Tether International Limited, the company behind the widely popular stablecoin USDT, dropped a (good) bombshell today by revealing its new bitcoin (BTC) investment game plan.

In a bold move, the company declared that it would allocate 15% of its profits to accumulate more bitcoin. They're not messing around when it comes to their reserve portfolio, which contains precious metals, fiat currencies, treasury bills, money market funds and crypto.

Their most recent independent audit report showed the company with a little over $79 Billion in liabilities, but owning almost $82 billion in assets.

These Bitcoin buys won't be used to back USDT, on that front they're overcollateralized...

This is Tether flexing its financial muscles and going beyond what anyone had demanded of them by beefing up their reserves.

By the end of Q1 2023, Tether already had a cool $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin stashed away. That's a modest 2% of their reserves, though. Gold clocked in at 4%, while a hefty 85% was chilling in cold hard cash and other assets. But Tether's not satisfied with those numbers, they're thirsty for more.

Tether also announced that unlike most institutional investors who let other companies store and safeguard their bitcoins, Tether takes the "not your keys, not your bitcoin" mantra to heart. They'll be be handling their own custody. 

The Bitcoin Request for Comment Protocol (BRC-20) is dominating crypto transactions, with 65% of all mined transactions yesterday being tied to the protocol - a new record.

The sudden explosion in popularity has also sparked debate;  is BRC-20 now one of crypto's 'top protocols' and should be regarded similarly to Ethereum's ERC-20 protocol?  Or, as some claim, are we seeing a temporary trend built on memecoins that are unlikely to experience any long term success?

Not the First Time the Majority of BTC Transactions Were BRC-20 Related...

While yesterday's 65% set a new record, the majority (more than 50%) of Bitcoin transactions were related to a BRC-20 transaction for 5 of the last 9 days .

BRC-20 operates on the Ordinals protocol, which is relatively new and enables the storage of various forms of information, such as images, videos, and audios, on the Bitcoin blockchain.

Fees Bring Angry Users, Happy Miners...

Unfortunately, this has led to high congestion and exorbitant fees for processing transactions on the Bitcoin network, causing frustration for regular users.

Miners, on the other hand, are reaping the rewards -  some are claiming to have "never earned this much before".

Over 650 BTC (approximately $18,200,000) has already been spent on fees for the 3,755,000+ BRC-20 transactions to date.------- 
Author: Justin Derbek
New York News Desk
Breaking Crypto News

Initially the discovery was credited to a blog post called earlier this week on Andy Baio’s Waxy.org Blog. The blogger says he accidently spotted the hidden file while fixing his printer. Then to make sure it was something inserted into every Mac OS copy, he confirmed his findings by having “over a dozen Mac-using friends.” also see if it was on their computer... it was!

This was the first time it was mentioned somewhere that good number of people would read it.

Turns out, this wasn't the first time it was discovered...

It turns out - he wasn't the first to find it. 

Another Mac user did back in April 2021, and posted it on the Apple support forums  however, his post focuses on a hidden image he found burried in the Mac OS code, but at the end mentions "Weirdly there is also a PDF with the original Bitcoin white paper from Satoshi Nakamoto in the VirtualScanner.app Package Content."

But wait... an even earlier post was discovered on Twitter!

A Tweet mentioning it dates back to November 2020, so unless an even earlier dated post is discovered, we're considering Josh D on Twitter the official 'discoverer' of the hidden Mac OS Satoshi Whitepaper. 

The earliest mention of it we've been able to find.

It's a new month, and the end of 2023's first quarter is in sight.

As someone who watches Bitcoin on an hourly/minute-by-minute basis, it's also important to occasionally take a look at the big picture as well. Taking a step back will often reveal things you didn't notice before. Remember, you can also miss things by looking too closely.

On that note, as I zoomed out from the hourly charts to look at the market from the beginning of the year, I could see just how strong of a start Bitcoin is having in 2023 — things look even better than I was expecting.

3 Positive Months...

This will be Bitcoin's best quarter in 2 years if it maintains its growth through April!

Bitcoin has grown every month of 2023 so far.  Exactly 3 months ago, BTC was trading at $16,585 - so we're up approximately $12,000... in just 90 days!

Have We Been Here Before?

Some analysts are saying they've seen these charts before - in the run-up to 2020's bull run that brought Bitcoin's price to over $60,000+.

Take a look at this tweet from analytics platform Barcharts: 

The banking crisis, inflation, and investors looking for alternative stores of value is considered the main driving factor behind the recent price increase - there's no end to these issues in sight, and many think things could potentially get worse before the situation improves. 

Why The Next Bull Run Will Be BIGGER Than the Last...

I'm not someone who makes predictions, I'll share interesting ones made by others if there's data to explain how they arrived at their opinion - but don't ask me when Bitcoin's next big bull run will be. 

