BV_DIB on Nostr: https://m.primal.net/NspO.png BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB) Block: 881,348 ...

BTC Daily Intelligence Bulletin (DIB)
Block: 881,348
DTG/ICOD: 1200Z 30Jan25
Precedence: Routine (RR)
Controls: Public Release
QQQQ
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BLUF: 8 Hostages Released From Hamas, 110 From Israel / UNRWA Ban Takes Effect / Rebel Leader Appointed Syria President / American Flight Crashed With Army Chopper in DC, Developing / Trump Signs Laken Riley Act / RFK Jr Grilled on the Hill / Fed's Powell Says Banks Can own Bitcoin / Odds Are Against a BTC SBR in First 100 Days / Illinois Intros Bitcoin Bill / Telsa Gains $600M on Bitcoin / World's Largest Sovereign Fund Holds Bitcoin, Proxies / Fed Holds Steady For Now / GDP Slowed Last Quarter / DeepSeek Leak Got Ugly / BTC, ETH Used For HI Condo Purchase

Market Data: Price: 1 BTC= $101,063, 37.07 oz Gold, .24 Median US House
24hr Hi: $103,730 / Lo: $100,238
Vol: $42B (Down 29%)
Mkt Cap: $2.02T (Down 1%)
HashRate: 777 EH/s
Avg Fee Rate: 2 sats/vBtye (Even)

---Reports---
-International Events-
1. Eight hostages released from Gaza amid chaotic scenes as 110 Palestinian prisoners to be freed: Eight hostages – three Israeli and five Thai nationals – were released from captivity in Gaza on Thursday. Israeli soldier Agam Berger was the first to be released by Hamas. Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes were later released in southern Gaza amid chaotic scenes. Israeli authorities are also expected to release 110 Palestinian prisoners today. Of those, 32 were sentenced to life imprisonment, and another 30 are children, according to Hamas. (CNN)

2. Israel's ban on UNRWA comes into effect: The Israeli Parliament voted in favour of banning the United Nations' aid programme to Palestinians three months ago, claiming "UNRWA is Hamas". Nine UNRWA employees were sacked for taking part in the 7 October attacks. Almost all of the two million residents of Gaza rely on UNRWA in some form. UNRWA has contacts on the ground that no other agency has or could replicate in the current crisis. (SKyNews)

3. Ahmad al-Chareh Appointed Interim President of Syria, Abolishes Constitution: Ahmad al-Sharaa, former rebel leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has been appointed Syria's interim president following Assad's overthrow in December. The new administration has dissolved the constitution and parliament, promising elections within four years. (GroundNews)

-US Events-
1. DC plane crash updates: Daylight reveals wreckage after jet, Army helicopter collide: Hundreds of rescuers are searching the frigid waters of the Potomac River for survivors after an American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington on Wednesday. Three soldiers were onboard the helicopter, an Army official said. According to reports, many U.S. and Russian Figure Skating Championship contestants and coaches are believed to have been on the jet. Officials at Ronald Reagan National Airport say they do not expect flights to resume until at least 11 a.m. (Fox5, Various)

2. President Donald Trump Signs Laken Riley Act into Law: The law requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain illegals who have been arrested, charged, or convicted of burglary, theft, shoplifting, or larceny. Riley’s mother, Allyson Phillips, thanked Sen Katie Britt (R-AL) and Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) for helping lead the bill’s passage through Congress. She then thanked people from all over the country for their prayers for her family. (Breitbart) (AC-Trump's first bill to sign is a poignant one.)

