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Local soccer pro Walmer Martinez visits annual Aztecas summer camp | Youth soccer – The Pajaronian

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Santa Cruz native and local professional soccer star Walmer Martinez paid a special visit to Watsonville on Thursday morning to hang out with some potential talent of the future.

The Monterey Bay F.C. midfielder/forward spoke to a group of children who attended the annual Aztecas Youth Soccer Academy Program summer camp at Freedom Elementary School on July 18.

Its amazing to see the community out here, the resources and all the coaches that are providing the knowledge these kids need to be a good human being, Martinez said. These skills they are being provided, the technical training, physical training is amazing. I mean, Ive been here for 10 minutes and I can feel it its exciting.

Mateo Sepulveda, 8, said he just signed up for the camp this summer.

Im glad to be here, he said. There are good coaches here.

Martinez, 25, said these types of youth academies are what it takes to help children get to the next level, and move upwards into careers and education.

When I was growing up you would see good talented players once in a while, but now you see them everywhere, he said. There is so much talent in this area.

The former Soquel High, Cabrillo College and California State University Monterey Bay standout went on to tell the crowd how he grew up with a single mom and didnt know his father.

We were poor and there werent a lot of resourcesBut hard work really pays off, Martinez said. I worked hard and I got good grades, and you need discipline.

Also in attendance was Watsonville native Hugo Vargas-Rios, a Pajaro Valley High alum and Martinezs former teammate at CSUMB.

Ive known him since I was 12, Vargas-Rios said. We were in the same academy. Hes amazing and he cares about giving back and helping others.

According to a press release issued by the Aztecas, The camp is a great opportunity for youth between the ages of 6-14 to learn soccer skills and make new friends.

Soccer camp participants practice and play soccer under the guidance of Aztecas Camp college trainers who are top-level, competitive players and local high school all-stars. Campers are also taught about healthy lifestyles, sportsmanship, and teamwork during fun, intensive practices and games.

The camp is led by Santa Cruz County Probation Officer and Aptos High girls soccer head coach Gina Castaeda.

Aptos incoming senior Anahi Maciasa team captain on the Mariners girls soccer teamhas been a camp coach with the Aztecas for the past two years.

Its pretty cool that Walmer came out here today, Macias said. It definitely is a good way to motivate these people to work hard every day. These are crazy good athletes and all of us can learn something from them here today.

*additional reporting by sports editor Juan Reyes

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Local soccer pro Walmer Martinez visits annual Aztecas summer camp | Youth soccer - The Pajaronian

CHAVIS: Stop the Lynching of President Joe Biden – The Washington Informer

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There are moments in life when the convictions of the spirit and personal consciousness collide in opposition to the mainstream, popular outcries for the blood, life and the end of the future existence of another human being. I refuse to be a silent witness to another lynching in America. Thus, the following is what I have observed and witnessed firsthand over the past days to the lynch mob-like escalation of calls for President Joe Biden to step down from campaigning for reelection in 2024. I am not representing any organization or political party. On the 4th of July 2024, while sitting quietly in Raleigh, North Carolina, I jotted down my personal views.

Although I am a proud Democrat, I am so saddened by the backstabbing cowardice of those who dare to publicly call for President Biden to step down while having an utter contradictory refusal to utter publicly any call for former President Donald Trump to step down and to end his fascist-engaging campaign to retake the White House. The question is why? The attempted political lynching of President Joe Biden has more to do with disingenuous political infighting than difficulties at a nationally televised political debate. What are the real motives from all of those who are calling for President Biden to step down?

Some will say that my words and expressions here are too strong and controversial. That may be true because there should be strong words and expressions that always should call out and condemn any form of lynching. A political lynching is also a crime against the oneness of our humanity. Such is the situation today in America. It is the politics of division versus the politics of unifying all Americans for the best interests and future of the nation that is on the ballot. Democracy is on the ballot. Justice is on the ballot. Equality is on the ballot. Equity is on the ballot. Freedom is on the ballot.

The antidote to the current resurgence of ignorance, racism, cowardice, fascism and retrenchment from freedom, justice, equality and equity is to work hard daily and diligently to ensure the largest voter turnout this year in American history. Why do I claim responsibility for urgently making this statement on July 4, 2024? African Americans, like others who fought and died in the fields and streets in the 13 American colonies during the Revolutionary War against the British Empire 248 years ago, have a birthright to the Declaration of Independence signed on July 4, 1776, and later to the Constitution of the United States of America.

Although thousands of people of African descent, who were not enslaved, enlisted and fought for freedom and independence against the British, no people of African descent were invited or permitted to attend the formative meetings of the newly emerging nations democracy and Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1787. My great-great-great-great-grandfather, the Reverend John Chavis (1763-1838) fought as a young, enlisted soldier in the Revolutionary War against the British in our home state of North Carolina and in the state of Virginia. The Chavis family has lived in Granville County, N.C., for over 285 years. My father, Benjamin F. Chavis Sr. (1898-1965), enlisted and fought as a young sergeant major soldier in the United States Army in World War I.

The point here is that generations of African and African American soldiers have enlisted and fought and died to defend and protect the nation and democracy for the past 248 years. And we are not going to permit anyone or anything to deny our birthright to freedom and democracy. For us, the right to vote in America is blood-stained and sacred. We know from our lived experience the horror, pain, and suffering from centuries of physical lynchings in America to satisfy the sheer fear, hatred, white supremacy, and ignorance of racism. Today, we also know when mobs cry out for the downfall and political lynching of those who have been our allies in our long struggle for freedom, justice, voting rights, and equity, we cannot be silent.

It is ironic that also here in Raleigh, N.C., less than 24 hours after the questionable so-called debate in Atlanta, President Biden spoke eloquently and forcibly at the N.C. State Fairgrounds about a couple of miles away from the John Chavis Memorial Park in downtown Raleigh. President Biden stated, I know Im not a young man, to state the obvious, I dont walk as easy as I used to. I dont speak as smoothly as I used to. I dont debate as well as I used to. But I know what I do know I know how to tell the truth.

The truth is therapeutic. Our nation needs more truth over the lies and prevalent fake news.

At the same time, as the calls for President Biden to step down, the United States Supreme Court has now ruled that future and past presidential official acts of violence, crime, repression, voter suppression, and insurrection are all immune from prosecution as long those acts are official acts within the core responsibilities of a President of the United States. This is dangerous and fundamentally against the meaning and principles of democracy. That is why now, more than ever before, we must raise our voices and mobilize our families and communities to go out and vote in record numbers in the Swing States and in every other state across the nation. We all have work to do. We said back in the 1960s civil rights movement, When things get tough in our struggle for freedom, we have to become tougher.

Join me and raise your voice with me. Lets vote in record numbers throughout America. Stop the lynching of President Joe Biden.

Chavis is president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA).

