Bitcoin, Ethereum, Cryptocurrencies

[JohnCM]

0.016

Yup ... the opportunity to benefit from an increase in share price is over ... not.

[CuriousWon]

I dont think I agree that cannabis is the FIRST sector where this tech is needed. Healthcare and energy markets could benefit much more so by it, but due to regulations it woll be harder to implement.

It could hold promise, it kind of seems like another OTC pump though :( regardless the PPS entry point is too high for my kind of play. I buy before the climb, was too late for this one!

[CuriousWon]

If you want to discuss news or merits of why you lile BNB then please do! Please refrain from posting some of the other stuff with promo links and whatnot though.

Thanks!

[ListenToMe]

Good luck with your board.

[JohnCM]

https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=135455659

[JohnCM]

http://www.bitcoininsider.org/article/8224/zenapay-latest-pos-bitcoin-solution-enter-projected-50-billion-cannabis-market

[CuriousWon]

Cryptos on a tear again. First BTC broke$5k now LTC and ETH are up too.

I love how JPMC CEO is calling BTC a fraud. Its funny because I seriously doubt that he has taken the time to actually learn how it works. Also (and even MORESO) he has an indescribably strong monetary interest in keeping cryptos from taking off. Why should we trust anything he says about this? Aristocracy at its finest...

[$$DodgerTrader]

NSAV ANNOUNCES MJCOIN WILL BE MINTED ON ETHEREUM BLOCKCHAIN NSAV 

[JohnCM]

EPAZ 37,780,222 shares issued and outstanding June 30, 2017

MJ dispensery payment platform

[CuriousWon]

Promotions and advertsements WILL BE DELETED. Please DO NOT post promotional links for any reason!

This forum is for discussion and news only.

Thank you!

[Entheogen]

First mobile mining cryptocurrency backed by CEO of Rocketspace who invested in early stages of uber and Spotify! Use my referral link to get 1% bonus on this coin! Could be 10-100x investment like bitcoin and ethereum!


https://my.electroneum.com/join/99AD4B

[ListenToMe]

BINANCE (BNB) coin! Best in Class!
https://www.binance.com/indexSpa.html#/

[JohnCM]

http://www.kitco.com/news/video/show/Kitco-News/1720/2017-09-26/Why-China-Bitcoin-Crackdown-Is-Good-News-For-Gold---Gerald-Celente

[gfp927z]

>>> The Government Crackdown on Bitcoin


By James Rickards

September 25, 2017



https://dailyreckoning.com/government-crackdown-bitcoin/



The Government Crackdown on Bitcoin

Many advocates of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have a naïve belief that their digital assets are “beyond the reach of governments,” “cannot be traced” and “cannot be frozen or seized.”

But it’s really not true.

On Sept. 12, China announced that it was banning the launch of initial coin offerings (ICOs) in China and closing all Chinese bitcoin exchanges. The next day, it was reported that China demanded the books and records of those exchange customers and all transactions.

From there, it’s just a short step to arresting customers for violating foreign exchange and tax regulations in China.

The attack on bitcoin does not stop with China.

North Korea’s cyber-brigades have hacked into South Korean bitcoin exchanges both to steal customer bitcoins and demand bitcoin ransom to cease the attacks. North Korea is building up a bitcoin stash to pay for weapons and food as the U.S. ramps up sanctions on conventional banking channels.

This operation reflects the fact that using bitcoin on the dark web is a haven for criminals, arms dealers, tax evaders and state enemies of the U.S. How long will it be before the U.S. joins the effort to shut down, interdict and disrupt bitcoin message traffic on the dark web and the bitcoin exchanges themselves?

Bitcoin prices fell 40% in response to these and other developments before stabilizing to some extent. But it remains highly volatile.

Now, I said it last week, but I’ll say it again…

When it comes to cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, I take a laissez-faire approach. Do your own thing. If you want some bitcoin in your portfolio as part of a diversified bundle of assets, that’s up to you. If you want to speculate in some of the other lesser-known cryptocurrencies, that’s fine, too. You might make a lot of money.

My only advice is buyer beware. You need to take the time to understand how it works and what the risks are.

Governments enjoy a monopoly on money creation and they’re not about to surrender that monopoly to cryptocurrencies like bitcoin.

But governments know they cannot stop the technology platforms on which the cryptocurrencies are based. Blockchain technology has come too far to turn back. These are usually called the “blockchain,” but a more descriptive term now in wide use is “distributed ledger technology,” or DLT.

There’s no denying that fortunes have been made and still will be made in various DLT applications.

And while I’m not necessarily a fan of individual cryptocurrencies, I am a believer in this technology.

Governments don’t want to kill it; they want to control it.

They seek to do so using powers of regulation, taxation, investigation and ultimately more coercive powers, including arrest and imprisonment of individuals who refuse to obey government mandates with regard to blockchain.

As I also explained last week, blockchain depends on critical infrastructure, including servers, telecommunications networks, the banking system and the power grid, all of which are subject to government control, as the Chinese action shows.

That’s the back door governments will use to regulate and control the blockchain.

There’s something else to consider about cryptocurrencies…

If the power grid goes down for whatever reason (ask Puerto Rico after Hurricane Irma), good luck accessing your bitcoins. Bitcoin may have made you a millionaire on paper. But what good does it do if you can’t access it when you need it most?

People will always accept gold and silver in emergency situations. My advice is to stock up before the crisis strikes.

They will be unavailable once a crisis arrives.

I was actually singled out in this past Saturday’s New York Times for my advice on “how to survive the apocalypse.”

Holding gold, silver and other hard assets is definitely part of that plan.

Regards,

Jim Rickards
for The Daily Reckoning

<<<

[CuriousWon]

Bitcoin broke through 4,000 again and Litecoin is at 56. Ethereum around 300 again.

