DIB 6 DEC 2024

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB)
Block: 873,511
DTG/ICOD: 1200Z 06Dec24
Precedence: Routine (RR)
Controls: Public Release
QQQQ
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BLUF: Macron Looks For a New PM / Syrian Rebels Advancing Towards Damascus / Secret Service Still Under Fire / Shooting in NorCal Targeted Church and Kids / Anthem Steps Back After UnitedHealth CEO Shooting / Coinbase Withdrawals Draw Ire / Trump Names New AI and Crypto Czar / Gensler Still on the Offensive / Bukele Meme Gets Guatemalans Excited / Semler All-In on Bitcoin / Hawk Tuah Memecoin Rise and Bust / Strike to Launch Bill Pay For Bitcoin Standard / Czech Republic to Drop Taxes on Bitcoin Gains

Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $98,642, 37.29 oz Gold, .23 Median US House
24hr Hi: $103,583 / Lo: $91,998
Vol: $120B (Down 8%)
Mkt Cap: $1.95T (Down 4%)
HashRate: 765 EH/s
Avg Fee Rate: 12 sats/vBtye (Up 37%)
Nodes: 20,060

—Reports—
-International Events-
1. Emmanuel Macron vows to name new French PM within days: French President Emmanuel Macron has said he will name a new prime minister “in the coming days”, after Michel Barnier resigned following a no-confidence vote in parliament. In a 10-minute address to the nation on Thursday, he rejected opposition pressure to stand down, vowing to stay in his post “fully, until the end of the mandate” in 2027. Macron gave no indication of who the next prime minister would be, but said their immediate focus would be the budget for 2025. (BBC)

2. Thousands flee Syrian city Homs as rebels advance further: The rebels seized Hama to the north on Thursday, a second major blow to President Bashar al Assad who lost control of Aleppo last week. They have been advancing south, and Homs would be the next stop on the road to the capital Damascus. Terrified members of President Assad’s Alawite minority community are rushing to leave Homs, with video footage showing roads jammed with cars. (BBC)

-US Events-
1. Screaming match erupts between Service chief and Trump assassination task force Republican at final hearing: During the hearing on Capitol Hill, Rep. Pat Fallon, of Texas, began his line of questioning by pressing acting Director Ronald Rowe about the agency’s failures to provide adequate protection for Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. Fallon accused Rowe of attending the 9-11 memorial event for the purpose of being “visible” and said Rowe’s presence had “endangered President Biden’s life [and] Vice President Harris’ life” by putting agents “out of position.”

2. Gunman targeted school — wounding 2 kindergartners — because of its church affiliation, authorities believe: Authorities told the New York Times they believe a gunman targeted a northern California school Wednesday — wounding two kindergartners — because of the school’s affiliation with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The shooting victims — two boys, ages 5 and 6 — are now in “critical but stable condition,” the Butte County Sheriff’s Office told KOVR-TV in a Thursday report. The suspect was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the sheriff’s office added to the station. (Blaze)

3. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield reverses decision to put time limit on anesthesia: One of the country’s largest health insurers reversed a change in policy Thursday after widespread outcry, saying it would not tie payments in some states to the length of time a patient went under anesthesia. “It’s incomprehensible how a health insurance company could so blatantly continue to prioritize their profits over safe patient care,” he said. “If Anthem is, in fact, rescinding the policy, we’re delighted that they came to their senses.” The insurance giant’s policy change came one day after the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, another major insurance company, was shot and killed in New York City. (WVTV13) (AC-Interesting times.)

-Regulatory and Legal-
1. Coinbase Account Restrictions Stir User Unrest: Users of Coinbase, a popular cryptocurrency exchange, are experiencing significant delays in accessing their funds, with some accounts restricted for months. Social media reflects growing user frustration over unresponsive customer service and lack of resolution. While some advocate for self-custody wallets as a safer alternative, the incident has sparked broader discussions about the reliability and user experience of centralized crypto platforms. (X)

