Author: dfmines

The approval of Bitcoin ETFs by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in January 2023 has opened the floodgates for significant institutional investment in the newly approved market. However, US states are also rushing to capitalize on the success of these ETFs by allocating a portion of their pension funds to reap profits and diversify their investments. Wisconsin, Jersey City, Michigan Allocate Millions To Bitcoin ETFs The first state to take the plunge was Wisconsin, which in May 2023 allocated approximately $98.6 million, or 2% of its pension fund, to BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF. Now, two more states have joined Wisconsin in allocating state pension funds to Bitcoin ETFs. On Thursday, NewsBTC reported that the mayor of Jersey City, Steven Fulop, announced that it is updating its paperwork with the SEC to allow its pension fund to invest in Bitcoin ETFs.  Related Reading: VacEck Places $52.4 Million Price Tag On Bitcoin, But How Is This Possible? The latest state to join the Bitcoin ETF investment bandwagon is Michigan; as in an SEC filing on Friday morning, the State of Michigan Retirement System reported owning $6.6 million worth of shares in the ARK Bitcoin ETF managed by Ark Invest, amounting to 110,000 shares as of June 30th. However, Jersey City remains the only one that discloses the percentage of the fund’s investment in the Bitcoin ETF market and which asset manager will be selected to manage the fund’s allocation.  Still, this notes the significant traction that the new Bitcoin ETF market has gained over the past seven months among institutions and now these states, adding to the notable inflows and assets under management surpassing the $17 billion milestone, eclipsing tech-based ETFs.  BTC Price Rebound Fueled By Spot ETFs The Bitcoin price has steadily recovered over the past two weeks, rebounding from a 6-month low of $53,500 at the beginning of July. However, according to a new report by on-chain and market data analytics firm CryptoQuant, this price recovery has continued to rely on spot Bitcoin ETFs rather than a surge of new investor inflows. The CryptoQuant report examined Bitcoin price movements and new investor holdings over the past 8 years and found that in previous long-term bull cycles, the Bitcoin price peaked when the number of new entrants crossed a certain threshold, indicating a strong “fear of missing out” (FOMO) driving inflows. However, the firm contends that the current Bitcoin bull cycle does not exhibit the same trend of new investor inflows at price tops. Instead, the report noted that the recent spike in new inflows seen in the year’s first quarter appears to be just a temporary wave between longer-term cycle tops. Related Reading: Bitcoin Supply Drop Signals Upbeat Price Movement, Analyst Says This suggests that Bitcoin’s recent price recovery has been driven more by the inflows into spot Bitcoin ETFs rather than a surge of new investors entering the crypto market.  While spot ETFs have supported the Bitcoin price, the report indicates that a more sustainable upside will depend on a return of new investor demand. When writing, the largest cryptocurrency on the market was trading at $67,530, up nearly 5% in the 24-hour time frame.  Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Microstrategy, believes the U.S. government should hold the majority of the world’s bitcoin, arguing this would strengthen the U.S. dollar. Drawing parallels to historic acquisitions, he views bitcoin as a critical asset for the future. Saylor emphasized: “The country gotta look to the future, and the future of the country […]

The presidential hopeful gave Bitcoin eloquent praise as a future support for the US economy and way to fix broken American money and society.

Zimbabwe’s central bank, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), has injected over US$50 million into the interbank foreign exchange market to stabilize the economy. This move comes as the parallel market exchange rate is significantly higher than the official rate, causing economic instability. The RBZ aims to increase foreign currency supply, reduce pressure on banks, […]

Grayscale must await final regulatory signoff on its registration filing before listing the fund

The two Republican senators claimed that if their party wins control of the Senate, they will stop the SEC’s “regulation by enforcement.”

Crypto analyst RLinda has revealed that XRP is showing impressive strength despite the decline in Bitcoin and Ethereum’s price. She explained why XRP suddenly has such a bullish outlook, considering that the crypto token has underperformed since the start of the year.  XRP Is The “Strongest” In The Market RLinda mentioned in a post on TradingView that XRP is the strongest in the market. She noted that the crypto token has been holding quite well as traders and investors are again becoming bullish on XRP due to its “improving fundamental backdrop.” She alluded to the long-running legal battle between the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and how Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse recently stated that he expects the lawsuit to end “very soon.” Related Reading: Crypto Analyst Says Bitcoin Is Headed For $260,000 But This Must Happen First RLinda also mentioned the rumors that the SEC’s closed-door meeting on July 25 was related to a potential settlement with Ripple. As such, these bullish fundamentals have led to rising trading volumes, prices hitting local highs, and increased whale activity. Bitcoinist recently reported that XRP whales accumulated over 140 million XRP tokens this past week.  Network activity on the XRP Ledger (XRPL) has increased significantly, with a notable increase in the number of new addresses on the network and total addresses interacting on the network, both metrics at their highest levels since March. This again highlights the bullish sentiment that investors are beginning to have towards XRP in anticipation of higher prices.  These investors expect that the conclusion of the legal battle between the SEC and Ripple could trigger a massive rally for XRP, especially considering that this case is believed to have been a stumbling block to XRP’s growth in the 2021 bull run. XRP is also long overdue for such a rally, seeing how it has consolidated for over six years. As such, an end to the lawsuit could provide the much-needed catalyst to spark such price movement.  Interestingly, crypto analysts like JackTheRippler previously predicted that XRP could climb as high as $100 once the case between the SEC and Ripple ends.  Key Price Levels To Watch Out For RLinda mentioned that the price range between $0.6378 and $0.5712 is worth paying attention to from a technical perspective. She claimed that XRP’s price may test liquidity below the support before subsequent growth if it fails to break the resistance level at $0.6378. She also highlighted another crucial resistance level at $0.7440. Related Reading: Ethereum Whales Rapidly Accumulate ETH Amid Price Decline Meanwhile, according to RLinda, $0.5712 and $0.5100 are crucial support levels that XRP needs to hold above, as a drop below these levels could invalidate its bullish outlook. The analyst again alluded to the lawsuit and asserted that it would give XRP a “second life.” She suggested this could lead to a successful breakout from the $0.6378 price level, which she added will “open a new path” for the crypto token.  At the time of writing, XRP is trading at around $0.6, up almost 1% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.  Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com

US Senator Lummis recently authored a report highlighting the benefit of the Bitcoin mining industry and denouncing Biden’s proposed 30% tax.

According to the blockchain-based prediction market Polymarket, there is an 84% likelihood that former President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris will debate before the election. Trump has shown hesitation to debate Harris until her official nomination, citing significant confusion within the Democratic party. High Stakes: $142,846 Wager on Trump-Harris Debate Before Election […]

The former National Security Agency contractor did not name any particular US or international lawmakers but warned many didn’t belong to the “tribe” of Bitcoiners.