The next day will be a big day for bitcoin since it looks like Taproot will lock in in about 20-24 hours (124 blocks as of this writing) - barring some craziness.  Like the first halving, lightning etc, I suspect that plenty of people will be watching it closely to mark the occasion.  All in all, this should be a big positive for the ecosystem.

So more nonsense from the statist authoritarians in China today.  Anyone mining in China should move their (or at least a large percentage of their) miners out of China. 

The thing to remember is that it is irrelevant where mining occurs.  At worst, it slows blocks for a while, and makes it easier for other miners to win the blocks.

Bitcoin’s price tumbled Friday following an intensified call from Chinese authorities to crack down in mining of the cryptocurrency.

In a statement from Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and the State Council, authorities said tighter regulation is needed to protect the financial system.

The statement, released late Friday in China time, said it is necessary to “crack down on Bitcoin mining and trading behavior, and resolutely prevent the transmission of individual risks to the social field.”
...

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/21/bitcoin-falls-after-china-calls-for-crackdown-on-bitcoin-mining-and-trading-behavior.html

Fidelity Investments is preparing to launch its own bitcoin exchange-traded fund as the investment giant works to cement its clout in the market for digital assets and virtual currency.
FD Funds Management, a subsidiary of Fidelity, said on Wednesday that it plans to provide financial backing for an exchange-traded fund called the Wise Origin Bitcoin Trust.
... 

I thought this was interesting.  Having more, larger, traditional, players involved in this can only be a positive.  Both from having the ability to open up the market to even more participants who might not have had the wherewithal to invest their retirement funds outside an ETF and to having more availability of bitcoin via a US ETF.  Who knows how long it will take, but with enough people pushing for it, it certainly helps.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/25/fidelity-wants-to-launch-a-bitcoin-etf-cryptocurrency-sec.html

This is an endorsement of Bitcoin when a socialist/fascist like Warren attacks Bitcoin.  Of course she is to stupid she didn't even get Yellen's comment right.  The authoritarians don't like people to have ownership of their minds or products of their own minds. It interferes with their quest for power.

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren backed recent comments on bitcoin by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box on Tuesday.  Asked if she agreed with comments saying the cryptocurrency was a “speculative” asset made by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen late in February, the Senator said, somewhat coyly: “I think Janet’s a really smart woman.”

When pressed, she said, “‘Speculative in nature and going to end badly’ – I don’t think Janet left a lot of room for ambiguity.”

https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-warren-yellen-speculative-nature

Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren backed recent comments on bitcoin by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box on Tuesday.  Asked if she agreed with comments saying the cryptocurrency was a “speculative” asset made by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen late in February, the Senator said, somewhat coyly: “I think Janet’s a really smart woman.”

When pressed, she said, “‘Speculative in nature and going to end badly’ – I don’t think Janet left a lot of room for ambiguity.”

https://www.coindesk.com/bitcoin-warren-yellen-speculative-nature

That is an endorsement of Bitcoin when a socialist/fascist like Warren attacks Bitcoin.  Of course she is to stupid she didn't even get Yellen's comment right.

[clearly, if digital money is to exist, the central bank must play a pivotal role, guaranteeing the stability of value,]

The chief banker at the bank for central banks, Agustín Carstens, cast doubt on bitcoin’s long-term viability Wednesday, saying it was only a matter of time before a 51% attack brings down the world’s original cryptocurrency.
...“Above all, investors must be cognizant that Bitcoin may well break down altogether. Scarcity and cryptography alone do not suffice to guarantee exchange,” he said.
...
“So, clearly, if digital money is to exist, the central bank must play a pivotal role, guaranteeing the stability of value, ensuring the elasticity of the aggregate supply of such money, and overseeing the overall security of the system,” he said.

  https://www.coindesk.com/agustin-carstens-bitcoin


Perhaps he should (a) be more cognizant about what he is putting into his mouth (it isn't healthy) and (b) what is coming out of it when he clearly doesn't know what he's talking about.   My suggestion would be that he read more prior to pontificating.

He clearly has a not-so hidden agenda.

https://www.coindesk.com/agustin-carstens-bitcoin

The chief banker at the bank for central banks, Agustín Carstens, cast doubt on bitcoin’s long-term viability Wednesday, saying it was only a matter of time before a 51% attack brings down the world’s original cryptocurrency.
...“Above all, investors must be cognizant that Bitcoin may well break down altogether. Scarcity and cryptography alone do not suffice to guarantee exchange,” he said.
...

This part was particularly rich:

“So, clearly, if digital money is to exist, the central bank must play a pivotal role, guaranteeing the stability of value, ensuring the elasticity of the aggregate supply of such money, and overseeing the overall security of the system,” he said.

Perhaps he should (a) be more cognizant about what he is putting into his mouth (it isn't healthy) and (b) what is coming out of it when he clearly doesn't know what he's talking about.   My suggestion would be that he read more prior to pontificating.