2. Trump says venture capitalist David Sacks will be AI and crypto ‘czar’: Venture investor and podcaster David Sacks will guide the administration’s policies for artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, Trump wrote. Some of that work includes creating a legal framework for crypto, as well as leading a presidential council of advisors on science and technology. Sacks is a venture capitalist and entrepreneur who sold Yammer, to Microsoft for $1.2 billion in 2012. He’s also affiliated with the “PayPal mafia,” an unofficial club of prominent technology figures and investors, including Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, who worked at PayPal in the 1990s. In recent years, Sacks has been best known for hosting the All-In podcast alongside fellow investors Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, and David Friedberg. (CNBC) (AC-The nomination of Sacks as both AI and crypto czar is somewhat strange. Although both AI and crypto are technologies, they are separate types with different purposes. Sacks has some have experience in both, which is why he may have been chosen for this role. The need for a ‘czar’ for crypto is also a bit unclear. )

3. Max Pain Before Gensler Exit? SEC Moves To Block Binance’s Case Dismissal Bid: On Thursday, the financial regulator reawakened, pushing back against Binance’s bid to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that Binance’s sales of its BNB coin and other cryptocurrencies were a violation of securities laws. Among the 10 crypto coins in question are Cardano (ADA), Algorand (ALGO), Solana (SOL), Polygon (MATIC), and Filecoin (FIL). (IBTimes)

-Central Bank Digital Currencies/World Currencies-
1. The Guatemalan Government Is Taking A Closer Look At Bitcoin — All Because Of A Meme: On November 10, the X account for El Salvador’s Bitcoin Office posted a meme where Bukule looks at his Bitcoin, and contemplates buying Guatemala. Many Guatemalans, particularly Guatemalan Bitcoiners, are fans of Bukele. So, when the Bitcoin Office jokingly signaled that Bukele is thinking of buying Guatemala, the reaction from many in the country was essentially “good.” (BitcoinMag)

2.European Central Bank’s Digital Euro CBDC: Will It Transform Europe?: This Central Bank Digital Currency project will cut ties with foreign payment companies and boost Europe’s control over its money. Recent changes in CBDC Europe show that the ECB wants to roll out a digital euro to fix problems with payments, fees, and money being sent abroad. (WatcherGuru)

-Institutional Concerns-
1. Semler Scientific Boosts Bitcoin Holdings to $189 Million: Semler Scientific, a healthcare technologies company, has increased its Bitcoin holdings by purchasing 303 Bitcoin at an average price of $96,779. The company now holds 1,873 Bitcoin, valued at over $189 million, ranking 14th among publicly traded companies in Bitcoin holdings. (Decrypt)

-Economic Indicators-
1. US Jobless Claims Hit 6-Week High: US initial jobless claims rose to 224,000 for the week ending November 30, from 213,000 in the previous week, above market expectations of 215,000 and marking the highest reading in six weeks. (TradiningEconomics)

-Security Incidents and Concerns-
1. Hawk Tuah Girl’s Crypto Team Short on Answers After Disastrous Meme Coin Bust: On Wednesday, she and a team of advisors launched $HAWK, on the blockchain platform Solana, while promising that it was compliant with securities laws and certainly not a cash grab. With anticipation high, the value of the coin exploded by 900 percent in initial trading on Wednesday, bringing the market capitalization of $HAWK to nearly half a billion dollars. Then, just as quickly, the price collapsed by approximately 95 percent, wiping out retail investors in hours. One crypto wallet, as the publication Cointelegraph found, was able to grab 17.5 percent of the supply and then flip it for $1.3 million within just 90 minutes. (YahooFinance)

-Technology and Science-
1. NASA, Microsoft Launch ‘Earth Copilot’ AI Chatbot to Answer Everything About the Planet: Instead of having users search the web or NASA’s massive library for everything about the planet, Earth Copilot will fill in on the nagging questions users have, also making it easier for them to understand. (TechTimes)

-Bitcoin Community-
1. Jack Mallers unveils Bill Pay by Strike: “Get paid in #Bitcoin, pay your bills in Bitcoin, and live without fear of inflation. Your life should get cheaper over time, not more expensive.” (X) (AC-As of this morning, this feature is not available yet.)

2. Czech Republic exempts long-term Bitcoin holdings from capital gains tax: By exempting Bitcoin held for over three years from capital gains tax, the Czech Republic is sending a clear signal: it aims to be a leader in the digital age. (ForexLive)

-Bitcoin Sentiment-
1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 72/100 (Down 12 pts)

Analyst Comments (AC): NSTR

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Analyst: BV2A
END REPORT
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*NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report