Trading signals and online forecasts Bitcoin/USD

NZDUSD: sideways dynamics developing in the pairThe trading instrument NZDUSD demonstrates mixed sentiment, having resumed testing the level of 0.6200, developing a downtrend. Traders keep low activity, waiting for additional stimulus.Meanwhile, the New Zealand currency positively perceives the data from the Celestial Empire, which marked a rapid recovery of economic indicators as the authorities decided to depart from the "zero tolerance" principles to covid-19. Thus, by the end of the previous week the market participants estimated the business activity in the service sector index from Caixin, which improved its position for February to 55.0 points from 52.9 points with the estimate of 50.5 points. Meanwhile, the value of New Zealand exports declined 0.6% earlier, strengthening 3.1%, and in volume the same figure declined 6.3% versus an increase of 5.5% in the past. The average value of imports strengthened in the region of -2.1% versus an increase of 7.1% in the past, signaling continued problems with the country's economic performance.Resistance levels: 0.6250, 0.6288, 0.6350, 0.6400.Support levels: 0.6200, 0.6155, 0.6100, 0.6050.USDJPY: analysts failed to anticipate inflationThe USDJPY traded instrument showed moderate decline during Asian session, testing 135.73, continuing development of correction impulse formed since Friday, when the "American" retreated from the local high of December 20.The previous day macroeconomic data block did not meet the market expectations. Thus, the Tokyo consumer prices went down to 3,5% from the forecasted 4,4%, while the core value decreased to 3,3% from 4,3% against the expected 4,5% increase. The head of the Japanese government has already instructed to expand the population support program, as a result of which businesses and part of the needy population will be able to receive a government subsidy. The contradictory situation with consumer price dynamics leads investors to the conclusion that the new Head of Bank of Japan, who enters office in April, will support the current soft monetary parameters policy which was initiated by the predecessor.Resistance levels: 136.50, 137.50, 138.50, 139.50.Support levels: 135.57, 134.50, 133.61, 133.00.Gold prices analyticsThe precious metal is quoted near a new local high on February 15.The market retains the reduced dynamics of the deals, leaving the asset's inclination for the correctional decrease, taking into account the active strengthening during the previous week due to the weakening of the "American". The U.S. dollar is under pressure in anticipation of the U.S. Federal Reserve's winding down of the current interest rate adjustment phase due to the normalization of inflationary dynamics. At the same time, there is a rather "hawkish" mood among the officials of the financial department, and economists' expectations speak about the next cycle of the index increase by 0.25% already at the end of the next meeting. If the regulator decides to take a pause and take an observation position, experts admit that such a scenario is more likely by the middle or end of the summer than at present, in case the current trends persist. Meanwhile, the bank metal finds positive signals in the rapid pace of economic recovery in China, acting as a stimulus in the growing demand and a favorable price background, as well as mixed data on the dynamics of inflation in the euro area, where a short-term decline in some countries was again replaced by a trend to moderate growth. Thus, Germany's harmonized consumer inflation index for February strengthened to 9.3% from 9.2% for the year while analysts estimated a slowdown to 9.0%. The monthly figure accelerated by 1.0%, outperforming the January value by two times and experts' expectations of 0.7%.Resistance levels: 1869.49, 1886.46, 1900.00, 1915.00.Support levels: 1850.27, 1828.22, 1804.41, 1786.28.Cryptocurrency Market analysisLast week, the first cryptocurrency BTC ended with a downward correction, dropping to 22000.00, but at the time of writing the asset intends to recoup losses and is testing the 22400.00 level.Most analysts agree that the "bears" received a strong incentive on the information about the possible closure of the Silvergate financial institution, which closely cooperates with cryptocurrency exchanges, which increased the pressure on this market segment by an order of magnitude. So, the previous Friday was marked by a statement from representatives of the main company Silvergate Capital Corp. On the postponement of the release of the annual financial statements before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, the audit has been extended against the background of accounting for losses of bonds that have been issued since the beginning of March. Such comments sowed guesses among the cryptocurrency community that negative market events had a strong negative factor on the capitalization of Silvergate, as a result of which the banking institution lost its financial viability. Such guesses became the driver for hasty termination of cooperation with the bank as a whole or maximum minimization of contacts from a number of digital companies. Among those who made such a decision were Bitstamp, Bakkt, Paxos, Galaxy Digital, Coinbase, Gemini, Tether and some other sites.Resistance levels: 23500.00, 25000.00, 26562.50.Support levels: 21875.00, ...

EURUSD: low gas prices are strengthening the euroThe EURUSD trading instrument is trading at the price level of 1.0645.Positive correction has consolidated the initiative because of the decrease in the quotations of "blue" fuel on the stock markets. Thus, the end of the previous week's final data from the Dutch gas hub TTF displayed a break down of the price threshold of USD 1.0 thousand per thousand cubic meters, renewing the figure of early 2022, and the price threshold of supply deals for February was 930.00, renewing the January level, before the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. Blue fuel quotes are influenced by several factors: first of all - weather conditions, as there are no hard frosts in Europe and the agreement between the alliance member states to introduce the wholesale price cap on the resource at EUR 180.00 per megawatt-hour, in case of three-day costs above this mark, starting from February 15. Now the euro zone countries have the opportunity to fill up the reserves to the limit and sign contracts for the long term to 2023, in addition, there is room to reorient the gas systems to the injection of liquefied natural gas (LNG). For example, the day before Germany announced the launch of its first floating LNG terminal, two more are planned, and the daily supply volume was 10.0 million cubic meters, which is 16 times lower than the Nord Stream GTS.Resistance levels: 1.0720, 1.0930.Support levels: 1.0570, 1.0390.AUDUSD: rising commodity prices support the pair."Bears" failed to overcome the support threshold of 0.6670 and the AUDUSD instrument turned to the upward dynamics, renewing the December high at 0.6900. The Australian currency was stimulated by the weakened US dollar, which was under the pressure of the risk of recession in the national economy in the next year due to the regular tightening of monetary parameters by the US Federal Reserve System to overcome the growth in consumer prices.Additional stimulus for the Australian currency was received amid growing commodity prices and a bearish trend among precious metals. So, over the past few trading weeks crude oil WTI has gained 10.5% in price, and gold strengthened at a lower rate, but over the past month the asset has improved by 2.5%, leaving the advantage to the "bulls".Resistance levels are at 0.6900 and 0.7000.Support levels: 0.6670, 0.6585 and 0.6500.Oil market analysisThe price of benchmark Brent crude oil managed to correct slightly above the resistance level of 85.00, where it is being held due to risks of resource deficit in the markets in case Russia cuts off supplies to the EU, G7 and Australia, after it keeps the upper limit of 60.00.Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that by the end of this year, a mechanism will be developed and put into effect to prohibit Russian legal entities from supplying oil at the established price cap. Moreover, the political leadership of Moscow agrees to reduce production capacity in 2023 by 500,000-700,000 barrels per day, or 5-7% of the current level. Earlier, the Russian government had already said that the Russian Federation intends to enter into new crude supply contracts, giving priority to eastern markets, making logistical adjustments that will serve to gradually restore demand for the energy carrier.Support levels: 82.40, 76.70.Resistance levels: 87.10, 92.00.Cryptocurrency market analysisAt the end of the previous week, BTC stabilized at the level of 16800.00, at which it is now.Analysts are trying to foresee the prospects of the first cryptocurrency and the market in general for the next year, but estimates are different, as the wing of optimists believe that quotes have found the "bottom" and will be able to return the upward dynamics, and the wing of skeptics forecasts the continuation of the current price level or the strengthening of negative trends. Thus, experts from JPMorgan Chase & Co. argue that the fall of the FTX exchange deprived electronic assets of attractiveness for a long period and the prospects of the market segment have become uncertain. Moreover, the existing precedent will lead to a strengthening of control by the world regulators over the digital industry. Already in the present the largest crypto-exchange Binance came under pressure from the audit bodies in the U.S., where an investigation was initiated into the legality of services, in addition, the French authorities accuse the management team of the site of misleading advertising campaign. Most likely, the level of pressure on exchanges and their clients will only increase throughout 2023, leading key tokens to the fall.Resistance levels: 17100.00, 17830.00, 18750.00.Support levels: 16250.00, 15700.00, ...

EURUSD: IEA named the amount to fill the EU gas shortfall for 2023The euro is trading weakly higher at 1.0535. Investors are refraining from making bold moves ahead of a wave of monetary policy corrections from global regulators. According to the announcements, the summit of the U.S. Federal Reserve will start on December 13, the ECB (European Central Bank) and the Bank of England will meet on December 14 and 15, respectively. Economists estimate that all meetings will end with a 0.50% rate hike, but the future outlook for each agency remains unclear. Meanwhile, the IEA (International Energy Agency) expects gas supplies from Russia through the pipeline to the euro zone countries to decrease by more than 50%, to 50.0 billion cubic meters, assuming that in 2023 the supplies will stop altogether. Under such a scenario, the deficit indicator will be 57.0 billion cubic meters. m., the completion of which will require the official Brussels to increase spending by 100.0 billion euros and increase the audit on the consumption of "blue fuel". According to Bloomberg, passions about continuing to reduce the marginal price of gas from Russia do not subside, so 12 EU member states have already initiated a continuation of the reduction. Energy ministers of the alliance agreed to hold an unscheduled meeting today for consultations.Resistance levels: 1.0550, 1.0600, 1.0640 and 1.0700.Support levels: 1.0500, 1.0450, 1.0400, 1.0350.AUDUSD: Bulls are winning back its losses.Aussie is showing moderate strengthening, intending to recover the losses incurred in the rapid decline earlier. AUDUSD is at 0.6760 with growth prospects, but traders are keeping a low activity ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve officials meeting, the results of which are expected on December 14. Before the summit of the U.S. department the statistics on the consumer prices, which will be released today, will be of much interest for the investors. The current estimates sees the consumer inflation rate easing to 7.3% from 7.7% annually and to 0.3% monthly from 0.4%. Today's macroeconomic data releases in Australia showed a moderate negative trend. Thus, business sentiment in the National Bank of Australia for November shrank to 20.0 points from 22.0 points of the previous period and business confidence sagged to -4.0 points from 0.0 points, while analysts expected the stability to 5.0 points.Resistance levels: 0.6800, 0.6850, 0.6900, 0.6950.Support levels: 0.6750, 0.6700, 0.6650, 0.6583.Oil market analysisThe benchmark Brent is currently at the support level of 77.00, which it retreated to during the previous trading week due to panic sentiment among traders about the earliest recession. The negative factor for the asset is a high probability of recession in the leading world economies throughout 2023. The U.S. consumer price index data is due out at 15:30 (GMT+2) on Tuesday, which will be used by U.S. Federal Reserve officials at tomorrow's summit. Economists forecast a correction of the core inflation rate to 6.1% year-on-year from the current 6.3% and the standard inflation rate to 7.3% from 7.7%.Resistance levels: 83.50, 90.50.Support levels: 77.00, 69.70.Cryptocurrency market analysisDuring the current trading month, ETH is holding at the price range of 1290.00-1250.00, from time to time making attempts to break out of its limits, but without success. The market continues to be in uncertainty, as the negative background associated with the liquidation of the FTX exchange negates the positive signals of monetary factors and decisions on the prospect of Ethereum network renewal. By Friday of last week, the development team announced that Shanghai, which gives the ability to withdraw funds locked into Beacon Chain, is scheduled for completion early next spring, bolstering investor sentiment. As a reminder, Beacon Chain currently holds more than 15.5 million ETH frozen in customer accounts, or 12.9% of the total coin level, but there have been no more specifics on the name of the deadline for their return.Resistance levels: 1290.00, 1323.00, 1500.00.Support levels: 1250.00, 1125.00, ...

