sábado, 3 de fevereiro de 2024

Ethereum (ETH) Stakers Are Back, Data Says

Ethereum (ETH) validators are yet again queuing to join the ETH staking ecosystem as the turbulent January 2024 is over. Is this an optimistic signal?

The number of validators waiting for the opportunity to lock their Ethers in staking is at the highest level since late October 2023. The Ethereum (ETH) staking ecosystem inches closer to 1 million validators, data says.

$ETH staking queue is starting to go up again... 👀 pic.twitter.com/FXVpNtFVa5

The crucial metric is surging for the third day in a row. Such a trend was registered by Adriano Feria, blockchain and AI enthusiast.

In January 2024, the Ethereum (ETH) staking ecosystem witnessed its biggest turbulence since unstaking became possible due to the Shapella upgrade being activated on the mainnet.

As part of its bankruptcy procedure, large crypto lender Celsius decided to terminate its stake in Ethereum (ETH) and initiated a mass withdrawal. The exit queue jumped to 16,000 validators, which equals over $1.1 billion in ETH to be unstaked.

At the same time, as per the Validator Queue tracker, the exit queue was cleared out rapidly.

As of today, there are 918,652 active validators on the Ethereum (ETH) network. In total, they accumulated 29.3 million Ethers, or 24.3% of its supply.

Given these numbers, ETH staking brings 3.6% per year in APY.

Meanwhile, the Ethereum (ETH) price is trying to stay above $2,300. In the last two months, ETH managed to conquer this line seven times, but it always led to retracement.

Blockchain Analyst & Writer with scientific background. 6+ years in IT-analytics, 3+ years in blockchain.

Worked in independent analysis as well as in start-ups (Swap.online, Monoreto, Attic Lab etc.)

Greed Takes Over Ethereum

A notable shift toward "greed" has been observed in a recent update from the Ethereum Fear and Greed Index. 

The index now stands at 55, with Ethereum's current price at $2,314. This marks a significant departure from the neutral sentiment that has characterized the market since late January.

The Ethereum Fear and Greed Index is a tool used to gauge market sentiment among Ethereum investors. It aggregates data from various sources, including volatility, market momentum and volume, social media, surveys and trends, to generate a numerical value between 0 and 100. 

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A value of 0 represents "extreme fear," indicating that investors are worried, and potentially a good buying opportunity, while a value of 100 signifies "extreme greed," suggesting that the market may be due for a correction. 

The index's move to 55 from a consistent score of 43 since Jan. 26 indicates growing confidence among Ethereum investors, potentially driven by recent price increases.

Ethereum has seen a gradual increase in its price, rising from $2,218 on Jan. 26 to the current price of $2,314. 

This uptick in price is accompanied by a shift in the Fear and Greed Index from a "neutral" stance to "greed."

The current market cap of Ethereum is $275 billion, with a 24-hour trading volume of $8.76 billion.

The potential approval of a spot Ethereum ETF remains a major tailwind for the chief altcoin. However, predictions regarding the ETF's approval are mixed. Standard Chartered has optimistically forecast a price surge to $4,000 following the ETF approval. 

However, this optimism is not universally shared. Legal experts and analysts have stressed the unpredictable nature of the SEC's decision-making process, pointing out that past decisions on Bitcoin ETFs do not necessarily set a precedent for Ethereum. 

The potential approval of Ethereum ETFs remains a pivotal factor for the market, with the possibility to significantly influence Ethereum's valuation and investor sentiment.

Alex Dovbnya (aka AlexMorris) is a cryptocurrency expert, trader and journalist with extensive experience of covering everything related to the burgeoning industry — from price analysis to Blockchain disruption. Alex authored more than 1,000 stories for U.Today, CryptoComes and other fintech media outlets. He’s particularly interested in regulatory trends around the globe that are shaping the future of digital assets, can be contacted at alex.dovbnya@u.today.