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CHAVIS: Stop the Lynching of President Joe Biden - The Washington Informer

Assassination Accomplishes Nothing – The Future of Freedom Foundation

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I was a few minutes into my talk at FreedomFest when former President Trump was almost assassinated. It was ironic because my talk was about the U.S. national-security establishments assassination of President Kennedy. While my talk specifically focused on the CIAs production of a fraudulent copy of the famous film of the assassination by Dallas businessman Abraham Zapruder (the subject of my book An Encounter with Evil), I ended it by emphasizing why the JFK assassination is so relevant today we still have the national-security state form of governmental structure that existed in November 1963, which succeeded in taking out Kennedy and replacing him with Lyndon Johnson. The national-security state is a great big problem that America still faces.

Its tempting for someone to think that if only Trump werent running for president again, everything would be fine. Of course, the same sentiment applies to President Biden. But even if Biden and Trump were to drop out of the race for illness or some other reason, it wouldnt solve anything. Thats because Americas problems are not rooted in the wrong people being in public office. Instead, Americas problems are systemic that is, they are rooted in the welfare-state, regulated-society, national-security-state system that Americans adopted in the 20th century and that todays Americans, unfortunately, choose to continue, hoping that they can just elect better people to public office to manage it.

Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.

Decade after decade, this statist way of life has gradually destroyed the liberty, privacy, and well-being of the American people. It is as though Americans are enveloped by a great big statist device that is incessantly being tightened by a gigantic screw. With each turn of the screw, Americans lose more of their liberty, privacy, and well-being.

Moreover, with each turn of the screw, America turns more dysfunctional, especially given that so many Americans are convinced that they live in a genuinely free society. Thank God Im an American because at least I know Im free is a common mindset among the American populace, a mindset that is ingrained in every child who is subjected to the states educational system. As any psychiatrist will tell you, denial of reality can produce very serious psychoses.

With each turn of the screw, aberrant things happen, especially among the off-kilter people in society. Most notable are the periodic mass killings. Somehow the tightening of the screw causes some people to go haywire and drives them to commit copycat killings that mirror mass killings committed against foreigners by the U.S. national-security state.

Assuming that the attempted assassination of Trump was not an effort by the deep state to get rid of him, as with JFK, and instead was the act of what will be called a lone nut, the lone nuts mindset is really no different from that of the average anti-Trump person that is, the need to prevent Trump from being reelected because he will be a grave danger to our nation.

But what these people fail to understand is that even if it isnt Trump who is president or even if it isnt Biden it will still be someone who will wield the omnipotent power to continue tightening the gigantic statist screw that destroys our liberty, privacy, and well-being.

A loosening of the screw would no doubt alleviate the problem but thats not the ultimate solution to Americas woes. The ultimate solution is a complete dismantling of the welfare-state, regulated-society, national-security-state system under which we live one that comes with that gigantic screw that produces highly aberrant and destructive behavior. The ultimate solution to our nations woes is the restoration of our founding system of a free-market, voluntary-charity, limited-government way of life, one in which there is no screw at all.

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Assassination Accomplishes Nothing - The Future of Freedom Foundation

Politics puppeteers Japans press freedom – East Asia Forum

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Every year, Japans poor press freedom ranking triggers handwringing and defensiveness in equal measure. The countrys 2024 ranking of 70 out of 180 countries in the annual index compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) should alarm Japanese citizens, said veteran politician Ichiro Ozawa, who noted that Japan has experienced incredible democratic backsliding.

Not so, countered the right wing news website Japan Forward. Despite being called an index, the RSF study has little to do with scientifically gathered intelligence. The critique questioned why the survey ranked Malta, which was deemed responsible for the 2017 murder of investigative reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia, higher than famously safe Japan. Other RSF critics have also noted that there is no appreciable violence against journalists in Japan.

Japans highest RSF ranking of 11, scored in 2010, was an anomaly. For most of the previous two decades since the early 2000s, Japan hovered in the twenties to forties, falling to its lowest of 51 in 2008. The defeat of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 2009 created expectations that its more liberal rival, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) would challenge or scrap the press club system, which rewards establishment journalists with monopolistic access to sources and discourages and sometimes even punishes independent critical reporting.

The press club system survived and remains a key reason for Japans perennially low ranking. The DPJs handling of the Fukushima nuclear disaster further damaged public confidence in journalism. Much of the mainstream news parroted the official line that Japans leaking reactors were safe and journalists avoided the term meltdown for two months, insisting that partial fuel melt was suspected.

When the LDP retook power in December 2012, it turned its attention to the liberal media. Former prime minister Shinzo Abe installed four conservatives to the 12-member board of public service broadcaster NHK. The LDP also demanded political impartiality from television bosses in 2014. In 2016, then-communications minister Sanae Takaichi threatened to close television stations that flouted rules on impartiality amid a major political row about the near simultaneous departure of three liberal TV anchors.

The controversy over Abes arm-twisting of the media peaked in 2016 when UN Rapporteur David Kaye warned of serious threats to Japans media, highlighting self-censorship, declining media independence and a lack of professional solidarity among media organisations. After interviewing approximately 100 journalists and editors, Kaye found that a significant number of journalists feel intense pressure from the government to conform their reporting to official policy preferences. The official reaction to Kayes report was defensive. Koichi Hagiuda, then-deputy chief cabinet secretary, argued that Kayes findings were based on hearsay.

Yet both Kaye and the RSF have identified structural weaknesses in the Japanese media long bemoaned by domestic critics. One of the biggest news stories in Japan since 2023 has been the admission by the countrys most powerful talent agency that its founder and boss was a serial paedophile. A report published in August 2023 concluded that pop artist Svengali Johnny Kitagawa had repeatedly sexually assaulted young men for almost 50 years.

In the 1980s and 1990s, several of Kitagawas former trainees publicly accused him of sexual assault. In 1999, a weekly magazine published startling accusations by 12 of his former trainees which led to global media coverage and questioning in Japans parliament. But there was little follow up by Japans newspapers and television companies, which relied on the publicity generated by the actors, singers and dancers provided by Kitagawas agency, Johnny & Associates, even after Kitagawa sued and lost a court battle over the magazines claims.

The latest RSF report nods to the reason why Kitagawas actions were enabled by a lack of media accountability. While violence against journalists is almost unheard of in Japan and media freedom is generally respected, business interests often prevent journalists from fulfilling their role as watchdogs. A major disincentive to investigating Kitagawas misdeeds was the commercial interdependence of television with his agency.

The Kitagawa story was nudged into the mainstream by Shukan Bunshun, a weekly tabloid that was shut out of the establishment. But even after publishing multiple interviews with Kitagawas victims, Shukan Bunshun journalists knew there was little chance that the Japanese press would report the issue. A BBC documentary, which interviewed some of the same victims, further weakened the code of silence around Kitagawa. A probe by a team of independent investigators eventually concluded in August 2023 that the company had covered up decades of abuse, despite there being many opportunities to take action, according to the teams leader Makoto Hayashi.

Bunshuns work showed that the media in Japan can be diverse and lively. But self-censorship is rife and taboos linger over swathes of public life. Journalists are encouraged to collude with official sources and shun independent lines of enquiry, leaving many issues including the imperial family, war crimes and the death penalty poorly covered or out of bounds. Social media is used to bash critics, manipulate public opinion and amplify right wing topics. It seems likely that Japan will continue to score badly in media freedom rankings.