A pretty quick recovery. I think people definitely feel these things are worth more, as long as there's no bad news or scares from China...

[CuriousWon]

I do try to pick 0001s though, if I see promising news or PRs I might pick up higher numbers. I might miss some because of it but I'd rather miss than lose!

Alot of positive activity on boards and social media can be a good sign as well, also keep an eye on L2 for manipulation.

[CuriousWon]

Yeah I generally go for the "double and cover" approach. Buy 10 mil then sell 5, or 5 and sell 2.5, etc. I then take profits at other target exits. Did the same with Litecoin but am still holding most of it.

Like for ONCI, bought at .0007, covered at .0015, took a large profit at .0098, another target exit at .037, then another at .095 if it ever gets there. After that I'd still have a few shares just in case, but not much. Also did very well on ARYC, got all the way out at .013 and it has since fallen.

For DD, I honestly don't do a whole lot, I pretty much just check reverse split history and past charts. I also read the boards and check PRs and social media activity. I've gotten stuck in a couple but most have worked out, and they may pop someday. I am looking at CWIR and FRCN right now.

[gfp927z]

One time tested approach is when you get a double, take out half and let the remaining 'free' shares ride. Since you got in early on these cryptos, you have that luxury.

I'm curious about your strategy with the trips/penny stocks. Do you do a lot of fundamental research on the companies, or alternately, just pick a group of flat-lined penny stocks and wait for one to take off, and that big winner makes up for the others that don't do anything?

I've owned some sub $1 stocks, even down in the .10 cent area, but always figured most sub-penny stocks are unworthy of the required research. But gold is where you find it, and ONCI sure turned out to be a big winner :o)

[CuriousWon]

Yeah, I figured I'd throw some money in just to see where it goes (and this was back when they were much, much cheaper so a lot costed a little).

It's an interesting area and holds a lot of potential. I definitely would not recommend trying to trade them, especially at this point in time! It's like penny stocks, most people are more likely to lose 90% than to pick the one that goes up 30x...or even 10x

I can see why you'd wanna stay away. It might be worth looking into some of the other ones that cater to a different client such as NEM or Ripple. Or just buy big tech since they'll end up driving it all :D

[gfp927z]

Thanks. Well based on that, I'll probably stay away from trading these cryptos. I'm more of a buy/hold type investor anyway, but will occasionally trade chart patterns.

[CuriousWon]

Well there are some ways to short bitcoin actually ( https://themerkle.com/top-7-ways-to-short-bitcoin/ ). I am curious if they'd actually do it though.

I do have some concerns with these peope, no matter how well they did shorting stocks, I don't know that the same principles apply here. I definitely wont disregard their opinions entirely, but I wonder how well they understand the sector/technology.

[gfp927z]

Yes a nice bounce, but the feeling one gets is that there may have been a 'sea change' in the way cryptos are perceived with the arrival of Andrew Left and the shorts. Just a gut feeling though. With the big central banks and the IMF planning to adopt their own DLT, they may figure it's time to start regulating the many crypto upstarts and ICOs out of business.

But I'm still not sure how easy or difficult it is for hedge funds to short these cryptos since they aren't traded on a regular stock exchange (except GBTC). If they can't easily short or hedge then the only viable speculative trade was to be long and then try to bail while simultaneously hyping up the sector.

I don't plan on participating much on the cryptocurrency side, but a more traditional stock investment in the blockchain/DLT sector might be interesting if there are some small or mid caps who stand to benefit. You may be right that the established large/mega caps like Microsoft and IBM will be the 'go to' sources for the technology. After all, if a big financial company wants to convert to DLT, with why mess around with some unknown micro cap when you can get a bolt on system from MSFT/IBM.

Still, maybe there are a few niche micro caps out there lurking under the radar.

[CuriousWon]

Well I haven't done any DD about the company, I guess I meant more at-a-glance. I work in IT but the company is in the energy sector, so I am intrigued by energy-applied blockchain solutions. The sector (as with many others), could greatly benefit from the technology.

I'll see if I can dig up some info on their European pilot program sometime this weekend and get a better opinion going.



That BOUNCE though! Yesterday was pretty intense, the BTC bottom to the top was a huge 20% bounce. LTC was even bigger at 65% from 36 to now at 53ish!

[gfp927z]

CuriousWon, That makes sense about the larger companies like MSFT and IBM being the likely winners in the blockchain/DLT sector. Just wondering what it is about BTL Group that you find so intriguing? Thanks.

One thing I noticed was that its chart doesn't necessarily follow in lockstep with Bitcoin, which is probably a plus :o)



>>> BTL Group (BTLLF)(TSXV:BTL)



https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=134644005



Market cap: $62.59 million; current share price: $3.34

BTL is a Vancouver-based company that offers blockchain solutions across multiple industries–from banks to energy, and even to fantasy sports. BTL has a money transfer platform using distributed-ledger-technology and smart contracts, called Interbit.

On that note, the company announced in June that it is “taking steps towards a go-to production phase” of the Interbit, having completed its European energy trading pilot. As noted in the press release, the 12-week pilot included building the framework on an energy trading confirmation solution to BTL’s platform, which was tested in 8 different scenarios.

“At BTL we truly believe that, by using blockchain technology and our proprietary platform, Interbit, there is a better and more efficient way for enterprises to build applications,” Guy Halford-Thompson, cofounder and CEO of BTL said. “Having demonstrated the reductions in risk and cost savings that are achievable we now have an opportunity to deliver the first successful blockchain based application to the energy market. We are also very excited that the pilot has enabled participating companies to better understand the benefits of Interbit and identify other areas in their organizations where they can apply it.”

At the end of August, BTL Group announced the beta launch of Interbit as it becomes closer to being launched in live commercial environment.

While the company’s headquarters are in Vancouver, BTL Group also operates in Calgary and Canary Wharf in London, England.

