Bitcoin and cryptocurrency has long been known to appeal more to younger generations than older ones (though there are some notable exceptions).

Meanwhile, the bitcoin price has been boosted in recent years by adoption from the traditional financial services industry and this is expected to increase as Millennials (aged between 25 and 39) and Gen Z (those born between 1996-2010) become financially mature.

Now, a report has found Grayscale Investments Bitcoin Trust, a publicly tradable bitcoin and cryptocurrency investment vehicle, is among the top five equity holdings for Millennials, next to technology giants Amazon, Apple, Tesla and Facebookand ahead of investor darlings Netflix and Microsoft.

Bitcoin looks set to end the year as one of the best-performing assets, up around double where it ... [+] began 2019.

The Grayscale Investments Bitcoin Trust, which recorded inflows of $255 million for the third quarter, up three-fold on the previous quarter, is also more popular than stocks of Warren Buffetts conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, movie studio Walt Disney, and China's biggest online retailer Alibaba, according tothe report from U.S.-based bank and stock brokerage Charles Schwab.

The Grayscale Bitcoin Trust was found to be held by 1.84% of Millennials surveyed by Charles Schwab, with Netflix at 1.58% and Microsoft at 1.53%.

Elsewhere, online retailer Amazon and iPhone-maker Apple were found to be popular across the generational divide, with the two U.S. tech giants holding the top two spots for Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers.

Google's parent company Alphabet was notably absent from the list of company stocks held by Millennials.

The report chimes with research out earlier this year that found there's a growing interest in bitcoin and cryptocurrency investments amongst Millennials and younger generations as they deal with the long-term effects of the global financial crisis and a lack of trust in the traditional financial services sector.

Technology companies dominate the most popular investments for all generations, though only ... [+] Millenials show much interest in bitcoin.

Earlier this year, Grayscale Investments launched a campaign called #DropGold, aiming to make "investment portfolios to reflect that bitcoin has become digital gold for todays forward-thinking investors."

"There is a generational shift in how individuals are approaching investing. We strongly believe that investments in gold will be reallocated to bitcoin as Baby Boomers begin transferring their wealth to a younger generation of investors, one that wasnt raised on the gold standard," said Barry Silbert, founder and chief executive of Digital Currency Group and its subsidiary Grayscale Investments, said at the time.

See more here:

Bitcoin Beats Netflix And Microsoft - Forbes

Photo by Chesnot

It will seem strange to many but there are a lot of people preparing for the end of the world. Its not just the prepper community that has Armageddon anxiety, its quite a common thing. Who is to blame anyone for expecting the worst when the media pours out a never-ending flood of doom and gloom and desperately upsetting news? You must be desensitized, thick skinned, tough as nails or extremely carefree to be able to consume what the media throws at you and not end up at least taking some notice of the never-ending cascade of end of times news stories.

If global warning isnt going to get us, an asteroid isnt going to strike, a plague thawing from Siberian ice sheets about to scythe us down, it will be the civil war in America, the collapse of the dollar, peak oil, no oxygen in the oceans, the 1%, a pantheon of local and international politicians, terrorists, dirty bombs and perhaps the much predicted second coming itself that will holocaust.

Its not surprising that there is a whole demi-monde of enterprises supplying the salve to an anxious audience.

A one years worth of food supply for four people can be yours for only $5,000.

Not many people take their end of the world survival that seriously and it would make for a tricky storage problem for a city dweller, who might have to sacrifice their second bedroom or all available closet space to have such reserves close at hand. So for many, the answer is to stick gold in a sock, as the only ticket out of trouble after the mobs are marauding after the plague-carrying asteroid has struck.

Sadly, this is a bad miscalculation, as many sad cases discovered during the second world war. A gold coin might buy you a bar of soap or nothing at all if the nightmare scenario some are delirious about were to strike.

Gold is not good for much in extreme circumstances.

If you are going to go down this road of planning for the worst you need to think in terms of gradients.

Level 1. Economic dislocation

Bitcoin, gold, silver: If you lay this in for such an outcome, when it strokes all these instruments will spike. In a 2007-2008 crisis the key issue is counterparty risk. Bitcoin (BTC) and platinum group metals (PMGs) are a good way of keeping your assets out of the hands of counterparties that might implode. Bitcoin is faster to transact and easier to hold than gold and silver but it makes sense to hold some of all.