But when does happen - it's going to break price records.

That's not a prediction - first off, it's tradition - as every crypto-crash has been followed by setting a new high.

However, this time something is very different than before, and there's really only one way this plays out - buyers will be in a bidding war over an INSANELY low supply of Bitcoin being sold.

The supply of Bitcoin being held off-market is at an all-time high...

This has been the case since early February, and we covered this then. Basically, to qualify as a coin that's being held 'off market' it must have have remained in a single wallet, untouched, for 2+ years or more.

We're seeing that Bitcoin believers took advantage of the low prices and spent the bear market accumulating. Now the owners of these Bitcoins are HODLing, and won't be selling anytime soon.

I know countless people in this group, it includes most of the people reading this, and the person writing it as well. I know that each person has a number in mind as their target selling price, and while it varies for everyone, I'm not hearing anyone say they've been holding for years just to sell for $30k, or $40k.  I occasionally hear $50k, I occasionally even hear $1 Million, but the majority of people seem to be eyeing somewhere around $60k-$100k.

So as the next bull run brings waves of amateur investors wanting a piece of the action, (it always does) they're going to discover very few people selling to them for anything under $50k, as this record number of people continue holding back a significant portion of the supply.

Once it begins, expect prices to rise at a speed we've never seen before...

This low supply of Bitcoin being sold is something most people seem unaware of, or at least not paying attention to yet. But I believe this will be the defining factor of the next bull run, the thing people will mention when talking about it years later.

One final thing to consider - The low supply will cause the price to rise fast, but the faster it rises the more news it makes, and the more people it attracts looking to buy as quickly as possible.

Things could get real interesting, real quick. You don't need to know exactly when it will come to make sure you're positioned to take advantage of things once it begins - position yourself wisely.

[ Trading Tip: If you don't want to risk buying now because you are concerned it could go lower before it goes higher, remember, you can place bids to catch it on the way up.  For example, Bitcoin is at $28,430 at the time of publishing, so setting buys at around $32,000 would let you get on the rocket ship before it really takes off. ]

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Author: Ross Davis
Silicon Valley Newsroom
GCP | Breaking Crypto News

The battle for the future of money is heating up in the United States, with some states proposing to ban the "digital dollar" before it even exists, while others quietly pass laws to make it a reality. It's a conflict that has raised concerns about privacy, surveillance, and control.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is leading the charge against the digital dollar, announcing a proposed bill to ban it in his state. According to a statement from the governor's office, the legislation is intended to "protect Floridians from the Biden administration's use of financial sector weapons through a central bank digital currency (CBDC)."

DeSantis's bill seeks to prohibit the use of the digital dollar or CBDC as money in Florida and to create "protections" against digital currencies issued by central banks belonging to nations sanctioned by the United States. He hopes that other states will follow suit and establish similar prohibitions to "fight this concept throughout the country."

In the view of the Republican governor, a digital currency "has to do with surveillance and control" of citizens, and it "will stifle innovation." adding that "Florida will not side with the economic central planners. "We will not adopt policies that threaten economic freedom and personal security."

Senator Ted Cruz of Texas is also pushing for a ban on the digital dollar, citing concerns about privacy implications. He argues that a digital dollar "could be used as a financial surveillance tool by the federal government."

As Other States Quietly Take Steps to Move the Digital Dollar Forward...

President Biden issued an executive order last year that instructs several government offices to research creating a central bank digital currency, since then things have appeared to be moving forward with no official updates from the federal government.

The silence seems to be deliberate when it comes to the most recent steps targeting the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), which are laws that every state has, and every state controls. 

Intended to make sure states can easily conduct business with each other, the digital dollar may be the first time there's been major disagreements between some states and could result in the 'Uniform' codes ending up far from uniform nation-wide. 

Just this week South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem vetoed House Bill 1193 which would have opened the doors for the digital dollar in her state by amending their UCC to allow for fully electronic payments backed only by electronic records "this is extremely troubling. If Congress were to someday create an official electronic currency that is programmable, it would pose significant threats to Americans’ liberty and privacy rights. Why, then, would so many lawmakers want to make it easier for such a currency to be used in their states?"

Both republicans and democrats have made more public statements implying they are against the digital dollar, yet both parties have been found slipping the verbiage needed to make it happen into bills in their states, now there are similar bills headed to vote soon in 20 more states including in Arkansas, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and California.

One Major Roadblock Could Still Stop the Digital Dollar from Happening...

Not because they share any of the same concerns citizens have voiced - but nonetheless, they hate the idea and they may have enough power over politicians to get their way - the banks.