USDCHF: the pair is in a corrective moodAfter the termination of the "bears" domination last week, where USD/CHF pair updated the local minimum of April 12, in the morning trading there is an active attempt to strengthen.Investors are giving advantage of profit taking on short positions before the fast-approaching summit of the U.S. Federal Reserve System, scheduled for Tuesday, December 13. Market participants are confident of a 0.50% rise in the key index due to the gradual reduction of consumer price pressures. Meanwhile, the Fed is expected to release updated economic forecasts, and Fed Chair Jerome Powell may attempt to reassure markets by reiterating previous guidance for the U.S. economy. Before that, analysts will focus on November consumer price statistics, which will be released tomorrow. The preliminary estimate sees the monthly figure accelerating to 0.5% from 0.4% while the annual figure is expected to show zero growth of 7.7%.Resistance levels: 0.9400, 0.9478, 0.9550, 0.9600.Support levels: 0.9350, 0.9300, 0.9250, 0.9200.USDJPY: dollar is making up for last week's lossesThe American currency shows positive momentum, being at 137.00 with an upside prospect, while the "bulls" are waiting for more stimulus to strengthen the trend.A moderate support to the Japanese yen is provided by the positive macroeconomic data block on production prices. Thus, according to the November results the index of industrial inflation strengthened by 0.6%, having earlier strengthened by 0.8% for the previous month, while analysts expected the decline to 0.5%. Domestic corporate commodity prices showed a slight correction to 9.3% from 9.4% with the market expecting 8.9%. Meanwhile, large manufacturing sector activity for Q4 decreased by 3.6%, having previously strengthened by 1.7%, with a minimum of 0.1% growth expected. Economists noted the high potential momentum of economic recovery in Japan for the current quarter due to the removal of part of the sanctions on semiconductors for the auto industry and the lifting of control measures due to Covid-19, allowing to increase tourism capacity, both international and domestic. This will lead to support for private consumption, spurring an October-December economic recovery.Resistance levels: 137.50, 138.50, 139.58, 140.79.Support levels: 136.50, 135.57, 134.78, 133.61.Gold pricesThe precious metal is showing a strong decline, having retreated from the local high of December 5, updated last Friday. The stock trades at 1785.00, continuing a decline ahead of the release of inflation data for November, announced ahead of a two-day U.S. Federal Reserve meeting. The current estimate calls for inflation at 7.7%, but the core could rise to 6.4% from 6.3%. Investors are predicting a 0.50% hike in the interest rate by the agency, but of greater importance is the updated forecast by officials for the medium term.At the same time, the Swiss National Bank, ECB (European Central Bank) and the Bank of England are scheduled to meet this week. Preliminary estimates suggest a continuation of moderate interest rate hikes, despite the high probability of a recession for the EU and United Kingdom economies.Resistance levels: 1800.00, 1816.62, 1828.22, 1843.37.Support levels: 1786.28, 1765.66, 1753.09, 1734.91.Cryptocurrency Market AnalysisLast week showed a decline of the first cryptocurrency BTC to the level of 16700.00, but later some positions were recovered at the level of 17200.00, where the trading continues in the last sessions.The cryptocurrency market continues to be affected by contradictory factors, firstly, the negative mood is due to the bankruptcy of a major trading platform FTX, and secondly, from a significant collapse in the prices of electronic assets retain monetary reasons. The process of liquidation over the last six months has dealt a strong blow to the reputation of the sector which deprived assets of a considerable part of investments. As follows from a survey of the U.S. population, initiated by CNBC channel, by the end of this year, the level of confidence among surveyed citizens to invest in digital assets fell from 19.0% to 8.0%, the number of respondents with a strongly negative opinion about crypto-assets after the bankruptcy of FTX and Terraform has increased from 25.0% to 43.0%. The exit of the FTX exchange from the market has not escaped the attention of the authorities, which will make it more likely to establish regulatory bodies over the activities of such a segment of investment, reducing the interest of potential newcomers. At the moment, a number of government regulators are conducting audits on unfair practices in the PR-companies exchanges, and the SEC (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) made a requirement for the national business to transmit data on the ownership of digital assets, in addition to disclose information on trading transactions in the cryptocurrency market.Resistance levels: 17830.00, 19100.00, 20000.00.Support levels: 16800.00, 15700.00, 15000.00, ...

NZDUSD: updating local lowsThe New Zealand currency shows a slight strengthening, revealing the potential of the "bulls" in the pair NZD/USD. The instrument is near the level of 0.6430 with the prospect of strengthening, continuing to update the local maximum of August 15.Investors attribute the positive trend of the asset to a number of technical factors, while the fundamental data was quite contradictory. "The American" got a short-term impulse for the positive dynamics on the background of the release of statistics on the employment market at the end of last week. Thus, the reporting reflected the increase of new vacancies, opened outside of AIC sector for November by 263 thousand, having earlier strengthened by 284,0 thousand for the previous month, at expectations of the market of increase by only 200,0 thousand.Resistance levels: 0.6450, 0.6500, 0.6535, 0.6600.Support levels: 0.6400, 0.6350, 0.6288, 0.6250.USDCHF: The US labor market put pressure on dollarIn the Asian trading session the currency pair USD/CHF showed moderate decline, approaching the level of 0.9350.The "bears" resumed its advantage over the American currency, having unsuccessfully attempted to strengthen on Friday amid investors' reaction to the release of the national labor market data in November, according to which the level of new vacancies rose by 263.0 thousand, By the end of October experts adjusted the value of the same indicator to 264.0 thousand from the previous 261.0 thousand, and unemployment remained at 3.7% for November, while the value of average hourly earnings rose to 0.6% monthly from 0.5% while analysts expected correction to 0.3% and annual to 5.1% from 4.9%, with expectations of 4.6%.Resistance levels: 0.9400, 0.9478, 0.9550 and 0.9600.Support levels: 0.9350, 0.9300, 0.9200, 0.9100.EURUSD: Russian oil is under EU sanctionsThe EUR/USD trading instrument is testing the 1.0562 mark.The currency pair is rapidly gaining in value amid the adoption by the European authorities of the price cap on the "black gold" from the Russian Federation. Thus, the sea routes of supplies will be capped at $60/bbl, including insurance costs, freight, etc., which will reduce the actual purchase price by several more dollars. According to Alexander Novak, the Minister of Energy of the RF, such manipulations are contrary to the market pricing mechanism and official Moscow reserves the right to cut the supplies of raw materials to the Eurozone countries which have approved this ban even in spite of the need to reduce hydrocarbon production. Economists assume that the execution of Russia's threats to start supplying energy resources to the alternative market could become a driver for inflation in the EU. Meanwhile, macroeconomic data block displays a negative sentiment. Thus, EU manufacturers in October reported a decline of 2.9% in the price index, having earlier strengthened in September by 1.6%, which lowered the annual rate from 41.9% to 30.8%. Manufacturing capacity in France also continued its strong decline which saw October industrial production decline 2.6%, previously down 0.9% in September.Resistance levels: 1.0640 and 1.0850.Support levels: 1.0490, 1.0320.Cryptocurrency Market AnalysisWithin the previous week, BTC undertook an upward correction, even managed to recover the losses incurred the day before, which helped it to trade at 17400.00 at present.The cryptocurrency market is affected by two opposing factors. First, market participants are frightened by the likely consequences that may occur due to the bankruptcy of the FTX platform, which caused them to reduce investment in the digital segment of the market, as evidenced by the decline in the level of "whales", which, according to statistics from Glassnode, updated the two-year low at 1.662 thousand. Second, cryptocurrencies should find support from monetary factors as announced measures a week earlier by U.S. Federal Reserve officials to lower the pace of interest rate hikes at the December summit weakened the U.S. currency against major competitors, which include digital. Some analysts expect the change in the regulator's rhetoric to start the traditional pre-Christmas "Santa Claus rally," in which market leaders can regain their positions.Resistance levels: 17830.00, 19100.00, 20000.00.Support levels: 16600.00, 15000.00, ...

