Blockchain and Crypto News

Don’t miss real-time updates

Decentral Block Post

Access real-time blockchain and cryptocurrency news updates from around the globe.

Bitcoin miners hodl 27% less BTC after 3 months of major selling

The industry's "hodlers of last resort" have had no choice but to sell their coins, but the trend is fiercely reversing this month, data shows.

Bitcoin miners hodl 27% less BTC after 3 months of major selling

According to a fresh prediction from crypto analysis firm Arcane Research, miners will continue to sell more BTC than they earn.

Miners sold nearly 30% of record BTC stash since May

The trip to $25,000 this month decreased pressure on a Bitcoin mining sector which has struggled throughout 2022.

At one point, fears abounded that miners’ production cost was far higher than the Bitcoin spot price, and that heavy sales would result in order for miners to stay in business. Worse still, many may have to retire altogether due to their activities no longer being financially viable.

Data from the period since May appeared to confirm that major upheaval was taking place. As Arcane notes, one public miner alone — Core Scientific — sold around 12,000 BTC in the period from May to July.

While the trend showed signs of reversing last month, it will take even higher BTC prices to allow even the largest mining operators to hodl again.

image

Do Kwon breaking silence triggers responses from the community

While Tornado Cash developers are fearing for their lives, Do Kwon is "partying," according to podcaster Eric Conner.

Crypto lender Hodlnaut seeks judicial management to avoid forced liquidation

Singaporean law offers temporary protection against any legal proceedings and claims, which the company believes would provide a breathing space to focus on its recovery plan.

Brazil brokerage giant with 3.6M clients launches BTC and ETH trading

XP Inc has become the latest Brazilian fintech player to offer crypto trading services, following Nubank and MercadoLibre.

Brazil brokerage giant with 3.6M clients launches BTC and ETH trading

XP Inc has become the latest Brazilian fintech player to offer crypto trading services, following Nubank and MercadoLibre.

Expansion of short-term BTC holders suggests 'final flush' of sellers

Short-term holders expanding their BTC holdings indicates that heavy sell-offs have taken place.

Australian Securities Exchange takes step towards tokenized asset trading

“There's a strong value proposition here that we can essentially tokenize any asset and bridge that into the ASX ecosystem,” said Zerocap CEO Ryan McCall.

Korean regulators investigate banks over $6.5B tied to Kimchi premium

South Korean financial regulators are looking into the massive amount of foreign remittances of cash that came from crypto exchanges.

19 celebrities called out by consumer watchdog group for shilling NFTs

Consumer watchdog group Truth in Advertising says celebrities promoting non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on their social media channels is an area "rife with deception."

Traders flinch after Ethereum price rejects at $2,000

Ether (ETH) rejected the $2,000 resistance on Aug. 14, but the solid 82.8% gain since the rising wedge formation started on July 13 certainly seems like a victory for bulls. Undoubtedly, the "ultrasound money" dream gets closer as the network expects the Merge transaction to a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus network on Sept. 16. 

Ether price index in USD, 12-hour chart. Source: TradingView

Some critics point out that the transition out of proof-of-work (PoW) mining has been delayed for years and that the Merge itself does not address the scalability issue. The network’s migration to parallel processing (sharding) is expected to happen later in 2023 or early 2024.

As for the Ether bulls, the EIP-1559 burn mechanism introduced in August 2021 was essential to drive ETH to scarcity, as crypto analyst and influencer Kris Kay illustrates:

The highly anticipated move to the Ethereum beacon chain enjoyed a lot of criticism, despite eliminating the need to support the expensive energy-intensive mining activities. Below, “DrBitcoinMD” highlights the impossibility for ETH stakers to withdraw their coins, creating an unsustainable temporary offer-side reduction.

Undoubtedly, the decreased amount of coins available for sale caused a supply shock, especially after the 82.8% rally as Ether has recently undergone. Still, these investors knew the risks of ETH 2.0 staking and no promises were made for instant transfers post-Merge.

image

Traders flinch after Ethereum price rejects at $2,000

Data shows pro traders are slightly skeptical of the strength of Ethereum’s rally after ETH price sold off at the $2,000 resistance.

Traders flinch after Ethereum price rejects at $2,000

Ether (ETH) rejected the $2,000 resistance on Aug. 14, but the solid 82.8% gain since the rising wedge formation started on July 13 certainly seems like a victory for bulls. Undoubtedly, the "ultrasound money" dream gets closer as the network expects the Merge transaction to a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus network on Sept. 16. 

