DIB 2 DEC 2024

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB)
Block: 872,919
DTG/ICOD: 1200Z 02Dec24
Precedence: Routine (RR)
Controls: Public Release
QQQQ
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BLUF: Syrian Civil War Reignites / IDF Strikes Hezbollah Amid Ceasefire / Taiwan President in US, China Fumes / President Biden Pardons Son for 11 Year Period / Kash Patel Ignites Controversy for FBI Director / Coinbase Leaves Turkey / Trump Threatens BRICS Nations With Tariffs, USD Jumps / Bitcoin Reserve Plan Has Skeptics / Japan’s Metaplanet to Give Shareholders BTC / Saylor Pitches BTC to MSFT / MicroStrategy Buys More / Neuralink To Test Robotic Arm Link / Bitcoin Treasuries Capture Attention

Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $95,676, 36.18 oz Gold, .22 Median US House
24hr Hi: $98,152 / Lo: $94,820
Vol: $53B (Up 68%)
Mkt Cap: $1.89T (Down 1%)
HashRate: 730 EH/s
Avg Fee Rate: 15 sats/vBtye (Up 92%)
Nodes: 20,538

—Reports—
-International Events-
1. Syria: Syrian and Russian jets step up strikes on rebels after opposition seizes much of Aleppo: The offensive has also led to the capture by the rebel alliance of an important military base east of Aleppo and large areas of both Aleppo and Idlib provinces. It has met little resistance on the ground from regime forces and also comes at a time when Syria’s key backers – Iran and Russia – are focusing on their own conflicts. The newly formed rebel coalition, which calls itself the Military Operations Command, has captured key sites across Aleppo, including the airport, where video verified by CNN showed camo-clad fighters inside the main terminal. (CNN)

2.IDF strikes Hezbollah amid truce violations; France said accusing Israel of transgressions: The Israel Defense Forces said Sunday that it was continuing to enforce the ceasefire in Lebanon by striking Hezbollah forces violating its terms, as France was said to charge that Jerusalem, too was repeatedly violating the days-old truce. The IDF is still deployed in much of southern Lebanon, and it has until late January to withdraw under the 60-day ceasefire deal clinched last week that sought to end more than a year of fighting. (TimesOfIsrael)

3. Taiwan’s Lai Kicks Off Second Day In US As China Fumes: Taiwan President Lai Ching-te kicked off his second day in the United States on Sunday, as China fumed over more US arms sales to the island and Lai’s stopover in Hawaii that is part of his Pacific tour. China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, opposes any international recognition of Taiwan and its claim to be a sovereign state. On the eve of his weeklong trip, the United States approved a proposed sale to Taiwan of spare parts for F-16s and radar systems, as well as communications equipment, in deals valued at $385 million in total. (IBTimes)

-US Events-
1. President Biden issues pardon for his son Hunter: In a statement issued by the White House on Sunday, Joe Biden acknowledged that he had said he would not interfere in the Justice Department’s case against his son, but he insisted that “no reasonable person who looks at the facts of Hunter’s cases can reach any other conclusion than Hunter was singled out only because he is my son – and that is wrong.” The pardon is full and unconditional, pertaining to offenses committed between January 1, 2014 and December 1, 2024, “including but not limited to all offenses charged or prosecuted (including any that have resulted in convictions) by Special Counsel David C. Weiss,” followed by the specific cases brought against Hunter Biden in Delaware and California. (Newsweek)

2. Who is Kash Patel, Trump’s pick for FBI director?: In his 2023 book, “Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy,” Patel lays out his case against what he refers to as “the deep state” — an amorphous term he says includes elected leaders, journalists, Big Tech tycoons and “members of the unelected bureaucracy” — calling for “a comprehensive housecleaning” of the Justice Department, which he claims has protected high-ranking members of the Democratic Party while unjustly targeting Republicans and their allies. At the DOJ, Patel oversaw the prosecution of criminals aligned with al Qaeda, ISIS and other terror groups, according to a Department of Defense profile. He also served as the DOJ liaison officer to the Joint Special Operations Command during operations against “high value terrorism targets.” (CNN)