EUR/USD: change of trend in the pairThe single currency of the EU is under the influence of contradictory factors, trading at 1.0020. The EUR/USD trading instrument is set to recover the losses caused by the moderate decline earlier, which interrupted the upward dynamics of the last three sessions and did not allow it to retain the local high of September 13.The negative factor was the correction impulse in the market. Investors expect the release of macroeconomic data, announced for October inflation today, which can affect the mood among the US Federal Reserve officials in further tightening of monetary policy, because the dynamics of consumer prices is the key reason for the rapid strengthening of the interest rate. Economists' current expectations suggest the rate will soon decline to 8.0% from 8.2% for the year and raise the pace to 0.6% from 0.4% for the month.Resistance levels: 1.0050, 1.0100, 1.0150, 1.0200.Support levels: 1.0000, 0.9950, 0.9900, 0.9850.USD/CHF: the "bears" hold an advantage over the USDDuring the Asian trading session the currency pair USD/CHF traded in moderate decline, under the pressure of the "bears", which gained an advantage last Friday amid mixed U.S. labor market statistics, now has consolidated at 0.9825.Today the market participants are eager to wait for the key macroeconomic indicators publication in the US on the Consumer Goods and Services Price Index, which analysts estimate as a strong gain of 0.6% from 0.4% monthly figure, which can influence the US FRS policy on the key indicator growth rate, which might be adjusted with smaller increments. According to New York Fed President John Williams, the long-term outlook for inflation already looks more stable near the agency's 2.0% target.Resistance levels: 0.9840, 0.9876, 0.9914, 0.9948.Support levels: 0.9800, 0.9762, 0.9700, 0.9650.Read more: USD/CHF: forex signals, online trading forecasts for today, characteristics & featuresSilver signalsThe price of the precious metal is rising moderately, once again intending to fix the price above the level of 21.00.Negative influence on an asset has a news background from the People's Republic of China, where again noted slowdown of economic development. According to the latest data, the national inflation rate for October strengthened only by 0.1%, having risen by 0.3% a month earlier, while the annual consumer price index fell to 2.1% from 2.8%, with the market expectations of 2.4%.The latest report from the CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission) shows that net speculative positions in the metal last week were 1.5K to -0.1K from the previous period. Leaders, as before, remain "bearish" mood in industrial sphere, which balance amounted to 31.831 thousand to "bullish" 5.975 thousand. Within the limits of this week sellers strengthened level of transactions by 1.792 thousand, buyers liquidated 0.749 thousand.Resistance levels: 21.20, 21.59, 22.00, 22.40.Support levels: 20.86, 20.48, 20.00, 19.74.Cryptocurrency market analysisAt the time of writing, ADA was showing rapid drawdowns, following the trend of the rest of the market. Recall, earlier, the asset quotes updated the annual low at 0.3585, but were able to win back positions a bit.Digital assets are under pressure because of the situation with the exchange FTX, which is unable to continue servicing deposit accounts of customers, and the platform coin may repeat the fate of the token LUNA, which collapsed by 90% within a few daily sessions. On the eve of trying to reassure customers with promises that the crisis is close to a solution, because the largest exchange Binance has agreed to buy assets FTX, but the CEO of the company announced the failure of the transaction, provoking an increase in negative sentiment in the market. According to the official statement of the company, the fact of misuse of client assets FTX has a much larger scale than it was presented at the beginning of negotiations, for which reason it is not possible to save the site. In the meantime, the head of FTX has already requested additional funding from investors in the amount of $ 8.0 billion to ensure the withdrawal of funds from customer accounts. If additional funding is refused, the platform will be declared bankrupt, with all the relevant consequences.Resistance levels: 0.3906, 0.4394, 0.4670.Support levels: 0.3085, ...

EUR/USD signals: Negative factors continue to affect the pairThe single currency of the eurozone is showing a mixed trend in the market, testing the 0.9730 mark. Investors are refraining from new trades amid the Columbus Day holiday in the U.S.The Euro continues to be under the pressure from the second half of the previous week due to the US employment data, which will allow the US Federal Reserve to confidently continue its policy of further monetary tightening. According to the statistics, the number of new jobs in September amounted to 263.0 thousand, while in the previous month the value grew by 315.0 thousand. Experts forecasted an increase of 250.0 thousand. Average hourly earnings in September maintained a monthly growth rate of 0.3%, but showed a slowdown in the annual rate to 5.0% from 5.2%. The unemployment rate declined to 3.5% from 3.7% last year, with analysts expecting a zero correction.Resistance levels: 0.9750, 0.9800, 0.9850, 0.9900.Support levels: 0.9700, 0.9600, 0.9534, 0.9500.USD/JPY signals: US dollar is holding its position at the highest levelIn the Asian trading session, USD/JPY shows a slight increase, reaching the level of 145.40, with the prospect of further growth. "Bulls" update another record, having gained support from the positive labor market statistics, published by the end of last week.The Japanese regulator took a wait-and-see attitude, refraining from raising interest rates, wanting to bring inflation to the target. Officials of the agency expressed concern about the strong slump of the yen, therefore they believe it is necessary to support the currency by means of currency interventions. Earlier the Central Bank of Japan has resorted to similar practice, but the mechanism involved, as shown late in September, had limited stabilization potential, having a temporary effect, and the pair USD/JPY won back positions at record-breaking levels. The yen was moderately supported by positive national macroeconomic statistics, as last Friday's data showed a wage growth of 1.7% in August, previously showing a gain of 1.3% over the previous month, while analysts were expecting a growth of 2.5%. Household spending rose to 5.1% in August from 3.4% last month, missing the market's expectation of a 6.7% gain. Coincident indicators strengthened in the indicator to 101.7 points from 100.1 points in the past. The Leading Indicators for the same period strengthened to 100.0 points from the previous 98.9 points, with economists forecasting a drawdown to 98.7 points.Resistance levels: 146.00, 147.00, 148.00, 149.00.Support levels: 145.00, 144.00, 143.51, 142.54.Gold signalsThe precious metal started the trading week under the "bearish" influence, which lasted from the middle of the previous week, where the asset successfully updated the local high of September 12.Last Friday's positive statistics on the U.S. jobs market gave rise to yet another round of pressure on gold, as the U.S. Federal Reserve was now free to raise its interest rate in the future. By the way, the statistics showed the number of the unemployed decreased to 3.5% in September against 3.7% in August, while the jobless claims excluding the agricultural sector added 263,0 thousand, slightly exceeding the market expectations of 250,0 thousand. According to the CME Group surveys, the vast majority of experts are confident that the US Federal Reserve will raise the interest rate at its November meeting by 0.75%, with a minority of respondents allowing for a correction at 0.50%. Gold positions are under pressure amid actions of a number of world central banks. Thus, the Bank of England and the European Central Bank expressed their willingness to further tighten monetary policy to combat rising regional inflation.Resistance levels: 1675.00, 1688.58, 1700.00 and 1720.00.Support levels: 1653.92, 1640.00, 1620.00, 1600.00.Cryptocurrency signalsPositions of the first cryptocurrency BTC shows the movement of medium-term downward dynamics: last week displayed the value of the asset at the level of 20300.00, which it was unable to overcome, having retreated below the psychological level of 20,000.00.At the time of writing, BTC is showing the benefit of a bearish trend. The release of the US jobs market data was strong as the number of employed rose by 263,000 and the unemployment rate fell to 3.5%, with the average monthly payrolls up 0.3% and the year-to-date average payrolls up 5.0%. Indicators of the sector demonstrated the resistance to tighter monetary policy from the U.S. Federal Reserve, and the pace of wage growth in the country allows to maintain a high level of inflation, forcing the regulator to continue to adjust interest rates, and at the next meeting to strengthen the indicator by 0.75 percentage points, thereby strengthening support for the American currency against alternative assets in the market, especially against digital.Resistance levels: 20312.50, 21093.75, 21875.00.Support levels: 19400.00, 18750.00, 18000.00, 16900.00. More about Bitcoin tradingIf you are interested in Bitcoin analytics, we recommend you to visit the analytics page, where you can find the latest analytics on Forex from top traders from all over the world. These analytics will be useful both for beginners and professional traders. The Forex signals service makes it much easier for beginners to make their first steps in trading on the financial markets. The latest Bitcoin forecasts and signals contain support and resistance levels, as well as stop-loss ...

USD/JPY: The dollar continues to hold record positionsThe US dollar continued to develop a gradual but steady growth in the Asian trading session, having resumed the testing of the level of 145.00, with the prospect of overcoming it. The U.S. currency continues to be attractive for the market participants in anticipation of the further steps on tightening of the US FRS monetary parameters, announced the day before. It is expected that the regulator plans at least another increase in interest rates by the end of this year, the more so as experts allow for a correction of 1.25%.Japanese regulator prefers to maintain the same position in order to avoid resumption of the past deflationary effects. Earlier the macroeconomic data was published in Japan that increased the negative factors for the national currency. Thus, Tankan index, showing the dynamics of large enterprises in Q3 decreased to 8.0 points from the previous 9.0 points against expectations of the market to strengthen to 11.0 points, and PMI (business activity index) of the manufacturing sector from Jibun Bank Japan decreased to 50.8 points for September from the previous 51.0 points a month earlier against expectations of the growth to 51.5 points.Resistance levels: 145.00, 146.00, 147.00, 148.00.Support levels: 144.00, 142.54, 141.50, 140.78.NZD/USD: The New Zealand currency is moving in a weak corrective growthThe New Zealand dollar is moving within the weak strengthening during the morning session, moderately recovering from the strong losses suffered last week, testing the 0.5633 level. At the end of the previous trading week traders increased demand for the dollar during Friday's trading after reading the Consumer Price Index data, which showed another strengthening. Moreover, the statistics from the United States only supported consumer sentiment. According to the data, the U.S. households in August increased their incomes by 0.3%, which meets the experts' preliminary expectations, while personal expenses went up by 0.4% against decrease by 0.2% in the previous month, while economists expected correction by 0.2% only.The New Zealand currency was put under increased pressure by the statistics from China released the day before. Thus, the volume of approved applications for construction work in New Zealand in August fell by 1.6% from 4.9% the previous month, with the analysts' forecasts of strengthening by 2.0%. Chinese data had disappointed with a strong decline of services PMI for September to 50.6 points against expectations of 52.6 points.Resistance levels: 0.5650, 0.5720, 0.5800, 0.5850.Support levels: 0.5563, 0.5467, 0.5400, 0.5300.Gold pricesThe precious metal is priced at 1660.00, enjoying moderate support amid the uncertainty in the US currency towards the end of the previous week, still leaving the bulls under the influence of negative factors. Moreover, the safe-haven asset continues to remain vulnerable to rising US Treasury yields.There are still probability that gold will resume its downward trend this week, because the world's leading regulators maintain their stance on the necessity to tighten monetary policy. According to reliable data, officials from the Australian Central Bank are expected to meet on October 4 to raise the interest rate to 2.85% from 2.35%. On Wednesday, the New Zealand regulator will adjust its key rate to 3.5% from the current 3.0%. By Friday market participants will expect statements from ECB (European Central Bank) and Bank of England wishing to evaluate regulators' intentions to tighten monetary parameters due to inflation reaching 10.0% in Eurozone countries.Resistance levels: 1675.00, 1688.58, 1700.00 and 1720.00.Support levels: 1653.92, 1640.00, 1620.00, 1600.00.Cryptocurrency analysisThe first cryptocurrency BTC has been holding in the price range of 19800.00-18750.00 for about two weeks. The previous week the altcoin tested the upper resistance level, but the attempts were not successful and the "bears" retook the advantage of the asset.Like the entire digital asset market, BTC continues to be under pressure over the long term. The dominance of hawks at the U.S. Federal Reserve promoting systemic monetary policy tightening, as well as widespread increased interest from regulators in the turnover of funds on crypto markets in the world's leading economies, geopolitical instability and risks of the beginning of recession by region significantly reduce the attractiveness of investment instruments among institutional market participants. In addition, analysts report that the popularity of crypto-assets is losing demand even among traders in the medium and small segments of the market. As reported in the results of Bankrate's survey of American teenagers, in 2022, no more than 30% of respondents showed interest in cryptocurrencies, compared to 50% in 2020. According to experts, earlier interest was due primarily to the rapidly growing value of the tools, allowing investors to quickly earn money, but now the chances for a rapid return decreased many times over.Resistance levels: 19800.00, 21093.75, 21875.00.Support levels: 18750.00, 17800.00, 17187.50, 16900.00. More about Bitcoin tradingIf you are interested in Bitcoin analytics, we recommend you to visit the analytics page, where you can find the latest analytics on Forex from top traders from all over the world. These analytics will be useful both for beginners and professional traders. The Forex signals service makes it much easier for beginners to make their first steps in trading on the financial markets. The latest Bitcoin forecasts and signals contain support and resistance levels, as well as stop-loss ...

The governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, said that bitcoin is impractical as a means of payment. While cryptocurrencies are not being calculated massively. But today, large companies not only use blockchain, but also accept crypto as payment:Coca-Cola. In 2020, the corporation's Asia-Pacific division announced that it would allow customers in Australia and New Zealand to buy drinks with bitcoin and other coins. Payment is available through devices that accept digital payments.PayPal is the first payment system to add cryptocurrency for transactions. The company acts as an intermediary: the service will exchange cryptocurrency for ordinary dollars at the internal exchange rate, which already includes the cost of conversion.Visa and Mastercard, following PayPal, thought about the possibility of conducting transactions with cryptocurrencies. The systems focus on stablecoins, which have collateral in the form of real assets.Shopify is a platform for creating online stores. Thanks to the developers, the owners of these stores can accept cryptocurrency.Emirates. The airline from the UAE intends to accept bitcoins as payment. Moreover, Emirates will add its own NFT tokens to the site. This is not the first airline operating with cryptocurrencies. Latvian airBaltic has been selling tickets for the crypt for several years.Balenciaga, Gucci, Tag Heuer are also starting to accept cryptocurrency. Moreover, the new payment method will be available not only online, but also in regular stores using QR codes. And the first major retailer that started accepting the crypt was Overstock.Brazilian developer Gafisa announced that now an apartment can be bought for bitcoins. So the company wants to attract investors from other countries, and the cryptocurrency helps to transfer funds quickly and ...

Speaking at the Bitcoin 2022 conference in Miami, the president of the autonomous region of Madeira, Miguel Albuquerque, made several ambitious statements about the prospects of Bitcoin on the islands."I believe in the future and I believe in Bitcoin," Albuquerque said.He recalled that de facto, Bitcoin is already a legal means of payment on the island, since individuals in Madeira are not subject to capital gains tax when buying and selling bitcoins.The regional corporate tax rate on business on the islands is only 5% — one of the lowest in Europe, which is extremely beneficial for cryptocurrency startups.The President also met with MicroStrategy CEO Michael Taylor. He recommended that he "focus on Bitcoin. Everything else is garbage."Madeira is part of Portugal, which attracts crypto enthusiasts with its zero interest rates on cryptocurrency ...

On May 16, the Central Bank of Cuba will begin issuing licenses for the use of cryptocurrencies in economic activities. The authorities are going to allow the cryptocurrency because of the consequences of the coronacrisis and US sanctions, which have been destroying the country's economy for 60 years.Cuba is a "passing prize"The first settlements on the island were founded by Spanish colonists in the early 16th century and ruled for almost three centuries. Then the metropolis brought African slaves and began to use the land for sugar cane and tobacco – the "oil" of that time.Cuba received relative freedom only at the end of the 19th century after an uprising of local residents and a long war for independence. Spain lost its influence in the Caribbean region, and the United States took its place. Nominally, the United States developed the economy and industry of Cuba, investing hundreds of millions, and then billions of dollars. In fact, they used it as a semi-colony: troops could enter at any moment, local authorities and production controlled it.Before World War I, about 90% of Cuba's exports were tobacco and sugar. Most of the agricultural territories were given over to them. Products for domestic consumption had to be imported – there were not enough of their own. At the same time, companies from the United States received privileges and imported goods to Cuba without duties.The country's economy suffered severely during the First and Second World Wars: first, the flow of goods from Europe stopped, then pro-American officials banned exports from the Soviet Union. As a result of the crisis, the poor could not get vital things, and the elite lived in comfort and luxury.In 1940, President Fulgencio Batista came to power – later he would be called a puppet of the United States. Under Batista, the capital of Cuba, Havana, became the "Latin American Las Vegas." The business was controlled by American monopolies and mafia clans. Businessmen from the United States owned 90% of the mining industry, 80% of utilities and fuel companies and half of sugar production. Batista received millions in bribes, and America turned a blind eye to numerous crimes: from the organization of brothels to drug and human trafficking.13 years later, a group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro rebelled against Batista. Impoverished and intimidated by the authorities, people joined the fight against tyranny. Castro promised to distribute land to peasants, ensure independence from the United States and improve the financial situation of Cubans. The resistance has been active for almost six years. A guerrilla war has begun in Cuba. By 1959, Castro's forces were able to capture the capital, and Batista lost control of the state and fled to the Dominican Republic. At the same time, the former dictator took most of the gold and foreign exchange reserves of the Central Bank of Cuba."Friendship against the USA"The Castro government reformed the economy and nationalized most of the companies owned by Batista supporters. 60% of agricultural land was transferred to peasants, the rest went to the state. The authorities began to control the turnover of currencies and trade. Residents of the United States were forced to pay 100% tax on luxury goods and 25% on minerals.In response, the U.S. government stopped importing oil to Cuba and reduced the sugar trade. An economic war has begun between the countries. Castro continued to nationalize American companies, and the United States imposed an embargo: they stopped trading with the Island of Freedom, and any country that provided assistance to Cuba fell under sanctions.The USSR took advantage of the situation. The Soviets gave the Castro government $100 million in loans at 2.5% per annum. Specialists in geological exploration, builders and the military were brought to Cuba. The USSR provided the new ally with equipment, weapons and agricultural products, and in return received sugar, coffee, minerals and representation in the Caribbean. During the period of active trade with the Union, Cuba's economy grew. In the 80s, the country began to build solar and wind power plants, recycle recyclables. Over 20 years of cooperation, Cuba has turned into an industrial and agrarian power. But its economy continued to depend on its "curse" – cane sugar.At the same time, the United States declared Cuba a "sponsor of terrorism" and tightened the embargo again. However, by this time the diplomats were able to establish trade with Latin American countries. Uruguay, Argentina and Venezuela became new partners."Island of freedom" without UnionCuba's economy began to collapse after 1991. Despite diplomatic ties with Latin American and Caribbean countries, the country was dependent on the Soviet Union and still suffered from US sanctions. When the USSR collapsed, the Castro government had to switch to economy mode: there was nowhere to bring equipment and cheap oil in exchange for local goods. The sugar industry became the basis of the economy again, but tourism began to develop in Cuba in parallel.The United States has adopted additional sanctions. Now foreign companies trading with the "disgraced" country were threatened with restrictions. In Cuba, there was a shortage of food and medicines, interruptions in the supply of fuel and spare parts for equipment. GDP began to decrease. During the three years of the crisis, it has decreased by a third. To compensate for the losses, Cuba was looking for foreign partners and investments. Three free economic zones were organized on the island and part of the trade bans were lifted. The government began to create a socialist economy with elements of market relations. State-owned enterprises have introduced self-financing.The first effect of the reforms in Cuba was felt in 2001. Up to this point, the country's economy was shrinking by an average of 3-7% per year, and after that it began to grow. The country has reduced the state monopoly on foreign trade and began to recognize cooperative, private and mixed forms of ownership. After 2010, the government allowed local entrepreneurs to work and introduced a progressive taxation system. Cuba began to actively trade with countries that were less dependent on America. In particular, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez supplied up to 53,000 barrels of oil to the island daily, in response Cuba sent teachers, doctors and engineers to the new partner. By 2013, about 100,000 Cubans were working in Venezuela. One of the important sectors for the economy has become "medical internationalism". Local doctors started working all over the world.Hurricanes, COVID and new sanctionsCuba still continues to suffer because of the US blockade. The damage has already exceeded $104 billion. And taking into account the depreciation of the US currency — up to $ 1 trillion. After America imposed sanctions against Venezuela, Cuba's main partner began to have serious problems. They were reflected, among other things, on the Cubans. If earlier it was profitable to work in an oil-rich country, then after the Venezuelan crisis, this market almost closed. In addition, interruptions in oil supplies began.The country's economy was also affected by Hurricanes Dennis and Wilma in 2005, Gustav and Ike in 2008, Sandy in 2012. Each of them disabled infrastructure facilities, destroyed buildings and destroyed crops. The military had to deal with the consequences of natural disasters.Another serious blow was the coronavirus pandemic. Many medical professionals were working abroad when COVID was discovered in Cuba. And local doctors lacked medical equipment: there were many elderly people living in the country who were at risk. Officially, the country has coped with the crisis: it was able to introduce an effective system of protection against coronavirus, developed its own vaccines and started immunization. More than 5 million Cubans have been vaccinated against COVID-19. At the same time, the Cuban economy was in a precarious position: the flow of tourists dried up, and investment declined.Dinner for two for a month's salaryNow the "Island of Freedom" has a single currency – the Cuban peso (CUP). $1 = 23.98 CUP or 70-100 CUP at the "street rate". The authorities ask tourists to exchange American currency for euros in advance – banks do not accept and do not exchange USD.The average salary in Cuba for the last 4 years is about $33-45. At the same time:a kilogram of vegetables, a large loaf of bread or a bottle of water cost $0.5;a dozen eggs – $0.7;a liter of gasoline – $1;payment for communal services – $5-10;unlimited internet – more than $100 per month;dinner for two in a restaurant for tourists – up to $25;economy class car rental - $20;1 sq.m. of housing – from $1,500 to $5,000, in tourist areas – higher.Tourists and journalists who have visited Cuba note that it has become unprofitable to work in local industries. Most people live at the expense of relatives who have gone to work in other countries. It is enough to send $50-100 per month to provide for the family.Cubans themselves believe that the authorities have begun to resemble the "puppet government" of Batista. On the islands, "two parallel Cubes" coexist again: elites and Latin American businessmen live in luxury, and ordinary people are forced to live in shacks or sit on the necks of those who left the "Island of ...