Level 2. Personal dislocation

Bitcoin: Need to bug out, because the walls are closing in? Bitcoin is the way to go. Taking much gold through the airport is not going to work.

Level 3. Widespread war

Bitcoin, gold and silver: Silver is probably a favorite here because silver, especially silver coins are great for small transactions. Gold is too high value for most transactions and flashy. Bitcoin is useful because it can work globally and is an easy carry.

Level 4. The losing side of widespread war

Bitcoin and some silver: The risk of being plundered or having it appropriated is high, so once again BTC comes out on top.

Level 5. The Big one

As the nuclear winter falls, the plague ridden zombies make their final onslaught as the aliens black smoke sweeps all, there is probably no point in preparing.

Yet if you want to prepare, bags of old silver dimes, a bag of 1/10oz gold eagles and an SD card with bitcoin on it, is the way to go.

Like almost all predictions, doom-laden predictions at some time might prove right enough that you are happy you have 1% of your portfolio positioned for a ghastly emergency. The worse that emergency would get the higher the value of that small chunk of your portfolio would become.

It is not necessary to have half a ton of silver in your basement (approximately $500,000) but if the future of mankind is troubling you, it might make sense to sock away some silver, gold and bitcoin if that buys you some peace of mind. Peace of mind is after all a big fat dividend that pays out all year.

-

Clem Chambers is the CEO of private investors websiteADVFN.com and author of 101 Ways to Pick Stock Market Winners and Trading Cryptocurrencies: A Beginners Guide.

In 2018, Chambers won Journalist of the Year in the Business Market Commentary category in the State Street U.K. Institutional Press Awards.

Original post:

Bitcoin, Gold, Silver And Armageddon - Forbes

(Disclosure: Author holds an investment in bitcoin.)

There have been a lot of analogies over the years to bitcoin being a sort of digital gold. But how does bitcoin actually compare to gold as a storage unit of value? Can it protect against the risk of inflation the way gold does? Lets compare bitcoin and gold and see how they stack up as wealth preservation tools.

Trust In Bitcoin Vs. Gold

An asset cannot be used as a way to store wealth if the majority of people dont agree it is valuable and believe it will remain valuable in the future. This is one area where gold has a clear advantage. Whether it takes the form of coins, jewelry, art or something else, someone in 2019 B.C. would be just as likely to agree that gold is valuable as someone in A.D. 2019.

Bitcoin, because it is so new, doesnt have this advantage. Its only been around a decade. Its going to take more time for bitcoin to prove itself as a long-term tool for storing wealth.

Portability

Here is one area where bitcoin is the clear winner. Bitcoin is a nonphysical asset, and can be sent and received from anywhere with an internet connection. It also operates entirely outside the banking system, so it is easy and fast to send and receive payments across borders.

Gold must be physically stored somewhere, whether in a personal safe or with a company in its vaults. If you dont hold the gold yourself, you cant access it at will, and if you do, it doesnt necessarily mean you can move it around easily. Try bringing several pounds of gold onto an airplane without attracting attention and suspicion at the airport.

Furthermore, some governments throughout history have attempted to ban or confiscate privately owned gold (it was actually illegalfor private citizens to own and hold gold for 41 years in the United States).

It is much less likely a government could successfully block access to bitcoin, as doing so would require blocking access to the internet as a whole. China has attempted to block access to bitcoin several times over the past decade, and even with its great internet firewall, it has been unable to make a meaningful impact.

Barrier To Entry

Gold stands at about $1,500 per ounce at the time of this writing. So if you want to buy a 1oz coin, thats the minimum youd pay. You can buy bars in smaller sizes, but you can only shrink a physical asset so much.

One bitcoin is around $8,100 but remember, you do not need to buy a whole bitcoin to get exposure. Bitcoin is divisible by 100 million into the smallest possible unit, the Satoshi, or sat. If you wanted to get started with only a couple dollars investing in bitcoin, you could do that. Bitcoin (and cryptocurrencies in general) have a much lower barrier to entry for people who dont have a lot of money to throw around.

