Wednesday, July 24, 2019

📌 Bakkt is Back, Dalio Speaks, and BitMEX in Trouble?

MUST READS

Coinbase Tells You if Top Holders are Buying or Selling a Cryptoasset

Coinbase is taking full advantage of its significant user base to give you more information about trading behavior and price correlation. Given that there are now 15 cryptocurrencies on Coinbase that you can trade, the new features should provide some helpful insight.

Bakkt Officially Announces Testing for Bitcoin Futures

Futures platform Bakkt officially launched the testing of the delivery of Bitcoin futures on Monday, July 22. Although this week's announcement won't do much to the price of BTC today, it will likely have a big impact on the price in the near future...

Let's not forget: Any futures market helps reduce asymmetric (skewed) information. It creates better price discovery. Many believe this is why BTC prices "fell back to reality" in late 2017, directly after the CBOE and CME launched their futures markets.

We know what you're thinking, but don't run for the exits yet. What makes Bakkt's futures market so different? The answer is physically-settled futures. This means there's a real possible demand for the underlying asset. This is bullish, folks.

Additionally, more oversight and institutional adoption are exactly what the SEC needs to make a better decision on lingering ETF approvals.

'Bitcoin Not Blockchain', As Crypto Venture Capital Falls 60%

According to new research from CB Insights, blockchain venture capital is on track for a 60% decline when compared to 2018 figures. With Bitcoin price on the rise, it's fair to suggest that blockchain startups are out this year and Bitcoin is back in.

2019 Marijuana Stock Ratings Revealed

The research team at CannaReads just unveiled their top 12 public cannabis companies – with risk ratings and all.

Click here to check out their Ultimate Diversified Cannabis Portfolio. And discover why tens of thousands of entrepreneurs are turning to the cannabis market for "early tech-stock level returns."

DEEP DIVE

Cryptocurrency Data 101: Market Landscape of the Bitcoin & Crypto Data and Analytics Sector

It has been said that the next wave of $1B+ companies in the cryptocurrency sector will be data and analytics firms.

Unlike the traditional financial markets, most of the underlying data is public within the Bitcoin and cryptocurrency ecosystem. This leads to a unique development where there is a large and growing consumer & institutional demand for data within the cryptocurrency market.

Click here for a quick primer on crypto data and an overall landscape into the data & analytics space today.

Ray Dalio: Paradigm Shifts

When hedge fund titan Ray Dalio speaks, we listen. He believes that we are likely approaching a "paradigm shift" in the markets and does a very good job explaining the current risk and return environment across several asset classes. Although this isn't entirely crypto-related, we thought you might find it interesting.

CoinGecko Quarterly Report for Q2 2019

CoinGecko recently released their new report for Q2 2019. As always, there's tons of fresh information, data, infographics and easy to read crypto material.

REGULATORY FRONT

U.S. Regulator Probing Crypto Exchange BitMEX Over Client Trades

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is investigating crypto exchange BitMEX – a platform that's become wildly popular in Asia for letting people make big bets with little money down.

The months-long CFTC probe is focused on whether BitMEX broke rules by allowing Americans to trade on the platform, which isn't registered with the agency.

As @lawmaster explains, exchanges are getting pretty serious about blocking U.S. users.

Iran Legalizes Crypto Mining 🇮🇷

Iran is officially recognizing cryptocurrency mining as an industry within its borders.

According to the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, a government economic commission approved crypto mining on Sunday, with the government now looking for ways to regulate this activity within its existing legal structure.

@MaxKeiser points out how Iran may become a Bitcoin powerhouse due to the cheap electricity.