- The flagship cryptocurrency market has been under significant selling pressure in recent days. Experts from the WhaleWire publication note that transaction fees in the bitcoin ecosystem have reached global extremes for the third time in history (similar occurrences were observed in 2017 and 2021). Binance, the largest cryptocurrency exchange, has twice suspended bitcoin withdrawals due to network congestion. To expedite the processing of the accumulated transactions, Binance raised its withdrawal fees. The situation is exacerbated by an investigation that US authorities have launched against the exchange. According to Bloomberg, it is suspected of violating sanctions imposed on Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine.
All of this has caused fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) among cryptocurrency market participants, leading to a decrease in the number of active addresses to yearly lows. Against this backdrop, bitcoin has plunged below $28,000. Analysts believe that a "head and shoulders" pattern is forming on bitcoin's daily chart, and the possibility of a deep correction down to the $24,000 mark cannot be ruled out. However, CoinGape experts emphasize that the supply of bitcoin on centralized platforms is at its lowest level since 2017, indicating that the upcoming correction may be of a local nature.
- People may be losing faith in the dollar, but that doesn't mean bitcoin can become the world's reserve currency. Billionaire Warren Buffett made this statement at the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders' meeting. He clarified that he does not see any candidates to replace the US dollar as the global reserve currency. At the same time, Buffett called the continued money printing "madness," while simultaneously expressing confidence in the person responsible for it: US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. According to Buffett, nobody understands the situation with government debt better than the head of the regulatory body.
The legendary investor also believes that the top management of First Republic Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and Silvergate Bank should be held accountable for the issues that have arisen in the operations of these banks.
- Representatives of CNBC criticized Warren Buffett for his extremely negative attitude towards bitcoin. In response, Six Sigma Black Belt founder James Ryan stated that it's not right to criticize the wealthiest investor. However, Ryan emphasized that Buffett does not believe in gold either, as he thinks that "the precious metal does not produce anything and does not generate cash flow."
- Best-selling author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad and economist Robert Kiyosaki often reiterates that the American and global economies are heading towards difficult times. This time, he told his 2.4 million Twitter followers that the sharp increase in the yield of one-month US Treasury bills indicates that a recession is likely approaching. "Does this mean the global banking system is collapsing? [...]", wrote the crypto enthusiast. "So, now focus on gold, silver, and bitcoin." It is worth noting that Kiyosaki predicts that the price of bitcoin will soon rise to $100,000.
- Michael Van de Poppe, an analyst, trader, and founder of the consulting platform EightGlobal, analysed the relationship between the banking sector and the crypto market.
Shares of American banks fell in response to US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's attempt to calm the financial markets. Within a few hours after the official's speech on May 3, shares of the banking holding company PacWest Bancorp fell almost 58%, and Western Alliance dropped more than 28%. Other financial institutions in the market also experienced declines, such as Comerica (-10.06%), Zion Bancorp (-9.71%), and KeyCorp (-6.93%).
Using a 30-minute chart, Van de Poppe showed that while bank stocks were falling in price, bitcoin and gold were growing in value. According to the EightGlobal founder, uncertainty and distrust towards authorities' statements are growing among bankers. Such sentiments may lead to even greater problems in traditional markets and trigger further growth for both digital and physical gold.
- According to Justin Chapman, Senior Vice President at Northern Trust, institutional investors lost interest in cryptocurrencies after March 2022. Their appetite did not return even after the bullish growth this year. Executives of major financial institutions have shifted their focus to blockchain technology, particularly its potential in tokenizing real assets such as gold for clients.
"Since 2022, things have calmed down on the institutional side," Chapman said. "Before that, we saw traditional fund managers eager to launch crypto funds, ETPs in Europe, which are the equivalent of ETFs in the US – all of that has subsided. Even hedge funds, which are quite active in the crypto market, have definitely reduced their presence."
- The government of Liechtenstein will allow citizens to use bitcoin to pay for government services. This was announced by the country's Prime Minister, Daniel Risch, although he did not specify a timeline. According to him, the government will accept cryptocurrency from citizens and exchange it for the national currency. A similar approach is already used by some Swiss municipalities, particularly the canton of Zug.
- More and more Latin American (LATAM) countries are considering the possibility of adopting bitcoin as a legal means of payment for goods and services. Some of them want to follow in the footsteps of El Salvador, which has already done so at the legislative level. Among these countries are Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, and Argentina. However, experts point out a key barrier to this initiative: the rise in transaction fees, which could make the move impractical.
- The Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland (BCUS), Gabriel Makhlouf, has urged citizens to be sceptical about investing in cryptocurrencies, calling such investments high-risk and dangerous. He stated that the value of crypto assets is not backed by anything, which means they have no social or economic value. Moreover, they are not properly regulated, causing numerous disagreements among lawmakers and officials. "Investing in such products is like buying a lottery ticket: you might win, but most likely, you will lose. Therefore, it's hardly appropriate to call them investments. 'Ponzi scheme' provides a more accurate definition of cryptocurrencies," said the head of the Irish Central Bank.
Makhlouf's speech took place just a few weeks after the European Parliament voted for a bill on regulating cryptocurrencies in the EU (MiCA). The Irish official assured that he welcomes the document, but he doubts that MiCA will be fully implemented by 2025.
- Trader and analyst under the pseudonym Altcoin Sherpa suggested that the price of the leading cryptocurrency could soon drop to $25,000. According to his opinion, this price largely coincides with the 200-day EMA, the Fibonacci 0.382 level, and serves as a level that was previously tested twice as support/resistance. If the bearish trend continues in the coming days, he wrote, the BTC price will fall to the $26,800 support level. If this support is breached, the next target will be the $25,200 level.
- Researchers from DocumentingBTC have named bitcoin the best investment of the decade. An investor who bought BTC for $100 exactly 10 years ago would now have $25,600 in their account. In second place are NVIDIA stocks - $8,599. The honourable third place goes to Tesla - $4,475.
Apple investors could have received $1,208, Microsoft - $1,111, Netflix - $1,040, Amazon - $830, Facebook - $818, and by purchasing Google stocks, investors would now have $504 in their account. Finally, investing in physical, not digital, gold would have turned the initial $100 into just $134.
- Artificial Intelligence ChatGPT has joined the quest to unravel one of the biggest mysteries in the crypto universe: it attempted to identify the creator of BTC, Satoshi Nakamoto. According to the chatbot's calculations, there is a 60% probability that Satoshi is indeed an individual, rather than a group of developers, and most likely, it is Nick Szabo, a well-known computer scientist and cryptographer. It was this scientist who once proposed the idea of smart contracts and the BitGold protocol, which many consider a predecessor to bitcoin.
Szabo emerged as the winner on ChatGPT's list of contenders, with 30%. Hal Finney and Craig Wright ranked second and third, respectively, with 20% and 10%. However, the chatbot acknowledged that it cannot provide any direct "evidence". You can read more about each of these individuals on the NordFX website at the following link: https://nordfx.com/717-Satoshi__Nakamoto.html
Notice: These materials are not investment recommendations or guidelines for working in financial markets and are intended for informational purposes only. Trading in financial markets is risky and can result in a complete loss of deposited funds.
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