Protection Against Inflation

One of the most popular reasons for buying gold is to hedge against inflation. Some people fear the dollar, or whatever fiat currency they are holding, will experience a decline in value in the future. So, they convert it to gold to help protect their wealth against inflationary changes.

Both bitcoin and gold can be used for this purpose, though bitcoins price volatility can make people uncomfortable. No matter which you prefer, there is no denying the price of gold does not fluctuate nearly as much as any non-stablecoin digital currency.

Growth Potential

Over the past 20 years, gold has risen from around $430 per ounce at the end of 1999 to about $1,500 today. If you bought it then, you basically tripled your money. Thats certainly nothing to complain about.

Bitcoin has experienced unbelievable growth. When it first appeared in 2009, it was worth fractions of a penny, but steadily increased in value relative to the U.S. dollar over time. With each halving (when the algorithmically determined supply of new bitcoins being generated is cut in half), the price of bitcoin exploded a year or so afterward. Between 2015 and 2017, for instance, bitcoin experienced nearly 9,000% growth when it reached its all-time high of nearly $20,000. While there was a sharp correction after each all-time high, the new low was always significantly higher than before. If this pattern holds with the next halving, the short- to medium-term growth potential of bitcoin could be much higher than gold.

Functionality

One of the core arguments in favor of gold is that it is a physical commodity and you can actually do things with it. Gold is used for jewelry, electronics, dentistry, aerospace equipment and more. It has real, tangible utility besides money. There is a certain base level functional demand that contributes to the value of gold, but the majority of the demand for gold is based on the speculative value.

Bitcoin, of course, is a purely digital creation and really cant serve any purpose besides being a digital, nonphysical storage unit of value and medium of exchange. Bitcoin has a certain base level functional demand for people and businesses using it as a payments network, but the majority of the demand for bitcoin is also speculative.

Risk Vs. Mobility

This is a polarizing topic among financial experts. Some passionately argue in favor of gold and dismiss cryptocurrency as not real, while crypto proponents call the naysayers goldbugs who refuse to have an open mind.

Im not here to give financial advice, but I will say this: Gold has proven itself over the millennia, and I believe bitcoin is about the closest thing to a frictionless, portable, nonphysical form of gold that currently exists. Ultimately, what matters is your own tolerance for risk and how mobile you need your wealth to be.

The information provided here is not investment, tax or financial advice. You should consult with a licensed professional for advice concerning your specific situation.

See the original post here:

Is Bitcoin A Better Store Of Value Than Gold? - Forbes

Getty/Michael Kovac

Mark Cuban says there's "no chance" that bitcoin can become a reliable currency.

"Not because it can't work technically," the Shark Tank star and owner of the Dallas Mavericks said in an email to Forbes. "But rather because it's too difficult to use, too easy to hack, way too easy to lose, too hard to understand, too hard to assess a value."

Given the raft of rival cryptocurrencies available, Cuban said, it's also "too much work for people to know why BTC over everything else."

The billionaire has experience in commercializing new technologies. He made his fortune by building Broadcast.com a pioneer in video-streaming technology then selling it to Yahoo! in a $5.7 billion stock deal in 1999.

Cuban compared bitcoin to baseball cards, comic books, and artwork in a Wired video in September, arguing the cryptocurrency has no intrinsic value and is "only worth what somebody will pay for it." He added that he'd "rather have bananas, I can eat bananas."

The price of bitcoin has plunged from about $12,000 in August to below $7,250 at the time of writing.

Read the original post:

Mark Cuban says there's 'no chance' bitcoin can become a reliable currency | Currency News | Financial and Business News - Business Insider

Cybersecurity researchers warn that paying Bitcoin BTC to retrieve files locked by the prolific Ryuk ransomware may still result in data loss.

This means thatRyuks latest victims are stuck between a rock and a hard place. If they refuse to send their attackers Bitcoin, theyll lose access to their data altogether, but if they pay, the hackers will provide them with a decryption tool that doesnt work.

Software company Emsisoft told Hard Fork that the attackers themselves are responsible for breaking their own encryption tool with an update.

Obviously, were hoping to get the word out about this as quickly and widely as possible so that affected organizations can avoid data loss, said Emsisoft via email.

The firm explained that in one of the latest versions of Ryuk, attackers made changes to the way it calculates the length of certain files. This has created unexpected consequences during decryption.

