Acid Test – Bitcoin Must Break $7,800 for Bull Reversal

Acid Test - Bitcoin Must Break $7,800 for Bull Reversal

Acid Test – Bitcoin Must Break $7,800 for Bull Reversal

Bitcoin (BTC) continues to mount a recovery despite the recent bearish "death cross" chart event.

As of writing, bitcoin is changing hands at $7,400 on Bitfinex and the average price on leading exchanges, as represented by CoinDesk's Bitcoin Price Index, is seen at $7,380.

The cryptocurrency's 15-percent rally from the 54-day low of $6,425 set on April 1 is encouraging and pretty much in line with the historical relative strength index (RSI) pattern.

That said, the bulls' job is only half done, and bitcoin is still stuck in a falling channel. So, a clear break above $7,800 is now needed to confirm a bullish trend reversal and avert another sell-off.

Daily chart

A daily close (as per UTC) above the falling channel resistance would signal a short-term bullish trend reversal – i.e. the sell-off from the March 5 high of $11,700 has ended and would allow a test of supply around the bigger descending trendline sloping downwards from the Dec. 17 high and Jan. 6 high.

Note, the falling channel resistance is lined up at $7,900 and is seen sloping downwards to $7,800 by tomorrow. A move above that level would lift the RSI above the descending trendline, thus bringing in more technical buyers into the market.

The 4-hour chart below shows scope for a rally to $7,800-$7,900 over the next 24-48 hours.

4-hour chart

The bullish RSI divergence followed by a break above the minor descending trendline indicate that bitcoin could rally by another 400 dollars or so. The RSI is also above 50.00 (in the bullish territory) and is trending.

However, if BTC repeatedly fails to take out the falling channel hurdle (seen in the daily chart) in the next couple of days, then the bears may flex their muscle. Moreover, that would mean the recent gains are nothing more than a corrective rally. The ensuing sell-off could take BTC down to $6,000 (November lows).

As a result, the falling channel resistance presents a sort of acid test for the bitcoin market.

In the larger scheme of things, a bullish reversal is seen only above $11,700 as shown by the long duration chart below.

Weekly chart

BTC has defended the 50-week moving average (MA), yet the outlook remains bearish as suggested by the descending 5-week MA and 10-week MA. Furthermore, the RSI is bearish. Only a move above $11,700 (bearish outside-week candle high) would revive the bullish outlook and potentially yield rally to fresh record highs.

View

BTC could test the falling channel resistance in the next 24-48 hours (currently seen at $7,900, will be at $7,800 tomorrow).

A daily close above the channel resistance would signal short-term bull reversal and expose resistance lined up at $8,090 (5-week MA) and $9,177 (March 21 high).

Repeated failure to beat the channel hurdle could yield a re-test of $6,425 (April 1 low).

Author: Omkar Godbole Updated Apr 3, 2018 at 22:07 UTC

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide investment advice.

Posted by David Ogden Entrepreneur

David Ogden – Http://markethive.com/david-ogden

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, Ripple, Stellar, Litecoin, Cardano, NEO, EOS – Price Analysis, April 02

The Chinese ban on cryptocurrency trading, the possibility of a similar ruling in South Korea and the fear of regulations around the globe were some of the reasons that started the current decline.

However, with the election of Yi Gang as the head of People’s Bank of China (PBoC), the country’s central bank, some market experts believe that the Chinese ban on cryptocurrency trading might be overturned.

South Korean regulators are finalizing the taxation framework for cryptocurrencies and will most likely throw some light on the probability of a full-scale regulation of the cryptocurrencies after mid-June.

This has not deterred the Mayor of Seoul to announce the creation of ‘S coin’, the cryptocurrency of the city. He also wants to encourage the development of Blockchain projects as he foresees the widespread use of the technology in the city.

Let’s see if we find any buy setups on any of the digital currencies we track?

BTC/USD

Bitcoin broke below the $7,000 mark on April 01, but the dip was purchased aggressively by the bulls. As a result, the price has been back above the $7,000 level once again.

The 20-day EMA is the important resistance to watch out for during any pullback, which is just above $8,200 levels. The bears will strongly defend this level, while the bulls will attempt to break out of it.

We should wait for the BTC/USD pair to sustain above the 20-day EMA before recommending any long positions.

The trend remains down, hence, we don’t find any buy setups on the digital currency.

ETH/USD

The bulls are struggling to defend the $355 to $385 support zone on Ethereum. Even at such critical supports, there is lack of buying, which shows weakness.

Any pullback on the ETH/USD pair will face selling at the downtrend line and above that at the 20-day EMA.

On the downside, the bears will gain strength once they sustain below $355. The next lower target is $275 to $300.

We have been anticipating a sharp pullback because the RSI is deeply oversold, but it has not yet materialized. We’ll become positive in the short-term once the virtual currency closes above the downtrend line.

BCH/USD

Bitcoin Cash continues to be under pressure. Currently, it is attempting to pullback from the April 01 lows of $653, but the buying remains tepid.

f the bulls fail to break above the $778.2021 levels soon, the BCH/USD pair will slide to $600 and below that to $558 levels.

We’ll have to change our bearish view only after the virtual currency breaks above the 20-day EMA and the resistance line of the descending channel. We expect a pullback because the RSI is oversold, but we don’t find any buy setups to trade it. Hence, we are not suggesting any long positions.

