• Bitcoin price hit highs of $26,553 on Coinbase, with 16% upside in 24 hours.
• US inflation data showed CPI rose 6% in the past 12 months in February.
• On-chain data suggests BTC price could rally to $30,000 in the short term.

Bitcoin Price Hits 26K

Bitcoin price hit highs of $26,553 on Coinbase, with 16% upside in 24 hours. This was a result of the crypto market reacting positively to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) data by the US Department of Labor. The total crypto market cap surged by more than 14%, and major altcoins like Ethereum and BNB hit highs of $1,750 and $315 respectively.

US Inflation Data

The US Department of Labor reported that CPI rose 0.4% in February and 6% over the last year – aligning with market expectations. The core CPI, which excludes food and energy items, increased by 5.5%. Stocks opened higher on Tuesday as investors turned attention to the Federal Reserve and its interest rates path.

On-Chain Data Suggests Rally

On-chain data shared by market research platform IntoTheBlock shows Bitcoin faces minimal selling pressure to around $30,000 which could lead to a potential rally for BTC price from its current price point at around $26k.

Silicon Valley Bank Collapse

Yesterday’s bullish sentiment was buoyed by the US government’s actions in the wake of Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse which led to a surge from lows of $20k up to breaking above $24k for Bitcoin price.

Fed Interest Rates Path

Market analyst Carl Quantanilla points out that this scenario “isn’t the best-case scenario” but there are enough dovish pieces that can give Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell cover to dramatically shift policy measures when it comes to interest rates paths.

• Crypto and stocks reacted negatively to comments about US inflation by Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
• Bitcoin traded to lows of $22,120 while the S&P 500 fell 1%.
• Investors are now likely to turn their attention to the next Fed meeting in March.

Crypto Market Reaction

Cryptocurrencies fell early Tuesday, with Bitcoin trading towards support around $22,100 on broader market reaction to comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. Coin360 crypto map showing price dump after Powell’s remarks. Source: Coin360

Stock Market Reaction

The reaction also saw US stocks slip after Monday’s gains, with investors appearing to have been spooked by Powell’s remarks on interest rates. Crypto, stocks fall on Fed Chair remarks

Federal Reserve Comments

Powell was on Tuesday making his first of two appearances before US Congress – first at the Senate Banking Committee and on the second day, at the House Financial Services Committee. The central bank’s monetary policy, particularly on inflation, is a key element of the Fed Chair’s prepared testimony. Notably, Powell told lawmakers that it is possible the Fed will look to raise interest rates further given recent economic data that came in hotter than expected. According to the Fed, these sets of economic metrics suggest interest rates could still go up. This, he noted, will be warranted if outlook indicated there’s need for faster tightening.

Impact On Markets

Following the news, crypto, stocks and bonds reacted lower as the dollar index rose. Bitcoin touched 24-hour lows of $22,120, while Ethereum fell to support near $1,540. Across the stock market

• Wakweli is a web3 infrastructure protocol that has closed and announced it successfully raised $1.1 million in its seed funding round.
• The protocol uses a decentralized consensus algorithm called Proof-of-Democracy (PoD) and aims to create a reference of trust for the decentralized ecosystem for preserving market integrity of tokenized assets.
• Several investment firms including Summit, Funfair Ventures, several business angles, and dozens of early investors participated in the funding round.

NFT Certification Protocol Wakweli Raises $1.1M in Its First Funding Round

Wakweli, a Web3 infrastructure protocol that issues NFT authenticity certificates, has closed and announced that it succeeded in rising $1.1 million in its seed funding round. The funds will enable Wakweli to roll out its product offerings which use a decentralized consensus algorithm called Proof-of-Democracy (PoD). Several investment firms including Summit, Funfair Ventures, several business angels, and dozens of early investors participated in the funding round showing confidence in the protocols objectives.

Objectives of Wakweli’s Product Offerings

Wakweli is a Geneva-based startup incubated by software firm EverdreamSoft which was founded with the aim of becoming the reference of trust for the decentralized ecosystem for preserving market integrity of tokenized assets. It launched its website, whitepaper, and Alpha version of its protocol in 2022 and is looking to create a dedicated foundation this year to manage and encourage projects to build on its layers as well as apply for token grants distributed by its on-chain treasury.

