The fratricidal war between the two co-founders of Bitmain seems to have ended in a truce. Jihan Wu announced that he had stepped down as CEO, and Micree Zhan reportedly bought back his stake in the company.

Bitmain CEO resigns after months of conflict

Micree Zhan was ousted from Bitmain in October 2019, following major disagreements with Jihan Wu. He has since attempted to take over the business in a series of incredible twists and turns. Last June, he tried to take over Bitmain’s premises by force . A few days later, Micree Zhan seized a Bitmain factory, causing deliveries to abruptly halt for the company’s customers. In retaliation, Jihan Wu would have seized tens of thousands of Antminers a month later …

Suffice to say that finding a solution was an urgent matter for Bitmain, which was gradually losing the trust of users. It’s now done, as Bitmain’s CEO announced that he and Micree Zhan had finally reached an agreement. In a coded message, he explains:

„The disagreement between Micree and I […] was finally settled for an amicable manner, and above all e constructively . „

Micree Zhan takes over Bitmain and Antpool

Micree Zhan therefore bought back Jihan Wu’s shares in the company Bitmain, worth 600 million dollars . Of this sum, 400 million consists of a loan from the company. Zhan therefore becomes responsible not only for Bitmain, but also for the related Antpool mining pool.

The company should have some breathing space now that the long conflict between the two co-founders is settled. It really needs it: sales of Antminers, its flagship product, had fallen enough in 2019 for new measures to be hastily taken at the start of 2020. We note, however, that for the moment, the last Antminers are “ sold out ”on the manufacturer’s site, because of the semiconductor shortage affecting all industries at the moment.

Bitcoin temporarily loses top spot on CMC due to bug

Wrapped Bitcoin, the tokenized twin of Bitcoin, has for a few hours taken the top spot on CoinMarketCap

Yesterday, Bitcoin’s market capitalisation was briefly overtaken by Wrapped Bitcoin, after the tokenized version suddenly gained thousands of trillions of dollars in value.

WBTC showed for a few hours a colossal market cap of about $432 billion (the global money supply, including derivatives, is estimated at $1.2 trillion, according to Rankred.com). The Bitcoin Up token topped the list of all assets, even Bitcoin (BTC), which had a valuation of around $733 billion at this time.

However, crypto enthusiasts and maximalists need not worry about this usurpation of Bitcoin’s throne. The huge increase was caused by a CoinMarketCap glitch, which showed Wrapped Bitcoin’s (BTC) valuation higher than all other assets on the planet combined.

A CoinMarketCap spokesperson explained to Cointelegraph:

„The bug was caused by a stray bid form, which indicated incorrect values for WBTC’s outstanding bid, one of the inputs that affects the ranking position. The problem was quickly resolved. Unfortunately, we couldn’t keep it ‚hidden‘ either.“

A Google search for the number 432,949,247,432,865,664 shows the alleged market value achieved by Wrapped Bitcoin:

CoinMarketCap promptly rectified the glitch, returning WBTC to its rightful position: 13th in the rankings, with a market cap of around $4 billion at the time of writing. Before the glitch was completely fixed, however, WBTC remained in first position for a few hours, even after its market cap was corrected.

But what exactly is WBTC?

It is a tokenized version of Bitcoin on Ethereum. This allows participants to use WBTC within the Ethereum ecosystem, as the network uses a different blockchain. In this way, participants can use Bitcoin for Ethereum-based activities, such as decentralised finance. Each WBTC has the same value as 1 BTC, guaranteed at a 1:1 ratio by real Bitcoins managed by a custodian, as specified by BitGO in a blog post.

Prior to this incident, only one other asset managed to outperform Bitcoin on CoinMarketCap, at the height of lockdowns to counter the pandemic when toilet paper had become one of the world’s most desirable assets. On 31 March 2020, Toilet Paper Token overtook Bitcoin, but it was just an April Fool’s joke.

Selon le New York Times, Stefan Thomas, un programmeur basé à San Francisco, a perdu l’accès à son Bitcoin à cause d’un mot de passe oublié. Les clés privées de ses 7 002 bitcoins, qui valent maintenant environ 220 millions de dollars, en raison de la récente flambée des prix, sont enfermées dans un petit disque dur appelé IronKey.

Le portefeuille IronKey est doté d’une fonction qui permet aux propriétaires qui oublient leur mot de passe de tenter 10 devinettes. Si le mot de passe n’est pas correct à la dixième tentative, le portefeuille saisit son contenu [dans ce cas, les clés privées] indéfiniment. Thomas a révélé qu’il avait perdu le papier où il avait stocké le mot de passe sur son disque dur IronKey et qu’il ne lui restait plus que deux tentatives, après en avoir désespérément utilisé 8.

