The Ethereum major upgrade Instanbul is expected to happen on December 7, at block 9069000. Some of Ethereum core developers decided to answer the questions the ETH community may have and set up an AMA session on Reddit yesterday, on December 04.

They also had a video conference on Zoom and later on uploaded it to YouTube. Meanwhile, the major Binance crypto exchange has announced it will be supporting the approaching Ethereum hard fork.

The announcement on Reddit says:

The Ethereum Magicians decided to invite the Ethereum Cat Herders, core developers, and others to join the community call about Istanbul Hard Fork.

Image via Reddit

The community indeed asked an armfulof questions regarding practical issues of using Ethereum and its wallets after the hard fork is complete.

Image via Reddit

Earlier, U.Today reported that the majority of Ethereum clients (about 60 percent) have not been updated yet, so they seem not to be ready for the approaching hard fork on the second biggest blockchain platform that has been expected for a very long while and postponed a few times.

All Ethereum nodes must be upgraded before December 1. Otherwise, after the upgrade takes place, the clients that are not upgraded will roll back to the pre-fork Ethereum ledger and with not be compatible with the new Ethereum, will not be able to send ETH or work on the upgraded Ethereum chain, as reported by U.Today previously.

The biggest crypto exchange Binance took to its Twitter page to announce that it will support the Ethereum hard fork.

The team promises that ETH trading on the platform will remain unaffected during the upgrade integration.

Please note that trading of ETH will not be affected during the upgrade.

Binance reminds the community that no new coin will launch as a result of the hard fork, it will be a system upgrade.

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Bitcoin Blasts Past $7,500, but Bulls Are Not Out of the Woods Yet - U.Today

The past day saw heightened Bitcoin whale activity, with surprisingly large transactions carried by the blockchain. But one particular block stood out.

At block height 606,641, the transactions contained within the 10-minute window totaled 903592.118 bitcoin. This amount is comparable to nearly 5% of the entire bitcoin supply, and is comparable to Satoshis stash. Based on estimations, the blocks mined by Satoshi Nakamoto contain between 900,000 BTC and 1 million BTC.

The block, mined by Antpool, only brought 0.25 BTC in fees, showing the low cost at which the vast sum could have been sent.

Earlier, whale watching bots noted a transaction that moved 57,577 bitcoin, and the UTXO transaction was also large.

But the neighboring blocks of number 606,641 were also impressive. The previous bitcoin block moved a whooping 230,343 BTC with a fee of 0.24 BTC, and the one before that held 66,643 BTC for a total fee of 0.4 BTC.

One of the most probable explanations is a move of funds between large cold wallets. But before an official announcement, those moves remain suspicious. The latest bitcoin exchange to receive a large inflow was Huobi, marking inflows as of December 4. Binance also shifted cold wallets on Tuesday.

The blocks total could have gone to several wallets, as there is no analysis of known wallets or addresses at the time of mining the blocks. Some of todays whale transactions are showing exchange-like behavior, the Whale Alert account commented.

Large-scale BTC flows may signal an attempt to either sell, or affect the bitcoin price in another manner.

The coins were moved on a day when BTC prices were also exceptionally volatile, rising from below $7,200 to a fast rally above $7,500. But low volumes and a short-term bearish outlook still dont allow a bigger price move. Bitcoin traded at $7,475.48 close to the time of the large-scale transactions. Around that time, as US markets opened, volumes climbed to above $19 billion for the day.

Beyond the high-load blocks, whale watchers noted the Upbit theft wallet was being emptied out methodically, with transactions of 10,000 and 1,000 ETH moved to new addresses.

What do you think about the latest heavy blocks and whale transactions? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Images via Shutterstock, Twitter @

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Single Bitcoin Block Moves Funds the Size of Satoshi's Stash - Bitcoinist

Authorities have busted a call center in Thailand and arrested 24 Chinese nationals for allegedly running a Bitcoin investment scam.

Chiang Rai Times, anEnglish language news portal, says the scam has been operating since March this year.

Additionally, the portal notes that those arrested were tasked with luring citizens in mainland China to trade Bitcoin using cryptocurrency exchange Huobi Global.

According to a statement issued by Thailands Immigration Police, it appears the individuals had their passported confiscated when they arrived at a rented property in Bangkok, though this remains unclear.