Janet Yellen, President-elect Joe Biden's nominee for treasury secretary, suggested on Tuesday that lawmakers "curtail" the use of cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin over concerns that they are "mainly" used for illegal activities. Yellen's comments suggested the incoming Biden administration could be hostile to cryptocurrencies and ramp up regulation. Watchdogs around the world, from the European Central Bank to the UK's financial regulator, have recently expressed concerns about cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
https://markets.businessinsider.com/currencies/news/bitcoin-price-cryptocurrency-should-be-curtailed-terrorism-concerns-yellen-2021-1-1029985692

The authoritarians (socialist, fascist etc) know that something like bitcoin will curtail their ability to:
1. Print money to debase and secretly steal money from people through inflation.
2. Control all uses of money in order to shut down debate.
3. Take assets across borders preventing their ability to control it.

In short, bitcoin and p2p software will undermine their ability to control, rule, tax, and eventually destroy with their policies, the world.  Bitcoin gives people power over themselves, power to control their own destinies and the power-hungry elite do not like it.

VanEck Proposes ETF for Bitcoin, Once Again
As 2020 draws to a close, one of the prior proponents for an exchange traded fund (ETF) based on Bitcoin is trying again: VanEck has submitted an application to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the “VanEck Bitcoin Trust.”

An ETF is seen as advantageous because it trades on the stock market much like shares in popular companies like Apple and Microsoft do.

VanEck has previously proposed ETFs before, withdrawing its most recent application in September 2019. At the time the company said it remained committed to an exchange traded product.

https://www.coindesk.com/vaneck-proposes-bitcoin-etf-again


Eventually the statists will approve an ETF.  It is just a question of when.  Will this time be different?  Who knows.  Will it be a positive for the bitcoin fiat price?  Opinions seem to vary, but my view is that the more options for people to use bitcoin, in this case for capital protection/capital appreciation, the better.

[$13 million in 2020, will receive half of it in bitcoin]

Carolina Panthers offensive lineman Russell Okung has fulfilled his goal to be paid in bitcoin.

Okung will become the first player from any major U.S. sports league to receive a portion of his salary in bitcoin, according to NFL Network. Okung, who is owed $13 million in 2020, will receive half of it in bitcoin as part of a partnership with a Bitcoin company.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/sports/panthers-russell-okung-will-become-first-nfl-player-paid-bitcoin

He seems to be vocal about the benefits of bitcoin, "life, liberty, and #bitcoin".  I suspect he would've preferred to have been paid half that in bitcoin back in September, October, or November given the increase in fiat price since then.


* Vocal, see, e.g.:
https://twitter.com/RussellOkung

Ruchir Sharma, chief global strategist at Morgan Stanley Investment, says evolving blockchain technology has led to the growth of bitcoin and as more people invest in the cryptocurrency, it can harm the U.S. dollar and weaken democracy.
https://apple.news/AsIjmR1UeQb-AMiZXiMGGDg

He mixes cause and effect. It isn't "betting on bitcoin" that is harmful to the US dollar (or any other potential reserve currency), it is the policies of extreme money printing that all the central banks are engaged in that is harmful to all fiat currencies.  Bitcoin is a tool to protect yourself and the product of your life from bad policies engineered by elitist authoritarians around the world.

He kind of touches on that in the video, but not completely. Any form of competition for sound money is a good thing.

Any form of money that lets people protect themselves from looters is positive.

It is like saying chemotherapy is bad for oncologists because it might hurt their practice if someone is cured. Honest doctors would be fine with that since they want people healthy. Dishonest ones would prefer to keep the cancerous money printing going and then complain about a treatment.

Why betting on bitcoin is harmful to the U.S. dollar: Morgan Stanley's Ruchir Sharma
Ruchir Sharma, chief global strategist at Morgan Stanley Investment, says evolving blockchain technology has led to the growth of bitcoin and as more people invest in the cryptocurrency, it can harm the U.S. dollar and weaken democracy. He joins 'Closing Bell' to discuss.
https://apple.news/AsIjmR1UeQb-AMiZXiMGGDg

He mixes cause and effect. It isn't "betting on bitcoin" that is harmful to the US dollar (or any other potential reserve currency), it is the policies of extreme money printing that all the central banks are engaged in that is harmful to all fiat currencies.  Bitcoin is a tool to protect yourself and the product of your life from bad policies engineered by elitist authoritarians around the world.

He kind of touches on that in the video, but not completely.

It is like saying chemotherapy is bad for oncologists because it might hurt their practice if someone is cured. Honest doctors would be fine with that since they want people healthy. Dishonest ones would prefer to keep the cancerous money printing going and then complain about a treatment.

Any form of competition for sound money is a good thing.

