Despite a massive sell-off this year, a former AQR Capital Management executive gave crypto markets’ 2018 performance a “B+ grade” in an op-ed for Bloomberg, Dec. 20. Aaron Brown — AQR’s former Chief Risk Manager and an author on risk management and gambling-related topics — pointed out Bitcoin’s (BTC) 80 percent fall from its $20,000 one year ago mirrored peaks and falls in previous years, namely in 2011 and 2013. Brown outlined the fact that Bitcoin’s decline this year has actually been relatively milder than the rapid drop its saw after its peak in 2011. The 2018 sell-off has, however, …

Analysts from global investment bank JPMorgan Chase believe that the protracted crypto bear market is driving away institutional investors, Bloomberg reports on Tuesday, Dec. 18. Analysts from JPMorgan, along with global market strategist Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou, have reportedly stated that involvement of institutional investors in Bitcoin (BTC) “appears to be fading.” In a jointly released research note, analysts have concluded that “key flow metrics have downshifted dramatically,” including a decline in the Bitcoin futures market. The experts reportedly noted the decreasing index of open interest (OI) — the amount of open contracts on Bitcoin futures — on the Chicago Board Options …

Cryptocurrency stablecoin Tether (USDT) really does have fiat reserves equal to the value of tokens in circulation, Bloomberg claimed in a report today, Dec. 18. Citing “bank statements” it had “reviewed,” the publication became the latest source to add fuel to the controversy surrounding Tether, which has raged online since a series of legal tussles and banking reshuffles began last year. According to the statements, Tether, which issues and notionally backs up each unit of USDT with $1, had a combined fiat bank balance equal to or even higher than circulating USDT from September 2017 to July 2018, the latest …

Analysts at Bloomberg Intelligence predict that Bitcoin (BTC) “has further to fall,” Bloomberg reported Nov. 16. “Bitcoin’s no longer boring” declares Bloomberg, before stating that analysts predict the price could fall as low as the $1,500 point, a further 70 percent drop in the coin’s price. Bloomberg cites hedge fund founder Travis Kling saying that he “didn’t sleep well” because of the potential turmoil in wider crypto markets due to the recent Bitcoin Cash hard fork: “There’s a small chance that, it’s difficult to estimate, that something really bad could happen related to Bitcoin Cash that could then impact the …

Bitcoin (BTC) and Bitcoin Cash (BCH) services firm Bitcoin.com is planning to buy or set up its own crypto exchange, the company’s CEO Roger Ver revealed in an interview with Bloomberg Oct. 9. According to Ver, the upcoming crypto trading platform will be placed on the Bitcoin.com website, which is expected to generate a great amount of traffic via various services such as wallet transactions and news. Ver said the new platform will get “thousands or tens of thousands of new users every single day” through Bitcoin.com. Ver mentioned that he is considering finding a partner to help create an …

As the United Nations Refugee Agency warned in the first days of September, the death rate for refugees attempting to reach Europe has risen. That sounds even more cruel considering that the numbers trying to make the crossing has fallen. For every 18 people crossing to Europe over the central Mediterranean between January and July 2018, one person died. This is twice more than over the same period in 2017, when there was one death for every 42 refugees and migrants attempting the crossing. Summer in the United States brought the scandal with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) …

U.S. banking giant Morgan Stanley is planning to offer clients Bitcoin trade swaps, anonymous sources told Bloomberg Thursday, September 13. Citing “people familiar with the matter,” the publication reveals the U.S. multinational will follow in the footsteps of fellow Wall Street players in pursuing Bitcoin exposure options. According to the sources, Morgan Stanley “will deal in contracts that give investors synthetic exposure to the performance of Bitcoin.” “Investors will be able to go long or short using the so-called price return swaps, and Morgan Stanley will charge a spread for each transaction,” they added. The news marks the latest commitment …

New issuances of stablecoin Tether (USDT) are not currently affecting the prices of either major cryptocurrencies or smaller altcoins, Bloomberg reports August 24. In the article, Bloomberg noted that the allegations that Tether has been used to manipulate or stabilize the price of Bitcoin (BTC) — previously put forward in a paper from the University of Texas — are not holding true for the crypto markets this August. The paper, published in mid-June, had claimed that Bitcoin reached its all-time high of $20,000 due to price manipulation involving both Tether and sixth largest crypto exchange Bitfinex, which is reportedly “the …

Zurich-based investment bank and financial services company Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) has said that the Bitcoin (BTC) price must hit nearly $213,000 to replace U.S. money supply, Bloomberg reported August 2. According to Bloomberg, a new report by UBS suggests that BTC cannot currently be considered money or a viable asset as its versatility is stymied by the capacity constraints of the BTC network. The report says: "Our findings suggest that Bitcoin, in its current form, is too unstable and limited to become a viable means of payment for global transactions or a mainstream asset class." The report states …

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) will not introduce futures on cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin (BTC) in the near future, CME CEO Terry Duffy revealed in an interview with Bloomberg July 26. In the interview, Duffy said that the company should first evaluate and develop an approach for Bitcoin, stressing that Bitcoin futures “might have been the most controversial launch of a product.” Duffy emphasized that altcoins futures contracts cannot be launched immediately, because they are “highly volatile and new,” and the company cannot just list products for trading in order “to see where they’re going to go.” Duffy said, “I …

Barry Silbert, founder and chief executive officer of venture capital Digital Currency Group, said he is bullish on Bitcoin (BTC) as an investment vehicle, CNBC reported July 18. Speaking at the Delivering Alpha Conference in New York on Wednesday, Silbert said that he thinks “we’ve probably hit the bottom for the year. I actually put some money into Bitcoin last week.” He added that “as an asset class it is here to stay … I’m 100 percent confident a decentralized, non-fiat form of money is here to stay.” Jeremy Allaire from cryptocurrency startup Circle, which is backed by Goldman Sachs …

Canada-based Rivemont Crypto Fund, run by a portfolio management firm Rivemont Investments, holds around 91 percent of its $2.3 million of assets in fiat currency, with only 9 percent in Bitcoin (BTC), Bloomberg reported July 17. The Rivemont Crypto Fund was founded in December 2017 and is reportedly the only actively managed cryptocurrency fund in Canada. The fund is registered with the Ontario Securities Commission, the Alberta Securities Commission, the British Columbia Securities Commission, and is allowed to trade such cryptocurrencies as BTC, Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), Ripple (XRP), Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Ethereum Classic (ETC). The fund also plans …