While the U.S. Federal Reserve (FED) continues to monitor the overheated economy, the most likely scenario is further interest rate hikes to curb inflation. The unintended consequence is the heightened government debt cost, creating a bullish environment for scarce assets such as commodities, stock market and cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin’s price gain practically extinguished bears expectation for a sub-$21,500 options expiry on Feb. 17, so their bets are unlikely to pay off as the deadline approaches. Bitcoin investors' primary concern is the possibility of further impacts from regulators following the staking rewards program by the Kraken exchange being halted by the U.S. …

Bitcoin (BTC) trended toward $24,000 at the Feb. 16 Wall Street open after fresh macroeconomic data from the United States overshot estimates. Hot U.S. PPI data "rattles" markets Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD retracing some of its latest gains on the day, trading at around $24,400 on Bitstamp at the time of writing. The pair had hit $24,895 on Bitstamp overnight, marking its highest levels in six months as a surprise rally appeared to catch many traders off-guard. Over the two days to Feb. 16, $80 million in short positions were liquidated on Bitcoin alone, with …

Ethereum's native token, Ether (ETH), has printed a death cross technical pattern versus Bitcoin (BTC) for the first time since May 2022, suggesting more pain ahead for ETH/BTC in the coming weeks. Previous ETH price death cross preceded 27.5% drop A death cross appears when an asset's short-term 50-period moving average moves below its long-term 200-period moving average. Such a chart pattern was seen in December 2007, foahead of the global economic crisis. Similarly, the ETH/BTC's previous death cross in May 2022 preceded an approximately 27.5% price correction, dropping in parts as investors reduced exposure to altcoins and sought safety …

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) wants to sue Paxos for issuing and listing stablecoin Binance USD (BUSD) to the benefit of its top-rival stablecoin Tether (USDT), whose market capitalization has risen to multi-month highs. BUSD market cap drops by $2 billion The SEC asserts that BUSD, a U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin, is a security, noting that Paxos has violated investor protection laws by white-labeling it. Related: Paxos ‘categorically disagrees’ with the SEC that BUSD is a security Since Feb. 13 when the news broke, the BUSD market cap has lost roughly $2 billion, down to around $14 billion as …

Bitcoin (BTC) is leading the cryptocurrency markets on the path to recovery. Although the United States Consumer Price Index (CPI) print for January was marginally higher than expectations, it did not dent the enthusiasm of bullish crypto trader. A positive response to seemingly negative data is a sign that the sentiment is bullish and traders are looking for buying opportunities. However, some analysts are cautious due to the strengthening of the U.S. dollar index (DXY). They believe that a sustained rally in the DXY could limit the upside in cryptocurrencies. Usually, long-term downtrends are followed by a base formation. During …

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has started ramping up its crackdown on the crypto industry and recent enforcement actions had a negative impact on crypto prices last week and at the start of this week. The SEC is focusing on stablecoin issuers. The most recent SEC stablecoin crackdown was on Feb. 13 through the issuance of a Wells Notice to Paxos Trust Company, the issuer of Binance USD (BUSD). While Paxos denies that BUSD is a security, which would place it outside the SEC’s jurisdiction, some lawyers say the answer is not so simple, which creates fear …

Matter Labs, the firm managing Polygon (MATIC), announced that the beta version of its zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM) would launch on March 27, 2023. It’s possible that Polygon will enjoy a first-mover advantage in this space by launching a public mainnet before zkSync and Scroll. Zk-based roll-up technology is accepted as the gold standard for scaling. The existing optimistic-based roll-ups like Arbitrum and Optimism have EVM capability but are less secure because they are “fraud-proof.” Malicious transactions on an optimistic roll-up can stay valid for up to seven days or more before being reversed. Thus, giving an advantage to …

Bitcoin (BTC) hit its highest in almost a week on Feb. 15 as "extremely positive" economic data boosted risk asset sentiment. BTC price aims for $23,000 Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView showed BTC/USD gaining 2.2% on the day to eye a reclaim of $23,000. Analysts were already predicting volatility, with the latest economic numbers from the United States delivering a pleasant surprise. Retail sales and the Empire State Manufacturing Index both surpassed market expectations, showing a more resilient economy despite restrictive policy at the Federal Reserve. "Extremely positive numbers. Core Retail Sales and Retail Sales both smash expectations, …

On Feb. 13, Binance's native token, BNB, recorded its worst daily performance since November 2022, falling 8.5% to below $285. BNB price has since recovered to over $298, but its possibility of facing another selloff remains high. Let's take a look at a few reasons why. BNB price rising wedge breakdown The ongoing decline in BNB's price came as a part of a broader rising wedge breakdown. Notably, on Feb. 9, BNB broke out of its rising wedge pattern, a bearish reversal setup that forms as the price trends upward inside a range defined by two ascending, converging trendlines. As …

Bitcoin (BTC) is headed to either $28,000 or $19,000 and this week could decide all, fresh analysis says. In Twitter comments on Feb. 15, popular trader Skew told followers that BTC/USD is now in a “pivotal area.” "Next big move" due for Bitcoin Despite returning above $22,000 on the back of the Feb. 14 United States Consumer Price Index (CPI) print, Bitcoin has yet to resume the blistering rally which saw it gain 40% in January. After two weeks of consolidation, however, the time to make a decision is here, Skew believes. “I think we're setting up for the next …

The price of Ether (ETH) declined 10.2% between Jan. 8 and Jan. 10, and has since been range trading near the $1,500 level. More importantly, on a broader time frame, Ether is down 52.5% in twelve months, which partially explains why derivatives metrics were somewhat neutral after Ether’s failed attempt to break $1,700 on Feb. 8. Currently, investors' biggest concerns are the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) lawsuits and enforcement actions against crypto firms, which included Kraken’s tanking of its-as-a-service program and PayPal reportedly pausing its stablecoin project due to regulatory concerns. A crackdown by the SEC on crypto …

German engineering and technology giant Siemens has become one of the first companies in Germany to issue a digital bond on a public blockchain, worth €60 million, with a maturity of one year, in accordance with Germany’s Electronic Securities Act. According to the announcement, the bond was sold directly to investors such as DekaBank, DZ Bank, and Union Investment, without the need for central clearing and paper-based global certificates. Siemens noted that the process enabled transactions to be executed much faster and more efficiently than traditional bond-issuing methods. Siemens emphasized the benefits of using digital bonds over traditional bond-issuing methods …