XRP/USD

Ripple is trading weak for the past four days. It has extended its fall after breaking below the critical support of $0.56270. The next major support is way lower at $0.22, however, as the RSI is oversold, we expect it to pull back soon.

If the XRP/USD pair manages to scale above the $0.57 level, it will indicate that the markets have rejected the lower levels. Until then, all small pullbacks will be sold.

Hence, we shall wait for the bulls to sustain above $0.57 before suggesting any long positions.

XLM/USD

Stellar is attempting to bounce off the downtrend line. The positive divergence on the RSI is a bullish sign.

The current pullback will face resistance at the 20-day EMA and above that at $0.27 levels. If the bulls fail to break out of these two levels, the XLM/USD pair can slide to $0.16 and then to $0.11 levels.

We’ll attempt long positions once the price sustains above $0.27.

LTC/USD

Litecoin has been trading in a tight range for the past three days. The bears have not been able to break below the critical February 02 support of $107.102.

In the same way, the bulls have not been able to force a pullback, hence, the tight range. If the $107.102 level breaks, the next support is at $84.706.

However, as the RSI is in the oversold territory, we might get a pullback, which will face resistance at the 20-day EMA and the downtrend line.

Our goal is to wait for a buy setup to form before attempting a trade on the LTC/USD pair.

ADA/BTC

After a prolonged downtrend, Cardano has entered a range with support at 0.00001690 and resistance at 0.00002460.

The longer the ADA/BTC pair remains in the range, stronger the breakout will be, when it happens.

Hence, we retain the recommendation provided in our previous analysis to buy on a close (UTC) above 0.00002460 levels. The pattern target of this break is 0.0000323, which can easily be exceeded on the upside. The initial stop loss can be kept at 0.00001800, which can be raised later.

NEO/USD

NEO has broken below the March 18 lows of $49.04, which is a bearish development. The next support on the downside is at $31.15.

The RSI has again entered the oversold zone, hence, a pullback to the 20-day EMA is possible.

The NEO/USD pair will attract buyers once it sustains above $65 levels. Until then, every recovery will be sold into.

The digital currency needs to show sustained buying before we suggest any trade on it.

EOS/USD

For the past three days, EOS has been trading between $5.1 and $6.2. The 20-day EMA has been acting as a stiff resistance.

Once the EOS/USD pair breaks out of the 20-day EMA, the resistance line of the descending channel, and the 50-day SMA, it will become positive.

Hence, we have been recommending to buy the digital currency at $7.5, with a stop loss of $5. The target objective is a rally to $11.

Our bullish view will be invalidated if the virtual currency breaks below $5 and slides to $4 levels.

Author Rakesh Upadhyay

Posted by David Ogden Entrepreneur

David Ogden – Http://markethive.com/david-ogden

Despite Bitcoin’s ‘Sell-Off’ The Cryptocurrency Space Continues To Attract Investors

Despite Bitcoin's 'Sell-Off' The Cryptocurrency Space Continues To Attract Investors

Volatility, volatility, volatility. Traders certainly love it. But the volatility witnessed of late among many leading cryptocurrencies – including the ‘Big Daddy’ of them all in the shape of Bitcoin as well as Ethereum – has been a "double-edged sword" according to some pundits. Price swings can occur dramatically and result in big profits, should you catch it right.

Equally, significant losses can be sustained should your timing be all awry, there is negative newsflow around the crypto space and/or particular digital currencies.

Bitcoin’s Halcyon Days?

One might say you pays your money and takes your chances in the “Wild West” of crypto land. More succinctly, caveat emptor (buyer beware). And, according to Jordan Hiscott, chief trader at ayondo markets, a brokerage in The City of London, in a note from last week (March 27) said: “Certainly the halcyon days of performance gains [for Bitcoin] from 2017 seem long gone.”

Bitcoin moved lower early last week on Tuesday and was trading at around the $7,900 mark. However, this was in stark contrast to the level of $13,275 at the start of 2018. Hiscott’s view expressed at the time in late March was that the situation around the current soggy price level could persist for “at least six months.”

He added: “My theory is based around the situation regarding the liquidation of the Mt Gox Exchange, and the appointed trustee to handle the bankruptcy. Colloquially, this individual is known at the "Tokyo Whale", and having already sold around $400 million worth of both Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash, he is likely the main catalyst for this year’s move down.”

Interestingly, there still remains around three times that amount of Bitcoin to potentially to hit the market. “With this kind of volume yet to surface, in my view, prices on Bitcoin will remain depressed until this situation has been resolved,” ayondo’s Hiscott posited.

New Investors

The wild run on the crypto scene starting from late last year may have created a few sob stories for new investors, as those who bought in during the all-time highs are likely to have incurred losses due to February’s massive correction. Some might even be ruing the day they ever decided to dive in and invest.

In fact, recent statistics indicate that most people who got into bed with and invested in Bitcoin did so at a significantly higher price than the current market price, which is now well below the $10,000 market. This is a remarkable turnaround.

Having reached just slightly north of $19,000 a pop on December 17, 2017, in a something of a feeding frenzy from the month before (seeing the currency’s value almost quadruple from $5,857.32 on 12 November), Bitcoin’s price retreated and has fallen back to around $6,500 as of today (April 1) – and that’s no joke. Since the peak it equates to a decline of 65% in a matter of fifteen weeks.

Bitcoin was not alone in seeing a price a substantial correction from its peak.