Issues With NFT Scams And Copyright Infringement

Since it was founded Wakweli has worked hard at trying to solve issues with NFT scams and cases of copyright infringement which have become very rampant within the crypto sphere. This is especially relevant since asset tokenisation is projected to grow into an industry worth approximately $16 trillion dollars by 2030 according to global consulting firm BCG meaning authenticity will likely remain an important area for many years ahead.

Praise from FunFair Ventures COO Lloyd Purser

FunFair Ventures COO Lloyd Purser praised Wakweli’s principal use case stating : “The problem Wakweli is solving is very real and needs addressing; it is critical part of web3’s journey towards mass adoption. The team is hugely experienced passionate has shown great trajectory we firmly believe that Wakweli will be key enabler growing use web3 technology years come.“

Conclusion

In conclusion, with this first funding round having been successfully completed Wakweli should be able to move forward with their product offering which should help address some of major issues around authenticating NFTs as well as other tokenised assets providing trustworthiness security these markets going forward into future

• The New York Attorney General Letitia James has sued cryptocurrency exchange CoinEX for failing to register its services with the state.
• CoinEX also failed to comply with a subpoena it was served a few weeks ago, presenting itself as an exchange.
• The petition wants to stop the cryptocurrency exchange from carrying out unauthorised activities in New York and obtain an accounting of all fees received from New York customers.

New York Attorney General Sues CoinEx

The New York Attorney General Letitia James has sued cryptocurrency trading platform CoinEX for failing to register its services with the state, according to a petition filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York on Wednesday. The crypto exchange also failed to comply with a subpoena it was served last month.

CoinEx Offers Unauthorized Services

The lawsuit alleges that CoinEx offered, sold, purchased and effected transactions in cryptocurrencies that are commodities and securities without being registered as a commodity broker-dealer and a securities broker or dealer in New York. Some of these tokens are regarded as commodities and securities under the Martin Act, a New York securities law since they represent investments of money in common enterprises with profits to be derived primarily from the efforts of others.

New York Seeks Blocking Access & Accounting Of Fees

The attorney general seeks to block access from IP addresses located in New York State, stop the unauthorized activities carried out by CoinEX within the state borders, and obtain an accounting of all fees received from customers based in New York State.

Securities & Commodities Offered By CoinEx

The four tokens offered as securities and commodities by CoinEx include; AMP, LBRY token („LBC“), LUNA and Rally („$RLY“).

History Of NY AG’s Office With Crypto Players

This isn’t surprising given NY’s history when it comes to filing lawsuits against crypto firms and individuals who fail to meet the regulatory requirements set by NY regulators.

• Ethereum rebounded in 2023 after a bearish market in 2022.
• A triangle as a reversal pattern reveals a bullish medium-term perspective.
• The rally on the small timeframes might continue.

Cryptocurrency Market Rebound

The cryptocurrency market rebounded in 2023 after a bearish market in 2022. Bitcoin led the decline, and other cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum followed suit due to the US dollar’s strength and other factors such as the FTX scandal which left many investors without funds.

ETH/USD Long-Term View

On the monthly chart, $1000 acted as solid support for Ethereum. Often, round numbers offer support or resistance, and this appears to be the case here since it is a large timeframe chart – making any support or resistance even stronger. Therefore, Ethereum bounced from this level of support.

Medium-Term Perspective

Looking at the daily chart, there is still a bullish bias present in Ethereum’s price action. The cryptocurrency consolidated above its former support level of $1000 before forming a contracting triangle which acted as a reversal pattern – breaking through its upper trendline. This means that any long trades should take into account this end of triangle level for invalidation purposes.

Short-Term View

In terms of short-term movement, it appears that Ethereum is forming a pennant which is usually followed by another rally. However, until the price breaks higher from this consolidation pattern it will be difficult to predict where exactly the market will go next on such a small timeframe. Nonetheless, an inverse head and shoulder pattern has been formed which could signal further upside potential for ETH/USD pair if it can break above its neckline resistance level at $1300 soon enough.

Conclusion

Overall, Ethereum’s technical analysis indicates that there may still be more room to rally if certain levels are broken on both short and long-term perspectives respectively before any major corrections occur again in the future – continuing with its current rebound momentum seen since early 2023 so far!

• Most crypto business leaders studied Computer science or MBA, according to Coinjournal’s Dan Ashmore.
• The University of California leads the way as the most common institution attended by crypto executives.
• North America leads the way in terms of crypto salaries with employees earning an average of $120,000 annually.