-Regulatory and Legal-
1. Crypto Exchange Coinbase Is Exiting Turkey: Turkey’s crypto regulator reports 14 companies, including QNB Digital Assets, have filed for liquidation. Coinbase says it will end USDC rewards for EEA users starting December 1. (Decrypt)

-Central Bank Digital Currencies/World Currencies-
1. Trump threatens 100% tariff on BRICS nations if they try to replace dollar: “The idea that the BRICS Countries are trying to move away from the Dollar while we stand by and watch is OVER,” Trump wrote on social media on Saturday. But some Trump allies have suggested his recent announcements have been negotiation tactics, meant as more of an opening bid than a promise. (BBC)

2. US Bitcoin Reserve Proposal Draws Mixed Reactions on Social Media: As chatter grows around the idea of a U.S.-led bitcoin strategic reserve, the topic has ignited lively debate. Some enthusiasts view it as an inevitable move toward global bitcoin adoption by nation-states, while others decry the notion as a betrayal of the cryptocurrency’s core philosophy. (BItcoinCom)

-Institutional Concerns-
1. Japan’s Metaplanet to reward shareholders with Bitcoin for holding stock: Tokyo-listed firm Metaplanet has unveiled a new shareholder benefit program, offering Bitcoin rewards through a lottery system as part of its collaboration with SBI VC Trade, a subsidiary of SBI Holdings. (CryptoNews)

2. Michael Saylor tells Microsoft it’s value could soar $5T with Bitcoin: Saylor made the point during a pitch to Microsoft’s board on why the tech giant should buy Bitcoin, whipping through 44 slides in a little over three minutes. “Microsoft can’t afford to miss the next technology wave, and Bitcoin is that wave,” Saylor said to open his pitch in a video shared on Dec. 1, which urged Microsoft to convert its cash flows, dividend payouts, stock buybacks and debt into the cryptocurrency.” (CoinTelegraph)

3. Another Monday, Another Buy: MicroStrategy Adds 15,400 BTC for $1.5 Billion: This is the third consecutive Monday that the Michael Saylor-founded business intelligence behemoth has announced a substantial BTC purchase. With its latest acquisition, MicroStrategy’s total Bitcoin stash has risen to 402,100 BTC, bought at an average price of $58,263. This means that the firm has spent almost $23.5 billion to accumulate its Bitcoin holdings. Given the asset’s current price of just over $95,000, this puts the value of the stash at well above $38 billion – or a paper gain of nearly $15 billion. (CryptoPotato)

-Economic Indicators-
1. Dollar Rises on Strong US Economic Outlook: The dollar index rose half a percent to above 106.2 on Monday, recouping some losses from last week amid continued resilience of the US economy and a deteriorating outlook in other regions. The currency also received a boost after US President-elect Donald Trump threatened BRICS member countries with 100% tariffs if they create or support a new currency that could replace the dollar. (TradingEconomics)

-Security Incidents and Concerns-
1. U.S. Citizen Sentenced for Spying on Behalf of China’s Intelligence Agency: Ping Li, 59, of Wesley Chapel, Florida, is said to have served as a cooperative contact for the Ministry of State Security (MSS) as early as August 2012, working at their behest to obtain information that’s of interest to the Chinese government. Li was employed at telecom giant Verizon and later at information technology service company Infosys. Li obtained information pertaining to Chinese dissidents and pro-democracy advocates, members of the Falun Gong religious movement, and U.S.-based non-governmental organizations, and shared them with two MSS officers. (HackerNews)

-Technology and Science-
1. Neuralink Set to Test Brain Chip in Controlling Robotic Arm: Neuralink, has now shared that it will soon begin its testing of using its N1 brain-computer interface (BCI) chip to control an actual robotic arm under its renowned PRIME Study program. (TechTimes)

-Bitcoin Community-
1. Sora Ventures launches $150 million fund to emulate MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin strategy across Asia: Targeting Asia’s listed firms, Sora Ventures seeks to optimize Bitcoin treasuries, exemplified by Metaplanet’s 1000% stock surge on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. (Cryptoslate)

-Bitcoin Sentiment-
1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 80/100 (Up 5 pts)

Analyst Comments (AC): NSTR

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