<<<

[gfp927z]

Thanks, here's the full article -



>>> 7 Blockchain Technology Stocks


Fintech Investing

Jocelyn Aspa

September 13, 2017



https://investingnews.com/daily/tech-investing/fintech-investing/blockchain-technology-stocks/


Banks, financial institutions and many others are adopting blockchain technology faster than anticipated. INN takes a look at public companies taking advantage of this rapidly-growing sector.


blockchain technology stocks

It’s getting harder to ignore the fact that blockchain is on the rise, particularly as more banks and financial institutions are adopting the technology faster than anticipated.

Case in point, IBM (NYSE:IBM) released a report in 2016 suggesting that 15 percent of all banks will be using the technology in 2017. By 2020, the firm states that 66 percent of all banks will have blockchain in commercial production.

On a broader scale, a Market and Markets report states that the blockchain technology market size will be worth 2.3 billion by 2021, increasing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 61.5 percent. In other words, there’s room for plenty of opportunities for investors to benefit from in this exciting–and expanding–market.


“Do you want to profit from tech companies who are shaking up the banking industry?”

Global Blockchain Technology Market’s research report is a little more conservative, projecting that blockchain technology will grow at a CAGR of 55.59 percent between 2017 and 2021.

The banking and finance industries aren’t the only ones adopting blockchain technology. For example, it has been used in securing elections, and big companies are also making the leap into blockchain; Capital One has confirmed a blockchain project, partnering with Gem on healthcare claims.

Putting it simply, there’s a wealth of opportunity to be had in the blockchain industry, and it’s only getting started. As such, here is a look at 7 publicly-listed blockchain technology stocks for your consideration.


1. BTCS (OTCQB:BTCS)

Market cap: $8.91 million; current share price: $0.09

The first of our blockchain technology stocks is BTCS. The company is also the first blockchain-focused public company in the US, and was ahead of its time in exploring digital currency ecosystems. The company self-describes itself as an “early mover” in the digital currency ecosystems sector.

The company’s CEO, Charles Allen, was interviewed by Bloomberg explaining the company’s mission to “gather a currency that can be spent on goods and services”, using bitcoin to buy products like televisions.

In August, BTCS announced it had signed a non-binding letter of intent to merge with Blockchain Global.


2. BTL Group (TSXV:BTL)

Market cap: $62.59 million; current share price: $3.34

BTL is a Vancouver-based company that offers blockchain solutions across multiple industries–from banks to energy, and even to fantasy sports. BTL has a money transfer platform using distributed-ledger-technology and smart contracts, called Interbit.

On that note, the company announced in June that it is “taking steps towards a go-to production phase” of the Interbit, having completed its European energy trading pilot. As noted in the press release, the 12-week pilot included building the framework on an energy trading confirmation solution to BTL’s platform, which was tested in 8 different scenarios.

“At BTL we truly believe that, by using blockchain technology and our proprietary platform, Interbit, there is a better and more efficient way for enterprises to build applications,” Guy Halford-Thompson, cofounder and CEO of BTL said. “Having demonstrated the reductions in risk and cost savings that are achievable we now have an opportunity to deliver the first successful blockchain based application to the energy market. We are also very excited that the pilot has enabled participating companies to better understand the benefits of Interbit and identify other areas in their organizations where they can apply it.”

At the end of August, BTL Group announced the beta launch of Interbit as it becomes closer to being launched in live commercial environment.

While the company’s headquarters are in Vancouver, BTL Group also operates in Calgary and Canary Wharf in London, England.


3. Coinsilium Group (ISDX:COIN)

Market cap: GB$3.62 million; current share price: GB$3.25

Coinsilium Group is a London-based blockchain technology investor that develops and invests in blockchain technologies, aiding new fintech applications. The company is the world’s first recognized IPO for blockchain technology company and lists on the NEX Exchange, a recognized investment exchange as per the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

According to its website, Coinsilium is relatively new in the blockchain field: the company has been actively involved in “accelerating seed-stage blockchain tech ventures” ever since 2014.

At the beginning of August, the company announced that it had completed the sale of interest in SatoshiPay, a company that processes nanopayment transactions usually in the form of bitcoins. Meanwhile, closer to the end of August Coinsilium Group announced a formation of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Terrastream, which aims to build an enterprise standard blockchain-powered platform for token-based alternative funding solutions.


4. DigitalX (ASX:DCC)

Market cap: AU$6.79 million; current share price: AU$0.064

Next on our blockchain technology stocks list is DigitalX. The company develops fintech products and services using blockchain technology and a secure ledger system for the global digital payments industry, specifically in mobile bill payments and remittance.

More specifically, its mobile product AirPocket provides consumers secure cross-border payments and remittances from over 30,000 payout locations in 14 countries with a heavy presence in North America and South America.

In September, it was announced that DigitalX and Stargroup (ASX:STL) have joined forces to develop “two way” bitcoin ATMs to buy and sell bitcoin.


5. First Bitcoin Capital (OTCMKTS:BITCF)

Market cap: $108.75 million; current share price: $0.23

First Bitcoin Capital, fifth on our blockchain technology stocks list, bills itself as the first vertically integrated consolidator in the bitcoin and crypto-currency arena. The company is focused on the acquisition of bitcoin startups and funding companies developing bitcoin software and hardware.

Although bitcoin is blockchain’s favourite child, blockchain is no longer living vicariously through it. Although blockchain is most understood as the backbone of bitcoin, it is now standing tall in different spheres of applications.

With that in mind, the company is working on a number of projects, including: CoinQX, Bitessentials, BitClassTravel, Bitcoin.cc & Bitcoin ATM.

On August 2, the company announced that it will be the first company to pay dividends to its shareholders via cryptocurrencies.

