Bitcoin (BTC) was marginally positive in February even though the S&P 500 index (SPX) fell by 2.61%. On the first day of March, Bitcoin has started on a positive note while the United States equities markets are struggling. This shows that Bitcoin is trying to decouple from the U.S. equities markets. A positive sign is that retail traders seem to have made the most of the crypto bear market. Instead of panicking and selling their holdings, traders have purchased at lower levels. Glassnode data shows that wallets holding at least one Bitcoin have consistently risen and are nearing the 1 …

The recent weakness in the crypto market has not invalidated the six-week-long ascending trend, even after a failed test of the channel's upper band on Feb. 21. The total crypto market capitalization remains above the psychological $1 trillion mark and, more importantly, cautiously optimistic after a new round of negative remarks from regulators. As displayed above, the ascending channel initiated in mid-January has room for an additional 3.5% correction down to $1.025 trillion market capitalization while still sustaining the bullish formation. That is excellent news considering the FUD — fear, uncertainty and doubt — brought down by regulators regarding the …

Nishad Singh, former director of engineering at FTX, is expected to plead guilty to fraud charges brought by U.S. prosecutors who are investigating the now bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange, Reuters reported on Feb 28. During the hearing in a Manhattan federal court, Singh's lawyer announced that his client had agreed to plead guilty to one count of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud on FTX customers, and one count of conspiracy to commit commodities fraud. Nishad Singh, the former director of engineering at now-bankrupt crypto exchange FTX, has agreed to plead guilty to U.S. criminal charges, …

Bitcoin (BTC) exchanges have less BTC to buy than at any time since early 2018, the latest data shows. On-chain analytics firm Glassnode confirms that as of February 2023, exchange reserves are at five-year lows. "Wild stat" shows Bitcoin supply maturation The latest statistics to reflect the determination of Bitcoin hodlers, major exchanges’ BTC balances are in “down only” mode. As of Feb. 27, the latest date for which data is available, the platforms tracked by Glassnode held a combined 2,272,798 BTC. It was in March 2018 that the number was so low, which March 2020 represents the current all-time …

In the aftermath of the FTX collapse, Forbes published an article that focused on the recent “shuffling” of funds by the cryptocurrency exchange Binance. However, the following day on Feb. 28, Binance co-founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) took to Twitter to tackle the FUD. In response to the article, the CEO said: “They seem to not understand the basics of how an exchange works. Our users are free to withdraw their assets any time they want.” In his series of tweets, he addressed various claims from the Forbes article. This included what it called a “backroom maneuver” when Binance …

A whopping 80% of American adults believe the financial system favors those with “powerful interests,” while 20% currently own cryptocurrency — a new survey has revealed. Commissioned by crypto exchange Coinbase, the February online survey of more than 2,000 American adults found that 80% of respondents said the “global financial system unfairly favors powerful interests,” while 67% have called for “major changes” or a “complete overhaul” of the financial system. The survey was conducted by business intelligence firm Morning Consult and was aimed at examining the perception of the global financial system and how United States adults and crypto investors …

Bitcoin (BTC) price broke above $25,000 on Feb. 21, accruing a 53% year-to-date gain at the time, it made sense to expect the rally to continue after U.S. retail sales data from the previous week vastly surpassed the market consensus. This fuelled investors' hope for a soft landing and the possible aversion of a recession in the U.S. economy. The apex of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s strategy success would be increasing interest rates and scaling back its $9 trillion balance sheet reduction without significatively damaging the economy. If that miracle happens, the outcome would benefit risk assets, including stocks, commodities …

Bitcoin (BTC) and the United States equities markets are trying to start the week on a positive note but some analysts are skeptical about the short-term prospects of the markets. According to Bloomberg Intelligence senior macro strategist Mike McGlone, Bitcoin will face significant resistance at $25,000. McGlone believes that it “may be a while before buy-and-hold types gain the upper hand.” It also looks like Bitcoin whales, unique entities owning 1,000 Bitcoin or more, are also not convinced of the recovery in the crypto markets. According to Glassnode, Bitcoin whale numbers have fallen to 1,663, which is well below the …

Blur, a NFT marketplace, has seen its trading volumes and total sell-side liquidity skyrocket since conducting an airdrop on Feb. 14, 2023. The reason for the spike could be the start of season 2 airdrops, where 10% of BLUR token’s total supply will be distributed to certain users based on their activity. The team allocated 12% toward an early user airdrop in the first season that ran from the marketplace’s gated launch in March 2022 to February 2023. Blur has made a significant dent in OpenSea’s position as the leading marketplace. Analytics from data scientist Hildobby shows that Blur is …

Binance branded stablecoin, Binance USD (BUSD), is a dollar-backed stablecoin issued by blockchain infrastructure platform Paxos Trust Company, and is the third largest stablecoin after Tether’s (USDT) and Circle’s USD Coin (USDC). Paxos has claimed in the past that BUSD is fully backed by reserves held in either fiat cash or United States Treasury bills. BUSD was reportedly authorized and regulated by the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS). Paxos partnered with crypto exchange Binance in 2019 and launched the stablecoin, which received approval from the NYDFS. Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao has stated that the exchange licensed the …

Yuzo Kano, the co-founder of Japan-based cryptocurrency exchange bitFlyer, is seeking to reinstate himself as CEO in a shareholders meeting next month, in an apparent bid to reinvigorate what he claims is a stagnating firm. Kano resigned in 2019 following a series of management disputes but is now determined to reinvigorate the crypto firm and lead it toward an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in the coming months, according to a Feb. 26 report by Bloomberg. The former CEO also said he also wants to put Japan back on the map in the world of cryptocurrency. “I will make it capable …

Texas' State Securities Board and the Department of Banking are objecting to a proposed deal between Binance.US and bankrupted crypto lender Voyager Digital, shows court filings from Feb. 24. According to the document, Binance.US's terms of service and restructuring plan contain a number of "inadequate" disclosures, including not informing unsecured creditors adequately that under the plan they may only get 24%-26% recovery, rather than the 51% they would receive under Chapter 7. Binance.US disclosed in December an agreement to buy Voyage's assets for $1.022 billion. The filing also notes the company's disclosure statement fails to inform that account holders are …