Analysts have criticized the new ‘de-risking’ strategy that the U.S. is currently using against China, explained by U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in April, clarifying that national security was over economic costs. These de-risking policies might affect bilateral trade, which fell by 11.2% to $217.9 billion during the first four months of 2023. ‘De-Risking’
Bitcoin (BTC) is fighting for the bull trend as the new week begins as the market acts within a crucial zone. After closing the weekly candle at just below $27,000, BTC/USD is attempting to cement support as a stubborn trading zone holds. The stakes are already high — last week saw a flash dip below
Major cryptocurrency Bitcoin (BTC) could become a top three asset in the event of a theoretical debt default in the United States, according to a new survey. As U.S. President Joe Biden prepares to meet with Congress on May 16 to discuss the U.S. debt ceiling, investors are seeking hedges to protect their savings in
A member of the South Korean parliament is leaving his party amid mounting allegations of massive crypto investments inconsistent with his frugal public image. The controversy, which has caught the attention of the Korean society, involves accusations of conflict of interest and other irregularities. Lawmaker Leaves South Korean Opposition Party Over Crypto Holdings Kim Nam-kuk,
The United States Justice Department’s crypto enforcement team is cracking down on Decentralized Finance (DeFi) hackers and exploiters, amid a four-year rise in illicit crypto activity. In a Financial Times report published on May 15, Eun Young Choi, director of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) national cryptocurrency enforcement team (NCET), stated that the department
Crypto Twitter was briefly set ablaze on May 14 with a suggestion that the world’s first real-world purchase made by Bitcoin may have been for a JPEG, not pizza. In a tweet from independent developer Udi Wertheimer, the Bitcoin advocate shared a screenshot showing what could have been the first-ever purchase using Bitcoin — even
Welcome to Latam Insights, a compendium of the most relevant crypto and economic development news from Latin America during the last week. In this issue, Bolivia mulls using the Chinese yuan in international trade settlements, inflation reaches 108.8% in Argentina, and Steve Hanke states he can eliminate Venezuela’s inflation in 30 days. Bolivia Mulls Using
Chinese and French foreign ministers have expressed readiness to strengthen cooperation and pursue a “close and enduring comprehensive strategic partnership,” according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This followed a “successful” meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Chinese President Xi Jinping. China and France to Strengthen Relations State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang
The number of Bitcoin (BTC) wallet addresses holding one whole BTC or more has surpassed the one million mark. The one million wholecoiner milestone was reached on May 13, according to data from Glassnode. As the price of Bitcoin fell more than 65% over the course of last year, the number of wallet addresses holding
The United States securities regulator is seeking to revise its $22 million punishment against decentralized content platform LBRY, acknowledging it is unlikely to be able to cough up the funds to be able to pay it. In a May 12 filing in a New Hampshire District Court, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sought an
Harvard economics professor Kenneth Rogoff, who previously served as the chief economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has warned that the U.S. defaulting on its debt obligations could spark a global financial crisis. “It’s a very perilous situation and we are in unknown waters,” he warned. Harvard Professor of Economics Kenneth Rogoff on U.S.
Billionaire hedge fund manager Stanley Druckenmiller has a dire prediction for the U.S. economy: a recession is looming, and it’s likely set to hit this June. Druckenmiller’s forecast comes as American consumer spending remains low, and is largely driven by credit card usage. Druckenmiller, a seasoned investment mogul, warns that it would be foolish to
Non-fungible token (NFT) sales witnessed a minor rise last week, registering a humble increase of around 1.46% compared to the preceding week. The cumulative value of NFT sales amounted to $149.31 million from April 29 to May 6, 2023. Nevertheless, the most recent week exceeded anticipations, as sales skyrocketed by 31.22%. Throughout the seven-day interval,
Investors believe it is highly likely that the target rate will remain unchanged at the June 14 Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, following the U.S. Federal Reserve’s decision to increase the federal funds rate by 25 basis points on May 3. As the battle against inflation in the U.S. rages on, the Biden administration
Bitcoin (BTC) sought to recover $27,000 into the May 14 weekly close as volatility picked up out of hours. BTC price gains over 7% in two days Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD spiking to $27,200 on Bitstamp. Its highest in several days, the performance reflected gains of around 7.5% versus local
The S&P 500 Index (SPX) closed the week with a nominal loss of 0.29% but Bitcoin (BTC) is on target to finish the week with a deeper cut of more than 5%. The weakness in Bitcoin pulled several altcoins lower, indicating weakening sentiment. A silver lining is Bitcoin’s solid bounce on May 12. Several analysts
In the past week, the Bitcoin network has made progress in resolving its congestion issues. On May 7, 2023, the number of unconfirmed transactions reached an all-time high of over 500,000 transfers, causing a major backlog. However, as of today, that number has been reduced to 263,406. Currently, 184 blocks need to be cleared to
Twitter CEO Elon Musk has shared what he calls a “massive incentive” to get money out of bank accounts, noting “bank depositor flight will accelerate to extreme levels, even for banks that are ‘too big to fail.’” Personal finance coach and author Dave Ramsey, for his part, thinks that de-dollarization fears are overblown. In crypto
Bitcoin (BTC) has rallied nearly 60% to around $27,000 in 2023 amid anticipations that the Federal Reserve would pause its quantitative tightening amid the U.S. banking crisis. Still, BTC price has failed to move beyond $30,000 decisively. Buying exhaustion at this key psychological level led to a price correction toward $25,000 over the past week. Interestingly, the
Despite not being mainstream payment solutions yet, cryptocurrency-based payments (also known as Web3 payments) already bring benefits such as lower transaction fees, Robert Miller, the vice president of growth at Fuse, a layer 1, EVM-compatible blockchain for launching dapps, has asserted. For merchants, Web3 payments come with the added benefit of what Miller called protection