Ethereum’s price, which was standing at around $366 as April 1 is down from over $1,330 – the currency's peak – reached on January 14 this year, while it’s a similar picture declining prices from their highs for Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin and Ripple.

Top Cryptocurrencies: Trading Prices

Dec 17, 2017 April 1, 2018

Bitcoin

$19,086.64 $6,493.84

Ethereum

$717.29 $366.09

Bitcoin Cash

$1,939.93 $633.68

Litecoin

$332.59 $110.86

XRP (Ripple)

$0.76 $0.4713

Source: CoinDesk Inc. Prices in US dollars as of April 1, 2018, 15.20 UTC.

There were stories that many had invested using their credit cards. And, some plucky investors even re-mortgaged their homes. What they are thinking now is anyone’s guess. But if you play high risk markets then there is also the possibility of getting burned big time.

And, if there is one lesson from all this, it is not to believe in all the hype that surrounded cryptocurrencies when the prices were getting pretty frothy and frankly some people were getting ahead of themselves.

This was especially so just prior to Bitcoin futures being traded on the Chicago derivative exchanges, the CBOT and CME. Between the point when it was announced late last October that futures in the cryptocurrency would commence during the fourth quarter 2017 – until Bitcoin’s peak in December – the price had surged by 211%. And, now for Bitcoin we are broadly back at those levels seen when the announcement was made first disseminated to the market by the CME.

Looking back it was unrealistic and unsustainable to expect Bitcoin and other leading cryptocurrencies to continue their explosive runs – ever upwards. And, while not wishing to say I told you so, it is something I had pointed out in some of my previous posts on Forbes. Namely that it didn’t exactly look too healthy or sustainable. Some out there think though there will be correction upwards to where it was before and well beyond, given the recent trading lows over the last 50-day trading period.

Now there has been a tightening of regulations. One of the latest examples being from the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the Paris-based financial regulator, with its communique on 26 March concerning leverage on derivative products related to cryptocurrencies amongst other financial products. Regulators in South Korea and China have also weighed in with pronouncements on bans for Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and other crypto prohibitions over recent months.

It was fortunate perhaps that the latest G20 meeting in Argentina did not bear down on the crypto space as they could have, which had been flagged up as a distinct possibility by French and German central bankers along with Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England and head of the Basle-based Financial Stability Board (FSB).

Investor Appetite?

All of this, however, does not appear to have dampened investors’ drive to be part of the crypto space. Hundreds of millions of dollars in tokens continue to be traded on exchanges. ICOs also continue to rake in the big bucks. Indeed, just three months into 2018 and $4.8 billion in funding has already been raised through various token sales so far.

Blockchain is widely considered to be the next disruptive technology. As such, many believe that the crypto space is a high-potential growth area that could provide massive returns of investment. For early adopters of coins like Bitcoin and Ether, it most definitely has. Although for later ones the jury is out.

As pointed out above, if you bought when the mania gripped at the end of last year you will be nursing a hefty loss. Of course, one might see this as ripe time to buy back in and average out your crypto holdings.

Even established companies are making their respective plays in crypto investing. Trading platform eToro recently secured $100 million in a Series E funding round to support its global expansion and further support of crypto and blockchain. The platform already supports major tokens including Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin and Ripple.

But the funding round hints at the adoption of blockchain technology for its own use. Crypto exchange Poloniex was also recently bought by Circle, a fintech firm backed by Goldman Sachs, which underscores how traditional institutions acknowledge crypto’s impact.

Such developments only help inspire investor confidence, or so some pundits argue. And, even if coins remain far from their all-time highs, backers continue to stake in blockchain and crypto.

And, in that vein here are five reasons as to why the crypto space still continues to encourage more investors to participate.

1. The Promise of Blockchain

It’s tough to argue against blockchain as a technology since there is value in the immutable and transparent record keeping that it provides. But it should be pointed out that Blockchain projects and their protagonists have had a nasty habit of over promising and underdelivering. And, the number of ICOs that failed to deliver in 2017 isn't exactly something to shout about.

Several projects though have already made headway in the areas of finance, healthcare and security. Blockchain’s distributed nature also helps mitigate security and reliability issues that plague other technologies.

Blockchain’s appeal is even bolstered by the emergence of smart contracts and cross-chain interoperability. The possibilities for developing new applications based on blockchain now seem boundless according to the view of some. Because of this, there is no shortage of new and promising ventures building their projects on blockchain.

And, I for one can certainly vouch that hardly a day passes when I do not receive a slew of press release ICO launches in the crypto space. It seems never ending.

Traditional institutions and large enterprises are also committed to adopting the technology. Even banks are forming consortia that would enable them to use blockchain for their various services. Due to this demand, IT providers like IBM and Microsoft are even compelled to offer blockchain-related products and services and blockchain-as-a-service.

2. Unicorn Potential

This next wave of tech companies is attempting to bring disruption to a variety of verticals. New projects have now extended beyond blockchain’s typical use cases and have found their way even in sectors like social networks, media and gaming – all of which are billion-dollar industries.

Casting a wider net could help these ventures catch bigger fish. And, for investors, backing such companies early on could deliver significant returns down the line.

Some may be labeling this boom a bubble, in much the same way as happened with a whole host of dotcom ventures back in the naughtiest (2000’s). While this may be true in some regard, one should not dismiss the likelihood that winners can emerge – even if the bubble bursts.