That being said, the SEC suspended trading of First Bitcoin Capital’s shares on August 24 until at least September 7 due to its share price rocketing more than 6,000 percent so far this year.

“The Commission temporarily suspended trading in the securities of BITCF because of concerns regarding the accuracy and adequacy of publicly available information about the company including, among other things, the value of BITCF’s assets and its capital structure,” the statement read.

First Bitcoin Capital then issued its own statement, stating the company has not accessed capital markets from “the day we began developing cryptocurrencies until this day.”


6. Global Arena Holding (OTCMKTS:GAHC)

Market cap: $6.45 million; current share price: $0.014

Global Arena Holding acquires companies and patents that use the blockchain crypto technology. They invested in Blockchain Technologies Corporation, a startup accelerator who have developed a patent pending voting technology.

They are also working on applying blockchain technology to ATMs. Smart contracts can be used in wills, eliminating the need for estate executors, triggering a chain of events starting with verifying the death and subsequent asset distribution. CEO John Matthews claims “the Blockchain will evolve to be as crucial as the Internet itself and many time more valuable.”

In August, the company announced that its subsidiary, Global Election Services announced the implementation of new software and hardware to use in ballot scanning during the tabulation process.


7. HashingSpace (OTCMKTS:HSHS)

Market cap: $3.67 million; current share price: $0.022

Rounding out the blockchain technology stocks list is HashingSpace–a company that is undergoing restructuring, the new management stated that it is going to focus on providing the tools needed to develop future blockchain technologies.

<<<

[gfp927z]

>>> BTL Group Ltd., a technology company, focuses on developing blockchain technologies for businesses across various industries. The company?s Interbit is a secure multi-chain technology platform that allows enterprises to build their own applications focusing on trading, settlement, remittance, audit, and back-office processes. Its technology platform is a remittance business, known as Xapcash, which, combined with its proprietary technology, Interbit, is focused on leveraging blockchain technology to create ?cash-in cash-out? settlement solutions from Canada and the United Kingdom to target countries. BTL Group Ltd. primarily serves finance, energy, and gaming sectors. The company is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. <<<


https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/BTLLF/profile?p=BTLLF

[CuriousWon]

I misspelled that link, my bad: https://investingnews.com/daily/tech-investing/fintech-investing/blockchain-technology-stocks/

[CuriousWon]

Well Microsoft has been putting a lot of work into it with the CoCo Framework. I really think it will be the big tech companies, MSFT, IBM, etc., that will take over the space. There certainly will be some mew companies that pop up and grow massively, but I think the big companies have an inherent advantage in that they can, to name a few: afford the best developers; manage large projects well; have a direct view onto what is really needed; and use existing sales channels. Plus the brand name is aleady there.

Check out https://investingews.com/daily/tech-investing/fintech-investing/blockchain-technology-stocks/

I see GAHC is looking pretty oversold after losing 70% in the last month. Some of them (BITCF, BTCS) are not my type of trade, so I've passed on them. I am interested in that BTL Group though..

[CuriousWon]

Iagree, the instability is what will kill the sector. However, it seems most of the recent instability is due to the questions surrounding the looming regulations in China.

For arguments sake (i like to debate :) ) one could say most of the instability is just due to the immaturity of the sector as a whole, and even more so the community that has joined over the last few months. The sector has become bloated and frothy, with new cyrrencies popping up out of nowhere, and new investors betting on speculation.

Perhaps as the community matures and the sector settles down a bit, things will stabilize. Now, when will this happen? Will the same cryptos (Bitcoin, Litecoin), still be the frontrunners? I have no idea :o) what do you think?

[gfp927z]

CuriousWon, I was wondering if you know of any companies that are involved in providing or developing blockchain or DLT/distributed ledger technology for the large corporations?

Regardless of what happens on the cryptocurrency side of things, it's clear that blockchain/DLT is going to be used by large corporations and financial institutions in a big way. Any idea who will be the facilitators in the transition to this new technology? Thanks for any insights/ideas.

[gfp927z]

Well that was fun while it lasted..

Bitcoin currently is testing 3000, which is the top of the 2000-3000 support band (June-July trading range). It'll probably trade within that band in the weeks ahead and try to find a base.

Litecoin has already dropped thru to the lower end of its support band from the June-July period (roughly 35-55). The next trading range was 25-35 from May-June.

It'll be interesting to see where these cryptos finally base, and if/when there is another surge of speculative interest. Or perhaps the hedge funds/Goldman have had their fun and will abandon the sector for good? Tough to say. If some additional crypto funds/ETFs are approved for trading, the general public might get involved, if they haven't already been scared out of their wits by crypto's hyper volatility.

[gfp927z]

I don't see how something that doubles in a month and then crashes by 50% in one week can ever be considered a viable mainstream currency.

For a merchant to accept Bitcoin, they'd have to immediately convert it into a regular currency within seconds/minutes of the transaction to avoid potential currency losses. I assume that's what they do now, since otherwise you couldn't run a business for long. Losses on the currency transaction could routinely wipe out any profit you get in the business activity.

Bottomline, these cryptos seem to just be speculative vehicles for traders and hedge funds. The blockchain and DLT/distributed ledger technology itself is another story. Jim Rickards said DLT is to be used by the IMF's SDRs/Special Drawing Rights, which will be the new global reserve currency for international trade and settlement between central banks.

[CuriousWon]

I wouldn't say anything like that, I've made some good and some bad picks, more good than bad so far, just learning along the way! :)

Looks like OKCoin and Huobi are meeting with regulators tomorrow (overnight tonight for us)...we will see how that goes. Honestly, either way it'll be good to have this China rumor stuff behind us. If they ban it, fine, at least we will know for certain! The government still wont be able to control it 100%. Like I said, they can still open up accounts on foreign exchanges like coinbase, etc..

