BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB)
Block: 852,454
DTG/ICOD: 1200Z 16Jul24
Precedence: Routine (RR)
Controls: Public Release
QQQQ
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BLUF: IDF Targets Hamas in UNRWA Schools / Houthi Strike Two Ships / Ukraine All-In on Unconventional Drones / Trump Picks JD Vance as VP / Shooter Crooks Moves Analyzed / Musk Commits $45M Per Month to Trump / Santa Monica To Copy Bukele Playbook / Trump in Nashville is Big Moment for Bitcoin / Mt Gox Moving $9B In BTC / Faketoshi Ordered to Post Truths
Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $64,031, 26.29 oz Gold, .15 Median US House
24hr Hi: $64,989 / Lo: $62,487
Vol: $40B (Up 43%)
Mkt Cap: $1.26T (Up 2%)
HashRate: 601 EH/s
Avg Fee Rate: 6 sats/vBtye (Down 30%)
Nodes: 9,675 (*Anomaly: Detected nodes have dropped this week from an average of 19K to 10K)
---Reports---
-International Events-
1. IDF says it took out Hamas operatives hiding in Gaza UNRWA school; 12 reported dead: Israeli military officials said the attack on UNRWA’s Abu Oraiban School in Nuseirat was carefully planned after finding evidence that terrorists were operating and hiding among civilians at the site. he IDF has repeatedly said that Hamas’ military forces have been occupying the schools to plot attacks against the Jewish state while surrounding themselves with human shields. Members of Hamas’ elite Nukhba wing, which helped carry out the Oct. 7 massacre, were among those killed in previous strikes against the schools. (NYPost)
2. Two attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels strike ships in the Red Sea: Two attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted ships in the Red Sea on Monday as a new U.S. aircraft carrier approached the region to provide security for the key international trade route that has been under assault since the Israel-Hamas war erupted nine months ago. Three small Houthi vessels, two of which were crewed and another uncrewed, attacked the Panama-flagged and Israeli-owned MT Bently I off the coast of Al Hudaydah, Yemen. (AP)
3. From basement to battlefield: Ukrainian startups create low-cost robots to fight Russia: An ecosystem of laboratories in hundreds of secret workshops is leveraging innovation to create a robot army that Ukraine hopes will kill Russian troops and save its own wounded soldiers and civilians. Defense startups across Ukraine — about 250 according to industry estimates — are creating the killing machines at secret locations that typically look like rural car repair shops. (AP)
-US Events-
1. Trump Picks J.D. Vance as 2024 Running Mate: Former President Donald Trump named Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio as his running mate, ending months of theatrical buildup and settling on a much younger partner who could help appeal to working-class voters in critical Midwest battleground states. If Trump is elected, Vance, who turns 40 in August, would be one of the youngest vice presidents in history and one with just two years of elected experience. He is a figure closely associated with the style and views of Trump’s conservative, populist movement. (WSJ)
2. A shooting range, a gun store, and a ladder purchase: Tracking the Trump rally gunman’s movements leading up to his attack: In the 48 hours before he opened fire, Thomas Matthew Crooks went to a shooting range where he was a member, and practiced firing, a law enforcement official told CNN. The next morning, Crooks went to a Home Depot, where he bought a five-foot ladder, and a gun store, where he purchased 50 rounds of ammunition, the official said. He parked the car outside the rally, with an improvised explosive device hidden in the trunk that was wired to a transmitter he carried, the official said. Then, investigators believe, he used his newly-bought ladder to scale a nearby building, and opened fire on the former president. Even after successfully breaking into his phone and searching his computer, scouring his search history and bedroom, and interviewing his family and friends, agents still haven’t found evidence that would suggest political or ideological impetus for the shooting. (CNN)
3. Musk plans to give $45 million a month to new pro-Trump PAC: Billionaire Elon Musk has said he plans to commit around $45 million a month to a new pro-Trump super political-action committee. (Reuters)
-Regulatory and Legal-
1. Santa Monica City Council Unanimously Approves Landmark Bitcoin Initiative: The Santa Monica City Council has unanimously approved the creation of a Bitcoin Office. Proposed by Vice Mayor Lana Negrete and in partnership with The Proof of Workforce Foundation, the program aims to boost Bitcoin education, economic recovery, and tourism, operating at no cost to the city. The program followed the vice mayor’s visit to El Salvador which legalized bitcoin as a legal tender. (BitcoinCom)
2. Trump’s Speech at Bitcoin Conference Will Mark a Pivotal Moment for Crypto: Former U.S. President Donald Trump is still scheduled to speak, in person, at a Bitcoin conference in Nashville later this month, despite injuries he sustained from a failed assassination attempt Saturday. For crypto, this is huge. Trump’s appearance in Nashville has a clear message: The content of the conference is more important than the location. There are enough single-issue crypto voters out there to make a difference for Trump. Clearly, there are votes to be won and Trump wants them. (CoinDesk) (AC- It's a rare opinion piece added to the DIB today, but relevant to many Bitcoin Veterans.)