And, in hindsight, who would not have wanted access to Google or Amazon stocks at pre-IPO or at IPO prices? There is always a chance that this slate of crypto-based projects may include future unicorns.

3. Early “In”

Clearly, not everyone is a venture capitalist (VC) or an angel investor who could find early “ins” to startups. This typically requires a certain amount of clout and reputation in the business community as well as significant wealth in the war chest. The only way ordinary people were able to invest in new companies was to wait for a public offering.

Today, ICOs have allowed just about anyone to invest early in new projects. ICOs now generates 3.5 times more capital than VC funding. This is largely due to how ordinary investors could invest even relatively small amounts right at the start, based on the promise of returns once the token hits exchanges or when the venture eventually flies.

4. Fundamentals Start to Matter

More investors are also realizing that they should not be rash in spending their money on any ICO that comes their way. It does take disciplined due diligence to spot potential unicorns. But even a good idea does not necessarily come to fruition until the service goes live and the market takes to it.

Fortunately, more investors are learning to look into a project’s fundamentals. The uniqueness and value of the concept, the token economy, the potential for target verticals to be disrupted by the technology, the strength of teams behind the projects, and other factors are now being considered by investors.

This rising focus on fundamentals can eventually help minimize speculation and the market’s volatility and even encourage traditional investors to participate.

5. Global Reach

Traditional investing has largely been geographically limited due to the regulatory constraints. ICOs, however, have opened up the game, allowing investors from all over the world to participate. This is also becoming increasingly easy given how established platforms are supporting more cryptocurrencies.

While some countries have already put up stringent regulations to limit and even ban crypto investing, many countries still only advise their citizens to be cautious when investing in crypto. Investors from these certain countries are otherwise unbridled to trade cryptocurrencies.

Risks and Rewards

At the end of the day, investing as a financial activity entails risks and rewards. While crypto investing seems to carry more risk due to the technology and space’s infancy, the rewards can also be significant.

Fortunately, the crypto space appears to be headed – some believe – towards normalcy as regulation and a focus on fundamentals are helping lessen speculation. Increasing support by traditional trading platforms and the participation of other established organizations also helps bring legitimacy to crypto activities, which ultimately should inspire investor confidence.

Add to all this, the space continues to make significant money. And, as long as this is the case, it will continue to attract enterprising parties from all over. But watch this space.

Roger Aitken , CONTRIBUTOR

Posted by David Ogden Entrepreneur

David Ogden – Http://markethive.com/david-ogden

5 ALTCOINS WITH MAJOR EVENTS THE WEEK OF APRIL 1, 2018 (GAINS LIKELY TO BEAT BITCOIN RETURNS!)

This past week has seen Bitcoin and many altcoins fluctuate dramatically. These significant fluctuations can be profited off of by trading or increasing one’s position in the underlying crypto. The upcoming week has major events for five cryptocurrencies: PRL, UKG, EOS, PKB, and BRD.

THE MARKET CONDITIONS

In December of 2017, Bitcoin was pushing the $20,000 mark with many experts predicting a run much higher. The bull market turned bear and BTC is currently priced at approximately $7,000 per coin. This sixty plus percent retraction has led altcoins to retract even further. Bitcoin’s dominance in the past three months has increased as the total market cap of all cryptos has decreased. BTC now makes up a greater share (percentage wise) of the total crypto markets than it did in December, when its price was 200% higher.

Markets in turmoil usually scare investors away. However, the savvy investor is keenly aware of the opportunities markets in turmoil provide. There are buying opportunities galore with many altcoins having major events on a weekly basis. Rotating one’s holding from one altcoin to another week to week is a timely task but if accomplished in a sophisticated manner can lead to substantial returns outpacing Bitcoin and the rest of the crypto markets.

This week has 5 altcoins with major events: PRL, UKG, EOS, PKB, and BRD.

PRL – OYSTER PROTOCOL (SHL AIRDROP, EXCHANGE SUPPORT)

The SHL airdrop to PRL holders is finally a week away! On April 6, 2018, each holder of PRL will receive a 1:1 ratio of SHL for each PRL crypto held. Last week no exchanges had announced support for the airdrop. However, this week, the exchange PRL is predominantly traded on expressed their support for the airdrop. Now holders of PRL in their wallets or on the main PRL exchange can easily attain the SHL tokens.

PRL is planning to revolutionize the way web hosts earn an income. Instead of advertising revenue making up the majority of income for web hosts; PRL intends to replace ad revenue. Web hosts will soon be able to input a line of code into their websites that allow for no advertisements but still provide revenue based on total views/visitors. How is this completed? Well, the visitor to the website is unaware but a miniscule amount of their spare computing power is used to confirm transactions on the PRL network, rewarding the webhost in PRL tokens.

The amount of revenue attained from removing advertisers is expected to surpass the amount received from running advertisements. PRL is a great crypto without having to airdrop SHL, but SHL adds any entirely new degree of value in the form of an airdrop. SHL intends to decentralize the internet and if it comes even close to its ambitions should increase exponentially in value.

As airdrops approach the underlying crypto usually increases until exchange support is announced or declined. If a major exchange supports the airdrop the value of the underlying crypto tends to increase until the date of the airdrop. If an exchange declines support for the airdrop the crypto generally retracts significantly as individuals have to decide to move the crypto to a desktop/application based wallet or to sell at the current price. PRL received support for their SHL token airdrop on the main exchange PRL is traded.