'Rich Dad Poor Dad' Author Bitcoiner Predicts Stock Market Crash, Hold Tight

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by our writers are their own and do not represent the views of U.Today. The financial and market information provided on U.Today is intended for informational purposes only. U.Today is not liable for any financial losses incurred while trading cryptocurrencies. Conduct your own research by contacting financial experts before making any investment decisions. We believe that all content is accurate as of the date of publication, but certain offers mentioned may no longer be available.

Robert Kiyosaki, prominent Bitcoin proponent and the author of the classic book on personal finance management, has published a tweet with a gloomy prediction about traditional financial markets that he expects to occur soon.

Kiyosaki issued a warning about the current situation on the stock market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average index has added 0.35%, the Nasdaq Composite index has risen by 1.74%, the S&P 500 index increased by 1.07% (reaching a new ATH) within the last 24 hours, as well as other major indexes. Among the factors that are pushing the stock market up in the U.S. now is high earnings of companies and the January jobs report that surpassed the expected figures.

The stock market is climbing higher and higher. Suckers actually believe the economy is strong. Don’t be fooled. The Magnificent 7 financed by US government dollars keeps stock market up. Please be careful. Stock and Bond markets about to crash.

However, financial guru Kiyosaki believes that even though the stock market keeps climbing higher, the U.S. economy is far from being as strong as it seems to be. According to Kiyosaki, the stock market is actually being kept up thanks to the Magnificent Seven, which are financed by the U.S. government. These companies are Apple, Alphabet (the parent company of Google), Meta Platforms, Amazon, Microsoft, NVIDIA and, finally, Elon Musk’s Tesla.

Related
'Rich Dad Poor Dad' Author Reveals How Much Bitcoin He Bought After ETF Approval

Kiyosaki warns investors to be careful, stating that he expects both the stock and bond markets to crash soon.

Still, some X users are in doubt about these gloomy predictions issued by Kiyosaki and in general do not believe in his status of financial guru. Many commentators under his tweet have pointed out that Kiyosaki has been predicting the markets to crash over the past four or five years, as well as the crash of the U.S. dollar. One X user also published screenshots of his “crash predictions” during the past few years.

If you call crash 1000 times , eventually it will happen someday and you will call yourself a “Finance Guru” and start selling books to people pic.twitter.com/bXyT5js4Eq

In a tweet published three days ago, Kiyosaki explained why he decided to start buying the world’s flagship cryptocurrency Bitcoin. For him, BTC is “protection against the theft of our wealth via our money.” He specified that the Fed chairman, Treasury secretary and Wall Street bankers steal the wealth from average Americans using “inflation, taxation and stock price manipulation.”

Why I own Bitcoin. Bitcoin is protection against the theft of our wealth via our money. Fed Chairman Powell, Treasury Secretary Yellin, and Wall Street bankers steal our wealth via our money, specifically via inflation, taxation, & stock price manipulation. That is why I save…

The Fed printing trillions of USD was another big reason Kiyosaki mentioned earlier. This is why he prefers Bitcoin to stocks, bonds and U.S. dollars.

Bitcoin Vet Charlie Shrem Foresees 'Last' Bull Run

A statement by the first Bitcoin Foundation's vice chairman triggered a discussion about the long-term prospects of crypto volatility and market cycles in digital assets. Why might the new bullish cycle be special?

The next bull market phase for Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies will be epic, but it also might be the last one. Such an unusual prediction was shared by Bitcoin (BTC) pioneer Charlie Shrem with his 255,000 followers on X (formerly Twitter) yesterday, Feb. 2, 2024.

This next #bitcoin and crypto bull market will probably be so epic, it’ll be the last. We will mature.

According to him, the segment getting mature will be the reason for the "last" Bitcoin (BTC) bull market.

The thesis about "maturation" of Bitcoin (BTC) and cryptocurrency markets is popular among analysts and traders. As more and more liquidity is injected into the crypto sphere, its volatility declines.

As such, Bitcoin's (BTC) performance looks more and more like that of S&P 500 or even Gold. Major altcoins, including the likes of Ethereum (ETH), Cardano (ADA) and Polygon (MATIC), replicate this pattern.

