Reddit Crypto-Related Discussion Volume Strongly Correlated to Price

The University of Notre Dame and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) released a study on the speed and scale of cryptocurrency discussions on Reddit on May 13. The paper claims to be “the first to qualitatively measure and contrast discussion growth about three popular cryptocurrencies with key distinctions in motivation, usage, and implementation – Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Monero (XMR) on Reddit.” The study covered Reddit threads created in the official subreddits and the broader cryptocurrencies subs between January 2015 and January 2018. This period of time “includes…

This Ridiculously Stupid Bitcoin Clone Surged 800% Today

By CCN: Why buy the original Bitcoin (BTC), when you can own some Bitcoin 2 (BTC2)? You, like most people, probably thought that shady cryptocurrency forks are a thing of the past. But boy, oh boy, were you wrong. Bitcoin 2, an aptly-named Bitcoin fork, made a splash this morning by leading the cryptocurrency market with an almost 800 percent gain in the past 24 hours. After quietly launching last year, this new cryptocurrency quickly rose through the market cap ranks today to crack the top 100. BTC2 reached a…

MIT Professor Claims Blockchain Technology Is Not as Secure as Claimed

A professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) says that blockchains are not as secure as they are purported to be in an editorial in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on June 6. Stuart Madnick — the John Norris Maguire Professor of Information Technologies at the MIT Sloan School of Management and the Founding Director of the Cybersecurity at MIT Sloan research consortium — highlighted a forthcoming study on blockchain, stating that the technology is not as secure as many purport it to be. The MIT study analyzed 72…

Binance Confirms Stablecoin Offering Coming Soon: Report

Binance, the top crypto exchange by adjusted trading volume, has confirmed it will soon issue its own stablecoins. In a phone interview with Bloomberg, Binance’s chief financial officer, Wei Zhou, said the first stablecoin will be launched on the platform “in a matter of weeks to a month or two.” According to Zhou, the token will be called Binance GBP, which will be fully backed by reserves of British pounds. More coins tied to other fiat currencies will follow, he said, while Binance will also work with partners wanting to…

Facebook Coin | Platform will Announce Cryptocurrency in June

According to CNBC, Facebook will announce its cryptocurrency later in June. Further, those working on the project will be able to take their salary in its new currency—the Facebook coin. Let’s check this out; here’s what we know. Facebook Coin: To Be Announced in Late June Rumors have surfaced for months now about Facebook’s new digital asset; however, nothing was ever truly confirmed. What is known is this: Almost one year ago, Facebook hired former PayPal executive David Marcus to explore blockchain opportunities—blockchain is, of course, the necessary technology to…

Brazil: “I Don’t Know What Bitcoin is,” Says President Jair Bolsonaro, Days After Saying He Doesn’t Understand Economics

The president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, said in an interview with Ratinho’s SBT show on June 4, 2019, that he doesn’t know what Bitcoin is, despite the hype that Bitcoin is causing in the country, aphenomenon that has been increasing over the past few years. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil The president’s statements came as he explained why he shut down a project of $11.5 million to promote a crypto currency for indigenous communities. Jair Bolsonaro explained that the National Indian Foundation (FUNAI) and the Federal Fluminense University (UFF), “wanted to…

Major Coins See Red Following Reports That FOMO Fueled May’s Rally

Thursday, June 6 — Bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH) are trending down slightly following the slump from the recent rally. Top cryptocurrencies are seeing a mix of ups and downs, according to data from Coin360. Market visualization courtesy of Coin360 After its surge to $9,000 last week, BTC is down by 1.67% on the day, and is trading at just $7,676 according to CoinMarketCap. The leading cryptocurrency has fallen in market capitalization by about $10 billion since May 30, with a market cap of approximately $136 billion at press time.…

Bitcoin Exchange Hodl Hodl Unveils Support for Lightning Network

Peer-to-peer cryptocurrency trading platform Hodl Hodl has announced their new mainnet now allows users to trade to and from their Lightning wallets. The launch is a significant development for Lightning Network adoption as it allows users to directly fund and spend from their Lightning wallets, June 5, 2019.  Lightning Made Easier The traditional process of funding a Lightning wallet involved buying bitcoin on chain and sending it to a Lightning Network node or wallet. Hodl Hodl’s new service allows users to override the first step of the process by directly…

Bitcoin Sellers Determined Despite Apple, Samsung Plans

BTC down 11.5 percent Samsung, Facebook and now, Apple finding opportunity in crypto Apple plans to upgrade and release a new cryptographic developer tool replacing its superb CommonCrypto. All in all, it is a favorable decision following the steps of Samsung. At the time of writing, Bitcoin is stable and struggling against determined sellers. Bitcoin Price Analysis Fundamentals At a time when Facebook, Samsung, and leading Wall Street tech leaders are foraying into blockchain and crypto, Apple is joining the crypto bandwagon. In a measured announcement during the Worldwide Developers…

Other Market Protections Needed Before Bitcoin ETF Approval

United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Jay Clayton said that the regulator needs to feel comfortable with cryptocurrency custody and ensure no market manipulation can take place before approving a crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF). Clayton made his remarks during an interview with CNBC on June 6. When Clayton was asked whether an ETF based on a bundle of cryptocurrencies could be released in the U.S., Clayton said that the SEC is currently working on making that possible. Still, he also noted that various issues have to be resolved…