cryptocurrencies
Michael Saylor assuages investors after market slumps hurts MSTR, BTC
MicroStrategy’s CEO and Bitcoin proponent Michael Saylor is confident his firm’s BTC holdings will more than cover a potential margin call on Bitcoin-backed loans. The American business intelligence and software giant made headlines in 2021 with a number of major investments into Bitcoin. Saylor was a driving force behind MicroStrategy’s decision to convert its treasury reserve into BTC holdings. Global markets have suffered major losses in early May and Microstrategy’s stock has not been spared. MSTR has seen its value drop by 24% and the value of Bitcoin has also slumped considerably along with the wider cryptocurrency markets. This is cause for concern as the company’s subsidiary MacroStrategy took out a $205 million loan from Silvergate Bank in March 2022, with a portion of MicroStrate...
Altcoins stage a relief rally while Bitcoin traders decide whether to buy the dip
The similarity in price action between the crypto and traditional financial markets remains quite strong on May 10 as traders enjoyed a relief bounce across asset classes following the May 9 rout, which saw Bitcoin (BTC) briefly dip to $29,730. Market downturns typically translate to heavier losses in altcoins due to a variety of factors, including thinly traded assets and low liquidity, but this also translates into larger bounces once a recovery ensues. Daily cryptocurrency market performance. Source: Coin360 Several projects notched double-digit gains on May 10, including a 15.75% gain for Maker (MKR), the protocol responsible for issuing the DAI (DAI) stablecoin, which likely benefited from the fallout from Terra (LUNA) and its TerraUSD (UST) stablecoin. Other notable gainers incl...
UK government targets crypto in latest legislative agenda
The United Kingdom has introduced two bills, both concerning the seizure of and support for cryptocurrencies as part of Prince Charles’ remarks at the State Opening of Parliament. In a Tuesday publication released by the U.K. Prime Minister’s Office, the government said it will address crypto regulation in the country with the introduction of the Financial Services and Markets Bill and theEconomic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill. The former aims to strengthen the country’s financial services industry, including by supporting “the safe adoption of cryptocurrencies.” According to the proposed financial services law, the measure will “[cut] red tape in the financial sector” in an effort to attract investors to the United Kingdom. The crime bill proposed “creating powers to more qu...
What are the top social tokens waiting to take off? | Find out now on The Market Report
“The Market Report” with Cointelegraph is live right now. On this week’s show, Cointelegraph’s resident experts discuss the social tokens you should be keeping a close eye on. But first, market expert Marcel Pechman carefully examines the Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) markets. Are the current market conditions bullish or bearish? What is the outlook for the next few months? Pechman is here to break it down. Next up: the main event. Join Cointelegraph analysts Benton Yaun, Jordan Finneseth and Sam Bourgi as each makes his case for the top social token. First up, we have Bourgi with his pick of STEEM, the native token of the Steem social blockchain network, which rewards users for content creation. Its aim is to give back value to content creators who contribute on the platform. Although is ...
Binance temporarily suspends LUNA, UST withdrawals citing network congestion
As the crypto community still tries to decipher Terra’s ongoing pegging-de-pegging fiasco in relation to its stablecoin offering TerraUSD (UST), major crypto exchange Binance temporarily suspended the withdrawals for Terra (LUNA) and UST on Tuesday. The market value of UST, Terra’s stablecoin offering, recently fell below the expected $1.00 price point as LUNA’s price witnessed a sharp decline owing to a major selloff. At the same time, the BTC/UST trading pair on Binance reached highs of more than $42,000, while other Bitcoin dollar markets struggled to preserve $30,000, as reported by Cointelegraph. Which has caused a massive surge in BTCUST (Not Bitcoin valued in dollars, but valued in the UST stablecoin). pic.twitter.com/Xn7qcy4VMZ — Blockchain Backer (@BCBacker) May 10, 202...
Bitcoin retests key $30K support zone as data highlights BTC whale accumulation
Sentiment across the cryptocurrency market plunged even deeper on May 9 as an escalation in the ongoing sell-off intensified with bears pushing Bitcoin (BTC) to $30,334, its lowest price since July 2021. Crypto Fear & Greed Index. Source: Alternative.me Multiple factors like rising interest rates, the end of easy money policies by the Federal Reserve, declining stock prices and concerns related to Terra’s UST stablecoin maintaining its $1 peg are all impacting sentiment within the crypto market. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that an afternoon of heavy selling on May 9 hammered the price of BTC to a daily low of $30,334 as bulls frantically regrouped to defend the psychologically important $30,000 price level. BTC/USDT 1-day chart. Source: TradingView H...