Related
Key Reason Why Bitcoin (BTC) Volatility Has Collapsed

As covered by U.Today previously, Bitcoin's (BTC) annualized volatility dropped to 45%, which is more than 4x lower than the peak registered in 2012.

The majority of Shrem's followers challenged his position. Some of them agreed that the volatility of Bitcoin (BTC) and crypto will decline, but the longevity of new asset classes will remain undisputed.

Other commentators foresee that Bitcoin (BTC) will see its last cycle in early 2030s, while the most passionate advocates opine it would be relevant until the last Bitcoin (BTC) is mined in 2140.

Charlie Shrem IV is one of the most prominent early figureheads of the Bitcoin (BTC) movement. Back in 2011, he founded BitInstant, a service for seamless BTC purchasing that was processing 30% of all Bitcoin (BTC) trading volume.

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As U.Today reported in 2018, he was also known as one of the first Bitcoin (BTC) millionaires.

Blockchain Analyst & Writer with scientific background. 6+ years in IT-analytics, 3+ years in blockchain.

Worked in independent analysis as well as in start-ups (Swap.online, Monoreto, Attic Lab etc.)

Revolutionizing Financial Advisory: Harnessing AI Tools for Enhanced Efficiency and Client Education

(Samuel Ramos/Unsplash)

We are told AI will revolutionize every business, and although the technology is relatively new, are advisors ready for AI crypto trading? Both AI and crypto investing require learning and regulatory maturity. At the same time, we don't see many tools ready for use today that will plug into a financial planner's business. AI for crypto trading aside, there are lots of pragmatic uses for AI that advisors can leverage. Brian Boughner from Fiduciary Alliance guides advisors on how to get started today.

Lynda Koster from Growthential answers questions about getting started with AI in the Ask an Expert section.

Happy reading.

S.M.

You’re reading Crypto for Advisors, CoinDesk’s weekly newsletter that unpacks digital assets for financial advisors. Subscribe here to get it every Thursday.

*Please know this article is 100% human written*

About a year ago the world was discovering the phenomenon called ChatGPT and experiencing for the first time what Artificial Intelligence (AI) could do. A lot has changed since then and the growth of AI is now expanding at a rate no one could have imagined. Because of this rapid growth, it’s difficult to determine what is real versus hype with all of the noise being touted about AI.

It’s important to remember that we are only in Act 1 of the AI saga. This technology is still being discovered and developed. Act 2 will involve AI solving real human problems. While we are only in Act 1, there are still some helpful things that AI can do to help us in our role as financial advisors. Content creation and productivity are the main benefits of advisors utilizing AI tools.

Here are three tools that I have used as an advisor at my firm that have helped me save time and money. I do not receive any financial compensation from any of these solutions. You can also see videos on how these tools work at aiadvisortools.com.

Customized AI assistants

Many people have tried ChatGPT at least once. It’s a great way to start interacting with AI and learning how best to utilize it. One of their features if you subscribe to their 4.0 service are the customized AI assistants. You can create your own assistant and train them on your data, style, preferences, etc. so that the output is tailored to your needs. For example, my firm uploaded our compliance manual and trained the GPT assistant on all of our compliance procedures so our advisors now have a resource for compliance matters. The possibilities are endless here, but please remember that ChatGPT is not secure so do not upload any sensitive information.

AI generated learning courses

As financial advisors, a major part of our duties is educating our clients on financial matters. This of course takes a lot of time and effort to do effectively. What if you could easily create introductory courses around relevant topics like investing, insurance and retirement? Chat2course.com is a tool that utilizes AI to help you do this. It also has amazing customization where you can specify the length and tone of the content. By simply interacting with their prompts you can create relevant educational content for your target audience.

AI powered Internet searches

The days of internet searching where you type what you are looking for into a box and receive a list of links (half of which are sponsored) that you have to sort through are over. AI assisted internet searching is here and is a game changer. Perplexity.ai is an example of this where it not only searches the internet for answers to your question, it gives you the specific answer and also provides you with the websites it used to provide that answer. You can also utilize Microsoft’s Bing Copilot search engine in a similar way.

