– Billionaire Mark Cuban stated that if Joe Biden loses the upcoming presidential election, the crypto community will have a chance to "thank" the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) and its head, Gary Gensler. According to Cuban, the conflict between the SEC and the digital industry could negatively impact the support for the current US President. The billionaire remarked, "Gensler has not protected a single investor from fraud." "All he has accomplished is making it nearly impossible for legitimate crypto companies to operate, destroying countless enterprises and bankrupting unknown numbers of entrepreneurs," he added. Cuban's tweet came in response to an article in Politico. The article mentions that Biden's competitor, Donald Trump, became the first presidential candidate to openly try to attract crypto users to his side. At an event promoting his own NFT collection, Mugshot Edition, he announced the acceptance of donations in digital assets. Additionally, his team, together with Bitcoin Magazine, developed a project to regulate the crypto sphere. Trump promised to protect the industry if elected, emphasizing that the current President "doesn't even know" what cryptocurrency is.
– The analytical platform Arkham Intelligence published a list of well-known personalities with more than 1 million followers on X (formerly Twitter) who have invested in cryptocurrency. The top 3 in the audience size ranking are Canadian singer Justin Bieber, Donald Trump, and Brazilian footballer Neymar. According to the provided data, the former US President and Republican Party candidate owns a crypto portfolio estimated at around $7 million. His wallet was last active in December 2023 when 250 ETH were sent to the Coinbase exchange.
– The current bitcoin lull may continue until early summer, but in Q3–Q4, a return to a growth trajectory is expected. Experts from the crypto exchange Bitfinex stated this. "We expect the market to remain uncertain in the short term, with low volatility until the actual winding down of the US Fed's QT [quantitative tightening programme]," the specialists believe. In their opinion, this will favour risky assets like cryptocurrencies. The fall of the US dollar from a six-month peak after the May Fed meeting and a weak employment report marked a turning point in the trend. The weakening USD could support the next phase of the digital assets rally.
– According to Capriole Investment founder Charles Edwards, bitcoin is in the "bored to death" stage. He stated that the current consolidation period could last from one to six months, during which quotes will remain in a low volatility range. This will happen until traders lose patience. Sentiments will be most negative just before the sideways movement ends, Edwards believes. "When you get tired of the sideways movement, general symptoms will include thoughts that the halving is already priced in and the bull market is over. [...] Your symptoms and shorts will peak just before the mega rally," predicts the Capriole Investment head.
– By 2030, the first cryptocurrency will reach and surpass $1 million. This forecast was made by Twitter (now X) co-founder and Block head Jack Dorsey. The entrepreneur noted that the most interesting aspect of digital gold is the nature of its ecosystem and how it stimulates collective efforts to improve the network. "Besides the founding story, the most amazing thing about bitcoin is that everyone [...] who makes even the smallest effort to make it better improves the entire ecosystem, causing the price to rise. It's an amazing movement. [...] It has taught me a lot," he explained.
– One of the crucial questions for investors is choosing between bitcoin and ethereum. The roles of these two cryptocurrencies differ, and this can significantly impact their profitability. Bitcoin is increasingly seen as digital gold, providing stability in times of economic uncertainty. This concept is supported by the post-halving volatility reduction, which is now even lower than many companies in the S&P 500 index (Fidelity data). Ethereum continues to push the boundaries of the possible through technological innovations, including the recent Dencun update aimed at reducing fees and increasing scalability. However, these changes have made the network inflationary again, nullifying the deflationary trend established after "The Merge" in 2022. Consequently, ETH volatility remains significantly higher than BTC despite the overall market calm. According to ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence by OpenAI, the choice between these assets largely depends on individual investment strategy and risk tolerance. Bitcoin is generally better suited for investors seeking a relatively safe store of value. It attracts risk-averse individuals or those new to cryptocurrencies. On the other hand, Ethereum is more suitable for those who believe in the future of blockchain technology. The main cryptocurrency offers gradual growth, while the main altcoin offers potentially higher rewards but also higher risk.
– Investor and Eight founder Michaël van de Poppe has already made his choice. He admitted to selling all his bitcoins to buy altcoins. According to him, capital inflow and outflow in ETFs mainly influence BTC price movement, which depends on the dollar exchange rate and the Fed's policy. Additionally, the problems crypto companies face with US regulators affect bitcoin quotes. Regarding altcoins, Van de Poppe believes many of them are undervalued. Once ETH quotes start rising, other alternative tokens will also go up. The specialist believes that the altcoins he selected will likely grow earlier and faster than the market flagship, allowing for greater profit than investing in digital gold.
– Former CEO of the largest crypto exchange Binance, Changpeng Zhao, is to serve four months in an American prison by court order. He wrote on social media X that during his upcoming "solitude," he would focus on writing, although he did not specify the nature of his creative work. The hint at writing a book sparked curiosity among Zhao's followers, as he is one of the key figures in the crypto community. There are speculations that Zhao's future book may cover his experience in the crypto business and share insights that would be interesting to both ordinary traders and industry executives. In April, Changpeng Zhao was sentenced to four months in prison. This punishment followed his resignation as CEO of Binance in November when Zhao pleaded guilty to money laundering charges. Binance agreed to pay a $4.3 billion fine. Despite regulatory issues, Zhao stated that his departure from Binance does not mean he has lost interest in cryptocurrencies, and he will continue to contribute to the industry's development. For instance, in March, the former CEO launched the free educational initiative Giggle Academy to teach finance and blockchain to underprivileged youth.
– The analyst known as Rekt Capital noted that the threat of a bitcoin price drop after the halving has already passed. Drawing an analogy with the situation six years ago, he suggested that on May 1st, the bitcoin price hit a bottom around $56,000. The asset will remain in the accumulation zone until autumn. During this time, the market will likely stay calm, and the BTC price will fluctuate between $60,000 and $66,500. After that, Rekt Capital forecasts an exponential growth phase, during which the coin's value will reach new heights.
– Galaxy Digital head Mike Novogratz also noted in an interview with Bloomberg that the cryptocurrency market is in a consolidation phase. The market's growth stalled three months after the launch of spot bitcoin ETFs in the US. In his opinion, the first cryptocurrency will trade between $55,000 and $75,000 until new circumstances or events in the market trigger growth. At the same time, Novogratz noted increased activity in sectors like crypto lending on the blockchain. "Six months ago, this was impossible, and now people are willing to lend us cryptocurrency for the long term without collateral," the businessman said. "The number of counterparties is growing, and overall involvement in the crypto space is at an entirely new level."
– Usually, fraudsters try to withdraw stolen coins through mixers within weeks or months and then transfer them to secret bank accounts or convert them into various currencies. However, there are unique cases. According to crypto security experts from the Cyvers platform, one of the criminals waited seven years before starting to sell stolen virtual assets. Only now has he sent 3,050 ETH to a cryptocurrency mixer. Cyvers specialists calculated that the hacker still has over 83,000 Ethereum, currently valued at $240 million. At the time of the theft, this cryptocurrency was worth only $33 million. Such long-term patience indicates that the hacker is an experienced market participant and accurately predicts price dynamics in the short, medium, and long term.
Notice: These materials should not be deemed a recommendation for investment or guidance for working on financial markets: they are for informative purposes only. Trading on financial markets is risky and can lead to a loss of money deposited.