Sports betting is already one of the most significant parts of online gambling, with many countries legalizing it. Nowadays, many sports betting sites provide players with different events to bet on, such as betting on March Madness, the Super Bowl, the UCL final, etc. Undoubtedly, online sportsbooks have made it easy to start placing bets on sports, but with the introduction of cryptocurrency and bitcoin, betting on sports online has become even better. So, here are six benefits you will enjoy when you participate in sports betting using Bitcoin.Improved SecurityWhen you bet using Bitcoin, you can rest assured that your money is secure and every transaction is safe. Since you do not have to use your bank details or card, you do not have to fear that your financial details will get into the wrong hands. Also, since Bitcoin is built on the blockchain, every transaction is saved, and you can always keep track of your payment. In addition, the blockchain is built with complex algorithms and high-end security techniques making it hard for hackers to get into the system. Betting AnonymouslyAnother benefit of using bitcoin is that you can do so anonymously. The blockchain network lets you send and receive money without sharing your personal information. So, if you want, you can find a fully decentralized sports betting site to join, connect your crypto wallet, and you are good to go. You do not need to provide a name, address, or other information. Once the sports betting site receives your money, you can start betting with your bankroll. Higher Deposit & Withdrawal Limits With bitcoin, you will enjoy a bigger limit. In most cases, sports betting sites have a maximum amount limit that you can deposit or withdraw. But the limit is almost non-existent with bitcoin. You can deposit as high as 5BTC at some crypto-enable sports betting sites. That way, if you are a high roller, you might want to try playing with bitcoin so that you can bet with larger amounts and, if you are lucky enough, withdraw massive amounts without hassle. Little to No Transaction FeesSome sports betting sites require you to pay transaction fees whenever you want to deposit or withdraw. However, most crypto-enabled sports betting sites do not require any transaction fee. You can deposit and withdraw as much as you like without having to pay a dime. That way, you can process large sums in a short time, and you would not lose much to transaction fees and the like.    Instant TransactionAnother top benefit of using bitcoin to bet on sports is that the transactions are done instantly. Once you complete the process and enter the correct information, the money will arrive at the intended destination in no time. Unlike fiat transaction that still needs to go through central processing, bitcoin transactions are not subjected to any reviews, and once the money is sent, it is irreversible. Compared to traditional payment options, when you withdraw with bitcoin, you can expect to get your funds within 24 hours. For deposits, within minutes, your account will be fully funded. Bigger BonusesSports betting sites with crypto options offer players more extensive and better bonuses. These bonus offers have changed the way we view the online gambling scene, as the limits are almost non-existent compared to the traditional bonuses we used to get. Moreover, players can now claim the bonuses with a higher deposit limit. So, if it is a match deposit offer, the bonus cash on offer would be more massive than the standard ones. For instance, you can get a 100% match deposit bonus of up to 5BTC, making it over $100,000 in bonus funds. Final NoteBetting with bitcoin is the future of online sports betting, and as crypto is continuously making waves globally, we expect to see more adaptation. As a result, you should start your journey to trying sports betting with bitcoin. If you are lucky enough, you can win big, increasing your bitcoin holdings and, in addition, reducing the risk that comes with the technology. Note that bitcoin is very volatile. If you are not fully aware of how it works, ensure that you learn about the technology before using it to ...

Crypto Casinos are becoming popular by the day. As it stands, you will find numerous online casino sites that allow you to deposit and withdraw using cryptocurrencies. Undoubtedly, there are many benefits of playing with crypto coins, and once you can get the hang of getting started, you won’t have any issues. So, in this guide, we will walk you through the step-by-step process of playing your first casino games using cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, ethereum, litecoin, etc.Find the Right CasinoThe first step to getting started online is to find the right casino. Doing this is tricky because numerous online casinos are available, making choosing difficult. In that case, you need to find a trustworthy platform that helps to list the right casinos. Or, if you have the time, you can learn how to spot the right casino by yourself. You need to know what to look for at any only casino to do this. The factors you should consider are as follows:License and certificationsSecurityPayment optionsBonusesGame CollectionCustomer ServiceMobile Gaming ExperienceOnce the casino is satisfactory in all of these aspects, you can proceed to the next phase in the getting started process. Create Your AccountOnce you have a casino in mind, the next step is to create your account. To do this, you need to enter the registration page. Not to worry, most online casinos make this easy to find. You can do this by locating the Join Now or Sign Up button, clicking on it, and going to the register page. You will see a form on that page, fill it with the correct information, and confirm your submission. Go to your email inbox to complete the verification process, and voila! You’re a member of the casino. Make Your First DepositWith your account created, you need to fund it. If you are lucky, you might get a no deposit welcome offer to claim, and you can skip this step to place your first bet. If that is not the case, you need to make your first deposit. This is usually easy to do if you choose a top casino to join. Simply go to the casino’s cashier tab, click deposit, select the payment option you want to use, and enter the amount you want to deposit. After that, follow the simple instructions to complete the deposit process. Claim the Welcome BonusAt most online casinos, there is a welcome bonus to claim. So, once you make your first deposit, you need to follow the instructions to claim the first deposit. You can always chat with the support team if you do not get the bonus automatically. They will work you through the process to get you your first deposit bonus offer. That way, you can kickstart your online casino journey with a cushion and not risk your bankroll. Go to the Casino LobbyWith your bet account fully funded and bonus cash available, you should head to the casino lobby to play your first game. Depending on the type of game you want to play, you can always click on the appropriate tab at the casino lobby. Select the game you want and start to play. However, if you do not have any game in mind, you can do a little research on casino games to find the one that fits your playing style. Or, you can just start with slot games. Withdraw Your WinsIf you are lucky enough to rack up wins, you can choose to withdraw your wins. The process is pretty straightforward. Go to the casino cashier page, click withdraw, enter the amount you want to cash out, pick a payment option, and complete the process. As a newbie, we recommend using the same payment method you used for your deposit for withdrawal. Final ThoughtsPlaying casino games online is undoubtedly fun. You just have to find the right place to start and follow the process. Once you do all of that, you will not have any issues, and you can win a substantial amount with luck on your side. But remember that gambling is luck-based, and winning is not guaranteed. So, never bet more than you can afford to ...

While some political or Wall Street pundits didn’t have the events over in Europe currently in their March Madness bracket, it was pretty clear to others that Putin was going to do as he pleases regarding Ukraine. The events in Europe have shaken the crypto markets to the core, causing both a crash and surge in 36 hours with cryptocurrencies.While there might be political ramifications for the people dropping the ball on this, the crypto market has seen this turmoil in Europe affect the value of some of the most well-known cryptocurrencies on the market. In what looked like a boxing match from a Hollywood movie, Dogecoin and Bitcoin looked to be down for the count on Thursday morning, but then much later in the day, both cryptos recovered most of their losses. In the case of Bitcoin, whale investors came in to buy the dip of Bitcoin’s price, helping it surge by nearly $4,000 from its low on Thursday.With the crypto market still in flux over the situation in Europe, there might be more concerns coming down the pipeline for holders of cryptocurrencies wanting to bet on BetUS. While a large-scale war could severely affect the crypto market, there are other factors that crypto enthusiasts might want to look at with crypto before making any moves. So what is it that should be looked at before doing anything with cryptocurrencies?Russia Has the Potential to Use Crypto to Evade Sanctions Against ThemWith cryptocurrencies being a decentralized form of currency for people, it brings into play something that countries have been talking about in regards to sanctioning Russia. The one sanction that has been on the table as a nuclear option against Russia is to ban them from using SWIFT, the international payments system.If countries do this, they fear that Russia will then go to cryptocurrencies to do business with allied countries, allowing both countries to avoid the sanctions that would be in place.While those fears have left countries hesitant to pull the trigger on a SWIFT ban on Russia, they have also brought up something that would affect more people than just those allied with Russia. That is the possibility of putting regulations on cryptocurrencies or outright banning them like there is in China.If there is a ban on cryptos by countries or even strict regulation regarding trading and ownership of cryptos, that can affect the crypto market more than what we have already seen. It can affect every aspect of daily life for those in Russia, whether they’re trying to communicate with loved ones or place a sports bet on BetUS.Regulation: The Issue That Can Hurt CryptocurrenciesTo anyone that doesn’t want the government involved in things, regulation is a dirty word that brings out fear in people that don’t trust the government to do the right thing. When it comes to cryptocurrencies, that word is even worse, as cryptos were created to be a decentralized form of currency for people to use with each other and with businesses. There are fears that if the government gets involved with regulations on cryptos, there could be assets seized or frozen based on false or misleading information.These fears have only been stoked more since the emergency powers order issued in Canada recently to end protests in Ottawa against government mandates on vaccines. Those orders required financial institutions in the country to examine and take action against customers involved with the protests, which led to people’s bank accounts being frozen. If there were ever a crypto regulation that allowed the government to have broad powers like that, it could spell disaster for those that are for free speech and limited government power.The Murky Waters for Cryptocurrencies in 2022While turmoil in Europe with Russia and Ukraine has affected the markets, there is still a lot left on the plate of 2022 that could keep cryptocurrencies on a downtrend. In May, the United States Federal Reserve is set to make an announcement regarding a digital dollar. With cryptocurrencies valued based on the U.S. dollar, some wonder if cryptos will still hold any value if the dollar goes to a digital format.While that announcement is months away, it could affect the value of cryptocurrencies after the announcement is made. That, along with the conflict in Europe and potential crackdowns on cryptos, can hurt crypto’s chances for a good ...

The last working day of the week was again marked by an increase in volatility in the crypto market. However, this time the BTC quotes did not fall, but on the contrary grew: the value of the main digital asset increased by 12%. However, you should not be overly optimistic, since such a movement still fits into the current downtrend and, most likely, after the removal of stops, the “bearish" dynamics will continue.Despite the turbulence, the funds continued to invest in promising crypto projects. As before, the most popular topics were NFT and games. The browser-based metaverse Sidus Heroes, where players are invited to travel around the universe and earn native tokens for completing missions, has attracted $21 million. The developers focus on the fact that their game can be run in any browser without loss of image quality and other characteristics. According to the announcements, players will be able not only to pump the player and complete missions, but also to equip their own territories, where, for example, they will extract useful resources. In addition, political life should also become saturated: residents of the metaverse will be able to defend the interests of their races and parties.An infrastructure platform for institutional investors who want to both participate in cryptocurrency transactions and use the capabilities of DeFi, Qredo received $80 million — the largest amount of money received under Series A. It includes, among other things, a native Layer 2 protocol that allows you to reduce time and money costs. Among the investors are Coinbase Ventures, Avalanche and ...