AI is disrupting knowledge based industries including digital assets. We are already seeing the emergence of a number of AI trading tools, robo advisors built for crypto and ChatGPT powered AI crypto analytics. As mentioned before, we are only in Act 1 as these tools are still being developed. Your priority as an advisor should be to simply set aside time to learn these tools.

You can either embrace this revolution or pretend this is just a short term fad that will eventually go away. If you choose to embrace it, then start using it. Start thinking about use cases in your practice where AI can help you be more efficient. If it’s data driven and repetitive, then there is a good chance AI can perform that task. Good or bad, AI is not going away. By simply using the three tools in this article, you can stay ahead of the curve in this new world of AI.

- Brian Boughner, co-founder, Fiduciary Alliance

Q: How should I get started with Generative AI?

A: The first step in adopting generative AI in your practice is to educate yourself and your team about its capabilities and limitations. Several courses available today cover the basics. Introductory courses can be found at online courseware providers such as Coursera, Udemy, LinkedIn Learning, and in online business courses at institutions like MIT, Kellogg School of Management, and Cornell, to name just a few. If you plan to experiment with some of the mainstream tools to start, make sure NOT to include any personal, client, private, or sensitive data or information. This is important for beginners as they grow their learning and begin to fully understand the proper safeguards that need to be in place.

Q: How can I ensure the accuracy of information generated by AI tools?

A. After gaining a foundational understanding of generative AI and beginning to experiment with various tools, it's crucial to thoroughly fact-check the generated content. Mainstream generative AI tools, while sophisticated, can still produce inaccuracies and biased information. To mitigate this, cross-reference AI-generated information with your own expertise in financial advisory along with additional credible sources. Remember, the responsibility for ensuring the accuracy and integrity of AI-generated content ultimately lies with the user.

Q: What strategies can I use to integrate Generative AI into my financial advisory practice?

A: The insights provided in the article above serve as a solid foundation for understanding some great use cases for generative AI. Building on this, the integration of generative AI into a financial advisory practice involves a thoughtful blend of understanding the tools and capabilities with business insight. As this landscape continues to evolve at such a rapid pace, it's essential to establish a strategy and governance model that not only aligns with you and your clients’ business goals but also operates within the bounds of relevant regulations and ethical guidelines. Such a model should include regular monitoring and evaluation of AI tools to ensure they meet your objectives and maintain compliance. Implementing a governance framework contributes to a responsible and strategic use of AI, mitigating risks and potential unintended consequences. With this approach, you can effectively and ethically incorporate AI into your financial services, enhancing value to your clients while upholding professional standards.

Lynda Koster, co-founder & managing partner, Growthential

The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission warned investors about using AI trading bots to “pick” the next crypto winner.

AI and bitcoin - stronger together? From increased development to AI fees in crypto, these technologies may advance each other’s adoption.

The Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong’s received the first spot bitcoin ETF application submitted by Chinese asset management firm Harvest Fund Management.

Edited by Bradley Keoun.

Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, institutional digital assets exchange. Bullish group is majority owned by Block.one; both groups have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary, and an editorial committee, chaired by a former editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal, is being formed to support journalistic integrity.

Sarah Morton is Chief Strategy Officer and Co-founder of MeetAmi Innovations Inc.

Brian Boughner is the founder of AI Advisor Tools and co-founder of Parallel Financial and The Fiduciary Alliance.

Crypto Trading Platform Avantis Opens Perpetual Swaps DEX on Base Network

Base booth at ETHDenver (Danny Nelson/CoinDesk)

Perpetual swaps exchange Avantis opened for trading on Base mainnet Friday, bringing a new approach to the old problem of balancing crypto futures markets that its creator thinks will appeal to retail traders.

Avantis is one of the first trading protocols to roll-out natively on Base, the Coinbase-backed layer 2 whose proponents are betting that a close proximity to the centralized exchange giant could potentially help shovel millions of first-time DeFi users into the on-chain world.

