against cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is requiring the exchange to turn over information on 14,355 users who traded at least $20,000 worth of bitcoin between 2013 and 2015. In the process, the IRS made it clear that it was going after crypto tax evaders. Yet bitcoin investors don't really seem to care, or understand the law for that matter. When LendEDU questioned 564 bitcoin investors in November whether they'd be reporting their capital gains or losses on their 2017 taxes, just 64% affirmed that they would. This means 36% of bitcoin investors plan to knowingly and willingly commit tax fraud by evading capital gains tax in the upcoming tax season. This capital-gain tax avoidance is even more blatant if these profits were taken in the short-term (defined as holding an investment for 365 days or less). Short-term profits are taxed at the ordinary income-tax rate, which is higher than the long-term capital gains tax rate. Of course, even law-abiding bitcoin investors are in for a challenge. According to Fortune , bitcoin exchanges have yet to provide investors with Form 1099, which is critical to properly logging their cost basis and sales. In addition, bitcoin has forked multiple times, spinning off numerous other virtual currencies, including bitcoin cash. These assets must be accounted for as well. A stack of cash being held behind a man's back, with his fingers crossed. Image source: Getty Images. The GOP tax law just closed a major bitcoin tax loophole Not only has the IRS signaled that it's done playing games with bitcoin investors who choose to avoid paying their fair share of capital gains tax, but the recently passed GOP tax law also addressed a major loophole that had allowed some investors the ability to avoid the IRS's grasp. In the previous version of the U.S. tax code, which came to an end on Dec. 31, 2017, bitcoin investors leaned on a provision known as "like kind exchanges" that allowed them to avoid paying capital gains tax. These investors could diversify their holdings by exchanging their bitcoin for other cryptocurrencies, like Ethereum, Litecoin, or Ripple, and claim to the IRS that they made no capital gain in the process. However, a new change in the language of the GOP's tax law ensures that bitcoin investors (and cryptocurrency investors as a whole) can no longer use the like kind exchange loophole to their advantage in order to escape capital gains tax. The tax section in question replaced the word "property" with "real property," which will now require cryptocurrency investors to report their gains anytime they dispose of a virtual currency for a profit (or loss). It also means they'll pay tax when converting cryptocurrencies back into U.S. dollars, or even when buying goods or services . As tempting as it might be to sweep those crypto-profits under the rug, don't! The IRS is getting serious about cryptocurrency tax evaders and it appears ready to step up enforcement in the months and years to come. More From The Motley Fool 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . || IBM May Get a Big Boost From Blockchain: For decades, IBM (NYSE: IBM ) has been a reliable, slow-growth addition to millions of Americans investment portfolios. Yet Big Blue's stock is mired in somewhat of a slump lately, standing at less than $170 per share (although providing a nice 3.7 percent dividend) as IBM watchers continue to bemoan the technology giant's so-called growth problem. While IBM's share price is showing signs of life, its long-term track record is another story. In the past five years, the company's share price has declined by 13 percent. Additionally, IBM reported a 4 percent uptick in annual sales growth in the fourth quarter of 2017. That's good news, until you know that it's the company's first quarter of plus-growth since 2012 -- a 22-quarter drought. Still, there is at least some evidence that IBM has turned the corner, with revenue generation of $22.5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2017, against estimated analyst revenue of $22.1 billion. IBM's strategic initiative philosophy, where it dives deeper into the lucrative (but combative) cloud computing and "big data" analytics markets, could be paying off, as the company launches a spearhead into the blockchain distributed ledger computing space. [See: 7 of the Best Stocks to Buy for 2018 .] But is a new business philosophy the entire story as IBM heads into a new year? Not entirely, market watchers say. Where is IBM stock headed? "At current valuations, IBM is a very attractive stock," says Vahan Janigian, a portfolio manager for Interactive Brokers Asset Management, a Boston-based online investing company, and CIO of Greenwich Wealth. "The company has strong cash flows, strong earnings and a generous dividend. The only thing it lacks is growth. Growth plummeted because management was slow to recognize and exploit high-growth opportunities. But that seems to be changing." Janigian views both the cloud computing and data analytics sectors as "high-growth" areas for IBM. "These initiatives now account for almost half of the company's overall revenues and they helped IBM post year-over-year revenue growth for the first time in 23 quarters," he says. Story continues That said, IBM's management has a lot of making up to do before convincing investors that it's finally on the right track. "Clearly, investors have been frustrated with the stock's poor performance, especially as the shares of other technology stocks have soared," Janigian says. "In addition to being slow to recognize growth opportunities, management spent too much money buying back shares when the price was still relatively dear." "In hindsight, they should have waited until the price fell," he says. "IBM also suffered with employee turnover as some of the best employees moved on to better opportunities." [Read: The Best Bitcoin Wallet of 2018 .] One area of growth potential is blockchain , and IBM is already plugging into the emerging distributed ledger technology that's been driving the cryptocurrency craze around the globe. "In recent years, IBM has pivoted hard from hardware and general purpose consulting to laser focus on IBM Watson," says Scott Amyx, founder of New York-based Amyx Ventures and a global expert in blockchain technology. "As part of that initiative, the company is looking to drive the business towards exponential technologies, like artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), blockchain, security and quantum computing. Any authority in IoT would tell you that blockchain is not only suitable but almost mandatory to consider in a decentralized, networked IoT world." IBM focuses on blockchain. Amyx says IBM is "forging ahead aggressively" with its blockchain offering, especially to enterprise and government clients. "Due to the sophistication and complexity, for the foreseeable several years, enterprises will lean on IBM and others to help implement blockchain into their processes, especially where authentication and trust are critical," he says. "Those areas could include gold, diamonds, chocolate, collectibles to smart contracts and back-end reconciliations." Some of these IBM initiatives are long-term bets, Amyx says, and Wall Street "may not boost the stock until there are tangible lifts from these new business lines." Overall, Wall Street wealth managers see IBM trending upward in 2018, even as it takes time for its blockchain initiative to bear fruit. "I expect the shares to rally from current levels," Janigian says. "Management projects operating earnings of $13.80 per share for 2018. If we see growth (even marginal growth) in the first or second quarters, it would be reasonable to expect IBM to sell for 14 to 15 times 2018 expected earnings." "That would give the stock a price target of more than $190 per share by year-end," he adds. "I think $180 per share in six months is perfectly reasonable." IBM's robust dividend picture and recent sales growth are also attractive, says Eric Ervin, chief executive officer at Reality Shares, a San Diego-based asset management firm. "IBM is one of the healthier dividend-growing, large-cap stocks, and it has strong potential to continue increasing its dividend on a forward-looking basis," he says. "For the first time in 20-plus quarters, the company just reported positive revenue growth, and the company is undervalued with better earnings quality compared to its peers." [See: 7 of the Best Dividend Stocks to Buy for 2018 .] The final word on IBM stock. For IBM investors, slow growth is translating into somewhat faster growth in early 2018, with the possibility of better things to come with the company's new cloud, data and blockchain strategic initiatives. With a little patience, IBM investors may view 2018 as a good year to hang on to "Big Blue". After all, it certainly can't be much worse than the last few years. Brian O'Connell is a contributing financial writer for U.S. News & World Report. A former Wall Street bond trader and the author of two best-selling books; "The 401k Millionaire" and "CNBC's Creating Wealth", he has 20 years experience covering business news and trends, particularly in the financial, technology, political and career management sectors. His byline has appeared in dozens of top-tier national business publications, including CBS News, Bloomberg, Time, MSN Money, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, TheStreet.com, Yahoo Finance, CBS Marketwatch, and many more. Visit his web site at: https://brianoco.contently.com/. Or, visit this Amazon.com link for a list/review of some of his book titles. Reach out to him on LinkedIn . || Sony Corp. Stock Sets Multiyear Highs Thanks to a Fantastic Holiday Quarter: Electronics and entertainment conglomerate Sony (NYSE: SNE) crushed analyst estimates and raised full-year profit targets in an earnings report posted early Friday, covering the third quarter of fiscal year 2017. At the same time, the CEO who drove Sony's turnaround over the last six years passed the baton to his CFO. Wall Street applauded all of these details, driving share prices as much as 9.7% higher. Sony's third-quarter results by the numbers Metric Q3 2017 Q3 2016 Year-Over-Year Change Revenue $20.2 billion $18.8 billion 7.1% Net income $2.79 billion $27 million 940% Adjusted earnings per share (diluted) $2.03 $0.14 1,353% Data source: Sony. Sony's earnings exceeded analysts' consensus estimates by 45%, providing ample fuel for the soaring share prices. Among Sony's eight reportable business segments, five divisions recorded double-digit sales growth in percentage terms. The charge was led by 18% revenue surges in the home entertainment and music sections. Booming sales were supported by fiscal discipline. Operating margins widened from 3.9% in the year-ago quarter to 13.1% in Q3 of fiscal year 2017. The semiconductor segment's profitability more than doubled year over year in spite of a modest 4% revenue increase. The all-important gaming and network services division delivered 27% of Sony's total sales, up from 26% in the year-ago period, but its share of the operating profits fell from 54% to 24%. Within this business segment, Sony shipped 9 million PlayStation 4 consoles in the third quarter, down from 9.7 million units in the previous holiday quarter. The company has put a total of 76.5 million PlayStation 4 units in the hands of consumers so far, on pace to eclipse the 83.8 million unit sales of the PlayStation 3 console. Sony is winning this generation of the Console Wars , though the PS4's sales may have peaked by now. One hand passes a golden baton to another suit-dressed hand. Image source: Getty Images. Story continues Change at the helm Looking ahead, Sony held its full-year revenue expectations steady at $77 billion. At the same time, operating profit targets were raised by 14% compared to the full-year guidance provided three months ago. In particular, music sales are exceeding management's expectations and delivering strong operating profits. CEO Kazuo Hirai chose this moment to step down from the post he took in April 2012. "As the company approaches a crucial juncture, when we will embark on a new mid-range plan, I consider this to be the ideal time to pass the baton of leadership to new management, for the future of Sony and also for myself to embark on a new chapter in my life," said Hirai in a prepared statement. His replacement, five-year CFO Kenichiro Yoshida, accepted his new title with his mind set on further cost-saving reforms. "My first priority will be to finalize our next mid-range corporate plan starting in April, together with our immediate business plan for the fiscal year 2018, and then move ahead swiftly with implementation," Yoshida stated. The "mid-range" references in both of these statements are to Sony's habit of setting business goals for two years at a time. In the next stage, which starts in March, Sony will pursue new business ideas tied to its diverse range of consumer-facing entertainment and electronics operations. Yoshida's financial background should give Sony a more mellow tone for this push than Hirai's constant search for The Next Big Thing. That being said, Hirai and Yoshida have worked together since 2013, so I'd be surprised to see any huge changes in the company's direction at this point. The current formula proved quite successful, after all, more than tripling Sony's share prices over the last five years amid shrinking revenues but booming cash profits. And Hirai isn't moving far away -- the former CEO is picking up the chairman's role instead. More From The Motley Fool 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Anders Bylund has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy . || Cryptomarket in Recovery, Led by Stellar Lumens: It’s a 2ndrising from the dead for the cryptocurrencies, with last week’s Wednesday sell-off still fresh in the minds of the investor, though looking at the moves through the early part of today, one could be mistaken for thinking that its risk on and investors have managed to spend the weekend recovering from last week’s volatility, with new found optimism going into the week. It’s certainly been a rollercoaster of a January, with the cryptomarkets having entered the New Year with high hopes of a continued rally from December’s gains that were impressive. Perhaps the writing had been on the wall of a possible crash on news of a regulator looking to impose itself on the market, with the cryptomarkets having discussed the likely negative impact of such an event through the last quarter of 2017. For now, the markets are looking ahead however and hoping for a better week than the last two that saw Bitcoin fall to 2018 low $9,222.00, with its market cap falling to sub-$200bn as investors ran for the hills. The order appears to have been restored and, while the start of the day had seen a sea of red across the cryptocurrency board, things have improved through the morning. At the time of writing, Bitcoin is up 2.78% to 11,880.55, with the markets seemingly ignoring the futures market, with the Cboe February contract up $350 to $11,750, recovering from an intra-day low $11,220. If there were any lessons from last week, it would be the fact that investors should take less guidance from the Bitcoin futures market, with Bitcoin’s weekend high $13,052.12 likely to have been supported by the fact that the futures markets were closed through the weekend. Get Into Cryptocurrency Trading Today For the rest of the day, the market resilience to the negative news this morning will likely continue to support Bitcoin and the gang, with news of the North Korean government’s hacking into a South Korean exchange, stealing millions of Dollars to support its arms programs amongst other things, have caused little damage. Bitcoin’s market cap has moved back through to $200bn levels, having struggled to recover in the wake of the last two weeks of volatility, with investors likely to continue to flood back in, assuming there are no further market shocks in the early part of the week. Bitcoin’s recovery will likely be the tonic for the broader market.Stellar Lumenshas taken the charge at the start of the week, up 6.84% to 0.4924 at the time of writing, with Ethereum looking to put last week’s woes behind, up 2.77% to $1,076.13. If the sentiment continues to improve, there are certainly some gains to be had across the major cryptocurrencies, as they look to make a move towards their weekend highs, which are well below the all-time highs seen in late December and early January, before the double-dip. While it’s looking bullish, some profit taking will be likely, however, with investor expectations of 100% moves on a day now well and truly managed, for now at least. Buy & Sell Cryptocurrency Instantly Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Forex Trading Signals – January 22, 2018 • U.S Shutdown Weigh on Markets as Central Banks Lurk • Cryptomarket in Recovery, Led by Stellar Lumens • NZD/USD Retracement Trend Line is Broken • EUR/USD Mid-Session Technical Analysis for January 22, 2018 • USD/JPY Fundamental Daily Forecast – Tentative Trade Due to Government Shutdown, BOJ Announcements || Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin and Ripple Daily Analysis – 18/01/18: Bitcoin Cash wasn’t alone in having a choppy day on Wednesday, falling to a low $1,343 before recovering to a $1,736 by the end of the day, a gain of 1.06%. Bitcoin and Bitcoin Gold also managed to make minor gains through the day on Wednesday, restoring some confidence in the markets. While the threat of the South Korean government shutting down the cryptocurrency exchanges continues to weigh on investor sentiment, a number of the cryptocurrencies appear to have stabilized this morning, with Bitcoin Cash up 2.91% to $1,792 at the time if writing. Bitcoin Gold has fared better in the early part of the day, up 5.39% to $195.49, while Bitcoin hovers around the $11,000 market, up 0.89% to $11,290.45. When considering the fact that Bitcoin Cash has fallen more than 50% from its all-time high $4104.3, the recent slump has provided those that missed the December rally with a chance to get on the cryptocurrency bandwagon, though this time around it’s going to be a far bumpier ride, with close to $200bn of investor money having walked out of the door this week alone. The market panic may have abated over the possible impact of the South Korean government shutting down the cryptocurrency exchanges, with investors expected to find ways to circumvent any ban. Of greater concern for the markets will be a global task force, but such an eventuality is likely to be someway off, if it’s even feasible for governments to coordinate. For the day ahead, Bitcoin Cash will need to break through to $2,000 levels to further restore confidence and bring investors back to the table, with the recent losses not being the first time that Bitcoin Cash and the rest have tanked. Get Into Bitcoin Cash Trading Today While the Bitcoin Clan and Ripple begin to dust themselves off from this week’s sell-off, Litecoin continues to struggle for direction, with investors looking elsewhere for buying opportunities. At the time of writing, Litecoin was down 1.64% to $185.90, with Litecoin among the cryptocurrencies that failed to end the day in positive territory on Wednesday If December is anything to go by, Litecoin could be stuck in its current ranges for some time, with other cryptocurrencies likely to find their feet far sooner. For the day ahead, Litecoin will need to move through to $190 levels to have a chance of breaking back through to $200, with today’s high $198 looking to be out of reach at the time of writing, with the crypto likely to face plenty of resistance through the afternoon. Buy & Sell Cryptocurrency Instantly What a difference a day makes. At the time of writing, Ripple is up 8.43% to 1.42255, leading the pack on its road back to health. There’s a long way to go, but as is the case with the Bitcoin clan, the acceptance of both blockchain technologies by the mainstream has provided strong support as the markets recover from this week’s sell-off. Not too dissimilar to the dot.com bubble, the cryptocurrencies that are most likely to perform are those that have a relevance in the real world and are not just a dream of something greater. Tangibility is key for now and Ripple is certainly tangible. Having recovered to $1.4 levels, a move back through to $1.5 levels hit earlier in the day will be needed to fuel the rally and avoid investors locking in gains for the day. While there will likely be plenty of support at sub-$1.4 levels, a fall back down towards $1.35 could see Ripple give up gains on the day and ease back to $1.2 levels by the close. The markets will need to be wary of any regulatory chatter, though investors seem to be confidence that the virtual world will be able to circumvent the real world. Buy & Sell Cryptocurrency Instantly Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Correction on FTSE and Gold. USDJPY with a very nice Head and Shoulders patter • Commodities Daily Forecast – January 17, 2018 • USD/CAD Daily Fundamental Forecast – January 18, 2018 • Rebound in Cryptocurrencies Prices Early Today, Ripple Surges over 50% • EUR/USD Mid-Session Technical Analysis for January 18, 2018 • Price of Gold Fundamental Daily Forecast – Stronger Dollar, Shift in Momentum Pressuring Prices || A Trump Gas Tax? These 5 States Already Pay Plenty: The Trump administration successfully passed newtax reform lawslate last year that have promised Americans substantial income tax cuts in 2018. Now, the president has moved forward to consider infrastructure spending, and a new controversial proposal could set off another round of debate among lawmakers. The White House reportedly supports consideration of a $0.25 per gallon increase in the gasoline tax, at least according to one Democratic lawmaker who attended a bipartisan meeting discussing funding for the infrastructure deal. With income tax cuts having added to the federal deficit, the infrastructure proposal already seeks to have state and local governments shoulder the bulk of the cost of improvements to highways and other projects. Adding a gasoline tax has the support of organizations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Opponents argue that states have already added substantial taxes to the current federal $0.184 per gallon excise that makefurther levies too extreme. In particular, residents of the following five states would see insult added to injury with a federal gas tax increase that in one case would bring total taxes above the $1 per gallon mark. Image source: Getty Images. Pennsylvania pays the highest taxes on gasoline in the nation at $0.771 per gallon, according to figures from the American Petroleum Institute. Of that amount, $0.587 comes from a special state tax that came about from the 2013 passage of a $2.3 billion transportation bill to fund much-needed infrastructure initiatives. The increase took effect in pieces, with the final $0.08 increase coming at the beginning of 2017. A $0.25 per gallon boost would take the total to $1.021 per gallon. The only good news for gas-powered car drivers? Diesel taxes are even higher, currently at $0.995 per gallon. California is well known for its high gas prices and high taxes, so it's not surprising to see the state near the top of the gas tax list. Of its $0.7189 per gallon in taxes, $0.417 per gallon comes from the state excise tax, and other state taxes and fees add up to another $0.1179 per gallon. California residents just took a hit on their gas taxes, with a $0.12 per gallon increase as of Jan. 1. Further increases are likely in the future, including a near doubling of a separate price-based tax of $0.098 per gallon to $0.173 in mid-2019. Washington State weighs in with a $0.678 per gallon tax on gasoline. A simple state excise tax of $0.494 per gallon is to blame for most of the tax, and it was most recently raised in mid-2016, with a $0.049 per gallon boost for both gasoline and diesel fuel. The city of Seattle has recently begun a pilot program to see what a per-mile gasoline tax might look like. This addresses concerns that cars with better gasoline mileage aren't paying their fair share to support road improvements, but it also takes away a key incentive for drivers considering more fuel-efficient vehicles. Hawaii routinely has some of the highest gasoline prices in the nation because of its geographical isolation. The cost of transporting fuel to the islands contributes to the costs, and high taxes only add more of a burden. Current total taxes of $0.6443 per gallon include a $0.17 per gallon state excise tax and $0.2903 per gallon in other taxes and fees. Various rates apply to different localities within the state. County tax rates get imposed by Maui, Kauai, Honolulu, and Hawaii counties. Finally, New York comes in with a $0.627 per gallon tax. An excise tax of $0.0805 per gallon is fairly modest, but petroleum business taxes of $0.169 per gallon and a state sales tax sends the total state-level taxes and fees up to $0.443 per gallon. On top of its gasoline tax, New York gets infrastructure-related revenue from its New York State Thruway toll roads and various charges on bridges spanning major rivers like the Hudson. Yet the revenues from those programs still can't support the needs for repair and new construction, as in many states across the nation. Gasoline taxes are never popular, but linking them toinfrastructure-related spending projectsmakes intuitive sense and has policy advantages over other types of taxation. It's uncertain whether there's political will to move ahead with a $0.25 per gallon boost to federal taxes, though, and if it does move forward, residents in these five states won't be the only ones complaining about the added cost. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || 3 Marijuana Stock Buyout Candidates: Ready or not, the marijuana industry is budding before our eyes. In the U.S., according to a report fromMarijuana Business Dailyentitled "Marijuana Business Factbook 2017," U.S. pot sales are expected to grow by 45% this year alone. This is likely a result of California opening its doors to recreational pot sales, as well as from organic growth in the 29 medical-legal and nine recreational-legal U.S. states. By 2021, the report projects that legal sales of weed in the U.S. will have quadrupled to approximately $17 billion since 2016. As demand for legal cannabis has increased, so have the ambitions of marijuana companies, be they growers or cannabinoid-based drug developers. Some have even begun growing by acquisition. Image source: Getty Images. Just two weeks ago, the largest marijuana acquisition in history was announced, withAurora Cannabis(NASDAQOTH: ACBFF)agreeing to acquireCanniMed Therapeutics(NASDAQOTH: CMMDF)for a 181% premium over where CanniMed's shares were trading the day before Aurora first made its unsolicited bid in mid-November. The cash and stock deal works out to about $1 billion in value, and it should help push Aurora's annual production capacity, inclusive of its flagship Aurora Sky project, which is slated for completion in mid-2018, above 130,000 kilograms. The deal will also likely lower long-term production costs. Watching Aurora Cannabis go on the offensive, and seeing a handful of smaller growers scooped up in recent weeks, might be a clue to investors that we're entering a consolidation phase in the pot industry. If that is indeed the case, the following three marijuana stocks may be high-priority buyout candidates. One of the most logical takeover candidates following the acquisition of CanniMed is New Brunswick-basedOrganiGram Holdings(NASDAQOTH: OGRMF). Recently, OrganiGram completed a bought-deal offering (essentially a sale of common stock or debentures to an investor or institution prior to the release of a prospectus) that'llhelp fund a major expansionof its only producing facility at Moncton, New Brunswick. Its management team estimates that, once complete, it'll more than double its square footage to 429,000 feet, and increase its annual production to 65,000 kilograms from 20,000 kilograms. This is particularly noteworthy given that Canada appears to be on the verge of legalizing recreational cannabis by this coming July. OrganiGram's 65,000 kilogram annual output is enough to move the needle for bigger growers, but not enough to break the bank for a potential acquirer. Image source: Getty Images. Furthermore, OrganiGram brings two substantial margin advantages to the table that are likely to entice buyers. First, its entire operation will be located at Moncton. Instead of spreading out to new regions, OrganiGram has chosen to minimize its expenditures by keeping all growing at one location. Additionally, it's focused on expanding its product portfolio to include extracts and oils, which are higher-priced but higher-margin products relative to dried cannabis. OrganiGram could be of quick benefit to a potential acquirer, and thus sits high on my list of possible marijuana takeover targets. Another pot stock that could be on the radar for aggressively expanding growers isEmerald Health Therapeutics(NASDAQOTH: EMHTF). Of course, Emerald Health has ambitions of expanding quickly on its own with the help oftwo major grow sites. The first, and what might very well be the flagship project for Emerald Health Therapeutics, is a 50-50 partnership withVillage Farms International(NASDAQOTH: VFFIF)that'll see a 25-acre, 1.1 million-square-foot facility completely retrofitted to grow dried cannabis. This project, known as Pure Sunfarms, was viewed as a smart move by Emerald Health's management team since Village Farms already had the facility constructed. Retrofitting it, rather than building a new facility from scratch, was the smarter and less costly option. It should be noted that Pure Sunfarms has also optioned an additional 3.7 million square feet of greenhouse space in the same Delta complex in British Columbia. Image source: Getty Images. The second project entails the company building its own 32-acre site from the ground up. When complete, it could claim up to 1 million square feet of growing capacity. However, guidance suggests that an aggregate of over 500,000 square feet of capacity will be ready for growing by the end of 2018. Like OrganiGram, Emerald Health Therapeutics is also beginning to place more emphasis on higher-margin oils and extracts, too. Without any major marketing partners, Emerald Health could face a tough uphill battle. However, its ambitious growth plans, highlighted by up to 5.8 million square feet of capacity, could be the perfect hook to lure in a buyer. Among drug developers,Cara Therapeutics(NASDAQ: CARA)gets my nod as the likeliest buyout candidate. It should be pointed out, though, that while OrganiGram and Emerald Health are pure-play marijuana stocks, Cara is only loosely associated with the industry thanks to a preclinical pain therapeutic, CR701, that's currently being examined by the company. The bulk of its pipeline consists of a kappa opioid receptor agonist known as CR845 that has nothing to do with cannabis. CR845 is targeted at treating pain and pruritus (itching). Cara was pulverized last year after a pain study involving CR845 mostly missed the mark. The phase 2b study tested three doses (1 mg, 2.5 mg, and 5 mg) of CR845 as a treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip or knee. Both of the lower doses failed to reach statistical significance, with the only success coming from the 5 mg dose for OA of the hip patients. Since pain is a much larger and more profitable indication than pruritus, this failure was viewed as a big blow for Cara Therapeutics. Image source: Getty Images. Thankfully, a phase 3 study involving IV-administered CR845 in patients with post-operative pain wasrecommended to continueby an independent data monitoring committee conducting an interim analysis in June 2017. Moreover, CR845 has been successful in clinical studies for patients with chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus. And as icing on the cake, Cara could consider refocusing its efforts solely on OA of the hip in future studies and still salvage some of its sales potential. All it would really take is one approval and a label expansion or two to put this currently experimental drug on the map, and larger drug developers know it. Though pain is a highly competitive indication, cash-rich drugmakers are looking for ways to put that cash to work. Buying Cara Therapeutics might be one such way. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Sean Williamshas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || Ex-Iced Tea Maker Long Blockchain Is Buying Bitcoin Miners Now: Long Blockchain Corp. the former beverage company that announced a pivot to blockchain technology last month, is now planning to enter the bitcoin mining business, a new filing shows. According to a filing with the Securities Exchange Commission on Jan. 5, Long Blockchain Corp, the publicly traded company that was rebranded from Long Island Iced Tea, is in the process of purchasing 1,000 units of AntMiner S9 manufactured by the China-based Bitmain. This move came just weeks after the firm announced its business pivot, which caused its stock price at the U.S. exchange NASDAQ to surge nearly 200 percent. Similar trends in market euphoria were also seen for other public stocks that announced business strategy shifts to areas related to blockchain. In a press release, Long Blockchain said the mining facilities would be located in a Nordic country, without specifying which one. But the agreement included in the SEC filing includes a hint: It states that the vendor will notify the purchaser when the products arrive in Iceland. Further, the purchase price will be $4.2 million, which includes $2.9 million cash as well as an issuance of 260,000 shares of Long Blockchain's common stock. It is not clear from the filing whether Long Blockchain is buying the equipment directly from Bitmain or from a third party. According to the document, this purchase is scheduled to close by Jan. 31 only if Long Blockchain Corp. is able to obtain the required financing before that. As such, Long Blockchain announced in the same document it is issuing additional 1.6 million shares of common stock at a public offering price of $5.25 per share, aiming to raise approximately $7.7 million in net proceeds. Philip Thomas, CEO of Long Blockchain Corp. said in the announcement: "We view this transaction as an important and validating initial step in the Company’s progression into blockchain technology. The commencement of our mining operations places us on a path to generating blockchain-related revenue through the accumulation of bitcoin." Mining chip image via CoinDesk's archive. Related Stories Sneaky Crypto Malware Miners Are Targeting Ad Networks Next Why Bitcoin Needs Fiat (And This Won't Change in 2018) Most Influential in Blockchain 2017 #10: Jihan Wu Cryptocurrency Mining Market NiceHash Hacked View comments [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] Me ha gustado un vídeo de @YouTube (http://youtu.be/rCEXgNsHdP0?a  - EL PÁNICO SE APODERA DE WALL STREET EL DOW JONES Y EL BITCOIN SE || 01/13 07:00現在 #Bitcoin : 1,675,265円↓ #NEM #XEM : 165.29円↑ #Monacoin : 921円↑ #Ethereum : 153,560円→ #Zaif : 1.5233円↓ || FT latest UK News - Head of BIS calls for clampdown on bitcoin http://dlvr.it/QFD2Rf pic.twitter.com/sD6HrI3H9G || Congratulations to Smurph who won 0.01 BTC ($150) ! The next one will take place @ https://t.co/5NunZeOBEq #bitcoin #casino #lottery #winner -- https://t.co/6HDJ7lHZp4 https://t.co/xOFMjpSB3Q || บิตคอง | เกมบิตคอยน์ที่เล่นสนุกจนติดใจ พิสูจน์แล้วว่าเที่ยงธรรม https://bitkong.com/th?r=x7lhDiRd  #bitcoin ข้อมูลจาก @bitkongme || On Hand! Bitcoin Antminer S9 13.5 TH* Ships Immediately* Listing#1 $2,275.00 http://rviv.ly/jMBOg  #bitcoinminers #gpurigminers #store || This research paper analyzes the globalization trend and the effec http://bit.ly/1GJgwYd  #Cybersecurity #Bitcoin pic.twitter.com/HABJruXnh4 || What to Expect When CFTC, SEC Chiefs Talk Crypto With Congress Crypto Future News - https://cryptofuturenews.com/what-to-expect-when-cftc-sec-chiefs-talk-crypto-with-congress/ …pic.twitter.com/aDQ6SBympP || MomsAvenuezainab34911682 Why aren’t there more women in blockchain? https://www.blockchaintechnology-news.com/2018/02/07/arent-women-blockchain/ … #momsavenueReceive a PROFIT from Moms Avenue while #bitcoin is dropping down! Receive 50% bonus instantly! #crowdsale starts on 11th of December, 2017, 12:00 GMT!  #bitcoin #Ethere… || Buy! (11:36:21 pm PDT) Price: 10535.00 (+/- 0.5) Close: 10540.90 (+/- 0.5) Stop: 10532.00 (+/- 0.5) #gdax #coinbase #btc #trading #bitcoin
Trend: down || Prices: 10397.90, 10951.00, 11086.40, 11489.70, 11512.60, 11573.30, 10779.90, 9965.57, 9395.01, 9337.55
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] The development of Bitcoin and the need for patience: Time sometimes feels like it moves very slowly in the world of cryptocurrencies. When there is limited movement in the price of Bitcoin, people often begin to wonder whether enough is happening. We recently had a discussion on the Lightning Network for Coin Rivet TV , and one of my colleagues suggested that progress on the network is too slow. Whilst he does make a valid point, there is a reason for this slow development of Bitcoin. Bitcoin, in its 10-year life span, has worked almost flawlessly. People may argue that the fee market in 2017 suggests otherwise, but for most Bitcoiners, they are happy with where we are today. Other cryptocurrencies often see consistent new developments in order to keep up their hype cycle. Tron is one example of this, with its leader Justin Sun consistently announcing new developments. Bitcoin’s main focus though is on the security of the network and decentralisation. This means that new developments such as Schnorr signatures or the Lightning Network itself must go through peer review to ensure their security and benefits. The fact is there are relatively few experts in the field of Bitcoin, so finding enough people to check new advancements will always take time. Ensuring new developments work on Bitcoin resolves any issues that could arise that might be harmful to the network. Ethereum has had many of its own issues when upgrading its protocol, and with cryptocurrencies being so complex, there is a chance that a bug can always sneak through. Bitcoin isn’t going to succeed in the next year or two. The plan for many developers is much more long term. Whilst it may appear that there isn’t too much happening on the development front for Bitcoin, once you dig a little deeper, there is plenty going on. So relax, be patient, and enjoy the ride. The post The development of Bitcoin and the need for patience appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Block.one Chief Triggers Bitcoin Maximalists with Arrogant Rant: No cryptocurrency is perfect, not even bitcoin. Block.one Co-Founder and CEO Brendan Blumer is preying on the weaknesses of the biggest crypto seemingly to make his company’s own coin, EOS, look good. Blumer disparaged bitcoin for one of its primary use cases, as a currency, saying of the network in a fireside chat at the recent at the Chamber of Digital Commerce event: “Fundamentally transformative in how we will do everything going forward, but actually, a transfer takes an hour, right? It’s expensive if you look at the dilution we pay through new inflation on an annual basis you’re talking $50 to $100 per transaction and it can only about process three transactions a second for every person on the network. So huge scaling limitations.” What seemed to frustrate crypto Twitter more than what Blumer said what was wasn’t said. The moderator didn’t challenge Blumer on any of the points he made or failed to make about bitcoin. Blumer failed to mention any layer 2 payment technology such as the Lightning Network, which has long been a bright spot for Bitcoin. Maybe that’s because the Bitcoin Lightning Network stands to displace many altcoins with its cheaper fees and accelerated transactions, making BTC conducive to everyday purchases. Read the full story on CCN.com. || Bitcoin Donations Pour in for Wikileaks After Disturbing Assange Arrest: Bitcoin donations are pouring in forWikileaksfounderJulian Assange, who wasarrestedApril 11 in London pursuant to an extradition agreement with the United States. Donations started to spike after the official Wikileaks account posted a tweet yesterday, soliciting contributions to Assange’s legal defense fund. That tweet has since been deleted. In the past 24 hours, the Wikileaksbitcoin wallet addresshas logged 314 transactions. Contributions now top 6.7 BTC, or roughly $34,000. Objectively, that’s not a huge amount of money, butother contributionsare being made via fiat currency. Wikileaks’ bitcoin balance ballooned after Julian Assange’s controversial arrest. | Source: Blockchain.com Perhaps not surprisingly, the anti-government Assange is a longtimebitcoinfan. In 2017, Assange tweeted that “bitcoin is the real Occupy Wall Street,” referencing the progressive anti-consumerist movement that launched in 2011. Read the full story on CCN.com. || Bitcoin Price Rages Beyond $5,600 to Hit New 2019-High; New Rally Boom?: ByCCN.com: Throughout the past 24 hours, the bitcoin price has recorded an increase of 4.3 percent, surging from around $5,280 to $5,630. In the past month, in less than 30 days, the bitcoin price has surged from $3,900 to $5,630, by nearly 40 percent. Various technical indicators including long-term indicators such as the moving average convergence divergence (MACD) and exponential moving average (EMA) have shown a trend reversal when bitcoin first crossed $5,000, further fueling the momentum of the dominant cryptocurrency. On Monday, as CCNreported, a cryptocurrency trader known to the community as “Crypto Rand” said that a move for bitcoin to $6,000 is likely based on the short-term performance of bitcoin in April. Throughout April, many traders were cautiously optimistic in regards to the price trend of bitcoin because of its strong rally during the first week of the month wherein BTC surged 20 percent against the U.S. dollar. Read the full story on CCN.com. || BlockFi is driving the rise of Bitcoin loans. Find out how!: Trying to get a loan from the bank can be difficult at the best of times, but if you own cryptocurrencies the chances of rejection are even higher. Most traditional mortgage lenders won’t take into account earnings from cryptocurrency trading when deciding whether you can afford a loan. Many will reject your application simply because you own crypto assets. It’s a conundrum that drove the launch of blockchain startup BlockFi , a company that lends out fiat in return for crypto. Instead of selling your crypto, you can leverage your Bitcoin, Ether, or Litecoin as collateral towards a USD loan and receive your assets back once the loan is paid off. What can I use a Bitcoin loan for? Buying a house isn’t the only reason to consider a Bitcoin loan. BlockFi clients also use its crypto-backed loans to fund home renovations, pay off travel expenses or credit card debt, diversify their investments, or fund a business. The beauty of a Bitcoin loan is that you don’t have to sell your Bitcoin if you don’t want to. This enables you to avoid a potentially large tax bill, and hold onto your crypto as a long-term investment. You can keep ownership of your Bitcoin while gaining access to the fiat you need to fund projects. A Bitcoin loan essentially lets you access the value of your digital assets without missing out on any future increases in value. Crypto loans for the home You can use a Bitcoin loan to pay for an entire home, make a down payment, or for a crypto real estate investment. You can also use it to fund a home renovation – whether that’s remodelling your bathroom or building a new extension. Home renovations are expensive so borrowing could be a good option if you want to space out the cost over time. Diversifying your investments If you’ve got the majority of your investment portfolio in cryptocurrencies, you might want to think about diversifying your investments to protect yourself from price volatility. One option is to invest in real estate – perhaps by buying a holiday home, a rental property, or commercial property. Story continues By leveraging your crypto, a Bitcoin loan lets you diversify your investments into real estate without having to sell your Bitcoin. You could also use a Bitcoin loan to purchase other investments, such as equities, bonds, or other cryptoassets. How do BlockFi loans work? BlockFi claims its loan application takes only two minutes and that you’ll get funded within 90 minutes. The payments you make are interest-only, meaning you aren’t paying anything towards the principal amount. It could therefore come as a shock when you eventually have to pay off the principal. BlockFi says the advantage of its interest-only loans is the monthly payments are low. If your crypto loan is at an 8.5% interest rate, your monthly payments are just 0.7% of your loan amount. BlockFi doesn’t charge early prepayment fees, so you can pay off your loan at any time without being penalised. One thing to bear in mind is that BlockFi requires a large buffer to secure a loan. What’s more, there’s a process in place to protect BlockFi against losses from volatile assets. If the price of the crypto collateral drops by 35% to 60% in value, a margin call will be triggered. BlockFi will contact you and give you 72 hours to either pay back the loan, add more collateral, or take no action. If you choose the third option, BlockFi will sell a part of the collateral to pay down the loan. BlockFi loans are currently licensed in 47 states in the US. Weighing up the risks If you can’t get a loan from the bank and don’t want to sell your crypto, a Bitcoin loan from the likes of BlockFi might be your best bet. The decision is ultimately up to you, however you need to make sure you’re comfortable with the risks – in particular, the fact that loans are interest-only, have high rates, and are underpinned by volatile assets. The post BlockFi is driving the rise of Bitcoin loans. Find out how! appeared first on Coin Rivet . || Beware the Fake Bitfinex White Papers Appearing Online: As speculation and impatience arises over the upcoming Bitfinex token sale, opportunistic fakers are creating bogus white papers that purport to describe the details of the upcoming sale. Why? To scam potential buyers out of their cash. “The white paper you all are seeing now is a fake one,” said Dong Zhao, a Bitfinex shareholder. “The authentic white paper is not yet released. The name of the token is called LEO, not BFX. The offering accepts USDT, not BTC or ETH. The total amount to be raised is still 1 billion.” What do these fake papers look like? We received the following document “in confidence” from a source and found it lacking in details. It also took bios for the Bitfinex founders from the original website and reproduced them verbatim. The language is also at once detailed and lazy with lines like “20% will be kept in reserve to cope with any emergency or unexpected situation that might come up” which suggests a lack of legal or editorial oversight – something no token sale can afford in this regulatory