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Showing posts from July, 2024

Bitcoin Investors Grew By 3% When Prices Rose From $57,000 to $69,000: Donald Trump Effect?

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Bitcoin is firm at spot rates but struggling to shake off the bears of the past two trading days. Looking at the formation in the daily chart, there are pockets of weakness. However, this might change should bulls push on, rejecting lower lows and reclaiming $70,000 and even $72,000. Trump Effect? New BTC Investors Rise By 3% When Prices Rose From $57,000 to $69,000 As the community tracks price performance, there are other exciting developments cementing the conviction that the coin could be preparing for higher highs. Citing on-chain data , one analyst noted that when prices spiked from $57,000 to $69,000, the rally attracted new investors. During this time, the number of new investors grew by 3%, a notable increase since the post-FTX crash only saw the number of new users increase by just 4%. Interestingly, new investors are willing to get exposure at this pace, which suggests that they are optimistic about what lies ahead. The uptick in Bitcoin prices from $57,000 to the recen

Multiple Shiba Inu Metrics Turn Green, Is A Recovery Coming?

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Despite recent  price declines , doggy-themed meme coin Shiba Inu (SHIB) has shown marked  improvement in its performance , as several key metrics for the cryptocurrency have turned green. This bullish development could be an indication of a potential price recovery from bearish trends in the popular meme coin. Shiba Inu’s Metrics Show Positive Momentum Shiba Inu, the second-largest meme coin by market capitalization, has recorded a significant uptick in several critical metrics, suggesting the possibility of a shift in market sentiments.  IntoTheBlock’s data shows that the aggregated 7-day volume of Shiba Inu’s large transactions holding $100,000 or greater has surged by a whopping 430%, skyrocketing to $32.5 million. Based on Shiba Inu’s network growth and large transactions, IntoTheBlock has flagged the cryptocurrency as incredibly bullish, highlighting a 0.22% increase in its net network growth.  Another crucial metric for Shiba Inu is its daily SHIB burn rate , which has see

Bitcoin Utility Returning To Q1 Bull Run Levels: Prelude For Another Rally?

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On-chain data shows the utility on the Bitcoin network has been making a comeback recently, something that could pave way for another price rally. Bitcoin Circulation Has Spiked To Highest Levels In 5 Months In a new post on X, the on-chain analytics firm Santiment has discussed about the latest trend in the “Circulation” of Bitcoin. The Circulation here refers to an indicator that keeps track of the unique number of tokens that are moving on the BTC blockchain every day. Related Reading: Bitcoin Is Flowing Into US Platforms: Here’s What Happened Last Time Often, to gauge utility on the network, the transaction volume is used, which is a metric that measures the daily total amount of BTC being transferred on the network. The con with this indicator, however, is that there is generally a lot of trading activity occurring on the chain where the same tokens move back and forth. Such activity may not be reflective of the true utility on the network, so the transaction volume can pro

Terra Blockchain (LUNC) Hit By $5 Million Hack And Outage: Details

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The Terra blockchain has suffered a significant breach involving a complex exploit that resulted in the theft of approximately $5 million in assorted cryptocurrencies. The specific assets stolen included approximately 60 million ASTRO tokens, 3.5 million USDC, 500,000 USDT, and 2.7 BTC. The smart contract audit firm Beosin revealed the nature of the breach in a post on X, stating, “Terra blockchain was exploited for ~60M $ASTRO, 3.5M $USDC, 500k $USDT, and 2.7 $BTC. Terra Blockchain Hack And Outage: What Happened? Security researcher Rarma (@Rarma_) confirmed via X, “So yes, it appears this is the IBC hooks exploit from back in April.” By deploying and utilizing a malicious CosmWasm contract through IBC interactions, an attacker was able to repeatedly trigger the MsgTimeout within the IBC hook’s OnTimeout callback prior to the deletion of the packet commitment. On chains that use ibc-hooks to integrate ICS-20, this flaw could enable recursive execution of the OnTimeout callback’s l

Bitcoin Finds Major Relief After 10 Years: Is The US Government Now The Biggest Threat?