A loosely translated version of the statement reads: The monthly salary is 5,000 yuan [$710.25]. There is accommodation [] with all meals, phone calls to deceive Chinese people. In order to conduct financial transactions in digital currency and to spin said digital currency on the website, starting from 09:00 hours to 22:00 hours.

The statement also says policeseized 61 notebook computers, 424 mobile phones, routers and 3 internet devices.

Thailands Immigration Police are reportedly working to identify additional Thai nationals also believed to be involved with the scam.

Published December 5, 2019 11:25 UTC

Originally posted here:

24 Chinese nationals arrested in Thailand over alleged Bitcoin call center scam - The Next Web

Voyager(CSE:VYGR), a crypto brokerage firm with a commission-free trading app, has officially paid out the first months worth of interest to users as part of its new Interest Program.

According to the recent announcement, Voyager has credited users with the interest they accrued in November for holding Bitcoin (BTC) and Voyager Token (VGX), the brokerages new token that was recently rebranded from Ethos (ETHOS).

With the Voyager Interest Program, investors can earn 3% annual interest on Bitcoin (BTC) and 5% on Voyager Token. Interest is calculated based on the average daily balance and is paid out in the interest-bearing asset by the 5th business day of each month.

Investors can earn $25 in free BTC by signing up for the Voyager app through this link and trading $100. (or use code: SLUDGE25)

Disclaimer: This articles author has cryptocurrency holdings that can betracked here. This article is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as investment advice. Always conduct your own due diligence before making investments.

Read more:

Voyager Pays Out the First Month of Interest to Bitcoin (BTC) Holders - SludgeFeed

The strong push that the crypto ecosystem has been receiving in recent weeks is perhaps going unnoticed.

It seems that, after the announcement of the Libra project by Facebook, many governments realized that the moment of jumping into Blockchain was approaching.

The giant Facebook proposal lifted legislators and regulators from their comfortable chairs as they had to face a project backed by compelling companies. That was the first step to stop the cravings of Facebook.

Apparently, that immediately dusted studies and parked projects, and from then, many countries have presented initiatives to launch digital government coins.

Germany has been quick to transcribe the new European regulations that will allow its banks to offer services related to cryptocurrencies.

China, Turkey or Tunisia have already declared their intention to transition to digital coins. The European Union discusses this openly, and influential people in the United States claim that they are in favor of taking this path.

Many of these governments oppose decentralized cryptocurrencies projects, but they will do little in a global digital environment where legislators have little capacity for direct action.

The process seems unstoppable, which does not exclude painful moments. As the scrutiny over the different crypto projects increases, there will be a selection. Smaller projects with little adoption will disappear.

The ETH/BTC pair is currently trading at the 0.0202 price level, within a narrow daily price range that is taking the Average True Range (ATR) to never-before-seen levels.

The last time the ETH/BTC pair moved through similar levels was in April 2017, shortly before the pair began its biggest ever rise.

Above the current price, the first resistance level is at 0.0206, then the second at 0.022 and the third one at 0.023.

Below the current price, the first support level is at 0.020, then the second at 0.019 and the third one at 0.018.

The MACD on the daily chart shows a completely flat profile and does not provide any further information. This indicator does not usually stay long in this situation, which supports the idea of a breakout move.

The DMI on the daily chart shows more movement than we can see in the price. Despite the low intraday range, bulls move higher. The bears, which tried to pass the ADX line again, are rejected downwards, continuing a pattern that should now lead to a change of leadership.

The BTC/USD pair is currently trading at the $7,208level and compresses between the $7,200 support level and the long term bearish channel ceiling at $7,300.

Above the current price, the first resistance level is at $7,300, then the second at $7,400 and the third one at $7,500.

Below the current price, the first support level is at $7,000, then the second at $6,850 and the third one at $6,750.

The MACD on the daily chart shows a precursor profile of an upcoming bullish cross. Statistically, the next significant move should be up.

The DMI on the daily chart shows the bears improving and trying to cross the ADX line up again. The bulls retreat and wait to see if the sellers get past the ADX line.

ETH/USD is currently trading at the $146price level and has chained five consecutive days of declines. The indicator structure proposes short term increases so that the current declines could be searches for better buy entry levels.