Crypto Leaders Studied Computer Science or Have an MBA

Coinjournal’s analyst Dan Ashmore spoke to CNBC earlier this week, where he discussed various trends in the cryptocurrency space. While speaking to CNBC, Ashmore revealed that during the early days of crypto, the industry welcomed people from various fields, including less popular ones like philosophy. However, as the industry continues to evolve, most cryptocurrency leaders either have an MBA or study computer science and other related courses.

Universities Attended by Crypto Executives

When asked about the crypto executives that studied computer science or have an MBA, Ashmore replied that the „most obvious“ example is Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao who studied Computer Science at Montreal’s McGill University. Looking at the universities attended by cryptocurrency executives, the University of California tops the list. According to Coinjournal’s research, 13 cryptocurrency executives attended the University of California, while 11 of them went to Harvard. Stanford University comes third on the list with eight cryptocurrency business leaders. Ashmore added that; „In terms of non-US universities, we saw Cambridge up there but they say it is still a very US-dominated industry.“

Remote Work Takes Precedence

Ashmore further noted that remote work has become more prevalent in recent years due to increased access to technology and resources for remote working setups. This has allowed for a wider range of talent from different parts of world to access top jobs in tech and finance companies such as those within crypto space without needing to move countries or relocate cities for their career growths prospects.

North America Leads The Way In Salary

CNBC also looked into Coinjournal’s research on countries with highest salaries for cryptocurrency workers. According to report ,North America leads way here too ,with crypto employees in continent earning average $120 000 annually .This number is higher than many traditional finance sector jobs .

Conclusion

The early days of cryptocurrencies were open for people from all backgrounds however now its becoming more mainstream which means most prominent business leaders are those who studied computer science or have an MBA .The University if California was found out be be leading university attended by these leaders followed closely by Harvard and Stanford . Furthermore ,North America appears lead salary wise with workers earning around $120 000 annually . With advances in technology remote work has made it possible for wider range talent participate without having move countries or relocate cities .

• Ethereum’s Shanghai upgrade is slated for March and will release 16.1 million ETH, worth $26 billion, back into circulation
• Ethereum transaction volume has decreased from a peak of 1.5 million per day to around one million currently
• Total Value Locked (TVL) in Ethereum is down 74% from its peak of $109 billion in November 2021

Ethereum’s Upcoming Shanghai Upgrade

The much-awaited Shanghai upgrade is slated for March. This upgrade will unlock 16.1 million ETH, which is equivalent to 15% of the entire supply, and worth close to $26 billion at time of writing.

Transaction Volume and TVL Decline

Transaction volume for Ethereum has decreased from a peak of 1.5 million transactions per day to around one million currently. Total Value Locked (TVL) in Ethereum is also down to $28 billion, a 74% fall from its peak of $109 billion in November 2021.

Capital Flight From The Space

Capital has been fleeing the crypto space due to higher interest rates from the Fed offering investors an alternate source of yield, while DeFi rates have collapsed. This capital flight has been demonstrated by the drop in TVL across all cryptocurrencies over the last year.

Ethereum Market Share Growing In A Smaller Pie

Despite this decline in activity, Ethereum’s market share has grown compared with its rivals who have fallen significantly more since their peaks last year. Although it may be taking up a bigger piece of a smaller market size pie, it still shows that many investors are holding onto their Ether despite the current bear market conditions.

What To Expect After The Shanghai Upgrade?

After the long wait for investors finally comes to an end with the release of 16.4 milion ETH after the Shanghai upgrade next month, we can expect increased activity and possibly higher prices as investor sentiment improves following this eventful date on the calendar for Ethereum holders everywhere!

• The Bitcoin hash rate is the amount of computing power contributed towards mining.
• It has continued to take new all-time highs, squeezing miners‘ profitability.
• A high hash rate implies a healthier and more secure Bitcoin network.

The Bitcoin hash rate is an indicator of the amount of computing power that is being devoted to the network through mining. This power, which is used to validate transactions and secure the Bitcoin network, has been steadily increasing over the last few years, reaching all-time highs in recent months. This has had a profound impact on miners, as the increase in hash rate has driven up competition and squeezed miner profits, at a time when electricity costs have risen and the Bitcoin price has fallen.

