Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 21:19

Lawmaker Says 'Tennessee Is Ready for Blockchain' at Bill Hearing
https://www.coindesk.com/tennessee-legislators-say-state-ready-blockchain/

Tennessee legislators say the state is "ready for the blockchain."

Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 19:34

Bitcoin Won't Cause Lehman-Style Meltdown, Says MAS Fintech Chief
https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-wont-cause-lehman-style-meltdown-says-mas-fintech-chief/

The fintech chief at the Monetary Authority of Singapore believes bitcoin won't cause a financial meltdown like the 2008 Lehman Brothers bankruptcy.

Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 18:37

'Micro' Finance Giant Robinhood Makes Big Bet on Bitcoin Trading
https://www.coindesk.com/micro-finance-giant-robinhood-makes-big-bet-on-bitcoin-trading/

Mobile stock trading provider Robinhood is now providing bitcoin and ethereum trading alongside the traditional assets it offers.

Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 16:02

Parts of the Electroneum paper are plagiarized from the original CryptoNote paper, on which Monero is based. The development team behind Electroneum is so inept that they did not know zero-fee transactions would be a bad idea.
But yes, this is a close call. Electroneum is clearly nipping at the heels of Monero.The issues with the Weiss Cryptocurrency Ratings should come as no surprise. After all, they’re new here. They don’t know what they don’t know. Their status as the expert cryptocurrency ratings agency is self-proclaimed, much like every other cryptocurrency expert that has popped up over the past few months.This is an opinion piece by Kyle Torpey. The views expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Media Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.This article originally appeared on Bitcoin Magazine (https://bitcoinmagazine.com/).

Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 16:02

Op-Ed: The Weiss Cryptocurrency Ratings Are Laughably Bad
https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/op-ed-weiss-cryptocurrency-ratings-are-laughably-bad/

Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 15:20

Bitcoin Dev Jimmy Song Is Now at Blockchain Capital
https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-dev-jimmy-song-is-now-a-blockchain-capital-partner/

Blockchain Capital has announced that Jimmy Song, a bitcoin core developer, has joined the blockchain firm as a venture partner.

Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 15:14

Bitcoin Bull Reversal Sighted, But Momentum Proves Weak
https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-bull-reversal-sighted-momentum-proves-weak/

Bitcoin bulls seem to have gained an upper hand, but the cryptocurrency is still struggling to find follow-through buying today. On Wednesday, CoinDesk's Bitcoin Price index (BPI) closed (as per UTC) 5.15 percent higher at $11,399. The positive close above $11,000 adds credence to the solid defense of the $10,000 mark seen earlier this week. […]

Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 13:46

Arsenal Football Club to Promote iGaming Firm ICO
https://www.coindesk.com/arsenal-football-club-signs-deal-to-promote-igaming-firms-ico/

iGaming platform provider CashBet has partnered with Arsenal Football Club in a deal that will promote the firm's new crypto token.

Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 10:48

Ex-CFTC Commissioner Joins Crypto Exchange as Regulatory Adviser
https://www.coindesk.com/ex-cftc-commissioner-joins-crypto-exchange-as-regulatory-adviser/

Bart Chilton, the former CFTC commissioner, is now taking his regulatory expertise to decentralized cryptocurrency exchange Omega One.

Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 00:18

Bitcoin Exchange Hit By Armed Robbers in Thwarted Theft
https://www.coindesk.com/canadian-bitcoin-exchange-hit-armed-robbers-police-say/

Canadian police are looking for two armed robbery suspects, having arrested one after an attempted heist at cryptocurrency exchange Canadian Bitcoins.

Bitcoin channel

24 January 2018 23:52

Figure 3: BTC-USD, 1-Day Candles, Daily 200 EMA
The 200 EMA on the daily chart has proven time and time again to be a firm level of support in previous corrective periods. It is highly unlikely that this level of support would break without several tests of the 200 EMA. In general, there is a strong confluence of support between the low $7,000s and high $8,000s. Given the current trend of lower highs and lower lows, I think it’s very likely we will see a test of these support levels.Summary:Bitcoin has managed to establish a trend of three lower highs and four lower lows to really cement the current bearish trend.
Bitcoin managed to find resistance on the parabolic curve and is now in the process of testing the support of the 50% Fibonacci retracement values.
If the current levels of support do not hold, support will be found between the $8,000s and $7,000s as there is a strong confluence of support in those price values.
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 (https://bitcoinmagazine.com/).

Bitcoin channel

24 January 2018 23:52

Figure 1: BTC-USD, 1-Day Candles, Macro View
For the time being, BTC-USD has managed to find support on the macro 50% retracement values twice. The 50% retracement has proven to be a strong level of support, but if you take a closer look at the market, there isn’t a whole lot of support below those values all the way down to the $7,000 values.

