quoting note1xhm…r9mvBTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB)
Block: 824,474
DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 05Jan24
Precedence: Routine (RR)
Controls: Public Release
QQQQ
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BLUF: North Korea saber-rattling / Epstein docs continue to be released / SEC met with US exchanges concerning BTC ETF / EU inflation rises
Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $43,933, 21.54oz Gold
24hr Hi: $44,770 / Lo: $42,784
Vol: $34.9B (Down .9%)
Mkt Cap: $860.9B (Up 1.3%)
HashRate: 533 EH/s
Avg Fees: 26,432 sats/tx (Up 18%)
Nodes: 17,234
---Reports---
-International Events-
1. North Korea Fires Artillery Barrage Toward Border Islands in the South: North Korea fired 200 rounds in the waters north of their western sea boundary on Friday morning. It was North Korea’s first front-line maritime firing exercise in about a year. In response, South Korea had its own troops fire artillery rounds south of the sea boundary later Friday(AP) (AC-This provocation follows a week of NK saber-rattling and is consistent with it's past actions to garner international attention)
2. Houthis launch sea drone to attack ships hours after US, allies issue final warning: An armed unmanned surface vessel launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen got within a “couple of miles” of U.S. Navy and commercial vessels in the Red Sea before detonating on Thursday, just hours after the White House issued a final warning to the Iran-backed militia group to cease the attacks or face potential military action.(AP)
3. Iran’s Raisi promises retaliation at funeral for victims of twin bombings: The attack claimed by ISIL (ISIS) took place in Kerman on Wednesday during a memorial for top commander Qassem Soleimani.(AlJezeera)
-US Events-
1. Jeffrey Epstein: Recruitment of girls detailed in second document batch: A second batch of court papers linked to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein shows how dozens of girls were recruited at his beachfront mansion using "modeling" as a cover.(BBC)
-Regulatory and Legal-
1. China plays key role in WTO digital trade talks: In December, 90 WTO member economies began talks within the WTO concerning digital trade. The participating parties will continue discussions on key topics such as duty-free electronic transmissions, electronic payments, telecommunication services and the provision of information and communication technology products that use cryptography, the official said, noting that participants will strive to conclude negotiations in a timely manner in 2024.(ChinaDaily)
2. South Korea Regulator Seeks Ban on Crypto Purchases With Credit Cards: South Korea's Financial Services Commission (FSC) has proposed a ban on using credit cards to purchase cryptocurrency, citing concerns "illegal outflow of domestic funds overseas."(CoinDesk)
-Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)-
1. Indonesia’s central bank eye CBDC trial for 2024: Bank Indonesia (BI) has confirmed plans to move ahead with exploring a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in 2024, with full-scale trials in partnership with leading commercial banks.(CoinGeek)
2. European Central Bank lays out €1.3bn plan for development of digital euro: The central bank said it would seek partners for five separate initiatives. developing offline payments tops the budget with €662 million, followed by risk and fraud management with a €237 million framework.(DLNews)
-Institutional Concerns-
1. SEC Meeting With Exchanges to Discuss Spot Bitcoin ETFs: The U.S. SEC’s staff attorneys from the Division of Trading and Markets reportedly held meetings with officials from major exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Nasdaq, and Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), on Wednesday to discuss the expected approval of Bitcoin ETFs.(FoxBusiness)
-Economic Indicators-
1. Europe’s inflation is up after months of decline. It could mean a longer wait for interest rate cuts: Inflation plaguing Europe rose to 2.9% in December, rebounding after seven straight monthly declines as food prices rose and support for high energy bills ended in some countries. The rise in price levels is casting doubt on predictions for speedy interest rate cuts from the European Central Bank. (AP)
-Technological Updates-
NSTR
-Security Incidents and Concerns-
NSTR
-Bitcoin Community-
NSTR
-Bitcoin Sentiment-
1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 72/100 (Up 4 pts)
Analyst Comments (AC): Folllowing SEC's meeting with US exchanges this week, a BTC ETF could be announced as soon as today, with trading starting as soon as next week.
Follow us on NOSTR: Bitcoin Veterans (npub1qkt…ms0r)
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Analyst: BV2A
END REPORT
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*NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report