David McNeill is Professor of Communications and English at the University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo, and co-chair of the Foreign Correspondents Club Japans Freedom of the Press Committee.

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Politics puppeteers Japans press freedom - East Asia Forum

Georgia: A crisis point for press freedom – European Centre for Press and Media Freedom

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In Spring 2024, a delegation from the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) conducted a press freedom fact-finding mission to Tbilisi, Georgia as part of a project funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Throughout the mission, ECPMF met with Georgian journalists and media workers, journalists working in exile in Tbilisi, NGOs, activists, political figures, the National Communications Commission, and the office of the Public Defender (Ombudsman) of Georgia.

Today, ECPMF publishes a report detailing the findings of the mission, which paint a picture of independent media in the midst of an existential crisis.

The mission delegation heard concerns about physical attacks, a lack of sustainable funding for independent media, government targeting of donor organisations, severely restricted access to public information, the use of vexatious lawsuits to target journalists, the exodus of educated media workers in search of a better standard of living, and numerous threats facing exiled journalists working in the country namely those from Russia and Belarus. These issues, coupled with the worrying reintroduction of the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence in April 2024 and a proposed series of bills outlawing LGTBQI propaganda, present a distinctly bleak image for media freedom in Georgia. Despite this, a sizeable group of committed, independent journalists often working for online media continue to withstand the pressure and provide vital information in order to hold power to account in Georgia and across the wider southern Caucasus region. Months of mass protests against the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence further illustrate a broad public rejection of government initiatives to undermine democracy and a free press, as well as a desire to bring Georgia towards European integration, despite waves of violence and intimidation against protestors.

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Georgia: A crisis point for press freedom - European Centre for Press and Media Freedom

Former Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward says city council violated her freedom of speech, interfered with mayoral election – KREM.com

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Woodward claims that city council members violated her freedom of speech and, in doing so, interfered with the mayoral election.

SPOKANE, Wash. Former Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward filed a claim for damages with the City Attorney Thursday stating the majority of the city council violated her free speech and interfered with the election.

In the claim, obtained by KREM 2 News through a public records request, Woodward said, A four member majority of the Spokane City council, in violation of the state and federal constitutions, 'condemned' speech by Woodward which speech is protected by the state and federal constitutions. The City Council did so with the intent of interfering with the then-upcoming mayoral election and promoting the candidacy of Woodward's opponent.

Woodward names Betsy Wilkerson, Zack Zappone, Lori Kinnear and Karen Stratton as individuals involved in the incident.

Woodwards claim is looking for loss of mayoral salary, health and retirement benefits and pain and suffering from reputational harm.

When asked for who has more information on the claim, Woodward wrote, Entire City Attorneys Office and most citizens of Spokane.

The controversy stemmed from video of Woodward appearing at Let Us Worship, a prayer rally with Christian nationalism connotations, on Aug. 20, 2023. Woodward joined Matt Shea on stage for prayer. Shea is a former Washington state representative who was expelled from the State Republican Caucus after an independent investigation found he committed acts of domestic terrorism. Shea founded On Fire Ministries, a religious group criticized for extremism.

The council formally denounced Woodward in a meeting in September 2023.

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Former Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward says city council violated her freedom of speech, interfered with mayoral election - KREM.com

Can ETH price crack $3.5K? Ethereum ETF debut will precede new highs, analysts say – Cointelegraph

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Ethers price could be on track to reach a new all-time high as the industry is about to witness the launch of the first spot Ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which could occur as soon as next week.

Ethers (ETH) price could be on track to a new all-time high after the launch of the first United States spot Ether ETFs, according to Matt Hougan, chief investment officer of Bitwise.

Hougan cited three main reasons for Ether reaching a new all-time high, including ETHs inflation rate, the fact that Ether stakers arent selling like Bitcoin (BTC) miners and that 28% of Ether supply is already out of the market.

In a July 16 blog post, Hougan wrote:

Other factors also point to an incoming rally, including the number of Ether withdrawals from centralized exchanges, according to crypto analyst Leon Waidmann.

The analyst wrote in a July 19 X post:

However, Ether futuressuggest little confidence in the chance of Ether breaking above the $4,000 mark in the short term, as the $3,500 mark remains a significant resistance zone.

Ethers relative strength index (RSI) also suggests that Ethers price needs to cool down before rallying to a new all-time high. On the daily chart, Ethers RSI rose to 58, which suggests that the asset is not yet overbought but is trading above its fair value, according to TradingView data.

The RSI is a popular momentum indicator used to measure whether an asset is oversold or overbought based on the magnitude of recent price changes.

Related: Bitcoin analysts say 74K is the next stop for BTC price

Ethers price could first see a sell-the-news event after the initial ETF launch before starting its sustained rally toward new all-time highs.

Hence, the real opportunity to invest in Ether long term could come after the first few weeks of the ETF debut, according to Alvin Kan, chief operating officer of Bitget Wallet.

Kan told Cointelegraph:

ETHs price will be able to climb in a more sustained manner after the initial shakeout, added Kan:

Other analysts expect the Ether ETF to have wider ramifications on the altcoin market. For instance, popular crypto trader Mikybull expects the ETFs to catalyze the next altcoin bull market cycle.

The trader wrote in a July 19 X post:

Ethers price rallied over 11% during the past week, but ETH is still trading 29% below its old all-time high of $4,890 reached in November 2021.

Related: Bitcoin bears trapped, but can BTC price surpass $70K by August?

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

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Can ETH price crack $3.5K? Ethereum ETF debut will precede new highs, analysts say - Cointelegraph

Five Spot Ethereum ETFs To Launch on July 23, CBOE Says – Watcher Guru

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Five Spot Ethereum ETFs, including Fidelity and VanEck, are set to launch on July 23rd, according to the CBOE exchange. Cboe posted new issue notifications Friday afternoon, which are procedural for ETF launches, revealing the Ethereum ETF launch date.

JUST IN: Five Spot Ethereum ETFs to launch on July 23, Cboe confirms.

VanEck Invesco Fidelity 21Shares Franklin Templeton

Cboe will house most of the first trading of Ether ETFs. The exchange has revealed that trading will commence next week. These include the Fidelity Ethereum Fund, the Franklin Ethereum ETF, the Invesco Galaxy Ethereum ETF, the VanEck Ethereum ETF, and the 21Shares Core Ethereum ETF. We are pleased to announce that 1 Exchange Traded Product (ETP) will be listed on Cboe and will begin trading as a new issue on July 23, 2024, the exchange said.

Also Read: Ethereum: Will ETH ETF Have a Bigger Impact Than Bitcoin Did?

Ether ETF applicants first received 19b-4 form approvals back in May. However, there has been a delay in wrapping up final loose ends. In addition, firms disclosed fee amounts in amended registration statements on Wednesday:

Also Read: Pepe Coins 390% Boom: Next Big Crypto?