The pull quotes show this is why (a) there is huge upside still, and (b) people are getting in now while the price is relatively low:

"Give me the top 7 cryptocurrencies, put them into an ETF wrapper, and let me invest in it with liquidity so that if I want to buy a million dollars of it in the morning and sell a million dollars in the afternoon, I can do that in an ETF format," he said.

"...the seal of approval from the SEC that the ETF would require may convince more institutional investors to buy bitcoin, " he said. O'Leary said institutional support is "slowly creeping" into the bitcoin market, but many investors are still hesitant without "clearance from the regulators."

"If tomorrow morning we woke up and the SEC said you can create an ETF with bitcoin and we think bitcoin is legitimate payment system and storage of wealth, not only would it go up, you'd have a lot of people like me investing in it, because I'd say ok, I'll give it a 5% weighting," added O'Leary.

"Fortunately for O'Leary, the prospect of a crypto ETF may not be far out. In October, SEC Chairman James Clayton said the SEC is working on regulations that may one day authorize the use of cryptocurrency ETFs. "

Who designed their system to require ALL multi-signature keys to sign instead of a majority?  Talk about one of the stupidest decisions I've read about this year.  

Suppose one got hit by a car, are all of OKEx's funds lost?

Perhaps this is just another exit scam.  It always bears repeating, but if you aren't trading, don't leave bitcoins on an exchange, you don't own them, you are just a creditor.  And a creditor if you are lucky and it isn't a scam.


https://cointelegraph.com/news/btc-and-okb-plunge-after-okex-suspends-withdrawals

An interview with one of the people from Grayscale (the people with the bitcoin investment trust) about why an SEC product is needed and the impact of the halving next year.

https://www.cnbc.com/video/2019/11/20/why-bitcoin-funds-sec-filing-may-be-a-big-crypto-breakthrough.html

It’s a make-or-break moment for bitcoin ETFs.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has set an Oct. 13 deadline for approving a bitcoin-based exchange-traded fund from Bitwise Investments, a move that could mark a meaningful milestone in bitcoin’s long-term growth story.

...

“We’re closer than we’ve ever been before to getting a bitcoin ETF approved,” Hougan, former CEO of Inside ETFs, said Monday on CNBC’s “ETF Edge.”

“Sometime before Monday, the SEC has to give its decision: yes or no. They have no more ways to postpone it at this point,” Hougan said. “We will hear clearly between now and Monday what they think, and then, depending on what we hear, we’ll go forward from there. But it should be a very exciting week.”

.

I'm not holding my breath, so would be pleasantly surprised if approved.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/07/on-bitcoin-etf-approval-closer-than-weve-ever-been-says-bitwise.html

Bank of America CEO: Anonymous currencies are not good
Jul. 22, 2019 - 6:25 - Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan on technology’s impact on banking, cryptocurrency and the impact of a potential Federal Reserve interest rate cut.

https://video.foxbusiness.com/v/6062588247001/#sp=show-clips

While I agree with Moynihan about a number of things, I think he is having to toe the line due to the political pressure being brought to bear around the world.

Anonymity is critical for freedom around the world.  Anonymous speech is important and you can't fund it if you aren't allowed some anonymous currencies.  Cash is a perfect example of an anonymous currency and limiting anonymous currencies limits speech.

Mnuchin says Treasury will ensure bitcoin doesn’t become ‘Swiss-numbered bank accounts’

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday the department will police bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies with “very, very strong” regulations so that they don’t become cloaked in secrecy.

“We’re going to make sure that bitcoin doesn’t become the equivalent of Swiss-numbered bank accounts, which were obviously a risk to the financial system,” Mnuchin said in an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
...

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/18/mnuchin-says-us-will-ensure-bitcoin-doesnt-become-like-anonymous.html


Seems like fear.

The US used to encourage innovation, but things like this show that even the Republicans are now embracing the leftward tilt towards less freedom.

I don't believe it, but:

"[John] McAfee has vowed to expose Nakamoto in a matter of weeks, and claimed to the Caller that he already knows his identity."

https://dailycaller.com/2019/04/23/john-mcafees-message-to-the-irs-and-why-he-plans-to-reveal-satoshi-nakamoto/

"Why an Investor Is Predicting Bitcoin Could Hit $700,000"

The annual Sohn Investment Conference in New York is usually a place where Wall Street’s best hedge fund managers and investors present their top stock picks—from Amazon to Valeant Pharmaceuticals. And for the first time in the event’s 23-year history, one of those investors used the Sohn conference stage Monday to recommend a certain digital investment: Bitcoin.

John Pfeffer, a partner at his London-based family office Pfeffer Capital, is not only betting on Bitcoin, but giving it a bold price target of $700,000—about 75 times the current Bitcoin price of nearly $9,500.

...

http://fortune.com/2018/04/25/bitcoin-price-prediction-john-pfeffer/