Aurelia Butler

More stories

  • 163 Shares179 Views

    in Cryptocurrency

    Silencio Network Breaks Records: $112 Million in Allocation Requests, Surpassing Target by 220x

    Silencio Network, the world’s largest noise intelligence platform, has set a historic benchmark for the Web3 and Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks (DePIN’s). Through its strategic partnership with Legion (legion.cc), Silencio generated an unprecedented $112 million in allocation requests, surpassing its $500,000 raise target by over 220x.This milestone highlights increasing interest in DePIN projects and demonstrates the demand for real-world blockchain solutions. Silencio’s success underscores its leadership in leveraging blockchain technology to tackle tangible challenges while empowering a global community.Clarifying Community-First IntentWhile $112.7 million in allocation requests were received, Silencio intentionally accepted only $1.3 million. Silencio has created a strong foundation for long-term, decentralized growth by prioritizing community incentives over large-scale capital intake.Pioneering the Future of DePINSilencio’s achievement goes beyond the interest. It demonstrates the rising demand for decentralized infrastructure networks that address pressing global issues like noise pollution.The $SLC Token and the Path to TGEThe $SLC token, governed by the BlockSound Foundation, lies at the heart of Silencio’s ecosystem, rewarding contributors and scaling the network sustainably. The pre-sale was designed as a community-first initiative, ensuring early adopters play a pivotal role in shaping the project’s future.With the Token Generation Event (TGE) just weeks away, $SLC will unlock new opportunities for ownership, engagement, and impact, empowering users and enterprises to participate actively in Silencio’s mission.Real-World Leadership in DePINWith the DePIN market projected to grow from $56 billion to $3.5 trillion by 2028, Silencio’s pre-sale ranks among the largest-ever allocation initiatives in Web3 history. This success can reinforce Silencio’s pioneering role in shaping the future of decentralized physical infrastructure networks.Noise pollution imposes a staggering multi-trillion-dollar cost on the global economy, impacting life expectancy, driving up healthcare expenses, and diminishing work efficiency worldwide. It affects a majority of the global population, significantly reducing quality of life. Silencio’s innovative, smartphone-powered solution democratizes access to noise intelligence, offering a scalable pathway to creating quieter, healthier cities. By empowering individuals with actionable insights, Silencio enables smarter choices about where to live, dine, and stay, fostering a better quality of life for communities everywhere.Joining the MovementUsers can download the Silencio app, contribute to the world’s largest noise databank, earn rewards for making a difference, and visit www.silencio.network to learn more and explore the network’s activity on Dune Analytics.About Silencio NetworkSilencio Network is revolutionizing the global approach to capturing, processing, and utilizing noise intelligence data. By transforming everyday smartphones into real-time noise sensors, Silencio provides hyper-local insights that drive impactful decisions across industries such as urban planning, real estate, and hospitality. Envisioning a future where noise-level data influences real estate pricing and guides daily choices in selecting hotels and restaurants, Silencio is paving the way for smarter, more informed decisions. With operations spanning over 180 countries and a network of 460,000 sensors, the platform generates more than 100,000 daily on-chain transactions, solidifying its position as the world’s largest noise intelligence platform.About LegionLegion is revolutionizing early-stage crypto investments with its MiCA-compliant fundraising platform. Engineered to democratize access for retail investors, a built-in reputation system lets projects customize allocations and offer discounts based on each investor’s unique on- and off-chain activities. Reputation scores dynamically evolve based on how investors support the projects they invest in, disincentivizing short-term, value-extractive behavior.ContactChristopher von HalemSilencio NetworkChristopher@silencio.networkThis article was originally published on Chainwire More