Furthermore, an interesting note is the timing of the approval. The SEC is greenlighting the launch date of the Ethereum ETF during the biggest Bitcoin conference of the year. That week will be a memorable one for all of crypto, as BTC and ETH represent the only two cryptocurrencies with an ETF in the US.

Now, all eyes are on what token could be next. There has been a lot of anticipation surrounding a possible Solana ETF soon. Crypto ETFs have entered the spotlight. As a result, the opening week performance of Ether ETFs may dictate how easily the next ETF is approved in the future.

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Five Spot Ethereum ETFs To Launch on July 23, CBOE Says - Watcher Guru

Ethereum co-founder’s warning against ‘pro-crypto’ candidates: ‘Are they in it for the right reasons?’ – TechCrunch

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Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of Ethereum, issued a warning on Wednesday against choosing a candidate purely based on whether they claim to be pro-crypto. In a blog post, Buterin said its more important to scrutinize a candidates broader policies to ensure they support cryptocurrencys underlying goals, including internationalism and protection for private communications.

If a politician is pro-crypto, the key question to ask is:Are they in it for the right reasons?, wrote Buterin.Do they have a vision of how technology and politics and the economy should go in the 21st century that aligns with yours?

Though Buterin does not mention any politicians or crypto investors by name, his comments come just one day after Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz threw their support behind former President Donald Trump in the 2024 Presidential election. The founders of Andreessen Horowitz noted on their podcast yesterday that Trumps crypto regulation plan is a flat-out blanket endorsement of the entire space. The influential venture capitalists join the ranks of other notable Silicon Valley players, including Elon Musk, who endorsed Trump in the last week.

Further, Ethereums co-founder made the case that signaling you broadly support any pro-crypto candidates could incentivize politicians to promote the cause in bad faith. Buterin notes that authoritarian leaders, particularly in Russia, have claimed to support crypto in an effort to consolidate power.

It doesnt matter if they also support banning encrypted messaging, if they are a power-seeking narcissist, or if they push for bills that make it even harder for your Chinese or Indian friend to attend the next crypto conference all that politicians have to do is make sure its easy for you to trade coins, said Buterin.

The co-founder of Ethereum suggested to look into a crypto-friendly politicians views on crypto five years ago. He says this can serve as a guide for whether the politician may reverse their position five years in the future.

Notably, former President Trump starkly opposed decentralized tokens five years ago. In a tweet from July 2019, Trump said hes not a fan of Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies, which are not money. In a follow-up tweet, he said we have only one real currency in the USA, referring to the United States dollar.

But in May, Trump completed a total flip-flop on his stance regarding cryptocurrencies, becoming the first major presidential candidate to accept bitcoin donations. The Wall Street Journal reports that Trumps crypto fundraising efforts have collected $3 million worth of donations in the second quarter.

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Ethereum co-founder's warning against 'pro-crypto' candidates: 'Are they in it for the right reasons?' - TechCrunch

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin warns against voting on crypto policy, as a16z founders endorse Trump – Fortune

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One of cryptos most influential voices has warned the industry to refrain from voting for political candidates based solely on their digital asset policies. In a blog published Wednesday, Ethereums co-founder Vitalik Buterin argues that electing candidates simply for being crypto friendly could hurt the industry more in the long-run. Considering whether candidates are ideologically at-odds with what crypto stands for, is more important than if they endorse the right to trade coins in the here and now, he argues.

If you care about freedom, you might want the government to respect your freedom to have the kind of family you want. If you care about building more efficient and equitable economies, you might want to look at the implications of that in housing, he continues. Buterin added that losing site of these bigger questions could lead crypto voters to lose sight of the ideals that originally created crypto in the first place.

In his view, crypto payments are just one iteration of the decentralization movements larger ideological goal of freedom, and a partys commitment to protecting this goal is what should be on the ballot. Decentralized networks are good at protecting freedom, and money is an important sphere where such networks can be applied but its one important sphere among several, he writes.

Trump, who has committed to be the crypto president, will speak at Bitcoin 2024 next week, an annual conference that also serves as a tribal gathering for fans of the original cryptocurrency. Details of what he will discuss have not been disclosed. David Bailey, CEO, BTC Inc., the organizer of the Bitcoin Conference, told Fortune in a statement that Trump will share his vision for the future of the American Bitcoin industry and its impact on the U.S. economy.

In his blog post, Buterin also listed examples of technologies that should also be protected in the name of freedom, beyond just crypto and blockchains. This includes encrypted messaging, privacy from centralized AI companies, and prediction markets and Community Notes that he argues help people form high-quality opinions about important topics in an adversarial environment.

Buterins appeal to higher ideals, however, was quickly met with suggestions he was ignoring political reality.

Much of this seems too clever by half. Good crypto policy requires electing pro-crypto candidates, period. Political reality beats idealism every time, responded prominent crypto layer Jake Chervinsky on X. Another user added, The underlying goal has to be mass adoption, which requires good policy. The tech is inherently democratic.

Buterins blog comes just one day after Ben Horowitz and Marc Andreessen, co-founders of tech venture capital firm a16z, announced their endorsement of Donald Trump on a podcast. For little tech, we think Donald Trump is actually the right choice. Sorry mum, I know youre going to be mad at me for this, but we had to do it, Horowitz said. On that same podcast, Andreessen expressed his fears over how the Democrats might regulate Silicon Valley: My big concern is what we saw in crypto was the foreshadowing of whats gonna happen in AI.

The a16z founders arent the first prominent members of the industry to make their support for Trump public.

I am going to vote for the person whos going to do the best job for our economyI am a voter when it comes to economics, and on that basis, Trump. ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood said during an interview with YouTuber Kevin Paffrath last month.

In addition, this week it was reported that Tesla CEO and meme coin enthusiast Elon Musk is donating $45 million per month to a new pro-Trump super political action committee, called America PAC. Further donors to the lobbying group include the Winklevoss twins, who founded crypto exchange Gemini, and former U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Kelly Craft, who has lobbied on behalf of the Bitcoin mining industry.

Prominent crypto figures turning to Trump is also indicative of a wider shift. A June survey by Paradigm found that 13% of Republican swing voters are now more convinced to vote for him in light of his recent crypto conversion. Moreover, just over one third of Republicans view crypto positively, the survey found.

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Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin warns against voting on crypto policy, as a16z founders endorse Trump - Fortune

Ethereum ETFs will have a bigger impact on ETH price: Bitwise – Cointelegraph

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United States spot Ether exchange-traded funds will have a rough start but could have a bigger impact on the assets price than Bitcoin ETFs did for BTC, according to Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan.

The first few weeks could be choppy, as money may flow out of the $11 billion Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETHE) after it converts to an ETP, Hougan stated.

By year-end, Im confident the new highs will be in, he added, reiterating not to expect significant results immediately given the potential selling pressure similar to what spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs faced upon trading launch on Jan. 11.

Hougan gave three main reasons why he believes Ether ETFs will have a bigger impact on the asset's price: Ethers inflation rate effectively amounts to zero, given the widespread usage of Ethereum-based applications compared to the small amount of ETH created daily.

