🍊 BITCOIN ART GIVEAWAY 🍊

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB)

Block: 825,460

DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 12Jan24

Precedence: Routine (RR)

Controls: Public Release

QQQQ

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BLUF: US and UK strike over 60 Houthi targets in Yemen / Texas takes control of migrant park on border from CBP / BTC ETFs see $4.6B in volume on 1st day / Inflation rising again

Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $45,877, 22.3oz Gold

24hr Hi: $48,969 / Lo: $45,620

Vol: $43.1B (Down 16%)

Mkt Cap: $898B (Down 3.3%)

HashRate: 530 EH/s

Avg Fees: 10,235 sats/tx (Down 65%)

Nodes: 16,796

---Reports---

-International Events-

1. US and UK carry out strikes against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen: In response to repeated drone and missile attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. US and coalition forces struck over 60 targets at 16 Iranian-backed Houthi militant locations, US Air Forces Central Commander Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich said. The Houthi assets included command and control nodes, munitions, depots, launching systems, production facilities, and air defense radar systems, he added. Oil Prices are up 4% on the news(CNN/Reuters)

2. Taiwan is preparing to elect a president and legislature Saturday in what many see as a test of control with China, which claims the self-governing island republic as its own territory to be unified with force if necessary. The presidential race is tight, and both China and Taiwan’s key ally, the U.S., are weighing in on political and economic issues they hope will sway voters.(AP)

-US Events-

1. Texas Military Dept seizes control of park, blocks Border Patrol from entering, as part of anti-illegal immigration efforts: The state government has taken control of Shelby Park in the city of Eagle Pass, Texas, which has been at the center of the migrant crisis that has engulfed the U.S. border. Authorities have now set up razor wire and fences to block off the area.(Fox)

-Regulatory and Legal-

1. Bitcoin ETFs make case for US crypto regulation: Sen. Lummis: On Wednesday, Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wy.) noted that SEC-sanctioned crypto funds allow expanded access for investors who "want exposure to bitcoin but are reluctant to self-custody" of digital assets. With traditional finance embracing crypto's "long-term benefits," she says that "helps make the case" for more policy guardrails in the crypto space.(Yahoo)

-Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)-

1. South Dakota Bill Would Exclude CBDC from State Definition of Money: A bill filed in the South Dakota Senate would expressly exclude a CBDC from the definition of money in the state, creating potentially significant roadblocks to its use as such in South Dakota. The bill was introduced as Senate Bill 58 (SB58) on Jan. 9. Similar legislation has already been signed as law in Indiana and Florida.(10th Amendment Center)

-Institutional Concerns-

1. US bitcoin ETFs see $4.6 billion in volume in first day of trading: Eleven spot bitcoin ETFs - including BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT.O), Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC.P), and ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB.Z), among others - began trading Thursday morning, kicking off a fierce competition for market share.

Grayscale, BlackRock and Fidelity dominated trading volumes, the LSEG data showed.

"Trading volumes have been relatively strong for new ETF products," said Todd Rosenbluth, strategist at VettaFi. "But this is a longer race than just a single day's trading.(Reuters)

2. Vanguard users threaten to close accounts after firm blocks spot Bitcoin ETFs: Vanguard said it won’t offer the new spot Bitcoin ETFs on its brokerage platform as they do not align with its traditional offerings. Spot Bitcoin ETFs were also reportedly not currently available for purchase on the brokerage platforms of Citi, Merill Lynch, Edward Jones and UBS.(CoinTelegraph)

3. CoinShares Exercises Option to Buy Bitcoin ETF Provider Valkyrie to Add U.S. Arm: CoinShares, based in Jersey, England, secured the option on Valkyrie Funds in November and said on Friday the decision to exercise it was a direct result of the US SEC's approval of the listing of spot bitcoin ETFs, including Valkyrie's Bitcoin Fund (BRRR).(CoinDesk)

-Economic Indicators-

1. Inflation Edged Up in December: The consumer-price index increased 3.4% from a year earlier in December, the Labor Department said Thursday. The acceleration from November’s 3.1% advance shows inflation isn’t fully beaten. The December reading is well down from a 6.5% rise at the end of 2022, and inflation-adjusted wages rose 0.8% last year.(WSJ)

2. Companies Aren’t Done Cutting White-Collar Jobs: Companies including Amazon, Google and BlackRock this month have announced plans to trim their workforces. Some of the companies now cutting jobs conducted larger-scale layoffs over the past year.(WSJ)

-Technological Updates-

NSTR

-Security Incidents and Concerns-

1. Telcoin Restores User Balances After Exploit, Records 400% Increase in Deposits: Telcoin has restored all user balances just weeks after an exploit that resulted in $1.2 million worth of funds being transferred out of some users' accounts. The issue apparently resulted from a fault in the interaction between Telcoin’s digital wallet and a proxy contract that incorrectly performed certain storage functions.(CoinDesk)

-Bitcoin Community-

NSTR

-Bitcoin Sentiment-

1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 71/100 (Down 5 pts)

Analyst Comments (AC): The response attack against the Houthi in Yemen open up yet another conflict for the US. Following Israel's response to the Hamas attacks, the US has now conducted strikes in Syria, Iraq and now Yemen in support of Israel. The fact that President Biden and the UK Prime Minister Sunak did not gather congressional/parliamental support before conducting strikes is being condemned within thier own countries. Although considered strategically necessary to thwart Iranian proxies worldwide, this campaign is not garnering political support at home. Most Americans do not understand the proxy system in place by Iran, and therefore the US reason for many of these strikes. This does not bode well politically for the current administration.