Ether price index in USD, 12-hour chart. Source: TradingView

Some critics point out that the transition out of proof-of-work (PoW) mining has been delayed for years and that the Merge itself does not address the scalability issue. The network’s migration to parallel processing (sharding) is expected to happen later in 2023 or early 2024.

As for the Ether bulls, the EIP-1559 burn mechanism introduced in August 2021 was essential to drive ETH to scarcity, as crypto analyst and influencer Kris Kay illustrates:

The highly anticipated move to the Ethereum beacon chain enjoyed a lot of criticism, despite eliminating the need to support the expensive energy-intensive mining activities. Below, “DrBitcoinMD” highlights the impossibility for ETH stakers to withdraw their coins, creating an unsustainable temporary offer-side reduction.

Undoubtedly, the decreased amount of coins available for sale caused a supply shock, especially after the 82.8% rally as Ether has recently undergone. Still, these investors knew the risks of ETH 2.0 staking and no promises were made for instant transfers post-Merge.

image

Coin Center may challenge US Treasury's sanctions on Tornado Cash in court

“By treating autonomous code as a ‘person’ OFAC exceeds its statutory authority,” said Coin Center's Jerry Brito and Peter Van Valkenburgh.

Fed to issue long-awaited guidelines for granting master accounts to crypto banks

The U.S. Federal Reserve Board has finalized tiered guidelines for granting Federal Reserve accounts, with Wyoming’s crypto banks likely to fall under most scrutiny.

Bitcoin price corrects after hitting a wall at a multi-month descending trendline

On Aug. 15, Bitcoin (BTC) price and the wider market corrected while the S&P 500 and DOW looked to build on four-straight weeks of robust gains. Data from TradingView and CNBC show the Dow pushing through its 200-day moving average, a first since April 21 and perhaps a sign for bulls that the market has bottomed. 

Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI). Source: TradingView

While equities markets have been strikingly bullish in the face of high inflation and a steady schedule of interest rate hikes, a number of traders fear that the current 32-day uptrend in the DOW and S&P 500 could be a bear market rally.

This week’s (Aug. 17) release of minutes from the Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) should give more context to the Federal Reserve’s current view of the health of the United States economy and perhaps shed light on the size of the next interest rate hike.

For the past month, overly bullish crypto traders on Twitter have also been touting a narrative that emphasizes Bitcoin, Ether (ETH) and altcoins selling off prior to FOMC meetings and then rallying afterward if the set rate aligns with investors' projected figure.

Somehow, this short-term dynamic also contributes to investors’ belief that the Fed will “pivot” away from its monetary policy of interest hikes and quantitative tightening after “inflation peaks.” This may be a somewhat profitable trade for savvy day-traders, but it’s important to note that inflation is currently at 8.5% and the Fed’s target is 2%, which is quite aways to go.

image

Bitcoin price corrects after hitting a wall at a multi-month descending trendline

“Up only” Bitcoin and Ethereum take a breather after encountering resistance at a stiff multi-month descending trendline.

Bitcoin price corrects after hitting a wall at a multi-month descending trendline

“Up only” Bitcoin and Ethereum take a breather after encountering resistance at a stiff multi-month descending trendline.

Bitcoin price corrects after hitting a wall at a multi-month descending trendline

On Aug. 15, Bitcoin (BTC) price and the wider market corrected while the S&P 500 and DOW looked to build on four-straight weeks of robust gains. Data from TradingView and CNBC show the Dow pushing through its 200-day moving average, a first since April 21 and perhaps a sign for bulls that the market has bottomed. 

Dow Jones Industrial Average Index (DJI). Source: TradingView

While equities markets have been strikingly bullish in the face of high inflation and a steady schedule of interest rate hikes, a number of traders fear that the current 32-day uptrend in the DOW and S&P 500 could be a bear market rally.

This week’s (Aug. 17) release of minutes from the Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC) should give more context to the Federal Reserve’s current view of the health of the United States economy and perhaps shed light on the size of the next interest rate hike.

For the past month, overly bullish crypto traders on Twitter have also been touting a narrative that emphasizes Bitcoin, Ether (ETH) and altcoins selling off prior to FOMC meetings and then rallying afterward if the set rate aligns with investors' projected figure.

Somehow, this short-term dynamic also contributes to investors’ belief that the Fed will “pivot” away from its monetary policy of interest hikes and quantitative tightening after “inflation peaks.” This may be a somewhat profitable trade for savvy day-traders, but it’s important to note that inflation is currently at 8.5% and the Fed’s target is 2%, which is quite aways to go.

image

Law Decoded, Aug. 8-15: In the eye of Tornado Cash

U.S. Treasury links the crypto mixer with $7 billion worth of laundered money.

Image