  • 125 Shares179 Views

    in Economy

    Dollar resumes upward trend, euro hits lowest since Nov 2022

    LONDON/SINGAPORE (Reuters) -The dollar hit new multi-month highs against the euro and the pound on Thursday, the first day of 2025 trading, as it built on last year’s strong gains on expectations U.S. interest rates will remain high relative to peers. The euro fell to as low as $1.0314, its lowest since November 2022, down around 0.3% on the day. It is now down nearly 8% since its late September highs above $1.12, one major victim of the dollar’s recent surge. Traders anticipate deep interest rate cuts from the European Central Bank in 2025, with markets pricing in at least four 25 basis point cuts, while not being certain of even two such moves from the U.S. Federal Reserve. The dollar was hitting milestones across the board and the pound was last down 0.65% at $1.2443, its lowest since April, with its fall accelerating after it broke through resistance around $1.2475. “It’s more of the same at the start of the new calendar year with the dollar continuing to extend its advances in anticipation of Trump putting in place friendly policies at the start of his term,” said Lee Hardman, senior currency analyst at MUFG.U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s policies are widely expected to not only boost growth but also add to upward price pressure. That will lead to a Fed cautious about cutting rates too much further, in turn underpinning U.S. Treasury yields and boost dollar demand.A weaker growth outlook outside the U.S., conflict in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war have also added to demand for the dollar. The dollar also reversed an early loss on Thursday to climb against the Japanese yen, and was last up 0.17% at 157.26. It reached a five-month high above 158 yen in late December, potentially putting pressure on the Bank of Japan, which is expected to raise interest rates early this year, but possibly not immediately. “If dollar/yen were to break above 160 ahead of the next BOJ meeting, that could be a catalyst for the BOJ to hike in January rather than wait until March,” said Hardman. “Though for now markets are leaning towards March after the dovish comments from (governor Kazuo) Ueda at his last press conference.” Even those who are more cautious about sustained dollar strength think it could take a long time to play out. “The dollar may be vulnerable – but only if the U.S. data confound market expectations that the Fed doesn’t cut rates more than once in the first half of this year, and not by more than 50bp in the whole of 2025,” said Kit Juckes chief FX strategist at Societe Generale (OTC:SCGLY) in a note. “There’s a good chance of that happening, but it seems very unlikely that cracks in U.S. growth will appear early in the year – hence my preference for taking any bearish dollar thoughts with me into hibernation until the weather improves.” China’s yuan languished at 14-month lows as worries about the health of the world’s second-biggest economy, the prospect of U.S. import tariffs from the Trump administration and sliding local yields weighed on investor sentiment. [CNY/]Elsewhere, the Swiss franc, another victim of the recent dollar strength, gave back early gains to last trade flat at 0.90755 per dollar. CHF=EBS > The Australian and New Zealand dollars, however, managed to break away from two-year lows touched on Tuesday. The Aussie was 0.36% higher at $0.6215 having dropped 9% in 2024, its weakest yearly performance since 2018. [AUD/]The kiwi rose 0.47% to $0.5614. More

  • 163 Shares189 Views

    in Cryptocurrency

    Bitcoin (BTC) Loses 97% in Volume From Peak, but Price Is Up: Details

    Reduced liquidity is usually indicated by low trading volume, which implies a lack of participation from institutional and retail investors. Although there may occasionally be erratic price swings as a result, the calm market activity has made it easier for Bitcoin’s price to rise. Therefore, the modest upward trend we have seen may be due to more favorable trading conditions where the market is not burdened by as many sell orders.Bitcoin’s price has temporarily recovered, but it is still below the 50 EMA, a crucial gauge of market direction. A downward trend is usually indicated by trading below this level, and the bearish outlook could continue unless Bitcoin breaks above the 50 EMA with consistent momentum. The 50 EMA is presently at a critical resistance level for Bitcoin, hovering around the $96,000 mark. The lack of trading volume in the overall market begs the question of whether Bitcoin can sustain its price levels.Significant price corrections or trend reversals have historically preceded low volume environments. The 100 and 200 EMAs show that $85,000 and $76,500 are the next support levels to keep an eye on if the price is unable to move above the 50 EMA. As of right now, Bitcoin’s price movements are still erratic, and the decreased volume can be both a benefit and a risk.A break above this resistance could open the door for additional gains, while a rejection could indicate fresh downward pressure, so investors should keep a careful eye on the $96,000 level. As 2025 approaches, Bitcoin’s subsequent actions will probably determine the course of the year.This article was originally published on U.Today More