Cryptocurrencies are definitely not an investment for everyone, but by choosing them, you can win financially. But first make sure that you have the means for unforeseen situations.Any money that is invested in cryptocurrencies should be perceived as already lost. This does not mean that these losses are guaranteed. But if such a possibility exists, then you need to make sure that there is a financial "safety cushion" in case of unplanned expenses. It should be enough for at least 3 months. If there is no free money available at the right time, then a situation may arise when it will be necessary to urgently sell your crypto assets in order to pay off debts.Also, when choosing digital assets, you need to explore your opportunities in this market. Although there is more pressure on specific crypto assets than on others, there are thousands of coins that can be added to your portfolio. So it is not necessary to agree to bitcoin at all. Perhaps a much less popular currency will be more suitable for investment.In addition, you need to understand your risks. There is no such thing as a risk-free investment. Even bonds, which are traditionally considered a "safe haven", can present unpleasant surprises in the form of financial losses. And cryptocurrencies are known to everyone as one of the riskiest investment tools.The reason? The crypto market is more volatile than other trading platforms. In addition, some markets are already more than 100 years old, and the "oldest" bitcoin cryptocurrency has only recently exchanged a dozen years. And it is not yet clear how long it will last. Recently, more and more countries have imposed restrictions on operations with crypto, and, as a result, this currency is becoming less attractive in the eyes of buyers. And the latter can significantly affect the value of such assets.And finally, you need to make sure that this type of investment fits into the chosen investment strategy. Someone buys a crypt in order to immediately resell it and exit the asset with a "quick" profit. And there are those who save up for retirement in this way. Therefore, first you need to understand what goals you want to ...

Bitcoin is predicted to be the currency of the future. Decentralization, anonymity, deflationary properties - these are the main "trump cards" of this digital currency. But the high volatility of the bitcoin price gives many the impression of the speculative nature of this instrument. Hence the skepticism towards all forecasts for the future. But is the nature of bitcoin's price fluctuations really just speculation?Bitcoin Price ChangeIf you look at the bitcoin chart, we will see epic ups and impressive downs. To an outsider, it may seem that there are no patterns at all. Moreover, many investors in traditional assets (stocks and bonds) are afraid of cryptocurrencies precisely because it is impossible to analyze long-term fundamental indicators and on their basis assume the long-term dynamics of the project and the dynamics of the exchange rate.However, if you dive deep into the essence of bitcoin as a project, as well as study the history of its quotes, it becomes clear that 3 key factors affect bitcoin quotes as well as the quotes of any stock:Fundamental factors.Speculative factors.Macroeconomic factors.But before determining these factors, we will dive into the history of quotations with you and see what pushed bitcoin up, and because of what it fell throughout its history.If you are interested in Bitcoin analytics, we recommend you to visit the analytics page, where you can find the latest analytics on Forex from top traders from all over the world. These analytics will be useful both for beginners and professional traders. The Forex signals service makes it much easier for beginners to make their first steps in trading on the financial markets. The latest Bitcoin forecasts and signals contain support and resistance levels, as well as stop-loss levels. Why Bitcoin is GrowingLet's start with the history of bitcoin. Bitcoin appeared in 2009. The life of bitcoin began with the manifesto of a certain Satoshi Nakamoto, in which he described the key concept of the blockchain and bitcoin mechanism. But bitcoin did not become a currency right away. The first transaction involving bitcoin was the purchase of 2 pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins in May 2010. If we assume that 1 pizza cost $10, then bitcoin in this transaction was accepted at the rate of $0.002 per bitcoin. By the way, the bitcoin record chain contains all transactions and we can easily see this legendary transaction by the link. Today, with a bitcoin exchange rate of about $40,000, that pizza can be recognized as the most expensive pizza in the world, since in 2022 10,000 bitcoins is about $400 million.What is pushing and pushing Bitcoin up? Let's follow the history.18.07.2010 - The first Mt.Gox crypto exchange was launched, and bitcoin gained its first quotes.09.02.2011 - Trading is rapidly gaining popularity among enthusiasts and programmers, and bitcoin quickly reaches the rate of 1₿ = $1.15.11.2012 - Wordpress blogging site starts accepting bitcoins as payment and declares it as a new level of freedom. Now everyone can publish their thoughts and pay for a subscription regardless of the regime in their country, since bitcoins are available to everyone and everywhere. The bitcoin exchange rate reaches $11.18.11.2013 - Hearings on bitcoin in the US Senate on a high-profile case on the sale of prohibited goods for cryptocurrency. But at the hearing, an important statement was made that the sale of prohibited goods is certainly evil, and it should be punished by law, and bitcoin is innovation, and it would be wrong to ban them. The crypto community regards this as the first step towards the legalization of cryptocurrencies. The bitcoin exchange rate is growing from $200 to $1,163.13.10.2015 - On the front page of the authoritative magazine "The Economist" there is an article about bitcoin "Trust Machine". Bitcoin is growing by 31% in a month and then gradually moving up.In 2017, the real boom began!01.04.2017 - Japan recognized bitcoin, and immediately the quotes rose by +300%01.08.2017 - There was a so-called fork of bitcoin. The division of the currency into 2 chains as a result of the code update. At the same time, users remained with the old currency, and they were also credited with a new one – BitcoinCash. Quotes increased by +30%.31.10.2017 - The Chicago Stock Exchange announces the launch of bitcoin futures. Quotes are growing by + 200%.09.04.2020 - The first public bitcoin fund listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange is launched.08.11.2020 - The business analytics giant MicroStrategy announced that it acquired 21,453 bitcoins (BTC) for $250 million.03.23.2020 - Bitcoin rally on the Fed's QE along with a rally on tech companies.30.07.2020 - The American regulator gives the "green light" to banks for cryptocurrency storage services.08.10.2020 - Square (now Block, Inc.) buys $50 million in bitcoins.21.10.2020 - PayPal introduces bitcoins and cryptocurrencies into its wallet.12.18.2020 - Coinbase is preparing an IPO.Read more When Bitcoin appeared: telling the story of BTCTo summarize, we will see that the growth of bitcoin is influenced by the following factors:The recognition of bitcoin by various institutions from private companies (from Wordpress in 2012 to Tesla in 2021) and states (Japan, El Salvador, etc.).Technological development and infrastructure development around bitcoin (the emergence of more and more exchanges and marketplaces, the development of wallets, etc.).The penetration of bitcoin into the financial industry and the recognition of bitcoin by traditional financial institutions (the emergence of bitcoin futures, funds, etc.).Why Bitcoin is FallingAnd now let's go back to the history of deep drawdowns in the price of bitcoin to understand the patterns and draw conclusions about the similarity of the reasons.05.12.2013 - China banned financial institutions from using bitcoin. The drop was -30%.09.03.2017 - China banned ICO, and quotes showed -30%.12.28.2017 - South Korea threatens to close cryptocurrency exchanges, quotes are flying down by -25%.26.01.2018 - Japanese exchange CoinCheck stops withdrawing funds after hacking.30.01.2018 - Facebook (now Meta) has banned all ads promoting cryptocurrency. Bitcoin quotes in January 2018 fell -26%.12.05.2021 - Tesla suspends payments in bitcoins against the background of environmental problems, and bitcoin quotes in May fall by -35%.All these points can also be found on the charts above. As we can see, the key bitcoin drops are caused by:Technical problems in the development of infrastructure (hacking exchanges and wallets).Legislative restrictions and attempts to introduce such restrictions (China, South Korea)The refusal of major players from bitcoin for one reason or another (for example, Tesla).Read more: When to buy Bitcoin. A few tipsFundamental Factors Influencing BitcoinSumming up the factors that influenced the growth and fall of bitcoin in a cardinal way, we have identified key fundamental patterns. Everything that develops the bitcoin network and contributes to the influx of new users (legislative recognition, recognition by financial institutions, infrastructure development, growing popularity among the population and companies) leads to a long-term growth of the bitcoin exchange rate. And, conversely, everything that negatively affects the development of the network as a whole (legislative restrictions, technical bugs leading to hacks and hacker attacks, the rejection of bitcoin by major market players) leads to a drop in the price of bitcoin.For 13 years, the recognition of bitcoin is not going fast: periods of rise are replaced by periods of fall. The period of the fall is called "crypto-winter". For example, in 2017 there was a bright boom, then from 2018 to 2020 there was a real crypto winter. But during this period, the development of technologies and infrastructure continues, the identified shortcomings of the network are being eliminated, which contributes to a new round of growth, and so on, cycle after cycle, bitcoin has already gained 40 million users worldwide. 40 million. this is a whole big country!The result is one: the more users bitcoin will have, the higher the price will be.Why is that? Because bitcoin has one important difference from traditional currencies. Its issue (that is, the number of coins) is physically limited by the program code at the level of 21,000,000 bitcoins.In addition, one more important factor should be added to the limited issue - lost bitcoins are not restored. At the dawn of bitcoin's existence, when it cost a penny, the attitude of many owners towards it was negligent, which led to the loss of bitcoins. Currently, 20% of bitcoins are among the "lost" ones. In fact, this volume has been withdrawn from circulation.So, everything is very simple. The more network users there are, and the more capital they invest in bitcoins, the more expensive each individual bitcoin will be, since its quantity is known and limited.So with the capitalization of the entire network of 1 trillion. and with 20 million bitcoins in circulation, the price of 1 coin will be $50,000. If there is an influx of users into bitcoin who invest another 1 trillion, then the capitalization grows to 2 trillion, and the price of 1 coin grows to $100,000.Based on this mathematics, the well-known investment fund ArkInvest has made a certain model according to which the price of one bitcoin by 2030 can reach $1.3 million, and the capitalization is $28 trillion.Read more: What is Bitcoin Core? A simple guideAccording to this model, several hypotheses have been put forward:1. Due to the instability of the traditional financial system and the need for alternative assets that are not associated with either the governments of specific countries or specific companies, many financial institutions will pay closer attention to bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Next comes simple math:If only 2.5% of the assets of investment funds go to bitcoin, then its capitalization will add $4.1 trillion.If only 1% of the national gold reserves (gold-currency reserves of countries) is invested in bitcoin, then its capitalization will add $3.8 trillion. (after blocking the reserves of the Russian Central Bank, such a scenario already looks far from nonsense, but quite a logical step).If only 5% of the capital of the richest people in the world is directed to bitcoin, then this will add another $4 trillion. to capitalization.If only 5% of the savings of the largest 500 corporations from the S&P500 list are invested in bitcoin, this will increase its capitalization by $4.2 trillion.2. The instability of national exchange rates in a number of developing countries encourages the population to resort to cryptocurrencies as a real substitute for money. For example, the state of El Salvador has accepted bitcoin as a legal tender, and in Argentina and other South American countries cryptocurrencies are very actively used as an actual alternative to the cheaper national currency.If 10% of the money supply of developing countries goes into bitcoins, this will add another $2.8 trillion to its capitalization.3. Bitcoin can become an analogue of the new digital gold. That is, a kind of alternative to traditional gold, which traditionally acts as a protective asset when markets fall.If bitcoin takes 50% of the capitalization of gold, then its capitalization will grow by $5 trillion.4. Bitcoin can take over part of the economic calculations, including in developed countries, as many people do not want to work with intermediaries in the face of banks due to the gradual loss of confidence in the traditional financial system.If 25% of the volume of bank settlements in the United States goes into bitcoins, this will increase its capitalization by $3.8 trillion.We have no reason to believe this forecast or any other forecast in principle, since no one knows the future. But some points of the forecast sound very logical and have a basis already now. For example, the growing use of cryptocurrencies in Latin America due to inflation in the national currencies of Latin American countries. Against the background of the now growing inflation in all countries of the world, there is something to think about.The beauty of such mathematical modeling is that we can adjust the forecast ourselves to the situation that seems more plausible to us. For example, even if only 10% of the forecasts voiced above come true, then this is an increase in the capitalization of bitcoin of not $27 trillion, but $2.7 trillion. But this is also a lot, and this means an increase in its price by almost 3 times in 10 years. Do you know many currencies that are growing in price and do not have inflation?Read more: How Bitcoin WorksSpeculative Factors Influencing BitcoinBy speculative influence we mean the influence of non-fundamental events, such as the publication of tweets, meme news, etc.For example, in June 2021, Elon Musk tweeted a heartbreak emoji and the hashtag #bitcoin. As a result, the quotes fell by -6%. This is a vivid example of speculative influence.There are a lot of speculators in bitcoin, so prices are very volatile and can easily change by 20-30% even on mildly significant events and news. At the same time, a large amount of speculative capital creates high opportunities for both short-term traders and long-term investors, who can always find excellent entry points for long-term investments. It is also for this reason that technical analysis works perfectly in cryptocurrencies (you can learn more about technical analysis in our articles under the tag "technical analysis" or take a full course that allows you to find anomalies in the market and see the turning points and reversal of short-term trends).Macroeconomic Factors Influencing BitcoinGlobally, bitcoin is still a risky asset, the same as, for example, fast-growing high-tech companies or venture investments, and, of course, attracts risky capital. At the same time, the share of long-term "long" money in bitcoin is much less than, for example, in gold or conservative instruments such as bonds. And as we saw above in the forecasts, the influx of "long money" funds and states from bitcoin is still ahead.Therefore, bitcoin, like any other risky asset, participates in the global flow of mobile capital, and the price of bitcoin is still as sensitive to global events as stock markets and other risky assets, since the share of risk capital in bitcoin is large. We can observe this relationship by the example of a close correlation between the bitcoin chart and the Nasdaq index (shares of high-tech companies).Source tradingview.comFor example, in the spring of 2020, both Nasdaq and bitcoin had a rally based on the "printing" of money, which mostly went to the market. Of course, they went into stocks and cryptocurrencies, since bonds gave zero returns.In 2022, we are seeing the opposite trend: the growth of the Fed and Central Bank rates around the world leads to an increase in yields in conservative instruments such as bonds. This means that part of the capital flows out of risky assets into more conservative ones with guaranteed returns.ConclusionSo, we have analyzed the main factors influencing the price of bitcoin. Depending on what investment horizons you have (trading or investment), those factors are worth paying attention to. That is, if you have purchased bitcoins for several years, relying on the pace of development of its infrastructure, and expect an increase in the network and an influx of new users, then you should not pay attention to Elon Musk's tweets. If you plan to speculate, it is better to prepare and study technical analysis.Read more: Bitcoin on a flash drive? How to store cryptocurrency ...