As a result, the decryptor provided by the Ryuk authors will truncate files, cutting off one too many bytes in the process of decrypting the file, Emsisoft said in a blog post. Depending on the exact file type, this may or may not cause major issues.

Researcherssaid that in the best case scenario, the byte that was cut off is unused, therefore unnecessary, and could even be decrypted just fine.

However, in virtual disk type files (such as VHD/VHDX), as well as many database files (such as Oracles), that last byte stores important information. Its common for larger, high-value target networks to feature these types of files.

This means that those files will be damaged by Ryuks decryption tool, and will fail to load properly even after theyve been unlocked by the tool provided by the attackers.

Ryuk has hit hospitals, state-owned oil refineries, nursing homes, schools, private corporations, and government institutions across the world over the past year, demanding hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin in exchange for access to critical computer systems.

Unfortunately for those who find themselves struck by Ryuk, theres currently no way to retrieve files without paying up. Previous analysis run on the malware shows that perps scale their Bitcoin ransoms dependant on the size of the target.

As such, Emisoft advises Ryuk victims to make copies or backups of any data thats been encrypted, especially considering that the decryption tool provided by the attackers will reportedly delete files it thinks have been properly unlocked.

That said, creating regular backups of data is advisable in any sense, as it will dampen the effect of being hit by ransomware in general.

It should be noted that while Emsisoft has released many free decryption tools for other ransomware strains, the service it offers to Ryuk victims is a paid one.

A final word of advice: prior to running anyransomware decryptor whether it was supplied by a bad actor or by a security company be sure to back up the encrypted data first. Should the tool not work as expected, youll be able to try again, said Emsisoft.

Published December 10, 2019 13:28 UTC

Original post:

Bitcoin-hungry hackers broke their own decryption tool, analysts warn - The Next Web

Bitcoin (BTC-USD) has been in a correction since late June. Prices below US$8,000 have been anticipated and are now reality. So far, the fourth quarter has not (yet) brought any larger recovery. Instead the downtrend is still intact. However, it seems that the correction is in its final stage and Bitcoin's remaining downside risk is rather small compared to the upside potential.

In the big picture Bitcoin is still stuck in a bear market since December 17th, 2017. The strong rebound in spring topped out at US$13,887 on June 26th, 2019, and reached the 61.8% fibonacci retracement of the previous wave down from US$20,000 to US$3,200.

As expected, since this year's high point the prices for Bitcoin have dropped significantly over last five months. In the last four weeks, Bitcoin prices have not been able to break free from the downtrend channel, which has been intact since the end of June. Rather, prices plunged significantly lower into the early-mentioned buying zone between US$6,200 and US$8,200. With the new low at US$6,515, all low-points in recent months have been clearly undercut. Therefore, the medium-term downtrend is still intact.

Nevertheless, there has been a bounce in the last 12 days, which has led to a price increase of just around US$1,400 (up 21.5%) to US$7,865. So far however, the bulls have not been able to defend these price gains and Bitcoin is currently trading around the middle trend line within its downtrend channel around US$7,300 and US$7,400.

Source: Tradingview

On the weekly chart, the current downtrend oha forced prices below the uptrend channel established since the beginning of February. At the same time, prices have been approaching the even more important uptrend line which had been established since autumn 2015. Basically, this trend line represents the quantum leap from three-digit to five-digit Bitcoin prices. Ideally, this trend line should hold!

However, the move below the 61.8% Fibonacci retracements at US$7,231 has already activated the next lower 78.6% retracement at US$5,424. Also below the four-year uptrend line sits the next support zone between US$5,700 and US$6,200.

On the other hand, the stochastic oscillator is oversold and has not confirmed the recent lower low which indicates a first sign of positive divergence and a potential trend-change.

Overall, the correction on the weekly chart already seems to be well advanced. The bears are face a very strong cluster of supports. The turnaround is therefore within reach, but could be delayed one more time with a final price slide below the psychological number of US$6,000. In any case, prices below US$7,500 offer a good medium and long term opportunity as the risk/reward ratio becomes more and more favorable. Contrarian investors are therefore in accumulation mode, because Bitcoin has reached a promising buying zone.

