DIB 15 APR 2024

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB)
Block: 839,334
DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 15Apr24
Precedence: Routine (RR)
Controls: Public Release
QQQQ
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BLUF: Iran Send Missiles and a Message / Two Separate Knife Attacks in Sydney / Shootouts in Upper NY and Chicago Kill and Injure Police, Kids / MidEast Tension Affect BTC, Markets / BTC ETFs Approved in Hong Kong

Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $66,138, 28.03 oz Gold, .15 Median US House
24hr Hi: $66,878/ Lo: $62,661
Vol: $43B (Down 30%)
Mkt Cap: $1.3T (Up 3%)
HashRate: 547 EH/s
Avg Fees: 14,473 sats/tx (Down 42%)
Nodes: 18,770

—Reports—
-International Events-
1. Israel weighs response after Iran fires missile barrage: Israel’s military said 99% of more than 300 projectiles were intercepted by Israel and its partners, including the US military. Israel’s war cabinet will meet today to discuss the size and scope of Israel’s response, an Israeli official has told CNN. Israeli President Isaac Herzog has said that the country is not seeking war. (CNN)

2. Sydney Mall attack victims include a mother who saved her baby, a Chinese grad student and an architect: A police officer shot and killed the man who attacked people with a knife at the busy Westfield Bondi Junction mall, and his family said he had a long history of schizophrenia, lacked social skills and had a fascination with knives. Police said their investigation would include why he targeted women and avoided men during his attack. Those killed were five women and one man. Twelve people were wounded, and police said they mostly were female. (AP)

3. Sydney church stabbing: Bishop stabbed during sermon: A bishop and several other people have been stabbed during a sermon in Sydney that was being streamed online, local media report. The incident reportedly happened on Monday night in the suburb of Wakeley. Police responded to reports that a number of people had been stabbed but said none of their injuries were life-threatening. (BBC)

-US Events-
1. New York police officer, sheriff’s deputy killed in shooting; suspect also dead: Onondaga County Sheriff Tobias Shelley identified the two as a deputy at his department and a Syracuse police officer, according to WSYR-TV. Their names have not been released. (Fox)

2. Chicago mass shooting leaves 8-year-old girl dead, 10 others injured: The 7-year-old girl was shot in the head and died, while a 1-year-old boy and a 7-year-old boy were each shot multiple times and listed in critical condition. (NBC)

3. Donald Trump’s criminal trial over hush money to begin in New York: The proceedings mark a momentous day in US history, as Trump is the country’s first president – present or former – to face a criminal trial. They also play out against a presidential race in which Trump is the almost certain Republican nominee who regularly bests Joe Biden in head-to-head polls. (Guardian)

-Regulatory and Legal-
1. Cryptocurrencies Not Banned, Vietnam Requires Legal Framework for Regulation — Govt Official: A government official from Vietnam has stated that cryptocurrencies are not prohibited. However, the country urgently needs to establish a legal framework to regulate their use, the official said. The Finance Ministry has been tasked with drafting a framework to govern crypto assets, which is due for completion by May 2025. (BitcoinCom)

-Institutional Concerns-
1. BTC, ETH Rise as Hong Kong Bitcoin ETF Applicants Say They’ve Been Approved: China Asset Management, Bosera Capital and other applicants posted to social-media platform WeChat that they had been approved to list spot bitcoin and ether ETFs in Hong Kong. However, these announcements seem to have front-run an official statement from the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), which has not posted a list of approved issuers. (CoinDesk)

-Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)-
NSTR

-Economic Indicators-
1. US Dollar Towers Above Rivals on Fed Hold Bets: The dollar index held near 106 on Monday, hovering at its highest levels in over five months as sticky US inflation raised worries that the Federal Reserve could keep interest rates higher for longer. (TradingEconomics)

-Security Incidents and Concerns-
NSTR

-Bitcoin Community-
1. Crypto Markets Crash as Iranian Drone Attack on Israel Sparks Sell-Off: The cryptocurrency market experienced a significant downturn following an Iranian drone attack on Israel, leading to a widespread sell-off of digital assets. Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency, saw a 7.7% decline on Saturday, marking its most substantial retreat since March 2023. (CryptoNews)

2. FBI Investigates Bitcoin Developer Event Linked to Luke Dashjr’s Hack: In response to a subpoena, Mike Schmidt provided details of participants at a Bitcoin developer event linked to the investigation of Luke Dashjr’s Bitcoin theft. As revealed in a social media post by Schmidt, the co-founder of Brink received the subpoena from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that required him to submit personal information of attendees from the October 2022 CoreDev Atlanta event. (CryptoNews)

-Bitcoin Sentiment-
1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 74/100 (Down 5 pts)

Analyst Comments (AC): The two stabbings in Sydney, only days apart, highlight the hate coursing through the world right now. The motives are not fully known, but weak and disturbed individuals are targeting ‘soft’ targets, in this case a mall full of moms and a church during services. It will be natural for people to begin to ‘harden up’ by carrying weapons of some sort, not attending mass gatherings, or beefing up security services. With global coverage of attacks like this, coupled with larger conflicts worldwide, look for security to be in high demand and self-protection efforts to increase across the globe.

Follow us on NOSTR: @Bitcoin Veterans
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Analyst: BV2A
END REPORT
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*NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report