DIB 13 JAN 2025

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB)
Block: 879,078
DTG/ICOD: 1200Z 13Jan25
Precedence: Routine (RR)
Controls: Public Release
QQQQ
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BLUF: Hamas Deal May Be in Works / Captured NK Soldiers May be Traded by Ukraine / Hindus Gather in India / 24 Now Confirmed Dead in LA Fires / Hegseth Set for SECDEF Confirmation Hearing Tuesday / New Recordings of FDIC Detail Chokepoint 2.0 / New Treasury Secretary to Divest From Bitcoin / Sen. Lummis to Head New Digital Asset Subcommittee / North Dakota Joins States Exploring Bitcoin Reserve / US Distilling Company Joins Others With Bitcoin Reserve / Hot Jobs Report Tamps Equities, Bitcoin / X Account Hacks Proliferate / OpenAI Squashes Gun Turret Engineer Project / Bitcoin Mining Difficulty at ATH

Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $91,502, 34.27 oz Gold, .21 Median US House
24hr Hi: $95,837 / Lo: $90,183
Vol: $45B (Down 4%)
Mkt Cap: $1.81T (Up 147%)
HashRate: 764 EH/s
Avg Fee Rate: 7 sats/vBtye (Up 40%)
Nodes: 20,672

—Reports—
-International Events-
1. Hamas ‘very close to an agreement’ with Israel while key sticking points remain: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Monday that Israel is working hard to reach a deal in the ongoing negotiations being hosted in the Qatari capital of Doha, and that “progress was made.” (CNN)

2. Ukraine Displays Captured North Korean Soldiers, Wants to Trade Kim Jong-un for Its People in Russia: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky published a video on social media on Sunday of two men Ukraine claims are North Korean soldiers captured on the front lines of the Russian invasion, allegedly fighting without having been told they were going to war. (Breitbart)

3. World’s Largest Religious Gathering, Maha Kumbh Mela, Begins in India: The Maha Kumbh Mela, the largest religious gathering globally, commenced today in Prayagraj, attracting millions of Hindu devotees who believe that bathing in the sacred confluence of rivers Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati absolves them of sins. (GroundNews)

-US Events-
1. Death toll rises to 24 in LA wildfires, more wind expected: The death toll from wildfires in Los Angeles has risen to 24, with 16 people still missing, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for severe fire conditions, predicting winds up to 70 mph, which could worsen the fires. About 150,000 people remain under evacuation orders, with over 700 individuals seeking refuge in shelters. California Governor Gavin Newsom pledged to fast-track rebuilding efforts and ensure no increase in property tax assessments for affected residents. (GroundNews) (AC-No increase in taxes?)

2. Hegseth’s Defense Secretary Confirmation Hearing Set for Tuesday: Pete Hegseth is scheduled for a Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, for the position of U.S. Secretary of Defense. His nomination has sparked significant public engagement, with veterans rallying in Washington D.C. to support him. There is also controversy surrounding his nomination due to his background and political affiliations, drawing both strong support and criticism from various quarters. (Various) (AC-The reporting on this issue is so vehemently anti-Hegseth that finding the facts of the confirmation hearing was difficult. The establishment does NOT want Hegseth in this position.)

-Regulatory and Legal-
1. FDIC Operation Chokepoint 2.0: ‘Bone-Chilling’ Allegations Continue—Vendettas, Secret Arrangements, and Fear of Crypto: Allegations exposing the FDIC as part of Operation Chokepoint 2.0 continue, as whistleblowers affirm they have accessed recordings in which crypto organizations and influencers are targeted. The agency’s future, should crypto adoption grow, was also discussed. FDIC members stated that their dedicated media team would allow them to win any case, and mocked several crypto detractors, including Castle Island Ventures partner Nic Carter. Also, FDIC executives discussed several ways of sidestepping FOIA requests, including mislabeling documents and including attorneys in meetings to claim attorney-client privilege. (BitcoinCom)

