DIB 21 FEB 2025

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB)
Block: 884, 718
DTG/ICOD: 1200Z 21Feb2025
Precedence: Routine (RR)
Controls: Public Release
QQQQ
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BLUF: China Naval Drills Near Australia Draw Concern / Poland Poised to be US’ Top Partner in Europe / 70 Christians Beheaded in Congo / Kash Patel Confirmed for FBI Head / Senate Passes Budget, Heads to House / USDOT To Investigate CA High Speed Rail Fiasco / Sam Bankman-Fried Wants Trump Clemency / DOGE ‘Savings’ to Taxpayers, or BTC? / Major Outflows From BTC ETFs / MSTR Raising $2B for More BTC / Economic Growth Concerns Dampen Stocks / OG Bitcoiner Releases Privacy App / First Egyptian Royal Tomb Found in 103 Years / Ross Ulbricht Says Free Roger Ver

Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $99,162, 33.81 oz Gold, .23 Median US House
24hr Hi: $99,407 / Lo: $96,874
Vol: $33B (Up 23%)
Mkt Cap: $1.96T (Up 2%)
HashRate: 798 EH/s
Avg Fee Rate: 3 sats/vBtye (Up 50%)

—Reports—
-International Events-
1. Planes diverted as China conducts rare military drill near Australia: Planes flying between Australia and New Zealand have been diverted as China conducts a closely-scrutinised military exercise in nearby waters that may involve live fire. The rare presence of three Chinese naval ships in the Tasman Sea has put both antipodean countries on alert in recent days, with Australia calling it “unusual”. China’s foreign ministry confirmed on Friday they were doing naval training and exercises in “distant waters”. (BBC)

2. Poland Is Once Again Poised To Become Washington’s Top Partner In Europe: Its self-exclusion from the proposed “army of Europe” coupled with creeping informal concerns about Germany and Ukraine’s territorial intentions make Poland the perfect US partner for dividing-and-ruling Europe after NATO’s proxy war with Russia finally ends. (ZeroHedge)

3. Jihadists Behead 70 Christians in DR Congo Church: Open Doors UK, a human rights group focused on persecution against Christians, reported on Tuesday that a militant group affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS) took 70 Christian villages hostage, marched them into their church, and then murdered them by cutting their heads off. (Breitbart)

-US Events-
1. US Senate confirms Trump loyalist Kash Patel to head FBI: Mr Patel, 44, whose nomination sparked fierce but ultimately futile opposition from Democrats, was approved by a 51-49 vote. The vote was split along party lines with the exception of two Republican senators, Ms Susan Collins of Maine and Ms Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who voted not to confirm Mr Patel to head the 38,000-strong FBI. (StraitsTimes)

2. Senate adopts $340 billion budget blueprint for Trump’s agenda after marathon ‘vote-a-rama’: The mostly partly-line vote came just before 5 a.m. ET following an all-night “vote-a-rama,” where senators cast votes on 33 amendments over the course of a 10-hour span. The final vote was 52-48, with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., as the lone Republican to join all 47 Democrats in voting against the budget resolution. (NBC)

3. USDOT investigating California’s $135 billion high-speed rail project: U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced an investigation into California’s high-speed rail program. In his announcement, Duffy cited concerns over its budget and delays. “For too long, taxpayers have subsidized the massively over-budget and delayed California High-Speed Rail project,” said Duffy in a statement. “President Trump is right that this project is in dire need of an investigation.” (SraightArrowNews)

-Regulatory and Legal-
1. Sam Bankman-Fried seeks clemency, empathizes with President Donald Trump over legal convictions: The convicted FTX founder said his frustration with the Biden administration’s crypto policies fueled a secrete shift in political allegiance to the Republicans. (CryptoSlate)

-CBDCs/World Currencies/Strategic Reserves-
1. DOGE to BTC? Proposal to Invest US Savings in Bitcoin Floated: While Musk raised the idea of giving back 20% of the savings to the American people in the form of a DOGE dividend, other proposals including BTC have already been floated. (BitcoinCom)

-Institutional Concerns-
1. Major Outflows Hit Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Funds With $365 Million Exit: Blackrock’s IBIT led the retreat with a substantial $112.05 million withdrawal. Ark and 21Shares’ ARKB followed closely, seeing an outflow of $98.35 million. (BItcoinCom) (AC-Could be a relevant explanation for BTC price stagnation.)

2. Strategy Is Raising Another $2 Billion to Buy Bitcoin: Strategy, formerly MicroStrategy, revealed plans to purchase more Bitcoin by selling $2 billion in zero-coupon convertible bonds. This move is part of its larger “21/21 Plan” to raise $42 billion for Bitcoin investments, reflecting its deepening commitment to cryptocurrency. (Decrypt)

-Economic Indicators-
1. Wall Street Slips as Walmart’s Outlook Stirs Concerns: Stocks in the US retreated on Thursday after Walmart’s disappointing outlook fueled concerns about economic growth. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 pulled back from record highs, slipping 0.4% and 0.5%, respectively, while the Dow Jones sank 450 points, weighed down Walmart shares. Despite exceeding earnings expectations, Walmart’s cautious fiscal 2026 guidance sent its stock plunging 6.5%. (TradingEconomics)

-Security Incidents and Concerns-
1. DarkFi, the privacy project started by crypto anarchist Amir Taaki, launches anonymous app in alpha: The app, teased in a pre-alpha release last fall, is essentially a fully anonymous IRC (internet relay chat) today. However, Taaki plans to grow it into a useful product garden. “It will be very quick to start expanding, adding, because we already have a lot of features like the anonymous DAO, the wallet, the blockchain,” (TheBlock) (AC-Insiders are watching this effort closely.)

-Technology and Science-
1. Lost Tomb of Pharaoh Thutmoses II Unearthed in Major Archaeological Breakthrough: gyptian-British archaeologists confirmed the discovery of King Thutmose II’s tomb near Luxor yesterday, marking the first royal tomb discovery since King Tutankhamun in 1922. Alabaster vessels bearing the pharaoh’s name and funeral artifacts confirmed the 3,500-year-old tomb’s identity. The discovery solves a century-old mystery about the 18th dynasty king’s burial location. Though flood-damaged and relocated, the tomb’s architectural design served as a prototype for later royal tombs and may lead to an intact secondary burial chamber containing the original contents. (GroundNews)

-Bitcoin Community-
1. Pardoned Silk Road Founder Rallies Behind Ver’s Tax Case: Ross Ulbricht, recently pardoned Silk Road founder, publicly supports Roger Ver’s case, stating “no one should spend life in prison over taxes” Early Bitcoin adopter Roger Ver faces potential 109-year prison sentence over alleged $48 million tax fraud related to his 2014 U.S. citizenship renunciation and bitcoin holdings, while under house arrest in Spain fighting extradition. (Blockonomi)

-Bitcoin Sentiment-
1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 55/100 (Up 6 pts)

Analyst Comments (AC): NSTR

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