This week should be a very positive week for PRL. Following the airdrop, there should be a significant correction in the price of PRL as many are currently holding for the SHL token.

UKG – UNIKOIN GOLD (ESPORTS LIVE BETTING, SPECTATOR BETTING)

Unikoin Gold (UKG) is an ERC-20 token that has been incorporated into the Unikrn platform. The Unikrn platform specializes in licensed, legal betting on eSports tournaments and matches. UKG provides a reward and incentivization structure for teams, players, and the participants of eSports. One of the biggest backers of the Unikrn project is the infamous Mark Cuban, billionaire, investor, Dallas Mavericks owner, and television personality. With investors such as Mark Cuban and a major upcoming week UKG should see a strong rally in the short term.

UKG is fairly useless without its Esports live betting and spectator betting platforms. Well, these platforms allegedly go live this week, on April 6, 2018. If UKG achieves this deadline the price of UKG will respond accordingly in a positive manner. Similarly, if UKG misses this deadline the public will lose faith regardless of the importance of Mark Cuban. What UKG is “supposed” to be, a major aspect of their roadmap, and the backbone of the platform is supposed to go live in less than a week. The ability to access spectator and Esports betting is what gives UKG utility. Utility adds value more than anything else in the crypto space.

If UKG is able to implement spectator and Esports live betting this week UKG should see a nice boost in sentiment regarding the coin, and the underlying value of UKG.

EOS – EOS (DAWN 3.0 RELEASE)

EOS is a similar cryptocurrency to Ethereum (ETH) but excels in areas ETH fails. EOS specializes in scalability, an area where ETH suffers greatly. However, ETH has attained the most important thing of all: market penetration. The overwhelming majority of ICOs from the past year were ETH based on the ERC-20 platform. This sheer quantity led to many scaling problems for ETH and this is specifically where EOS excels.

For those that are not technology advanced understanding what Dawn 3.0 is will be fairly difficult. To summarize, Dawn 3.0 is finally stable enough to release as an Alpha and will soon become the GitHub master branch for EOS. This substantial development for EOS ensures its relevancy in the future as long as ICOs continued to be launched.

EOS is on the cusp of being fully implemented and functioning. Once these benchmarks in their roadmap are met, EOS will have an inherent advantage when compared to other cryptos that specialize in ICOs. It is expected by many crypto enthusiasts that EOS is the only capable platform able to handle full-scale commercial decentralized applications. Once this is achieved developers and investors will flock to the EOS platform for its advantages over other ICO platforms. Dawn 3.0 is the beginning of being able to understand what these advances truly include.

BRD – BREAD (IOS AND ANDROID UPDATES)

The BRD token was sold during an ICO to raise money for the Bread App (a great mobile wallet for iOS and Android). It seems curious but currently, the Bread App only can buy, sell, and transfer Bitcoin (BTC). The Bread application currently does not have the ability to hold the BRD token. This will obviously change in the short term with April 7, 2018, being the targeted date. The plan according to BRD is to update the iOS and Android applications to support ETH, ERC-20 tokens, and Bitcoin Cash (BCC). BRD currently has no utility and cannot even be held in the Bread application.

This week should be the last week the Bread application cannot hold BRD tokens. By incorporating BRD, ETH, ERC-20 tokens, BTC, and BCC all in one mobile wallet many individuals may begin using Bread for its overwhelming benefits. Once BRD can be held on the Bread application the plan is to allow BRD to be used to “unlock” special features within the app. If a wallet user has 10,000 BRD for example, they may be able to purchase BTC for a 1% fee instead of the industry standard of over 4%. The more BRD you hold in your wallet, the more benefits the user will receive for possessing them.

BRD’s token is about to be given significant utility by being able to provide the holder special benefits within the Bread application. This system creates an environment where holders of BRD are not selling but continuing to acquire as their will be benefits based on quantity held. By decreasing supply on the open market while increasing utility of BRD, the price should correspondingly increase.

PKB – PARKBYTE DELISTING (BITTREX, SHORT)

Not all news is “good” in crypto. PKB is being delisted from Bittrex on April 6, 2018. PKB was unable to provide all the documentation Bittrex requested in the 7-day time frame they were given. Unfortunately for PKB holders, this resulted in their delisting by Bittrex. Other cryptos like MTL have rebounded following their delisting but it seems PKB may fall into the majority category and fade into oblivion unless they can create positive sentiment very quickly. Being delisted from Bittrex generally is a “nail in the coffin” unless significant changes, public outreach, and a strong team remain.

PKB has a solid team but with a market cap of under $500,000, it seems unlikely they can revive their project following a Bittrex delisting. However, if they are able to this very small market cap crypto that can still be purchased on Bittrex will skyrocket in value. Of the coins on this list this is the only one that is reasonably expected to continue fading into oblivion. There is no real ability to short this crypto which would be the recommendation but if you are feeling risky do the opposite of what the public does! This is crypto, anything can happen.

If PKB can get themselves relisted or provide project updates that change market sentiment, expect this very small market cap crypto to increase dramatically in value. With the current negative news regarding a delisting, this is a very risky coin to hold but provides more upside than any on this list.