For many, the increasing hash rate is a sign that Bitcoin is growing in popularity and becoming more secure. As more miners join the network, the difficulty of the puzzles that the miners have to solve increases, meaning that the blockchain is more secure. This, in turn, is a sign of the network’s health and potential for continued growth.

The hash rate is also a useful tool for predicting the future of Bitcoin. For example, as the hash rate increases, so too does the difficulty of mining a block. This means that miners need to invest in more powerful and expensive equipment in order to remain competitive. This can affect the price of Bitcoin, as the higher mining costs can lead to a lower supply of coins, driving up the price.

Ultimately, the increasing hash rate of the Bitcoin network is a sign of the network’s health and potential for continued growth. The high hash rate has implications for miners, as it has made mining more competitive and expensive. However, this is a good sign for the future of Bitcoin, as it indicates that the network is becoming increasingly secure and reliable. As such, the Bitcoin hash rate is something to keep an eye on for anyone interested in the future of the cryptocurrency.

• The Play to Earn model is a starting point in the NFT gaming development, but it is not suitable for making money.
• A new branch of the industry is emerging that focuses on engagement and emotions, while using the best elements of WEB 2.0 games with NFT.
• NFT space continues to battle user attraction and retention, with the most powerful impetus for the jump being the appearance of P2E model implementation.

The world of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) has seen a rapid rise in popularity in recent years, with the potential to revolutionize the gaming industry. By allowing players to purchase, trade and use digital assets, NFTs have opened up a new world of opportunities for gamers, developers and investors alike.

The Play to Earn (P2E) model is one of the most popular applications of NFTs, allowing players to make money by completing in-game tasks. While this has undoubtedly attracted a large number of users, the P2E model does not always offer the most sustainable solution for making money in the long-term. Furthermore, the games themselves often lack any real engagement or emotion, making them unappealing to users.

In response to this, a new branch of gaming is emerging which is focused on providing users with an exciting and immersive experience. These games take the best elements of WEB 2.0 games and combine them with the use of NFTs to create a truly unique experience. This new approach gives players the opportunity to engage with the game in a meaningful way, unlocking the potential of NFTs and creating an entirely new gaming experience.

At the same time, NFT gaming is still facing a number of challenges. One of the biggest issues is user attraction and retention, as the games themselves often do not provide users with the same level of engagement or excitement as traditional games. This is why developers are now focusing on creating games which emphasize emotion and engagement, as well as providing users with tangible rewards.

In conclusion, NFT gaming is continuing to evolve and expand, with developers now creating games that are designed to provide users with an exciting and immersive experience. By utilizing the best elements of WEB 2.0 games and combining them with the use of NFTs, developers are now able to create games that are both fun and rewarding. Furthermore, this new approach is helping to solve the issue of user attraction and retention, as the games are now able to provide users with an engaging and rewarding experience.

• Crypto.com announced layoffs of 20% of its global workforce citing negative economic developments as the reason.
• The layoffs come just days after Coinbase announced similar layoffs.
• Huobi and Coinbase have also recently announced layoffs.

Crypto.com, one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges, has announced today that it is laying off a significant portion of its global workforce. In a statement released by the company, Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek cited poor market conditions and recent events in the industry as reasons for the layoffs.

The layoffs come just days after Coinbase, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, announced similar layoffs. Huobi, another major exchange, has also recently announced layoffs of its own.

In the statement, Marszalek said that the company had grown ambitiously at the start of 2022, riding on the incredible momentum the industry had been experiencing, but that the trajectory of the industry had changed rapidly with a confluence of negative economic developments. As a result, the company had to make the difficult decision to reduce its global workforce by approximately 20%.

Sources suggest that Crypto.com has a workforce of between 3500 and 4500 employees, meaning the 20% layoffs would affect around 700 to 900 employees. The news of the layoffs has sent mixed signals to the market, with some investors expecting a bullish run for cryptocurrencies, and the CRO token price responding positively to the news.

The layoffs come at a time when the cryptocurrency industry is still in the midst of a recovery from the bear market it experienced in late 2020 and early 2021. While layoffs are not an ideal outcome for the industry, they may be necessary in order for crypto businesses to remain competitive.

Crypto.com’s announcement serves as a reminder that the industry is still fragile and that companies should remain vigilant in order to remain profitable. While the layoffs are certainly unfortunate, it is hoped that the company will be able to make the necessary cuts to ensure its long-term success.