Block: 855,084
DTG/ICOD: 1200Z 02Aug24
Precedence: Routine (RR)
Controls: Public Release
QQQQ
__________________________
BLUF: F-16 Jets Land in Ukraine / Bomb in Tehran House Planted Months Ago / Maduro Clamping Down in Venezuela / WSJ Reporter Arrives in US / Fires Continue in the West / 9-11 Masterminds Get Plea Deal / UK Pushes Wholesale CBDC and Russia Pushes Retail CBDC / Earnings Reports for BTC Companies, Block Wins, Mara Hurts / Scams Target Hodlers
Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $64,701, 26.26 oz Gold, .15 Median US House
24hr Hi: $65,593 / Lo: $62,248
Vol: $39B (Up 10%)
Mkt Cap: $1.27T (Even)
HashRate: 608 EH/s
Avg Fee Rate: 4 sats/vBtye (Down 50%)
Nodes: 18,299
---Reports---
-International Events-
1. F-16 fighter jets land in Ukraine to bolster defence against Russia: Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway – all NATO members – had committed to providing Ukraine with more than 60 planes. That number is dwarfed by the Russian jet fleet, which is estimated to be about 10 times larger. (AlJazeera)
2. Bomb Smuggled Into Tehran Guesthouse Months Ago Killed Hamas Leader: The bomb had been hidden approximately two months ago in the guesthouse, according to five of the Middle Eastern officials. The guesthouse is run and protected by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and is part of a large compound, known as Neshat, in an upscale neighborhood of northern Tehran. (NYT)
3. Venezuela Election Fallout Unclear: Media reports are mixed coming from Venezuela. Maduro has said on video that he will not release the final results from the election due to "Elon Musk hacking the results". Meanwhile, multiple reports state that mass arrests of opposition supporters are being conducted across the country, and videos are surfacing of tortured citizens. Another report has 32 flights of Cuban Revolutionary Forces (The Black Wasps) patrolling the country, quelling rebellion. (Various, Twitter)
-US Events-
1. Freed Evan Gershkovich Arrives in the U.S.: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stepped back onto U.S. soil to a hero’s welcome from President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris late Thursday, capping a lengthy wrongful detainment and conviction in Russia that culminated in the most complex prisoner swap between Western allies and Russia since the Cold War. Former Marine Paul Whelan was also released. The prisoner swap, the largest since the Cold War, included the exchange of 24 prisoners and at least six countries in a deal officials in the U.S., Russia and Germany had worked on for months. Ultimately, the deal hinged on the release of a German prisoner: Russian hit man Vadim Krasikov, who emerged as a linchpin to the exchange. Russia released 16 prisoners in all, including Vladimir Kara-Murza, a Pulitzer-prize winning British-Russian columnist and U.S. lawful permanent resident. (WSJ)
2. Crews struggle to contain rapidly spreading Park Fire in California: In California, more than 5,800 personnel, 500 fire trucks and 40 helicopters are battling a fire larger than all of Los Angeles. The Park Fire, as it’s known, is the country’s largest and has ballooned to historic proportions in just over a week. (PBS)
3. White House: We Didn’t Know About 9/11 Plea Deal Until Yesterday, Can’t Comment on It: The plea deal for three defendants accused of involvement in the September 11 terrorist attacks, including accused plotter Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, “was orchestrated by an independent military convening authority. The White House wasn’t aware of this deal or the process leading up to it until yesterday.” (Breitbart)
-Regulatory and Legal-
NSTR
-Central Bank Digital Currencies-
1. Bank of England looks to update RTGS by exploring wholesale CBDC, synchronization: The central bank of the United Kingdom is proposing experimenting with a wholesale central bank digital currency (wCBDC) as it seeks to update its Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system. Both synchronization and wCBDC depend on distributed ledger technology (DLT), a system that records transactions across multiple computers or locations. (CoinGeek)
2. Russian central bank governor says CBDCs will be part of everyday life by 2031: Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina reiterated the regulator’s belief that the digital ruble, Russia’s central bank digital currency (CBDC), will achieve widespread adoption within the next five to seven years. She stated that the digital ruble's advantages, such as free transfers for individuals and lower transaction fees for businesses, will drive its adoption. (CryptoSlate)
-Institutional Concerns-
1. US spot bitcoin ETFs log $50 million in inflows, ether ETFs return to positive flows: The 12 spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds in the U.S. reported a total daily net inflow of $50.64 million on Thursday. Grayscale’s Bitcoin Mini Trust, which only began trading on Wednesday, led net inflows yesterday with $191.13 million. (TheBlock)
2.MicroStrategy’s Q2 earnings reveals Bitcoin stockpile now $14.7B: Business intelligence firm MicroStrategy purchased an additional 12,222 Bitcoin for $805 million in the second quarter of 2024, bringing its total Bitcoin holdings to 226,500 BTC worth around $14.7 billion at current prices. (CoinTelegraph)
-Economic Indicators-
1. Bond Yields Plunge in Flight From Stocks: Bond yields from economies with exposure to US credit markets sank further on Friday as mounting growth concerns were magnified by a batch of poor corporate earnings, supporting a dovish outlook for the Federal Reserve and triggering a flight to the safety of bonds. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell nearly 40bps in the last seven sessions to a six-month low of 3.94%. (TradingEconomics)
2. US Factory Activity Contracts More than Expected: The ISM Manufacturing PMI fell to 46.6 in July of 2024 from 48.5 in the previous month, firmly below market expectations of 48.8, reflecting the sharpest contraction in US factory activity since November 2023. It was the 20th decline in activity during the last 21 periods. (TradingEconomics)
-Security Incidents and Concerns-
1. FBI Issues Warning About Crypto Exchange Scams: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned cryptocurrency users about scammers impersonating crypto exchange employees to steal funds through unsolicited messages or calls. These fraudsters create urgency, claiming issues with accounts to trick victims into providing login details, clicking links, or sharing identification information. (BitcoinCom)
-Technology and Science-
NSTR
-Bitcoin Community-
1. Block’s Bitcoin Revenue Grows 9% to $2.6 Billion in Q2: Block Inc, Jack Dorsey’s payment company, just announced its earnings for the second quarter of 2024. Bitcoin revenue grew by 9%, reaching $2.61 billion. The company made $6.16 billion in net earnings for the quarter, a 11% increase compared to the same period last year. Cash App, one of Block’s main platforms, saw a big jump in Bitcoin gross profits, thanks to the price of Bitcoin going up. (BitcoinSensus)
2. Bitcoin Miner Marathon Shares Fall 8% After Missing Revenue Expectations in Q2: The revenue of $145.1 million was lower than the estimated $157.9 million, attributed to operational challenges and the impact of the April halving event. (Decrypt)
-Bitcoin Sentiment-
1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 57/100 (Up 5 pts)
Analyst Comments (AC): NSTR
Follow us on NOSTR: npub1qktts9naunvjdwsktq5xjdhwh539xt4x0mqj4yxq0q9dvm03ljvs6sms0r
____________________
Analyst: BV2A
END REPORT
NNNN
*NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report