[gfp927z]

>> looking for another play here soon <<


Let me know when you find one. It sounds like you have the knack :o)

[CuriousWon]

I think so, but people get hit too, so don't let your guard down!

I know, it would have been nice to sell in the 80s, but oh well, I will still hold. Like you said, easy come easy go. I put up what I could afford to lose so it's all play money at this point, we'll see where it goes.


Yeah ONCI has been good to me, got in at .0007, exited at .0014 to cover cost, then another exit at .0098, at this point I have another target at .0495, then another after that. We'll see where it goes, looking for another play here soon, just sitting and waiting :)

[gfp927z]

CuriousWon, Thanks for the info. It seems ransomware mostly hits business computers. One small business I saw a while back got hit and they demanded 2 bitcoin in payment to unfreeze their system, which at that time was worth $1800.

Well, the cryptos are almost back to where the late Summer rally started. The orderly retracement took a disorderly turn today, so no longer so 'healthy' looking. Oh well, easy come / easy go I guess. They really need to stabilize soon or at this rate will be back to the Spring levels.

>> the trips <<


I noticed you're following ONCI. That thing really took off, so congratulations if you are/were onboard for the action. I see the market cap is now up to almost $40 mil. After a 10 bagger in less than a month, it might be time to take some profits, but that's one crazy looking chart :o)

[CuriousWon]

Yeah having the background definitely helped with the jump in to the crypto sector. As far as stocks though I am all index funds for the long term, and I do some trading in the trips to build up capital quick and for fun lol ;)

For preventing ransomware (or spyware, viruses, anything really), the #1 piece of advice is to be careful of what you click on!!! Seriously, that's 99% of it. Antivirus software, etc., will really only detect and remove malicious things fater you've already been infected. It does very little to actually prevent infection. Some will manage your firewall for you and scan for vulnerabilities, and maybe some other things, but its mostly just detection and cleanup.

If there's an attachment or even a link in an email (even from someone you know!), or on the internet, that you're suspivious of: don't click it! If it is a hyperlink, you can hover over it to expose the real URL, too.

If you download something thay asks you to enable macros or anything, don't do it.

Now, for recovering from an incident, the best thing is to have backups on an external disk. Do a weekly full backup of your computer on to a disk just for backups. Plug it in, back it up, unplug it when the backup is finished. If it's plugged in when you get hit with ransomware then your backups will get hit too, and then they're no good!

I personally run bitdefender, but I have no attachment to it. I ran without AV for years and was just super careful

[gfp927z]

>>> North Korea is dodging sanctions with a secret bitcoin stash


Bloomberg

Yuji Nakamura and Sam Kim

9-13-17


http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/north-korea-is-dodging-sanctions-with-a-secret-bitcoin-stash/ar-AArJ5Cu?OCID=ansmsnnews11


North Korean state-sponsored hackers are trying to steal bitcoin to evade sanctions


North Korea appears to be stepping up efforts to secure bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which could be used to avoid trade restrictions including new sanctions approved by the United Nations Security Council.

Hackers from Kim Jong Un’s regime are increasing their attacks on cryptocurrency exchanges in South Korea and related sites, according to a new report from security researcher FireEye Inc. They also breached an English-language bitcoin news website and collected bitcoin ransom payments from global victims of the malware WannaCry, according to the researcher.

Kim’s apparent interest in cryptocurrencies comes amid rising prices and popularity. The same factors that have driven their success -- lack of state control and secretiveness -- would make them useful fund raising and money laundering tools for a man threatening to use nuclear weapons against the U.S. With tightening sanctions and usage of cryptocurrencies broadening, security experts say North Korea’s embrace of digital cash will only increase.

“We definitely see sanctions being a big lever driving this sort of activity,” said Luke McNamara, a researcher at FireEye and author of the new report. “They probably see it as a very low-cost solution to bring in hard cash.”

The 15-member Security Council on Monday approved sanctions aimed at punishing North Korea for its latest missile and nuclear tests. U.S. officials said the new measures would cut the country’s textile exports by 90 percent, restricting its ability to get hard currency.

So far this year, FireEye has confirmed attacks on at least three South Korean exchanges, including one in May that was successful. Around the same time, local media reported that Seoul-based exchange Yapizon lost more than 3,800 bitcoins (worth about $15 million at current rates) due to theft, although FireEye said there are not clear indications of North Korean involvement.

North Korea’s telecommunications ministry didn’t respond to an emailed request for comments. The country’s diplomats and official media have denied the country played any role in cyberattacks, including the hacking of Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2014.

North Korea Hacks Coincide With Bitcoin Rally© Bloomberg North Korea Hacks Coincide With Bitcoin Rally

North Korea operates what South Korea believes is an army of hackers expanding its focus from military espionage to financial theft. The regime’s Reconnaissance General Bureau, which directly reports to Kim Jong Un, handles peacetime cyber operations from espionage to network disruptions and employs an estimated 6,000 officers, according to a 2016 report from the International Cyber Policy Centre at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

In the recent round of attacks, South Korea may have become a target not just due to its proximity to Pyongyang and shared language, but because the country has become one of the busiest trading hubs for cryptocurrencies this year. Seoul-based Bithumb is the world’s biggest exchange for ethereum. In June, it said hackers had stolen customer information from an employee’s computer, without identifying the attackers.

"As more money goes into cryptocurrency exchanges and more people buy bitcoin and ethereum, exchanges become larger targets for this group,” said McNamara. He said so far he did not have evidence that Kim Jong Un’s regime has targeted cryptocurrency exchanges outside of South Korea, but did not rule out the possibility in the future.

Besides exchanges, FireEye said an English-language bitcoin news website was breached by North Korea, which would likely allow hackers to identify people visiting the site. It declined to name the website and said it believes North Korea prefers larger targets like exchanges than individual owners of cryptocurrencies.

