Bitcoin

Bitcoin is the pioneer of blockchains and cryptocurrencies, introduced in a white paper released in 2008 by an apparently pseudonymous person or group of people known as Satoshi Nakamoto. The document described a peer-to-peer method of transferring money without the use of financial institutions. The cryptocurrency known as bitcoin or BTC debuted in 2009. Transactions are recorded on a public ledger (a blockchain) by entities known as miners who engage in process called proof-of-work. Miners are rewarded for doing that by getting newly minted bitcoin. Some proponents view BTC as an alternative to fiat currencies and a hedge against inflation. Bitcoin has inspired the creation of numerous other cryptocurrencies and blockchain projects.

DISCLOSURE: This text was written with the assistance of AI, then reviewed by a person



Markets

Market Wrap: Altcoins Outperform as Bitcoin Stabilizes Around $30K

BTC rose by 4% over the past 24 hours, compared with a 19% rally in MATIC.

Bitcoin rise (Shutterstock)

Videos

Michael Saylor Suggests MicroStrategy Will Never Sell its Bitcoin

Even as bitcoin's price has fallen 50% from its highs, MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor tweeted that there's almost no price low enough at which his business analytics software company would be forced to sell bitcoin. "The Hash" squad discusses Saylor's investment strategy, outlook and the concerns raised about possible margin calls.

Recent Videos

Policy

Environmental Groups Call on US Government to Implement Stringent Bitcoin Mining Regulations

Local and national activists are banding together to limit what they consider are the industry's adverse effects on the environment.

Power plant in New York (2020 Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

Opinion

Bitcoin Is Down, but You Don't Have to Be

Market conditions are not normal right now, but we can all act sane.

(Liza Polyanskaya/Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)

Markets

Bitcoin Holding Support at $30K, Resistance at $35K

BTC's volume uptick is an initial sign of capitulation, but upside remains limited.

Bitcoin daily chart shows support/resistance levels with volume on the bottom. (Damanick Dantes/CoinDesk, TradingView)

Videos

TradeStation Exec on Bitcoin Dip Amid Hawkish Fed Policy

TradeStation Group VP of Market Intelligence David Russell discusses the decline in risk appetite from investors as the Federal Reserve continues to deploy hawkish monetary policy, possibly stimulating bitcoin’s recent price drop.

CoinDesk placeholder image

Videos

Crypto Following Tech Stocks Down, Why the Correlation?

Unchained Capital CEO Joseph Kelly discusses the crypto markets after BTC briefly dropped below $30,000, highlighting cryptocurrency’s correlation with the stock market and tech assets. Did institutional investors play a role in the crypto sell-off? And why the spillover into altcoin markets?

Recent Videos

Finance

Michael Saylor Suggests MicroStrategy Will Never Sell Its Bitcoin

The plunging price of bitcoin raised questions about whether the company might soon receive a margin call from its lenders.

MicroStrategy's Michael Saylor (CoinDesk)

Finance

Bitcoin Self-Custody Company Casa Raises $21M

The news of the fundraise coincides with the launch of Casa API.

Casa CTO Jameson Lopp speaks at Consensus 2019.

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