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    MicroStrategy Imitator Semler Scientific Buys 303 Bitcoin

    The recent addition takes Semler Scientific’s cumulative Bitcoin holding to 1,873 BTC. This total haul cost the company $147.1 million at an average acquisition price of $78,553 per Bitcoin.With the current price of Bitcoin trading at $102,411 as of this writing, Semler Scientific already has made a profit of $1,700,436 on its 303 BTC purchase. However, based on its total holding of 1,873 BTC, Semler’s profit margin is approximately $44,686,034.This margin highlights the profitability of Bitcoin to Semler Scientific since betting on the asset. This indicates that the company’s approach has surpassed traditional treasury strategies for investment.Michael Saylor, the executive chairman of MicroStrategy, remains a Bitcoin enthusiast with an unshaken belief in the asset. Saylor recently gave a three-minute presentation to Microsoft’s Board of Directors on why the tech giant should embrace Bitcoin. Saylor has always emphasized that Bitcoin has assisted MicroStrategy in outpacing every stock in the S&P 500 index and recommends it to others.Besides Semler Scientific, the Japanese publicly traded firm Metaplanet is also following the playbook of MicroStrategy in the acquisition of Bitcoin. As of October, Metaplanet has raised its total Bitcoin holdings to 1,018.17 BTC.This article was originally published on U.Today More

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    MicroStrategy Leads Crypto Stocks Rally as Bitcoin Hits $104,000

    MicroStrategy soared 6.1%, while Robinhood Markets (NASDAQ:HOOD) and Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COIN) rose 4.3% and 3.5%, respectively. Mara Holdings and Riot Platforms (NASDAQ:RIOT) increased approximately 6% and 4%, respectively, according to CNBC data.As of Wednesday’s close, MicroStrategy’s stock was up 542.8% year to date. Robinhood is up more than 200%, while Coinbase has nearly doubled. Mara Holdings has underperformed the pack with a 10.5% increase.MicroStrategy’s aggressive Bitcoin acquisition strategy has boosted MSTR stock growth. According to Michael Saylor, MicroStrategy’s cofounder and chairman, the company raised $13.5 billion and bought 149,880 BTC for about $90,231 in November.The company increased its BTC holdings this week; on Dec. 2, MicroStrategy revealed that it had acquired 15,400 BTC for over $1.5 billion, or around $95,976 per Bitcoin, and had achieved a BTC yield of 38.7% QTD and 63.3% YTD. As of Dec. 2, MicroStrategy holds 402,100 BTC acquired for $23.4 billion, or nearly $58,263 per Bitcoin.Investors have also flooded into leveraged MicroStrategy ETFs, according to a JPMorgan research note released on Wednesday.Bitcoin was last up 7.24% at $102,896 at the time of writing, according to CoinMarketCap data. In 2024, Bitcoin has increased by more than 140% this year. The recent pick of pro-crypto Paul Atkins as SEC chairman has helped to fuel the increase.Speaking at the DealBook conference on Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell described Bitcoin as “just like gold, only it’s virtual, it’s digital.” He clarified that “people are not utilizing it as a form of money, or as a store of value” and that “it’s not a competition for the dollar, it’s really a competitor for gold.”This article was originally published on U.Today More

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    Legendary Trader Peter Brandt on Bitcoin $100,000: ‘I Didn’t Understand The Big Deal’

    What is more, Brandt referred to the massive new moonstone as “a big yawner,” saying that he “did not understand the big deal of $100,000.” Brandt did not explain his attitude to BTC’s new record high. He has always been favorable toward Bitcoin compared to other cryptocurrencies, such as Ethereum or XRP. Many times, he has trashed ETH versus BTC. Recently, Brandt also hinted in a tweet that he does not expect Bitcoin to stop at $100,000.The Bitcoin community eagerly responded to Brandt’s tweet, and many stated that $100,000 is related to the importance of “round numbers” and “human psychology.” Some just said, “It means you can sell 1 BTC for 100,000 US Dollars. Pretty wild.”However, many other cryptocurrency experts – mostly investors, though, not traders, including Anthony Pompliano and Robert Kiyosaki – have underscored the importance of Bitcoin breaking through that historic resistance level and the biggest sell wall in history.Pompliano, founder of the Pomp Investments fund, believes that this was an important psychological level, by crossing which Bitcoin will begin to attract skeptic boomers, who will begin buying BTC just in case, to make sure they have not missed out on a big opportunity.Founder and former CEO of the Binance exchange Changpeng Zhao (CZ) tweeted that unlike many others, he did not make a lot of money on this Bitcoin price surge since the number of Bitcoins he holds has remained the same recently. Apparently he was hinting that he did not buy any more BTC on the dip this year.JAN3 boss Samson Mow has reaffirmed his earlier prediction that Bitcoin will surge to $1 million per coin after hitting $100,000. In a recent tweet, he suggested that Bitcoiners should once again add “laser eyes” to their avatars until BTC reaches $1 million.This article was originally published on U.Today More