Banks see the Digital Dollar as a way for the government to become their biggest competitor.  Imagine - your job pays you in digital dollars, they're stored in an app on your phone, and virtually every place you would spend money accepts it, what do you need a bank for? 

While banks would still have a role when it comes to investing, lending, and securing larger business and personal accounts, the average person could go months, or even years without needing to interact with a bank, and have no need for a personal account. 

A battle with significant consequences...

Both for the future of our economy and the role of the government in our financial lives. Will we become a cashless society dominated by a digital dollar, or will we maintain the status quo? 

Until recently, this all felt like something so far in the future it was hard to really concern yourself with - but as we begin seeing real laws designed to move plans for the digital dollar forward proposed in multiple states, the potential implications are beginning to feel very real.

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Author: Ross Davis
Silicon Valley Newsroom
GCP | Breaking Crypto News

The amount of 'saved Bitcoin' (coins being kept at a single wallet address for at least two years) has reached a new all-time high.

According to data compiled by the analytics firm Glassnode, these coins total over 49% percent of the total Bitcoin supply, which comes to 9.45 million BTC. Nearly half of all Bitcoin's are in the hands of long term investors.

Soon the majority of all BTC will have not moved in over 2 years - an extremely bullish indicator...

The previous record amount of saved Bitcoin was set between the end of 2020 and the start of 2021. This coincides with the start of the bull market that year - with the rising price being driven by a lack of people willing to sell their BTC.

So far, we're seeing a similar path ahead now, as Bitcoin and the rest of the cryptocurrency market appear to be beginning a price recovery cycle.

Since the beginning of this year, bitcoin has increased by almost 40%. and is hanging around $23,000 -reclaiming a price not seen since August 2022.

Last week it became official that the majority of Bitcoin holders have made a profit at current prices. 

Predictions for the year...

So far, are bullish, according to a majority of analysts.

However, you may not be feeling it yet - the first few months of 2023 are anticipated to be slow,  followed by a large increase in the price of BTC in the second half of the year.

Will Bitcoin repeat its traditional cycle of crashes, followed by setting a new all time high?  That would mean Bitcoin breaking the $70,000 ceiling. 
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Author: Justin Derbek
New York News Desk
Breaking Crypto News

Computer Security specialist Alex Holden was born in Ukraine, and while he now lives in the United States, he's doing what he can to help his countries efforts against Russia. 

Holden is sharing his accomplishment of infiltrating Russia's largest online drug market, called Solaris, steal 1.6 bitcoin (BTC) from the website's main wallet, and donate it to Ukraine.

The funds were sent to a Ukrainian non-profit called 'Enjoying Life", and the organizations co-founder Tina Mikhailovskaya confirms it was received, saying it was "given directly to the elderly, families and internally displaced people who suffered from the Russian war."

Holden declined to tell how he did the robbery, only sharing that it involved help from his team of hackers from he employs at his company Hold Security, and that they took 'partial control of the Solaris infrastructure' which somehow included access to the wallet. 

While an amusing story, this is small compare to the true impact of crypto on this war...

Ukraine is the first nation in history to formally accept bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to finance the costs of a war, and so far their wallet has received 645 BTC in donations from around the world. That is equivalent to $10 million USD at current rates, and $45 million at Bitcoin's high.

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Author: Mark Pippen
London News Desk 
Breaking Crypto News

It's election day in America, for those unfamiliar with US politics, this one is a 'mid term' - no new President will be selected, but seats in virtually all other elected rolls are up for grabs.

All 435 members of the House of Representatives and 34 senators are running.  According to media reports, political action committees and bitcoin lobbyists have contributed millions of dollars to candidates races.

As of two weeks ago, crypto-related donors had given more money than the traditional big election spenders - surpassing both defense and big pharma.

The industry expected 2022 would be the year policymakers came up with a plan for regulating crypto - that didn't happen...

Unresolved policy disputes between lawmakers and lobbyists left this unfinished, as Congressmembers and Senators left Washington DC until the new year.

That means those elected today are virtually guaranteed to be the ones voting on crypto regulation in the near future.

Crypto becomes a mainstream topic for voters...

According to a poll by Grayscale early October, 38% of voters said candidates "crypto policy positions" mattered to them when deciding who to vote for. 

Another poll by the Crypto Council for Innovation, taken around the same time, had 45% of voters agreeing that lawmakers should "treat crypto as a serious and valid part of the economy."

The ideal outcome for crypto...

Most crypto traders want a Republican majority in either or both chambers, since Republicans have been some of their most loyal supporters in the past.

The Republicans have also indicated the willingness to move bills that many in the industry say create a reasonable regulated environment, where protections for investors can be implemented without slowing down the progress of a fast growing industry.