En parlant de la façon dont il a obtenu la CTB, le programmeur a mentionné qu’un fanatique de Bitcoin lui avait offert les pièces en 2011 en récompense de la réalisation d’une vidéo animée, „Qu’est-ce que Bitcoin ?“, qui a ouvert les yeux de beaucoup de gens sur Bitcoin. Malheureusement, il a perdu l’accès aux pièces cette même année et n’a pas trouvé de solution depuis.

Pourquoi prendre le risque ?

S’il est vrai que certains propriétaires de bitcoins qui perdent leurs pièces à un moment donné les récupèrent d’une manière ou d’une autre, il est également de notoriété publique que des personnes comme Thomas ne récupèrent jamais leurs bitcoins. Pourquoi cette dernière situation est-elle généralement courante ?

La structure technologique du Bitcoin est différente de celle des autres monnaies numériques, ce qui le rend risqué. Pour les comptes bancaires traditionnels et les portefeuilles en ligne, il existe des fonctions de récupération des mots de passe qui peuvent récupérer ou remplacer les mots de passe

Cependant, Bitcoin donne aux individus un contrôle total sur leur argent, impénétrable même par le gouvernement. Il n’y a donc pas de sociétés qui fournissent ou stockent les mots de passe.

Mais pourquoi les investisseurs continuent-ils à acheter des bitcoins, même si c’est risqué ? Tout d’abord, les gens aiment avoir la pleine propriété de leur patrimoine. Comme Thomas l’a mentionné, vos bitcoins sont hors du contrôle de toute société ou pays, à moins que vous ne les déposiez auprès d’un dépositaire centralisé comme les bourses.

La fonction de protection de la vie privée de Bitcoin Fortune est également venue au secours de certains citoyens de pays comme la Chine et le Venezuela, où il est courant que les autorités gouvernementales fassent des raids ou ferment les comptes bancaires traditionnels de certains individus.

Le rapport mentionne également qu’en plus d’une autorité totale sur votre argent, investir dans Bitcoin génère d’énormes profits. Ces profits compensent la plupart du temps les pertes énormes que les investisseurs peuvent avoir subies lorsqu’ils perdent le mot de passe de leur Bitcoin.

La solution ?

Un cas d’oubli de mot de passe devrait-il empêcher un investisseur d’acheter plus de Bitcoin ? Bien que la réponse dépende de l’individu, ce ne serait pas la meilleure option. Thomas a mentionné au début, qu’il a acheté plus de Bitcoin et a même commencé à s’associer avec Ripple en 2012 où il a reçu du XRP qui a augmenté en valeur jusqu’au récent revers.

Bien que posséder des Bitcoins comme tout autre actif comporte des risques, la solution consiste à garder ses mots de passe en sécurité. Mais dans les situations malheureuses de perte de tels mots de passe, la meilleure chose à faire est de conserver un tel portefeuille dans un endroit sûr et comme l’a dit Thomas, „Laissez cela dans le passé, juste pour votre propre santé mentale“.

Os últimos dados analíticos compartilhados pela Glassnode mostram que na segunda-feira, 11 de janeiro, ocorreu a liquidação de futuros de Bitcoin no valor de US$ 410 milhões em Binance. Glassnode afirma que este número é o valor diário mais alto até o momento.

Liquidações em Massa de Futuros de Binance Bitcoin e o Preço do Bitcoin

No mercado futuro, as posições enfrentam a liquidação quando os comerciantes levantam capital adicional para negociar com classes maiores. A desvantagem da alavancagem é que um preço um pouco mais baixo do Bitcoin pode liquidar uma posição ou perder valor.

Quando uma posição longa é liquidada, ela está disponível no mercado. Quando a maioria dos mercados de Bitcoin longo e contratos longos são liquidados, há uma tremenda pressão de venda.

Em 11 de janeiro, o mercado de Bitcoin experimentou um grande impulso longo causado por uma grande ordem de venda na Coinbase. Quando baleias ou investidores de alto valor de rede venderam, isso resultou na liquidação de contratos longos em poucas horas.

Liquidações sucessivas criaram um efeito dominó, resultando em uma venda maciça e uma correção de 16%. No entanto, um sinal de baleia é que ela terminou em torno de US$ 32.700 em analistas de mapas de baleia chamados de área de apoio da baleia.

Há uma criação de grupo de baleias quando uma baleia compra Bitcoin em um determinado nível e não a transfere. Este nível é freqüentemente uma zona de apoio, pois as baleias tendem a dobrar em suas entradas se ocorrer um mergulho significativo e o preço do BTC cairá de volta para este nível.