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    EOS Climbs 14% As Investors Gain Confidence

    The move upwards pushed EOS’s market cap up to $2.2578B, or 0.06% of the total cryptocurrency market cap. At its highest, EOS’s market cap was $17.5290B.EOS had traded in a range of $1.2687 to $1.5145 in the previous twenty-four hours.Over the past seven days, EOS has seen a rise in value, as it gained 85.88%. The volume of EOS traded in the twenty-four hours to time of writing was $1.0539B or 0.29% of the total volume of all cryptocurrencies. It has traded in a range of $0.7950 to $1.5350 in the past 7 days.At its current price, EOS is still down 93.49% from its all-time high of $22.98 set on April 29, 2018.Bitcoin was last at $101,285.8 on the Investing.com Index, up 5.81% on the day.Ethereum was trading at $3,884.06 on the Investing.com Index, a gain of 1.70%.Bitcoin’s market cap was last at $2,015.6698B or 54.90% of the total cryptocurrency market cap, while Ethereum’s market cap totaled $469.3760B or 12.78% of the total cryptocurrency market value. More

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    Safran warns of Trump tariff hit to aerospace sector

    $75 per monthComplete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders. Pay a year upfront and save 20%.What’s included Global news & analysisExpert opinionFT App on Android & iOSFT Edit appFirstFT: the day’s biggest stories20+ curated newslettersFollow topics & set alerts with myFTFT Videos & Podcasts20 monthly gift articles to shareLex: FT’s flagship investment column15+ Premium newsletters by leading expertsFT Digital Edition: our digitised print edition More

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    Bitcoin storms above $100,000 as Trump 2.0 fuels crypto euphoria

    Once it broke $100,000 in Thursday’s Asian morning, boosted by U.S. President-elect Trump’s nomination of pro-crypto Paul Atkins to run the Securities and Exchange Commission, it was soon at an all-time high of $103,619. It was last fetching $102,675, up about 5% on the day.The total value of the cryptocurrency market has almost doubled over the year so far to hit a record over $3.8 trillion, according to data provider CoinGecko. By comparison, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) alone is worth about $3.7 trillion.Bitcoin’s march from the libertarian fringe to Wall Street has minted millionaires, a new asset class and popularised the concept of “decentralised finance” in a volatile and often controversial period since its creation 16 years ago.Bitcoin has more than doubled in value this year and is up more than 50% in the four weeks since Donald Trump’s sweeping election victory, which also saw a slew of pro-crypto lawmakers being elected to Congress.”CONGRATULATIONS BITCOINERS!!! $100,000!!! YOU’RE WELCOME!!! Together, we will Make America Great Again!” Trump said on Truth Social, his social media network, on Thursday.”We’re witnessing a paradigm shift,” said Mike Novogratz, founder and CEO of U.S. crypto firm Galaxy Digital (TSX:GLXY).”Bitcoin and the entire digital asset ecosystem are on the brink of entering the financial mainstream – this momentum is fuelled by institutional adoption, advancements in tokenisation and payments, and a clearer regulatory path.”Trump – who once labelled crypto a scam – embraced digital assets during his campaign, promising to make the United States the “crypto capital of the planet” and to accumulate a national stockpile of bitcoin.”We were trading basically sideways for about seven months, then immediately after Nov. 5, U.S. investors resumed buying hand-over-fist,” said Joe McCann, CEO and founder of Asymmetric, a Miami digital assets hedge fund. Bitcoin’s proponents cheered Trump’s nomination of Atkins to the SEC.A former SEC commissioner, Atkins has been involved in crypto policy as co-chair of the Token Alliance, which works to “develop best practices for digital asset issuances and trading platforms,” and the Chamber of Digital Commerce.”Atkins will offer a new perspective, anchored by a deep understanding of the digital asset ecosystem,” said Blockchain Association CEO Kristin Smith.”We look forward to working with him … and ushering in – together – a new wave of American crypto innovation.”A slew of crypto companies including Ripple, Kraken and Circle are also jostling for a seat on Trump’s promised crypto advisory council.PART OF THE LANDSCAPEBitcoin has proven a survivor through precipitous downturns.Its move into six-figure territory is a remarkable comeback from a dip below $16,000 in 2022 when the industry was reeling from the collapse of the FTX exchange. Founder Sam Bankman-Fried was subsequently jailed.Analysts say the growing embrace of bitcoin by big investors this year has been a driving force behind the record-breaking rally.U.S.-listed bitcoin exchange-traded funds were approved in January and have been a conduit for large-scale buying, with more than $4 billion streaming into these funds since the election.”Roughly 3% of the total supply of bitcoins that will ever exist have been purchased in 2024 by institutional money,” said Geoff Kendrick, global head of digital assets research at Standard Chartered (OTC:SCBFF).”Digital assets, as an asset class, is becoming normalised,” he said.It is already becoming increasingly financialised, with the launch of bitcoin futures in 2017 and a strong debut for options on BlackRock (NYSE:BLK)’s ETF in November.Crypto-related stocks have soared along with the bitcoin price, with shares in bitcoin miner MARA Holdings and exchange operator Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) each up around 65% in November. Software (ETR:SOWGn) firm Microstrategy (NASDAQ:MSTR), which has repeatedly raised funds to buy bitcoin and held an aggregate of about 402,100 bitcoins as of Dec. 1, has gained around 540% this year. Trump himself unveiled a new crypto business, World Liberty Financial, in September, although details have been scarce and billionaire Elon Musk, a major Trump ally, is also a proponent of cryptocurrencies.’WHO CAN PROHIBIT IT’ Cryptocurrencies have been criticised for their massive energy consumption and use in crime around the world, and the underlying technology is far from delivering a revolution in the way money moves around the globe.The U.S. and Britain announced on Wednesday they had disrupted what they described as a global money laundering ring which used cryptocurrency to help rich Russians to evade sanction and launder cash for drug traffickers.Although calculations vary, the Cambridge University Centre for Alternative Finance estimates bitcoin uses around the same amount of electricity each year as Poland or South Africa.Still, as Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out at an investment conference on Wednesday: “Who can prohibit it? No one.” And its longevity is perhaps testament to a degree of resilience.”As time goes by it’s proving itself as part of the financial landscape,” said Shane Oliver, chief economist and head of investment strategy at AMP (OTC:AMLTF) in Sydney.”I find it very hard to value it … it’s anyone’s guess. But it does have a momentum aspect to it and at the moment the momentum is up.” More

