Another week, another round of Crypto Tidbits. Surprisingly, Bitcoin (BTC), saw some relatively strong performance over the past seven days, gaining 2% according to Coin360. This came after the leading cryptocurrency tapped $6,600 in a surprise flash crash late last week, shocking investors the world over.

The past week was an interesting one for the industry at large: an Ethereum Foundation researcher was arrested by the U.S. for purportedly supporting North Korea, Bakkt’s Bitcoin futures saw an absolutely colossal week in terms of adoption and usage, and the chief executive of a Chinese exchange went missing, leaving the company without access to its cryptocurrency holdings.

Related Reading: Crypto Tidbits: Bitcoin Dives Under $8,000, Fidelity Bags Trust License, SEC Takes Second Look at ETF

Bitcoin & Crypto Tidbits

• Bakkt’s Bitcoin Futures See Amazing Week: When crypto exchange upstart Bakkt launched its Bitcoin futures contract in September, few institutional investors were using the product. Bakkt’s market saw less than $5 million worth of daily volumes for weeks on end, with little sign of improvement. Though, over the past few weeks, the futures have seen a strong uptick in adoption. In fact, on Wednesday, Bakkt’s Bitcoin futures saw nearly $40 million worth of volume trade. And while Bakkt’s volumes are a sign of institutional trading interest, Bakkt’s open interest metrics are signs of institutions’ propensity to hold Bitcoin. Cryptocurrency data Twitter page Ecoinometrics recently noted that the open interest in the Bitcoin futures contracts has surged by hundreds of BTC over recent days. This implies that “some people are seeing the price dip as a good occasion to get in long.”
• IDAX CEO Goes Missing, Crypto WIthdrawals Halted: The chief executive of IDAX, a lesser-known cryptocurrency trading platform purportedly in Shanghai, has disappeared off the face of the Earth. The exchange announced this in an announcement published on Friday morning, in which it was written that “since November 24th, IDAX Global CEO have gone missing with unknown cause and IDAX Global staffs were out of touch with him.” The exchange added that as a result of this, it will be halting all deposits and withdrawals as IDAX’s access to its cold wallet, which “stored almost all cryptocurrency balances for IDAX (including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other assets),” has been “restricted.” Henceforth, the exchange has “drawn up and emergency plan about platform services, including our deposit/withdrawal service.”
• U.S. Arrests Ethereum Proponent for “Assisting” North Korea: On Friday, the U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of New York State revealed something astounding: it, alongside individuals from the FBI and other authorities of the U.S. government, had arrested Virgil Griffith, a United States citizen at the Los Angeles Airport. As to why the individual was arrested, a press release indicated that the individual had “violated the  International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”) by traveling to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (“DPRK” or “North Korea”) in order deliver a presentation… [on how to use technology] to evade sanctions.” Griffith, whose LinkedIn claims he is a research scientist for the Ethereum Foundation, was there for a state-sponsored blockchain event. Prominent members of the Bitcoin and cryptocurrency community have mixed reactions to this case.
• HSBC to Use Blockchain to Manage $20 Billion Worth of Assets:According to a report published Wednesday by Reuters, HSBC will be using a blockchain-based custody platform dubbed “Digital Vault” to manage $20 billion worth of assets in “one of the biggest deployments yet of the widely-hyped but still unproven technology by a global bank.” HSBC representatives said that the company intends to have this done by March. This new HSBC platform will effectively bring formerly paper-based records of private placement investments onto a blockchain, reducing the “time it takes investors to make checks or queries on holdings.”
• UpBit Hacked for $50 Million in Ethereum: Earlier this week, blockchain analytics services picked up on an interesting set of transactions from the wallets of UpBit, a Korean exchange. The transactions include multi-million transfers of Ethereum, Tron, EOS, and other top cryptocurrencies (not Bitcoin though) from UpBit-owned wallets to exchanges and “unknown wallets,” addresses left unmarked by these analytics firms. Eventually, UpBit came out to speak on the matter, revealing in an announcement that a 342,000 Ethereum (then valued at $50 million) transaction was suspicious. The translated version of the release does not contain the word “hack,” though many have taken the statement as a sign that the $50 million worth of cryptocurrency has been misplaced and is currently unretrievable. Upbit has confirmed that it will cover the funds with up to $51 million worth of its corporate funds, and has also revealed that it has moved all cryptocurrencies into its cold wallet to protect its customers.

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Original Post: Crypto Tidbits: Bakkt’s Bitcoin Futures Surge, UpBit Hacked for Million in Ethereum, US Arrests Blockchain Researcher

After making a strong attempt to break above $8,000 yesterday, Bitcoin (BTC) lost the momentum that it had been gaining over the past couple of days and has begun to descend back down towards the lower-$7,000 region.

The cryptocurrency’s inability to break above $8,000 has led analysts to conclude that BTC could be at risk of reversing its recent uptrend, meaning that significantly further losses could be imminent.