O Bitcoin começou a correção em 10 de janeiro e continuou no dia seguinte. Em geral, perdeu mais de 20%, passando de US$ 41.000 para US$ 31.153. Entretanto, de acordo com dados da CoinMarketCap, o principal criptograma se recuperou até agora para a faixa de US$ 35.800.

No início deste ano, em 4 de janeiro, grandes quantidades de bitcoin foram liquidadas em um contrato futuro de US$ 190 milhões em apenas 10 minutos, fazendo com que a Bitcoin recuasse da zona de US$ 34.000 para US$ 30.000.

O otimismo da Bitcoin permanece

Apesar de Bitcoin ter caído acentuadamente, o sentimento geral do mercado em torno da BTC geralmente permanece em alta.

Elias Simos, especialista em protocolo na Bison Trails, disse que o número de baleias aumentou depois que a Bitcoin sofreu uma queda acentuada nos preços. As tendências mostram que com o advento da cascata da liquidação, as baleias se acumulam, o que é positivo.

Enquanto a queda atual de 15% para 25% é o declínio mais significativo até agora para este ciclo de alta, os entusiastas do Bitcoin devem observar que muitas correções de 30% ocorreram durante o ciclo de alta do Bitcoin em 2017. A atual queda nos preços do BTC coincide com a formação da base do índice de força do dólar.

Os futuros da Bitcoin subiram US$ 1,06 trilhão em dezembro, 21,6% a mais que em novembro. O volume de opções Bitcoin registrou um aumento de 18,9% de novembro a dezembro. Deribit manteve 82,1%, bit.com teve 7,88%, e OKEx manteve 7,3% do volume total de opções bitcoin de US$ 17,89 bilhões.

Previsão de preço Bitcoin (BTC) – 3 de janeiro

Os touros Bitcoin conseguiram empurrar o par acima do nível de $34.000, já que o primeiro ativo digital toca um novo recorde de preço em $34.810.
Tendência de longo prazo BTC/USD: Alta (Gráfico Diário)

• Níveis-chave:
• Níveis de resistência: $36.000, $36.200, $36.400
• Níveis de apoio: $27.800, $27.600, $27.400
  BTCUSD – Gráfico Diário

No momento de escrever, o BTC/USD está negociando cerca de $32.790 acima das médias móveis de 9 dias e 21 dias. Apesar da retração, o Bitcoin (BTC) tem permanecido em uma zona de alta e é provável que continue mais alto em direção a $35.000 e $36.000. Entretanto, o forte aumento no preço do BTC/USD não parou por aí, pois subiu para um novo recorde acima de US$ 34.800 antes de corrigir a baixa. A moeda real está agora mergulhando abaixo do nível de resistência de $33.000, o que pode fazer com que muitos investidores retirem lucros da mesa.

O que esperar da Bitcoin (BTC)

O gráfico diário revela que os touros Bitcoin estão agora dominando o mercado. Entretanto, se os touros continuarem a empurrar o mercado acima da alta diária recente, então o preço de mercado poderá atingir os níveis de resistência de $36.000, $36.200 e $36.400, respectivamente. Além disso, mais movimento de alta acima desses níveis de resistência pode encorajar mais compras acima do limite superior do canal.

Em outras palavras, uma quebra abaixo da média móvel de 9 dias pode provocar um declínio ainda mais profundo em direção aos níveis de suporte de $27.800, $27.600 e $27.400. Enquanto isso, de acordo com o indicador técnico RSI (14), o Bitcoin pode continuar a seguir uma tendência ascendente à medida que a linha de sinal se move acima dos 85 níveis dentro da zona de sobre-compra.
BTC/USD Tendência de médio prazo: Alta (Gráfico 4H)

Observando a tabela horária, após a rejeição de $34.800, o BTC/USD está negociando abaixo do nível de resistência de $33.000. Olhando de cima, se o Bitcoin se mantém acima de $34.000, então o próximo nível de resistência poderia ser de $34.500 antes da alta de 2021 a $34.810, juntamente com a significativa linha de tendência ascendente mencionada. A próxima resistência seria de $35.400, seguida de $35.600 e $35.800.

BTCUSD – Gráfico de 4 Horas

Enquanto isso, como o indicador técnico se move abaixo do nível 65, isto pode ter sinalizado um fim temporário para a tendência de alta da Bitcoin. Entretanto, o indicador RSI (14) está encontrando a linha crucial de tendência de alta mais alta. Se ele não encontrar suporte aqui, então os comerciantes podem esperar que a correção se aprofunde ainda mais, o que pode provavelmente atingir os níveis de suporte de $30.600, $30.400, e $30.200 respectivamente.

Mati Greenspan, founder of Quantum Economics: „There is a real possibility of days with increases of 250% or more“

In a newsletter published yesterday, the founder of Quantum Economics explained that Bitcoin’s recent rise above $23,000 (an increase of about 29% in one week) does not necessarily mean that the market is „overheated“ and destined to crash, as it did in December 2017.