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB)

Block: 824,999

DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 09Jan24

Precedence: Routine (RR)

Controls: Public Release

QQQQ

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BLUF: Trump seeks trial dismissal / Biden tightens regs on gig workers / BTC decouples from Nasdaq / 1 BTC being sent to the moon

Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $46,402, 22.99oz Gold

24hr Hi: $47,218 / Lo: $44,736

Vol: $37.4B (Up 28%)

Mkt Cap: $907.1B (Up 2.7%)

HashRate: 510 EH/s

Avg Fees: 31,205 sats/tx (Up 1%)

Nodes: 17,548

---Reports---

-International Events-

1. Russia detains U.S. citizen on drugs charges: Moscow's Ostankino District Court said that on Jan. 6 Robert Romanov Woodland had been remanded in custody until March 5 on charges relating to the illegal acquisition or possession of drugs. Woodland is a dual citizen of Russina the US, and was teaching English in Russia.(Reuters)

2. Gabriel Attal becomes France's youngest, first gay PM: France's president Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday named country's education minister Gabriel Attal with which the the 34-year-old became France's youngest and first openly gay head of government, news agency AFP reported after Elisabeth Borne resigned from the post.(Hindustan Times)

-US Events-

1. Trump seeks to dismiss Georgia election interference case based on presidential immunity: Former President Donald Trump's legal team on Monday filed multiple new motions in Georgia seeking to dismiss the Fulton County election interference case against him on grounds that include presidential immunity, which they say "shields him from criminal prosecution."(ABC)

2. US Supreme Court rejects X Corp's surveillance disclosure challenge: SCOTUS on Monday rejected a request by Elon Musk's X Corp to consider whether the social media company can publicly disclose how often federal law enforcement seeks information about users for national security investigations.(Reuters)

3. New Biden Administration Rule Seeks to Make More Gig Workers Employees: The Biden administration issued a new rule Tuesday intended to put more gig workers on company payrolls, a change that could reverberate across many industries, most notably at ride-share and food-delivery companies such as Uber and DoorDash. The rule, which will go into effect in March, would impose a stricter test to determine whether companies can classify their workers as independent contractors. It would replace a 2021 rule finalized by the Trump administration.(WSJ)

-Regulatory and Legal-

1. Digital asset regulatory clarity increasing, much to Binance’s dismay: Blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs released a new report Monday that suggests the ‘regulatory clarity’ that many blockchain-based operators claim to seek made significant progress last year and is poised for even greater strides in 2024. The report strikes a hopeful tone that establishing clear standards will reduce the rampant illicit activity that has prevented the digital asset sector from moving beyond the financial fringes.(CoinGeek)

-Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)-

1. Turkey’s CBDC trials enter 2nd phase. Decision is possible by year’s end. The central bank will conduct the second phase this year, after which it will decide whether to launch a digital lira. (leaderinsights)

-Institutional Concerns-

1. SEC Issues Fresh Comments On Bitcoin ETF S-1s: As the January 10 deadline for the approval of several spot Bitcoin ETF looms, the SEC has made a notable move by sending new comments on updated S-1 filings just hours after their submission. This swift response from the SEC has sparked a debate within the community about the potential implications for the approval timeline of Bitcoin ETFs.(Bitcoinist)

2. Bitcoin Decouples From Nasdaq Amid ETF Speculation: The 40-day correlation between bitcoin and Nadaq now stands at zero, indicating a lack of relationship between the asset classes, according to data tracked by research provider Fairlead Strategies.(CoinDesk)

-Economic Indicators-

1. JPMorgan raises alarms over the U.S. economy: JPMorgan has issued a severe warning about the U.S. economy and the dollar, highlighting a concerning $34 trillion national debt. The bank uses the ‘boiling frog’ metaphor to describe the gradual yet potentially catastrophic build-up of economic problems in the U.S. JPMorgan’s cautionary stance coincides with efforts by BRICS nations to challenge the dollar’s global dominance, adding to U.S. economic pressures.(Cryptopolitan)

-Technological Updates-

NSTR

-Security Incidents and Concerns-

1. Elliptic Bolsters Public Sector Presence Amid Rising Demand for Crypto Intelligence: Blockchain analytics and data intelligence firm Elliptic is expanding its public sector practice to address the growing demand for crypto identity data from U.S. national security and law enforcement agencies.(CoinTrust) **(AC-US Law Enforcement continues to pursue intelligence on personal identities of crypto transactions worldwide. A burgeoning market of blockchain analysis for governments (not only US) will seek to DOX transaction participants and holders of crypto and bitcoin.)

-Bitcoin Community-

1. Crypto Exchange Bitmex Sends Physical Bitcoin to the Moon — Expects to Land on Lunar Surface Next Month: “The bitcoin wallet in the shape of one coin will land on the Moon aboard the Peregrine spacecraft, making this the first financial asset to touch the lunar surface!” Bitmex detailed.(Bitcoincom)

-Bitcoin Sentiment-

1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 76/100 (Up 5 pts)