BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB)
Block: 824,010
DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 02Jan24
Prcedence: Routine (RR)
Controls: Public Release
QQQQ
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BLUF: Japan earthquake kills 48+ / JAL plane collides with smaller plane at Haneda / SBF won't face second trial / Anticipation of a BTC EFT builds
Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $45,449, 21.92oz Gold
24hr Hi: $45,899 / Lo: $42,594
Vol: $33.5B (Up 120%)
Mkt Cap: $890.2B (Up 6.5%)
HashRate: 499 EH/s
Avg Fees: 29,019 sats/tx (Up 25%)
Nodes: 17,538
---Reports---
-International Events-
1. 5 crew on Coast Guard plane dead after collision with JAL jet at Haneda Aiport: A Japan Airlines plane has caught fire at Tokyo's Haneda Airport. Firefighters are extinguishing the blaze. The plane is Flight 516 from New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido to Tokyo's Haneda Airpor and collided with what appears to be a Japan Coast Guard aircraft after landing. The airline official says all 379 passengers and crew evacuated safely. (NHK)
2.48 confirmed dead in Ishikawa after New Year’s Day earthquake in central Japan: As of 3:30 p.m., the prefecture had confirmed the deaths of: 20 people in Suzu; 19 in Wajima; five in Nanao; two in Anamizu; one in Hakui; and one in Shika following the powerful earthquake that rattled the Noto region on New Year’s Day, the prefectural government said Jan. 2. Up to 27,785 residents have sought shelter at evacuation centers and officials lifted all tsunami advisories issued for the Sea of Japan coast.(AsahiShimbun)
3. Leaders from emerging economies are visiting China for the ‘Belt and Road’ forum: More than a dozen leaders from Africa, Asia and the Mideast were flying into Beijing on Monday, following the arrivals of Chilean President Gabriel Boric and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on Sunday. Others, including Russian President Putin, are coming on Tuesday. Under the Belt and Road Initiative, a signature policy of President Xi Jinping, Chinese companies have built ports, roads, railways, power plants and other infrastructure around the world in a bid to boost trade and economic growth. (AP)
-US Events-
1. Over 200 Vets, Active Duty Forces Vow to Hold Military Leaders Accountable for COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate: More than 200 military veterans, active-duty members, former officials, and military spouses released an open letter on January 1 in which they vowed to do everything in their power to hold senior military leaders responsible for forcing the COVID-19 vaccine mandate on troops.(Breitbart)
2. Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has outlined his plan to shut down the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) if he is elected President. “56% of the bureau that are professional bureaucrats should be fired immediately,” he stressed, adding that 44% of FBI employees are special agents and intelligence analysts who “should be reassigned to serve under the narrow focus of other federal law enforcement agencies doing the same specialist work.”(Bitcoincom)
-Regulatory and Legal-
1. FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried Won't Face Second Criminal Trial, U.S. Prosecutors Say: The lawyers said much of the evidence they planned to introduce in the second trial was already introduced in the first case and can be considered in the sentencing planned for March 2024.(CoinDesk) (AC- This move ensures recipients of SBF's donations will not encounter a judicial/media spotlight)
-Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)-
1. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has met its target of hitting a million daily transactions in the retail segment of its Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) by the end of 2023. The RBI, which launched the pilot project for the retail e-rupee on December 1, 2022, has been looking to push volumes of the digital currency so that it can learn more about how the public uses it. In recent weeks, commercial banks have even offered incentives such as cash-backs to promote the use of the retail CBDC and sign up new users.(MoneyControl)
-Institutional Concerns-
1. Bitcoin Spot ETF Anticipation Boosts BTC Price to Nearly $46K in Strong Start to 2024: Speculation has been growing that regulatory approval for a U.S.-based spot bitcoin ETF is coming this week.(CoinDesk)
-Economic Indicators-
NSTR*
-Technological Updates-
NSTR*
-Security Incidents and Concerns-
1. Over $80 Million Stolen in Orbit Chain Exploit, Assets 'Remain Unmoved': Orbit Chain said that it would use "all available methods" to recover the stolen funds, which have yet to be moved by the attacker. The project had identified approximately $84.5 million held across multiple wallet addresses belonging to the attacker. The stolen funds total 26,741.6 ETH held across five addresses with just under $20 million worth of the stablecoin DAI held in another three addresses. (decryptco)
2. Media giant Cox Media Group has come under scrutiny after boasting about its “Active Listening” technology, which allegedly enables marketers to eavesdrop on conversations through smartphones, TVs and other devices: In a document written by CMG’s VP of digital strategy, the company states, “Yes, our phones are listening to us,” and CMG boasts of its technical capabilities to leverage this for business advantage. This claim contradicts the common consensus in the tech community, which generally denies such possibilities. Notably, Facebook had to publicly refute similar allegations previously.(FastCompany)
-Bitcoin Community-
1. Bitcoin Miners Offload $129M BTC in Day, Sending Reserves to the Lowest Point Since May: A slump in miner reserves indicates potential selling pressure. (CryptoQuant)
2.Five Bitcoin mining pools dominated 2023 with 84% of total blocks: Foundry, Antpool, F2pool, Viabtc, and Binance Pool stood out as the primary mining pools, collectively responsible for the discovery of 45,707 block rewards throughout the year. Luxor, with 1,311 blocks (2.43%), btc.com with 978 blocks (1.81%), and Braiins Pool capturing 894 blocks (1.66%) added to the diversity of significant contributors.(Cryptopolitan)
-Bitcoin Sentiment-
1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 71/100 (Up 6 pts)
Analyst Comments (AC): Anitcipaton continues to increase for an announcement from the SEC concerning ETF approval this week. Any number of scenarios may result, and effects of many of them are still unclear. A study of the mechanics of supply and demand suggest a probable bump in USD price initially, followed by short-term profit taking, followed by a continued and steady price rise while institutional money flows into the market. Add to this the halving, continued decline of the USD as a world reserve currency, and 2024 looks promising for BTC holders. Wisdom would sugest prudence and strong security protocols around any Bitcoin investments, holdings and communications BEFORE what may turn out to be a chaotic year.
Follow us on NOSTR:
@Bitcoin Veterans
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Analyst: BV2A
END REPORT
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*NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report