Also, Bitcoin miners are forced to sell Bitcoin to maintain operations due to it being expensive, requiring high-end computer chips and loads of energy,. In contrast, those staking ETH do not have significant direct costs.

Another reason is that approximately one-third of all ETH (28%) is staked and locked away for a period of time. Currently, 28% of all ETH is staked, meaning it is effectively off the market, he said.

Hougans comments come amid growing anticipation for the launch of the spot Ether (ETH) ETF, which is expected to debut on July 23, according to Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas.

Hougan predicts that the product will push Ethers price above $5,000 by the end of 2024, a 47% increase from its current price of $3,401, as per CoinMarketCap data.

However, the prediction might be conservative if inflows exceed market expectations, according to Hougan.

If flows are stronger than many market commentators expect, the price could be much higher still, he declared, mirroring the prediction of pseudonymous crypto trader Daan Crypto Trades, who also believes that the amount of potential inflows into Ether ETFs has been underestimated.

Related: SEC approves Grayscale, Proshares spot Ethereum ETFs for trading on NYSE Arca

My expectation is still a little more optimistic in terms of ETF flows than most, Daan Crypto Trade wrote in a July 17 X post.

They further pointed out that Ethers price is sitting on top of the 200-day Moving Average (MA) and will eventually break out surrounding the ETF launch.

Meanwhile, pseudonymous crypto trader Kaleo is of the opposite opinion to Daan Crypto Trades believing that the price will spiral downward upon Ether ETF launch.

Gonna be a contrarian here and say that I believe Ethereum actually dips a bit next week vs. BTC, they added.

While Hougan is optimistic about Ethereum reaching $5,000 and beyond by the years end, futures traders are betting on a near-term decline in Ethereums price.

A 10% increase to $3,750 will wipe $1.31 billion in short liquidations, whereas 10% dip on the downside will erase $544.39 in long positions, according to CoinGlass data.

Magazine: Bitcoin $500K prediction, spot Ether ETF staking issue Thomas Fahrer, X Hall of Flame

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

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Ethereum ETFs will have a bigger impact on ETH price: Bitwise - Cointelegraph

Ethereum (ETH) Price Prediction For 2024, 2025 And 2030 – Forbes

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In the world of virtual or digital assets, people often talk most about the trending and most popular cryptocurrency Bitcoin, but also closely keep an eye on Ethereum, which is regarded as the worlds second largest cryptocurrency. There is no doubt that ETH is overshadowed by the worlds largest cryptocurrency BTC, but surely it has plenty to offer.

Crypto enthusiasts generally consider ETH much more than just a digital token and believe it has a huge intrinsic value that offers unique earning opportunities for its investors. Investors had anticipated ETH to reach new heights following the Dencun upgrade, but the cryptocurrency continues its downward trend. As of July 9, 2024, the current value of Ethereum is $3,080, down by 36.94% from its all-time high and 10.67% down in the last seven days.

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Lets examine this guide to determine Ethereums future and whether it will continue to gain momentum in the coming years.

The worlds largest altcoin and the second-largest cryptocurrency, Ethereum, holds significance beyond being just a crypto token. It is widely recognized outside the crypto community for its advanced features and innovative blockchain solutions.

ETH operates as an open-source blockchain with smart contract functionality, primarily applied in the realm of decentralized finance (DeFi). Ethereum functions more like a network that is continually updated and maintained by validators who receive ETH as compensation for their contributions and efforts.

Many experts envision ETH reaching a valuation of $40,000 by 2030. While this might seem ambitious, it is not entirely implausible. Several compelling factors, such as its comprehensive market strategy, unique model, scalability solutions, and leadership in various decentralized applications, have positioned ETH at the forefront of the cryptocurrency landscape.

Ethereum has played a vital role in expanding blockchain technology, offering blockchain projects, faster transactions, enhanced efficiency, and decentralized applications to industries across the globe. Lets take a look at the key use cases of ETH, which are extensive and expanding at a very fast pace:

In short, there are many sectors in which Ethereum is creating value and offering utility. Industries, from entertainment to real estate and even the healthcare sector, are creating apps and tools based on the blockchain solutions provided by ETH.

To understand where Ethereum will go next and to gain a better understanding of its forecast, you need first to comprehend its unique model, which is unlike other cryptocurrencies.

The network began operating using a consensus mechanism that initially involved proof-of-work, but in 2022, it switched to proof-of-stake. The PoS consensus mechanism is considered to be extra secure, tending to use less energy and being much more efficient for implementing scaling solutions than the previous model.

In the current model, validators are allowed to stake capital in the form of Ethereum and join the network where this stake ETH acts as collateral. Once it is activated, validators receive new blocks from their peers on the ETH network, and they are responsible for sending them out to other nodes on the network.

Furthermore, validator nodes vote on the validity of a new block of transactions, collectively ensuring that new blocks are authentic and in force before adding them permanently to the main blockchain. Then, out of these nodes, one node is selected as the block proposer for the current time slot, which is highly responsible for building the new block of transactions.

A PoS is much better than PoW, as it does not use heavy computational power to solve a riddle. But, in the PoS system, the node validates the new transactions and stakes its value as collateral. These nodes then run competently to avoid losing that collateral.

With the Ethereum merge now complete after years of hard work, Ethereums transition to PoS is finally active. With this crucial change, the Ethereum network started using validators instead of miners to approve, create, and add blocks to the blockchain.

Ethereum holds a bright future as it is not just a transactional currency; eventually, it will be on the path of establishing itself as a store of value for entities looking to optimize their wealth. ETH functions very well with DApps, NFTs, smart contracts, and DeFi; the list keeps growing yearly.

As long as the network keeps becoming stronger and the ETH team continues to develop innovative features, its investors will likely continue to grow in the years to come. Lets check out Ethereums long-term price predictions.

As of July 9, 2024, Ethereum is trading at $3,080, with a market capitalization of $370.35 billion. The currency has exhibited significant growth following the Shapella upgrade in April 2023 and has experienced a substantial increase from $2,100 to $4,000. However, the Dencun upgrade has not significantly impacted the cryptocurrencys value. ETH is down by 16.45% from the past month.

The ongoing interest in Spot Bitcoin ETFs has spurred anticipation Ethereum ETFs may also get an approval. Following the Dencun upgrade launched on March 13, 2024, the total supply has declined and the upgrade did not bolster the surge that the market had anticipated. ETH has increased 1.65% in the last 24 hours.

Read more about the Dencun upgrade: Why is Ethereum Going Up Today?

According to Cryptonewz, by the end of the current year 2024, ETH will touch $5,000. By the year 2025, Ethereum is expected to reach the maximum level of $6,500 with a minimum of $ 4,500 and an average of $5,500. And by the year 2030, it is expected that it may go up to a maximum of $20,500.

In the current year, we witnessed the Dencun upgrade and Bitcoin Halving, which were anticipated to boost the value of ETH positively. However, the anticipation of the growth of the ETH trading value turned out to be more of a disappointment among investors. On the other hand, if ETH keeps on growing, it has the potential to overcome its all-time high.

