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☆ Litecoin, XRP and other altcoins rise Wednesday as 'blue chip' bitcoin hits a lull
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Litecoin and XRP were each higher by about 5%, according to Coin Metrics, while the Sandbox token jumped 4%. On Wednesday Ripple, the global payments company behind XRP, announced its acquisition of Metaco, a Swiss crypto custody services firm. Still, realized 30-day volatility for both bitcoin and ether are off their record lows of the year, according to Glassnode. In recent months, bitcoin and ether have been regarded by many as so-called "blue chip" or "flight to safety" assets in crypto. Bitcoin and ether continued to hover around the flat line Wednesday at the $27,000 and $1,800 levels, respectively.

☆ Morgan Stanley sees a sign that points to a top in bitcoin
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

It's altcoin season, as they say in crypto, and that could mean a bitcoin price peak is imminent, according to Morgan Stanley. "Speculative activity has returned to some parts of the crypto market," said Morgan Stanley analyst Sheena Shah. Bitcoin price peaks both large and small have in recent years coincided with increases in speculative token listings, she said, highlighting April and November 2021 and March and August 2022. Throughout 2021 bitcoin's price had an inverse relationship with the pace of new token listings, according to Shah. "We will be watching to see if the same pattern repeats or if we are at the start of a new bullish bitcoin price cycle," said Shah.

Apparently they can in some parts of the world, such as Argentina and Turkey, where soaring prices and tumbling local currencies have forced people to seek refuge in digital coins. Trading volumes for spot bitcoin are highest during U.S. opening hours, with little change from 2022, Kaiko data showed. If dollar to crypto volumes are excluded, then the next most dominant currency is South Korea's won . Crypto trading volumes in South Korea are back to levels seen in first quarter and second quarters of 2022 after a weak fourth quarter in 2022, analysts at crypto investment firm Matrixport said. "This is in stark contrast to other crypto exchanges where bitcoin and Ethereum account for the majority of the volume."

☆ Bitcoin surges 9% toward key level of $30,000 as crypto market rallies amid fresh banking sector fears
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The rally comes as First Republic Bank stokes fresh fears over weakness in the banking sector. Investors are also adding risk as they anticipate a Fed pivot, a crypto exec told Insider. First Republic Bank stock nosedived almost 50% on Tuesday and lost another 20% Wednesday, hitting a record low, after reporting higher-than-expected customer deposit withdrawals. Bitcoin rallied through the turmoil in March as Silicon Valley Bank failed, and industry observers said a similar situation is playing out for the world's largest crypto amid the latest bout of uncertainty. Another crypto exec echoed similar sentiments, adding that the slew of bank failures like Silicon Valley Bank last month made investors question the stability of traditional financial services.

☆ A freelancer who is financially independent from his real estate portfolio shares the 'pyramid model' that helps him decide how to invest his money
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Atif Afzal has built wealth and created financial independence via real estate investing, but it's not the only place he puts his money. Real estate is the lowest risk for me because traditionally it has always grown." Despite his success as a real estate investor, he's invested in other types of assets, including cryptocurrency and the stock market. Why real estate is at the base of the pyramidFor Afzal, investing most of his money into real estate means "adopting a conservative approach," he said. Seattle-based real estate investor and self-made millionaire Todd Baldwin similarly believes that real estate investing is the most tried-and-true way to generate wealth.

☆ Ether is poised to climb higher with the uncertainty of 'Shanghai' behind investors
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Market participants say that with all the uncertainty out of the way, ether may finally catch up with bitcoin. After Shanghai Investors can now withdraw staked ether from the network for the first time ever: This is one of the biggest attractions of the Shanghai upgrade. This Merge ultimately made more liquidity available to ether investors and stakers. "Dominance" measures how a crypto asset like bitcoin is performing relative to its peers in the crypto market. That correlation has declined, however, in part because market participants have favored bitcoin over ether ahead of the Shanghai upgrade.

☆ Bank runs have the crypto industry on high alert. 3 experts explain why the latest batch is especially worrisome — and what comes next.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Only a decade ago, bank runs happened at a much slower pace. The era of digital bank runsOne thing the past few weeks has made clear is that bank runs now unfold differently, especially for smaller banks that service specialized sectors. "Bank runs are evolving into a different and much more dangerous beast because they happen faster," Baker said. By comparison, on March 9, SVB lost $42 billion in a day — and it was a smaller bank, Baker added. Long said she warned regulators again after FTX collapsed that banks servicing the crypto sector face the danger of bank runs.