Source: Tradingview

On the daily chart, Bitcoin currently trades around the middle trend line of the larger downtrend channel which is in place since the end of June. Despite the rapid recovery in the last week of November, a turnaround can not be confirmed yet. The long wick of the daily candle on November 25th however looks potentially like a trend reversal!

Another test of the important 4-year uptrendline as well as those recent lows in the range of US$6,500 to US$6,800 US dollars would be conceivable within the next few weeks. Should the uptrendline hold there (ideally with a slightly higher low than in November), a very important piece of the puzzle would be in place. Alternatively, there will be a final sell-off that might take advantage of the full downtrend channel and could push prices below US$6,000.

In summary, the daily chart is neutral. The chance for a successful double low in the range of US$6,500- US$6,800 is undeniable but not yet confirmed. On the other hand, if the four-year uptrend line does not hold, Bitcoin should at least test the support zone between US$5,700 and US$6,200.

Source: Barchart

The Bitcoin Future started trading on December 17th, 2017. Back then, it was already clear that this introduction of Bitcoin Futures would pierce the Bitcoin bubble (the first bubble after the financial crisis of 2008). Now, Christopher Giancarlo, former chairman of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), has confirmed this in an interview.

Nevertheless, the CoT report published on Friday evenings provides a good overview of the positioning and is always helpful in analyzing the Bitcoin market. This time around, the CoT report was released in the current week due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

All in all, over the course of the last five-month the correction led to significant shifts in the derivatives market. Above all, however, the open interest has fallen significantly, indicating overall falling activity. Interestingly, however, is the behavior of the so-called "Other Reportables", which were able to successfully play the movements in Bitcoin with a contrarian approach. The group "Other Reportables" is not listed individually in the normal cot report and represents all reportable traders who can not be assigned to one of the three groups of producers, swap dealers or money managers.

The "Other Reportables" have reversed their short position from 1,500 to almost 250 long contracts in the last five months. Obviously, the low point at US$6,515 was not yet low enough for them to ramp up their long position to similar levels like in end of march (back around 500 contracts). From this we could concluded that Bitcoin still further need for correction and that the support zone around US$ 6,000 US dollar might have to fall too. In that case however, the weak hands would finally throw in the towel, while at the same time the group of "Other Reportables" could then expand their long position easily to over 500 contracts.

Overall, the analysis of the current CoT report provides a rather neutral signal. Although the setup has improved significantly in the last two months, the successful players have not yet moved sustainably to the long side.

Bitcoin Optix as of December 5th, 2019. Source: Sentimentrader

Crypto Fear & Greed Index as of December 5th, 2019. Source: Crypto Fear & Greed Index

Crypto Fear & Greed Index as of December 5th, 2019. Source: Crypto Fear & Greed Index

Parallel to the falling Bitcoin prices, the mood among crypto investors has also slipped further and further into the basement. While Sentimentrader's Bitcoin Optix currently only identifies a slightly exaggerated pessimism, the much more substantiated "Fear & Greed Index" has recently reached level of deep panic and fear. The all-time low for this indicator was seen in August and almost exactly a year ago at slightly below 10. The capitulation phase in the cryptosector could therefore still become a bit more painful.

In summary, there is already a high level of anxiety. From a contrarian point of view, this is a buy signal. Once the "Fear & Greed Index" falls to values between 8 and 15, the bottom and thus the turnaround is likely to be reached.

Source: Seasonax

Based on the evaluation of the last nine years, Bitcoin has developed a fairly clear seasonal pattern. Statistically, the 4th quarter is generally slightly positive. However in this year Bitcoin has not shown any strength in the 4th quarter so far as BTC-USD is trading around US$500 lower than in early/mid-October. Nevertheless, the seasonal component is slightly bullish until early January.

Source: XE

Currently, one Bitcoin costs 5.07 ounces of gold. In other words, you have to pay 0,2 Bitcoin for an ounce of gold! Overall, gold has appreciated almost 39% against Bitcoin over the past four months! In the big picture, Bitcoin has been in a downtrend against gold since December 2017. If the Bitcoin/Gold-ratio also falls below the support of 5 ounces per Bitcoin, the lows from about one year ago should likely be targeted, meaning 3 to 3.5 ounces per Bitcoin.