According to a blog by a leading cryptocurrency exchange CoinDCX, 2024 may lay a firm foundation for ETHs upward movement. The upswing could intensify, potentially pushing prices to surpass the crucial $10,000 and setting a new all-time high. However, bearish activity could increase as these levels are breached, promoting a modest pullback. By the year-end, the pullback will witness a downtrend; eventually, the year will close in the range of $5,000.

At the beginning of 2030, the ETH price could reclaim its position of $10,000 and probably be above that level, establishing a robust upward trend. ETH might even bypass this all-time high of around $12,000 and set a new record. But, again, after reaching this peak, a crucial pullback might ensue. The year for ETH will reflect the dynamic interplay of encompassing bullish surges, market forces, and bearish adjustments. By the end of the year, it might range around $9,000 to $9,500.

Given the highly volatile nature of the crypto market, various possibilities exist in the realm of cryptocurrencies, including the potential for Ethereum to surpass Bitcoin. As witnessed in 2021, ETH outperformed BTC, gaining nearly 400% compared to Bitcoins 66%.

Experts acknowledge that Ethereum has a stable future due to several use cases and its unique blockchain, and there is a chance it may perform exceptionally well compared to Bitcoin. However, it is considered highly unlikely for Ethereum to surpass the price of Bitcoin. Nevertheless, ETH has the potential to reach a comparable market capitalization with BTC, notably due to its uncapped supply, unlike Bitcoin.

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Several crypto experts have analyzed Ethereums performance since its inception. Knowing its capabilities, they strongly believe that ETH is here to stay because of its firm fundamentals and potential.

The continuous growth of Ethereum and its constant upgrades has led many to predict that this year, 2024, and upcoming years will be great for the token as rising confidence in the technology and blockchain solutions will surely let ETH to the moon and investors holding ETH for long will not be wrecked.

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Ethereum (ETH) Price Prediction For 2024, 2025 And 2030 - Forbes

Why Grayscales fees for its $10bn Ethereum ETF are a nonstarter for investors – DLNews

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The results are in: Grayscale Investments will keep charging a 2.5% fee to holders of its Ethereum trust when it converts into an exchange-traded fund.

Thats a massive fee compared with other potential Ethereum ETFs which are all set to launch on July 23.

Grayscale isnt lowering its fees at all, Bloomberg Intelligence ETF analyst Eric Balchunas wrote on X, pointing out that the firms ETF will be roughly 10 times more expensive than its competition.

Probably will cause some outrage flows, Balchunas added.

By comparison, the Ethereum ETFs issued by BlackRock and Fidelity Investments will each have a 0.25% fee, VanEck and Bitwise will each charge 0.20%, and Franklin Templeton 0.19%.

Grayscales case is unique in that it isnt spinning up a new fund from scratch, but converting its existing Ethereum Trust ticker ETHE, which holds almost $10 billion in assets into an ETF.

The trust was designed in such a way that investors could create new shares, but not redeem them. Even so, the trust was popular for a long time because it was one of the only ways for Wall Street investors to get exposure to Ethereum.

And because it was the only game in town, Grayscale could get away with its 2.5% fees.

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But once the trust converts into a fund at the same time all other Ethereum ETFs launch investors will be able to finally redeem their shares.

And because other Ethereum ETFs will launch imminently, Grayscale risks seeing outflows from its fund to cheaper alternatives.

The same thing happened with spot Bitcoin ETFs: Grayscale has seen more than $18 billion in outflows since it converted its Bitcoin trust into an ETF in January.

BlackRock and Fidelitys Bitcoin ETFs, meanwhile, have amassed over $30 billion in assets between the two of them.

Grayscale didnt respond to a request for comment.

Alongside ETHEs conversion, Grayscale is launching a separate spot Ethereum ETF, called the mini Ethereum ETF. The mini fund will process smaller fees 0.25% and will be seeded with 10% of ETHEs assets upon launch.

The move should help alleviate some of the likely Grayscale outflows, Bloomberg Intelligence ETF analyst James Seyffart posted on X.

But not everyone is convinced.

Theres one massive idiosyncratic factor with Ethereum that will affect demand and thats staking, Adam Morgan McCarthy, an analyst at crypto data firm Kaiko Research, told DL News.

When using crypto infrastructure, Ethereum holders can lock their Ether in the network a process called staking to receive a 3% yield. But the Ethereum ETFs wont give holders that opportunity.

The value proposition for a crypto-native fund holding ETHE is hard to see when these funds can redeem shares and buy Ether to stake in return for yields as opposed to paying high fees to stick around in Grayscales fund, McCarthy said.

Even paying 0.2% without the staking element seems like a nonstarter to me, he added.

McCarthy pointed out that, because Ethereum enabled staking relatively recently, in 2022, some ETHE investors are likely still waiting to exit the fund and lock their Ether in staking protocols.

Expect outflows from ETHE and some reallocation into new funds which are launching with waivers and low fees, McCarthy said.

But a decent chunk of outflows will exit the market altogether, he added.

Tom Carreras is a markets correspondent at DL News. Got a tip about Grayscale and Ethereum ETFs? Reach out at tcarreras@dlnews.com

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Why Grayscales fees for its $10bn Ethereum ETF are a nonstarter for investors - DLNews

SEC approves Grayscale, ProShares spot Ethereum ETFs for trading on NYSE Arca – Cointelegraph

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The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved two spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust and ProShares Ethereum ETF for listing on the New York Stock Exchanges (NYSEs) Arca electronic trading platform, according to a July 17filing.

The approval of the so-called Form 19b-4 filing authorizes NYSE to facilitate trading of the funds. However, the issuers must still stand by for final comments on the ETFs respective S-1 filings before the spot products can actually commence with listing.

Grayscale is excited to share that the [SEC] has approved Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trusts (proposed ticker: ETH) Form 19b-4, a Grayscale spokesperson said in a statement. The Grayscale team continues to engage constructively with SEC staff as we seek full regulatory approval for US spot Ethereum ETPs.

Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust is one of two spot Ethereum ETFs that the crypto investment manager is preparing to list. In May, Grayscale received SEC approval after filing a Form 19b-4 to convert its legacy spot ETH fund, Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETHE), into an exchange traded fund.

On July 17, Grayscale announced plans to distribute shares of the new Mini Trust to holders of the ETHE fund. The Grayscale Ethereum Trust was first launched in 2017 and was among the first institutional investment vehicles for spot Ethereum.

The SEC reportedly gave preliminary approval to at least three issuers to begin listing spot Ether ETFs as soon as July 23. A total of eight spot Ether ETFs are awaiting a final regulatory greenlight after weeks of back-and-forth dialogues with the SEC and multiple amendments to the funds' S-1 filings.

Related: 21Shares Ether ETF to waive fees for up to 6 months

The ProShares Ethereum ETF has been a relative latecomer in the race, filing its Form 19b-4 roughly three weeks after its peers had already received approval. The ProShares fund is not among the eight expected to be listed next week.