Compound Treasury receives B- credit rating from S&P Global Ratings
On Monday, decentralized finance, or DeFi, protocol Compound Treasury announced that it received a credit rating of B- from S&P Global Ratings. As told by the team at Compound, this represents the first time a major credit agency has issued a rating for an institutionalized DeFi protocol. The S&P Global Ratings’ investment suitability scale ranges from AAA (extremely strong) to D (in default). A score of B- indicates the issuer can meet financial commitments, though vulnerabilities to business, financial and economic conditions persist. Regarding Compound’s rating specifically, S&P Global cites the uncertain regulatory regime for stablecoins such as USD Coin (USDC), stablecoin-to-fiat convertibility risks and the Treasury’s “limited capital base...
Bitcoin price falls to $31K as traders prepare for a ‘rocky’ road and more downside
“When it rains, it pours” is an old saying finding new relevance in the cryptocurrency markets on May 9 as traders face another day of pain and the current price decline brings Bitcoin (BTC) to its lowest level in 2022. Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that the BTC selloff on May 9 intensified as the trading day progressed with Bitcoin hitting a daily low of $31,000 as bulls scrambled to mount what amounted to a weak defense. BTC/USDT 1-day chart. Source: TradingView Here’s a look at some of the developments that led up to May 9’s price declines and what traders can look for as the crypto market heads deeper into bear territory. Further downside is a possibility Bitcoin bulls have struggled to establish a solid floor of support over the past couple of m...
Deribit and OKX attract significant traffic from China despite a blanket ban: Report
Data from website traffic metric provider Similarweb shows that Deribit and OKX continue to attract significant traffic sources from China despite a blanket ban on crypto transactions and foreign exchanges last year. China has banned the use of cryptocurrencies more than a dozen times in the last decade. However, the one imposed in September last year was considered the harshest one. Several crypto exchanges including Huobi and Binance had shut doors for the Chinese traders in fear of regulatory action. The strict regulatory reforms ensured that Chinese traders mainly shifted their focus to decentralized exchanges (DEXs) and protocols. Chinese crypto traders have always found a way to bypass strict crypto regulatory measures imposed by the government. While many believed the blanket ban on...
Understanding staking pools: The pros and cons of staking cryptocurrency
As a suitable option for long-term crypto token holders, staking pools offer the promise of earning yields in addition to the capital gains earned through token value appreciation. One can invest in a stake pool with a fraction of the number of tokens required to become a validator on a PoS blockchain, while the staking pool rewards users on a daily, weekly or quarterly basis, depending on the cryptocurrency being staked. For example, investors can stake their ETH tokens in a staking pool on Coinbase for daily rewards and with no minimum balance requirement. Another popular blockchain to stake tokens is Cosmos, the second largest ecosystem in blockchain. Investors can also stake their tokens through various validators on many chains available in the Cosmos ecosystem. Choosing which staking...
Utah Governor approves of blockchain and digital innovation task force
After nearly a three-year-long discussion about establishing a task force to oversee blockchain and crypto initiatives, the governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, signed a bill to create the Blockchain and Digital Innovation Task Force. The Utah State Legislature first saw the introduction of the house bill (H.B. 335) in early February 2022, which took nearly two months to pass through several senates, house and fiscal actions before finally being signed by Governor Cox on March 24. Some of the primary duties assigned to the task force involve making policy recommendations related to blockchain and related technologies. A part of the bill reads: “[The task force shall] develop and introduce recommendations regarding policy pertaining to the promotion in the state of the adoption of blockchain, fin...
There’s more to NFTs than just PFPs — 5 ways nonfungible tokens will transform society
The nonfungible token (NFT) sector has undergone a surge in popularity over the past year and a half as projects like Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks captured the attention of the general public. While the idea of fetching a six-figure payday for the latest trending digital art piece has been a major factor in the attention placed on the sector, the truth is that the crypto industry has only scratched the surface of what NFT technology is capable of. Here’s a rundown of some of the next frontiers in the development of NFT technology that has the potential to make substantial changes in everyday life. Medical records and identification Medical records and identification documents are vital pieces of information that are easy to misplace and difficult to replace, even in the digit...
