DIB 25 MAR 2024

Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB)

Block: 836,241

DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 25Mar24

Precedence: Routine (RR)

Controls: Public Release

QQQQ

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BLUF: Moscow Terror Attack Shocks World, What’s Next? / Ukraine, Russia Trade Missile Volleys / Trump Must Pay Court Judgement Today / US DOJ Sets Up New Federal Firearm Red Flag Center / On-Chain Data show HODLers Still HODLing / Is China Hoarding Gold?

Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $66,832, 30.8 oz Gold, .16 Median US House

24hr Hi: $67,744/ Lo: $64,669

Vol: $30B (Up 31%)

Mkt Cap: $1.31T (Up 2%)

HashRate: 589 EH/s

Avg Fees: 5,294 sats/tx (Down 31%)

Nodes: 18,403

—Reports—

-International Events-

1. As Russia mourns victims of Crocus concert hall shooting, how will Putin react?: Friday’s bloodbath turned a Moscow concert hall into hell. The attackers killed not only with bullets, but with fire. They set the building alight and created an inferno. There is no final death toll. The search for bodies continues. Four suspects have been charged with committing acts of terrorism and the Islamic State group has claimed it was behind the mass shooting at Crocus City Hall. It has released graphic images of the attackers on the rampage. US officials have said they have no reason to doubt that claim of responsibility. Meanwhile, Russian officials have been promoting the idea that Ukraine was behind the brutal attack. At least 137 people have been confirmed dead. (BBC/CNN)

2. Ukraine says it hit two Russian naval vessels in major attack on Crimea: Ukraine says it hit two Russian amphibious landing ships, the Yamal and the Azov, along with a communications center and several other facilities belonging to the Black Sea Fleet, in a huge overnight attack on the Crimean port of Sevastopol. (CNN) (AC-Russia and Ukraine traded a large amount of missiles over the weekend, with Russia targeting Kyiv and other targets while Ukraine targeted Sevastopol, losses were seen on both sides (OSINT))

-US Events-

1. Trump has hours to cover $454 million judgment or risk property seizure: Donald Trump must either pay the money out of his own pocket or post a bond while he appeals Justice Arthur Engoron’s Feb. 16 judgment against him for manipulating his net worth and his family real estate company’s property values to dupe lenders and insurers. (Reuters)

2. Biden DOJ Celebrates $750 Million in Funding for More Red Flag Laws: On Saturday: President Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ), celebrated the launch of the National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center and the administration’s subsequent pledge of $750 million the Center can use to pursue more red flag laws. (Breitbart)

-Regulatory and Legal-

1. Nigeria Charges Binance, Detained Executives With Tax Evasion: Nigeria’s tax authority charged Binance with tax evasion, local news outlets reported Monday. The charges come after a tense few weeks during which two senior executives of the crypto exchange were detained by authorities. Local media reported that one of the two executives escaped and may have left the country. (CoinDesk)

-Institutional Concerns-

1. China Could Be Hoarding Over 5,300 Tonnes of Gold: A recent report from Jan Nieuwenhuijs, an expert in the Chinese gold market, has found that the actual gold reserves held by the People’s Bank of China might comprise over 5,300 tonnes, dwarfing official numbers. Nieuwenhuijs explains China might be a driving force behind increasing gold prices, as the country moves to hoarding gold to protect its economy from an impending dollar debasement. (BitcoinCom)

-Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)-

1. Chile to Keep Advancing CBDC Tests: A report from the Chile Central Bank stated the bank would advance in the “design and implementation of concept tests, in controlled environments, to improve understanding of the challenges and implications in technological and operational terms that the issuance of a CBDC could have.” (BitcoinCom)

-Economic Indicators-

1. Oil Rises on Supply Concerns: Brent crude futures rose toward $86 per barrel on Monday, recouping some losses from last week as various supply-side disruptions continued to upend oil markets. WTI crude futures rose above $81 per barrel. Analysts pointed to disrupted oil refinery activities in Russia due to Ukrainian drone attacks, which impacted about 12% of the country’s oil processing capacity.(TradingEconomics)

-Security Incidents and Concerns-

1. China accused of ‘malign’ cyberattack on UK Electoral Commission ‘after hacking data of 40million voters’: Deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden is expected to tell parliament that Beijing is behind a wave of cyberattacks on the Electoral Commission as well as against 43 MPs and peers, in a major hack which is reported to have begun in August 2021 but was not identified until October 2022. (Independent)

-Bitcoin Community-

1. Bitcoin Holders Show Reluctance to Sell Despite Record Highs: Crypto data platform Glassnode‘s tracked data reveals that the average on-chain transfers in Bitcoin‘s Blockchain in terms of US dollar value remain significantly below the peak seen in 2021. According to analysts, this trend could be interpreted as a sign that investors prefer to hold their BTC without selling in anticipation of higher prices, indicating a strong HODL trend in the market. (CoinTurk)

-Bitcoin Sentiment-

1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 75/100 (Even)

Analyst Comments (AC): The big geopolitical news is the terrorist attack in Moscow. As media streamed video and pictures of the brazen attack, Russians and the world were shocked. The quick announcement by ISIS-K (?) for responsibility is suspect by Russians, while Russia’s blame of Ukraine is suspect by the West. In the world of 5th Gen Warfare, it is difficult to ascertain facts and motives of this attack. What is known is that Putin now has a new dilemma on his hands. Does he wrap up operations in Ukraine to focus on ISIS? Ignore the attack for now? Or does he try to target both at the same time? Deeper questions remain, such as what is/was the role of the US in this situation? This certainly has hallmarks of intelligence-type operations, but the ambiguity of this world masks the potential instigators, which could range from ISIS, Ukraine, USA, Israel, to even Russia itself. The incident will certainly drive new geopolitical directions for Russian efforts and its relationships.