DIB 28 MAY 2024

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB)

Block: 845,503

DTG/ICOD: 0800EST 28May24

Precedence: Routine (RR)

Controls: Public Release

QQQQ

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BLUF: IDF’s Deadly Strike in Tent Camp Draws Condemnation / Russia Hits Ukraine Megastore / US Visits Taiwan After Drills / Storms in Central US Kill 22 / Crypto Becomes US Election Issue / Russian Crypto Use Increases / Mt Gox Moves $10B BTC in Preparation to Sell Off / BTC ETFs Flat / Fed Signals Inflation Must be Tamed / India, China Ditching US Dollar in Imports / Chinese Gun-Toting Robot Dog Goes Viral

Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $68,265, 29.10 oz Gold, .16 Median US House

24hr Hi: $70,597 / Lo: $67,450

Vol: $32B (Up 66%)

Mkt Cap: $1.34T (Flat)

HashRate: 556 EH/s

Avg Fee Rate: 15 sats/vBtye (Up 50%)

Nodes: 18,306

—Reports—

-International Events-

1. Israeli attack on Rafah tent camp kills 45, prompts international outcry: An Israeli airstrike triggered a fire that killed 45 people in a tent camp in the Gazan city of Rafah, officials said on Monday, prompting an outcry from global leaders who urged the implementation of a World Court order to halt Israel’s assault. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strike had not been intended to cause civilian casualties. (Reuters)

2. Russian strike kills 18 people in Kharkiv megastore, the deadliest attack Ukraine has seen in weeks: Five people remain missing, Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the Kharkiv region military administration, said Monday. He said that 48 people were injured in the strike that hit the Epicenter hypermarket shopping center building while nearly 200 people were inside. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second biggest city, which sits near its border with Russia, has seen a spate of Russian attacks in recent weeks. (CNN)

3. U.S. lawmakers ignore China’s warning, meet with Taiwan’s new leader: A bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers met Monday with Taiwan’s new leader, Lai Ching-te, the first such visit since Lai’s inauguration last week, and one that the lawmakers and Taiwanese officials said demonstrates the steadfastness of U.S. support for Taiwan at a time of escalating tensions with China. (WaPo)

-US Events-

1. At least 22 dead in Memorial Day weekend storms that devastated several US states: The destructive storms caused deaths in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky and were just north of an oppressive, early season heat wave setting records from south Texas to Florida. (AP)

2. Libertarian Party names presidential nominee – as RFK Jr crashes out of race and Trump fails to qualify: The 38-year-old, who has run numerous times for Congress in Georgia, was elected after seven rounds of voting at the party’s convention in Washington DC, on Sunday. (IndependentUK)

-Regulatory and Legal-

1. One-Third of U.S. Voters Say They’ll Weigh Candidates’ Crypto Views Before Voting: A Harris Poll revealed that while those 33% are taking a keen interest, the online survey of more than 1,700 people – funded by bitcoin ETF issuer Grayscale – found 77% said a U.S. presidential candidate should at least have an “informed perspective” on crypto. And they’re evenly split on which political party is the leader in digital assets issues. (CoinDesk)

2. Russian Traffic to Global Crypto Exchanges Surges; Central Bank Warns of Western Sanctions Risk: The surge in Russian traffic to global cryptocurrency exchange platforms in the last two quarters has prompted officials to issue a warning about the risk of Western sanctions. According to a central bank study, Russian traffic to some of the largest crypto exchanges increased by 16.4%, reaching 104.6 million visits. (BitcoinCom)

-Institutional Concerns-

1. Sell-off alert: Mt. Gox moves nearly $10 billion in Bitcoin: Mt. Gox has moved almost $10 billion worth of Bitcoin (BTC) to a new wallet on May 28. This is a step to repay the company’s creditors after a bankruptcy filing 10 years ago, in April 2014. The cryptocurrency market expects a sell-off event and large capital flow in the following days. (BitTimes)

2. Spot BTC ETFs recorded $0 inflows, Bitcoin price drops: According to data provided by Farside Investors, spot BTC ETFs stood still on May 27 as the broader crypto market faced correction. Notably, this is also the first time in the past two weeks that Bitcoin ETFs recorded no inflows. (CryptoNews)

-Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC)-

1. Trump Vows: US Will Lead Bitcoin and XRP, Promises to Block CBDC During Presidency: Trump reiterated his opposition to the creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC), a concept that various governments, including the current U.S. administration have explored. He vowed to prevent the establishment of a CBDC, positioning himself as a defender of individual financial freedom and privacy. (CryptoNews)

-Economic Indicators-

1. Fed Wants “Many Months” of Positive Inflation Before Cut: The Federal Reserve should hold off on cutting interest rates until there is substantial progress on inflation, Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Kashkari stated on CNBC on Tuesday. Many months of positive inflation data are necessary to justify the first rate cut, and another rate hike should not be ruled out if inflation remains at stubbornly high levels. (TradingEconomics)

2. India and China Eliminate US Dollar in Imports: India and China have decided to ditch the US dollar for import payments, opting for their local currencies instead. The Maldives were informed by India and China that they will expect to pay in rupees and yuan instead of USD. This move, confirmed by the Maldives government, is yet another significant change in international trade practices. (Cryptopolitan)

-Security Incidents and Concerns-

1. North Korea’s Lazarus Group Accused of Involvement in Axie Infinity Hack: This week, government agencies and Chainalysis confirmed that North Korea’s Lazarus Group was involved in the Ronin hack. As far as crypto hacks go, the Ronin hack is the largest ever, with cybercriminals getting away with $552m. The Ronin hack occurred in March, with stolen funds reportedly including 173.6k ETH and 25.5m USDC. (Yahoo)

-Technology-

1. China Shows Off Gun-Toting Robot Dog in Military Drills, Sparks Global Concerns: Over 2,000 troops and 12 ships participated in the 15-day Golden Dragon joint drills, which included the gun-toting quadruped, per Axios. Agence France-Presse said that Unitree, a Chinese firm that sells robots online for thousands of euros, did not fire its weapon during the demonstration. (TechTimes)

-Bitcoin Community-

NSTR

-Bitcoin Sentiment-

1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 72/100 (Down 2 pts)

Analyst Comments (AC): NSTR