The firm said previously it had found a connection between Pyongyang and the WannaCry attack from May and June, which affected more than 300,000 computers worldwide. McNamara said he also sees indications North Korean hackers are getting involved in cryptocurrency mining.

Attacks on the South Korean exchanges were carried out through so-called spear-phishing attacks, or emailing files laced with malware to specific targets. FireEye identified the malware, known as PEACHPIT, and provided examples of documents it was attached to, including one published by Seoul-based Hyundai Research Institute about the state of bitcoin industries. When contacted, the author of the report confirmed he wrote it in 2014, but was unaware that someone was distributing a press release about it this year.

The group behind the hacks, which FireEye identified as TEMP.Hermit, has made a name for itself out of bitcoin theft, including a 2015 attack on South Korea’s nuclear industry. The hackers have also been tied by other security firms to last year’s attack on Samsung Electronics Co.’s corporate messenger app and, most prominently, the breach of Sony Corp.’s film studio, which the FBI blamed on North Korea.

"They’re pretty capable actors in comparison to other North Korean activity we see,” said McNamara. "They’ve been creative in how they use their cyber-espionage capability."

The malware used in bitcoin hacks is linked to the group suspected of attacks on the payment systems of global banks last year, according to FireEye. The FBI is also examining North Korea’s link to the theft of $81 million through the New York Fed last year, Bloomberg Markets reported last month.

FireEye said if the hackers wanted to convert bitcoin or ethereum into dollars or won, they’d likely first exchange them into harder-to-trace cryptocurrencies like Monero and then into fiat currency. A similar technique was used last month to empty the bitcoin wallets related to WannaCry.

“They could compromise an exchange and transfer those bitcoins to other exchanges elsewhere in Asia or exchange them for a more anonymous cryptocurrency,” said McNamara. “There are variety of things they could do to cash out.”

<<<

[gfp927z]

>>> Dimon calls bitcoin ‘a fraud’ and may have delivered the biggest blow to the digital currency



By Anora Mahmudova

Sept 13, 2017



http://www.marketwatch.com/story/dimon-calls-bitcoin-a-fraud-and-may-have-delivered-the-biggest-blow-to-the-digital-currency-2017-09-12?mod=MW_story_top_stories



J.P. Morgan chief compares bitcoin rally with the tulip bubble

Dimon may have just made bitcoin owners feel this small

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. boss Jamie Dimon just leveled one of the harshest criticisms about bitcoin and the broader digital-currency sector to date.

Speaking at a banking industry conference organized by Barclays, Dimon compared the rapid ascent of bitcoin with the 17th century mania over tulip bulbs — viewed as a classic, textbook bubble — and predicted that things may end just as badly for investors in the decentralized currency, which has been surging over the past year.

“Bitcoin will eventually blow up. It’s a fraud. It’s worse than tulip bulbs and won’t end well,” Dimon said.

Dimon also said he would fire any trader trading bitcoin for being “stupid.”

Speaking at CNBC’s Delivering Alpha conference late Tuesday afternoon, Dimon reiterated that “bitcoin is not a real thing and it’s solely speculative and that there’s no need for it in the US.”

Bitcoin prices fell about 2% to trade at $4,107 on Tuesday, according to digital-currency site Coindesk.com. Bitcoin prices peaked at above $5,000 on Sept. 1, but plunged 18% since then following unverified reports about plans by Chinese authorities to shut down bitcoin exchanges in the country. China’s regulators last week declared so-called initial coin offerings illegal, dealing a blow to all digital currencies.

Wall Street reacted swiftly to the verbal bashing from one of the world’s more prominent bankers about the upstart digital-currency market.

Bitcoin’s biggest rival, Ether tokens, trading on the Ethereum blockchain, were down nearly 3% Tuesday at $289.

Still, the year-to-date gains for bitcoin are stunning. Bitcoin is up more than 300% since the start of 2017.

But Ether’s 3,600% gains since January dwarfs traditional stock returns.

Comparatively, the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.01% is up nearly 12% so far this year, while the S&P 500 index SPX, -0.06% is on track for a more than 11% return thus far.

<<<

[gfp927z]

CuriousWon, >> IT Security <<


I figured you had to be in that general area :o) That knowledge must help considerably when evaluating these tech-oriented investments.

This is OT, but with the big ramsomware problem these days, I was wondering if you had some insights into effective ways to avoid becoming a victim of these ransomware attacks? Thanks.

I use Norton/Symantac antivirus supplemented by Malwarebytes Premium, but just curious if there may be better products out there? I was told that since the ransomware has to gain entrance into your backup files, it's best to only do a backup once a day rather than a more frequent or continuous backup. Not allowing general web surfing on one's business system is another obvious way to prevent ransomware, but isn't it also spread via emails?

Thanks for any insights, and sorry for the OT. You probably get asked this ransomeware question a lot :o)

[gfp927z]

>> tied back to some "news" from anonymous sources <<


It may have originated from the Andrew Left crowd, who are not only short-side, but 'activist' and aren't above making sure the bad news gets out. With Valeant the 'bad news' turned out to be totally correct, so it wasn't fake news, but other short side vultures have no qualms about floating outright lies.

Looking at the charts, nearer term support was broken today, so next support for Litecoin looks like 55, and then the band from 40-55 (roughly the summer trading range).

For Bitcoin there's some interim support at 3200-3400 area, and then main support would be 3000. For GBTC it's 550 and then the band from 400-550.

With the massive rise, a sizable retracement had to come eventually, so we'll see where things level out.

[price_and_volume]

Yesterday Jamie Dimon (JP Morgan) gave an interview where he called BTC a giant "fraud." Admittedly he said "it could go to $100K next yr" or words to that effect, but he essentially says it's junk.