-Central Bank Digital Currencies-
1. Israel postpones CBDC launch: After successful pilots and collaboration with the Bank of International Settlements (BIS), BOI Deputy Governor Andrew Abir told Reuters it was waiting for a major Western central bank to launch before pulling the trigger, that’s most likely to be the European Central Bank (ECB). (CoinGeek)
-Institutional Concerns-
1. Mt. Gox shifts $9B in BTC, market braces for impact: The combined volume of Mt. Gox’s BTC transactions on July 16 amounted to almost 190,000 BTC, accounting for over $12 billion in value moved in just three hours. The BTC price reached almost as high as $65,000 earlier on July 16 but fell to lows of $63,000 within hours. Mt. Gox announced on July 5 that it would begin repaying its BTC and BCH debts to creditors. (CoinTelegraph) (AC- With a market cap of $1.2T, this movement of Mt Gox BTC has a potential significant price effect on the market. Not all recipients are expected to sell, but many will. For those of us looking to pick up more BTC, this may be a good buy opportunity in the next few weeks.)
-Economic Indicators-
1. S&P and Nasdaq Futures Rise: S&P 500 futures were up 0.1% and the Nasdaq rose 0.2% while contracts on the Dow Jones swung around the flatline on Tuesday, with traders weighing more corporate results and awaiting retail sales data to reassess the monetary policy outlook. (TradingEconomics)
-Security Incidents and Concerns-
1. North Korean Cyber Threats Escalate with Crypto Job Posting Hacks: According to Monahan, the attackers usually approach potential victims on social networks or specialized messaging apps, offering fake jobs or impairments to technical support requests. After that communication is established, they convince employees to download files filled with malicious software in the name of a “skills test” or resolve a software bug, leading to catastrophic data breaches. (Bitcoinist)
-Technology-
1. SpaceX Falcon 9 Temporarily Suspended by the FAA After a Recent Launch Issue: Tt was revealed that the Falcon 9's upper second stage developed a leak mid-flight, leading to the rocket's engine failing to reignite. According to Musk, the Group 9-3 mission's Starlink satellites were deployed but were too low to make it into orbit. SpaceX later explained that it was left in a "high-drag environment" and was deployed at only 135 kilometers from the Earth's surface, with the Starlink satellites failing to reach orbit and re-enter the planet's atmosphere to disintegrate. (TechTimes)
-Bitcoin Community-
1. Craig Wright ordered to pin COPA loss on social media amid pending perjury charges: The court did order Wright to publish notices about the judgment on his website, Twitter feed, and Slack channels for three months. This aims to ensure the court’s findings are widely disseminated. (CryptoSlate)
-Bitcoin Sentiment-
1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 65/100 (Up 8 pts)
Analyst Comments (AC): Just as a piece of clarification, the media often conflates "crypto" with bitcoin, and the words often seem interchangeable in news reports. Bitcoiners bristle at this lack of understanding, but the DIB does not write these news articles but only presents them as written, often in balance with opposing views. We know narrative warfare is real and present reports as-is, focusing on facts as much as possible and calling out obvious agendas or not even reporting on the most egregious. Continue to be discerning in your intake of information!
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Analyst: BV2A
END REPORT
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*NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report