"We believe crypto is one of the few sectors we follow where the midterms will have a material impact on policy. Republicans tend to be more accepting of fewer limits on crypto products because they are decentralized and different - We believe a GOP sweep of the midterm elections would be the best outcome for crypto" said Jaret Seiberg, an analyst at financial services company Cowen.

Generally favoring less government involvement in free markets, Republicans would also likely put pressure on agencies like the SEC stop over-aggressive regulation of crypto firms and seek reasonable regulation aimed at protecting investors.

A history of bipartisan support...

While crypto does have a history of finding supporters from both major parties, many see the Democrats as 'dropping the ball'.  Some expressed the desire for what sounded like reasonable solutions to the regulation issues, some even co-authored bills with Republicans. 

But at the end of the day, they had 2 years where they held most of the power, and nothing was accomplished.

Then, with some opinions from members of the Biden administration that sounded like they don't understand the basics of what crypto is, many who consider crypto an important issue switched to a firm "Republicans only' stance this election.

The crypto industry may get their wish...

Polls are indicating that Republicans will take back the House and probably the Senate as well.  

A common prediction from crypto traders on multiple platforms right now is that a Republican win of both the House and Senate tonight could immediately trigger some market movement upward, we'll probably soon see if they're correct.

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Author: Ross Davis
Silicon Valley Newsroom
GCP | Breaking Crypto News

We would prefer that you buy some more #bitcoin.

— Michael Saylor⚡️ (@saylor) August 17, 2022

--

Musk says he hasn't sold any of his privately owned crypto...

Update: Looks like our theory was correct (and while it could reverse course any time) currently CORZ is up 64.20% over the last 30 days.!

Original Article 6/15/2022:

S9 miners, extremely popular mining rigs with almost 8 years in the market, are operating at a loss to anyone located somewhere paying more than 2cents USD per kilowatt-hour in electricity costs. This is most US states.

Crypto companies daily income and net worth can change drastically, fast.  In the case of CORZ, which also holds 8000 BTC, Bitcoin returning to just $30,000 could happen over a single week - and would suddenly turn a company that was losing money into one that gained $80 million more in assets. 

These factors are prime examples why stocks for companies focused entirely on crypto are different than anything Wall Street has seen before. 

Figuring out the value of a mining company isn't as simple as a formula for their hashrate (mining power) = X BTC earned daily + BTC already owned = company value.  The price of Bitcoin isn't the only factor - even the weather can dramatically change profitability, as we covered last week how Texas based mining companies are having to power down during heatwaves. 

Wall Street Debates How To Trade Crypto-Company Stocks...

Because of the factors explained above, we saw Core Scientific with a stock price around $13 just 6 months ago, down to $2 today.

Browsing stock-focused online communities makes one thing clear - stock traders still aren't sure if this represents a company moving towards failure, or chance to buy something with a rare huge potential upsides. 

The Power Play, Where You Don't Buy Bitcoin... and Profits Are Potentially 200% Higher...

So here's what it all comes down to - if you believe Bitcoin will return to or pass $60k again, and believe a stock like Core Scientific will return to $13 when it does (the price it was last time Bitcoin was at $60k) - the stock represents a 5X return on investment when Bitcoin's price only does a 3X.

Which is huge, and seems realistic - but will it?

The same financial press publishing crypto doom and gloom stories currently, will of course, again, hype up 'Bitcoin's comeback' when things go the other way.

So it's safe to say the buzz outlets like Bloomberg, CNBC, and Wall Street Journal will create will bring a boost to crypto related stocks as well. The audience of these publications includes a segment of investors not comfortable enough with tech to ever own crypto, but is willing to buy stocks that allow them to capitalize on a trend.

Here's Why it Isn't as Simple as 'Bitcoin up = Crypto stock up'...

The benefits of Bitcoin's decentralization is highlighted here, these risks apply to stocks but are not a factor for Bitcoin. 

Actually, these risks apply to any company managed by humans. A company can be derailed a number of ways - an inexperienced CEO or Board of Directors, negligence or fraud in the accounting department, a company deciding to issue a large number of additional shares, or bringing in a new key investor and issuing them a large number of shares below market value - all of these can quickly bring a stock price down - but none of then can happen to Bitcoin. 

It's not even as simple as finding a company managed by trustworthy and experienced executives - note that not all of the factors mentioned above would be considered poor company management, some are just part of doing business.

I do not currently own shares of any crypto mining company stocks...

This caught my interest and I immediately wrote this article, haven't moved on anything and still unsure if I will.  The main reason for hesitating is this would mean canceling some of my current open positions to 'buy the dip' on Bitcoin and a couple other coins I'm confident will rise again. 

Share your thoughts on this with us on twitter @TheCryptoPress!

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Author: Ross Davis
Silicon Valley Newsroom
GCP | Breaking Crypto News