I'm a strong believer in blockchain & hold various cryptos, but the future is not crystal clear on the best way for traders or investors to monetize the future of blockchain... hence most have just bought cryptos, and trade the hell out of pennystocks, however loosely associated, w/ anything bitcoin, crypto or blockchain related.

[CuriousWon]

I am in IT Security, so theres definitely some overlap!

But holy crap! Bitcoin fell through the floor last night during daytime trading for Asia. Litecoin and Ether also dropped a lot as well.

It all seems tied back to some "news" from anonymous sources couple days ago (in quotes because nobody knows if it's really or fake), where China is supposedly banning all domestic exchanges. Although these exchanges saying they haven't heard anything from authorities yet.


So, it could be real, in which case we will see what happens, or it could be fake and someone is trying to manipulate the price for whatever reasons.


Either way, markets are reacting, and people are selling out of fear. Even if China banned domestic exchamges, people could still use foreign exchanges (just like someone in China trading stocks on an Americam exchange). There also is apparently no plan to stop OTC exchanges/using bitcoins.


I have no idea where this is going!! Lol

[gfp927z]

CuriousWon, Wow, that sounds great, and has me ready to buy some Litecoin :o)

You sound like you must work in a tech field related to these cryptos.


Based on the charts, it looks like Bitcoin will soon test 4000, which is a fairly key support level. GBTC is already there, sitting right at key support around 700. Looking at the GBTC chart, it wouldn't be surprising to see it fall thru this support and down to the next support area around 550, especially since we know Andrew Left is shorting it and his presence may attract other large players. It's possible there might be a divergence developing where GBTC falls while Bitcoin remains more stable in comparison. Tough to say though.

Ethereum is right at key support also, and doesn't look like it will hold. Same with Litecoin, with next support at 55 area.

Ideally it would be nice to see Litecoin form a base in the 55-65 area and enter a trading range for a while, that would be healthy. Alternately, it might form a lower but wider trading band from 40-55, which is where it traded for much of the summer. If it breaks below 40, we've got problems from a TA/chart perspective.

As wild as these cryptos are, their moves are actually more orderly than the small cap bio stocks I used to follow :o)

[CuriousWon]

No worries at all! It's always better to ask and to know :)

Reasons why I believe in Litecoin:

1. Strong, united development community.

As you've seen with Bitcoin’s recent forks, having disagreement among the developers can lead to difficult situations. The first hard fork with bitcoin cash was one thing, the next one coming up is looking even more dire. Litecoin's developers are ACTIVE (unlike a lot of cryptos which the devs abandoned), and have a solid roadmap, looking to add tons of new features and functionality. Check out the roadmap here: https://litecoincore.org

2. Performance!

Litecoin processes blocks 4 times faster than bitcoin (every 2.5 mins vs every 10). I've experience this first hand when performing transactions, with Litecoin taking signifanctly less time to clear than Bitcoin or Ether.

3. Scalability.

They implemented SegWit with no political doldrums, the network scalability is much less prone to bottlenecks like Bitcoin is in its current state. It also leverages scrypt algorithm eather than SHA-256, which makes mining (and thus, the entite network) more scalable.

4. Acceptance

5. Again, development, two big things being:

A. Lightning Network

Litecoin may be the first to implement the lightning network, allowing for instant payments, even greater scalability, lower fees, and even "atomic swaps" (trading once currency for another that uses the same fryptographic hash algorithm).

B. Smart Contracts

Ethereum? How about Litecoin! The developers are working on adding anonymous smart contract support as well. It may be too late for Litecoin to grab a significant portion of this market, but who knows? Regardless, it's additional functionality which I feel, when paired with the other features and benefits of Litecoin, will add value and become leveraged to some extent.




Litecoin has also generally been, up until about the last 2 weeks, more stable than others, and better able to hold on to gains. The explosive growth end of August has changed this, but we are still hovering ar 65-70, much higher than the 45 before the run.


For the reasons above, I think the tech and promise of Litecoin is much more favorable than other cryptocurrencies. I also think the ambitious roadmap will only reinforce Litecoins favorability, paving the way for more growth, both in price and in function.

[gfp927z]

>>> Grayscale Investments Launches $10 Million Ethereum Classic Private Fund



by Alex Lielacher

Apr 28, 2017



https://bitcoinmagazine.com/articles/grayscale-investments-launches-10-million-ethereum-classic-private-fund/



The U.S. investment management company Grayscale Investments LLC has launched the first-ever private fund that invests in the digital currency ethereum classic (ETC) with $10 million in seed capital. The new fund is called the Ethereum Classic Investment Trust.

Grayscale Investments, an investment subsidiary of the Digital Currency Group (DCG) founded by entrepreneur and investor Barry Silbert, has raised $10 million in seed capital from the Digital Currency Group, Silbert himself and Glenn Hutchins, co-founder of the private investment firm Silver Lake and board member of DCG, NASDAQ and AT&T. The purpose of the fund is to track the price of the digital currency ethereum classic (ETC), which was created a little under a year ago following the Ethereum hard fork. Ethereum Classic provides developers with the opportunity to create smart contracts as well as decentralized apps.

Ethereum Classic has since emerged as one of the leading digital currencies in the market in terms of market capitalization and investor interest. The all-time high of ethereum classic was $5.11 on April 27, and its market capitalization currently stands at around $440 million, making it the sixth largest digital currency in the market according to CoinMarketCap.

“I’m excited about Ethereum Classic, as opposed to Ethereum (ETH), because ETC has a fixed supply and the potential to serve as the smart contract and micropayment layer to the Internet of Things,” Silbert said to Bitcoin Magazine.

The Ethereum Classic Investment Trust is set up with a similar structure as Grayscale’s Bitcoin Investment Trust, the only publicly traded bitcoin investment vehicle in the U.S., which launched as a private vehicle in 2013 and began being publicly traded in 2015. The new fund allows investors to hold ETC without needing to go through the technical hassle of purchasing and securely storing the digital coins.