Bitcoin channel

24 January 2018 23:52

Bitcoin Price Analysis: Bearish Continuation Likely as BTC Tests Strong Support
https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/bitcoin-price-analysis-bearish-continuation-likely-btc-tests-strong-support/

Bitcoin channel

24 January 2018 21:55

Rapper 50 Cent Is Now a Bitcoin Millionaire
https://www.coindesk.com/rapper-50-cent-now-bitcoin-millionaire/

Rapper 50 Cent's move to accept bitcoin for his 2014 "Animal Ambition" album has resulted in a multi-million dollar windfall.

Bitcoin channel

24 January 2018 19:17

Two More Companies Sign On to Test Ripple's XRP in xRapid Pilots
https://www.coindesk.com/two-companies-sign-test-ripples-xrp-xrapid-pilots/

IDT Corporation and Mercury FX announced Wednesday that they would pilot Ripple's XRP token to facilitate real-time, low-cost international transfers.

Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 19:35

May, Lagarde, Mnuchin: World Leaders Are Talking Crypto at Davos
https://www.coindesk.com/may-lagarde-mnuching-davos-bitcoin-roundup/

World leaders have struck a cautionary tone on cryptocurrencies in statements made during the World Economic Forum event in Davos.

Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 19:33

Wyoming Lawmakers Want Exemptions for ICO Utility Tokens
https://www.coindesk.com/utility-token-exemption-sought-in-new-wyoming-blockchain-bill/

Lawmakers in Wyoming have filed a bill that, if approved, would exempt some creators and sellers of blockchain tokens from securities regulations.

Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 17:03

Security Firm Guardtime Unveils Crypto Asset Storage Product
https://www.coindesk.com/security-firm-guardtime-unveils-crypto-asset-storage-product/

Guardtime and Metaco launched yesterday, "SILO", a new cryptocurrency asset management solution for banks and financial institutions.

Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 16:02

But no. Ethereum, Steem, Cardano, EOS and NEO were all rated higher than Bitcoin.The EOS rating is especially notable because the project hasn’t even launched yet.There was so much disagreement with Bitcoin’s initial rating in the Weiss Cryptocurrency Ratings that Weiss Ratings made a blog post explaining their reasoning behind the rating. While the post noted Bitcoin’s superb fundamentals, it also claimed that the world’s first cryptoasset is lacking in other areas.“Bitcoin falls short in two other important areas: Our Risk Index, reflecting extreme price volatility[,] and our Technology Index, reflecting Bitcoin’s weaknesses in governance, energy consumption and scalability,” said the blog post.In terms of the Risk Index, Bitcoin getting bad marks for price volatility is all well and good, but it’s still less volatile than the newer altcoins that haven’t been around for extended bear markets.The Technology Index is where they really lose me.Bitcoin has the strongest governance out of any cryptoasset network in existence today because it is the only one that has reached a level of adoption that makes it less vulnerable to a single entity having too much control over the system. The value proposition of a coin with “strong governance” is lower than a coin with no governance at all because the whole point of these systems is to be permissionless and resistant to censorship.
Remember that time people thought Vitalik was dead and the price crashed. https://t.co/0AUsJBx1UA— dark pill (@DanDarkPill) January 15, 2018 (https://twitter.com/DanDarkPill/status/953040193946312706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)




Energy consumption is irrelevant and has no place in a comparison of cryptoasset valuations. Perhaps Weiss Ratings could explain the relevance here in the future.Weiss Ratings’ knock on Bitcoin in terms of scalability is due to the 4 MB block weight limit. “It is encountering major network bottlenecks, causing delays and high transactions costs,” says an announcement from the ratings publication.In other words, Weiss Ratings thinks too many people are using Bitcoin to transact, so it should receive a lower grade. If only Bitcoin had fewer users!Every cryptocurrency network faces a tradeoff between centralization and transaction costs if enough people are using it. Building layers on top of the base blockchain is generally accepted as the best method of scaling these cryptocurrency networks further, and Bitcoin’s first stab at this scaling method, known as the lightning network, is already being played around with on mainnet.If Bitcoin is getting a knock in scalability, it’s likely that they haven’t accounted for the centralization tradeoffs — in terms of technical implementations and/or governance — that come with the other, “more scalable” networks.Electroneum and MoneroThe clearest indicators that the Weiss Cryptocurrency Ratings are complete hogwash are found when you compare some of the ratings on the list.For example, Zcash and SmartCash have the same rating. While Zcash introduced zero-knowledge proofs for better privacy on a cryptocurrency network for the first time, SmartCash appears to be a knockoff of Dash that has less than $1 million worth of trading volume over the past 24 hours. I don’t hold either of these coins, but at least Zcash is doing something interesting.The two most hilarious cryptocurrencies to compare from the Weiss Cryptocurrency Ratings are Monero and Electroneum. Monero is a C and Electroneum is a C-.Electroneum is literally a knockoff of Monero, which is perhaps the most-promising altcoin in terms of protecting user privacy, as evidenced by the fanfare it receives on the darknet markets.
They allegedly raised $40 million to fork Monero and change the decimal place.— Riccardo “fluffyblockchain” Spagni (@fluffypony) December 11, 2017 (https://twitter.com/fluffypony/status/940212654559383552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 15:40

Why a $39 Million ICO Chose Stellar Over Ethereum
https://www.coindesk.com/why-a-39-million-ico-chose-stellar-over-ethereum/

Mobius Network has raised $39 million in its token sale, opting to use the Stellar network instead of the more popular ethereum.

Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 15:19

Former Ripple Exec Invests $57.5 Million in Digital Money Platform Uphold
https://www.coindesk.com/former-ripple-exec-invests-57-5-million-in-digital-money-platform-uphold/

Digital money platform Uphold has received a $57.5 million investment from former Federal Reserve analyst and Ripple chief risk officer Greg Kidd.

Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 14:40

SEC, CFTC Chiefs Eye Closer Scrutiny of US Cryptocurrency Industry
https://www.coindesk.com/sec-cftc-chiefs-eye-closer-scrutiny-of-us-cryptocurrency-industry/

Two U.S. financial regulators are increasing their commitment to bringing closer scrutiny to the cryptocurrency industry, according to their chiefs.

Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 10:48

Investors File Class Action Against BitConnect Following Abrupt Closure
https://www.coindesk.com/investors-file-class-action-against-bitconnect-following-abrupt-closure/

A class action suit has been filed against exchange and lending platform BitConnect, which recently closed following U.S. cease-and-desist orders.

Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 06:29

Audit Giant DNV GL Partners With Blockchain Startup to Track Assets
https://www.coindesk.com/audit-giant-dnv-gl-partners-with-vechain-to-launch-data-tracker-blockchain/

DNV GL and VeChain are teaming up to develop a blockchain to track arack all shipments.

Bitcoin channel

25 January 2018 00:15

Digital Marketplace Startup Completes $15 Million Token Sale
https://www.coindesk.com/digital-marketplace-startup-completes-15-million-token-sale/

Listia announced Wednesday it had raised $15 million in an ICO and will launch its decentralized marketplace Ink Protocol next month.

Bitcoin channel

24 January 2018 23:52

Figure 2: BTC-USD, 6-HR Candles, Next Levels of Support
Looking at the way the 50 and 200 EMA are acting on the 6-hour chart, we see that the overall macro trend is moving downward and is actually finding resistance on the 200 EMA — values that for a long period of time have shown to be firm levels of support. On the 6-hour candles, the 50 and the 200 EMAs have formed a pattern called a “death cross.” A death cross is when the 50 EMA crosses downward and begins trending below the 200 EMA. This is typically a sign of a more macro, bearish market outlook.If the 50% values fail to provide support on the next test, a sharp drop could be in store — a sharp drop similar to the one from $14.5K to $9K. Looking at the image above, it becomes apparent that the parabolic rise to $20K was so sharp and aggressive, there was little time to establish firm levels of support on the way up. Well, now that we are moving back down in price, the aggressive growth comes with aggressive consequences. In our case, the aggressive consequence is the lack of support between the $10,000 and $7,000 values. If we do see a drop below the 50% Fibonacci line, it is highly likely to find support along the 61% values where the blue bar is shown above.Another level of support is likely to be found on the daily 200 EMA, just above the blue region:

Bitcoin channel

24 January 2018 23:52

Lower highs and lower lows have been the story of bitcoin (https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/bitcoin-price-analysis-potential-bearish-continuation-sets-lower-lows/) for the last few weeks — market behavior that has left even the most bullish investors scratching their heads. Since bitcoin’s dramatic rise to $20,000, there has been a series of harsh drops temporarily stifled by feeble rallies. At the time of this article, BTC-USD has managed to break through three major levels of support of both the upper and lower parabolic trends, and a long-term linear trend:

Bitcoin channel

24 January 2018 23:05

Bermuda Could Launch a Blockchain Land Registry
https://www.coindesk.com/bermuda-launch-blockchain-land-registry/

Bermuda is moving toward setting up a blockchain-based system for recording property deeds, its premier said at Davos this week.

Bitcoin channel

24 January 2018 19:19

Canada's VersaBank Unveils 'Digital Vault' Blockchain Service
https://www.coindesk.com/canadas-versabank-unveils-digital-vault-blockchain-service/

VersaBank, based in Canada, is developing a "blockchain-based digital safety deposit box" as part of an effort to tap the tech for new services.

Bitcoin channel

24 January 2018 19:16

'Not True': Goldman Denies Bitcoin Trading Rumor
https://www.coindesk.com/not-true-goldmans-blankfein-denies-bitcoin-trading-desk-rumor/

The CEO of Goldman Sachs has denied a report from last year which said that the investment bank was moving to launch its own bitcoin trading desk.