„In our view, this is just the beginning,“ Greenspan said. „We probably shouldn’t use comparisons to the past to determine possible percentage increases.“

Continuing, he added:

„If demand continues to rise and supply continues to fall, there is a real possibility of days with increases of 250% or even more.“

Greenspan pointed out that „no one can predict“ when (and if) Bitcoin’s (BTC) trend will turn bearish, but the price could reach „anywhere between $23,800 and $1 million per coin.“ He also didn’t rule out what Guggenheim Partners‘ Scott Miner suggested, that the crypto asset „should be worth around $400,000.“

„Now that we have surpassed the previous all-time high, there are no levels left on the chart that could indicate where the price will end its climb,“ Greenspan explained. „Eventually, it will reach its high. There’s no doubt about that.“

Other figures in the crypto sector, such as Binance US CEO Catherine Coley, see Bitcoin’s current bull run as evidence of its sustained growth:

„While the Fed and other government agencies around the world seem not to care about the consequences of inflation on fiat currencies, we will continue to see the consolidation of the argument for diversification into BTC, and the price will surpass fundamental technical levels.“

At the time of publication, Bitcoin’s price stands at $23,060, after a 9.2% increase in the last 48 hours.

First, we asked Axel Simon about the latest accusations made by Bruno Le Maire , Minister of the Economy in France. Recently, Bruno Le Maire has indeed committed to fight against the financing of Islamist terrorism via cryptocurrencies. According to him, terrorists use cryptoassets like Bitcoin to finance their activities.

Bruno Le Maire accuses cryptocurrencies of financing terrorism, while the crypto sector is already highly regulated. Is this an excuse to impose new restrictions?

I had not seen this ad, nor do I follow the news closely. Already, to be clear enough, La Quadrature does not have a determined and clear-cut position on cryptocurrencies and on blockchain issues in general. We are interested, but we don’t really have an overall position. We haven’t really taken an interest in it yet as a collective.

But yes, indeed, the entry points of many cryptocurrencies are still well regulated at the present time with everything that is against money laundering in particular. After that, the concrete operation of the majority of Crypto Legacy is that the traces of almost everything that is done are kept, except on a minority of cryptocurrencies which are not the most popular to my knowledge. So I find that this is an advertisement which is not very interesting. I mean, we know that organized crime does not usually go through cryptocurrency to finance itself . There are more pressing questions about tax havens and even the big banks that turn a blind eye when similar things happen., not necessarily on terrorism, but on crime in general. It is not very relevant.

The digital yuan and Chinese social credit digital yuan

Then we brought up the subject of the digital yuan and Chinese social credit. Indeed, China is currently testing a central bank digital currency in several cities in its territory. Coupled with social credit and a blockchain centralizing all information concerning citizens , this crypto-yuan represents a danger to privacy and freedom.

What does the use of blockchain as a tool for mass surveillance in China inspire you, with in particular the appearance of Chinese social credit and the digital yuan?

I don’t see the connection with blockchains because a blockchain is always a system that works on decentralization, that’s the only sense in which it’s useful. When it’s a single entity and organization, the Chinese government, that can force everyone to use a single system, it doesn’t matter if it’s a blockchain underneath. Whether it is a blockchain or a centralized database, it comes down to the same thing because we have a single actor who controls the information, access to information or writes information, and beyond that who controls whether the population is forced to use the system. In fact, the blockchain part in there is secondary, the real question is completely political, it is outside of what is generally linked to blockchains. Technically, if it’s a blockchain below, why not, but the problem is not at all on this technical aspect,

Finally, a centralized blockchain is not a real blockchain?

Yes, that’s it. The whole point of a blockchain is to have several nodes that belong to different entities so that they can together keep a vision of reality, and of the truth with a small v. And thus avoid that only one of the entities of the group can make lie the archives in large, in a way too easy or invisible. And there, it is totally under the control of the Chinese government, therefore of the same organization … it has no technical interest.

Do you think that a system like Chinese social credit could be implemented elsewhere in the world, including in Europe?

Good question ! I think people would care a lot about it, but you can also get people to do a lot of things with the right incentives, giving people benefits for example, but not in the same way. We are already seeing bits and pieces of this system: there are a lot of people who use loyalty cards in stores. It serves to encourage them to come back and therefore to change their behavior. It is always slight changes in Western countries rather than profound changes, that would be too visible. And these bits and pieces are called to progress because people don’t think too much about it. But it will probably not be managed by a central authority that controls and sees everything. Rather, they will be intertwining of the economic interests of different companies. But there will be similar things.