environment. NYAG: Bitfinex Should Be Made to Disclose Tether Deal Documents To be clear, thefollowing paper is fakeand an example of what may be appear in chat rooms and unofficial forums. FAKE BITFINEX WHITE PAPERbyJohn Biggson Scribd We will update you once we receive the official, vetted token sale documentation. Stay safe out there, kids! ‘Not a White Paper’: Marketing Document Details $1 Billion Bitfinex Token Sale Photo byKayla VelasquezonUnsplash • Tokenized Securities Exchange Currency.com Launches to the Public • Bitfinex Shareholder Provides More Details About Potential $1 Billion Token Sale || An ETF to Capture Emerging Markets E-Commerce Growth: This article was originally published onETFTrends.com. As more investors explore developing economies for greater growth and enhance returns, many are looking to a consumer sector ETF that focuses on the 'emerging people.' "The thing that's emerging are the people. I mean that's if you really boil it down, it's the consumers that are coming online, and you know this is 85% of the world's people, and as they move on up, they want more and better stuff," Kevin Carter, Chief Investment Officer for EMQQ, said at Inside ETFs. ETF investors can tap into the consumer spending potential of the rising middle class in the growing emerging markets through theEmerging Markets Internet & Ecommerce ETF (EMQQ) . EMQQ provides exposure to the growing emerging market consumer sector, notably those related to online retailers or the quickly expanding e-commerce industry. "The way we consume has changed," Carter added, referring to the increased reliance on online retail or e-commerce. E-commerce companies are enabling emerging market consumers to leapfrog into the new way of consumerism in the developing world. To be included within its underlying index, companies must derive the majority of their profits from E-commerce or Internet activities and further includes search engines, online retail, social networking, online video, e-payments, online gaming and online travel. EMQQ primarily focuses on the internet and e-commerce sectors of the developing world, helping investors capitalize on the growth of consumption in emerging markets, which represents a significant growth opportunity as more than a billion people are expected to enter the consumer class in the coming decades. For more ETF-related commentary from Tom Lydon and other industry experts, visit ourvideo category. POPULAR ARTICLES AND RESOURCES FROM ETFTRENDS.COM • SPY ETF Quote • VOO ETF Quote • QQQ ETF Quote • VTI ETF Quote • JNUG ETF Quote • Top 34 Gold ETFs • Top 34 Oil ETFs • Top 57 Financials ETFs • Using Merger Arbitrage as a Hedge Against Market Volatility • A Better Way to Determine Risk Exposure for Growth ETF Investors • Report Findings Highlight Fake Bitcoin Trading on Unregulated Exchanges • How to Manage A Mature Bull Market With Macro-Themed ETF Strategies • In the Know: Building a Low Cost, Defensive Portfolio READ MORE AT ETFTRENDS.COM > || EUR/USD Price Forecast – Euro rolls over: The Eurotried to rally during the trading session on Tuesday, but then rolled over yet again as the 1.12 level continues to be crucial. This was support during the previous consolidation, so now it makes sense that it would be a bit of resistance. Beyond that, the European Union growth outlook has been cut, and that of course helps the US dollar. That being the case, expect a lot of choppiness and difficult trading conditions as per usual in this market. Those who trade the EUR/USD pair know that it’s choppy at best, and you are looking at short moves 90% of the time. Because of this, it’s very unlikely to change anytime soon, as it’s just the simple nature of this market. With that being the case, you should pay attention to what the US dollar is doing in general, because if there is more of a “risk off” attitude, it’s likely that we will see this pair drift down to the 1.11 level, and then possibly down to the 1.10 level after that. The market participants continue to be stymied by any type of flow, and flow is something that we simply just do not have. With that being the case, I believe it’s likely that we are going to continue to see a lot of confusion and destruction of trading accounts that over lever this trade. Longer-term, I think we are trying to form a bit of a bottom, but we’ve got quite a bit of time before that actually comes to fruition. Please let us know what you think in the comments below Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Natural Gas Price Forecast – Natural gas markets bounce from support • Bitcoin Risks to Stuck Above $6000 • EUR/USD Mid-Session Technical Analysis for May 7, 2019 • S&P 500 Price Forecast – Stock markets get hit • US Stock Market Overview – Stocks Tumble and Volatility Surges as China-US Trade Dispute Continues • Forex Daily Recap – Turkish Lira Plunged Amid Political Turmoil Pushing the USD/TRY to 2019 Highs || Former CFTC commisioner and bitcoin advocate Bart Chilton passes away at age 58: Bart Chilton, the former commissioner at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, has died at age 58 due to a “sudden illness,” RT announced on Saturday . Between 2007 and 2014, Chilton headed the CFTC’s Energy and Environmental Advisory Committee and the Global Markets Advisory Committee. Following his departure from the CFTC, he became a senior adviser at law firm DLA Piper. He also hosted RT’s financial show Boom Bust. Chilton was also curious and, at times, supportive of cryptocurrencies. He believed crypto assets were “not a scam or fraud,” saying there was legitimacy behind Bitcoin. In his Forbes article published earlier this year, he discussed the “Good, Bad And Ugly” of cryptocurrencies; he claimed “the 80 percent price plummet we saw from December of 2017” was a positive thing. || FinCEN Issues First-Ever Civil Penalty Against Bitcoin Exchange: The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau within the U.S. Department of the Treasury, has imposed its first-ever penalty on a peer-to-peer crypto exchange for violating AML regulations, among other violations. FinCENannouncedthe penalty on its website on April 18, 2019, declaring that it had levied a civil money penalty against bitcoin trader Eric Powers for “[failing] to register as a money services business (MSB), [having] no written policies or procedures for ensuring compliance with the BSA [Bank Secrecy Act], and [failing] to report suspicious transactions and currency transactions.” In other words, Powers was acting as an unregistered exchange by carrying out a number of peer-to-peer transactions in crypto assets. In the course of his various peer-to-peer transactions, FinCEN claimed that Powers exchanged a total sum of BTC worth approximately $5 million, carrying out individual transactions worth more than $10,000 over 200 times. Though FinCEN noted that this is its first enforcement action against a peer-to-peer cryptocurrency exchange, this is not the first prosecution of this sort lately. Earlier this month, Jacob Burrell Campos waschargedby the U.S. Department of Justice for similar crimes, acting as an unregistered exchange. A key difference between the two cases, however, is that FinCEN quoted a civilpenaltyof $35,350 dollars for Powers while Campos was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. Both men were required to forfeit $100,000 and $800,000 in crypto assets. The initial sentencing of Campos came withcommentaryfrom regulatory officials such as David Shaw, a special agent for Homeland Security investigations in San Diego, who called the trial “a reminder to those illegal and unlicensed money transmitters that the laws and rules apply to crypto currency dealings just as they do to other types of financial transactions,” signaling that the U.S. government would begin prosecuting these financial crimes more harshly. The FinCEN announcement noted that Powers’s sentence was loosened due to his cooperation with law enforcement, including an agreement “to an industry bar that would prohibit him from providing money transmission services or engaging in any other activity that would make him a ‘money services business’ for purposes of FinCEN regulations.” This article originally appeared onBitcoin Magazine. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] The tests are satisfactory and we will proceed with closed BETA testing beginning the 15th of May, where a selected group of supporters, testers and influencers will be able to test our platform in our testnet environment. #eterbase #bitcoin #exchange https://t.co/bL6V0FwNFD || ほらね？って言うしかない || Setting up #masternodes end of this week. Stakerewards will go from 6 coins to 9! #bitcoin #stake #HLIX #crypto || だから何回も言うけどもBTC一月に動いても最高１０万が上やって。去年から。一月に２０万動いたことねえだろ。バブル時以外で || アンテナ更新→ 「仮想通貨業界は積極的に教育とロビー活動を」米NY州議員が訴える https://t.co/JdFwjGeVSa || Negative news still resulted in positive growth for Bitcoin this week, but the markets were not all clear skies (of green). https://t.co/js3TGgB6fR || @and_gema @BernardTracy2 Take your Bitcoin and shove it. You are what's wrong with today's generation. || @justinsuntron If you begin to comment on $BTC @justinsuntron it is high time to sell it. || 【暴騰速報】ビットコイン74万超え！前日比7.8%の大暴騰ｷﾀ───(ﾟ∀ﾟ)───!!【BTC】 https://t.co/5HVBdWcbHK https://t.co/3uchXNfL1m || Bitcoin History Part 12: When No One Wanted Your BTC https://t.co/Pd7s22Su9w https://t.co/tAelFV2okC
Trend: down || Prices: 7814.92, 7994.42, 8205.17, 7884.91, 7343.90, 7271.21, 8197.69, 7978.31, 7963.33, 7680.07
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2017-08-24] BTC Price: 4334.68, BTC RSI: 69.56 Gold Price: 1286.50, Gold RSI: 61.17 Oil Price: 47.43, Oil RSI: 47.76 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Here's our first look at iOS 11, which will bring massive changes to your iPhone and iPad: Apple(NASDAQ: AAPL)just released thepublic preview of iOS 11for the iPhone and iPad. That means you can test an early version of Apple's next major software release, which will launch this fall. We've been playing with the public preview on an iPad, which Apple says is the "biggest release for iPad ever," for the past couple of days. Let's take a look at the biggest changes coming to the iPad. You know how you can only keep a few of your favorite apps in the dock at the bottom of your iPad screen? That's completely changing. Apple lets you store up to 13 apps (on my 10.5-inch iPad Pro, in any case), plus 3 more apps, including recommendations from Siri and recently opened apps. This is my favorite new feature in iOS 11. Multitasking is being revamped. You can run two apps side by side like in iOS 10, but now also drag out another app, such as Messages, which hovers in its own separate window. This is perfect for when you want to drag a link or an image from one app right into another, and allows you to use your iPad more like a real laptop. If you find yourself taking notes all day long, you'll love this one. The Notes application, for example, knows when the pencil tip touches the screen and automatically makes room for jotting down notes. If you take a screenshot, you'll be able to mark up the page and share it or save it as a PDF. Apple also added a new document scanner, which means signing documents is easier than ever before. Control Center, which you might know as that small area on your iPhone where you turn on the flashlight, is entirely revamped. You can now add many more of your own shortcuts, from Home controls to a screen recording function and even Apple TV controls. Tap and hold most of these apps and you'll see even more information (if you tap and hold the music player, for example, you can scrub through the song and view album art). The iPad and iPhone finally have an accessible file storage system. You can see various folders you've created on your iPad or iPhone and access cloud-based storage options such as iCloud, Box, Dropbox and Google Drive. iOS 11 even lets you search for a specific file across any service. I love this feature for quickly accessing documents I've been working on on my computer from either my iPhone or my iPad. I mentioned this briefly in the multitasking section, but I'll explain further here. You can now drag and drop content, such as photos, across applications. Maybe you want to send five photos to a family member, for example. Start tapping them inside the Photos app and then drag them right into your email application and send them off. Or, if you have Notes and Safari open, just drag links, images and more right from one app into another. The App Store is yet another place you'll see major changes. Apple employees are curating apps they think you'll like. The focus is now on quality apps, not just list upon list of items to download. Apple still highlights the top paid apps and separates those from games in a new list. Apple told CNBC it made this change because the top paid lists were often loaded with games, and this now helps highlight apps from other developers. There's also a much cleaner look and feel, but I kind of miss seeing the wide array of apps front and center, so it'll take some getting used to. More From CNBC • How to buy Bitcoin in seconds from your smartphone • Snapchat has a new feature called 'Snap Map'—here's how it works • Here’s how to add Sirius XM to your Amazon Echo || Bitcoin Skyrockets, Race to First Cryptocurrency ETF Heats Up: Bitcoin soared to a new high above $4,300 today, rising more than 28% over the past week. The digital currency has now more than quadrupled in value from around $997 at the start of the year. $1 invested in bitcoin seven years ago is now worth over $1.4 million. Recent surge in bitcoin price resulted from strong investor demand from Japan as also some safe haven buying. Investors have also become increasingly bullish after the smooth split of the cryptocurrency into two. (Read: 4 ETF Ways to Hedge Against Volatility) Bitcoin’s gains this weekend appeared to be at the expense of other newer digital currencies. Below is the one-week price chart from coindesk.com: What is Bitcoin? Unlike traditional currencies, which are issued by central banks, bitcoin is a decentralized digital currency. It trades 24/7 around the world without any involvement of central administrator or clearing agency. The market, which remains largely unregulated, is more like a peer-to-peer digital payment network. Creation and transactions in bitcoin are controlled through cryptography to keep transactions secure. And, while users remain anonymous, the record of these transactions is available on the bitcoin network. Bitcoin Becoming Mainstream? Bitcoin now has a market value exceeding $70 billion per coinmarketcap.com. Total value of all cryptocurrencies is more than $139 billion now. They are no longer fancy assets with few backers. In April, Japanese regulators announced rules for bitcoin, establishing it as a legitimate method of payment in the country. Per Goldman Sachs analysts, “whether or not you believe in the merit of investing in cryptocurrencies (you know who you are), real dollars are at work here and warrant watching.” Nvidia(NVDA)’s CEO said in a recent conference call, “cryptocurrency and blockchain is here to stay. The market need for it is going to grow, and over time it will become quite large.”  Nvidia andAMD(AMD) are among the main supplier of chips used for cryptocurrency mining. Is Bitcoin a Bubble? Bitcoin’s astronomical surge has raised bubble fears. Some are even comparing it to tulip mania. But unlike tulips, bitcoin has real value and is accepted by hundreds of thousands of merchants worldwide. One of the reasons behind the surge is bitcoin’s limited supply. According to the Economist, there are about 16.3 million bitcoin in circulation, with only 1,800 new ones minted every day. The currency’s total supply would be capped at 21 million units. (Read: Follow Gundlach with These ETF Strategies) On the other hand, demand has been rising due to geopolitical uncertainty. Many consider bitcoin a safe have asset like Gold. Due to its low correlation with other asset classes, it also acts as a portfolio diversifier. It is difficult to arrive at a fair value for the bitcoin. I read about a model in FT that is based on the presumption that bitcoin’s core utility value is serving as a currency for the dark economy. The model found the cryptocurrency to be grossly overvalued. Standpoint's Ronnie Moas raised his price target on bitcoin to $7,500 today as he told CNBC, "I believe there are hedge funds and very deep-pocketed individuals going into this now, really hundreds of millions of dollars." Another bitcoin bull Max Keiser predicts $5,000 would be the next target, driven by panic buying by the world’s affluent with “rising war tensions and central bank malfeasance.” If bitcoin’s surge looks excessive, consider this—bitcoin’s closest rival ethereum is up more than 3,400% this year. (Read: Ethereum ETF? The Bitcoin Crushing Digital Currency Explained) Bitcoin ETFs Under SEC Review The race to the first digital currency ETF is heating up. VanEck Vectors recently filed for an actively managed “Bitcoin Strategy ETF” which will invest in exchange-traded bitcoin-linked derivative instruments and other investment vehicles that provide exposure to bitcoin. Earlier this year, the SEC had rejected the ETF proposed by Winklevoss twins but they are now reviewing the decision again. Another bitcoin ETF, proposed by SolidX Management, was also rejected in March. The third one proposed by Grayscale’s Bitcoin Investment Trust (GBTC) is being reviewed. (Read: 5 Smart Beta ETFs with Brilliant Returns) Bitcoin derivatives are likely to be available to investors much sooner. CBOE plans to launch bitcoin futures in the fourth quarter of 2017 or early 2018, pending regulatory approval. Last month, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) approved digital currency-trading platform LedgerX to clear bitcoin options. The exchange plans to launch bitcoin options in early fall, and ethereum options within a few months, per CNBC. Zacks' 10-Minute Stock-Picking SecretSince 1988, the Zacks system has more than doubled the S&P 500 with an average gain of +25% per year. With compounding, rebalancing, and exclusive of fees, it can turn thousands into millions of dollars.But here's something even more remarkable: You can master this proven system without going to a single class or seminar. And then you can apply it to your portfolio in as little as 10 minutes a month.Learn the secret >> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free reportAdvanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) : Free Stock Analysis ReportGOLD (LONDON P (GLD): ETF Research ReportsNVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report || Oil Price Fundamental Weekly Forecast – Oil Ministers May Try to Limit Libyan, Nigerian Production at Key OPEC Meeting: U.S. West Texas Intermediate and international-benchmark Brent crude oil posted a volatile two-sided trade last week before settling lower. The bullish price action was fueled by a bigger-than-expected draw in U.S. inventories. The bearish news was increased production from OPEC. September WTI crude oil futures settled at $45.77, down $0.98 or -2.10% and October Brent crude oil finished the week at $48.31, down $0.86 or -1.75%. Weekly September West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil Crude oil futures reached their highest level since June 7 after a big drop in U.S. crude and gasoline stockpiles. Distillate inventories also posted a surprise draw. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. crude stocks fell 4.7 million barrels during the week-ending July 14. This exceeded estimates for a 3.2 million draw. The EIA also said gasoline stocks declined 4.4 million barrels and distillate stocks decreased 2.1 million barrels. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast a 0.7 million barrel draw in gasoline and a 1.2 million barrel build in distillates. Prices rose despite the EIA reporting U.S. production climbed to 9.43 million barrels per day (bpd), its highest since July 2015. The rally didn’t last very long as sellers wiped out the week’s gains on Friday after a tanker-tracking firm reported supply from OPEC is rising. According to PetroLogistics, a company that tracks OPEC supply forecasts, OPEC’s July oil supply was set to rise by 145,000 bpd compared to June. The increase in oil supply would push production above 33 million bpd. Higher supply from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Nigeria would drive this month’s gains, according to PetroLogistics. In other news, oilfield services Baker Hughes reported its weekly count of oil rigs operating in the U.S. ticked down by one rig to a total of 764. Weekly October Brent Crude Oil Forecast The downside momentum created by Friday’s sell-off could continue early this week due to further position-squaring ahead of a key meeting on July 24 between OPEC and non-OPEC members in St. Petersburg, Russia. The market is looking for clear signs that the production cuts are having an impact on prices. Story continues Bullish traders are hoping the oil-producing countries reach some conclusion as to compliance of agreed production cuts and how to bring down inventory levels. OPEC and other oil exporters, including Russia, agreed to remove 1.8 million barrels a day from the market in an effort to stabilize prices and decrease the global supply glut. Despite the agreement, OPEC faces increasing uncertainty after cartel member Ecuador said it will start to increase production again due to revenue reasons. One bullish sign would be Saudi Arabia announcing an export cut of about 1 million barrels per day, for example. Oil ministers may try to bring Libya and Nigeria into the framework of the oil production deal. Prices are likely to fall further if the meeting ends without a major announcement about further production cuts. Buyers seem to be getting tired of the status quo and would like to see a further commitment from OPEC/Non-OPEC producers in their efforts to trim the supply glut. This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: RBA Debelle’s Comments May Have Killed the AUD/USD Rally Exploiting Bitcoin Opportunities with HYCM SegWit Versus Segwit2x: Get Ready, Bitcoin Civil War Starts Now U.S. Dollar Sunk by Wave of Buying in Aussie, Euro Euro Strong During Week of ECB Meeting Drop in GE Stock, Below Average Volume Drive U.S. Stock Indexes Lower Across the Board || Wall Street doesn't really care how much money Apple is making right now: Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is set to report earnings after the bell on Tuesday, a report that will most likely show that the $774 billion behemoth has even more money in the bank. To be precise, Apple is expected to report adjusted earnings of $1.57 per share on revenue of $44.89 billion in the June quarter, according to analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. That's a 10.7 percent jump in EPS and a 6 percent jump in revenue from this time last year. That's an incredible sum — except that most analysts do not seem to be worried about whether Apple beats or misses expectations for this quarter. In fact, analysts have gone so far as to write they just " want to get [this quarter] over with ." "It's what I'd call a lame-duck quarter," Nehal Chokshi, an analyst at Maxim Group, told CNBC's " Squawk Box " on Monday. "It doesn't really matter what they say or do. And this is because everybody knows that the June quarter results, you know — we're at the end of the product cycle. And everybody gives them a pass for whatever results they're going to provide." Analysts who released research in FactSet all focus on what Apple has planned for September, with the next generation iPhone. The iPhone 8 — marking the 10th anniversary of the original model — is expected to introduce radical new features such as brighter, edge-to-edge screens and augmented reality capabilities. Plus, there's a slew of people with sixth-generation iPhones — one of Apple's best sellers — that might be due for an upgrade. Together, that means factors such as guidance on margins in the September quarter could be more valuable than anything Apple has done this spring, according to analyst Andy Hargreaves, senior research analyst at Pacific Crest Securities. Indeed, the September quarter is so much more important than Tuesday's result that Hargreaves said it might even be a good thing if Apple misses estimates. Story continues "Oddly, stronger-than-expected results may be a contrarian indicator, as it would suggest consumers are not holding off purchases in anticipation of the iPhone 8," Hargreaves said. CEO Tim Cook has telegraphed that people might be doing just that — holding out on purchasing the iPhone 7 in light of leaks about the iPhone 8. But even looking at the guidance on future margins and revenue might not be a catalyst for investors, Hargreaves wrote. That's because the upcoming iPhone screens are made from a notoriously tricky material that could delay its launch past the end of the September quarter. "While not anticipated by us, we believe any 'hiccups' in Jun results, would be glossed over as investors focus on the upcoming iPhone launch," wrote Michael Olson, senior research analyst at Piper Jaffray. "We do not expect investors will be overly unnerved by an outlook that is slightly below consensus, given the widespread news flow around potential for next gen iPhone delays." Abhey Lamba, senior technology analyst at Mizuho Securities, concurred, writing: "[W]e believe investors could look past the softer guide in anticipation of the upcoming product cycle." So if June quarter results don't move the needle, and September quarter guidance might not either, what does that leave for investors to latch on to? Aaron Rakers, ‎managing director at Stifel Nicolaus, said data points such as demand in China and the growth of Apple's services business will continue to point to the company's long-term health. Technology investor Paul Meeks of Sloy, Dahl & Holst, told CNBC's " Worldwide Exchange " on Monday that he's worried the company doesn't have another "trick" beyond the iPhone 8. Some traders are pointing to Apple's stock-move trends after earnings for clues. Chokshi said he's watching the Apple supply chain, at least for the next three months. "Everyone's delaying their purchase for the next iPhone," Chokshi said. "And then for the September quarter guidance: At the end of the September quarter .... you have the new iPhone that's released. But it's always supply constrained. So whatever guidance they're providing, that's a complete reflection of the supply they're going to have on hand. So it never tells you anything about what the real demand is. What really will matter is the December guidance three months from now." WATCH: Here's what experts expect to see from Apple earnings More From CNBC We asked 25 female founders who they'd pick as Uber's next CEO S&P 500 to bar Snapchat parent after its decision to offer stock with no voting rights Bitcoin falls, futures for new 'bitcoin cash' leap as 'miners' officially split currency || Here's our first look at iOS 11, which will bring massive changes to your iPhone and iPad: Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) just released the public preview of iOS 11 for the iPhone and iPad. That means you can test an early version of Apple's next major software release, which will launch this fall. We've been playing with the public preview on an iPad, which Apple says is the "biggest release for iPad ever," for the past couple of days. Let's take a look at the biggest changes coming to the iPad. A completely redesigned app dock You know how you can only keep a few of your favorite apps in the dock at the bottom of your iPad screen? That's completely changing. Apple lets you store up to 13 apps (on my 10.5-inch iPad Pro, in any case), plus 3 more apps, including recommendations from Siri and recently opened apps. This is my favorite new feature in iOS 11. You can multitask like never before Multitasking is being revamped. You can run two apps side by side like in iOS 10, but now also drag out another app, such as Messages, which hovers in its own separate window. This is perfect for when you want to drag a link or an image from one app right into another, and allows you to use your iPad more like a real laptop. The Apple Pencil is more useful If you find yourself taking notes all day long, you'll love this one. The Notes application, for example, knows when the pencil tip touches the screen and automatically makes room for jotting down notes. If you take a screenshot, you'll be able to mark up the page and share it or save it as a PDF. Apple also added a new document scanner, which means signing documents is easier than ever before. The Control Center can be fully customized Control Center, which you might know as that small area on your iPhone where you turn on the flashlight, is entirely revamped. You can now add many more of your own shortcuts, from Home controls to a screen recording function and even Apple TV controls. Tap and hold most of these apps and you'll see even more information (if you tap and hold the music player, for example, you can scrub through the song and view album art). Story continues An easier way to see files and move them around The iPad and iPhone finally have an accessible file storage system. You can see various folders you've created on your iPad or iPhone and access cloud-based storage options such as iCloud, Box, Dropbox and Google Drive. iOS 11 even lets you search for a specific file across any service. I love this feature for quickly accessing documents I've been working on on my computer from either my iPhone or my iPad. Drag and drop is supported across apps I mentioned this briefly in the multitasking section, but I'll explain further here. You can now drag and drop content, such as photos, across applications. Maybe you want to send five photos to a family member, for example. Start tapping them inside the Photos app and then drag them right into your email application and send them off. Or, if you have Notes and Safari open, just drag links, images and more right from one app into another. There's a brand new App Store The App Store is yet another place you'll see major changes. Apple employees are curating apps they think you'll like. The focus is now on quality apps, not just list upon list of items to download. Apple still highlights the top paid apps and separates those from games in a new list. Apple told CNBC it made this change because the top paid lists were often loaded with games, and this now helps highlight apps from other developers. There's also a much cleaner look and feel, but I kind of miss seeing the wide array of apps front and center, so it'll take some getting used to. More From CNBC How to buy Bitcoin in seconds from your smartphone Snapchat has a new feature called 'Snap Map'—here's how it works Here’s how to add Sirius XM to your Amazon Echo || A Teenage Bitcoin Millionaire is Launching Taylor Swift’s Music Into Space: Bitcoin millionaires are being made every day as the cryptocurrency's value continues to climb. One making waves in particular is Erik Finman , who first invested in Bitcoin in 2011 - when he was only 12 years old. Now, Finman is working to send a multimedia time capsule into space. He's gathering videos from artists and fellow teenagers. The archive will also reportedly include Taylor Swift's album "1989" and contributions from X Prize founder Peter Diamandis. Finman told TechCrunch that the archive element of the project is meant to commemorate the 40 th anniversary of the Voyager probe launch, which carried a compilation of Earth sounds known as the Golden Record. Compiled by astronomer Carl Sagan, the Golden Record included natural sounds, 115 images, and a 90-minute selection of music from classical to rock n' roll . The new time capsule will be launched on a microsattelite known as Project DaVinci . Project DaVinci is based out of the North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, a high school co-founded by Erik Finman's mother, the engineer Lorna Finman. A team of nine students from the school is being advised by mentors like aerospace engineer Burt Rutan. Rutan won the X Prize in 2004 for completing the first privately funded manned space flight - a precursor to companies like SpaceX. Get Data Sheet , Fortune's technology newsletter. Project DaVinci’s foot-long "CubeSat" will include several features in addition to Erik Finman's video archive, including sending messages to partner schools on the ground to encourage interest in science education. The satellite will also, appropriately, conduct "the first Bitcoin transaction in space." DaVinci was among a group of CubeSats selected by NASA to launch on rockets with extra payload space. Project DaVinci recently announced via that its official launch date is November 30 th . See original article on Fortune.com More from Fortune.com Taylor Swift Wins Groping Trial Against Radio D.J. Here's What Kesha Has to Say About the Taylor Swift Groping Suit Taylor Swift Finally Took the Stand in the Groping Trial. Here's What She Said Taylor Swift's Mom Testifies In Groping Case: I Wanted to 'Vomit and Cry' Taylor Swift Expected to Testify Against DJ Who Allegedly Groped Her || Bitcoin's explosive gains could spell good news for stocks: (A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange shortly after the opening bell in New YorkThomson Reuters) Bitcoin is trading at a record high on Monday, up 3.92% at $3,356 a coin. It has gained about 80% over the past month, shaking off fears that aforkin the cryptocurrency would cause its price to plummet. These kinds of astronomical gains in bitcoin, it turns out, are correlated with a strong showing by stocks too, according to Nautilus Investment Research. To be more specific, the firm says that of the 18 previous instances when bitcoin returned at least 30% in a month, the S&P 500 was higher 15 times two months later and 17 times three months out, averaging gains of 3.61% and 4.66%, respectively. What explains this? Nautilus doesn't offer a reason, but it does note that it could just be that bitcoin is a "barometer for animal spirits in the markets." In other words, when traders are going nuts about a highly-speculative investment like bitcoin, that same risk-loving attitude might turn up among the folks who trade stocks. What we can't know from this is whether one affects the other, or if there's something else driving strong demand for both. Though Nautilus only has 18 points of reference, it's worth noting that these go all the way back to 2010, so the backdrop for the rallies — the strength of the economy, investor sentiment, and Trump — haven't all been the same. Of course, bitcoin hasn't been around that long so we don't know how this correlation will hold up in the long-term. Bitcoin has had a blazing start to 2017. Through the first seven-plus months of the year it has gained 257%. (Nautilus Investment Research) More From Business Insider • Bitcoin's meteoric rise is costing some investors billions • Tesla's surging stock is crushing short sellers • It's about to get a lot easier to bet on the backbone of the stock market || An investing legend is making a killing after putting 1% of his net worth in bitcoin: bill miller (Bill Miller, the founder, chairman, and chief investment officer of Miller Value Partners.REUTERS/Rick Wilking ) The legendary investor Bill Miller is apparently bullish when it comes to cryptocurrencies. Miller told Forbes he invested 1% of his net worth into bitcoin in 2014, determining that the potential gains from a cryptocurrency boom outweighed the risk of a complete loss. Forbes reporter Antoine Gara writes that the investment has grown tenfold and that bitcoin is one of the top holdings of Miller's hedge fund. In 2014, bitcoin traded between $183 and $914. Currently, it's trading at $2,340, up nearly 1,200% from its 2014 low. While Miller's net worth is unknown, his fund LMM had about $2 billion in assets as of February, according to CNBC. Last year, Miller split from Legg Mason after 35 years with the firm . In February, Miller completed a buyout of LMM, an investment adviser jointly owned by Miller and Legg Mason, which he now runs through his family-owned Miller Value Partners firm. Miller is well-known for his streak of beating the S&P 500 for 15 straight years — 1991 to 2005 — while running the Legg Mason Value Trust. He was appointed chairman and chief investment officer of Legg Mason Capital Management in 2007. NOW WATCH: Wells Fargo Funds equity chief: Shorting anything is 'playing with fire' More From Business Insider GOLDMAN SACHS: Bitcoin is going to test $3,000 and could get as high as $3,700 This little-known Amazon service turns stuff you want to get rid of into store credit Bitcoin plunges below Goldman Sachs' target before rebounding sharply || Bitcoin cash is crashing: (Ian MacNicol/Getty Images) Bitcoin cash, the new cryptocurrency, is crashing. Bitcoin cash has dropped 33%, to $290 a coin, over the past day, according to data from Coinmarketcap.com. That's down from its all-time high of $727 set on Wednesday, a day after its debut. Meanwhile, bitcoin is up 1.92%, to $2,852. On Tuesday, bitcoin split in two after a years-long battle in the cryptocurrency community over the rules that should guide bitcoin's network. That split resulted in the creation ofbitcoin cash, which was spun out of the same blockchain network as bitcoin — almost like a copy of it — but built to process more transactions more quickly. Many folks in the community think bitcoin cash's price has beeninflated by issues with the technologyunderpinning the coin. When the cryptocurrency split, investors who stored their bitcoin in digital wallets that supported bitcoin cash received one bitcoin cash coin for every bitcoin. But many of them can't access their bitcoin cash coins, so they can't transfer them to exchanges where they can actively be bought and sold. According to Aaron Lasher, the CMO of Breadwallet, a bitcoin wallet, the price of bitcoin cash could drop even further once those coins enter the exchanges, based on simple economics — when more people look to sell a good than to buy it, the price falls. Samson Mow, the chief strategy officer at Blockstream, told Business Insider the bitcoin cash house of cards could fall apart and that the cryptocurrency was unlikely to "survive at prices above $100 in the long term." Sebastian Quinn-Watson, a venture partner at Blockchain Global, a bitcoin exchange operator based in Australia, said, "We have some of our key traders telling us that they will be getting out of their BCC positions by 8 August." August 8 is when SegWit, a software update for the original bitcoin blockchain, is set to go into effect. "We see 8 August as the day the bell tolls for bitcoin cash," Quinn-Watson said. "If the prices of BCC remain strong post the 8th then it is likely to be a currency for a long period. "Alternatively, we could see a consolidation in bitcoin and see it run well past its peak," he concluded. NOW WATCH:Stocks have shrugged off Trump headlines to hit new highs this week More From Business Insider • Bitcoin's meteoric rise is costing some investors billions • Bitcoin cash may be a house of cards that comes crashing down • Bitcoin's explosive gains could spell good news for stocks || AMD stock soars 7% after strong guidance, earnings beat: Shares of Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) soared after the company raised its outlook and reported earnings that topped expectations. The stock surged 7 percent in after-hours trading as more than 13 million shares changed hands on Tuesday. Here's how the company did compared to expectations, according to Thomson Reuters consensus estimates: EPS: 2 cents per share vs. break-even Revenue: $1.22 billion vs. $1.16 billion As strong as the company's second-quarter results were, tech analyst Patrick Moorhead said there may be more good news ahead for AMD. "AMD has a lot to look forward to as none of their actuals incorporates sales of EPYC server parts, only limited sales of the new Radeon Vega and none of the Ryzen notebook parts," Moorhead, founder and principal analyst of Moor Insights & Strategy, said. While expected, Moorhead said AMD's positive operating profit was "icing on the cake." AMD said it now expects third-quarter revenue to increase about 15 percent year over year. That figure implies third-quarter revenue of about $1.50 billion, easily besting analyst projections for about $1.39 billion, according to Thomson Reuters. The company said it also sees annual revenue growth in the mid to high-teens percentage, better than its previous expectation for revenue growth in the low teens. Wall Street previously projected full-year revenue growth of about 12.8 percent, according to a Thomson Reuters consensus estimate. AMD's optimistic revenue forecasts parallel AMD's expectation for a year-over-year decline in inventory for 2017. During its Tuesday earnings call, AMD said it's in the process of catching up with demand and is ramping up production to replenish its inventory. In June, the stock jumped after the company told CNBC that the dramatic rise in digital currency prices has driven demand for its graphics cards. At the time, major computer hardware retailers had sold out of AMD's recently launched RX 570 and RX 580 models. While Bitcoin prices have seen some recent turbulence , Bitcoin has still more than doubled in value for the year. Cryptocurrency miners use graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) to "mine" new coins , which can then be sold or held for future appreciation. AMD traditionally has a better reputation for mining cryptocurrencies. During its earnings call, AMD said, however, that its still prioritizing its core gaming market. The company said it's continuing to watch developments in digital currencies. — CNBC's Evelyn Cheng and Tae Kim contributed to the report. Story continues More From CNBC Facebook's three-pronged plan to get businesses to use Messenger more Trump said Apple's Tim Cook 'promised' him he'd build three US factories Blue Apron co-founder steps aside amid post-IPO jitters View comments [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] #HBO Looks to Acquire $250,000 Worth of #Bitcoin to #Pay Off Extortionists http://xcc.be/5UjcNTI pic.twitter.com/XlHYxpeL8I || 1 BTC Price: BTC-e 2373.451 USD Bitstamp 2370.00 USD Coinbase 2381.57 USD #btc #bitcoin 2017-07-10 16:30 pic.twitter.com/jb5bvZZLRP || 2017-08-10 1:00~2:00のBitcoin市場は反騰だったみたいだね。 変化率は0.1682% 3:00までは反落かな? 直近の市場の平均Bitcoinの価格は369635.0円 #ビットコイン #bitcoin #AI || Bitcoin -15%. Grafen lite lik Ericsson vid -00 och FPC-toppen? pic.twitter.com/BPmNd3OOgL || 1 DOGE Price: Bter 0.00000095 BTC #doge #dogecoin 2017-07-03 00:31 pic.twitter.com/yZvf1Fn0pe || Καλπάζει το $BTC https://twitter.com/igsquawk/status/896636764072423425 … || Seems like a copycat of Bitcoin backed only by community. Would not invest long term || One Bitcoin now worth $4060.45@bitstamp. High $4094.00. Low $3635.18. Market Cap $67.012 Billion #bitcoin || I'm not sure. Anyway by going alts I mean only buy 5-7% more of it. I never go below 80% in $btc. Right now about 92%. || Bittrex #11 Market(1.89%) LUN/BTC - Lunyr Vol(24h):2744.02 BTC / $11,032,400 - Price: $23.00 / 0.00572 BTC
Trend: up || Prices: 4371.60, 4352.40, 4382.88, 4382.66, 4579.02, 4565.30, 4703.39, 4892.01, 4578.77, 4582.96