Generally, one should be invested in both asset classes. The recommended allocation in precious metals (primarily physical) should be at least 10% and a maximum of 25% of ones total assets. In cryptos and especially in Bitcoin investors should hold at least 1% and a maximum of 5%. If you are very familiar with crypto currencies and Bitcoin, you can individually allocate higher percentages in Bitcoin. For the normal investor, who of course is invested mainly in equities and real estate, holding 5% in the highly speculative and highly volatile Bitcoin is already quite a lot!

Bitcoins correction has been going on since the end of June and still does not seem to be over. Both, the futures market as well as sentiment indicate that it will take another low near or even below US$6,500.

At the same time, however, in the larger picture the opportunities clearly outweigh any concern. Bitcoin has retreated textbook like into our defined buy zone and now provides a contrarian buying opportunity. Anyone who has been patiently waiting for these low prices with staggered buy orders should now be invested at least 50%. Ideally, you still keep some powder dry in case Bitcoin overdoes it on the downside and temporarily undercuts all support. The probability for this is at maximum just 25%. Logically, a second leg in the range around US$6,500 to US$6,800 and then the turnaround is more likely. In any case significantly higher prices until early summer 2020 are to be expected.

Overall, Bitcoin has a remaining risk on the downside to US$5,000, while on the upside, the resistance zone between US$12,500 and US$13,800 is the measure of all things. If Bitcoin can sustainably move above this resistance zone next year, new all-time highs are only a matter of time. Prices below US$5,000 on the other hand, give rise to legitimate doubts as to whether Bitcoin will prevail at all.

Disclosure: I am/we are long BTC-USD. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Originally posted here:

Bitcoin - Correction Soon To Be Over - Seeking Alpha

Bitcoin is heading towards the $100,000 mark, according to veteran commodity trader Peter Brandt, who shared his analysis in a new video clip. However, there is a scenario in which the oldest cryptocurrency turns bearish in the near-term.

According to Brandt, Bitcoin is still moving within its historic bull trend, which has seen consecutive higher highs and higher lows.

While he believes that the cryptocurrency will stick to the bullish narrative in the coming years until it breaks $100,000, there are two main scenarios to expect before that happens. Unsurprisingly, one is bearish and the other is bullish.

The price is currently at a crossroad zone and might go for one of the scenarios soon. Right now, it is trading very close to the lower boundary of a multi-year channel. If the price action decides to continue correcting, then we might see Bitcoin bottoming out at $5,324 by July 2020.

The potential low is based on previous patterns, according to which Bitcoin has violated parabolic moves four times since 2011. Every downturn came with an 80%-plus correction and lasted 12 months from the peak to the low, according to Brandts analysis.

Accordingly, the current correction will likely find strong support at $5,324 by this summer if Bitcoin takes the bearish route. This is because the recent high was reached in June, when the cryptocurrency rallied to over $13,000. Up until then, its anticipated that many crypto bulls will capitulate.

This potential correction could likely scare even the most devoted Bitcoin maximalists and hodlers, Brandt says, citing his multi-year trading experience in other commodity markets. In fact, he believes that 90% of bulls who are active on social media will start capitulating sooner or later.

In the best-case scenario, the BTC price doesnt break the lower boundary of the multi-year channel and bounces back to new highs. In fact, Brandt asserts that the new peaks could come as early as next year.

Interestingly, many Bitcoin bulls expect the price to update the all-time high on the upcoming halving event, which is scheduled for the first half of 2020. This scenario is further supported by PlanBs popular stock-to-flow model.

Which path do you think Bitcoin will go? Share your thoughts in the comments section!

Images via Shutterstock, bitcoin.live (Peter Brandt)

Here is the original post:

Bitcoin Road to $100K: Peter Brandt Explains the When and How - Bitcoinist

While Bitcoin and the wider cryptocurrency market have flailed over the last couple of months, with BTC tumbling from $14,000 to $7,000, celebrities have maintained their interest in the industry.

Ashton Kutcher, a renowned actor known for his roles in media like Two and a Half Men and Jobs, recently took to Twitter to briefly laud a Bitcoin startup.

This wasnt even solicited, making the fun move that much more notable.

On Sunday, Jeff Moris Jr., a Director of Product & Growth at Lambda School and a former Tinder team lead, revealed the three most promising crypto and digital asset startups in his opinions.