3. RFK Jr. Faces Senate Scrutiny on Pharma Lawsuits: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced a contentious Senate confirmation hearing for the role of HHS Secretary. Key discussions revolved around his past lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies and his refusal to commit to not engaging in such legal actions during and post-tenure. Critics raised concerns over potential conflicts of interest, pointing out his previous earnings and the possibility of influencing vaccine policies for personal financial gain. Kennedy, however, stated he would adhere to ethical guidelines but maintained his stance on not entirely ruling out future legal actions against drug companies. (X)

-Regulatory and Legal-
1. Goodbye, Choke Point 2.0? Bitcoin Pumps After Fed's Powell Says Banks Can Offer Crypto Services: Bitcoin jumped late Wednesday night after U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said banks can actually provide cryptocurrency services to their customers as long as risks are managed well. (IBTimes)

-CBDCs/World Currencies/Strategic Reserves-
1. Polymarket Predicts Low Odds for Trump's Strategic Bitcoin Reserve; Lummis Proposes Separate Bill: Polymarket gives a 16% chance of Donald Trump ordering a strategic Bitcoin reserve in the first 100 days of his administration. Senator Cynthia Lummis proposed a bill for a Bitcoin Purchase Program separate from the White House's efforts, currently under review by the Committee on Banking. (Decrypt)

2. Illinois considering strategic Bitcoin reserve with 5-year hodl strategy: Illinois’ HB1844 bill proposes a state-run Bitcoin reserve with a mandatory five-year holding period before allowing conversions or sales. The bill was referred to the Rules Committee on Jan. 29 to establish the final regulatory details and await full approval by lawmakers. (CoinTelegraph) (AC-An interesting race to see who will be first.)

-Institutional Concerns-
1. Tesla reports $600 million paper gain from bitcoin holdings in Q4 under new accounting rules: Arkham Intelligence data shows that the company holds around 11,509 BTC, roughly valued at $1.21 billion. This makes Tesla the fourth largest publicly traded holder of bitcoin behind MicroStrategy, Marathon Digital and Galaxy Digital. (TheBlock)

2. World’s Largest Sovereign Wealth Fund Has Indirect Bitcoin Exposure of More Than $355M: Norway’s Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM), has amassed $356.7 million in indirect bitcoin (BTC) exposure. At the end of 2024, the fund indirectly held 3,821 BTC, reflecting a 153% year-over-year increase from 1,507 BTC. As of year-end 2024, its holdings included a 0.72% stake in MicroStrategy (MSTR), equivalent of $500 million, 1.1% of Tesla (TSLA) and investments in Coinbase (COIN), Metaplanet (3350) and MARA Holdings (MARA). (CoinDesk)

-Economic Indicators-
1. Fed Pauses Rate-Cut Cycle: The Federal Reserve kept the fed funds rate steady at the 4.25%-4.5% range during its January 2025 meeting, in line with expectations. The central bank paused its rate-cutting cycle after three consecutive reductions in 2024 that totaled a full percentage point. (TradingEconomics)

2. US Economy Likely Slowed in Q4: The US economy likely expanded at an annualized rate of 2.6% in Q4 2024, marking the slowest growth in three quarters, down from 3.1% in the previous period. Despite the slowdown, growth remained solid, bringing full-year expansion to 2.8%. (TradingEconomics) (AC-It's wise to remember that government spending is a large component of GDP, and therefore not the best indicator of actual economic output of the country.)

-Security Incidents and Concerns-
1. DeepSeek AI Database Exposed: Over 1 Million Log Lines, Secret Keys Leaked: Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepSeek, which has had a meteoric rise in popularity in recent days, left one of its databases exposed on the internet, which could have allowed malicious actors to gain access to sensitive data. (HackerNews)

-Technology and Science-
NSTR

-Bitcoin Community-
1. Propy Lets You Buy Homes With Bitcoin and Ethereum: The company says a Honolulu condo loan employs a dual-collateral mechanism, mandating both bitcoin (BTC) or ethereum (ETH) and the acquired property as security. Once the 10% interest loan is fully repaid, buyers can reclaim their crypto assets. Propy disclosed that the entire process—from loan approval to ownership transfer—will be recorded onchain, bypassing the sluggishness of traditional escrow systems. (BitcoinCom)

-Bitcoin Sentiment-
1. Fear(0)/Greed(100) Index: 70/100 (Down 2 pts)

Analyst Comments (AC): NSTR

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Analyst: BV2A
END REPORT
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*NSTR-Nothing Significant To Report