It seems unlikely that such a crowd would immediately flock to the sort of high-risk leverage trading that Avantis, which offers 75x leverage, says it offers. But plenty did during Avantis' two-month testnet, which generated over $5 billion in trading from 50,000 wallets, according to a press release.

Perpetuals swaps are a financial novelty unique to crypto. They're basically futures contracts without an expiration date. The longs (who believe a token's price will go up) and the shorts (who think it will drop) can let their bets ride as long as they've posted sufficient collateral.

But these markets need maintenance: a way to ensure that the price of the futures contract doesn't veer too wildly away from the value of the asset it represents. Funding rates mark the fees buyers and sellers pay each other, keeping Open Interest in check.

"The problem is DeFi and CeFi all get very professionalized, so a lot of market makers just arbitrage away any funding rate," said Avantis CEO Harsehaj Singh. "Retail does not get an opportunity to get in the Open Interest game."

Avantis' approach differs slightly. Instead of using funding rates to balance the market, it offers a guaranteed rebate to traders who take contrarian positions by, perhaps, betting that the price of a token will drop when most others think it will soar. This is a risky trade that might well bust. But the risk is mitigated somewhat by the protocol's promise to pay back some of their losses, Singh said.

"It's meant for people who are truly only doing directional trading," Singh said in an interview.

Edited by Aoyon Ashraf.

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, institutional digital assets exchange. Bullish group is majority owned by Block.one; both groups have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary, and an editorial committee, chaired by a former editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal, is being formed to support journalistic integrity.

Danny is CoinDesk's Managing Editor for Data & Tokens. He owns BTC, ETH and SOL.

Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.

As Apple's 'Vision Pro' Hits Stores, Blockchain-Based Victoria VR Works on App

Victoria VR's token surges as it becomes first to release metaverse app for Apple's 'Vision Pro' headset. (Apple)

The crypto-meets-virtual reality (VR) developer Victoria VR says it's working to release the first metaverse app from a blockchain-related company on the Apple headset "Vision Pro."

The project's metaverse consists of "ultra-realistic graphics and immersive gameplay," which will be able to supplement Vision Pro's technologies, the company said in a statement on Friday.

The app is expected to be available in the second quarter of this year.

"It forms an elaborate digital environment that shows off the many capabilities of the Apple Vision Pro while simultaneously showcasing the power of Web3 technology," according to the release.

Apple's much-hyped first futuristic headset hit the shelf on Feb. 2 and would be its first foray into the virtual reality ecosystem. Despite fizzling interest in the metaverse, this isn't the first time a tech giant has delved into the VR sector. Vision Pro would be a competitor to tech giant Meta's (formerly Facebook) existing "Meta Quest" headset.

Victoria VR's metaverse is driven by its VR token, which will reward its active users and stakers, the firm said. The token is based on Ethereum, under the blockchain's ERC-20 standard.

Half the revenue generated from in-game asset sales will be redistributed to stakers and active metaverse users.

"Victoria VR’s in-app economy is fueled by the VR token, used to incentivize activities that enhance the virtual environment for the benefit of all participants," according to the press release.

The VR token has surged nearly 60% in the last 24 hours and has $103 million in market cap, according to CoinMarketCap data.

According to a white paper posted on the project's website, "We want Victoria VR to be accessible to all, and so citizens will be able to earn Victoria VR by simply taking part in the world. It will be “pay-to-speed” not “pay-to- win."

"These ERC20 Tokens will be our primary source of generating revenue during the start of the project," the white paper reads.

Read more: Apple's New Headset Could Change the Way We Design the Metaverse

Edited by Bradley Keoun.

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, institutional digital assets exchange. Bullish group is majority owned by Block.one; both groups have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary, and an editorial committee, chaired by a former editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal, is being formed to support journalistic integrity.

Aoyon Ashraf is managing editor with more than a decade of experience in covering equity markets

Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.