The fund is launching at a time when the digital currency market is witnessing new all-time highs in its two largest currencies, bitcoin and ether, as well as an impressive rally in altcoins, such as Litecoin, Ripple, DASH as well as ethereum classic.

“As investors have grown more interested in digital currency as an asset class, we’ve also seen growing frustration with the difficulty in purchasing non-bitcoin digital currencies,” Silbert told Reuters when he first announced his intentions to launch the Ethereum Classic Investment Trust at the beginning of March.

“We’re excited to launch a fund for ethereum classic to satisfy the growing interest we are seeing in ETC from more mainstream investors,” he added.

<<<

[gfp927z]

CuriousWon, I was wondering what it is about Litecoin that you find so appealing, compared to some of the other cryptos? I'm fairly new to this sector, so forgive my relative ignorance on the topic. Thanks for your insights.

[gfp927z]

CuriousWon, The pullback in these cryptos seems healthy so far. I mainly go by the charts, and it would be best if the orderly pullback/consolidation would go on for a while. The late Summer surge was so huge that it needs some time to digest.

One thing to worry about is the arrival of the famous short-side operator Andrew Left. Looks like he's mainly bearish on the GBTC fund and the ICO mania, rather than on cryptos in general, but if enough of the big players and hedge funds start following his lead, that would spell trouble. Andrew Left was the one who got things rolling against Valeant Pharma, and his criticisms were valid then, and are valid now with GBTC.

I'm not sure how easy/difficult it is to short these cryptos, since they don't trade on a traditional exchange. GBTC does trade that way, so it's probably the easiest to short.

That said, manias can go on way past all logic. If additional crypto funds/ETFs are approved for trading by the SEC, it might be just the beginning for the crypto bull market, since as of now the general public hasn't even arrived yet. On the other hand, funds/ETFs for additional cryptos might allow large scale shorting by the big players. So who knows, it's really the Wild West -



>>> Noted Short Seller Andrew Left Is Bearish on Bitcoin Investment Trust and ICOs


Tanzeel Akhtar

Sep 11, 2017


https://www.thestreet.com/story/14300831/1/andrew-left-is-bearish-on-bitcoin-investment-trust-and-icos.html


Citron Research's Andrew Left is not at all impressed by the latest wave of initial coin offerings (ICOs) and the Grayscale Bitcoin Investment Trust (GBTC) .

ICOs have become popular as more and more start-up are using them to raise money.

Citron Research's Left, who is a well known activist short seller, has also bet against Grayscale Bitcoin Investment Trust. He told TheStreet he has "no long-term view on Bitcoin.....more of a comment on that particular vehicle [ICOs]." And that comment is one of skepticism, even though he doesn't dismiss the cryptocurrency at large.

"I would be more bearish on the wave of ICOs than Bitcoin," said Left.

Recently on CNBC, Left said he has taken a short position on Grayscale Bitcoin Investment Trust, because the net asset value is twice the amount of the underlying Bitcoin.

"That alone is completely ridiculous," Left said. "But on top of that just go read the SEC filings and you will see they [Grayscale] do not have insurance of the the Bitcoin that they are custodians of."

Left sees this as a negative sign. To boot, the GBTC doesn't offer a guarantee that its owners are going to get a distribution of Bitcoin cash.

Left said he is short and held the position "recently" and refused to discuss the size. However, he added that "I'm half-hedged and half-unhedged."

As a seasoned investor, he's willing to take on some risk as long as he can protect his downside. But he's a realist when it comes to the danger of high valuations that can only reach certain altitude.

"I actually think ... as somebody who has been trading markets for 30 years, I have a certain level of understanding, and that would be the higher things go, the more thin the air becomes," he said.

The Grayscale Bitcoin Investment Trust Eligible shares are publicly quoted on OTCQX. Investors can buy and sell unregistered but freely tradeable Bitcoin Investment Trust shares through their personal brokerage account in the same manner as they would other unregistered OTC securities.

Grayscale also recently launched a fund that invests in the digital currency Ethereum called the Ethereum Classic Investment Trust.

Bitcoin ETFs will enter the market

Left also added he believes the SEC will soon approve other Bitcoin products such as exchange traded funds. We should expect cryptocurrency ETFs very soon.

The Winklevoss Twins application to launch the Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF (COIN) ETF was rejected earlier this. The SEC citied a lack of regulation and surveillance-sharing agreements between exchanges. The twins have reapplied to the SEC for approval. It seems the bar is high for approval.

"Unfortunately, we are restricted from commenting under federal security laws," Grayscale told TheStreet.

<<<

[gfp927z]

>> Rickards <<


Rickards has given out some very useful info over the years, especially concerning the SDR/Special Drawing Rights of the IMF and the SDR's future role as the world's reserve currency. He's had close interaction with high level 'elites' in finance and the US intelligence community.

Fwiw, my working hypothesis on Rickards is that in addition to making money for himself, he works for them (the NWO elites) as a conduit for disseminating info that they want to get out to the public, with varying degrees of spin that they require.

Floating out info is a technique that acclimates the public to what's coming, and improves the public's acceptance of it later ('predictive programming'). I think of Rickards as a designated disseminator working loosely for the NWO, and in return he's allowed to make money off the process -


>>> "Predictive programming is a subtle form of psychological conditioning provided by the media to acquaint the public with planned societal changes to be implemented by our leaders." <<<

[CuriousWon]

I think there's good stuff in here and it's stoll relevant, but Rickards has very much likes trying to scare people with the worst case scenario.

If anything, I think the removing the US dollar as the reserve currency will strengthen crypto markets.

He mentioned 'permissioned' vs 'permissionless' but doesn't clarify that they [appear to be] referring specifically to the transaction validation process -- not the ability to use the network/currency itself.