Working with virtual currency is somewhat different from conventional trading and has a number of advantages and disadvantages. Having completed training in cryptocurrency trading, you can eventually make a profit incomparable with that offered by many popular types of online earnings. However, starting such an activity, you need to be prepared for losses, especially on the first pairs. If you start working without understanding the intricacies of financial market analysis and using only price movement indicators, trading on cryptocurrency can become a real disaster. To minimize such an outcome, it is important to understand how the cryptocurrency market works and what factors should be taken into account in their activities.Types of cryptocurrencies and their featuresDue to its features, cryptocurrency is a popular tool for trading and exchanging virtual money. Crypto trading courses allow beginners in this field to understand how to make money on this type of currency and increase the available capital. To understand the basics of trading cryptocurrencies, it is worth first considering their features and varieties:Bitcoin is an independent currency that is not controlled by any country in the world. Those who want to understand where to start trading cryptocurrencies should clearly understand what bitcoin is. The exchange rate of this currency is influenced by any facts and actions taking place in the global economy, so if there is a crisis somewhere, it can be unequivocally stated that the bitcoin exchange rate will change.Ethereum is a decentralized computing platform created on the basis of its own blockchain. Its work is based on complex smart contracts. The currency of the same name is traded on exchanges, is used inside the system and allows you to transfer virtual money cheaply. The adaptability of Ethereum makes it an indispensable tool for blockchain applications.Litecoin is a popular digital currency created on the code base of bitcoin. The advantages of Litecoins include its high liquidity, as well as the ability to mine cryptocurrency. It is faster than bitcoin and has a large number of algorithms, which makes Litecoin easy to use.Monero is a currency based on the CryptoNote protocol, which ensures maximum security and confidentiality of transactions. CryptoNote does not allow you to trace transaction blocks, thanks to ring signatures that exclude such a possibility.In addition to these, there are other options. Most of them are an attempt to capitalize on demand and attract new investors. Learning how to trade cryptocurrencies will help you figure out which ones are worth paying attention to, and which ones are better left aside.The price of cryptocurrencies is highly variable. This creates favorable conditions for trading and allows you to quickly earn impressive capital by closing only a few successful transactions. But the risks in this direction are much higher. To do this, you need to clearly understand the intricacies of the process and spend some time on training. We highly do not recommend "stuffing bumps" on your mistakes. A good course will save a few lost deposits.Read more When Bitcoin appeared: telling the story of BTCCryptocurrency trading strategies allow you to trade around the clock. There are no time-limited exchanges here, and there is no centrally set exchange rate either. This situation creates ideal prerequisites for earning money, and cryptocurrency trading lessons will help to understand the intricacies of the process.How to invest in cryptocurrencies with the least risk?Training in crypto trading helps to place investments correctly and understand how not to lose the invested funds. If you decide to start crypto trading from scratch, you should use simple tips that will help you save your invested money and increase it as much as possible:Control the size of the investment – you should not invest more than you are willing to lose.Invest not only in Bitcoin. There are a lot of virtual currencies on the market that also have a certain value. It is better to choose 3-5 options at the same time, so you can insure yourself if one of the types of crypts suddenly subsides. Among successful traders there is an unspoken rule "do not put eggs in one basket" – follow it and you.Use hedging. To minimize price risks at the time of opening a position in one market, open an equal, but opposite-directed transaction in another. Precious metals and stocks of stable companies will be a great help and reduce the risk associated with investing only in crypto assets.Learning to earn money on cryptocurrency will help you understand the subtleties of the process and minimize actions that can lead to the loss of invested funds. In any case, this is just the beginning of the way, but having figured out how to learn how to trade on the cryptocurrency exchange, you will be able to develop your own strategies in the process that can protect you from the loss of invested capital.Read more: Everything you need to know about Ethereum (ETH)The basics that a trader cannot do without.Learning to trade cryptocurrencies from scratch begins with an analysis of the basic concepts, without which it will not be possible to do in the future.Among the key aspects , it is worth highlighting the following:Cryptocurrency. This is the name given to the form of electronic money, for the storage of which not centralized accounts are used, but a blockchain network. Cryptocurrencies are variable – some are quite popular and cause increased interest among traders, others have only recently appeared and should be treated with caution. No one knows how this or that currency will "shoot" over time. For example, those who were not afraid to invest in bitcoin at the dawn of its formation, managed to "raise" about 800% of profits in just a year.Block. Every operation that takes place on the bitcoin network is recorded in a 1 MB file called a block. We can say that this is a kind of registry that contains information about the last few transactions made on the bitcoin network.Blockchain. This is a virtual database in the form of blocks containing data on the number of coins stored in the account and transactions with them. The information that is recorded in the blockchain is either a list of transactions or a time frame for registering wallets. You can view the necessary information at the wallet address, if it is known.Trading cryptocurrency on the stock exchange is an exciting business, but not as simple as it may seem at first glance. Therefore, before you start, you should learn as much as possible about the process and undergo special training.Read more: What is Litecoin?Why do I need to learn cryptotrading?Newcomers to the world of cryptocurrencies often do not think about how much they need to know and take into account in their activities so that trading on the stock exchange brings profit. Studying cryptocurrency trading for beginners, you can understand:what are the different types of crypto trading and identify the pros and cons of each of them;how and what can be traded on the crypto exchange;what kind of profit can you get in the end, and how to achieve it;how to effectively manage the invested capital so as not to burn out;risk management rules;what is the difference between short-term and long-term trading plans, and how to make each of them.After taking courses under the guidance of an experienced trader, you will be able to understand what stage the cryptocurrency market is at at the moment and how to determine with the greatest probability what will happen next. This knowledge will be useful not only for beginners, but also for those who already have minimal experience in working with the crypt.Read more: Crypto wallet: the most important & practical tipsHow to start studying cryptotrading?Earning on cryptocurrency does not require large investments of time and money, but to get started, you will have to undergo special training.Please note that cryptocurrency is a high-risk asset. The level of risks is incomparable with trading, for example, on stock exchanges.It is best to use the help of professionals, because each cryptocurrency trading course has its own characteristics.Based on their professional experience, successful traders create their own and adapt existing strategies taking into account current trends. After completing a good course of study, beginners receive a detailed "roadmap" that allows them to start their own path in the world of cryptocurrency trading from beginner to pro ...

Cryptocurrency is gaining popularity today. Including among scammers. For example, in 2021, they stole $7.7 billion worth of cryptocurrencies. The main problem is that there is no clear and understandable way to protect the investments of crypto investors yet. This applies to both Russia and other countries. Therefore, the rescue of drowning people becomes their own business: the investor needs to know how to protect their money and what to do if they are still stolen.How is cryptocurrency usually stolen?There are several of the most common ways:Abduction from a crypto wallet;Theft when using the exchanger;Hacking the trading platform;Phishing;Financial pyramids.Phishing is a favorite method of kidnappers. Scammers use fake sites similar to the sites of exchanges or exchangers. If an investor enters data there, fraudsters get his personal information and access to digital assets. Therefore, try not to go to suspicious sites, do not open questionable messages.Crypto exchanges that store their users' data may also be attacked. Sometimes the exchanges themselves commit thefts from the owners' digital wallets.How to protect yourself?In order not to think about how to return the stolen, it is better to take preventive measures:Do not store all cryptocurrency in one place;If your assets are on the exchange's accounts, then take care of creating an additional crypto wallet;Hardware or paper wallets are better suited for storing a large amount of cryptocurrencies;Carefully approach the choice of an exchange or an exchanger. Before making the first transactions, check the information about the counterparty. Conveniently, this can be done in CoinMarketCap;Work only with proven players of the crypto market, for example, with Coinbase (COIN) or Binance (BNB);Take care of protecting your PC. Install an antivirus and use only a secure internet connection.Performing these simple actions will significantly secure your crypto assets.Read more: Crypto wallet: the most important & practical tipsWhat should I do if the money has already been stolen?This is a sad situation. There is a chance to return the lost cryptocurrency, but it is insignificant. After all, there is no well-developed legislation in the cryptosphere, nor ways for law enforcement agencies to solve crimes.What is still recommended to do:Record as much information as possible: correspondence with scammers, screenshots of the site. This will allow you to identify the fraudster and, possibly, prove his guilt in court.If you notice the theft of funds from one of your wallets, freeze all the others or promptly change passwords.Contact the exchange to identify the thief. If the money was not stolen from the exchange, then you can use blockchain block browser services, for example, Chainalysis or Crystal.Do not rush to file a police report. It is better to seek help from lawyers.But the most important thing is to approach with caution questionable projects offering to invest in ...