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SEC approves Grayscale, ProShares spot Ethereum ETFs for trading on NYSE Arca - Cointelegraph

Ethereum tops $3.3K as analysts tip ETF approvals this week – Cointelegraph

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The price of Ether has topped $3,300 amid anticipation that spot ETH exchange-traded funds (ETFs) could launch as soon as the end of this week.

Ether (ETH) is currently trading at $3,331 and has rallied 16% from a price of $2,909 in the last week, per TradingView data.

Nate Geraci, ETF analyst and president of The ETF Store, took to X with his forecast that the roster of eight spot ETH ETFs will have launched by the end of this week.

Welcome to spot ETH ETF approval week. Dont know anything specific, just cant come up [with] good reason for any further delay at this point, wrote Geraci in a July 14 X post.

In line with Geraci, an anonymous source close to the proceedings told Cointelegraph on July 12 that the spot ETH funds were expected to launch by the end of this week.

Several issuers including VanEck and 21Shares filed amended registrations last week in hopes of receiving the SECs final signoff to begin listing spot Ether ETFs.

Many analysts tip the launch of the ETFs as a major catalyst for the price of ETH in the coming months.

Related: Spot Bitcoin ETFs see highest flow day in over 5 weeks

Tom Dunleavy, a managing partner at crypto investment firm MV Global, told Cointelegraph that he expects the funds toattract up to $10 billion in new inflows in the months following their launch, something that will see Ether prices surge to new all-time highs by the end of this year.

Dunleavy also said, contrary to popular opinion among other ETF analysts, that Ether ETFs would be an easier sell to Wall Street compared to Bitcoin ETFs.

We believe that there will be strong buy pressure with a much more clear narrative that traditional investors can understand. ETH has cashflows. It can be described as a tech stock, the app store of crypto, or an internet bond, Dunleavy wrote in a Q2 investor note given to Cointelegraph.

He added that ETHs price action which has lagged relative to Bitcoin (BTC) for the last 18 months would rebound quickly following the launch of the funds.

Magazine:Ethereums recent pullback could be a gift: Dynamo DeFi,X Hall of Flame

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Ethereum tops $3.3K as analysts tip ETF approvals this week - Cointelegraph

Shiba Inu and Ethereum: Price Prediction Analysis – Watcher Guru

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Shiba Inu and Ethereum have become some of the most important players in the cryptocurrency market. Were not surprised about this fact.

This analysis examines their current positions, recent performance, and future price predictions to understand how they will evolve.

Also Read: Shiba Inu or Pepe Coin: Which Cryptocurrency Can Reach $0.01 First?

On July 17th of this year, Shiba Inu (SHIB) traded at $0.00001930, with a market capitalization of $9,477,145,257. Amazing, right? Ethereum (ETH), on the other hand, is priced at $3,489.79.

Shiba Inu has experienced some unexpected price changes over the past year. The chart shows a spike in early 2024, which was then followed by a correction. Despite this volatility, SHIB has kept a relatively stable price recently.

The Ethereum Price chart shown above shows a more consistent growth over the same period. The cryptocurrency has shown an upward trend since early 2024, with some occasional fluctuations.

Also Read: Ethereum ETFs Expected to Officially Launch July 23

Shiba Inus indicators show the 50-day SMA is at $0.00001999, while the 200-day SMA is a bit lower, at $0.00001962. This close value suggests that its price is hovering around moving averages. Furthermore, the 14-day RSI is at 56.63.

Ethereums indicators show a more bullish trend: The 50-day SMA stands at $3,447.97, and the 200-day SMA is lower at $3,105.22. This difference suggests that its price is trending above the long-term moving average.

The price predictions for Shiba Inu show a mixed outlook. In the short term, a significant spike is expected during the next 5 days. This might be caused by market speculation of upcoming events.

Unfortunately, this surge is most likely going to be short-lived, with decreases forecasted for the one-month, three-month, and six-month periods.

The long-term outlook looks more positive, with a large increase predicted for the 1-year mark.

Ethereums price predictions are more bullish than SHIB, and that is obvious at this stage. The forecast suggests steady growth across all time frames, with an important boost in the three-month and six-month periods. Thats very interesting.

This positive outlook is due to Ethereums strong fundamentals and the development of network upgrades.

The 1-year prediction also shows that it might continue to grow. Even if the 2025 prediction is lower than the 1-year forecast, it still represents a large increase from the current price.

The price predictions for Shiba Inu and Ethereum show different paths. Even though Ethereum has a constant positive outlook, Shiba Inu is more volatile and has short- and long-term growth potential.

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Shiba Inu and Ethereum: Price Prediction Analysis - Watcher Guru

Spot Ethereum ETFs are coming, but ETH derivatives markets are flat – Cointelegraph

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Etherprice rallied 12.5% between July 12 and July 15, but strong resistance at $3,500 halted the bullish momentum. The subsequent correction down to $3,400 on July 18 occurred despite the United States Securities and Exchange Commission approving two additional spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Despite this positive development, Ethers derivatives market has shown little excitement.

The SEC reportedly gave preliminary approval to at least three issuers to begin trading spot Ether ETFs on July 23. A total of eight spot Ether (ETH) ETFs are awaiting final regulatory approval after amendments to the funds S-1 filings.

Bitwise Chief Investment Officer Matt Hougan expects Ethers price to reach $5,000 by the end of 2024, citing its low equivalent inflation rate, lack of significant cost for validators, and 28% supply locked in staking.

Given the total crypto market capitalization gained 43% year-to-date in 2024, it is puzzling why Ethers investors lack bullishness, despite the spot ETH ETF momentum. Furthermore, volumes on Ethereum decentralized applications (DApps) rose 7% in the last 30 days to $221 billion, according to DappRadar data. In comparison, competitor BNB Chain saw a 25% decline in activity, while Solana experienced a 16% drop in volumes.

In terms of DApps deposits, the Ethereum network remains the leader with 17.5 million ETH in total value locked (TVL), equivalent to $59.8 billion, according to DefiLlama data. This metric remained flat from the prior month, while competitors Solana and BNB Chain hold approximately $4.8 billion each.

Additionally, activity in Ethereums layer 2 ecosystem increased, with the aggregate native TVL rising by 8.5% over the past 30 days to $14 billion, according to L2Beat data. Thus, Ethereum onchain data shows no signs of weakness.

From a macroeconomic perspective, the latest US Producer Price Index was 2.6% above the prior year, slightly above the market consensus of 2.3%. This indicates that the US Federal Reserve (Fed) still has work to do to curb inflation, meaning price pressure will continue to hurt demand for a while.

Moreover, Chinas disappointing 4.7% yearly gross domestic product growth could spell trouble for global stock markets.

Additionally, the US Department of Labor reported 243,000 initial jobless claims were filed in the week ending July 13, the highest level since August 2023. The signs of a cooling labor market increase the odds of the US Fed cutting interest rates over the next couple of months, according to Goldman Sachs chief economist Jan Hatzius, as reported by Yahoo Finance.