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Bitcoin is shaky at spot rates, looking at the formation in the daily chart. The leg-up to spot rates meant the world’s most valuable coin shot by roughly 30%, rising from the pits of $53,500 to around $70,000 over the weekend. Mt. Gox Overhang Gone, A Relief For Bitcoin As prices cool off, rapidly finding rejection from the critical round number and roughly $2,000 from June 2024 highs, Glassnode analysts think Bitcoin is entering a new era. Citing the recent distribution of BTC by Mt. Gox creditors, Glassnode observed that the “overhang” that had held the industry ransom for roughly 10 years is easing. After initial fears that the distribution of billions of BTC by Mt. Gox creditors would wreak the market were proven otherwise, prices rose. While there was success as the market showed how robust it had grown over the years by easily absorbing those coins, what’s important to note is the psychological milestone this event was. Glassnode observed that slightly over 59,000 BTC hav

Kamala Harris Crypto Stance Questioned As She Mulls Anti-Crypto VP Choice

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In the aftermath of rumors that she is attempting to patch up her ties with the cryptocurrency community, the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, has taken actions that appear to be in direct opposition to the objectives that she has articulated for herself. Kamala Harris is contemplating on endorsing Michigan lawmaker Gary Peters for the 2024 elections. Bitcoin enthusiasts have been deeply concerned about this latest development. Peters vehemently opposes bitcoin since he has endorsed the Money Laundering Act of 2023, which specifically targets the illicit use of cryptocurrency for financing terrorist activities. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., is being pushed by organized labor to be considered as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Axios reported. https://t.co/cOvzPCZ8Dx — NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) July 30, 2024 Kamala Harris: Strategic Political Coalition The backing of Peters for such legislative actions has worried crypto aficionados as they believe that his

Crypto Analyst Uses Historical Data To Predict When Bitcoin Price Will Reach $200,000

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The Bitcoin price has been expected to hit the 6-figure mark for a couple of years now, but this target continues to be elusive for the cryptocurrency. However, with a crypto bull run predicted by experts to be around the corner, the expectations for a 6-figure Bitcoin price have emerged once again. One crypto analyst in particular has taken it a step further, predicting when the Bitcoin price will hit $200,000 based off of historical data. Bitcoin Power Law And Exponential Decay Theory In an X (formerly Twitter) post , pseudonymous crypto analyst @apsk32 pointed out a 13-year trend that has held true for Bitcoin since its inception. This trend uses a power law equation and an exponential decay to help pinpoint how high the Bitcoin price will go in each cycle and how low it could possibly drop after. The Power Law Cycle Cloud, demonstrated by the crypto analyst in a video attached to the X post, showed how high the BTC price has risen and dropped in the last three bull and bear c

Bitcoin ETF Transformation: ARK/21Shares Integrates Chainlink’s PoR For Major Update

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In a recent move, the asset managers behind the ARK Bitcoin ETF (ARKB), 21Shares and Ark Investment, have announced a partnership with the decentralized oracle network Chainlink to set a “new standard” for transparency and security in the world of tokenized assets . Chainlink’s PoR To Verify ARKB Bitcoin ETF Reserves As announced on Monday, the driver behind this integration is the adoption of Chainlink’s Proof of Reserve (PoR) solution, which is said to provide a secure and transparent way to verify the underlying Bitcoin reserves backing the ARKB ETF.  The asset managers, together with the Chainlink network, announced that by tapping directly into Coinbase’s data feeds , Chainlink’s PoR can automatically update the on-chain reference contract with the total value of ARKB’s Bitcoin holdings. Johann Eid, Chief Business Officer of Chainlink Labs, said: We’re excited to collaborate with 21Shares as they help to reimagine the way that the world interacts with tokenized assets and sc

Bitcoin On Verge Of Extreme Greed: What This Means For Price

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Data shows that the sentiment among Bitcoin investors is close to entering extreme greed territory. Here’s what this could imply for the market. Bitcoin Fear & Greed Index Is Right On Edge Of Extreme Greed The “ Fear & Greed Index ” is an indicator created by Alternative that tells us about the general sentiment among the investors in the Bitcoin and wider cryptocurrency market. This index uses five factors to determine this average sentiment: volatility, trading volume, market cap dominance, social media sentiment, and Google Trends. The indicator represents this sentiment using a numeric scale from zero to a hundred. All values above 53 reflect the presence of greed in the market, while those under 47 imply fear among the investors. The region between these two territories corresponds to a neutral mentality. Besides these three core sentiments, there are two special sentiments called extreme greed and extreme fear. The former occurs above 75, while the latter is below 2

XRP Price Moves Against The Market, Where Is It Headed Next?