Bitcoin Loses Momentum as Bears Defend $8,000 Resistance

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading down just over 2% at its current price of $7,600, which marks a slight retrace from its daily highs of just under $8,000 that were set at the peak of the recent rally that was first sparked when BTC bounced from $6,500.

If Bitcoin fails to garner any upwards momentum in the near-term, it is highly probable that it will see further downside in the coming hours and days, as it may signal that $8,000 is an insurmountable resistance level that will suppress any potential bullishness.

CryptoBirb, a popular cryptocurrency analyst on Twitter, spoke about this possibility in a recent tweet, telling his followers that BTC must break and hold above $7,960 in order for it to have a chance at moving up towards $7,960.

“$BTC must reclaim 7960 to swing 9.1k (note bullish divergence). Early signal is 3D close above MA100. Anything below is MTF~5.4k-oriented,” he noted while referencing the chart in the below tweet.

$btc must reclaim 7960 to swing 9.1k (note bullish divergence)
early signal is 3D close above MA100
anything below is MTF~5.4k-oriented
you are welcome pic.twitter.com/2nATQ8emDe

— Crypto₿irb (@crypto_birb) November 30, 2019

Will Further Downside Reverse the Recent Uptrend? 

Assuming that Bitcoin faces further near-term downside, the recent uptrend experienced by the crypto in the time since it surged from lows of $6,500 may be in peril of being reversed.

Josh Rager, another popular cryptocurrency analyst on Twitter, mused this possibility in a tweet, telling his followers that BTC’s recent highs could mark a local top.

“$BTC could be reversing here after a short term uptrend. Remember, the overall trend has been down, though price can’t move straight down and this relief was needed short term. Price could have certainly hit local top here as we move closer to the weekly close,” he bearishly noted.

$BTC could be reversing here after a short term uptrend

Remember, the overall trend has been down, though price can't move straight down and this relief was needed short term

Price could have certainly hit local top here as we move closer to the weekly close pic.twitter.com/2RrAMLWulD

— Josh Rager (@Josh_Rager) November 30, 2019

Although it does remain unclear as to whether or not this bearish possibility will play out in the coming hours and days, an inability for Bitcoin’s bulls to propel it back up towards $8,000 could mean that further downside is inbound.

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The post Bitcoin at Risk of Reversing Upwards Momentum as Bears Fight Back appeared first on NewsBTC.

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Original Post: Bitcoin at Risk of Reversing Upwards Momentum as Bears Fight Back

Bitcoin’s precipitous drop to $6,600 seen earlier this month caught many traders aback; nearly no one, not even the top traders and analysts, expected for that price action to play out as it did in real life. Few predicted the subsequent bounce to $7,800, where BTC sits as of the time of writing this, too.

Though, one trader has been calling the moves all along, using a lesser-known and slightly unorthodox method of analysis to predict the directionality of the Bitcoin and cryptocurrency market.

Related Reading: Make or Break: Bitcoin Price Closing In On Key Monthly Support Level

Bitcoin Fractal Implies Impending Doom

Over the past few months, a popular trader on Twitter, NebraskanGooner, has been touting what is known as a “fractal” via his social media pages.

A quick aside for those unaware of what a fractal is: a fractal, in financial markets, is when the historical price pattern or direction of an asset is reflected/seen again on a different time frame and/or for a different asset. While some analysts see them as pure coincidences, analyses have found that fractals can work well for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, potentially due to the inherent cyclicity of this market.

Related Reading: Dr. Doom: Ethereum Still a Long Way From $0, Its True “Fundamental Value”

Nebraskan’s fractal has been extremely accurate over the past few weeks. In fact, it predicted Bitcoin’s dramatic price drop to $6,600 weeks before it took place, and the subsequent recovery to nearly $8,000 seen over the past few days.

The same fractal, which is an overlay of one of Bitcoin’s previous market cycles, suggests that Bitcoin’s trend line breakdown retest, which took place in the previous market cycle that is being fractaled, is complete, implying that BTC has found a local top at $7,800. Should the fractal continue to play out, BTC will head towards the $6,200-$6,300 region in the coming two-odd weeks, which would mark a drop of 20%.

#bitcoin

The all knowing fractal says the top is likely in for now.

Trend line breakdown retest looks completed.

$6,300 incoming?

Will be interesting to see if this continues to play out. pic.twitter.com/Bs1xQHZdoV

— NebraskanGooner (@nebraskangooner) November 29, 2019

What’s interesting is that the drop has already started to take place. As of the time of me updating this piece, the leading cryptocurrency has slipped to $7,400, putting in a local top right where the fractal said that a top would be put in.

Related Reading: Altcoin Returns to ICO Price After 11,100% Run: Bitcoin Dominates Crypto Market

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Original Post: “All-Knowing” Bitcoin Fractal That Predicted Drop to ,600: BTC to Fall 20%