Above the current price, the first resistance level is at $150, then the second at $155 and the third one at $160.

Below the current price, the first support level is at $140, then the second at $130 and the third at $125.

The MACD on the daily chart shows a profile similar to the one we have seen on the BTC/USD pair. The MACD on the daily chart shows a pattern similar to the one we have seen on the BTC/USD pair.

The DMI on the daily chart shows the bulls at minimum levels with no intention of competing with the bears for leadership. Sellers increase their strength and may try to break the ADX line again.

The XRP/USD pair is currently trading at the $0.214 price level and is losing support at $0.22 again. The current situation is risky, as below this level, and up to $0.19, there is no reliable support.

Above the current price, the first resistance level is at $0.22, then the second at $0.24 and the third one at $0.253.

Below the current price, the first support level is at $0.19, then the second at $0.17 and the third one at $0.165.

The MACD on the daily chart shows a profile suggesting upward movement in the short term.

The DMI on the daily chart shows bulls moving at deficient levels that do not usually hold for long. Bears increase their trend strength.

Get 24/7 Crypto updates in our social media channels: Give us a follow at @FXSCrypto and our FXStreet Crypto Trading Telegram channel

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Top 3 price prediction Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple: The calm before the storm - FXStreet

South Korean Bitcoin scam PlusToken could be responsible for Bitcoin's bearish price action, according to market expertJacob Canfield.

Canfield states that technical analysis (TA) is not reliable when bad actors who operated one of the biggest Ponzi scams in history keep dumping BTC on the open market.

The modus operandi of PlusToken was rather simple -- they offered their clients interest for storing coins on their platform. They promised to share part of their revenue that comes from exchange profit and mining.

Of course, none of this was true. PlusToken allegedly stole around $2.9 bln in digital assets from its investors, according to a report published by blockchain sleuthCipherTrace.

Considering the scope of this scam, it could give BitConnect a run for its money.

While some of the members of the PlusToken team were apprehended by Chinese police back in June, there are still those who keep selling their BTC holdings. Notably, the Bitcoin price crashed just days after the police raid.

The ominous scam is rumored to control about onepercent of BTC's total circulating supply, which means that there will be more selling pressure.

At press time, Bitcoin is changing hands at$7,142, CoinStats data shows. It is down two percent, which conveniently came after a new selling spree initiated by PlusToken fraudsters.

Read more:

Bitcoin Ponzi Scheme That Keeps Dumping BTC Blamed for Bearish Price Action - U.Today

Bitcoin and cryptocurrency markets have been trapped in a downward trend for months, but with just a few weeks until Christmas and bitcoin bulls still upbeat, could we be in for (another) Santa rally?

The bitcoin price is around half its year-to-date highs, with most altcoins (but not all) struggling to keep pace with bitcoin and having a worse time of it.

Now, bitcoin and crypto heavyweights are predicting a sudden price surge, technical data is looking positive, and recent developments suggest 2020 could be a big year for bitcoin.

A so-called Santa rally is when markets get a boost in the run up to Christmas and bitcoin has ... [+] historically seen some of its biggest bull runs through December.

"We will see $10,000 bitcoin again and welcome $100,000," ethereum cofounder and creator of bitcoin rival cardano, Charles Hoskinson, said last week, brushing off suggestions bitcoin could be in terminal decline as so-called FUDfear, uncertainty and doubt. "Crypto is unstoppable. Crypto is the future."

If bitcoin does stage a late in the year rally, it wouldn't be the first time crypto markets have soared in December. Towards the end of 2013 bitcoin rocketed to what was an all-time high of over $1,000 per bitcoin.

A few years later, December 2017 saw bitcoin's epic bull run peak at almost $20,000. But a lot has changed since then.

"I think bitcoin's weakness since July is understandable," Tom Lee, head of research at bitcoin and crypto strategy boutique Fundstrat Global Advisors, told CNBC in a recent interview, blaming the decline on increased regulatory scrutiny on crypto in the wake of Facebook's troubled libra project and U.S. president Donald Trump's criticism of bitcoin.

"I don't think adoption has really grown since July and if you can't grow adoption, network effects don't take place and so bitcoin drifts lower. But does this change the 10-year, five-year, or even two-year outlook for bitcoin? I don't think so."