He named Brave, the cryptocurrency-centric and privacy-preserving internet browser integrated with Basic Attention Token; Lolli, an online shopping rewards startup that gives shoppers Bitcoin rewards for spending money online; and Rally Rd, a digital asset-centric platform that makes investments of the rich, now available to all.

This was notable in and of itself, for Morris is a noted entrepreneur in Silicon Valley circles.

Though what made this tweet even more notable is that Ashton Kutcher, who sports a not-too-shabby 17 million followers on Twitter, responded by lauding Lolli, which has recently secured partnerships with companies like Priceline and Expedia. It isnt clear if this implies Kutcher is using Lolli to stack satoshis or is looking to invest in the Bitcoin-centric company, or maybe both.

An important aside: Honey, a company whose business model is similar to Lolli in that they both provide rewards for online shopping, was just acquired by PayPal for a jaw-dropping $4 billion.

Kutchers decision to thumbs up Lolli is far from the first time hes dabbled in cryptocurrency.

The noted technology investor in the middle of 2018 donated $4 million to Ellen DeGeneres Wildlife Fund. Whats weird was that the funds came in the form of the XRP and that Kutcher took to Ellens show to explain Ripple Labs, the fintech company closely affiliated with the altcoin. Trying to explain Ripple to an audience of millions, Kutcher said:

Ripple is basically a platform to allow people to transfer money from bank account to bank account, person to person, really securely, really simply, really quickly.

Sound Ventures, a venture capital fund run in part by Kutcher, notably has a stake in Ripple, implying that the scheme to donate a jaw-dropping sum of money was both a charitable venture and a way to promote the products of Ripple and the viability of XRP.

The venture fund also has stakes in companies like Bison Trails, a little-known blockchain infrastructure-as-a-service provider that burst into the public spotlight after it was revealed that it will be running a node for Facebooks Libra project, should it launch that is.

Kutcher is far from the only celebrity to have started to dabble in Bitcoin as of late. In October, Bitcoin2020, an industry conference taking place early next year, revealed that it has signed Tony Hawk as a speaker. Hawks skateboarding days may be mostly behind him, yet the individual remains a key figure in the public spotlight.

It isnt clear what Hawk will be talking about, though Hawk earlier this year wrote that hes been riding the Bitcoin ramp for six years, adding that hes yet to cash out of his cryptocurrency holdings.

Theres also Bruce Willis a prominent actor featured in movies like Die Hard, Unbreakable, and Looper was recently reported by long-time Bitcoin proponent Bobby Lee to have been taught the good word of Bitcoin, by Lee himself no less. Whether or not Willis is in the Bitcoin industry is up for debate, as it might have been that the action movie star wasnt willing to hear Lee wax poetic about cryptocurrencies, then his companys hardware wallet. Though,

eToro Risk Warning: 75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Excerpt from:

Ashton Kutcher Throws Weight Behind Bitcoin Startup Lolli on Twitter - Blockonomi

In the last 24 Hours, the selling pressure dove Bitcoin (-1.73%) to its former bottoming area. The cryptocurrency sector continues mostly in the red, although with modest drops in the vicinity of 1 percent. Also, Ethereum (-0.95%), Ripple (-0.79%), Litecoin (-1.52%), and others are creating bottoming figures. The Ethereum token sector, although with lots of red-tinted tokens, there are large movers as well, such as S4F (+29.8%), CND (+19.3%) and DGD (+15.26%).

Fig 1 -24H Crypto Sector Heat Map

The market capitalization of the sector dropped to $197,01 billion (-1.85%) on a traded volume of $22.134 billion (-8.33%) in the last 24 hours. The dominance of the Bitcoin descended slightly to $66.37%.

Fig 2 - 24H Crypto Market Cap with Traded Volume

SEC President Jay Clayton testified before the Senate Committee on several issues, among which were blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies.

"I am optimistic that developments in distributed ledger technology can help facilitate capital formation, providing promising investment opportunities for both institutional and Main Street investors" -Jay Clayton.

Clayton also mentioned that the Commission had amended the existing rules to update the regulations on ETFs. He said that this action will ease "greater competition and innovation in the ETF marketplace" and would facilitate to comply with the standard conditions to come to market quicker.