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XRP has been exhibiting strong bullish signals lately, leading analysts to forecast potential price breakouts . Given its recent price movements, market experts are now predicting where XRP’s price could be heading in this bullish trend.  XRP Gears Up For Massive Breakout JackTheRippler, a crypto analyst and long-standing supporter of XRP, took to X (formerly Twitter) on July 28 to share insights on XRP’s price trends and bullish outlook. According to the analyst, XRP may be on the brink of a substantial price movement, underscoring its resilience and strength against recent market downturns. Sharing a price chart depicting XRP’s price actions and current value, the crypto analyst disclosed that XRP was presently moving against the market. Based on his analysis, XRP’s market sentiment is increasingly optimistic , as the analyst foresees a major breakout for the cryptocurrency soon.  The crypto analyst has steadfastly maintained a bullish outlook on the XRP Ledger token, freque

High Gas Fees: MetaMask ETH-USDT vs. Polygon MATIC?

Why are gas fees so high for transfers between MetaMask ETH-USDT wallets compared to the Polygon network? The fees are enormous, especially for small transfer amounts, making the cost ratio to the transferred amount quite significant. I'm talking about using a MetaMask ETH-USDT address vs. a Polygon MATIC address. I'm curious about the technical reasons behind these cost differences and if there are any effective ways to reduce these fees. Can anyone share their knowledge or advice? Thanks! from Recent Questions - Bitcoin Stack Exchange https://ift.tt/EG4XZNq via IFTTT

Bitcoin Hashrate Hits Brand New All-Time High As BTC Price Rebounds

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The Bitcoin hashrate recently hit a new all-time high amid a price rebound for the flagship crypto. This development is significant considering what it means for the Bitcoin ecosystem and how it could impact prices going forward.  Bitcoin Hashrate Hits Record Highs Data from the Hashrate Index shows that BTC hit a new all-time high network hashrate of 677 EH/s on July 26, surpassing its previous high of 656 EH/s recorded on May 27. This is based on data from the seven-day SMA (Simple Moving Average) , which miners consider the most accurate estimate.  However, the 3-day SMA provides an even more bullish outlook for Bitcoin’s hashrate, with the mining output touching a record high of 707 EH/s on July 23. An increase in the network’s hashrate usually means more computational power is being added to verify transactions. This makes the network more secure and could also have a significant impact on Bitcoin’s price.  The hashrate’s impact on BTC’s price most especially comes from

Crypto Fraud Dismantled: Hong Kong Cops Bust $1.4 Million Syndicate

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Four people have been arrested by Hong Kong police; among them is a shocking discovery of a 14-year-old lad reportedly defrauding gullible victims with fake cash. With total losses of HK$11 million (US$1.4 million), this arrest represents a major turning point in an ongoing enquiry that has seen 14 individuals arrested since October last year, the South China Morning Post has reported. Chief Inspector Lo Yuen-shan of the Commercial Crime Bureau announced on Sunday that the seven suspects, aged between 14 and 39, were charged with conspiracy to defraud, possession and use of 5,000 counterfeit banknotes. Lo underlined the syndicate’s well-organized structure and how clearly duties were allocated among the members to carry out their frauds. Setting Up The Trap The con artists set up bogus bitcoin exchanges meant to entice victims by procuring counterfeit money. The two operation’s masterminds found possible victims online under the pretense of respectable bitcoin investors. They drew

Hong Kong’s Bitcoin Ambitions: Lawmaker To Discuss Reserve Opportunities With Industry Players

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With Bitcoin gaining traction to become a potential strategic reserve asset in the United States, it appears other pro-crypto countries might be considering adopting this significant move as Johnny Ng, a lawmaker in Hong Kong, has revealed his intention to discuss the feasibility and potential advantages of including BTC to the nation’s financial reserve.  His action showcases Hong Kong ‘s forward thinking in the crypto industry while becoming a hub for the active promotion of financial and technical innovation. It also represents an active embrace of the changing economic landscape, which may serve as a model for other financial hubs around the globe. Johnny Ng To Initiate Talks On Bitcoin Inclusion In Financial Reserves The Hong Kong Lawmaker disclosed his commitment on the X (formerly Twitter) platform on Sunday morning, which could be a noteworthy development for the state’s financial landscape. This move comes in response to former US President Donald Trump’s speech at the Bit