☆ Bitcoin’s market dominance is climbing. Here’s what that says about interest rate expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Bitcoin's market dominance has been climbing in March and is now up to levels not seen since June. Investors use it to determine which parts of the crypto market are outperforming or underperforming relative to their peers. When bitcoin dominance climbs, it implies that bitcoin is doing well, but more specifically, it means its outperforming altcoins. Bitcoin dominance has risen steadily since March 8, the day after Silvergate Bank announced its voluntary liquidation. "That's reflecting a view that a lot of macro investors have, that we're either at or very near the bottom of this macro cycle."

☆ A day trader who returned 380% in 2022 explains why he's keeping his portfolio entirely in cash right now — and how shorting crypto in the face of a recession could lead to another big windfall
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Mark Szemeszki returned 380% last year by getting into the oil trade and by shorting bitcoin. On a recent podcast, Szemeszki shared the macroeconomic indicators he tracks for his trades. He also explained why he's currently 100% in cash — but why shorting altcoins could soon make sense. But whenever an occasion arises where this correlation inverts, he'll short altcoins as their prices begin to relatively increase. "I always try to position it so even though in the short term I may not be right, in the long term I will be right eventually," he explained.

☆ The stock market has been flipped and investors are taunting the Fed
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

As my colleague Matthew Fox writes, the stock market has been completely flipped upside down so far in 2023. This is the type of trading behavior you'd expect to see when interest rates are closer to 0% than 5%. To Kolanovic, the errant investor behavior foreshadows a plunge in the stock market. US stock futures fall early Tuesday, as investors stay worried that persistent inflation means interest rates will stay higher for longer. SoFi's Liz Young warned that a lack of reserve funds could stop this year's stock market rally: "What the equity market is not pricing in at this point, or is not worried enough about, is consumer spending."

☆ A crypto chartmaster shares why bitcoin could fall up to 50% after its massive comeback — and why he's bullish on these 4 altcoins in the long term
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Chartmaker Forrest Przybysz shared his 2023 price outlook for bitcoin and ether. Here are four altcoins that Przybysz is most optimistic about with bitcoin at risk of falling. In other words, while Przybysz's charts also indicate that ether could fall 20%, the token's potential upside of 57% is double that of bitcoin. Ether is trading above technical support but could rise substantially. Forrest Przybysz, Sistine ResearchDespite their strong showings so far this year, bitcoin and ether are still about 64% below their all-time highs.

☆ Chart analyst Katie Stockton says she remains skeptical of bitcoin's 2023 rally
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Katie Stockton, founder of Fairlead Strategies, said Tuesday that bitcoin's rally in the new year doesn't look sustainable. "The positive development is that it has rallied enough to give folks an exit," Stockton said on CNBC's "Squawk Box." BTC.CB= 1Y mountain Bitcoin Stockton said a slow grind higher would be more bullish for bitcoin and other altcoins. "So we're skeptical as to the sustainability of this rally, which we are still viewing as countertrend," Stockton said. Meanwhile, the chart analyst said there are oversold conditions in place, but they've been in place for many months now.

☆ Here's what you need to know about crypto's current price surge: Traders share bitcoin price estimates and how they think this rally will play out
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Bitcoin's price has rallied, up by 30% since its December low. This reduces the number of new coins being created, which tightens supply and kicks up demand, sending bitcoin's price spiking. He added that a real bull rally will only kick off within six months of the next bitcoin halving. Since market trading volume has been low relative to 2021, it doesn't take much to push the market in any direction, he said. Bitcoin's price plunged by 3.4% that afternoon before slightly recovering on Thursday.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried is now writing his own newsletter while under house arrest at his parents' $4 million property: 'I didn't steal funds'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Presumably writing from his parents' $4 million property in Palo Alto, California near Stanford, Sam Bankman-Fried published a lengthy newsletter yesterday, titled "FTX Pre-Mortem Overview." One statement stood out to me: "I didn't steal funds, and I certainly didn't stash billions away." In the note, Bankman-Fried highlighted that both FTX and Alameda Research were raking in billions in profits in 2021. A key to the collapse, he explained, was 2022's crypto bear market that left just about every token worth dramatically less than the year prior. Well, Bankman-Fried yesterday outlined two versions of the hedge fund's balance sheet, one from each of the past two years.

Bitcoin balances on crypto exchanges - where retail investors typically transact - have fallen to around 2.3 million from its 2020 all-time high of 3.1 million, exchange Bitfinex said. "There are signs that a significant number of retail investors have been discouraged to the point of exiting crypto entirely," Bitfinex analysts said. DAVID VS GOLIATHCrypto retail investors losing money is nothing new. A study from the Bank of International Settlements (BIS), conducted between 2015 and 2022, estimated that 73% to 81% likely lost money on their investments in cryptocurrencies. Eloisa Marchesoni, a trader who said she had about $2,000 on FTX she was unable to withdraw, is sure crypto will retain its attraction for smaller investors.