Lee is upbeat about the year ahead, pointing to new money flowing into crypto markets as equity reaches new highs, the eagerly-anticipated bitcoin halvening, scheduled for May, and China's growing interest in bitcoin's underlying blockchain technology.

Meanwhile, technical data remains surprisingly positive for bitcoin.

Bitcoin chart watchers are eyeing the so-called Trading Envelope Indicator, which could be "a crucial inflection point," according to analysis by financial newswire Bloomberg.

A break below the indicator's lower band could mean a sudden sell-off, though a bounce could herald a rally of around 15%.

Elsewhere, bitcoin's "bullish three-day chart pattern is still intact," bitcoin, crypto and blockchain news outlet Coindesk has found.

Bitcoin's two biggest bull runs have both happened in the run up to Christmas, with many in the ... [+] bitcoin and crypto industry hoping history will repeat itself this year.

However, a bitcoin mini-rally over the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend, which saw the bitcoin price add over 10% in less than 48-hours, has been almost erasedand some are beginning to doubt a fresh breakout could be imminent.

"My conviction level has come down quite a bit. Particularly, as the continuation and strong breakout has yet to develop," Mati Greenspan, the founder of research outfit Quantum Economics and formerly of brokerage eToro, wrote in a note yesterday.

"It's also worth noting that neither sentiment nor volumes have seen any drastic improvement over the weekend and are once again at the lows. Still, nothing changes sentiment like price and a strong push above $8,000 at this point could very easily pave the way to the recent highs near $14,000."

The bitcoin price is now trading at around $7,300 per bitcoin, up from around $3,500 at the beginning of the year.

Despite insistence from bitcoin bulls that a return to all-time highs is just around the corner, bitcoin holders might have to be happy with a mere doubling of prices in 2019.

More here:

Crypto Is UnstoppableIs Bitcoin Really On The Cusp Of A Huge Santa Rally? - Forbes

Bitcoin price is currently confined in a range below $7,400 against the US Dollar. BTC must stay above $7,200 and $7,000 to start a decent recovery.

Recently, we saw a downside break in bitcoin below the $7,400 support against the US Dollar. Moreover, BTC price settled below the $7,400 pivot and the 100 hourly simple moving average.

Finally, the price traded to a new weekly low at $7,159 and it is currently correcting higher. The recent high was near $7,410 and it seems like the price is struggling to gain strength above the $7,410 resistance.

Bitcoin is currently declining and trading below $7,400. Besides, there was a break below the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the recent corrective wave from the $7,159 low to $7,410 high.

An immediate support on the downside is near the $7,285 level. Additionally, the 50% Fib retracement level of the recent corrective wave from the $7,159 low to $7,410 high is near the $7,285 level.

If there is a downside push below the $7,285 and $7,255 levels, the price is likely to retest the $7,200 support area. More importantly, if there is a daily close below the $7,200 support area, the price may perhaps struggle to even stay above the $7,000 support.

On the upside, there are many hurdles waiting near the $7,400 and $7,460 levels. Besides, there is a short term declining channel forming with resistance near $7,380 on the hourly chart of the BTC/USD pair.

Therefore, a clear break above the channel resistance and $7,460 is needed for a decent recovery wave. Once the price settles above $7,460 and the 100 hourly simple moving average, the bulls are likely to aim the $7,630 resistance area.

Bitcoin Price

Looking at the chart, bitcoin price is currently declining and trading below the $7,300 level. It seems like the price could retest the $7,200 support area before it could make an attempt to climb above $7,400 and $7,460 in the near term.

Technical indicators:

Hourly MACD The MACD is likely to move into the bearish zone.

Hourly RSI (Relative Strength Index) The RSI for BTC/USD is currently declining and it now well below the 50 level.

Major Support Levels $7,200 followed by $7,000.

Major Resistance Levels $7,400, $7,460 and $7,630.

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Bitcoin (BTC) Relatively Muted, Signs of Further Weakness - newsBTC

Bitcoin, ethereum, litecoin, Ripple's XRP, and bitcoin cash, the top five cryptocurrencies by value (excluding stablecoin tether), leaped over the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

The bitcoin price climbed from under $7,000 per bitcoin to almost $8,000 in just two days, with ethereum, litecoin, Ripple's XRP, and bitcoin cash all making similar gains (despite some worrying news from elsewhere in Europe).