Blockchain technologies are penetrating our lives, increasing efficiency in various sectors - from games to financial solutions. According to forecasts, the number of users of these solutions will reach 1 billion by 2024, outstripping the growth rate of the Internet at an early stage of its development.Who will benefit from this? And will these companies become future Internet giants?Blockchain is the new Internet of the futureWe live in an interesting time, we see how the cryptocurrency market is developing, what is happening with bitcoin - all this continues to arouse interest among both investors and ordinary people. For example, at the end of October, a landmark event took place — the first bitcoin futures ETF was launched in the United States. The importance of this event lies in changing the attitude of the regulator to the topic of cryptocurrencies: after the adoption and approval of such instruments, it seems to us, a faster institutional implementation and application of the cryptocurrency market will begin. Institutional money has been looking at this market for a long time, but there were no tools that would allow it to be done.We would like to highlight what is developing in the shadow of the cryptocurrency market: the emergence of a large number of infrastructure companies, which, in fact, will be the main beneficiaries of the development of this market.Let's turn to the example of the development of the Internet industry. The Internet was launched in 1984 - and it is unlikely that at that time people imagined how much their lives would change in connection with this introduction. Thanks to the development of technology, the world has become much more connected, information flows have become instantaneous. The development of Internet networks has led to the emergence of such giants as Amazon and Netflix, which for decades have invested money in infrastructure development, in the development of the user base. Now we see that such companies are the main beneficiaries of the emergence of a new market.Why is this important? If you look at the 1980s, at the market capitalization, then the companies that were in the top were very different from those that we see now. Perhaps we should pay attention to what is currently happening with the introduction of blockchain technology in order to understand how the market will change in 5-10 years and which companies can become the main beneficiaries of this development.The introduction of blockchain follows similar trajectories, but at the same time it is ahead of the development of the Internet: the number of users of this technology has already exceeded 100 million. According to expectations, this figure may exceed 1 billion in 2024, and approach 4 billion by 2030. This means that products based on this technology are becoming mainstream. After some time, the use of these technologies will become as routine as, for example, reading news on a smartphone.Read more: Blockchain technology: how it works and where it is usedThe introduction of blockchain technologies, it seems to us, will happen faster than the introduction of the Internet. This is primarily due to the fact that the Internet required the construction of networks, and this is a rather long and capital-intensive process. What is happening in the blockchain segment is largely based on what has already been done on the Internet — these are the basic things that will serve to quickly popularize the technology.The rapid influx of capital into various segments of this market only confirms the fact that the development of blockchain technologies will be rapid. If we look at one of the main market segments - DeFi (the segment of decentralized finance), we see that the amount of capital that was in this segment a year ago was small - several billion dollars. Today, the volume of this industry is more than $ 200 billion: literally in a year there was a huge flow of capital, as products appeared in demand on the market. The movement of capital, the scaling of projects is faster, because there is no need for such an expensive development, as was the case with the Internet.I would like to highlight three key driving forces that we are currently seeing in the industry. The first, as we have already noted, is institutional adoption. The other two are the DeFi and NFT sectors.What is DeFi?Centralized finance is what we use every day: the banking sector, exchanges, depositories, clearing houses. But if we look at the traditional exchange, we will see that the connection of the buyer and seller occurs through many intermediaries: this is clearing, the exchange itself, the depository, everyone has to do their part of the work. All these processes are very time-stretched.How could we implement this on blockchain technology? There is also a buyer and a seller here, but only the program code connects them, which ensures that everyone gets what they wanted. Blockchain is an open and transparent technology, therefore, trust in the system and independence are increasing (we are removing intermediaries). The speed also increases, because there is no need to conduct as many transactions as in a centralized system.The blockchain network already has analogues of banks, decentralized products based on derivatives, and products that help in asset management. That is, we see a copy of what is in the centralized financial system, but with the advantage that the industry receives using blockchain technology.Read more: What is decentralized finance DeFi?What is NFT?NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) is a cryptocurrency token, indivisible and unique in nature, which allows you to assign uniqueness to digital objects. If in the past the main value of an art object was an expert assessment of the originality and signature of the author, then how to consolidate the value and authorship of an object created in digital format? After all, a digital copy is much easier to make.Here the NFT technology comes to our aid. First we create a digital object, and then we create an NFT token and bind it to the object. Thus, we say that the one who has the token owns the original, and if I want to transfer ownership of the object, then I transfer the token.This technology is also used in the gaming industry: the NFT token gives the player full ownership of game items, as well as the opportunity to influence the decisions of the company, which translates into a better understanding of the needs of the audience.When blockchain is introduced into the gaming industry, it changes the rules of the game. First of all, we can turn an item in the game into an NFT token, that is, into a record in the blockchain, which we can then use outside the game. For example, I played a game, got a token, and now I can go to the site outside the game and sell it.That is, firstly, we transfer the value in the game to the player himself, and secondly, the investor and the player are united into one entity. If we look at the game in the blockchain, we will see that the token that represents the value of this game is also used in the game itself. And it is also an investment tool in order to get exposure in the profits of this game. It turns out that the player has the right to vote on where the game will develop in the future.Let's look at these three points (institutional adoption, DeFi and NFT) with concrete examples.How does institutional adoption happen, and what kind of infrastructure is being built at this moment?As you remember, until 2018 (when bitcoin soared to $ 20 thousand), the main players in the market were either retail investors or small funds. After 2018, many major players began to enter the market, and its institutional adoption appeared. But due to the lack of infrastructure that would help large capital enter such an unstable market, there were problems of insufficient liquidity, opacity of where it is safe to buy cryptocurrency. In the future, these moments began to develop very rapidly.Consider, for example, the question that a large investor faces: where to buy, sell and safely store cryptocurrency? One of the leaders of this market is Paxos, a platform that allows you to safely carry out asset purchase and sale transactions, cooperates with key payment systems (Interactive Brokers, PayPal, Bank of America), many of which are also Paxos investors. We see that with the increasing adoption of this technology, the volume of transactions is also growing.The next task that the investor faces is where to safely store cryptocurrency. This issue is especially important because, unlike the assets of the traditional financial sector, the loss of access to an asset in the blockchain is an irrevocable process. Therefore, now there are companies that are focused on safely storing bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Key investors - Sequoia Capital, Ribbit Capital, Stripe, who have proven themselves successful deals, are starting to invest in companies of this kind.Since 2019, the share of the custodial segment (cryptocurrency storage) it has grown from 3% to more than 10%. This suggests that institutional players are coming to the market and making it less volatile and more transparent.Finally, the third issue facing the investor is the payment of taxes. In the cryptocurrency industry, it is significantly complicated by the fact that there is a possibility of cross-buying / selling: if we take cryptocurrency A, we can safely switch to cryptocurrency B, bypassing the cache. Or, for example, to become a liquidity provider, again, without going into the cash. The need to calculate the tax base has led to the emergence of companies that help solve the problem of administering a complex system of taxation of transactions with cryptocurrencies.Read more: What is NFT and why are they worth millions?Leading companies in the NFT and DeFi sectorsAs we have already said, NFT technology allows you to secure ownership rights for the creator of a creative object. The question often arises how to transfer this NFT token. As a result, certain marketplaces appear that allow such transactions to be carried out. The leader at the moment is OpenSea - the largest NFT trading platform with more than 300 thousand users and a total trading volume of $4 billion.The revenue that this site received in the last quarter amounted to about $409 million. This is a cosmic sum for a company that was estimated at $1.5 billion in the last round of financing this summer alone.And here is an example of a company from the DeFi sector. Recall that this technology does not create something radically new, but rather modernizes an existing one. When we talk about products - analogues of banks, exchanges - then all these products are built on some kind of blockchain platform. The leader among them is Ethereum: it occupies approximately 66% of the market. When we say that everything is expanding, we understand that the Ethereum network is becoming overloaded, processes are slowing down, and transaction fees are increasing. How can this be accelerated? There are companies such as Offchain Labs, a leader in accelerating and reducing the cost of transactions inside the largest blockchain platform of the Ethereum system. There are quite a lot of such companies, which, in turn, opens up new opportunities for the development of the entire ecosystem as a whole.The second direction in the NFT sector, which we also mentioned, is gaming. When we look at the entire gaming industry, we see that it is now developing at such a pace that it is ahead of both the music industry and the film industry. According to forecasts, this gap will only increase. NFT allows you to change the economy that is in the game, and companies that help game developers change the old look, give more control to players, will certainly be appreciated. Now we see players like Forte on the market, which is already estimated at $1 billion.Quite advanced funds see a trend change taking place in the gaming economy and see that companies helping to move from one economy to another, to help developers of the traditional gaming industry implement blockchain in their games, win. They will be in demand, which will help the industry adapt this technology faster.What are the risks of blockchain and cryptocurrency?Of course, this is a high-risk segment, primarily because it develops in a certain regulatory vacuum. The further actions of the regulator will determine how consistently the industry will develop.We see different approaches to this issue: following the example of China, where the main focus is on bans and, possibly, on the release of state infrastructure and cryptocurrencies. The second approach is the American one, where the regulator allowed bitcoin futures ETFs to be traded on the exchange. This approach is based on civilizing what is there and using it for the benefit of society. Also, quite recently, the declaration of income from bitcoin was made mandatory in the United States, and such a company as Taxbit helped to make about two million declarations by the end of last year. It is expected that by the end of this year there will already be about 50 million tax returns. This means that 50 million households in America have such assets.The main conclusion is that with so many users in the blockchain segment, most likely we have passed the point where this industry could be banned. But this does not mean that the regulator will not do anything to prevent the development of this industry in the right direction. I think this is the main risk: the tough approach of the regulator can affect both the cryptocurrency market and the infrastructure market. Although, in any case, infrastructure will be the main beneficiary of the development of this entire ...