EVERY WEEK HAS GREAT OPPORTUNITIES, FINDING THEM IS NOT ALWAYS EASY

This week has four coins with great upcoming news and one with very negative news. This is a very exciting time for crypto as a whole as many projects started six months ago are finally coming to fruition this week. With such important events in the upcoming week it is important to stay diversified while keeping an eye on five coins for the upcoming week. These five coins should fluctuate dramatically depending on the developments over the next week.

Author JAKETHECRYPTOKING · MARCH 31, 2018 · 5:00 PM

Posted by David Ogden Entrepreneur
David Ogden Cryptocurrency Entrepreneur

David Ogden – Http://markethive.com/david-ogden

Criminal Bitcoin Trader Found Guilty of Money Laundering in Arizona

Though many convicted criminals serve time and receive help reforming, for one Bitcoin trader, his record continues to grow from felony marijuana charges to money laundering.

First reported by CCN earlier as an “unlicensed money transmitting business,” it appears as though Thomas Mario Costanzo, who often goes by ‘Morpheus Titania,’ hasn’t yet learned his lesson in following the law, including legal Bitcoin trading, and now awaits his June sentencing regarding yesterday’s trial.

Participating in Costanzo’s investigation, begun in 2014, were the IRS, DEA, USPS, Scottsdale Police Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, and Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. A Phoenix federal jury has now found the Arizona resident guilty of five counts of money laundering.

Trading Bitcoin with undercover agents, Costanzo encouraged cryptocurrency as a means of purchasing illegal drugs. Without providing transparency about transactions, crypto was promoted as a way to limit exposure with law enforcement.
Found guilty of exchanging nearly $165,000 from alleged drug traffickers (undercover federal agents) over the course of two years, Costanzo failed to identify his customers. He also concealed proceeds and charged anywhere from seven to ten percent commission for peer-to-peer transactions, rather than functioning within the legal limits for online exchange.

Arizona’s Bitcoin Laws

According to Arizona’s HB2417 bill, passed last spring:
“SMART CONTRACTS MAY EXIST IN COMMERCE. A CONTRACT RELATING TO A 36 TRANSACTION MAY NOT BE DENIED LEGAL EFFECT, VALIDITY OR ENFORCEABILITY 37 SOLELY BECAUSE THAT CONTRACT CONTAINS A SMART CONTRACT TERM.”

But while Bitcoin, and alt crypto, transactions are legal in the state, it would be expected that residents trade in accordance with the law. At minimum, doing so would help Arizona residents avoid twenty-year prison sentences and quarter-million-dollar fines per conviction, like those potentially awaiting Costanzo.

As CCN correspondent P. H. Madore wrote in July, 2017, “people like Costanzo are not the norm in Bitcoin trading.” What is the norm in Bitcoin trading is following the confines of the law to the best of one’s ability.
Though this is a case of one criminal using Bitcoin in an illegal manner, it gives an unnecessarily bad name to cryptocurrencies, especially in a time when their validity and the governance thereof is in question.

There’s too much fear-driven propaganda already, and those interested in Bitcoin or alt trading need to remember breaking the law isn’t what cryptocurrencies were designed for. And just because one man can’t manage to govern himself, the future of crypto is not at risk.

Even for those questioning the SEC’s inquiries into crypto regulations, regulations such as Know-Your-Customer (KYC) verifications serve to protect all involved, necessary when it comes to potential trading with criminals such as Costanzo.

Author BITCOIN CRIME MARCH 31, 2018 03:52

Posted by David Ogden Entrepreneur

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Bitcoin Cash Price Technical Analysis â BCH USD Crashes Below $700

Bitcoin Cash Price Technical Analysis – BCH/USD Crashes Below $700

Key Points

Bitcoin cash price struggled to move higher and declined sharply below the $700 level against the US Dollar.
There are two key bearish trend lines forming with resistances near $750 and $850 on the hourly chart of the BCH/USD pair (data feed from Kraken).
The pair may continue to struggle, and it could even trade towards $600 in the near term.

Bitcoin cash price faced a lot of heat and declined sharply against the US Dollar. BCH/USD even traded below he $700 level and it remains at a risk of more losses.

Bitcoin Cash Price Downside

There was a lot of increase in selling pressure, resulting in a push below the $750 support in bitcoin cash price against the US Dollar. The price declined heavily and even broke the $700 level. A low was formed at $679 from where a minor correction was initiated. At the moment, the price is well below the $750 level and the 100 hourly simple moving average.

There are many bearish signs on the chart with a daily close below $750. An initial resistance is around the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the last decline from the $898 high to $679 low. More importantly, there are two key bearish trend lines forming with resistances near $750 and $850 on the hourly chart of the BCH/USD pair. The first trend line is very important since it is near $750 pivot level. Moreover, the 50% Fib retracement level of the last decline from the $898 high to $679 low is also around the trend line.

herefore, any upsides are likely to be capped by the $720 and $750 levels. On the downside, the price may soon break the $650 level for more losses.

Looking at the technical indicators:

Hourly MACD – The MACD for BCH/USD is gaining downside momentum in the bearish zone.

Hourly RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The RSI for BCH/USD is now around the 30 level.

Major Support Level – $650

Major Resistance Level – $750

Author AAYUSH JINDAL | MARCH 30, 2018 | 4:08 AM

Posted by David Ogden Entrepreneur

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Looking Ahead To $20,000 Bitcoin

In last week’s Investor Alert, our investment team shared with you a report from Morgan Stanley that says Bitcoin’s price decline since December mimics the Nasdaq tech bubble in the late 1990s. This isn’t earth-shattering news in and of itself. The main difference is that the bitcoin rout happened at 15 times the rate as the tech bubble.