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Direxion Adds News ETFs, Reverse Splits 4 ETFs, Forward Splits 5 ETFs: Direxion, the second-largest issuer of inverse and leveraged exchange traded funds, announced Wednesday it has added two new ETFs to its existing lineup of leveraged and inverse ETFs. The Direxion Daily European Financials Bull 2X Shares (Ticker: EUFL) seeks to achieve 200% of the daily performance of the MSCI Europe Financials Index. Meanwhile, The Direxion Daily Gold Miners Index Bear 1X Shares (Ticker: MELT) seeks to achieve 100% of the inverse of the daily performance of the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index. Sylvia Jablonski, Managing Director at Direxion, said the company had recently seen instability in European markets, with the post-Brexit effect yet to subside as political and economic uncertainties remain. “The launch of the European Financials leveraged ETF is timely, as market reaction to the EU situation presents the chance for bullish traders to magnify their short-term perspective,” Jablonski said. “Our new Gold Miners bear ETF will complement the existing suite of ETFs tracking that space, to give traders another option for taking advantage of short-term opportunities.” Direxion Announces Reverse and Forward Share Splits of Nine Leveraged ETFs Direxion also announced it will execute reverse share splits for four of its leveraged exchange-traded funds, as well as forward share splits for another five leveraged ETFs. The total market value of the shares outstanding will not be affected as a result of these splits, except with respect to the redemption of fractional shares, as outlined below. Four Reverse Splits Direxion will execute a 1-for-4 reverse split of the Direxion Daily Natural Gas Related Bear 3X Shares (GASX) . The firm will also execute a 1-for-5 reverse split of the Direxion Daily S&P Oil & Gas Exp. & Prod. Bear 3X Shares (DRIP) , Direxion Daily Gold Miners Index Bear 3X Shares (DUST) and Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bear 3X Shares (JDST) . The splits are effective at the open of the market on Aug. 25, 2016. A summary of the four ETFs undergoing reverse splits is as follows (please note the CUSIP changes, effective Aug. 25, 2016): As a result of this reverse split, every four or five shares of a Fund will be exchanged for one share as indicated in the table above. Accordingly, the total number of the issued and outstanding shares for the Funds will decrease by the approximate percentage indicated above. In addition, the per share net asset value (“NAV”) and next day’s opening market price will be approximately four- or five-times higher for the Funds. Shares of the Funds will begin trading on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “NYSE Arca”) on a split-adjusted basis on Aug. 25, 2016. The next day’s opening market value of the Funds’ issued and outstanding shares, and thus a shareholder’s investment value, will not be affected by the reverse split. Trending on ETF Trends Nasdaq Adds Big Q2 Haul of New ETP Listings, Switches ARK Launches ETF Solely Focused on 3D Printing SolidX Reveals Plan to Launch a Bitcoin ETF A Big Day for ETFs as 5 Sponsors Launch New Products O’Leary’s O’Shares Seeks Big Additions to its ETF Lineup Five Forward Splits Additionally, Direxion will execute forward splits of the Direxion Daily Brazil Bull 3X Shares (BRZU) , Direxion Daily Real Estate Bull 3X Shares (DRN) , Direxion Daily 20+ Treasury Bull 3X Shares (TMF) , Direxion Daily Gold Miners Index Bull 3X Shares (NUGT) and the Direxion Daily Junior Gold Miners Index Bull 3X Shares (JNUG) . After the close of the markets on Aug. 24, 2016 (the “Payable Date”), each Fund will affect a split of its issued and outstanding shares as follows: As a result of these share splits, shareholders of each Fund will receive an additional four, five or 10 shares for each share held of the applicable Fund as indicated in the table above. Accordingly, the number of each Fund’s issued and outstanding shares will increase by the approximate percentage indicated above. All share splits will apply to shareholders of record as of the close of NYSE Arca, Inc. (the “NYSE Arca”) on Aug. 23, 2016 (the “Record Date”), payable after the close of the NYSE Arca on the Payable Date. Shares of the Funds will begin trading on the NYSE Arca on a split-adjusted basis on Aug. 25. 2016 (the “Ex-Date”). Related:Direxion’s New Bearish Junk Bond ETF to Hedge Market Risks On the Ex-Date, the opening market value of each Fund’s issued and outstanding shares, and thus a shareholder’s investment value, will not be affected by the share split. However, the per share net asset value (“NAV”) and opening market price on the Ex-Date will be approximately one-fourth, one-fifth or one-tenth for the Funds. The tables below illustrate the effect of a hypothetical 4-for-1, 5-for-1 and 10-for-1 split on a shareholder’s investment. Click hereto read the full story on ETF Trends. The opinions and forecasts expressed herein are solely those of Tom Lydon, and may not actually come to pass. Information on this site should not be used or construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any product. || Bitcoin "miners" face fight for survival as new supply halves: (Repeats story which first moved July 8, no change to text) By Jemima Kelly KEFLAVIK, Iceland, July 9 (Reuters) - Marco Streng is a miner, though he does not carry a pick around his base in south-western Iceland. Instead, he keeps tens of thousands of computers running 24 hours a day in fierce competition with others across the globe to earn bitcoins. In the world of the web-based digital currency, it is not central banks that add new money to the system, but rather computers like Streng's which are awarded fresh bitcoins in return for processing blocks of the latest bitcoin transactions. Bitcoin can be used to send money instantly around the world, using individual bitcoin addresses, free of charge with no need for third party checks, and is accepted by several major online retailers. The work Streng's computers and others do serves two purposes: they record and verify the roughly 225,000 daily bitcoin transactions and - because they earn new bitcoins for the work they do - steadily increase the currency in circulation, currently worth around $10 billion. The process has come to be known as "mining" because it is slow and intensive, reaping a gradual reward in the same way that minerals such as gold are mined from the ground. But on Saturday, the reward for miners will be slashed in half. Written into bitcoin's code when it was invented in 2008 was a rule dictating that the prize would be halved every four years, in a step designed to keep a lid on bitcoin inflation. From around 1700 GMT on Saturday, instead of 25 bitcoins up for grabs globally every 10 minutes, worth around $16,000 at the current rate, there will be just 12.5. That means only the mining companies with the leanest operations will survive the ensuing profit hit. "The most important thing is to be the most efficient miner," said Streng, the 26-year-old co-founder of German firm Genesis Mining, which has "mining farms" in Canada, the United States and eastern Europe, as well as in Iceland. "When the others drop out, that means that they leave the market and give you a bigger share of the pie." SOLVING PUZZLES The currency was founded eight years ago by a person or group using the name Satoshi Nakamoto, whose real identity has not been established. It was set up to operate independently of any single authority, instead relying on a decentralised global network. Because the bitcoin miners operate autonomously, it is hard to track their numbers and size. But in terms of computing capacity it was estimated earlier this year that the network is 43,000 times more powerful than the world's top 500 supercomputers combined. Computers like Streng's solve complex, automatically generated mathematical puzzles to help secure each block of transactions and keep the bitcoin network safe from hacking or manipulation. For bitcoin users, that security is one of the currency's main attractions. After the first miner secures a block of transactions, its work is verified by the other miners in the network, and that block is added to the "blockchain" - a shared record of all the transaction data - which is virtually impossible to tamper with. The mining, therefore, keeps the whole system going. Bitcoin is now accepted by major organisations including U.S. online retailer Overstock.com and travel company Expedia. The speed and anonymity of bitcoin transactions, and lack of a central authority overseeing the currency, has drawn in many users, including those who want to get around capital controls. It has also attracted investors who see it as a potentially lucrative commodity in itself. KEEPING COOL Bitcoin mining started out as a hobby for tech geeks using their home computers in the early years of the virtual currency, but has become more specialised as bitcoin usage expands. As the bitcoin price has risen, as transaction numbers have grown and as the computers have become so specialised that they can only perform the function of bitcoin mining, a whole industry has emerged. It can be profitable if firms are able to keep their expenses low. But the costs of running these machines, which cost around $1,800 each, and keeping them cool are fiendishly high. Streng reckons that, on average, it costs about $200 in electricity, including cooling power, to mine one bitcoin. Equipment, rent, wages and business running costs are on top. On Saturday, all else being equal, the halving of the reward will double that cost, to $400, leaving a small margin for profit at the current exchange rate of around $640 per bitcoin. In the same remote region of Iceland as the Genesis mining farm, on a former Cold War U.S. military base lies a bitcoin mining facility belonging to U.S. firm Bitfury. A nearby sub-station means electricity transmission costs are minimal. In the farm's two vast buildings, tens of thousands of mining machines whir away, producing a huge amount of heat, so the buildings are open to the cold Icelandic air at either side, save for particle filters to trap dust. Fans in the ceiling allow hot air to escape, but spin so fast that no rain or snow can enter during the winter. The noise produced by computers and fans is deafening. It is no coincidence that so many mining companies have chosen to build farms in Iceland - Chinese giant Bitmain also has a huge farm there. The volcanic island's cheap, bountiful, renewable energy supply, good internet connectivity, and cool temperatures make it an ideal location. The Icelandic authorities welcome the boost to the economy that the bitcoin miners have brought -- Bitmain opened its farm after an approach by the Icelandic embassy in Beijing. Genesis's Streng says he is such a valued client that the Icelandic energy companies fly him around in helicopters. Bitfury CEO Valery Vavilov, who estimates electricity makes up between 90 and 95 percent of bitcoin mining costs, says one way his firm stays competitive is by making its own hardware. He also says the company, founded in 2011, is prepared for the mining reward cut. "We're prepared - we already went through one halving event in 2012," he said. "You can forecast this...so you have time to prepare, and if you're prepared you can live quite easily." Vavilov, and other miners, say the prospect of new supply halving has already helped drive bitcoin up over 50 percent this year, which should help ease the pain. COMPETITION FROM CHINA Despite the fact that the halving was expected, and that the price has risen, it has already claimed one casualty: Sweden's KnCMiner filed for bankruptcy at the end of May, citing the hit to its profits that the reward cut would bring. Daniel Masters, who runs a Jersey-based bitcoin hedge fund and who bought a part of KnC's business, said the Swedish firm, like everybody else, had faced competition from miners in China, which are estimated to make up more than two-thirds of the bitcoin network's computing power, or "hashpower". "It turned out that the Chinese, who really stormed into the mining market in the last couple of years, could just do this whole thing cheaper," Masters said. Some Chinese miners get hydroelectric power from disused dams, while others use cheap coal-powered electricity. Bitfury and Genesis, though, say their lean operations allow them to fight off the competition. Genesis, for example, keeps cost down by remotely monitoring conditions in its mining farms and adjusting its fans and cooling accordingly. And the next time the mining reward is halved, in 2020, they hope the number of bitcoin transactions will have grown sufficiently to mean that the small fees paid by users will make up enough of their income to smooth out the profit cut. "By 2020 we will definitely have had the tipping point," said Bitfury's Vavilov. (Reporting by Jemima Kelly; Editing by Dominic Evans) || Bitfinex says expects 'socialized loss' for $72 million bitcoin hack: By Clare Baldwin HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong-based crypto-currency exchange Bitfinex, from which hackers stole about US$72 million worth of bitcoin this week, said on Friday that it expected to "socialize" the losses among bitcoin balances. In dollar terms, the theft of the 119,756 bitcoin revealed on Tuesday was the second-biggest security breach ever of a digital currency exchange. The theft accounted for about 0.75 percent of all bitcoins in circulation. "We are still working out the details," Bitfinex said on its website, "however, we are leaning towards a socialized loss scenario among bitcoin balances and active loans to BTCUSD positions." The exchange, which is known for its liquidity in the U.S. dollar/bitcoin currency pair, did not explain what that would entail. It has said previously it would settle accounts at an exchange rate of $604.06, the midpoint of the bid and ask on Aug. 2, 2016 at 18:00:00 UTC. The price of bitcoin plunged more than 23 percent on Tuesday when news of the hack became public, trading as low as $465.28 on the BitStamp platform BTC=BTSP. It was trading at $569.84 on Friday. (Reporting by Clare Baldwin; Editing by Will Waterman) || British pro athletes are not happy about Brexit: The full impact of the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union is still being predicted, parsed, debate and disputed across a number of sectors. One of those areas isthe world of British sports, and in particular soccer, golf, rugby, and cricket. To name just a few outcomes: Brexitcould diminish the geographical diversity of the English Premier League; it couldlead American billionaires who own British sports teams to sell them off; it couldshrink prize-money purses for golfersat events like the British Open; and it couldcreate some awkwardness at golf’s biennial Ryder Cup. In the days since the result of the vote, active and retired pro athletes from England and from Northern Ireland have taken to social media to voice their view on the Brexit. We had trouble finding any athletes voicing overt support for the result. We found a couple who sound neutral, or accepting of the news. But the vast majority appear to voice extreme displeasure. Here’s a sampling. Paula Radcliffe, former world champion marathoner (pictured above): Stan Collymore, former soccer player for clubs including Liverpool and Aston Villa: Danny Cipriani, rugby player for Wasps Football Club: Gary Lineker, former soccer player (for teams like Leicester City, Everton and others) and now sports broadcaster: Jamie Carragher,former soccer player for Liverpool and the England national team: Philip Neville,former soccer player for Manchester United and Everton, former assistant coach of Spanish team Valencia: Rory McIlroy,pro golfer from Northern Ireland: Kevin Davies,former soccer player and England national team member: Michael Owen,former soccer player for Manchester United, now an international ambassador for Liverpool: Mark Cavendish,road-racing cyclist: Austin Healey,former rugby player for the Leicester Tigers and the England national team: Jonathan Edwards,former Olympic triple jumper: Graeme Swann,former cricket player, now cricket broadcaster: Greg Rutherford,track-and-field athlete: Will Greenwood,former rugby player: Michael Vaughan,former cricket player for Yorkshire: Ben Ainslie,Olympic sailor (the most winning sailor in history): Will Carling, former rugby player for Harlequins: Adam Gemili, Olympic sprinter: Lynsey Sharp, track-and-field athlete: Dina Asher-Smith, Olympic sprinter: Jazmin Sawyers, track-and-field athlete: Shelly Woods, Paralympic athlete: Jeanette Kwakye, former sprinter: Ugo Monye, former rugby player for England national team, Harlequins, British and Irish Lions and England Saxons: As more U.K. athletes voice public opinions on Brexit, Yahoo Finance will continue to update this roundup. — Daniel Roberts is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering sports business and technology. Follow him on Twitter at @readDanwrite. Read more of Yahoo Finance’s Brexit coverage: How Brexit could wreak havoc on British soccer and golf Here’s why Brexit might not be so bad for… Burberry Bitcoin’s price surge isn’t just about Brexit Harry Potter author JK Rowling unleashes fury at Brexit voters || British bitcoin market sent extraordinary signals ahead of the Brexit vote: The price of the digital currency bitcoin rose 6.5% in the 24 hours directly after Britain voted to leave the European Union. And while the coin had already been on a ride over the two weeks before the vote (it's up 25% in the last month), for a number of factors besides the Brexit , it is likely that uncertainty over the situation stoked interest in the cryptocurrency, which is seen as an investment asset uncorrelated to the broader economy. Bitcoin price over the past month from Winkdex, including Coinbase data. Note the spike after the Brexit vote, but also the much larger spike well before the vote. New data from Coinbase, which offers the leading bitcoin wallet and a popular bitcoin exchange, proves that the prospect of Brexit had an impact on bitcoin even before the referendum vote. In the week leading up to the vote (June 13-20), Coinbase saw a 55% increase in new account sign-ups from Great Britain, and a 350% increase in bitcoin purchases from UK customers. On the day of the Brexit vote, Coinbase saw an 86% increase in Great Britain signups. It's one of the largest spikes in activity Coinbase has ever seen from one region in one week. The British bitcoin bump is a reminder, a Coinbase spokesperson says, that b itcoin "has long been a hedge against turmoil in Greece, capital controls in China, and macro-economic issues." Indeed, many compare the coin to gold as an investment vehicle. The current market cap of all bitcoins is $10.1 billion. Coinbase, founded in 2012, has 4 million users and is now operable in 32 countries. It launched in the UK just one year ago , giving Brits the ability to buy bitcoin using pounds, euros or dollars. In the US, it recently added the ability for customers to buy bitcoin instantly using a debit card, making it even easier to buy up coin. Expect the fervor around Brexit to show a continued impact on the price of bitcoin. For a conversation with Coinbase cofounder Fred Ehrsam, watch the above video. -- Daniel Roberts is a writer at Yahoo Finance, covering sports business and technology. Follow him on Twitter at @ readDanwrite . Read more of Yahoo Finance’s Brexit coverage: Story continues The latest Bitcoin price hike is not all about Brexit This crazy Brexit flowchart shows how the UK could still remain in the EU Brexit might not be so bad for... Burberry Harry Potter author JK Rowling unleashes fury at Brexit voters || Bitcoin Services Inc. Launches bitcoin-basics.com: GRANDVILLE, MI / ACCESSWIRE / July 6, 2016 / Bitcoin Services Inc. (OTC Pink: BTSC) announced today that it launched bitcoin-basics.com . The website explains the basics of Bitcoin to new users. It will make money from ads and affiliate offers. Bitcoin is a digital asset and a payment system. The system is peer-to-peer and transactions take place between users directly, without an intermediary. These transactions are verified by network nodes and recorded in a publicly distributed ledger called the blockchain, which uses bitcoin as its unit of account. Since the system works without a central repository or single administrator, the U.S. Treasury categorizes bitcoin as a decentralized virtual currency. Bitcoin is often called the first cryptocurrency. About Bitcoin Services Inc.: Our business operations are Internet based to the consumer and consist of three separate streams, as follows: (1) bitcoin escrow services, (2) bitcoin mining, and (3) blockchain software development. The principal products and services are the mining of bitcoins, providing escrow services for buyers and sellers of bitcoins, and the development and sale of blockchain software. The market for these services and products is worldwide, and sold and marketed on the Internet. Safe Harbor Statement This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27a of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and section 21e of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Those statements include the intent, belief or current expectations of the company and its management team. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Accomplishing the strategy described herein is significantly dependent upon numerous factors, many that are not in management's control. Some of these factors include the ability of the company to raise sufficient capital, attract qualified management, attract new customers and effectively compete against similar companies. CONTACT: [email protected] SOURCE: Bitcoin Services Inc. View comments || Leveraged Buyout Corporation Announces Intention to Commence a Tender Offer for Shares of Yasheng Group: VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 1, 2016 /Leveraged Buyout Corporation ("LBOC") announced today that it intends to commence a tender offer to the shareholders of YaSheng Group ("HERB") (OTC:HERB) to purchase up to 81,000,000 shares of HERB's Common Stock at a purchase price of $11.00 per share. The offer will require that each shareholder deliver at least 51 of each 100 share owned. LBOC targets to own approximately 51% of the issued and outstanding shares of HERB Common Stock. The offer price of $11.00 per share represents an extraordinary premium over market value for 6 reasons: 1. HERB is trading at a deep discount based on its earnings, and; 2. Payment is in the form of corporate notes that will pay interest in OTCcoin (OTX) a new digital currency that rides on the rails of the Bitcoin blockchain, and; 3. The notes will mature in 10 years with annual interest payable at the rate of 1 OTX per $1 face value. 4. OTX is thinly trading on international cryptocurrency exchange C-CEX (https://c-cex.com/?p=otx-btc) 1. Notes are to be backed by the shares tendered and held in safe keeping by HERB's transfer agent. 2. LBOC is a newly formed entity. Important Information about the Tender Offer LBOC has not yet commenced the tender offer referred to in this press release. This press release does not constitute an offer to buy or solicitation of an offer to sell any securities. This press release is for informational purposes only. The offer to purchase the shares of HERB Common Stock from its shareholders and the solicitation of the shares will be made only pursuant to the offer to purchase and the related letter of transmittal, which are expected to be mailed to HERB shareholders shortly after commencement of the tender offer subject to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission. About LBOC: LBOC is a subsidiary of a holding company whose principal holdings include digital currency and related assets. LBOC was formed to capitalize on companies whose market cap is deeply discounted in the markets from the tangible values. As its name reveals it seeks to buy out controlling interests on leverage utilizing cashless financing. About HERB: YaSheng Group is a U.S. holding company and conducts business operations in China. The Company, through its subsidiaries, operates in agriculture, livestock, and biotechnology. YaSheng specializes in developing, processing, marketing, and distributing a variety of food products grown in North West China. This press release contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The forward looking statements in this press release are also forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and involve substantial risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those relating to the contemplated tender offer described in this press release, including uncertainty about the timing of the tender offer, that, if the tender offer is commenced, the conditions to closing the tender offer may not be satisfied, uncertainties as to the amount of shares that will be tendered in the tender offer and LBOC's ownership interest in YASHENG Group following the tender offer, risks relating to the continued listing of YASHENG Group's Common Stock on the OTC Markets Stock Exchange and the continued status of YASHENG Group as an SEC reporting company, and the risk that the expected benefits to LBOC from the tender offer may not be realized or maintained. LBOC cautions that the foregoing factors are not exclusive. CONTACT :[email protected] SOURCE:Leveraged Buyout Corporation || Former U.S. Secret Service agent suspected in additional Bitcoin thefts: By Joseph Menn SAN FRANCISCO, June 30 (Reuters) - A Secret Service agent who stole money seized by the government in the investigation of underground drug bazaar Silk Road is now suspected of stealing money in at least two other cases, according to court filings unsealed on Thursday. In the larger of those cases, he is thought to have been behind the theft of about $700,000 worth of Bitcoin from a Secret Service account three months after the agency was urged to block his access, the documents say. Former agent Shaun Bridges pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced in December to nearly six years in prison for stealing more than $800,000 of the crypto currency Bitcoin during the Silk Road investigation. According to an affidavit unsealed Thursday, the Justice Department learned in April 2015 that Bridges might have kept a private cryptographic key giving him access to a Bitcoin wallet with the $700,000 in currency that the Silk Road task force had seized in 2014. The department urged the agency to move the funds elsewhere. "Unfortunately, the U.S. Secret Service did not do so and the funds were thereafter stolen, something the U.S, Secret Service only discovered once it was ordered by a court to pay a portion of the seizure back to affected claimants," a team of prosecutors wrote in an accompanying motion. The Bitcoin in question was moved in July 2015 but only discovered missing in December, the affidavit said. The Secret Service and Bridges' attorney Steven Levin declined to comment. In the previous case, Bridges admitted he stole money from Silk Road accounts and framed someone else for it, leading Silk Road chief Ross Ulbricht to plan a murder. Ulbricht is now serving a life sentence. (Reporting by Joseph Menn; Editing by Cynthia Osterman) || Group claims to have hacked the NSA, wants $500 million to release files: A group of hackers going by the name "The Shadow Brokers" claims to have penetrated an NSA-backed hacking operation , and has leaked a bunch of hacking tools it claims is from the NSA. But that's not all: the Shadow Brokers claim to have much more data, and are currently hosting a Bitcoin auction to sell it off to the highest bidder. The hackers claim to have penetrated something called the "Equation Group," a hacking organization widely believe to be the NSA. A sampling of the stolen files already posted shows similarity between the files and information revealed about the NSA's hacking operations in the Snowden leaks. DON'T MISS: Apple just released iOS 10 beta 6 for the iPhone and iPad The files mostly appear to be hacking tools and scripts, although it's unclear how much the hackers made off with. Their announcement on Pastebin specifically keeps the details of the stolen files a secret, since "Equation Group not know what lost. We want Equation Group to bid so we keep secret." The big question is obviously whether the data is legit. The overt grab for money means this could just be a fake; post a bunch of promising-looking files and screenshots, and then hold an anonymous Bitcoin auction for the rest. The NSA makes sense as a target here, as there's minimal information known about the Equation Group already, and the NSA is unlikely to comment too publicly on the hack. If it proves to be true, this would be one of the highest-profile and most serious hacks in years. Otherwise, it's just a neat fake, and a very bold plan to make quick cash. Trending right now: iPhone 8 concept shows the major design overhaul everyone wanted on the iPhone 7 New photos and video show iPhone 7 Plus in the color we’ve all been waiting for: Space Black The ultimate Pokemon Go hack that lets you walk anywhere just got even better See the original version of this article on BGR.com || Bitcoin Services Inc. To Develop Blockchain Software with Emphasis on Online Marketplace, File Storage and Identity Management: GRANDVILLE, MI / ACCESSWIRE / June 23, 2016 /Bitcoin Services Inc., (OTC Pink: BTSC) announced today that it plans to develop blockchain software with emphasis on online marketplace, file storage and identity management. In online marketplace Blockchain software will be applied to establish ownership over anything on the internet. This opens up the potential for ownership of tickets, merchandise, products, and subscriptions. On file storage blockchain software would allow a Peer to Peer file sharing network. It would remove the need for centralized databases and heavy storage areas. On Identity management blockchain software would allow users to create tamper-proof digital identities for themselves by being a blockchain-based identity service. These digital identities could be used to replace usernames and passwords online. About Bitcoin Services Inc.:The issuer's business operations are each Internet based to the consumer and consist of three separate streams, as follows: (1) bitcoin escrow services, (2) bitcoin mining, and (3) blockchain software development. The principal products and services are the mining of bitcoins, proving escrow services for buyers and sellers of bitcoins, and the development and sale of blockchain software. The market for these services and products is Worldwide, and sold and marketed on the Internet. Safe Harbor StatementThis release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27a of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and section 21e of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Those statements include the intent, belief or current expectations of the company and its management team. Prospective investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Accomplishing the strategy described herein is significantly dependent upon numerous factors, many that are not in management's control. Some of these factors include the ability of the company to raise sufficient capital, attract qualified management, attract new customers and effectively compete against similar companies. CONTACT: [email protected] SOURCE:Bitcoin Services Inc. [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] #TrinityCoin #TTY $ 0.000013 (0.33 %) 0.00000002 BTC (-0.00 %) || 100+ high paying bitcoin faucets: Welcome to BITCOINS4FREE Home of highest… http://goo.gl/fb/xMNHCO  #bitcoin #btcb0t || #ebay $100.00 NEW R-Box 110 GHS bitcoin miner (used) POWER SUPPLY NOT INCL at http://ebay.to/2b8DUJ6 pic.twitter.com/Q7KFJ0gFks || #BTA Price: Bittrex 0.00001500 BTC YoBit 0.00001699 BTC Bleutrade 0.00001656 BTC #BTAprice 2016-07-29 13:00 pic.twitter.com/rLMQnclM9Y || #TrinityCoin #TTY $ 0.000007 (1.26 %) 0.00000001 BTC (-0.00 %) || One Bitcoin now worth $652.55@bitstamp. High $664.99. Low $645.00. Market Cap $10.293 Billion #bitcoin pic.twitter.com/WNo5xOW9Ww || http://bit.ly/1gWVX43  Re: How Africans Can Utilize Bitcoin...: Quote from: Mzie on Today at 11:00:36 AMWhat would be your… || One Bitcoin now worth $568.17@bitstamp. High $573.00. Low $554.90. Market Cap $8.987 Billion #bitcoin || 1 MUE Price: Bittrex 0.00000053 BTC YoBit 0.00000459 BTC Bleutrade 0.00000045 BTC #MUE #MUEprice 2016-08-07 21:00 pic.twitter.com/HCKZLuVG3U || #UFOCoin #UFO $ 0.000020 (-1.77 %) 0.00000003 BTC (-0.00 %)
Trend: no change || Prices: 581.31, 586.75, 583.41, 580.18, 577.76, 579.65, 569.95, 573.91, 574.11, 577.50
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2022-06-08] BTC Price: 30214.36, BTC RSI: 46.30 Gold Price: 1851.90, Gold RSI: 48.23 Oil Price: 122.11, Oil RSI: 68.54 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Buffett's advice for beating inflation: 'Be exceptionally good at something': Invest in yourself to reap rewards even when inflation bites, Berkshire Hathaway ( BRK-A , BRK-B ) CEO and Chairman Warren Buffett told a shareholder who asked him for advice on what to invest in amid a general increase in prices of goods and services. "The best thing you can do is to be exceptionally good at something," Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett said during the company's annual shareholders meeting on Saturday. "If you're the best doctor in town, if you're the best lawyer in town, if you're the best whatever it may be... [people] are going to give you some of what they produce in exchange for what you deliver." The Oracle of Omaha later added: "Whatever abilities you have can't be taken away from you. They can't actually be inflated away from you. ... So the best investment by far is anything that develops yourself, and it's not taxed at all." WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 05: Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett attends the Fortune Most Powerful Women summit at Mandarin Oriental Hotel on October 5, 2010 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Time Inc.) (Jemal Countess via Getty Images) Buffett, who purchased his first stock when he was 11-years-old, spent decades building up Berkshire Hathaway, a vast conglomerate with stakes in companies like Apple, Coca-Cola, Dairy Queen, and HP. The legendary investor also highlighted the importance of spending time figuring out what one is good at rather than pursuing one fixed goal relentlessly. "Figure out what makes you good and what you sort of naturally bring to the game," Buffett said, later citing Malcom Gladwell's 10,000 hour rule : "I could have spent 10,000 hours trying to become a heavyweight boxer. I don't think I'd do very good at the end of the 10,000 hours. You stumble into what you really like doing, what you're good at, what's useful to society." Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman Charlie Munger weighed in with one thing not to do. "I got some advice for you too," Munger said. "When you have your own retirement account and your friendly adviser suggests you put all the money into bit to Bitcoin, just say no." More Yahoo Finance coverage of Saturday's meeting: Buffett on market timing: 'We haven't the faintest idea' Buffett: 'Berkshire does not have an answer' for nuclear war Charlie Munger on Robinhood stock crash: 'God is getting just' Warren Buffett: We didn't repurchase any Berkshire stock in April The big question ahead of Berkshire Hathaway's 2022 meeting Longtime shareholder describes 'what sets Berkshire apart from other companies' Here's the lowdown on Warren Buffett's big day Aarthi is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. She can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @aarthiswami . Story continues Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter , Instagram , YouTube , Facebook , Flipboard , and LinkedIn View comments || FOREX-Dollar dips as hopes rise that inflation has peaked: (Adds details, updates prices) By Chuck Mikolajczak NEW YORK, June 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar index retreated from earlier highs and fell on Tuesday as Wall Street stocks erased initial declines amid growing hopes that inflation may have peaked, but the greenback managed to hit its highest level in 20 years against the Japanese yen. While a decline in Target dented gains on Wall Street, U.S. stocks mostly advanced as some investors took the retailers profit warning as a sign price pressures on the consumer may start to ease. Longer-dated U.S. Treasury yields, which hit a 3-1/2 week high overnight on concerns the Federal Reserve will continue on its aggressive rate hike path as it seeks to combat inflation, also eased as a tapering off of inflation could slow the central bank's hiking plans. "The market is pricing in that the Fed is going to do almost all of what it says it is going to do, but that being said you are starting to get this idea that maybe inflation has reached its peak and might be starting to roll over," said Thomas Martin, senior portfolio manager at Globalt Investments in Atlanta, Georgia. "Retailers are having inventory accumulation problems and you are seeing some prices come down so rates in the U.S. at least have stalled out in this area." Investors will get a look at the latest inflation reading on Friday in the form of the May consumer price index. The dollar index fell 0.176% to 102.270, with the euro up 0.14% to $1.0709. After touching a near 20-year high of 105.01 on May 13, the dollar index has eased back to around the 102 level, although Friday's strong payrolls report helped the greenback notch its first weekly gain in three. The yen weakened to touch 132.99 per dollar, its softest since April 3, 2002. The greenback has been strengthening against the yen as the policy paths of their countries' respective central banks diverge. On Tuesday, Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda repeated his view that a weak yen benefited the economy if its moves were not too sharp, a comment that followed the currency's fall to a fresh two-decade low. Story continues The Japanese yen weakened 0.55% versus the greenback at 132.59 per dollar, while sterling was last trading at $1.2596, up 0.53% on the day. The pound gained against the dollar, rebounding after falling to a three-week low against the greenback on the heels of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson escaping a confidence vote that left him politically wounded. The Australian dollar rose 0.65% versus the greenback to $0.724 after the Reserve Bank of Australia lifted its cash rate by 50 basis points to 0.85%, the most in 22 years, and flagged more tightening to come as it battles to restrain surging inflation. Investors will hear from the European Central Bank at its next policy announcement on Thursday, with the U.S. Federal Reserve set to announce policy next week. In cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin last fell 3.03% to $30,489.49. (Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak Editing by Bernadette Baum and Mark Heinrich) || PTE Stock Is Rocketing Nearly 100% Today. It’s About Time.: PolarityTE (NASDAQ: PTE ) was one of the most popular tickers on Tuesday after the stock nearly doubled in value. It’s said that a series of large transactions followed by social media buzz created the surge rather than a single event. I’m glad this stock has finally gained the traction it deserves after an unjustified patchy period. PTE’s central aim is to address the diabetic wound care market. Its pilot product, SkinTE, recently gained Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for a Phase 3 study that would see the drug tested for “Chronic Cutaneous Ulcer Indication.” As a result, we could see PolarityTE up the ante for the drug’s commercial use after winding down in 2021 after various regulatory clashes with the FDA ramped up operating costs. 7 Stocks to Add to Your April Must-Buy List Investing in a single product company is a very risky bet, but the signs are that PTE will sequence a range of products over the coming years. Furthermore, the company has aligned itself to a very addressable market. The proportion of undiagnosed diabetes patients stacked up to 44.7% in 2021, leaving much scope for governments and companies such as PolarityTE to address. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips Another plus side, PTE has ability to raise capital fairly quickly. This suggests that its investor base is perfectly willing to finance its high operating costs with the belief that its management can curate a life-changing drug. PolarityTE recently issued another $5 million in securities to leave the company with enough cash runway to roll out its plan for sixteen SkinTE operating sites by the end of May. I’m bullish on the stock, but I’m encouraging my readers to take notice of the magnitude of risk involved. So, only invest if you’re fully aware of the risk that a bioscience stock brings with it. A penny stock bioscience stock at that. However, having said that, PTE stock is trading at a 99.86% discount to its 5-year average price to sales ratio, prompting me to go for it on this one! Story continues On Penny Stocks and Low-Volume Stocks: With only the rarest exceptions, InvestorPlace does not publish commentary about companies that have a market cap of less than $100 million or trade less than 100,000 shares each day. That’s because these “penny stocks” are frequently the playground for scam artists and market manipulators. If we ever do publish commentary on a low-volume stock that may be affected by our commentary, we demand that InvestorPlace.com ’s writers disclose this fact and warn readers of the risks. Read More: Penny Stocks — How to Profit Without Getting Scammed On the date of publication, Steve Booyens did not hold any position (either directly or indirectly) in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines . Steve co-founded Pearl Gray Equity and Research in 2020 and has been responsible for institutional equity research and PR ever since. Before founding the firm, Steve spent time working in various finance roles in London and South Africa. He holds an MSc in Investment Banking from Queen Mary – University of London and is working towards his Ph.D. in Finance, in which he’s attempting to challenge the renowned Fama-French 5-factor pricing model by incorporating ESG factors. His articles are published on various reputable web pages such as Seeking Alpha, TipRanks, Yahoo Finance, and Benzinga. Steve’s articles on InvestorPlace form an interesting juxtaposition between mainstream opinion and objective theory. Readers can expect coverage on frequently traded stocks, cryptocurrencies, crowdfunding, and ETFs. More From InvestorPlace Stock Prodigy Who Found NIO at $2… Says Buy THIS It doesn’t matter if you have $500 in savings or $5 million. Do this now. 10 Stocks Are Issuing Sell Signals Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” The post PTE Stock Is Rocketing Nearly 100% Today. It’s About Time. appeared first on InvestorPlace . || Crypto Markets Shed Over $280Bn in Five Days, Bitcoin Hits Lowest Since July 2021: Key Points Cryptocurrency markets have shed more than $280 billion in value since last Wednesday. Bitcoin fell to its lowest levels since July 2021 under $33,000 per token. Losses come against the backdrop of falling global equities/rising bond yields on central bank tightening expectations. The total cryptocurrency market capitalization looks on the verge of falling to its lowest level of the year after falling below $1.5 trillion this Monday. Since last Wednesday, when the cryptocurrency’s market cap was just under $1.8 trillion, nearly $280 billion in value has been wiped out of existence. The ugly start to May, which has already seen the cryptocurrency market shed over 10% of its value, comes after an even uglier April, during which time the market dropped nearly 20%. Compared to early April highs just over one month ago, the total market cap of the crypto market cap has fallen by about $670 billion. Unfavorable macro backdrop hurting crypto markets An unfavorable macro backdrop characterized by volatile, bearish conditions in global equity markets, as well as a sharp upside in global bond yields, has been the primary factor weighing on crypto markets, in recent months. Sky-high inflation in the US and other major economies as a result of the over-the-top fiscal and monetary response to the pandemic which, at the time, also disrupted global supply chains, and which has also been recently worsened as a result of the disruptive impact on the global economy from the Russo-Ukraine war, is driving major central banks ( like the Fed ) to quickly remove monetary accommodation. In recent months, it has begun to dawn on markets just how high-interest rates in the US (and elsewhere) may have to rise in order to bring inflation under control. That dawning realization seemed to go into overdrive following last week’s hawkish Fed meeting. Since that meeting, the US ten-year yield has jumped more than 20 bps to its highest level since December 2018 near 3.20%, taking its rise since the start of the year to about 170 bps. Story continues Concerns about the rapid withdrawal of monetary accommodation (i.e. low-interest rates), coupled with increasing concerns in recent weeks about slowing global growth have weighed heavily on global equities. High price/earnings ratio stocks have been particularly hard hit, with the rise in bond yields increasing the opportunity cost of holding stocks which yields relatively less. Cryptocurrency markets have a close positive correlation to equities, particularly US tech, and so the recent downside has weighed heavily. Meanwhile, given their status as non-yielding assets, the rise in yields (which represents a rising opportunity cost) has also weighed heavily. Bitcoin on the verge of major bearish breakout Bitcoin (BTC) just hit its lowest level since July 2021 below the $33,000 mark. The cryptocurrency is already down over 12% on the month, over 30% versus its annual highs printed back in March, and is now down about 52% versus the record highs it printed last December in the $69,000 area. Bitcoin bears are eyeing a breakout lower towards the 2021 lows in the $28,000s. Technical momentum certainly seems to be pointing that way, with the 21, 50, and 200-Day Moving Averages all pointing lower and no further substantial levels of support after $33,000 all the way to the 2021 lows. BTC/USD Chart. Source FX Empire The price action in the second-largest major cryptocurrency Ethereum (ETH) is also looking ugly, with the cryptocurrency breaking below the $2,400 level per token, on Monday, for the first time since February. ETH/USD does still remain some way (about 10%) above the annual lows it printed back in January in the mid-$2,100s, however, this will most certainly be a level the bears will be targeting. ETH/USD Chart. Source: FX Empire This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Queen Elizabeth pulls out of parliament opening because of ‘mobility problems’ Fire season drives demand for July 4 drone shows to replace fireworks Ukrainians are being sent to Russia against their will, Pentagon says EU lawmakers call for pact on cocoa prices with Ivory Coast and Ghana Probe under way after near-collision at Mexico City airport Bostic says inflation may cool faster, leaving less for Fed to do || Crypto VC Jill Gunter on what it will take to beat Ethereum: Jill Gunter is no stranger to crypto -- she's seen the market through its ups and downs, conducting research on blockchain protocols, working at multiple crypto startups and co-founding her own , and investing as a crypto VC at Slow Ventures. Gunter first started following the crypto space in 2011, when she was working in the traditional finance world as a derivatives trader at Goldman Sachs and when Bitcoin was the only major layer-one blockchain. Since then, Gunter told TechCrunch's Chain Reaction podcast , she's been able to witness three distinct phases of development within the industry that have led it to this moment of heated competition between multiple established blockchains, and even more new protocols entering the fray. The first phase is what Gunter called the era of altcoins. Protocols like Litecoin, Dogecoin and ZCash were born in this era, when developers sought to tweak the Bitcoin protocol in specific ways, such as changing the block size to change the throughput of the system, she explained. "What you came out with was a lot of blockchains and a lot of tokens that had a lot of the same properties as Bitcoin, but changed the feature set," Gunter said. The next phase of the development of new blockchains came with the creation of Ethereum in 2015, according to Gunter. Ethereum brought a "sea change" in terms of what one could do with a blockchain by introducing the concept of programmability. The modern era of layer-one blockchains, she continued, can be understood as a period of developers trying to tweak the feature sets of programmable blockchains to address some of the issues with Ethereum that exist today. Developers are trying to lower fees, boost usability and add privacy features to applications on the blockchain that the layer-one Ethereum chain itself doesn't have. Ethereum's high transaction costs and low throughput have continued to plague the network with issues, frustrating users. Yuga Labs' recent metaverse land sale grabbed headlines last week when people trying to buy NFTs were faced with exorbitant gas fees and failed transactions because of the popularity of the drop. Story continues While alternative blockchains such as Solana and Avalanche offer lower costs and can process transactions much faster than Ethereum, Gunter said these other chains have not been "fully put to the test that Ethereum has been" because they haven't had to process as many users at once. What's more, these newer chains have all "centralized something in some way," Gunter continued. "For the most part, these things have on their roadmap ways of continuing to decentralize over time, but again, we have yet to see those put to the test. We also have yet to see in what ways decentralization really matters to users in terms of the architecture of these things," Gunter said. These different blockchains are increasingly having to compete to attract developers to their ecosystems. As co-founder of privacy-focused layer-one blockchain Espresso Systems , Gunter knows firsthand how challenging it can be to get engineers to invest time in developing projects on a specific chain when there's so much competition. "Personally, I don't think it's good enough anymore to just wave around a white paper that says, oh, we're actually going to be more scalable and more decentralized than anything else, Gunter said. "I think that you need to have truly differentiated features from what already exists. And I think that neither is good enough without the other -- I think you do need to make a case for why your system is going to be the most popular and the most sound going forward over time." Admittedly, she added, all the layer-one projects out there are "making the right noises," but have yet to be put to the test by users. Especially if crypto continues to experience a market downturn, the winners and losers in the fight between layer-one blockchains may be separated faster than the industry had expected. You can listen to the entire interview with Gunter on our podcast, Chain Reaction. Subscribe to Chain Reaction on Apple , Spotify or your alternative podcast platform of choice to keep up with us every week. || FOREX-Dollar towers at two-decade high on growth woes, Fed outlook: By Tom Westbrook SINGAPORE, April 29 (Reuters) - The dollar held firm at a 20-year high on Friday and was poised to score its best monthly gain in a decade, buoyed by bets on rising U.S. interest rates and doubts about growth in Europe and China. The latest uptick was thanks to the Bank of Japan, which sent the yen falling through 130-per-dollar for the first time since 2002 on Thursday when it reinforced a commitment to its super-low yield policy. The yen was last at 130.72 per dollar after falling as low as 131.25 overnight following the BOJ's pledge to buy endless amounts of bonds daily as needed. The yen is down almost 7% in April, its worst month since Nov. 2016. "Even though the BOJ had shown no sign of baulking on its commitment to its yield curve control policy, the market clearly still harboured suspicions that it might," said Rabobank strategist Jane Foley. The uber-dovish decision set Japan miles apart from the Federal Reserve, where markets are priced for 150 basis points (bps) of hikes in just three meetings, and triggered a fresh rush of funds into the dollar ahead of all else. The U.S. dollar index, which hit a two-decade high of 103.93 in the wake of the yen's tumble, was last at 103.53 and up more than 5.3% through April. If sustained, that would make for its best monthly gain since May 2012. Weaker-than-expected quarterly U.S. growth data overnight proved little obstacle to the dollar's rise, and investors hardly adjusted their near-term interest rate bets. The euro, meanwhile, dropped through $1.05 for the first time in five years on Thursday and was last clinging on at $1.0511. "Like the yen, the euro is becoming more deeply undervalued against the U.S. dollar," said MUFG Bank currency analyst Lee Hardman. "Market participants increasingly price in a widening divergence opening up between the performance of the euro-zone and U.S. economies and subsequently the outlook for European Central Bank and Fed policies." Story continues The euro has lost 5% on the dollar in April and just over 7% on the dollar since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. The conflict, and especially this week's halt on Russian gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, has investors concerned about Europe's energy security, inflation and growth. Similar fears have driven sterling to the 22-month low of $1.2412 it made overnight. At $1.2481 in Asia, the British currency is down 5% against the dollar in April, its worst showing since October 2016. Drawn out COVID-19 lockdowns are also putting the brakes on an already-slowing Chinese economy, which has hit the yuan as well as commodity currencies. The yuan has fallen to 18-month lows at 6.6400 per dollar and is on course for a record monthly drop of 4.3%. The Australian dollar made a three-month low of $0.7055 overnight before recovering to $0.7123 in early trade on Friday as investors think Australia's monetary tightening cycle is set to begin as soon as next week. The Aussie is down 4.8% for April. The New Zealand dollar is heading for its worst month in seven years, having lost 6.4% on the dollar, and was steady at $0.6498 on Friday. Bitcoin held at $39,874. (Reporting by Tom Westbrook Editing by Shri Navaratnam) || The Tide Has Turned Against Vinco Ventures Stock Investors: There’s a great deal of controversy surrounding today’s stock market. But one that’s less controversial and simply a more clear-cut losing proposition going forward isVinco Ventures(NASDAQ:BBIG). Some will dismissively call it a dead cat bounce. Others will say don’t rush to judgment as the price action also sets up a bullish and critical confirmed rally. I’m referring to this past week’s huge percentage gains in the broader market following fresh corrective and bearish cycle lows in 2022. Then there’s BBIG stock. Despite the Nasdaq’s 7% price increase buoyed by outsized bids inApple(NASDAQ:AAPL),Tesla(NASDAQ:TSLA),Costco(NASDAQ:COST),Marriott International(NASDAQ:MAR) and others, BBIG stock tumbled just over 15% on the week. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips So, what gives in Vinco Ventures? Let’s look off and on the price chart at BBIG stock and figure out why, regardless of what’s happening elsewhere on Wall Street, the tide has turned against owing Vinco Ventures in any shape or form. [] Vinco Ventures does all the best things, on paper at least. From blockchain, to the metaverse, short-form social media video or AI-driven advertising analytics, BBIG stock has its hands full with some of investors’ favorite buzz words and hopeful markets. • 7 Undervalued Large-Cap Stocks to Buy for June As we’ve seen this year though, Wall Street is more demanding of unproven growth narratives like Vinco Ventures where the only consistency has been in manufacturing enticing press releases and crummy fundamentals. And today BBIG stock is making things worse as its debut into a burst cryptocurrency market has been delayed. In a nutshell, Vinco’s blockchain subsidiary Cryptyde aims to leverage smart contract technologies in consumer-based Web 3.0 markets. It’s a pending spinoff in which current BBIG stockholders of record on May 18 receive one share of Cryptyde’s “TYDE” for every ten shares of Vinco Ventures owned. However, the distribution date was delayed last week from May 27 to a vague “sometime in the second quarter” due to“contractual and regulatory conditions.”Nothing like waiting until the last minute, right? Source:Charts by TradingView Shareholders of record certainly didn’t enjoy the news from Vinco Ventures. The delay singlehandedly caused BBIG’s stock market-bucking price pressure in shares last week. And today, while the broader averages pause and investors wait to make their next move, BBIG is down another 4.7%. Oh no, right? Maybe not. On the Vinco price chart, the writing isn’t entirely on the wall for bullish investors to throw in the towel. As the illustrated weekly chart shows, shares have formed a modestly positive higher-low pattern since March’s $1.94 undercut of a double bottom formed off $2.16 in BBIG stock. What’s more, the price action is supported by a similarly trending stochastics setup. Importantly, bullish BBIG investors still have their work cut out for themselves. And it may be too much to overcome in the long run. While the stochastics indicator is moving higher, it’s also bearishly crossed in neutral territory. Also troubling, May’s confirmed pivot high failed beneath BBIG’s former 76% retracement level. Lastly, a textbook higher-high pattern to further validate a new bullish trend did miss that positive achievement by a couple pennies. Given the ambiguity of BBIG stock on the price chart and bearish short interest of 17%, it’s possible there’s even less to this $544 million small-cap than meets the eye. Given the meme stock implosion over the past year, Vinco Ventures is a speculative waste of time and resources in my estimation. There’s always a chance that I’ll be proven wrong and both BBIG stock and TYDE become more than a hustle. Not today, however. And for that matter, not last Thursday and not likely “sometime in the second quarter” either. Bottom-line though, if you’re prone to making lottery bets and can’t be dissuaded from owning BBIG past its meme expiration date, keep the wager small enough as to not make an insurmountable hole which takes away from other core portfolio holdings that investors can and should buy more confidently on weakness. On the date of publication, Chris Tyler does not hold (either directly or indirectly) any securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines. • Stock Prodigy Who Found NIO at $2… Says Buy THIS • It doesn’t matter if you have $500 in savings or $5 million. Do this now. • Get in Now on Tiny $3 ‘Forever Battery’ Stock • Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” The postThe Tide Has Turned Against Vinco Ventures Stock Investorsappeared first onInvestorPlace. || Apple Has Short-Term Volatility But Remains a Strong Long-Term Buy: Apple(NASDAQ:AAPL) stock finished the last full week of May with a 7% gain. That still leaves AAPL stock down 15.3% in 2022. And as I prepare this article, it’s too early to tell whether the market rally signals the start of a real recover or just a temporary bump before stocks fall even further. That uncertainty is weighing on all tech stocks as many analysts think that the valuations of these companies remain bloated. And when Apple enters that conversation, the bearish argument moves to supply chains and lockdowns in China. In this article, we’ll look at both sides of the great Apple debate and give you a thought about how to approach an investment in AAPL stock. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips [] There are many bearish arguments against Apple. Some of the most concerning to me are those that point outpotential ethical violations. However, the one that gets to the heart of it affects the company’s iconic iPhone. Specifically, Apple announced this week that it plans to keep production of the iPhone at around 220 million in 2022. That’s approximately the same number as last year and 20 million less than analysts are expecting. On the one hand, this is a reasonable forecast. The company is beset by supply chain difficulties that are tied to the aggressive measures that China is taking to arrest the spread of Covid-19. • 7 Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever in This Bear Market Still, iPhone sales are a headline number every time Apple delivers an earnings report. Also consider that many retailers still have limited supplies of the iPhone 13. While saying Apple customers are loyal is an understatement, it’s worth wondering if this loyalty has limits, particularly as many consumers may be looking to buy iPhones before interest rates move higher. A bearish argument that I see as a bullish argument is that Apple is pivoting to growth from its Services sector. For full disclosure, I own some AAPL stock. However, it was only after the company began to see growth in other areas. Don’t get me wrong. If you’re going to be good at one thing, the iPhone is a great thing to be great at. But by itself, that concerned me. Now Apple has its Services, AppleTV and is now perhaps on the road to an autonomous vehicle. What this says to me is that Apple is becoming a stock that you have to look at for the sum of its parts. When you do, it puts more context on revenue that was up9% year-over-year(YOY) in its last quarter. It also provides confidence that the company will continue to generate free cash flow that it can return to shareholders. It’s possible that AAPL stock has further to drop in 2022, but there may be indications that the worst may soon be over. I say this based on commentary that suggests theFederal Reservecan’t (not won’t) raise interest rates much after it finishes the 50-basis point increases it has targeted for June and July. And since markets are forward looking, it may be that investors will start to revisit the tech sector. And while that may not lead analysts to raise their price targets for AAPL stock, just keeping them where they are would keep the mean forecast at a gain of around 30%. But none of that really matters to the long-term investor. I believe those investors will need to see a deterioration not only in the amount of revenue, but in the avenues available to generate that revenue. Since I believe both of those work in the company’s favor, I still believe Apple is a solid long-term buy. On the date of publication, Chris Markoch had a long position in AAPL. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines. • Stock Prodigy Who Found NIO at $2… Says Buy THIS • It doesn’t matter if you have $500 in savings or $5 million. Do this now. • Get in Now on Tiny $3 ‘Forever Battery’ Stock • Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” The postApple Has Short-Term Volatility But Remains a Strong Long-Term Buyappeared first onInvestorPlace. || 7 Best REITs to Buy Now for Times of Uncertainty: Real estate investment trusts (REITs) provide solid income and inflation protection in troubled times. American Tower ( AMT ): Cell phone towers are a reliable growth vehicle given global telecom demand trends. Crown Castle ( CCI ): Crown Castle is another leading player in the wireless communications infrastructure space. Cubesmart ( CUBE ): Self-storage is a surprisingly robust REIT category that holds up during economic setbacks. Life Storage ( LSI ): Life Storage is a strong growth operator within the self-storage niche. Mid-America Apartment Communities ( MAA ): Rents are going up, and MAA stock can help investors benefit. Equity Residential ( EQR ): Equity Residential is another leading apartment REIT with a focus on large gateway cities. American Homes 4 Rent ( AMH ): The booming housing market should bolster this REIT’s prospects as well. Real estate investment trust REIT on an office desk. Source: Vitalii Vodolazskyi / Shutterstock It’s clear that inflation and economic risk are becoming the major themes for the rest of 2022. Tech growth stories are yesterday’s news and economic reopening stories are largely played out. Now, it’s seemingly time to pay the price for all the stimulus and excessive consumption that occurred since 2020. Inflation tends to be a negative phenomenon for most of the economy. Certainly, the stock market is having a rough 2022 as investors prepare for lower earnings and a worse economic outlook. However, real estate investment trusts (REITs) can buck that trend. REITs are uniquely designed to withstand inflation. For one, REITs tend to use a lot of debt to acquire properties. As inflation hits, the value of those borrowed dollars declines, essentially inflating away much of a REITs’ obligations. On the asset side, however, the value of land and buildings appreciates nicely in nominal terms due to inflation. This has a favorable impact on a REIT’s overall balance sheet. Meanwhile, REITs are also able to raise prices on customers with inflation. This effect is particularly pronounced in certain categories such as storage and housing. Story continues 7 Blue-Chip Stocks to Buy at Fire Sale Prices That gives a sense of where there are particularly interesting opportunities for REIT investors in the current economic landscape. These seven REITs are well-positioned for the rest of 2022. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips AMT American Tower $234.74 CCI Crown Castle $178.95 CUBE Cubesmart $40.84 LSI Life Storage $109.71 MAA Mid-America Apartments $174.17 EQR Equity Residential $73.87 AMH American Homes 4 Rent $36.60 American Tower (AMT) American Tower (NYSE: AMT ) is the largest U.S.-based REIT out there by market capitalization. Its size highlights its appeal for REIT investors; the company has an excellent balance sheet and unmatched set of communications-related holdings. It operates more than 221,000 communications towers and sites around the globe; 43,000 of these are in North America with the balance being overseas. Cell phone towers might seem like a mature market. However, American Tower has been able to keep growing aggressively by building new sites in less penetrated regions such as Latin America and India. The company achieves tremendous operating margins because it is usually able to rent properties out to two or even three different telecom providers. With global demand for data continuing to rise, American Tower should be able to keep executing on its business strategy. Meanwhile, AMT stock is down 18% year-to-date, offering a nice entry point. Crown Castle (CCI) Crown Castle (NYSE: CCI ) is one of American Tower’s major rivals. It has differentiated itself by betting more on small sites rather than the traditional cell phone towers. Regardless, it has been a fast-growing market with plenty of space for both types of operators. In particular, now, 5G demand is creating a lot of additional demand for Crown Castle’s core product offerings. 7 Growth Stocks to Avoid Until the Market Crashes Again CCI stock is now down 14% year-to-date, and is only up slightly since the beginning of 2020. Given the continuing rise in demand for mobile data and data-heavy innovations such as the “internet of things” and autonomous driving, it seems safe to say that demand for mobile communications bandwidth will continue to surge throughout the decade. That should pave the way for another solid run-up in CCI stock. Cubesmart (CUBE) Self-storage has historically been an excellent niche within the REIT space. It tends to be counter-cyclical. Intuitively, you might think demand for storage would fall during a hard economy. But, it actually tends to drive additional demand. In 2009, for example, storage REITs did far better than peers. It seems as people were foreclosed upon or moved to smaller houses, it drove a great deal of incremental demand for storage. Some prominent hedge funds and analysts were betting against self-storage in 2009 and got smoked on their trade. Fast forward to today. Cubesmart (NYSE: CUBE ) should be well-positioned for the current economy. High inflation has allowed storage operators to push through price increases for customers. Meanwhile, the booming housing market has caused a lot of people to move between locations. As people move into new homes or apartments, it creates an opportunity for people to need some additional storage to take care of things for a time. CUBE stock has slumped from $57 to $41 in recent months despite favorable industry dynamics. This has pushed the stock down to a reasonable 18 times funds from operations (FFO), and the dividend yield has once again moved up to 4%. Life Storage (LSI) Given how strong storage tends to be regardless of economic conditions, it’s worth putting another storage name on the list. Life Storage (NYSE: LSI ) is more of a growth name on the storage space, as it has grown FFO more than 10% compounded annually over the past decade. Since 2010, Life Storage has gone from 377 storage locations that it owned or ran through a joint venture (JV) up to 1,076 locations as of 2021. 7 Best Stocks to Buy for Under $15 Right Now Given Life Storage’s ambitious growth capacity, shares have tended to trade at a slightly higher valuation multiple than its direct peers such as Cubesmart. With the recent selloff in LSI stock, however, shares are now under 19x FFO and offer a 3.5% dividend yield. Mid-America Apartment Communities (MAA) Mid-America Apartment Communities (NYSE: MAA ) is a Tennessee-based apartment REIT. It concentrates on what are known as the sun belt states; Mid-America is prominent in the South, Mid-Atlantic and Southwest. It holds an ownership interest in more than 102,000 apartments across 14 different states and the District of Columbia. Apartments have been a hot investment category in recent years. Given the country’s current demographic situation, there has been significant household formation beyond existing housing capacity. Homebuilders built a low number of new houses in the 2010s, forcing more new families to choose apartments instead. Now throw in a roaring post-pandemic housing market, and rents are surging. Most publicly traded apartment REITs are reporting strong numbers, and Mid-America is no exception. It saw its 2021 new lease rates surge 11.8% on average, and its rent renewals rise 9.7% for 2021 as well. If you’re in the market for a new housing situation this year, it’s hard to avoid rising rent or mortgage payments. However, MAA stock’s 2.5% dividend yield and history of strong share price appreciation could help ease the burden from housing cost inflation. Equity Residential (EQR) Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR ) is another of the nation’s premier apartment companies. It’s unique from Mid-America due to the geographies it serves. Instead of betting on the sun belt, Equity has gone for top-tier cities such as New York, Boston, Seattle and San Francisco. Equity currently controls more than 300 different properties with nearly 80,000 apartments in total. 7 Oversold Tech Stocks to Buy Now EQR stock has historically traded at an elevated valuation compared to other REITs. However, EQR stock has slumped from $94 to $75 over the past month. That has pushed the stock down to a more palatable 21 times FFO while pushing the dividend yield up to 3.4%. American Homes 4 Rent (AMH) American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE: AMH ) is another way to play the booming housing market angle. Unlike the apartment REITs, American Homes 4 Rent has bought up individual single-family residences — it held more than 57,000 of them across 22 states as of year-end 2021. Unlike apartments, there is less of a proven business model for owning individual homes at a massive scale. Investors were skeptical that the numbers would pencil out, but now private equity firms such as Blackstone (NYSE: BX ) are making major bets in the sector. This could indicate that American Homes 4 Rent has a great business model after all. AMH stock isn’t cheap at the moment with shares going for almost 24 times FFO and a dividend yield of just 1.9%, That said, it’s hard to deny the pent-up investor demand for single-family housing, and AMH stock is one of the best pureplay ways to get exposure to that trend. On the date of publication, Ian Bezek held a long position in AMT stock. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines . More From InvestorPlace Stock Prodigy Who Found NIO at $2… Says Buy THIS It doesn’t matter if you have $500 in savings or $5 million. Do this now. Get in Now on Tiny $3 ‘Forever Battery’ Stock Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” The post 7 Best REITs to Buy Now for Times of Uncertainty appeared first on InvestorPlace . || The Euro Trades Below 1.08: Euro vs US Dollar Technical Analysis The Euro has been trading below the 1.08 level over the last couple of days, and it certainly looks as if the market is going to continue to drop lower, perhaps even reaching down to the 1.06 handle. There is a lot of noise between these two areas, and I think it is going to be very choppy, to say the least. At this juncture, there is nothing on this chart that even remotely suggests that the market is ready to turn around, and at this point, the first barrier is going to be the 1.0933 level. That is an area where we have seen resistance previously, and if we were to break above that level, then the market could go looking to reach the 50 Day EMA. At this point, I would suspect that any rally that happens will more likely than not be a selling opportunity at the first signs of exhaustion, and therefore it is likely that people will be looking for “cheap dollars” if they get the opportunity. All things being equal, this is a market that should stay in a downtrend, and therefore I do not have any interest in trying to get long anytime soon. In fact, it is not until the market breaks above the 1.12 level that I would be convinced that the Euro could recover for the longer term. Until then, I look at any rally at this point with a significant amount of suspicion, and therefore will not try to jump on them anytime soon as the momentum clearly favors the greenback. EUR/USD Price Forecast Video 20.04.22 For a look at all of today’s economic events, check out our economic calendar . This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Silver Retreats As Gold Pulls Back Towards The $1965 Level Bitcoin and ETH Smash Resistance, Rune Bulls Aim Big Gold Markets Breakthrough Recent Consolidation SEC Chair Gary Gensler Faces Lawmaker Scrutiny as Ripple Case Drags On Pfizer Is Under Pressure Today, Here Is Why Daily Gold News: Monday, Apr. 19 – Gold Trades Within a Consolidation [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: down || Prices: 30112.00, 29083.80, 28360.81, 26762.65, 22487.39, 22206.79, 22572.84, 20381.65, 20471.48, 19017.64
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2018-12-06] BTC Price: 3521.10, BTC RSI: 26.11 Gold Price: 1238.10, Gold RSI: 59.93 Oil Price: 51.49, Oil RSI: 32.31 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] The US Government Maintains a Fork of Bitcoin: The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and other government bodies play a role in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. For starters,SHA-256and most otherhashing algorithmsusing in cryptocurrencies have been reviewed and tested by the Institute in the past. Independent cryptographers are frequently consulted by government agencies and scientists. The NSA and NIST occasionally conduct competitions for the development of new cryptographic software. The most recent winner was an algorithm called Keccak, but it is now most often referred to as SHA-3. The majority of hash functions that are submitted to these competitions see use, often wide use, regardless if they win or not. While the world’s most famous cryptographers work in the private sector, it is fair to say that NSA and other government agencies provide decent career opportunities for up-and-coming cryptographers. Peter Mell of NIST wrotea paperin recent times entitled “Managed Blockchain Based Cryptocurrencies with Consensus Enforced Rules and Transparency.” The gist of the paper is that there is a happy medium between public, wild blockchains like Bitcoin, which follow the laws of consensus and little else, and managed blockchains which give their permissioned owners an untrustworthy amount of paper. We demonstrate how to implement our approach through modest modifcations to the implicit Bitcoin specifcation, however, our approach can be applied to most any blockchain based cryptocurrency using a variety of consensus methods. The implications are obvious: the blockchain could potentially be used by the government to issue its own cryptocurrency. A strictly public mining network and blockchain would obviously fail the means test for the government, for multiple reasons including the potential of a 51% attack launched by an unfriendly government. According to the paper, the features which make the Bitcoin protocol attractive to the government are its transparency and, of course, the inability to lose funds on it. “We provide a novel cryptocurrency architecture which is a hybrid approach where a managed cryptocurrency is maintained through distributed open consensus-based methods. Key to this architecture is the idea of a genesis transaction upon which all other transactions are based and which enables the establishment of a hierarchy of accounts with differing roles It is these roles that enabled us to introduce features from fiat currencies into a cryptocurrency: law enforcement, central banking, and account management,” an excerpt from the paper read. “Another novel feature is that the architecture allows the cryptocurrency policy to be maintained dynamically by the currency administrator, but certain policy settings can be made permanent in order to facilitate confidence in the stability of the system. This is especially important for the relationship between the currency administrator and an independent community of miners,” it added. Democracy is meant to be transparent, and government agencies are supposed to be accountable to the people who elect and pay for them. Current technologies in place don’t always provide for this and there are plenty of opportunities forfraud, waste, and abusein the government sector. The NIST version of the Bitcoin system makes only minor changes to the structure of a Bitcoin transaction in order to allow for the introduction of administrator policies. “Roles” are introduced into Bitcoin transactions, enabling changes to be made in the protocol as a whole. The paper explains that they are using the existing design which enables the spending of coins to additionally “spend roles.” Without getting too technical, it enables the manager of the blockchain to have a great degree of control over the entire pool of money in the system. The vin[] field operates similarly as before. In Bitcoin, a vin[] field specifies a set of coins from a particular transaction already posted on the blockchain.[…] However, the vin[] field can also be used to bring roles into a transaction to authorize activities that require roles (which is most any activity in our architecture, depending upon the specific policy enacted). Functionally, it is like we are ‘spending’ a role to use it to authorize some action given the usual use of a vin[] field (but roles can be ‘spent’ an infinite number of times and are not transferred like coin). A vin[] field can specify a former transaction where an account was given a role. Importantly, the design mentions an “independent community of miners.” Several aspects of the idea would require rigorous testing before ever seeing any real-world use – one example that comes to mind is the US Treasury’s blacklist and range of countries US Government and most US citizens cannot do business with. These people would have to be banished from both mining and the possession or use of “USCoin” in order for such a project to be in compliance with US laws. In addition to this paper, NIST hasquietly maintained a fork of the Bitcoin softwarewhich attempts to integrate the ideas presented in the paper. Presumably the software has only been run in government labs, but it could inadvertently provide a boost to countrieslike Swedenwhich are actively working toward developing their own nationalized cryptocurrencies. The prospects of a government-backed cryptocurrency in the US arelikely years away, but certainly folks within the system havefloated the idea multiple times. Governmentuse of blockchain is on the rise, and the arc of history likely points toward cryptocurrencies being at the heart of all financial systems, but only time will tell what shape they will actually take. Aside from operating their own blockchain, governments could simply issue tokens on existing blockchains which follow the rules they decide to put in place. The options are myriad, but one thing is for sure: traditional, fiat-backed currencies are inferior to transparent and modernized digital currencies and will eventually have to be updated. Featured image from Shutterstock. The postThe US Government Maintains a Fork of Bitcoinappeared first onCCN. || Where Will Ferrellgas Partners Be in 1 Year?: Winter is coming. While some individuals might be inconvenienced by the morning ritual of snow and ice removal, the change in seasons has relatively minor consequences in the grand scheme of things. Unfortunately, that's not the case for propane distributorFerrellgas Partners(NYSE: FGP), which may very well face existential circumstances depending on the strength of its business this winter. The owner of the Blue Rhino brand of exchangeable propane tanks is in a perilous position. Operating expenses are rising faster than income as the business bets big on growth that has yet to materialize, which has many investors questioning the sanity of the strategy. After all, the business has seen its interest payments and long-term debt double since 2014, while it hasn't turned a profit since fiscal 2015. It sports a book value ofnegative$1 billion. Given the recent stock plunge and hints that the business may not be able to keep its lofty distribution going much longer, investors may be wondering: Where will Ferrellgas Partners be in one year? As it turns out, winter could mean everything. Image source: Getty Images. The writing has been on the wall for Ferrellgas Partners for some time now. The business's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the last couple of years show that debt covenants required it to drastically reduce its leverage ratio (earnings to debt) by July 2018, or the end of its fiscal 2018. The trajectory of operations in recent quartersmade it abundantly clearthe company would fail to meet the deadline. And that's exactly what happened. Ferrellgas Partners recently disclosed that its distribution was on shaky ground because it ran afoul of debt covenants, bringing back memories of the 80% reduction in distribution payouts that occurred in 2016. More worrisome, investors who take a look at the company's performance in fiscal 2018 won't find much reason for optimism: [{"Metric": "Total revenue", "Fiscal 2018": "$2.07 billion", "Fiscal 2017": "$1.93 billion", "Change (YOY)": "7.2%"}, {"Metric": "Operating income, propane business", "Fiscal 2018": "$167.8 million", "Fiscal 2017": "$187.9 million", "Change (YOY)": "(10.7%)"}, {"Metric": "Cash available for distribution (CAFD)", "Fiscal 2018": "$61.6 million", "Fiscal 2017": "$75.6 million", "Change (YOY)": "(18.5%)"}, {"Metric": "Distribution payments made", "Fiscal 2018": "$38.8 million", "Fiscal 2017": "$78.9 million", "Change (YOY)": "(50.8%)"}, {"Metric": "Interest expense", "Fiscal 2018": "$168.5 million", "Fiscal 2017": "$152.5 million", "Change (YOY)": "10.4%"}, {"Metric": "Long-term debt", "Fiscal 2018": "$2.08 billion", "Fiscal 2017": "$1.99 billion", "Change (YOY)": "4.2%"}] Data source: SEC filings. YOY = year over year. Simply put, Ferrellgas Partners should not be prioritizing distribution payments right now, although even suspending payments is unlikely to provide enough extra cash to dig the business out of its hole. There's been barely any progress on debt, while core operations (read: propane) are actually less profitable compared to the year-ago period. While that's due to a surge in operating expenses aimed at growing the propane business, and volumes sold are in fact growing, the timing of plowing money into growth is questionable at best. Eventually, the strategy will need to yield results, and that's largely dependent on a cooperating climate. Unfortunately for the business and its unitholders, Mother Nature might prove pretty uncooperative once again this year. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is expecting a warmer winter for most of the United States,including the Midwest, where most of the company's customers are located. Image source: Getty Images. Given the toxicity of the balance sheet and the near-absolute absence of negotiating power with creditors due to worsening operating metrics, a warmer-than-average winter could even push Ferrellgas Partners into more drastic measureslike a saleor potential bankruptcy. The numbers don't point to any other way to relieve the financial burden in that scenario. At this point most investors have lost confidence in Ferrellgas Partners, which has seen its stock fall 66% in the last year. The business now sports a market cap of just $144 million. So although the distribution yield has jumped to an incredible 25%, that's a sign of the incredible risk of owning shares in the company. Investors should stay far away from this stock. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Maxx Chatskohas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || ‘Alt-Right Twitter’ Gab Moves to Bitcoin Payments Due to Banking Blacklist: Upstart social network Gab has occasionally been dubbed the “alt-right Twitter.” A haven for mainstream social media castaways likeMilo Yiannopoulosand evenAlex Jones, the years-long spike in extremist right-wing terrorism has led to a backlash within the banking community toward sites which are seen to foster the ideology behind some acts of violence. For Gab’s part, they state that they do not openly encourage or discourage hate speech. They aim to be a neutral platform which allows the users to determine the type of content that should be on the platform so long as it follows a very narrow set of rules. They haven’t found themselves in a favorable media spotlight in some time. Their last introduction to the reading public wasas the favored platformof the Pittsburgh extremist right wing terrorist who killed 11 people in a Synagogue, Robert Bowers. According toGab founder Andrew Torba, Gab is now having payment processing issues. They’ve had acceptance from several processors, but the banks that have a lot of sway with these processors have allegedly refused to allow business from Gab. This is similar to the way the Daily Stormer was banned from PayPal, as CCN earlier reported, andresorted to Bitcoin and Moneroa couple years ago, with surprising results. There weren’t a lot of details as to the reasoning given for Gab’s denials. It seems easy to presume that businesses likeStripeandPayPalare simply not interested in being associated with Gab due to its reputation, particularly following the association of Gab and domestic terrorist acts. Torba said that “Coinbase has already banned us” and gives that as a reason for choosingBitPay. Luckily for him, BitPay and every other Bitcoin provider could ban them, and they’d still have plenty of options for processing payments with cryptocurrencies. CCN will follow this story in order to see if BitPay reacts in kind, extending service to Gab, or if they join the crowd and also decide not to allow Gab to easily process payments. One thing is for sure: adding a network of tens of thousands of users who have a need to pay in cryptos will not be a bad thing for BitPay or cryptos generally. On the business side for Gab, they’ll have variousnew stablecoin optionsas a means to protect their earnings from volatility, although if they’re having banking problems, they could ultimately have problems cashing out in the traditional way. Andrew Torba Image from PAHomepage.com/YouTube The post‘Alt-Right Twitter’ Gab Moves to Bitcoin Payments Due to Banking Blacklistappeared first onCCN. || Crypto Wallet Sales Still Going Strong, Says Ledger President: The market for cryptocurrency has seen better times as Bitcoin struggles to stay above $4,000 and crypto hedge funds shut up shop. But one corner of the market seems to be weathering the downturn just fine: Ledger, which makes crypto hardware wallets, says sales are just fine. “I’m happy to report Black Friday ’18 was almost on par with Black Friday ’17,” Pascal Gauthier, President of hardware maker Ledger, told Jen Wieczner when he dropped by our Balancing the Ledger studio this week. While Black Friday sales may not reflect the health of the wallet market, let alone that of the larger crypto industry, Gauthier’s anecdote does come as a rare bit of encouraging news. Gauthier attributes the ongoing interest in hardware wallets (which he describes in the video above) to big institutions entering the crypto market. Unlike the run-and-gun attitudes that prevailed during last year’s crypto mania, Gauthier says these companies treat security as a paramount priority, and added that new crypto projects are laser-focused on security as well. In a crypto environment where hacks and heists are still common, people see hardware wallets as especially secure because they are a way to store funds on a physical device rather than online. (They do, however, give rise to risks of kidnapping—read about this caper involving a dumb crypto crook and a Ruby Tuesdays). Gauthier added that Ledger’s customers also include law enforcement agencies, which are increasingly confiscating crypto funds from criminals. Hardware wallets like Ledger’s flagship Nano S provide a way for these agencies to hold the funds. While Ledger’s customer base consists of individual crypto holders, the company also sells directly to businesses through Ledger Vault, its new B2B unit. Gauthier also said the company is exploring ways to offer its distinct security features in other areas, including the emerging Internet-of-Things economy. Asked to describe the mood during the current bear market, Gauthier acknowledged people are discouraged but also took a long view. “The mood always follows the price,” he said. “People sometimes forget these all new technologies are very new. You shouldn’t ask too much from new technologies.” || Bitcoin News Crypto Currency Daily Roundup November 26: The rundown: Bitcoin and all major currencies were up in the morning; Tech Bureau Europe unveils cryptocurrency watches; Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission issues warning against 14 unauthorized cryptocurrency businesses; and presidential candidate of Nigeria’s opposition party supports blockchain and cryptocurrency. Here is what is happening in the cryptocurrency market on Monday. SEE:Hog Producer Smithfield Partners With FoodLogiQ To Explore Blockchain Technology SEE:Catalans Exploring The Possibility Of Leveraging Blockchain In E-Voting In the News Tech Bureau Europehas introduced cryptocurrency watches in a partnership with Swiss watchmakerChronoswiss. The digital certificate for each crypto-themed watch – dedicated toBitcoin,Ethereum,Zaif,NEMorCOMSA– is recorded on a blockchain. The details on each watch will be officially registered on the blockchain platformLuxTag, which uses the latest NEM blockchain platform to combat counterfeit goods and theft. Thailand’s Securities and Exchange Commission issued a warning against14 cryptocurrency websitesthat have not been approved to do business in the country. The unapproved 14 businesses are: payniex.com, misterchanger.com, thaiexchanger.com, egtexchange.com, digicardshop.com, superrichexchanger.com, emoneythai.com, exchangercoin.com, i-exch.com, gamershoppings.com, ecurrencyplus.com, lnwexchanger.com, ecurrencythailand.com, and R Exchange’s Facebook page. Blockchain and cryptocurrencies are gaining attention fromglobal academic institutions. From New York to Tokyo, universities are launching crypto-themed courses, according to a report fromNews.Bitcoin.com.IBMandColumbia Universityhave teamed up to offer two new accelerator programs for blockchain developers, while theUniversity of Luxembourgis joining hands withVNX Exchangeto enhance the security of the exchange’s digital and crypto assets. You can read thefull reporthere. Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of Nigeria’s opposition party People’s Democratic Party, is a big supporter of blockchain and cryptocurrency. In his policy document titledGet Nigeria Working Again, Abubakar states that he would “speed up the economy positively through blockchain and cryptocurrency,” as reported by local newspaper theDailyPostwhich analyzed the policy. Abubaka has promised creating “a comprehensive policy on blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies.” Cryptocurrency Prices Today (As of 1:00PM EST) Bitcoin (BTC)is up 3.23% over the past 24 hours, trading at $3,965.69. Ethereum (ETH)is trading at $114.37 in the morning, up 3.51% over a 24-hour period. Bitcoin Cashis trading at $197, down 5% over the past 24 hours. Ripple (XRP)is trading at $0.3776, up 6.56% over a 24-hour period. Litecoin (LTC)is trading at $31.35, up 7.81% over a 24-hour period. To view more information, clickhere. The postBitcoin News Crypto Currency Daily Roundup November 26appeared first onMarket Exclusive. || Fidelity just announced a new business to let hedge funds trade cryptocurrencies: Fidelity, known for its mutual fund and discount brokerage businesses, is launching a new business called Fidelity Digital Assets to offer hedge funds and family offices custody and trading services for cryptocurrencies. “Our goal is to provide an enterprise-grade custody and trading solution to institutions who are increasingly allocating to this asset class. We’re seeing a lot of demand in the market even though this space is still evolving quite rapidly,” Tom Jessop, a Goldman Sachs alum who headsof corporate business development at Fidelity, said at a crypto seminar in New York on Monday. Jessop added that they’re going live in early 2019 and are in the process of on-boarding their first customers. Former macro hedge fund manager Mike Novogratz, the CEO of Galaxy Digital, has argued that the“herd is coming”to the crypto space, but the biggest barrier to institutions has been custody. Novogratz called the Fidelity announcement a “big, big deal.” Novogratz said that Fidelity won’t be the only player serving institutions, but they’re “getting out ahead of the pack.” In the institutional world, some family-offices have already been allocating to crypto. That will be followed by more traditional funds, according to Jessop. He called some of the recent announcements of a few college endowments entering the space “quite a bit of news.” As for the pension funds making moves, Novogratz expects that it may start to happen late in the first quarter and early in the second quarter of 2019 before they allocate. “One of the real key things that need to happen is some of the consultants … to say, ‘Hey, this fund is OK. We’ve done the O.D.D., operations, due-diligence checklist,” Novogratz said, adding, “Most of those funds are looking for guidance on how to think about this asset class…I think the institutional world is going to galvanize on how to see this as an asset.” Jessop said that Fidelity has done surveys with institutional investors and found that a “high percentage” is interested in the space. He added that they’re “very comfortable that there’s a business here.” Fidelity Digital Assets will start with bitcoin (BTC-USD) and ether (ETH-USD). —Julia La Roche is a finance reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her onTwitter. Send tips to [email protected]. • Ray Dalio warns about what’s coming in just 2 or 3 years • Dalio shares 3 recommendations for millennials • Novogratz: Cannabis stocks today are like cryptocurrencies in Dec. 2017 • Langone: ‘For years, our political leaders have had their pants taken off by our trading partners’ • Schwarzman: Nationalism and populism are the ‘biggest risks’ for the business community • Crypto investor Mike Novogratz says bitcoin is on the brink of a ‘Renaissance’ • Langone: Trump is the fever, he’s not the disease || Bitcoin and Ethereum Price Forecast – Bitcoin Recovers From Intra-Day Low Over News of ETF Debut: Bitcoin suffered a sharp drop last week, along with most of the cryptocurrency industry, on account of the uncertainty surrounding the Bitcoin Cash hard fork. This has reminded market watchers that similar problems could also arise for other altcoins, particularly those dependent on the mining community and its consensus. Still, many are pointing to the relatively stable start to the week as a sign that bulls continue to defend the lows and might be enough to keep further declines in check. Several analysts are still holding on to bullish forecasts for the year, although some have pointed out that it could now take months to undo the latest slide. BTC/USD had been consolidating for five consecutive days following a massive sell-off on the 14th of this month. However, today’s trading session saw the pair make a breakout to the downside following a relatively neutral opening. As of writing this article, BTC/USD pair slid to new 2018 lows and is trading at $5330.7 down by 4.36% on the day. The BTCUSD pair has formed bearish continuation flag in hourly intra-day charts indicating that the pair could see continues decline in near future. Immediate support for BTC lies around $4980 mark post which there is a high chance for the pair to go as low as $4200 handle in case of lack of volatility or recovery rally in near future. However, there is positive news in a market that could prevent continued downside movement and even inspire a recovery rally in days to come depending on how the market reacts to same as news hit the market that the main exchange in Switzerland gave the green lights for the world’s first Bitcoin ETF, Amun Crypto ETP. The Bitcoin ETF shall go live in the next few days and the official partners, Jane Street, and Flow Traders—market markets shall ensure there is enough liquidity once it rolls out. The market is also expected to see fund inflow from institutional investors in months to come as the crypto market continues to gain attention and with rates near one year low, it is a highly attractive investment option for huge investors. Similar to Bitcoin, ETH/USD pair also saw bearish breakout today and seems to be on a seventh consecutive session of losing streak as the pair fell to an intra-day low of $152.95 down by 12% on the day and is currently trading at $156.42 down by 10.82% on the day. As technical indicators now remain in oversold territory, investors await reversal indications as which will likely yield gains in several folds. Thisarticlewas originally posted on FX Empire • Is Oil’s Decline Finally Over? • AUDUSD tests the broken neckline • Gold Price Forecast – Gold markets flat to kick off week • E-mini NASDAQ-100 Index (NQ) Futures Technical Analysis – November 19, 2018 Forecast • Asia Up Despite Nissan Bombshell, Brexit Hopes Lift UK, Trump Ready To Deal • E-mini Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM) Futures Analysis – November 19, 2018 Forecast || Revolutions and Counter Revolutions: Andreas Antonopoulos Reflects on 10 Years of Bitcoin: As Bitcoin approaches its 10th anniversary, its community, old and new, has begun taking stock of how a decade has come to alter or define the cryptocurrency — and what Bitcoin has done to alter or define the decade. Ten years has invited room for undeniable change. Bitcoin has seen roughly half a dozen market cycles, spawned a secondary market of more than 2,000 altcoins and laid the foundations fora surging blockchain industry. It has evolved from the obscure interest of cypherpunks and crypto anarchists to a viable, private currency that has provided a financial lifeline to underbanked, underprivileged populations in floundering economies. There are few voices so well equipped to reflect on the changes as Andreas Antonopoulos. One of Bitcoin’s chief evangelists and arguably its most vocal educator, Antonopoulos has spent the years following his industry entrance in 2012 traveling around the world to share his knowledge on the subject. Hisbooks, which include Mastering Bitcoin, The Internet of Money, Vol. 1 and 2 and the forthcoming Mastering Ethereum, are praised as some of the space’s most thorough and informative reads. His impact on the space is something of a widely-recognized truth, one that has made him one of the industry’s most-respected and definitive thought leaders. While others were getting rich, he was enriching the community, reminding others that bitcoin is about much more than lambos and moon memes. A testament to his influence, the community rewarded him withdonations amounting to about $1.6 millionduring the last bull run upon learning that he held little — if any — bitcoin. In the following interview withBitcoin Magazine, Antonopoulos reflects on the metamorphosis the ecosystem has undergone, the lessons learned from these myriad changes and why, after 10 years of challenge, the ethos of Bitcoin itself has doggedly persisted. This interview is part of Bitcoin Magazine’s retrospective series for Bitcoin’s 10th anniversary. Starting from the white paper’s birthday on October 31, 2018, to Bitcoin’s launch on January 3, 2019, we’ll be publishing a series of interviews, op-eds and think pieces that reflect on where we’ve come from, where we are and where we’re going. Antonopoulos: So many things have changed. Where do I start? Back in the day, when I first got involved, this was a very small community, a very tight-knit community, a very focused community. There was a lot of commonality of purpose, and it felt very tight-knit. And I remember at the time, the main thing I wanted to explain and persuade people about was that this was bigger than payments. This isn’t just PayPal; this is bigger than that. It’s not just a payment network. And so, in order to express that, I said that it’s a platform. You’ve got to think of this not just as bitcoin but broader: the blockchain. That backfired badly. I wanted to broaden it a bit to give people vision, but what happened then, over the next three years, was that people took hold of the word “blockchain,” rammed it right over, and threw everything and the kitchen sink in there — a lot of things that have nothing to do with it. So, in four years, I came full circle and released a talk called “Blockchain vs. Bullshit,” which is my number one talk. And even broader than that. The distributed ledger technology, private blockchain, bank-chain, business-as-usual, slap a word on it, “pretend it’s decentralized when it’s not” type of ecosystem. Trying to embrace, extend and diverge — derail even — this industry by hijacking it. Subsuming it completely. At the first conferences — even the first 2013 conference I went to — the suits had shown up and it was beginning to get that vibe. By the end of 2013, when the fourth or fifth bubble happened and the price hit $1,000, that’s when the suits really descended. So it felt like a tight-knit community and then the sharks started circling around, and they were all trying to grab a bit of this grand phenomenon and monetize your influence. And there was all of this shilly, shitty, disengenuous, fake “Hey! I’ve got a project. We’re going to revolutionize real estate, we’re going to revolutionize exchanges, we’re going to revolutionize medicine.” And most of it’s bullshit. Most of it is completely naked profiteering. So I had to turn it around and refocus it, try to figure out what is real, what is the real “killer app,” what are the real things that are happening. It’s not necessarily bitcoin. It’s about decentralized money and other decentralized things. But, of course, the core is decentralization. And money is a killer app in itself, if it’s decentralized. So that changed. The other thing that changed was that one of the things that attracts people to this space is the fact that it gives them the feeling of belonging to this kind of adventure — that goes against the grain, that is outside the mainstream, that is niche, and a bit of feeling that we’re the underdog fighting the great forces. But as always happens in movements like that, eventually, you get divisions within, and then you have people who are fighting as the “underdogs” against “the establishment bitcoiners.” Like suddenly, Bitcoin is establishment and people will say, “Hey, this is Bitcoin 2. This is better than Bitcoin. This is an alternative chain that solves all the problems in Bitcoin.” So then you have a fragmentation, a splitting within the Bitcoin community. Because some people feel the need to be the underdog and to always be fighting something. That drives their personalities. So it’s funny because when what you’re fighting for is suddenly getting recognition and IBM is doing it and whatever, the people who are insiders are now a part of it. Exactly. And that’s what’s happened in the crypto space. So now there’s all this fragmentation, all these internal battles, both within Bitcoin but also between Bitcoin and other systems and between themselves. No sooner had Ethereum raised its fist, like, “We will replace Bitcoin and the flippening will happen,” then, before you know it, they were looking over their shoulder because there are five wannabe-Ethereums that are like, “Ethereum’s the old guard and we want to be the solution.” So it’s the Trotsky phenomenon. The counterrevolution starts within weeks of the revolution. Some revolutionaries can never settle down. And that’s not bad: having principles, being ideological, having political conviction. A lot of people see this as aggression, kind of disingenuous behavior. But, honestly, I see a lot of these people who I’ve known for the past four years who are raging against the new machine. I think they’re acting mostly in good faith. Yes, which is typical; it’s human behavior. Ironically, to the outsiders, we’re all one bunch of weirdos. They don’t differentiate between the more business-friendly weirdos or the less business-friendly weirdos. We’re all weirdos. Because the system exists, it’s been running for hundreds of years and you’re not going to come and change it. Of course, that’s what every system that got changed says. There is a simple way out of this: At some point, there is going to be a massive backlash. At some point, “the system” that we’re disrupting is going to fight back hard, but it hasn’t happened yet. The funny thing is that, the day the system starts fighting back, those people will not differentiate between bitcoin cash and bitcoin, bitcoin and ethereum, ethereum and ripple, monero and zcash — as far as they’re concerned, we’re all a bunch of weirdo anarchists who are trying to help terrorists and drug lords defeat the financial order. They’re not going to differentiate. They’re going to backlash against all of us, and that’s going to be the great uniting moment. As soon as we get attacked from the outside, everyone will circle the wagons and everyone will be friends again. You see this in divided countries, where all they need is an external enemy to refocus, and suddenly they’re all on the same side. I don’t think it matters. It’s all pomp and pageantry. They want to appear hip and relevant and “of the time” and be pro-business or pro-innovation — and it’s all bullshit. Because, first of all, these systems are not yet having an effect that’s big enough to start disrupting established industries, at which point we’re going to start seeing governments realign, knowing where their bread is buttered, knowing who is paying the bills. And we’re not the ones paying the bills, right? At that point, we’re going to see some overt hostility and disinformation against us. For the time being, they’re just playing the part of magnanimous regulators who are sober and considerate, but not hostile to innovation because they want the jobs. It’s all pageantry. It doesn’t mean anything. And so, in the U.S., you’ve got an incredible amount of fragmentation — because you’ve got 15 federal regulators and then 50 state regulators and half of them are screaming, “I don’t want this, you regulate it!” and the other half are screaming, “It’s our domain! Step out!” And the same thing is happening across the world. Does it really matter in the end? This isn’t the domain of government. The fundamental invention of governance by algorithm in a decentralized system, the first thing it disrupts, is regulatory compliance. It disrupts regulators before anyone else because it says, “We’re regulatingthisway, so we don’t need to be regulated by institution, by committee, by whatever.” And people think that when I say things like that I’m questioning their authority. I’m not questioning their authority; they have all the authority in the world. I’m questioning their ability to enforce their authority. Right. Exactly. Exactly. It’s already regulated; it’s regulated by math. It’s regulated in the most deterministic, predictable and highly-defined manner. This is a system in which the fact that it doesn’t haverulersdoesn’t mean it doesn’t haverules. It has a lot of rules, and those rules are very specific. What it doesn’t have is the ambiguity of human regulation. And people need to realize that the reason we don’t need to regulate cryptocurrencies is not because they don’t need regulation; it’s because they’re already regulated — regulated by algorithm. If you want algorithmic regulation, this is the space to play. If you want human regulation, we already have that. That’s not new, and, in fact, that’s what we’re trying to fix. I look at it in a very simple way: Most of the institutions we have for governance today are fundamentally creations of the industrialized era, the industrial revolution. That means they’re creations of the late 18th and 19th centuries. And they don’t scale anymore for a planet in which the shit that was spewing in the atmosphere in one place causes a hurricane across the ocean in another place. We’re too interconnected to govern as little fiefdoms in separate jurisdictions with human governance and decision making. If you try to take the industrial era governance models and you try to simply scale them up and make bigger agglomerations — the European Union, the Russian Federation, the United States — very soon they become either corrupted, indifferent, incompetent or too slow to make decisions because they can’t scale to that size. But the problems we’re facing require them not only to scale to that size but to scale to atransnationalsize. Which is horrifying because then it’d be one world government, and if my national government is not already working, then how bad is a transnational government going to be? We need a different model for governance. The industrial revolution will no longer fit our planet. So, that’s how I look at these systems. Now, once governments realize that’s the game, that this is about changing the way we do governance and offering alternatives, I think we’re going to have some very different responses, some pushback, some resistance. One more thing: I think we overestimate how much interest governments have in any of this. Their problems are so big and they’re so not related to what we’re doing. The dollar has its own problems, which are enormous. Be careful what you wish for. You’re diluting the value. It’s completely antithetical. Because what you’re talking about is centralized custodian holders who give you a fraction of the rights that having your own keys gives you. You have exposure to the monetary fluctuation. You don’t have any of the autonomy, empowerment, voting ability, participation ability, authority, and independent validation of transactions that you have as someone who holds the keys and uses bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency directly. This is a direct participation system. When you’re investing in a secondary market like an ETF, you’re not a direct participant in this very direct participation system. You’re a second-hand citizen. You’re a second or third class citizen. You’re only getting one part of the rainbow of attributes of this system and capabilities. And who has the rest? The custodian has the rest. The custodian now gets to decide which fork is the real fork — not you. The custodian gets to decide how to vote on the next soft fork decision — not you. The custodian gets to decide whether you want to switch to a different cryptocurrency or not or how to disperse them. All of these things dilute the value proposition. Now, that doesn’t mean they damage cryptocurrency. If this was about investment, then the idea of bringing in more investors would make the thing better. But this isn’t about investment. This isn’t an investment; it’s a technology. And bringing more people into a technology, especially when that technology isn’t ready for another influx of people, it doesn’t make it better; it makes it worse (temporarily). Because all of the problems are magnified by a whole influx of newbies. When AOL joined the internet, AOL called it a “golden moment.” The internet called it “Black Monday,” because they dumped 3 million noobs right into the middle of our nicely defined internet, which had “netiquette” and common standards of behavior and useful applications — all of which broke because it wasn’t ready for the scale of people or for the new culture of people who are not trained in the culture. It’s not so much that we’ll see adoption. At that point, it’ll be possible to help the people who actually need this technology. We have to remember: Not everyone needs this. There is 5-10 percent of the human population that already has representative democracy, working institutions and working banks. We’re the privileged ones — we’re not the primary focus. We need it long term because our democracy is eroding faster than we can save it, but we don’t need it in the short term to buy coffee. First, recognize that not everybody needs it and don’t try to sell to people who don’t need it. Not everybody is ready or should be part of this, right? I mean, I know I’ve evangelized a whole bunch of people. My friends got involved. And maybe they made some investments. Maybe they’re happy today, maybe they’re not happy today with me. That’s a double-edged sword. But the real impact of this technology is on the other 6 billion: the unbanked, the underbanked, the politically oppressed. And it’s using this as a tool that magnifies personal power, especially defensive power, to help people defend themselves against large, corrupt institutions, whether state institutions or private institutions. That’s the power: It’s giving people freedom. Now, not everybody needs that right now, and we’re not ready to just bring a billion people on board a system that isn’t ready to scale. Absolutely. All of the above. Every form you can imagine: nationally backed, private-backed, government-issued, privately issued. I think that, fundamentally, nationally issued cryptocurrencies are business-as-usual. They don’t change the fundamental problem. The fundamental problem is centralized control and no government is going to issue a cryptocurrency that is not centralized. So they are just moving around the deck chairs. Right. Exactly. Or one where they can’t censor or control borders and do verification of identity. Because surveillance is more important. So those things will happen. They’re just not particularly interesting. The thing that is interesting is the open, borderless, neutral, censorship-resistant, global system or systems that give people choices even if their own government doesn’t want them to happen. I think people tend to reflect onto Bitcoin their preconceived politics. And that’s because it has this mirror-like capability to be what you want it to be or look like what you want it to be. In the end, it’s not Marxist or capitalist. It’s crypto. And that’s interesting because both Marxism and capitalism and all of the systems we have today were invented in the late 19th century. They are systems that are fundamentally born of the industrial revolution. Bitcoin is post-modern. This is something that doesn’t fit into any of the existing buckets because we’re making new buckets. Because this is redefining governance and political systems. So the fact that to some people it looks Marxist, to some people it looks capitalist, to some people it looks Libertarian, to some people it looks anarchist is because they are trying to slap one of their traditional labels on it. Your frame of reference has to be reinvented in order to label this thing. Is it an asset, is it a bond, is it a currency, is it stock? It’s a cryptocurrency. And what is that? It’s the new thing that isn’t any of those but all of those simultaneously. It has characteristics of precious metals, bonds, stocks, currencies, contracts — it has all of those characteristics. But it’s not any one of those things. This article originally appeared onBitcoin Magazine. || How Safe Is ExxonMobil and Its 4% Dividend Yield?: At around 4%,ExxonMobil Corporation's(NYSE: XOM)dividend yield is near a 25-year high. Investors clearly have some concerns about the integrated oil and natural gas company's business. But long-term investors with an income focus shouldn't get too caught up in the current negative sentiment here. Here's why Exxon's 4% dividend yield is safe. One of the big knocks against Exxon is that production has been falling for a couple of years. In 2016 and 2017 output fell 1% and 1.7%, respectively. Declines continued through the first three quarters of 2018 as well. Declining production is clearly not a great sign for long-term dividend continuity. However, production grew sequentially between the second and third quarters as Exxon ramped up its onshore U.S. drilling activity. And that's justone of the company's big growth projectsthat stretch out to 2025, suggesting that the downtrend could soon reverse. Exxon appears well on its way to fixing this issue. Image source: Getty Images. The company's efforts on the production side are noteworthy for two reasons: Not only are they starting to show results, but the plans stretch out through the middle of the next decade. In fact,Exxon has specifically statedthat it isn't interested in low-return projects that would improve production numbers today at the expense of long-term financial performance. It will only invest in high-return projects that it believes can add long-term value. That's the type of mentality you want to see from a dividend-paying company, and it speaks volumes about management's conservative approach. Exxon isn't just conservative on the investment front -- it also has one of the strongestbalance sheetsin the energy industry. Long-term debt makes up a little under 10% of the capital structure, lower than its major peers. In fact, that's low for any company in any industry. Low leverage provides a solid financial foundation, particularly for an industry that is reliant on highly volatile commodities for its top and bottom lines. The upshot here is that leverage isn't likely to force Exxon's hand on the dividend. XOM Financial Debt to Equity (Quarterly)data byYCharts That said, Exxon isn't afraid to use its financial strength to support growth -- and its dividend. For example, during the oil downturn that started in mid-2014, Exxon increased its long-term debt from roughly $6.5 billion to $27.7 billion. At the peak, however, long-term debt still only made up about 15% of its capital structure -- hardly a troubling figure. The added debt, meanwhile, was used to support long-term capital investment plans and the company's growing dividend. Having a strong balance sheet and the willingness to use it are complementary facts. Together, they should give investors some confidence that dividends are a priority for Exxon's management team. All of that said, there's probably no greater proof of Exxon's commitment to its dividend then the 36 consecutive annual dividend increases it has made. That's doubly impressive when you consider that the energy industry is highly cyclical and prone to swift and dramatic ups and downs. The 2014 downturn wasn't an unusual event, and clearly Exxon's hiking the dividend despite the headwind wasn't strange either. It's worth noting here thatmany of Exxon's peers either paused their dividend hikes or cut their dividendsduring that downturn. Exxon stands out on the dividend front. XOMdata byYCharts Although Exxon is financially strong and clearly committed to the dividend, what if its growth plans don't coincide with high oil prices? After all, there's a long time between 2018 and 2025 for oil prices to decline --the recent 20% drop was a stark reminder of oil's volatile nature. While Exxon has been hyping the potential for doubling earnings, or more, by 2025, it also provided a lower-end estimate of earnings growing 35% if oil were to fall to $40 per barrel (oil has been in the $60- to $70-a-barrel range lately). Put another way, relatively low oil prices won't derail the company's growth plans, just slow them down a little. That, in turn, means that low oil prices aren't a big risk for the dividend. With all of this as a backdrop, it's worth highlighting that Exxon'spayout ratioover the last 12 months has been around 60%. So Exxon is covering the dividend reasonably well, a fact that wasn't true at all a few years ago; the payout ratio in 2016 was a disastrous 138%. Over the last decade, it has been as low as 18%. As points one through six show, Exxon has built its business to weather the ups and downs of the industry, which means investors need to take the payout ratio in stride. It is important to monitor, but one year's payout ratio isn't an indicator of the company's long-term dividend-paying ability. You need to get into the business model to really understand what's going on. As one of the most conservative oil companies in the energy industry, Exxon has proven it takes a growing dividend very seriously. Its actions during the deep 2014 oil downturn were clear evidence of that fact. Moreover, the oil giant's conservative growth plans, complete with downside estimates, shows management intends to keep its 36-year history of dividend hikes growing for years to come. Exxon's play-it-safe approach has been a little out of step lately following the oil recovery after the 2014 downturn. But that's the flip side of having a dividend that can withstand oil downturns. If you are looking for a safe dividend, Exxon has you covered. More From The Motley Fool • 3 Growth Stocks at Deep-Value Prices • 5 Expected Social Security Changes in 2018 • 6 Years Later, 6 Charts That Show How Far Apple, Inc. Has Come Since Steve Jobs' Passing • 10 Best Stocks to Buy Today • The $16,122 Social Security Bonus You Cannot Afford to Miss • Bitcoin's Biggest Competitor Isn't Ethereum -- It's This Reuben Gregg Brewerowns shares of ExxonMobil. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy. || Bitcoin Finds Stability at $6,400: Will BTC Fail to Recover by 2018’s End?: Over the past 11 days, the Bitcoin price has remained stable in the range of $6,300 to $6,500, struggling to initiate a major movement on the upside. The volume of Bitcoin has declined substantially over the last 72 hours from $3.6 billion to $3.1 billion on CoinMarketCap, by nearly 20 percent. Trading activity in the cryptocurrency exchange market has generally subsided, as investors have started to avoid taking high-risk, high-return trades in a period of uncertainty. Support and Resistance Merging: Where is Bitcoin Headed to Next? Since early August, for nearly three months, Bitcoin has shown a record high level of stability. The dominant cryptocurrency has not seen such a low level of volatility spread out across several months in recent history, even during the aftermath of the 2014 correction. Bitcoin has stabilized in the lower price range to the point in which its support and resistance levels started to merge. Previously, respected cryptocurrency trader Peter Brandt stated that the short-term price trend of Bitcoin can be considered as a classic Wyckoff hinge behavior, which could lead to a major short-term rally for the asset. However, Willy Woo, a prominent cryptocurrency analyst and operator of Woobull.com, stated that based on various technical indicators including the NVT Ratio, the cryptocurrency market is likely to be in the middle of a long-lasting bear market. “If you’re into timing games, then my own NVT Ratio is saying we are still in the middle of a bear market. NVT is simply the ratio of volume carried by the blockchain to the historic price. (This indicator is due for recalibration after the Liquid Sidechain launch). Woo added that the correlation between network volume and market cap of major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin could serve as an accurate indicator to measure the depth of the current bear market, referring to the NVT chart published on Woobull.com below. “This is the chart that NVT is based upon; the historically tight correlation between the value transmitted by the chain (network volume) and network value (market cap). The deviation we are going through right now are clues to how much of a bear market we are in.” Story continues If the cryptocurrency market is in fact in the midst of a long-lasting bear market, it does not mean that a large drop is in play. It is possible for BTC to demonstrate another substantial drop in the long-term but given the level of stability it has demonstrated throughout the past three months, a drop below the $6,000 support level is highly unlikely. Where is Bitcoin Headed to? In the days to come, the price of Bitcoin is expected to remain in the tight range of $6,400 to $6,500 due to its low volume. But, a major catalyst could send the price of the asset up to the $6,800 mark, a major resistance level which the asset has not been able to test since September. Featured Image from Shutterstock. Charts from TradingView . The post Bitcoin Finds Stability at $6,400: Will BTC Fail to Recover by 2018’s End? appeared first on CCN . [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] UK Time 00:14 - UK sleeps I am trying to knife catch! Oh the fun! What a time to be alive #crypto #cryptocurrency #bitcoin #xrpthestandard || @ryanxcharles you have really grown up as a person and character. in the BTC/BCH split people talked you over to death. this time with ABC/SV you decided to stand up against the emotional PoSM - and you won. thanks and its nice to see a character unfolding against masses || $ARDR may go up BINANCE TRADINGVIEW: http://bit.ly/2Nu8cpn  BITTREX TRADINGVIEW: http://bit.ly/2GuoiMI  Price: 0.00001575 BTC 1H: 0.48% 24H: 0.25% 7D: 17.14% 24H Vol: $768,308 This is not an investment advice. #DYOR #YTD #Robostopia || 2018/10/23 07:00 #Binance 格安コイン 1位 #HOT 0.00000017 BTC(0.12円) 2位 #NPXS 0.00000026 BTC(0.19円) 3位 #DENT 0.00000042 BTC(0.3円) 4位 #NCASH 0.00000074 BTC(0.53円) 5位 #KEY 0.00000097 BTC(0.7円) #仮想通貨 #アルトコイン #草コインhttps://wp.me/p9uE3r-u  || BTC at U$5.925,00 / Binance... You always right...!!! || RT thepumpadvisor "Our eyes on $ICX... $BTC market on #Binance. Current Price: Ƀ 0.00006710" || Bitcoin Mining Motherboard: ASRock H81 Pro BTC R2.0 LGA 1150 R2 http://bit.ly/2RrT4Ll  $50.00 End Date: Wednesday Nov-28-2018 17:01:03 PST Buy It Now for only: $50.00 Buy It Now | Add to watch list from https://ebay.to/2CRZK1j  #bitcoin #cryptomining #cryptocurrencymining #c…pic.twitter.com/oB9YnZBv3v || Btc || 10/30 07:00現在 #Bitcoin : 688,850円↓ #NEM #XEM : 9.63円↓ #Monacoin : 134円→ #Ethereum : 21,635円→ #Zaif : 0.1352円→ || Original AntMiner APW3++ PSU 1600W Power for Antminer L3 D3 S9 S7 New In Stock http://bit.ly/2NIOeak  $140.00 (0 Bids) End Date: Monday Oct-15-2018 14:26:17 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list from https://ebay.to/2OQ2UJ8  #bitcoin #cryptomining #cryptocurrencymining #cryptomini…pic.twitter.com/M5BF5evVEt
Trend: down || Prices: 3419.94, 3476.11, 3614.23, 3502.66, 3424.59, 3486.95, 3313.68, 3242.48, 3236.76, 3252.84
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis] Not fully available. [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] Bitcoin can prosper without becoming a major currency: SkyBridge's Scaramucci: By Anna Irrera and Tom Wilson LONDON (Reuters) - Bitcoin doesn't need to become a widely-used form of payment to succeed and could prosper solely as a store of value, SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci said on Wednesday. Designed as a way to pay, bitcoin is still little use for commerce - though in a major step Tesla Inc said on Wednesday customers can now pay for its electric vehicles in the cryptocurrency. "For bitcoin to be successful ... it doesn't have to become the global currency," Scaramucci said in an interview at Reuters Digital Assets Week 2021. "It could just be a store of value, and then you end up transferring your bitcoin into the various currencies that you want to transact in," said the former White House communications director. Earlier this year, Scaramucci's SkyBridge launched a bitcoin fund with $310 million in assets under management. Bitcoin powered to an all-time high of nearly $62,000 this month, the latest milestone in a meteoric rise fuelled by bigger U.S. investors. Still, Scaramucci - who was ousted by former U.S. President Donald Trump in 2017 after little more than a week on the job - said he was no bitcoin maximalist, referring to die-hard advocates of the cryptocurrency. "I don't believe that Jesus and Moses got together and had a baby, and the baby was bitcoin - that's not me. I see the risks of bitcoin, it is a volatile asset," he said. "I'm a bitcoin investor. I was once a bitcoin sceptic." DIGITAL DOLLAR? The Trump administration had a "broad-based, negative" view on bitcoin due to its theoretical threat to the dollar's status as de facto global reserve currency, Scaramucci said. "The notion that somebody could dislodge the dollar would be painful for regulators," and its use as an economic policy tool, he said. To be sure, bitcoin has a long way to go before it replaces the dollar. Still, central banks globally including the U.S. Federal Reserve are looking into issuing their own digital cash in part to counter the rise of public and privately-led cryptocurrencies. "There will be a digital dollar - the Treasury's obviously working on that," Scaramucci said. "The United States is not going to let the yuan digitise without it digitising the dollar." U.S. monetary and fiscal stimulus programmes launched to counter the COVID-19 pandemic could also make bitcoin an attractive hedge against the erosion of the dollar's value, Scaramucci said. This is also driving more investors into alternative assets, like "non-fungible tokens" (NFTs), technology that allows digital artwork or other content to be authenticated and sold on distributed ledgers, Scaramucci said. Story continues His son, a videographer, created a piece of art and sold it as an NFT for the ethereum digital currency, he added. "Old fogies like me don't know what (NFTs) are unless we talk to our 21-year-old kids," he said. "That stuff is upon us. Don't be an old fart, and get yourself educated and up to speed as quickly as possible." (Reporting by Tom Wilson and Anna Irrera. Editing by Mark Potter) View comments || Bitcoin slumps 14% as pullback from record gathers pace: (Reuters) -Bitcoin, the world's biggest cryptocurrency, fell as much as 14% to $51,541 on Sunday, reversing most of the big gains it made over the past week. Bitcoin was last trading down 10% at $53,991 as of 1320 GMT, a whopping $12,000 below record highs set on Wednesday. Smaller rival Ether, the coin linked to the ethereum blockchain network, dropped 10% to $2,101. Data website CoinMarketCap cited https://coinmarketcap.com/headlines/news/chinas-xinjiang-blackout-and-bitcoin-hashrate-correction-caused-btc-price-crasha blackout in China’s Xinjiang region, which reportedly powers a lot of bitcoin mining, for the selloff. Luke Sully, CEO at digital asset treasury specialist Ledgermatic, said in an email that people "may have sold on the news of the power outage in China and not the impact it actually had on the network". "The power outage does expose a fundamental weakness; that although the Bitcoin network is decentralized the mining of it is not," Sully added. Some widely-followed blockchain analysts on Twitter pointed to a sharp drop in "hash rate" due to the outage. Hash rate refers to the volatility index that measures the processing capacity of the entire Bitcoin network, and it determines the power required by miners to produce new Bitcoins. "Typically shocks to hash rate do not cause price drops. A hash rate reduction slows transactions, which ironically makes it harder to move coins to exchanges for sale. The recent price drop is well within the bounds of typical volatility, it is noise not signal," said Edan Yago, co-founder at Bitcoin-based decentralised finance protocol Sovryn. The retreat in Bitcoin also comes after Turkey's central bank banned the use of cryptocurrencies for purchases on Friday. Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA, said cryptocurrencies had been ripe for a pullback. "The market has become overly aggressive and bullish on everything," said Edward Moya. "It could have been any bearish headline that could have triggered this reaction." Many cryptocurrency markets operate 24/7, setting the stage for price swings at unpredictable hours. Historically, retail and day traders have driven the moves. Despite the sudden selloff, bitcoin is still up 89% so far in 2021, driven by its mainstream acceptance as an investment and a means of payment, accompanied by the rush of retail cash into stocks, exchange-traded funds and other risky assets. (Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar in Bengaluru and Thyagaraju Adinarayan in London; additional reporting by Ira Iosebashvili in New York; Editing by David Clarke and Emelia Sithole-Matarise) || Ross Levinsohn: Maven-Operated The Street is Dipping its Toes Into Cryptocurrency: Photo byAleksi RäisäonUnsplash Finance media company The Street announced on April 5, 2021, that it would be launching a new brand focusing exclusively on cryptocurrency. The Street also intends to devote more media coverage on its website to cryptocurrency news. Rob Barrett, who recently became president of The Street’s parent company Maven Media, stated that the decision reflects growing interest in alternative currency across the world. Additions to The Street’s website include: • A channel dedicated only to news about cryptocurrency • Newsletter titledCrypto Investorcovering stories about the growing acceptance of Bitcoin on Wall Street The Streetwill offer the cryptocurrency newsletter on a subscription basis while access to its dedicated channel remains free. How The Street is Ramping Up to Offer Expansive Coverage of Cryptocurrency Rob Barrett has led the development of bringing on a new team of journalists, all of whom have extensive experience covering the alternative currency market. Barrett intends to position The Street as aleader in finance mediaby providing extensive cryptocurrency resources on the company’s website. The Street also hopes to capitalize on the mistakes other finance media companies have made in ignoring the growing acceptance of cryptocurrency. The Street’s new president stated that his intention is for the new dedicated channel to cover events and information in the finance world as they happen. The newsletter will offer more in-depth articles for people interested in learning more about the cryptocurrency market. About Rob Barrett Rob Barrett began his new position as president with Maven Media in late February. All media brands and editorial teams at The Street andSports Illustrated,another Maven Media publication, will report to him directly. Rob Barrett will report toRoss Levinsohn, the CEO of Maven Media. Prior to coming on board with Maven Media, Rob Barrett held the position of president with the digital media group Hearst. He previously worked with Ross Levinsohn in the news and finance division of Yahoo where Levinsohn was head of media and interim CEO. Other positions Barrett has held in the finance media industry include executive vice president at Tribune, Co., lead of the digital group at theLos Angeles Times, and managing producer at ABC News. Barrett was responsible for launching the first website for Time.com in the late 1990s. Levinsohn expressed his enthusiasm regarding Barrett joining Maven Media as president of The Street andSports Illustrated. Having worked with Barrett in the past and knowing his long history in media, Levinsohn feels confident that he can grow both companies. The main challenge forSports Illustratedis that subscriptions to its print media have fallen by over one million people in a 19-month period from May 2019 to December 2020. The popular sports magazine has recently added a digital subscription that is performing even better than expected. Rob Barrett expected this when he became president and will work with his teams to determine howSports Illustratedcan continue to serve both customer groups well. The Street grew its revenue by 30 percent in 2020 with predictions for an even better 2021. Barrett states that he intends to grow the number of advertisers and subscribers for both companies. About Ross Levinsohn Ross Levinsohn has spent more than 30 years working in finance, media, and technology. He assumed the position ofMavenMedia CEO in August 2020. Levinsohn took over the position from James Heckman, the outgoing CEO and founder of Maven Media. Heckman will continue to consult with Levinsohn regarding business development and strategic initiatives. Just as Ross Levinsohn express his enthusiasm for Rob Barrett coming on as president, Maven Media’s executive chairman did the same with him. Noteworthyprior rolesthat Levinsohn has held include president of Fox Interactive Media and head of global media and Americas division with Yahoo. Other media companies Levinsohn has worked for include Alta Vista, CBS Sportsline, HBO, Guggenheim Digital Media, and Tribune. At the time that Levinsohn took over as the head of Maven Media, the company raised more than $24 million dollars from finance backers. These included: • 180 Degree Capital • Riley Financial • Hunt Technology Ventures • Invenire Capital Partners • TCS Capital Management About Maven Media Maven Media is the parent company of more than 275 brands besides The Street andSports Illustrated. Some top brands the company represents include History, Bio, and MTO News. Maven Media works with journalists and publishers to give them the platform to tell their story. The Street andSports Illustratedreach a combined monthly audience of 150 million people. Based in Seattle, Maven Media sells stock under the name MVEN. Contact: Exec Edge Twitter:@Exec_Edge || Jump Trading backs fan tokens startup Chiliz: By Anna Irrera and Tom Wilson LONDON (Reuters) - Proprietary trading firm Jump Trading has made an equity investment in Chiliz, the blockchain company that issues tokens associated with various sports teams, the companies told Reuters on Tuesday. The investment amount was not disclosed. Malta-based Chiliz is known for powering a platform called Socios.com which offers tokens to soccer fans, enabling them to participate in polls hosted by the clubs, or receive rewards and promotions. Some of the tokens are listed on cryptocurrency exchange Binance and some Korean exchanges. The company also issues a cryptocurrency called Chiliz that is used to buy the so-called fan tokens. Chiliz has soared more than 2100% to around $0.41 since the start of the year, with interest in the coin as well as the company's fan tokens growing this year amid a wider rally in cryptocurrency prices. Bitcoin has roughly doubled in price since the start of the year, last month hitting a record of nearly $62,000, with more mainstream investors betting it will gain wider adoption. Chicago-based Jump Trading has been active in cryptocurrencies for several years. It has been market making - providing bid and ask quotes and liquidity - for tokens issued by Chiliz since early 2021, the companies said. Chiliz CEO Alexandre Dreyfus said the Socios.com platform can help sports team engage and generate revenue from a broader range of fans. "The Chiliz blockchain and our consumer-facing product Socios.com grew massively in the last few months in terms of users, user spending, but also in terms of new sports partners like AC Milan, FC Barcelona, and Manchester City," Dreyfus said. "Jump Trading investing in the sports crypto space is a recognition for us and of the industry, that this market is just at its beginning." (Reporting by Anna Irrera and Tom Wilson; editing by Jason Neely) || The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Netflix, Medtronic, Stryker, Sysco and EOG Resources: Chicago, IL – April 23, 2021 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Netflix, Inc. NFLX, Medtronic plc MDT, Stryker Corporation SYK, Sysco Corporation SYY and EOG Resources, Inc. EOG. The Zacks Research Daily presents the best research output of our analyst team. Today's Research Daily features new research reports on 16 major stocks, including Netflix (NFLX), Medtronic (MDT), and Stryker (SYK). These research reports have been hand-picked from the roughly 70 reports published by our analyst team today. You can seeall oftoday’s research reports here >>> Shares ofNetflixhave underperformed the Zacks Broadcast Radio and Television industry in the last one-year period (+18.3% vs. +51.4%). The Zacks analyst believes that weak content slate and delayed production due to the coronavirus led disruptions is expected to hurt Netflix’s prospects in the second quarter of 2021. Also, rising competition from Apple, Amazon, HBO Max, Disney+, Peacock and TikTok is a major headwind. However, Netflix’s leveraged balance sheet and higher streaming obligation is also a concern. Nevertheless, Netflix is dominating the streaming space, courtesy of its diversified content portfolio, which is attributable to heavy investments in the production and distribution of localized, foreign-language content. (You canread the full research report on Netflix here >>>) Medtronic’s shares have gained +16.9% over the last six months against the Zacks Medical Products industry’s gain of +11.6%. The Zacks analyst believes that all major business groups within the company have been contributing to consistent revenue growth at CER, which highlights sustainability across different groups and regions. While Medtronic’s third-quarter fiscal 2021 earnings were ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate, revenues came in line with the same. Respiratory, Gastrointestinal, & Renal as well as Specialty Therapies, Neuromodulation and Diabetes Group registered year-over-year growth on an organic basis. However, performance of the rest of the business segments deteriorated. The company’s performance was primarily impacted by deferred procedures due to the pandemic during December and January. Additionally, escalating costs and expenses put pressure on its margins. (You canread the full research report on Medtronic here >>>) Shares ofStrykerhave gained +10.5% in the past three months against the Zacks Medical Products industry’s gain of +4.8%. The Zacks analyst, however, believes that pricing pressure continues to plague Stryker. Stiff competition in the MedTech space also remains a woe. Meanwhile, the company’s commitment to continued advancement of its new product pipelines is a major positive. Additionally, the management believes that Stryker will capitalize on the broader resumption of deferrable surgeries. Stryker exited fourth-quarter 2020 on a mixed note. However, the company witnessed strong performances across different segments. Growth in international sales is another positive. Further, expansion in operating margin in the reported quarter buoys optimism. (You canread the full research report on Stryker here >>>) Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Sysco and EOG Resources. Blockchain and cryptocurrency has sparked one of the most exciting discussion topics of a generation. Some call it the “Internet of Money” and predict it could change the way money works forever. If true, it could do to banks what Netflix did to Blockbuster and Amazon did to Sears. Experts agree we’re still in the early stages of this technology, and as it grows, it will create several investing opportunities. Zacks’ has just revealed 3 companies that can help investors capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly. See 3 crypto-related stocks now >> Media Contact Zacks Investment Research 800-767-3771 ext. 9339 [email protected] https://www.zacks.com Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss.This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.Click to get this free reportMedtronic PLC (MDT) : Free Stock Analysis ReportStryker Corporation (SYK) : Free Stock Analysis ReportEOG Resources, Inc. (EOG) : Free Stock Analysis ReportNetflix, Inc. (NFLX) : Free Stock Analysis ReportSysco Corporation (SYY) : Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here. || World stocks post record highs as bond yields ease: By Tom Arnold and Kevin Buckland LONDON/TOKYO (Reuters) - Global stock markets pushed to record highs on Wednesday as bond yields eased, after data showed U.S. inflation was not rising too fast as the economy re-opens. With fears receding for now that a strong inflation reading might endanger the Federal Reserve's accommodative stance, European shares opened 0.1% higher. Gains were capped after Johnson & Johnson said it would delay rolling out its COVID-19 vaccine to Europe, after U.S. health agencies recommended pausing its use in the country after six women developed rare blood clots. Led by Hong Kong's Hang Seng, most Asia-Pacific share indexes also climbed. Benchmark U.S. Treasury yields continued their decline, marking a fresh three-week low. S&P 500 futures pointed to a further 0.1% rise after the S&P 500 closed at record highs on Tuesday. Japan bucked the trend, with the Nikkei falling 0.4% as a rising number of coronavirus cases raised doubts about its economic recovery with 100 days to go until Tokyo is scheduled to host the Olympics. MSCI's gauge of equity performance in 50 countries advanced 0.2% to a record high. The U.S. consumer price index rose 0.6% in March, the biggest increase since August 2012, as rising vaccinations and fiscal stimulus unleashed pent-up demand, data showed on Tuesday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the CPI would rise 0.5%. In the 12 months through March, the CPI surged 2.6%. That was the largest gain since August 2018 and followed a 1.7% increase in February. But the data are unlikely to change Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's view that higher inflation in the coming months will be transitory. Powell is scheduled to speak later in the day at the Economic Club of Washington. The "not too high" inflation reading and a relatively successful 30-year U.S. bond auction on Tuesday were the immediate reasons equity markets gained, said François Savary, chief investment officer at Swiss wealth manager Prime Partners. Story continues "People are now waiting for earning season, which should give us more visibility on the outlook and whether the significant market performance we've seen is logical and sustainable," he said. JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc are among U.S. companies reporting on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank's equity strategists expects S&P 500 earnings to come in 7.5% above consensus, well above the historical average of 4% but lower than in the previous three quarters. WEAKER DOLLAR For bond markets, the question is whether the benchmark yield can break below 1.6% from as low as 1.611% on Wednesday, Westpac strategists wrote in a client note. "That has been an important technical level, which if broken could see a quick move to 1.5%," they said. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield had surged to a 14-month high of 1.776% on March 30 on bets that massive fiscal stimulus would speed up a U.S. recovery, stoking faster inflation than Fed policymakers anticipated and prompting it to raise interest rates sooner than expected. But yields have eased this month, in part owing to the Fed's insistence that labour market slack will prevent the economy from overheating. A spate of strong auction results, including Tuesday's, has also helped to tame yields. Euro zone bond yields, which had been rising in line with U.S. Treasury yields on hopes for a strong economic recovery later this year and increased inflation, on Wednesday dropped 1 to 3 basis points. The U.S. dollar eased along with Treasury yields, slipping to a three-week low against major peers. Gold, a traditional inflation hedge, was flat at $1,743.01 per ounce. Bitcoin hit a record above $64,500, extending its 2021 rally on the day Coinbase shares are due to list in the United States. In oil markets, Brent crude futures rose 1.2% to $64.43 a barrel. U.S. crude futures added 1.3% to $60.95. (Reporting by Tom Arnold and Kevin Buckland; additional reporting by Herbert Lash; editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa, Kim Coghill, Larry King) || Bitcoin Plunges, Taking Other Cryptocurrencies With It: After reaching a record a few days ago, Bitcoin is dropping, along with other popular cryptocurrencies. Here are some of the latest numbers: • The world’s biggest cryptocurrency, Bitcoin(CRYPTO: BTC) in the last 24 hours has dropped about 9% to $55,268 as of time of publishing, according toCoinMarketCap. • SimilarlyEthereum(CRYPTO: ETH) fell almost 12% to $2,110, as of publication time. • According toBloomberg, the crypto markets are stumbling amid rumors that the U.S. Treasury Department may take action against financial institutions because of money-laundering concerns. • Simple profit-taking also is likely playing a part, given the highs that came following thelistingofCoinbase Global Inc(NASDAQ:COIN) last week.Bitcoinbroke past $64,000 on Wednesday, the day of Coinbase's listing. • Dogecoin also is down from its record high of about 44 cents on Friday, now standing at $0.303 as of publication time, though it has since rebounded in the past 24 hours. • The drop also comes upon news of Coinbase insidersselling off sharesright after Wednesday's listing. Learn more:How to Buy Bitcoin (BTC) Story updated to add latest on Dogecoin and news of Coinbase insiders selling shares. See more from Benzinga • Click here for options trades from Benzinga • Jack Ma May Be Divesting His Stake In Ant Group, Giving Up Control: Reuters • Peloton Fights Federal Safety Recall Request Over Treadmill Linked To Child's Death © 2021 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. || Best Bitcoin Trading Platforms in 2021: Bitcoinwill likely go down as one of history’s great examples of financial FOMO (fear of missing out). Not long ago early adopters literally couldn’t give this asset away, and now a single token costs almost as much as a small house. Certainly there is a world of regretful investors out there who, 10 years ago, had the chance to spend (literally) a few dollars on Bitcoin and laughed. That doesn’t mean that all digital tokens are a good investment. It doesn’t even mean that Bitcoin always is. This inexplicably valuable asset is also historically volatile, making it an interesting but by no means secure addition to your portfolio. However, it does mean that investors across the market have begun taking digital assets seriously. How can they not? At time of writinga single Bitcoincost more than $57,630. That’s a kind of value that the market simply can’t ignore. From brand-new traders to stodgy investment banks, the market has noticed Bitcoin and its associated products. The question is, if you’re interested in trading them, where should you go? Afinancial advisorcan give you invaluable guidance on investing in cryptocurrencies, including which platforms are most appropriate for you. What Is Bitcoin? What About Blockchain? As a threshold matter it’s important to distinguish Bitcoinfrom blockchain. While fully exploring the issue is beyond the scope of this article, in a nutshell what you need to know is this: • Bitcoin is a digital asset that’s built using a database format known as “blockchain.” This is a way of storing data that lets you publicly and securely establish individual ownership over a specific file. While you can still copy a given file endlessly, that ownership will travel with every copy you make. • This type of digital asset has many different names, such as “token” and “cryptocurrency.” While Bitcoin is by far the most valuable cryptocurrency on the market, there are hundreds of different types of blockchain assets that people buy, sell and invest in. • Cryptocurrency is a fast growing but highly unstable market. This is common among emerging assets. The blockchain coding format on which cryptocurrency is based is still new and cryptocurrency still hasn’t found its use case. It’s likely that prices will stabilize eventually as investors and entrepreneurs determine how to approach this asset, but that will take time. This is important to understand because when we talkabout Bitcointrading platforms we’re not talking about just Bitcoin. Some investors will be interested in the one, headline asset. When others say “Bitcoin” they really mean blockchain assets in general. Whichever you’re looking to trade, these are some of the best platforms on which to do it. Best Overall: CoinbasePros Coinbase is one of the most well-known cryptocurrency exchanges in the world, and one of the most popular. There are a lot of good reasons for this. Perhaps the best part of Coinbase is the platform’s design.Cryptocurrencyis a complicated field, one dominated by niche experts. This makes it even more important that your trading platform makes sense. And Coinbase is a well-designed, intuitive trading platform that helps users navigate the tricky world of crypto trading. But that doesn’t mean that Coinbase leaves the sophisticated investor behind. In particular, Coinbase pro boasts the second-highest volume of cryptocurrency trading on the market at time of writing. Robust research tools allow you to understand the state of the market (withan emphasis on volatility, which is critical in this sector), while investors can find all of the major cryptocurrencies on the market. In other words, this is a platform that’s easy to jump into and with all the tools for a true professional. Cons Coinbase has a Byzantine fee structure that can be difficult to understand. The price you pay changes based on the size of each transaction, the nature of your account, how you’re paying and even where you’re located.These fees can be on the high side, but exactly how much you’ll pay is a quickly moving target. At the same time, Coinbase sometimes receives criticism for its range of offerings. This is a mixed issue. On the one hand, there are thousands of crypocurrencies in the marketplace at large and, at time of writing, Coinbase only offers 53 to trade. On the other hand, while Coinbase does offer only a fraction of the market overall, it focuses on the best and most stable cryptocurrencies you can trade. There’s a good reason to see this as a well-curated market rather than a limited one. Best Large Volume: BinancePros By volume there is little comparison.Binance conducts the second-highest volume of tradesin the entire cryptocurrency market. This is absolutely critical in the decentralized cryptocurrency market, which has no clearinghouse to set universal prices. The high volume of trading on Binance help ensure that its transactions move efficiently and its prices accurately reflect the market at large. At the same time this exchange also offers one of the broadest selections of cryptocurrencies available for trade. At time of writing Binance offered 347 different coins, giving it the ninth-broadest selection of any platform. While this means that Binance will have options that are less trustworthy than a more curated platform, it also means that you have a better chance of finding new opportunities. Finally, Binance offers a strong fee schedule. While it is not the cheapest on the market,it does offer very competitive commissions. Cons Perhaps the biggest drawback to Binance is that itdoes not accept U.S. currency. This is a common problem among cryptocurrency exchanges, particularly the large ones that are likely to trade in products that have either avoided or failed SEC scrutiny. While this doesn’t necessarily block Americans from the exchange altogether, it does mean that you will either have to trade exclusively in cryptocurrency or use the platform’s more limited U.S.-oriented site. Binance is also clearly designed for more sophisticated users. While the interface is well laid out, it is not as intuitive as other platforms out there. Beginners will likely want to avoid Binance. Best For Stability: GeminiPros One of the biggest debates in cryptocurrency has been whether or notthese assets count as securitiesfor the purposes of SEC regulation. This is an area where, to be fair, cryptocurrency companies have not helped themselves. This industry tries to have it both ways. Firms that deal in blockchain issue their coins on open markets, literally calling the release of a new productinitial coin offerings, while at the same time arguing that this is a piece of software no more subject to SEC oversight than a copy of Angry Birds. This debate has very real consequences. Many exchanges can’t operate with U.S. dollars, and many cryptocurrency products struggle to find legitimacy with mainstream investors. Gemini was founded to avoid all of that. This platform emphasizes regulatory compliance. It behaves and governs itself like a bank, working from within established U.S. laws and looking for products it can sell on that basis. The platform isFDIC insured, and investors can feel confident that their money is in hands that meet the same financial oversight as an E*TRADE or a TD Bank. In an industry where many exchanges have folded due to criminal activity or simple carelessness, there is enormous value to that. Cons Gemini’s cold storage securitymakes the platform far more secure than many other exchanges, but also slows down some transaction times. This is a tradeoff, not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s one to consider. Finding cryptocurrency assets that meet the strict financial guidelines of U.S. oversight is not necessarily easy, and as a result Gemini tends to be one of the smaller exchanges on the market. It has fewer than 40 cryptocurrencies to trade at time of writing, and its trading volume is literally an order of magnitude smaller than its major competitors. That, potentially, can affect liquidity. Best For Learning: EtoroPros Etoro is a stable, very well regarded cryptocurrency platform. It offers all of the most popular cryptocurrencies (as judged by volume of trading). This service is known as exceptionally secure, is available to U.S. traders and even charges very competitive fees. While pricing is a moving target for this marketplace, expect to pay a spread of approximately 0.75% to 3% on each trade. All of this makes Etoro a solid platform. Where it shines is in its networked trading tools. In addition to paper trading, in which users can create a demo account and test out various trading strategies, Etoro provides users with what it calls “social trading.” This set of tools allows you to study and track the portfolios of other investors. You can see how they are currently trading, and use this information to learn the market without staking your own money until you feel ready. For investors that want to take this even further, Etoro allows you tocopy trade. With this feature you can actually set your portfolio to mimic the trades made by someone else. While of limited value to experienced investors, this overall design makes Etoro an outstanding choice for investors just learning the market. Cons Etoro is not a strong choice for sophisticated investors. Outside of its social trading tools, this is a solid investment platform that does generally well across the board. But it doesn’t particularly shine in any one area. Etoro has all of the most popular cryptocurrencies, but an otherwise limited list. It has a solid set of research tools, but nothing particularly in-depth or innovative. It is a good platform, but if you are trading at a high level you can probably do better. The Bottom Line If you want to trade cryptocurrency at a high level, or overall, start with Coinbase. Investors looking for a breadth of options should check out Binance’s vast marketplace, while those who value legal and financial stability will do well at Gemini. Finally, if this is your first time trading cryptocurrency, Etoro will be a great place to get started. Tips for Investing • Consider working with a financial advisor as you invest in or consider investing in Bitcoin. Finding one doesn’t have to be hard.SmartAsset’s matching toolcan help you find a financial advisor in your area who can help you understand exactly how and when to take these kinds of risks. If you’re ready,get started now. • One way of keeping an eye on the value of a currency, whether it’s crypto or fiat, is to monitor how much inflation it is experiencing. A free, easy-to-useinflation calculatorcan give you a quick read on that key metric. Photo credit:©iStock.com/Just_Super, ©iStock.com/serpeblu, ©iStock.com/D-Keine The postBest Bitcoin Trading Platforms in 2021appeared first onSmartAsset Blog. || ARK Invest, Square: Bitcoin Mining Could Incentivize Renewable Energy Development: According to a study by Cathie Wood’s ARK Investment Management LLC, and Jack Dorsey’s Square Inc., bitcoin (BTC) mining could incentivize renewable energy development. The study purports that cryptocurrency mining could drive investment in renewable energy , while making more available to the grid. “A world with bitcoin is a world that, at equilibrium, generates more electricity from renewable carbon-free sources,” the study says . Although solar and wind power produce energy cheaper than fossil fuels, they produce too much energy when demand is low and not enough when it’s high. During times when there is an energy surplus and low demand, a renewable energy developer could make money mining cryptocurrencies . Potentially, this could incentivize more development of renewable energy, increasing efficiency, lowering prices, and encouraging the transition to sustainable sources. Vested interests ARK Invest CEO Wood says the research ideas “debunk the myth” that bitcoin mining is damaging the environment. Jack Dorsey’s Square also collaborated on the research. Dorsey said that bitcoin “incentivizes renewable energy.” However, they both have deeply vested interests in bitcoin’s success, making the validity of the study somewhat questionable. ARK has invested actively in cryptocurrency-related stocks, including large holdings in Coinbase Global Inc. and bitcoin. ARK’s portfolio also includes Elon Musk’s Tesla, which made a s plash buying $1.5 billion of bitcoin in February. Meanwhile Dorsey’s Square bought $50 million in bitcoin in October last year, and another $170 million in February. Cryptocurrencies have also become a growing part of its business, through the use of its Cash App for bitcoin transactions. Better use for renewable energy Besides the skepticism behind the research motives, others say that renewable energy is already seeing more investment. A larger share of energy is increasingly being supplied by electricity, while the cost of renewable power is plummeting. According to the International Energy Agency, wind and solar will account for around 12% of electricity demand by 2030. This is over double the amount in 2019. Story continues Additionally, some argue that there are more appropriate uses for renewable power than making bitcoin. For instance, decarbonizing existing energy demand that relies on burning fossil fuels. Electricity demand is also increasing, as electric vehicles see wider adoption. As Ripple executive Chris Larsen put it , mining bitcoin “is in direct competition with more urgent energy needs that must make the switch to renewables; industries like concrete and steel, air travel, and agriculture.” He calls the argument put forward by the study “spurious.” In an opinion piece , he asserts that cryptocurrencies must make the switch from the energy intensive proof-of-work validation method. This is the consensus model behind bitcoin mining. If cryptocurrencies do not migrate to more efficient validation methods like proof-of-stake or federated consensus, he says the further adoption of cryptocurrencies could be jeopardized. || NFTs, DAOs and the New Creator Economy: Media companies are talent companies. As that becomes increasingly obvious to the media industry at large, there has been an acceleration of development by both challengers and incumbents to position themselves to capture media’s most critical natural resource: people. The creator economy served as a catalyst to disrupt legacy structures by introducing platforms and products that enable individuals to build a business around themselves. Top talent wants more control and ownership over their work, having options to transcend their reputation and financial success from a parent brand. Jarrod Dicker is a media executive and investor. Brian Flynn is cofounder ofRabbithole. Patrick Rivera is an engineer atMirror. Related:How Bitcoin Could Be Affected by February’s Positive Jobs Report Independence is really hard. The creator economy has invited criticism of creator burnout, lack of necessary support and an absence of strategic and educational resources for individuals to better guide themselves in isolation. While there is accelerated development in the creator economy to fulfill those needs, there’s another economy being built that is positioned to extend the promise of the new media structure even further. The ownership economy – by way of decentralized autonomous organizations (aka DAO) and non-fungible tokens (aka NFT) – builds a business on top of the creator economy that encourages creators, operators and the community to collaborate together under a new, interdependent ownership mechanism that combines the best of both (legacy and creator economy) worlds and then some. This new media structure will be wholly owned by the creators, operators and consumers themselves. This new media structure will be wholly owned by the creators, operators and consumers themselves. It will be a product of both the public and its producers and will not limit participants to a single company. These media companies can be looked at as collectives, with their own identities, where creators and consumers are encouraged to flow interdependently throughout various collectives. All of which results in everyone investing in both the development of each collective and sharing in the value of the collective’s upside. Related:All About Bitcoin - Mar 8, 2021 To think of this pragmatically, let’s look at TV shows. Actors, actresses, producers and writers are free agents and sign deals for specific series on many platforms. Each series builds its own identity, reputation and community. The individuals who contribute to the show are free to work on other projects and may even be encouraged to in order to increase their own and the show’s reputation (marketing!). This interoperability makes everything the individual touches more valuable. Back to creator-DAOs and NFTs. A DAO allows its creators, its support, its contributors and its audience to be owners in the collective. It means that every operation, and participants in the operation, are now shareholders. Today, creators can be owners in a media company by way of equity, but that’s often limited by the role each individual plays. As a result, once talented individuals build a strong enough reputation they’re incentivized to negotiate contracts or go independent to retain more ownership over their work. See also:What Are NFTs and How Do They Work? Media companies are starting to think about how they build a more welcome environment for those creators, but they’re developing in parallel to challenger structures like creator DAOs. DAOs present an alternative organizational structure that tries to align incentives for the long-term among a variety of stakeholders. The relationship changes from creator and consumer to everyone as co-creators. Creative organizations begin to look more like flat peer-to-peer networks as opposed to hierarchies. This is possible because the media company (collective) itself is a crowdfund of its creators, supporters and community members. All participators invest in the entity, which results in a token, the “equity” of DAOs. All revenue across advertising, subscriptions, events and other means is then pooled to a treasury where all cash inflows and outflows are recorded publicly. There is a universal share in the ownership. Where NFTs come in is that all digital assets created by the DAO are minted as NFTs. Through that, every asset becomes managed, monitored and owned. This means creators, operators and participants are all collaborators on the NFT asset. Outside of pure ownership and participation, this means an asset returns royalties based on the performance of the content, delivering returns for participants in perpetuity. See also: Joon Ian Wong –A New Era of Media Begins With Tokenization As media moved from print to digital, creative assets lost the ability to control and maintain value throughout the web ecosystem. With NFTs, digital media now becomes a liquid financial asset secured through cryptography, and programmable through smart contracts. NFT creators in the future will have two paths: independent or collective. As independent actors, creators can realize the full upside of their NFT creations and earn built-in royalties. But the collective model is an entirely new way to build distribution. Because the NFTs are programmable, the royalties can be broken down further into fractional shares. Another benefit of NFTs is they turn digital media into public goods with pseudonymous ownership. A digital media file that’s minted as an NFT can be read by everyone, but owned as a collectible by a single entity. This provides a new monetization channel for digital media without limiting growth by putting content behind a paywall. It also revitalizes business models that used to be lucrative in the print era but lost in the digital era like the wire service. See also:What Is a DAO? There are parallel efforts throughout the media and tech ecosystem to try and get to the same place. How do we evolve the media’s infrastructure to draw benefit for the talent, the support and the community?To capitalize on providing an infrastructure that benefits all parties, the foundation needs to be broken down and built back up again. It’s very hard to renovate a business, especially one that hasn’t been built on the criteria for the new era. The creator economy started tearing down the foundation of legacy media’s structure to encourage both existing media companies and new entrants to think about building for and enabling talent-based companies. As both businesses begin to map out the next iteration of their technical and business architecture, there is infrastructure being mapped out that is ripe for all economies to be built on top of – the ownership economy. • NFTs, DAOs and the New Creator Economy • NFTs, DAOs and the New Creator Economy [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: down || Prices: 57200.29, 53333.54, 57424.01, 56396.52, 57356.40, 58803.78, 58232.32, 55859.80, 56704.57, 49150.54
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2017-10-17] BTC Price: 5605.51, BTC RSI: 71.78 Gold Price: 1283.00, Gold RSI: 45.33 Oil Price: 51.88, Oil RSI: 59.49 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] China hits booming cryptocurrency market with coin fundraising ban: By John Ruwitch and Jemima Kelly SHANGHAI/LONDON (Reuters) - China on Monday banned and deemed illegal the practice of raising funds through launches of token-based digital currencies. The move was targeted at so-called initial coin offerings (ICO) in a market that has exploded since the start of the year. ICOs have become a bonanza for digital currency entrepreneurs, globally and in China, and have provided the fuel for a rapid ascent in the value of cryptocurrencies this year that has driven fears of a bubble that could burst. [L5N1KV4DN] Individuals and organizations that have completed ICO fundraisings should make arrangements to return funds, said a joint statement from the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the securities and banking regulators and other government departments that was posted on the central bank's website. In total, $2.32 billion has been raised through ICOs, with $2.16 billion of that being raised since the start of 2017, according to cryptocurrency analysis website Cryptocompare. Bitcoin rival Ethereum, which token-issuers usually ask to be paid in and which has therefore seen unprecedented growth this year, fell sharply on the news, last trading down almost 20 percent on the day at $283, according to trade publication Coindesk. Bitcoin was also down 8 percent, while the total value of all cryptocurrencies was down around 10 percent, according to industry website Coinmarketcap.com. "The large price falls can be attributed to panic amongst traders and profit-taking," said Cryptocompare founder Charles Hayter. The rapid ascent of ICOs prompted the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to warn in July that some ICOs should be regulated like other securities. Singapore and Canada followed with similar warnings. Zennon Kapron, director of the Shanghai-based financial technology consultancy Kapronasia, said he suspected regulators were putting the brakes on ICOs in order to better understand the phenomenon, but could ease off in the future. Story continues "Regulators globally are struggling to understand what ICOs are, what the risks are, and how to ring-fence and regulate them," he said. "China, in many ways, is no different than the U.S. or Singapore in saying, ok, we need to push back on these for now until we figure out how to deal with them...I think it will be slightly a temporary measure." "THE MUSIC HAS STOPPED" By creating and issuing digital tokens, entrepreneurs can raise large sums quickly -- sometimes hundreds of millions of dollars in minutes -- with little or no regulatory oversight. But unlike traditional fundraising, token holders are generally not given any share in the particular project, nor any security. For the buyer, therefore, the main reason for buying these highly risky tokens is often simply a bet that their value will rise. Once the tokens have been issued they can be traded against other cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin, the first successful digital-only currency. The popularity of coin offerings has surged in China this year. In July, the state news agency Xinhua cited data from a government organization that monitors online financial activity to report that there had been 65 ICOs so far during the year raising a combined 2.62 billion yuan ($394.6 million) from 105,000 individuals in the country. Oliver Bussman, previously chief innovation officer at UBS and now president of the Switzerland-based "Crypto Valley Association" that promotes blockchain-based technology, said Chinese authorities had to be especially vigilant about protecting consumers because of the lack of financial advice in the country, compared with Europe or North America. Reaction to the ban was swift online. "The music has stopped," said one member of a chat group on the social networking platform WeChat that was set up last week for an upcoming ICO for a fundraising platform called SelfSell. "Hurry up and sell your bitcoin," said another. The organizer of the ICO project, who recently went on a six-city roadshow, said the project had been suspended. But Bussman said that once there was some regulatory clarity, and once it had been worked out how to classify different types of ICO, the token-based fundraising would continue. "The initial coin offering is a new business model leveraging blockchain technology and it will remain," he said. "This is not the end of the ICO – absolutely not." (Reporting by Jemima Kelly in London, John Ruwitch in Shanghai, Elias Glenn and Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Richard Borsuk and Sam Holmes/Jeremy Gaunt) || Russian authorities agree to regulate crypto-currency market: MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian authorities have agreed to regulate the crypto-currency market and hope to set out how this regulation will work by the end of the year, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Wednesday. Crypto-currencies such as bitcoin enable individuals to transfer value to each other and pay for goods and services bypassing banks and the mainstream financial system. They count technology enthusiasts, speculators attracted by big price swings and libertarians skeptical of government monetary policy among their fans worldwide. But banks have mostly steered clear of crypto-currencies, and some governments and central banks have been strongly critical of them. On Tuesday President Vladimir Putin chaired a meeting of senior Russian officials on the issue, and said the crypto-currencies were risky and used for crime. Russia's central bank has said it would block websites selling bitcoin and its rivals to households. "The president has spoken of the problems related to crypto-currencies. These are difficulties regarding ... money laundering and cases that are related to identification issues," TASS news agency quoted Siluanov as saying on Wednesday. "That's why we have agreed that the state should regulate the issuing of crypto-currencies, their mining and turnover. The state should take all this under control," said Siluanov, who attended Tuesday's meeting with Putin. Siluanov's comments echoed his earlier calls to control and supervise the market for virtual currencies. Siluanov said his ministry would work with the central bank on regulating crypto-currencies in Russia. Siluanov's deputy Alexei Moiseev said on Wednesday that Russia's Federal Tax Service could also be involved as Moscow wants to collect taxes from those who mine crypto-currencies. Bitcoin, the most well-known virtual currency that emerged in mid-2010, is increasingly popular worldwide as it promises substantial profits. One bitcoin last traded at around $4,762 (BTC=BTSP), up from its initial price of less than $1. (Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh, Polina Nikolskaya and Elena Fabrichnaya; Editing by Gareth Jones) || Here’s How Okta Plans to Secure Your Banking and Retail Apps: Okta, a cloud security company known for making it easier for business customers to sign onto corporate apps securely, wants to go bigger. The company hopes to extend its purview to retail and banking web sites and mobile apps that serve millions of consumers. While demand for single-sign on and identity management for corporate customers is huge--Okta CEO Todd McKinnon estimates it to be about $5 billion a year-- the market for providing similar functions to consumers wanting to log into their bank accounts, for example, is much bigger. Generally, this type of technology is known as identity and access management (IAM.) Thus, Okta’s interest and why the San Francisco-based company on Tuesday will unveil guidelines and application programming interfaces (APIs) that banks, stores, and other consumer-facing businesses can use to integrate Okta’s identity management into their existing systems. Get Data Sheet,Fortune's technology newsletter These tools would enable an automaker, for example, to build a secure log-on system (using Okta’s technology) that looks like the rest of the company’s web site. Given that every company these days from banks to appliance makers to e-commerce sites and stores now build and run their own web sites and mobile apps, the ability to offer secure customer access to service portals and payment pages is essential “This is a huge thing for Okta. We’re attacking all these customers,” McKinnon toldFortunein advance of the company’sOktane tech conferencein Las Vegas. The news will be announced at the event later on Tuesday. Okta’s back-end software stores user information, logs in users, and provides security. Related:Okta Wants to Go Big and Go it Alone in Enterprise Software Okta, whichwent public in April,isn’t alone in this arena. , which offers Active Directory identity management for corporate applications, is also pushing a cloud version of that product calledAzure Active Directory.and also have a stake here as do Okta’s cloud-oriented rivalsPing Identityand OneLogIn, according to Holger Mueller, an analyst with Constellation Research. And, he added, many companies now use open-source technology to build their own secure access capabilities. Presumably, Okta is banking that its new APIs will be an easier option for them. In a recent report, Gregg Keizmann, research vice president at Gartner , said most work-oriented IAM products can suit consume needs, but may also offer functions that are not required in this market. The key issue for consumer IAM is it must be extremely easy to use but also scale up to handle millions--as opposed to hundreds or thousands--of users. Note: (August 29, 2017, 9:05 a.m.) This story was updated to add comments from Gartner. See original article on Fortune.com More from Fortune.com • Exclusive: An Inside Look at Kim Dotcom's Bitcoin-Based Payments Platform • Drone-Maker DJI Wants You to Find Its Weak Spots • Big Google Android Phone Botnet Squashed by Tech Coalition • Exclusive: Top Hackers-For-Hire Startup Names New CEO • Google Issuing Refunds for Ads Seen Only by Robots || Bitcoin took a major dive after a big Chinese exchange said it is closing: Bitcoin (:BTC=-USS) prices plunged about 11 percent Thursday after one of the biggest exchanges in China said it will shut down its operation. The cryptocurrency traded at $3,436.74 at 3:25 p.m. in New York, far below an all-time high of $5,013.91 set earlier this month. The Bitcoin Investment Trust (GBTC) (GBTC) also fell sharply, trading 8.9 percent lower. BTC China said in a tweet Thursday that it will close down its operations by Sept. 30 as Chinese authorities crack down on cryptocurrencies. TWEET: 1/ After carefully considering the announcement published by Chinese regulators on 09/04, BTCChina Exchange will stop all trading on 09/30. China is tightening its grip on the burgeoning currency. On Sept. 4, Chinese media outlet Caixin reported that regulators banned companies from raising money through initial coin offerings (ICOs), referring to them as an unauthorized fundraising tool that may involve financial scams. Since then, bitcoin has lost more than 20 percent of its value. Bitcoin since Sept. 4 Source: Coindesk "This all because of China. Chinese investors have until September 30th to get their money out of exchanges before they close," Brian Kelly, CEO and founder of BKCM and a CNBC contributor, said in an email. "This is a market structure drop and not a drop on fundamentals, therefore this is a buying opportunity." It's been a rough month for Bitcoin. Just two days ago, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon called the cryptocurrency a "fraud," adding "it won't end well." "It's worse than tulip bulbs. It won't end well. Someone is going to get killed," Dimon said at a banking industry conference organized by Barclays. " Currencies have legal support . It will blow up." WATCH: Bitcoin mining can land you in jail in this country — CNBC's Saheli Roy Choudhury contributed to this report.More From CNBC • Terror to end bitcoin anonymity? • 'Smart' people and Panama Papers • Bitcoin mining IPO falls short || Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin: Coinbase Enables 'Instant' Purchases for US Buyers: Cryptocurrency exchange startup Coinbase has announced that some users will now be able to access "instant" purchases of bitcoin, ethereum and litecoin. The new service is currently only available for users making payments from a U.S. bank account and in amounts of under $25,000. However, Coinbase said it plans to expand the instant purchasing service to other countries "over the coming months." Whereas previously such transactions would have taken several days, the firm said, customers will now have immediate access to their cryptocurrency holdings after the payment is made. The San Francisco-based firm explained that the new feature has been a "highly requested" one, and that it should increase the overall speed and usability of the platform. The move is likely to be popular with users of the startup's service, which been the target of criticism over poor customer service. Coinbase has previously stated that rapid user growth in recent months led to the issues, committing at the time to devote more funds to boost its customer services resources. Disclosure: CoinDesk is a subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which has an ownership stake in Coinbase. Lightbulbs image via Shutterstock Related Stories Russia's Central Bank Backs Move to Block Bitcoin Websites China State News Calls for 'Iron Fist' Regulation of Bitcoin Exchanges CFTC Investigating Ether Crash on Coinbase Exchange Bitcoin Exchange BTCC Brings Chinese Trading to a Close || Russia's Central Bank Backs Move to Block Bitcoin Websites: The first deputy governor of Russia's central bank, Sergei Shvetsov, has said that his institution will support efforts to block access to external websites selling cryptocurrencies in the country. Speaking at a conference on Tuesday,Reuters reportsthat Shvetsov cited the "unreasonably high risks" involved in cryptocurrency investment as a reason for the proposed measure, adding: "We cannot give direct and easy access to such dubious instruments for retail (investors)." As such, the Bank of Russia will be working alongside the judiciary to ensure the closure of websites offering these services – a crackdown that he indicated will extend to "all cryptocurrency derivatives." Russian news agencyTASSquotes Shvetsov as stating: "We consider all cryptocurrency derivatives to be a negative development on the Russian market and do not consider it possible to support it, and will even assume measures to restrict potential operations with such instruments made by the regulated part of the Russian market. Meanwhile, we assume efforts aimed at closing external websites that allow Russian citizens to acquire such assets together with the General Prosecutor's Office." Shvetsov further added that, with bitcoin being an asset that can generate high returns very quickly, it shows signs of being a pyramid scheme. The move to block access to cryptocurrency trading websites follows a number of warnings from Russian authorities in the past few months. Alexey Moiseev, the country's deputy finance minister,saidin September that he expects upcoming legislation to feature a flat-out ban on payments made in cryptocurrency. Earlier the same month, deputy governor of the Bank of Russia Dmitry SkobelkintoldBloomberg: "China doesn't recognize cryptocurrency as payment and forbids ICOs. Our views are absolutely similar." Shvetsovimage via Shutterstock • $5,000 in Reach? Bitcoin Falls Back After Hitting 5-Week High • No Fraud: Ex-JPMorgan Trader Masters Thinks Bitcoin Breakout Just Beginning • The CFTC Is Still Considering a Cryptocurrency 'Delivery' Definition • France Is Close to Issuing a Position on ICOs || Dollar, shares bounce on relief at North Korea inaction: By Wayne Cole SYDNEY (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar won a reprieve from risk aversion on Monday after North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un decided to hold a party over the weekend rather than launch another missile, tempering safe havens like the yen and Treasuries. Investors remained cautious over the possible economic impact of Hurricane Irma as it chewed its way up the Florida coast, knocking out electricity to 2.5 million homes and businesses statewide. Nikkei futures (NKc1) were trading up 0.8 percent after Pyongyang held a massive celebration to congratulate the nuclear scientists and technicians who steered the country's sixth and largest nuclear test a week ago. The United States and its allies had been bracing for another long-range missile launch in time for the 69th anniversary of North Korea's founding on Saturday. The sense of relief was enough to lift E-Mini futures for the S&P 500 (ESc1) by 0.3 percent, while Treasury 10-year note futuresfell 10 ticks. The U.S. dollar edged up to 108.43 yen (JPY=) and away from Friday's 10-month trough of 107.32. Against a basket of currencies, the dollar added 0.2 percent to 91.521 (.DXY) but that was still uncomfortably close to last week's 2-1/2 year low of 91.011. The euro eased to $1.2015 (EUR=), having hit a top of $1.2092 on Friday amid speculation the European Central Bank was closer to starting a wind-back of its stimulus program. ECB officials last week generally agreed their next move would be to cut their bond purchases and discussed a range of options, Reuters reported. China's central bank was also a focus in Asia after sources said it plans to scrap reserve requirements for financial institutions settling foreign exchange forward yuan positions with effect from Monday. "The removal potentially makes it easier for traders to purchase the USD, easing the pressure for yuan appreciation," said analysts at ANZ in a note. "The change likely signals some discomfort about the stronger yuan and its impact on Chinese exports." The dollar was last up 0.25 percent against the offshore yuan at 6.5013 yuan (CNH=), off a low of 6.4437. There were also reports Beijing was planning to shut down local crypto-currency exchanges, dealing a blow to Bitcoin's recent stellar rally. Bitcoin was quoted down 0.8 percent at $4,274 (BTC=BTSP) on the BitStamp platform, off the recent record high of nearly $5,000. In commodity markets, gold softened 0.7 percent to $1,337.01 an ounce (XAU=) and away from a one-year peak of $1,357.54. Oil prices regained a little ground after falling sharply on Friday amid worries that energy demand would be hit hard by Hurricane Irma. U.S. crude (CLcv1) was trading 22 cents firmer at $47.70 a barrel, while Brent (LCOcv1) rose 17 cents to $53.95. (Editing by Richard Pullin) || Bitcoin exchange BTCChina says to stop trading, sparking further slide: By Brenda Goh and Jemima Kelly BEIJING/SHANGHAI/LONDON (Reuters) - Chinese bitcoin exchange BTCChina said on Thursday that it would stop all trading from Sept. 30, setting off a further slide in the value of the cryptocurrency that left it over 30 percent away from the record highs it hit earlier in the month. China has boomed as a cryptocurrency trading location in recent years, as investors and speculators flocked to domestic exchanges that formerly allowed users to conduct trades for free, boosting demand. But that has prompted regulators in the country to crack down on the cryptocurrency sector, in a bid to stamp out potential financial risks as consumers pile into a highly risky and speculative market that has seen unprecedented growth this year. Just hours after BTCChina announced its closure, Chinese news outlet Yicai reported that the country plans to shut down all bitcoin exchanges by the end of September, citing financial sources in Shanghai. BTCChina said its decision was based on a Sept. 4 directive from Chinese authorities that expressed concern over investment risks involved in cryptocurrencies and ordered a ban on so-called initial coin offerings, or ICOs - the practice of creating and selling digital currencies or tokens to investors to finance start-up projects. That ban, as well as warnings by regulators in other countries, has driven fears of a wider crackdown and prompted a sell-off that has helped wipe almost $60 billion off the total value of cryptocurrencies since they hit record highs at the start of the month, according to industry website Coinmarketcap. "The Chinese ban is causing a panic in the market as mixed messages and lack of clarity has turned sentiment negative," said Charles Hayter, founder of data analysis site Cryptocompare. BTCChina, one of China's largest bitcoin trading platforms, which also runs an international exchange out of Hong Kong, will stop registration of new users from Thursday, it said on its official microblog. Story continues "We will stop all trades on the digital trading platform starting Sept. 30," it said. Its co-founder, Bobby Lee, told Reuters the move would not affect trading on the BTCC international exchange, however. The price of bitcoin tumbled particularly sharply on BTCChina after the news. By 1233 GMT, it was down 18 percent on the exchange, at 20,510 yuan. On U.S. exchange Bitstamp, it slid as much as 10 percent to a five-week low of $3,426.92, having hit a record high of nearly $5,000 on Sept. 2. PANIC SPREADS Panic also spread to other cryptocurrencies, with bitcoin's main rival ether - sometimes called ethereum - also down around 10 percent, according to Coinmarketcap. Reuters and other media had reported this week, citing sources, that China planned to further ban exchanges that allowed virtual currency trading but the regulator has yet to make an announcement. Spokeswomen for OkCoin and Huobi, BTCChina's main rivals in China, declined to say whether they would announce similar moves. Huobi said it had not received any clear directives from regulators to do so. Investors in China contributed up to 2.6 billion yuan, or $397 million, worth of cryptocurrencies through initial coin offerings in January-June, state-run media have said, citing data from the National Committee of Experts on Internet Financial Security Technology. Addding to bitcoin's woes this week was a warning by Jamie Dimon, chief executive of JPMorgan, that the cryptocurrency was a "fraud" and was set to "blow up" - comments that helped fuel a slide of as much as 11 percent in bitcoin on Wednesday. Bitcoin is on track for its worst month since January 2015. ($1=6.5520 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Brenda Goh, Beijing Monitoring Desk and Jemima Kelly; Editing byLarry King) || Markets Are Looking for a Surge in Treasury Yields: U.S. equities pushed to incremental new highs on Tuesday — with all three major averages hitting new territory — as Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL ) unveiled its new full-screen iPhone X with facial recognition unlocking (and a MSRP above $1,000). In the end, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.3%, the S&P 500 gained 0.3%, the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.3%, and the Russell 2000 gained 0.6%. Treasury bonds weakened, the dollar was mixed, gold fell 0.2%, and crude oil added 0.3%. Breadth was positive with advancers outpacing decliners 1.7 to 1 with volume at 102% of the NYSE’s 30-day average. Oddly, defensive telecom stocks led the way (on the backup in yields) with a 1.4% gain likely related to anticipated iPhone upgrade gains. Financials followed with a 1.2% rise. Utilities — the other yield-sensitive group — lagged with a 1.8% decline. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips 10 Dividend Stocks That Will Pay Your Monthly Bills Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd (ADR) (NYSE: TEVA ) gained another 4.5% on the announcement of the $1.1 billion sale of its intrauterine device business. Alcoa Corp. (NYSE: AA ) gained 3.2% on an upgrade from Deutsche Bank citing increased aluminum price forecasts. On the downside, Bunge Ltd (NYSE: BG ) fell 5.7% on an M&A announcement. McDonald’s Corproation (NYSE: MCD ) fell 3.2% on cautious analyst comments citing estimates of below consensus U.S. comp-store sales. And steelmaker Nucor Corporation (NYSE: NUE ) fell 0.9% on an downgrade from Morgan Stanley citing margin concerns. Click to Enlarge AAPL shares dropped 0.4% after unveiling its new iPhone, Apple Watch, and Apple TV lineup today. The iPhone 8/8+ and iPhone X were as expected, with the latter featuring a near-bezelless OLED display and face tracking technology. The Series 3 Apple Watch features a built in cellular card. And the Apple TV will now support 4K output. Story continues Investors seemed a little let down, as a classic “sell the news” dynamic developed. According to UBS, Apple shares have a tendency to decline in the weeks following a new iPhone launch. So, watch for that. The upgrade cycle should be strong, with a RBC Capital Markets survey showing that many people are using iPhone 6s or older devices. The iPhone 6 cycle was massive, as Apple fans responded to the larger screen format. The iPhone X represents the first form factor change since 2014, so there’ll be some pent-up demand. The new form factor should bolster results in image sensitive China as The new form factor should bolster results in image sensitive China as well, since it’ll be easy to distinguish the iPhone X from prior models; unlike the lookalike iPhone 7/6s/6. Conclusion Click to Enlarge Outside of Apple, the other big news of the day (besides JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM ) CEO Jamie Dimon railing against Bitcoin) were the trading revenue takedowns from Wall Street executives. Dimon said JPM trading revenue would be down around 20% and that the bank may no longer give intra-quarter trading guidance in the future. That’s not a good sign. Later in the day, Bank of America Corp (NYSE: BAC ) officials said Q3 trading revenue would be down by 15%. And this follows comments from Citigroup Inc (NYSE: C ) that trading revenue would be down 15% year-over-year and 5% sequentially. The very technical-looking bounce by the Financials SPDR (NYSEARCA: XLF ) off of its 200-day moving average to return to its 50-day moving average has been the primary motivator of the broad market’s rise to new records. This is predicated on a pullback in Treasury bonds and thus, a rise in long-term yields. A surge in yields is needed, and could be signaling a rebound in GDP growth and inflation. But it will weigh on other assets as higher interest rates will have a wet-blanket effect on the rest of the economy. Also keep in mind that seasonality is very negative in September and that the Dow’s gain to new highs on Monday came on its best one-day in six months. The last two times that happened according to the folks at SentimenTrader: The bull market tops in 2000 and 2007. Check out Serge Berger’s Trade of the Day for Sept. 13. Today’s Trading Landscape To see a list of the companies reporting earnings today, click here . For a list of this week’s economic reports due out, click here . Tell us what you think about this article! Drop us an email at [email protected] , chat with us on Twitter at @InvestorPlace or comment on the post on Facebook . Read more about our comments policy here . Anthony Mirhaydari is the founder of the Edge (ETFs) and Edge Pro (Options) investment advisory newsletters. Free two- and four-week trial offers have been extended to InvestorPlace readers. More From InvestorPlace 3 Overlooked Finance Stocks That Might Crush the Market Apple Inc. (AAPL) Stock Pulls Back in Wake of "Bullish" Apple Event 10 Products Apple Inc. (AAPL) Has Killed The post Markets Are Looking for a Surge in Treasury Yields appeared first on InvestorPlace . || People thought they caught JPMorgan buying bitcoin after Jamie Dimon called it a 'fraud' — but that's not what happened: Over the weekend, a tweet, which suggested JPMorgan was buying up a product tied to the value of bitcoin , sent shockwaves through the cryptocurrency community. But like most outrage on the internet, it was unwarranted. The screenshot, which was retweeted over 2,000 times, shows JPMorgan was among one of the largest buyers of a bitcoin exchange traded note trading on Nasdaq's Stockholm exchange. Here's the tweet: We see you @jpmorgan $btc pic.twitter.com/tDSVLNHnmi — I am Nomad (@IamNomad) September 15, 2017 Immediately Twitter erupted, lambasting JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, who recently called bitcoin "a fraud" and said it was "worse than tulip bulbs," as a hypocrite. Some questioned whether Dimon, whose comments triggered a sell-off of the coin , purposely bashed the cryptocurrency so JPMorgan could "buy low." Quoted you @IamNomad in my article exposing #JamieDimon and his " #Bitcoin is a Fraud" endgame $BTC https://t.co/45xVpF3VQ2 pic.twitter.com/48slgwemyn — Ching Yu Tan (@ChingYuTan) September 16, 2017 Others wondered if Dimon would follow through on his promise to fire employees of the bank who traded the cryptocurrency. Here's one tweet: Can someone ask Dimon if he's honouring his word and fire these people — Spoofy (@AkadoSang) September 15, 2017 Dimon probably won't be firing anyone, but not because he's behind some sort of bitcoin-related conspiracy. He won't be firing anyone at the bank, because the orders weren't placed by JPMorgan employees. Story continues "They are not JPMorgan orders," a spokesman said in an email to Business Insider."These are clients purchasing third party products directly." In other words, JPMorgan asset managers weren't buying this product for their clients. Rather, the bank's clients were using JPMorgan's pipes to buy it themselves. NOW WATCH: THE BOTTOM LINE: Gary Shilling on expensive stocks and Alibaba vs. Amazon More From Business Insider The former CIO of $3 trillion financial giant UBS has joined the non-profit behind one of the largest cryptocurrencies 'Jamie Dimon doesn't have the strongest track record when it comes to looking over the hill': Bitcoin community reacts to JPMorgan CEO's comments UK finance watchdog warns on ICOs: Be 'prepared to lose your entire stake' [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] #bitcoin non si ferma più? Analisi tecnica || #Market snapshot bitcoin prices surge higher - #nasdaq it also explains the extent of maturity in the market as bithttp://bit.ly/2wNCafZ  || Limitations of Current #Property Selling Approach #Whitepaper: Buying and Selling London Property with #Bitcoin http://bit.ly/2xRNjAc pic.twitter.com/hThFlY5x9Y || Conozca cómo es la postura de varios bancos sobre Bitcoin http://www.diariobitcoin.com/index.php/2017/10/07/conozca-como-es-la-postura-de-varios-bancos-sobre-bitcoin/ …pic.twitter.com/dQEsTUwU8E || #Putin Tells Central Bank Not to Create Barriers to #Cryptocurrencies || With Bitcoin one can/must be responsible for oneself. Hard to take responsibility for someone you have trouble looking in the eye. || I liked a @YouTube video http://youtu.be/yjssIPjEf-c?a  Bitcoins Aotearoa Making 25 BTC by jim watts || Rusya'dan flaş '#bitcoin' hamlesi! | Bitcoin Haberleri | Bigpara http://bigpara.hurriyet.com.tr/haberler/bitcoin-haberleri/rusyadan-flas-bitcoin-hamlesi_ID1441196 … || #Putin Tells Central Bank Not to Create Barriers to #Cryptocurrencies || Bitcoin on eBay: (Bitmain Antminer S9 13.5 TH/s Bitcoin Miner with ...) - http://bit.ly/2yCbtiS  #bitcoin #bAgile #blockchain #litecoin ...pic.twitter.com/3qKvTffJ7P
Trend: up || Prices: 5590.69, 5708.52, 6011.45, 6031.60, 6008.42, 5930.32, 5526.64, 5750.80, 5904.83, 5780.90
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2022-11-22] BTC Price: 16189.77, BTC RSI: 35.91 Gold Price: 1738.30, Gold RSI: 58.77 Oil Price: 80.95, Oil RSI: 40.31 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] U.S. lays claim to $1 billion in bitcoin stolen from Silk Road: NEW YORK, Nov 7 (Reuters) - The United States is seeking a forfeiture order for more than $1 billion in Bitcoin that was stolen from the Silk Road online marketplace in 2012, federal prosecutors in Manhattan said on Monday. In the second largest seizure in Department of Justice history, law enforcement seized the 50,000 Bitcoin during a November 2021 search of the Gainesville, Georgia, home of James Zhong. Zhong on Friday pleaded guilty to wire fraud that tricked Silk Road's processing system into releasing the funds into his accounts. The Bitcoin was at the time worth more than $3 billion, but the value of the cryptocurrency has since lost about two-thirds of its value. Silk Road was seized by the U.S. government in 2013, when officials described the underground website as a massive illegal drug- and money-laundering marketplace. The website's creator Ross Ulbricht was convicted in 2015 of seven counts of enabling illegal drug sales via bitcoin. He was sentenced to life in prison, and lost an attempted appeal in 2017. (Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; editing by Barbara Lewis) || Markets: Bitcoin price falls with Ether. Doge sole gainer in top 10 cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin fell but held above US$19,000 in Wednesday morning trading in Asia as the world’s leading cryptocurrency continued its month-long dalliance with that support level. Excluding stablecoins, most of the top ten cryptocurrencies by market capitalization fell, led by Solana. Dogecoin was the only token on the list to gain ground. See related article:BNB Chain back online after devs deploy update to save funds • Bitcoin fell 0.5% in the past 24 hours to trade at US$19,052 at 8 a.m. in Hong Kong, while Ether fell 0.9% to US$1,279, according todata from CoinMarketCap. • Solana led the losers on the list, dropping 3.7% to US$30.79, but Polygon wasn’t far behind with a 3% fall to US$0.78. This despiteannouncing Tuesdaythe network’s open-source zero-knowledgeEthereum Virtual Machine (EVM)public testnet, which will allow users to prove they own a piece of data without revealing the information on the EVM. • Tron dropped 1.9% to change hands at US$0.06. Dogecoin was the only gainer among the top 10, adding 1.26% to US$0.06. • U.S. equities had a mixed day Tuesday. The S&P 500 Index fell 0.7% and the Nasdaq Composite Index was down 1.1% to its lowest since July 2020 as both Indexes capped a 5-day losing streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the day up 0.1% boosted largely by gains in Amgen, Inc. and Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. • Equities were hit following Bank of England Governor Andrew Baileyadvising a meeting of pension funds managerson Tuesday that its £65 billion bond-buying intervention will end this week, and they should rebalance their portfolios by then. The pound fell against the U.S. dollar following the statement, dipping below US$1.10. • Investors await the release on Wednesday of the minutes from September’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting for further insight into the thinking of the U.S. Federal Reserve on interest rates and inflation. The Consumer Price Index is also due on Thursday, which will show the rate of inflation for September. Inflation was running at 8.3% for the 12 months to August versus the Fed’s target rate of 2%. See related article:Brazil police bust crypto group led by ‘Bitcoin Sheikh’ || 7 Best Shipping Stocks to Buy: It seems odd to be analyzing the best shipping stocks as recession concerns continue to pile up in 2022. Further, any recession will likely last well into 2023 and come with a much harder landing than the Federal Reserve would like. With shipping rates down from record levels, it’s also unsurprising that many shipping stocks have been whacked hard this year. But that may be an opportunity. According to the International Chamber of Shipping,90% of world trade flowsthrough the maritime shipping industry — an industry that’s headed by many publicly traded companies. This is a very volatile sector, but it’s essential to the world’s supply chain. Still, when looking for the best shipping stocks, investors should consider companies with strong balance sheets and proven track records or competitive advantages in the space. InvestorPlace - Stock Market News, Stock Advice & Trading Tips So, without further ado, here are seven of the best shipping stocks for investors to consider. Source: VladSV / Shutterstock.com An already rough 2022 got worse forAP Møller Mærsk(OTCMKTS:AMKBY) stock when Citigroupdowngradedit to a “sell” rating in August. Soon after, AMKBY stock got a similar downgrade in late September, then subsequent downgrades from other firms in October and November. So, why is this play on a list of best shipping stocks? It’s still an unquestioned leader in the sector, with over 700 ships and amarket share of nearly 17%as of April 2022. The company counts names likeWalmart(NYSE:WMT) andNike(NYSE:NKE) among its clients. Of course, the stock has been under pressure. In September, the company said it wouldslow down its ships to reduce fuel costs, for instance. But in an interview withReuters, CEO Soren Skou projected a“modest”increase in demand for the holiday season. Overall shipping rates, although coming down, remain above pre-pandemic levels as well. Source: Darryl Brooks / Shutterstock.com Next on my list of best shipping stocks isZIM Integrated Shipping(NYSE:ZIM). The story with ZIM stock is consistent with many others on this list;shipping rates are being forecast lower. That was enough for Citi to lower this stock’s rating to “neutral” back in August. Several other analysts have alsolowered their price targetssince then. The result is that ZIM stock is down more than 50% year-to-date (YTD). But this may be a case of the market being gripped by fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD). The company continues to deliver strong growth in earnings and revenue. While revenue and earnings are expected to decline in the coming years, revenue is still expected to beabove pre-pandemic levels. That’s the real takeaway here. The company scores well in both valuation and profitability. If the recession is worse than feared, it may be time to reassess ZIM and other shipping stocks. Otherwise, though, these shares may be worth a speculative buy. Source: ImagineStock / Shutterstock.com Looking at the stock chart forGlobal Ship Lease(NYSE:GSL) may be enough to make you sea sick. Shares have seen plenty of volatility. As of this writing, GSL stock is down more than 20% YTD. This U.K.-based company owns and charters containerships under fixed-rate two- to five-year charters to companies like Mærsk. This allows Global Ship Lease to get many of the benefits of the sector while managing the downside risk. In August, the company announced a multi-year deal to charter six more ships, which it said wouldaggregate $393 million of EBITDA. So far, the bearish sentiment in the broader market seems to be weighing on GSL stock. However, that could make shares attractive for investors to get in now. The stock has a trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of around 2 times and adividend yield of about 8%. Source: Shutterstock Genco Shipping & Trading(NYSE:GNK) is a counterpart to Global Ship Lease. The company transports many of the commodities — such as nickel and iron ore — that will continue to be in high demand in the emerging growth sectors of the world economy. Genco checks off many of the boxes that value investors look for. It is growing earnings and revenue on a year-over-year (YOY) basis. Genco also supplies a healthy dividend. GNK stock has been being dragged down by recession fears. However, like many of the other picks on this best shipping stocks list, those concerns seem to be priced in. Opportunistic investors should consider it closely. Source: Hieronymus Ukkel / Shutterstock.com Star Bulk Carriers(NASDAQ:SBLK) has afleet of 128 carriersthat transports dry goods around the world. Like many shipping companies, Star Bulk also saw unprecedented demand drive up SBLK stock for much of 2020 and 2021. However, 2022 has been a different story. The stock is down more than 10% YTD. Still, the company has consistent YOY growth in revenue and earnings. Plus, analysts’ consensus price target suggests roughly 50% from the stock’s $20 price tag as of this writing. Finally, this company currently pays a dividend with a25% yieldand an annual payout of $4.80, perSeeking Alpha. While that may not continue to be the case in the future, the current risk-off market, likely capital appreciation and today’s dividend all make SBLK stock an attractive choice. Source: Aerial-motion / Shutterstock.com GasLog Partners(NYSE:GLOP) makes this list of best shipping stocks because it services a niche that will be in high demand this upcoming winter. Specifically, the war in Ukraine has created anenergy crisis in Europe. In response, many oil and gas companies are working tosupply liquefied natural gas(LNG) to Europe. That’s where GasLog Partners comes in. This Greece-based company owns, operates and manages a largefleet of carriers. It provides support for many international energy companies, includingShell(NYSE:SHEL). According to some industry estimates, demand for LNG isexpected to riseat a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.1% through from 2022 to 2030. That positions GasLog Partners well, since it business model typically sees it charter vessels under long-term contracts. Source: shutterstock.com/Wojciech Wrzesien Similar to GasLog Partners,Teekay(NYSE:TK) ships LNG as well as other petroleum products. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created a catalyst for Teekay due to its stake inTeekay Tankers(NYSE:TNK), an owner and operator of mid-size crude tankers. Currently, TK stock is up more than 30% YTD, having climbed particularly sharply in the past few months. That reflects a ramp-up amid Europe’s energy crisis. Interested investors may be able to ride this momentum. On Penny Stocks and Low-Volume Stocks: With only the rarest exceptions, InvestorPlace does not publish commentary about companies that have a market cap of less than $100 million or trade less than 100,000 shares each day. That’s because these “penny stocks” are frequently the playground for scam artists and market manipulators. If we ever do publish commentary on a low-volume stock that may be affected by our commentary, we demand thatInvestorPlace.com’s writers disclose this fact and warn readers of the risks. Read More:Penny Stocks — How to Profit Without Getting Scammed On the date of publication, Chris Markoch did not hold (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.comPublishing Guidelines. Chris Markoch is a freelance financial copywriter who has been covering the market for over five years. He has been writing for InvestorPlace since 2019. • Buy This $5 Stock BEFORE This Apple Project Goes Live • The Best $1 Investment You Can Make Today • Early Bitcoin Millionaire Reveals His Next Big Crypto Trade “On Air” • It doesn’t matter if you have $500 or $5 million. Do this now. The post7 Best Shipping Stocks to Buyappeared first onInvestorPlace. || Digihost Bucks Bearish Trend Among Bitcoin Miners, Remains Cash Flow Positive: Canadian Bitcoin miner Digihost (DGHI) remains debt-free and cash flow positive despite a wider downturn across the crypto mining industry,accordingto a press release. The Nasdaq-listed company mined 74.58 bitcoin (BTC) in October, a 78% increase compared to October last year when it mined 41.84 bitcoin. The crypto mining industry has been thrust into uncertainty this year due to soaring energy prices and an overall crypto market downtrend. Several companies have felt the squeeze including Core Scientific (CORZ), which said that it may have toexplore bankruptcyif its financial situation fails to improve. Digihost, meanwhile, now holds approximately $2.45 million worth of bitcoin and $1.29 million of ether based on crypto prices on Oct. 31. It also holds $3.42 million in cash. In order to remain cash flow positive, Digihost sold a portion of its bitcoin holdings in October to cover energy costs. "Despite current volatile economic conditions, Digihost has been able to maintain good liquidity levels of cash and crypto holdings on a month-to-month basis relative to the size of our operations and of equal importance, the company continues to be debt free," said Michel Amar, Chairman and CEO of Digihost. "We have maintained these liquidity levels while internally funding 100% our infrastructure development and securing bonds for electric service," || Biden Officials Float Fuel Export Limit in Meeting With Refiners: (Bloomberg) -- Senior Biden administration officials pressed executives from some of the largest US gasoline producers to curtail overseas sales during a tense meeting Friday afternoon, suggesting that without voluntary action, the government could force the industry to stockpile more fuel in US tanks. Most Read from Bloomberg Credit Suisse Turmoil Deepens With Record Stock, CDS Levels Tesla Deliveries Miss Estimates, Slowed by Logistic Snarls OPEC+ to Consider Output Cut of More Than 1 Million Barrels Ukraine Latest: Zelenskiy Says Lyman ‘Fully Cleared’ of Russians Get Ready for Another Bear-Market Rally, Strategist Emanuel Says Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and other administration officials chastised the industry representatives for low diesel stockpiles, floating the possibility of export limits and a requirement for oil companies to hold minimum fuel inventories inside the US, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not be named describing the private virtual meeting. It was the latest in a series of meetings between the Biden administration and oil companies this year, as the White House seeks to tamp down energy costs that are contributing to high inflation. An earlier session in June was marked by a more robust back-and-forth conversation about the market and hurricane preparedness, the people said. Read More: Oil CEOs Get Olive Branch From Granholm in Gas-Price Huddle In addition to Granholm, the session included representatives from Exxon Mobil Corp., Marathon Petroleum Corp., Phillips 66 and Shell Plc, as well as National Economic Council director Brian Deese and Amos Hochstein, a senior energy adviser at the State Department, according to a person familiar with the matter. Although the session was billed as a discussion of refining operations and fuel supplies in the wake of Hurricanes Fiona and Ian, the storms were not a focus, the people said. Instead, discussion centered on lower-than-normal inventories of fuel, with diesel stocks 20% below their five-year average. Story continues “The president’s team emphasized that energy companies with record-high profits, record high exports and record-low inventories must step up and bring down prices at the pump,” the Energy Department said in an emailed statement. Administration officials stressed their concerns with increased petroleum product exports and complained companies were collecting high profits while failing to address low fuel inventories, the people said. At least one administration official also raised the prospect of a minimum inventory requirement, under which refiners or other participants in the US fuel supply chain could be forced to store more gasoline, diesel and other petroleum products domestically. Particulars of such an inventory requirement were not discussed, including how it might be implemented, what companies would bear the compliance burden and what quantity of supply might be sufficient. The exchange comes amid increasing worries about the relatively low fuel stocks -- including diesel -- in the Northeast US, which is reliant on imports to meet demand. The closing of refineries on the East Coast, in Canada and in the Caribbean has exacerbated the region’s reliance on supplies from Europe. Analysts say gasoline, diesel and other refined products from the Gulf Coast can’t entirely fill the gap, given constraints on pipeline capacity and available US-flagged vessels permitted to deliver the fuel among domestic ports. Read More: New York Fuel Supply Is So Low It Triggered White House Warning Oil industry trade groups said the administration’s approach was misguided. “The focus of this administration should not be on trapping product in the United States or diverting fuel away from retail sales and into storage, but rather on how to better produce and more affordably move US product within the United States,” the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers and American Petroleum Institute said in a joint statement. President Joe Biden twice warned this week against oil companies raising gasoline prices following the hurricanes. While gasoline prices are down by more than a dollar a gallon on average across the US since peaking in June, they remain relatively high. The average price of regular unleaded has risen for 10 straight days and was at $3.797 a gallon as of Thursday, according to data from AAA. The White House has taken a series of steps this year to lower fuel prices, including an unprecedented release of crude from the US emergency stockpile. Last month, the administration warned refiners it might take “emergency measures” to address fuel exports amid low inventories. Read: Drop in Gasoline Prices Blunts GOP Weapon Ahead of Midterms Shortly before the meeting Friday, Granholm said in a statement that energy companies are making record profits and that refiners and retailers were passing costs on to consumers. “This is a time for American energy companies to take action to lower prices for consumers and to rebuild inventories of gasoline and diesel in this country that are below the five-year range,” she said. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek The Unstoppable Dollar Is Wreaking Havoc Everywhere But America The World Sees Brazil’s Election as a Climate Flashpoint. Brazilians Have Other Concerns As Home Prices Surge, Americans Are Moving to Cheaper Places Jay Powell Needs Investors to Lose Money Twitter Is in This Mess Because Jack Dorsey Was Too Busy Being a Bitcoin Influencer ©2022 Bloomberg L.P. || Musk says he made some Tesla decisions without board nod, defends $56 billion pay: By Tom Hals and Hyunjoo Jin WILMINGTON, Del (Reuters) -Elon Musk said in court on Wednesday that he made some Tesla Inc decisions without the approval of the company's directors, as he defended his $56 billion pay package against claims that he dictated its terms to a compliant board. Tesla shareholder Richard Tornetta sued Musk and the board in 2018 and hopes to prove that Musk used his dominance over Tesla's board to obtain an outsized compensation package that did not require him to work at the electric car maker full-time. Questioned by Tornetta's lawyer, Greg Varallo, Musk rejected claims that his pay package goals were easy to achieve. "The amount of pain, no words can express," Musk said in a near-whisper, describing the effort required to get the company from brink of failure in 2017 to explosive growth. "It’s pain I would not wish to inflict upon anyone." Varallo repeatedly sought to portray Tesla as a company under the grip of Musk, the world's richest person, and tried to show that Musk bypassed Tesla's board on several occasions. For example, Musk said he made a unilateral call on ending Tesla's acceptance of Bitcoin cryptocurrency and acknowledged that the board was not informed before he told analysts in October that Tesla's board was considering buying back up to $10 billion of stock. But the testimony did not definitely prove who developed Musk's 2018 pay package or establish whether it was a product of his demands rather than negotiations with the board. The five-day trial comes as Musk is struggling to oversee a chaotic overhaul of Twitter Inc, which he was forced to buy for $44 billion in a separate legal battle before the same judge, Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick, after trying to back out of that deal. Musk tweeted this week that he was remaining at Twitter's San Francisco headquarters around the clock until he fixed that company's problems, and said on Wednesday he had come to Delaware on an overnight flight from the social media company. Story continues Musk said his focus on restructuring Twitter would soon wind down and he would find someone else to lead it. He was dismissive of the argument that his pay deal should have obligated him to spend a set number of hours at Tesla. "I pretty much work all the time," he said. "I don’t know what a punch clock would achieve." While Musk has a history of combative testimony, calling lawyers "reprehensible" or "a bad human being," he was relatively restrained in Wednesday's proceedings, though at times expressed frustration with Tornetta's attorney. At one point, Musk told the plaintiff lawyer, "your question is a complex question that is commonly used to mislead people." Musk acknowledged that he was not a lawyer but added, "when you're in enough lawsuits you pick up a few things." A 'PRODUCT GENIUS' Tornetta has asked the court to rescind the 2018 package, which his attorney said was $20 billion larger than the annual gross domestic product of the state of Delaware. The legal team for Musk and the Tesla directors have cast the pay package as a set of audacious goals that worked by driving 10-fold growth in Tesla's stock value, to more than $600 billion from around $50 billion. They have argued the plan was developed by independent board members, advised by outside professionals and with input from large shareholders. Tornetta's attorney tried to show Musk was involved from the start. An email from May 2017 appeared to establish that Musk was pushing for the pay plan months before the board negotiated it with him. "I'm planning something really crazy, but also high risk," he wrote. Antonio Gracias, a venture capital investor and longtime friend of Musk who was also a Tesla board member from 2007 to 2021, took the stand after Musk testified. Gracias said he was prepared to push back on Musk if necessary. "I don’t pull punches with any of my CEOs," he told the court. The disputed Tesla package allows Musk to buy 1% of Tesla's stock at a deep discount each time escalating performance and financial targets are met. Otherwise, Musk gets nothing. Tesla has hit 11 of the 12 targets, according to court papers. Shareholders generally cannot challenge executive compensation because courts typically defer to the judgment of directors. The Musk case survived a motion to dismiss because it was determined he might be considered a controlling shareholder, which means stricter rules apply. Gracias described Musk as essential to the company's success in his testimony, calling him "extraordinary" and a "product genius." (Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington in Delaware and Hyunjoo Jin in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Jody Godoy; Writing by Denny Thomas;Editing by Noeleen Walder, Jonathan Oatis and Bill Berkrot) || Bitcoin Hits 7-Week High, Shrugging Off Unexpectedly Strong US Jobs Report: Bitcoin hit a seven-week high after abetter-than-expectedU.S. jobs report in October showed that the labor market remains surprisingly robust even as the Federal Reserve pushes to cool down the economy. The bitcoin (BTC) price reached $21,287 at 14:41 UTC on Friday, hitting the highest point since Sept. 13. As of press time, the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization had settled back to $20,790, up 2.5% in the past 24 hours. TheCoinDesk Market Indexwas up 3.7%. Ether (ETH) followed a similar trajectory, rising 5.6% to $1,620 as of press time. Traditional markets also put up a strong performance Friday, with the Standard & Poor's 500 Index up 0.2%. Earlier this week, the U.S. Federal Reserve hinted at the possibility ofsmaller interest ratesin December and at future monetary-policy meetings to curb hot inflation. But Fed Chair Jerome Powell quickly warned at a press conference that officials were not even beginning to discuss a full pause to the rate hikes, as some economists and investors had begun to speculate. “A downshift to a slower pace of tightening still seems in the cards for the Fed and that should provide some short-term support for cryptos,” Edward Moya, senior market analyst at Oanda, wrote in a Friday note. || Utrust & Lugano are Bringing Crypto Payments to an Entire City: Lugano, Switzerland--(Newsfile Corp. - October 27, 2022) - Utrust, in collaboration with the city of Lugano & Tether Operation Limited, are bringing crypto payments to an entire city with a new 'Plan B' initiative deal. The city of Lugano is the largest city in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. They are also the economic capital of Southern Switzerland, strategically located between the metropolitan areas of Milan and Zurich. Utrust & Lugano are Bringing Crypto Payments to an Entire City On the 3rd of March 2022, the City of Lugano and Tether Operations Limited signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on an initiative called Plan B, meant to make Lugano one of Europe's and the world's main hubs for digital innovation with a focus on blockchain technologies. A part of this plan would always be to bring crypto payments to the whole community, providing everyone with the opportunity to enjoy faster, safer, and less expensive payments. Utrustwill be providing crypto payments infrastructure both for government services and all e-commerce businesses. Utrust's solution allows people to make seamless payments through cryptocurrencies such as Tether & Bitcoin (including Lightning Network). Utrust has created the world's first crypto payment solution to offer instant transactions, buyer protection, and crypto-to-cash settlements. Now, this ability to provide cheaper, faster, and safer payments for users worldwide and near-instant and secure global settlements at a trivial cost, accessible to merchants globally, will be put at the service of the entire City of Lugano. Michele Foletti, Mayor of Luganostated: "In Lugano, we are making living on crypto a reality. We are very proud to be one of the first communities to move forward with adoption. Lugano is leading the way." The first part of this plan will happen at a municipal level. All services provided to the city's government will be payable in crypto through the Utrust widget. This includes anything, from services and fees to citizens paying their taxes. Sanja Kon, Utrust CEOstated: "Payments are an integral part of almost all economic activity, and, consequently, human activity. Making them easier, faster, and safer, and removing intermediaries from the process, is maybe the optimal way of improving the way we lead our lives in general. Lugano's decision to bring this technological advancement to the entire city is a tremendous move and Utrust is proud to be the chosen partner to make it happen." The second stage of the process will be to offerUtrust's solutionto all interested e-commerce merchants operating in the city. This will empower merchants not only in their local activities but also in their ability to engage in global trade. Depending on payment processors and geography, merchants can be charged up to 12% in fees. That amount, which can easily mean the difference between profitability and bankruptcy, can be lowered by 90% with Utrust's gateway. Paolo Ardoino, Tether CTOstated that: "This technology is the future. Payments should happen near-instantly, globally, and at a trivial cost. Anything else is obsolete. Now, for the first time ever, an entire city will have the tools to make it a reality for tens of thousands of people. The implications are hard to overstate, and we are thrilled to be the ones to make it happen." Michelle Foletti, Mayor of Lugano, Sanja Kon, Utrust CEO, and Paolo Ardoino, Tether CTO, are all available for further comments and interviews. About Utrust Web3 payments technology. The radically better way to pay and get paid globally.Utrustis the leading cryptocurrency payment solution designed to modernize the financial and payments industry and solve the problems of traditional payment methods by enabling instant transactions, buyer protection, and instant crypto-to-cash settlements for merchants. Utrust Socials Twitter|Telegram|Medium|Facebook|Instagram|LinkedIn|Reddit Media Contact DetailsCompany - UtrustName - Sanja Kon (CEO)Email [email protected] Contact Email:[email protected] Utrust is the source of this content. This Press Release is for informational purposes only. The information does not constitute investment advice or an offer to invest. To view the source version of this press release, please visithttps://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/142107 || Berlin Bitcoin Neobank Nuri Shutters Business, Warns Clients to Withdraw Funds: Berlin-based neobank Nuri has officially closed down the shop, citing “insuperable” challenges, which kept the firm from raising new funds or finding an acquirer. Formerly known as Bitwala, Nurifiled for insolvencyin August this year afterletting go of 20% of its workforceas the firm struggled with the rout in cryptocurrency prices. According to Nuri, the firm has worked “very closely” with its insolvency administrators on a restructuring plan since then, trying to find a potential acquirer. “Unfortunately, we have not been able to find investors to continue our mission and have asked our customers to withdraw their funds by 18/12/2022 the latest, so the business can be terminated and liquidated,” CEO Kristina Walcker-Mayer wrote in ablog poston Tuesday. Nuri also referred to thenow-bankrupt crypto lending firm Celsius—“one of our main business partners,”—the insolvency of which “worsened the situation significantly and put us over the edge.” The firm ensured customers that all the assets in their accounts were safe and unaffected by the company’s insolvency—and that they can continue crypto trading until the end of November. Before rebranding to Nuri in May 2021,Bitwalahas been operating since 2015, offering users the convenience of aregular bank accountcombined withBitcoinandEthereumwallets. Some perks offered by the company included saving plans via recurring Bitcoin purchases, as well as Nuri Pots—a collection of different exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and other investment products. Nuriexpandedits Series B funding round to $23.5 million (€24 million) in June 2021, reporting more than 250,000 customers in 32 countries at the time. “Nuri looked beyond old boundaries, leveraging new technologies, including blockchain and decentralized finance to open up a wide range of possibilities for anyone to manage and grow their money,” said Walcker-Maye. Bitwala banks on Ethereum with surprising new upgrade While regretting that Nuri wasn’t able to continue writing its story, Walcker-Maye said she still believes “in the endless possibilities of blockchain-based finance” that will “add true value to the lives of people.” The harsh reality, however, is that as many as 215 Nuri employees—according to the company’sLinkedIn profile—are now set to lose their jobs. || Is It Possible That These Coins Are The Best For New Crypto Users? Dogecoin, Polkadot, And Big Eyes Coin: If we go back in time, we might remember how taxing it was to do various financial operations, how nerve-wracking it was to wait for foreign funds to arrive, and who knows what else. Waiting in line at a bank to withdraw money can take a lot of time. Several drawbacks to the old financial system, which lacked the advanced features of contemporary financial organizations like Decentralized Finance (DeFi). Even meme coins, which were only meant to be humorous, have adopted a decentralized model to provide users with greater privacy and anonymity. Users of some meme coins get a say in their ecosystem’s direction by voting on various issues. Many people’s apprehension about cryptocurrency trading has been allayed by the adoption of user-friendly technologies like those discussed above, which have increased interest in meme coins and made them seem more secure and lucrative. Meme coins currently serve as an intermediary between the general public and the numerous potentials presented by DeFi and NFTs, making the former less mysterious and facilitating wider adoption of the latter. Let’s check out some coins, which might well be the easiest to use for new users; The Legendary Dogecoin To mock the cryptocurrency market, the creators of Dogecoin developed a peer-to-peer, open-source cryptocurrency that became wildly popular among folks who otherwise wouldn’t have considered investing in Bitcoin or Ethereum. The mock coin was designed as a jab at Bitcoin, the first decentralized digital currency that enabled instantaneous, near-zero transaction costs between users. As an open-source cryptocurrency network, Dogecoin initially attracted users who weren’t too serious about cryptocurrency but who enjoyed a good laugh and a love of dogs. However, as time went on, users began to see the value of Dogecoin, including the possibility of cloning it and creating new coins. Due to its fast access and low transaction costs, Dogecoin’s usefulness in conducting payments and transactions extends far beyond its humorous nature. Story continues As a community meme, Dogecoin is supported by a dedicated fan base known as the “Doge Army,” who meet to discuss and vote on important matters about the cryptocurrency’s infrastructure. Polkadot Is The Bridge Connecting Blockchains Polkadot is cryptocurrency software that aims to build a distributed network of computers and a blockchain where users can construct and administer their own blockchains. Polkadot facilitates the operation of user-created blockchain networks. Bridges is a blockchain that Polkadot runs, and it’s what makes it possible for the Polkadot network to connect to and exchange data with other distributed ledgers like Ethereum, Bitcoin, and EOS. To validate data, nominate validators, compile data, and report poor behavior in the ecosystem, users stake their native token, DOT, by locking it in a specific contract. Big Eyes Is Beyond The Average Meme Coin The Defi community supports the Big Eyes Coin and takes its name from the group’s mascot. Big Eyes Coin, however, isn’t only about its mascot. The goals of Big Eyes Coin are lofty, including enhancing the Defi system, creating a blockchain ecosystem capable of rapid, decentralized growth, and recruiting new participants into the Defi sector. Big Eyes Coin, sharing your passion for marine life and its natural environments, will support conservation efforts through charitable contributions. The developers behind Big Eyes Coin think generating your first coin should be as simple as brewing some tea. There is a lot of talk around Big Eyes Coin right now, and the roadmap for the cryptocurrency provides direction. All claims will be backed up by evidence thanks to the strategic structure of the Big Eyes Coin (BIG) roadmap. Big Eyes Coin is a cryptocurrency designed to compete with established market giants. The numerous claimed benefits of Big Eyes Coin lend credence to this. Use the code BEYES864 for a bonus on all coins you purchase. For further information about Big Eyes coin, check out the following links: Presale: https://buy.bigeyes.space/ Website: https://bigeyes.space/ Telegram: https://t.me/BIGEYESOFFICIAL [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
Trend: up || Prices: 16610.71, 16604.46, 16521.84, 16464.28, 16444.63, 16217.32, 16444.98, 17168.57, 16967.13, 17088.66
Analyze the provided historical prices, technical indicators, news, and social media sentiment from the last 60 days. Based on this context, predict the overall trend (up, down, or no change) and the specific daily closing prices for Bitcoin for the next 10 days.