  • 125 Shares109 Views

    in Cryptocurrency

    Bitcoin price to hit $225,000 in 2025: H. C. Wainwright

    This revised target, up from a previous estimate of $145,000, reflects optimism grounded in a combination of regulatory shifts, institutional adoption, and market dynamics that are expected to bolster Bitcoin’s status as a leading asset class.Several factors underpin this projection. A critical driver is the maturation of the U.S. regulatory landscape. Following the 2024 presidential election, which brought a pro-crypto administration to power, optimism has surged about forthcoming legislative clarity for the digital assets industry. This includes potential executive actions, as well as bipartisan support for bills like the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act. The introduction of these frameworks is expected to unlock sidelined institutional capital, further validating Bitcoin’s position in global financial markets.The continued success of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds in the United States is another catalyst. Since their introduction in early 2024, these ETFs have accumulated significant assets under management, contributing to increased Bitcoin demand. By the end of 2025, H.C. Wainwright forecasts the total market capitalization of Bitcoin to reach $4.5 trillion, accounting for roughly 25% of the total market cap of gold.Additionally, Bitcoin’s fourth halving event in April 2024 has amplified its scarcity, further fueling bullish sentiment. The reduction in block rewards has intensified the cryptocurrency’s deflationary nature, positioning it as a store of value akin to digital gold. Complementing this, Bitcoin’s increasing integration into corporate treasuries and investment portfolios signals broader acceptance among institutional and retail investors alike.The analysts also underscores the burgeoning growth of the broader cryptocurrency market, estimating its valuation to swell to $10 trillion by 2025. This expansion aligns with expectations of Bitcoin’s dominance within the crypto ecosystem declining from 56% to 45%, a typical trend observed during market peaks.While the prediction of $225,000 is ambitious, H.C. Wainwright cautions about potential market volatility, noting that drawdowns of 20-30% are common during bull markets. However, the analysts said that Bitcoin remains in the early stages of its four-year price cycle, suggesting substantial upside potential remains.This projection signals a pivotal year ahead for Bitcoin and the wider crypto sector, as 2025 could cement the digital currency’s role as a cornerstone of global financial systems. More