Morgan Stanley has some good news for Bitcoin bulls, however: The 70 percent decline is “nothing out of the ordinary,” and what’s more, such corrections “have historically preceded rallies.” Just as the Nasdaq gained back much of what it lost in the subsequent years—before the financial crisis pared losses even further—bitcoin could similarly be ready to stage a strong recovery.

One research firm, in fact, believes Bitcoin and other digital coins, or “alt-coins,” have likely found a bottom. New York-based Fundstrat, headed by strategist Thomas Lee, issued a statement to investors last week saying that, though a cryptocurrency bull market isn’t necessarily underway, the worst of the pain could be “largely over.”

Fundstrat research shows that periods of cryptocurrency consolidation, or “purgation,” generally last 70 to 231 days. Bitcoin hit its all-time high in mid-December, almost 70 days ago as of March 26. Taking into consideration Fundstrat’s estimates, then, it’s possible the bear market could conclude sometime between now and early August.

In the meantime, Lee writes, alt-coin investors should stick with larger-cap cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple.

Take the Long-Term View

It’s helpful to compare Bitcoin with Nasdaq, as Morgan Stanley did, but what about comparing the current cycle with one from the past?

In June 2011, Bitcoin peaked at nearly $30 and found a bottom of $2.02 five months later, in November. It would be an additional 15 months before it returned to its former high. This might seem like a long time to some, but investors who managed to get in at the bottom would have seen their position grow more than 1,300%.

So can Bitcoin do the same today? Obviously no one can say for sure, but what I can say with certainty is that Bitcoin, like all digital coins, is highly volatile. Plus, there’s not quite 10 years’ worth of data, meaning it’s been difficult to identify trends.

Cryptocurrencies are also currently facing tougher oversight from several world governments and central banks, not to mention Facebook and Twitter’s bans on ads promoting them—obstacles they didn’t have to contend with back in 2011 and 2012.

But I remain bullish. Cryptocurrencies are still in their very early stages. To return to the comparison with tech stocks, we don’t know at this point which digital coins will be tomorrow’s equivalent of Amazon, Google, Apple and Facebook. A long-term view is key.

Finally, I still believe in the power of Metcalfe’s law, which says that as more and more people adopt a new technology—cell phones, for instance, or Facebook—its value goes up geometrically. A poll conducted in February shows that just under 8% of American adults report ever owning or purchasing any cryptocurrencies. Market penetration, then, hasn’t been as pervasive as some might expect, but as people increasingly become more confident in dipping their toes in the space, demand could rise and, with it, prices.

Author Frank Holmes

Posted by David Ogden Entrepreneur
David ogden Cryptocurrency entrepreneur

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Vitalik Wants You to Pay to Slow Ethereums Growth

Could adding a new fee help preserve ethereum in the long term?

It's a contentious statement in light of the debates ongoing across blockchains over how and when users should pay to support what amount to global computing networks. However, the concept is now gaining notable momentum on ethereum, most recently from the creator of the world's second-largest blockchain himself, Vitalik Buterin.

Buterin's concept, described in a recent blog post, revolves around so-called "rent fees," whereby users would be asked to pay to use the network based on how long they'd like their data to remain accessible on the blockchain.

The idea has recently seen interest generally, as ethereum developers have sought to cope with the platform's increased adoption, and, in turn, the increased amount of data being added that all network nodes need to store.

In short, it's a tragedy of the commons issue – if too many people use the resource for free, the network starts taking on the costs itself. And there's plenty of evidence to suggest that there is already reason to worry.

With rising use spurred by popular apps and ICOs, notable developers, including ethereum researchers Vlad Zamfir and Phil Daian, believe the problem needs to be addressed now.

"No one likes talking about rent, but we need to have this conversation," ethereum developer and Thiel fellow Raul Johnson recently tweeted.

"Core developers need to relay this information to the smart contract developer community ASAP to get their opinions on the matter," he continued, adding:

"The current system as it stands is unsustainable."

Fees, explored

Still, Buterin's backing could be a sign that momentum might build around the idea.

So far, he has broached the idea with a pair of proposals on the subject, including a succinct possible solution he calls "a simple and principled way to compute rent fees." And Buterin's first proposal is as simple as its title suggests.

The idea is to compute fees based on a long-term limit on the "state," a slice of special ethereum data that node operators need to store, which tracks who owns the current information about all apps (including user balances, who has posted so much data in, say, a Twitter replacement app and so on).

Under the proposal, state data stored in a node computer's RAM – now about 5GB – will never be allowed to exceed 500 GB. To ensure this, users will have to pay fees based on how long their data is stored. In this way, data is kept in check, since fees will grow if storage creeps toward that limit.

One notable part of Buterin's proposal is that he tries to incorporate a scaling change that ethereum developers have long wanted to add to the platform.

Although the most recent roadmap claims deployment is still years away, "sharding," as it's known, could potentially boost the amount of resources a database can handle by splitting up the data. In ethereum, the idea is, each node wouldn't have to store all of ethereum's historical data – just a slice of it.

"With sharding, the maximum acceptable state size would be per-shard, so the above fees would be decreased by a factor of 100," Buterin said.

Buterin also tries to address another key problem with rent: its bad user-experience. Most rent proposals today would require users to know how long their data will need to live ahead of time, which would be prone to error.