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    Bitcoin Nothing Without Government: Peter Schiff

    Schiff contends that institutional purchases and political scheming rather than natural market demand are to blame for Bitcoin’s ascent to six figures. He cites mounting conjecture, especially in the United States, regarding the inclusion of Bitcoin in national reserves as this rally’s main motivator.He claims that this government narrative has emerged as a key selling point for institutional investors igniting a surge in hope and new investment. The aggressive accumulation strategy of MicroStrategy and Michael Saylor is contributing to the rally. According to Schiff, MicroStrategy may have been the big buyer in the most recent trades, accelerating the upward trend and shattering the $100,000 psychological barrier.The likelihood of U.S. institutional interest in Bitcoin is amplified by the reserve, which makes it into what Schiff refers to as a state-backed asset in disguise. Schiff highlights the positive aspect of gold’s 0.24% increase today despite his criticism. He highlights that gold is still a trustworthy way to hold onto value unaffected by the speculative frenzy surrounding Bitcoin.While supporters of Bitcoin rejoice over its most recent success, Schiff doubts its long-term viability, contending that reliance on official narratives runs counter to the decentralized philosophy upon which Bitcoin was founded. Arguments like these show the divergent views on Bitcoin’s place in the financial industry as it approaches six-digit territory.Critics like Schiff see this as a departure from Bitcoin’s original intent, while supporters see it as confirmation of its potential. In any case, the $100,000 milestone is a turning point in the history of Bitcoin, solidifying its impact in both the crypto and traditional finance sectors.This article was originally published on U.Today More

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    Economic impact of French political turmoil seems limited and contained- EU

    The risk premium investors demand to hold French debt rather than German Bunds dropped on Thursday after the widely expected collapse of the French government.”We follow very closely what is gong on in France,” Commission spokesman Balazs Ujavri told the briefing. “What we see for now is that the economic effect is rather contained and limited. The macroeconomic situation in France remains stable.”Far-right and left-wing lawmakers joined forces early this week to back a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Michel Barnier.Analysts fear France would enter a slow-burning crisis that could lead to a deterioration of sovereign creditworthiness and less economic growth.”We know that in the French constitution there are measures for scenarios in which we get to the end of the year and there is no budget,” Ujvari said, referring to the roll-over of the 2024 tax and spending structure being rolled over to 2025. More