Over 80 banks will become part of JPMorgan's blockchain-based Interbank Information Network, according to a recent piece of news. The IIN has been created to share financial information among its members. Another use IIN has is to make possible instant remittance transfers.

Ripple's Spring launched a platform for XRP payments integration. The Xpring.io service is a revamped version of the Xpring SDK launched in October. The new version supports two new programming languages: Python and Go.

That will be the central hub for developers to manage everything they need when it comes to integrating payments into their apps, - Ethan Beard, Xpring's senior vice president.

Bitcoin

Chart 1 - Bitcoin 4H Chart

In the last 24 hours, Bitcoin is creating a series of small-bodied candles on top of a support area with $7.160 as its key level. The MACD seems to start curving to the upside, while the price still moves below its -1SD line, and also below its 50 and 200 SMA. The price still has a bearish bias, but we need to see if this support holds and attract new buyers to push the price upwards.

Chart 2 Bitcoin-longs weekly Chart

On the BTC-longs chart, we can see that the BTC long-interest is at its yearly peak, even near its historical maximum, at the same time BTC price stalls. This is an evident accumulation of the coins released by the weak hands.

Chart 3 - Ripple 4H Chart

Ripple's 0.22 support has held the price and created a Moring Star Formation that currently is partially faded. MACD histogram is moving towards the zero-line and curving up, while XRP's price moves sideways and close to its -1SD line. Although the bias is slightly negative, we see the potential for a reversal. The levels to keep are 0.22 and 0.2245.

Chart 4 - Ethereum 4H Chart

Ethereum $144 support held yesterday's drops and made a reversal figure, although the followup is not great. The price is still moving below its -1SD line, and the MACD shows the downside momentum is fading. We should keep an eye in the $144 and $147.2 levels, and also in the volume.

Chart 5 - Litecoin 4H Chart

Litecoin bounced off of its $44 support and is making a mild correction that started yesterday when it made a Morning Star formation. The MACD is close to making a bullish crossover; at the same time, the price moves towards its Bollinger mean line. The bias is still negative, although it can turn bullish if the price closes above $44.8 on good volume.

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Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies trying to create a bottom - FXStreet

Bitcoin price is trading with a bearish bias below $7,500 against the US Dollar. BTC could start a strong decline if it breaks the $7,030 support area in the near term.

This past week, bitcoin price made many attempts to clear the $7,600 resistance area against the US Dollar. However, BTC failed to continue above $7,600 and started a fresh decrease below $7,500.

Moreover, there was a break below the $7,450 support area and the 55 simple moving average (4-hours). The bears gained pace and the price traded below the $7,300 level.

The recent low is near $7,150 and the price is currently consolidating losses. An immediate resistance is near the $7,270 level. Besides, the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the recent decline from the $7,651 high to $7,150 low is also near $7,268.

The first key resistance is near the $7,400 level and the 55 simple moving average (4-hours). Additionally, the 50% Fib retracement level of the recent decline from the $7,651 high to $7,150 low is at $7,400.

More importantly, there is a crucial contracting triangle forming with resistance near $7,430 on the 4-hours chart of the BTC/USD pair. Therefore, bitcoin price is clearly facing a lot of hurdles on the upside, starting with $7,270 and up to $7,430.

The main resistance is still near the $7,600 level, above which the price is likely to test the $8,000 resistance area. An intermediate resistance is near the $7,870 level.

On the downside, the triangle support is near $7,200. If there is a daily close below $7,200, the price could accelerate lower towards the $6,840 support area. The next major support is near the $6,515 level.

Bitcoin Price

Looking at the chart, bitcoin price is currently at a risk of a downside break below the $7,200 and $7,030 support levels. If the bulls fail to push the price above $7,400, the bears are likely to aim $6,840 or $6,515 in the near term.

4 hour MACD The MACD is currently gaining momentum in the bearish zone.

4 hour RSI (Relative Strength Index) The RSI is currently well below the 40 level, with a bearish angle.

Key Support Levels $7,040 and $6,840.

Key Resistance Levels $7,270, $7,400 and $7,430.

Read more:

Bitcoin Price Analysis: BTC Breakdown On The Cards - Live Bitcoin News