There is no indication that investors are exiting risk markets, which is evident as the S&P 500 index is only 2% below its all-time high from July 16. Meanwhile, Ethers price needs to gain 43% to surpass the $4,868 mark set in November 2021.

To assess whether crypto traders are gaining confidence, one should analyze the Ether futures premium. In normal markets, these contracts should trade 5% to 10% higher than regular spot markets to account for their extended settlement period.

Related: Bitcoin ETFs have 4-8X more BTC price influence than miners Research

The Ether fixed-month contracts annualized premium, or basis rate, currently stands at 11%, indicating moderate optimism. However, this indicator has not sustained levels above 12% for the past month, which is somewhat concerning given the potential inflows from the upcoming spot ETF launch in the US. For comparison, Bitcoins (BTC) basis rate also stands at 11%, indicating there is no excessive bullishness among Ethereum investors.

Ether bulls might argue that the current lack of confidence leaves room for a surprise if the expectation of strong spot ETF net inflows is confirmed. Still, given that Ethers price failed to rally despite a bullish scenario for risk-on assets, the ETH derivatives metrics point to investors lack of appetite, making a bull run above $4,000 less likely.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

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Spot Ethereum ETFs are coming, but ETH derivatives markets are flat - Cointelegraph

Ethereum ETFs to launch July 23, Bloomberg analyst says – Crypto Briefing

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Key Takeaways

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The starting date for spot Ethereum exchange-traded fund (ETF) trading in the US is July 23rd, according to Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas. He shared on X that the SEC is answering issuers today, asking them to return their final S-1 forms on Wednesday, July 17th.

And then request effectiveness on Monday after close for a TUESDAY 7/23 LAUNCH. This is provided no unforeseeable last min issues of course, he added.

The Ethereum ETF issuers filed their S-1 forms on July 8th but most of them left the fees out of their forms. According to Balchunas, this is likely a strategy from the asset managers to check how competitive the funds fees are, especially BlackRocks.

Notably, the S-1 form is an initial registration required by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) before a security can be publicly traded.

As highlighted by Balchunas fellow ETF analyst James Seyffart, this could mean that the Ethereum ETFs will start trading the same week as the Bitcoin Conference, set to happen in Nashville.

The launch of the spot Ethereum ETFs is a key step for crypto adoption by mainstream investors, as it solidifies the altcoin as a sound asset among institutional investors. An estimate by Bitwise CIO predicts that these investment instruments will capture $15 billion in inflows until the end of 2025, as reported by Crypto Briefing.

Moreover, the Ethereum ETFs open the door for the approval of exchange-traded funds indexed to other crypto. VanEck and 21Shares both filed their form for the approval of the first spot Solana ETFs in the US on the last week of June.

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Ethereum ETFs to launch July 23, Bloomberg analyst says - Crypto Briefing

Ethereum surges 5% to $3,300 ahead of key ETF decision – Crypto Briefing

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Key Takeaways

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The price of Ethereum has rallied 5% to over $3,300 ahead of the key spot Ethereum exchange-traded fund (ETF) decision, according to data from TradingView.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is expected to greenlight the launch of several spot Ethereum ETFs by the end of this month. While the specific date remains speculative, ETF experts estimate that approval will come the week of July 15.

Nate Geraci, the president of the ETF Store, reiterated his prediction that the SEC will approve the S-1 filings this week after weeks of delays following initial listing acceptance in May. He believes theres no reason for further delay because issuers are ready for launch and recent filings require minimal changes.

Welcome to spot [ETH] ETF approval week. Im calling it. Dont know anything specific, just cant come up [without] good reason for any further delay at this point. Issuers ready for launch, Geraci stated in a Sunday post.

Bloomberg ETF analysts Eric Balchunas and James Seyffart previously predicted the spot Ethereum ETFs could be approved and begin trading as soon as mid-July.

Seyffart noted that Ethereum ETF issuers have been filing their final S-1 registration statements, which is the last regulatory hurdle before approval. Balchunas said the SECs minimal feedback on these latest filings suggests they are close to being satisfied with the applications.

Matt Hougan, the Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise, confirmed that minimal amendments suggest imminent approval.

The approval of a spot Ethereum ETF is anticipated to have a major impact on the Ethereum market and the broader crypto industry. It could drive remarkable inflows of institutional and retail capital into Ethereum, potentially mirroring the success of spot Bitcoin ETFs.

In a recent report, Hougan suggested that spot Ethereum ETFs could attract $15 billion in net inflows by the end of 2025.

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Ethereum surges 5% to $3,300 ahead of key ETF decision - Crypto Briefing

Why Is The Ethereum Price Up Today? – NewsBTC

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Ethereum (ETH) is up in the last 24 hours. This is thanks to a recent development suggesting that the Spot Ethereum ETFs are set to launch anytime soon. These funds are expected to positively impact ETHs price, with the second-largest crypto token poised to reach new highs.

Ethereum experienced a price surge following Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas revelation that the Spot Ethereum ETFs could begin trading by July 23. Balchunas mentioned in an X (formerly Twitter) post that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has gotten back to the fund issuers and asked them to submit their final S-1 filings by July 22.

The SEC also asked them to request effectiveness on July 22 so they can launch on July 23. Therefore, the Spot Ethereum ETFs should launch by next week, provided there are no unforeseeable last-minute issues, as noted by Balchunas. The launch of the Spot Ethereum ETFs is undoubtedly bullish for ETH, giving the amount of new money set to flow into its ecosystem through these funds.

Crypto research firm K33 predicted that these Spot Ethereum ETFs could attract as much as $4.8 billion in their first five months of trading. In line with this, crypto analysts predict that Ethereum could record massive gains thanks to these inflows. Crypto analyst Linda recently predicted that the crypto token could rise to as high as $4,000 soon enough.

Other analysts, like Altcoin Sherpa, have also predicted that ETHwill hit $4,000 soon. Meanwhile, crypto analyst and trader Tyler Durden has provided a more bullish prediction for ETH, stating that the crypto token will rise to $10,000 just the way the chips have fallen.

The crypto analyst alluded to the Spot Ethereum ETFs as what will spark such a parabolic move for Ethereum. He claimed that institutional investors had put so much effort into ensuring that the Spot Ethereum ETFs were approved and that they would ensure that they made money from these funds while pumping ETHs price.

The Spot Ethereum ETFs launch is also expected to spark massive moves for other altcoins and is likely to kickstart the altcoin season. Crypto analyst Crypto Rover advised market participants to prepare accordingly, boldly asserting that altcoin season will start once the Spot Ethereum ETFs begin trading.

From a technical perspective, crypto analyst Titan of Crypto mentioned that altcoins are ready to make major moves to the upside as Bitcoins dominance drops. Crypto analyst Mikybull Crypto also stated that the macro short-term correction for altcoins is about to end, meaning that the Spot Ethereum ETFs could be the catalyst that sparks a bullish reversal.

At the time of writing, ETH is trading at around $3,300, up in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.

Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com

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Why Is The Ethereum Price Up Today? - NewsBTC