☆ Investors flock to short crypto funds, products as negative sentiment deepens -CoinShares
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Crypto products and funds saw inflows of $44 million, as of the week ended Nov. 18, but 75% of those flows represented investments in short crypto products, data showed. The total assets under management have plunged to $22 billion, the lowest in two years, CoinShares said. FTX filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States more than a week ago in the highest-profile crypto implosion to date. CoinShares data also showed that bitcoin posted inflows of $14 million, but when offset by inflows into short investment products, the net flows were a negative $4.3 million. Investors poured in record inflows to short-Ethereum products of $14 million.

☆ A Goldman Sachs alum turned crypto exec breaks down why Wall Street's next push into digital assets will be through bitcoin
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-15 | by ( Morgan Chittum | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

John Haar, a managing director at digital asset services platform Swan Bitcoin, previously had a 12-year stint at Goldman Sachs. He says bitcoin is the biggest contender to gain traction in legacy finance and pull institutional interest in further. Investors saw the first wave of institutional interest in crypto through bitcoin as well. First, the value prop of bitcoin, Haar says, is the concept of "sound money," a currency that isn't prone to a sudden depreciation or appreciation in value. "I think Bitcoin is an easier sell, but I think we're still very early in terms of them potentially getting on board.

☆ How SkyBridge founder Anthony Scaramucci is navigating the world between traditional and digital assets — plus his favorite coins and hedge funds for the tough market environment
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Laila Maidan | Alyson Velati | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A survey conducted by the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA), showed that about one-third of traditional hedge funds are investing in digital assets. Approximately one-third of the panel discussions revolved around digital assets, according to SkyBridge Capital's Anthony Scaramucci. And while some funds may still be grappling with the question of how much exposure they should allocate to digital assets, Scaramucci is pedaling forward. Long term, he believes in the appreciation of digital assets, and he's willing to pay the price of absorbing the volatility in the meantime. The pivot to digital assetsSkyBridge has pivoted heavily into crypto and blockchain technology from its traditional hedge fund of funds business.

☆ The crypto bear market will continue if bitcoin confirms its recent breakdown below $20,000, Fairlead's Katie Stockton says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The crypto bear market is likely to continue if bitcoin confirms its recent breakdown below $20,000, according to Fairlead Strategies. "Negative long-term momentum is growing per the monthly MACD histogram, allowing long-term oversold conditions to be absorbed. "Short-term momentum has shifted negative per a new daily MACD 'sell' signal, increasing risk as long-term support is tested." Another bad sign for the crypto market as a whole is the fact that bitcoin is once again outperforming ether on a relative basis since early September. Until then, expect the crypto bear market to continue.

☆ I just tried to buy altcoins in the UK and it was a nightmare. Here's how I ended up with $10 locked in an eToro account — and why I think it's a sign that crypto needs a bear market.
▼ + stars: | 2022-01-31 | by ( Kari Mcmahon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

The crypto market has dominated headlines as the currency generated stellar returns. Since I was buying crypto in the UK, the process is slightly different than in the US. "eToro Wallet acts as the gateway between the eToro investment platform and the blockchain," said an eToro spokesperson in an email. Crypto needs a bear marketSo with $9.94 of hard-earned cash still sitting in my eToro account, I am left with a bitter taste in my mouth. Some of the most well-regarded crypto products in today's market, such as the FTX exchange and solana, were built in the last crypto winter.

But candidates and political committees are increasingly open to accepting bitcoin and altcoins. Are you a political candidate or lead a political committee and accept cryptocurrency? If the price of bitcoin goes up while a political committee is in possession of it, the committee may legally profit. While the FEC expressly says political committees may accept up to $100 worth of bitcoin, it's silent on whether it's legal for committees to accept more. Here are 25 federal political candidates and political committees that have, of late, led the way into the uncertain realm of cryptocurrency and elections.

☆ How to mine doge, plus a playbook for trading meme stocks
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-11 | by ( Business Insider | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Welcome to this weekly roundup of Investing stories from deputy editor Joe Ciolli. Yuriko Nakao/Getty ImagesHello and welcome to Insider Investing. I'm Joe Ciolli, and I'm here to guide you through the current market and investing landscape. Here's what's on the docket:If you aren't yet a subscriber to Insider Investing, you can sign up here. Dason ThomasDason Thomas says he began mining crypto in his garage to earn altcoins like doge and litecoin.

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