  • 138 Shares189 Views

    in Cryptocurrency

    Pump AI Challenges Virtuals, Focuses on Solana AI Agents with Meteora

    Pump AI aims to be a major driving force for adopting Meteora via its advanced AI-powered token generation ecosystem. The protocol enables anyone to create, manage, and issue tokens with a few AI prompts. This approach eliminates technical roadblocks like coding and blockchain adoption. Similar to what Virtuals and Pump Fun have already accomplished.Pump AI Has Major Backers and IntegrationsIndustry leaders support Pump AI. The protocol has secured backing from Meteora, Ape Terminal, M3M3, and Cherry so far. Additionally, the project works directly with multiple bots including Photon (WA:PENP), Maestro, and Banana Gun. These partnerships ensure new user flow.Pump AI is the New Meta (NASDAQ:META) for Token LaunchesPump AI is the first and only AI-powered launchpad in the Meteora ecosystem. This liquidity layer for Solana has 300K+ active users and has helped the network expand its performance and developer community. Notably, Meteora is more than just integrating Pump AI, it’s one of its main backers.Due to this positioning, Meteora will help funnel its hundreds of thousands of daily users to Pump AI. This user flow will operate similarly to how PumpFun drew users from Raydium. The support from Meteora will drastically lower the average per-user acquisition cost for Pump AI and provide Pump AI with a major user catalyst and on-ramp.Pump AI is a Bonding Curve LaunchpadPump AI provides additional features for new projects seeking to enter the market. For one, it has variable bonding curves, or set marketcaps needed to open on Meteora. This structure allows token issuers to determine a preset value for their pool to hit before going live on the Meteora exchange. Notably, Pump AI can handle thousands of token launches, potentially equaling hundreds of millions in fees generated daily. Pump AI Leverages Meteroa’s DLMM and M3M3’s Staking TechPump AI integrates Meteora’s unique DLMM system for potential liquidity. The system pays out rewards generated from slippage and spreads derived from token liquidity. Additionally, the M3M3 stake-to-earn protocol rewards namecoin stakers for their potential liquidity and encourages long-term staking.What’s Next (LON:NXT) for Pump AIPump AI plans to accelerate development and expand its ecosystem. Key upcoming milestones include its Token Generation Event, the release of the AI powered Launchpad, partnerships with more industry leaders, and collaborations with AI developers across the tech space. $PUMPAI Token has Multiple Streams of Value$PUMPAI is a versatile digital asset that operates as the main utility and rewards token for the ecosystem. Notably, trading fees from Pump AI go towards buybacks that get added to treasure troves. This strategy allows stakers to secure Pump Points, granting access to treasure troves containing $PUMAI tokens. Additionally, Pump AI will use a portion of all fees collected on the platform to buy back and burn $PUMPAI tokens.About Pump AIPump AI is a leading Bonding Curve (set marketcap) Launchpad on the Meteora ecosystem, enabling projects to launch with customizable curves, high-throughput capacity, and integrations with Meteora’s advanced DLMM for optimized liquidity and user incentives. Pump AI leverages M3M3 staking technology to allow projects to easily enable staking and LP farming on Meteora’s DLMM. Meteora’s DLMM system allows people to earn $SOL rewards from the liquidity around their token as long as it’s paired with $SOL.Website: https://PumpAI.ag/Twitter: https://x.com/pumpdotaiTelegram: https://t.me/PumpdotAIContactFounderMuhammad AliPump AIsupport@pumpai.agThis article was originally published on Chainwire More

  • 138 Shares99 Views

    in Economy

    Futures rise ahead of Wall St’s first trading session in 2025

    At 05:23 a.m. ET on Thursday, Dow E-minis were up 198 points, or 0.46%, S&P 500 E-minis were up 34 points, or 0.57%, and Nasdaq 100 E-minis were up 160.25 points, or 0.75%.Wall Street’s main indexes logged stellar gains in 2024 and the benchmark S&P 500 notched its best two-year run since 1997-1998.The main catalysts were the Fed easing interest rates for the first time in four years, investor hype around artificial intelligence and expectations of companies potentially benefiting from President-elect Donald Trump’s policies.Equity valuations are sitting above their long-term averages, but could be justified if corporate profits stay strong. Earnings per share for S&P 500 companies are projected to rise 10.67% in 2025, according to data compiled by LSEG.Brokerages expect the S&P 500 to touch levels between 6,000 and 7,000 points this year, up from Tuesday’s close of 5,881.However, 2024’s surge ended with the benchmark index and the Dow posting monthly declines in December as markets priced in Trump’s proposals on corporate tax cuts, loose regulations, stricter immigration laws and tariffs to be inflationary and likely to slow down the pace of the Fed’s monetary policy easing this year.With inflation still above the 2% target, traders see the central bank leaving interest rates unchanged at its meeting later this month, and expect borrowing costs to be lowered by a total of 50 basis points by year-end, according to the CME Group’s (NASDAQ:CME) FedWatch Tool.Markets also weighed the likelihood that the new administration could issue more debt to finance its policies, which could worsen market volatility. The yield on the 10-year benchmark Treasury note hovered near its eight-month high. [US/]”Investors are hopeful that a goldilocks scenario will be the story of 2025, amid promises of lower taxes and the deregulation under a second Trump presidency,” said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves (LON:HRGV) Lansdown.”But with fresh trade wars looming, if the worst of the tariff threats are imposed, the bears could be back to disrupt what has been a fairytale performance for the U.S. stock market.”On Thursday, traders will be eying a report on weekly jobless claims, followed by a final estimate on manufacturing activity in December, but the main focus will be a slew of labor market data next week.In premarket trading, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) added 1.3% ahead of the release of its quarterly deliveries numbers. Among other megacaps, Meta (NASDAQ:META) and Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) added 0.8% each, while chip stocks Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) climbed 1% and 1.9%, respectively.These stocks were among the ones behind the S&P 500 Growth index’s 35% jump in 2024. The Value index rose 9.8%.SoFi Technologies (NASDAQ:SOFI) dropped 2.4% after brokerage KBW downgraded the stock to “underperform” from “market perform”. In a week shortened by Wednesday’s New Year’s holiday, trading volumes are expected to be light. More