[Technical Analysis for 2020-03-16] BTC Price: 5014.48, BTC RSI: 22.71 Gold Price: 1485.90, Gold RSI: 31.02 Oil Price: 28.70, Oil RSI: 19.85 [Random Sample of News (last 60 days)] New Zealand Plans to Drop ‘Unfavorable’ Sales Tax Treatment of Cryptocurrencies: New Zealand’s tax authority is considering changes to its treatment of cryptocurrencies that would drop the current and controversial application of goods and services tax (GST). The current regime seesbitcoin(BTC) and other digital currencies as property, with normal rules applying. That means crypto is liable for 15 percent GST when changing hands within the country as part of a business’s operations and potentially throws up a “double taxation” problem when income tax is later applied. Calling the situation “unfavorable,” the New Zealand Inland Revenue Department (IRD) has now suggested doing away with the GST liability for cryptocurrencies in many cases, but keeping the treatment for income tax. Related:IOTA Being Shut Off Is the Latest Chapter in an Absurdist History In apolicy issues papermade public on Monday, the IRD states: “Because of their innovative nature, [cryptocurrencies] will often also have different features to … other investment products. This means that some existing tax rules can be difficult to apply, involve very high compliance costs or may provide policy outcomes for some crypto-assets that lead to over-taxation compared to other alternative investment products.” The overall aim of any changes would be that cryptocurrencies should have a similar treatment to other investment products or asset classes that are “close substitutes” for the digital asset. An issue being considered by the IRD is whether different types of tokens should have different tax treatments depending on how they are used. One way forward is that tokens used like currency or shares would likely not be liable to GST while other types might see the sales tax applied. Related:Wikipedia Co-Founder Says Crypto Integration Would Be ‘Completely Insane’ “An advantage of this approach is that it should provide a neutral tax treatment for those crypto-assets which are close substitutes for existing financial products such as currency or shares,” the IRD says. The tax department suggests it might still treat some tokens differently; for instance, if a token is considered to be a share “but if it does not provide an interest in a foreign company or partnership, it would still be taxed very differently to other foreign equity investments.” Yet, with thousands of tokens now available offering different use cases and features, the IRD says there may be “practical limitations” to their potential classification for tax purposes. As such, a different approach being considered is to usher in more general changes to tax rules that are seen as throwing up “the most significant policy issues when applied to crypto-assets.” “There appears to be a case to exclude most types of crypto-asset from the GST and financial arrangement rules by developing a broad definition of crypto-assets for this purpose,” says the IRD. Whatever the solution, Inland Revenue recognizes change is needed. The department says, “The current GST rules provide an uncertain and variable GST treatment making, using or investing in crypto-assets less attractive than using money or investing in other financial assets.” Parties with an interest in the issue have until April 9 to offer their opinions on the best solution. Australia, which had previously also imposed GST on some crypto transactions,ended the policyin October 2017. Singaporeproposed the same policy changelast summer. • Policymakers Shouldn’t Fear Digital Money: So Far It’s Maintaining the Dollar’s Status • The IRS Is Inviting Crypto Firms to a ‘Summit’ in DC Next Month || Type 'Should I' into Google and you'll see why Tesla's stock was surging: Tesla ( TSLA ) stock trading advice is trending on Google, in a testament to the broadening speculation surrounding the stock after its extraordinary run-up. As of Wednesday morning, typing “Should I” into Google ( GOOG , GOOGL ) produced a set of top suggested searches that led with, “Should I buy Tesla stock” and “Should I sell Tesla stock.” This came on the heels of two straight days of double-digit returns that sent shares of the electric car-maker higher by a total of 36%, or $236 per share by Tuesday’s close. Tesla shares had more than doubled for the year to date through Tuesday. “‘Buy Tesla stock’ is now the #1 autocomplete suggestion for the Google query “should I…,’” Datatrek co-founder Nicholas Colas wrote in a note Wednesday. “That’s pretty much all you need to know about this move.” In other words, the implication seems to be that interest in Tesla’s stock has gone beyond the realm of active traders and experienced investor. Tesla’s surge has gone mainstream, and it may explain where the flood of buyers are coming from to bid up the stock. According to Google , autocomplete predictions are generated as the company’s algorithms “look at the real searches that happen on Google and show common and trending ones relevant to the characters that are entered and also related to your location and previous searches.” (Tesla’s rank in Google’s autocomplete suggestions held even when an incognito window without search history was opened by Yahoo Finance). Tesla stock advice is a top recommendation with Google's autocomplete. Screenshot as of Wednesday, February 5, 2020. More broadly, a Google Trends analysis as of Wednesday morning showed search interest for the query “tesla stock” peaked for the most recently reported week of January 26 to February 1. The number one most-related query to that search, according to Google, was “beyond meat stock,” another high-flying stock that saw a similar run-up in prices last year. And Tesla’s stock surge has earned it bubble-like comparisons on other measures as well: The stock on Tuesday hit overbought levels that exceeded Bitcoin at its peak, based on one technical indicator. Story continues Taken together, Tesla’s sudden spike in search interest in tandem with the surge in its stock price speaks to the broad intrigue of the company among bulls and bears alike. Left out But even though Tesla’s stock sits at the top of queries one of the world’s largest search engines, it’s probably not one of the top holdings for an investor holding a market portfolio. Despite having a market capitalization that exceeded Nike’s ( NKE ), and topped Ford’s ( F ) and General Motors’s ( GM) several times over as of Tuesday’s close, Tesla is not a member of the S&P 500. As Datatrek points out, to be considered for inclusion in the S&P 500 – the most popular large cap index – a company must have its trailing four quarters of reported GAAP earnings be positive. It must also delivered positive GAAP earnings in its most recently reported quarter. Tesla otherwise meets other requirements, including having a U.S. domicile, a single class of stock, liquidity and at least six to 12 months of “seasoning” as a public company. Tesla’s last four quarters of GAAP earnings totaled negative $862 million, Datatrek noted in its analysis. Tesla could be eligible for inclusion if it posted a first-quarter profit of at least $161 million, offsetting a second-quarter 2019 loss given that its third- and fourth-quarter earnings were positive by a combined $248 million. “The bottom line here: index based investing, especially tied to S&P criteria, misses important disruptive companies while hanging on for dear life to the disrupted,” Colas wrote. “Despite TSLA’s unquestioned popularity, only 4.2% of its float sits in ETFs, versus 7.3% for GM and 8.2% for Ford,” he said. “It’s easy to make a case for why it should be the other way around, even if TSLA’s valuation were actually reasonable rather than stratospheric.” — Emily McCormick is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter: @emily_mcck Read more from Emily: Bridgewater: Stocks are more expensive in the U.S. than anywhere else in the world Netflix 4Q subscriber growth tops expectations, but guidance disappoints Tesla 4Q earnings top expectations, company sees 500K+ deliveries in 2020 Why traders playing oil like it’s 2010 are ‘getting their heads handed to them’ Valuations aren’t overstretched after record year for stocks, strategist says Follow Yahoo Finance on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , Flipboard , LinkedIn , and reddit . Find live stock market quotes and the latest business and finance news || Blockstream Co-Founder Joins Bitcoin-Only Start-up River Financial: Industry veteran Jonathan Wilkins, a co-founder of bitcoin tech start-up Blockstream, is joining up-and-coming bitcoin brokerage River Financial as chief security officer (CSO). River is a bitcoin-only financial institution for buying and selling the digital currency (emphatically not an exchange; it says it’s “for the long-term investor”). Currently available only to testers who have received invites, the San Francisco-based outfit is working on an interface it hopes will be as slick as Jack Dorsey’s Square Cash, equipped with automatic recurring buys. Wilkins brings C-level gravitas and cypherpunk bona fides to River. He was the CSO at Blockstream, an outfit dedicated to improving bitcoin technology with projects such as Liquid, for faster payments between exchanges and a system of satellites used to broadcast bitcoin block data from space. Related:Bitcoin Price Indicator Eyes First Bullish Turn Since August Early in his career he worked atZero Knowledge Systems,which built a forerunner to the anonymizing Tor network. (His title there was “adversary,” according to his LinkedInprofile.) Later he was a security architect at Microsoft, Zynga and Yelp. Compared to other Blockstream co-founders who are outspoken on Twitter or often appear in the media, Wilkins has laid low. He’s joined River to shepherd the company’s security model, a particularly important part of the business, since it is custodial, taking care of users’ private keys. “By focusing on simplicity and what is best for users in the long term (dollar-cost averaging and holding) instead of pushing altcoins and encouraging more active trading in order to increase fees, River is closer to the historical ideal of a bank,” said Wilkins. “I wanted to be part of a company concerned with helping its community grow its wealth and providing an alternative to today’s more predatory financial institutions” River Financial has built its infrastructure from “the ground up,” founder and CEO Alexander Leishman said. Related:After Sudden 8% Drop, Bitcoin Bulls Must Defend Price Support at $8,460 “We’re in this in the long term,” Leishman said, adding that River has already made a couple of big decisions based on Wilkins’ “guidance,” such as not relying on third-party cloud computing services. “It’s a lot of work to not do that but we can build a system that we fully control,” Leishman said. River Financial differs from many services used to buy and sell cryptocurrency in that it’s focused solely on bitcoin. “We believe bitcoin is going to be the most dominant cryptocurrency. If anything becomes a world money, it’s going to be bitcoin,” Leishman said. Even adding one cryptocurrency significantly increases the complexity of engineering a system, he said. Other companies managing many tokens are constantly “putting out fires.” Plus, working on bitcoin exclusively has allowed River to adopt some cutting-edge technology that other companies don’t have the time and energy to look into, Leishman said. “Bitcoin-only lets us take it to another level no one has ever taken things before.” River Financial is one of the earliest companies to adopt the lightning network, a speedier payment system that’s widely considered a key part of bitcoin’s future. In addition, Leishman said River relies “heavily” onPartially Signed Bitcoin Transactions(PSBT) so that each user in a multi-signature transaction can sign it from a different hardware device.For those interested in the nitty-gritty, River Financial software engineer Philip Glazmantweeteda thread outlining many of the technologies it’s using and the decisions it made. • Bitcoin Falls Back After Briefly Breaking $9k Resistance • Deribit Using New Trading Tools to Capture ‘Exploding’ Options Market || How Elizabeth Warren’s Beef With Facebook Could Benefit Bitcoin: Sen. Elizabeth Warren is crusading against big banks as one of her core platforms for the 2020 presidential election, but it’s her social media policies that may have the most direct impact on bitcoiners. Namely, she’s taken a hard stance against bank overreach , wants to reduce risky corporate lending and weaken the “ monopoly influence ” of companies like Citibank, Wells Fargo and Google. On Friday, Feb. 21, she tweeted : “Giant banks won’t stop cheating until execs fear jail time & regulators show some backbone – & I have a bill for that.” The Massachusetts lawmaker rose to national prominence in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, just like bitcoin (BTC). She was chair of the five-person Congressional Oversight Panel created to oversee the implementation of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act in 2008, then built the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from scratch. Even before entering politics, Warren spent the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s teaching law at several American universities and researching issues related to bankruptcy. Related: The Post-Trust Election: CoinDesk Hits the 2020 Campaign Trail In Congress, she developed a reputation as a liberal crusader against corruption in the banking industry. Now her campaign platform states: “I have promised to expand and aggressively enforce our antitrust laws by breaking up big tech companies and big agribusinesses…to end Washington corruption bans giant corporations, banks, and market-dominant companies from hiring senior government officials for at least four years after they leave public office.” In this way, her stances echo some of the most common critiques lobbied by bitcoiners against the government about corruption. Warren has apparently not made any public statements directly related to a clear policy on bitcoin. Yet, it’s her platform on curtailing rampant disinformation campaigns – the promotion of falsehoods online for political or commercial ends – that relates most directly to the bitcoin market. Digital media experts believe current market conditions for cryptocurrency are shaped by social media chatter, some of which is deliberately designed to misinform and misdirect. Story continues In a blog post last July, she warned our “precarious economy…built on debt” is vulnerable to shocks. Likewise, her 2020 campaign platform promises to “push to convene a summit of countries dedicated to addressing” disinformation and create “a standard for public disclosure when the government identifies accounts conducting foreign interference so that Americans who have interacted with those accounts are notified.” That could mean everything from Russian interference in elections to under-the-radar campaigns to influence market sentiment, and therefore swing prices in a certain direction. Oumou Ly, a staff fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center working on the disinformation research program, said disinformation campaigns impact “financial markets and stock market movements.” It stands to reason that bitcoin markets are not an exception. Related: Bernie Sanders: Our Campaign Is About People, Not Tech “We don’t, at this time, have great metrics for how to measure the impacts of disinformation,” Ly said. “As a starting point, I think Warren has the strongest platform related to finding misinformation.” Warren’s staff did not respond to requests for comment by press time. Misinformation The type of misinformation Warren is fighting could impact elections and generate noise that taints bitcoin-related data sets. As Alicia Wanless, the co-director of the Partnership for Countering Influence Operations, wrote , the 2020 election is already overflowing with “questionable information about presidential candidates.” Warren already felt the impact of pro-Trump bot armies herself in 2016 , as these campaigns often use sexist language to try to discredit rivals. Donald Trump’s son may have encouraged this type of online harassment again in February 2020 by tweeting that Warren kicked her opponent’s ass as part of a fetish. The New York Times reported Russian propaganda campaigns are working to thwart her nomination. Meanwhile, Social Forensics founder Geoff Golberg said there is “definitely connectivity” between political propaganda bots and Crypto Twitter . “It’s all connected and the accounts give the campaigns similar traits,” he said. This is especially true for bots related to pro-Trump and “ fake ” Iranian opposition groups , which is relevant for bitcoin because Iran is one of the few nations where bitcoin has seen rampant growth among users seeking censorship-resistant tools. Persian journalists have faced escalating online harassment since 2016. Some of these social media campaigns are clearly inspired by the Trump administration . Even more concerning, Bloomberg reported Trump supporters behind the investment firm Elliott Management Corp. recently purchased a sizable stake in Twitter Inc. with the intention of influencing the platform’s governance. The information war is heating up, whether it’s Trump versus Warren, Russia versus the U.S., or bitcoiners versus token fans. From Ly’s perspective, when it comes to propaganda, it’s crucial to understand the difference between causation and correlation. A misinformation campaign doesn’t need to focus strictly on bitcoin to impact crypto communities. One study by Otto Beisheim School of Management in January 2020 claimed to find a correlation between anxious headlines related to the Trump administration and market volatility across assets. “Disinformation is used, not just on political issues, but also to sow chaos and confuse issues that have a high level of interest to specific groups or the general public,” Ly said. During the World Economic Forum in January 2020, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said we still don’t understand how social media impacts investment decisions. Confusion could hinder organic growth among bitcoin users beyond traditional institutions. One Swiss liquidity provider working with leading exchanges, who requested anonymity to protect professional relationships, said news-driven trades don’t materialize into long-term trends. Political social media trends do impact bitcoin markets, but rarely in terms of authentic demand. “The news impacts price in the short term because there are automated bots trading, just reacting to Twitter buzzwords,” he said. “This isn’t retail investors turning to bitcoin as a hedge.” Matthew Hanzelka, a Texas-based Warren supporter and avid bitcoiner, said he believes Warren’s calls for financial transparency are “in some ways antithetical to bitcoin.” This interventionist approach also applies to Warren’s stance on social media , proposing governments should be involved in defining and policing misinformation. Bitcoiners tend to prefer self-sovereign solutions over criminal penalties for those who contradict the state-sanctioned notion of truth. Yet, Hanzelka’s view of the misinformation platform is particularly nuanced. “I generally oppose censorship like this, but also want egregious, division-inducing falsities stopped,” Hanzelka said of Warren’s proposed social media regulations. Hanzelka added an anti-bitcoin and pro-nationalism disinformation campaign could hamper adoption and entrench bitcoiners who staunchly believe in cyberpunk principles. The possibility of an anti-bitcoin campaign doesn’t seem far-fetched considering President Trump tweeted in July 2019 that bitcoin was an unstable asset for “unlawful behavior.” “Powers that be could use a disinformation law to try to attack bitcoin,” Hanzelka said. “But we still need some kind of disinformation regulations, just not so robust that it could be weaponized against any dissenters to the status quo.” Bitcoin is supposed to be an uncorrelated asset. Protecting this potential may require policies that discourage manipulative propaganda while clearly distinguishing between startup tokens and decentralized, digital cash. Maximalist leanings To that end, Warren may have more in common with bitcoiners than initially meets the eye. Compared to rival presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg’s public statements about prioritizing a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies, Warren’s approach may be more inclined toward bitcoin than startup tokens. She was critical of token funding models during the hearing with Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton, asking why more tokens weren’t subject to registration by the SEC. “The challenge is how to nurture productive aspects of crypto with protecting consumers,” she said during a 2018 Senate Banking Committee hearing, according to Forbes . Her biggest concern about the cryptocurrency market was “ consumers getting hurt ,” a subtle dig at the token craze. Likewise, her criticisms of Facebook’s Libra project revolved around monopolistic power and corporate responsibility, concerns that don’t apply to bitcoin. Warren even proposed legislation that considers the idea of jail time for CEOs over privacy failures, echoing a widespread concern in the bitcoin community. During the 2018 senate hearing on how to regulate cryptocurrencies, Warren harped on whether cryptocurrency networks can be significantly decentralized. She asked whether regulations can help discourage oligopolies within these networks. “These new technologies create new opportunities,” she said. “But if we’re not careful, they make the rich richer and they leave everybody else behind…why are cryptocurrencies so easy to steal? And what can we do to secure it?” Coin Center’s Research Director, Peter Van Valkenburg, replied , “Bitcoin wasn’t involved in that,” adding he agrees with a stricter approach to token sales. Warren supporter Tyler Campbell agreed with Hanzelka that her policy approach includes both problematic aspects and potential boons for bitcoiners. “She’s a double-edged sword because her policies do involve some facet of government intervention at every turn,” Campbell said. “I think she’d absolutely love that bitcoin is accessible…the irony of bitcoin being painted as an illicit tool when cash is far worse wouldn’t be lost on her.” He added that he likes Warren’s approach is consumer protection-oriented rather than “dismissiveness to the space as a whole.” Of course, many bitcoiners don’t agree Warren would have constructive policies related to bitcoin. Atlantic Financial CEO Bruce Fenton said, “She’s unlikely to have much of an effect on bitcoin” nor a “reasonable regulatory regime.” However, since Warren’s campaign team hasn’t referenced bitcoin directly and they didn’t respond to requests for comment, only time will tell how her broader policies relate to bitcoin. Related Stories Amy Klobuchar Wanted a Return to Normalcy, but Do Voters? Pete Buttigieg Was Silicon Valley’s Favorite || Podcast: What is a W-2 and how do they work?: Listen to Taxes Made Simple by Yahoo Finance and TurboTax to get help in filing your taxes this year. Janna Herron: This is Taxes Made Simple by Yahoo Finance and TurboTax. I'm Janna Herron. So what are the new tax changes for this year? We know that last year there were a lot of big changes, but that doesn't mean everything's the same this year. There were a handful of changes I think people need to know about. Let's start with actually filing your taxes. You could always file your taxes for free by law, especially if you didn't have a very complicated tax return. This year, the IRS has stipulated that it should be easier and has actually created a website where you could go click on the free file and it would take you to one of the programs at TurboTax where you can file your taxes for free. Now not everybody can file their taxes for free. It depends on how complicated your taxes are. For many, many Americans, their tax returns are pretty simple. If you're only depending on a W2 to fill out your tax return, or maybe you have a few 1099's, those things are very easy and you probably should qualify for the free file. Another interesting change this year is the IRS is really, really interested in if you invested in cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin. This year, the IRS is going to actually ask if at any time during 2019 did you receive, sell, send, exchange, or otherwise acquire any financial interest in any virtual currency. So that might be a surprise for crypto investors out there. The reason behind it is that the IRS doesn't have good tracking on transactions that have to do with cryptocurrency. Usually, when you trade a stock, you sell a stock, you buy a stock, your brokerage account will send that information to the IRS and you will get a 1099 form to use to fill out your tax returns. When it comes to crypto, it's not nearly as sophisticated. A lot of the virtual currency exchange platforms don't generate those forms. So the IRS has been in the dark for a long time when it comes to cryptocurrency, so that's a big change. There are some other things you should know about. If you got divorced last year, the way alimony or spousal support is considered by the IRS has changed. You no longer have to claim spousal support as income if you receive it from your ex-spouse. And if you're the one paying alimony, you can no longer deduct that amount from your taxes. So it's better if you are the one receiving the alimony than the one paying the alimony when it comes to this change. There's a new change with medical expenses. If you're trying to deduct your medical expenses, it's a little bit harder this year, so your total health expenses in 2019 must be greater than 10% of your adjusted gross income for them to be deductible. Before that, the threshold was 7.5%, so it was easier to get above that threshold. Another change having to do with health insurance, if you didn't have health insurance last year, you don't have to pay a tax penalty. Before, under the Affordable Care Act. If you didn't have health insurance during the year for a certain amount of time, you would have to pay a penalty. But the new tax law that went into effect in 2017 eliminated that penalty starting last year. The standard deduction also went up from last year to account for inflation. Now it's $12,200 for single taxpayers, $24,400 for married couples filing jointly and $18,350 for heads of household. If you do your taxes and you're really upset with how they turn out this year, say you got a really tiny refund when you wanted a bigger one, or even worse, you owe Uncle Sam some money and you don't want to do that next year, what you're going to need to do is adjust your paycheck withholdings. If you do that, you'll see that there is a new form for the paycheck withholdings, so that will be new to you. Because it's new, it's going to be a little bit more difficult, but once you've done it and gotten the hang of it, it's actually pretty simple. My advice is to have your tax return handy so that you can plug in the numbers that the withholding form is going to ask for so that it can give you a very accurate reading on what you should withhold from each paycheck going forward. The IRS also has a paycheck withholding estimator, and what's really great about this calculator is that if you want to get a $5,000 refund, you can enter that and it will how to calculate what amount needs to be withheld from each paycheck so that you get that refund next year. And that's it for new changes this year for taxes. This is Taxes Made Simple from Yahoo Finance and TurboTax. Please head over to Apple Podcasts and leave a five-star rating and review there. Until next time, thanks for listening. || Novogratz’s Crypto Investment Firm Galaxy Digital Shrinks Workforce 15%: Galaxy Digital, the cryptocurrency merchant bank founded by Wall Street veteran Michael Novogratz , has laid off 13 people, roughly 15 percent of its workforce, people familiar with the situation said. The layoffs occurred across the board in early January, and all of the New York-based firm’s business divisions – asset management, trading, principal investments and advisory services – were left intact. In other words, no business line was singled out or discontinued. Nearly 80 people remain on staff. The company is hiring for several open positions, one source close to the company said. (None were listed on its LinkedIn page as of Thursday evening, but the source said the company is relying on inbound inquiries, recruiters and networking for prospects.) This person and another insider described the cuts as “standard year-end” activity. Related: Bitcoin as a Safe Haven? US-Iran Tensions Rekindle Debate A third source, a former employee, said Galaxy had hired people expecting the digital asset markets would develop more quickly than they actually did, and realized it had overbuilt. Novogratz mentioned the reductions at an all-hands meeting to kick off the year, and they were “reasonably well taken in stride,” one insider said. The cuts occurred just before a recent run-up in the price of bitcoin (BTC), the bellwether of the digital asset sector, which has climbed from under $7,000 at the beginning of the year to over $10,000 this week. A spokesperson for Galaxy declined to comment. In the red Related: Canaan’s Post-IPO Stock Plunge Reveals Sales Slump, Price War With Bitmain Founded in 2018, Galaxy has yet to consistently turn a profit. Its net loss for the third quarter of 2019 (the most recent period for which figures are available) narrowed to $68 million from $77 million a year earlier, according to a securities filing . Operating expenses fell over this period, largely because Galaxy had paid more equity-based compensation in 2018. Trading volume declined from the second quarter, in line with the market, according to the company, whose shares are publicly traded in Canada. Story continues For the first nine months of last year, Galaxy made a profit of $58 million, compared to a $176 million loss for the comparable period in 2018. Its digital asset portfolio nearly doubled, to $133.5 million, over that nine-month period, due primarily to price increases. In addition to trading cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and ether (ETH), Galaxy holds stakes in high-profile startups including payments unicorn Ripple , crypto lender BlockFi , blockchain sleuthing specialist Ciphertrace, futures market Bakkt and industry-friendly financial institution Silvergate Bank . Nikhilesh De contributed reporting . Related Stories Circle Confirms New Round of Layoffs Following Co-CEO Departure Blockchain Sleuthing Firm Chainalysis Slashes 20% of Workforce || Trump administration to release new FinCEN requirements for cryptos, Mnuchin tells Congress: U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told Congress on Wednesday that the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is set to release new requirements related to cryptocurrencies. Mnuchin offered few details on the move when speaking before the Senate Finance Committee. However, he remarked that "s pecifically on cryptocurrencies, we are spending a lot of time on this, on both an interagency basis and with the regulators." “We're about to roll out some significant new requirements at FinCEN," he said during the hearing, though he offered no specifics on the timing of the move. “We want to make sure that technology moves forward, but on the other hand, we want to make sure that cryptocurrencies aren't used for the equivalent of old Swiss secret number bank accounts,” he added. Later in the hearing, Mnuchin remarked that the effort is being undertaken “so that law enforcement can see where the money is going and that this isn’t used for money laundering.” He also notably spoke about stablecoins, which are digital assets tied or pegged to government-issued currencies. Mnuchin seemed to strike a positive tone on the topic, remarking that "we do think technology can be used to reduce payment processing quite considerably, particularly for small dollar payments cross-border." He also commented briefly on central bank-issued digital currencies, which Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell spoke about during his Congressional appearance this week. In July 2019, Mnuchin delivered a White House press briefing on regulatory issues associated with cryptocurrencies, hinting at possible new requirements. “Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, have been exploited to support billions of dollars of illicit activity like cybercrime, tax evasion, extortion, ransomware, illicit drugs, human trafficking,” he argued in the July statement. “We will not allow digital asset service providers to operate in the shadows and will not tolerate the use of cryptocurrencies in support of illicit activities,” he continued. “To be clear: FinCEN will hold any entity that transacts in Bitcoin, Libra, or any other cryptocurrency to its highest standards.” View comments || Gold Price Futures (GC) Technical Analysis – Strengthens Over $1608.50, Weakens Under $1595.70: Gold prices are edging higher on Tuesday supported by hopes that major central banks will trim interest rates in an effort to combat the coronavirus and its impact on the global economy. Investors are no focused on a G7 conference call at 12:00 GMT where finance ministers and central bank governors will discuss measures to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. They will, however, stop short of coordinated rate cuts, two G7 officials said. At 12:51 GMT, April Comex gold is trading $1604.10, up $9.30 or +0.59%. Also helping to boost dollar-denominated gold is a weaker U.S. Dollar. It is being pressured by expectations of a cut of at least 25 basis points to the current 1.50%-1.75% target rate at the Federal Reserve’s March 17-18 meeting. Daily April Comex Gold Daily Technical Analysis The main trend is down according to the daily swing chart. A trade through $1564.00 will signal a resumption of the downtrend. This is followed by additional main bottoms at $1551.10 and $1542.80. The main trend will change to up on a move through $1691.70. The main range is $1458.50 to $1691.70. Its retracement zone at $1575.10 to $1547.50 is acting like support. Daily Technical Forecast Based on the early price action and the current price at $1604.10, the direction of the April Comex gold futures contract the rest of the session on Tuesday is likely to be determined by trader reaction to the steep downtrending Gann angle at $1595.70. Bullish Scenario A sustained move over $1585.70 will indicate the presence of buyers. The first target is an uptrending Gann angle at $1608.50. Overcoming $1608.50 will indicate the buying is getting stronger. This could trigger a surge into the 50% level at $1627.90. Sellers could come in on the first test of this level. Taking out $1627.90 could trigger a further rally into the Fibonacci level at $1642.90, followed by another downtrending Gann angle at $1643.70. Bearish Scenario A sustained move under $1608.50 will signal the presence of sellers. The first downside target is the main 50% level at $1575.10. If this fails to hold then look for the selling to possibly extend into the main Fibonacci level at $1547.60. This is followed by an uptrending Gann angle at $1533.50. Story continues This article was originally posted on FX Empire More From FXEMPIRE: Bitcoin Follows the Market, Losing the Battle for Digital Gold Gold Daily News: Tuesday, March 3 EUR/USD Price Forecast – Euro Bounces Around In Uncertainty Silver Price Forecast – Silver Markets Slam Into 200 Day EMA After Surprise Rate Cut Natural Gas Price Forecast – Natural Gas Markets Rally Into Resistance Crude Oil Price Forecast – Crude Oil Markets Gap Higher Tuesday || Privacy Laws Are Only as Effective as the Companies Implementing Them: Privacy is a hot topic for legislators all over the world. Democractic presidential candidates have privacy laws and regulations in their campaign platforms. Amy Klobuchar discussed a tax on companies who share user data. Elizabeth Warren has introduced legislation that considers the idea of jail time for CEOs over privacy failures. Before he dropped out of the race, John Delaney proposed the U.S. adopt a law similar to the California Consumer Privacy Act , which gives greater agency to consumers when it comes to limiting companies collecting of their data. Voters are demanding action. A recent poll from Morning Consult found that 79 percent of registered voters said Congress should pursue a bill to better protect the online data of consumers, while 65 percent called data privacy one of the biggest issues facing society. Related: When Corporations Violate Privacy, They Do Concrete Harm The European Union, 27 member states with the loss of the UK, enacted the General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR ), enshrining the idea that people have control over personal data. California recently enacted its own privacy law, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which goes into effect January 1. The law empowers California consumers to know when private companies collect, share or sell their data and to stop that sale if necessary. It applies to companies with annual gross revenue of more than $25 million or that possess information on 50,000 or more consumers. But laws can have unintended consequences. Sometimes the very laws meant to enforce privacy can result in companies nevertheless sharing it. GDPR opens up a way of crooks to impersonate people and get their data from companies. A year after GDPR went into effect, researchers in the EU showed how it’s easy to access personal data from companies. “This isn’t a problem with the law itself, but instead with the companies and organizations implementing it,” Mariano Di Martino, one of the researchers, who is a PhD student as Hasselt University in Belgium, told CoinDesk in an interview. “This may be because of budgetary constraints or maybe it’s because they don’t understand the risks of this data.” Story continues Related: US DOJ Calls Bitcoin Mixing ‘a Crime’ in Arrest of Software Developer One group used publicly available information, such as names, emails, and phone numbers, in addition to more complicated methods to request information on their research partners from 55 companies under GDPR. One of these complex methods for obtaining the data included replacing the name, birth date and photo on the image of an ID to reflect the person whose information the researchers wanted. Of those 55 companies, 15 companies gave up sensitive personal information to the researchers. Four companies never responded to their data requests, in clear violation of GDPR. This isn’t a problem with the law itself, but instead with the companies and organizations implementing it. The information they gathered included financial companies giving up details such as ID card numbers, a list of timestamped financial transactions, customer IDs, telephone numbers and place of birth, and transportation and logistic companies releasing locations people visited in the past as well as routes they’d saved. Another team of researchers in the EU found similar issues when one requested information on his research partner and the research partner’s wife using a spoofed email account that was a variation on the name of the wife. About a quarter of the 150 companies and organizations they contacted gave up sensitive personal information without verifying the identity of the requester. The information given to him included everything from her social security number to her high school grades and various account passwords. As the CCPA goes into effect, it’s possible we may see similar issues. The GDPR research illustrates that privacy laws may only be as good as the companies affected by them. Which is scary. These leaks have real world implications. “Say I was trying to stalk someone, and I want to learn more about them,” says Di Martino. “I might send a data request to a company that provides taxi or bus services and try to get all the routes or GPS locations where this person has been. And it could work.” Related Stories The US Government’s Mixed Signals on Digital Currency Privacy EFF Defends Ex-Kraken Employee’s Right to Post Anonymously About Company || The Cryptocurrency Act of 2020 Is ‘Dead on Arrival,’ Washington Tells Sponsors: An omnibus bill aimed at comprehensive reform of U.S. cryptocurrency regulation was introduced Monday by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.). It is thought to have little chance of passage at present but, according to lawyers and backers in the industry, it does provide insight into what a top-to-bottom new law governing crypto could look like one day. Marshall Hayner of Metal Pay and Erik Finman, who became a millionaire frombitcoin(BTC) before the age of 18 and now runsan investment fund, contributed to the discussion draft. Presented on March 9, the “Crypto-currency Act of 2020” sets out to define categories of digital assets and clarify which federal agency will oversee each tranche. Related:The US Needs Hester Peirce’s Safe Harbor, or It Risks Falling Behind “The bill looks to provide not only clarity but legitimacy to crypto assets in the United States,” said Will Stechschulte, Gosar’s legislative assistant, in a press phone call. See also:‘Youngest Bitcoin Millionaire’ Willing to Stake it All on Metal Pay Regulatory uncertainty hangs like a cloud over the industry as it aims to attract conventional investors. Fully 56 percent of financial advisers cite “regulatory concerns” as reason not to invest in the nascent industry, a recent Bitwise survey found. “Regulatory uncertainty has certainly been a shackle around the ankle of U.S. investors,” Mati Greenspan, founder of Quantum Economics and a former eToro analyst, said. “Many projects are simply choosing to move elsewhere.” Related:tZero-Affiliated Firm Hopes SEC Will Pass Updated Proposal for Security Token Platform While there are existing proposals aimed at providing clear guidance – such as the Token Taxonomy Act and Securities and Exchange Commission member Hester Peirce’s “Safe Harbor”proposal– Gosar’s bill is the latest to take a holistic approach to crypto regulation. ‘It’s difficult for a member to move a bill in a committee of which he’s not a member, doubly so if he’s in the minority,’ Brito wrote in a blog post. The bill divides digital assets into three categories: crypto-commodity, crypto-currency and crypto-security with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Secretary of the Treasury via the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) overseeing each, respectively. “While the bill makes sense on the surface,” a deeper look reveals that its neat categorizations are potentially fatal flaws, said Lawson Baker, head of operations and general counsel at TokenSoft. A Bloomberg legal analyst said much the same, claiming an early draft of the bill “displays a lack of basic understanding of the relevant federal laws and regulatory agencies.” Debate over the bill’s efficacy and overreach started in mid-December, when a draft version leaked. Jerry Brito, executive director of Coin Center, directed criticism at the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Gosar, who does not sit on the committees that might discuss his bill. “It’s difficult for a member to move a bill in a committee of which he’s not a member, doubly so if he’s in the minority,” Brito wrote in a blog post. He now says the bill should be opposed on principle, if it shows anysigns of life. “It’s dead on arrival,” Kristin Smith of the Blockchain Association, said after reviewing the latest version. Following its introduction on the floor late Monday afternoon, Ben Goldey, Gosar’s representative, said the bill will now pass to a committee for review. “Usually within the first week it will get assigned, but I suspect Financial Services [Committee,]” will take it up, Goldey said. Finman suggested it may be reviewed first by the House Committee on Agriculture. It’s dead on arrival. Whether the bill passes or not, its sweeping ambition is already redefining the scope of crypto regulation. Attempting to simplify the issues around cryptocurrency and its relationship to the larger economy, the bill is an example of why it’s so hard to define what crypto is and how it should be treated. CoinDesk spoke with lawyers, investors and the bill’s writers about how the bill takes on crypto’s big regulatory issues and likely goes too far. Gosar’s bill defines crypto-commodities as an “economic good or service, including derivatives that have full or substantial fungibility; the markets treat with no regard as to who produced [them;] and rest on a blockchain or decentralized cryptographical ledger.” This broadly defined concept would include bitcoin, ethereum, and any digital asset with free-floating valuations. The bill would also place these commodities under the purview of the CFTC. However, as Robert Kim, aBloomberg legal analystnoted: the CFTC does not regulate commodities themselves, but derivatives traded off them. “The CFTC indicated early on that virtual currencies, such as bitcoin are commodities under the Commodity Exchange Act. However, that does not mean they regulate the day-to-day activity of spot exchanges,” said Donna Redel, board member of New York Angels and a professor at Fordham Law and Fordham Gabelli School, said. “Do they have the capacity to review that? The regulators themselves would have to see what’s feasible here.” See also:Lawmakers Reintroduce Bill to Exempt Crypto Tokens From US Securities Laws Similarly, FinCEN was selected to oversee “crypto-currencies,” despite not actually regulating currency. Marshall Hayner of Metal Pay thinks that’s a pedantic statement. “When you launch a crypto product and deal with stablecoins, you’re dealing with FinCEN,” he said in a phone call. “Anti-money laundering requirements are top of mind for any firm that wants to remain compliant.” Lawson Baker, head of operations and general counsel at TokenSoft, a technology company automating finance by porting financial assets onto blockchains, noted that the definition given to “crypto-securities” by the bill does not capture real-world use cases of blockchain technology. The proposed definition: “all debt and equity that rest on a blockchain or decentralized cryptographic ledger,” makes sense in some contexts, Baker said, but in reference to traditional assets misses the mark. For example, there’s mortgage debt that could be issued on a blockchain. “Under [the bill’s] rules, a tokenized mortgage would be a ‘crypto-security’ requiring registration with the SEC absent an offering exemption,” Baker said. “As we all know, mortgages are already regulated by state and federal banking laws and not the SEC.” My gut says we should stay nimble right now and define later. Read: push regulators to provide rule updates or additional guidance. Likewise, Redel pointed out that even broad definitions may not allow projects room to breathe. She pointed instead to Hester Peirce’s proposal for a safe harbor for token projects, which grants three years exemption for projects to decentralize. “The digital asset industry is constantly evolving,” Redel said. “Any effort of legislation has to take into account future innovation in the space and what else happens in the coming years. It’s not good to bet on a horse race if you don’t know the players.” Under the Act, a “decentralized cryptographic ledger” refers to a “ledger that (A) runs as a stand-alone blockchain that is secured through a minting mechanism.” As Baker notes, “This definition presumes all cryptocurrencies will operate on blockchains and public ledgers, completely ignoring how privacy coins like Zcash will operate in the future.” Mati Greenspan takes a realistic view. While clearer frameworks may bring in entrepreneurs, investors and traditional financiers standing on the sideline of crypto, decisions to invest are also impacted by the larger mechanizations of the economy. “Sentiment is way down due to the effects of the [Corona] virus and most people aren’t exactly in an investing mood lately,” Greenspan said. Likewise, Nic Carter, a venture capitalist with Castle Island Ventures, said crypto is “an asset class that’s really just an outlet for gambling.” Adding, these “excesses of crypto [are] definitely a function of our stage in the economic cycle.” Carter adds that clear guidance for tax liabilities are also necessary, which the bill fails to address. What good is an omnibus bill if it cannot pass? What about more focused approaches for that matter? TheToken Taxonomy Actwas successfully introduced, but was ultimately stalled during the review period. While Erik Finman is confident that his bill will pass, “I’m not even considering failure as an option,” he said, a similar situation is likely to transpire here. “The optimum way to regulate the industry would be for the agencies to come up with a robust set of rules,” Donna Redel said. “This is preferable than the slower process of adjudicating and then waiting for the agencies to catch up. But the courts will, hopefully, always be there to provide guidance.” While this process is slow, and companies may lose time and competition, Redel is skeptical that any prescriptive law could cover all the facets of the industry. Josh Lawler, a partner at Zuber Lawler, agreed. “Looking at various statutory schemes, most don’t work. The Swiss system doesn’t work, really. Some are better than others, but it’s not that easy to get a comprehensive plan.” “My gut says we should stay nimble right now and define later. Read: push regulators to provide rule updates or additional guidance under current definitions rather than unintentionally redefine the scope of an agency’s regulatory jurisdiction,” Lawson Baker said. • The Dangerous Truth About India’s Cryptocurrency Verdict • India’s Central Bank Plans to Fight Supreme Court Crypto Ruling [Random Sample of Social Media Buzz (last 60 days)] None available.
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