His second proposal explores a way of quashing this annoying guessing game by letting users use their state even after it has expired. Essentially, they would prove that their state existed at a previous point in time, with the help of a cryptographic technique called a "Merkle proof."

Deep-rooted problem

One problem with all this, though, is that fees, kind of like taxes, are never popular.

Bitcoin's years-long debate, for example, mostly centered on fees and the trade-offs associated with them. If fees are increased, less data will be stored, making full nodes easier to run. The downside, of course, is it would make the cryptocurrency more expensive to use.

One question is whether ethereum users and developers will react the same way, arguing "the rent is too damn high." In this way, Johnson worries that suddenly adding extra fees would alarm developers who have already deployed apps on ethereum.

Johnson argues for changes that aren't so knee-jerk and should be phased in slowly to give developers time to adjust.

Not to mention, some believe a similar rent needs to be applied to all cryptocurrencies. Indeed, scaling problems – and the associated fees – are a problem across blockchains.

Daian went as far as to argue that bitcoin needs to apply the same model. Like ethereum, bitcoin currently doesn't charge for the lifetime of a coin.

"Bitcoin is not free of these issues," he said, arguing that its simpler model incentivizes state bloat in a variety of ways, "exposing users to a variety of other consequences of mispriced storage."

Pricing resources to the right degree is such an important area of research, that Daian, a smart contract researcher at IC3, and others at the institute have set up an initiative called Project Chicago dedicated to the effort.

Even if this is a lesser-explored area and researchers haven't yet found a concrete solution, he's optimistic.

Daian concluded:

"No cryptocurrency has figured out good models for pricing these resources thus far, and ethereum's storage rent represents a step in the right direction towards these goals.

Author: Alyssa Hertig Updated Mar 28, 2018 at 03:07 UTC

Posted by David Ogden Entrepreneur
David ogden Cryptocurrency Entrepreneur

David Ogden – Http://markethive.com/david-ogden

Bitcoin Hovers Near $8,000 Level as Investors Weigh Twitter Ban

Bitcoin swung between gains and losses near the $8,000 level, paring an earlier rebound, as investors digested the decision by Twitter Inc. to ban advertisements for initial coin offerings and token sales on its service.

The largest cryptocurrency traded flat at $7,847.87 as of 11 a.m. in Hong Kong, according to consolidated Bloomberg pricing. The digital currency had earlier jumped as much as 4.8 percent, reversing an overnight decline that took Bitcoin down to about $7,850. Rival coins Ripple, Ether and Litecoin also erased gains. Bitcoin remains down 25 percent in March.

Twitter confirmed Monday it’s banning the advertisements on its platform due to concern the content is often related to deception and fraud, according to a company spokesperson. The decision comes after Facebook Inc. banned cryptocurrency ads in January and Alphabet Inc.’s Google said it would do the same starting in June.

Since Bitcoin reached a peak of almost $20,000 in mid-December at the height of the cryptocurrency frenzy, the digital currency has lost more than half of its value as investors weigh the future of the emerging space amid intensifying scrutiny from global regulators.

Cboe Global Markets Inc., which was the first U.S. exchange to list Bitcoin futures last year, continues to have plans to introduce more cryptocurrency-related products. The exchange operator prodded U.S. securities regulators Monday to consider approving crypto exchange-traded funds in a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Author Eric Lamb

Updated on 27 March 2018, 04:04 BST

Posted By David Ogden Entrepreneur

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Bitcoin, Ethereum, And Litecoin Are The Most Popular Cryptocurrency Investments Among Millennials

Millennials love cryptocurrencies. For a couple of reasons. One of them is the technology behind them that promises to modernize capitalism, and free it from the tight control of big governments and big banks. The other reason is the potential cryptocurrencies have to make investors rich quickly, provided that they continue to rise at an astronomical pace.

That’s why, among millennials, cryptocurrencies were a popular choice to invest $10,000 in, in a recent survey of 1000 Americans.

Specifically, the survey found that 9.19% of millennials (18-34) would invest the $10,000 in cryptocurrencies, compared to 4.04% of Generation Xers (35-54), and (3.08%) of Baby Boomers (55+).

What’s more interesting is that Bitcoin remains by far the most popular choice, followed by Ethereum, and Litecoin. Specifically, 76% of the millennials in the survey said that they would invest the $10,000 in Bitcoin, 12% in Ethereum, and 12% in Litecoin—see table 1.

Table1

In Which Cryptocurrencies Millennials Will Invest $10,000

Source: LendEDU

To a great extent, the survey results are as one might have expected. The survey rankings of major cryptocurrencies match their market capitalization rankings—see table 2. The only exception is Ripple, which is third in market capitalization, and nowhere to be found in the survey rankings.

That means Litecoin is more popular than Ripple.

Table 2

Cryptocurrencies by Market Capitalization

*As of Sunday March 25, 2018, at 11 a.m

Source: Coinranking.com

There are a couple explanations for that. One of them is that the survey sample is extremely small, and therefore could easily have missed those who could invest the $10,000 in Ripple. Another answer is that the rise of Ripple in market capitalization is fairly recent, and therefore has yet to capture the attention of the average millennial investor.

Contributor Panos Mourdoukoutas

Posted by David Ogden Entrepreneur
David Ogden Cryptocurrency Entrepreneur

David Ogden – Http://markethive.com/david-ogden