  • 175 Shares169 Views

    in Economy

    Europe and Asia’s factories end 2024 on weak footing as Trump 2.0 risks mount

    A manufacturing slowdown in the euro zone intensified last month, with scant signs of a rebound anytime soon as the bloc’s three largest economies – Germany, France and Italy – remained stuck in an industrial recession.Manufacturing purchasing managers’ indexes for December from across Asia published on Thursday showed factory activity slowing in China and South Korea although there were some signs of a pickup in Taiwan and Southeast Asia.U.S. President-elect Trump has pledged to impose tariffs across the board, with bigger barriers on imports from three major trading partners – Mexico, Canada and China.The Caixin/S&P Global manufacturing PMI for China nudged down to 50.5 in December from 51.5 the previous month, undershooting analysts’ forecasts and indicating activity grew only modestly. Gabriel Ng, assistant economist at Capital Economics, said Beijing’s increased policy support in late 2024 provided a near-term boost to growth, which is likely to be seen in other fourth quarter indicators.”And this improvement should carry over into early 2025,” Ng said. “But the boost probably won’t last more than a few quarters, with Trump likely to follow through on his tariff threat before long and persistent structural imbalances still weighing on the economy.”In Europe, HCOB’s euro zone manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index, compiled by S&P Global, dipped to 45.1 in December, just under a preliminary estimate and further below the 50 mark separating growth from contraction, where it has been since mid-2022.”Output in the euro zone remained under pressure at the end of 2024, held back by a continued slide in new orders in both the domestic market and in exports,” noted Claus Vistesen, chief euro zone economist at Pantheon.Factory activity in Germany fell deeper into contraction territory last month on sharper declines in output and new orders while activity in France declined at the fastest pace in more than four years.In Britain, outside the European Union, factory activity shrank at the quickest rate in 11 months and firms reduced staffing levels due to higher taxes and weak foreign demand.Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea’s PMI showed activity shrinking in December and the decline in output gathering pace, a stark contrast to better-than-forecast export growth figures released on Wednesday.South Korea’s central bank governor said on Thursday the pace of monetary policy easing would need to be flexible this year due to heightened political and economic uncertainty.In addition, South Korea is dealing with the hit to business confidence from a national political crisis after a failed bid by President Yoon Suk Yeol last month to impose martial law.Earlier in the week, Japan’s PMI showed activity shrinking in December, albeit at a slower pace. Malaysia and Vietnam also reported declines in factory activity. India’s manufacturing activity grew at its weakest pace for 2024, its PMI showed, although the South Asian economy’s factories continued to outperform regional peers, reporting uninterrupted expansion for the past three-and-a-half years. More

  • 138 Shares129 Views

    in Economy

    Bank of England allots second-highest amount on record at short-term repo

    The short-term repo allows banks to borrow money from the BoE – usually for a seven-day period – in exchange for high-quality collateral and is designed by the BoE to keep interbank lending rates close to its policy interest rate.The highest amount allotted in the repo was 46.743 billion pounds on Oct. 24.($1 = 0.8033 pounds) More