The reason for the sudden rally was not immediately clear, however, reports that banks in Germany will be able to sell and store bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies from next year might be behind the latest uptick.

The bitcoin price has struggled to find stable ground over recent months, with bitcoin, ethereum, ... [+] litecoin, Ripple's XRP, and bitcoin cash all bouncing around wildly.

From 2020, German banks can support the sale and custody of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, local business newspaper Handelsblatt reported.

Germany's Federal Council passed the law at the end of last week, with the new regulation expected to come into force on January 1 2020.

Today, German banks are not allowed to sell bitcoin and cryptocurrencies and the bill would overhaul the status quo.

The news was welcomed by the local bitcoin and crypto industry, as well as the banking association BdB, which said the new regulation makes it possible for investors to invest in crypto-values via domestic rather than foreign funds, could help prevent money laundering and terrorist financing, and allow "experienced" credit institutions to protect investors.

"Germany is well on its way to becoming a crypto-heaven," Sven Hildebrandt, head of the blockchain and crypto consulting firm DLC, told the newspaper in comments translated through Google. "The German legislator is playing a pioneering role in the regulation of crypto-truths."

Bitcoin's epic 2017 bull run, which saw the bitcoin price surge from under $1,000 per bitcoin at the beginning of the year to almost $20,000 in under 12 months, was largely due to expectations the traditional financial industry was about to wade into crypto.

When banks and financial institutions failed to buy into bitcoin as much as some had hoped the price fell sharply throughout 2018.

Over the last year, institutional money has gradually flowed into bitcoin and cryptocurrency, however, with the price being bolstered this year by interest in bitcoin and crypto from the world's biggest technology companies.

The bitcoin price rallied hard towards the end of last week but has since fallen back somewhat, ... [+] dragging on ethereum, Ripple's XRP, litecoin, and bitcoin cash.

Elsewhere, the bitcoin and cryptocurrency market may have been further boosted by reports Twitter and Square chief executive Jack Dorsey, known to be an advocate of bitcoin, revealed he plans to spend time in Africa next year, where it's thought he will work on some bitcoin-related projects.

Dorsey expects Africa to "define" the future, especially when it comes to bitcoin.

Go here to read the rest:

Is This Why Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, And Ripples XRP Suddenly Rocketed Over Thanksgiving? - Forbes

Cover image via 123rf.com

Disclaimer: The opinion expressed here is not investment advice it is provided for informational purposes only. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of U.Today. Every investment and all trading involves risk, so you should always perform your own research prior to making decisions. We do not recommend investing money you cannot afford to lose.

Bearish forecasts are appearing one after another on Crypto Twitter as analysts seem to be expecting the bears to start dominating the market again.

As reported by U.Today earlier, the @nebraskangooner entrepreneur and trader expects the Bitcoin price to drop to $6,200 soon. He bases his negative forecast on the fractal analysis.

The price may first rise to see $7,500, he says, and then. His expectation is $6,200.

The analyst @CryptoMichNL says that at the moment on the charts Bitcoin has got out of the wedge pattern. The analyst still hopes that the price will break upwards at the $7,400 level. However, he admits that a bearish reversal towards $6,900 is also an option.

Earlier, the same analysts expectations were more bullish. He tweeted:

I don't think we're going that much further down.

Taking into account the approaching Bitcoin halvening in May 2020, he said he believed that the market wouldstart surging rather than dropping.

Another crypto trader seems to be bearish on Bitcoin, at least until the year ends. KailCrypto has posted a chart on TradingView where he shows that the price of the flagship currency is likely to plunge - down to $6,000 by the time 2019 is over.

Image via TradingView

Overall, market expectations concerning the price of Bitcoin remain bullish, despite the bearish short-term forecasts mentioned above.This is due to the approaching halving in less than half-a-year.

The crypto analyst PlanB on Twitter says that the run-up to the halving is not bearish at all. However, he is surprised not to see any front running on the market yet.

Read more here:

Bitcoin Price Expected to Drop to $6,200, According to Eerily Prescient Fractal - U.Today