What's the "weight" meaning in fundrawtransaction cmd's input_weights parameter

I am trying to use bitcoin-cli fundrawtransaction to add inputs to a transaction with only outputs generated from other program. I need to use the specific inputs from my wallet. But I only find the input_weights parameter to do it. (there is no "inputs" parameter). I don't know how to set the weight in the input_weights and don't know what's their effects. There seems to be a min(165) and max(400000) value of weight which I find it in the code. If I send a value between min and max, the difference seems to be the fee I pay in the transaction. The problem is what weight should I set? Is there any different between different input weight? I know the concept of size/weight of transaction. But I don't know the meaning of input weight and don't know how to set it correctly. Thanks! from Recent Questions - Bitcoin Stack Exchange https://ift.tt/9de5jB3 via IFTTT

Bitcoin Key To Dollar Stability: Kennedy Jr. Urges US To Hold 4 Million BTC Reserve

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Bitcoin has proven to be a significant part of the upcoming United States Presidential election, garnering interest among major political figures. As the election approaches, Republican presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called on the nation to acquire millions of BTC as a strategic reserve asset, which he believes could strengthen the US dollar. Kennedy Jr. Pledges To Make Bitcoin A Strategic Reserve Asset In a bold statement at the Bitcoin 2024 conference on July 26, Kennedy Jr. reiterated his plans to make Bitcoin a strategic reserve asset in the US should he emerge as the new president of the nation. Kennedy Jr. highlighted how incorporating the digital asset into the country’s financial system may strengthen the stability and resiliency of the US dollar. Addressing attendees at the conference, the presidential candidate began by revealing his intention of issuing a pro-Bitcoin executive order on day one of his victory. This order will direct the Department of Ju

Will BlackRock Move To Altcoins Like XRP And Solana For Spot ETFs Next?

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With the Spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF already trading , there have been discussions about whether or not fund issuers will apply for other crypto ETFs. Specifically, market experts have questioned if the world’s largest asset manager, BlackRock , will file for spot ETFs for other altcoins like Solana and XRP . BlackRock Unlikely To File For Spot ETFs For Solana And XRP BlackRock will unlikely file for spot ETFs for Solana and XRP anytime soon. This is based on BlackRock’s digital assets head, Robert Mitchnick, who stated that the asset manager sees “very little interest” in crypto beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum . This suggests that BlackRock will likely just stick with its Spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs rather than pursue offering any other crypto ETF.   Charles Gasparino, an American journalist and senior correspondent at Fox Business, had also previously dismissed the possibility of BlackRock filing for a Spot XRP ETF. His declaration came following an interview that BlackRock’s

Bitcoin 2024: US Senator Fights To Bring Crypto Back Into The Communities

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On Friday, US Sen. Tim Scott, the top Republican from South Carolina who is a member of the Senate Banking Committee, was among keynote speakers at the Bitcoin 2024 conference. Scott, who might chair the committee if Republicans regain control of the Senate, gave a strong message: the government should support the crypto industry. “We have to get rid of the guys who are in the way,” Scott said, referring especially to Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler as a main impediment to crypto innovation. Speaking with fellow crypto enthusiast US Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Scott’s comments connected with a group ready for additional legislative backing. Scott has been somewhat silent on crypto matters until now, hence his enthusiastic support at this event marks a change. He said: “Bitcoin is about bringing resources back into the communities that need it most and giving all Americans a chance. The Senate Banking Committee Under Republican Leadership One recu

Bitcoin Rising: Next Most “Hated” Range Will Be Between $75,000 And $95,000

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After concerns early this week, Bitcoin has rebounded sharply at spot rates. At the time of writing, the world’s most valuable coin is up 20% from July 2024 lows. Considering the upsurge from July 25, there is a high chance it will pierce $70,000 over the weekend and even break above the all-important liquidation level of $72,000. Analyst: Expect Bitcoin To Range Between $75,000 And $95,000 As Bitcoin regains footing, much to the excitement of bulls, some analysts now believe this is the beginning of the next leg up. This preview is positive, at least based on the recent price action. Taking to X, one analyst said the zone between $75,000 and $95,000 will be the next “hated” region. At this zone, the coin would have broken above all-time highs at $74,000, last printed in March, adding roughly 30% to peak at $95,000. When this happens, the analyst said the Bitcoin market “will not be as generous to bears as it is now.” The precise timeline remains uncertain even as traders expect