2. Treasury Secretary Nominee Bessent to Divest Assets, Including BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF: Scott Bessent, the Treasury Secretary nominee, is preparing to divest assets, including his stake in BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF, following Federal ethics guidelines. Bessent’s portfolio, worth $521 million, includes various investments like U.S. Treasury bills, ETFs, and commodities. Questions arise about whether he will divest from IBIT. (Decrypt)

3. ‘Bitcoin Senator’ Lummis to Lead Senate Subcommittee on Digital Assets: Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis is reportedly set to lead a new subcommittee on digital assets, an offshoot of the Senate Banking Committee. South Carolina’s Tim Scott, the new chairman, has expressed support for crypto’s potential to democratize finance. The House of Representatives also has a similar subcommittee under new leadership. (Decrypt)

-Central Bank Digital Currencies/World Currencies-
1. North Dakota Takes First Steps Towards State Bitcoin Reserve: Resolution 3001 introduced by North Dakota State Legislature aims to diversify state investments by including digital assets. The resolution, if passed, would direct the State Treasurer to allocate funds for digital asset investments. (Decrypt)

-Institutional Concerns-
1. Publicly Traded Heritage Distilling Reveals Bitcoin Plans: Heritage Distilling, a Nasdaq-traded spirits firm, plans to adopt Bitcoin as a strategic asset and for payments, following in the footsteps of other public companies like MicroStrategy. The company’s CEO stated they are recognizing the growing number of consumers using Bitcoin regularly. (Decrypt)

-Economic Indicators-
1. US 10-Year Treasury Yield Approaches 4.8%: The yield on the US 10-year Treasury note neared 4.8% to start the second week of the year, its highest level since October 2023, after rising 17 bps last week. Similarly, the yield on the 30-year Treasury surpassed 5% for the first time in over a year. (TradingEconomics)

2. US Equities Tumble After Jobs Report: US Equities closed sharply lower on Friday, following a stronger-than-expected jobs report that dampened expectations for further interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve in 2025. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 both dropped 1.5%, while the Dow Jones plunged almost 700 points. The December jobs report showed a robust labor market, with 256,000 new jobs and a decline in the unemployment rate to 4.1%, surpassing forecasts. (TradingEconomics)

-Security Incidents and Concerns-
1. String of X hijacks continues as hackers access accounts of Litecoin, Foresight Ventures, and others: Litecoin’s X account was compromised on Saturday and used to promote a memecoin scam to its 1.1 million followers. Also affected on Saturday was the X account of Foresight Ventures and its 28,000 followers, and on Sunday, the X account of LayerZero Labs co-founder and CTO Ryan Zarick was likewise compromised and used to promote a scam to his 12,500 followers. The X account of Holoworld AI, which boasts over 150,000 followers, was also compromised last week. Security researcher Taylor Monahan recommends users remove their phone number from their X account, configure two-factor authentication, and review the list of accounts with delegate access. (TheBlock)

2. Crypto industry alarmed as 7 million OpenSea email users’ leak resurfaces: “Remember the attack on the OpenSea mail service provider in 202[2] that led to the leakage of emails? The leaked email addresses have now been fully publicized after multiple dissemination.” A screenshot shared by the CISO even revealed that Binance’s former CEO Changpeng Zhao’s email address was among the compromised data. (CryptoSlate)

-Technology and Science-
1. OpenAI Says No to AI Weapons: Sentry Gun Powered by ChatGPT Now Shut Down: AI weapons are still a big no for OpenAI, and the company already made it clear before that it does not want its technology to be used for creating or powering machines that can harm humans or other forms of life, yet an engineer did so. OpenAI has since shut down the use of ChatGPT for the said weapon, and the company reiterated its stance against this misuse of its technology, slamming the engineer and content creator for their actions. (TechTimes) (AC-The cat is out of the bag.)

-Bitcoin Community-
1. Bitcoin mining difficulty reaches historic high of 110 trillion after eight consecutive increases: On Jan. 12, the network’s difficulty rose by 0.61%, setting a new record of 110.45 trillion at block height 878,976. In 2024, Bitcoin mining underwent a significant transformation, with difficulty surging by nearly 50%. (CryptoSlate)

-Bitcoin Sentiment-
1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 61/100 (Down 1 pts)

Analyst Comments (AC): NSTR

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