Comrades In Crime: Russian-Speaking Hackers Bag 70% Of Crypto Proceeds – Report

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A study from TRM Labs says that Russia’s involvement in illegal crypto operations grew a lot in 2023. Almost 70% of all cryptocurrency earnings from ransomware came from groups of people who spoke Russian. This makes them big players in this field. It is clear that Russia plays a significant part in the worldwide hacking sector, as these entities have stolen almost half a billion US dollars, the report disclosed. The study puts in the spotlight ALPHV/BlackCat and Lockbit, two ransomware operators that profited over $320 million. Sanctioned hacker Lockbit has targeted Boeing and the Royal Mail in the UK. The MGM Resorts and the Fortune 500 dental and medical supply wholesaler Henry Schein are targets for BlackCat/ALPHV. Not only do these assaults show how far-reaching and sophisticated these groups are, but they also show how much money these victims lost because of them. The Role Of Garantex In The Illicit Operations Russia is the focal point of the concentration of sanctioned cr

Are Crypto Recovery Services a Scam? How To Be Sure

Financial fraud is not new to many of us who have encountered this inhumane act at some point in our lives. I was shocked to discover the magnitude of these financial frauds upon further research into this matter, of which the most popular, and it seems the worst of them all, is the investment scam. It usually starts off with a minimal initial deposit and eventually, you tend to put in more money. Before you realize it, you find yourself borrowing more from friends, family, and even taking loans from banks with the promise that each fee was going to be your last. My consultations with Cyber Asset Recovery have helped me realize that such companies/platforms exhibiting these behaviors have no intention whatsoever to release due payments to clients irrespective of how much you’re being owed. To put it simply, it had always been a well-designed elaborate scam from the onset, and we are merely their prey. However, we fail to see the bigger picture because of the huge returns and profits w

checkpointData in 2024

I have a few questions on checkpointData in src/kernel/chainparams.cpp file. This variable seems stopped being updated from approximately 10 years ago, judging by the timestamp of the height of the most recent checkpoint block. Also, I noticed that this variable is only used in the ContextualCheckBlockHeader function in src/validation.cpp file. The role of checkpoints seems pretty obvious. // Don't accept any forks from the main chain prior to last checkpoint. // GetLastCheckpoint finds the last checkpoint in MapCheckpoints that's in our // BlockIndex(). By navigating through multiple posts, I realized that the role of checkpointData has been significantly reduced. Some Bitcoin Core developers even mention that it is likely to be removed at some time. So my question is... isn't it already safe to completely remove the code related to checkpointData ? The possibility of bitcoin being reversed to its 2014-state is almost close to zero. Or, is there a chance that some

Coinbase UK Unit Faces $4.5 Million Fine For Violating Financial Crime Conditions

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The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has slapped the UK subsidiary of Coinbase – CB Payments Limited – with a $4.5 million penalty for breaking a voluntary agreement meant to stop high-risk customers from being onboarded. The FCA brought to light serious problems with the control systems at CBPL. Coinbase Crossed The Line CBPL signed a voluntary agreement with the FCA in October 2020 to limit the onboarding of fresh clients judged “high-risk” by the regulator. This agreement was intended to reduce possible criminal activity on the CBPL platform, therefore preserving market integrity and reducing money laundering concerns. Notwithstanding these protections, the FCA found that CBPL had clearly violated the agreement by onboarding and servicing 13,416 high-risk clients. Joint executive director of enforcement and market monitoring for FCA, Therese Chambers, slammed CBPL’s management for their notable lack of control. “CBPL’s controls had significant flaws,” Chambers said, “which th

Bitcoin As A Reliable Strategic Reserve Asset Faces Criticism from Todd Phillips

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Lately, the discussions regarding Bitcoin as a reliable strategic reserve asset have garnered significant interest within the entire cryptocurrency industry due to its potential to serve as a hedge against inflation and economic stability. Even though most people see this as a notable idea, some believe BTC is an unreliable choice for a federal reserve asset. Bitcoin Latter Is An Input Into Real-World Goods And Services As the topic heats up, Todd Phillips, a popular banking and administrative lawyer, has voiced his strong criticism toward Bitcoin’s potential as a reserve asset. The lawyer’s objections come in light of  United States Senator Cynthia Lummis’ efforts to establish BTC as a mainstream financial asset. According to a recent report from Fox Business, Lummis is preparing a new legislation that might drastically change the rapidly expanding cryptocurrency industry by requiring the Federal Reserve (Fed) to purchase and retain Bitcoin as a strategic reserve asset. Fox Busi